“Well, I’d ordered Scar to deliver him,” Ghost mused. “Guess I should have specified ‘with his head intact’.”
Ranger shrugged, not particularly bothered by the man’s pain or the blood currently running down his face in streams.“He called Tally a bitch. I’m impressed he’s still breathing.” And likely the unknown location of Toni’s mom was the only reason.
Ranger would have been very content spending the rest of the day holding Toni in his arms and comforting her as she finally mourned the loss of her father and processed the trauma she’d gone through two nights ago. He’d turned off Toni’s mic and receiver when he’d handed Ghost Toni’s mom’s finger, leaving Ghost to deal with that as well as Gwen. His priority was Toni. As much as he hated seeing her tears, he also knew she needed this. So he resigned himself to hold her and console her for as long as she needed.
But then Ghost came over his receiver. Keys must have turned it on remotely, and while Ranger wasn’t thrilled by the interruption, he did appreciate Ghost not calling or texting, as that would have disturbed Toni.
“Scar followed Pike back to his home. No sign of her mother. Not even a drop of blood. But from the cash he found, Pike’s been dealing a while. I told him to grab Pike and the money so we can get some answers. Meet us at the cellar when you’re ready. I left you the SUV so you can take Toni home.”
Ranger wasn’t all that surprised by the news. It would have been a minor miracle for Scar to have just walked in and found a finger-less Debra Anderson. He hadn’t said anything to Toni about it, not wanting to upset her more, but instinct told him Debra was dead. Before knowing about Pike’s involvement, he’d had hope that she was just on a binge somewhere in a dark alley, but now knowing there was a second party involved…? His doubts rose exponentially. A bloody finger was shock and awe, not proof of life. And if Pike was willing to lie about having Debra, he could very easily lie about whose finger he’d brought.
Ghost would have gotten the finger to Keys to start analyzing, so they’d have answers soon enough.
Ranger still hadn’t asked what happened to Gwen, as the office building had been empty by the time Toni and he left, even though it had been early afternoon. Not wanting to leave Toni alone, but also not wanting to dump her into the deep end that was the club’s ol’ ladies, Ranger brought her back to Ghost and Becks’ house. At the very least, his mom would make her some comfort food and sit quietly with her without prying.
But now it was time to get some answers.
Heavy footfalls behind them drew their attention to Bulldog. The clubhouse had been cleared out of everyone but members and prospects. The ol’ ladies likely knew something was going on, but they also knew not to ask. Several members were above, not needing to be below with the lack of extra room. Keys should be so he could easily research the things discussed, but per the tech, the cellar was “creepy as fuck” and he refused to step below. He said he was listening in through Ranger’s mic, which had better range than Ranger realized if that was true.
Bulldog waved a hand toward Pike. “So this is the fucker who went after Toni?”
Ranger handed the SAA the business card Pike had left on Toni’s desk. “Claims her parents owe him fifty grand.”
Bulldog let out a long whistle. “Given what we found in their apartment, it’s not that surprising.”
The street cost for a gram of meth was anywhere between twenty to a hundred dollars, though depending on the quality and the fact that they were in a rural area, it was likely on the lower end of that scale. Since the paraphernalia found in their apartment wasn’t new, the club was estimating that they’d relapsed four to five months ago. Realistically, the real debt was probably closer to thirty thousand, and Pike was adding on an additional twenty because he saw easy dollar signs with Toni.
Ranger walked up to Pike and patted his cheek hard enough that it made Ranger’s palm sting. “Where is Debra Anderson?”
Jumping awake after having passed out from the pain of being scalped, it took Pike a second to gather his surroundings before he started crying out. “What the hell, man? What is happening? Who are you people?”
“I think the cuts would make it rather obvious,” Ghost said dryly from behind Ranger. “You’re dealing product inmy town, Cody Pike. I know everything about you, from the lowest score on your second grade report card to how much you paid for that souped-up truck that is,” Ghost dropped his eyes down, “clearly overcompensating for something. What I don’t know are the details of your drug operation. Which you’re going to spill for me now, including the whereabouts of Debra Anderson, and just for shits and giggles, the names of any other clients you have in Mount Grove.”
“And then you’ll let me go?” Pike asked, swinging from the ceiling with his panicked movements.
“Sure,” Ghost promised him. “We’ll let you down, get you your clothes, and walk you right out of here. Mind, if you take that route, you’ll have to deal with Scar. He’s the one who gave you the new haircut. Personally, I’d avoid him after calling his lady a bitch.Butit’s not my funeral.”
Pike’s eyes danced around the dank room, looking for sympathy and finding none. “What… What’s the other option? Living here for the rest of my life?”
Since Ranger was no longer allowed to carry his gun, he picked up a machete from the table to his right. “It’ll be a very short life.”
“Then, then I won’t talk!” he declared stubbornly.
Ranger smiled at the man. “Talk or scream, Pike. Those are your options, and if you tell us everything we want to know, I guarantee you a bullet to the head. It’ll be quick, and you’ll feel no pain. I won’t even make you dig your own grave first.” He touched the tip of the machete to the sensitive skin at the base ofPike’s throat. “But if you make me work for answers, I guarantee you more pain than you can even fathom without the sweet release of death. One of my brothers is a nurse, and he knows how to keep you alive long after your body and mind give out. Our record is eight hundred and forty-three days.” He pressed the blade in just enough where a drop of blood welled up before dripping down Pike’s chest. “Want to see if you can beat the record?”
CHAPTER 12
129 Days Sober
Asharp whistle brought the meeting to order. For years, thethwackof a gavel had summoned silence, but while Ghost had taken Steel’s title and chair, he’d never used the gavel left to him. It had beenSteel’s, a present to him from Jenna—which many suspected was the only reason Steel had ever even touched the thing in the first place. Ghost did not replace it or get his own, but he had memorialized Steel’s gavel on a wooden plaque that now hung on the wall of the Chapel.
This wasn’t the first Church meeting since being back from rehab that Ranger had attended, but it was the first where he didn’t feel like an imposter sitting in the enforcer’s chair. Maybe he wouldn’t be taking the VP position anytime soon, which he did feel guilty about. Lucky had only stayed on this long to train Ranger and so there wasn’t a whiplash regime change with Steel’s departure. They’d been aiming for the two-year marker following Ghost’s appointment, which would be this upcoming New Year. But no one needed to say what Ranger already knew:the club couldn’t have an addict as VP, and certainly not one who would barely have his six-month chip by Christmas.
But something had happened over the past couple of days that had made that knowledge not so depressing. Ranger realized he hadn’t lost the club’s trust. It had started small with figuring out that Specs hadn’t been sent to Morgantown to spy on Ranger and ensure he was at the meeting he claimed he was at. Then it was allowing Ranger to take the lead on Pike’s interrogation, which he would have insisted on whether he was enforcer or not. But it hadn’t even been a discussion. Ranger knew he hadn’t imagined the eggshells the club had been walking on near him since his return, but maybe the pity he’d felt around them was more reflective of his own thoughts and feelings than it was theirs. At least, that’s what Dr. Rutenberg was proposing, and Ranger had to admit that the man had a point. Maybe it wasn’t the club who hadn’t been trusting Ranger, but Ranger who hadn’t been trusting himself.
Stepping up to the plate to protect Toni proved that he could still act as the club’s enforcer, that it wasn’t just a title the club was allowing him to keep out of pity. He might not be able to take the position of VP anytime soon, but he could still be the best damn enforcer this club had ever seen.
The topic of Lucky’s retirement from the VP position was not why they were gathered for this Church meeting, but it was a discussion that, at least the officers, were going to need to have soon. After nearly a decade at the helm, Lucky deserved to retire and spend his days and time with his family. He still planned on being a member, just no longer an officer.
