Saving Glory (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club Book 4) (15 page)

Prosper and Diego were transfixed and could do no more than nod.

Glory nodded back then lowered her voice as if the words themselves would incite violence. “Well,
those
guys started shooting. And then two
more
guys that we didn’t know were even there came out of the Escalade that Santino was in and started shooting back. And that’s when I started to scream. I just couldn’t help it,” Glory said with a small degree of self-loathing at her unfortunately- timed and cowardly display.

“We
both
screamed.
Of course
we screamed.” Claire patted Glory’s hand in reassurance. “Who in their right mind would
not
scream?”

“So they saw you?” Diego asked grimly.

“Yes. They saw us. It all happened like in fast forward. They all looked toward the bushes then—” Claire stammered and looked at Glory for support.

“Then they all started shooting at each other and we ran," Glory supplied. "We were so afraid they were gonna come after us, but no one did. Maybe because they all killed each other off. We don’t know. We went straight to your house after that, Prosper. Pinky was home and we told her everything. That’s when she called you and well—you know the rest.” Glory finished the telling in one long rushed breath.

No one spoke for several long moments.

Prosper got up and began to pace the floor. When he spoke his voice was low, filled with fury and directed at Diego. “So my best guess is that the fucker Santino brought a cartel drug war to our door. I knew the Colombians were quiet for too damn long. Honest to fuck, I didn’t even know they were anywhere near here, let alone that they had partnered up with that wop asshole. If they’re planning to hit us, it’s gonna be soon.”

“You think the Culebras reached out to Los Olcas in Florida and now the clubs are working together? It would make sense that those fuckers joined forces. And if they did, could be that they are planning on weakening the club by attacking the compound then breaking the truce down south,” Diego suggested.

Prosper looked at Diego. “Could be. The deal they worked out with Beast in Miami was not exactly in their best interest. Could be that goddamn pain in the ass, Bautista, is back in town and pulling together the Latino tribes. What I think is that Bautista brought his boys up here to test the waters and stir up shit. And somehow Abiatti got in on the deal. Probably was gonna use anything that Glory could give him on us to bring the club down.”

“How do you want to handle this, Boss?” Diego asked quietly

“Put in a call to the Aces compound. Tell Hezekiah to get his ass over here. Let him know that Bautista’s crew is back in town. Gianni’s on his way now with some intel on Santino. We’ll know more when he gets here, but his first thought was that Abiatti was acting on his own on this deal. That is to say he had no mob-backing. Gianni said that it’s been no secret that the mother-ship ain’t been too happy with the way things have been going down in Vegas for a while. Sounds like Santino’s stepping out with a small crew of his own—Cosa Nostra don’t do business with the Cartel. Period.”

An expectant and uneasy silence filled the room while Diego spoke into his cell in muffled tones. Then he shoved the phone back in his pocket and said, “Boys are being put on standby. Just awaiting your orders, boss.”

Prosper pinned the girls with a murderous look. His face set in a deep scowl. “So you did all this—fucking detective bullshit—and almost got yourselves killed in what sounds like a goddamn million dollar heroin deal, and are the only eyewitnesses to a cartel shoot out because why again?”

“Because Santino was going to implicate Hal and even maybe Reno in murder raps," Claire reminded him.

“Why the hell didn’t you come to us, and let us handle this?” Prosper demanded. “Instead of playing this Keystone Cops bullshit?”

“That’s what I’d like to fucking know.” A low grumble sounded from the back of the room.

“Me too.” Another angry voice joined in.

Oh shit.

Glory closed her eyes as her heart started pounding in her ears at the sound of Jules’s voice. When she dared glance at Claire, she saw that her friend’s face had turned a ghostly white.

Jules.

Reno.

Hal.

Covered in road dust and standing in the back of the room.

Glory knew from the start that the Santino problem might intersect with the end of the boys’ run. But she had hoped that it would have been settled before the men came back.

No such luck.

Prosper had been questioning Claire and Glory for hours.

Her best guess was that when Diego had put in a call to Reno to report what his wife and her best friend had been up to, the men were well on their way back anyway. But looking at them now, it was obvious that they had ridden hell bent the rest of the way home. Glory and Claire were so intent on telling Prosper the whole sordid truth that neither one of the girls heard the three men slip into the back of the room.

Just great.

“Is that my piece sitting on the table?” Hal looked incredulously from the gun to his sister. 

“I—uh—well,” Glory tried but her courage failed her. Because when she looked around her that’s all she could see was the absolute fury that filled every man in the room.

Then.

“You all right?” Jules took a step to her and gave Glory his full attention.

“Jules, I am so sorry. It’s just that we thought—" Glory began.

“Are. You. All. Right
?”
Jules said again in a harsh clip.

“Yes, Jules. I’m okay. I’m fine.” Remorse filled Glory when she heard the underlying panic in his voice. She pushed her chair back, stood up and began to walk towards him. But before she had fully completed that first step, Jules reached across the room and tucked Glory into his side.

When Reno leaned in and snarled something indiscernible out at her, Jules growled back at him and moved Glory into the safety of his arms. After throwing Jules a look that could kill, Reno turned to his wife and pulled Claire out of her seat. Then he held her hand tightly in his own as he headed towards the door. But before he left the room he pointed an accusing finger at Glory and shouted at her. “Next time you get it into that fucked-up head of yours to go out and get yourself killed, leave my woman out of it.” Then Reno swiveled on his heels and snarled at his uncle, “You done here?”

Prosper looked at his nephew for a long moment, clearly taking exception to his tone. But it was glaringly obvious that Reno was tottering on the edge of a violent response to an already tense situation. And because everyone in the room knew the history behind his fear-driven fury, Prosper decided to give Reno a pass. At least for now.

“Yeah, you can take her.” Prosper rubbed the back of his neck wearily, then he looked at his nephew with warning, “But hear this. Before you start reaming her ass out for some seriously flawed decision-making, you remember one thing. Your woman is safe, brother. Safe, sound and un-fucking-harmed and that is the most important thing.
The most important thing
. We clear on that?”

“’Course we’re clear on that.” Reno raised one shaking hand and wiped the sweat of road dirt off his paled face. His other hand maintained its tight clasp on his wife.

Prosper lifted a chin to the door and said to Reno, “Just get her home, brother. And good luck talking some sense into my girl because God knows she doesn’t listen to me.”

Claire met Glory’s eyes from across the room. She looked like she was about to speak, but then thought better of it. Before Reno ushered her out of the room, he turned to Jules one last time and said in a voice filled with menace. “Brother, you better get your bitch under control and do it fast. Because if you don’t, I will.”

Then without another word, Reno threw open the door, ushered Claire out and slammed it hard behind them.

Glory felt a shudder of anger rush through Jules. The arms that held her tensed and flexed. Tension filled the room as the roar of Reno’s bike came thundering through the walls.

“That was un-fucking called for, boss.” Jules held Glory in a vise grip as he spat out at Prosper.  “You know it and I know it. It’s only out of respect for you and my understanding of the past situation that he didn’t go crawling outta here on all fours.”

“You’re not wrong about him being out of line, and I appreciate you taking into consideration the heat of the moment.” Prosper said grimly. “The shit that Reno has already been through with Claire has got him talking stupid.  It’s been a long ass day for everyone, and calling him out is just gonna make things worse. So for the sake of the shit we gotta do going forward, I’m asking you

to give him a pass this one time. But if he ever talks that shit again, not only do you have my permission to kick his ass, I’ll help you do it.”

A large silence filled the room as the implication of the day’s actions weighed heavy on everyone’s mind.

There was a few moments of quiet deliberation before all eyes turned to Glory.

“I should probably get going too,” Glory muttered through a frown as she twisted herself reluctantly out of Jules’s arms.

Remorse filled her. Because, aside from the million other ramifications her actions of the last few days would probably have, she felt totally responsible for getting Claire in hot water with Reno. Glory knew that Claire was in for a long unpleasant night filled with lectures and shouting from her husband. Reno was not exactly known for his patient understanding, especially when the safety and well-being of his wife was concerned. A deep wave of guilt swept over Glory and she felt sick with the knowledge that she had risked Reno’s wrath by putting Claire in harm’s way.

And since Prosper had obviously called his damn cavalry back in early from their road trip, she figured that she would let him fill in the blanks for Jules and Hal. Besides, her head was splitting and her nerves were shot. So she thought to make a graceful exit and leave them to it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Glory saw Jules lift his chin in a silent command. Hal moved in front of the doorway barring her way. “Sit down, little sister.”

Glory turned to look at Jules, who stood stalwart with his big arms crossed in front of his chest. He nodded to the seat at the table.

No help there.

“I need a minute with my sister,” Hal said. It was not a request.

Prosper hesitated only slightly. “You’re gonna stick around here after you’re done.”

Then with one last long look at Glory, Prosper motioned to his wife and led her to the door. Pinky turned before leaving the room and, when she met Glory’s eyes, she lifted her head slightly—
chin up
. That small gesture made Glory feel just a little bit better.

Armed with that tiny bit of renewed confidence, she twisted her head around to look again at Jules as he leaned against the back wall.

Glory shot him a pleading look.

Which he totally ignored?

The panicked
glad to see you are alive
look had left his face and was replaced with something wary and a little too hard for her liking.

So he was mad, too.

But at least he wasn’t going to leave her to face her brother’s wrath alone.

Or maybe after the initial relief of seeing that she hadn’t gotten herself killed, Jules was just waiting his turn to chew her out too.

“Whatever you got to say to her, I’m gonna want to hear it,” Jules said in no uncertain terms. He looked at Glory. “Then your sister and I are gonna have a talk of our own.”

Hal answered Jules with just a slight nod of his head, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak.

Glory sat very still in her seat, while her brother paced back in forth in front of her. His fist clenched and unclenched at his side. He seemed to be trying to get himself under control. As had become a habit when Hal was distressed or angry, he began to rub a hard hand over the damaged side of his face in what Glory could only imagine was an excruciatingly painful gesture.

A gesture of self-punishment.

Then in a sudden motion, he stopped his pacing and whirled towards her.

“Glory—what the fuck did you think you were doing messing around with that asshole Santino? Haven’t you learned your lesson?” Her brother shouted out at her from a mouth that was contorted in rage. “And my gun? Are you fucking kidding me? Really? You tossed my room? What are you? Twelve? Kids do the shit that you did today.”

Glory paled as she looked at her brother. She saw the anger that radiated out of his war-torn face. She heard the insulting and accusatory tone of his voice. She felt the heat of his fury as his eyes met hers in disgusted disbelief.

And that’s when it happened.

All the stress and the fear and the giving and giving and giving of herself, only to end up again and again in a place of being doubted and blamed by this self-serving idiotic older brother of hers.

Enough.

Looking at Hal now, Glory came to an angry realization. If he could say those things to her, accuse her of acting like a stupid kid, when all she had been doing—all she had ever done—was to act in his best interest, then he didn’t deserve her and her sisterly love.

Humph.

Glory shot out of her chair, leaned over the table and closed the space that separated herself from her brother.

Angry eye met angry eye.

“Did you kill Vincenzo, Hal?” Glory pounced.

Glory watched her brother’s face close down.

Oh no, you don’t.

Glory stabbed a finger at him. “After you came out to visit me at the lake house that first time, did you go to Vegas?”

Hal stood still in front of her. Not a blink, not a breath, not a muscle moved. Hal’s eyes locked into hers.

“Hal, did you tell me you were going to back to base and go to Vegas instead to kill Vincenzo Abiatti?” Glory enunciated each word loudly. As if she were talking to a very small child.

A muscle jumped in Hal’s clenched jaw but he stayed resolutely silent.

“Well?” she asked with ferocious persistence.

Hal glared and puffed out his chest but still did not answer her.

“Perfect. Just damn perfect,” Glory shouted at him, frustrated by his stoic stubbornness. “And this is exactly the reason why I am always,
always
stuck cleaning up your messes.”

And then, suddenly Hal was silent no more.

“The only reason you get stuck cleaning up my messes is because from the time you were a goddamn kid you couldn’t keep your snotty nose out of my business!” Hal roared out in fury. “Always following me around like some lost puppy! Did I ever once—
ever once
—ask you to stick your nose in my personal? That shit in Vegas—
that’s on you
. I had that settled
. Fucking settled!
If you had minded your own business, you never would have been pulled into it.”

Glory looked back at him, stunned. Her eyes went wide and she felt a pain shoot somewhere near her heart as she stammered out,

“He told me—”

“I know what he fucking told you. He played you, you goddamn idiot.” Hal pounded a clenched hand hard on the table. “And just for that alone Vincenzo deserved to die! The minute those fucking words came out of his mouth he signed his own death warrant. That’s on you little sister, for not telling him to fuck off. For believing him instead of having some goddamn faith in your own blood—in your own brother. You wanna know if I killed Vincenzo? Yeah, I fucking killed him!” Hal raged on at an ear-splitting decibel, “AND THAT’S ON YOU!”

“Oh my God.” Glory paled and swallowed down the acid bile that churned up from her stomach. She raised a trembling hand to shield herself from his words.

“Jesus.” Jules’s attention swiveled back to Glory when he heard her cry out. Then he pushed himself between the two quarreling siblings. He pinned Hal with a glare and let out a warning rumble, “That’s enough, brother.”

But even in her distraught state, Glory could see that her brother was too far gone in his anger to listen. As he continued to rage, his every word ripped another hole through her heart. “And you playing goddamn nursemaid by my bed in Germany? I didn’t ask them to send for you, they just did. I wanted to die, do you hear me? I should have died when my men did, but you wouldn’t fucking let me
.
Why the hell didn’t you just stay where you fucking were and let me die?”

Glory gasped as images of the hours and days and weeks and months she had spent waiting and worrying and praying by her brother’s side flashed through her tired mind.

He has finally gone too far
Glory thought as an overwhelming sense of outrage and betrayal filled her. So she did what she always did when she felt cornered, Glory came out swinging.

“You self-serving sonofabitch,” she screamed back at him at the top of her lungs. “You wanted to die? Really? You wanted to die? Then why didn’t you?”

Before Hal could open his mouth in furious retort, Jules stepped in.

“Both of you need to calm the fuck down!” he bellowed out recognizing that Hal and Glory were locked in the age old battle that brothers and sisters have fought since the dawn of time. Each trying to outdo the other with painful words and outrageous accusations that they did not mean and would live to regret. Until the next time.

“How could I die when you were yakking in my ear twenty-four seven?” Hal shouted back at her. “You never stopped being a pain in the ass long enough for me to die!”

Glory let out a startled cry and reeled back as if she had been struck.

Jules moved fast. He shoved her behind him and turned to Hal with a look of barely suppressed rage.

“I said that is e-fucking-nough!” Jules bellowed. He slammed his fist so hard on the wooden table that he splintered a foot long crack through the center of it. “Hal, I am warning you. One more word and I am going to knock you out just to shut you the fuck up!”

A shocked silence filled the air.

For maybe a second and a half.

Then

“I’m a pain in the ass?
I’m a pain in the ass
?” Glory’s shout of outrage could have woken the dead. And she fully intended to continue her rant if Jules’s actions hadn’t knocked the wind right out of her sails. Because in the midst of her bellowing, Jules swung around and grabbed his woman around the waist. Then he cave-manned her up over his shoulder and carried her out the door.