Page 30 of Next Level (Royal Bastards MC: Oakland Chapter #1)
DEAD MAN
W alking into the warehouse with Ma following me just felt wrong. Especially knowing I was going to kill this man. I’ve never killed a man in front of her before, and I don’t think I’ll be able to do it now. I’ll have her taken out to the van to wait.
Joe’s guys left when Lip and Nut arrived—leaving us to deal with the aftermath. I see they have George tied up to a chair. No one has roughed him up. Good. I get all the fun.
George notices us and leers. “Aw, Vicki. I see you’re looking fine as ever.”
Ma laughs. “Hey, Georgie.”
Georgie. What the fuck.
I move to stand in front of him, folding my arms. “How does it feel to know your plan failed?”
“Who said it failed?” George baits me.
“Well, you’re about to die, and my girls are safe.”
George looks around me to my ma.
“How could you pick him over me?” he shouts.
I smack George’s face. “I’m talking to you. You can talk to my ma in a minute. It’s my turn. Why would you leave Jared—your only son—all alone, and only care about my father’s kid?”
“My kid is going to be fine. I have people who will protect him when he gets inside.”
“I would think you would hate Garrett since he’s the spawn of my father, who you hate.”
“Garrett came to me. When he found out your dad was his father, he wanted revenge. When I learned he left Garrett money, I knew I needed to get that from him and leave Garrett to rot in honor of your dad.”
So he was using Garrett.
“So you’re using Garrett to get his money and frame him for all this shit.”
“It would have worked if he hadn’t fucked up and gotten arrested.
I told him to dump the girl long ago. They weren’t supposed to take her.
They were supposed to kill her. Garrett fucked up and got my kid involved, and I guess my boy fell in love.
” George leans to the side to look at my ma.
“Kind of runs in the family, don’t you think, Vic?
Funny, I fell in love with you, and my boy falls in love with your granddaughter.
” He sits up straight to look up at me. “Boy’s just like his dad. ”
Jared kept Garrett from killing her. I remember how she said they would fight over her, and he never left her side.
“Your boy’s a good kid.”
George’s face softens. “I wanted to keep him out of this, but he’s had a fucked-up life. I thought Garrett would at least take care of him, but instead he fucked him up even more.”
“Why try to kill my daughter when you could have just tried to kill me?”
“I wanted the Amato men to suffer like I did. I lost both loves of my life to your dad. So I wanted you to pay for it since he’s dead.”
“Well, Sam is safe and will always be safe.”
George spits. “Not while Garrett’s alive, she’s not. Even with me gone, he’ll still keep coming. I think he hates you more than I do. He feels you stole his life, and he wants you to pay, and he’s got the money to do it. Thanks to your dad.”
I punch him square in the jaw.
I walk away from George, rubbing my fist and letting it all sink in. I intertwine my fingers behind my neck, getting my thoughts together. I call for Zoom.
“What’s up?” Zoom asks.
“You got your laptop? I want you to pull up Garrett’s trust. Do we still have that offshore account that’s untraceable?”
Zoom snickers, understanding where my thinking is going. “I’m on it,” he says and rushes out the door.
“So, Georgie.” I use Ma’s nickname for him.
“I’m gonna tell you what’s going to happen.
That way, when you go to hell, you can tell my good ol’ Dad hello for me, and that his other son, Garrett, will be joining him soon.
” George looks shocked. “Oh, and your boy Jared. Your flesh and blood. Don’t worry about him.
I’m going to raise him like he’s my very own son.
He’ll be a Bastard, hate you, and love me.
” I point at Ma. “See, I’m kind of like my ma. ”
George’s face turns bright red. “He would never. He hates you.”
I let out a sinister laugh. “Oh, Georgie, I promise you he’ll become a Royal Bastard and he will hate you.” I snap my fingers, then point my finger at him. “Oh, and I’m going to take all of Garrett’s money my dad gave him. How’s that sound?”
George starts struggling against his restraints. I can’t contain my amusement. “Oh, you don’t like that idea? Ma and I raising your boy.”
George starts to scream, trying to get free.
Damn, Lazy was right. This will drive him mad.
I see Zoom re-enter the building, so I say, “Okay, Ma, it’s your turn, but don’t take long. Once I transfer this money over, it’ll be time for him to go.”
Ma beams. “Thank you, son.”
Ma walks over to stand in front of George, placing her hand on his cheek. “Hey-yah, Georgie. Miss me?”
George stops struggling.
“Why did you pick him? We had it good,” George says, broken.
I watch Zoom work his magic while keeping an eye on Ma.
“I told you, it was always him,” Ma says, patting his face.
“He used you and Letti. He wanted to keep both of you.”
Ma’s face turns crazy. “He picked me.”
George starts to laugh in her face. “Vic, you can keep telling yourself that, but I know for a fact he was fucking her till the day I killed her in that car accident.”
Ma slaps his face hard. “Fuck you. He was not.”
“Why do you think Letti and I were fighting? I found them together again. I even had them do a paternity test on Jared to make sure he was mine and not JR’s.”
Ma grips his face. “You lie.”
George shakes his head. “Tell me I’m lying. HE didn’t choose you.”
Ma screams, “Well, tell him I said hi.” I didn’t even notice the switchblade in her hand until it was too late.
“Ma! No!”
At the same time, she plunges the knife into the side of his neck, slicing his carotid artery.
I rush over, watching her crazy eyes lock on his until he was lifeless.
“Ma, what the fuck did you do?”
When her eyes meet mine, she looks absolutely insane. “He. Picked. Me.”
“Okay, Ma. I believe you. Put down the knife.”
The boys and I are in complete shock. I think she is as well by the look on her face.
“Fuck!” I exclaim.
“Let’s get him in the incinerator,” Nut says, stepping forward.
As I move Ma away from the lifeless body, I tell Jay, “Take Ma to get cleaned up and put her in the van.”
Chewy, Nut, and I take care of the body and remove all evidence he was ever here.
Zoom emptied the account and made it look like George took the money and ran.
On the way back to the hospital, Chewy asks, “So are we going to help his kid, or was that all shit talking just to get a rise out of him?”
I shrug. “I don’t know yet. But out of all this, I do believe he’s a victim too.”
Lip speaks. “Sounds to me like he saved Sammie from something worse happening to her. Like he protected her.”
“Yeah, it’s starting to look that way,” I reply.