Page 80 of Ruptured

“It’s zero fucks,” Johnnie said, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

She made a face at him and he laughed, attempting to touch her again by placing a hand on her shoulder.

She swiped it away. “Keep your hands to yourself and off my person.”

“At one time, I touched you all the time.”

“At one time, we were friends,” she retorted, ignoring the insinuation in his tone. “That’s no longer the case. We’re barely family.”

Anger flickered across his face.

“Johnnie, now isn’t the time,” Easton said, low. “Tío is downstairs. If Diesel runs into him, he’ll kill him. And then what?”

Meggie stiffened. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“There’s a rumor going around Tío’s affiliated with Bash,” Johnnie admitted, his anger dissolving. “If that’s true, Christopher will finish him if Diesel doesn’t.”

Precipitating a war between the Death Dwellers and the American Scorpions. All because Tabitha–

She gasped. “Diesel’s wife is a Scorpion plant.”

“Tabitha didn’t know about his supposed ties,” Easton said.

“How do you and Johnnie know, Easton?”

“We’re in a fucking club, Megan,” Johnnie barked. His pleasant demeanor had left the building. “We hear things through the grapevine.”

“You’re a liar,” she said evenly. “You’re well acquainted with Bash. You’d know who Tío is.”

“You little bitch.”

“Leave,” she said in a hard voice. “You’re an idiot.”

“Meggie, Tabitha met Tío one night a couple of months ago and uh…” Easton shrugged. “She was drunk and confided in him after…”

The club members were getting restless. Although she, Johnnie, and Easton still spoke in low tones,shewas agitated.The joke was on her, since she’d stupidly agreed to talk to. Johnnie was vice-president, so any interference from the brothers on her behalf could be taken as a grave insult to a club officer.

His anger slipping away, Johnnie crouched down. “Megan, sweetheart, if Tío really isn’t associated with Bash, an innocent kid will die.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty,” Johnnie answered, exchanging a glance with Easton. “Not much older than CJ. If he was in a similar situation, you’d want someone to save his life.”

“So I could punch him in the nose if he was stupid enough to confront a man because of a woman’s lies,” Meggie grouched, her head hurting.

Johnnie and Easton laughed. She found nothing funny.

“For whatever reason, you’d want him to live,” Johnnie told her.

“You know him, don’t you?”

He raised his hand. “I swear I don’t. If you have a bible, I swear to you on it.”

Meggie nodded. “Fine, Johnnie.” She waited until he stood to continue. “What do you need from me?”

“He’s in critical condition.” Easton drew in a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked exhausted. “He was just being prepped for surgery when we arrived.”

“Why did you arrive?” Meggie asked, their story not adding up. “How did you and Johnnie get involved?”