Make It Right (22 page)

“As interesting as all that is, it isn't an answer.” Buster's voice was deeper than normal. Danny risked a glance around the room and he saw that everyone was completely on edge as he was. “We're looking for more of a yes or no.”

Missy raised an eyebrow at that, her hands moved to rub over her stomach. “Yes. I killed them.” Danny wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly at first. No one seemed to be. Even Royal's head snapped to attention. “And like I said before, I was well within my rights. And what do any of you care for? Only one who can judge me is my Old Man.”

Danny didn't realize he'd moved forward until someone grabbed his arms from behind. He fought against the hold but Ace didn't give in. “Easy, Brother, easy.”

“She's right. I am the only one who can judge her. She's mine.” Royal walked over to Missy. “You shouldn't have done that. Taylor was my daughter and Fiona...”

“Fiona was your whore!” Missy shouted the words. “I'm your wife. Your Old Lady. So fuck Fiona.”

“Get her out of here before I don't give a fuck that she's yours.” Danny snarled the words. “I don't want to see her near this bar. I'll call it to a vote right here and now.”

“And I'll second it. She's yours. She's your problem. She doesn't come near Nightshade. She reaps no benefit from Nightshade. All in favor?” Train stood as well. Everyone but Royal was in favor.

“Hold on,” Buster spoke up. “She's exiled, that's fine but we're not done with the questions. There's still the matter of the fires.”

“What fires?” Missy replied without missing a beat.

Danny didn't believe the reaction. It didn't look like anyone else did, either; skeptical looks were on every face. Every face except Royal's. He was calm. Too calm for his wife to have just admitted killing his other family. Was it shock or had he already known?

“She just admitted to murder. Why would she lie about arson?” Royal questioned.

“There's a real good reason to lie.” Ace sighed. “See, under our rules Missy killing Fiona and Taylor was really an act against Royal, since they were also his, not the club. The arson of the Mason house was against Amelia, so technically that would be on Danny but the safe house fire, well the safe house fire was an act against Nightshade, which means Nightshade would make the decision. So if Missy does admit to the arson, she has to answer to both Danny and Nightshade.”

“I didn't set any fires.”

“What about the witness?” Danny felt like he was going to start foaming at the mouth.

“Where is this witness?” Missy smiled widely. “I thought so. Now, if we're done. I'd like to leave. I really am tired.”

“One more thing before you go.” Buster got to his feet, walked towards Missy. “There's no way that you took out two people, moved the bodies and cleaned up so well without help. Who helped you?”

“Allison.” Missy replied without hesitation. “She knocked on the door, got the bitch to answer. Helped me move them and picked the dump location. She's also how I got the knife, in case you were wondering.”

“Maybe you should ask her about the fires,” Royal suggested. “Now, if there's nothing else. I need to get my wife home.”

“One more thing. I want a vote on Amelia. On my Old Lady not being fucking exiled for speaking the truth about yours.” Danny was surprised that he could find words.

“We don't need to vote on that.” Buster spoke up quickly. “That was never a club decision. That was Royal talking out of his ass. Alright, we're done here. I don't know about the rest of you but I need a drink. A really big fucking drink.”

<#<#<#

“Tell me.” Amelia jerked the front door open before Danny could get his keys out of his pocket. “Just fucking tell me.”

“It was Missy. We called her, had her come down to the bar after the votes.” Danny watched her take the news. She didn't seem surprised. She stepped back from him.

“She just admitted it?”

“Pretty much. She spewed some bullshit at first about how she was within her rights because Royal was her Old Man. That Fiona got what was coming to her. She stopped short of admitting it, but when Buster pushed, she just let it spill out.”

“Is she dead?”

“No. She's Royal's Old Lady, it's on him what happens to her.”

“Which will be nothing at all, right? And she knew it. She knew that Royal wouldn't do a thing against her so she just fucking admitted it. That bitch.” Amelia moved even further back from him and he let her. She'd need the space to process what he was saying.

“She's insane.” It was the only explanation that Danny could come up with and he'd had time to think about it. Admitting that she'd killed a woman that Royal loved and his kid could have easily flipped him in a totally different direction. The fact that it hadn't was a pretty big disappointment to Danny. What kind of man didn't avenge the death of his child? It wasn't like Missy had killed her accidentally, it was most certainly on purpose.

“So if I kill her, it'll be up to you what happens to me?” Amelia questioned. “Because if that's the case, I'll go get my gun. If you really feel the urge to chastise me, I'll let you spank me later.”

“It's not that simple. The only person Royal has to answer to for what Missy has done is Royal, because Fiona and Taylor were his. If you kill Missy, I'll have to answer to him for what you did.” And there was no doubt in Danny's mind that he'd have him killed. He'd also have Amelia killed after. “We can do the spanking thing, though. I like the idea of that.” He hoped to distract her some from the current subject. It didn't work.

“So what do we do?” Amelia shouted. “All you've been promising me is that when we found the person, that person would die. We found the person! And she's just going to keep on living her fucking life. Prancing around the bar. Ordering the peasants to jump at her beck and call. And I'm supposed to be okay with that?”

“She won't be at the bar. She's been exiled. You're not. Screw what Royal said, you're part of Nightshade. And we might now have gotten Missy, but we know who helped her. It was Allison.”

“Are you kidding me? Let me guess, we can't touch her either.”

“No. That bitch is already dead, she just doesn't know it.”

“Missy gave her up without hesitation, right? Probably had the idea of it in her back pocket all along. Devious cunt.”

“Trust me, we're going to find Allison. We're looking for her now. We will find her.”

“I want in.”

Nothing that Amelia could have said would have surprised him more.

“Wait, what?” He cupped her face with his hands. “Amelia, think about what you're saying.”

“I am thinking about it. I. Want. In. She took my family away from me, Danny. I want to take something from her.”

Danny saw the fire in her eyes, knew that she believed it was what she had to do to find peace, but he feared that it would bring her the opposite. Amelia had never taken a life before. He had. It had changed him. It would change her. She didn't need any more change. All she needed was to finally be able to feel completely comfortable in her own skin again. “We'll see.” He pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could while still letting her breathe.

“We'll see is just another way of saying no. Don't patronize me.”  She pulled back from him so that she could meet his eyes.

“I don't think it's a good idea. I think that wanting to kill someone or see them die is one thing, actually doing it is a whole different thing.” Danny hoped she could understand. “I think you'll regret it. I don't want that for you.”

“I won't regret it. Trust me.”

“Trust me and let me handle this. Let me take care of it. Let me take care of you. Fuck, after all
the times I've let you down, let me do this. Please.” Danny didn't know where any of that had come from but it was out there and she seemed to respond.

Her expression softened. “I love you.”

“That's good because I love you, too.” Danny pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Did you see James before you left?”

“He wasn't awake.” Danny sighed. “We need to talk about James.”

“What about him?”

“We can't tell him that it was Missy. If we do, he's going to go after her, and Royal will kill him. Let him think it was Allison. It's not like anyone is going to talk about it. It will stay within Nightshade.”

Amelia hesitated for a moment, and Danny was sure that some sort of protest was going to come from her lips but instead, she nodded. “You're right. I don't want to lose James. I don't want to lose anyone else.”

He didn't promise her that she wouldn't. He couldn't do that. The life that they'd chosen came with consequences. Each choice that they made could blow back upon them in any number of different ways. None of them held the delusion that they were untouchable. They could all be touched, killed or broken and they'd known it going in. Every single member of Nightshade, and the women who they loved, had signed on knowing the risks.

“I can take you to see him in the morning if you want,” Danny offered. “I'd say we go now but I'm going to pass out before we get there. I'm tired Amelia. So fucking tired.”

“Tomorrow is soon enough.” She reached out and took his hand. “All of this is going to affect Nightshade, isn't it?”

“That might be the understatement of the universe.” Danny hadn't even started to try to figure out what this meant for the future of the club. It was evident that most of them had lost their faith in Royal's ability to lead. If they'd taken the vote for his patch again, after Missy's admission and subsequent lack of consequences, he was sure that Royal would no longer be President. He wondered why Buster hadn't called for it.

“Enough talking. I think we can find a better way to pass the time until you can't keep your eyes open any longer.” She squeezed his hand tight, pulled him with her as she started for the bedroom. For their bedroom. Even with everything that was going on, the reminder that it was their bedroom and that she was with him kept him going.

Chapter Sixteen

Amelia heard the sound of raised voices as she walked towards the room James now occupied on the second floor of the bar. In the week since his attack, there was no other word for it, he'd healed but not completely. From the sound of the fight, it seemed that he was tired of being in bed. He wanted to get up, move around and Jillian shot him down without hesitation.

At first Amelia had thought Jillian was quiet, reserved and frankly too meek for her own good, but James apparently figured out how to push her buttons. She knocked before she entered the room but didn't wait before she entered.

James looked relieved to see her. “Tell Nurse Ratched here that I don't need to be fucking coddled.” He shot Jillian a look that would have killed her if possible. It was all that Amelia could do not to laugh.

“Oh, really?” Jillian stepped forward and slapped James on the stomach. He winced and cursed. “Yeah, that's what I thought, Sunshine. It's for your own good. Now, I'll leave you to visit with Amelia, and I'll come back tomorrow. Maybe we can put you in the chair for a little while.”

“I can hardly fucking wait.” He huffed. Amelia shared an eye roll with Jillian. James was a horrible patient. “I saw that. I'm stuck in bed, not blind.”

Amelia sat down on the foot of the bed as Jillian left the room. “You know that you could be nicer to her. She's only trying to help.”

“Yeah, everyone is just trying to fucking help.” James shifted on the bed. “I can't stay here anymore. I have to get the fuck out of here. I'm going crazy.”

“You're healing.” Amelia set her hand on his leg. “And you'll be out of here soon.”

“Not that I have anywhere to go.” James flopped back against the pillow. “And the longer I sit here, not doing anything, the more I get to think about how my life has gone to fucking shit.”

“You do have somewhere to go. See,  I moved all the stuff out of the storage room. It's your room now and bigger than I'd hoped. Looks nicer than I figured it would, too. You've even got a real bed, not a couch.” Fixing the room up for James had been what she'd spent most of her time doing lately, and it had kept her feeling pretty even. “And don't give me whatever bullshit you're about to say to refuse. You said it yourself, everything has gone to hell. Just say thank you and call it a day. You're family. We stick together.”

“You didn't have to do all that.” James sighed, ran his hands over his head. “And thank you, but I still hate being stuck in here.”

“I thought that you might be getting some cabin fever.” Amelia dug in her bag, past her gun and pulled out a tablet. “Danny's had this for months. It was still in the box. I loaded it with some movies and it's got video streaming.” She handed it over with a smile.

“I love you.”

Amelia laughed. “I love you too.”

“Are you staying for a while? Feel like watching a movie?”

Amelia had nowhere else to be. Danny was on a Davenport job, and all that she'd do at home would be watch television or take silly quizzes online to combat the boredom until it was time to make dinner. “Only if I get to pick what we watch.”

James let out a long sigh. “Fine.” He handed the tablet back to her. “Don't pick some chick shit.” He sat up slightly on the bed, winced. “Hand me my pills and water, would you?” He took a pill, swallowed it with a drink from the water bottle. “Any word on Allison?”

“No. Nothing,” Amelia replied. The moment that James woke up, she'd told him that Allison was the one who had taken Fiona and Taylor. She told him to fight because he wanted to be around to see her get what was coming to her. “They'll find her.”

“You think that it's going to make a difference when she's dead? Do you think it'll be easier?”

“No. I think if we want it to be easier, we're going to have to be the ones to make it easier. We're the ones who have to start letting go. Moving on. Planning for a life that doesn't include them.” Amelia continued to scroll through the titles on the tablet, unable to look at him because she didn't want to see that he couldn't. She didn't want to lose him.

“Yeah, I might not be so bright, but I figured that out. I think knowing that she's dead is going to help. The bitch will never hurt anyone again.” James spoke the words with fire in his eyes. “It has to help.”

“That's true, she won't.” But Missy would. Amelia couldn't stop thinking about the possible damage the woman could cause. That poor child. With Missy and Royal as parents, they were coming into the world with two strikes against them. Any respect that she'd once had for Royal was gone. He steered clear of her, and she returned the favor.

If what Danny had told her so far was true, Royal wouldn't be President for much longer. Nightshade had all but lost faith in his ability to lead. Everything was in a state of flux at the worst possible time, with the Miller threat looming over their heads. Amelia had never laid eyes on Mark Miller, but she feared him just the same.

Amelia didn't realize how close she was to dozing off until there was a shrill scream from downstairs. When she'd come in, there had only been a couple of pass-around women and Clark, a sweet but slow hang-around who kept an eye on the place. She nearly fell getting off the bed. “Stay here.” She snarled the words at James when he tried to get up.

“You're not going down there alone.”

“You're right about that.” Amelia took her gun out of her purse and switched the safety off. “I can't deal with whatever is going on down there if I'm worried that you're going to keel over on me. So stay. Please. It's probably just two pass-arounds fighting over Buster again.” Amelia highly doubted that was the case, but still one could hope. He didn't look happy, but he stayed. Amelia eased out of the room. In the hall she could hear voices but not make out exactly what they were saying. On the stairs she was able make out that they were female; one was Jillian and the other was familiar. She realized it was Allison when she got all the way down the stairs.

There were two pass-arounds huddled by the bar, Jillian in the middle of the floor and Allison holding a gun. All Amelia could see was the back of her head. For a moment she considered just raising her gun and taking the shot. She could kill Allison, but she wasn't sure that she'd miss Jillian, who was directly across from her.

“Put the gun down. We don't need to do this. We don't need any violence. Whatever is going on, we can find a solution.” Jillian spoke in a clear, calm voice. She moved ever so slightly, which made Allison take a step closer. Amelia realized that she'd drawn her attention on purpose. She'd seen her. She was counting on her.

“Shut the fuck up. They're going to kill me. Kill me because of what the fucking bitch did. She set me up! Had me help her do her dirty work and hung me out to dry. Of course she'd be safe. Bet she thought that I wouldn't figure it out either.” Allison was obviously well aware that her days of breathing were coming to an end. “Well, I did figure it out. So fuck her. Fuck you all. I'll kill each and every one of you because at least then, I'll have done something worth dying over.”

“If you want to make an impact, why don't you go after her? Why not kill the person you say set you up? Why come after us?” Jillian questioned.

Amelia took several cautious steps forward, careful not to make a sound. Allison didn't seem to realize that she was there. She was close enough to reach out and touch her, or put a bullet into her head up close and personal, when one of the pass-arounds finally spotted her. “Help. Help us. We don't want to die!”

It all went to hell from there. Allison whirled around, saw Amelia and her eyes widened. Her hands were shaking so badly that her shot went completely wide. The front door was the only casualty. Amelia swung with her gun, catching Allison on the temple and sending her to the ground.

“You bitch!” Allison glared up at her but didn't try to get up. Blood gushed from a cut to her forehead. “She's the one who killed your sister and her kid, but you're pointing a gun at me. How the hell do you look at yourself in the mirror? How?”

“How do you? You were there when she killed them. You could have stopped her. You didn't. You think that you should live when you just let it happen?” Amelia was doing all she could not to scream because she'd suddenly remembered that they weren't alone in the bar. James was right upstairs. Allison was screaming and sound carried. “Jillian, go upstairs and check on James.”

“No need to go upstairs,” Jillian replied. “He's coming down to us, even though he should still be in bed.

Amelia turned her head. It only took one look at James to know that he'd heard everything that had just transpired. Her stomach clenched tightly. “James...”

“Shut up, Amelia. Just shut the fuck up.” His voice shook. “You lied to me.”

“James...”

“You fucking lied to me!” The words seemed to echo through the building. “She's right about one thing. I don't know how you look at yourself in the mirror.”

“Okay. Why don't we deal with one thing at a time?” Jillian suggested. “What about her?”

James moved quicker than Amelia thought he'd be able to. “Give me the gun.” He held out his hand, and she didn't hesitate.
Amelia gave it to him, sure that even as angry as he was he wouldn't use it on her.  And he didn't. With one shot Allison died, quicker and cleaner than she deserved.

The body slumped to the ground, and for a moment they were all silent. There was more blood than Amelia had thought there would be. Her already on edge stomach flipped and flopped. She wouldn't be sick, it would just be more that they'd have to clean up later. A million thoughts raced through her head. She remembered James, turned her head, but he shook his.

“Don't.” James handed the gun back to her. “Not a word, Amelia. I think I might regret hurting you. Maybe. I'm not sure because you're not the person that I thought I knew. None of you are. She's not enough justice for them. Not in the least.”

“If you go after Missy, Royal will kill you, James. We talked about this.”

“Shut the fuck up,” James roared. “What part of not a word do you not understand? I never want you to speak to me, ever again. Fuck you, Amelia. Fuck you and fuck Nightshade.”

<#<#<#

“Why didn't you call me before you went down the stairs, Amelia?” Danny was pissed. She'd expected as much. She'd called him right after James walked out, right before she and Jillian set about moving Allison's body and trying to clean up with the help of the two pass-arounds.

“Everything happened really quickly. Like in the blink of an eye.” Amelia felt her head begin to throb, she was already sick to her stomach from the scent of bleach. “Can you yell at me outside? I need some air or I'm going to puke all over your boots.” She didn't wait for him to answer, she headed for the back door.

Train and Ace had already dealt with Allison's body. She'd end up somewhere she'd never be found, and Amelia was fine with that. She wasn't fine with James being in the wind and being so very angry at her. “This is bad. This is really really bad.” Danny began to pace the second the door shut behind him.

Amelia couldn't disagree with him. It was bad. If James went after Missy, and they all knew that he was going to, Royal would kill him. The worst part was that James knew it, too. He just didn't care. “I didn't realize he was there.”

“No one is blaming you. Well, no one but Royal is blaming you. There's nothing you could have done.”

“I could have shot the bitch when she started running her mouth.” Amelia had given it some thought. The second she realized what Allison was saying, she should have ended it. Ended it before James knew the truth and that she had been a part of the deception to keep him in the dark. Hell, she'd been a driving force.

“Why didn't you?” He asked.

Amelia shrugged. “I don't know. I just didn't.” She rubbed her hands over her arms. She was seriously ready for winter to be over, for there to be warmth instead of the numbing cold. “I didn't hesitate to give James the gun, though. He didn't hesitate to shoot her. It was quick, you saw that. And then he grabbed his stuff and left.” She deliberately left out how James had pushed her aside when she'd tried to block his way to the door. He had enough to worry about without Danny wanting to break his neck.

“She deserved to die.” He spoke bluntly, and somehow it made Amelia relax.

“How was your thing?”

“Tense,” he replied. “And long.”

“Do you want to go upstairs or home?” Amelia hoped that he'd say home. She didn't want to stay at the bar. She wanted to be surrounded by her things, by their things. Just to get into bed with Danny, feel him close to her so that she could forget the world.

“You want to go home, don't you?” He smiled. “Grab your shit.”

The door opened before they could go back in, and Royal stepped out. “I need a word with Amelia.”

“Say what you've got to say, Royal.” Danny turned to face his president. There was such a divide between them, Amelia could feel it. It would never heal, no matter how much time had passed.

“I'd like to speak to her in private,” Royal told him. “I'm not going to hurt her.”

“I don't believe that, so he stays.” Amelia spoke before Danny could. “And I don't know what you could possibly have to say to me. I trusted you, Royal, from the day that I met you I trusted you. I still trusted you even when I found out you'd been fucking my sister behind my back. She trusted you. She loved you. Fiona spent all those years in second place, but she loved you so much it was enough for her. Where'd that get her?”