Diablo Chapter 19

I was sitting at my desk remembering yesterday's mind-blowing sex with my woman. Going home early to find Jauhnna reading one of her hot romances had led to a sexual encounter that I never anticipated. I knew she read some spicy stuff, but to have her pretend I was the guy in the book had set something off inside of me. I don't know why I thought of the whole sex doll idea, but when it came out of my mouth, and she went along with it, I committed to the role-play. And role-playing had never been one of my things, but after yesterday, it would be.

The things she said and let me do had blown my mind. I was hoping to play with her ass more, but actually, to have anal sex with her when she offered it, I was scared that she'd regret it. It was the last thing I wanted to happen, but her insistence made me ignore my fear. Thankfully, I did. It led both of us to have an out-of-body experience. Although her passing out had scared the shit out of me until she assured me it was due to pleasure overload, not me hurting her. We'd gone back to the house and bathed, spent the rest of the afternoon and night together talking, having supper, and later making love in our bed.

Now, it was back to the less-than-pleasant stuff. The anticipation for the weekend to come and our preparations for it should be enough for anyone to deal with, but God or maybe the Devil decided we didn't have enough on our plates. I knew this when there was a loud knock on my office door at Prep & Restore. Carly came rushing in without waiting for me to tell her to enter. I knew something was wrong when she did that. Despite our friendship, she observed certain professional boundaries.

I came to my feet while I asked, "What's wrong, Carly?"

"That crazy man is back. I'm afraid he's here to cause more trouble. He's demanding to speak to you."

"Did you call the police?" I asked as I rounded my desk and went to her. I put what I hoped was a calming hand on her arm.

"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first. He's calm, which scares me more. I'll call them now." She went to turn around, but I gripped her arm and stopped her. She gave me a questioning look.

"Call them from here. When you're done, stay here until someone from the club or I come to get you. I don't want you exposed to him. I have no idea what he might do." My gut was clenching, and I had a sick feeling. When I got like this, it was typically not a good situation.

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will. Close and lock the door behind me," I ordered.

She nodded to let me know she understood. When I exited my office, I paused to listen. I smiled when the door closed, and I heard her lock it. With her safe, I headed to the front. I wondered if anyone was up there with him or if she had left him alone. The latter wasn't something I would've done, but he rattled her.

Arriving in the reception area, I saw it was empty. My first thought was he'd grown impatient and left, but I rejected that immediately. That wasn't his personality. I went on high alert. Locking the front door so no one could enter and get caught up in this, I pulled my gun from my holster in the back of my pants. I kidney-carried mine. I had a permit to carry, but even if I didn't, there was no way in hell I'd go unarmed.

Leaving the reception area, I began to cautiously check the other rooms we had. There were storage and offices as well as the breakroom, bathroom, and the large workshop to clear. I got through a couple before I got to Crash's office. The door was closed. He should be here. As far as I knew, he hadn't gone to a worksite today. I knocked softly. I heard him call out for me to enter. Keeping an eye on the hallway, I eased it open. A swift glance at him showed he was coming to his feet.

"Ackerman is somewhere loose in the building. Carly is locked in my office and calling the cops, but we've got to find and contain him until they get here. My gut is churning. He was calm, she said. Not good."

He was pulling his weapon, as I explained. He joined me at the door and gave me a chin lift. Just like that, we fell into warrior mode. As a club, we practiced how to search a building for an enemy. We might not have all served in the military, but we used their tactics. My dad had taught me those and a lot more growing up. He covered the right, and I covered the left.

We quickly discovered he wasn't in the other rooms, which left the main workshop and assembly area. Some of the things we built we did onsite, then transported to the location where we finished assembling them there. There were stacks of lumber, pallets, boxes, and a slew of other stuff in there. All of them were potential hiding places. Fuck, who knew how long the cops would take to get here. Pausing, I signaled for Crash to wait, then I took out my phone. I sent a group text to the guys.

Me: 911. Potential hostile at Prep & Restore. Use caution. Cops called. CIS.

I knew they would understand, CIS was one of our standard abbreviations. It meant "come in silent." Quickly, I sent another to Carly.

Me: Front door locked. Club 911. Active hostile. Shutdown protocol.

She would know to alert all staff not in the building to remain away, and those who were here would get a mass text warning them. Those who were able would lock themselves in the offices. We trained all our employees for this and practiced it routinely. You never knew what could happen in this crazy world. Sliding my phone back in my cut, I nodded to him.

We entered the workshop low and went in opposite directions. We'd work our way along the perimeter, then inward. Or that was what we would've done, but only this time there was no need. Standing in the middle of the large room in the open assembly and loading area stood Ackerman, bold as brass. To my dismay, he wasn't alone. He had three of our employees huddled on the floor. He had a gun trained on them.

Wanting to have him focus on me and hopefully get his gun trained off Kurt, Morris, and Robin. It was pure bad luck they happened to be in the shop. They were usually on job sites working. I slid my gun under my cut in my waistband so I could get to it fast. With it out of sight, I stood tall and moved out so Ackerman could see me. He spotted me within seconds. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Ackerman, what is the meaning of this? Your issue is with me, not my employees. They just do as they're told. They have no say in whether we do more work for you or if I do it for free," I said loudly.

He hadn't spotted Crash, who was sneaking to get in a better position to cover me and, if the opportunity arose, to take him out as a threat. If it meant shooting him, we'd do it to save the others. They were terrified. I saw it in their faces. They gave me pleading looks.

"Ah, there's the boss. About time you showed your face. You should be ashamed of yourself. Hiding behind your employees. Did you expect them to protect you? If so, sorry to disappoint you," he said gleefully. The man was a certified nutcase. I had to get them out of here before he went over the edge. His eyes were bright with excitement and insanity.

"I don't need to hide behind anyone. Holding onto innocent people is a new low for you, Ackerman. A real man would keep this between the two of us. You want to talk, then let them go, and we can talk," I demanded.

I wanted him not only to focus on me but to turn his anger only on me. His smile slipped a tad.

"Did you keep it between us when you sicced those collection people on me or called the cops?"

"First of all, I didn't call the cops. I wasn't here when you busted the window. As for collections, you kept refusing to pay your bill. I had to do something to get you to understand I was serious."

"I shouldn't have a bill! You didn't finish the job you were hired to do," he shouted.

It was the same old shit he spouted every damn time. I was tired of hearing it. I knew that in order to change the dynamic, I had to take a risk. I turned my back on him before I took a couple of steps toward the way I came. It appeared that I was walking out on him, which was what I wanted him to think.

"Come back here!" he screamed, sounding almost hysterical. I stopped and then glanced back at him without turning back. He was staring at me wide-eyed. He'd turned his back on Morris, Kurt, and Robin. His gun was pointed solidly at me. Good.

"You want to talk, let them go. That's the deal."

"You don't tell me what to do! I'm in control here, not you. You think you're a badass with your leather vest and motorcycle. Well, I'm not afraid of you or your gang. It's time people around here stood up to you and stopped letting you push them around."

I was riding the line of pushing him far enough he'd focus on me without pushing him too far and having him go after my people to get back at me. I was a bundle of nerves inside, but on the outside, I knew I appeared unconcerned and calm. I'd perfected it over the years. In this life, especially when we were an outlaw club, you didn't survive long showing fear.

"If you were smart, you would be. Are you letting them go? Or are we done? I have things to do," I said offhandedly.

I kept my eyes on him, although I wasn't fully turned around. I made sure not to shift them to watch Crash, who was in my peripheral vision, make his way closer to him. He'd signaled to the guys on the floor not to make a sound. I needed to get Ackerman to come toward me. If he did, Crash might be able to sneak them away. Christ! Where the hell were the cops?

Ackerman was staring even more wildly at me. I took two more steps away from him. He ran toward me about a half-dozen steps and raised the gun higher. "Get back here!" he shouted.

I didn't move, but I kept my body angled so only the side of me was facing him. It made me a smaller target if he decided to shoot, but it had another advantage. My side, where I had my gun, was facing away from him. I had my hand on it and was easing it out of my pants. My gut told me he was going to shoot, regardless of whether I pushed him or not. If he did, I'd do what I had to in order to protect everyone.

"Let's go to my office, where we can sit and talk."

He shook his head. "No, we can talk right here. I want your people to hear what a dirty dealer you are. They need to know the kind of person they're working for. After this, I bet you won't have anyone to do your work. Good. It means you won't be able to rip people off."

"Do you do this to everyone?" I asked abruptly.

He gave me a confused look, which was what I wanted. Time to throw him off kilter. "What do you mean, do this to everyone?"

"You know. Do you accuse every company that does work for you or who you buy things from of not holding up their part of the contract or whatever? Is it your way of causing trouble for the fun of it? If so, I'm surprised you haven't been dealt with."

"I don't do this for fun! Only when there are people and companies like yours. However, you've been the worst. You're so stubborn. Refusing to do the right thing. At least the others have."

Well, that answered my big question of whether he'd done this to others. He took a couple more steps toward me. My three guys were now totally hidden from his view. Crash was frantically gesturing for them to come to him. Wanting to cover any noise they might make, I began to shout.

"I can't believe others have given in to you and your outrageous demands! We did the work in full and in good faith for you. It's not my fault you decided you wanted to tack on more, and then you were too cheap to pay for it. Your lies about me altering the contract and forging your signature are such utter bullshit. I thought the cops hauling your stupid ass in would knock some sense into you, but obviously it didn't. They should cart your stupid ass to the loony bin for a long stay. Maybe some shock therapy and drugs would put you right," I yelled as loud as I could.

Fury overtook him, but it served my purpose. He was so focused on me that he had no idea Crash had our three men safely hidden. On the far side of the room, I saw a couple of my brothers creeping in. It was time to put an end to this. I was about to signal one of them to make a noise to get his attention so I could charge him when a voice boomed through what I assumed was a bullhorn.

"This is the St. Augustine police department. Mr. Ackerman, we can resolve this peacefully, and no one has to get hurt. If you have a weapon, throw it down and come out with your hands up."

I saw the second he decided he was going to take me out. His gun hand had lowered while I was yelling. As he was beginning to bring it back up to chest level, I swung and fired. I heard the retort of not only my gun but another. I felt a burning sting along my upper bicep. I fired again. He was down, but I wasn't taking any chances.

He was on the ground moaning and writhing in pain. The large roll-up door to the workroom came flying open, and in poured several cops with their guns drawn. Immediately, I placed mine on the ground and lifted my hands in the air. The left one didn't want to go far. I could feel warm blood running down it.

Scorpion and Butcher were at my side in a blink. Their concern was evident. Butcher was wrapping a bandanna around my arm.

"You alright, Pres?" Scorpion asked.

The cops split up. Some went to Ackerman, and the others went to me.

"Get down on the ground and put your hands behind your back," one barked.

"You two, get back," another yelled. They had their guns trained on us.

"Can't you see he's unarmed, and so are we? He's bleeding. I'm trying to stop it. Maybe instead of shouting stupid shit, you can help us. He's the victim here," Butcher snarled.

"Butch, it's fine. Step away. We don't want any accidents. Officers, I don't think I can get on the ground and then back up. And cuffing my arms behind my back is gonna hurt like a bitch. How about you cuff them in front of me?"

"We tell you what to do, not the other way around," the first one snapped.

"Why don't you two go make sure no one else is hurt? I've got this," a voice I recognized told them. It was Officer Merritt. The two younger ones didn't look happy, but they did it. He must have authority or seniority over them. As they walked off, he grimaced.

"Sorry about that. They're green. This is their first shooting. They got an adrenaline burst from this. Let's get your arm looked at. We got a call from your receptionist stating Mr. Ackerman had returned, and he was armed."

"What took you so damn long? I was trying to wait, but he had my people at gunpoint. I had to get his focus on me."

"I was on another call. As for the others and why it took them so long, I have no idea. Shit, Chief Tremblay isn't gonna be happy."

He took me outside. There were pedestrians, cops, and emergency personnel crawling all over the place. I was taken to a paramedic, I assumed. He was dressed in one of their uniforms. While he was working on my arm, I watched two others bringing Ackerman out on a gurney. He was carrying on.

"I'm dying! He shot me. Arrest him. See what he did. He tried to kill me. Oh my God, give me pain medicine. Why are my hands cuffed to this thing!" he shouted.

He rattled the cuffs on the rail of the gurney. They stopped outside the ambulance to work on him. The way he was yelling made me think he wasn't too badly hurt. When I fired, I tried not to hit him anywhere vital. As much as I might want to kill him, it would've been bad for me and the club. At least the security cameras in the building would show him taking my people hostage and that he was the one to decide to shoot first. All I was doing was defending myself.

I hissed as pressure and something that burned pressed into my wound. Merritt waited until the paramedic declared I wasn't in danger of bleeding out before he got to questioning me. By the time he was done and Crash, Carly, and Zax gave their statements, along with Morris, Robin, and Kurt, I was exhausted and ready to go home. Ackerman had been transported to the hospital. Officers followed him there. He was under arrest, at least.

It was mid-afternoon before I was told they were finished, and I was free to go about my day. Thankfully, after conferring with someone, I was informed by Merritt that they weren't pressing charges against me. My gun was legal, and I had the required permit to carry it. My guys had hidden theirs before the cops came in to simplify things. It was Butcher who'd opened the door for them. Micro arrived at some point. He handed off to the police a copy of the security tape showing the whole thing. I was beyond ready to get rid of the cops and spectators and go home. I grimaced, thinking how Jauhnna would react to this.

"Did anyone tell Jauhnna about this?" I asked Butcher.

"Not as far as I know. You know she's gonna lose her shit when she finds out you were shot, and no one told her," he warned me.

I groaned. "I know. Fuck. I need to check and make sure Carly and everyone is good to go, then I'll go home and tell her."

"Everyone is good. I already talked to them. We're closing it down for the day. I told Liam to bring a vehicle to pick you up. He'll haul your bike home," Scorpion stated.

"I don't need anyone to pick me up. I can ride. My arm isn't that bad," I protested.

This led to a ten-minute debate until I pulled rank. I told them I was riding. They weren't happy, but Liam was called off.

"Speaking of Zax, he was supposed to be on guard duty today. Where the hell was he when Carly came to find me?" I asked.

"He was on a food run. It's not his fault, Diablo, it's mine. I sent him to get it. I was guarding Carly while he was gone, and then I got a call from the one inspector we've been trying to pin down. I ran to my office to get the information he was asking for out of the file. Just my rotten luck. That was when Ackerman showed up. It was my fuck up," Crash admitted.

I could tear into him, but it could've happened to any of us. I would've probably done the same thing. "Don't worry about it. Hell, knowing him, he probably timed it. If he's been watching us, he has to have seen a prospect here every day since he was arrested. Okay, let's get out of here before someone else decides today is the day to mess with the Horsemen," I grumbled.

Discovering the others had already left, I locked up. I wasn't amused to see several of my brothers were escorting me home. I wanted to tell them I wasn't a damn baby, but I held my tongue.

When we came through the gate of the compound, I was ready to get off my bike. I would never admit it to them, but the vibration and movement had my arm throbbing. Scorpion and Butcher, the hovering hens, followed me right up to my house and watched me park my bike before they left. I gave them the finger as they did. They just laughed at me.

Walking into the house, Jauhnna caught me in the mudroom slash laundry room. I sat down on the bench built in there to remove my boots. She was smiling.

"Honey, I didn't expect you to be home early. What—" she stopped abruptly.

Her gaze was zeroed in on the stark white bandage wrapped around my upper arm. I was pissed all over again seeing it. The bullet not only gouged a line across my arm, which fucked up my tattoo there, but it had put a hole in one of my favorite shirts.

"Victor, what happened!?" she cried as she rushed over and dropped down next to me.

"Baby, it's nothing. Just a flesh wound. It's a little sore, that's all."

I was trying to tug off my boots as I said it. Unfortunately, a hiss of pain escaped. The next thing I knew, she was pushing my hands out of the way and removing my boots as she interrogated me.

"A flesh wound? What kind? How did it happen?"

I waited to answer. I rose up after she got my boots off. I went to shrug off my cut. She grabbed it and eased it down my arms, then hung it up. "Come in the kitchen, and I'll tell you. I need a cold drink."

She came with me, but she had her arm wrapped around my waist on my good side. Since I loved having her touch me no matter the reason, I didn't object. She gently pushed me toward one of the stools at the counter. I sat down as she went to the fridge.

"What do you want to drink?"

Thinking over what we had, I decided I needed caffeine and sugar. "I'll take one of those Cokes."

She came out with two of them in her hands. Of course, she had to get glasses of ice and open them, as well as pour mine for me, before she handed it over and poured hers. She was casting me concerned looks.

"Babe, stop it. I'm fine. Thank you. I'll tell you what happened, but first, I want you to promise you won't get upset because you can see I'm fine." Maybe if I said that, it would help. Not. Knowing I'd procrastinated long enough, I launched into an abbreviated explanation. I tried to downplay the danger of it. When I got to the part where we shot each other, she turned pale. Right after she did, she let out a loud bellow. I didn't know that someone as small as her could be that loud.

"YOU WERE SHOT AND NO ONE CALLED ME!"

I flinched. Damn, my ears hurt. I held up my hand. "It's just a scratch, Serenity. Things were hectic, and we were dealing with the police, staff, and Ackerman."

"I understand in the heat of the moment and immediately afterward, but you rode all the way home. You didn't think that sometime between the time it happened and you walked through the door, I should've known? You sent out a text to your brothers. Why couldn't someone send me one? Something. What if you were seriously injured or killed? Would they just let me wait and not say anything for hours?"

"Baby, calm down. You're getting upset over nothing," I tried.

"Oh, really, nothing. Okay, let's see if I'm the only one who thinks it's nothing," she snapped before yanking her cell phone out of her back pocket. She was pressing a couple of buttons. I wondered which of my guys she was calling to chew out. She hit the speaker button. We listen to it ring. When it was answered, my heart sank.

"Hi Jauhnna, what's up?" My daughter's cheerful voice came over the phone. I tried to snatch it off her, but my woman slapped my hands away and gave me a death glare.

"Hello, Brooklyn. I'm sitting here with your dad trying not to smack the crap out of him. I called you to get a second opinion."

"What about?" she asked curiously at the same time I tried to head off a second explosion.

"Brookie, it's not as bad as it sounds."

"What sounds?"

"An irrational customer he's been having issues with ended up coming to the shop today, holding a few employees at gunpoint. Your dad faced off with him and ended up being shot in the arm, and no one thought to call and tell me."

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Brooklyn shouted.

Jauhnna was giving me a self-satisfied smirk. "Exactly. And he's been trying to tell me it wasn't a big deal and they were busy, so no one told me. I found out when he walked into the house with a bandage around his arm. Hours after it happened."

"Dad, what the hell were you thinking? You faced off with this nut, and then when you got shot, you didn't think me and Jauhnna needed to be notified? What if it had been serious, or you were killed? How bad is it? Where's the fucker who did it? Is he dead?"

"Christ, you two act like I'm helpless. I had to get him away from my guys and keep him from killing anyone. I planned on telling her when I got home and then calling you to tell you. If it had been serious, or God forbid I was killed, of course, you would've been told right after things were contained. As for Ackerman, I shot him twice. The last I heard, he was in surgery and expected to live. He'll be going to jail for a while."

"Yeah, bet the whole club was there, though, weren't they?" Brooklyn muttered.

"They were or at least they were all texted when it was happening," Jauhnna happily narced me out. This got another curse word out of my daughter. I hoped the kids weren't around.

"Jauhnna, have you seen it? How does it look?"

"I haven't, but I'm about to look. You, stay right there and don't move. I'm getting a pair of scissors and more bandages to rewrap it. Or better yet, Wolverine can come do it up. Was he there?" she asked as she went to the block holding the knives. There was a pair of scissors in it. I thought better of telling her they were for cutting meat. She might just stab me with them.

"I'm texting Wolverine to get his butt over to the house and fix him back up," Brooklyn said.

I wisely remained quiet. Jauhnna had the dressing off in no time. There wasn't really any way to stitch it, so a three-inch furrow ran across my bicep. It was angry-looking. Jauhnna snatched up her phone, snapped a picture, and then tapped on the buttons. I knew what she was doing. It was confirmed when Brooklyn hissed.

A sharp knock on the front door was followed by footsteps. Wolverine came around the corner. He appeared resigned. He'd been there but let the paramedics take care of my arm. Lucky for me, I had a tetanus shot a couple of years ago.

"Hi Jauhnna. Brook, I'm here," he said.

"Good. Dad, that looks like it hurts. Did you get a tetanus shot?"

"I don't need one. My last one is still good. It's sore. It'll heal. I'm just pissed he ruined my tattoo," I bitched.

"He could've killed you, but you're worried about it messing up your ink? I swear to God, I'm gonna brain you," Jauhnna threatened.

I heard Brooklyn giggle. Wolverine tried not to smile, but I saw his lips twitch. It was time to take control. I noticed he was carrying a first aid kit with him.

"Mind fixing this up for me so they won't worry? Sorry about dragging you over here."

"It's alright. I kinda expected it, though I didn't think Brooklyn would be the one texting or calling me to do it."

While he worked, I watched as Jauhnna took her phone and went to the far end of the living room. She was talking to my daughter, but she was speaking too low for me to hear what she was saying.

"Damn, they're upset. I'd hate to be in your shoes," Wolverine said as he wrapped new gauze around the non-stick pad he had placed over the wound after cleaning it and applying some kind of ointment.

"I'll have to figure out how to get them off this subject and onto something else. Hell, it's a scratch."

"It's a little more than that, but you should feel good about the way they're acting."

"Why?"

"Because it shows how much they love you. We're not used to having to think about looping in anyone else other than each other. That's gotta stop now that you've claimed Jauhnna. She's the only old lady, but if things follow the way it's happened in the other clubs, she's just the start. More old ladies will be joining the club. None of them will be happy to find things like this out hours later."

He had a point. I pondered it as he finished up. When he was done, he patted my shoulder and then announced across the room. "He's good to go. Watch it for drainage, and redness, if the pain increases, or he spikes a fever. If any of that happens, call me. I'll leave this here. If you want me to change it daily, I can."

"Thank you, Wolverine. I'll keep an eye on it, and I can take care of it," she told him nicely.

"You're welcome. Later, Brook," he called out.

"Later, Wolverine. Thank you," she shouted through the phone. A chin lift in my direction, and then he evaporated.

I settled in to continue the ass-chewing with my ladies. I doubted I was off the hook yet. As annoying as it was on one hand, on the other, it did make me feel warm inside. I was loved. I had adjustments to make, but they were worth it.