Chapter Fifteen Wildcard

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: WILDCARD

I watch Brigit brace. She's still looking at me with love and trust in her eyes. I turn away before I see doubt and anger cloud her feelings.

"We had a club meeting. I can't give you the specifics, but we decided about your father's punishment. Puma and Chill executed it. He's alive, but he'll be hurting for a few days."

"They beat him up?" Brigit asks in a choked whisper. "He's an old man… He can't take a beating. My god…" she starts to rise, but I place a hand on her arm to still her.

"They didn't beat him. That was never on the table. You're right, he's an old man. Puma would never have agreed to that. He wouldn't risk killing him. You've seen Puma. A single hit with his massive paws could kill a man. It was never our plan to kill Preacher. I promise."

"So, what did they do to him?"

"The club has a long-standing tradition of how we punish club members who have broken trust with the club. It's a way of delivering a reminder that leaves a lasting impression. A deterrent to keep the member from screwing up again."

"Okay, I can see that. Will you just tell me and stop trying to soften the news? My imagination is coming up with scenarios that include everything from cutting off a finger to removing an eye."

"Okay, nothing that bad. Puma branded him."

"Branded him?" Brigit shrieks, jumping to her feet. "Like he's cattle? That's barbaric!" Grabbing her jeans, she shoves her legs inside and glares at me. "I can't believe this. He's an old man! He could have had a heart attack. Take me to him right now!"

I stand and get dressed, shook, because I hadn't considered the possibility of a heart attack. I've never been on the receiving end of the brand, but I've seen Chill use heated metal during her torture sessions. The screams ripped from her victims chills the blood. Unlike Chill, Puma didn't let the brand linger on Preacher's skin. The application was quick.

I lead her down the hall to the infirmary. She walks stiffly next to me. Her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. When I hear her sniffle, I want to stop and take her into my arms to comfort her. But I know she won't let me. Maybe telling her wasn't the best idea. I may be male of the species and less inclined to talk, but even I know the fallout would be astronomical if I didn't tell her, and she learned of it on her own. Because, really, this is a secret that wouldn't remain a secret.

When we reach the infirmary, she lets out a sob and rushes inside. Her dad's laying in a hospital bed with a bandage on his chest. He's pale, but I don't think he's in much pain. An IV hangs from a hook, feeding into him. Knowing Splint, he added some powerful pain relief to the mix. Likely on Puma's orders. Extending the suffering isn't necessary.

"What did they do to you?" Brigit cries, placing her hand on her father, careful to avoid the bandage. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"No," Splint, Preacher, and I say in unison.

Brigit glares at me. "He needs a doctor."

"I'm a medic. I've dealt with worse wounds. He's fine. He just needs to keep the wound clean and air it out for a few hours each day. I've placed an antibacterial gel on it with a numbing agent. He's also getting small doses of morphine to help him cope with the pain."

"You think I trust you? You did this to him!"

"Brigit, enough," Preacher grunts. "Go. Let me talk to her." He dismisses Splint and me. Splint nods and ducks into his office. I linger long enough to get a glare from Brigit. Preacher waves me off. "I'll take care of it."

I don't want to leave, but I know staying won't make the situation better. It will probably only make it worse. I make my way to Puma's office and knock on his door. Once he calls for me to come in, I open it and step inside to find him alone behind his desk. Papers cover his desk and I realize he's looking at floor plans.

"For your house?"

"Yeah, the final set. I'm looking through them before I show them to Alisa. She and the kids should be back from Desdemona's soon." He rolls them up and slides a rubber band around the roll.

"You can keep looking. I can wait."

"I'm done. They look good. Can't wait to see them start on the construction. Have you considered building a home, now that Colt and Brigit are in your life?"

"Maybe. That depends on whether she forgives me after we branded her dad."

"You didn't do it, I did it."

"You think that matters? She's pissed off. She's with Preacher now. He said he'll talk her down. So we'll see if he can do it."

"He will. He took the brand like a champ. Granted, I took it easy on him. Didn't want him to stroke out on me. It's enough. The others will accept him back into the club with no hard feelings. Right?"

I nod. "I don't hold a grudge against him. Probably would have made the same mistake if I was in his shoes. I mean, I'd hope I would be smart enough to discover the truth before I started shooting, but prison fucks with you."

"It does."

"Have you ordered his kutte?"

"Yep, placed the order right after Splint took him to the infirmary. We talked for a few minutes while the brand heated. Talked about his future with the club. We discussed a few jobs he could do. Nothing too taxing. But he mentioned cooking for us. Turns out he learned how to cook inside. Served with a former chef who took a cleaver to his sous chef when he screwed up an order. Viper said she ate beef stew at his cabin. She thinks he'll do a good job. So I'm putting him in charge of the kitchen. Need to come up with a new road name. If he can cook, we can call him Chef or Cook."

I chuckle. "That works. I'm glad he's staying. He was a great brother. I think he needs the family."

"I think so, too. Plus, we owe him. You and I didn't put him in prison, but Squiggy did."

"Speaking of prison. Hear anything from Havoc yet?"

"He has some men going into her house tonight. They wanted to wait until dark. They'll check to see if the cops searched the place. I'm guessing they did. Havoc's men probably won't find anything, but it's worth a look. He met with his contact and confirmed that Brigit is their only suspect. However, Wired has access to the hotel's server. He's looking through the footage. Might get something to give to the cops."

"That's good. Could you ask Havoc to check on Brigit's neighbor? I think her name is Abby. Brigit mentioned stopping to see her before leaving town. She was babysitting Colt. Abby lives next door. I know she's worried about her place, but she's probably worried about her friend, too."

"They'll get the details." Puma picks up the phone and calls Havoc. Once he's on the line, Puma puts it on speaker.

I explain about Abby and ask them to check into her, see if she's okay.

"We went through Brigit's house already. My contact got us in. Someone searched the place before the cops. Left a mess. I've seen it. They ripped up cushions and destroyed her clothes. They even trashed the kid's room. Fucking assholes. I don't know if they found anything to lead them to you. However, my guys found something of interest."

"What?" Puma and I ask.

"Hidden cameras. Four of them. One in the kitchen, one in the living room, one in her bedroom, and the last in her bathroom. Someone was watching her."

"Fuck!" I spin and pace away, working to control my temper. The thought of someone spying on her, seeing her naked in the shower or sleeping, makes me want to puke. Or kill someone. Yeah, killing someone would make me feel better.

"Are you going to tell her?" Puma asks me.

"Fuck, man, I don't know. I guess I should, but that's going to fuck with her head. She's already been through too much."

"It can wait for a few days," Puma suggests, and I nod. Yeah, it can wait.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"Not on my end. Hopefully, we'll have more tomorrow. I have a couple of guys checking out the hotel. Doubt they'll find anything, but thought we'd see if Misha shows up. One's chatting up a bartender while the other is working a maid. Figured they might get some dirt on Mike or George. I'll send someone to check on the neighbor tomorrow."