Chapter Thirty-One Wildcard

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: WILDCARD

Watching Brigit step into the room where Misha waited for her was the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than leaving her behind in Boston. I couldn't have done it if I didn't know Trouble, Chill, and Viper would keep her safe.

Trouble's plan is good, even though I hate it. We vastly outnumbered Misha and his men, but that doesn't matter when the woman you love goes up against a member of the Russian mob. I didn't want her in the same room as him, but the plan required it. I'd much rather she hid with me behind the partition.

After Viper called Rafe and Puma, she and Chill took Brigit shopping. Puma and Dice arrived first. We were all surprised when Sully showed up with Rafe. But that surprise was nothing when Sully explained his real reason for being in Vegas. He knew all along that Misha killed Mike. He pushed the investigation towards Brigit in order to protect her. Who would have thought I'd be grateful to a cop? Especially him?

When Reggie escorted Misha and his men into Route 66, we were all waiting in the PCH Conference Room. A thin partition separates the two spaces so we could hear everything going on in the other room. I hated not being able to see Brigit. Misha admitting to killing Mike was all Sully needed. Now, we can put this behind us. Brigit may need to go back to Boston to testify. But she won't be going alone and afterwards she'll be coming back here to stay.

"Ready to go?" I ask Brigit. I want to get her back to the clubhouse and our son. All I want to do is curl up with the two of them and watch a movie, but I've still got work to do. Walt is probably pissing his pants in The Pit. If not, he will be when Chill starts on him. We need to know what that bastard has been up to under our fucking noses.

"We're taking your bike?" I nod, so she continues. "Then I want to change back into jeans. What should I do with the dress?"

"Keep it."

She scrunches up her nose. "It's a gorgeous dress, but I won't want to wear it again. It will remind me too much of Misha and what happened."

I shrug. "Bring it back to the clubhouse. We have a room full of clothes for the kutte bunnies to use. Or we can donate it."

"Okay, I'll change and be right back."

"Wash the makeup off your face, too," I remind her. "I hate seeing it looking bruised, even if it is fake." Trouble had the makeup artists at the spa fix up Brigit's face, so she looked battered. It was part of the act to keep Misha thinking Trouble was an ally instead of an enemy.

As soon as Brigit changes, we head downstairs to get my bike. Puma and the others waited for us, so we all ride in formation back to the clubhouse. I'm behind him to the right, Chill to my left. Viper and Dice bring up the rear. When we get to the clubhouse, we find all the Old Ladies, along with Desdemona, Claudia, and Gramps decorating the clubhouse for the party. The kids are running around ‘helping.'

"What's the party for?" Brigit asks, laughing as Colt and Mal let loose balloons they were filling with helium and watching them fly away. They're laughing like loons. Guess it didn't take long for those two to make friends.

"We're having a patching in party for Max," I tell her.

She beams at me. "Max is getting his patch?"

"Yeah. He doesn't know. Puma thought tonight would be a good night for it after what happened at 1%. He spoke with Max earlier. Max is beating himself up for what Walt was doing."

"How could he have known?"

"Chill said something to him after Bianca spoke to her. Since Chill didn't believe Bianca, Max let it go, too. He thinks if he had sought Bianca out and talked to her, he could have realized something was off sooner."

"Hmm. Maybe, but my guess is that he would have scared the hell out of her if he had approached her and mentioned talking to Chill. She might have just left and not come back. We'd probably have uncovered Walt's actions without her, but I hate to think of her out there worried the club was going to hunt her down."

"I didn't think about that. I'll talk to Max. Look I have to take care of club business. Will you be okay on your own?"

Brigit chuckles as she glances around the room. "I don't think I'll be alone. I'll help them get ready for the party. You go do club stuff."

I kiss her before making my way through the chaos to the back door. Opening the door to The Pit, I hear screams. Music to my ears. Sounds like Chill has already started. I find her standing in front of Walt, who hangs from a hook. He's stripped down to nothing. Sweat pours off him. His left eye is swollen shut and I can see areas on his torso that will turn into bruises. If he lives long enough.

Puma, Max, and Dice lean against the wall while Viper rotates pokers in the fire. My ass clenches at the sight. I've seen what they do with those pokers on men who have assaulted or abused women. Makes me glad I know how to treat women with respect.

"Has she gotten anything yet?" I ask.

"Not yet. She's just warming him up," Dice says with a chuckle.

Viper pulls a poker out of the fire and approaches Walt with a gleam in her eye. When she was a prospect, I doubted her ability to keep up with Chill as an Enforcer. But Viper has no problem inflicting pain on those who have earned it.

"Who is Pamela?" Viper asks, waving the poker in front of Walt's eyes. He flinches, but doesn't answer. When Viper lowers the poker toward the man's junk, he whimpers. "Last chance."

He doesn't tell us what we want to know, but he does scream like a bitch when Viper lays the hot poker against his inner thigh. She shoves that poker back into the fire and grabs another one. When Walt sees it, he breaks.

"She's my mother," he sputters.

"Who's your father?" Viper asks

He glares at her.

Chill glances over to Dice. "Go get Pamela, maybe she'll talk."

"No!" Walt screams. "Leave her alone. He made her do it."

"Who?"

"My dad."

"Wayne Turner?" Viper asks, waving the poker closer to his right thigh.

He shakes his head. "Wade Turner."

"Oh shit," says Max.

"You know who he is?" Viper asks her brother.

Max slowly nods. "He's Wayne's twin brother. I remember dad mentioning him a few times. They did business together, but rarely."

"That's because he wasn't a true believer," Walt snarls. "He refused to join us."

"Us?" Viper asks.

"The Brotherhood. The Keepers of the Third Reich."

"Well, fuck. Figures our family would add Nazi bullshit to the mix," Viper sneers.

"You were stealing from us for this fucking Brotherhood, weren't you?" Chill asks.

Walt chuckles. "We took thousands from you and you didn't even notice."

"What did you do with the women you kidnapped?" I ask, playing a hunch.

The smile slips off his face as he turns cagey. "I don't know what you're talking about." Puma gives me the side-eye but says nothing. Chill, however, speaks for all of us.

"You have a choice. Keep spilling what you know and I'll give you a quick death. Fuck with us and I'll gladly keep you alive so I can try out all my tools." She opens the two cabinets that hold every torture advice imaginable. She has the standards, like whips, knives, and acid, but she has a few tricks that are hers and hers alone. Including a box of adult diapers. What the hell?

"What are the diapers for?" I have to ask.

She chuckles. "I'm glad you asked, Wildcard. This came to me when we were decorating for Halloween. Remember, we bought that dry ice to put into tubs of water to create fog? Turns out dry ice burns when it touches skin. I plan on filling the diaper with dry ice. How about it Walt? Want to know how it feels to have your junk burned off via dry ice?" She turns to face Walt, who stares at her in horror.

"The Brotherhood makes money selling women. They give me a shopping list and I find girls that meet the requirements. I test them out to see how submissive they are and to make them believe they're at our mercy. They think you guys sold them to the Brotherhood. Dad either keeps them or sells them on."

"You son of a bitch!" Viper screams as she impales the hot poker up Walt's ass.

His cry of agony ricochets off the walls until he passes out from the pain.

"Well, fuck, Viper. We need him to give us the location of this fucking Brotherhood," Chill admonishes her as she pokes at the unconscious Walt. "We're in luck. He's still alive. I'm sure he'll tell us more in the morning. I need a drink."

Puma and I lead the way back to the clubhouse, with Dice and Chill right behind us. Viper delays Max to give us a head start. We enter to see that the Old Ladies, the prospects, and the kids have done a great job of decorating the place for the upcoming celebration. The kids made a banner, or at least I'm assuming the kids made it. I think it's supposed to be ‘Congratulations!' But I can't read it.

Puma hustles over to the bar to grab the box containing Max's new kutte. I search the crowd for Brigit and move over to join her and Colt as we wait for Max to enter. We quiet down when we hear Viper and Max come through the back door.

Max looks around the room in surprise and confusion. We're all cheering, but that seems to confuse him more.