The place was called the Boneyard, and it drew bikers from all over the region. At any given time, it was packed. Tonight was no exception, though it was getting late, and when the fight had started, most had either left on their own or had been encouraged to leave. Given the fact that Stunner was one big motherfucker, all but the true hardasses had left, fearful that he might turn on someone else. Fights weren’t unusual, but they weren’t always this serious.
Once Arkham had hoisted Pig over his shoulder and left with him and Kickstand, Cain kicked everyone else out but Pops and snagged a beer from the bar. He sat across the table from Stunner and offered him the bottle.
“Wanna tell me why you nearly popped Pig’s head like a fuckin’ tick?”
“No,” Stunner growled, taking a long pull from the bottle.
“Tough shit. Tell me anyway.”
Stunner met Cain’s gaze for long moments. Did he tell Cain what Pig had said? If he did, would Cain see through him? Would he finally know?
“Stop fuckin’ stalling, Stunner.” Cain scrubbed a hand over his face. “I need to get home. Angel’s fretting over if she’s going to just drive up to Cambridge and drag Suzie home or wait for her to call and tell her what plans she has.”
Immediately Stunner sat up straighter. “Suzie’s comin’ home? She OK?”
“She’s fine, Stunner.” Cain gave him a quizzical look. “Haven’t you talked to her?”
Stunner grunted. “Couple of times.”
“Just tell me what happened.”
Yeah. He wasn’t getting out of this one. “He insulted her.”
Cain narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Who insulted who?”
“Pig. He insulted Suzie.”
Silence.
“OK. I can see how that might upset you. You’ve been her best friend for a very long time.” When Stunner offered nothing, Cain dropped his arms to the table in an exasperated motion. “So? What’d he say?”
Stunner sighed. Surrender was sometimes the better part of valor. Or some shit. “He implied Suzie was a coward ‘cause she don’t like to be around crowds.”
Cain’s expression went instantly hard. “Those his exact words?”
Stunner shrugged.
Again, when Stunner offered nothing else, Cain prompted him. From the look and sound of him, Cain was rapidly losing his patience with Stunner. “So? What’d he fuckin’ say?”
“He called her…” Stunner cleared his throat, tilting his head as if he were the one choking. “He said she was a fuckin’ pussy who wasn’t worth a shit for nothin’.”
Cain had his cell out and was texting one-handed as he stood, knocking the chair over backward in his haste. Naturally, Stunner followed. Without a word Cain stalked out to the parking lot where Arkham had a slightly groggy Pig half sitting against Arkham’s bike seat. Arkham had just pulled out his cell and looked back to the door of the Boneyard. Whatever Arkham saw in Cain’s face made him raise his hands in surrender and back away. Pig glanced up, saw Cain coming for him, and immediately knew he was in trouble.
He proceeded to squeal like his namesake.
No one in the parking lot stood in Cain’s way. Even Arkham stood back, though Stunner got the feeling Arkham thought this saved him from having to beat Pig himself. It was apparent someone had to do it. But, Goddammit, Stunner wanted to! Cain, as president, had the final say in everything to do with Bones. He usually weighed the others’ opinions very carefully, but this was completely on him. Suzie was, after all, Cain’s daughter, if not by birth, certainly of the heart. At this point, the only person who was going to save Pig’s life was Angel. And she wasn’t there.
Stunner had mixed emotions as Cain threw the first punch. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was loud, even in the open parking lot. Surprisingly, no one said a word. Not of encouragement. Not for Cain to stop. Instead, to Stunner, it seemed like they were bearing witness to a punishment. One Pig might not survive, and no one really cared. They trusted Cain to do what needed doing.
Pig begged and screamed over and over. Each time Cain punched or kicked the other man, Stunner grew more and more disgruntled. He needed the violence to release some of the tension inside him. Besides, Suzie was his to defend, dammit!
Just as Stunner realized Pig was unconscious, a bike pulled onto the gravel parking lot of the Boneyard and Angel jumped off the back as best she could, headed toward Cain at a dead run. A quick glance, and Stunner saw that Shadow had brought her to the bar.
“Cain!” She called. “Cain, stop! Please!”
Heaving, blood splattered up his arms and over his face, Cain obeyed his tiny wife. He was a better man than Stunner was. Even if Suzie had begged him to stop, he wasn’t sure he could have pulled himself off Pig. The man had tormented Suzie from the day she’d set foot on the place. Stunner had watched it and discouraged Pig many times. But it wasn’t until the Christmas when Pig had berated her for decorating and putting glitter in Stunner’s beard that he’d finally snapped. He’d beaten the kid to within an inch of his life that day. Right in front of Suzie. She should have been terrified of Stunner, but she’d allied herself even more closely.
