I shoved them toward Mac, who was behind me after having helped secure Ernie in the shed. “How the hell did we miss this connection? What’s the link between those two?”
Mac just shook his head.
Shuffling through the box, I found a single photo of a man and a little boy. Flipping it over, the caption read “John and Ernest, one year old.”
“What the fuck?” I yelled and chucked the box across the room. It hit the wall, scattering papers everywhere. Making my way out toward the shed, I answered my phone when I saw it was Locke.
“Speak,” was all he said.
I breathed deep, trying to calm down enough to talk. “John and Ernie are related somehow. I found a photo of John with Ernie when he was a kid. This is a setup, Prez. That fucker has been keeping an eye on her the whole time. The bastard is part of the game that John is playing. That’s how the letter got in the club, because that bastard wrote it!” My chest got tighter as I walked out the back door. Oh, Ernie and John were in for a world of hurt.
“Shit, are you serious?” Locke says. “Where’s the little shit now?”
“I had Viper and Mac take him to the shed. They’re probably working him over now. I’m heading out there.” Another deep breath. “This shit has to end.”
Locke sighed. “Yeah, brother, I agree. I’ll meet you out there.” He hung up the phone.
I entered the shed, which was actually a two-story barn with a secure basement, in case we had to attend to noisy business.
I had no plan, nothing other than anger fueling my actions and a desperate need for vengeance. I headed down the steps of the basement to see they had strung Ernie up from the rafters. I had the sudden thought I wished the rope was around his neck instead of his wrists. But I couldn’t kill him yet. I needed answers and I needed them now.
I spoke to Viper while I stared at an already bloody Ernie. “Has he started talking yet?”
Viper shook his head as Tech, who had joined Viper after the commotion, landed another punch to Ernie’s gut. “Nope. He just keeps saying that we’re fucking dead.”
I nodded. “Okay. Well, let me take a crack at him.”
Tech stepped back with a sadistic grin. “He’s all yours, brother.”
I walked up to him, deciding what I wanted to do. “Help me get him down, Viper. Tech, would you grab the chair? I think our brother here and I need to chat, and he might be a little more comfortable in a chair.” The words sounded polite, but there was venom in my tone.
Tech went after the chair while Viper and I hoisted Ernie down. We strapped him to the chair, roping his arms, legs, and torso.
Clearing my throat, I looked at the pathetic shit. “So, Ernie. I think you and I have a problem. Actually, we have a bunch of problems.” I sneered. “First, you seem to think it’s okay to be hateful to women. I don’t. You think that beating them and terrifying them is cool and it just isn’t. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Viper and Tech grunted, backing me up. Ernie’s only response was to spit on the ground next to my shoe.
I arched a brow. “Now, now, what would dear old John say to you spitting on me?” I said mockingly, knowing it would piss him off. His eyes widened when it registered that I knew without a doubt there was a connection. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he struggled, becoming very agitated. “Oh yeah. I found the shoe box. The photo of you and John. My guess is he’s your dad. I mean, you two look a lot alike. Too bad that he’s going to die.” Ernie’s eyes looked panicked.
“There it is,” Viper laughed. “His eyes say John is definitely dear old Dad.”
Ernie glared at Viper, then stared me down. He didn’t look as cocky as he had.
I shook my head. “Do you want to explain why you decided to jump on the fucked-up nut bag band wagon like your old man? Or were you always on it? Do you have any idea what kind of fucked up shit your dad is involved in?”
Tech moved in. “Oh, I think he does, and I think he’s all for it.”
Since I didn’t get a response, I picked up a crowbar. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt. Okay, maybe it will.” I slammed the crowbar into his shin. “That, motherfucker, is for the girl you just slapped the shit out of in your room.” Thwack. “That’s for messing with my girl.” I blasted the crowbar into his other shin twice, shattering the bone. His scream was music to my ears. “Are you ready to answer my questions? No? Good, ‘cause we’re going to play a game. It’s called hit and tell. The rules are simple. If I ask you a question and you don’t give me an answer, then I beat you until I get the answer. It’s that simple.” His face was twisted in pain, but he had the nerve to glare at me. “Okay, let’s start with an easy one. Why are you coming after Jules? Is it because your dad wants her?”
“He’ll kill me if I talk,” he says on a groan.
“That’s not the answer I need.”
I sat the crowbar down and grabbed a pair of pliers from the table. Taking his index finger between my hand and the chair, I gripped the tip of his nail with the pliers and pulled up, feeling the skin give way.
“He’ll kill me!” Ernie let out on a scream.
Releasing the pressure from the pliers, I laughed. “Hey, fuck face, what do you think I’m going to do?
