Honey Stone

Sorry is the Hardest Word

Brett was laying prostrate on the floor, his heart was hammering in his chest and his head was spinning. Tommy sat back at left Preach and Nash circling the foolish boy. The rest of the club watched too, with differing degrees of amusement and intrigue. Ordinarily this kid would be off limits but things were different. 

'I am usually a stickler for rules' Tommy stated matter-of-factly from his seat. 'Especially my own rules. But for you I think we'll make an exception. You see, in my club, we don't hurt women and we don't hurt kids and in the state of Nebraska, you are unfortunately still a child. But...you threatened two of my sisters and that upsets me. Now, I could deal with you myself but that's not going to help anyone. So, to be generous, it would only seem fair that I hand you over to these gentlemen to teach you a lesson instead. Preach why don't you start us off as I think Nash has more to say.'

'Sure thing.' Preach said oh so casually as stood over Brett and pulled a dagger from his belt. He gripped the back of Brett's head of pulled him to his knees to so his throat was exposed and then ran the blade very gently across it from ear to ear, then up across the cheek. Brett felt the cold metal sting but Preach was better with a knife than to cut him by accident; it did leave a feint red line though.

'Is this what you were going to use? he cooed gently 'when you threatened the face of my woman.' he shoved Brett so that he was looking at Viola. 'See her? Beautiful isn't she?'

 Brett didn't move a muscle but his eyes locked onto Viola's hard glare. 'Come on boy admit it, she's beautiful isn't she. So I ask again, was it a knife like this one .' Preach asked as he twirled it 'that you were hurt her with? or maybe it was acid. Did you think to throw acid on her? I'm sure I've got some lying about somewhere, shall I find it? Or maybe, maybe, you were just going to beat her.' 

'Do you know what I did to the last man that beat her? Preach was whispering now and Viola's eyes had narrowed with her full vitriolic hatred 'He now takes his meals through a straw.' Brett shuddered and tried to look away from her. 'No no, keep looking. What were you going to do to her? Tell me?' Preach's voice was caressing almost lover like.

'I never would have done anything to her.' Brett whimpered 'I just wanted to scare Honey.' 

'Oh so this is still just abut Honey.' Nash snarled. Preach pushed Brett to the ground before striding to Viola and pulling her up, tight to his chest. She smiled up at him before laying her head on his hard shoulder. Nash had taken Preach's place and was now taunting the smaller man 'I guess when you threatened to shoot my parents that was just to scare her too. You did know they were my parents and not hers didn't you. What about the threats to stab her? shoot her? rape her?'

'I don't need to force her to screw me, she comes willingly.' Brett sneered looking up at Nash with a look that would on any other day earn him a swift beating but Nash was biding his time. 'When you've left her to walk home and I've had to picked her up, she's let me into your house and we've fucked in your bed. I've nailed that pussy every goddam day and she loves it.'

Honey gasped and turned her face away. Tommy put his arm round her but she was so sickened by Brett's words she almost gagged. She knew Nash could be possessive and jealous, how could she ever make him trust her again with all these lies? Viola was practically gnashing her teeth at the boy in fury and the club members eyes shot between the boy on the floor, their Stg at Arms and the girl huddled at their Presidents side. Tommy looked outraged but the arm round the girl was gentle, that was enough for them. If Tommy didn't believe it then neither did they.

Nash looked at his girl from the corner of his eye. She was broken down and looked so small against Tommy's side. He didn't mind her turning to him now but this whole thing was wrong. How could he have let things get this far. He'd been mad at her in the beginning but this was just inconceivable now. How could she not have trusted him with this? Couldn't she see how this had escalated out of her control?  Why was she so afraid of him or was she? She run to him earlier, terrified, but not for herself. 

'Honey do you have anything to say?' Nash said coolly.  

'None of its true Jamie, you know its not.' Honey cried out, imploring him to believe him but Brett was smirking at her, his eyes conveying that he knew that a seed of doubt was all it would take.

'Ortiz, Kodiak.' Tommy called out and two men, that Honey had never seen before appeared from the gloom. 'You notice anything odd recently?'

The two men looked at each other before one spoke in a flat bored voice that sounded almost robotic 'Nothing at all boss. We followed this girl to school and back again every day. We never lost sight of her she was always alone.' 

Honey stared open mouthed at the men. Who were they? How long had they'd been following her? She'd never seen them. Tommy spoke up again 'What about him being inside the house any signs of that?'

'He's been in our house, when?' Honey was shocked she sat bolt upright and looked at Nash who gazed back languidly at her  for a moment but said nothing, just stood with his arms folded across his chest and stared back at Brett, waiting to be allowed to strike.

'No-ones been near for weeks boss.' came the monotone answer. 'There's been no prints in the snow, no vehicles near the house except the permitted ones, no deliveries nothing at all. If he got in, it was before us.'

'Okay thanks boys.' Tommy replied, satisfied and they drifted back into the shadows. Hank had hold of the phone and flipped through the pictures. Something was off, he scrolled again looking for the answer.

Nash bent down and said very softly 'You see shit for brains, I might have been unable to take my girl to school and pick her up but I wasn't about to let her wander about alone. I wasn't going to let her be picked up by assholes like you. You just keep lying don't you. Every word out of your mouth is a lie and do you know what, I fucking hate liars.'

'I think before we go any further you should apologise to Honey and to Viola.' Tommy said leaning forward menacingly and cracking his knuckles. Tension in the room became even heavier and Nash stepped back infinitesimally, his fists clenched in anticipation of avenging Honey.

'Fuck you all!' Brett screamed as he tried to stand but Nash kicked him in the stomach and left him coughing and spluttering for a minute.

'Get the fuck up, now I want you to apologise nicely. First to Viola.' Nash barked and grabbed the boy by his collar to make him kneel in front of her.

Brett looked up at the woman who was still being held by the massive angry biker. 'I'm sorry I said I'd hurt you Violet.' he almost sobbed as he remembered the knives that Preach had.

'Its Viola but whatever.' She said dismissively. This kid was pathetic and not worth her notice but even though he didn't scare her, it had stirred some unpleasant memories so she remained in her mans arms.

'Now Honey' Nash snarled through teeth so clenched the words hardly made it out. He'd dragged Brett around to face her.

'I'm sorry' he snapped, churlishly.

'For what?' Nash gritted.

'For not being able to save you and  for scaring you.' Brett said the tone of someone who was unable to stop their love from being sent to the gallows .

Nash stared at the back of Brett's head and imagined putting a bullet through there but he couldn't so instead he said in a voice so icy it struck Honey to the core 'Vi take Honey somewhere safe, I need to finish this off.'

Viola without thinking a second longer dived for Honey and pulled her away, wrapped and arm round her waist and ushered her quickly to the steps. Honey looked back.

'James?' her voice was tiny.

'What?' he hadn't moved and was still boring a hole in the back of his victims head.

'Nothing' Honey sighed and turned away and let Viola lead her back into the warmth and noise of the bar above where she was quickly seated in the centre of a large crowd. Roxie squeezed her hand and smiled a weak smile as she perched on Toads knee. Buzz was there too. He had wanted and needed to remove himself from the inevitable punishment of one of his students, anyone else and he'd have taken a crack at them himself. 

The bar was business as usual; the unpleasantness of the earlier evening was just a bad memory. The music, drinking and joviality continued above but there was a strain in the faces of the people who were in the know; the ones who knew that just below their feet in a bare room, a young man was about to learn a very very hard lesson.