GUNNER
Helena comes to the compound few days later to deal with the woman we're keeping in the shed. She wanted to deal with the bastard who carved the 'X' on Scooter's chest, too, but her injuries didn't let her, so she just watched as Blood tortured him. I could see the frustration in her eyes, the need to handle it herself.
The guys and I come with her, leaving our cuts behind. By the look on her face I can tell it's about to get bloody. Her jaw is set, her movements controlled. This is Helena in combat mode, and it's something to witness.
"Wow! You look like hell!"
Helena chuckles when she sees the woman in front of her. We weren't exactly hospitable. Sandra has been staying in a small bare room with only a mattress and a toilet, wearing the same clothes we found her in. We've been giving her food twice a day and washed her with a hose. The woman did not deserve better treatment. Had she not been a woman, she would've been beaten to death. But the Iron Brotherhood does not hurt women.
Helena suddenly takes off her shirt and hands it to me, staying in only sports bra and shorts then gets inside. The guys and I lean against the opposite wall, waiting for her to be done so we can get rid of the body. We've seen violence before, but something about this feels different. More personal.
"You little whore! I am your mother! You can't do this to me!"
Oh, she pulls the 'mother' card, huh?
"As if! You're just a woman my father picked up from some club then married so he didn't have to raise me on his own."
We turn to her in shock. What the hell?
"Aww, you thought I wouldn't know? That piece of garbage Alexander spilled everything once my dad was done with him. And of course he would tell me everything that idiot said. I always found it suspicious how you treated me more like a slave than a daughter."
Helena wraps up her hands as she speaks, while we stay there completely stunned at what we're hearing. The tape goes around her knuckles with practiced efficiency.
"That's why I'm not going to spare you. I was going to go easy on you, since you're my 'mother' and all, but..."
She shrugs with a cold look.
"I won't. You earned every ounce of pain I'm going to inflict on you. Enjoy!"
She finishes with a cruel smirk, sending a punch to the woman's face.
For the next minutes all that can be heard from the cell are the woman's cries, wails and the sounds of bones breaking. Helena destroys her methodically. She's already broken her arms, legs, crushed her fingers and toes, and dislocated her joints. The blonde's face is a mass of flesh and blood, completely unrecognizable. Even her hair got ripped out of her scalp.
I've seen a lot of violence in my time with the club, but this is something else. Helena doesn't lose control. She's precise, calculated. Every strike has purpose.
"Time to end this, don't you think?!"
She sneers into the woman's ear. She's been giving her some scented salts every time Sandra passed out, keeping her awake for the torture. No mercy, no escape.
The woman wails in pain as Helena rams her fingers into her eyes and swiftly snaps her neck, killing her. She stands over the dead body for a moment then smashes her foot into the woman's face before leaving the cell.
I'm stunned. I did not expect Helena to be so brutal. And I sure as hell didn't expect her to kill Sandra herself. It takes guts to take someone's life. To cross that line and live with it afterward.
"Can I take a shower before I leave? I don't want the blood on me when I go home."
She asks, snapping me out of my shock. Her voice is calm, almost casual. Like she didn't just murder someone with her bare hands.
"Sure. Do you have any clothes to change into?"
"Yeah, they're in my car. What about the body?"
She glances at the dead woman without emotion.
"We'll take care of this. Don't worry, no one will find her."
I assure, gesturing at Blood and Shovel. They give Helena a nod and go to take care of it. They got their names because they're usually in charge of dealing with scenes like that. Disposal is their specialty.
"Thanks."
Helena gives them a grateful smile, leaving them stunned for a moment before they return the gesture. I guess they didn't expect someone to thank them for burying a dead body.
Helena stays over for a drink, per my request. I feel the need to warn her about those loan sharks that may be still after her. Even though she's not weak and can take care of herself, she has to know that it's still not safe, so she can be prepared, just in case.
We settle into a booth with cold beers. The compound is quieter now, just a few brothers hanging around. After few drinks, she calls her friend, Cristy, to pick her up and drive her home.
"How come Scooter is not here? I'm pretty sure he mentioned that he wanted to come with you."
I purposefully say nothing about killing Sandra. I don't think Helena's friend knows about that kind of thing.
"I don't know where he is. My dad kidnapped him for the whole summer. That old man, I swear to God!"
She huffs, annoyed, making Cristy look at her in shock when the blonde arrives.
"Are you okay to say that about your dad? He looks so scary."
She quietly exclaims fearfully and for some reason it strikes a chord in me. Why is she afraid? The girl looks around the compound like she expects something bad to happen.
Helena stands up on the couch in the booth and moves behind Cristy, sitting behind her, with her legs on either side, wrapping her arms around Cristy's waist and hugging her. The little blonde melts in her hold and smiles happily. What's going on with those two?
"It's fine. My dad may look scary, but he's just an overgrown teddy bear. No need to be afraid of him."
She pats Cristy's head then puts her chin on her shoulder.
"What's going on? Are you into girls now?"
Wolf laughs as he joins us in the booth. Cristy looks like she wants to disappear, while Helena just smirks teasingly.
"Why? Wanna see some girl on girl action?"
Cristy chokes on her drink and Helena pats her back gently with a worried look.
"You okay, Goldie?"
"I'm alright." She squeaks. She's so cute.
"Just kidding. But seriously, what's going on?"
Wolf laughs, pointing at the two.
"Helena just misses Scooter. He's been gone since graduation."
Cristy quietly says with a small smile.
"Aww. Cute."
"She is, isn't she?"
Helena squeezes her friend a little before stroking her hair adoringly.
"She's so small and adorable."
"I'm not small! And I'm just an inch shorter than you!"
Cristy states with a scowl.
"But you're still shorter. It automatically makes you cute."
Helena pats her head like one would do to a dog, making Cristy's scowl turn deeper.
"What about someone bigger than you?" I tease.
"Nope. Not cute. At all."
She denies with no hesitation.
"Well, except for Scooter. He's adorable."
She adds dreamily as an afterthought, making me laugh. The way she says it, you'd think the kid hung the moon.
"He's not here?" Wolf glances around.
"Nope. He went somewhere after the graduation. I can't even find him, since he left his phone and jacket behind."
Helena huffs with an annoyed frown. She got Scooter new jacket, since the first one got ripped in the accident. Custom leather with the Iron Brotherhood emblem on the back.
"That's why she's using me as her teddy bear." Cristy adds.
"You are so adorable!" I laugh at them.
The contrast is striking. Helena just committed murder hours ago, and now she's sitting here being affectionate with her friend like nothing happened. Like she didn't just cross a line most people never even approach. But that's survival in this world. You do what needs to be done, then you move forward. No looking back, no regrets.
Helena will be just fine.