No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology

by Elizabeth Knox

  “Hey, baby,” Feisty says, coming up to me as I step through the door.

  Fuckin’ hell. This shit is not something I want right now. If I had time, I probably would’ve taken her to one of the dark corners around the club and fucked her imagining she was Charlee. Pound into her hard enough to make her scream, releasing my anger out on her body . . . but those screams wouldn’t be the woman I really want which would just piss me off even more.

  “Not now, Feisty,” I growl, stepping past her.

  “Okay, baby, but I’ll be here when you need me,” she purrs.

  “Great,” I mutter, heading for my room, Koda following close behind.

  Grabbing my keys, I unlock the door and step inside. “Chill, Koda. I’ll be back later,” I grumble as I make sure my dog has what he needs. Food. Water. His rawhide.

  Tossing him a treat I grab a clean shirt from my dresser and slide it on. I leave the room, making sure to lock it behind me and head for the main room to find Vader.

  “You ready?” I ask, finding him standing at the bar talking to Nama.

  “Hey, Kinetic, you’re seriously tense, babe. If you want later tonight, I could help you release some of it,” Nama murmurs sweetly. Unlike the other firecrotches around here, she’s different. Loves to fuck and get off but doesn’t try to get anyone to make her an ol’ lady. She also likes to have fun with more than one of us at a time.

  “Thanks. Nama. I’m good. Maybe I’ll catch you another time. When I get back my ass is passing out in bed. It’s been a shit day,” I mutter, giving her a grin even though I’m not feeling it. I don’t give a damn about most of their feelings, but Nama’s different. She’s a real sweetheart. Not like Feisty at all.

  “Okay, Kinetic, you know where to find me.” She smiles and walks off.

  “You good?” Vader asks.

  “Not in the least bit, brother. You know that. Now let’s get the fuck out of here, get this shit with Rocky done. I’m fuckin’ exhausted after dealing with all I have today,” I grumble.

  “Yeah, Kin’, I saw her when she came in. Bitch looked sweet as fuck, in her tight ass jeans looking like Megan Fox. Isn’t she the one who screwed you over back when we went to basic?” Fuckin’ Vader and his memory. He’d been sitting on the bus that day when I left for basic. He and I ended up nearly coming to blows a few times over the shit he’d say about Charlee. In the end we’d sorted out shit and he’d become my brother.

  “That would be her. But talk about her again like that and we’ll have issues,” I snap, giving him a glare.

  “Sorry, brother,” Vader says, taking a step back.

  Nodding, I turn and head for the door. “Let’s just get this shit over with.”

  “You got it.”

  Pulling up to The Waterhole, something doesn’t sit well with me. Glancing around the parking lot, I find it sparse besides the bikes that belong to Rocky and his men who came with him. Only a handful of cars, great not many people around to witness if this goes bad.

  I’m itching to slam my fist into someone, and Rocky would be a good start.

  “Come on, brother. Sooner we get in there, get this done, the sooner we can get back to the clubhouse and you can go chill,” Vader suggests, putting the kickstand down and climbs off his bike. Nodding my head, I follow suit, taking my helmet off and hanging it on the handle.

  Silently the two of us make our way to the front door and open it. The little annoying bell over the damn thing announces our arrival. My eyes immediately narrow at the sight in front of me.

  I’m already pissed, but seeing Charlee sitting there with Rocky cozied up to her nearly has my head shooting through the roof.

  What the fuck’s she doing there?

  “Rocky,” I mutter not wanting to deal with her just yet. I’d get to her after him and I handle business. “Let’s get this shit done.”

  “Always the pleasant one.” Rocky cackles, but follows me over to the tables as far from Charlee as we can get. Taking the seat facing the bar, I let my gaze say it all as Charlee meets my own.

  From the narrowing of her eyes, I know she gets my drift. I wanted her to keep her ass parked right where it was.

  Turning my focus back to Rocky, I lean forward. “You got something you need to tell me?” I demand, narrowing my gaze on him.

  “Don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Rocky grins.

  “Bullshit, Viking called Falcon earlier today.” I inwardly grin at the way Rocky cringes. Yeah, he knows he’s supposed to be giving me something.

  Stupid fucker.

  “Viking is stupid for bringing you all in on this shit with us,” Rocky snaps.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you think but he assured Falcon you had something for me. Now I suggest you hand it over before I decide to shoot your ass right here, right now,” I inform him casually.

  Glaring at me, Rocky reaches into his cut and pulls out an envelope holding the money from the latest run we’d done with them. Rocky’s made it known he doesn’t like the idea of working with us and even more so, he doesn’t appreciate Viking switching the business up. Not my business but I’ll make a note to contact my cousin and let him know about his men here.

  Taking the envelope, I open it slightly, put it in my cut, and nod. “Until next time,” I mutter, standing to my feet.

  Now it was time to deal with Charlee and find out what the fuck she’s doing in a place like this.

  And alone at that.

  Chapter Nine

  Charlee

  “You cool with that dude?” Noah questions me quietly, cleaning out yet another glass.

  Sucking in a sharp breath, I nod. “Yeah, why?”

  “He looked like he wanted to strangle you the second he walked in here.”

  I can’t deny Noah’s observation in the least bit. Kaden did look like he wanted to kill me, or that guy Rocky. He tilted his head and they went over to the far side of the bar and sat down at a table. From the corner of my eye I watched their interaction, especially as Rocky pulled out a thick envelope and handed it over to Kaden. They’re both still over there, but I’m not sure what they’re saying. Not that it’s any of my business in the first place.

  Right after they started walking over Noah made me another mint mojito, so I pick it up from the bar and slowly sip on it. The sound of soles crushing against the wooden floor alert me someone is near, but I don’t look. To be honest, I don’t want to. I only want to sit here, drink my mojito, and hope Kaden along with his biker buddies disappear.

  “Kinetic, I called dibs on that piece of ass,” Rocky calls from the other side of the bar, and now I look. I don’t know what causes me to turn. It could be worry, shock, or maybe even embarrassment. Hell, it could be all three.

  Kaden’s face visibly turns red in front of me and I notice the way the vein in his forehead pulsates. It’s done that since we were kids, but only happens when he’s livid. “Rocky, I suggest you get your ass out of here before I beat your damn head in.”

  Rocky stands up from where he sits and as he does the bottom of the chair skids against the floor, causing a shrieking sound to ripple through the bar. “What did you just say?”

  “Fucking hell,” Noah mutters under his breath and makes his way around the bar, trying to get between the two of these guys before they end up in a tussle. “The last thing I need to deal with today is you two measuring dick sizes. You came here, did your thing, now leave.”

  Rocky raises his brows and smirks. “I don’t let men talk to me like that, Noah. You of all people should know that. We don’t take shit at the Toxic Warriors. Certainly not from our errand boys.”

  “The fuck did he just call us?” the guy who came in with Kaden asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Kaden completely ignores what Rocky said and comes marching over to me, grabs ahold of my arm, and squeezes me tightly. It’s firm, but it doesn’t hurt. “What the fuck are you doing out here, Charlee? You following me or somethin’?”

  My ey
es go wide at that. He didn’t seriously think I’d be following him. With my free hand I grab what’s left of my mojito and throw it in his face. “Why the fuck would I want to follow you!? I came here for a damn drink.”

  “Yeah, okay.” His tone tells me he doesn’t believe me at all.

  “What’s so hard to believe? I came out here for a couple drinks, away from all the city bars so I wouldn’t have to deal with assholes like the two of you?” I point to him and his buddy Rocky, loud enough for everyone to hear me. I won’t have anyone thinking I’m here to follow Kaden around like a lost little puppy. I’m not one of those women who feel the need to replace the men in their lives every week. I left my husband, and I can be alone. I don’t need a man in my life to make me happy.

  “Oh, you bitch,” Rocky huffs and heated footsteps head in my direction. The guy who came in with Kaden steps in front of Rocky and tries to stop him.

  “Rocky, I wouldn’t, man. It’s just gonna cause shit between the clubs.” He tries to chill Rocky out even though he’s part of Kaden’s club, which is interesting to me.

  “Not worth it? I’ve never let a bitch speak to me like that and I won’t be spoken to that way. Woman needs to learn her place, on her knees with my cock choking her.”

  “Fuck.” Kaden’s friend practically drops his head in defeat and Kaden goes ghost white. Releasing my arm, he turns on his heel and marches back to where Rocky is. It all happens so quickly I don’t realize it.

  They get each other on the floor and lay punch after punch into each other. I see specks of blood on the floor, coating Kaden’s fist and then Rocky’s. Frozen in shock, I sit here, not sure what to do besides cover my mouth with my hand in horror.

  An arm wraps around me and a cool feeling is pressed up against my head. Glancing to the right, I see the barrel of a gun and slowly start to lose my cool. “Kaden!” I scream out, terrified as ever. My heart pumps heavily in my chest, so hard I can feel my jugular pulsating under my skin.

  Kaden and Rocky stop their scuffle and Kaden’s friend stands in between them, while Noah looks at me in shock. He holds his hands up in the air, trying to talk to whoever’s grip I’m in. “Dude, settle down. There’s no need for that. She’s just a chick. We don’t have to escalate shit. The Waterhole is neutral ground for you all, right? Why start a war here? What’s the fucking point of that?”

  “Seems like she’s the reason two clubs might go back to war, so if you ask me, I can handle her right here, right now,” the mystery man says from behind me with a gravelly tone. He’s obviously irritated, seeing me as the problem.

  Kaden inhales deeply and his nostrils flare. He balls his fists up at his sides and his friend clears his throat, “Dime, put down the gun. That’s not just any . . . she’s not just a random girl.” Kaden’s friend tries to talk some sense into him, but Dime’s grip only tightens around me.

  He pulls me to the left and walks with me a few feet, and the click of a safety being pulled tells me this guy isn’t fucking around. “Please, please, don’t hurt me. I have a daughter.” My words barely come out in English from the way my voice cracks with emotion.

  “She’s my ol’ lady,” Kaden declares. I don’t understand the meaning, but given the look of surprise on Rocky’s face, it must be something important.

  “Bullshit,” the guy immediately denies his claim.

  “Yeah, ask her who the father of her kid is,” Kaden speaks to the man who still has a gun on me.

  “Why the fuck does it matter to me?” He cackles in my ear, showing how he doesn’t give a damn. This guy wants bloodshed and right now I’m wondering if I’m even going to get out of this alive.

  “She’s the mother of Kinetic’s kid. Dude, put down your gun before your club can’t come back from somethin’ it won’t ever be able to,” Kaden’s friend speaks up.

  “Who was speakin’ to you, Vader?!” the guy holding me snaps to Kaden’s friend, who I now know is Vader.

  “She’s my ol’ lady, and our clubs made a vow. We made a promise to never go after the other’s families. Surely you can honor that,” Kaden speaks up, but while he speaks his voice cracks a bit and I notice how he’s no longer looking at the man who I’m being held by. He’s looking at me, and it’s crazy how in one moment I know this could go one of two ways.

  I just hope I’m still breathing by the end of it.

  His Rage

  M. Merin

  Chapter One

  Owen

  A Couple years back

  Lying in bed, I can only hope that whoever the fuck is pounding on the door gets a clue and leaves.

  “Come on, asshole,” Keith’s deep voice carries easily through the flimsy door. “Get the fuck up.”

  “I’m going to call the cops!” I hear the old lady across the hall scream.

  Across the hall—that’s a fucking joke. The walls here are so flimsy, I hear every fucking phone conversation she has, then she gets pissed at me for blasting my music to drown her out. I got enough shit rolling around in my head without hearing her jabber away all evening.

  “Let’s get rolling. Duncan will have my ass if you miss your appointment again,” Keith’s voice cuts through the thin door and I know he’d only have to shove his shoulder into it to be standing in my entryway/kitchenette.

  Groaning, I pull myself to my feet and cross the small room to let Keith in. I’m in briefs and probably haven’t showered in a couple of days but that isn’t what bothers him.

  “Fuck, Owen, you know you can’t bring a dog back here,” he says looking around, and it isn’t what he says, but how he stands before me in a couple thousand dollars’ worth of clothes and his only concern in the world is the service dog I’ve been contemplating getting.

  “No, shit,” I mutter. “That’s why I missed the last appointment. Should have fucking known that Duncan’s the reason I got a first, second, and third chance with that group anyway.”

  “Look, there’s room . . .”

  “No. I ain’t moving to that complex of his,” I say, cutting him off as I try to find the words to explain how badly I need my own space—just as Agnes turns her TV on, and he raises an eyebrow at me like he knows what I am going to say. “Listening to her daytime shows ain’t the same as, well, as conversations and other shit.”

  “You signed up for a service dog, so you must have had something in mind?” Keith asks, eyeing my packed bags lined up near the door.

  “They’ll want to inspect where I live,” I say, trying to buy time to work up to my ask.

  “Here.” Keith reaches into his pocket and comes out with a set of keys. “Duncan got a three-month lease on a cabin where you can get your shit together, then figure out what your next move is.”

  Suddenly there’s a rock or something blocking any words from coming out of my throat. I was a fucking green-ass kid when I first got assigned to Duncan’s unit, and while I ended up staying in the military when the chance for sniper school came up, he and half the unit went private sector but we’ve always stayed in touch. Especially since my honorable discharge.

  I haven’t actually gotten a look at my file recently, but I’m pretty sure ‘Fucked-up Mess’ is in there somewhere. Oh, the therapists down at the VA Hospital just keep prescribing more sessions or sedatives, whatever the fuck they think they can get me to agree to. It was when they mentioned a service animal that I just kind of shrugged.

  I always wanted a dog, but I don’t have the first fucking clue how they think an animal is going to change my life. I signed up for the program, sure, why the fuck not? The waiting list can be years long, depending on where you are.

  Then I’d look around and see women in restaurants feeding their tiny dogs, peeking out of Louis Vuitton purses that cost more than I made most months, pieces of meat and I feel rage flowing through my veins again.

  Killing targets halfway around the world, that made sense to me. Get an order and go out to do my own recon until it came down to the quiet in the time leading up to the kill
; with no one but my spotter watching my back or occasionally making a noise.

  I enjoyed the quiet until that day, walking to our extraction point and Kinney triggered the landmine. I was barely able to stumble back the rest of the way, soaked in some of my spotter’s remains, ears ringing like a motherfucker.

  The next morning I woke up in Germany and to the reality that the hearing in my left ear would never fully return.

  “Owen, man,” Keith snaps his fingers in front of my face. “Focus.”

  “Yeah. I’m good. I really appreciate . . .”

  “Stow that shit, man—we’re brothers,” he grunts out and I notice him fiddling with the phone in his left hand.

  “Give me five minutes,” I say, turning to the bathroom after smelling my pit. That won’t do, not if I’m trying to impress a dog.

  I can hear the muffled sound of voices as I get cleaned up and dressed, exiting within the promised five minutes, I notice my bags are missing.

  “Carlos was with me, he’s going to take your things out to the cabin in my truck, so I’m riding with you,” Keith informs me, holding the door open while I take one last look around. Three steps bring me to the dresser and I pull an envelope out of the top drawer and exit the room. “Hope your panties are clean ‘cause he’s gonna unpack your shit so it looks like you live there.”

  Heading across town, my palms break out in a sweat as I start to worry about the questions they’ll ask me and how the hell I’ll be able to care for my new companion.

  “Come on,” Keith says as I pull into a spot and hesitate before putting my truck into park. “It’s a dog that’s been trained to take care of you, Owen. Already housebroken, which after seeing your apartment, I’m not sure that you are.”