by E. C. Land
I nod in agreement, glancing around at my brothers I brought with me. I’d left Nerd, Ranger, and Cane back at the clubhouse to protect Rachel and the twins as a precautionary. Right now, my gut is churning with that decision. Maybe I should have left Tracker back there as well or Blaze. Hell, I should have left Shadow with her. I know I can count on my brothers with my life, but this is Rachel we’re talking about.
Between her, Luca, and Corinne, they own my heart the same way Horse does with my grandkids.
“Let’s get this shit over and done with. I plan to head back as soon as these assholes leave,” I grumble.
“Agreed,” Tracker nods.
As the bikes come to a stop not far from where we are standing, all but one man stayed sitting astride their bikes. I’m guessing the one who got off is Torben, the Prez of the Lucifer’s Heretics MC.
“Where’s Raynor?” he asks, spitting on the ground as he walks toward me.
“He’s here,” I say nonchalantly, pointing behind me.
“I suggest you hand him over,” Torben sneers.
“Or what?” I retort.
“Or I’ll make your life a living hell,” Torben threatens.
“How would you be able to make my life a living hell? You have nothing on us to do so,” I say, narrowing my eyes on the asshole in front of me.
Chuckling, he reaches into his pocket and pulls his phone out. Hitting a couple buttons, he lets the phone ring. “Yo, Torben, I’m here.” I stiffen at the familiar voice.
Jackal.
“Good, go ahead and do as I asked,” Torben says, grinning the entire time he gives the order before disconnecting. “You have about thirty seconds to hand over Raynor before your world is blown to smithereens.”
“Neo, help Shadow bring Raynor over,” I call out over my shoulder, not letting Torben out of my sight.
A moment later, Shadow tosses Raynor’s head at Torben, who catches it. Neo drops the body at his feet.
“Here’s your son,” I snap.
“You’re a dead man, Stoney,” Torben growls as he throws Raynor’s head to the ground.
“That would be your son, not me,” I sneer.
“Don’t worry, your time is coming, but first, I think I’ll have a little fun. Have you talked to Rachel recently?” he asks as a sadistic grin crosses his face.
My heart stops at his question.
“No, I suppose you haven’t. You might want to get on that before it’s too late.” Torben chuckles and moves back to his bike. As he straddles his bike, his black eyes meet mine. “Look forward to hearing from you soon. Just know, Horse and Kenny will be next,” he calls out as he starts his bike.
I don’t waste another minute in pulling my phone out and dialing Rachel’s number. It goes right to voicemail. Fuck, come on. Ending the call, I dial Ranger. His phone rings until it goes to voicemail. Fuck me! Finding Nerd’s number, I put the phone to my ear.
“Prez,” Nerd groans on the second ring.
“Why the fuck isn’t anyone else answering their phones?” I demand.
“Sorry, Prez, Ranger’s busy taking care of Rachel and Momma B,” Nerd says apprehensively.
“What happened?” I ask as I turn to face Bear.
“They ambushed us, Prez. Almost thirty men came in here. Jackal was with them. They beat Rachel and Momma B. That’s not all they did either. They . . . umm . . . they . . .”
“Spit it out,” I snap.
“Fuck, Prez, Rachel doesn’t even know yet,” Nerd says.
“Know what?” I snarl.
“They took the twins,” he rushes out.
Without responding to Nerd, I disconnect and glance from Bear to Tracker. “Get to the clubhouse. Take Neo with you,” I order them, then look to Blaze, Shadow, and Coyote. “You three are with me,” I declare and turn to walk over to my bike.
The blood in my veins goes still at what he said. Then I let Torben’s words replay in my head. “Don’t worry, your time is coming, but first, I think I’ll have a little fun.”
If Torben thinks this is him having a little fun, he must be confused because he’s just signed a notice which only the devil himself will take. No one fucks with my family.
Silently, I get on my bike and bring her to life. As much as I want to check on Rachel, I need to find my kids first.
I won’t allow them to get away with this. Luca and Corinne are mine and I’ll destroy those who put them in harm’s way.
28
Stoney
“Prez, want to tell us what’s goin’ on?” Blaze asks cautiously as we pull up to the gate of the Franklin Charter. The entire way here, I planned what needed to be done. And the four of us will get it done. This won’t be the first time our club has dealt with something like this, and it won’t be the last.
Lifting my hand, I wave at the prospect to open the gate. After a moment, the gate swings open. I quickly make it through the gate and park my bike near Horse’s and Twister’s.
“We’re here because Gadget has some things we need,” I say as I climb off my bike.
“What are you planning, Prez?” Shadow asks.
“We’re gonna go get my kids back and blow those motherfuckers to the moon,” I seethe.
“Hold up, they have Luca and Corinne,” Blaze demands, clenching his fists.
“Yeah, they attacked Rachel and Momma B,” I state as I move toward the door. “Let’s get what we need from Gadget and get out of here. Time’s ticking and I can’t face Rachel without bringing Luca and Corinne home.”
“Who’s Luca and Corinne?” Horse’s voice meets my ears before I see him standing in front of the entrance.
“Luca and Corinne are your . . . well, they will be your brother and sister,” I declare and wait for him to take in that information.
Horse blinks once, twice, then smiles. “Well, where are they so I can meet my siblings?” he asks, lifting a brow.
Clenching my teeth, I take a deep breath to calm down. Horse doesn’t need my anger thrown at him. “Long story and I don’t have time to explain. To sum it all up, they were kidnapped from the clubhouse, their momma is my ol’ lady and was beat to near death. All the shit happened while I was at a meet with the fucker who ordered this,” I growl.
“Then what are you doing here, Pops? What can I do to help?” That’s my son for ya. Lay a shit ton of information on him and he takes it in stride. Ready to take on anything I need him to do.
“Need some of Gadget’s toys. You need to stay here and keep your family safe,” I say.
“Pops, if it’s bad enough you came here to get shit from Gadget, you can’t expect me to not come with you,” Horse states as he turns and walks into the clubhouse. “Besides, Kenny would kick my ass if I didn’t go with you.”
“Are y’all still on lockdown?” I ask as I take in all the women and kids in the main room.
“Yeah, so they’ll be safe here at the clubhouse. Twister will make sure she’s good while I’m with you,” Horse declares.
“Stoney, what's going on?” Twister says as he steps up to us. I quickly explain what’s going on and he insists on sending Dragon and Gadget with us. Finding Rage sitting with Cleo at one of the tables, I nod in his direction, signaling for him to join us. This part is something he needs to know.
“Call Bear. I haven’t had a chance to yet. But you need to check on Momma B. She and my ol’ lady were attacked tonight. From what Nerd told me, they were beaten pretty bad,” I tell him.
“Fuck, alright. I’ll call and check on her in a few minutes. First, I want to know who the hell attacked my mom,” Rage demands.
“The Lucifer’s Heretics attacked with the help of Jackal,” I say.
“What the fuck? Seriously . . . Jackal?” Horse growls.
“Yep. Now, if you three are riding out with the four of us, then let’s get Gadget’s toys and get out of here. Time’s tickin’ and I need to get Luca and Corinne back,” I stress. I’m not in the mood to talk about shit.
“Prez, Rach
el’s on the phone,” Shadow says, holding his phone out to me.
“Why didn’t she call my phone?” I ask only to get a shrug from him as I take the phone from him.
“Hey, Doll,” I say as soon as I put the phone to my ear. I ignore the inquisitive stares my brothers give me.
“Please, Stoney, please get them back.” Her pleading cry guts me.
“I’m working on getting them both now, Doll, swear to fuck I am,” I say soothingly.
“That man named Jackal, h–he said Torben had plans for Corinne once she got into his hands. He’s gonna sell her, I just know it, Stoney,” Rachel says as she tries to control the tears.
“Torben will be a dead man before the sun comes up, I can promise you that, same as I promise to bring our kids home,” I promise.
“Okay, I k–know we aren’t on good terms right now, but if you care about me at all, you’ll get them home,” she pleads.
“Rachel, I fuckin’ love you and I’m not giving you up, so get that shit running around in your head out. Yeah, we got things to deal with between us, but it’s going on the back burner for now. Got me?” I demand.
Silence fills the line for a long moment before she finally answers. “I get you, and love you too,” she whispers.
“Good. Now, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll let you know the moment I’ve got them both, okay?” I state.
“Okay, Stoney,” she sniffles.
Once she answers me, I disconnect, refusing to say goodbye or some shit like that. I’ll be back with my woman and fixing shit soon enough.
Handing Shadow his phone, I ignore the grins and jokes as I head for my bike. “If you’re coming, then hurry the fuck up,” I yell over my shoulder.
“Let Kenny know I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I hear Horse say.
“Got it. Watch your backs,” Twister calls out.
Throwing up my hand, I acknowledge him without turning around.
“Prez, your head on right?” Blaze asks.
“You know it,” I growl as I throw my leg over and straddle my bike. “Let’s ride.”
Torben better pray to all that’s holy because he’s about to meet his maker before the sun comes up.
29
Rachel
Pain throbs throughout my entire body. With all those men who stormed in here, the guys didn’t stand a chance against them. I swore they were going to kill us, but they hadn’t. Instead, the one named Jackal beat Momma B until she went still. Then he’d turned his sights on me.
“I’m gonna take those two fuckin’ brats, bitch. You should never have taken Lucien’s son. And that cunt, we already had a buyer for her.” His words rattle around my head as I fought as hard as I could to stay conscious through the beating he’d rained down on me. Between the blows to my face and stomach to the kicks he’d given with his steel-toed boots.
I know my leg is broken and I’m sure I have a few broken ribs.
I was barely coherent when the men left. But they made sure to rain hell around the clubhouse, including raping a few of the clubwhores. God, I hope they didn’t get Tiny.
When Jackal's phone rang, he silenced all the men in the room and pointed a gun at me. “Keep your trap shut and I won’t put a bullet in your head,” he’d snarled.
At the sound of Torben’s voice giving Jackal the go-ahead, the blood in my veins turns to ice. This can’t be happening. I’ve fought too hard to keep Luca and Corinne safe. I tried my hardest to get up, but my movement only gained me another kick before Jackal straddled me. “I don’t know what these men see in you. You're nothing but a whore like that momma who gave birth to you. If you weren’t my sister, I think I might have fucked you myself. But I’m not sick enough for some backwoods shit like that,” he said as his spit hit my face with each word.
As he stood back up, Jackal ordered someone to go grab my babies. “No, please don’t,” I’d pleaded, only to be silenced by a kick to the head. I fought against the stars swirling in my vision yet I wasn’t strong enough to deal with the pain.
By the time I woke up hours later, I found myself in a hospital bed, hooked to an IV, and my leg in a cast. Nerd sits in the chair next to my bed, bouncing his leg as he braces his head on his clasped hands.
“Where’s Stoney? Luca? Corinne?” I croak, causing Nerd’s head to shoot up. The grimace on Nerd’s face answered my question as it registers in his mind.
“Stoney’s gone after them, Rachel. Trust me when I say he’ll get them back,” Nerd says.
Nodding, I’d asked him if everyone else was okay. When he said Momma B was a room down the hall from me, I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. This is all my fault. If not for me, she'd never been hurt, and my babies wouldn’t be gone.
“I need to talk to Stoney. Please call him,” I plead.
Nerd pulls his phone out without hesitation and dials Stoney’s number, putting the phone on speaker, but it went straight to voicemail instead of ringing. Hanging up, he dialed another number. On the third ring, Shadow's voice fills the line.
“Shadow, Rachel’s awake and wants to talk to Prez,” Nerd says.
“Alright, hang on a minute,” Shadow responds. Muffled voices can be heard through the line before Stoney’s voice comes through.
“Hey, Doll,” he says. As much as I want to be mad at him, I can’t right now.
“Please, Stoney. Please get them back,” I say immediately upon hearing his voice. Getting Luca and Corinne back is all that matters right now.
“I’m working on getting them both now, Doll, swear to fuck I am.” He sounds so confident that he’ll get them back, but he needs to know what Jackal said.
“That man named Jackal, h–he said Torben had plans for Corinne once she got into his hands. He’s gonna sell her, I just know it, Stoney,” I say, closing my eyes to block out the rest of what he said. That man is not my brother. How would that be possible anyway? He has to be like ten years older than me. And my mom had me when she was nineteen. I don’t get it.
“Torben will be a dead man before the sun comes up, I can promise you that, same as I promise to bring our kids home,” Stoney growls.
“Okay, I k–know we aren’t on good terms right now but if you care about me at all you’ll get them home,” I murmur.
“Rachel, I fuckin’ love you and I’m not giving you up, so get that shit running around in your head out. Yeah, we got things to deal with between us, but it’s going on the back burner for now. Got me?” A shiver runs down my spine at the authoritative tone he uses as he tells me he loves me, which I know has to be true. That’s not something he’d say without meaning it. But he gives his promise we’ll work everything out.
“I get you, and love you too,” I say, wincing in pain as I lift my free hand and wipe the tears away. If he can be strong, then so can I.
“Good. Now, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll let you know the moment I’ve got them both, okay?” he states
“Okay, Stoney,” I say right before the phone goes dead. Of course, he wouldn’t let me say bye to him.
“I’m sorry, Rachel,” Nerd mutters as he puts his phone back in his pocket.
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t do this to me or Momma B. You didn’t kidnap my kids or rape those women at the clubhouse. Those assholes who came in shooting, they’re the ones responsible,” I declare.
“Yeah, but we should have protected you better,” he grumbles, leaning back in his seat.
“Nerd— nope, I can’t sit here and call you that. What the hell is your name? I feel like I’m picking on you like the jocks in high school call anyone who has their nose in a book,” I state.
Nerd throws his head back in a fit of laughter. “Yeah, Ray, you’ll fit in around here. And as for my name, it’s Nick,” he chuckles.
“Nick, I like it. Why do they call you Nerd anyway? Were you one of those kids who got picked on?” I ask.
“No, I wasn’t. I actually was one of those jocks as you mention, but I didn’t pick on anyone. I’ve never condoned bullying and
actually defended the nerds,” he smiles.
“Then how did you get your name?” I push.
“When I was prospecting, your uncle gave me my road name. Said I was a ‘know it all’ when it came to facts and finding anything out using my computer,” he says.
“Interesting,” I giggle and groan as pain radiates through my body.
“Why don’t you get some rest, Ray? I’ll wake you soon as I know anything, okay?” he suggests.
“That’s a good idea. I’m really tired and my body feels like I was run over by a train,” I mutter as I close my eyes.
“Stoney will get them for you” are the last words I hear before passing out.
30
Stoney
You know that saying, you see your life flash before your eyes when something traumatic happens? Well, I refuse to let that happen. Fate and destiny and all that bullshit can kiss my ass.
It’s why I’m crouched down in the shrubs next to the Lucifer’s Heretics clubhouse property, lying in wait as Gadget goes to work his magic. My plan had been to grab some toys from Gadget and do this on my own with only Blaze, Coyote, and Shadow. We could have done it, but when Gadget brought out his newest toy with a smirk on his face, plans changed.
“I’ve been dying to test this baby out,” he said the moment we pulled off to the side of the road a mile away from the Lucifer’s Heretics clubhouse.
“What the hell is that thing?” Blaze asked in fascination.
“This here is my latest explosive that is designed to automatically ignite itself within a fifteen-minute time frame,” Gadget stated.
“How the hell do you know it will work?” I demanded.
“Because I may or may not have done a test trial on it in one of the abandoned houses out in the boonies near our clubhouse,” he shrugged.
Fuckin’ hell, Gadget could be nuts sometimes, but he is the best damn person to have at your back when it comes to needing explosives made quickly. Hell, the man keeps them in stock. ‘Rainy day fund’, as he’d called it.
