by Erin Osborne
“If you will agree to not fight again, I’ll move to the house.”
“Deal!” I shout before she has a chance to take it back. “But, I have one more fight that I have already scheduled a few months from now. I don’t have the option to not do it, but you do not have to come, okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees, knowing I really don’t have the option to not follow through. She knows I will always do what I say, even if I decide it’s not what I want to do. “One more and that’s it.”
I grab her up and swing her around. Her giggles mix with the laughter of my brothers. “We can move in this weekend. Tomorrow, we’ll go pick out the furniture we want for our house. Thank you, babygirl, for makin’ my dreams come true.”
“You know that it’s what I’ve always wanted. Just know that if you ever talk to me the way that you did before, I’ll leave and you won’t ever get me back. I’m not a whore, and I won’t allow you to treat me less than what I deserve,” she says, assuring me she’s finally going to let go of her grudge.
“You have nothin’ to worry about, Hadliegh. I won’t ever talk to you like that again. You know that there are things I can’t tell you about club business, and you’ll have to deal with that. The only thing I want is you by my side and our family to be in one home. Not livin’ in separate houses,” I tell her, picking her up and spinning her around again before placing her on my bike and getting the hell away from here.
Chapter Thirteen
Psycho
TODAY, WE HAVE another run for the Scavengers MC. We’ve put our plan in place because we’re handing off to the Phantom Bastards. It should work because the Scavengers won’t be involved in this run.
Usually, we make sure at least one of the members is with us. But Renegade called Crazy and explained the situation. He agreed we need to get rid of this club before they do any more damage to either one of us, and he’s going to start looking into the club on his end to see what they can find out before they start going after his club.
I’m not sure why they haven’t at this point unless there’s some sort of personal vendetta against someone from our clubs. We just haven’t got all the information to put the pieces together at this point though.
So, Renegade, Bear, Grave, Chains, and I are riding out to meet up with Slim, Killer, Wood, Whino, and Des. Bishop and Bentley are driving the van down while we surround them to make sure nothing happens to the gun shipment we’re transporting.
We’ll meet at an abandoned building in the warehouse district between Benton Falls and Shadowville. It’s not one we’ve used before, but Slim and Renegade met up there and found all sorts of little hideaways the rest of the guys from our clubs can wait in until we show up. There’s only one way in and one way out when we’re at the old warehouse, which makes sneaking up on us a lot more difficult if people can’t come in from multiple ways.
The rest of the guys from our club have already left to make their way to the site so they can get in position before we show up. That way Snake’s Revenge has no clue what’s going on. As far as they’re concerned, it will just look like a normal drop off between us and the Phantom Bastards.
The only guys left behind in our club are Chris and the new Prospect, Trent. He’s really new and we didn’t want him involved in any club business considering we may have a mole in the club. He can stay behind with Chris to protect the girls and make sure they have everything they need if one of them call in.
I know Hadliegh’s working at Anarchy Ink today so if she needs anything, Ink will help her out. He knows we’re on a run. While we could use him here, we want everything to look normal and like every other day. So, Trin has gone to Callie and Bear’s house to watch the kids while Callie goes to work. Axle is there already because Hadliegh hasn’t moved in just yet. We want to wait until the nursery is done before she and Axle start staying there full time.
“You guys ready for this?” Renegade asks as we all make our way out to the bikes.
We all nod our heads while we straddle our bikes and turn the engine over. They rumble to life and it’s a sound I’ll never hate hearing. It’s one thing to feel the wind whipping around us, and the freedom that washes over me while we ride out, but to hear multiple bikes start at once and know we’re possibly heading into battle is another feeling entirely. Even if it’s just a ride a bunch of us are going on, the noise and vibrations encompass your entire body and make you feel more at one with your ride. At least, it does to me.
Renegade pulls out with me at his side. Bear and Chains ride in the middle while Grave brings up the back. Bishop is following the bikes for now. Once we get on the highway, we’ll surround the van. Renegade and I will be in front of it while Chains and Grave ride behind them. Bear will alternate between the front and back depending on traffic and any indication that something’s not right.
Usually, we’d have a few more guys with us on a run, but with the plan in place, we’re short-handed today. It’s just a good thing our brothers are already in place so we know we have back-up when we get to the location.
It’s going to take us a few hours to get there, so I settle in and try to keep my focus while we make the journey. This is not a joy ride where I can think about my plans for opening up a gym, Axle, Hadliegh, or anything else that doesn’t pertain to today’s events.
I just hope we catch all these motherfuckers at one time, so this shit is over with. I’m tired of having to watch over my shoulder every time we go anywhere or do anything. And I don’t like wondering if Hadliegh and the rest of the girls are okay and not in any danger because of this other club. We have no clue what their end game is or what they’re going to do to get there.
Finally, we pull onto the dirt road that leads to the warehouse. I can’t see a single sign of any of our guys here as I look around. The only thing I know for sure is the van holding all of them was parked in the warehouse and they got here early enough that they could hide under the cover of darkness. They’ve been here for a while.
As we round the small bend in the road, we see Slim’s crew here and waiting already. We park next to their bikes and shut them down while Bishop backs the van over to Slim’s. This way, they can just unload ours and slide the crates right into the back of the other van. It’s easier and saves time when we’re in a rush. Today, we’re sticking to our normal routine even though we’re going to hang out for a few minutes to see if the Snake’s crew have the balls to show up.
“You guys have anythin’ on your end?” Renegade asks Slim as he pulls out his smokes and lights one up.
“Nothin’. I’m wonderin’ if they were alerted by that possible problem we talked about at the meet. I’m not sure who it’d be at this point, but it’s looking like a real possibility on either one of our ends,” Slim says as the five of us stand around and shoot the shit. “Got any ideas on your end?”
“Nothin’. I thought we got all our shit sorted when we took Tats out for originally helpin’ the Scavengers that went rogue. Now, I have no clue who it could be,” my brother answers as I can see the wheels turning in his mind. “Unless it’s one of the babes. How about you guys?”
“Nope. We’ve been lookin’ at every member. Hawk has been checkin’ accounts and all that shit since we first had the thought. No one has been paid off and if they have, they’re hidin’ it real good,” Slim answers as Killer grunts from next to him.
I can tell he’s impatient and wants to find out exactly what’s going on and where these twatwaffles are finding out their information on our clubs. Hawk will have to go into detail like that when we all get home. I’m not sure if he’s already been doing that, but we’ll have to find out.
“I’m really wonderin’ if Nails had somethin’ to do with that. Think about the way she’s been actin’ the last few months she was in the club. I was her main target, we all know this, but I’m wonderin’ if she found one of the other guys to give her information she shouldn’t have had. In return, she could’ve promised them anythin’,” I say, lo
oking at Renegade to see what his reaction to this idea is.
“It’s not a bad idea. She was definitely fuckin’ off her rocker the last few months. Much like a woman that was doin’ everythin’ in her power to land a brother higher up in the ranks to find out more information might act. Good thinkin’, Psycho,” he says, stomping his cigarette out on the ground before looking around again.
“How long are we gonna wait here?” Slim asks, sitting down on his bike sideways.
“I don’t think we really need to wait anymore. It’s obvious they’d be here by now if they were gonna show up,” Renegade responds. “They must have gotten wind of our fuckin’ plan. Now, I guess we’re back at the beginnin’, and we’ll have to figure out another way to get them. Slim, if you guys think of somethin’, let me know and we’ll call a vote. If you want to meet, we can.”
Slim nods his head in response as he pulls the signal to let all the guys know we’re ready to head out and that our men can come out of hiding now. It’s going to be safer and easier if we all go back home together. That way no one is left behind. Once we get back, we’ll go over everything and bring to the table that there’s a mole among us and we need to figure out who it is.
The ride back to the clubhouse seems to go by quicker than the ride to the warehouse. Maybe because there were too many unknowns when we were heading there. We were all amped up to fight with the bitches from Snake’s Revenge and instead got nothing. Now, we’re all trying to figure out what the hell’s going on and how we’re gonna stop them from continuing fucking with our club and our friend’s club. The guys from the Phantom Bastards are more than just an ally to us; they’re family and friends of our club.
As we pull back in the clubhouse, Trent is laying on the ground behind the gate that’s closed and we all come to a stop. Renegade pushes the button he has on his bike to open the gates. As soon as we get to Trent’s side, I can see he’s been badly beaten and needs more than our doc to patch him up.
“Call an ambulance!” Renegade hollers out to no one in particular. “He’s got a pulse but it’s barely there. I don’t want to move him without knowing what his injuries are. Someone move the bikes while the rest of you hide the vans and make sure that nothing is going on inside the clubhouse. I don’t want anyone alone. Make sure you’re in at least pairs.”
Everyone scatters to do as Renegade told them to. Bear and I are the only ones to stay behind. Bear only does because he’s on the phone getting an ambulance here for the newest member of our club. I don’t give a fuck if he’s only a Prospect, Trent is still a member. I toss my keys to Smokey and let him take my bike up to the clubhouse while Grave takes Renegade’s for him.
It’s not long before we hear the sirens alerting us that the ambulance and more than likely the cops are almost here. The guys that made the search of our trashed clubhouse know that they had to hide anything that could get anyone locked up. We don’t usually deal with the cops, but there’s nothing we can do for Trent here. He needs to go to the hospital.
“Back up so we can help him please,” one of the EMTs says as soon as they pile out of the ambulance that’s blocking our driveway.
A cop car pulls up next to them and blocks off the road so no one can get close before the ambulance leaves. The last thing we need is an accident because someone isn’t paying attention. Two cops get out of the cruiser and make their way over to the three of us standing there. We know them; it’s Detectives Pike and Miller. The three of us grew up with these guys.
“John, Remington, Damon,” Pike says, nodding to each one of us. “What happened here?”
“We don’t know. The guys and I went on a ride and when we got back, the gates were closed and this is how we found Trent. He’s new and just started Prospecting a week or two ago. The clubhouse is trashed too,” Renegade answers, ignoring the fact that Pike called us by our legal names.
“Was he conscious when you found him?” Miller asks, taking out a notepad and jotting down notes.
“No. How you see him is how we found him,” I answer.
“Mind if we take a look around and talk to the rest of the guys?” Pike asks, moving out of the way of the paramedics.
“Have at it,” Renegade answers as Bear grabs his bike and follows the ambulance as it leaves.
I follow Renegade inside and pull out my phone to make sure that Hadliegh is okay. Sending her a message, I wait for her response.
Hadliegh: I’m good. We’re slow at the shop and Axle just went down for a nap.
Me: Okay. I’ll see you soon.
For the next few hours, we’re locked up at the clubhouse with Pike and Miller. That’s how trashed it is. The Detectives talk to everyone here and go through each and every room. As predicted, they find nothing that will lead us to whoever did this shit to Trent and our home.
The rest of us have a pretty fucking good idea who’s behind this shit, but we can’t prove it just yet. We’re not letting them know that Hawk has cameras all over the place and that once they’re gone, we’ll be able to see what happened while we were on the run.
Finally, Pike and Miller leave the clubhouse; letting us know they’ll go see Trent and get what happened from him. Bear hasn’t checked in yet, and I know Renegade will be calling him first thing as soon as we’re sure that the cops have left and there aren’t any surprises left behind in the form of bugs.
“Hawk, do your thing and make sure we’re secure,” Renegade yells as soon as he walks back through the main door of the clubhouse.
As soon as Hawk lets us know there’s nothing, we all head into the meeting room. Hawk sets his laptop up and pulls the security feeds from this afternoon. He fast forwards until we see someone drive through the gates in a souped-up little sports car. Hawk clicks a few buttons and zeros in on the driver— it’s Nails.
She talks to Trent for a minute with him shaking his head no before ten bikes roll up and surround the car. Nails gets out and jumps on the back of one of the bikes while at least four of the men beat the shit out of Trent. He doesn’t even have time to pull his gun.
Hawk switches cameras and we watch Nails and the rest of the guys break through the main entrance to the club and just go on a rampage. They pull bottle after bottle of alcohol off the shelves before trashing every bar stool, the couches, our pool tables, and dart board.
Then they begin to make their way down the hallways. A few make their way through our rooms with Nails going in to destroy what was left of my room while the rest of the men spread out and trash everything they come into contact with them. Looks like my suspicion about the bitch was right after all.
“This is the last motherfuckin’ straw!” Renegade bellows out, making the room shake with the anger pouring out of him. “I want those fuckers found now, and I want them put to fuckin’ ground! Everyone is to be at the clubhouse in an hour. We may not have a damn thing here, but I don’t want any of the girls out alone when this shit is happenin’. Not a single one of you ride alone. In pairs or larger groups from now on.”
We all nod our heads in agreement as I pull out my phone to text Hadliegh.
Me: I’m coming to get you. Make sure you’re ready. Ink knows you’re leaving.
Hadliegh: Okay.
Her reply is instantaneous, I’m sure Ink has already filled her in a little bit about what’s going on. I grab my keys to one of the SUVs and make my way out the door. Renegade is leaning against the side of it so I know he’s riding out with me. We’ll go get Hadliegh from work before grabbing the kids and Trin from Callie’s house. That’s the easiest way to do this.
Chris is already with Trin so we know we already have eyes on her and the kids. Now we just have to get everyone to the clubhouse and figure out what we’re all sleeping on and where the three little ones are gonna sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Hadliegh
I DON’T KNOW what the hell is going on. Ink and I were sitting in his office talking about someone trashing the clubhouse when Psycho sent a message t
o me and told me he was coming to get me. Looking up at Ink, I could tell that he already knew what was going on. So, I made sure I had my purse and phone and that the computer and everything else was shut off before I went back into the office to sit with Ink.
Before too long, Psycho and Renegade are making their way into the office and telling me that we have to leave now to go get the kids. We don’t hesitate or remain in the tattoo parlor for long. I make sure I keep pace with the two men surrounding me so we can get Axle, Knox, and Jazz before heading for the clubhouse. As soon as I’m in the back seat of the SUV, Renegade takes off. He drives faster than normal on the way to Callie’s.
“Is Callie getting picked up early too?” I ask, needing to know some of what’s going on.
“Yeah. Grave and Chains are goin’ to get her now,” Psycho answers, turning his head to look at me.
I nod my head and then turn to look out the window. The scenery passes by in a blur until we pull into the driveway. Chris and Trin come walking out the door as if they were standing there waiting for us. Renegade and Psycho hurry up to help them get in the SUV and make sure the kids are buckled in before they climb back in and drive us to the clubhouse. Chris follows us on his bike.
Pulling in through the gates, I note there’s no Prospect on guard duty. Renegade opens them with a button on the dash. As soon as we pull inside, he makes sure they’re closed while Chris rides up before us so that he can get to work doing whatever is needed to help get the clubhouse back in order.
Honestly, I’m not sure how bad the clubhouse is. I’m imagining there are some tables and chairs overturned and maybe some graffiti on the wall. What we walked into is not what I was expecting at all. It genuinely looks like a hurricane came through here and left the outer shell of the building while it’s inside has been tossed about and thrown all over the place.
