Prospect: Satan’s Fury MC-Memphis

by Wilder, L.

  The little girl stopped dead in her tracks and her face turned white as a ghost as she answered, “Yes, sir?”

  He stormed over to her, grabbing her roughly by the arm, and lifted her up with her tiptoes barely touching the ground as he snarled, “What did I tell you about leaving your shit in the living room?”

  I’d almost forgotten that Duchess was sitting in the back seat until I heard her start to growl. I turned my head and found her standing with her face just inches away from the glass with her teeth exposed like she was ready to attack. Not wanting her to draw any attention, I reached behind and placed my hand on her back. “Easy girl. I’ve got this.”

  She stopped growling but never took her eyes off Strayhorn. I turned back around just in time to hear Fiona say, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  “You’re gonna be sorry!” He slung her forward as he ordered, “Get your ass in there and clean that shit up.”

  And just like that, all the rage that I tried to keep at bay came creeping over me, and it was all I could do not to get out of my truck and kill that motherfucker. My anger continued to rise as I glanced over at the mother, watching as panic washed over her when the guy started walking in her direction. He immediately got in her face, grumbling a stream of curses that I could barely make out, and when she opened her mouth to respond, he backhanded her across the cheek. She quickly dropped her face into her hands and started crying. Without even considering an apology, he barked, “Worthless. The whole fucking lot of you!”

  He turned and headed back towards the house, and I was relieved to see that Fiona had made her way back out before he reached the front door. She raced past him and over to the car with her mom and brother. Before she got in the car, the brother put his arm around her shoulder, whispering something in her ear that almost made her smile. Once they’d both gotten in the car, their mother backed out of the driveway, and they disappeared into traffic. I knew I’d just end up getting arrested or worse if I barged into the house, so I had no other choice. I had to wait for him to leave the property.

  Landry

  When I woke up to find myself in bed alone, I was disappointed, but not surprised. With prospecting, it seemed like every time I turned around, Clay was on the go, but without fail, he’d always found a way to be there when I needed him. It was one of the many reasons I’d found myself falling in love with him. With everything that was going at work, I didn’t have time to lie around and daydream about Clay, so I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. I wasn’t looking forward to the long lecture I’d be receiving from Mrs. Hawkins, so I took my time getting dressed. I was also in no rush as I made my way down to the kitchen for some coffee. When I walked in, I was surprised to find it completely abandoned. I didn’t get it. Normally, there were at least a few of the brothers and a handful of hang-arounds having breakfast. I didn’t have much time on my hands, so I made my coffee and quickly walked back to Clay’s room to grab my things. I’d just stepped out into the hallway when I heard voices coming from the family room. I got the feeling that something was going on, so I went down to check it out.

  When I walked in, I found several of the guys, along with Darcy and August, standing in front of the television, watching the news. The familiar blue banner scrolling across the top of the screen caught my attention and had me walking towards them for a better look. When I saw Katie’s face flash across the screen, I stopped dead in my tracks and gasped, “Oh, my god.”

  I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. I was overcome with panic and guilt, and I didn’t know how to respond when August rushed over to me and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “That’s Katie Coburn.”

  “Yeah ... They just issued an Amber alert for her.”

  Without responding, I walked past her and headed over to the TV. I stood there and listened as the reporter stated that Katie’s father, Chris Coburn, had gone into her foster parents’ home, and after assaulting the father, he kidnapped Katie. No one has seen or heard from her since. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It just didn’t seem possible. We were so careful. I couldn’t imagine how he’d managed to find her. “Dammit! I can’t believe he did this!”

  August stepped back over to me and asked, “I take it that you know her?”

  “Yes, I do.” I tried my best not to cry as I continued, “I’ve been working with her for the past month or so. That kid has been through so much. She must be absolutely terrified.”

  “I’m not sure if there’s anything to it,” August said while turning back to Rider and Darcy, who were both now staring directly at me, “but when the news showed a picture of the father...Rider thought he might know him.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah... Darcy and I grew up in Oakland with Chris,” Rider answered. “There was a time when he was pretty good friends with Darcy’s brothers, Danny and Eddie.”

  “And?”

  Rider looked over to Darcy as he continued, “We’re not sure if they’re still in touch with him, but if they are, they might be able to give us some idea of where he might be hiding out.”

  “Could you call them or something?”

  “I already did.” I could tell from Darcy’s expression that she wasn’t thrilled about the idea. “They were just a few blocks away, so they’re on their way here. But, don’t get your hopes up. Like Rider said, I’m not sure if they’re even still friends with the guy. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time with my brothers.”

  I had a feeling there was a reason why she hadn’t spent time with them, but I didn’t push. I was just relieved that she and Rider were willing to try and talk to them. Hopefully, they might know something that could help find Katie before Mr. Coburn did something we’d all regret. “Even if they don’t know where he is, I really appreciate you asking them to come. It means a lot to me.”

  “Of course.”

  “I really should call into the office and let them know that I’ll be late.”

  “Okay. Do whatever you need to do,” Rider replied. “It’ll be a few minutes before they get here.”

  “Great. I’ll be right back.”

  I left the family room, then rushed down to Clay’s room to get my things. When I reached for my phone, I saw that I’d already missed a ton of calls. Several from the office and Mrs. Hawkins, and even more from Danny. I listened to their messages, and it was clear that they were just as distraught by Katie’s kidnapping as I was. Knowing how she hated to be put off, I called Mrs. Hawkins first. As soon as she answered, she snapped, “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for over an hour.”

  “I know. I’m really sorry. I didn’t have my phone with me.”

  “Considering what happened yesterday with the Strayhorns and the break-in to your apartment, that’s simply unacceptable, Landry,” she fussed.

  “I know, Mrs. Hawkins, and I apologize. With everything that’s going on, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t.” Her tone softened as she asked, “Did you see the Amber alert for Katie?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I just can’t believe it!” I swallowed hard, trying to push back the tightness in my throat. “I just don’t understand how he could’ve found her.”

  “I’ve been wondering the same thing myself and we will figure that out, but right now, we need to focus on getting Katie back.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I completely agree.”

  “Good,” Mrs. Hawkins clipped. “So, when will you be getting to the office?”

  “Shortly. I need to return some phone calls, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Be sure to call Officer Michaels. He’s called here twice looking for you.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m about to call him now,” I assured her.

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

  I knew I needed to call Danny back, but I was eager to get back to the family room to see if Darcy’s brothers had arrived. I wanted to be there when Darcy spoke to them, so I grabbed my things and head
ed that way. When I walked in, even more of the brothers were there, and they were all standing around talking to one another. It was difficult not to feel a little overwhelmed, especially since Clay wasn’t around. Considering all the guys seemed to be here, I found myself wondering where he might be. The thought quickly slipped my mind when I spotted Rider talking to Gunner. As soon as I walked up to them, I asked Rider, “Did Darcy’s brothers make it yet?”

  “Yeah, they just pulled up. Darcy went out to get them.”

  “Okay, great.” I glanced over at the door. “Is she bringing them back in here?”

  Rider glanced around the room at all his brothers standing around talking as he said, “Yeah, but we should probably go somewhere a little more quiet so we can talk.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” A feeling of urgency washed over me as I stood there staring at the door. “Do you really think they’ll know something about Chris?”

  “Won’t know until we ask them.”

  Damn. That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Darcy walked in with two men following close behind. They all made their way over to us, and I could tell Darcy was feeling uneasy as she said, “Hey ... They made it.”

  “I see that,” Rider answered. “Why don’t we head into the kitchen where we can talk a minute?”

  “Sounds good.”

  While I wasn’t sure I was supposed to be included in this conversation, I followed them all out of the family room and down to the kitchen. When we walked in, I was relieved to see that it was still empty. I glanced over at Darcy’s brothers, and while they had their similarities, they looked quite different from her, like they’d lived a rougher life or something. Their clothes were more rugged and worn and somewhat disheveled, making me wonder if they’d fallen on hard times. I was still trying to make sense of them when Rider turned to the two men and said, “Eddie ... Danny, this is Landry Dawson.”

  “Hey,” Eddie replied. “Nice to meet ya.”

  “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

  Eddie looked over to Darcy as he asked, “You wanna tell us why you called us here or what?”

  “Yes, Eddie. I was just about to get to that,” Darcy grumbled, clearly displeased with his abruptness. “You both were pretty close with Chris Coburn back in the day, and I was wanting to know if you’ve seen or heard from him lately.”

  “Chris?” Danny asked. “Why you wantin’ to know about him?”

  “Because I need to know ... I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important,” Darcy pushed. “So, have you seen him or not?”

  “Yeah, we’ve seen him, but it’s been a while,” Danny answered. “He was down at the pool hall, and he was fucking wasted, even more than usual, and from what I can remember, I’m pretty sure he had his fucking kid waiting out in the car for him.”

  Darcy winced as she glanced over at me. She was clearly thinking the same thing I was as she listened to her brother’s recollection of their last meeting with Chris. Hoping for clarification, I looked over to Danny and asked, “What do you mean by it’s been a while? Was it a few days ago ... a few weeks?”

  “About two weeks ago, I guess.” Danny looked over at Eddie. “Isn’t that about right?”

  Eddie glanced up at the ceiling as he tried to recall the exact night, then a goofy grin crossed his face as he answered, “Yeah, it was the same night that you got into with Big Tony over that chick in the short mini-skirt and the big tits so, yeah, I’d say two weeks ago is about right.”

  “No need to bring that shit up, dickhead,” Danny fussed.

  Trying to get them both back on track, I asked, “And you haven’t seen him since that night?”

  “Nah ... We used to see him all the time, but he don’t come around as often since his ol’ lady ran out on him and left him with the kid. Now, he just shows up when he needs to blow off some steam.” Danny’s eyes narrowed as he studied me for a moment. “Seriously ... What’s this all about? He in trouble or something?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” I scoffed. “Last night, he kidnapped his daughter.”

  “What the fuck?” Eddie grumbled with a disgusted look on his face. “How can you kidnap your own goddamn kid?”

  “She was removed from the home by the courts and was staying in foster care.” I normally wouldn’t have revealed such private information, but since it was plastered all over the news, I didn’t see any point in keeping it from them. “He broke into their home last night and took Katie at gunpoint.”

  “Holy shit. I had no idea,” Danny replied, seeming completely caught off guard by my response. “So, he’s on the run with the kid?”

  “He’s hiding out somewhere, and we were hoping you might be able to tell us where we could possibly find him.” Darcy crossed her arms as she continued, “We really need to figure out where he’s taken her, so if there’s anything you could tell us, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “His brother is a president of some MC. If he’s trying to hide out, I’d bet money that he’s there.” He thought for a moment, then Danny turned to Eddie as he asked, “What was the name of Kory’s MC? The Rebels something?”

  “The Fallen Rebels,” Eddie answered. “It’s not a big club. Just ten or twelve of them, but they don’t take no shit. If he’s taken the kid there, they won’t make it easy to get to them.”

  “Well, we’ve got to at least try,” I replied. “Where is this clubhouse?”

  “It’s out East ... about forty minutes from here,” Rider answered. “I’ll talk it over with Gus. If he gives the okay, we’ll gather up a few of the guys and go over and check it out.”

  “No,” I argued. “You can’t do that. I have to follow protocol, and having Satan’s Fury getting involved is definitely not following protocol.”

  “You’re not going over there alone,” Rider growled. “It’s too fucking dangerous.”

  “I won’t go alone. I’ll call and get a police escort,” I assured him. “I just need an address, so I can tell him where we’re going.”

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Rider replied.

  “This is my job, Rider. That little girl is my responsibility, and god only knows what Coburn has done to her over the past twelve hours.” I knew Rider meant well, but I simply couldn’t risk letting the club getting involved—at least not unless there was no other option. “I hope you understand.”

  “Yeah, I get it, but I’m gonna tell you now ... Clay isn’t gonna be happy about this. Not one bit,” Rider warned.

  “I’ll handle Clay. For now, I need that address.”

  After I got the address from Rider, I gathered my things and rushed out to the parking lot. Once I was in my car, I took out my phone and called Danny, letting him know what I’d found out about Coburn and the Fallen Rebels. As soon as I was done telling him everything I knew, I pleaded, “We have to get over there and check it out.”

  “Hold up,” Danny huffed. “You want to go check out some biker club?”

  “From what I understand, it’s just a small club... just a few guys, and...”

  He cut me off before I could finish by saying, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Landry. Not without backup, especially since it was Coburn who broke into your apartment.”

  “What?”

  “That’s why I’ve been trying to call you all morning,” he explained. “I was checking the security footage I got from the guard, and sure enough ... it was him. I’m guessing he broke in to get the Hopkin’s address so he could get to Katie.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  “It was him. Plain as day.”

  “I can’t believe it. I thought it was someone else altogether.”

  “You thought it was the guy from the coffee shop?”

  “Yeah, I thought for sure it was him, especially after the way he kept threatening me, but it all makes sense now.” I thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you think that’s why Coburn wanted the continuance, and that he
was planning to take her all along?”

  “There’s no way of knowing for sure.” He cleared his throat before asking, “So, what’s the name of this biker group again?”

  “The Fallen Rebels.” I explained the situation a little further, then fussed, “I’m not wanting to bust up in there and cause trouble, Danny. I just want us to go check it out and see if there’s any sign Katie... If they give us any trouble, we’ll call in backup.”

  “Fine. Meet me at the gas station across the street, and don’t even think about going in there without me,” he demanded.

  “Okay, I’m heading that way now.”

  As soon as we hung up, I drove over to the address Rider had given me. When I got there, I was pleased to see that Danny’s patrol car was already parked at the gas station. I pulled over next to him and parked. As I got out of my car, an uneasy feeling washed over me the second I caught sight of the Fallen Rebel’s clubhouse. It was nothing like Satan’s Fury’s. Instead of it being a large, guarded building with a high fence and gate, it was a rundown building that was once a bar. The red exterior paint had faded, leaving the wood exposed, and there were bars on each of the windows and the name Rebels spray-painted on the side of the building. There were eight or nine bikes parked out front, but there wasn’t a soul anywhere to be seen. I was still staring at it when Danny came up beside me and asked, “You sure you want to go in there?”

  “No, but I don’t have a choice. I have to find out if Katie’s there.”

  “I can go check it out on my own. There’s no reason for you to—”

  “Danny, I need to do this.”

  “Fine, but stay close and let me do the talking.”

  I nodded, then followed him across the street. As we got closer, I could hear the low rumble of country music coming from inside the building, and it only got louder as we got closer to the door. I glanced over at Danny as I asked, “So, do we knock or just walk on in?”