by Sarah Bale
“Mama Bear, why are you doing this? I get why he is. But you?”
She shrugs. “My place is slipping at the Devil’s Regents. I used to be the top club whore. Now, I’m a glorified babysitter. When Maniac and I start our new club, I’ll be the Prez’s old lady. I’ll be untouchable.”
Maniac makes a face that’s quickly replaced with a neutral look.
“You sure about that?” I point to Maniac. “Your guy looked a little green just now.”
She turns to him and it’s long enough that I pull the gun forward, cocking it. They both turn to me, eyes wide.
“Well, isn’t this cute,” Maniac says, pulling his own gun.
“I don’t want to do this,” I warn. “Let Jas and me go, and we won’t have a problem.”
“But we will. You know too much. You have to die.”
I aim the gun. “Wrong.”
You always hear that moments like this happen in slow motion. They’re not wrong.
I pull the trigger and my arm jerks from the kickback of the gun. Maniac’s eyes widen at the same time the bullet rips through his neck. Blood sprays into the air, covering Mama Bear, who screams. She lunges at me, trying to wrestle the gun out of my hands.
It goes off again and I’m the one who screams this time. Pain that feels like molten lava radiates from my side and Mama Bear looks down at me in triumph. She’s going to kill me now. I know it. And then I will die for a second time in my life.
She grabs the gun, which is covered in my blood. It slips from her hands and she struggles to catch it. Using my knees, I knock her back and try to get up. My vision blurs and I cry out. I can’t do this. I can’t get away.
Psycho’s dead eyes stare at me from across the room and I see my knife on the ground next to him. Reaching, I grab it at the same time Mama Bear gets ahold of the gun. She pulls the trigger again at the same time I shove the knife into her stomach, pushing upward with all my might.
She lets out a surprised gasp, looking down.
“Fuck you, bitch,” I spit out.
She falls to the side, landing on my legs. I try in vain to push her off me. In that moment I realize two things. One, Maniac is somehow still alive and is moving toward the door. Two, Mama Bear shot me again, and I’m losing too much blood too fast. Moaning, I try to put pressure over the wound in my leg, but it’s no use. So, I do the only thing I can. I lie back and make peace with the fact that this is where my story ends.
Saint
Bash says, “Olivia just texted. She said she needs to talk to me ASAP.”
“I’m sure she does,” I mutter.
Bash stiffens, but doesn’t say anything. He knows better.
I sigh. “Look, man. I don’t want to believe it, either.”
King says, “She texted me, too, saying the same thing.”
Razor looks at his phone. “Me, too.”
The three of them share a look that makes me fucking envious. Despite hearing everything I’ve said, they’re worried about her.
They pick up their speed, so I do, too. Getting across the field is difficult because the rain is making the grass muddy and slippery. Plus, everyone who’s out is ready to party. Smoke hangs thick in the air as we pass different clubs. But something feels off.
When we get to the RV, a woman screams and then there’s gunfire.
King meets my gaze. “What in the fuck?”
We reach for our weapons as a second shot rings out.
“Bash. Razor. Go to the back. Make sure no one comes out the window. King, cover me.”
I move toward the front door just as it opens. Maniac stumbles out, his hand over his throat, where blood gushes out. King tackles him to the ground and I make my way into the RV. It’s like a scene out of a movie. Jas lies motionless on the kitchen floor, slowly blinking as she looks up at me. Psycho is near her, dead. Blood pools around my boots and I turn, biting back a strangled cry. Mama Bear is on top of Olivia’s legs. Neither are moving, and both are bleeding.
“Bash! Get fucking Doc! Now!”
I move to Olivia’s side. She’s been shot twice. Once in the leg. The other in the side. I feel for a pulse. It’s there, but it’s faint. Mama Bear isn’t as lucky.
King comes in, looking around in horror. “What in the fuck happened in here?”
“I’m not sure. Mama Bear is dead. So is Psycho.”
“Razor is with Maniac. He can’t talk with that wound in his throat.” He pauses, as if he can’t even bring himself to ask. “Is Olivia-”
“She’s alive. Barely.” I stand. “We need to figure out who was shooting at who. Did Mama Bear walk in on Olivia and Maniac?”
“Or was it the other way around,” King asks.
“I know you don’t want to believe it, but we have to look at the facts.”
Jas moans and I go to her side.
“Jas. Can you hear me?”
She doesn’t move, but blinks her eyes, as if to say yes.
Bash arrives with Doc, and two other men I don’t recognize.
Bash says, “We just got word that the Feds were spotted in town. They’re thirty minutes out.”
Which means we need to get the fuck out of here.
I say to Doc, “Can you work on them in here or do you need to move them?”
“I can work in here, as long as you don’t hit any potholes on the way out.” He says to the other two men. “Carry the girl to the bedroom. We need to stop the bleeding and make sure the bullet’s not sitting in there.”
“Bash, I need you to load up my bike and take the truck and trailer. King, load Maniac into my camper and have Razor sit with him while you drive the truck.”
One of Doc’s men moves Mama Bear next to Psycho, covering their bodies with a white sheet. Blood seeps through, marring the pristine white forever. What in the fuck happened here?
“Prez, we’re ready.”
I go to the driver’s seat and start the engine. The answers I’m looking for will come. For now, I need to drive.
27
Olivia
Fiery heat pierces my stomach and I moan, trying to get away from it.
“Hold her down,” someone says.
I try like hell to open my eyes to see who’s holding me down. Panic riots inside of me.
No! I won’t let them hurt me!
I thrash around until something warm spreads through my veins. My heart rate spikes.
No! Not this! Anything but this!
Voices move around me, but I can’t fucking open my eyes. Why can’t I open my eyes?
“Hold on, babe. Just a bit more,” Razor says, trying to soothe me.
I cry out as the pain becomes too much.
“Saint, this is fucking ridiculous,” Bash say on my other side. “I’m taking her to a real hospital.”
There’s more pain, and then there’s nothing.
28
Saint
Bash scoops Olivia into his arms, shoving past me. She’s so damn pale that it’s scaring me, but I’m doing what I think is best. I have to. It’s not personal, it’s club business. We still don’t have any answers. Maniac isn’t talking, but Bash thinks he’s getting close. And Jas… Jas hasn’t come out of whatever she was given. She’s awake in her mind, but can’t move. Doc’s calling it a drug-induced version of locked-in syndrome.
King runs his fingers through his hair. He looks as tired as I feel.
“He’s doing the right thing taking her. She’s only getting worse here.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you look like you want to rip someone’s head off?”
“Because I need fucking answers, King. I’m worried out of my mind about Olivia, but I can’t get too fucking involved because we still don’t know what in the fuck happened in that RV.”
“As far as I’m concerned, she’s innocent.”
“We don’t know that,” I bite out. “Tell Razor to do whatever it takes to get Maniac to talk. Cut off his balls one by one if that gets the job done.”
<
br /> I grab my keys and phone and walk away. I need to get the fuck out of here. Now.
I make it to the end of the fucking driveway when my phone goes off. Pulling over, I take off my helmet and answer it.
“Hello?”
“Saint Massacre?”
“Yeah.”
“I think we should talk. Be at this address in thirty minutes.”
The line goes dead and then a text comes through with an address.
I dial King. “King, I need you for backup.”
He’s at the end of the driveway a moment later.
“You sure this is a good idea, Saint?”
“I’m not sure about anything anymore.”
We arrive to the address thirty minutes later. It’s as if whoever called knew exactly where we were and how long it would take to get there.
King looks up at the building. “This feels like a trap. Why would they want to meet at a coffee shop?”
I get off my bike. “Only one way to find out.”
We enter the coffee shop. There’s two men sitting at the back. One looks up and I curse under my breath.
“What in the fuck is Jasper Brooks doing here?”
King says, “This ought to be interesting.”
We make our way to the table and sit across from the two men.
Jasper says, “Thank you for meeting us.”
The other man says, “My name is Agent Hill. I’m with the FBI.”
“I fucking gathered that.”
“I’ve known Agent Hill for years. He used to be over my old boss before transferring.”
I stare at Jasper. “Were you working with them all along?”
“No. But, I received an interesting call during the rally from Agent Hill asking me to check on someone. By the time I got there, your club was already gone.”
Agent Hill says, “I’ll give you this much, you bikers sure know how to clear out when word spreads that there’s cops or agents in the area.”
King snorts. “It’s a gift.”
“Why did you call Jasper,” I ask. “And who were you checking in on?”
“I think I should start from the beginning.” He slides two files toward King and me. “First, let me start off by saying that this meeting never happened. We never met. And I never showed you this.”
“That seems fucking shady,” King replies.
“Call it what you want. I only say this because when we leave, you have two options.”
“And that is?”
“Look at the files first.”
King flips open the file in front of him. Jas’s face stares back at us in a mugshot. The file is thick, full of arrests starting at the age of fourteen.
“The file you’re looking at is for Nicole Box, aka Nicolette Delight, aka Jasmine or Jas. She started working with us about one year ago.”
King meets my gaze. That’s when she started at the strip club.
“Why is she working with you?”
“Why does any criminal work with us? To save their own ass.” He goes on. “Our initial intention was for her to get information at the strip club. We’re aware of the money laundering that occurs there, plus the obscene number of drugs that pass through the club and into neighboring states. When she was offered a job at your clubhouse, we decided to broaden our operation.”
I open the file in front of me. Olivia’s face smiles back, but not in a mugshot. No, this is a photo taken without her knowledge as she chats with a friend. Her file isn’t as thick as Jas’s and I resist flipping through it to see who she really is.
“We reached out to Olivia Mayhem when we realized that Nicole was getting too comfortable at the club. We knew that Olivia would catch the attention of Zayn ‘Razor’ Smith. Physically, she looks like every serious girlfriend he’s ever had.”
King shoots me a look. Fuck. They know our real names.
Agent Hill goes on, “She agreed to help us. In exchange, we offered to cover her tuition for her final year of college.”
Which would mean the world to her. I haven’t known her that long, but I know that much.
“Why did she agree?” At his look I say, “What were you holding over her head?”
“She was simply repaying a favor.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me.”
King says, “She has a file that is locked. Does it have anything to do with that?”
“It does.” Agent Hill leans forward. “And that file will remain locked. That girl has been through enough. There’s no sense in reopening old wounds.”
“So she and Jas were helping you and… what? One of them started leaking information to another club?”
Agent Hill pulls his phone out, putting it on the table. He hits play.
“I don’t have time for your games, Ms. Mayhem.”
“Agent Hill, Jas and I are in trouble. I figured out who’s been leaking information to the Inferno Bastards and she’s drugged Jas with something. We’re in an RV at this rally.”
“Do you know the location?”
“Somewhere in Mississippi.”
“That’s not helpful. According to the GPS signal, my nearest guy is an hour away.”
“We don’t have an hour.”
“Then I suggest you run, Ms. Mayhem.”
“What about Jas?”
The line ends and Agent Hill puts the phone away.
King grips the table. “She called you for help and you fucking hung up on her?”
Agent Hill says, “She knew the risks when she agreed to help.”
“And now she’s in the fucking hospital,” I spit out. “And Jas might not ever be the same.”
“Nicole will come out of this state soon. We’ve seen other cases like hers and it can take up to fourteen days.” He continues, “As for Ms. Mayhem, I received word that she’s in surgery at this very moment. It seems she has an infection from lack of proper medical care. So, if anything happens to her, that’s on you, not me.”
I hate that he’s fucking right. If I had just let Bash take her to the hospital…
King says, “You said we have two options.”
“Yes. You now know who our informants are. I assume they won’t be welcomed back to your club after this, but there’s still the question of who the mole in your club was.” He pulls out a third file. “Ira ‘Mama Bear’ Masters. She’s the one who’s had your club fooled for years.”
This file is different than Jas’s and Olivia’s. This one has lists of who all Mama Bear made contact with, trying to take down my club. And it’s a fucking long list. There’s phone records and photos of her meeting with Maniac.
“She’s also the one who killed Ernest ‘Big E’ Johnson in the hospital. We suspect he figured out what she was up to after the botched run.”
God damn it.
“So, your two choices are to leave, pretending this conversation never happened, and taking vengeance against Paul ‘Maniac’ Ashton on your own. Or, turn him over to us.”
“What do we get if we do that?”
“A clear conscience.”
I snort. “We need more than that. Who’s to say once we hand him over you don’t try to come after us?”
He pulls out another file. “We have information on Paul Ashton. His name comes up on several big occurrences and the agency would like to see justice served. We are willing to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. You hand him over and the file we have on your club goes away.”
Jasper says, “It’s a good deal, Saint.”
“What about Olivia and Jas?”
“They will continue to receive medical care, at no cost to them. When they’re released from the hospital, we’re offering them a chance to start over. New names and identities, if that is what they want.”
My chest feels tight at the thought of never seeing Olivia again.
“And you won’t call either of them for any more favors?”
“No, we won’t.”
I look at King, who nods. “We accept. I have to warn you,
Maniac isn’t in the best shape.”
Agent Hill holds up his hand. “No need to divulge any more. I’ll text you an address. Be there tonight with him and we’ll handle the rest.”
“Deal.”
He stands. “Gentlemen, thank you.”
I call after him, “What about Olivia?”
“What about her?”
“Will we be able to see her?”
“I believe that will be up to Ms. Mayhem.”
He walks away with Jasper, not looking back. When he’s gone I turn to King.
“How did I not know this was all happening right under my nose?”
“Don’t beat yourself up. Mama Bear had us all fooled.” He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Think he means it when he says we’re getting a clean slate?”
“I don’t know, man, but if we are, we need to make the most of it.”
He nods. “Things change today.”
“Things change today,” I agree.
29
Olivia
My side hurts and I moan.
“There, there, honey. The worst is over.”
Opening my eyes, I find a nurse standing next to my bed.
“Wha-” My throat is dry and I can’t seem to speak.
“Don’t force it, honey. You’ve been out of it for few days.” She points to a whiteboard on the wall. “My name is Jenna and I’m your nurse. You’ve been here for twelve days, in the ICU.”
I nod my understanding.
“Are you in any pain?”
I nod again.
“Can you point to this chart to show me how much pain you’re in?”
She pulls a laminated chart from her pocket. There’s a smiling face under number one all the way to a frowning face under number ten. I point to six.
“Okay, honey. We can handle that. I’ll be right back.”
She leaves and I close my eyes.
The next time I wake up, it’s dark outside. A man is at my bedside, checking the fluid attached to my IV.
