The man swung low and hit him in the cracked ribs. He howled in pain, but the adrenaline rushing through every part of him tried to take control and stop the ass beating. A scream tore through the night and he knew immediately it was Topaz. He turned just in time to see her swing a crowbar and hit a man about to cheap shot him from the back in the nuts.
But what happened next, Onyx had no way of explaining. He was taken off guard as his leg swept from underneath him and he suddenly found himself on the ground with a gun pointed at his head.
The man he had been fighting now stood over him. “Don’t move or I’ll blow off your monkey face!” the man shouted at him.
“Take it easy man. You want to settle this like men do. Put away the gun.” Onyx tried to reason with him, his hands up in surrender even if that was the last thing he was thinking of doing.
“They call me The Carpenter and I take no hostages,” the man yelled. “You fuckers blew up a few buildings, but you’ll never get rid of us.”
Several from the MC had gotten men downed and tied up. They stood there facing him and the man who had the gun to his head.
“I’m going to take my men out of here. Untie everybody or I shoot your nigger in the head,” Carpenter threatened.
Red pulled out a gun and held it out. “You have several guns trained at your head. Not all of them you can see, trust me. We’ve been gentle up to now. But know if you shoot my brother Onyx, we will do more than shoot you and yours.”
“I don’t believe you. You can’t shoot us and try and get rid of all our bodies. It’s too many,” Carpenter taunted.
The men of the MC let out a round of laughter, though even if they killed the man, it would come at Onyx’s death, and he was not in the mood for that. Not like this. Not at this man’s hands.
Onyx glanced over and saw Topaz standing next to Roadkill. The worried frown on her face had him hurting even worse, that he had gotten himself in such a perilous situation. It was then he saw her eyes were down by his leg. His left leg and he knew how he got down so easily and why he didn’t really feel it until it was too late. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t get up without reattaching his leg. The helplessness he understood, but for the first time he was feeling loss. Loss for something he never really experienced. The year he wasted not pushing to find out her pain, her reason for being so angry with him. Now there was the girls she teased him about and the son she promised him. All gone and the loss was crushing against his very soul. Making it hard to breathe.
Red’s threat only came to fruition if he was dead. Not today. Not today. He’s had two other attacks on his life based on nothing but the color of his skin. The third would be the last in one way or another. As he watched Topaz’s worried brow—he prayed this time it would end in his favor.
The world spun and Topaz couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Onyx on the ground, his leg askew, with a man named Carpenter holding a gun to his head. She refused to lose Onyx, but she had to think fast.
Every man and woman was wound tight. Sudden movements could spell disaster and still she knew in the back of the van there were more explosives. If she could somehow create a distraction, maybe Onyx would survive. Creeping her way over to the van, she quickly grabbed the backpack and continued to make her way toward one of the vehicles owned by ACT UP.
“What you don’t understand Carpenter,” Red explained, his voice thankfully holding everyone’s attention. “We have a lot of land and have been looking to buy butchering equipment. I don’t like to break the law, but I also have my own set of laws. As do my men.”
Topaz peered around the van to see the man’s hand trembling with the gun still pointed at Onyx’s head.
“About the only way you’ll live is if you drop the weapon and walk away,” Red advised him. “Find a new place to spew your hatred. I’m sure you won’t have a hard time, but if you see the patch that says Steel, walk away. Yeah, you’re everywhere, but so—are—we.”
Topaz’s hands trembled and she centered herself. Calling on Dell to get her mind right as she summoned a memory of Dell banging a pot and singing The Devil Went Down to Georgia at the top of her lungs while Topaz was trying to assemble a fuse. Topaz now understood why Dell did what she did. Why she was asked to come to New Mexico, she’d been trained to fight, set munitions, and handle high stress.
For years, she believed her dancing was the only reason Roxy and Dell approached her. Now, she understood. They trusted her to protect the men as much as they were protected themselves. Using the Leatherman in the backpack, she stripped the end of the wires and quickly set a charge into a sliver of C4. No reason to take out the whole road, she only needed a distraction. Assessing the situation, she moved toward the SUV with four flat tires, disabled in the middle of the road, but away from the action, and stuck the C4 dead center as far as her hand could reach under the vehicle. A little flash boom and the explosion of the ass end of the vehicle would it distract everyone enough, so the gun would no longer be pointed at Onyx’s head. Would they get the upper hand if she was able to do this?
Most of the Steels had been in combat. For those who hadn’t, Brick made them a bit immune to the sound of random blasts in the way those in town didn’t notice the emergency siren that goes off three times a day. Still set on the schedule from days when you were to work at seven, take lunch at noon and stop at six. All by the sound of a siren, most only heard the first Wednesday of the month.
Right now, in her heart she was Onyx’s only hope to roll away from the man who saw nothing at the end of his gun. No one should get hurt with the explosion. She made sure everyone was far enough away the debris from the vehicle wouldn’t reach any of the MC members. It should go straight up and back down on the pavement.
A quick flick of a lighter the end of the charge, she stepped back and thankfully, caught Cass’ eye, sending a signal to him about what she had done.
He nodded and pushed the ones by him back and even further away.
The loud boom, followed, but the aerial performed by the midsized SUV made her a bit worried the sliver of C4 was larger than she thought as doors flew open. Fire burst from the bottom as if the damn thing was a rocket before it flipped a bit and crashed to the ground.
While still in mid-air Cass lunged, tackling Carpenter around the waist and slamming him to the ground with a tackle Hollywood might be a bit jealous of. The gun sliding across the pavement, wet with dew as the sun began to rise and landing at Cream’s booted foot.
Onyx rolled, snatching his leg and her fear spiked. He couldn’t just run away. Although reattaching the limb could be quick when necessary, like any man who rolled an ankle or had his knee taken out in the fight Onyx wouldn’t be unsteady until he could trust it again.
The fear, frustration and shame as he reattached the bottom limb. Tore at her heart and had her running to protect him. Her body blocking any as he stood. Pulling her into his arms, he forced her away from any action.
“Give me that,” Bounty spat, snatching away the gun from Cream like she was a six-year-old diabetic that snuck the last donut and not a woman more than capable of firing off a few rounds. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Topaz winced a bit, but understood the man and instead, watched as the rest of the MC members brought all the members of ACT UP together and wrapped them neatly for the cops.
Hollywood was already on the phone calling in the men who had been blocking off the road. “That doesn’t look good,” Hollywood said as he approached her, but was glancing over at Cream and Bounty fighting it out. Cream of course was winning. That wasn’t going to stop Bounty from getting his point across.
“It’ll be fine,” Topaz said, pulling in closer to Onyx.
“Topaz,” Brick said as he approached, his eyes had been ones she normally would have taken a cue from and offered a dance. “You sure you want this man? Because if I’d have known about your skill set—”
Onyx moved her slightly behind him like some brute alpha she would have
sit down and set some rules with. “You would have asked her to help clear a spot for a pool?”
“You got yourself a good woman there Onyx,” Brick said with a sigh. “Hate that I didn’t—”
“Because you’re fucking pregnant that’s why!” Bounty yelled loud enough for everyone to stop what they were doing.
The sound of men pushing disabled cars to the side of the road, the small fire she started being put out with Red and Hollywood directing things—all fell silent. Clapping took off as every man and woman from the MC applauded the new life created.
Bounty held his arms wide and accepted his victory. “That’s right, my woman’s having a baby.” The proud to be papa beamed, then knelt before the bound Carpenter and pointed to Cream. “My woman, bet the thought you’d never have a chance is why you have your little panties in a bunch.”
“Don’t torture the future inmates,” Hollywood said placing his hand on Bounty’s shoulder. “Good on you, papa.”
“You’re the ones who will be going to jail!” Carpenter spat. “We were protecting our property if you think—”
“Not after you travelled nearly ten miles,” Hollywood said resting his hands on his duty belt. “Blew past my men trying to stop the erratic driving. And those social media posts…” Hollywood tsked and pulled up his phone. “We’ve already saved the ones following the kidnapping of two people, but your members do love to do videos don’t they?” The hate played loudly from men, boys in a way, now tied up gave their immature battle cry saying what they were going to do as they went live on their chase. “It’s a good thing Red called to let me know his friends were being threatened.”
Carpenter narrowed his eyes and turned away as squad cars pulled up and men were thrown three at a time into the back.
Once again, Topaz would be asked to testify and there would be no fear when she told how this group had orchestrated the kidnapping and torture of Onyx and ultimately, her. How they were going to explain the bombs they had set was another thing though, but with Cream as their lawyer and right on her side, she hoped any time behind bars would be minimal.
A part of her hoped having Hollywood and the entire Sherriff’s department at their back would help them. Besides, unless the ding-a-lings caught her on their livestream it was all circumstantial at this point.
Weaving her fingers with Onyx’s, she wrapped her hand around his bicep and rested her head on his shoulder. Softly she said the only words that made sense in the moment, “Take me home.”
Epilogue
Onyx laid next to Topaz as the morning light crept into her room at the clubhouse. She watched the bright rays travel up his leg, to his hip and found herself snuggling in closer to the warmth he provided. Dreamer and Freaky’s wedding, that had been a scheduling nightmare for her at the bar, was finally here. Topaz couldn’t believe how things had changed for her in only a few short weeks. One of the most wonderful things being, she hadn’t had a single nightmare about her past since she and Onyx started sleeping in the same bed. True, the bed might change between the clubhouse and Hollywood’s, but Onyx promised her unless they had an overnight run, they would never sleep apart.
Sadly, she had a lot to do before the two actually walked down the aisle. Topaz turned glanced up at the sleeping man. Onyx had become her life and she refused to take it for one minute for granted. “Hey, Onyx, wake up,” she said pressing her hand on his bicep and wiggling. “I have to get breakfast and get ready for the wedding. It’s in only a few hours.”
“Six, at least six hours, and I’m awake. Have been for a little while. Was just keeping my eyes closed and enjoying your body against mine.” His voice a bit more gravelly in the morning in the most wonderful of ways. “Want to bring me real joy this morning?”
“Want? Have the time for?” she asked with her palms up as if she were measuring the scales of justice.
“Go do your thing. I’m going to find you later.”
Pushing up on his chest, she gave him a chaste kiss before slipping from his arms. She had too much lifting and helping in a hot kitchen this morning before the wedding to take a shower Instead, she slipped on a pair of cut offs that fell at her upper thigh and snagged a V-neck T-shirt before heading down to the kitchen.
“Baby,” Onyx called to Topaz two hours later as she arranged food in the large walk in fridge at the clubhouse. “The wedding isn’t for a few hours, any chance I could talk you into a ride?”
“Um.” Topaz was mentally calculating the premade stuff. It seemed so small since Dreamer and Freaky were wanting a simple wedding by the creek outback. Not having a few hundred members revealing in their joy made it hard to know if she was getting stuff right. “I guess. I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“Are you forgetting the sexy Black man asking you to go for a ride?”
“No,” she replied with a smile. “Him, I remember. Even put him on a mental list of things to do today.”
“Did you now?” he joked. “Come on, take a ride, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Stop it,” she gushed a bit more than she expected to. “People are going to think you like me.”
“Pretty sure they already knew it, even before I did,” he replied.
She took his hand. “Hey Zoe, I’ll be back soon,” she called and waved to Zoe working the bar with a couple of prospects.
The gravel driveway was full of chrome and metal, with Onyx’s bike a little outside the pack with a leather coat dangling from one of the handlebars. It wasn’t large like one of the men had taken theirs off and placed it for safe keeping. No, this was one of the women’s cuts given to Ol’ Ladies.
Topaz’s heart sped up as Onyx plucked a brand new leather coat with a cut declaring she was Owner and Operator of Onyx on the back and Topaz on the front.
“Let me see how this looks on you,” he said holding it out, so she could slip the leather up her arms.
On the porch Roadkill stood, her long blonde hair already pulled back and styled in a French braid as she gave her a nod of approval for the new leather. Bringing Topaz into an even tighter group than she had been in before.
“Looks good there Topaz,” Dell said.
With a gasp, Topaz spun on her heel to see the woman who’d taken her in so long ago with her husband behind her.
“Every time I come up here, I get more and more tempted to make those for our women.”
“Yeah, because people really question who I belong to,” Steel joked. “Good to see you again Onyx.”
The men clasped hands and came in for a quick hug.
“See you’re finding your place here,” Steel said.
“Yes, Sir I am.”
“Fuck that sir shit,” Steel replied. “Topaz is practically a sister, take good care of her.”
“I plan to, we were about to take a ride before the wedding,” Onyx said. “Got a little surprise for my lady.”
“This wasn’t it?” she asked her hands holding tight to the lapels of her new jacket.
“Nah, how could that be a surprise? That’s like a prospect getting all shocked and shaken by a tat.”
Dell and Steel went into the clubhouse, Steel stopping for a second to rub Spot, the kitten who’d taken to the railing along the porch as the best sunning spot.
Topaz got on the back of Onyx’s bike after he’d mounted.
Onyx drove the motorcycle with her on the back holding his waist. This felt like something special for her to go for a ride with him. Different in a way…with no second guessing which way to lean when he was in front of her. Their bodies just knew.
With no idea where they were going, she let the wind whip through her short hair and enjoyed the feel of the man in front of her.
Arriving in Turnabout, Onyx turned down a residential street.
Topaz watched as the homes passed.
Onyx slowed his ride toward one at the middle of the block with a driveway before turning off the motorcycle. He glanced over his shoulder to her. “Come on, I have this hous
e here to show you.”
“A house? What on earth for?” Topaz figured he’d done some job here, even though she thought all the men were focused on the work at the school. This wasn’t really what she expected from him when she had so much to do for the wedding.
The sidewalk was cracked a bit, but nothing to cause too much worry as they took the five steps to the front door. A locked box sat attached to the doorknob. He put in a code to open the little box and retrieved a key. With a hard push, the door came open.
Topaz stood on the step. Glancing in the yard to see a for sale sign only to find none was there.
“After you.” He bowed slightly and motioned for her to go in.
The house was a split entry. It appeared to need a lot of repairs. Topaz walked inside and they came to the living room. It was painted a really bright red color with shag carpeting to match and gold filigree wallpaper border on the top. “Well, I have to say I now know where all the seventies porn was shot.” She shook her head. “And here, they try to tell us it was in the Valley somewhere.”
Onyx smiled. “You don’t like it?”
“Like it for what?”
“Well, my sweet Sarah,” he said buttering her up because it was just the two of them. “It needs some work, but I put a bid in on it for us and the realtor let me know it was accepted. Freaky and Shark said they can help me remodel it.”
“Us?” she questioned while feeling surprised, as she looked at the space differently now. Walking around, she started to see the bones of the house. It was sturdy and sound, she could at least see that much. The seventies vibe could be torn out and burned in effigy.
Down the hallway, were three bedrooms and two bathrooms and she wondered if the lower level matched or was it a big open room? “Why would we need all this space Onyx?”
Topaz: Book 8 of the Steel MC Montana Charter Page 20
