For my woman.
For her safety.
For our family.
Once we reach the basement Tasha says, “Are you boys into kink or something?”
“Ya, somethin’,” Justice answers as he drags her towards one of the rooms we have down here. I see all the color drain from her face, I can see in her eyes that she knows she’s been busted.
“Look guys, why don’t you tell me what’s going on so we can get out of here. This place gives me the creeps,” she says to us. Once we’re completely in the room, Justice walks her over to the only chair in the room and shoves her into it. Then he starts talking to her and I take my position, leaning up against the door. I cross my arms over my chest and cross one leg over the other. This is what I call my no bullshit stance.
“So, Tasha, let’s get to the point and not bullshit one another. We know that you’re in bed with Johnny Valdez. What I want to know is what all does he know about us and what is it exactly you’re supposed to do here?”
“What...what, what do you mean?” she stammers out.
“Don’t fuck us around here, Tasha!” I scream at her. “We know about your messages with him, we aren’t in the mood for fuckin’ lies,” I tell her.
“Oh god, oh god, you don’t understand! I don’t have any choice.”
“What do you mean?” Justice asks her.
“He boug…bought me from my dad, I have to do what he says or he’ll kill me,” she stammers out. Justice and I look at each other, both of us knowing this is a real possibility. It is his MO after all.
“What does he want?” Justice asks her.
“Bristol,” is her only response and it’s the only word I needed to hear.
“You are to stay in here until we figure out what the next game plan is,” Justice informs her and I know we need to take this to the guys before we take this woman’s life. She may very well be another one of his victims.
Chapter 37
Ghost
“What are we gonna do man, if she’s an innocent in all of this we can’t kill her?” I ask Justice as we climb back up the stairs.
“We can’t just let her go either, and we can’t trust her out and about in the clubhouse. I don’t trust her,” he tells me.
“I don’t know, man, I don’t trust her either, but fuck if I can kill an innocent woman,” I tell him in all honesty.
“We need to tell Wasp and let him decide what we’re gonna do.” And I know he’s right, but this situation is fucked up. Once we make it up the stairs and walk into the main room, I see my girl. I know we need to take this to Wasp immediately, but I need to check in with her.
“Go ahead go check on your girl, I’ll take this to Prez,” Justice tells me, shoving me lightly towards my sweet cheeks. When I make it over to her, I can see she’s still upset but she smiles when she sees me.
“Brady,” is all she says to me as I pull her up off the couch where she’s sitting between Kori and Ashton and pull her into me. I hold onto her tightly and breathe her in. This seems to be something that calms the raging beast inside of me, I do it as much as I can without seeming like I’m some sorta freak.
“How’re you holding up, sweet cheeks?”
“I think I’m still in shock. I didn’t like my mother, you know that, but to see her like that was too much. The thought of ever seeing her again didn’t appeal to me, but the way she died was so horrific. I can only imagine what she went through and the fear and horror she felt at what was happening to her. It’s playing a constant loop in my mind and I can’t get it to stop.”
“I’m so sorry, sweet cheeks, but he will pay for his crimes against you, your mother and this club. I guarantee it.” What do you say in a situation like this to make someone feel better? I have no clue if there is such a thing, so I do what I can—and that’s hold her tight and close to me. I let my arms and lips tell her what words cannot. Still holding her in my arms, I kiss the top of her head and she melts further into me.
Bristol
I can feel his love surrounding me and I melt into his embrace. He seems to always know what I need and when I need it. He is so in tune with me and my body that I feel joy deep down into my bones and can’t imagine ever being in anyone else’s arms.
“Thank you for always being here for me Brady, and always knowing what I need.”
“I will always be here to hold you and love you, sweet cheeks. You’re stuck with me till the end of our days. I’m never going anywhere without you, life is just throwing us some curveballs right now, but we will make it to the other side of this tragedy. I promise.”
“I know baby, I know.”
Just as the last words leave my mouth, Wasp comes slamming out of his office yelling for all members to join him in the meeting room. My stomach drops, what in the world is going on now?
“I’ve gotta go, sweet cheeks. Stay with your girls, ya?”
“I will baby, go see what’s going on, I want to get this shit storm over with.” He gives me one more kiss on my head and takes off to meet with his brothers. I go back and sit next to my girls, taking comfort from their presence alone. We start talking about our guys, the club and I tell them about my decision to continue on with my general education before I begin real estate school. I am lost in conversation and temporarily forget my troubles.
Ghost
Once everyone has been filled in on what we learned with Tasha in the basement, we decide to leave her down there until we have a handle on this situation with Johnny Valdez. We send Carson and Levi down in the basement with food, water and a mattress for her to lay on. As we make our way out of the room together, there is an explosion from the front of the clubhouse. Windows shatter, I’m thrown back up off my feet along with those who are standing next to me. I get to my feet as quickly as possible, the only thing on my mind is finding Bristol and protecting her. I find her hiding behind the couch, and relief instantly hits me.
We start ushering the women and children to the panic room that is down in the basement. Once they’re down there and I know they’ll make it there in once piece, I run to the artillery closet and get my guns out. This is where we store our personal guns so that there’s no chance of small fingers getting a hold of them. We don’t carry them on our person unless we’re out on a run or have a meeting with another MC or group or organization. It keeps the women and kids safe.
As I get my guns I see the clubhouse in chaos. My brothers are crouched down hiding behind the bar, tables, couches and shadowed corners. Gunfire is exploding everywhere, instead of hiding, I go out guns blazin’. I have a gun in each hand and take out anyone who isn’t a brother, I see one guy crouched down and he has his pistol aimed at Tic. I set my sights on him and aim at his head. I make direct contact with the middle of his forehead and he goes down. It feels like we’re in the middle of a showdown at the O.K Corral. Blood is spilling out left and right. I keep going, taking out as many people as I can, I feel a searing pain in my left shoulder rendering that arm useless in my pursuits.
Not letting the pain or uselessness of my arm deter me, we finally have taken out all of the men who’ve breached the inside of the club. We take up positions by the windows leading to the front, which is where all the shots were fired from. Wasp screams out orders for Justice, Tarzan, Tazer and Soldier to cover the back exits. We may not have been breached from the back, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t planning on hitting us from behind.
I look out the window and see Johnny Valdez in the flesh hiding behind an open door to a SUV sitting just beyond the outside gate. This fucker has balls of steel sitting there watching us slaughter his men. A fucking coward that’s hiding behind his men instead of facing us head on. I put a text out to Soldier and let him know that the fucker is here and what his position is. He sends me back a response.
Let me get to the roof and set up my rifle. Keep them busy for another five minutes so I can make it up there and set up. I’ll end that fucker now.
10-4 I send him back in
response.
I get the guys’ attention and signal to them where Johnny is and show my fingers going up the stairs then my gun. This lets them know what Soldier is up to. I get a head nod in acknowledgment and I know we’re all on the same page.
Chapter 38
Bristol
We ran down the basement steps and ran towards the panic room, I hear someone screaming from one of the rooms to let them out. I go over to the door prepared to do just that when Kori grabs my hand and pulls me away.
“We can’t just leave whoever is in that room alone!”
“Yes, we can,” is her only response, I don’t want to pull on her too hard since she’s pregnant so I just follow her lead. I feel a sense of guilt wash over me and I try to go back to the door once again, but this time Ashton pushes me towards the panic room. Feeling defeated, I go along with them without any further protest. Why is there a person locked in that room?
“The guys will make sure no one gets to her,” Ashton tells me once the door closes and locks behind us.
“If that person is safe and doesn’t need the panic room with us, why on earth do we have to come in here?”
“Because, Ol’ ladies are protected before traitorous club whores,” Kori tells me. I suddenly realize that Lil’ bit is attached at her mother’s hip and she looks frightened enough that I don’t want to add to that. Instead I let the information I just learned about a traitor who is also a club whore alone. Lil’ bit has been through too much in her young life for me to scare her more than she already is by arguing with her mother and Ash.
Leaning down to her height, I tell her we’ll all be alright. That her Daddy and Uncles will make sure we’re all safe. She gives me a small shaky smile which lets me know I’ve made the right decision of letting the conversation die. I watch as she puts her hands around her mother’s middle and buries herself into her mom. We can’t hear anything beyond these walls, I feel panicked and claustrophobic. There’s a small bathroom inside of the panic room which only holds a small sink and toilet. Feeling violently ill, I run into the room and deposit my stomach of everything it holds. I barely make it in time, but I feel worse when I hear Lil’ bit’s whimpers and sobs from my actions. There’s nothing I can do about it right now as much as I’m mentally willing myself to get it together.
Ashton kneels next to me and places a cool washcloth over my forehead.
“Thank you,” I tell her.
“You’re welcome sweetie.”
“What do you think is going on up there? You think everyone is going to be okay?”
“I think we need to trust our men and know that they are doing everything they can to end the threat to us and the club. None of them will be taken down easily. You need to believe in your heart that your man and the others will come out of this safe.”
“I’ll try,” I tell her. And I will, I will pray and have faith in these men to get out of this safely and in one piece.
After what feels like forever, the door opens and Tic is standing in the door.
“I need ya’ll to stay in here a little bit longer, but I wanted to check on you and let you know we’re all good,” he says as he shuts the door, shutting us out of the outside world beyond these four walls.
“Well,” I say, “At least we know everyone is good.” I’m trying hard to spin a positive out of this disaster and trying to make myself feel as if these walls aren’t closing in on me. Knowing they’re alright, I breathe easier and can calm myself down some.
Ghost
We’re trying to hold the guys off in the front that are trying to move in on the clubhouse. We’re picking them off one by one, there are still a lot of men outside that we need to make sure don’t break the perimeter. I feel like we’re sitting ducks in here, but my adrenaline is pumping and I’m ready to take the fight out to them. I’m hoping Wasp or Tic will give me the permission I need to take the fight to them. I have my eyes on Valdez, making sure he isn’t going to run off. I want this over with today.
Here and now.
I want this son of a bitch out of my life! I want to be the one to pull the trigger, though I’m willing to accept him just being put out of his miserable life, I’ll accept his death if it’s at the hands of one of my brothers. Not happy about it, but will accept it all the same. Out the corner of my eye, I see a guy that doesn’t belong to us has been able to successfully breach the inside. He has his gun aimed at Wasp’s head, not thinking I turn my body and aim at him, I don’t succeed in killing him, but I do take him down.
Wasp, unaware that anyone was behind him with a gun aimed at his head turns to me with eyes wide and I see the words on his lips. ‘Thank you’, and I give him a nod letting him know I heard him. He looks as if ten years have been taken off his life. I can only imagine what’s running through his mind right now. If I were him, I’d be seeing what life would’ve been like for those left behind. I don’t think Ash would survive losing him after only getting him back after the twenty years of hell she lived without him.
Not to mention he’d be leaving behind his daughters. Riley and Sadie would be so lost without him, he has come to mean the world to them, as they have to him. Just the thought of me leaving Bristol behind has my heart hurting. I see Tic and Bomber restrain the man I just shot, pulling him off the floor as they tie his hands and feet together. Where they got the rope from I couldn’t tell you. I’m just thankful they have it.
We hear a loud pop and I jump up from my kneeled position so I can see outside the window and what I see brings a smile to my face. Valdez is laying in the street in a pool of blood. His men start scrambling trying to retreat once they see their boss is down, this is where we chase them and put an end to them all. We run out the door in pursuit, we duck, weave and hide in the shadows since they are returning fire. Soldier is still on the roof and taking out as many as he can from his vantage point. He can see things we can’t and has a clearer view of where every one of them assholes are hiding. They’re like fucking roaches, they keep growing and are hard to take out.
They’re being taken out one at a time, every damn time I turn around there is another one. I don’t know how they all squeezed their asses into the seven SUVs that are parked in front of the clubhouse, but they somehow managed that impossible feat. There’s no way my brothers and I would’ve been able to manage that. I take out one, two, three of those fuckers in continued succession as I make my way out into the fray of the activity. I’m ready to get this over with, and I’d like to see Johnny’s body up close and personal. I’d like to make sure he’s dead and gone, I want there to be no chances of a recovery for him.
Then like my wish came through at the thought, there is suddenly a deafening silence in the air. I disregard my brothers and run to where Johnny lies in a puddle of his own blood. I check for a pulse and feel nothing there, just to make sure I look into his eyes and see a clear sign of death. He has the hundred-mile stare, looking into nothing. Then the pain in my shoulder becomes front and center and I lose my footing and collapse to the ground. Then I see and hear nothing from the blackness that takes over my body.
Chapter 39
Bristol
It’s been two weeks since the shootout at the club. Brady was shot in the shoulder, we ran him to the hospital and had to have a cop by the name of Detective Maddox cover tracks for us. He’s a sweet man and seems to be friendly with the guys. I heard the story of how he stepped in and assisted the club when Riley was kidnapped and was a big part of her recovery. This gives him huge bonus points in my opinion, that and how he stepped in and helped the club with the shootout and repercussions with the law. He saved our asses, that’s for sure.
Clean up has been a long, drawn out operation. We’ve had to rebuild the gate to the entrance of the club completely, we’ve had to repair the damage done to the front of the club and fix some broken windows. We have a few guys who had bullet grazes and other injuries, nothing severe, Brady was the worst of them all. It damaged the muscle in his shoulder and he�
�ll be starting rehab once his arm is out of the sling that he’ll be in for at least another six weeks or so. It missed his rotator cuff by a couple of inches, if it had taken that out he’d never regain full use of his arm again. It was recommended that we get a tens unit for home during his recovery period. It has helped him tremendously when his shoulder feels like it’s locking up on him or the muscles are tight and it’s hard for him to move his shoulder.
The guys decided to get bulletproof and shatter-proof glass to replace the windows, so there’s a special company coming out later on this week to measure and explain more about the quality of said windows. The guys are debating on having the entire wall around the compound redone with some sort of steel and concrete design that they read about online. They’re also looking into a company that claims that they can build a gate that can resist an explosion and is impossible to penetrate. I am a firm believer that nothing is impossible and that there isn’t such a thing that exists. But, who am I to tell them where to spend their money and if they want to believe the statistics that this seller claims to have with his product, I say go for it. If it gives them a sense of security I’m on board with that.
Taken by Temptation: Rage Ryders MC Page 14
