by KJ Dahlen
“That doesn’t answer my question darlin.” Cobra raised a brow at her. “Did your mom keep the box her friend gave her and if so... what happened to it after she died?”
“Yes, she kept the box and she kept it safe all these years.” Dani nodded.
Thor stared at her. “Do you know where the box is?”
Dani looked over at Cobra then she gazed straight into Thor’s eyes. “Yes, I know where the fucking box is and no, I won’t tell you. Whatever is in that box costs your mother and mine their lives. So no! I won’t give it up to you or Hellspawn, even if it means I’m running for the rest of my life.”
“Wait a minute, back up,” Cobra growled. “What do you mean it cost your mother her life?”
Dani took a deep as she explained, “Right after Molly Quincy died and before Bonecrusher went on trial, Hellspawn ransacked their house. When he didn’t find anything over there, he came to our house. Mom tried to tell him she didn’t know anything but Hellspawn didn’t believe her. They tore our house apart too. They didn’t find anything but they did it anyway. You see my mom had a mouth and she often said it got her in trouble, well it did. He left her broken and bleeding but she lived.” Dani shook her head. “Over the next few years, he came to our house time and time again. Then he came again about four months ago.” Dani sniffled. “I begged her over the years to move but she said she never would. It wasn’t that she had anything to stay for but she said she wasn’t going to allow that bastard to run her out of town. The last time he came over, her mouth got her in trouble like usual and this time, when Hellspawn walked away—she was dead. He snapped her neck like a twig and no one there even tried to stop him. They didn’t even try.” Tears filled her eyes, but she seemed to refuse to let them fall.
“You saw him do it?” Cobra asked quietly.
Dani nodded, as she looked saddened. “Digger and Tank were holding me prisoner. After he snapped her neck, Hellspawn came over to me and started asking me the same questions he’d been asking her for the last seventeen years. I told him I didn’t know anything about it and Tank reminded him I was just a kid when it happened.”
“Is this why Tank thinks he has a claim on you?”
Dani shrugged and swiped away one lone tear from her cheek. “They’ve been watching me since my mom died. They think I might know more about what was taken and Hellspawn really wants it back. He’s hoping that Bonecrusher left something behind that will tell him where it is. Anyway, one day weeks back, Tank rode up on me and I couldn’t get out of his way in time. He was with Digger and he told me to get ready because he decided I was going to be his.”
“And you agreed?” Thor frowned remembering the dirty overweight slob from this morning. Hellspawn let more than just himself go all this time. He let his whole MC go to hell.
“God no. Are you insane?” Dani shuddered. “I told him not to hold his breath, I wasn’t interested, but he didn’t want to hear it. He told me he’d wait until my birthday to claim me but I told him no, over and over. He just didn’t listen.” She looked over at Thor and told them both, “Today, I went to the cemetery to tell my mom goodbye. I had everything packed up and moved out of the house we lived in and I was going to leave tonight. I knew the MC would be busy getting drunk and I wasn’t going to stay one more day. I grew to hate that place and I hate Tank even more. All I had to do was get away from Digger.” She grinned and nodded, “And you took care of that for me, so I’m finally free. Again, I thank you for that.”
Thor shrugged. “It either helped you out or made things a hundred fold worse. Hard to say at this point.”
“I am out of that dirty town, so it’s a good thing.” She then raised her head as if her ears had caught a certain sound and she gasped as she turned to the highway to see. “Oh, hell's bells.”
Cobra and Thor turned to look as well. Cobra swore and Thor rushed over to his bike. He swung his leg over the bike and Dani scrambled to get her seat behind him. Cobra rushed a text to the compound and started his engine.
Cobra’s men were still a good half hour out but hopefully, if Jett got his message, the MC would come and find them.
Both bikes took off not far ahead of the four that evidently followed them all the way from Trinity. Cobra and Thor were far enough ahead of the others as they quickly weaved in and out of traffic. They were coming up to a turn off when Thor looked back at Cobra and made a hand signal...one they had used in the past.
Cobra nodded then slowed down as if both were going to turn.
The four men on cycles were almost up to them.
At the last minute, both bikes took off again, but it was too late for the bikers following as they had already started their turn being caught up in traffic.
Thor and Cobra had nothing but free open road.
One of the bikers chasing them lifted his hand and the weapon he held barked out a retort. The shot missed Thor but came very close to his shoulder.
Dani winced in a bit of shock but tightened her hold as they drove down the road.
Ten minutes later, they saw the Savaged Souls coming toward them. They passed each other up and as soon as they could, they turned around. A few minutes later, the Souls surrounded them and protected them the rest of the way home. They didn’t see the other four bikers at all but when they pulled up to the compound, the main gates were shut tight and locked.
Gunner tapped his phone to have them open the gates.
After they drove through, Thor parked, dismounted his bike and swore as he turned around to glare at Dani.
Cobra got off his bike as well and frowned when he glanced over at the girl. He then looked at Thor and watched in complete silence as his VP grabbed the woman and dragged her off his bike.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Thor growled at her.
Dani peered up at him as she swayed on her feet. “That was Satan’s Fury. I think they figured out who you were.” Then her eyes closed slowly and she dropped.
If Thor hadn’t had a hold of her, she would have fallen into the dirt. Thor’s eyes went wide as he swung her into his arms. He looked a little lost for a moment then carried her inside.
Cobra and the others joined him, watching as he carried her over to the sofa and laid her down.
Thor turned his head and glared at Cobra. “What the hell happened?”
Patriot pushed his way through the crowd and knelt on the floor beside her. He began checking her out and soon tore her shirt sleeve away to uncover a shoulder full of blood. He wiped away the blood and found a hole in her upper arm. He looked up and asked, “Was someone shooting at you guys?”
“One of them did.” Cobra nodded. “He must have aimed for Thor and got her instead.”
Thor shook his head. “She never said a word. She just hung on to me.”
Just then, Gunner spoke up, “I hate to ask but who the hell is she and where did you pick her up?”
Chapter Five
“Her name is Dani and she had to come with us,” Cobra replied to gunner as he shook his head. “She knew the kid back when.”
“Back when what?” Gunner frowned.
“Today’s mission was to see Thor’s dad put to death by the state of Texas for the murder of his mom seventeen years ago,” Cobra explained. “His dad Bonecrusher, at first tried to pin the murder on Thor, his own kid, a seventeen year old kid, but the evidence pointed to the old man. He belonged to an MC called Satan’s Fury.”
“Hellspawn’s Fury?” Gunner spit out as he turned to Thor. “That’s your old man’s MC?”
Thor nodded.
“Fuck a damn duck,” Gunner swore out loud. “That is one hella messed up MC and not in a good way either.”
Boone nodded. “I remember hearing about that murder. It came about not long after another run in with that group.” He shrugged. “I only remember it because most MCs don't want to be noticed, especially in the papers, not like that anyway. The ambush made the papers because three men died but the case went cold. Didn’t Hellspawn lose
three of his own in a shootout of some sort?”
Thor let out a long breath as he nodded. “Yeah, my old man and three others were coming home after some secret run when they were ambushed along the road. Dear old dad wrecked his bike and the others were all shot dead on the road. No one could say how many or who the other bikers were because there were no witnesses but Bonecrusher claimed they got away with the package they were bringing back. No one except for Hellspawn and maybe his brother knew what the package was but Hellspawn’s own brother was one of the three that died. But at the time he was more interested in finding the missing package than he cared about his brother being killed. He was obsessed with that fucking package. And he’s still obsessed by it to this day, apparently. Back then, something made him think Bonecrusher might have had something to do with the robbery and Hellspawn began to ask questions. Questions, my old man didn’t want to answer. My so called father took his frustration out on me and my mom but today, he paid the price for his shit ass temper tantrum.”
“Where did you pick up the female?” Jett wanted to know as he motioned his head to Dani.
“We swung up to visit my mom’s grave and she was there.” Thor watched as Patriot worked on Dani’s shoulder.
Finally, Patriot got to his feet. “She needs to be brought to the infirmary. My supplies are there.”
Thor moved forward to gather her into his arms. He picked her up and carried her back to Patriot’s room. When he laid her on the bed, she groaned and turned over on her left side, presenting her back to Thor. The bottom of her shirt rose up her back and Thor caught the sight of a bruise. He frowned and lifted her shirt a little higher.
Patriot and some of the others gathered behind him as he stared at her skin. Her lower back was crisscrossed with bruises. Some were larger than others and they were in the fading stages of purple, green, and yellow but some of them were still black and blue.
The marks were all symmetrical and about four to six inches long. Lifting the shirt to her shoulders, they could all see the strokes. Someone had beaten her with what looked like a thin baton. The bruises were well into the fading stages but the fact they were there at all is what mattered.
Thor lowered her shirt and clenched his fists. “Just want you guys to know whoever did this is a dead man.”
“She may not know it yet, but she’s safe here,” Gunner stated as he too glared at her back.
Patriot moved around to her other side and began working on her shoulder. He noted Dani’s eyes were open and she knew her secret was out. He watched as her tears soaked the pillow under her head but he didn’t give her away.
“What happened at the grave site?” Gunner wanted to know.
“Apparently, my mom and hers were friends back in the day. I didn’t remember her but I think she remembered me. I was a sixteen year old kid back then, more interested in dodging his old man than I was in noticing the neighborhood kids. Anyway, she was there at the gravesite and there was trouble. We had to leave in a hurry and she climbed on the back of my ride. I couldn’t exactly leave her behind, so she came with us.”
“Come to find out her own mom is buried next to his,” Cobra added while nodding at Thor as he took up the story. “Seems Thor’s mom took whatever Bonecrusher stole from the club during the ambush and she did not want it in her house so she hid it with her friend. Hellspawn never got it back and has been waiting seventeen years. He thinks Bonecrusher left something behind to tell him where it was.” Cobra shrugged. “That isn’t likely but for seventeen years, Hellspawn has harassed and searched their home. She said 4 months ago the asshole snapped her mom’s neck when she wouldn’t give it up.’ He gave a short nod at Dani. “One of Hellspawn’s crew claimed her but she didn’t agree.”
“Those the same jokers that caught up with you on the road?” Gunner asked.
Cobra nodded. “Yeah, we thought we could get away clean but that didn’t happen. We didn’t know she’d caught a bullet.”
Gunner looked at the others and ran his hands over the back of his head. “Well, it looks like trouble is coming yet again. Hellspawn will come for her. Whatever this package is, he wants it bad, and he won’t give a fuck who he has to hurt to get it. She’s under club protection now and I’ll be damned if another club is going to come here causing trouble. If the bastards want trouble, then we’ll give them what they want.” He paused and looked over at Thor. “Sorry about your old man.”
Thor snorted. “I’m not. He got what he deserved. I’m just sorry it took so long. Now hopefully, my mom can rest in peace, something she never got with him.”
Dani reached out and laid her hand on his fist.
His fingers relaxed and gripped hers instead. “Are you all right?”
Dani nodded. “I will be. I’m a hot mess at the moment but I’ll be fine.”
Thor leaned over to her and whispered, “You are not a hot mess. Just a little lost right now, I think.”
Dani chuckled out loud. “Yeah that’s me, a little lost.”
“Well, you’re home now.” Thor assured her. “You don’t ever have to be afraid or lost anymore.”
“Why?” she asked. “You don’t owe me anything. You got me away from that town. Why do you care so much?”
“I’m not sure I have the answer to that at the moment but I’d be less of a man if I left you out there to the fates. Something about this whole mess just doesn’t sit right with me and I have a feeling you’re right where you need to be...” He lifted his head, looked at Cobra, then Jett, and the men standing close by as he added, “With us.”
Dani stared at him for a moment then looked around the room at the others. They all pretty much had the same expression. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Can you bring me my bag?”
Thor looked up at Boone.
He nodded then went to fetch the bag in question. When he returned, Boone handed the bag over to Dani.
They all watched as she dug through the bulky bag she had carried from Trinity. She brought out a wooden box about the size of a very thick paperback book. About nine inches by six inches and about three to four inches deep. There was a combination lock on it with dials and numbers. She handed the box to Thor. “This is what your mom brought over that night. I don’t know what’s in it because she never told us the combination but whatever is in there, it was worth her life and my mom’s. This is also what Bonecrusher killed three men for and what Hellspawn has been looking for all this time.”
Thor took the box from her and just stared at it for a moment. It seemed like such a small thing to hold in his hand while knowing his mother died giving her own life for it. He passed the box along to Cobra who then handed off to Gunner.
“Don’t you want to at least find out what’s in the box?” she asked him softly.
“I don’t give a fuck what’s in that box,” he replied. “There’s nothing in it that was worth my mom’s life or your mom’s life. I don’t give a shit about Hellspawn’s men. They knew full well what they risked when they went after it.”
“Might be interesting to see what Hellspawn has been looking for all these years,” Gunner suggested.
Thor shrugged. “Fine, try the combo 7-11-86 then.”
Gunner spun the dials and when the lock opened, he was more than a little shocked. “How the fuck did you know for the first try?”
Thor shook his head. “I didn’t. But she would have set a date that meant something to her. That was the day I was born. At least, I knew I mattered to her.”
Gunner carefully and slowly lifted the lid of the box and when it was open, he could only stare at the contents. “Holy fuckin shit!” he whispered in awe. He raised his head to stare at Thor then Dani.
Holding out the box he showed those in the room the contents. The small box was filled with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. There must be millions of dollars of precious jewels in that small box.
“Damn, no wonder he wanted this back so fuckin bad,” Boone muttered.
Dani shook her hea
d. “So the rumors were true then.”
“What rumors?” Thor frowned.
“Rumors that Hellspawn was stepping down as president. I know Digger’s been gathering new blood for the MC but I never dreamed it was for jewels.”
“What exactly is that about?” Cobra wanted to know. “You might need to spell it out for us.”
“Word around Trinity is that Hellspawn is losing control over his club. He either doesn’t care anymore or he just wants out. Digger has been going behind his back gathering enough men on his own to take the club away from his uncle.” Shaking her head, she went on, “God help him if he succeeds. The men he’s chosen are scum, dirty lowlifes, as in the worst of the lot he could have chosen. He may think he’ll become their president but if he does, it won’t be for long. He’ll wake up one morning to find his own throat’s been cut and his body left for the wolves.”
“This would be enough for Hellspawn to retire on and live like a king,” Gunner agreed.
Dani scoffed. “The club must not know about it, cause they would never allow him to just leave. They might figure that money was theirs to spend as well.”
“And they would be right, in any other MC they would have that right. But I have a feeling Hellspawn knows all that as well.” Gunner looked over at Thor. “Do you remember anything about the run your dad went on that day?”
Thor shook his head. “I didn’t pay any attention to him in those days. The less I knew of his dealings the better off I was.” He paused, then turned his head to stare at Cobra, then he paused as if remembering the past. “I do remember that particular run. It was Bonecrusher, Torch and two others and they left in the middle of the night. I’m not sure where they were going or what they carried with them, but I do know they were gone for three days. I remember the third day, Bonecrusher came back into the compound all beaten to hell and bloody. He told Hellspawn they’d been ambushed on the way back. He even told them where the others were.”
