A Touch Of Grey

by René Van Dalen

  He was honourable right to the marrow of his bones.

  For Winifred Harrison to take the lives of the wife and child of such a good man was an abomination and a clear declaration of war against the club.

  If the bitch thought killing an old lady and her unborn child would break the club she was sorely mistaken.

  Penny’s death had the club more united than it has ever been.

  As this most horrible of days had slowly dragged on his brothers across the country started calling in to confirm their willingness to step up for their brothers. They wanted blood, and not just the blood of the killer. They wanted the blood of the one who had given the order.

  Winifred Harrison.

  Killing Penny and Bakkies was the biggest mistake the bitch had ever made. And if Jagger died. Jesus. Fuck. There would be no way he would be able to hold the club back from exacting their vengeance.

  He was about to put away his phone and go back inside when it rang in his hand. Noting the name on caller ID he answered immediately.

  “What do you have for me, brother?”

  “He made it through surgery, the doc said they lost him on the table but was able to bring him back. He’s in a stable but critical condition and in ICU. There’s a chance he might lose his kidney but the doc said they’re cautiously optimistic that it won’t come to that. They’re worried about infection because the bullet perforated his intestines. The next few hours will tell them if he’s going to pull through or not. He didn’t say it like that but it’s what he meant.”

  Ice quietly gave him the update and Hawk rubbed a hand over the side of his face, keeping a tight hold on his emotions.

  “How’s Crash handling the situation?”

  “Not great, brother, but Sunny, Chris and his grandmother are with him and have kept him calm.” He cleared his throat. “On another subject. Scar has Jagger’s phone and he has Buzz and the team leaders running a full check of our security systems and fences. He even ordered them to physically check every inch of fencing and every single camera. I don’t know what he’s looking for but I’m sure he’ll tell us when he finds it.”

  There was a beat of silence before Ice asked the question he knew was at the top of his mind.

  “How’s Rider doing?”

  “He’s broken, brother, no, that’s not right, our brother is completely shattered, and the only thing keeping him from going rogue is his baby girl. He hasn’t let her out of his arms since we got here. Suzy and Genna are sticking with him while Gail and Slim are taking care of the rest of the kids while everyone is at the hospital.”

  Drawing in a deep breath Hawk stepped into his president shoes.

  “I need you to send all the men who aren’t needed at the hospital back to the clubhouse. I want everyone in church in two hours’ time. If I think he can handle it I’ll bring Rider with me because he will want to be in on the next step right from the start. I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do but it might help him get through tonight at least.”

  Ice’s sigh gusted over the line.

  “I fucking never want to go through what he’s going through, brother. When River was hurt I almost lost my mind, but to lose her for real? I can’t even…” Ice drew in a deep breath then changed the subject.

  “Beast called to let me know he has a present for us. He suggested we reach out to the Crow.”

  “The Crow will be there.” Hawk didn’t need to say more.

  “Good. See you later, brother.”

  Ending the call Hawk walked into the house to talk to Rider, to give him some options.

  But he already knew what his decision would be.

  About two hours later Hawk sat at the head of the table silently watching his men.

  Tonight was one of the most difficult times he’s ever had to face while sitting in the president’s chair. The murder of an old lady, a brother and the attempted murder of a one of their most popular brothers. Right now he wished his dad was still alive to give him advice. Maybe not advice so much as just being there, taking his back.

  He didn’t even have to use the hammer to silence the men. They were already silent.

  Rider sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his face scrubbed of all emotion. Scar sat next to him, arms crossed as well but his eyes were alive with rage.

  It worried Hawk when he noticed that both men had dried blood imbedded under and around their nails. They hadn’t properly washed the blood from their hands. As if keeping it close as a reminder of what they had all lost today.

  He looked at Crash who sat in his chair against the wall. His face stoic.

  “Crash, brother, you don’t need to be here. We’ll keep you updated if you want to get back to the hospital.”

  He shook his head adamantly. “No, there’s nothing I can do for him by hanging around the hospital. I can do more being here than sitting in a waiting room. Sunny has my grandmother and Chris with her, and the old ladies have their backs. I’m right where I’m supposed to be, with my brothers.”

  “Right, let’s get down to business.” Hawk pointed at Beast. “Give us an update.”

  Beast looked at Rider and Crash before he spoke. “We have the fucker in the dungeon waiting on the Crow. His arm is completely fucked up. I patched up his ‘eina’s’(wounds) but that’s all. No fucking painkillers for the piece of shit.”

  Looking around the room Hawk had to make a decision. Tell the men about their hidden sanctuary where Beast had obviously stashed the killer, or not. With one hand pulling at his beard he made his decision. He wouldn’t be telling them about it today. He would leave them under the impression that the bastard was in the dungeon they had all had a tour of when they became prospects or were patched in.

  Except for Crash. He would be coming with them.

  “Only officers and selected lieutenants will be present during the interrogation. Crow hates having an audience he hasn’t cleared himself, and we don’t want to piss him off. He’s an unpredictable little fucker. When we know more I will report back to the rest of the club. Right now let’s get to what we’ve got so far.”

  He turned to Ziggy. “Do you have more information for us?”

  Ziggy gave a nod. “Celeste Brent is still at the clinic and so is Mitch Mitchell, the man we suspect of being Dom’s operative. Phin reported seeing a blacked out fancy car pulling into the garage but he wasn’t close enough to see who was in the car. When the car left there were two new men hanging around, and they’re still there.”

  “Keep watching them, we’ll scoop them up soon.” He turned to Scar.

  “Have you been able to find out how he got inside our fence?”

  The brother looked about ready to explode. “Yes, I did. A section of the fence was loosened allowing him to slip through. The alarm on that section was bridged and didn’t alert us to an intruder. He knew exactly where he wanted to go. I have him on camera heading straight for the rocks. What I don’t get is how he knew Penny would be taking Sassy for a walk on that specific road. And how did he know Sunny would be with her? It doesn’t feel like pure chance to me. I have this churning in my gut that tells me he has been watching us and our women for a long damned time.”

  “Let’s go down there and make the motherfucker talk.” Rider’s voice was rough and filled with venom and hate.

  Hawk tapped the table and everyone looked at him, waiting for their orders.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen. Jag has divided us into teams to handle the clubhouse and property security for the foreseeable future. You will follow the rotation he set because it’s for the security of all of us. All families are under lockdown, and when I say lockdown I mean they are confined to their homes. No one goes outside until we know there are no more snipers lying in wait out there. All brothers will be issued with Kevlar vests when you leave here, they are now mandatory every time you step outside. Anyone with family living away from our property will bring them in and they will be housed either in the clubhouse or at one of the othe
r houses. If your old ladies know how to fire a gun ensure they are in possession of a firearm and ammunition at all times. Should it prove necessary we will pull all families into the clubhouse for their safety. Those of you who live in the cottages will move into your rooms at the clubhouse. The cottages aren’t fenced yet and are too vulnerable to attack.”

  One of the new patches raised a hand. “There are a lot of us, Prez, how will we all fit?”

  Hawk couldn’t tell him that they had more than enough accommodation for everyone right underneath their feet.

  “No worries, brother. We’ll make a plan if it comes to it.” Hawk reassured him. “For now let’s just get everyone as safe as we can make them.”

  Tapping the table with the tips of his fingers he looked at the angry and worried faces ranged around him.

  “You have your orders. When you leave here stick with your assigned brothers, watch each other’s backs and those of your brothers. Keep your phones close because when we know more I will call for church. For now let’s get out there and do our jobs. Stay vigilant and stay safe out there. No one rides alone. If you need to bring your family in make arrangements with Sin for an escort before leaving. Crash, brother, stay behind for a word.”

  Bringing the hammer down on the steel he ended church. He watched as his men slowly filed out of the room, a dark rage almost visibly hanging over everyone.

  His officers and lieutenants sat waiting for their personal orders while Crash looked confused as to why he was to stay behind.

  Scar closed the door behind the last brother to leave, locked it and then sat back down.

  Hawk didn’t wait before he laid it out.

  “Because it’s a family matter Crash will be joining us during the interrogation. Some of us have worked with the Crow before and know what to expect. For those of you who have never met the man there are a few rules you need to follow. You don’t address the Crow directly. You don’t stare into his eyes because he’ll see it as a challenge and you do not want that to happen. You don’t ask any questions. You don’t touch his tools. You don’t interrupt while he’s busy doing what he does best.”

  There were nods from those who would be meeting the Crow shortly.

  Hawk stood. “Go do whatever you need to do and meet me back in my office in twenty minutes.”

  He walked out of the chapel with Ice and Sin following close on his heels.

  Twenty minutes later when they were all in his office Scar locked the door and drew the heavy bolts at the top and bottom closed. There were some confused looks as the Crash and the new men looked on. Walking around his desk he faced his inner circle. His most trusted men.

  “You are now a part of the inner circle of this club.” He pointed at Crash. “You as well, little brother. As my most trusted men you have been given a lot of very sensitive information since you earned those officer and lieutenants patches. You will now again learn of something that no one outside of this room knows about.”

  Taking a deep breath he brought those who didn’t know about their hidden sanctuary underneath the club into the fold of those who knew. Nodding at Sin, standing ready at the hidden door, giving the order to go ahead and reveal their secret.

  There were a couple of gasps when it slid open revealing nothing but darkness.

  Just before he followed Sin through the door he turned to look over his shoulder.

  “What you’re about to see is our ace in the hole, our last line of defence. Remember that and watch your step. The way down is dangerous.”

  The men gravely nodded and Hawk turned and followed Sin through the door.

  “Let’s go and get some answers.” He threw over his shoulder.

  It was time to set the Crow free.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  DC

  Assured that my hair was pinned up and out of the way I lifted the mask and took a deep breath. Only then did I meet my eyes in the mirror. They were shadowed with grief and pain because Penny was one of mine. One of a small group of women I called my friends. She was the sweetest and most innocent of us all. I breathed in deep then slowly pulled the slick black leather down over my face. The cold leather caressed my skin as it slipped over my face, and my eyes that had been watching me from the mirror slowly changed. The person I shared my head and body with slowly stepped through the door in my head. I was about to retreat but before I walked into the darkness I told her one thing.

  Only one thing.

  “Give Rider a chance to avenge his dead.”

  I stepped back and watched from the deep dark shadows as my other side took control.

  Crow

  I was going to give her everything she asked for and more.

  I was going to take Rider’s grief, pain and rage and give it an outlet.

  An outlet that would satisfy the rage he now carried inside of him. Rage that might diminish over time but that’s all it would do. Diminish but never disappear.

  Tilting my head to the side I smiled behind the mask covering my mouth. If anyone saw my smile they would know to fear me because it was a bit like that crazy actor Jack’s smile. That smile with the glittering crazy eyes scared people.

  I loved scaring people.

  They talked when they were scared, they talked a lot and gave up their secrets with a little bit of persuasion. I loved the persuasion part…so much.

  I was still staring into my black glittering eyes when the door opened and he walked in. The big man my other half loved.

  For a long time I hadn’t known how I felt about him being a part of our lives, but now he was mine. Mine and DC’s and I would protect him with my last breath.

  As long as he loved us and treated us well he would be safe from me.

  “It is time.” He said softly as he walked over and put his big hands on my shoulders, meeting my black eyes in the mirror. By the look in his eyes he knew it was me and still he touched me.

  Before it would have made me uncomfortable. Now? Not at all. He was ours.

  Turning under his hands I settled my coat around me then looked up at him.

  Grief and rage clung to him and it stirred the darkness inside me and it rose up fast and hungry.

  So very, very hungry.

  He saw the hunger and smiled, a smile filled with rage and sorrow.

  “Let’s go.” My voice sounded deep and growly. A new little toy we had added to the mask.

  He opened the door without saying a word and I followed him out.

  My Beasty was waiting outside the door to my very favourite room in the world. Grief, pain and rage clung to him as he watched me approach.

  “He’s ready for you.” His voice was rough with pain.

  “Thank you, my Beasty.”

  His nod was quick and decisive.

  I walked through the door, ignoring the sudden rustle of feet on plastic I crossed the floor to where my work waited for me.

  A nice big specimen.

  A sigh of anticipation whispered over my lips and echoed around the silent room.

  Rider

  Was this the Crow everyone feared? He didn’t look very scary, not to him at least.

  He watched the short masked guy as he walked over to the steel table and stared down at the bastard who had been tied to it.

  The piece of shit who had murdered his wife and unborn child.

  He needed him to suffer before he died. He wanted to be the one to make him suffer, not the short ass fuck hiding behind all that leather.

  Opening his mouth he closed it instantly when Wolf tapped him once on the leg and Scar’s hand curled around his forearm, holding him in place. He hadn’t even realised that he had moved. He must have for Scar to hold on to him.

  Hawk’s orders ran through his head and he nodded his thanks to his brothers on either side of him. Relaxing slightly he clasped his hands tightly behind his back and waited.

  “A bit chewed up, but still workable.” A digitally altered voice filled the waiting silence.

  Every single
hair on his body rose and he couldn’t have stopped the shiver even if he tried.

  The glee and anticipation in that strangely metallic voice could be heard clearly as the man circled the table. Maybe he had judged him too quickly.

  His coat swung out as he suddenly turned and looked right at Rider. Not losing eye contact he spoke to Beast.

  “Beasty, show our Rider my toys.”

  Jesus. How did he know who he was?

  “Rider, my brother.” Beast spoke softly and Rider’s head swivelled his way. A quick chin lift beckoned him over.

  Taking a deep breath he walked over and his eyes widened as he saw the array of implements laid out on the thick clear plastic on the steel table bolted to the wall behind Beast.

  How had he not noticed it when he walked in? Had it been there or had it been laid out after he passed the table?

  “He chose you to assist him today, brother. Listen to what he tells you to do and do it without any questions.” Beast quietly stepped away but not too far away in case he was needed.

  “Rider.” The way the metallic voice said his name drew his attention to the man instantly.

  All eyes were on the man as he slowly and very precisely removed his coat then held it out towards Rider. Stepping up he took it from him then walked back to the table, he was about to drape it over the side when Beast cleared his throat and nodded towards a hook on the wall. He hung to coat up then turned to watch the guy who looked even smaller now he was no longer wearing the heavy coat.

  And then the voice of the Crow, digitally altered, yes, but still cold as ice and throbbing with hate filled the waiting silence. And what he said had the rage in him screaming to be set free.

  “Today you killed the sweetest woman the Iron Dogz has ever had the honour of claiming as one of their own. You killed a brother’s wife, his old lady, and his unborn child. But you didn’t stop there, you killed a brother and seriously wounded another. You stepped over a line you should not have crossed, Bartholomew Pistorius.”