Ashes (Devil's Boneyard MC 7)

by Harley Wylde

  “Oliver is with Meg,” I said, wanting him to at least know our son was all right. “And I’m fine. A little banged-up, but otherwise I’m okay.”

  Well, I still needed to pee something fierce, but adrenaline was coursing through my veins and finding a bathroom seemed like the least of my worries.

  “Not for long,” said my kidnapper as he reached for me. I felt him grip the back of my shirt and with a loud rip the material gave way, leaving my upper body exposed except for my nursing bra.

  Knowing that all these men could see me, and that Ashes was forced to watch them hurt me, it changed something inside me. I’d been ready to fight before, but telling myself I would do whatever it took to get home, and being faced with these men, it wasn’t the same. Not at all. It felt like a fire was licking its way inside me, and it was leaving blind fury in its path. I’d never been one to get truly angry, but right now, I wanted to hurt these men!

  My hands clenched into fists and my jaw tightened. Before I could second-guess myself, I spun and slammed my fist into the temple of the bastard who had taken me. He cried out in shock and staggered back, but I wasn’t done. I was so damn angry, and scared, and… I’d just had enough. It never even crossed my mind he might be armed, or someone else could be lurking with a gun. The thought was there, but didn’t really connect in my brain. I just wanted to attack them, to hurt them.

  “You. Fucking. Asshole!” I screamed each word, my fists hammering at him. The other guy was laughing as if he’d never seen anything so funny, until I turned on him next. I kicked, bit, and hit. A gun fell from somewhere inside his jacket and I kicked it toward the bikers before kneeing the guy in the nuts. Then I ran, straight for Ashes.

  There was a table full of knives and other things within reach, so I snatched a knife, trying not to cringe at the blood crusting on the blade, and I sawed through the ropes binding his arms. Ashes grabbed the knife from my hand and cut his legs free, then picked up the gun and went after the two men I’d just attacked.

  As much as I wanted to keep an eye on him, I knew it was better to free the others. I worked quickly, until I heard shots ring out. Freezing, my gaze darted everywhere. Had that been Ashes? No. He was frozen, gun clenched in his hand, and breathing hard. But both men he had cornered were still alive and without bullet holes. Then I saw a man in a suit standing on an upper landing. This was the man in charge. Power radiated off him.

  “You were given one simple instruction. I should have known better than to hire an addict hooked on my product just because he was closer to the target. How could the two of you have fucked things up this much?” the man asked as he came down the stairs. He barely glanced my way, his focus on Ashes. Even the other bikers I’d freed didn’t seem to be a concern for him.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Ashes asked.

  “I’m merely a cog in a much bigger machine. A worker bee, if you will. It’s my boss who arranged this little meeting.”

  Worker bee? All the worker bees were men. Did that mean there was a queen over all this mess and not a king?

  “What’s all this about?” I asked.

  They’d snatched me, probably to get Ashes to fall in line. But I didn’t see any other women here. Did that mean the other bikers were just in the way, but not the true target? I was so confused. I didn’t know why Ashes had come here, didn’t have the first clue what was happening. I just knew I didn’t want my son to be an orphan. We both needed to get out of here. I just didn’t know how.

  The man in charge eyed me up and down, a slight smile curving his lips. “You’ve got a smart woman on your hands. I’m thinking that she’s already putting the pieces together.”

  “This is about a woman, isn’t it?” I asked. “I just don’t understand who or why. What does Ashes have to do with any of this? Or me?”

  The man chuckled. “Yes, indeed. Very smart. Your man here pissed off the wrong woman. My boss’s cousin is a bit… promiscuous to put it mildly. She thought your man here was going to show her a good time, but he wasn’t interested.”

  My mouth opened and shut several times. “What does that have to do with all these other men?”

  “Nothing. Unrelated. These men are simply in my boss’s way, but yours… it was just bad luck on his part that his club sent him to that warehouse. Anyone who went would have been jumped, but when MaryAnn saw the pictures of the Devil’s Boneyard member who’d fallen into the trap, she went nuclear. Ranting and raving about the asshole who wouldn’t fuck her, made her feel like trash.”

  I fought to keep any expression off my face, but from the man’s laugh, I knew I hadn’t succeeded.

  “Yes, MaryAnn is trash, but she doesn’t think so. She’d counted not only on your man fucking her, but she’d planned to get knocked-up. Then he shows up here, with the others bent on justice, and the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Make no mistake, anyone who came in his place would have met the same fate. The fact your man had someone at home who might make him fall in line was a pleasant surprise. MaryAnn exacted her justice on him, taking it from his hide so to speak, but I wouldn’t kill him as she demanded.”

  “Are you telling me that my woman was kidnapped and I was beat to hell, again, because of some stupid club whore?” Ashes demanded. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “I’m afraid not, Mr. Ashes. MaryAnn is quite determined to ruin your life, the way she seems to think you ruined hers. Her plan was for you to watch as your ol’ lady was violated six ways to Sunday, then dragged off to a brothel to serve out her days on her back. And you were going to be tortured and eventually killed.”

  My gaze narrowed on the man in the suit. “Why did you say all that in the past tense?”

  “Again, smart lady. My boss has a weak spot for his cousin, but I don’t give a rat’s ass about the woman. She’s a whore, plain and simple. But you… you’re something altogether different. I believe we can come to an agreement.”

  I glanced at Ashes and saw that his gaze was focused on the man doing all the talking. The other two had disappeared at some point. I scanned the shadows and didn’t see them, but it didn’t mean they were truly gone. They could be lurking, waiting for a chance to strike out again. Or maybe they decided all this shit wasn’t worth the pay.

  “Tell me, are all the Devil’s Boneyard women as delightful as yours?” the man asked Ashes. “Beauty, brains, and a bit of sass. I like it.”

  “Jordan would eat you for breakfast,” Ashes said. “But yeah, we’ve struck gold when it comes to our women, and they’re off fucking limits. The one who snatched Nikki is mine, regardless of how this shit show goes down. That fucker is going to pay in blood.”

  The man waved a hand. “You may have him. He’s of no consequence to me. Merely muscle for hire, and an incompetent one at that. There’s plenty more where he came from, as you’re well aware from your time here. As for our deal… We need to run some trucks through your area. If one of the crates happens to fall off in your territory, you look the other way. Same goes for every club represented here.”

  “And if they don’t agree?” Nikki asked.

  The man smiled. “Then we’ll have to hit them where it hurts. That’s where you come in, my dear. I’m hoping the club is protective of its women. Never fear, though. Now that I’ve met you, I couldn’t possibly let you die in a whorehouse. You’re much too special for that. Don’t worry. You’ll learn to love my touch over time, even if I have to keep you tied down the first few months and break a little bit of that spirit I so admire.”

  Ashes growled and took a step closer to the man, and I fought down the bile that rose in my throat. I wouldn’t take the bait, though. I had a feeling he wanted me to react, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “That’s all you want?” I asked. “To run illegal stuff through the Devil’s Boneyard territory and maybe lose a crate off each shipment? What happens to that crate?”

  “Nik. Shut the fuck up,” Ashes said.

  I folded my arms over my che
st and refused to look at him, maintaining eye contact with the man in the suit. He really needed to give me a name. This was getting ridiculous.

  “That’s all I want,” the man said. “As for the crate, that’s my business and mine alone. But never fear, it won’t get in the way of anything the club has going on. By the time my boss figures out shit is missing, he won’t be a problem anymore.”

  And the rest of the pieces were falling into place. At least for me. The guys from the various clubs seemed a little confused. There were nearly a dozen of them, and I wondered how they’d been taken down so easily. I was honestly amazed the others had kept their mouths shut. Then again, some of them looked a bit rough. I didn’t know how they were standing. Two of them looked ready to pass the hell out.

  “Why did you take all these men if you just wanted to make an agreement with their clubs? This seems a bit extreme,” I said.

  The man flashed me a smile. “Ah, if only their clubs had been more agreeable. A proposal was sent to each months ago, long before each club was lured into deserted warehouses in their territory. The Presidents wouldn’t listen, so we tried to send a message. It went unheeded, and the next negotiation went much the same as the first.”

  Every man in the warehouse, everyone patched, had a blank look on their faces.

  “You tried to come to an agreement with the Presidents before and after Ashes was hurt. This was just a last resort?” I asked.

  “Yes. I’m sorry it came to this. We needed to make an example of them, and show them they weren’t the only ones with the power. They needed to understand that my boss will do anything to see that this goes through.”

  “Ashes, give him what he wants so we can leave. Some of these guys don’t look like they have much time left,” I said.

  “It’s not my call, Nik.” His gaze swerved to the other bikers. “And I definitely can’t speak for any of the other clubs.”

  I looked at the others, but didn’t see a single officer’s patch among any of them. If these men didn’t agree, if Ashes didn’t agree, then we might all die. And I was not going to leave my son without either of his parents. There had to be a way out of this.

  “Why did you take all these men if you knew none of them could give you what you wanted?” I asked the man in the suit. “Mister…”

  “Ramirez. I’m Julio Ramirez, and I mean you no harm, little Nikki. I took these men in hopes their clubs would be willing to cooperate. As you can see, that was not the case. But then I realized that this one, your Ashes, had a woman at home. I could tell he has a soft spot for you, and I hoped the rest of his club might feel the same way. MaryAnn wanted you here as part of her revenge, but I had my own agenda.”

  Hold the fuck up. “Are you telling me that you spoke with Cinder and he knew you were torturing Ashes and did nothing?”

  Mr. Ramirez shrugged a shoulder. “He could not be persuaded to see things my way.”

  “Do you have his number on your phone still? In the contacts or history?” I asked.

  “But of course.” He pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed Cinder, putting the call on speaker.

  “I already told you I don’t deal with terrorists,” Cinder said, his voice a deep growl over the line. Mr. Ramirez raised an eyebrow as he gazed at me, as if to say, See?

  “Cinder, it’s Nikki.”

  Dead silence.

  “Did you even notice I was missing?” I asked.

  “Of course we did. Have men out looking for you right now.”

  “I’m guessing they won’t find me,” I said. “I’m with Ashes and the others. All the missing bikers are here. I’m assuming you know that Mr. Ramirez had others as well. Right?”

  Cinder cleared his throat. “You have to understand, Nikki. This isn’t about saving one man, or even a few men. I have to do what’s best for the club as a whole. I’m not trying to be an unreasonable asshole. There are others here who need my protection, need me to make sound judgments when it comes to this sort of thing. If I agree to Mr. Ramirez’s terms, what’s to stop others from trying the same thing?”

  I let that sink in for a moment. I could tell from the look on Ashes’ face that he’d already known the answer we would get. Had he heard Cinder’s refusal to the terms the first time? Had he known all this time that his club had turned their backs on him and the others? They were supposed to be a family!

  “As President you’re responsible for every man wearing your colors, aren’t you, Cinder?” I asked.

  No response. But I had a feeling he was listening, even if he didn’t like what I had to say.

  “Ashes and the others aren’t worth less than those still at the compound. Each man in your club is equal whether they’re an officer or not. Some may hold more power than others, but each and every one is your brother, your family. You don’t turn your back on family!”

  “Nik.” There was a warning tone in Ashes’ voice.

  “No! I don’t care if he’s the big badass President of Devil’s Boneyard. I don’t care if he needs to make an example of me later. Right now, he needs to do whatever is necessary to bring you, me, and the others home. That’s his fucking job!”

  “She’s right,” Cinder said. “Very well, Ramirez. You may drive your shipments through my territory, but if there’s an uptick in deaths from drugs or illegal firearms, I will come for you.”

  “I have no intention of harming your little town,” Mr. Ramirez said. “I merely need a place to store some items from time to time, until I’m ready to make my move. I can assure you that I will not be taking business from your club. My interests lie elsewhere.”

  “Then send home my men, and Nikki.”

  Ramirez sighed. “Pity. I rather liked her spirit. Very well. I’ll release them. But I can’t let the others go until their clubs come to the same agreement. It’s just business.”

  I looked at the other men. One wearing a Reckless Kings cut that said Crow. The other who looked like he was nearly on death’s doorstep was from Devil’s Fury. His cut said he was called Dragon. If their clubs didn’t agree, they would die. It didn’t take a medical degree to discern how far gone they were.

  “Cinder, can you call Devil’s Fury and the Reckless Kings and let their Presidents know that both Crow and Dragon won’t make it home if they don’t agree? And they need to agree now.”

  Ashes growled at me, probably worried about me being insolent to the Pres, but I was more worried about saving the men here with us than anything else. I’d take whatever punishment Cinder deemed fitting, but I wasn’t going to leave without knowing these men had a chance.

  “Fine. I’ll call them, but I make no promises,” Cinder said. “And, Nikki… we’re going to talk when you get home.”

  At least I was going to make it home, so that was a step in the right direction. I went to Ashes, wrapping my arm around his waist and started to lead him toward the warehouse door, but he dug his heels in.

  “Baby, you’re not going out there in just a bra.”

  I huffed at him. “Really? We could be dead right now and you’re worried about me leaving the warehouse without a shirt? In case you missed it, they ripped mine and you don’t seem to be wearing one.”

  Ramirez came closer, pulling off his jacket, then unbuttoning his shirt. The last thing I wanted was to take anything from this man, but it was just a shirt.

  “Permit me,” he said, handing the garment to me. “It’s the least I can do after those idiots treated you so poorly. They will be dealt with. I know your Ashes wanted to handle it, but I can assure you they will suffer much more at my hands. Take your Nikki home. You may use the car parked outside. The other two won’t be needing it anymore.”

  “And my brothers?” Ashes asked.

  “They may go as well. The others will remain here until I hear back from their clubs.”

  I hesitated, not wanting to leave anyone behind, but Ashes swung me up into his arms and carried me out of the warehouse. I locked my gaze on the men still held captive, and
my heart hurt for them. Would they survive this ordeal? Or would this be the last time anyone saw them alive? It was wrong, so wrong to leave them.

  For the sake of any loved ones missing them, I hoped they made it out of that warehouse. And I hoped this taught a lesson to every damn club out there. They weren’t invincible, and it wasn’t okay to leave a man behind. I wasn’t even a patched member, and I knew that.

  Epilogue

  Ashes

  Seeing Nikki walk into that warehouse had been the scariest moment of my life. I’d already heard Cinder refuse to give Ramirez what he wanted, and I didn’t think he’d change his mind just to save my woman. Then she’d surprised the shit out of me and stood up for me and every man in that warehouse, demanded that Cinder do the right thing. I was both proud of her, and pissed as fuck.

  But now that we were back home and standing in front of the Pres and VP, I was back to scared. I had no idea what Cinder would do to Nikki. I didn’t think he’d do anything to physically hurt her, but she’d suffered enough emotional trauma already. She was stronger than anyone realized, even me, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t break if the right pressure was applied.

  “She didn’t mean to undermine your authority, Pres,” I said, hoping to smooth things over. “Nik was just trying to save me and the others. She said what she did because she loves me.”

  Scratch snorted. “Your woman has brass balls, Ashes. Hell, hers might be bigger than yours.”

  I wanted to flip him off, but I refrained. Barely.

  “I’m not going to do anything to Nikki, so relax. She’s not only your ol’ lady, the mother of the future generation, but she’s also the sister of an officer. No one knows what she said, or my response, except the people in this room and the other two Devil’s Boneyard members who were in that warehouse. Ripper and Magnus both think she walks on water right now and won’t say a damn thing about the incident. Since she stood up for the men from the other clubs, I don’t see them saying a word about it either.” Cinder leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking. “Ripper and Magnus already gave me their version of what happened. Now I want to hear it from you.”