But instead of calming her, my words seem to make her more agitated, she lets go of me completely, and her shoulders slump in defeat. And just when I’m about to ask her what’s wrong, she wails, “That’s what he said.”
“You, what?” Dart and I say virtually the same thing at the same time. I’d like to hope she just meant they’d have too much respect for her, but something in her tone makes me believe she meant it an entirely different way.
She shrugs, and the way she shrinks back into herself is almost like watching her will to live seep out of her as she explains with a catch in her voice, “He said no one would go near a cripple like me. So I suppose I have to believe you.”
My anger, which had been replaced by sympathy for the woman in my arms, returns with a vengeance, and the thoughts which had been plaguing me all night come rushing to the fore, making my words come out unfiltered, “He’s a fuckin’ liar, babe. He’s twisted and doesn’t know what he’s fuckin’ talkin’ about. I want you, Christ, how I want you.”
I ignore the whistling sound Dart makes behind me as myriad of emotions flick over her face at my admission. Hope, disbelief, fear. I hurry to reassure her, “But the one difference with me, babe, is that I’d want to be fuckin’ sure you wanted me too. I would never force you. But whatever happens, I’ll protect you, you feel me? I’m gonna fuckin’ be here for you babe. Whether you want me or not. But I won’t touch you without you sayin’ yes.”
She looks at me as though she can’t believe me, her brow furrows. My declaration has given her something to process, so gently I pull her to me and brush my lips over her hair, hoping to convey my sincerity with actions, not words. She sobs once again, reminding me she’s sore and in pain. I ask where she keeps the Tramadol, then open the bedside table and take the box out. I know you’re probably not supposed to drink with the medication, but I’m hoping it will ease her pains and if it makes her sleepy, that’s what she needs tonight. Still bemused and uncertain by my admission of my desire, she washes it down with vodka. Another possibly not so good idea.
“I’ll be off now, man. Unless there’s anythin’ else you want?” A shuffling of feet lets me know Dart’s taking his leave, and I turn to nod at him, seeing him pause by the door, “Wraith, what you said here. I ain’t gonna tell anyone, okay?”
Thanking him, Drum would have my ass if he knew; I turn my attention back to Wheels. “I’m stayin’ with you, tonight. I’ll take that chair over there, but I’m not leavin’ this room, okay? Now, settle down and close your eyes, you’ll be safe, I said I’ll protect you.” As my voice murmurs on, she shuffles down the bed and rests against the pillow I recovered from the floor. Her eyes close, and then flick open again and she looks round the room, her pupils wide and staring.
“It’s alright, babe. I’m here. I’m gonna switch off the main light, and then go sit on the chair.”
But before I can move, she grasps me, “Stay, here. Hold me. Please.”
I don’t need much encouragement, the thought of how far Buster might have gone, even killing her to cover his tracks as he must have known what the penalty for her rape would have been, is devastating. I could have lost her before I even had her. With a shudder I get to my feet and darken the room, but leave on the bedside light. My heart’s beating so fast just imagining what could have happened had I not got here in time, and my teeth clench together as I think about the morning to come and what I’ll have to do. Lying down beside her I gather her into my arms, smoothing my hand down her back until her breathing slows.
She wakes once more during the night, with a heart rending cry, but I pull her closer and gently kiss her hair, her eyes, and cheek on the unharmed side of her face until she drifts off to sleep again.
We’re woken to voices outside. As I go to leave the bed, wanting to open the door and check who’s there, she pulls at my tee, holding me back. Her eyes look at me warily in consternation, “Wraith, what you said last night. I know you didn’t mean it. It’s alright; I know you just said it to make me feel better.”
Leaning over, I place a chaste kiss to her forehead. That she’s having difficulty believing me makes me want to smile, there’s hard evidence of it if she cared to look, but I keep my amusement from my face. My face as serious as I can make it, I try to impart my sincerity, “I meant every word,” I tell her, “Every fuckin’ word. And whatever happens, or you want to take this further or not, well, darlin’ that’s completely up to you. But never doubt exactly how I feel. And exactly how much I fuckin’ want you.”
She lets me go, her brow creasing as she considers my words.
Opening the door I find quite a crowd waiting outside. Sandy and Carmen have covered dishes on a tray, and Blade, our enforcer is standing behind with a jug of coffee and mugs. Behind him is Dollar. I wave them all in. She gives Blade a wary look, and one look at his reddened face wearing a deep scowl, rage rolling off him in waves, tells me why. I remember Peg explaining how he got his name. With Blade, it’s all true, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find Buster at the mercy of some of his handiwork later.
The women bustle in and take over, helping Wheels to sit up, fussing over her, helping her to sit and putting the tray of bacon, eggs and waffles on her lap. The first thing she goes for is the coffee, almost seeming to inhale it and when Sandy offers one to me, I take it without hesitation and do the same.
Blade takes me to one side, “Emergency church at ten,” he tells me quietly. Checking my phone I see it’s just gone nine now. “I’ve brought the prospects with me. They’ll stay with Wheels until you’re out.”
I’m glad he thought of that.
“You okay, darlin’?” Looking up I see Bullet staring at her carefully, and the thought flits through my mind that I don’t like him doing that. He catches sight of my eyes narrowing, but waits until she nods, then after a moment’s further consideration he turns away and joins Blade and myself.
“I s’pect I know what you want, Wraith, I’ll be votin’ that way myself. Fuckin’ motherfuckin’ coward going after a defenceless woman.” I lift my chin in thanks at Bullet.
“I’m with you, man. He’s sick.” Blade’s not wrong in my opinion.
After slapping my back, both men leave. I watch her with the women for a second seeing how strained her face is, as though having to keep up the pretence that’s she not suffering any after effects of her ordeal is draining. I decide to rescue her, and wheel her chair across to her and pick up her crutches and prosthesis to give her a feeling of independence, as well as a gentle hint to the girls.
“You ladies wanna give her some space now? To get dressed and that?”
Sandy creases her brow and her mouth purses, it looks like she wants to stay, but Wheels lays her hand on her arm, “Thank you for coming to see me, but I’d like to put this behind me. Once I’m dressed I’ll come down to the club room to find you.”
So, picking up the tray―the food on which I notice has hardly been touched―Sandy and Carmen leave us alone.
Making my way to the bed, I sit down, bringing myself once again to her level, believing she’ll find it less intimidating. I study her for a second, she looks tired and drawn, and the smile she’d managed to summon up for the girls has disappeared. I’d do anything to put that smile back.
After a moment I explain what’s going to happen, “I’ve got to go to a meetin’ for a while. It shouldn’t be too long. The prospects are outside and they’re not gonna let anyone in, without checkin’ with you first, until I get back. That okay with you, babe?”
“Which ones?”
“Hank and Spider.”
A little smile, “I like Hank.”
I do, too. The jury’s still out on Spider. He can be a lazy fucker.
Another moment of consideration, and then she says bravely, “Okay. But, Wraith, you won’t be too long, will you?”
I shake my head, “I’ll be as quick as I can be. You get showered and dressed, and I’ll be back before you know it. If you feel up to it
, the prospects will take you down to the clubhouse. The ol’ ladies will be there to keep you company.”
She nods, but slowly. I’m reluctant to leave her, but there are things that need to be done. After placing a gentle kiss to her forehead, I leave her, go back to my room, change, and freshen myself up. Slipping back into my cut sporting the patch I’m so proud to wear but that was so sullied last night; I make my way through the club room, and into church.
Chapter 11
Wraith
Not everyone is here yet; I’m a little early, but Drummer’s is sitting waiting at the head of the table. And someone has already filled him in on all the events of last night. Drummer might go through women like a knife through butter but would never take anyone but a willing partner. And that goes for the rest of us.
“Lucky you were passin’,” he tells me, his face as dark as I’ve ever seen it. “Bastard wouldn’t have stopped.”
Suppressing a shudder, I don’t even want to think what would have happened if I hadn’t been there, or if I’d left it later to leave the bar. I suppose I should thank Chrissy for chasing me out when she did. Not that I’m going to, but if she hadn’t have come on so strong, and I hadn’t wanted to get away, well, I agree with Drum, Buster would have raped her. And maybe wouldn’t have stopped there.
“I’ll get a prospect on her until Horse gets back. Give her some kind of fuckin’ comfort. She must think we’re a load of animals.”
“No need for that. I’ll be with her.” The words come out before I can censor them.
His eyes narrow, “Like that, is it?”
I shrug, trying to recover some ground. Drum hasn’t rescinded his instruction that none of us should touch her. “I don’t like a guest of ours being put in that position. I think we owe it to her to show we’re takin’ this seriously.”
“It’s serious, brother,” he assures me, “Very serious. And there’s gonna be serious fuckin’ consequences too.”
During our short conversation the seats around the table have been filled, except for the one, of course. Friday is usually the day for church, and we’ll still be holding our regular meeting later. But all members have made themselves available for this special meeting after getting the call. This morning there’s just the one important item on the agenda; what to do about Buster. The only missing member.
Drummer bangs the gavel and gets attention on him. “Right, the way gossip spreads around this place like wildfire I think we all know why we’re here. Before we go through the options, I want to let you know what the bugger Snake had to say when I had words with him earlier.”
I sit up, my interest caught. Snake is the President of the San Diego Chapter, where Buster had transferred in from.
“Seems like he hadn’t been exactly straight with us. The patch over request came from Buster himself, but if he hadn’t had jumped, he would have been pushed. And quite possibly had his fuckin’ patch taken away.”
“He cause trouble down there?” This from Slick.
“Too fuckin’ right. Apparently, the club whores had complained about him. Seems he was inclined to be rough.”
Now that’s something; those girls take a lot from brothers who can get pretty rowdy at times, for them to complain suggests he’d been particularly brutal with them.
“Snake wasn’t surprised by what I told him, and I have his go-ahead to do whatever we think we should. Not that I need it of course.” No, as Drummer is President of the mother charter he outranks Snake. “Now, anyone got anythin’ to say?”
Rock lifts his hand, the one not twirling his gun around on the table, “He’s been showing outright disrespect for the VP and other officers, Drum. As well as to the girl. His fuckin’ attitude is off. Last night was fuckin’ despicable, but this would have come to the table eventually in any event.”
“And he’s been disrespectin’ the fuckin’ club too. He missed the church a few times with no fuckin’ excuse. Before we go on, anyone want to say anythin’ in our brother’s defence?” As Drummer’s eyes flick around the table, no one stirs.
“VP, you witnessed the incident, what’s your proposal?”
Before I can speak Dart puts his hand in the air, “You might all want to see these.” He throws copies of the photos he’d taken last night of Wheels’ face, and the bite marks clearly visible on the top of her breasts. “Luckily Wraith stopped him before he went any further.” As the pictures do the rounds, various miens of disgust appear on my brothers’ faces.
I tap my fingers on the table, I know what I want, and hope my brothers will support me. “I want his patch, Drum.” As Drummer goes to speak, I hold up my hand; I haven’t finished yet, “And I’m sick of breathin’ the same fuckin’ air as that sadistic bastard. I want him dead.”
There was an audible intake of breath from around me. I couldn’t put it any plainer than that. Mutterings started but were quickly brought to a halt when Drummer slammed his meaty fist down. “Okay, then, there are two motions on the table. First, we vote on takin’ his patch.”
He starts with me, a definite ‘Aye’ purely for form’s sake, everyone knows the way I’ll be voting, and continues around. There was no dissension.
“Right, Buster, the man we used to call brother is out, and out bad.” That, at the very least, would mean the large Satan’s Devils tattoo on his back would be burned off. Drum pauses for a moment as Heart records the result of the serious vote in the club’s record book.
The prez wipes his hand over his face, and then says in his most solemn tone, “Second motion, that we send him on his way to Satan.”
I could hardly get the word ‘Aye’ out of my mouth fast enough, but for such a decision with such grave repercussions, it doesn’t surprise me this time the vote takes a little longer, and can’t help but be relieved as one after the other of my brothers gives the same vote as me. It comes back around to Drummer, who, with a glance in my direction, gives a resounding ‘Aye’.
As Heart scribbles again, Drum nods slowly, “Right, we’re all in agreement. VP, you, Blade and Peg will take the lead. Any other brother wantin’ to help Buster on his one way fuckin’ trip to Satan feel free to join them. I want this sorted by church this evenin’. As the VP so eloquently fuckin’ put it, it offends me to be breathin’ the same fuckin’ air as that bastard.”
With a final bang of the gravel, church is dismissed.
I’m warmed how many of the brothers follow Peg, Blade and me as we make our way to the place with the innocent misnomer of storage room. As I glance behind I see faces flushed with rage, a couple of brothers have their arms moving to and fro in practice swings and others have fists clenched by their sides. Slick is thumping one hand against the other. The man waiting for us was in for a great deal of hurt. His exit from this life isn’t going to be easy. Uh uh.
Deferring to their VP, it’s me who opens the door and flips on the lights. He’d been left hanging by his arms from the rafters in the dark―why waste electricity on a man who’d everyone expects soon to breathe his final breath?
Stepping inside it becomes clear that whoever had strung him up had already got a few licks in. Buster is dangling shirtless, and there were nasty bruises across his chest which I hope are hurting.
As we enter, he lifts his head, and any hope he might have had evaporates at the expressions on our faces. But he tries, “Aw, fuck, come on brothers. You don’t wanna do this.”
I step in front of him, bouncing on my feet, hardly able to contain my rage. Did he really think we’d give him a pat on his motherfuckin’ back? “We don’t need fuckin’ brothers like you, Buster.”
He spits on the ground, “All this about a fuckin’ bitch?”
Heart, his affable personality absent for once, comes up alongside me, “We care about our fuckin’ women, you motherfucker.”
“I’m gonna lose my fuckin’ patch over this? Jeez. Bros over hos, guys.” He shakes his head as though he can’t believe it.
He doesn’t seem to have a clue how
badly he’s fucked up, but one look at my tight features gives him the answer.
I want to get back to Wheels and don’t want to string this out, “Blade, get the blow torch and the rum.” We keep a bottle of 100% proof rum here for just this purpose. Luckily we rarely have occasion to use it.
The fire in Buster’s eyes slowly died, as his pupils dilate in horror, “Hey, I’ll get the ink blacked out. No need for this. Hey, come on, guys, you don’t want to do this. Snake will vouch for me.”
“Snake thinks the same as us, that you’re a fuckin’ animal which needs to be put down.” I nod to Blade, knowing as our enforcer he’ll know what to do, and I see no need for any delay.
Blade passes the bottle to Peg, who begins making sure Buster’s back is covered in the flammable liquid, while Blade gets the blow torch going. Without giving the hanging man a chance for any more filth to come out of his mouth, he touches the flame to his back. Now the air is filled with the sounds of screaming and the odour of burning skin as the full back patch tattoo is burned off. The smell makes me want to gag, but I stand stoically until the flames have died away.
Buster’s conscious, but in a whole lot of pain, and he’s about to take a lot more. Moving off to the side I take the baseball bat that’s conveniently sitting there and take the first hit, smashing into one knee cap and then the other. He’s now holding his full weight on his arms, tears of pain flooding down his face. His eyes search out mine, and I give a crooked smile, knowing that now he realises we’re not just taking his patch, he’s a dead man.
Buster spits blood, then in a gurgling voice gasps, “She’s just a fuckin’ crippled whore…”
Slick gives him no time to spout any more poison. Taking the bat from me, he chooses the ribs. One by one my brothers step up until Buster’s nothing more than a dangling mess of broken bones. He’s flitting in and out of consciousness.
I hold up my hand; there’s no point continuing, more pain probably wouldn’t even register, and I’m anxious to get back to check on Wheels. I jerk my head towards Blade, and he nods back. Getting out his namesake from his belt he swipes his finger along the side as though checking how sharp it is, it will be like a razor; he keeps it that way. Now he steps forwards and starts carving over the would-be rapist’s torso. He’s quite artistic is Blade, so I give him the time he needs and enjoy the last few screams which turn to whimpers as the blood pours out, and then there’s silence. Blade cocks his head towards me, and I give him a quick jerk of my chin back. He knows what has to be done, and ends it by slicing the blade across Buster’s throat.
Turning Wheels (Satan's Devils MC #1): A Blood Brothers Spin off Page 15
