Bas looked down at the screen and almost cursed out loud. Link was calling him. That meant things were about to get a whole lot worse.
“Link, what’s going on?”
“Dude, you need to get back here. Pixie took off.”
Before Link even had a chance to finish his sentence, Bas cut him off and started running for the SUV, jumped into the vehicle, and started the engine. He wanted to drive out of there like a bat out of hell, but he needed information.
“What the fuck do you mean she took off? I left her in your care. How hard can it possibly fucking be to keep an eye on one little woman?”
“Chill, asshole, and let me finish. Pixie is ours, I already told you that, and we have her back. I don’t know what kind of weird ass shit you two have going on, but she is Club, and we take care of our own. All you need to know is that she’s safe. The problem is your target, Shelby, is dead.”
“What? How the fuck! Weren’t your boys watching her? What the hell happened?” Bas questioned as he put the SUV into drive and headed out of the field. He wasn’t going to answer Link’s comment about Pixie and him. Shit, he didn’t even know how to respond to the comment. He just knew he needed to get back and make sure she was safe.
“Yeah, we don’t have all the details. Pix is kind of out of it, but when my guys got to the apartment, Pix was being held by some dude. Snipe took him out with that gun you left, and he went down like a box of rocks. We have him out in the shed waiting for you. Tuck threw Pix in a car and got her the hell out of there. She’s at the clubhouse now. Tuck called Church, and he wants you here ASAP.”
“Listen, man, are there any more darts in that gun?” Bas asked.
“Yeah, it’s loaded, but I’m not going to open up the fucker and count how many are left. One dart took out each of those guys, yours and the new one, in seconds. I’ve never seen a drug work that fast. I don’t know what you’re into, but damn it, Bas, I don’t want to be involved. You need to get your ass back here, pronto!”.
Bas slammed his hand against the steering wheel. This whole situation was worse than FUBAR. He couldn’t explain anything more to Link or the RBMC, and he didn’t have any back-up. Carter's crew was an hour away, and so were Cash and Ryleigh. Jacks and the rest of the Team were still hours away in the Upper Peninsula.
“I get it, and I’m on my way. I’ll call Senior and try to work out another transport for the new prisoner.” Bas knew there was more because of the way Link was acting. Something told him that he wasn’t going to like the next words that came out of his brother’s mouth. “Tell me the rest of what I need to know.”
“Fuck man, when Snipe and Dagger went in to check on the girl, there was a big-assed snake in there. I’m not talking average big either, but like radioactive fallout big. I’ve been to the jungle, and I’ve seen anacondas, but this fucker made them look like babies. We don’t do snakes, bro. It’s coiled right next to the dead girl like its guarding her or something. Tuck told me to call you. We have the scene secured, but you’re going to have to call someone in to deal with the snake and take care of the chick. This shit needs to go away and fast. We can’t have this coming back on the club.”
Bas’ mind was reeling. A fucking snake, he thought. Could it be another unknown Shifter or a pet? It didn’t sound like any pet he’d ever heard of, so that meant Shifter. He didn’t have the manpower or the time to deal with this shit.
“Understood. I’m on my way back now. I’ll make some calls and get someone here to address the scene and the snake. You need to tell your men to stand back and not to attempt to contain the snake in any way. Tell them just to watch and wait.”
“Fuck man, I don’t know what all you’re into, and I’m not even going to ask. Just get your ass back here.”
“On my way.”
Bas hung up and smacked the steering wheel a couple of more times. His frustration with the whole situation was out of control. His beast was clawing at him to get back to Pixie, but his duty and human side were pleading with him to contain the situation, to do his fucking job. He only had one option. Picking up the phone, he called Senior. Senior didn’t answer this time, so he called Jacks. Jacks answered the phone with one word, “Go”. Bas hadn’t been expecting more because Jacks knew if he was calling, there were problems. Bas didn’t bother with pleasantries either.
“The situation down here is fucked,” Bas replied. “I had Cole from Delta pick up an unknown Shifter. The asshole attacked our person of interest’s cousin in public. He also had a tranquilizer gun. Fuck man, one dart put the guy out in seconds, acting a lot like the shit Pandora is using.” Bas didn’t give Jacks a chance to respond. He heard a grunt like he was going to say something, but Bas continued talking.
“Our person of interest is also DOA as of about twenty minutes ago. The RBMC has contained the scene. They have also informed me there is a big assed snake waiting in the room with the deceased girl. They also downed another guy with the same tranquilizer gun I left with them. From the sounds of it, I may be dealing with two more unknown Shifters.”
“Damn, what do you need?” Jacks asked.
“I don’t know. I tried calling Senior for another pickup and got no response. Cole just left and not knowing how long those tranquilizers last, I can’t ask him to turn around and wait for the guy, let alone the possible snake. I think we might have stumbled upon The Association’s handy work. But shit, man, it could be Pandora or even Davis too.”
“I need transport and a containment team, and I need them like twenty minutes ago. I’m on my way back to the RBMC’s clubhouse to question and secure the cousin. Tuck has also called me to Church. I can’t tell them anything, but I can’t ignore the request either. We’re putting targets on their backs by having them this much involved. I won’t do that to my brothers.”
“I get you. Let me make some calls, and I’ll get you what you need. But fuck, it’s going to take some time to arrange.”
“Understood, but shit, Jacks, make it quick. There’s more going on here, I can feel it in my bones.”
“Roger that, I’ll be in contact.”
Bas hung up the call and put his foot pedal to the metal. He needed to get back to the RBMC to deal with shit, but first, he needed to lay eyes on Pixie and make sure she was honestly okay. He didn’t doubt his brother, but they had already fucked up once. She was important; he knew it.
Chapter 12
Sky was now sitting in the RBMC clubhouse. Tuck had ushered her in, sat her down, and pointed at her, saying, “Stay.” Normally, she would have been offended, but after what had happened, she couldn’t find the strength to get back up. She had screwed up royally. The events which had gone down were weighing on her, but by the same token made her numb. Shelby was gone, and Sky felt incredibly guilty. Sure, it might be misplaced guilt, but it was guilt just the same. She wasn’t fast enough to save her wayward cousin. She hadn’t kept her promise to her aunt and uncle and kept her safe. Those were her burdens to bear.
Shelby, on the other hand, had offered Sky up on a silver platter to those men, even begging them to take Sky, so she could get away. Shelby did this not knowing or caring what they had planned for Sky. Shit, maybe she did know, Sky had no clue. The betrayal Sky should feel at this moment wasn’t there because Shelby had never done anything that didn’t benefit herself. Unfortunately for Shelby, she wouldn’t have to worry about any of that anymore. Shelby wouldn’t learn any life lessons and become a better person. She would no longer have that chance, she was dead.
Damn, Shelby was gone. Sky had hoped and prayed for a day when she wouldn’t be her responsibility anymore, but never had she wished for anything like this. That man, or whatever he was, snuffed out her life as if it were nothing. He stepped over her dead body like what he’d done wasn’t a big deal as if Shelby's life was inconsequential. One minute, Shelby was breathing, and the next, she was slumped on the floor, eyes fixed and staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Sky didn’t even know how to react to that.
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br /> That man’s words bothered her; his actions upset her, but his words concerned her even more. They had triggered images from her past. Things she remembered from her childhood with her parents. Seeing Sebastian’s reaction in the bar brought forth suppressed memories, but that man, the snake, brought the memories forward like a freight train running without a driver straight on a collision course to death and misery. She remembered seeing those bright glowing eyes and that puffed-up body. Seeing hair that magically appeared and nails and teeth that sharpened and lengthened within seconds.
She remembered those things because her father did those things when she was younger. The problem was, she was so young at the time that over the years Sky had dismissed them, thinking she had an overactive imagination. She’d only been five when her parents died, and their passing had caused a lot of upheaval in her life.
Sky remember telling her aunt that her dad could change and about his eyes. Her aunt had laughed it off, saying Sky was making things up. She could even remember trying to talk to her uncle about it, but he just patted her on the head.
“Skylar, sometimes we think we see things that aren’t really there. It was probably a dream. Or like when a person goes fishing and says that the fish they caught is ten times bigger than it was. Your dad was my brother, and I never once saw him change into anything other than what he was.”
Then there was Shelby. She downright mocked her for what she was saying, often telling her that her parents weren’t anything special because if they had been special, they wouldn't be dead. After a while, Sky stopped talking about it. Her parents were weird hippies, free and wild. They choose to live off the grid. At least that’s what she had been told. Sky never put much thought into any of it until now. Sure, she missed them, but she was so young when they died that her reality became something different. Through the years, she dismissed the things she remembered as fantasy, a way to escape her life. Kind of like an abandoned child’s dream that one day their birth parents will come back and be billionaires, taking them away and loving them like no one ever has. When reality hit her in the face after her aunt died and she had to take over for her uncle, Sky ultimately left the fantasies and memories behind.
Her aunt and uncle were semi-normal people. They went to work, kept a home, and cared for their child. People say you adapt to your surroundings, and Sky had adapted. She found solace in working with her uncle because it was the only time he seemed to have any interest in her. Being so deprived of attention, Sky ate it up. Now it seems she may have adapted too well and forgotten everything she’d been taught, things she really needed to remember now.
Sky wanted to yell, scream, cry, and tell Tuck and the rest of the Ruthless Bastards what she had witnessed, but knew that was the wrong move to make right now. Shit, who would believe her anyway? Her own family dismissed what she saw years ago, and she couldn’t stand the thought of that happening again. This time she knew what she saw. It wasn’t a fantasy or an illusion, and Sky was pretty sure there was only one man who could answer her questions and confirm what she saw without thinking she was some crazy person.
So, she sat and waited. Tuck had told her that he was coming back. Tuck was so mad at her right now, and she deserved every minute of his fury. She had acted like a bimbo from a B-flick movie and ran right out there without a second thought. How could she have been so stupid?
Sky was trying to force her brain to work and remember the things her parents had said to her or had done. She tried focusing her mind on what her mom looked like to bring the memories forward. She was a small woman like Sky, but she had the most beautiful and loving eyes. They were a shade of blue that almost looked purple, and every time her Dad walked into the room, those same eyes would light up and sparkle. Sky remembered her parents were really affectionate with her and each other. Often hugging, kissing, and playing around. They were happy, all of them.
Her mom would often play records and dance and sing along with them, taking Sky’s hands and encouraging her to do the same. They would spend hours dancing and laughing around the small cottage. She hadn’t thought of those things for so long. Sky could feel her lips turn up at the memory. Those were some of her most cherished moments. Why had it taken her so long to think of them?
At night, her parents would put her to bed and tell her stories. She could still remember the smell of her mother’s perfume, a sweet floral scent, as she laid and cuddled in her arms. The comfort and security she had felt as a child, Sky had never felt that way since until a little while ago with Sebastian. What was up with that?
So, caught up in the feelings the memories were creating, Sky shocked herself when she heard, clear as day, the words her mother often spoke to her in her head.
“Baby girl, this world holds many things, some you will understand and others you won’t. Watch for the signs your Daddy has shown you and run if you ever see them. Don’t let them get you. You’re a prize they can never have. You can never let the men who do those things get you.”
Shocked, Sky took a deep breath. Dammit, how could she have forgotten those words and what did they mean? She was starting to get a picture now, but was it all too late. Those men seemed to have found her, but why? Why did her mother tell her to run and had they been running all that time? Was the snake man the reason? Thinking about that time, there were other things that didn’t make sense. Her parents weren’t the typical homesteaders, wanting to live off the land. Her mom was more cultured than a free-spirited hippie.
Then there was her Dad. He was a big man, but kind. He would leave for extended periods of time only to come back like he’d never been gone in the first place. Sky was too young to realize that was odd. He also ‘trained’ her by taking her out into the woods to play hide and seek. Only she wasn’t the one who got to hide. She would wander around, looking for him, and he would jump out of nowhere and grab her up, always saying, “Baby girl, you need to listen, hear, and see what is around you. Don’t ever let anyone sneak up on you.” He would then teach her how to be still and take in all that was around her.
He would also show her things like how his eyes could change. One minute they would be normal, and the next, they would glow. As a child, she thought it was funny, but when she would laugh her dad would correct her. “No Skylar, if you see another man’s eyes do this you have to run.” So, Sky did, every time, holding back her little girl giggles, but still thinking it was a great game.
More and more suppressed memories began to flow into her thoughts. One thing kept hitting her brain. Her aunt and uncle had told her her parents had died in a car accident. But how did that happen when they never went anywhere without her? How was she kept safe and her parents died? She didn’t remember a car accident or her parents ever leaving her alone or with anyone else. The only thing she did remember was her uncle picking her up at the airport and telling her she was coming to live with him and that her parents were gone. Who put her on the plane? That part was a blank in her mind.
So many questions and no answers. Sky needed those answers. Looking down at her inner wrist, Sky rubbed her birthmark with her finger. That snake man had looked at it as if to verify something. Sky never paid much attention to the mark, after all, she’d had it since birth. It was small, maybe the size of a penny, but it was unusual. It consisted of three rings all interlinked in a triangular shape. Her birthmark always reminded her of a Celtic knot, and she often got asked if it was a tattoo and what it meant. She never had a good answer for the people who asked, so she would blow it off, saying she was born with it with a shrug of her shoulders. Now she wondered if the birthmark had a deeper meaning. Damn, what had she gotten into now?
Her contact with Sebastian had changed it somehow, first turning it a cherry red, and now it was raised and a little darker than normal, but not red anymore. She was also feeling things that she couldn’t explain, intense frustration and confusion, but the feelings weren’t exactly her own. It was like she was channeling someone else’s thoughts and emotions. S
ure, she was confused, scared, and in shock by all that had happened, but these thoughts and feelings were different.
Shit, if her brain wasn’t so numb right now, Sky would think she truly was going nuts. Nothing made sense anymore. People were after her, Shelby was dead, and a guy she had never met before seemed to have buried himself deep within her soul, making her react in ways she’d never done before. It was almost like a live wire was connecting them in some way. She needed him when she hadn’t needed anyone else in a very long time. Then there were the memories of her parents and her life before. What the hell was going on?
Sitting idle wasn’t something Sky ever did. She was always active—working, drawing, or figuring out her next move. Daydreaming about a man she didn’t even know wasn’t getting her anywhere, and until he got back, she couldn’t get any of the answers she needed. She had lived her life by facing whatever was in front of her, and this time wasn’t going to be any different. She could still hope, feel, and dream, but those things often let her down. What she really needed right now were facts and actions. She needed to pull up her big girl panties and do something, anything.
Tuck and the rest of the guys from the MC took off to their meeting room, the place they held Church. Sky knew from her experience with MCs that the room was scared, no non-members or women were ever allowed to enter. That was where the MC made their decisions about the Club and anything else that had to do with the Club. Those meetings could make or break a person, and Sky hoped she wasn’t on the chopping block. She wasn’t going to be broken by what they decided, no matter what that happened to be. She had put the MC in jeopardy by bringing Shelby with her in the first place and now, having caused one of the members to kill another person.
Looking at the room, Sky was pretty surprised how filthy the place really was. Bottles and cups littered every surface and her shoes stuck to the floor. She didn’t even want to sit on the furniture, not knowing what could be on them, but Tuck had demanded she sit, so that’s exactly what she was doing. She knew better than to push her luck further today. She was in enough trouble as it was.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 93
