Chase (Savage Kings MC Book 1)

by Lane Hart

  This is what the MC is about. Some people think that these guys are nothing but outlaws, broken men with criminal backgrounds who break the law for sport. The other half is made up of military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, unable to fit in with the regular world after their return from war, so they decide to make their own rules. But really, the Savage Kings MC is about a loyal brotherhood made up of men on the outskirts of society who support each other through the good times and the bad.

  And I know as I look at their united group that one thing is clear – whoever hurts one member, hurts them all. They’ll find the gunman, and then there will be bloodshed. While I may not agree with their methods, I can agree that someone needs to inflict justice for such an awful crime.

  I just hope that Chase doesn’t end up getting himself killed or arrested.

  Things are going to get bad until the MC enacts their revenge. People will get hurt, some may die. Even knowing all of that, I couldn’t leave Chase now, not after all the time apart and how amazing it feels to be with him again. Through whatever may come, I’ll be here, by his side when he needs me.

  Hopefully, that won’t be seeing him behind bars or in the morgue.

  Chase stands up and breaks free from the group of men first. He wipes his face on the hem of his shirt before he turns around and faces me.

  I meet him halfway, wrapping my arms around his neck as he squeezes me to him tightly.

  “I’m so sorry, baby,” I whisper, unable to figure out the right words to make things better. There aren’t any; I don’t think. So I just hold him until he pulls away.

  “I’m, um, I’m gonna talk to the doctors,” he says. “See if they’ll let Torin go back and see her.”

  “Okay,” I agree. “Do you need me to do anything?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “I need to call my dad before he hears about it on television. I’ll go outside and do that; then I’ll find a nurse or doctor.”

  “Let me try to do that part. I’ll find someone who can let Torin go back and wait for you to return,” I say. “But don’t go outside. There are still news vans and all out there.”

  “Oh, yeah, you’re right. I didn’t think about that,” Chase says as he presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. “This is just so…I don’t even know what to say…”

  “I know,” I agree, giving him another hug around his waist. “I’m here, whatever you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”

  With a nod, I walk with him to the information desk. Chase goes down the hall a little further to an empty corridor to pull out his phone.

  “Excuse me,” I say to the woman behind the counter. “Mr. Fury just received the news that his wife and newborn son passed away. Could you please find out if he can go back to see them? His brother is right there down the hall and would like to take him,” I explain as I point out Chase.

  “Oh, of, course. I’m so sorry for your loss,” she says, looking behind me to the group of men in leather still huddled around each other. “Let me make a few calls, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”

  “Great, thank you,” I tell her before I start down the hallway toward Chase. I have a feeling that he’ll need a little support during this conversation.

  “Torin and I are fine,” he tells his father. “But, um, listen, Kennedy was the one who got hurt.”

  Placing my hand on the center of Chase’s cut, I rub his back as he tries to find the words. “She…she didn’t make it, Dad. The baby didn’t either.”

  I can’t imagine how hard it is for Chase to be the one to have to deliver that horrible news to his father.

  “I know, I know,” he says with a sniffle in response to whatever his father says. “How do you think he is? We need you here. Yeah, we’re at the hospital. Okay. Love you, too. Bye.”

  Ending the call, Chase says, “They’re on the way.”

  “Good,” I say when I lay my head on his back. I know he probably doesn’t like me seeing him cry.

  “Fuck,” he mutters as he bows his head and covers it with his hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard my father cry before today.”

  “Everyone is hurting,” I explain. “There’s not much worse that can happen to anyone.”

  “Yeah,” he agrees. Taking a few deep breaths, Chase turns around and pulls me into his side and places a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’d be lost without you to keep me standing when it feels like the ground under my feet is all crumbling apart.”

  “We’ll get through this,” I tell him. “One small step at a time.”

  He must nod, because I feel his chin move against my head before it returns.

  “They’re working on getting Torin back there to see her,” I say.

  “God fucking help us,” he mutters.

  …

  Chase

  “Mr. Fury? We can take you back now,” a nurse in green scrubs says when she comes out into the lobby.

  “War?” I ask, tilting my chin toward the nurse because I want him to help me get Torin back there. This isn’t gonna be pretty, and hell, it’ll probably be even worse than getting the news, but my brother needs this, to see her and say goodbye. I know he does, even though I wish we could be anywhere else right now.

  War gives a nod of understanding and then, one of us on each side, pull my brother to his feet.

  “Wh-what are you doing? Where are we…where we going?” Torin asks as we start guiding him down the hallway.

  “Don’t you want to see her?” I ask.

  “No,” he answers, and then, “Yes, but I don’t know if I can yet.”

  His voice breaks on the last word, and it’s like a goddamn chainsaw cuts off my knees. I power through because my brother needs me right now. I’ve got to be the strong one today, holding him up and helping him get through this shit. That’s what he would do for me.

  “We’ve got you,” I tell him, looking over his slumped body to War. It takes him a few moments to visually swallow down his emotions. He’s the only one of us who has a kid and a former old lady, so I’m guessing that this is all hitting pretty close to home today.

  “We’re here for you, brother,” War says to Torin. “Every step of the way, every second of the day. Don’t doubt that for an instant, no matter how bad things get.”

  With a nod, Torin continues to follow the nurse down the hallway, needing only a little bit of support from War and me when he stumbles. Rather than having too much to drink, he’s had too much goddamn heartbreak today to put one boot in front of the other.

  Slowly, though, we make it to our destination – also known as hell on Earth.

  I go in first and see Kennedy lying on the bed, so peaceful that it looks like she could just be sleeping, except that her face is pale and her lips are a little blue. Then, I spot the bassinet, and it’s too fucking much.

  Strong. I have to be strong. Because a second after me, Torin walks in and sucks in a deep breath.

  “Oh, God,” he whispers as he goes over to Kennedy. He lifts her head and cradles it to his chest as he bawls on her. “What did they do to you, baby? What did they do?” he cries.

  War rests his hand on my shoulder when I start to move forward. “Give him some time,” he says. “He needs to say goodbye. We’ll be here when he’s ready.”

  Nodding in agreement, I let him turn me around to step back into the hallway where he pulls the door closed.

  With my back pressed against the wall, I slide down it until my ass hits the floor to bury my face in my hands. God, when will these fucking tears stop?

  War sits down next to me.

  “What the fuck happened?” I ask, needing to know.

  “I dunno much,” he says. “We’ll need to call Jade…”

  “I’m guessing she’ll be here as soon as she can,” I tell him.

  “All I know is that I saw Kennedy bring Torin some breakfast. He’d been at the t
able working when I came in around six,” he says. “I knew he’d be there early, and I didn’t want him there alone with everyone else asleep. I’ve had this feeling in my gut, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know,” I reply, familiar with that same ache that tells you shit’s about to go sideways.

  “Torin was pacing, stressed when Kennedy came in. She stayed and ate a biscuit or whatever with him, while I shot some pool. Then, she left…” He pauses a moment and then says, “We could hear the gun shots even through the soundproofing. When we all got upstairs and out to the parking lot, Kennedy was on the ground, bleeding from two bullet wounds, one in her chest and one in her fucking stomach like…”

  “Like they meant to take the baby’s life too,” I finish for him through gritted teeth.

  War nods. “We called an ambulance and tried to put pressure on her to stop the bleeding. The paramedics got there within four or five minutes and rushed her here.”

  “So you think she was the intended target?” I ask.

  “Hell yes. There was no one else around. If the assholes wanted to hurt us, they would’ve waited until night when the bar and parking lot was full, then sprayed us with bullets,” War explains. “This was intentional. It was a message.”

  “Fucking Hector Cruz,” I mutter.

  “Why, though? Because of those guys of his that you took out? Why would he fucking do this shit to Kennedy and not you or your girl?”

  My jaw nearly breaks as I think about how it could’ve easily been Sasha lying cold in that bed.

  “Torin owes Hector money,” I confide in War.

  “Bullshit,” he replies without delay.

  “He does. Blackmail money. Torin admitted it to me the other day, but he didn’t want to bring it to the table.”

  “Holy shit,” War curses under his breath. “You should’ve come to me and told me, Chase! It’s my fucking job to keep Torin alive!”

  “I know,” I admit. “I should have, but he told me he was handling it. I never thought it would get this bad.”

  “Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “And now we’re going to war.”

  “No doubt,” I agree.

  The two of us sit there in silence as we both consider the ramifications of what happened today, what this means for the future.

  There will be bloodshed. More death. It’s inevitable. No one kills the fucking old lady of an MC president and gets away with it. Torin’s gonna want to take out Hector’s entire organization, and all of his brothers will be right there by his side, pulling the triggers.

  After nearly an hour has passed, I get to my feet and tell War, “We need to get him out of here.”

  I know my brother, and if I had to guess, it won’t be long before his grief turns into anger. I don’t want him to be in the middle of the fucking hospital when he starts destroying shit.

  “You’re right. Let’s get him to the clubhouse,” War agrees when he stands up too. “He doesn’t need to be alone. I’ll put both of the prospects on him and keep an eye on him myself tonight.”

  “Good idea,” I agree.

  He pulls out his phone to notify the boys, and I push open the door to the room.

  Inside, Torin is sitting in one of the chairs, holding his son.

  Without looking up at me, Torin says, “He didn’t deserve this.”

  “No, he didn’t,” I agree.

  “They were completely innocent, and he took them just to hurt me.” His words are said through his clenched jaw. The anger is rising, just like I expected.

  “I know you don’t want to, but it’s time to say goodbye,” I tell him.

  With a nod, Torin squeezes his eyes shut before he leans down and kisses the forehead of his son. Then, he stands up and places the forever sleeping baby back into his bed.

  “I wanna hit Hector tonight,” he says when he’s in front of me.

  “No.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are? I make the calls, and I’m telling you, we’re hitting him tonight,” he growls.

  “The table has to vote on it, and they won’t today,” I assure him. “Your head isn’t right, and fuck, it shouldn’t be after this. The guys get that, and they aren’t gonna let you go on a suicide mission out of rage and grief.”

  “I have to do something!” he exclaims.

  “And we will. But now’s not the time, and deep down you know that. You just want something to do to avoid dealing with the fact that you just lost your old lady and your boy. I’m sorry, man, but getting the rest of us killed isn’t the way to do that.”

  “This is all your fucking fault,” he says as he presses his index finger into my chest.

  “Yeah, it is,” I agree, taking responsibility. I’d rather Torin put all the guilt on me rather than take it on his own shoulders. I’ve been there, and it’s a fucking awful place to be. “And I’m so goddamn sorry that it came to this. If I had known…”

  “Get the hell away from me,” Torin says as he pushes past me and storms out into the hallway.

  Before I leave, I go over and say goodbye to Kennedy, leaving a kiss on her forehead. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” I tell her. “I’ll watch over Torin and won’t let him do anything stupid,” I promise. Then, on the way out, I lay a hand over my nephew’s head and assure him the same thing.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Sasha

  The Savage Asylum is quiet when everyone returns from the hospital. It’s hard to forget what happened here with the pieces of crime scene tape still up.

  “Jade,” Chase says when we walk in and find the auburn-haired woman sitting at the bar in her tan sheriff uniform…and a baby bump that just reminds me of what Torin lost.

  “Hey,” Jade says as she climbs off the stool with the help of the young, muscular man beside her.

  Chase and Jade embrace, then she asks, “How’s Torin?”

  “Fucking devastated,” he tells her. “He’s outside, talking to our dad and your mom.” Looking down at her belly, he says, “Sorry, but you’re probably the last person he wants to see right now.”

  “God, I know. That’s why I didn’t come to the hospital. I feel awful,” she says. Turning to the guy I now realize is with her, she asks, “Could you go get my coat out of the car, hon? I can try to cover my bump with it.”

  “Sure,” he agrees before giving her a kiss on her cheek.

  “This is my husband Knox, by the way,” Jade says in introduction. “We had a small, quick ceremony in a church garden a few weeks back.”

  My eyes widen in surprise since the guy seems tough, like a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks rather than the husband of a sheriff.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Sasha,” she says to me. “You and Chase don’t exactly look like a perfect match either.”

  “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that,” I tell her. Giving her a hug, I say, “It’s good to see you again, Jade. You had braces the last time I saw you.”

  “Ugh, don’t remind me,” she says when she pulls away. “I was such a dork in high school.”

  “I need to see pictures of this,” her husband says.

  “Her mom has them all, I’m sure. Ask her to see them sometime,” Chase says to him.

  “I definitely will, thanks,” Knox tells him on the way out.

  Pulling me close to him, Chase asks his stepsister, “So, what have you found out?”

  “Not much,” she replies with a sigh. “I know that’s not what you want to hear. And if I had to guess, I bet you guys already have a better lead than I do.”

  “Anyone see the driver?” I ask.

  “No. There weren’t any witnesses. All we know is that they didn’t waste any bullets. They fired just the two shots that didn’t miss, nine-millimeter slugs.”

  The three of us are silent a moment before Jade says, “Chase, please don’t do anything stupid. Or let Torin.”

  “I won’t,” he agrees. “He needs some time to heal and cool off before he goes out packing heat. I’ll find his guns and lock
them up.”

  “That’s a start,” Jade agrees. “But what happens in a few days or a few weeks? I’m not stupid, Chase. I know you guys are gonna go after whoever is responsible. And I get that. Part of me wants to be right there with you,” she says. “But at the same time, bloodshed only leads to more bloodshed. Then it’s an endless cycle, and everyone keeps losing. Give me the names. Let me do what I do and help pin this on the person responsible so that no one else has to die.”

  “You know we can’t do that, Jade. That’s not who we are,” Chase tells her.

  Looking to me, Jade says, “Try to talk some sense into my stubborn stepbrother, will you?”

  I nod, even though we both know that there’s not a damn thing anyone could do to stop the Savage Kings from going after Hector.

  “Let me know if you find out anything else,” Chase tells her. “We’ve got three guys on Torin to make sure he stays put, and it’s been a helluva day. I don’t think I can take much more.”

  “I get it,” Jade says. With one last hug for him and me, she says goodbye. Chase grabs my hand and pulls me downstairs to his room where we both undress and then curl up together under the sheets in his bed.

  “I wish I could wake up tomorrow and find out this was just a nightmare,” he says into my hair as we lay on our sides facing each other.

  “Me too,” I agree. “I never thought something so awful could happen to someone so good.”

  “Torin won’t recover from this. How could he?” Chase asks.

  “I dunno,” I reply. “Tomorrow we’ll have to start making funeral arrangements.”

  “Fuck,” Chase groans as he pulls me to him tighter. “The punches won’t stop coming, neither will these goddamn tears.”

  “It’s okay,” I tell him as I rub my hands up and down his bare back, over his tattoo that’s identical to the MC’s patch.