by Franca Storm
He grabs his shirt off the floor and puts it on as he crosses to the door.
As soon as he opens it, two of the boys stumble in. They’d obviously been leaning against the door before Neil had opened it so suddenly.
It’s Runner and Smiter, with Grit just behind them.
Runner’s eyes widen as he sees me in the bed. “Rox,” he says with a flirtatious grin.
“Get back, dick head!” Neil snarls at him, slamming his hand into his chest and knocking him back through the open door and out of my line of vision.
“Sorry,” Smiter says, his eyes on anything but me. “That asshole pushed me.” He points out the door to Runner who I still can’t see, because Neil is now in full caveman-mode. He grabs Smiter and pushes him back into the corridor, blocking the doorway with his body so they can’t see his girl in a compromising position. I’m not really sure how compromising it really is. I’m currently more covered up right now, thanks to Neil’s duvet work, than I’d ever be in any outfit I was wearing.
“This better be good, Grit,” I hear Neil say.
“It’s ‘bout Dealer.”
That has me reacting instantly and calling out, “My dad? What is it?”
Neil turns his head towards me and says, “Nothing, babe. It’s all good. Nothing to worry ‘bout.”
Before I can get another word out, he’s walking out with the boys and shutting the door behind him.
And he just lied to me.
Again.
He lied to me a few hours ago when I asked him about my dad then, too.
Things aren’t okay.
Something is very wrong and he’s keeping it from me.
Shit. What the hell has happened?
***
“You sure you don’t wanna tell her, Ax?” Smiter asks me for the goddamn second time. Like, really? Am I gonna change my fucking mind in the space of the ten minutes we’ve been discussing this?
“Do I wanna tell my pregnant girl some shit that’ll have her freaking the fuck out and heading headlong into danger? No, I fucking don’t! You know how she gets.” My anger quickly breaches the surface as memories of her being in danger before and the results of that start hitting me in a rush of hellish flashes. I smash my fist down on my desk and roar, “I ain’t losing her or this kid. Not again. I ain’t doing it. Only way to make sure of it is to keep her in the dark ‘bout shit going on this time. Keep her safe. You fucking feel me on that, Smiter?” I take my eyes off him and glare hard at Runner and Grit in turn. “You two feel me?”
Grit nods. Runner holds up his hands in surrender.
Smiter murmurs, “Yeah. Got it.”
“You better. I know how close you two are. If she finds out, you better believe I’ll rip your fucking head off.”
“Ax,” Grit says, laying a hand on my shoulder. “It’s all good now. You wanna take a moment? I know this shit’s right deep into personal territory for you. Be a lot for anyone to take.”
Experience weren’t the only reason I made Grit VP when I became Prez. It’s cuz his temperament is the direct opposite of mine. The guy’s the calm to my storm. And when shit goes down, he’s the one I need there bringing me back from the edge. He’s the main one outta all the boys who don’t antagonize me further and, instead, helps me to keep my temper in check.
It’s exactly what he’s tryin’ to do now. Problem is, I’m already off the reservation from what the boys have just reported to me.
Kent’s made a major move; a move that has him coming after everything important to me. Rox, my boys, the club and…Dealer.
Guess it’s time to stop ignoring the way things really are when it comes to Dealer. Yeah, he pisses me off with his interfering sometimes. But the guy’s had my back.
And more than that…he’s become close…like family to me.
Ah, fuck. It’s more than that. The truth is, he’s like a goddamn father to me.
And now he’s in deep shit.
Kent has him. He’s calling me and the club out.
“Nah,” I say, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I’m good. Let’s talk this out.”
“All right. What you thinking first, Prez?” Grit asks. “War meet’s set up, but gotta figure out which way we wanna go beforehand.”
“We know where he’s holding him, thanks to a couple of our contacts,” Smiter says.
Yeah, we fucking do. That warehouse.
It’s where Kent tortured me a few years back.
He’s holding Dealer in the same building.
We never bothered checking out that location when we were looking for Kent, cuz he abandoned the place ages ago. Never figured he’d go back to it.
But he has.
And I know why.
One reason only.
To fuck with my head.
“So, we go in there with a full-on assault,” Runner suggests.
“Dealer may be outta the club right now—not technically a member—but the guy will always be one of us. Boys will be up for this. They’ll back us going to war here,” Smiter says. “Besides, we can’t fucking leave him in Kent’s clutches. We all know what that asshole does to prisoners.” He stops suddenly, realizing what he’s said. “Ax, shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I hold up my hand. “You’re right. You hit it. Don’t want no one going through the shit he put me through.” Even as I say the damn words, I know we might already be too late. Kent don’t waste time.
Runner catches my eye, getting how even the mention of what Kent did to me is really affecting me. But I can’t show it to no one else. Don’t even like him knowing that ‘bout me—that it got under my skin; that what Kent did fucked me up for months.
But Runner was there that day and pulled me out. And after seeing that shit he wouldn’t let me deal with it on my own. He was there with me every day through it all. I think he figured he needed to pay me back for me helping him in the past; helping him to get clean. Brother didn’t owe me for that. Did it cuz he’s my family. End of story. But, I gotta admit, having him there did help.
I look away, cuz I don’t wanna see the look on his face when he hears what I’m ‘bout to say here.
But I gotta do this.
“Prez?” Grit presses me.
I get my shit together and bark out, “I’ll fill the boys in and put ‘em on standby. Grit, you make sure they’re ready to ride at a second’s notice. Runner, you map out the best covert approach for me to head down there. Gonna take the truck in case Dealer ain’t in no state to ride. Smiter, club stays on lockdown unless I give the word for the boys to ride. But want you to do me a favor and get my girl to a doctor and check out our kid. Make sure everything’s all right there. Rox’s been through a lot and I ain’t taking no chances. Holding you personally responsible for her safety. And shut down and secure all our business in Reirdon Falls for now, just to be safe. No club members out there, nothing running, Kent ain’t gonna bother fucking with it.”
Smiter nods. So does Grit. But, as I already figured, Runner don’t.
“So, this plan has you going right into the belly of the fucking beast to extract Dealer?”
“I’m the one he’s gunning for. Thinks Rox is dead, so I’m the target now. He don’t even fucking want Dealer. Just using him to call me out.”
“And the club. He wants to destroy Thorns, too, remember?” Runner points out.
“Yeah, and he ain’t gonna get the chance. That’s why I’m gonna try and pull out Dealer without bringing the entire club into it. We worked too hard going legit to fuck it all up, cuz of Kent’s bullshit.”
“Ax—” Runner starts.
But I cut him off, “If I fail, if you don’t hear from me, send the boys in.” I eye Grit. “Only then. Wanna try to avoid war if we can, yeah?”
He nods. “I agree. Club’s legit now.”
“Who really gives a fuck if we gotta go to war? We fucking got this!” Runner yells, finally blowing up ‘bout it all.
I ignore it and tell Smiter and Grit. “
I ride tonight.”
They both nod and walk outta my office.
Runner stays, as I knew he would. He kicks the door shut angrily and storms over to me. “You lost your fucking head, Ax? This is a suicide mission! You think you’re just gonna walk into Kent’s base and…what…kill him? Kill him and all the guard dogs he’s got ‘round that warehouse from hell?”
“I know the place, remember? Spent too fucking long there. I can get in and out. Used to do that shit all the damn time when I was younger. Moved like a ghost. All I gotta do is get close enough to Kent. He goes down and the whole shit show falls. He ain’t got no successor, cuz he’s too fucking arrogant to think he needs one. He’s a psycho, yeah? Don’t think like normal people.”
“You still gonna need someone to extract Dealer and help you get outta there.”
“I know. But I ain’t risking the club.”
He blows out a breath. “Look, I get that. But who the hell else can—?”
“Sin.”
That name has him drawing back. He starts shaking his head. “No, Ax. No, brother.”
“It’s already done. Contact’s been made.”
“What? When?”
“When me and Rox got back here. I put him on standby, just in case.”
I brush past him and head outta my office.
“What would Rox say if she knew what you were risking here? You ain’t ready. Still haunts you ‘bout Kent. You’re gonna leave your kid fatherless!”
I stop at the door. My back to him, I tell him, “I got this. That’s my final word as Prez. Now, you got your orders, move on ‘em. I’m riding tonight.”
“Ax!”
“Final word, Runner!” I thunder.
I walk out, slamming the door behind me.
Chapter 27
~Roxana~
I sit on the steps of the clubhouse watching as Neil speeds down the road in his truck. He told me he had an errand to run tonight. Something about one of the club’s bars down in Reirdon Falls town center. The Cove, is what he called it.
He was lying.
Right to my face.
Again!
Does he really think I can’t tell when he’s outright lying by now? Sure, smaller lies are a little harder to discern with him, but this wasn’t small.
Something’s happening and it isn’t hard to put two and two together. Something’s happened to my dad.
And, of course, Neil thinks he can deal with it on the down low without me.
It’s because I’m pregnant now.
Now, he’s being so incredibly overprotective that he won’t even tell me about what’s going on, let alone even comprehend bringing me in on it.
I understand why.
He doesn’t want a repeat of last time. He’s afraid of losing our baby and of losing me again.
But the one big issue with that is we’re going to lose him if he does this alone. And there is no fucking way that’s happening.
I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but it’s dangerous enough that he’s keeping it from me.
“Sweetheart, you ready to kick my ass?” Smiter says, coming up behind me from inside the clubhouse.
I get to my feet and turn to him. “I heard you’re a major pool hustler.”
He winks at me. “I’ll go easy on you. Besides, any money you lose, I’ll charge it to Ax. How’s that?”
Hilarious thinking about how that’ll go down. “I’m not sure he’ll be on board with that.”
He laughs and ushers me back inside the clubhouse. He’s clearly trying to distract me from Neil leaving tonight by keeping me occupied. I bet Neil told him to do that, too. Argh. I am not a child who needs to be babysat. Overprotective caveman fiancé!
I pull away from Smiter and tell him, “I need to use the bathroom first.”
“Sure,” he says, starting to walk with me.
“Smiter, I can go to the bathroom alone.”
He stops, but I see his hesitation. I’m not surprised after my infamous escape before. “I’ll be ten minutes, okay? You can come looking for me if I’m not back by then. And, you have prospects guarding all sides of the perimeter now, so I can’t leave even if I wanted to, right?”
“You noticed that, huh?”
“I’m a very perceptive person.”
“Five minutes,” he tells me.
“I have to take care of some woman stuff in there.”
“Oh,” he says, looking really awkward. “Ten then,” he grits out. “But only ten.”
“Yes. Yes, I’ve got it, okay? Set up the table while I’m gone?”
He smiles. “Will do, sweetheart.”
And with that, I finally manage to leave the room without an escort.
I head down the corridor and all the way to the stairs at the rear, towards the bathroom. As I hurry up the stairs and then down the hall, I pass the bathroom and stop outside another door.
I knock and Runner’s voice calls back, “Busy.”
Like I have time for this.
I try the knob.
It’s not locked, so I push it open and slip inside, making sure to close the door quickly behind me.
When I turn around, I roll my eyes at what I see. Runner on his bed with his dick deep inside a bright pink pocket pussy.
“Fuck!” he exclaims, frantically grabbing his covers and covering up his dick. “I said I was busy.”
I shrug. “It’s just a dick.”
He eyes me with intrigue. “That’s what I always say. What you saw really don’t bother you?”
“Not really.”
“Well, you’re the first, darlin’. Looks like you got that thicker skin of yours back, yeah?”
“Looks like I have.”
Panic comes over him suddenly and he says, “Best if Ax dunno ‘bout this. You seeing my dick.”
“I didn’t see it. It was…obscured.”
“Right, yeah,” he says. “Even so. We cool ‘bout this?”
I step closer to the bed and he starts in surprise.
“What?”
“I…you shouldn’t be in my room, Rox. Ax is gonna lose his fucking shit. I don’t exactly got the best rep ‘round women, if you get me? And you being here while I’m…taking matters into my own hands…is gonna look—”
I blow out a breath. “Relax. No one will know. But we need to talk.”
“Talk?”
“About Neil.”
“Rox, nah. Club business.”
“I need him in my life, Runner. And our baby needs its father. And…this club needs its President.”
I see him taking my words in. “This club needs its President? You really mean that?”
“Yes.”
He cocks his head to the side. “What’s changed?”
“Me. You guys. Everything.”
He smiles. “Ax. Ax is what’s changed it all, darlin’.”
“Then we’re on the same page.”
“Ain’t denying that.”
“So, tell me then. Where the hell is he headed?”
“Kent’s got your dad at his warehouse. Ax is headed there to pull him out.”
“What?” I shriek.
This is far worse than I even imagined. Is Neil really that crazy? After proposing to me, he does this on his own? He’s putting himself in danger like this? No, he must have a better plan than that. “Alone? He’s headed there alone?”
Runner shakes his head. “Sin’s helping him.”
“Why does that name sound familiar to me?”
“He’s Skinner’s brother.”
Oh. My. God. That psycho! “He’s still alive?”
“Yeah.”
“Why wasn’t he on Neil’s list?”
Runner shrugs. “Guess Ax thought Sin would end up dead sooner rather than later, given the shit he’s always getting caught up in. Seems like that theory didn’t pan out.”
“Clearly. Well, this is not happening.”
“You got a plan, then I’m all ears.”
“I do, b
ut I’m going to need you to back me up.”
He nods. “Just tell me what you need on my end, darlin’.”
Chapter 28
~Ax~
I butt out my smoke as I watch the familiar old Chevy pull up beside my truck at the border of Reirdon Falls. As the fucker gets out, I see he ain’t changed in the last decade or so since I last saw him. Long greasy silver hair, dead eyes, and wearing leathers that’d seen better days ‘bout twenty years ago.
“Prez,” he says, pointedly, as he walks up to me.
“Sin.”
Neither of us makes a move to shake hands. There ain’t no respect between us, so we ain’t gonna fake it. That ain’t the way guys like us do things.
“Want my help, huh?” he says, eyeing my cut. “Ain’t you the big, bad Prez of Thorns now? What you need me for? You were real cryptic on the phone.”
“Kent.”
I see a reaction from him. Knew I would. He’s interested.
“Maim? Kill?” he asks me.
“Kill.”
“Your old man wanted him dead for a long time. One of his biggest regrets was letting that asshole slip through his fingers.”
“I know.”
His eyes narrow at me as he says, “Maybe he woulda got his chance if you hadn’t put a bullet in his head.”
“Yeah? Maybe he woulda finally found out all the shit you were doing behind his back and buried you instead.”
He shifts his weight and snaps, “What you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“The deals you were making in his name, using him to threaten people into doing shit for you.”
He seems real surprised I know.
“Yeah. I do my research, Sin. Skinner thought he was above it all and too fucking invincible to worry ‘bout watching his back half the time.”
“Why the hell you think I’m gonna help you, Ax? You killed my fucking brother. Your old man. Don’t seem too bothered by it, do ya?”
“I ain’t. He had it coming. And why you gonna help me? You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. Plus, you want Kent in the ground as much as me.”
“What’s this about? Wanna know what I’m walking into.”
“He’s got my girl.” A straight up lie. But Sin hates Dealer just as much as Skinner did. If I tell him this is a rescue mission for him, he’ll walk right now. Bad enough I gotta say it’s Rox, cuz she’s Dealer’s blood still. But he’s gotta believe it’s something worth me risking my life for.
