by K. T Fisher
“For God’s sake Rachel, it’s me. Open the bloody door.” Maggie huffs in exasperation at me. What the fuck is my sister doing here? She’s never come here. The whole neighborhood is beneath her, then again it should be, it’s full of pimps, thieves and whores like me. I panic at the sight of her, automatically assuming the worst. She sees the look of horror on my face and reassures me. “He’s fine. Let me in, we need to talk.” My baby boy is safe. The relief I feel is instant. I let out the breath of air I’d been holding. Cautiously I release the chain, walking away from the door and leaving Maggie to let herself in.
“So what do I owe the honor of your visit to then dear sister?” I snarl at her. She’s barely spoken to me in the last three years since she talked me into the adoption, and I’ve gone out of my way to avoid having to talk to her.
“Nice greeting, do you welcome all your guests so warmly?” There’s no warmth in her voice anymore. There used to be, a long time ago, but she lost it when I gave myself to Satan.
I watch her as she looks around the dump I call home; her look of distaste is pissing me off.
“Just say your piece and get out. I’m sure it’s killing your sense of propriety to be seen in this neighborhood.” I sneer. I slouch onto the sofa and make a point of ignoring her, toying with the remote control on the crappy portable TV, flicking through the channels. It’s petty but I know how much that winds her up.
“Can’t I just be concerned for my sister’s welfare?” She can tell by the look of disdain on my face that I know that’s not the reason for her visit. “I overheard something yesterday that has me concerned. I’m sure I’m jumping to an unfounded conclusion, but I have to be sure.” She pauses, giving me such a deep look, it’s as if she’s trying to see into my soul. Good luck to her. I sold my soul to the devil a long time ago.
“Just get it out.” I look at her. She’s making me feel uncomfortable. This place may not be much, but it’s my sanctuary. She takes another glance around the room, what she sees makes her wince. I would have done once upon a time. Back when I actually cared about myself. The place is a hovel, and that’s being kind. The paper is peeling from the walls, the paintwork is chipped and uneven, and there are stains and holes in the shabby carpet that covers most of the floor. The furniture is a mish mash of stuff I picked up from yard sales and thrift stores. It’s all seen better days, kind of like me I guess.
Maggie clears her throat before continuing. “Someone’s threatening Severed MC.”
“Don’t you fucking dare mention those scum in my home!” I stand and scream at her. “Do you know what they did? What they took from me?” I’m right in Maggie’s face now, but she doesn’t flinch. My sister’s obviously toughened up living with her biker.
“They took care of a problem that should have been taken care of a long time ago.” She murmurs. “Maybe then I wouldn’t have lost my sister.”
“Do not stand in my home and say that shit to me.” I threaten her. “I loved him. He wasn’t a problem. After all, if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t have my son!” As angry as I am, I cannot stop the stray tear from falling down my cheek. I’m furious at myself for being weak in front of Maggie.
“Please tell me it isn’t you, Rachel.” There’s a hint of the old Maggie in her now. The big sister who used to fight my battles for me, the big sister who used to care for me. “Tell me you’re not threatening Severed MC?” She begs.
“Get out of my home. You do not talk about them in front of me; you sure as shit don’t get to mention them in my house. If that’s all you have to say to me, we’re done. You know where the door is.” I turn my back on her, moving back to the sofa and the remote control.
“You can’t do this Rachel, it’s wrong and dangerous. You’re obviously ill. I’m sorry, I should have taken better care of you, checked up on you.” She sounds so disappointed. I continue to ignore her. “Let me take you to a doctor that I know, he can help you. We can get you better. Please.” She pleads.
She’s still standing; I can feel her watching me, although I keep my attention focused on the TV screen.
“I told you to leave. I don’t want you here.”
“Rachel, please tell me you’re not the one making these threats.” She’s begging me now. She takes a step closer to me and I snap. Rising from the sofa again, I rush towards her and slap her across the face. The force of it stings my hand and makes her gasp. I take satisfaction in it as she places her hand on her cheek.
“Leave. Now.” I spit at her face. “You’re not welcome here. You’re no family of mine anymore.” I point at the door, standing my ground.
“Rachel.” She makes one last attempt to talk to me, but I ignore her. I walk around her to the door, open it and stand aside for her to leave.
Maggie’s shoulders sag in disappointment. I cannot stand the look of pity I see in her eyes as she walks past me.
As soon as she’s through the door, I slam it shut behind her, then lean against it, sinking to the floor. Hot, angry tears pour down my face. I’ve lost everyone who I ever loved. They’ve all been taken from me, or turned against me. I’ve nothing left, but this bitterness inside me. It consumes me. My hatred is all that is keeping me going these days. I wonder if this is how Satan lived his life?
Maggie may suspect, but she doesn’t know. I’ve no idea if she’ll go to her husband with this. My plan isn’t ready yet, but I have no choice. I have to put things in motion now, before it’s too late. I can’t allow her to stop me.
I go the tiny curtain that hides my meager wardrobe from the rest of the room. There’s not a lot of choice hanging on the rail. I find a black hoodie that will hide my face, and pull out my black leather gloves. It’s a little warm outside to be dressed like this, but not unheard of. I’m good at blending into the background. I’ve had plenty of practice at it over the years of following Satan.
Part of the carpet has pulled away from the wall. I draw it back a little further, revealing the loose floorboard underneath. Lifting it I reveal my hiding place. There, looking back at me is one of Satan’s knives. I stole it when he was in England. I’ll never know now if he even noticed it had gone. It’s one of the few things I have of his, and one of my most prized posessions. Right now, it’s going to help me exact my revenge on Severed MC. I hide it up the sleeve of my hoodie, finding comfort in the touch of the cold steel against my skin. I shiver at the memories it brings back. The memories of being laid on Satan’s bed as he used this very knife on me. Pulling myself back to the present, I rise from my knees. Today is the day I will show Severed MC that although he’s dead, Satan is not to be forgotten. Today, I’ll be his voice. My hand will be his hand. Drawing strength from the knowledge that I am doing Satan’s work, I set off on my journey.
Chapter Sixteen
Danni
I can’t believe that Holly is back. I hadn’t realized quite how much I’d missed her. We’ve spent hours catching up with each other. I know she’ll never be comfortable about me being with her brother, but we’ve reached an understanding of sorts.
We’re heading out for coffee, I need a decent latte, and I wouldn’t say no to a blueberry muffin for breakfast either. As we’re about to walk into the coffee shop I spot Emma, so I invite her to join us. I might as well get to know her a little better, considering the guy I’ve fallen in love with wants to sleep with her. I need to know what he sees in her that he doesn’t get from me. I want to know how I’m failing him, because I really don’t understand this. I haven’t told Holly what Justice has asked of me. I’m not sure I know how to put it into words. How can I explain it to her when I can’t explain it to myself? After the forgiveness she has shown Justice and me, I don’t want to rock the boat.
“You got time for a coffee Emma?” I call over. She looks a little surprised at my invitation, but a warm smile lights up her face.
She glances at her watch before replying. “Yeah, I’ve got a half hour or so before I have to be at the shop. That would be lovely.”
“Hey Danni, come join us.” Eve calls out. It turns out the girls are going out of town on a shopping trip. Eve wants some more furniture for Elizabeth’s room, somewhere to store the multitude of gifts the little girl got for her birthday. They decided to call in for coffee before they set off. I’m glad as it gives me a chance to introduce Holly to them.
I look at Elle’s face when Emma sits down, and I’m relieved to see that there’s no animosity there. I had a feeling they’d made their peace the other night at the bar before it all kicked off.
“So Holly, you got any juicy gossip about that hot brother of yours?” Trust Elle to be the one to ask that question. She’s definitely more outspoken than Eve.
Holly being the type of girl she is, laughs it off. “Well ladies. Where do you want me to start?”
We enjoy our coffee and have a good laugh. I’m fortunate to be part of the Severed family. The girls have accepted me as one of their own, even though I’m not an old lady. Yet. Although with the arrival of Emma on the scene, I may not get to be now. I brush the thought aside. It’s far too gloomy for such a lovely day.
“Shit.” I look over at Emma as she exclaims. She’s looking at her watch. “I’d best get to work or I’ll be late.” Emma loves her job at the tattoo shop. Elle surprised all of us during coffee and actually thanked her. Emma working at the shop has made Ink’s life a lot easier, and apparently if Ink’s job is easier then Elle’s sex life is better. That was a little too much information for me, but the others seem happy to talk about that stuff. That’s a difference between Emma and me for a start. Where I like to keep that kind of thing private, she’s happy to discuss it. Even Eve joined in with them. I’m not sure I can look at chocolate sauce again without having those pictures in my head. Eugh!
“It’s about time we were setting off anyway.” Elle quickly finishes the last of her coffee. “I’ll walk over with you and say a quick hello to Ink.”
From the smirk on her face we can all tell Ink is about to get a hell of a lot more than a simple hello.
“You want to borrow some chocolate sauce, Elle?” Eve laughs.
“Shut up bitch.” Elle retorts, a huge grin on her face. “You’re just jealous you didn’t get any this morning.”
“Hell yes I am. I can’t believe how early my bloody daughter woke up.” Poor Eve. I think it’s about time she got a lock on her bedroom door. Sounds like Elizabeth has a nasty habit of crawling into bed with her and Angel first thing.
We walk out of the coffee shop, laughing and smiling. It’s a beautiful sunny day, with a clear blue sky. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for in my life. I look at the women walking close beside me, and at my other side where my newly restored best friend is hugging my arm tight against her. I knew she’d get on great with the girls. Life is pretty good.
It’s still pretty early, so the street is fairly empty. There’s a lot of room to move around, so I’m surprised when someone falls into me from behind. They fall with quite some force, they probably elbowed me or something. I wonder what made them stumble? It’s not as if it’s busy around here. They mutter something before hurrying off in the opposite direction. That’s odd.
“Some people have no manners.” I laugh.
When I turn back to look at the girls, Elle is staring at me, a look of horror on her face.
“Elle?” I ask, but it’s then I feel it. What the fuck is that? The most searing pain in my back makes me gasp. I sink to my knees. I hear Holly screaming as everything goes black.
Rachel
I couldn’t believe my luck when I stumbled across almost all the old ladies from Severed. I can’t believe how easy that was. I’m still feeling the rush of what I’ve just done. They had no idea, stupid bitches that they are.
I sat and waited outside the coffee shop. I thought they’d never fucking stop gossiping and laughing. I didn’t know who the fifth woman was, but this was too good an opportunity to waste.
They came out of the coffee shop together; I’d been hoping they’d come out separately. It looked like they were heading for the tattoo shop. As I watched from my hiding place, I knew this was my chance.
Walking just a little behind them, I eased the blade of the stiletto knife out of my sleeve, hiding it with the palm of my hand. The blade was so sharp I could feel its kiss on my skin. It was like a sign. I’m sure it was Satan, showing me that this was the right thing to do.
I closed the gap between us, feigned a misstep and fell into one of them. I muttered a half assed apology and hurried off. I’m confident that no one saw me.
As I run away, I look back over my shoulder. She’s not got a clue what’s happened. I’m sure I drove the knife blade in deeply enough. I did my research. Go in low, and angle the blade up. Short of cutting her throat, a knife to the kidneys from the back seemed to be the next most fatal blow. She wouldn’t feel it until it was too late. I hold my breath in as she sinks to her knees. The women around her are screaming. The back of her shirt is covered with a growing circle of blood. I want to clap my hands in joy, but I can’t, someone might see me.
The noise has drawn people onto the street. It’s not safe for me to stay here any longer. As much as I want to stay and revel in what I’ve just succeeded in doing, I can’t. I need to get away. I need to carry out the next part of my plan.
I hug my arms around me, a stupid grin on my face as I walk away, humming the song that reminds me of my last night with Satan. Revenge is sweet. And now I’ve tasted it, I want a lot more.
Chapter Seventeen
Ink
I walk my customer to the front of the shop, looking around for Emma. Where the fuck is she? She’s supposed to be here by now. As the customer walks outside the door, he stops to look down the road, and that’s when I hear it. There’s a hell of a ruckus outside. If I didn’t know better I’d swear that was Elle screaming.
I walk towards the door, pushing the man out of the way. Fuck! My heart hits the floor when I see it is Elle screaming. What the fuck’s going on?
“Cowboy!” I shout. “Get out here.” He looks up at me from the chair where he’s made himself comfortable with one of my design books. I wish I could get through to my friend, but he’s just not been himself since he found Cassie, but now isn’t the time for his troubles. Something’s very wrong out there and my woman is in the middle of it.
The small crowd parts when I get there. Sarah, the coffee shop owner is on the phone, screaming for an ambulance to hurry up. The girls are sobbing and screaming. What the fuck is going on here?
“Elle?” I ask quietly. I place my hand on her shoulder and she turns to look at me. What I see nearly brings me to my knees. Grief is written all across her face. She holds her hands out to me, panic registering, tears drenching her face. I freak when I see that her hands are covered in blood. One question comes straight to mind. Whose blood is that?
I grab onto Elle’s shoulders and do a quick check of my girl. She’s crying and screaming, but she seems to be in one piece.
“Ink.” She sobs, throwing herself against me. She’s shaking like a leaf and sobbing too hard to be able to get any words out. Now that she’s moved away from the group, I can see someone on the ground. I still can’t grasp what’s happening here and I’m not getting anything out of Elle. Moving myself closer, still holding onto Elle, I see Eve on the ground, cradling Danni’s head in her lap. Emma is standing behind her, shock written all over her features, I recognize the girl she’s hugging as Holly, Justice’s sister. I don’t know what the fuck has happened, but I do know we need to get him and the rest of the guys down here, now.
I look behind me to see Cowboy standing there in shock. “Cowboy, get Justice on the phone. Tell him there’s been an incident at the shop, and I need him here now!” He nods his head, immediately reaching for his phone. “Prez and Angel too.”
“What-” He starts to ask, but I cut him off.
/> “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Tell them to get here fucking quickly. Whatever happened here it doesn’t look good.” Cowboy nods again, before dialing his phone.
“Elle, baby, talk to me. What happened?” I move closer to Danni. Her head still on Eve’s lap, and she looks to be unconscious, her eyes tightly shut. Elle still can’t speak clearly enough for me to understand her. “Eve?”
Eve looks up at me with tear stained eyes. “She’s gone, Ink.” Eve is stroking Danni’s hair gently off her face, as though she was a sleeping child.
“What do you mean she’s gone?” I’m still missing something here. What the fuck has happened?
Shit, with all the crying and the confusion my head is starting to hurt.
“I don’t know what happened. One minute we’re all laughing and joking and coming over to see you, the next someone pushed into her.” A sob catches in her throat. “She was fine, and then she suddenly cried out and collapsed. She’s gone!” Eve’s crying loudly, but she’s more in control of it than Elle.
