GIVE IN: Steel Phoenix MC

by Paula Cox

  With my eyes closed, I scream so hard that my head throbs at my own sound. My arms begin to thrash, and I pull and grasp towards the ring where Rev is still on his feet, but just barely.

  The drums in my ears pop, and I’m just able to hear the man lean over to another Red Duke, “This crazy fuckin’ bitch is going nuts! I’m going to get her the hell out of here. If anyone asks, I’m taking her to the shed so she can wait for Enrique there and stop givin’ me such a goddamn headache.”

  Whoever he tells doesn’t show any sign of reaction. I doubt he could hear him over the rest of the men rising to their feet as Rev’s fall to the ground. This is what it was like with gladiators—vicious and bloodthirsty.

  My guard leans down and commands me. “Go. Move. Now!” His hand slaps the back of my spine and forces me forward through a group of men too distracted by the fight to even give a shit about where I’m going and why. I keep my eyes on Rev as the ring becomes fainter to see. Even at a few hundred feet away, I can still make out his large, hulking figure—the body I used to think belonged to a beast.

  We turn down a corner and head towards the main parking lot, where I finally have a moment to catch my breath. The man lets go of me, and I press myself against the cold, scratchy brickwork. My lungs search for air. I can’t believe I did that... I can’t believe I let go right when Rev probably needed me the most. The urge to run back to him is egging me on, but my feet and legs feel as if they’ve turned to lead. Warm tears stream down my cheeks—everything’s a watery haze.

  “He’s gonna make it, Jenna. That son of a bitch doesn’t know how to die,” the guard reassures me as he removes his glasses. With them on, I didn’t even recognize Tommy, Rev’s cousin and the bar owner I’d met. The fake beard is a nice touch too. Once he removes it, it’s hard to mistake the resemblance between the two men. I wonder how I didn’t notice their likeness before.

  “How the hell did you get in here?” I ask.

  Earlier, when he’d whispered into my ear that he was here to help Rev, I didn’t exactly have time to ask for details. All I knew was that he was here and he had backup somewhere. I’d tried to tell Rev when he was in the ring. I pointed out towards the parking lot where Tommy had told me to look when I became distraught at leaving Rev back in the room, but I doubt he knew what I was mouthing to him from afar.

  “It was easy—too easy if you ask me.” He begins to walk toward a group of men waiting on the far side of the lot. I struggle to keep up with him as he continues, “Vic sent a messenger to the bar a few hours ago saying that Rev was in trouble and needed some help. He couldn’t round up the guys fast enough to get him out of there and do a good sweep, so he needed someone that the Red Dukes wouldn’t easily recognize to sneak in.”

  Thinking back to the bar and the two Red Duke members that assaulted me on the pool table, I remember them saying something about Tommy harboring other club members in Duke territory. He would be a face that wouldn’t be too easy to identify, and if he was, he could be relatively neutral about it being in the club circles. Still, it was damn bold of him to pretend to be a Duke.

  “Once I was in, I clocked out some old Duke member that... well, he sort of looked like me. Poor bastard was so trashed, he didn’t even see me coming for him. I took his dirty ass jacket and put on his glasses. The beard was something I had from an old Halloween costume I thought might come in handy if I had to blend in.”

  “It worked, I guess,” I say, still not seeing exactly why or how he got here. In all of his explanation, only one thing really stood out.

  “What do you mean Vic asked you to help him? How did he know that Rev was here or that he was in trouble? Is that him?” I point toward the black leather clad men idling on their bikes. The leader, or at least the one who looks to be in charge, barks on his phone and paces around while the rest watch him carefully.

  Tommy tilts his meaty head to the side as he asks, “He didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me about what, Tommy? He said something about making a deal, but he didn’t give me the details.” My heart races as it comes together. I tug at Tommy’s arm until he stops walking. “Tell me he didn’t sell himself up to the Blazers. Please tell me he didn’t do that for me.”

  Tommy pulls himself away and looks back toward the ring. The fight, somehow, was still going on. I have no idea how Rev has kept it together this long, but he didn’t have much more time to go. Still, I need to know what deal with the devil he made to get to me.

  “Rev is a lone rider, Jenna. It’s all well and good until it isn’t anymore. Rev knew that he was going to eventually have to pay the price for not wearing a patch or some club’s colors. That kind of freedom comes with a price when you want something from the clubs.” He turns back to me, studying my face as he adds, “I don’t know what kind of deal he made with Vic or the Blazers, but when I got that message, it was clear that Vic was holding his end of the bargain. And if I didn’t help, he would end up dead. I’m not about to let that happen, even if it means helping that son-of-a-bitch out.”

  “Can we trust Vic?” I ask, “When we met him earlier, Rev said we couldn’t trust a guy like him.”

  “I know you’re new to this shit, but you can’t be joking with me right now. You should know by now that you don’t trust no one but yourself. Rev knew that. That’s why he rode alone to begin with. But if it was between Enrique beating the shit out of him until he skull was cracked in and Vic owning him in return for saving him, I’m gonna go with trusting Vic. For now.”

  We start out again, heading towards the men. Tommy calls out to one of them, but I interrupt him, “What should I... “ I struggle for the words. “What should I be doing? How can I help?” If I had to do what Tommy said and trust Vic, I was at least going to be part of the rescue mission.

  “You stay the fuck out of the way. Let the men do the real work. They don’t need you to distract them.” I nod and gulp back the lump in my throat. Tommy heads off towards the men as he points anxiously over at Rev’s flailing figure. I too try to see what was happening. The Red Dukes were screaming out Enrique’s name, chanting it like some cult worshipping their sick leader. Their feet were slamming on the ground so loudly I could feel it from here.

  For whatever reason, this all seems to make the small army in the parking lot even more eager to get in. They weren’t much to look at—about twenty or thirty guys sitting on various red, black, and silver motorcycles. They wore the one percenter patches on their vests and jackets. On the back of some bikes flew mini-flags in the Blazer colors of heather green and fire red. Their rags and bandanas tied around their faces all matched, giving them a look of tribal warriors.

  In their clutched hands are a variety of weapons. Some held long, old school style bats in both hands. Others stuck to planks of wood covered in jagged, dangling nails and screws—spikes pointed out. The men in the front have the deadlier stuff—spiked tire chains, bowing knives, metal pipe pieces, and the occasional unholstered gun.

  Vic himself was covered in a small arsenal. Over his shoulder is a sawed-off shotgun while he clutches what appears to be a vintage pistol. Of course, the Blazers wouldn’t want to risk him. It’s almost like he’s a general for an army in the 1700s. He’s here to lead the cavalry in the attack, but he isn’t going to be getting blood on his hands unless he made it to the end.

  A few minutes pass before Vic is ready to move on. After having heated words with Tommy out in the corner of the lot, he comes pounding towards the men and myself. They dismount and gather around him in a tight circle. I can’t see anything but boots, leather shoulders, and ducked heads. But over the roar of the crowd cheering Rev’s death, I can make out Vic’s instructions:

  “If you’re here, I picked you because I knew you could handle a job of this size. From Tommy’s count, there’s about fifty of them watching and maybe another ten in the shop. Some of those guys aren’t Red Dukes, so make sure you watch affiliations. The last thing we want is to start a turf war over civilian atta
cks. If they aren’t going after you, you don’t go after them.”

  “You don’t want us to kill these motherfuckers?” a man asks from the back. They all turn their heads toward Vic for clarification.

  “I want you to murder them. I want you to take them out without any mercy. But that’s not what we’re here for. When we take out Enrique, those guys are gonna have a shot of joining up with us. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll put down whatever weapons they’ve got and get behind us. For those guys, you don’t touch. The rest of them, the ones that try to mess with you, they’re fair game.”

  He sighs heavily, “What matters most is getting Rev out and taking down Enrique. For the Blazer who brings the rat bastard to me, I’m offering a bounty and a promotion.” That works. The men whisper amongst themselves as Vic tries to regain composure.

  “Are you ready? Are you ready to bring on some hell?” The men shout a loud, guttural yell that vibrates in my chest and sends chills down my spine. It’s the kind of yell that men must have given for years and years before—when they are off to war. All that’s missing is the drums and cannon fire. Instead, it’s replaced by the roar of motorcycles firing on all cylinders as a group of bikes stream towards the crowd still gathered around the ring. Their weapons are lifted high in the air, casting a strange shadow on the parking lot.

  I know I should stay back, or even run if I’m following Rev’s advice, but I can’t miss this. I follow Tommy as he runs towards the action. He looks over his shoulder at me as the first screams are heard, “Go back, Jenna! Don’t fucking get yourself killed!”

  “No! I’m not going back! I’m not leaving Rev behind.” I’m as firm as I can be. Rev has become my entire reason for... anything. He has lit a fire within me that I never even knew was there. Whether it was fate or just shit luck that brought us together, it didn’t matter now. I’m going with my gut, and I’m going to get my man.

  Tommy watches as I lap him in my heels and dress. I run head first into the chaotic scene of blood and carnage. The men on the motorcycles dominate. They chase after the few that dare to get in their way. Bats are thrown, and knives are stabbed into jackets and t-shirts. One of the riders is flipped backward off his bike that continues to spin and jerk forward until it falls into the crowd of men pummeling one another.

  The small group of women who stayed behind with their men are ducking behind a storage shed as they scream in horror. I should probably do the same, but instead, I take the long way around the back where there’s no one to see me. Around the corner, I’m better able to see the ring. Enrique’s gone, but Rev is there—laid out flat on the ground. His hand clutches his stab wound, still oozing a river of scarlet red.

  I slip my shoes off and hike up my already short skirt. Nothing is going to get in my way. In my head, I count to ten. It’s the only way I can force myself to go. At one, my bare feet take off like lightning shooting from the sky. I step on shards of broken glass, beer cans, and thrown food while I attempt to make a running leap onto the platform ring. I just make it, my legs dangling below me.

  The world stops for a second when I see him. There’s no sound, no smell, no danger. It’s just us two in the ring. His pale face slowly turns to mine—his green eyes fixating on me as I crawl to him in what feels like slow motion.

  “Rev... please don’t be... please...” I sob.

  “Jenna,” he somehow manages to growl through the pain, “I told you to get the hell out of here.”

  I place his head on my lap as I bend to kiss his purple lips. A drop of blood lingers in the corner, and I can taste the metallic bitterness of it as I press down. I whisper to him, “I’m not leaving you—not like this.”

  “They’ll kill you.”

  “No, Rev. No. The Blazers... they’re here. And it’s going to be okay. They’re going to win.” I look around for confirmation, but I honestly can’t tell who is who in the fighting. I count the motorcycles still upright. It’s less than half, but that has to be a good sign. The Blazers have to be weeding out the ones on the ground.

  Suddenly, Rev yanks on my hand as hard as he can manage. “Jenna! Duck!”

  I press myself into his chest just in time to avoid Enrique’s tackle. He flies over us towards the other end of the ring. In his hand, he clutches the small knife he used earlier to gut Rev. He gears up to go again, but this time, I have no idea if it’s Rev or me he’s after.

  Either way, I’m not going to let him take Rev from me. I cover Rev with my entire body, forming a shield around him.

  I close my eyes and wait for the pain...

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rev

  Dammit! It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I mean, I always imagined myself dying because of the shit I did for a living, but I figured I would go down in a blaze of glory, not because some bitch couldn’t get the courage to fight me like a man. Even as the light is fading and the whole world around me glows in a white, fuzzy haze, I still have the energy to be pissed off at Enrique for taking the easy way out.

  He’s all I can think about outside of her. Jenna comes to me as a vision at first. I see her the moment she walks through her brother’s apartment with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and an exhausted look on her face. I see her being pushed down on the couch in front of me by that asshole boyfriend who I decked out. I watch her dog on the back of my bike as she trembles on the way to my apartment, and my mouth waters remembering our first kiss and the first time I took her body on top of my dresser.

  Every moment with her flashes in an instant, each coming at me like a polaroid in front of me. The first time I saw her. Our first kiss. The first time I fucked her. And as they go by, one by one but somehow simultaneously, I see our last goodbye.

  My mind races. I ordered her to get the hell out of here. I wonder if she listened to me this time. I think she did. I think that’s what she was telling me moments ago—before I was sliced and diced in the gut. At least she won’t be here to see me like this—bleeding out in front of a crowd of fucking posers who have no idea what their fearless leader did to get the win.

  The men around me are loud. I honestly can’t believe that these guys are this excited for me to die. Whenever I’ve brought a guy to the brink or delivered him to my clients, I didn’t cheer. Even when they were the most obnoxious fuckers, I still didn’t celebrate them being handed off like that. While it didn’t eat me up much, I have some kind of morals.

  I force my eyes open. I want to see the sky again. I remember riding with Tommy a few years after I got my bike. We went on this camping trip in Wisconsin’s North Woods. I was still getting my feet wet then with what I could do on my bike, but there was nothing I loved more than whipping my head back to watch the sky from its highest point and race the clouds over the line of the winding highway. That is what heaven is for me.

  I must be close. My mouth has gone dry. My fingers are getting numb. Everything seems louder, yet softer all at the same time. And then there’s Jenna. She appears like an angel crawling towards me. She’s still wearing that dress... that black dress a size too small for her. God, I’d love to have her just one more time in that thing.

  She calls my name, begging me not to go. I can’t tell if she’s alive or real. She’s just a shadowy figure with a face that glows and hands that reach towards me. But when she touches me, when she places her hands on my body, I know she’s real. There’s no mistaking that electric sensation that shoots up through me and past the place where I was stabbed. She’s here. She’s back.

  With the last bit of strength I have, I growl at her for coming back. It’s shitty of me to do, but what was she doing here? Who let her back? Suddenly, it comes to me. I see a familiar face in the crowd, and I hear the roar of motorcycles closer than they should be. The fight was over, but a new one has started without me. Vic—it has to be him. It’s the only way that Jenna could be here with me without someone noticing her.

  Wait just a goddamn minute. If Vic’s here, where the fuck is Enriq
ue? He couldn’t be dead. The guy is a fucking cockroach who could outlast just about anything. He survived me. He’ll always have that over me. I’m shocked he’s not back here, finishing me off in case Vic survives, but there’s no sign of him from the limited view I’ve got. Even with Jenna placing my head in her lap, I can’t see past the ropes along the boxing ring.

  As I stare out, I see Jenna’s shadow coming down over me. Goddammit, I told her... Her hair dangles and tickles along my neck and bare shoulders... But holy fuck am I glad to see her... She plants a kiss on me, one I really can’t give back to her... Even if I should be pissed...My lips part and I suck in the taste of her, but I struggle with making my mouth close down on hers—it’s the worst kiss I’ve ever had... It’s the last kiss I’ll ever have... But at least I can take this with me to the grave. I’m going to die in someone’s arms that actually fucking cares about me.

  I’m surprised to find a sudden need to get through to her how much I care about her, how my life has been transformed by her. I owe her that. This would be for nothing if I can’t be honest in the few moments I’ve got left. I go to say those three words that have been stuck in the back of my throat since I caught her serving drinks. But my eyes flash to the corner of the ring.