Clutch: Satan's Fury MC

by L. Wilder

  Unfortunately, I was wrong. Everything wasn’t okay. The police had several leads, but were never able to identify the men who killed my parents. I tried telling them that the murder had something to do with my father’s work, but they wouldn’t listen. Everyone knew he owned one of the most prestigious real estate companies in the state, and over the past year, he’d managed to bring in several new developers to restore the downtown area, making it a place where people would actually want to go spend their time and money. When he pushed to bring in a new investment broker, he’d met a great deal of resistance. People were getting angry to the point that it made my mother worry, but my father kept pushing forward. I wasn’t sure what exactly triggered the attack, but I quickly discovered they weren’t the only ones being targeted.

  After the shooting, the kids and I couldn’t bear to go back to the house, so I took them home with me. Somehow we managed to make it through the funeral, and the kids were doing their best to adjust to the reality of our new lives. Unfortunately, just a few days after the funeral, I noticed a dark blue minivan following us back to my apartment. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but it was far from it. That damn van could be spotted everywhere I went—work, the grocery store, a friend’s house across town—and Charlie even noticed it sitting outside his school building. It was obvious that someone was watching us, but I just didn’t know why. When I talked to the police about what we’d seen, they were sympathetic, but there wasn’t much they could do since we didn’t have the license plate number or even a basic description of the driver. When I came home to find that someone had been in my apartment, I was at my limit, scared and confused, and had no idea what I should do.

  Then, things got even worse.

  Hadley was on the way to the car rider line when she noticed a strange man watching her. Something about him scared her, so she left the line and ran back towards the school building. When she looked back, she noticed that he was following her. Completely terrified, she rushed to the office and explained what she’d seen to the principal and the secretary. They went to investigate, but the stranger was no longer there. The police were called in too, but once again, they weren’t able to do anything to help us.

  Feeling completely frustrated, I called the only person that I felt like I could trust: Detective Brakeman. He was the lead officer in charge of my parents’ case, and he’d been the only one that seemed to listen.

  When I called, he immediately answered. “Hi, Olivia. I was just about to call you. I just heard about what happened at the school. Is Hadley okay?”

  “Other than being totally freaked out that someone was after her, she’s fine,” I told him as I tried to control the tremble in my voice.

  “Now, Olivia. We don’t even know if this man was really pursuing your sister. It could have been nothing … a parent or a substitute. I know you’re traumatized, but like I've said, whoever killed your parents could have easily gotten your siblings too, if that was their aim. Why do you think someone is after your sister?"

  “I’m not sure. I was hoping that you could tell me that. Maybe they think the kids saw something the night my parents were killed.”

  “Maybe. Has your brother remembered anything else about that night or the two men he saw in the hallway?” he asked.

  “No. He’s tried, but he hasn’t come up with anything new. Honestly, I think he’s too upset to think straight. He doesn’t feel safe here,” I explained. “None of us do.”

  “I’ve got units patrolling your apartment by the hour. I’m doing everything I can.”

  “I know, and I appreciate all that you have been trying to do, but it just isn’t enough. It’s time to get the kids out of here … at least until you find the people who murdered my parents.”

  “Olivia … just give it some time. If anything else happens with you or the kids …”

  I stopped him before he could continue and asked, “What would you do if you were in my shoes, Detective Brakeman? Hadley and Charlie are all I have left. Would you just give it some time?”

  He let out a sigh and admitted, “No … No, I wouldn’t. So where do you think you will go?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’ll think of something,” I answered.

  “When you figure it out, let me know. I’ll do what I can to help,” he offered.

  “Thank you. I will be in touch as soon as I get us somewhere safe and settled,” I promised.

  As soon as I got off the phone, I went straight to the bank and liquidated all of our accounts, trying to get my hands on as much cash as I could. On my way home, I stopped by the house to check my parents’ safe for any money or jewelry they may have hidden. Luckily, my father had several thousand dollars squirrelled away. I took everything that was there, and when I got back to the apartment, I packed us up and we left, leaving our home and everyone we knew behind. I had no idea where I was headed or what I was going to do when I got there. I just knew we couldn’t stay in Boston a minute longer.

  As soon as I started the car, Hadley started in on me with the questions. “Where are we going?”

  I glanced over in her direction, instantly noticing the serious expression on her face. She’d always been one to worry about things, and with everything up in the air, she was more concerned than ever. I shrugged and answered, “I’m not sure yet.”

  She pulled at the end of her ponytail and pushed on. “If you don’t know where we’re going, then how are you going to use your GPS?”

  “I’m not going to use my GPS.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know where we are going, Hadley. I guess I’ll just figure it out as we go.”

  She was silent for a minute and then asked, “How are you going to make sure those men don’t follow us?”

  That was the question I really needed to consider. I reached in my purse and took out my phone, quickly tossing it out the window. “First, we ditch our cell phones.”

  “What? No way!” they both shouted simultaneously.

  “If these people are looking for us, our phones will be the easiest way for them to track us. We have to get rid of them,” I repeated.

  “This is so unfair,” Charlie pouted.

  “You’re right. It is totally unfair, but right now I don’t have a choice. We can try finding a pawn shop or something tomorrow to get you a new phone under a different name, but for now, toss it,” I told him as I motioned towards the window.

  With a look of pure agony, he threw the phone out the window. Lastly, with a scowl on her face, Hadley reluctantly did the same. I rolled up the windows and tried to ignore the angry glares I was getting from the kids. It didn’t take them long to settle down, and I thought they’d both fallen asleep until Hadley asked, “Are you going to try to get a job whenever we get where we’re going?”

  “I will, but it won’t be like the job I had back at home. Maybe I can find a job as a waitress or a cashier. Maybe both, depending on how much they pay. And I’ll have to a find a place for you and Charlie to go to school.”

  “School?” she groaned. “Why can’t we just take a few weeks off?”

  “That’s not going to happen. I don’t want you getting behind. As soon as we get settled, Detective Brakeman is going to do what he can to help you get enrolled. You’ll have to use different names, but we will work it out.”

  “I don’t want a different name,” she huffed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, covering them with the hem of her oversized sweatshirt, and whined, “This sucks.”

  “Yep. It sure does,” I agreed. I wanted to come up with some kind of positive spin to put on the situation, but there wasn’t one. I couldn’t think of one single good thing about any of it.

  Hadley turned and stared out the window, giving me her best silent treatment. I left her alone, knowing that she just needed some time, and continued to drive down the East Coast. The kids were exhausted, so after only a couple hours of driving, they both fell sound asleep. It was the first real moment I’d had t
o myself since my parents were killed. There was always someone around or something that had to be done, so I hadn’t really had the time to think about everything that had happened. I hadn’t stopped to think about how much I missed my parents or the large, empty hole that was lodged in the center of my heart. I hadn’t had time to think about how much it hurt to lose them. I had to push my feelings to the side. I had to learn to forget the rage, the fear, and the sadness before it completely broke me and left me a shattered mess. I had to keep it together for Charlie and Hadley. I was all they had left, and I couldn’t let them down.

  We were in the middle of the second day of driving when Charlie asked, “We’re in North Carolina right?”

  “Yeah. I guess we are,” I admitted with a smile.

  He perked up in his seat and said, “Then we’re getting close to Tennessee. We should go there.”

  “I guess we could. Is there somewhere special you had in mind?”

  “Nashville would be cool … or maybe Memphis. Definitely Memphis. Remember how Dad was always talking about how he wanted to go see Graceland?”

  I laughed. “Yeah. I think he mentioned it a time or two.”

  “I think that’s where we should go.”

  “Okay. We’ll give it a shot,” I told him as I reached for the map. I decided that it was just as good a time as any for him to see the place where Elvis made his mark, never realizing that the famous city in the south was about to make quite a mark on me as well.

  It’d been almost two months since the day I left the club. I’d spent most of that time driving across the country from one city to the next and trying to map out our new distribution route. I’d only been gone a couple of days when Cotton called to give me my new orders. If I was going to be out on the road, he wanted me to make good use of my time.

  Even though I was technically working, it’d been good to be out on my own. I needed time away from her, the woman I loved but couldn’t have. I needed the silence, some time to let the storm of thoughts settle in my mind. I simply needed time away from Cass and all the constant reminders of what I couldn’t have. There were times that I missed the hustle and bustle of the club—the loud music, the sounds of my brothers coming and going at all times of the day and night, the anticipation of what the hell was going to happen next—but being out on the open road had done me good. There was a sweetness to the silence, a peace that only comes from being on a ride. It’d given me time to sort my shit and move on. I couldn’t dwell on the past or dream about the future. I had to live in the moment and forget everything else in between. I was ready for a new start, ready to see what was waiting for me around that next curve. I had no idea what the future held. All I knew for certain was that life was a crazy fucking ride, and even though there were no guarantees, I planned on living my life the only way I knew how: wide-open.

  I’d had enough of random hotels and the unpredictable spring weather. It was time for me to get to my last stop before heading back home. Just as I’d stopped to fill up my tank, my phone started buzzing. When I checked the screen, I saw that Smokey was calling. He’d been calling off and on since the day I’d left, making sure that I was still alive and well, and he’d catch me up on everything that I’d been missing back at home.

  I answered, “What’s up, brother?”

  “I’m about to lose my damn mind. You up for some company?” he groaned.

  Laughing, I said, “And why’s that?”

  “I don’t know, man. Seems like everyone is just in a pissed off mood, and it doesn’t help that Henley and Wren are knocked up and moody as hell. Wren is acting all weird and shit and she’s just a few weeks along.”

  Wren was Stitch’s ol’ lady. He’s the club’s enforcer and not a man you’d ever want to have a run-in with. When he first met her and her son Wyatt, he fell fast and he fell hard. I wasn’t surprised at all when Smokey told me that she was already pregnant. My brother was happy—really happy—and I was glad to hear that he’d found someone to break through that ironclad heart of his.

  “Hell, I can’t win for losing around here,” he went on. “You were always better at dealing with this shit.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I scoffed. I’d always been able to get along with just about anyone, but I’m not sure I could handle all the women and their pregnancies any better than Smokey.

  “Brother, I don’t think I can take much more.”

  “Don’t pout, Smoke. It’s beneath you,” I taunted.

  “Fuck you, asshole.” He laughed. “Where’d the road take you today?”

  “I’m headed to Missouri. Figured I’d go by and see the folks for a day or two before I head down to Tennessee.”

  The club had been working with one of our affiliate chapters in Tennessee to broaden our distribution route. It was my job as road captain to secure the new pipeline, finding the safest roads while noting all the bridges and any other possible disturbances that we might encounter along the way. Once I was done, Cotton made arrangements for me to spend a few weeks in Memphis, making sure we had everything sorted before I headed home. While I was there, I’d also be working in their club’s garage helping to get them caught up on some car restorations that they’d fallen behind on. Since I’d be staying for several weeks and the clubhouse tended to be a bit rowdy, they arranged for me to stay in one of their apartments downtown. I was expected to be there by the end of the week, but before I headed that way, I needed to stop by and see my mother before she blew a damn gasket. She’d been calling me every other day for the past two months asking when I was going to come see her, and I figured I’d put her off long enough.

  “Have fun with that,” he heckled. “Think I’d rather stay here with all the raging hormones. Better get going. Going out on a run in the morning. I’ll check in with you in a few days. Try to stay out of trouble.”

  “Always,” I answered before hanging up the phone.

  I finished filling my tank and headed out to the highway. I made it to Caruthersville before nightfall. Not much had changed in the last four years since I’d been home. All the familiar hangouts were still intact, even those like the Rib Shack that should’ve been closed down years ago. When I pulled into my parents’ driveway, I noticed that all of the lights were on and my mother was standing at the kitchen sink looking out the window. A huge smile spread across her face when she spotted me, and I hadn’t even made it off my bike before she was racing down the steps and rushing towards me. The years had been good to her. She was still as beautiful as I remembered, tall and lean with her dark brown hair cut short around her face. Her dark green eyes sparkled as she ran over to me with her arms spread wide.

  Once she had me in her arms, she cried, “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

  “Told you I was coming,” I teased.

  She put her hands on my shoulders, giving me one of her reprimanding glares, and huffed, “Don’t get cute with me, Thomas. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you something awful.”

  I leaned towards her, kissing her lightly on the cheek, and said, “I’ve missed you too, Mom.”

  “You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to call your mother from time to time and let her know how you’re doing,” she fussed. Before I had a chance to defend myself, she said, “I’ve just made a batch of chicken and dumplings. You hungry?”

  Choosing to ignore her comment about calling, I smiled and answered, “Hell yeah. I’m always up for your chicken and dumplings.”

  “Grab your stuff and I’ll get you some warmed up,” she ordered as she started back towards the house.

  “Hey,” I called out to her. “Is Dad in the garage?”

  She nodded as she pointed to the back door. “He’s been out there since he got home from work. Has a project he’s been working on. Maybe you could help him out, but don’t take too long. I’ll have your dinner ready in a few minutes.”

  “I won’t be long,” I told her as I got my stuff out of my saddle bag and headed towards the garage. When I wa
lked in, I was welcomed with the view of my father’s backside. He was leaning over the hood of a 1946 Ford F1, completely oblivious that I’d even walked up next to him. I glanced over the body of the old beat-up truck, immediately thinking that he’d lost his mind trying to salvage it. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in the past fifty years, but if I knew my dad, he’d find a way to get it up and running.

  I dropped my bag to the floor and said, “Hey, Pop.”

  He jolted upright, slamming the top of his head against the hood with a loud clank, then shouted, “Damn it all to hell!”

  I chuckled under my breath as I watched him rub his balding head with his calloused hand. When he looked over at me, I pressed my lips together, trying to hold back my laughter. It had been a year since I’d seen him, but he looked the same, just a few extra wrinkles around the eyes.

  With his hand still on his head, he barked, “You did that shit on purpose, didn’t you?”

  Shrugging, I laughed. “Who? Me? You know I’d never do anything like that.”

  He cocked his eyes over in my direction and said, “Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve given me a damn headache. Now, come over here and give your old man a hug.” I walked over to him and he gave me a tight squeeze as he said, “Been too long, son.”

  I took a step back and replied, “Yeah, it has.”

  “You doing okay?”

  “Been making it alright.”

  He gave me the once-over and said, “You look like hell. Wish you’d think about staying home this go-round. From the sounds of it, things at that club of yours have gotten a little sketchy.”

  Feeling instantly on the defensive, I retorted, “Things are just fine back at the club, Pops.”