Satan's Fury MC Boxed Set: Books 5-8

by L. Wilder

  “I see that, and I’m looking forward to meeting them. So, what’s the plan when we get there?”

  “I’ll meet with Gus and go over the changes with the route. I figure we’ll crash there tonight. I want to check in with Blaze and Sam and see how they’re doing. We can head back in the morning.”

  “Sam?”

  “Sam … well, that’s a long story,” he scoffed.

  “All I’ve got is time, brother. Let’s hear it.” Clutch spent the next half hour telling me how Liv met Sam at the diner. At the time, he was a homeless vet, and she had a soft spot for the old guy. Turned out that he had one for her, too, and he’d been keeping an eye on her and the kids, helping them stay safe during that whole fiasco. Not too long afterwards, the club took him in as a prospect, and now he’s a patched member. “Damn. It’s a good thing he was around when that asshole came looking for them.”

  “Yeah, there’s no telling what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there.”

  We continued talking for the next few hours, which made the long ride much more bearable. By the time we pulled up to the clubhouse gate, Clutch had told me everything about his time in Memphis, and I felt more prepared to meet the brothers. He rolled down his window when he saw one of the prospects heading over to us. “Clutch and Diesel. We’re here to see Gus.”

  He gave us a quick nod and motioned us on through. Clutch pulled up to the front door and parked the truck. I followed him inside, and as soon as we stepped through the door, someone called out, “Clutch! How’s it going, man?”

  “Hey, Murph,” Clutch answered as he started walking towards one of the brothers with long, shaggy hair and a scruffy beard. Clutch gave him a quick side hug and a slap on the back as he said, “Good to see ya, brother.”

  “We weren’t expecting you until later this afternoon.”

  “Made good time.” Clutch smiled proudly. “I don’t reckon you’ve met Diesel. He’s one of our newest members.”

  Murph extended his hand as he replied, “Good to meet, Diesel. Did you have a good trip?”

  “It was alright, but damn, the snow was really coming down at times.”

  “Heard it’s pretty bad up north.”

  “Yeah. It’s a hell of a mess, but it cleared up once we got out of Oklahoma,” Clutch replied.

  “Hope that shit doesn’t make its way down here. People around here lose their mind with just an inch. I can’t imagine what they’d do with a foot of snow.”

  “I think you’re safe for now.” Clutch chuckled. “Hey, is Gus around?”

  “Yeah. He’s in his office.” Murph turned and called out to one of the guys at the bar. “Hey, Runt. Clutch is here to see Gus. You mind taking him back?”

  He stood up and started walking over to us. “Clutch. Good to see ya, brother.”

  “You, too, Runt.” After he shook hands with him, Clutch turned towards me and said, “I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Take your time,” Murph told him. “We’ll be waiting for you in the bar.”

  Clutch nodded, then followed Runt down the hall. Once he was gone, Murph led me into the bar. When we walked in, the place was deserted, so I assumed most of their guys were like us and worked during the day. Murph grabbed us a couple of beers, and as he offered me one, he sat down behind the counter. He didn’t look like your typical Sergeant of Arms, but there was a fierceness behind his eyes that let me know he wasn’t a man you’d want to get tangled up with. He ran his hand over his beard as he said, “Clutch mentioned that you were new to the club.”

  “I am.” I took a drink of my beer before I said, “Got my patch about a month ago.”

  “I’ve only been around him a couple of times, but from what I could tell, Cotton is one of the good ones.”

  “He is. Proud to be a part of his club,” I told him truthfully. “Some of the best men I know.”

  We spent the next hour talking about anything from reconstructing engines to football playoffs, and just as we were finishing our beer, a hot little number came up behind Murph and slipped her arm around his waist. She leaned towards him, whispering something in his ear, and as he listened, a smirk crossed his face. Once she was done, he looked back at her and said, “Not now, darlin’. We’ve got company.”

  After his rejection, she turned her attention to me. As her eyes slowly roamed over my cut, a sexy smile spread across her face. “And who is this handsome fella?”

  “This here is Diesel. One of our boys from up North.”

  “Hi there, Diesel. I’m Jasmine.” In a seductive tone, she continued, “It’s really nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “Can I get you both another beer?”

  “Get us a couple out of the back cooler. Need to restock the one behind the bar,” Murph answered.

  “Sure thing, babe.”

  Once she was gone, I looked over to Murph and asked, “She your ol’ lady?”

  “Hell, no. Jasmine is one of the hang-arounds. Sweet girl, but just like all the chicks around here, she’s too young and naïve for me.”

  Surprised by his response, I said, “So, I take it you don’t have an ol’ lady.”

  He shrugged. “Hard to find a woman strong enough to tame the beast.”

  “Gotcha.” I laughed. “It can be a struggle.”

  Before he could respond, Clutch walked in with an older guy sporting a thick, gray beard following behind. Murph looked over to them and asked, “What about it, Prez? Did y’all get the new drop-off points worked out?”

  “We did.”

  Clutch added, “A couple are a little out of the way, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  “You got that right,” Gus answered. “You chose well. Cotton was right to put it in your hands.”

  “Thanks, Gus. Appreciate that,” Clutch replied.

  “When’s the next run?”

  “In just over two weeks. If we …”

  His voice trailed off when Jasmine walked back into the bar. As she placed our beers on the counter, she looked over to me and asked, “Will you be staying at the club tonight?”

  “Sorry, darlin’,” a man’s voice replied. “They’ve decided to stay over at Daisy Mae’s tonight.”

  Clutch looked over to Gus, and with his hand extended out to him, he said, “Thanks for giving us a place to crash, Gus. I could use a decent meal and a good night’s sleep.”

  “I’m sure you can after that long-assed drive. I’ll give Cyrus a call and let him know you’ll be heading over.”

  “Tell him it’ll be a bit. I thought I’d run by the garage and see Blaze before we head over.”

  Gus nodded. “I’m sure he’d be glad to see you, and Sam, too. He’s been helping out, and turns out, he’s a damn good mechanic.”

  “Glad to hear that,” Clutch replied. “It’ll be good to catch up.”

  “Be careful heading back tomorrow, and let Cotton know I’ll be calling him.”

  As we started towards the door, Jasmine came over to me and said, “Bye, handsome. If you’re ever back in town, be sure to come by. I’d love the chance to get to know you better.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I told her with a smile.

  I followed Clutch outside, and my stomach started to growl as we headed towards the truck. “You said Daisy Mae’s had good burgers, right?”

  “Best around,” he answered as he got inside the truck and closed the door.

  “Any chance we’ll be going by there any time soon?”

  “Soon enough,” he mocked. “Trust me. It will be worth the wait.”

  Chapter 2

  Ellie

  I had two choices. I could face my fear and risk losing everything, including my life, or I could run. Maybe if I’d had more time to think about the consequences, I would’ve chosen differently, but instead, I did the only thing I thought I could. With only the clothes on my back and a few bucks in my wallet, I ran. Consumed with panic, my legs didn’t feel like my own as I rushed out t
o my car and got inside, locking the doors behind me. It was as if I was watching a horror movie play out in slow motion, and as much as I wanted to make it all stop, I couldn’t. With my hand trembling, I placed the keys in the ignition and started the car. In my entire life, I couldn’t remember ever being so scared, and the thought that it was just the beginning only made it worse—if that was even possible. As it was, I couldn’t breathe, like someone had their fingers wrapped around my throat, choking me with all their might, and I feared I might faint. Trying to calm my racing heart, I inhaled a slow, strained breath but nothing helped. I just wanted to pull the car over, curl up into a ball, and wait for someone to come save me. But no one would come. I was alone—completely and utterly alone.

  I hadn’t been driving long when it started to snow again. Since the roads were already covered in ice, it was difficult to keep my car from sliding off the road, but I wasn’t taking my foot off the gas for a little snow. I’d just I made it into town when I saw a car coming in my direction. I suddenly had an urge to call out to them, to plead for them to help me, but I knew that wasn’t an option. I wasn’t the person everyone thought I was. So many lies had been told, mountains and mountains of lies, and no one would believe that I wasn’t the happy, little homemaker I’d always pretended to be. As I pressed my foot against the accelerator, I glanced up at my rearview mirror, praying that no one was following me. To my relief, there was only darkness behind me.

  After an hour of being on the road, I started to settle into the drive, and I found myself thinking back on a time when things were different—a time when I had a family I could turn to, a mother and father who loved me, a brother who always had my back, and friends I could actually trust.

  My mother was standing at the kitchen stove with her curly, dark hair and a bright smile on her face, and I could almost hear the comforting sound of her voice as she turned to me and asked, “How was your day, sweetheart?”

  I was fifteen years old, and I’d just come home from school. We didn’t have a big, fancy house, but it was a place we were proud of. It was home. With mom waiting for my response, I sat down at the table with a soda and a handful of crackers. I gave her a heavy sigh, then said, “It was going pretty good until Maddie and I got into a big argument at lunch.”

  She turned to face me and leaned against the stove as she crossed her arms. “Argument? About what?”

  “Honestly, I don’t even know. She was asking me what she should wear on her date with Jason on Friday night, and then she started telling me I should go out with his best friend, Brady. I don’t like Brady … like not at all, and when I told her that, she got mad about it.”

  From the time Maddie and I had met in pre-school, we were inseparable. When I wasn’t at her house, she was at mine. Mom always said that she was like her second daughter, so she simply offered, “Maybe you should try talking to her about it.”

  “I tried, but she won’t listen.” I took a sip of my drink, then continued, “She is so wrapped up in Jason that she thinks everything about him is so wonderful, including all his knucklehead friends.”

  “It’s her first boyfriend, Ellie. Just be patient with her and try not to be too judgmental of him or his friends.” She gave me one of her looks and added, “I’m sure you can find something good about him.”

  “Jason is a douchebag, Mom.”

  “Ellie! Young ladies shouldn’t talk like that.”

  Just as she’d gotten the words out of her mouth, my father walked in. He was covered from head to toe with dirt, and from the expression on his face, I could tell he’d had a rough day. “What’s going on in here?”

  Mom shook her head as she said, “Your daughter is sounding more and more like her brother every day.”

  “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Dad teased. “Joseph has a good head on his shoulders, just like his father.”

  “His father doesn’t say the word douchebag, does he?”

  “That depends.”

  “Thomas!” Mom scolded.

  Dad turned to me and said, “Ellie, you know better than to talk like that.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  He kicked off his muddy boots and lowered his overalls, leaving his dirty clothes in a pile by the back door like he always did, and then, he sauntered over to Mom at the stove. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. “What’s for dinner?”

  It seemed like my parents were always touching one another. They were high school sweethearts, and it gave me hope to know that they were still in love after being together for so many years. Mom looked over to him with affection in her eyes as she replied, “Stew and cornbread.”

  “Sounds good. You know how I love your stew. I’ll go take a shower.” On his way out, he shouted, “I hope you added lots of potatoes this time.”

  “I added plenty. I promise.”

  By the time my father had showered and changed, my older brother, Joseph, had made it home from football practice. We all gathered around the table for dinner and shared our day with each other as we ate. Joseph and I cleared off the table, and while I was at the sink washing dishes, he came over to me and asked, “What happened with you and Maddie today?”

  “You heard about that?”

  “Jason was bitching about it at practice. Said Maddie was all torn up about it.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Yeah. So, what were you arguing about?”

  I sighed. “She wants me to go out with Brady.”

  “Brady? That guy’s a real asshole,” he grumbled as he put several dirty glasses in my dishwater. “Why would she want you to go out with him?”

  Brady was a senior, and while I didn’t know him very well, I knew enough to know he wasn’t the guy for me. He was a linebacker on the football team, big and burly, and while he was good-looking, he was arrogant as hell. Since he played football, Joseph knew exactly how he was, so I had no doubt that he’d understand my reservations about going out with him. “He’s friends with Jason. She wanted us to double date or something. I told her that I didn’t want to go out with him, and she got all pissed about it.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know. I don’t know why she got all worked up about it. It’s not like her.”

  “Well, there’s probably something else going on.” Like most brothers and sisters, we spent a lot of time arguing, but Joseph was a good brother. I loved him dearly and looked up to him. Whenever he gave me advice, I did my best to listen, but this time I wasn’t so sure he was right when he suggested, “You should talk to her. Give her a call, and sort it out.”

  “But, she’s the—”

  “Call her, El,” he interrupted. “She’s your best friend. Don’t let this argument fester into something more than it already is.”

  I took my brother’s advice, and as soon as we were done cleaning the kitchen, I went up to my room and called her. It took some time, but I finally got her to tell me what was really bothering her. Apparently, Jason was pushing her to take that next step, but she wasn’t ready to sleep with him. She’d hoped that if I was there with Brady, she’d be able to put him off a little longer. After hearing why she was so upset, I agreed to go on the date, and our argument was over. Like always, my brother was right. My best friend needed me, and without his push, I would’ve never known it.

  As I continued to drive down the highway, my mind wandered to a memory that wasn’t exactly pleasant. After our double date with Maddie and Jason, Brady and I started dating, and to my surprise, I actually fell for him. I liked him—a lot. He was funny, and he made me laugh. I enjoyed being with him, but there was just one problem. We argued, about everything. At first, it was over little things, and we’d just end up laughing it off. But after Brady graduated and went off to school, our little tiffs turned into something more. He became controlling and didn’t want me going anywhere without him. At the time, it didn’t bother me. I would’ve rather been with him than anyone else anyway, but
when my family figured out what was going on, they wanted me to steer clear of him, warning me that things would only get worse.

  Maybe it was just my age or maybe my hormones were corrupting my brain cells, because in my mind, I knew him better than they did. My relationship with Brady caused a big rift between us all, and it only got worse when I got pregnant. I can still remember the argument we had on the front porch of my home. My father’s face was red with anger as he growled, “There’s no way in hell you’re quitting college, Ellie. That’s not an option.”

  “Brady wants me to move in with him. He starts the academy next week, and by summer, he’ll be a police officer. It’s going to be okay.”

  “No. It’s not.” My mother shook her head. “You’re so naïve. Do you honestly think this boy is going to be able to take care of you and your baby on what a police officer makes? You need to finish school. It’s the only chance you have.”

  “I can’t go to school and take care of a baby. It’s too much.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you spread your legs for that asshole,” Dad barked.

  “I love him!”

  “You’re a child! You don’t know what love is!”

  “Thomas. We need to stay calm,” she scolded. After a deep sigh, she turned to me and said, “We can help you with the baby while you’re at school, and you could always consider adoption. You’re so young, Ellie. You have your whole life ahead of you … And this boy, Ellie, he’s not the one for you. Deep down, I think you know that.”

  “I’m not giving up the baby!”

  “Okay. Then let us help you. You don’t have to move in with him. You can stay here, finish your classes, and we can do—”

  “Don’t waste your breath, Margret. Look at her.” With a disgusted face, he motioned his hand in my direction. “She’s already made up her mind. She’s not listening to a damn thing we say.”