Striker: No Prisoners MC Book 1

by Lilly Atlas

  This was so far out of Lila’s realm of experience. She felt beyond terrified just standing there, and wished she could do something. She never should have agreed to get involved with the MC. There were many qualities about Striker that Lila admired, but his lifestyle wasn’t something she could handle.

  “Our warehouse was broken into, the prospect on watch was laid out, but not before he recognized a No Prisoners’ cut.”

  Shit, that sounded pretty damning. Striker tensed beside her, probably thinking along the same line. The only hope they had was the knowledge that the Grimms wanted their drugs back. That meant they’d let them go so they could take the message back to the club. Right?

  In the next instant Snake waved both hands in their direction, and the two men who flanked his sides moved toward them. Snake stared straight at her. “I think I’ll take something as collateral until I get my merchandise back.”

  Oh my God, did they mean to take her with them? In one fluid motion that left her head spinning, Striker shoved her fully behind him, yanked out his gun and aimed it straight at Snake’s head.

  The urge to cling to Striker, wrap her arms around him and bury her face between his shoulder blades was overwhelming, but she refused to have her presence cause any more trouble than it already did. She heard a few clicks behind her and it was a reflex to turn and look. The three men behind them hadn’t moved any closer, but each of them had a serious-looking gun trained directly on Striker. Oh God.

  “I suggest you lose the gun, Striker, unless you want the lovely Dr. Emerson to watch us end you, before we take her with us, that is.”

  Anger poured off Striker in waves. He tossed his gun to the ground, far enough out of reach to satisfy Snake, and turned to her. No words were spoken, but she knew what he wanted to tell her. Do what they say, don’t make waves, stay alive. There was no way in hell she’d let him die trying to protect her. The next few moments were going to be critical to their mutual survival, so she gave him a slight nod to convey that she would follow his lead.

  “Lila will take your message back to the club. You don’t need her. I’ll go with you while they investigate your claims.”

  Snake laughed. Lila was getting sick of the maniacal sound. “Aww. Isn’t that sweet, boys?” He looked at his men. “Striker must really care for the good doctor. No, I think I’ll stick with my plan. Having her as my guest will keep you motivated.”

  Still behind Striker, shielded by his body, Lila started to shake. Would they rush forward to grab her? Would they shoot Striker? She was afraid to move, didn’t want to draw any further attention her way though she knew her efforts were futile.

  “Dr. Emerson, step out from behind Striker. Five steps to your right.”

  Her breath came out in a whoosh of fear. “Fuck off,” was on the tip of her tongue but she held it back. Striker could be shot at any time, and they’d both be totally screwed.

  So softly she almost didn’t hear it over the pounding of her heart Striker spoke. “Do it, baby. I promise I’ll get you out of this.”

  The moment she stepped away, Snake’s men converged on Striker. One stopped about a foot away from his left side with a gun trained on Striker’s head while the other halted right in front of him. Without warning he slugged Striker once in the stomach followed immediately by a punch to the face. His eye swelled instantly and blood poured from his nose.

  Doubled over, Striker swore viciously, but didn’t fight back. Why wasn’t he fighting them? He was a fighter, hell he was named for it, and he could probably flatten these two assholes in one second flat. Then it hit her, if the attention was on him, it was off her. He didn’t fight back because he couldn’t lose his focus on her and what was happening to her. He looked up, directly at her, and she felt sick to her stomach.

  “Doctor, please join me over here.”

  Lila shifted her gaze to meet Snake’s head on. She refused to cower in his presence no matter how much she quaked on the inside. It was as though she stared into a pool of nothing. No emotion registered in those black eyes, and he gave away no hint of what was to come.

  She walked forward, until she stood about two feet from Snake. He wrapped a hand around her wrist and pulled her against his side. Tears filled her eyes, but she forced them away. When they made it out of this alive she could cry for days.

  Striker’s rage was palpable, as though it was another person standing in the road with them. He would tear Snake apart at the first chance he got. He rose to his full height and diverted the attention back to himself.

  “If you want to keep that hand, you’ll take it of her, motherfucker.” His voice was practically a snarl.

  Snake removed his hand from her wrist, but placed an arm around her shoulders as he faced Striker.

  Lila was so tense she feared she might snap under the weight of Snake’s arm.

  Snake let out a short laugh. “I don’t think you’re exactly in the position to make demands, Striker. I am, however, and I want my shit back.”

  Striker took a step forward from his position between the two Grimm Brothers. “If you’re right, and it was a No Prisoner, it was not club sanctioned. It was a lone wolf grab. I’ll find who did it. If this isn’t bullshit, I want the fucker as much as you do.”

  Snake released her, and moved toward Striker. Relief at no longer being touched by him nearly buckled Lila’s knees. “I imagine you do. I want my product returned. You better pray it’s all accounted for. And I want the man responsible delivered to my club.”

  Holy shit, would Striker agree to that? He would be signing a man’s death warrant for sure, and probably a horrible and painful death at that. As Lila looked on in horror, Striker nodded. “You’ll get him. He may be a bit dinged by the time he makes it to you, but you’ll get him.”

  “You have until tonight. We’ll meet out near the abandoned mine off Route Forty. Midnight. You bring my shit, you’ll get your ol’ lady unharmed. You’re one minute late, or don’t deliver, well, let’s just say I’m without an ol’ lady of my own right now.”

  Lila’s stomach rolled at Snake’s threat. She couldn’t meet Striker’s eyes. The fear and uncertainty was too great.

  Snake mounted his bike then turned to Lila. “Hop on, Doc. Time’s a wastin’ and your man has shit to do.” He winked an emotionless eye at her. “Make sure you hold on real tight.”

  Somehow Lila made her legs carry her to the bike, and she climbed on behind Snake. Her options were to hold onto him or to fall off, so she had to touch him at least a little. Her hands trembled and bile rose in her throat as she gripped Snake’s sides. She kept her torso as far back from him as she dared while keeping herself on the bike.

  With a raise of his hand, Snake signaled to his men. All six of them lowered their weapons and returned to their bikes. Lila still didn’t look at Striker as Snake led the pack and rode out.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Goddamn it. This was Striker’s nightmare. This was the exact reason he never should have dirtied Lila with his hands. The very second the Grimm Brothers pulled away, Striker snatched his gun and hopped on his bike. He tore back toward the clubhouse. Most of the guys should still be there.

  What the hell was he thinking, getting involved with her? Lila didn’t deserve any of this shit. She was the very essence of goodness, and in a few short weeks his life had stained her. Christ, there were countless people alive today because of Lila, because she used her skills and knowledge to save them. No wonder she looked at him with such revulsion when he agreed to hand over the thief. She was a healer, and he was a killer.

  When he got her back, he wanted to wrap his arms around her, and hold her forever, so nothing could ever hurt her again. Then he wanted to strip her, and take his time loving every inch of her, erasing any memory of Snake’s touch from her mind. He wanted to watch as she came apart in his arms while he poured himself into her welcoming body.

  What he needed to do, though, was distance himself before he poisoned her. Because of him she wou
ld spend over twelve hours with a sadistic son of a bitch. He assumed she’d be done with him, never want to speak to him again, and she’d be smart to walk away.

  Striker made the thirty-minute trip in nineteen minutes. Dust and gravel flew across the lot as he came to a harsh stop in front of the clubhouse.

  “Who the fuck is that?” Jester’s pissed off voice carried through the open doors of the garage bay.

  As he killed the engine, Striker saw Jester stomp toward him.

  “Striker? Why the hell are you tearing in here spraying shit all over? You’re the one who usually bitches at people for pulling that.”

  Striker dismounted and jogged toward the clubhouse. “Need you inside. Now!”

  “Jesus Christ, bro! What happened to your face?”

  Striker hadn’t given much thought to the beating he took from Snake’s men. He glanced down at the blood splattered across his shirt. When he saw it, the pain in his face registered, but he ignored it. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered beyond finding out who betrayed the club so he could get Lila back before the trauma of being Snake’s captive destroyed her.

  “Do you need me to call Lila? Have her come check you out?” Jester increased his stride length to keep up with Striker.

  “No I need you to get the fuck inside.”

  “Striker your face is all busted up, at least go clean it off.”

  “No time for that shit.” He ripped the door open, and stormed into the clubhouse. Shiv was at the bar with Hook and Acer who both jumped up when they caught sight of Striker’s battered face.

  “Christ! What happened to you?” Shiv was the first to speak.

  “My face doesn’t matter.”

  “Sit, Striker.” Shiv tried to push him into a chair.

  “I don’t need to sit.” Striker shook of his president’s hold.

  “I wasn’t asking you.” This time Shiv was successful in shoving Striker to a chair. “Jester, grab him a wet towel to clean his ugly face. Acer, get him a drink.”

  A moment later, a glass with an amber brown liquid appeared before him, the near full bottle next to it. “Drink it,” Shiv ordered. “Calm your shit down, and tell us what the fuck happened.”

  He threw down the drink hoping it would help him get the words out. When Shiv held out the bottle to refill Strikers glass, he shook his head. If he was going to pull this off he needed all cylinders firing. “Lila and I were ambushed by six Grimms on the way to my house.”

  “Fuck!” Shiv bit out. “Doc okay?”

  Striker shook his head as he stared into the empty glass. Fear for her clogged his throat, and he felt tears fill his eyes for the first time since as far back as he could remember. “No. They took her.” His voice sounded rough.

  “What?” Jester roared as he returned from the bathroom with a wet cloth. He shoved it in Striker’s hands and began pacing.

  Striker used the warm towel to clean the blood off his face. The skin around his eye felt puffy, and throbbed with a sharp ache, but he ignored it. He could breathe without difficulty so his nose probably wasn’t broken. There were much bigger problems to tackle.

  When he was done he tossed the towel under his chair. “Looks like Jackal is no longer in charge. Don’t know how it happened, but Snake is running the show now.”

  Shiv paled a bit at that news. “What a fuckin’ mess. This blows our deal right out of the water.” He grabbed the bottle and took a long pull.

  “It gets worse. Snake claims one of us stole a fuck ton of drugs from the Grimms. Gave me until midnight to find the drugs and hand over the guilty party. Lila is collateral.”

  Silence filled the room for a long, tense moment.

  Jester stopped pacing and gaped at Striker. “You coulda told me Snake had a sex change and I wouldn’t be as fuckin’ shocked as I am now. Think he was shittin’ you?”

  Striker turned his glass over and slid it back and forth between his hands on the table. “I think he believes one of us did it. Whether or not it’s true, I don’t know.”

  “And if we don’t deliver on time?” Shiv asked.

  Striker looked him right in the eye. “Says he’s in the market for a new ol’ lady.”

  Expletives came from each man as Striker’s meaning sank in.

  “Damn, I’m sorry this touched your woman, Striker.”

  Striker looked at Shiv. The older man sat with his head rested on his hands, which were propped up by his elbows on the table. In that position he looked tired, defeated.

  The men were quiet for another moment before Acer spoke. “Okay, so we get on this fast, find the fucker, strip his patch, and toss him to the Grimms. Saves us the trouble of getting rid of him.”

  Striker nodded. “I agree, though I told Snake to expect him in less than perfect condition. I want a few shots at him before we hand him over.”

  They all nodded.

  “Who do we look at for this? I don’t even know where to fuckin’ begin.” Shiv shook his head. “Never would have thought one of us would do something like this.”

  Striker dropped his head. What a disaster. They were sentencing a brother to death, a fact that Lila had clearly picked up on. The way Lila had stared at him when she realized the guilty man would be handed over to the Grimm Brothers was burned into his memory. Horror and disgust had been written plainly all over her beautiful face. But worse, was how she wouldn’t even look at him right before Snake rode off with her. Striker knew that as long as he lived he’d never scrub the image of Lila on the back of Snake’s bike from his brain.

  “I have an idea who it is.” Jester spoke, and his words crashed Striker back into the moment.

  Each man gaped at him.

  “Do you fucking know something about this, Jester?” Striker’s voice was deadly, warning the other man what would happen if he’d been keeping something of this magnitude from him.

  “No, VP. No fucking way I’d let something like that slide. And I could be completely wrong about my suspicions, but I think Rock might be using.”

  “Rock? You’re shittin’ me.” Rock was a newer member, who had received his patch a little over a year ago. Striker was surprised, he’d been one of the best prospects they ever had. Took all the shit they gave him as though it was nothing. Not for one second would Striker have guessed he was using drugs. “Why do you think that?”

  “Few times we’ve been out on runs, I thought he might be high. His behavior’s been gettin’ erratic. I also overheard him talking about money troubles.”

  Striker considered Jester’s words. He looked at Shiv to gauge his reaction. Shiv reached into his pocket and drew out a thick cigar. His eyes were sad as he lit it. This would weigh heavily on him, that he let a man into the club who could hurt their family.

  “He has been off lately. I knew he was having money troubles as well, and just figured he was stressed. But now that I think about it, he definitely could have been stoned.” Acer shook his head in disgust as he added his thoughts.

  “Big leap from doing some drugs to stealing two-hundred-fifty thou worth of product from the Grimms.” Shiv puffed out a stream of smoke and watched it swirl toward the ceiling.

  Jester let out a low whistle. “Two-fifty? Shit, no wonder Snake’s on the warpath. We’d tear their club apart if the situation was reversed.”

  Striker nodded. Jester was right. Had someone stolen that much from the No Prisoners, they’d be on the receiving end of a full out attack. Difference was, they’d never go after someone’s ol’ lady as payback. There were just some lines you didn’t cross. Sort of an outlaw code of honor. Snake didn’t seem to buy into that. “Obviously we need to be one hundred fucking percent sure about this. The Grimms aren’t going to just give him a spanking and let him walk.”

  “I think we should straight on confront him.” Acer snagged the bottle from Shiv and took a swig. “He’s fucked up right now. If it’s him, I think he’ll piss himself to get back in your good graces.”

  “Do it now. At his house. This way we
can see if he has the shit there. Get Gumby and Hook in on the deal as well. We gotta move fast. Bastard only gave us twelve hours.” Shiv looked at Striker as he issued the order.

  All three men nodded. “There will need to be retaliation,” Striker said. “We cannot let this slide. They have my woman. I don’t even want to think about—” He stopped, unable to complete the sentence. He had to believe Snake would hold up his end of the bargain and leave Lila unharmed until the deadline. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to function.

  Shiv’s hand landed on Striker’s shoulder with a firm squeeze. “He’ll pay for this, son. I promise you that. But you need to promise me you won’t go cowboy on us and try to take him out yourself. When the time is right we’ll cut that slithering bastard’s head off, but we’ll do it right. You hear me?”

  Striker would be lying if he said the idea of going after Snake on his own hadn’t crossed his mind, but Shiv was right. It would be smarter, and safer, to plan the retaliation as a club.

  “Loud and clear, Pres.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Okay boys, let’s go catch us a traitor.”

  Acer and Jester walked out to the bikes leaving Shiv and Striker at the table. Shiv stood and pulled Striker up for a fierce hug. He slapped him on the back as he whispered, “Your woman’s tough, and about as smart as Einstein. She’ll be okay brother.”

  A hint of a smile ghosted Striker’s lips at Shiv’s words. “Thanks, man.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  An hour later, Striker, Gumby, Hook, and Jester convened outside Rock’s front door. Acer waited on his bike at the edge of the driveway. The neighborhood was shit. Someone needed to guard the bikes and keep an eye out for trouble. Acer drew the proverbial short straw.

  Striker glanced at Rock’s house. He used the term house lightly. Rock lived in the trashy part of town, in a rundown two-bedroom shack. It looked like crap on a good day, but today it looked even worse. The front had two windows, one on each side of the door. Boards covered one window while the other had a large crack straight down the center.