by Ravenna Tate
“And if agrees?”
“Then call the other officers down and send Howler in. Christ, Phenex. Want me to draw you a fucking map?”
Phenex mumbled something that Gorgon didn’t catch. Gorgon turned his attention back to Vassago. “Guess we’ll need to finish this later.”
As they put the books away and closed Vassago’s laptop, he asked Gorgon what he thought Howler wanted.
“Don’t know. You think it’s a mistake to let him in here to talk? I don’t want Donny pissed at us.”
“No, but I think it’s smart to insist on the other officers here. That way you have witnesses if he tries to pull bullshit behind your back with my cousin.”
Phenex returned with Howler in tow. Gorgon rose and shook the man’s hand. “Have a seat. Just waiting for my other officers. You know Vassago, right?”
“Yeah.” Howler shook Vassago’s hand and sat down. The man looked like hell. Gorgon had met Howler as a kid when he was known only as Malachi Gaughan. He and Scotty had been in the same grade, but the two hadn’t been friends.
Howler’s dad and two uncles were former Outlaw Dogs MC members. All three men were now dead. They had died young because they’d lived rough lives and had been into a lot of shit the Demons on Wheels MC wouldn’t go near. And right now, Howler looked like he’d been run over recently by a fucking truck, several times.
“Prison must have sucked,” said Gorgon.
He shrugged. “Been there before. Public defender is pretty sure the charges will be dropped. I shot him in self defense, Gorgon.”
“Wait until the others get here,” said Vassago.
“Yeah. Sorry. Forgot who your cousin was.”
“Don’t get sideways with my Treasurer, Howler. We didn’t have to let you inside.”
The others came in and eyed the scene suspiciously. This had to be huge news for the Road Captain of the Outlaw Dogs to come here and face down their rival club’s officers.
After Gorgon’s men had taken their seats, Gorgon nodded toward Howler. “You all know who this is. The floor is yours, Howler.”
“First of all, thanks for agreeing to hear what I have to say.” He ran a hand over his face in a gesture that reminded Gorgon so much of the same one Scotty used to do when he was nervous, that Gorgon’s chest hurt for a second or two.
“I’m out on bail, and the charges will likely be dropped. I shot Mad Dog in self defense.”
No one said anything. Gorgon glanced around. The men were interested, but they didn’t entirely trust why Howler was here.
“He betrayed his Brothers. The club. He betrayed Vito. He was talking to at least two other bosses we know about.”
“Do we need to worry about those bosses?” asked Vassago.
“No. Nothing was in writing. It was only talk.”
“But they still know what went down,” said Rahab.
“Look, I’ll give you their names, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
“Why the fuck would you trust us that much?” asked Gorgon.
Howler leaned forward and planted his palms on the table. “Mad Dog is dead. There is no President. The Brothers are divided. Half of them want to come here and fight you all because they think you masterminded the raw deal Vito got with Donny.”
Mastema opened his mouth but Gorgon shot him a look and he stayed silent.
“The other half want to break free of the MC and start over. But that means getting out from under Vito, too.”
“Which half are you with?” asked Tannin.
“I know you guys had nothing to do with the shit going down between Donny and Vito. I’m not a fucking idiot. Mob bosses don’t take orders from MC Brothers, no matter how tight they are with them.”
“So what are you looking to do?” asked Mastema.
“The members who want to start over want me as President.”
“Why did you come to us?” asked Gorgon. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about what Howler or any of the other Outlaw Dogs wanted to do within their own ranks. His main priority was to protect this MC and its members.
“To warn you. The sweetbutt you called Tarot came to the bar last week. She says she has information she can use to hurt all of you. The Brothers took her in, and she’s our sweetbutt now.”
Rahab laughed. “Fuck. The only information she has is the size of our dicks and how we like our blowjobs.”
The others laughed, including Howler.
“Look,” said Gorgon, “Tarot is gone because we told her to leave. She spread lies and stirred up shit among the members, the dancers, the sweetbutts, and the old ladies. End of story. She doesn’t know shit about anything.”
“Yeah, but the members who want to bring you down don’t know that. She’s not the only one who showed up. Two of your former prospects named Mike Wellington and Todd Grainger are now our prospects.”
“Well those two are gone because they tried to force Tannin’s old lady to give them both a blowjob,” said Vassago. “So, there ya go. Believe what you want, but keep those back stories in mind.”
“Like I said, it’s not me who’s swallowing their bullshit. And it’s not only the members you need to worry about believing the lies. It’s Vito.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” asked Tannin.
“It means if those three tell lies about you or Donny and it gets back to Vito, it will eventually get to Donny. It might eventually get to whatever Mob bosses Mad Dog was talking to. Whether it’s real or not, it can come back to hurt you.”
“We don’t need a fucking Mob turf war,” said Tannin, “and neither do you.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m here. I need your help.” He cut his gaze toward Vassago. “Donny Messina is your cousin. If you lay all this out for him, he can do something about it.”
“The fuck you want him to do? Force Vito to play nice with the other boys?”
“I don’t fucking know what he can do, but he must be able to do something.”
“I’ll talk to him, but don’t hold your breath, Howler. Fuck. Don’t you get this? They don’t fucking work for us. We work for them. We take orders from them, not the other way around.”
Donny’s men walked all three hundred acres of the property every single day with Phenex, but the threat of the Outlaw Dogs wanting to raid this club hadn’t seemed real until now.
“Yeah. I fucking get it. I shot my Brother, okay? I had to. It was him or me. But you know what? No matter the reason … no matter how many fucking times I relive that moment of my life, the end result is still the same. I shot a Brother. I shot my MC President. That’s all half the members see. That’s what I gotta live with every fucking day for the rest of my fucking life.”
He slammed his hands down on the table. “You fucking think I’d be here otherwise? You think I’d come here, looking for help? After all the bad blood between our MCs? Fuck.” Howler stood. “I came to say what I wanted to say. The rest is up to you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sunday night, as Chloe and Gorgon lay in bed listening to the rain outside, he told her everything that Howler had said to the officers earlier in the day.
“Is Vassago going to talk to Donny?”
“Yeah. He has to ‘cause who knows what fucking shit Todd, Mike, and Tarot are spreading around.”
“Jesus. It’s like high school only with grown men. What is their problem, anyway?”
“We make money with this club, but they have to do that by selling drugs and guns.”
“So do a lot of MCs. Why should they care?”
“Because they’re assholes.”
“What was Howler like? I mean, it must have taken guts to come here like that.”
“Yeah. I think he meant what he said about wanting a clean break and a fresh start, but it’s not that simple. His MC owes Vito big time. You don’t just say, hey … me and some of the guys want to start a new MC without you. See ya.”
“So what will happen to him now?”
“No clue, baby. We’ll
have to wait this one out, I think.”
****
Early Monday morning, Chloe left Gorgon sleeping after she woke from a bad dream, and ventured out onto the upstairs patio for the first time in weeks. It was one of Chloe’s favorite places in nice weather to sit and read. But because it overlooked the parking lot and State Route 113, she hadn’t been out there since Brad had shown up in the club weeks earlier. She was exposed up there, even if the building was set back from the road.
That morning, even though there were severe thunderstorms with high winds predicted soon, she went outside because it was horrible being so cooped up, especially during the summer. There wasn’t much traffic on the road this early. She was soon engrossed in the novel she was reading and ignored the traffic sounds, until the engine noise from one car caught her attention because it was the same one, over and over.
Chloe closed the book and glanced toward the road, but there were no cars on it at the moment. She sniffed the air. It was going to rain soon. Dark, ominous clouds had gathered in the southwest. The door to the inside opened, and Rai walked onto the patio.
“I came to help you get the cushions inside. Severe thunderstorm warning for Lorain County, and we’re under a tornado watch.”
“Okay.” Chloe wasn’t afraid of bad storms. This building was concrete block and steel reinforced. As she and Rai gathered up the cushions, the wind increased and thunder echoed in the distance. “And here it comes.”
Rai squinted into the distance. “What is that car doing there?”
Nasty shivers ran down Chloe’s back. “What car? Where?”
“Over there.” Rai pointed. “Just past the north driveway.”
The driveways had gates over them now, but the fence wasn’t yet finished around the entire perimeter. Anyone could simply walk onto the grounds from the road. There was also a back driveway that was only accessible from a path through the underbrush, and only if you knew it was there. Once you were on the property from that spot, the prospects or Brothers guarding the back lot could see you.
Chloe had asked about that back entrance point weeks ago, after she’d first spotted Brad in the club. Gorgon told her that they’d never had anyone accidentally find that driveway in all the years this club had been here. It only was accessible by a back road with few homes on it. Even from that road, it looked like nothing more than a walking trail through the brush. Eventually, that part of the property would also be fenced, though, just in case.
“Rai.” Chloe’s voice shook. “Get Gorgon. And anyone else who’s awake. Right now.” She tried to move, but her bare feet might as well have been glued to the wooden planks.
“Why?”
“I have a bad feeling about that car.”
“Okay. So come inside with me.”
“No.” Chloe walked toward the edge of the railing as the wind kicked up. “He’s here. I know he is. I have to find him.”
Rai grabbed her arm, and at first, Chloe shook her off. When the fear engulfed her, it also knocked some sense back into her. She sucked in a huge gasp and ran inside with Rai as the first fat raindrops fell and thunder crashed overhead. Lightning followed soon afterwards.
Everything moved in slow motion. Chloe’s thoughts were a jumbled mess, and the voices shouting orders confused her. The words made no sense. It was only when Gorgon’s face loomed directly in front of hers that she was able to form a coherent sentence.
“A car is out there. It’s Brad. I know it is.”
“Chloe, there’s a tornado warning. We can’t go outside right now.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her along as they made their way down the stairs.
“Gorgon, he’s on the property!”
“Chloe, even if he is, he’s not getting inside the building.”
“How do you know that? He did once!”
“Baby, please. You’re scared right now. Come on. As soon as the storm passes, we’re all over this.”
“I’m not afraid of the fucking storm!” Her emotions were out of her own control. It was a terrible sensation, as if she didn’t know what was coming out of her own mouth next.
Since the club itself had no windows, that was where they gathered during severe weather. But the noise inside was deafening, until Tannin blew an air horn. “Shut the fuck up! Stay quiet, everyone. We need a roll call.”
Tannin read off each name, starting with the officers. Everyone who lived in the building was there, including Donny’s men, and the two prospects who had been outside guarding the back gate. That meant no one was watching the property right now.
Everyone began talking again as soon as Tannin finished the roll call. She and Gorgon were at the edge of the stage, near the back hallways. Over the conversation, Chloe heard noises, similar to heavy objects being thrown around inside a room, but she couldn’t tell if they were coming from inside the building or outside.
“Quiet!” yelled Vassago, holding up his smart phone. “Storm update. Channel 5 weather says a funnel is on the ground near Berlin Heights. Storm is heading northeast.”
“That’s means it’s gonna come close to us,” said Gorgon. “Everyone stay where you are.”
While Gorgon was distracted by watching the radar on Vassago’s phone, the sound of breaking glass sent Chloe out into the hallway to investigate, because no way had that happened outside. It was too close.
As soon as she walked past the kitchen, the power went out. The security system was still on, because it had a battery backup. Even when the horn on it sounded, she didn’t panic. The power going out had tripped it, that’s all. It had happened before.
She counted. One … two … three…
In twenty seconds, the generator would kick on. It always did.
Someone moved next to her and she turned toward him, believing it to be Gorgon.
Four … five … six…
But then Gorgon called her name in a panicked voice, and blinding fear shot through Chloe as she realized his voice was not next to her. It came from inside the club, down the hall.
Seven … eight … nine…
A strong hand grabbed her arm tightly, sending shooting pain up through her shoulder. She screamed, only to be stopped cold when another hand clamped down over her mouth.
“Chloe! Legs! Where are you?”
Ten … eleven … twelve…
Chloe struggled to break free as the dim light from outside allowed her to see what her senses already confirmed was true. The man who held her was Brad.
“I told you I’d come back for you,” he hissed in her ear.
Thirteen … fourteen … fifteen…
She tried to stomp the top of his foot and missed. Her stomach roiled. If she puked, she prayed it would land all over him.
Sixteen … seventeen … eighteen…
Gorgon’s voice, still calling for her, followed them down the hall as Brad dragged her toward the back door where he’d broken the window. Glass littered the floor in front of it.
Nineteen … twenty.
“Fuck!” he shouted, as the lights came on. “Where’s the fucking electrical panel?”
“Son of a bitch!” That was Tannin. “Down here!”
The sound of running boots hitting the floor was directly behind them now.
“Where is it, you stupid bitch?” Brad jammed something cold and metallic against the side of her head. Chloe didn’t need to see it to know what it was. He had a gun.
White-hot fear paralyzed her. She panted.
Please don’t let me die!
“I asked you where the fuck it was!”
She finally understood what he meant. He hadn’t expected the power to come back on, and thought he could shut it off again and get her out of the building with every member of the MC chasing them down the hall.
Had he always been this stupid?
Gorgon stopped cold when he saw them. She’d never seen him afraid, and the sight almost made her pass out. Donny’s men were nowhere in sight, and neither was Mastema. The other officers push
ed to the front, each of them staring down Brad, who jabbed the gun into the side of Chloe’s head again.
Rai was next to Tannin, murder in her dark eyes. Meghan cried silently. Connie was way too pale. Her friends. Her family. The man she loved. It was too soon to leave them. She didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not at his hands.
“You can’t get away,” said Gorgon, the calm voice out of sync with the horrible terror on his handsome face.
“The fuck I can’t, asshole. I got in here, didn’t I? The impenetrable fortress. Did you think you could hide her from me forever?”
His voice was too high-pitched, and he spoke quickly, as if he had to get the words out before someone interrupted him.
“He’s high as a fucking kite,” said Vassago.
Chloe understood now why he’d attempted such a completely ridiculous act in the first place. “Let me go, Brad. You’re coked out of your mind. You need help.”
He licked her face, and she flinched. Gorgon stepped forward, but both Vassago and Phenex pulled him back. “Hang on,” she heard Tannin say. “He’s almost there.”
What did he mean? Who was he talking about?
“Help? The only help I need, sweetie, will come from you, when we’re together again. She’s a tasty little piece of ass, isn’t she?”
Gorgon’s shoulders rose and fell with the effort of breathing. The fear in his eyes was gone, replaced with murder. When he got hold of Brad, the guy was dead.
Footsteps behind them distracted Brad, but before he could turn with Chloe held against his body, two pairs of hands yanked her from his grip. Mastema tackled Brad from behind and knocked him to the ground. Then he wrenched the gun from his hand.
Someone held her tightly and tried to turn her face away, but she fought the person off. It was Rai.
“You don’t want to watch this.”
“Yes, I do.” Chloe’s entire body trembled as Rai hugged her.
The two watched Gorgon, Tannin, and Vassago descend on Brad. His yells were as loud as the howling wind and thunder booming outside. The lights flickered again, but didn’t go off this time.
