by Nikki Landis
Rage simmered beneath my skin, and my Reaper was ready to break through, tearing up the whole state of Nevada to find those ruthless assholes and make them pay. Voltoy and Solonik weren’t the only ones that harmed Mimi. I’d locate the others and unleash terror upon their souls.
Soon. I would get my revenge.
Not even Grim was going to be able to stop me. I wouldn’t go against my brothers or my club, but if I had to deal with shit independently, I would, and Grim knew it.
“You text me if anyone shows up to that hospital uninvited. You feel me?”
“I do, Grim.”
Rarely called him by his road name. Always used pres because it was his title, and I respected the fuck out of him, but he needed to hear that I was committed to my brothers and protecting our club.
“Try to take it easy. You’re healing from a fucking gunshot to the chest, you fucker. Don’t need your big ass readmitted.”
I couldn’t hold back a slight chuckle. “Right. Mimi will wake up soon, and then we’ll be headin’ in.”
All he did was grunt before I heard Wraith’s voice again.
“Ridin’ back to Tonopah now. Hannibal is calling in the location with the girls. Gonna use one of his contacts to make sure the authorities find the bodies, and the club isn’t involved.”
“Understood. Catch up with ya later, Wraith.”
“Take care, brother.”
Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair, noticing the nurse’s station close by for the first time. Several kept glancing my way, and more than one held an appraising eye. If I wasn’t pissed, distracted, annoyed, and injured, I might have taken one of them into a spare room and fucked some of this stress away. Really needed my dick sucked.
As it was, I wasn’t looking for company. Plenty of muffler bunnies back at the Crossroads anyway. My focus was on Mimi, and she was my priority. Since meeting her, I wasn’t as interested in chasing tail. Something about her appealed to my Reaper, and he latched onto her with ferocity.
My head lifted, and I strode back into Mimi’s room, closing the door with a soft click. Didn’t want to startle her and wasn’t sure how much she could see or hear.
I’d read somewhere that someone in a coma was vaguely aware of what was said and done around them. Half the reason I wasn’t gonna go fuck any of the staff in the hospital or whip out my cock for one of those nurses to drop on her knees and worship. There was an intense need to protect Mimi from any harm physically, mentally, and emotionally. We developed a bond in the short time since we’d met.
Wasn’t sure how I felt about her, but I knew we had a connection, and my Reaper was quickly becoming obsessed. I felt his rage renew as the memory of how I found her surfaced, and my fists clenched.
Naomi almost died that night. If I didn’t open the back of Alexi Voltoy’s black SUV and catch her as she fell out, she would have suffocated and died from the combination of the drugs in her system and the fate that awaited her as he drove into the desert to torment her one last time.
Fury rolled over the surface of my skin and I looked down at the young woman who knew far too much of the cruelty of this world.
She would never be that vulnerable again.
"When swarmed by darkness, I’ll be the light.
When doubt surfaces, I’ll keep the faith.
When gripped by rage, I’ll sharpen my skills.
When seeking vengeance, I’ll have no mercy.
When locked in battle, I’ll fear no enemy.
When I face death, I’ll have no repentance.
When my Reaper rides, I will conquer all."
– Patriot, Royal Bastards MC
Mimi didn’t know it yet, but I was going to ensure those fuckers paid for what they did. Solonik and Voltoy were just the beginning. Now that this new Russian Sergei Resnikov had surfaced, I took the threat seriously, knowing he wasn’t the only one that would be out for blood.
No one was coming after my girl.
Since the moment Wraith called and warned me about Resnikov, I knew Mimi was still in danger. Every minute she remained in the hospital increased the possibility that either the Russians or the Scorpions would show up. I had to get her out of here before that happened. Sinking into the chair beside her bed, I lifted her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the top.
“I’m here, sunshine. I’ll avenge you. I swear it. You’ll be safe no matter what.” Swallowing hard, I leaned forward and brushed a strand of long hair away from her face. “I’ll hunt down every single one of those Russian sons-of-bitches until none of them are left.”
Her grip squeezed mine as her eyes fluttered. I swear I saw her blink. Excited, I almost jumped out of my seat.
“Mimi?”
For two seconds, I was the happiest man on earth . . . until the machine next to me went off with a series of beeps and alarms as Mimi’s heart decided to stop beating.
Flatline.
With a roar, I stood fast, yelling for the nurses, doctors, and everyone in the damn vicinity to come running. Her life couldn’t end. This wasn’t okay.
No, not my sunshine.
Anything but this.
I didn’t find her, care for her wounds, and keep her safe, only to watch her fucking die.
The room flooded with nurses as I was pulled toward the door by a bulky dude in a security uniform. Name tag read Kyle. I already wanted to kick his ass for daring to touch my arm.
“Gotta wait out here. Let the staff do their job.”
Pissed, I shrugged him off. “Yeah. I get it, but I’m not goin’ far. Too risky.”
Kyle had the audacity to roll his eyes at me. “I’ll watch over the room.” He gestured down the nearest hall toward the waiting area. “Once she’s stable, one of the doctors will come to speak with you.”
That bullshit might work with most people but not with a Royal Bastard.
My arms crossed, and I stood my ground.
“Not leaving. Pull that sidearm if you think you got what it takes to make me, but you should know I’m a Marine, and I served multiple tours overseas. Dealt with plenty of power-hungry assholes with enough arrogance to try to order me around since I got out. None succeeded. I’m not leaving this hall, and I’ll be the one making sure Naomi is safe.”
Kyle opened his mouth to argue when I heard one of the nurses shouting at him to leave me alone. The staff understood I wasn’t gonna cause trouble as long as I was allowed to stay. Only tried to kick me out once that first night and learned fast that I was a stubborn asshole. Hadn’t been bothered since.
“Run along and protect the vending machines or some shit.”
Huffing a breath, Kyle spun on his heel and stomped away as I leaned against the nurse’s station, anxious as fuck, watching the doorway to Mimi’s room. The commotion and noise lowered to a tolerable volume as a blonde nurse poked her head out of the room and smiled.
“She’s stable. I’ll let you know when you can come back in.”
Nodding my thanks, I breathed out a sigh of relief as my shoulders relaxed. My fingers twitched as a craving for a cigarette damn near had my ass running outside for a smoke.
If Wraith and Ex would get their asses here, maybe I could take a leak and grab a bite to eat. Hospital food was fuckin’ gross. Needed a burger and a beer and my own goddamn bed.
A funny feeling tickled the back of my neck, and my head turned, searching for the source of my unease. Random guests with stickers plastered to their shirts, nurses in scrubs, doctors with their white jackets, and a few kids were mingling around the vicinity.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I caught the shadow lurking at the end of the hall, hovering close to a fake tree in the far-right corner.
Lighting wasn’t working right, which was odd, but I didn’t think anything of it until the stranger who lingered stepped out, ticking his head in my direction with a sinister, secret smile.
Something about him was off. My Reaper immediately tried to break free, rising to the surface of my skin with fero
city as the stranger spun on his heel and headed toward the stairs, rushing through the crowd exiting the closest elevator.
Shit!
Glancing toward Mimi’s room, I exhaled with a curse and ran toward the guy who was a clear threat. My imagination ran wild, and I came up with a dozen scenarios in my head, all of them ending up with this asshole sent here to finish what those Russian traffickers started. There was no doubt she was a target. Monsters like them never stopped. They didn’t give up. No. Men like that kept sending assassins until the job was done.
She would never be safe until I eliminated every single threat. Solonik. Voltoy. Resnikov. Didn’t matter because they were only small time. The lackeys who were given enough influence and leadership to think they were important, but the real power was the Russian prick who called all the shots. That was the man I needed to find.
Kyle rounded the corner, and I shouted in his direction, not giving two shits what he thought. “Go protect Naomi!”
Chest heaving with exertion, I flung open the door to the stairwell where I’d just seen that asshole enter who flashed me that ridiculous smile. Sweating, I pulled my weapon, aiming down as I kept running, listening to his footsteps echo only a floor below my own. Shots rang out as he fired at random, bullets ricocheting off the metal handrail. Luckily, none of them hit anything but the walls and one light as it shattered above my head and rained down shards of broken glass.
My Reaper laughed within, and I let him free, using his focus and rage to move faster, bursting outside into the brilliance of a Nevada summer sunset. I yanked my shades from my cut and placed the aviators over my eyes, blocking out the blinding rays of the sun and the distracting noises of traffic and sirens. Heavy thuds pounded the pavement, and I shot off again, following at my leisure.
I was going to enjoy this.
No need to rush. I would corner him soon enough.
My Reaper could track a drop of blood clear across the Great Basin like a fucking shark in the middle of the ocean. The stranger’s rapid breaths and thumping heart echoed in the stagnant air. He wasn’t scared, but he was certainly out of shape. Probably didn’t expect me to chase him down so fast.
When he stopped, I stalked my way forward and cornered him around the back of a strip mall. Only dumpsters lingered as he bent over, gasping for breath. There were only three options since his back faced nothing but rows of locked doors. To the left, a parking lot led to nearby crowds. To the right, I cut him off. Straight ahead, he would take his chances out in the desert. I liked that option best.
We lifted our guns at the same time, both of us ready to pull the trigger.
“Boss said to send a message.”
“Oh yeah? What message is that?”
“Trixie is marked.”
He didn’t need to elaborate. I understood.
“Ex-military like you should know when to cut your losses and retreat. This won’t end well for you or your club.”
“You should know that the Royal Bastards don’t respond well to threats.”
He smirked, and I didn’t sense any fear. Instead, he was annoyingly confident.
The watch on his wrist began beeping like some alarm went off. The sicko in front of me started laughing as I pulled the hammer back and fired. Bullet hit his left leg, and he went down, landing on his back as he continued to laugh.
What the fuck?
“See you in hell!” he yelled before I saw him crunch down on something with his teeth.
Putrid-colored liquid filled his mouth before he swallowed. His body shook once as he turned and fired shots into the desert. There was no point in doing so, and I couldn’t help but think he lost his fucking mind. Foaming at the mouth, he began convulsing as his eyes rolled back into his head.
“Fuck!” I shouted, running forward. “Who do you work for?”
He was never going to answer, but I had to try.
Frothy spit spilled from his lips and mixed with blood as he coughed, turning on his side to throw up the vile mixture. He jolted a couple of times and then flipped me off before dragging in a shaky breath.
My Reaper was pissed, and I let him come forward, reaping this asshole’s soul before he had a chance to die on his own. It wasn’t much consolation, but at least he would suffer torment in hell at Lucifer’s hands. His soul drifted up from his body, and the thin, transparent spirit hung in the air wreathed in oily darkness. No surprise there.
I shoved my gun into one of the large pockets inside my cut and summoned my weapon of choice, enjoying the way the scythe hissed with expectation in my hand. Bullets were far too easy and not nearly enough finesse. He needed to feel pain as I sent his soul to hell.
“Meet your fate, motherfucker,” I snarled, twisting with my hand and swiping with the scythe that was always ready for use. The resulting slash cut into his essence as the assassin’s flesh was permanently separated from his wretched soul, and he was cast into the pit to await judgment.
Horrified and anguished screams launched into the air, and I tilted my head back with a roar, letting in his shock and fear as they fed my Reaper and renewed his strength. This was what fed my inner beast. The one thing that never failed to soothe the monster within. There was nothing as bittersweet or thoroughly fulfilling as witnessing the terror of those who reaped what they sowed and met justice at the hands of a Reaper.
When he was nothing but an empty shell, I kicked at his body and watched as the dried-out remains burst into a cloud of dark dust that drifted away into the early evening breeze.
Only the sporadic parking lot lighting was witness to his demise.
“No one fucks with the Royal Bastards.”
I spun with a dark chuckle and found Wraith and Exorcist behind me. Ex was having a smoke and giving me a twisted grin as he puffed away. Wraith dropped a body on the ground and ticked his head toward the guy. “Brought you a present.”
My Reaper grew excited, immediately sensing the dark connection to the soul we just reaped.
“Looks like I’ll get some answers after all.”
“Sure will, brother. He was waiting in a car about half a mile away. Has to know somethin’.”
Grinning wide, I knew I was going to enjoy the upcoming interrogation. Just needed to have him secured in the dungeon of the Crossroads.
“Prospect is outside Mimi’s room. She’s safe,” Wraith promised, looking me straight in the eye.
“Good,” I exhaled in relief, relaxing my shoulders as I reined in my Reaper. “I want this fucker back at the Crossroads. As soon as Mimi is awake, I get the first word with him.”
“Yeah, brother. I feel you.”
“We got this,” Ex added, flicking the butt of his smoke on the ground before he pulled out his cell and started tapping in a quick message. “I’m texting Grim now.”
If Mimi wasn’t fighting for her life, I would never be able to walk away from this asshole on the ground. Approaching Wraith, I kicked the hitman on the ground in the gut with my boot and then pulled out a smoke, dragging the nicotine through my lungs before I returned to Mimi.
Prospect better be guarding her with his life, or he was gonna regret it.
“He’s mine,” I snarled, flinging open the basement door and running down the stone steps that led into the depths of our own version of hell. The dungeon was a place where we played with our captives and unleashed the beasts within.
Rael was standing next to the table where our prey was confined. Thick leather straps held him down by his wrists and ankles, attached to the wooden beams that bordered all four corners. The outside edges were carved into and the grooves moved from the outside in, going down a ¼ inch with every rotation around the perimeter. The result was a table that dipped downward consistently until it ended with a drain in the center, far below the body of the unlucky bastard who hung suspended above it.
This was Rael’s latest invention and I had to admit it was a thing of beauty.
I’d seen some strange shit overseas but that wasn’t half as
fucked-up as some of the things he invented or used. This particular table was genius because only parts of the body rested against the wood. The torso and hips usually ended up straining to find a comfortable position which wasn’t easy.
The straps kept the limbs pulled tight and completely straight the entire time. Any method of torture could be used and the drain ensured the mess was minimal.
Rael loved creating chaos but he sure as fuck got grumpy about cleanin’ it up.
“He say anything yet?” I asked, glaring down at the guy.
“Nope.”
“Did you?”
He flipped a serrated hunting knife around in his hand. “Not yet. Waitin’ on you.”
“You just want to watch him bleed.”
“Can’t deny that’s true,” he admitted with a chuckle.
“Then let’s get to it.”
Rael grinned wide as I stepped up, noticing Wraith as he moved in from the shadows. I gave him a chin lift and then stared down at the unlucky motherfucker dumb enough to work with the Russians and get caught.
“Who are you?”
Silence.
“Who do you work for?”
A slight groan escaped his lips but nothing else.
“Last chance,” I warned. “What do you know about the assassin sent to the hospital?”
All I received was a blank stare.
“Make him talk,” I snarled, standing back as Rael moved in.
He pressed the knife against one of our captive’s nipples. There was a quick swipe as the blade slid through his flesh like a warm knife through butter. Screams launched from his chest in quick succession as Rael dangled his severed nipple in front of his face.
“I’ll make you eat the other one.” Crazy fucker.
That must have scared the shit out of this guy because he started blubbering and yelling, shouting that he was a prospect for the Bloody Scorpions.
“What’s your name, dipshit?”
“Jester.”
