In Bed With The Outlaw

by Adriana Jones

  It deterred me for a second. But my attack hadn’t gone as planned, and we struggled. He yanked my hair back.

  “Bitch,” he growled. With my hair yanked back, he clasped the cuffs over my wrists. He attached the chain and brought me over to a hook hanging from the ceiling.

  No escape.

  Nothing I could do would help me survive. Even if I told him names and locations, I didn’t think this was the type of man to honor a torture agreement.

  He strung me up. I was at his mercy.

  He barked again, “Name and location.” When I didn’t tell him, he went back to his tool chest. I feared what he would pull out next.

  * * *

  Red

  Polishing my ride should’ve eased my tension, but it did little to soothe me. As I stroked it down, all I could think about was Ash. Feeling her softness, tracing her curves, memorizing every inch of that beauty. I went to scrubbing it harshly, trying to dismiss the thought, but I only thought about her betrayal. Scrubbing with one hand was hard enough, anyway.

  Once I was inside The Backyard, things were eerily quiet. Patrons at the bar sat on their stools, sipping their drinks, trying to distract themselves with idle chatter, but everyone looked solemn. Most of the families had been pulled into the compound for security purposes.

  Many of the tables were packed with husbands and wives, not the usual mess of hanger-ons and drunk Bastards. Tonight, they would have to behave themselves.

  If they only knew who Ash really was...

  This was definitely not the time to breach the subject. Everyone was high-strung, even after the victory. They knew this wasn’t over. No one had heard word from The Defilers yet, but they knew that once they saw their massacred crew, the rest would attack.

  I went to the far back of the building. A hallway turned right as soon as you were about to hit the true backyard area, where a lot of rowdiness tended to happen. Tucked in the right corner, there was an office. The Bastards’ Media Office.

  Yes, we had a social media coordinator. Can you believe it? We did a lot of community outreach.

  My brother Jackal was in charge of it. I thought he only used it to “like” all of the hot girls that showed up on the feed. He threw open the door before I could get to it. My brother looked pale and shaken. I knew immediately that something was wrong.

  “R-Red,” he stuttered.

  “What’s wrong?” I tried to remain alert, but the truth was, after learning that Ash had lied to me, that she had set me up, it was like someone had dissected my will from me. It was hard to keep moving.

  How could I be so stupid? How could I let her do this to me? Voices in my head wouldn’t stop. All I wanted was some peace...

  My brother hadn’t said anything. He looked dead ahead as if I wasn’t really there, as if I had somehow vanished in front of his eyes. I waved.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Whatever it was, he didn’t want to tell me. He took a hard gulp, his Adam’s apple rolling, he pointed his thumb to the back of the room.

  “You’re going to flip your shit, bro. You’ve got to see this. I was just about to get you.”

  The first thought that came to my mind was that Ash had been caught. Even if she did betray me, I couldn’t let anyone harm her. By God, if she didn’t listen to me and get out—

  As soon as I got to the door, Jackal put his hand on my chest. I reared back.

  “Hey,” he said, sizing up my emotions. “What you’re about to see is going to piss you off, but don’t worry, we’ve got it under control. Don’t get too pissed, not yet, save it for when we need it.”

  Oh, don’t worry, brother, I already know about her. About how she lied. About how she wanted to ruin me. Don’t worry about that.

  The social media coordinating room was more like Jackal’s man cave. It was a small corner office with a TV, a desk, and a computer. He had a PlayStation hooked up to the TV and I didn’t doubt that he spent most of his time on it, but hey, my brother was the best we had when it came to technology, so we used his expertise. Guy was pretty smart with it. Not like me.

  He sat down on the office chair. He peered at me while I looked at the screen. It looked like some social media site. A page for The Blessed Bastards.

  “What is it?”

  “This is The Blessed Bastards’ page.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I might be clueless, but I can read what it says.”

  “You didn’t notice this?” he asked, and then he clicked on one of the posts.

  The image that popped up on the screen unleashed the demon inside of me. Snarling, screeching, clawing, it wanted to tear whoever had done this limb from limb as it cackled and thirsted on his blood.

  It was Ash, strung up by chains, in a dark warehouse. Her hair was disheveled. She was only in a bra, and there was an arm next to her. Her eyes were what killed me. They were so full of life yet still fearful, but trying to remain calm, trying to persevere, but she was badly beaten and...I hoped not broken, not yet.

  Who the fuck had done this?

  “Fuck,” I screamed. I tossed Jackal out of the way.

  “There’s more,” he muttered. He reached for the mouse.

  “Show me.”

  He clicked again.

  In the first picture, I hadn’t noticed an arm off to the side. In the second, she was turned around, her backside to the camera. There was a swollen mark on her back. Someone held a torch a few inches away from her bare skin.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I lost it. Rage took over. Darkness closed in on me. I picked up the keyboard and smashed it on the table, sending keys bolting from the board. It was thrown against the wall and hit it with a resounding smack, but not quite as loud as I needed it to be.

  “Hey,” Jackal yelled at me. I was hulking out, my veins threatening to burst, my head swarming with dark thoughts. The animal had taken over and I didn’t know where to go, what to do, to save her. My best idea at the moment with all the anger was to smash through the walls and destroy whoever had taken her.

  But I didn’t know who did. Or where they were.

  “Calm down. We’re only going to get her back if you keep a level head.”

  He swung me around, a potentially dangerous move. He shook me. It snapped me out of my rage. It was still at a boil, but with Jackal’s help, I wouldn’t be consumed with it.

  “Who did it? Is there more?”

  “No, that’s it.”

  I pulled away from him, but he yanked me back by my collar, making sure not to touch the colors. Touching the colors could be a serious offense even to actual brothers. Maybe even more. Brothers typically didn’t put up with each other’s shit.

  “Chill. For now. Chill. There might be a way we can track them. I haven’t done that part yet. I was just coming to tell you, remember?”

  My muscles were flexing. My mind was seeking violence. The reptilian part of me was in full control again, and it knew nothing but to rip and shred and devour all those who would harm Ash. For fuck’s sake, she looked terrified.

  “You have to track them,” I told Jackal.

  He rolled his eyes at me now. That helped ease me down a little. He looked a lot like me at the moment.

  “Can I sit back down and try? Or are you going to flip out again?”

  “Sure. Sit,” I said. I kicked the wheels toward him. He gave me a stern glare but sat down.

  “I’m going to need a keyboard.”

  I searched the side of the computer where I thought it had landed. Once I discovered it, I picked it up. He was already lost in the screen, clicking around.

  “Oh, you’re going to have to put all those keys back in.”

  I looked at it dumbfounded. The board was missing about every key. This was going to take time. Serious time that we didn’t have.

  “Just kidding. There’s an extra keyboard underneath the computer tower.”

  “Bastard, now isn’t the time,” I growled. I slid it out from underneath the tower and handed it to him. He
worked his magic, which seemed to be all in this program called IP Lookup. I understood that much. IP addresses could be traced. Every Internet connection had one.

  He smacked his hands, let out a strong “Yes,” and then rubbed his palms together, grinning mischievously.

  I darted to look over his shoulder. “What is it? You’ve got them?”

  “Hell yeah I do, Brother. You were lucky. These guys weren’t even smart enough to use a VPN. A VPN will mask your IP address. We’ve got a number on them. It looks like it’s local. It’s coming from a mechanic’s not twenty miles from here.”

  My eyes went wide. “Holy shit.” I gave his shoulders a huge squeeze. I shook him and spun him around.

  “I owe you,” I told him.

  “Easy.”

  “Give me the location.”

  He pointed to the screen. “It’s right there.”

  Snatching one of his notepads, I scribbled the address on it. As I did, he didn’t waver from deconstructing every one of my moves. “Wait for us to get ready. I’ll sound the alarm and gather the troops. You can’t hit this place by yourself.”

  My nostrils twitched. My right eye throbbed. “There isn’t time. I’ll head there first.”

  “Head there first, right into a possible trap? These guys aren’t computer geniuses. They’re good at bikes and shooting, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of stringing together some half-assed plot to overwhelm you. It could be you’re running right into their trap. No, you wait for us. It’ll only be a second.”

  Jackal threw the chair back. He rushed to the door to get there before me. I followed close behind in the hallway.

  “I’ll be waiting in the armory. You’re going to need me to unlock it, anyway,” I said.

  We were out of The Backyard. I knew he would be pissed at me for leaving, but I knew he would understand. I don’t think he believed me when I said I would be waiting, but he knew he couldn’t convince me otherwise.

  My brother ran to get the others.

  I didn’t have time. I ran to the armory for weapons. I picked out a sawed-off shotgun and two handguns. Backup was coming, but backup would be too late. She didn’t have much time, and I was the only one who could save her.

  I blazed down the highway like the devil. I kept my weight pushed ahead, trying to cut through and get there as fast as possible. I was looking into the distance, ready to see that garage where they had taken her so I could bust through the doors.

  It took too long. Terrible thoughts kept emerging. Thoughts about what they might be doing to her. My only relief was when I thought about what I would do to them in return.

  I was familiar with the location, a rough part of the desert, and I’d actually driven past the garage but thought nothing of it. Most garages in that part of town looked dumpy. It drew no red flags.

  “Come on, Ash, hang in there,” I yelled, teeth gnashing together, muscles clamped tight and ready to explode, firing me off into the building to exact my revenge. No one messed with a Bastard. No one ever messed with a Bastard’s lady.

  The garage didn’t look very big. There was nothing but some old junkers on the sides. It was fenced in, but the gate was open. I parked my bike on the side of the lonely road. In the distance, the desert mountains loomed. The vast wasteland stretched on to meet them, meaning that no one would hear them scream. No neighbors to file complaints.

  It could be a blood bath.

  The Red Bastard was what they wanted to call me...I would truly live up to that name now. No one laid a finger on my girl. Ash, precious Ash, so beautiful, too beautiful for pain. She didn’t deserve this.

  I put one of the handguns in my hip holster. The sawed-off shotgun went on the strap around my back. The other handgun, I carried. Cold weight felt good in my palm. Sun blazing above me, my shadow stretched out like a giant as I stepped past the gate.

  It smelled of rubber, oil, and dirt. I aimed my gun ahead as I took my steps to the garage’s door. There was a sign across it that said “Sorry, we’re closed.” It looked like it had been hanging there for years. Cobwebs weaved across the tiny front office window.

  I went to open the door, but thought twice about it. Something seemed off. I looked inside, but only saw a vacant, busted-up front desk. No lights inside. Only dust mites from the light streaming in.

  Taking the corner, I kept my arm ahead, the barrel pointed straight. Thank God it had been my left that took the bullet. If it was my right, this rescue mission would be far more challenging.

  As soon as I hit the corner to the back, I sniffed it—cigarette smoke. I already took a step out, and the crunch was audible, much too loud in this vacant space. Whoever was smoking would’ve heard it, so I kept moving, shoving the barrel out from the corner, where it spotted three men standing around a barrel drum.

  They looked stunned to see someone in all black in their backyard, a true Blessed Bastard sent to deliver justice. I’m sure they must’ve thought it was a delusion. In that split second, they knew they didn’t have time to react.

  The one who was smoking had a tattoo across his forehead that read “Defiler.” Unlucky, since that was exactly what earned him the first bullet.

  Kickback was unbelievable with one arm. I feared it might go haywire. But I was pissed enough where it seemed like I forced that bullet ahead through my own sheer will. He crumbled to the desert floor.

  Firing three more shots, I caught one in the shoulder as they leapt into the building. I slid my gun back into my holster. I took off the sawed-off shotgun on my back.

  “Let her go,” I hollered after them.

  They took cover through an open back door. As soon as I looked inside, I spotted one in a car bay aiming his gun right at me. I swiftly swung my head back as a bullet whizzed past.

  Gunshots erupted from inside. I heard them getting closer. The fucker was confidently striding toward the door while taking shots. I waited for a pause in between his firing, and despite the piercing rattling of the gunfire, my focus was cold and unwavering.

  He was five paces away.

  I noticed what type of gun he was firing when I looked out. A handgun, looked like a Glock, but probably with an extended clip, which was illegal in this state. If I drew out of cover on ten, I would’ve caught a bullet. He fired three more as I strafed across the entrance.

  The shotgun blasted him back. Peppered with shot, he hit the ground.

  I sprinted inside once his friend, limping, fired from around the corner, trying to flank me. Inside, taking cover by the bay door, bullets dented, shots closing in.

  Pinned...

  Maybe Jackal was right.

  It didn’t matter. Let me die for Ash to live. I would hold them up long enough for the rest of The Bastards to arrive.

  Keeping myself low in a half crouch, I sprinted to the open bay door. Firing the shotgun again at the source of the gunfire, I wasn’t confident I hit anything, but it did suppress them enough where I could charge up the side of the garage. I smelled weakness, the man who was limping from a prior gunshot, and I was going to end him. My shotgun was used up, so I hefted it back onto my shoulder strap.

  As I neared the corner, he jumped out. He was just as surprised to see me. I crashed into him, both of us toppling over in a chaos of dirt, dust, and limbs. His gun fired off into the sky as I pinned his wrist.

  I broke his nose with a headbutt.

  “I wish I had more time,” I said. I would’ve loved to choke the life from him. No one ever touched a Bastard’s woman. A fast death didn’t seem right for him.

  I slid the handgun out of its holster, tucked it against his balls, fired once, and then fired three times into his chest.

  “Stop,” someone said.

  I picked myself up.

  There was Ash, a gun to her head.

  11

  Ash

  My abductor shoved me ahead, tightening his squeeze around my waist.

  How did Red find me? Why did he even look for me? I thought he wanted nothing
to do with me. But the possessiveness I saw in him, I knew the man who held me at gunpoint had taken something precious from him.

  That was me.

  Too bad this was not the time. I could really revel in that observation. Too bad I probably wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy it.

  As I took a step ahead, he yanked me back, keeping me pressed against the barrel shoved at my temple. His finger rested on the trigger.

  “Let her go,” Red said. Red slid his foot forward, edging it closer.

  “Fuck you and fuck her. This is what happens when you fuck with The Defilers,” he hissed. The barrel shook angrily against me.

  Take me away from here, Red. Bring me back to your bed, where I’m safe, where we don’t have a care in the world. Please.

  I let out a short shriek when the Defiler put his knee into my lower back. He pushed me ahead, and then wrapped me up even closer, knocking the air from my lungs. That had happened too many times today. I was exhausted to the point of passing out.

  All of Red’s muscles were twitching, He looked like an angry bull ready to charge.

  “Take me,” he said. “Let her go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”

  “She’s your bitch. We’ll fuck you and we’ll fuck your bitch. We’ll string both of you up.”

  Red tossed his arms up. “Take me, but let her go.”

  The Defiler eased up. The gun stopped shaking. He seemed more in control now. As he got more confident, his hold on me weakened.

  “Drop your weapons,” he said.

  Once Red disarmed himself, he would be shot. I knew it. This man wasn’t going to honor him. He was a coward.

  I wanted to shake my head, but my neck muscles were so cramped that I couldn’t. Red dropped a shotgun, kicking up some dust.

  “Happy?”

  “Don’t fuck with me. I’m this close to killing both of you.”

  I locked eyes with Red.

  Look at me. One last time, I need you. This second, let’s savor it.