CLAIMED BY THE BAD BOY_The Road Rage MC

by Paula Cox

“I’ll even bury you in the same grave,” Michael promised. “You can rot with him.”

  As he dropped the belt, Lily started to relax despite her chains, but Bruce suddenly plowed forward, his shoulders curled as his head slammed into Michael’s chest.

  “Michael!” she screamed.

  He kept his hands on his gun as Bruce started to rain blows on his broad chest. Every punch caused her to wince, but soon Michael got the better of him. Pressing his body between his hard thighs, Michael trapped Bruce’s fuming body on the ground, and he pressed the barrel of the gun to his temple when Noel released a shrill whistle.

  “Enough!” Noel said. “Game’s up!”

  Michael was slow to leave Bruce’s fallen form, but when Ken snapped his fingers, Michael was off the ground. Bruce groaned as Randy helped him to his feet.

  “What the fuck are you—?”

  “Let him unlatch her,” Noel said.

  “But I was—”

  “You questioning me?”

  Michael tightened his grip on his gun, and he aimed it at the others as he moved to Lily’s side. Casting a quick glance at the hook and the chains holding her in place, he freed her from her bonds. At the first taste of freedom, her body went limp, and Michael surrounded her body with his free arm and dragged his lips to her ear.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered. “I got you now.”

  Lily looked up from his chest, and when she saw the sad smile crossing his lips, Lily returned his grin and nodded her head.

  “I knew you’d come,” she murmured. “I just knew—”

  Noel charged forward, and Lily cried as she reached for his falling form. He pulled a knife from his boot and pressed it to the vein throbbing in Michael’s neck.

  “What about it?” Noel challenged the other Diesel Devils.

  “Let him—”

  “Stop cutting for him, Ken,” Noel cautioned. “I’ll slice him up soon enough.”

  Ken silently ordered his men to stand down. Lily’s breath intensified in her chest as Noel forced Michael to his knees.

  “You really think we’d just let you take her and run?” Bruce challenged.

  “No. We’re gonna do a lot better than that,” Trevor said with a smirk.

  Noel seemed to ignore the action swirling around him as he danced the blade across Michael’s sweating face.

  “You know,” he started, “hothead like you should’ve met his maker long ago.”

  Michael glared over his captured shoulder, his stare abandoning the sharp edge of the knife as he met Noel’s stare.

  “You had your chance,” Michael hissed. “You couldn’t do it then.”

  “No,” Noel confessed. “More fun to let you stew in your own shit.”

  “Yeah,” Trevor said. “Total pussy move.”

  Michael’s eyes went wild as he lunged for Trevor, but Noel kept him in his grasp drew the blade nearer to his skin.

  “Cut this shit out!” Ken said. “We’re not—”

  “No you’re not,” Noel said. “And you never were. Big brother? Born leader? No doubt little Leo is rolling over in his grave.”

  Ken’s face hardened, and as he raised his gun, Lily couldn’t help but notice the small tremble as his finger curled around the trigger.

  Noel tightened his grip.

  “I’ll bleed him out right here,” Noel promised as he brought the blade closer to Michael’s throat. “You gonna risk your right-hand man on a cunt?”

  “You damn right he is,” Michael hissed.

  “I don’t know about that,” Noel challenged. “Word on the sands is that this one’s gone weak in the nuts for his own piece of tail. How about that, Kenny boy?”

  “You leave her—”

  “Tell you what,” Noel said. “How about I gut your boy here, fuck the cunt senseless, and…”

  Noel’s mustache lifted as his lips formed a cruel smile.

  “Then we waste the rest of your crew and go get what’s left of your girls,” Noel said. “Sophia’s still a house, but I hear she can cook. And your little bitch can join this one.”

  Lily’s heart caught in her throat as Noel gestured toward her, and Michael sneered against the threat of the blade.

  “Never going to happen,” Michael said. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Bruce seething around every syllable that passed though Michael’s lips.

  “And why is that?” Noel asked as he raked the edge of the blade across Michael’s skin.

  “Because Ken’s gonna do you in right now,” Michael threatened.

  Trevor laughed, and Noel pulled Michael closer to his chest as he stared hard at the head Diesel Devil.

  “That a fact?” Noel asked. “You gonna do some King Kong shit and live to fight another day?”

  When Ken stayed still, silent, Michael writhed in Noel’s grasp, and his ragged scream filled the room.

  “Just fucking shoot him, Ken!” Michael called. “Take this prick out.”

  Do it. Lily urged silently. Get us home.

  Home.

  It was the first time that her mind, her soul, any part of her deigned to define camp that way. But now that she could see and smell the alternative, it was the only place where she wanted to be.

  But Ken lowered his gun.

  “What the hell are you doing, man?” Michael said. “Just—”

  “At least he’s smarter than you,” Noel said. “But how hard is that?”

  Noel shifted his dark eyes to Lily and signaled to his boys.

  “Maybe it’s fate,” he said. “Let’s teach ‘em all a lesson right here and now.”

  Lily cried out as Randy and Trevor shoved her body to the ground. She thrashed wildly as he arms were pinned, and Noel pushed Michael’s face to her side.

  “We’re gonna let you watch,” Noel said.

  “No fucking—!”

  “Familiar, prick?”

  Michael blanched as Noel lifted his blazing eyes to the Diesel Devils.

  “Every last one of your sorry asses is gonna watch us whip her raw.”

  Michael groaned as Noel pressed the blade closer to his throat, but Lily stayed in his gaze. As their eyes mingled, Lily remembered the fear of having her own neck sliced open. She told herself that she would take the beating.

  But if something happened to Michael?

  “Let them up.”

  Ken’s voice crashed through the air. Lily’s body remained pressed to the ground as Noel brought Michael back to his knees, the blade still at his throat.

  “What’d you say?” Noel challenged. “Gonna try to be a big man now. Think you can deal for them?”

  “I—”

  “What the hell can you even offer?” Noel said.

  Lily held her breath as Ken pushed lowered his gun. She watched with wide eyes as he held his free hand out in surrender and spoke softly.

  “We’ll pull up stakes,” Ken said. “Business running in and out of every town in these parts is yours.”

  Trevor burst into laughter as he nudged Randy’s ribs.

  “That’s all you got?” Trevor said with a smirk. “An empty promise? Like we’re just gonna let you and your boys and this slut walk out of here on your say so?”

  Randy and the other Mad Angels joined in the chorus, and Lily shuddered at the sound. Michael’s lip curled over his clenched teeth and she saw him forming a hard fist.

  “Michael!” she cried. “Don’t—”

  “Who the fuck said that you could move?” Trevor bellowed as he slammed his boot into Michael’s side and sent him back to the ground, groaning in agony.

  “No!” Lily screamed as she fought her captors hold and tried to take his face in her hands.

  “Not so fast, slut!”

  Trevor and Randy dragged her up from the floor. She screamed as the Mad Angels started to pull her across the room, and she winced when her body was slammed into the wall close to the hook. Her eyes fluttered as her gaze settled on the chains, and she scanned the room, biting down on her lip before
she spoke.

  “Go ahead,” she said in a soft whisper.

  “No,” Michael moaned. “Lily, no! Don’t—”

  “We won’t tell you again!” Bruce said as he kicked Michael again. Lily’s breath accelerated in her chest, and she fixed her eyes on his.

  “You want blood?” she said. “Then do what you want with me.”

  “Don’t you touch her!” Michael screamed as Noel kicked him again. Lily closed her eyes as Bruce’s breath ran down her face.

  “It’s not near enough vengeance,” Bruce said. “But it’d be nice to see you bleed.”

  Lily felt her body turned back to the dark corner, and she heard Michael screaming for them to stop. Her mind cried for Ken to do something . Her wrists were nearly back in the shackles when a gunshot fired into air. The room was awash in cries of confusion and fury. Several Mad Angels drew their side pieces, but Ken dropped his weapon. She saw Michael’s hungry eyes as the metal settled close to his side.

  He had killed for her. She had no doubt that he would do it again.

  “No more lies,” Ken said as he strode forward with his hands in the air, his eyes focusing on Trevor.

  “And the only empty promise was bringing you into the fold,” Ken spat. “Good thing I corrected that.”

  “Fuck you, old man.” Trevor started to charge forward when Noel pulled the knife from Michael’s face and pointed it in Ken’s direction.

  “I’ll give this fucker one chance to speak sense,” Noel said. “Talk.”

  Ken swallowed, and Lily watched his lips part slowly.

  “We know when we’re beat,” Ken said. “And what Michael did… it was wrong.”

  Michael groaned, and Lily slightly shook her head. Maybe it was a killing. But a crime?

  No. Not when she saw these men for what they were.

  “So… so we’ll head out,” Ken promised. “Whole territory’s yours.”

  Noel appeared intrigued by the possibility, and Ken held his ground as Noel brought the blade to his cheek.

  “And which hills are you fuckers heading to?” Noel challenged.

  “Underground,” Ken said. “Deep and dark. Think about that, Noel. No more rivals. Everything just yours for the taking. Doesn’t that beat more blood?”

  What the hell is he—?

  “That it?” Noel asked.

  Ken nodded under the blade. Noel stepped away from him and pushed the knife back into his pocket. He stared down at Michael and suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

  “And what about you, stud?” Noel asked. “You down with giving this corner up so for this cunt?”

  Lily held her breath as Michael looked at her. She searched his face for some sign that he was in on Ken’s plan or at least understood it. But his eyes remained blank as his lips parted.

  “If it’s what the boss wants,” he said.

  Not the answer that she was hoping for.

  Noel let him go, and paced between the clubs as he toyed with the blade in his hand. Lily wished that he would stumble, slip, somehow slice his own neck wide. But he just pushed the knife back into his pocket and folded his leather-clad arms across his chest.

  “How soon can you ladies clear out?” Noel asked.

  Ken started to speak when Bruce charged forward with flailing fists, his blows meant for Michael.

  “No fucking way!” he bellowed. “You just gonna let them off with a pass? How the hell can—”

  “Cool it, Bruce!” Noel glared at him.

  “But—”

  “I don’t like to repeat myself, boy.” Noel said. “You want your brother’s death to count for something? You want to be more than this pussy ass fucker that gives up his turf for a wet slit?”

  Bruce started to speak again when Noel backhanded him. Lily had to smile at the sight of him crumbling him to the ground, but when her eyes met Michael’s, there was only rage in his stare.

  He’s not down with this. What am I missing?

  “Well?” Noel asked again.

  Bruce seethed, and he looked to Trevor. Lily saw the bald man fuming as his best laid plans appeared to fall under his sweaty hands.

  “You saw it go down,” Bruce said. “You think this is right?”

  Trevor started to speak when Noel laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “Careful, Carr,” he said. “If we turn you out, you ain’t getting too far with these pussies.”

  Trevor looked at Lily, and she felt as if she was stripped to the skin under his leer. He looked as he had at the auction, but Lily stood taller as she met his cold gaze.

  “Answer him,” she hissed.

  He looked ready to strike her. Lily instinctively closed her eyes and readied her skin for the impending blow when she felt Trevor fall back, and she heard a furious sigh pass through his lips.

  “It… it ain’t right,” Trevor started.

  Lily cringed when his fingers met her face. His touch ran down her neck, but she didn’t flinch even as she could hear Michael groaning in frustration just a few feet away. She stared Trevor down, and when he wilted, she couldn’t suppress a smile. Trevor saw her grin, and she sensed that he thought about hitting her when he held back and turned to Bruce.

  “But… but Noel makes sense,” he said.

  “What the fuck are you—”

  Trevor held Bruce back, and Lily strained to hear the whisper that poured into his ear.

  “Better revenge in the long run,” Trevor said. “We’ll find other ways to make them pay.”

  Bruce seemed to relax in Trevor’s hold, and his head shifted into a reluctant nod.

  “Good!” Noel said. “Ain’t it grand when all the pieces come together?”

  The Mad Angels laughed, but Lily relaxed when Michael grabbed her wrist and pushed her body behind his. She settled into his tight flesh, but Michael’s arms were cold as Noel turned to Ken and asked. “So we’re square, Kenny?”

  Ken nodded slowly, and Noel bent down. Grabbing his rival’s gun, Noel was on the verge of handing it back when he kept it close to his thigh and smirked.

  “Twenty-four hours,” he said. “Fuck it up, and we’re back to Plan A.”

  As soon as he got his gun back in his hands, Ken nodded and signaled for his crew to follow him. Lily found Michael’s eyes for a second, but he just pulled her from the darkness, his eyes only on the way out.

  “Michael?” she dared to ask as soon as soon as the night air hit her body, and Michael brought her back to his bike.

  “Why did you run off?” he asked. “I told you to stay—”

  “I… I wanted to know—”

  “Well now you know,” he said.

  Michael lifted her in his arms and placed her on the back of his bike. He mounted fast, and Lily dared to press her palms to his scars.

  Gonna give you a matching set.

  Lily trembled at the thought of how close she had come to the lash, and she pressed her cheek to his battered back and curled her arms around his waist.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But thank you. Thank you for coming for me.”

  Michael revved up his bike, and he turned his head over his shoulder. The moonlight hit his face, and Lily longed to kiss his lips when he turned away from her and hit the pedal.

  “What else was I supposed to do?”

  His eyes left hers, and his body felt cold. Lily still clung to him as they raced across the sands, and she wondered what he meant and where they were going.

  Twenty-four hours.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN Michael didn’t speak. He didn’t look back at her. His body didn’t even curl into her touch. Sitting on the back of his bike, Lily dared to bring her lips close to his ear, and she whispered lightly.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But you looked scared when you left.”

  “Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you,” Michael said. “I don’t do scared.”

  “I…”

  Lily started to tell him that she knew what she saw when she was on the hook, w
hen their bodies were pressed to the floor and the belt was about to tear into her skin. But she bit back these words as she kept her arms around his taut waist.