“What did Dani say?” I ask, wondering what all she told Shadow.
“That I should ask Babs,” Shadow nearly yells, his voice in disbelief. Shadow and Dani getting together has been the biggest pain in my ass. If they would have stayed away from each other, my life would be so much easier.
“Shit,” I mumble. “You two figure out your shit?” I ask, referring to Dani’s pregnancy. When he found out she was pregnant the night of her attack, he was a fucking mess. I tried to give him some good advice that would steer him in the right direction. I am good at giving advice, just terrible at following it myself. Hopefully he uses it.
“Yeah. I stopped at some pregnancy store to pick up books and shit for her.”
I laugh. At least he is figuring out how to suck up quicker than I did when I was his age. “You’re learning.”
We drive in silence to the hospital for the rest of the ride. I am curious to hear what Babs has to say about what she and Dani got into. I wonder if she is talking better than the last time she tried to speak to me. Last few times I have seen her, she was only awake briefly. Everything she said was slurred and stuttered.
“There’s a spot.” I point to an empty parking spot when we pull into the hospital. Shadow drives right past it. I look over at Shadow, glaring. Does he ever listen to a fucking thing I say? He pulls right up and parks in the ‘no parking zone.’ We walk into Babs’ room and I see a bunch of doctors and staff standing around her bed. My eyes widen and my hands sweat nervously.
“I’m calling time of death: four forty-five,” the doctor says, eying the clock on the wall.
“What the fuck?” I roar, pushing past the staff to get to Babs. My face tenses to the point blood vessels pop in my neck and my heart stops with sudden panic.
“I’m sorry. Are you family?” a nurse asks, stepping right in front of me. My face blisters with anger as I try and look around the damn nurse to see Babs.
“Damn right, I am!” I shout, knocking the nurse out of the way, causing her to stumble into another staff member. My hand cups my mouth when I see Babs. Her face is pale and still. Blood vessels popped all around her eyes, paddles on her chest. She looks like someone sucked the life from her. I turn quickly, wanting the image to go away. Replacing it with the laughing, sassy-mouthed woman I grew to love. How can she have gone downhill so fast, so quickly? I thought Babs was getting better. Doc, she warned me about her brain injury, the unpredictable outcome it could take. I turn around, my head falling forward, accepting the truth of the situation. Life is unpredictable. Death is unpredictable.
“What happened?” I ask gravely, my eyes watering.
“I was in surgery when I got the distress call. She had a stroke; it could have been caused by a brain clot. Her head took quite the impact when she fell, and brain clots are hard to find. We did everything we could.” I don’t look up, just listen.
“We did everything we could.” Another line I can’t stand to hear from doctors.
“I called the husband ten minutes ago when the patient started having problems,” a young sounding nurse adds. I inhale a sharp breath. Where the fuck is Locks? Why isn’t he here? For the life of me, he better be in a fucking supply closet crying his eyes out, or I will kill him. I will take that fucking patch and burn that tattoo on his back claiming him as one of my brothers.
“Did you get a hold of him?” Shadow asks.
“Yes, I did,” she responds.
I lace my fingers around Babs’ limp hand, her body still warm. I remember when we were at the Santa Monica Pier and I held her hand for the first time. The look on her face, surprised. A sudden sob escapes my lips, taking me by surprise. I close my eyes, trying to fight the tears welling up.
“Someone will pay for this,” I promise, my voice trembling with anger and mourning. I lean forward and brush my lips against hers, kissing her goodbye. A tear slips from my eye, trailing to the bridge of my nose. It drips, landing on her cheek. “You deserved so much more,” I whisper against her lips, wishing for the life of me she could kiss me back one last time.
I pull away, closing my eyes to confine my emotion.
I walk out of the room and find Shadow leaning against the wall, his eyes glassy. She was like a mother to him. I have seen her around the club giving him motherly advice. I swallow, pushing the thought out of my head.
“You get Dani to tell you fucking everything,” I demand. I have to know what these girls got themselves into, unless I want another member of my family dead.
*****
I grab the last bottle of whiskey and head toward my room, passing Dani and Shadow’s room. I hear yelling and hollering. I want to go in there, yell at Dani for being so damn stubborn. Why didn’t the girls come to me, why didn’t they bring whatever they did to the table?
I walk in my room and slide against the door, my ass hitting the floor with a thump.
“I got her to spill it,” Shadow mutters from the other side of the door. I scrunch my knees, scooting myself away from the door so he can come in. I twist the cap of the bottle back and forth waiting for the details.
“Babs has a niece who was beaten up by some guy in a green hat, or some shit, behind a club with green lights. The girls found the guy and repercussions took place,” Shadow spills in a nutshell, making my head fall forward with a groan. Green clothes, green club, I bet it was the Green Room on the wrong side of town, forbidden territory, and probably Augustus’s man.
“Why didn’t Babs bring it to the table?” I ask, confused. Shadow rubs his head and sighs.
“Babs told Locks, and he told her no,” Shadow explains, drawing out the word no.
I literally growl. Who is Locks to fucking dictate that motion? I am the fucking president, not him!
“Call the boys to the table,” I demand, trying to stand from my uncomfortable position on the floor.
I inform the boys of what is going on and Babs’ death. I try to be strong when telling them, but it’s fucking killing me to accept the fate of it all. I head out of the chapel. Locks is missing and not answering my calls, and Cherry, an ol’ lady of one of our men, has refused lock down, again. She is always going against the rules, thinking they don’t apply to her. If her ol’ man, Lip, didn’t save my ass when those cops pulled us over, her ass would be out of this club. She’s a fucking headache. I am almost positive Augustus is the one ordering these hits, but he is big, more men and more firepower. I have to think rationally. I have to know for certain it was Augustus before I start that kind of war. I head to the kitchen in search of some coffee. Just looking at the coffee pot brings fucking memories. I close my eyes, silently telling myself to get a grip.
I lean against the counter and light a cigarette. Digging in my pocket, I pull out my phone and try and call Locks again. It goes straight to voicemail. I’m nervous. Was he hit? Is he laying in the street somewhere run over? I need answers and I need them now. I dial an old friend, someone who is friends with everyone. He would know if Augustus was out for blood.
“Hey, Bull, what up, my man?” Brenden answers the phone.
“I need you to tell me something, no bullshit, you got it?” I demand.
“Sure, man, what’s up?” His tone turns from happy to serious.
“Is Augustus out for my club?” I ask.
“Ah, man. You know, I did catch some wind about that. Something about your girls nearly killed his nephew or some shit,” Brenden replies. “One of Augustus’ men told me.”
I hang up, my questions answered and my mark set. I see the radio sitting on the shelf; its red light indicating it’s on. I walk up to it and hear David Grey “This Year’s Love” playing. I quickly turn it off; its lyrics not helping me right now.
I exhale and head out of the kitchen.
“There you are,” Bobby says, his voice nervous.
“I was almost killed. A car chased me,” Cherry cries, slumped over, her makeup smeared all over her face.
“I ran into a store and hid there until they left,�
� she continues to wail. Maybe this will teach her ass to get here when I order it. Dani rubs on Cherry’s back, her pink cast standing out as she rubs up and down. Dani’s arm was broken when she was attacked. I’m thankful that’s all that broke. Three of my women have been chased, one dead. This ends tonight, damn it.
“Church, now,” I command the boys, pointing toward the Chapel doors.
I light a cigarette, not sure how the fuck I am going to pull this off.
“This is the third ol’ lady who’s been attacked,” I inform, my tone grating on anger and sorrow.
“The attacks are speeding up,” Old Guys says, his observation obvious. I try not to put him in his place.
“I think we need to get on this and quick,” Shadow suggests. The boy has always had a thing for taking a target out, never afraid to kill. His obsession for blood at this moment, I favor.
“I agree, but we retaliate smart,” Bobby says to Shadow. Bobby is the only thing that seems to keep Shadow tied to the ground, makes him see rationally. Shadow has had a rough life. If not for this club, who knows where he’d be.
My phone rings.
I hold my hand up, trying to quiet the boys, but they keep talking, ignoring me. “Quiet, boys,” I yell when I notice Augustus’ name on my caller ID.
“Augustus,” I greet, trying to sound calm.
“Bull,” Augustus replies coolly. Hearing how relaxed and collected he is makes my hands fist with rage, my attempt at acting controlled and calm gone.
“You have attacked three of my ladies, one of whom is now dead,” I inform, pissed.
“Ladies who passed their line of territory, and this is news to me that one of them is deceased. I’m sorry to hear that,” Augustus replies, his apology fake. Fuck it, I’ll die in Babs’ honor. I won’t stoop to this asswipe’s level.
“You want a war, you got it,” I clip, reaching over to turn the phone off.
“Unless you want me to put that pretty little daughter of yours in the ground along with the rest of those white trash biker whores, I expect you at my warehouse in two hours,” Augustus threatens, hanging up. I look across the table at Shadow who is looking at me with fear, not an emotion I’ve seen on Shadow’s face. I can relate. I’m terrified of something happening to Dani. I’ll have to play by Augustus’ rules if I want my daughter and grandbaby to live.
“Let’s take care of business, boys,” I order, my tone confident, but to be honest, I fear one of us will not be joining us at this table in the morning.
*****
I head to my room and grab an extra gun, placing one in the hem of my jeans and the other in my holster.
I’m digging around the drawer for some ammo when I come across a black thong, Babs’. I smirk. That dirty little bird must have put it in here. I clench the fabric in my hands, thinking of her.
“The person who killed you will die in my hands tonight, darlin’,” I whisper. Hoping wherever she is, she knows I’m not letting this go until someone pays.
*****
We ride toward Augustus’ place on the wrong side of town, the wind howling, bringing in a storm as we ride. When we pull up to the shithole warehouse, it’s siding grey and rusted, tension becomes thick between the boys. They know who Augustus is; they know what he is capable of. Yet, they are here backing up each other. I turn my bike off and look at my men.
“Let’s get this over with, boys,” I say, trying to master my tone of certainty. We head toward the abandoned warehouse, the pavement breaking and eroding, a rusty fence rustling with the wind matching the color of the building. Bobby stops at a blue tarp, catching my attention. He grabs a side of it and pulls it up, revealing a white Monte Carlo with blood soaking the splintered windshield and hood. It’s the car that hit Babs. I turn and swallow the lump that has formed in my throat at the sight of Babs’ blood smeared all over the car.
“Get a grip of yourself,” I whisper to myself. I turn back around, the boys eyeing the evidence. “Jesus,” I curse.
“I guess we know now it was definitely Augustus and his men who hit Babs,” Old Guy says solemnly as Bobby throws the tarp back over the bloodstained car. My hands flex with anger, lethal power pumping through them. We make our way around the building until we find a door. Without thinking, Shadow walks right in.
“Ah, the Devil’s Dust is here,” Augustus show tunes, striding down a flight of stairs, adjusting his tie that matches his suit. He dips his hands in everything and anything illegal. He is wealthy and powerful, his reign given to him by his great grandfather. “So nice of you to stop by,” Augustus snaps, his tone of humor gone. His voice pushes my last button.
“Someone is going to pay for the life of one of my girls!” I yell, my hand twitching to grab my gun and shoot him.
“I see,” Augustus says, his hand rubbing the sides of his head nervously. “George loved playing ‘cat and mouse’ with your girls, but he didn’t follow orders directly. Seems he got carried away with one, and I apologize for that.” His hand whips out and points to the guy named George. The punk is wearing a green bandana like a bunch of the thugs standing around the warehouse armed. I glare in his direction. He’ll die.
“If you’ll be so kind as to drop your weapons, boys.” Augustus kicks a raggedy blue crate toward us. I glare at it, debating if I should.
“Do we look stupid?” Bobby asks.
“Do it,” Augustus commands, his tone serious. He snaps his fingers and two men point rifles at us instantly. Shit.
I pull my gun from the holster under my cut and gently toss it in the crate, as do the other brothers. I look up at Augustus, his face in a smirk. He knows he has me by the balls.
“Talk,” I spit.
“Right,” Augustus says. “When your little bitches crippled my nephew, I was going to kill every single one of them.”
My face snarls and my brows furrow forward. Does he want me to fucking kill him?
“I even sent a warning to let you know war had begun.” I look at him confused, what is he talking about? Warning? I have not seen anything to indicate a warning.
“I sure did love that bike too,” Locks adds from behind me. I turn quickly. When the fuck did he get here, and how did he know to come?
“Locks?” Old Guy questions. Locks’ face is in a smug smile, his fingers dangling in his belt loops. It dawns on me, his blown up bike was Augustus telling me it was war. Shit!
“When I found out one of the girls who beat my nephew was your daughter, a new business opportunity came to light. I thought I would trade you,” Augustus continues, his tone collected and calm like he does this every day.
“Trade me what?” I ask, nervous at what he wants.
“Your girl’s life for a little business,” Augustus offers. I look at him with expecting eyes, wanting him to get to the point. “You let me run drugs on your side, and you can run guns on my side. You get some cash, and your women get to live.” He shrugs with a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude. I break my stare from Augustus and look at Shadow, silently asking him if he thinks we should take the deal. For some reason, I feel like I trust him more than anyone right now, which has me questioning the person wearing the vice president patch, Locks. I rub my head with the back of my hand, thinking. I don’t want to take the deal. I want to kill this fucker and every one of his trolls, but if I do, I’m sure someone will get away, or a higher ranking family member will take out my club. Shadow nods slightly before turning his gaze back at Augustus.
“Then this is over?” I ask, not wanting to miss any underlying bullshit.
“Over,” Augustus clarifies, nodding. His tone sounds like he wants this to be over just as much as I do.
“Fine.”
“Fantastic,” Augustus says excitedly. “However, I don’t condone business with clubs who have rats amongst them.”
I tilt my head in confusion.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask.
“Why don’t you tell them, Locks?” Augustus prompts, looking at Lo
cks standing next to Shadow.
“What the hell is he talking about?” I question. I know I’m not going to like what I hear.
“You might as well tell them,” Augustus laughs. Locks looks at Augustus with disbelieving eyes before sighing and looking away.
“You lost your priorities when you let your family into the club. You threw caution to the wind when your daughter came back,” Locks snarls, pointing at me. “Dani was a threat to the club, and she should have had a bullet put in her head.” I inhale a sharp breath, my arm raising slowly for a gun I hid in my waist band. I am going to fucking kill him. “When Babs told me about her niece, I told her no, and that should have been the end of it. But because you were fucking her, she thought she could do whatever she wanted to.”
My eyes widen, and my jaw tightens with tension. How long has he known? I feel guilt riddle up my spine as I look at the rest of the guys; the look of shock written on their faces not making me feel any better. But the fact remains, he started treating Babs like shit, threw her to the side while he dived in other pussy, and even hit Babs when she refused to live the life of scraps he threw her. He preaches about my priorities of putting family first, but this club is my family. Here lately, the only thing Locks has cared about is if he can stick his dick in it or make money out of it. He isn’t my brother, hasn’t been for a long time. Looks like I just came to terms with it too late.
“You never deserved Babs,” I snarl through my clenched teeth. My eyes penetrate Locks’ traitorous eyes of betrayal.
“Eh, that’s up for debate,” Locks clips. My hand flies to my back, ready to pull the trigger and kill him. He’s gone. I’ve lost the brother that I grew up with. He let the ways of the club to his head with a heavy appetite of greed. Just as my arm pulls back, Old Guy grabs it, stopping it from reaching my gun. I look over my shoulder at him, and he shakes his head, bringing me down from my rage and to the reality of the situation.
“I knew Augustus would be out for blood, so I bought my time. When my bike was blown up, I knew it was Augustus and I knew it was just the beginning of a war—”
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