Chaos: A Reapers MC Boxset

by Elizabeth Knox

In all my life, I’ve never witnessed such a thing. Clubs always want the enforcer on the front lines with them when it comes to fucking up someone’s day, but not Fist. He obviously ordered Bull to stay behind and that makes me respect him a bit more. Thinking of Fist, I know our relationship will be rocky for a while but I’m hopeful that it will get better over time. I laugh to myself, knowing that there’s no way it can get any worse. I can only hope that one day, he sees me for me, and not the woman he thinks I am.

  “You doin’ a bit better, with everything that’s happened and all that?” Bull’s question comes out of the blue.

  “Yeah, I think so. Things are getting a bit normal, I think. I’m just sad that Raven got shot. She likes living here at the clubhouse, though, and so does Frank. He doesn’t mind being surrounded by hot men.” I giggle at the end of it, imagining how this must be like heaven for him.

  “She still got a job and all that? Fuck, I guess I should be asking for you too.”

  “Yeah, the owner of the bar is keeping it closed indefinitely on account of Marty passing away. I think it has to do with insurance and other shit like that. Who knows if it’ll even open back up.”

  “What’s the fear, that someone will sue him?”

  “I guess so. From what I know, he didn’t have any family left.”

  Bull shakes his head once. “You’re right, he doesn’t. Not unless his sister decides he’s suddenly important to her, but she stopped talking to him before they died. You know how people are, though. Watch her come out of the woodworks to try and get some money.”

  “You’re probably right. People are fuckin’ jokes these days,” I mutter lowly, trying not to get heated. It pisses me off if something like that were to even happen, people have some nerve thinking that they have the right to shit when they weren’t even around for the person that loved them when it mattered.

  “That they are, kid. Fuck, I’m likin’ you a little bit more now. You don’t hold your tongue, and I admire that shit.”

  I didn’t use to be like this before. “I got tired of keeping my mouth shut.” It’s not much of a response but at least it’s something.

  “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Where’s the fun in life when we gotta keep our traps shut? People need to tell it like it is, and I like that about ya. Fuck, I think I might even miss you when you leave.”

  Huh? Did he just say what I think he did? “What do you mean?”

  “Fist, he told us you and Kade are leaving to go down to Las Vegas after Thanksgiving.”

  Wow. I didn’t even have a clue that Kade told his father about that. I kinda blabbed it to Ashley though so I can’t be too upset. I guess we both must’ve been speaking out of emotion. “Yeah, I mean that’s the plan.”

  Bull gives me a half smile, bringing the cigarette back to his lips as he speaks. “I don’t blame either one of ya for wanting a fresh start. Fuck, if you ask me, the two of ya need it. Kade feels like he’s living in his father’s shadow, and you’re dealing with a mountain of bullshit for being the princess of the Bears. You two need a new city and some fresh air to really work. If you stay here, you’ll just suffocate that flame you call love.”

  “I never took you for the poetic type, Bull,” I chuckle, “but thanks. I think I needed to hear that.”

  “You sure as fuck did, kid. I’m a damn genius. Didn’t ya know? Or maybe I’m a psychic. No matter, whatever comes out of this mouth is life changing shit.”

  I throw my head back and cackle, laughing like I haven’t in ages. I didn’t think I’d miss much when we leave, but now, I think I’m going to miss a good friend named Bull.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The world is full of monsters with friendly faces and angels full of scars

  ~ Quotes ‘nd Notes

  Kade

  “This shit is taking too fuckin’ long!” Zane hisses under his breath, whining like a little bitch of a schoolgirl. I wanna knock his teeth out ‘cause it’s not like he has anything tying him to Grizzly other than the shit between our father and what happened to Ashley.

  As a brother, I hated finding out that Grizzly was behind everything that put Ashley with her abusive ex-husband-piece-of-shit, but it only made sense after we discovered the truth behind their marriage. Harry was always working with Grizzly from the beginning, being some sort of hidden spy. I really think they were trying to fucking kill her.

  If she hadn’t driven to us that night . . . fuck, she’d be dead. But it’s not only that. I’m not just angry because of what my sister went through. I’m pissed because of what Ivy has had to endure, and I want this fuckin’ shit to stop here and now. I can guarantee that if I get my hands on Connor, it’ll all end today.

  “Be patient, brother,” I grumble back, staring at the bar that Connor’s been spotted at. Zane and I are in a truck parked across the street, watching closely for any sort of indication that he’s coming out the front door. Dad and Cracker are in the alley out back with Dracus and Tex on the opposite end of the alley. Grim and Zorro are on the other end of town in case he somehow slips by, and we have the same set up for Axel and Bolt only a couple of miles away. Regardless, we’re prepared for whatever the fuck happens. Connor is pretty fuckin’ stupid if he thinks we weren’t going to hear about him coming into town.

  “He has some fuckin’ nerve rolling back into town when he just shot it up. What I wanna know is why no one called the fuckin’ cops.”

  I turn my head to look at him, wondering how my brother can be so stupid. “They didn’t call the cops ‘cause they don’t want him rotting in jail. They want him dead, Zane. Better for us to get him before the sheriff gets him in handcuffs and he’s locked away forever. We’d miss our opportunity.”

  “That’s a load of crap. We have friends on the inside. There isn’t a place that this fucker can hide. One way or another, we’re getting him.” Now that I think about it, Zane is right. Connor just won’t get the option to go to jail, because we’ll be grabbing his ass tonight.

  “Who’s that?” The second Zane asks the question, I see a man in some Columbia style jacket exiting the bar. He has a beanie on his head, shielding him from the cold Montana air but he looks like Connor.

  I grab my cell and call my friend Hammer, who’s been trying to prospect with the club. Hammer is actually his last name and he used to be an athlete. The name suits him so no one has ever called him any different. He was the quarterback of our local high school, who got a full ride to college on an athletic scholarship. Made it into the NFL and got hurt his second year in. He took a really bad hit to the neck that resulted in a spinal injury. He recovered but was advised to no longer play for the league again.

  Doctor’s couldn’t clear him knowing the damage that had already taken place and the potential of what could happen if he were hit in the right spot again. It was far too much liability. Shortly after it was made public that he’d never be able to play again, he came straight back here. The entire town felt for him. It was his way out and because of a bad play, where some shit happened, Hammer ended up suffering immeasurably.

  “Yo?” Hammer always has a way of greeting like some young kid, but he still is one, and I need to remember that.

  “You still in town, by the bar?” I ask. I texted him earlier telling him a way to possibly get my father’s attention as a potential prospect— help us tonight. Hammer was eager and jumped at the opportunity.

  “Are you fuckin’ blind? Do you not see my ass freezing out here for y’all?” I hear the bitchiness in his voice and hold back my laughter, looking around the town as my eyes land on him. He’s smoking a cigarette, standing against the brick of the same bar Connor just walked out of.

  “Got ya. You see that guy with the beanie? Follow him. You’re packin’, right?”

  “Are you dumb? I’m from the great state of Montana, we’re born with .22s in our hands.”

  Zane hears him from beside me and shakes his head. “Fuck, that cocky bastard will never change. Can’t believe he even wants to be
in the club after all the shit he’s been through. One bad accident and that fucker’s gonna be paralyzed.”

  “Tell Zane I heard the bullshit that just came out of his mouth. It’s my life, not his. I stopped riding because of the opportunities that presented themselves to me. Now I’m not playing football, and I’m gonna get back on my bike.”

  “Nah, I’ll keep it to myself,” I mutter, watching Hammer follow Connor from a short distance away. “Zane, text Dad and tell him he’s coming around the corner now. If they do it right, they can knock him out, throw ‘em in the back and we can get on our way.”

  “Is this some Assasins Creed shit or something?” Hammer chuckles into the phone.

  I roll my eyes, wanting to throttle the bastard. We always prefer to do shit the quiet way because it’s the better way. Making a scene only makes more witnesses and more bullshit to deal with later.

  “Got a text back from Dad. They’re gonna handle it swiftly.”

  Zane and I stay in the truck for a couple of minutes, sitting quietly while we wait. I hear shuffling every now and again when the line goes dead on Hammer’s side, only causing me to worry and want to interfere. It’s Connor against three men that are at least double his size. There’s no way he’ll manage to get out of that shit, but still, I worry and wonder if he’ll somehow slip out of it.

  “Fuck this, I’m not waiting anymore.” I turn on the truck and put it in gear, driving up the road until I can make a left onto the side street. Going a little way down, I come up on the entrance to the alley and see my dad’s truck is parked there. It’s not on and I sure as fuck don’t see Connor in the back.

  “Shit, where is everyone?” Zane asks lowly, looking around the truck in every direction.

  It feels like a cannon launched straight into my stomach. “Something must’ve happened. They should’ve been here.” From the corner of my eye, I see Zane texting in our group chat, asking what the fuck is going on.

  “You slimy little piece of shit!” my dad roars out, and I don’t think— I only react, swinging the car to the side of the road and parking, unbuckling myself, and hopping out of the car, heading in the direction where I heard his voice coming from.

  It’s cold as shit out here and the snow is still coming down in heavy flakes. The one thing I hate about Montana is how much it fuckin’ snows. It’s not just something that happens every two weeks, or at least it hasn’t been for quite a while. The last few days it’s been continuous, and thank goodness we’re smart enough to all have plows around here. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be making it out of our homes.

  A car door slams behind me and I turn back to see Zane following me closely. “Shit, he’s a fast fuck!” Cracker hollers out. His voice isn’t too far so I follow it and see Cracker’s fat ass on the snow. “’ Bout damn time you showed up. Your Hammerhead buddy is out chasing Connor, so you’d best run your fit little chicken legs along. They went that way.”

  I want to make a remark back but there’s no time for that shit. Zane and I both start running down the street, listening for any sort of indication on where they might be. I see a light come out of nowhere behind me and turn to see Zane holding the flashlight from his phone on the snow. “It’s too dark back here to see shit, at least with the light, we can see their footsteps.”

  I nod, continuing to go down the alley until I see our dad trying to jump over a six-foot chain link fence. He jumps trying to reach the top and pull his body over but comes back down, huffing and puffing. Looks like old age has really fucked with this man today.

  “Thank God you two are here. I boosted Hammer up to follow that motherfucker. Zane, C'mon,” dad holds his hand out for Zane to put his foot up and help lift him up over the fence and once my brother is over, he runs. “Kade, what in the fuck are you waiting for?”

  “Nothin’,” I hiss out, deciding not to use him for help and jump up grabbing onto the chainlink fence. I wrap my fingers between the wires and climb up, using the strength of my body to continue on until I’m going over the other side and my boots make a thud in the snow. I realize as the wetness soaks my socks that I fuckin’ forgot to winterize my boots again. Fuck my life. At this rate, I’m just gonna have to buy some new boots before these go bad.

  My heart pounds heavy in my chest with every movement I make, weaving in and out of backyards. I haven’t done something this physically taxing in what feels like a lifetime. The cold air doesn’t do much to cool me down as I continue onward, searching for this piece of shit. My anger is what drives me, giving me the motivation to hunt him down like the savage animal he truly is. When I get my hands on him, I refuse to show him any mercy. He didn’t show any toward Ivy, and I can promise I won’t be a better person. I’ll make him suffer in worse ways than what he did to her.

  I hop over a small gate and slide forward as my boots land on ice. I flail my hands around trying not to bust my ass when I see Hammer and Zane circling around Connor.

  I run across the street, not even bothering to look and see if a car is coming. Zane rocks his fist back and plummets it into Connor’s cheek and I watch him waver backward, hands hitting the pavement to hold himself up. “I hope you’re ready for what’s coming your way, Connor. I highly doubt you’ve ever experienced anything like it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I have you, and that makes me smile every time I think about it.”

  ~ Unknown

  Kade

  Zane knocked Connor out with a nasty blow to his temple and called our dad, telling him to come pick us up. Bolt was dropped off at my truck and brought it over to us so we didn’t have to cram in anyone else’s, and we took off to the farm.

  The farm is a property Dad bought a while back, another piece of land for us to do whatever, whenever. It’s twenty miles north of Billings, in the southern end of Broadview. An old farmer died and it was auctioned off dirt cheap because the property wasn’t properly kept. It was a great opportunity for the club to dive in and swipe it up. Normally, ranches around here can go for anywhere from three hundred thousand to millions of dollars. I think our bid was a little over one sixty and was accepted.

  It’s nothing special. A typical four bedroom house with two baths and a couple living areas. There’s even a decent sized basement that’s been turned into a massive man cave. We had a couple pull out couches put down there in case we ever need to use the house for additional company. At least then people would have a safe place to stay.

  I’ve been in the house for about twenty minutes warming my hands up by the fire when Zane walks up next to me. “Connor’s finally wakin’ up. Figured you’d want to be the one to greet him.”

  I nod, take in a deep breath, and head toward the front door. We get outside and it’s so cold that my dick could be frostbitten at this point. We both make haste and head down toward the barns. They’re a good few hundred feet away which wouldn’t normally be a problem but since the wind has picked up and it’s still snowing, it’s proving to be a bit difficult.

  “Did anyone update Bull yet?” I call out to Zane over the sound of the wind. It’s making that “shh” sound like when it’s a full-blown blizzard.

  “No, not yet!” he hollers back to me.

  I pull my phone from my pocket and type away as quickly as possible. With every moment my fingers are exposed to the cold, the quicker they feel as if they’re turning to ice. We both make it down to the smaller barn’s door and push it open, shutting it closed behind us. The wind is a bitch while I’m trying to close it, blowing in a large gust, but I manage to get it done.

  Glancing down at my phone, I verify that my text to Bull has gone through. Ivy should be waking up in an hour or so since it’s around five in the morning, so I want him to tell her something. It’s better he gives her an update versus her worrying for no damn reason.

  “Didn’t expect to see you here,” I say to Hammer, who’s standing a few feet behind Connor.

  My father looks between the two of us. “I told him he could stay. Without
your friend here, we might’ve lost Connor.”

  “I told you he was willing to prove himself to the club. Hammer wants to be one of us, Pops, and I think he’d make a great addition.”

  He tries to not smirk at how I’m sounding tough and unbiased but I think he knows that Hammer is a friend of mine. The thing Dad can tell now is that he really is reliable and he’s surely not a piece of shit who flakes. Hammer was dedicated to the end and with me leaving, we need more people like this to manage the homefront.

  “You and I will have to talk later, son, got it?” He looks over to Hammer who fails miserably at hiding back his smile.

  “Sure thing, Prez.” It’s a rarity to see eager bikers who respect the club enough to do whatever is needed of them. I’m pretty sure we won’t have this problem with Hammer, though.

  “Jesus, can you get on with your gay-man shit later? I’ve got places to be,” Connor grumbles out, glaring at every brother in the barn with him. Hammer, Dad, Zane, Blackjack, and I all stand around him. Even if he attempted to escape this time, he’d be shit out of luck.

  “Well, you surely won’t make it there,” Blackjack snickers, obviously enjoying this. I can’t imagine what is going through his head right now as we all prepare to hurt Connor. It’s gotta be different for him, to bring harm to the man’s son who’s caused him the most agony. It must be poetic in a sense.

  “If you think any of you are gonna get away with this, you’ve lost your damn mind. He’s gonna find you. For fuck’s sake, he always does and he always makes sure you pay for it,” Connor threatens, but he isn’t in the position to make threats right now. We’re the ones with the upper hand and this idiot knows it.

  “No, he won’t find us. Your dad doesn’t even know about this joint,” I correct him and the bastard smiles at me. One of those sick, fucked up smiles you see the psychopaths do in the movies.