by Jade Kuzma
The two of them looked identical. Shaved heads. Fatigues. White undershirts. Even the tattoos on their arms looked the same. Like a couple of reject military dropouts.
The man I bloodied wiped his nose with the back of his fist.
“You fight like a bitch,” he said.
“Come on, Eric. Teach this motherfucker a lesson,” the other man said.
I pointed my index finger at Eric.
“I said I’ll give you a chance. You still have it. Get in your truck and drive away. This is your last warning.”
“You just gonna let him talk to you like that, Eric?”
“Let him talk. I’ll shut him up.”
Eric didn’t have any intention of taking my offer. He cracked his knuckles and walked toward me with his fists balled.
He was a big man but I wasn’t intimidated. I knocked down guys twice his size and walked away without a scratch on me. Today wasn’t gonna be any different.
Eric charged at me with a massive swing. I ducked out of the way and raised up with the hardest uppercut I ever threw. His head snapped back and sent him in a daze.
“Eric!”
Cheering on his friend wasn’t going to help him.
I raced forward as he tried to regain his bearings. Before Eric could respond, he was met with another hard fist right on his jaw. It didn’t matter how big he was. His chin was still smaller than my fist.
I rotated his head with my punch and sent him down to the ground for good.
I looked at the other man. He stared in disbelief at the man I just knocked out.
“I gave you a warning,” I said. “I told you to walk away.”
The confidence he just had a few seconds ago had disappeared. His eyes wide, he frowned at me with his hands in the air.
“L-look, man. I was just doing what Gail told me to do. It was a mistake. I-I didn’t mean it. I swear—”
He swung at me but I was ready. I moved out of the way and clocked him on the jaw. I took a second to search the two of them and grab their weapons. I found my pistol before heading back to the barn where I knew Anna was being held.
I moved forward and slowly opened the door. The sunlight shined through the open windows, giving me a full view of the barren barn. It was completely empty except for Anna.
She was tied to a chair. Her shirt was undone like it had been cut in half, her bra exposed. Her head was down.
Behind her, the man I just stood face to face with the other night held a gun to her head. I pointed my gun right at him as I called out to Anna.
“Anna! Anna, are you all right—”
“She can’t hear you. She won’t be able to answer you until I’ve had my fun with her.”
“I’ll give you one more chance. Let her go and I won’t kill you.”
“You’re in no position to make threats.”
I stood a couple of meters away from him but not far enough that I couldn’t take the shot and hit him.
“I’ll kill you right where you stand,” I said.
“I’ve got my finger on the trigger. You kill me, you kill her.”
I clenched my jaw. I was fuming. And the way he grinned at me, he knew he was the one calling the shots.
“Drop your gun, Reaper.”
I kept my weapon pointed at him. He rubbed the barrel of his pistol against Anna’s temple.
“Drop your gun—”
“Okay! Okay…”
I tossed the gun on the ground in front of me.
“You kill me,” I said. “You kill her. You won’t get away with it. You’ll start a war that you can’t possibly win.”
He laughed in response.
“Me and my boys live for war. We were bred for it. We were born for it. Your MC won’t be anything we can’t handle.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Speak for yourself. You’ve already made more mistakes.”
“What do you want?”
“Ah. Finally. Some reason…”
He lowered the gun down from Anna’s head.
“The Triads were going through us,” he said. “We were the ones moving their product between the south and the big city up north. We were making good money. Those Chinese motherfuckers are rich. And you had to go and fuck it all up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We were the ones taking all of the risk. We negotiated a proper deal with the Triads. Then your president decided to low ball us. As rich as those chinks are, they were always looking for a way to cheap out on us. So they took your offer. They made a deal with the Reapers and cut us out.”
“Is that what this is about? Because we’re moving weight for the Triads?”
“You took our deal—”
“The Chinese made their own decision. You can’t put that on us. You can’t put that on her.”
“Oh, I think I can… You see… If I kill every single one of you Reapers, the Chinese will have no choice but to turn back to us.”
“There are other MCs in Ivory they deal with. Are you prepared to deal with all of them?”
He grinned at me with the confidence of a maniac.
“I told you me and my boys were prepared for war.”
He picked his gun up and put it back to the side of Anna’s head.
“Now… Let’s put an end to this.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to think of a way out of this. He was fully intent on shooting both of us.
Shit.
“I’ll show you some mercy,” he said. “I’ll kill you first so you don’t have to see what I’m gonna do to your old lady.”
He turned and pointed the gun at me.
“Any last words, Reaper?”
I exhaled a deep breath through my nose. If this was gonna be my last moment, I wanted to spend it looking at her.
I stared at Anna.
“Say something!” the man shouted.
I kept looking at Anna and noticed that she was beginning to stir. She slowly tilted her head up and looked at me. As soon as our eyes met, I knew that she had regained her senses.
“Anna!”
I shouted her name.
She got my signal.
Despite being tied to her chair, Anna managed to rock back in it and distract him. It was just long enough for me to rush up to him and grab his wrist.
Anna screamed as a shot rang through the air.
Both of my hands on his wrists, I freed the gun from his hand and sent it flying. I got on top of him and leveled him with a punch. Another punch made his eyes roll back.
I kept punching until his face was bloodied and my hands hurt.
“Jon! Jon! Jon, stop!”
I slowly turned and saw Anna helpless in her chair. The rage I just felt quickly disappeared when I looked into her eyes.
I moved to her and started undoing her binds. As soon as she was free, she wrapped her arms around me.
“Are you all right—”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here… Please…”
“Okay…”
I double-checked to see that the man was still out. Then I put Anna’s arm around my shoulder so I could help her walk out.
Just before we left the barn, I heard something outside.
“Shit.”
I’d been hearing police sirens all my life. The sound was so familiar that I could tell how close they were. And right now, they were so close I knew I couldn’t get away.
I walked out of the barn with Anna and we were greeted with police cruisers and cops pointing their guns at us.
“Hands up where I can see ‘em! Now!”
I followed their instructions and Anna did the same. The cops rushed up to me and put my hands behind my back.
“Wait!” Anna said. “What are you doing? Are you arresting him—”
“It’s all right,” I said. “You don’t have anything to worry about. This will all be over with soon. I promise.”
Chapter 13
ANNA
I
sat in the small room of the police station. The lights on the ceiling were only enough to illuminate the table in front of me. I stared forward, lost in my thoughts, my arms wrapped around myself. The jacket I was given was enough to cover me but I still felt bare.
The door clicked open. I didn’t look. The sound of heels against the floor filled my ears.
A woman took a seat in front of me.
“Hello, Miss Roberts.”
I slowly shifted my eyes up toward her.
She was a stern-looking woman. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wasn’t wearing much makeup but her face was unblemished. She didn’t look very old, maybe in her 30s or so. The pantsuit she wore was enough to tell me that she was a professional.
But the way she stared at me… Her stare told me I had reason to be concerned even though the danger was apparently over.
“How are you feeling?” she asked. “Can I get you something? A coat? Some water?”
“I’m fine… Thanks…”
“My name is Jane Lieberman. I’m working with a special task force here in Ivory. I know you’ve had a long day but I’d like to ask you a few questions. Would that be all right?”
I nodded softly.
“What can you tell me about the men who abducted you?”
I thought about what happened but all I could do was shake my head.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know who they are.”
“Surely you have some idea of who they are. They wouldn’t target you for no reason.”
She kept staring intently at me. I looked away from her, shifting my gaze down at the table.
“Do you remember what happened? Can you tell me that?”
“I… I was at the shelter. Three men just barged in.”
“What were they doing there?”
“I don’t know. They attacked me. They attacked Miss Reynolds. Jackie. She—”
“She’s all right. She’s in the hospital right now. Under observation.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
“She’s an older woman so the doctors just want to make sure she’s perfectly healthy before releasing her.”
“But the shelter—”
“There are other volunteers at the shelter. I had some people go over there to make sure that there’s staff. The place can get by without Miss Reynolds for a few days.”
I sighed a soft breath, still unable to look at the woman in front of me.
“You work at the shelter, don’t you, Miss Roberts?”
“That’s right.”
“How long have you been working there?”
“Not for long. I only got back to town… barely a week ago.”
“That would make sense.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
I slowly looked back at her. Lieberman’s attention was taken by the manila folder she held in her hands.
“You were out of town,” she said. “How long were you gone?”
“What does that matter?”
“I’m just trying to get all the details. Those men wouldn’t have abducted you without good reason.”
“Why don’t you ask them?”
Lieberman gave me a half-smirk. It was obvious she was hiding something from me.
“I fully intend to question them,” she said. “Your friend Jon gave them quite the beating though, so it might be awhile before they come around. Now… You say that you just came back to Ivory—”
“I left Ivory five years ago. And I decided to come back. That’s the story.”
“Any particular reason you decided to come back?”
I clenched my jaw and swallowed. I knew this had everything to do with Jon now. It had been like that ever since I’d known him. When I was getting questioned by the police, it always had to do with the Reapers.
“I was born here,” I said. “I was raised here. This was my home. I left and I decided to come back. That’s it. Do I need a reason for wanting to come back home?”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile and nodded.
“No,” she said. “You don’t need a reason. I’m just trying to get all of the details.”
“I’ve already given you everything I know. Those men attacked Jackie. They abducted me. If it wasn’t for Jon, I don’t know what they would’ve done to me.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re such good friends with Jon.”
She looked inside of the manila folder in her hands.
“Public intoxication. Indecent exposure. Drugs. You have quite the record, Miss Roberts.”
“That was a long time ago. Those were all petty crimes and I paid my dues. Is there a point to all of this?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. You see… Every single time you were arrested, your friend Jon was right there with you. Now you’re back in town and all of a sudden, you’re getting involved with Jon again. Right back into the same kind of trouble.”
“Those men attacked me. I had nothing to do with it. Are you gonna charge me for getting abducted?”
“Those men had a motive and I’m trying to get to the bottom of it.”
She closed the folder and tossed onto the table in front of me.
“Cut the bullshit, Miss Roberts. I know you’re close to Jon. There’s no point in denying it. I have eyes on the Black Reapers.”
The tone of her voice was serious this whole time. But only now was I actually starting to worry.
“Admit it,” she said.
“Admit what? That I’m close to Jon? Okay. I’ll admit it. I am close to him. He’s my friend. Just the other night, he fucked me. Is that what you wanna hear?”
She stood up straight and leaned forward across the table. Her eyes narrowed. I swallowed and held my ground, looking right back at her.
“Poor girl,” she said. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
She got back into her seat and leaned back.
“Those men are an offshoot gang,” she said. “They call themselves the Corps. An offshoot group of war veterans. My sources tell me they were working for the Chinese Triads but the Triads pulled the plug on their deal.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I thought you’d like to know why you were most likely attacked. The Corps are out of Ivory jurisdiction. They don’t make their home here, so they never have to deal with the cops. It wouldn’t be the first time a group outside of Ivory brought their business here though. Do you know why they brought their business here?”
The Black Reapers.
She already knew this had everything to do with Jon. I knew this had everything to do with Jon.
I bit my tongue, just staring at the woman as she sat with her arms crossed.
“You seem like a good person,” she said. “Leaving Ivory was the best thing that ever happened to you. Now that you’re back, I think it’s only fair to warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“I’m here in Ivory because of the Triads. That means I’m going to nail them and anybody they’re doing business with. I know the Corps is doing business with them and I know the Reapers are planning a deal with the Chinese, too.”
“If you know all of this, why don’t you do something about it?”
She leaned forward across the table, her eyes still locked on me.
“Because the Chinese are smart enough to let others do their work for them. If I can take down the people working for them, they’ll lead me right to the Chinese. The problem is… People like your friend Jon keep getting in the way.”
“What?”
“The Corps took you to some abandoned barn. Probably because your idiot boyfriend was chasing them the entire time. If he hadn’t, they would have taken you right to their home base. I would’ve been able to scoop them all up at once.”
I closed my eyes. I shook my head, trying to make sure I was hearing her right.
“They abducted me and Jon saved me—”
“He saved you and I didn’t get t
he answers from the Corps I’m looking for.”
“You saw what those men were about to do to me. They ripped my clothes off. They were going to rape me.”
Lieberman narrowed her eyes at me.
“You knew what you were getting into when you came back to Ivory,” she said. “Letting the Corps take advantage of you would be a small price to pay for finding their hideout.”
“You knew… You knew what was going to happen and you were going to let it happen.”
“There are other members of the Corps out there. Your idiot boyfriend and his club are about to start a war right here in the middle of Ivory and I’m trying to stop it.”
“I—”
“Do yourself a favor, Miss Roberts. Stay away from him. Stay away from the club. Keep your head down and do your job. I know you’re a good person who’s just trying to help. I’ve been in this town long enough. Ivory needs more people like you.”
I shook my head, still unable to get over everything she was telling me.
“What if I tell him?” I said. “What if I tell Jon what you’re up to?”
She stood up straight and looked down at me.
“BRIC already knows I’m watching them. They’re just stubborn enough to think they can get away with what they’re doing.”
There was a knock at the door. Lieberman waited a moment before answering it.
“Are you finished yet?” the officer at the door asked.
Lieberman turned to me and nodded.
“I’m done here,” she said.
The cop at the door walked up to me and escorted me out of the room.
“Right this way, Miss.”
I kept my head down as I walked through the police station. There were so many thoughts running through my head that I almost didn’t notice the man waiting for me at the front of the police station.
“Hey…”
I looked up and saw Jon smiling softly at me. I closed my eyes and sighed a deep breath of relief.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “You—”
“They don’t have anything on me. Let’s go home.”
Jon put his arm around me and started walking me through the exit. Just before we left, I stopped.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I slowly turned around. In the distance, I saw Lieberman standing there. She stared at me with her hands in her pockets. Even from across the station, her eyes were just as cold as they were in the room.
