Point of Return

by Stacey Lynn

  I stared at the door, waiting for him to come out. I wanted him to explain and to let me explain. But I fell asleep before he ever came back.

  I looked around at all of my brothers as we pulled into the meet. Everything that happened in the next hour would drastically change the course of The Nordic Lords. I had had my doubts leading up to this night, if I was doing the right thing.

  Then, I kept going back to the moment I walked into my house and saw Liv covered in puke and blood, her mom dead, and my dad’s blood spilling out all over the damn floor in my own fuckin’ house. I couldn’t forget the horrific scene, and I definitely couldn’t forget the look of shock and despair on Ryker’s face as he held a gun, standing over our dad’s body.

  I squeezed my eyes and pushed down my rage and anger at Bull for the hundredth time.

  Tonight.

  Tonight he would pay for ripping families apart. Everything that happened that night created an avalanche of consequences for the people I loved the most.

  Tonight everything would be set right again.

  Vengeance would be handed out to the guilty ones.

  And hopefully, freedom would come for those who had been held captive by the choices he had made years ago.

  I had already said good-bye to Liv. By the time my night was done, I already knew I would no longer be able claim the right to call her mine. I would lose the right to want her.

  She would leave. I couldn’t blame her.

  “Hey.” My shoulder shot forward as Jaden’s hand smacked my back. “Get your head straight.”

  I looked around at the Black Death’s warehouse where we were meeting Sporelli. Hammer and his crew were there, standing by their bikes in a group with serious expressions much like our own group.

  “It’s straight.” I nodded at him and kept a watch on everyone. Bull hadn’t come close to me since the phone call I got from Sporelli in Sturgis. Unless we were in church making plans, he left me alone. A part of me wondered if he knew what was coming.

  I couldn’t see Ryker, but I knew he was close by. He was hiding somewhere, ready to shoot when the time came.

  I still couldn’t erase the look on his face from my memory when I told him what Sporelli said. And I would never forget the way he responded when Jaden and I told him our plan for payback.

  He had grinned. He had shown us a full set of his teeth as his lips twitched. He looked fuckin’ vampiric, ready to tear Bull’s throat out himself. He shook with rage, and then after one shot of whiskey, his face went blank.

  “Let’s do this,” I said to Jaden as I heard the unmistakable rumblings of Ducatis in the distance. Everyone stopped and turned to watch Sporellis arrive right on time.

  It was ten o’clock. By eleven, it would be over. I rolled my shoulders back and cracked the knuckles in my neck and fists to relieve the pent up tension. Then I nodded toward Bull as we made our way forward.

  Darkness had fallen in the late hour, but the few spotlights from the corners of the warehouse gave us enough light to maneuver and take care of business.

  The plan had been simple. Work with Black Death to take out Sporelli’s crew. That’s what most of them planned.

  Ours was now different. And I itched to get started.

  Angelo Sporelli was smaller in person than I thought he’d be. I’d seen pictures of the elusive Sporelli family. With as infamous as they were, I almost expected him to look like a giant. But he was smaller and leaner than me. His size didn’t stop him from taking command of every single person’s attention as he climbed off his bike and made his way to Bull and Hammer. He shook their hands and gave a nod in my direction. His expression didn’t change.

  His power fell off him in waves as he and two of his men stood with the other clubs. Our men at our backs, Bull, Switch, and I stepped forward and introduced ourselves to his right and left hand men. I watched him do the same with Hammer and his men.

  The only person missing was Cain, who was probably protecting Faith somewhere so we didn’t go get her. It changed the plan a bit, but we’d get Cain later.

  “Gentlemen,” Sporelli said. His arrogance and confidence coated him. I hated him. If he didn’t hold the keys to everything I’d wanted for five years then I would have had no problems helping Black Death take him out.

  He was on our turf and assuming we would let him take control of our town. I’d let him think that for a while, too.

  “You have a shipment to return to them,” Bull said and nodded toward Hammer. “And then you get the fuck out of our town.”

  Sporelli’s chin lifted. “My word is my bond.” He waved a hand in the air, some silent communication with the rest of his team.

  The back doors of their black van opened like a set of barn doors. Two men hopped out of the back that was filled with crates. Then the rest of his small group of men began unloading the wooden crates.

  When Bull and Hammer’s backs were to me, I saw the slight movement from Sporelli in my direction. One quick blink of his eyes.

  My hands immediately went to my hips and I took a step back from Bull. Switch moved with me as Hammer and his men stepped toward the crates. The few remaining Black Death men stood guard, watching the crews.

  “Let ‘em check it out,” Sporelli said, and his men backed away from the crates. I wondered if anyone noticed the steps they took to get away.

  Using a crowbar, Mills—I grinned when I saw it was him—opened the first crate. It was full of wood shavings and cocaine. I watched Mills lift the bag, then the other Black Death members dig through the crate, counting their shipment before declaring it good. They did the same thing with two more crates.

  Then Mills pried the top off the fourth and final crate.

  My guns were in my hands and I was dropping for cover as soon as the bomb exploded.

  While the blast rocketed in the air, Jaden and the rest of our men pulled their guns as Sporelli and his men took cover on our backs.

  It felt like hours. The heat of the guns in my hands, the smoke and smell of gunpowder filled the air. Men screamed in pain before dropping to the ground, if they got a sound out at all.

  During all the confusion, I kept one eye trained on Bull. His gun had been pulled. I watched as he shot Hammer directly in the center of his chest. Hammer fell to the ground. He had been their last man standing.

  Ten Black Death members were dead. Two of ours on the ground, and the Sporellis were already hauling tail on their bikes.

  As the sounds of their engines began quieting in the distance, my guns went straight to Bull.

  His was aimed right at me, and I saw the acknowledgement in his eyes—what was to come—before he ever said a word.

  “Hell of a change in plans, son.”

  “Needed to be done.” Fuck the son comment. I pressed my teeth together to keep my composure.

  From the corners of my eyes, I watched Jaden, Switch, Xbox and Trip move into position behind Bull. They were the ones I trusted the most.

  Bull’s nostrils flared in anger.

  I stepped forward and lowered one gun. He had eight others aimed at him if he made a move. Bull wasn’t stupid.

  “I bet you thought you’d always get away with it,” I began, my composure calm. The gun in my hand felt cool, an extension of my own body as I trained it on him. “You figured you could kill your old lady and my old man, and never fuckin’ pay for it, didn’t you?”

  His eyes darted to the members—his brothers. The ones he betrayed. It only lasted a second before his eyes snapped to mine.

  “Needed to be done.”

  “And Liv?” I sneered.

  I saw his regret. “She wasn’t supposed to be there that night.”

  Nice to know, maybe, that he hadn’t planned on having his daughter killed, too. But I didn’t give a shit. I wanted him dead.

  “My old man, Bull? What in the fuck happened to you?”

  I watched the fingers on his trigger twitch. They tightened as he opened his mouth. “He was fuckin’ my old—�
��

  His head flew to the side, blood smattering all over the place. His body dropped to the ground before we ever heard the shot ring out from the top of the warehouse behind us.

  Lady. He didn’t get a chance to say the last word, but I could finish it for him. It was shocking that Liv’s mom would have an affair with my old man. Ryker and I had already figured it out, but I doubted the men had ever known.

  I looked back toward the warehouse. From the distance, I saw a glint of gunmetal flash in the barely lit shadows.

  We stood quietly over Bull’s body, watching the blood bleed from his head, no one saying anything. A brother never wanted to kill a member, but when a member betrayed the club; it was necessary.

  I heard Ryker start my truck that had been hidden in the distance. The sound of him peeling out and heading back to my place to add protection to Liv, reverberated in the quiet and suddenly cold night air.

  “Fuckin’ shit, man,” Switch said and ran his hand down his face.

  “It was necessary,” I said. My hands went to my hips and my head dipped.

  We stood over his body. Six men, sworn to brotherhood, and mourned the loss of our President, our leader. The man who had cleaned our town from drugs and guns.

  Then—betrayed all of us in the worst of ways.

  I felt the weight of the night and the unspoken favor I now owed to Sporelli, heavy on my shoulders, cementing me to the ground.

  “Get this shit cleaned up,” I finally said, taking command of the situation. I ran my fingers through my hair and clasped them behind my neck. I looked up at the sky, blinked, and blew out a deep breath.

  This… this was only the beginning. And it would all land on me to find our new way.

  Xbox nodded and the men began moving.

  From the sideline, I lit a cigarette and relished the burn on my lungs. Switch walked up next to me.

  He was the only man I had questioned telling. I hadn’t quite known if I could trust him after Sporelli gave me the full information on the hit Bull had ordered all those years ago. The proof he gave me that showed Bull had known my old man and his old lady were having an affair. But I chose to take a step of faith and trust the man who had been friends with my dad and Bull. He had grown up with them. I figured if he believed me and if Ryker missed, he would want first shot at Bull.

  I had been right.

  He slowly stuck his gloved hand out toward me. I took it, shaking it firmly as he clapped the back of my shoulder with his other hand. “You got one fuck of a job to do now, D.”

  I pressed my cigarette to my lips and inhaled. On the exhale, I nodded. I stared at the smoke and watched it swirl into the dark night air. “I know.”

  “I got your back, Prez.”

  Fucking shit. The word made me roll my shoulders to shake off the feeling of disgust and responsibility. I hadn’t wanted that.

  I would take it. I would lead the club. I just hadn’t wanted it.

  Dropping my smoke to the ground, I ground out the butt with my boot.

  “Make sure they get all that shit cleaned up.” I nodded toward the mess of dead men sprawled all over the grass and dirt. Our injured men had shirts wrapped around their arms so I figured they’d be fine. Someone had already removed Bull’s cut. He had lost the honor of being buried with it. It would go in the fire with him, though. “I don’t want to know where Bull ends up.”

  “You got it.” He dipped his head in my direction as I began walking away from the massacre and toward my bike.

  I needed the wind in my hair and my face. I needed to feel the vibrations of my bike under me. I needed to get centered and my fucking head on straight before I told Liv everything that had happened.

  I pulled into the clubhouse and took stock of the bikes and trucks parked outside. Finn was there, along with my truck, which meant Ryker had made it back safely. I exhaled a deep breath of stress and madness and thankfulness knowing he had come back here like he was supposed to.

  I wouldn’t have been surprised had he run off half-cocked and went to get Faith on his own.

  I flipped down the kickstand and then jerked my head up. The sound of the clubhouse door slamming shut was quieted only by Liv running through the parking lot, shouting my name.

  Her face was twisted into pain as she ran toward me. Then, right before her hand landed on my cheek, I realized it wasn’t just pain, but rage.

  My head snapped to the side. The sting from her palm on my skin radiated all over the left side of my face. With a gloved hand, I rubbed my cheek.

  “Fuck,” I groaned. She was small but strong as hell. She also looked like an out of control manic woman. Her hair flew out wild in half a dozen different directions. Black smeared all down her eyes and cheeks to her jaw. Her nose was red and her eyes were bloodshot.

  I had done that. I had caused her that much pain.

  Her hands balled into fists and beat my chest. As soon as the first one hit my chest, I pulled her into my arms and held her close to me. I let her scream her rage and limply pound her fists into my chest. I let her cry and wail.

  I let her get it all out. I kept my eyes closed and my lips barely brushing the top of her shoulder, until she collapsed against me.

  She heaved a deep breath and quietly sobbed into me. In the distance, I watched Finn stand in the doorway. I nodded once and he headed our way.

  I wanted to pick Liv up and take her to my room. Explain everything in private before I had to meet with the rest of the club, but I didn’t have that kind of time on me. I also didn’t want to move, too afraid she’d bolt the second my arms moved from her.

  And I fuckin’ needed to hold her this one last time.

  “You’re such a fucking asshole,” she murmured through sobs against my chest.

  “I know, Liv.”

  Ryker’s arms crossed his chest when he met me on the pavement. “I told her.”

  My arms squeezed her tighter. I lowered my voice to a slow growl. “That was supposed to be my job.”

  “Figured it was the least I could do. Save you from all of it. Besides, I did the job. It was only right I let her know why.” I shook my head, but he kept talking. “I wanted to do this, D., for you. Give her time to come to grips with everything before she saw you.”

  It didn’t fuckin’ feel like she had come to grips with anything as she stood in my arms. Her knees shook as I held her up, I was afraid she’d fall to the ground if I let go.

  “I hate you, Daemon,” Liv’s soft, muffled voice broke my stare on Ryker.

  One of my hands let go of her waist and I moved it to the back of her head, pressing her to me. “I know.”

  She sobbed. “And I seriously hate my dad.”

  I nodded, rubbed the side of my face against the top of hers. I seriously hated the asshole, too.

  At the front of the club lot, Jaden and Switch drove in. I watched Jimmy close the gates, locking them again, and I kept my eyes on Jaden and Switch until they parked their bikes next to mine.

  “Johnny and Xbox are handling the rest.”

  The rest. As in Black Death. That meant they had already handled Bull.

  As if Liv understood what that meant, she slowly pulled back from me. Her face looked like she’d gotten into the boxing ring and lost. Majorly. Then she pushed her wet and matted hair back from her face before she looked directly into Switch’s eyes.

  Her strength fuckin’ amazed me. I watched her hands fall to her sides, her back straight as she asked, “You burned him?”

  Jaden and Switch both blinked, unsure of how to answer. I saw them fidget, and had it not been completely inappropriate, I would have laughed at these men shifting uncomfortably under the glare of Liv.

  Slowly, Switch nodded. “Had to, Olivia.”

  Her hand reached back and without looking at me, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I moved closer, holding on to her hand until I was behind her and put my other hand on her shoulder. I expected her to demand to leave, but that one squeeze, the heat from her ha
nd, gave me one small ounce of fuckin’ hope that she’d stay.

  That she wouldn’t hate me forever.

  She nodded her head slightly. A quick gesture as she stood in front of the four men who had just been responsible for killing her dad.

  Her old man. The man she had never had a decent relationship with but in the last few weeks, called a truce with.

  “It’s done then.”

  Three words; that was all she said. The rest of us stood silent around her, watching her. My breath caught in my throat, not knowing what to say.

  She nodded at Jaden, then he and Switch both turned tail and left quickly. I didn’t fuckin’ blame them. They looked at each other; shot one another a quick uncertain glance before headin’ into the club.

  When they were gone, and Liv was alone with Ryker and me, she let go of my hand.

  “You should have told me.” She brushed her hair out of her eyes and locked her eyes on mine.

  I rolled my lips in between my teeth. She sounded too calm, too understanding. I narrowed my eyes. Was she accepting this? Or was the realization of everything going to slam down on her and make her freak out?

  Her eerie calm freaked me the fuck out.

  “I couldn’t. You know that.”

  “You know for sure that Dad planned the shooting?” She chewed her lip and nervously fidgeted with her hands that still hung at her sides. Her fingertips ran along the outside of her thighs; she’d put them in the pockets of her shorts before taking them out again.

  I nodded.

  “Sporelli showed us proof. And it makes sense.”

  “Okay then,” she nodded once and bit her bottom lip. I saw her chin quiver and tremble as she fought back more tears. “I need a drink.”

  She twisted on her heels and marched back to the clubhouse, leaving both Ryker and me staring lamely after her. Just watching her walk away—back to the club—the one place I was sure she’d flee from.

  “She’s…” I frowned and stumbled over my words. Amazing… Worrying the shit out of me… Scared… In Shock. I couldn’t finish my thought with any of it. What in the hell was she?

  Ryker’s hand slapped my shoulder. “She’ll be all right. She freaked out, but she gets it, D. She’s not leaving.”