Chapter 22
Iris
We waved goodbye to Jay as he headed back to medical school. I knew that the smile on Penny’s face was forced. It didn’t reach her eyes, and as soon as she knew that her son couldn’t see her in his review mirror it fell off her face. She released a heavy sigh and we made eye contact.
“I miss him already,” she said softly. “But life goes on, doesn’t it?” She turned from me and went inside.
I looked out over the property. Everything looked so lush and green, vibrant with color, thriving, and alive. Life did go on, sad as that seemed. A week ago we’d put Dickie into the ground. His suffering was over, and Penny’s had just begun. In time she’d come to see and understand why death could be a good thing, even to people that we loved. It was part of life.
Movement drew my gaze to Odie and Shooter where they stood next to their bikes, smoking and talking. Every day we had someone new stationed outside the house for protection. I was growing more furious with Vince as each day passed without seeing him. He’d become scarce since the funeral, and didn’t seem to care that I needed to talk to him.
Besides that, I missed him.
I missed him a lot.
We hadn’t had any alone time since before Dickie had passed. During the week of helping out with funeral arrangements he’d popped in a couple of times, but had always seemed to be in a rush to leave again. If it hadn’t been for the smoldering look in his eyes when they traveled over me I would have thought that he was over us and had moved on. Unless I’d imagined the hunger in his eyes.
Unless I’d imagined that there was an us.
He’d never made any commitment. I knew that having sex with someone didn’t mean that there was a relationship, but when we were together he was protective and attentive and I knew that we were good together in bed. Very good. I got warm inside just thinking about our times together, which then turned to anger, because apparently he wasn’t thinking about me or he’d have been there. I had his number and supposed I could call him, but it wasn’t in my nature to pursue a man that I wasn’t sure about. I didn’t want to appear desperate.
So instead I let his absence fill me with doubts and questions.
I reminded myself that I wasn’t there to develop a relationship with a man, but to offer support for my grieving sister. I was grieving, too. If Vince couldn’t take time out of his busy schedule to come by or give me a call then I wouldn’t take time to think about him anymore. At least, that’s what I told myself. It was easier said than done. I stopped asking questions of the men that he’d placed on us, stopped asking them to tell Vince that I wanted to talk to him, and stopped imagining him with another woman, because he was obviously done with me.
The thought of him with another woman felt like a clamp squeezing around my heart, revealing that I’d let him in and way too soon. I swung around and went inside. Penny was nowhere in sight, and my eyes automatically shot to the clock. She’d got in the habit of laying down every afternoon and it was that time of day, so I knew where I could find her. I started up the stairs but changed my mind, heading toward the back deck. While Jay had been there we had spent this time relaxing in the loungers and talking, but today I felt like a walk.
Odie and Shooter were out front, and it dawned on me that they wouldn’t know that I was leaving, and I wasn’t about to tell them. I didn’t need anyone following me. I couldn’t help feeling like a naughty school girl though, sneaking away as I made my way down the steps and toward the field. I could probably take my walk and come back before they even knew that I’d gone. Most of the time the men that showed up from the club remained out front by the driveway.
I’d forgotten that the field separated the house from the clubhouse. Halfway across the tall grass and occasional wild flower it came into view. My steps faltered briefly before I decided to continue on. Is Vince there now? Maybe it was time to confront him and find out exactly what was going on. But as I got closer I began to question my decision as I realized that something was going on at the clubhouse. There was a lot of activity in the parking lot, people, and not just bikers, coming and going in a rush.
I watched for a while, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. Instinct warned me that whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I sensed the worry and panic in the movements of some of the women, and there were children present, too, being rushed inside the huge building. That had to be unusual, considering that the club’s atmosphere was strictly adult in nature. Soon several men were making a run for their bikes, leaving dirt and gravel flying as their back tires spun out of the lot. I wasn’t certain, but I thought that one of them may have been Vince. As I contemplated moving ahead or turning back, something that sounded like a gunshot sounded.
And it hadn’t come from the direction of the clubhouse.
I spun around with shock and disbelief at what I’d heard, my heart pounding heavily as I froze in my spot. Could it have been a car back firing? That seemed unlikely. Then I heard more. Pop! Pop! Pop! Like fireworks, only I knew that it wasn’t fireworks. It was gunfire! My heart sank as I began to run back toward the house, afraid of what I was going to see when I got there.
Penny! Ohmygod! If anything happened to her…
I heard two distinctive sounds as I neared the house, someone revving their motorcycle, and enough gun shots to confirm that there was a serious gunfight going on. This kind of thing didn’t happen in this day and age, did it? But I was hearing proof of it for myself. I came to a stop at the edge of the field, where the mowed grass began leading up to the house, to catch my breath. Everything was happening at the front of the house and out of my view. I flinched every time I heard a gun go off.
Suddenly a man ran around the back of the house. His attire revealed that he belonged to another motorcycle club. He had his gun out, and he tip-toed up the deck steps to the sliding glass door. I held my breath, not sure of what to do. My heart screamed at me to run to the house to help, but my head told me not to be stupid, the man had a gun and would probably kill me. I instinctively crouched down, even while knowing that the tall grass surrounding me wouldn’t completely hide me if he should glance my way.
Tears of fear and helplessness filled my eyes, and I flinched at every noise I heard coming from inside the house. I watched quietly as the man tested the door to see if it was unlocked. I knew that it was because I’d just exited through it. He slowly slid it open, raising his gun as if to fire, when a shot from inside stopped him in his tracks. I couldn’t stop the sharp sound that escaped from my lips, and I flattened myself on the ground when his head swung sharply my way.
Had he seen me?
I held my breath, praying that he hadn’t, listening to what was going on and wondering what it all meant. I thought I heard Penny scream once, but couldn’t be sure because my heart was beating so loudly. The shooting stopped eventually and I heard bikers leave, but I remained where I was, too afraid to move, too afraid of what I would discover. God, please let Penny be okay! Tears fell from the corners of my eyes as I stared up at the blue sky, waiting for enough time and silence to pass, before I felt it was safe to move.
I couldn’t wait any longer and got to my feet. I had to know if Penny was okay. I ran the rest of the way to the house, rushing up the deck stairs and going inside. “Penny!” I screamed, rushing through the house. “Penny!” I ran through the kitchen and was halfway up the stairs when I ran into Shooter’s body crumpled on the floor. I let out a cry and jerked to a stop briefly before continuing up to where he lay. My eyes were riveted to the bullet wounds in his upper chest, and all of the blood. I was certain he was dead, but a low groan from him brought me to my knees beside him.
“Shooter,” I said in a low, tearful voice. “You’ve been shot.”
He groaned again, not opening his eyes. “Know…that…honey.”
“Penny!” I yelled out again, looking toward her bedroom and hoping to hear her voice in return.
“Get…help.” I looked back down at Shooter
as he struggled to breathe. He could barely get the words out, mumbling through his pain. “Penny…”
“What about Penny? Where is she?” I asked in a rushed voice.
“Took…her.” He passed out. Oh, God! Who took her? I scrambled to my feet and went to the bathroom to get something to put on his wounds to slow down the bleeding. As panicked and as frightened for Penny as I was, I knew that I needed to help him or he may die.
I grabbed a stack of clean washcloths and returned to where he lay prone at the top of the staircase. Then I pushed his cut aside and pulled up his tee to see what I was dealing with. Two small bullet holes, one on each side of his chest, were bleeding profusely. I didn’t know what else to do but cover the wounds with the towels and apply pressure, the whole time thinking that I needed to be doing something else. I needed to phone for an ambulance.
Tears ran unchecked down my cheeks. Why was this happening? My gaze took note of the bullet holes everywhere, trying to understand what I was seeing, praying that the reason Odie hadn’t come inside was not because he was lying outside bleeding to death, too. I glanced down at Shooter. His breathing had grown shallower. The cloths were saturated and blood covered my hands.
The sound of motorcycles arriving brought back a feeling of panic, but I remained where I was, my gaze fixed upon the door downstairs. It burst open and Vince barreled through. Thank God! His searching gaze shot up stairs immediately and captured mine. With a vicious curse he took the stairs two at a time to reach us. Demon and Whip were behind him.
“Thank fuck you’re okay,” he said, looking down at me with a fierce expression on his chiseled face.
“I can’t stop the bleeding,” I said in a trembling tone. “We need to call for an ambulance.”
“Baby--” he shot Demon, who was right behind him, a meaningful look. “Let the guys take over from here, okay?”
He took me by the arms and I let him haul me to my feet, away from Shooter. Demon was on his phone with 911, while Whip knelt next to Shooter. Then my eyes met Vince’s. “Vince, th-they to-took Penny,” I whispered brokenly.
“I know, darlin’, we’ll get her back I promise.”
“Who were they? Why are they doing this?”
“Another club. One we’ve been having trouble with.” He gently guided me down the stairs. “Where were you?”
I looked at him blankly, not sure what he was asking. Then I realized that I probably would have been taken with Penny, too, had I been in the house. I shuddered with the thought. “I went for a walk in the field behind the house.”
His mouth hardened. “Alone?” I nodded. “Iris, until I say otherwise, you’re not to go anywhere alone, okay? The club has enemies, and right now we’re at war. They’ll take you and use you against the club.”
I was so confused. War? Now I wished I’d spent more time researching motorcycle clubs. “Is that what they’re going to do with Penny? Use her against the club?”
He nodded. “She’s the widow of our ex-president, yes. But all you need to know is that we will get her back.”
I turned to Vince when we reached the bottom of the stairs. “I need answers, Vince. I need to know what’s going on. I’m not like Penny, wanting to be kept in the dark, needing to be protected from the unknown, and sent away when danger comes around.” As I recalled her unscheduled, sporadic visits with me over the years, I added, “That doesn’t work for me.”
He grinned, looking almost pleased. “Glad to hear that, darlin’. As soon as I have time I’ll answer any questions that you have.”
“And when will that be, Vince?” I asked sharply, frowning. “You haven’t been around lately.” I was letting the current situation rule my emotions.
He surprised me by pulling me against him for a kiss. I thought it was going to be short, but once our lips connected we both went a little mad. He groaned low and grabbed my butt to crush me against him. A multitude of emotions rushed through me at his forceful, masterful kiss, and my body came alive as it always did. A coil of heat blossomed from my core, a quick response to the hard cock pounding against my lower belly. Our tongues explored and battled with growing passion as hunger took over what little control we had.
This one kiss wiped away all of my doubts and insecurities about him.
Someone cleared their throat, and we pulled apart.
“Sorry for the interruption, Prez, but we found Odie. A bullet grazed his temple, but he’s gonna be okay.”
“Good.” The relief was obvious in Vince’s hard, slightly husky tone. “Have a couple of brothers take him back to the club and have doc look at him. I want you to take Iris with you, too.”
“Vince−,” I started to protest. I needed to know what he was going to do to get Penny back.
“We just went on lockdown, darlin’. You’ll be safer at the clubhouse with the rest of our families, and I don’t want to have to worry about you.” I opened my mouth to protest. “If you’d been here when the Slayers showed up they would have taken you, too.”
God, I’d known that, but hearing it from him somehow made it seem more real. “They won’t . . . they won’t hurt Penny, will they?”
He closed his eyes tightly, and the look that came over his face told me that he wished I’d asked him anything but that. Then he seemed to come to a decision, took a breath, and looked directly into my eyes. “They might,” he said with obvious reluctance. “You wanted to know,” he reminded me. “And I’m not going to lie to you.”
I was glad for that, at least. I had a feeling that he could have said a lot more, but he wanted to say as little as possible. “Please bring her back.” I felt fresh tears sting my eyes.
“Count on it.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled my face against his chest. “I want you to go with Hotrod.”
“Come with me, sweetheart,” I heard Hotrod murmur.
“Take her to my room,” Vince directed.
For the first time I noticed that a black van had arrived. I followed Hotrod toward it and climbed into the passenger side. The back doors were open. Corky and Roland were assisting Odie into the back. He was holding a cloth to his forehead, his eyes looked glassy, and he was mumbling incoherently.
“Take off,” Corky said as they jumped to the ground and slammed the doors closed. Hotrod floored it and we peeled out of there. Halfway down the long drive we passed the ambulance. I expected the police to be right behind them.
“Were the police called?”
He shot me a glance. “VD took care of that.”
What did that mean? Just one more question I had for Vince. I already knew that any questions that I had for Corky would be deflected because Vince’s men didn’t talk club business, so I decided to save my breath. I glanced back at Odie, noticing how pale he looked. The cloth he was holding was stained with blood now, which made me look down at my own blood-stained hands. Shooter’s blood. I suddenly felt sick.
When we arrived at the clubhouse the hurried activity I’d seen earlier had all but disappeared. Things were quiet and calm. The parking lot was full of vehicles and bikes, and I couldn’t help but notice that there were several guards placed around the outer area of the building. I opened the door to get out.
“Sweetheart, go on inside and wait for me, yeah? Let me get Odie settled, and then I’ll show you to VD’s room.”
“Do you need help?”
He laughed. “I think I can handle the old man.” He winked.
I made my way inside, stopping directing inside the door. The place didn’t look anything like the partying clubhouse I’d been in the week before. What I’d walked into was reminiscent of a hurricane shelter, filled with a community gathering together for safety. The tables had been moved to one side of the room and cots had been laid out on the other. The bar had been turned into a buffet table where bags of food and drinks had been dropped off. One corner of the room had been designated for the kids. They were sitting on the floor watching a big screen TV.
There was a gr
oup of women, who I assumed were their mothers, sitting nearby, talking amongst themselves while keeping an eye on the smaller ones. A couple of them had babies on their laps. No one looked frightened, which calmed my nerves somewhat. I scanned the room, searching for a familiar face, making sure that my gaze didn’t linger too long on any of the clusters of bikers huddled about.
My eyes lit on a table in the corner where Angel, Della, and Foxy were sitting. I made my way there with a feeling of relief.
“Iris!” Della was the first one to see me. “Sit down, girl.” Angel moved in, making room for me. I tried to return their smiles, but I just couldn’t. Della was the first one to pick up on the fact that something was wrong. “What happened?” she asked with concern.
I exchanged glances with each of them and clenched my teeth when the need to burst into tears threatened to consume me. “God, honey, you can tell us,” Angel insisted, running her hand up and down my back.
“Is it VD? Did that prick do something to hurt you?” Foxy asked angrily.
That caused a snort of laughter to escape before the tears filled my eyes. I shook my head. “Penny is gone.”
“What do you mean, ‘Penny is gone?’”
I met Della’s frown. “They took her. Those other bikers.”
All three women exchanged glances that did nothing to calm my fears or alleviate my worry over Penny. Sometimes silent looks said much more than actual words. Overwhelmed with the circumstances, I covered my face with my hands. “If anything happens to her…”
“Honey, these boys are good at what they do. They’ll get her back. They got the other women back, didn’t they?”
“Help me understand,” I said in a choked voice, peering over the top of my hands at the three women. “Vince, the others, they’re so tight-lipped when it comes to certain things. I did a little research−”
It was Foxy who laughed. “Honey, you can’t learn everything from the internet. There’s plenty of shit that happens inside these clubs that never makes the news.”
Carnal Hunger Page 20
