I stepped into the hall and froze. From upstairs, I had a clear view of the kitchen and living room downstairs. Jamie was sprawled on the floor of the kitchen, blood oozing from his head. My gaze quickly darted to the living room. To my absolute horror, Pete was standing behind Dash holding a gun. It seemed to happen in slow motion. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Pete lifted his arm and brought the butt of the gun crashing down into Dash’s head. I watched helplessly, and thankfully soundlessly, as my love crumpled to the ground.
Resisting the strong urge to scream, I quickly backed into the bedroom. I dropped my bags on the bed and moved to the corner of the room by the bathroom. From there, I could see the bedroom door, but anyone entering the room wouldn’t have a clear view of me right away. I could also barricade myself in the bathroom and escape through the window if need be.
I checked to make sure the gun was loaded, racked the slide, and aimed at the door. I inhaled slowly through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, over and over, trying to keep the panic at bay.
It wasn’t long before I heard footsteps rapidly approaching. Then I heard his voice. It sent cold chills down my spine. “Ember! We need to go! Are you still in here?” Pete sang out.
One more slow inhale and slow exhale. I kept the gun trained on the door. Seconds later, Pete sauntered through the door, his gun loosely held in his hand. It took seconds, but I will forever remember each and every detail of those few seconds.
Pete’s head turned in my direction. His eyes landed on me. He noticed the gun. Realization flickered in his eyes, then fear. He knew he didn’t have time, but he tried to bring his gun up and aim it at me. Before he lifted his hand an inch, I squeezed the trigger. Once, twice, three times. My aim was true. Abdomen. Chest. Head. He fell backward, eyes wide open, arms limp by his side. He hit the floor with a sickening thump, his arms bouncing and flopping before settling awkwardly at his side. Blood was quickly pooling on the floor, from what I assumed were large exit wounds. I took one tiny step forward, then two more. His chest wasn’t rising. He wasn’t blinking. The silence in the room was deafening. And that’s when I screamed as loud and for as long as I could.
I fell to my knees and screamed again. My screams turned into sobs. Suddenly, my brain came back online. Dash. Jamie. They were downstairs and they were hurt. And something else was wrong. Dash was running when he got here and he went for the safe. Crap. Crap. Crap.
I would have to cry later. I got my butt up and flew down the stairs. I crashed into a body the second I rounded the corner to the living room. “Dash!” I shrieked. “Are you okay? We have to go. Like now. Oh my gosh. Jamie. Where is Jamie?”
“Ember!” Dash roared. I stopped my rambling and blinked up at him. “We’re okay. Where the fuck is Pete?”
I buried my face in his chest and wailed, “He’s upstairs in our bedroom.”
Dash pushed me back, “What happened? Did he hurt you?” Fury was rolling off of him in waves.
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “No. I think he was going to though. I saw him hit you with his gun and I’m guessing he hit Jamie, too.”
“Go over there with Jamie. I’m going to kill that fucker,” he growled.
Quietly, I told him, “I already did. I shot him when he came in there after me.”
“Aww, baby.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him. “I hate that you had to do that, but you did good, baby. You sure you killed him?”
I nodded into his chest. “Hit him in the gut, the chest, and between the eyes. He was gone before he hit the floor.” My breath hitched with the last few words and the sobs started all over again.
Dash stepped back and placed both hands on my shoulders. He bent down so we were eye to eye. “Listen to me. I need you to pull it together. I don’t know what is going on and we can’t afford to waste any time. Now, I need to go up there and check Pete’s pockets. See if he had a phone or something that might tell us what he was up to. I’ll grab your bags while I’m up there. I need you to grab the go bags and help Jamie. Copper and his crew are on their way, but we don’t know if anybody might be ahead of him. Get me? As soon as I come back down, we’re moving to the bunker.”
“Got it. Go. Hurry.” He took off up the stairs while I grabbed the bags and went to Jamie. He was still on the kitchen floor, but he was now sitting up, propped against the cabinets.
He smiled sheepishly when he saw me, “Knew you’d be okay.”
I gave him a small grin, though it probably looked more like a grimace. “I’m glad you knew it. I sure didn’t.” I looked him over from head to toe. “Do you think you can stand?”
“I’m going to have to.” He inhaled deeply and heaved himself up, using the counter as support. “Damn my head hurts like a mother fucker.”
“I’m sure it does. You okay otherwise?”
“My vision is a little blurry, but I think that’s to be expected. I’ll be all right. We heading to the bunker?”
I nodded. “As soon as Dash comes back down. He’s checking Pete’s pockets for a cell phone or something that may tell us why he turned against us.”
Right on cue, Dash entered the kitchen with my bags and a few other items in his hands. “Come on, let’s get you to the bunker.”
“I’ll take the bags if you can help Jamie. His vision is still a little blurry and I think his legs are a little weaker than he is letting on,” I informed him.
I took the bags, Dash slid his arm under Jamie’s shoulders, and we all quick stepped it to the bunker. Once we were sealed in tight, I sagged into one of the chairs, feeling the first inkling of relief.
Dash handed a drink and some pills over to Jamie before dropping down into a chair beside me.
“Did you find anything on Pete?” I asked.
“Yeah. A phone that isn’t one he’s supposed to have, his wallet, and this weird necklace.” He tossed all of the items onto the table.
The necklace slid to a stop right in front of me. I covered my mouth with both hands and rose to my feet. Dash was quickly on his feet, too. “What’s the matter?”
I stabbed my finger at the necklace. “That! It’s an Octavian Crest.”
“A fucking what?”
“An Octavian Crest!” I shrieked. “He was one of Octavius’s men!”
“Son of a bitch!” he cursed.
We both turned to Jamie when he spoke, “Son of a bitch is right.” He had Pete’s phone in his hand and was scrolling through it. “Looks like he sent a text out about the time you got back from the check in.”
“Who was it to? What did it say?” Dash demanded.
“I’m guessing to Octavius. It’s saved as ‘8’. It says, ‘signal received. Will unload extras and secure main package for pickup. See you soon.’”
“Fuck!” Dash grunted, now pacing the room. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. A response from 8. ‘You have two hours. Be ready.’”
Dash grinned and said in a menacing tone, “We’ll be ready. That’s for damn sure.”
CHAPTER 23
Dash
“How long do we have left?” Jamie asked.
“About an hour and a half, I’m guessing. Copper and his crew should be here soon. I want you two to stay here in the bunker while we handle Octavius and his men. You stay down here until me, Copper, or Copper’s VP Bronze comes to get you. Same deal, one of us will call the phone, identify ourself, and give the passphrase.”
“No disrespect Dash, but what do you want us to do if something happens to all three of you?” I liked how this kid thought. He was definitely going to be a good brother to have when he got his patch.
“Good thinking, but that’s not a possibility,” I lowered my voice to prevent Ember from hearing the next part. “Since we don’t know what went down at our clubhouse, Copper had his VP and a skeleton crew stay behind in case everything goes to shit. The club overall couldn’t withstand losing the mother chapter’s president and VP as well as the nearest cha
pter's president and VP. The other chapters are too new or the current leaders are too new.”
Jamie nodded. “Makes sense. No one else knows about the bunker?”
“Nope. Copper didn’t even know until the day we came up here and Bronze should have been told before Copper and the crew rode out today.”
The satellite phone started ringing. I accepted the call, but didn’t speak. “We’re here.” Never had another man’s voice sounded so sweet.
“Come to the bunker’s entrance. I want Ember to meet you. She needs to know who you are,” I told Copper.
“Be right there, brother.”
Moments later, I opened the hatch and Copper climbed down. His eyes went to Ember, “I’ll be damned. You look just like your mother. I’m Copper, President of the Devil Springs Blackwings and Phoenix’s cousin, yours, too.” He held his hand out to her.
She shook his hand and stared at him with wide eyes. “You knew my mother?”
His eyes softened. “Not well, sweetheart. Saw her with Phoenix a few times, but they didn’t come up to Devil Springs much and I wasn’t in Croftridge that much at the time. If you’ll excuse me, we ain’t got time for pleasantries; I believe we have some business to handle.” He turned to face me. “What do we know?”
“The prospect we brought up here with us belongs to Octavius. They’ve been texting the whole time we’ve been up here. Octavius knows she’s at the cabin and is on his way here.”
Copper pulled his gun and pointed it right at Jamie. “And you ain’t killed him yet?”
Ember screamed and jumped in front of Jamie. “Not him! The other one. And I did kill him!”
Copper put his piece away and grinned, “You get that from our side of the family. I bet your daddy will be damn proud. All right, continue.”
“According to the phone messages, their plan was for Octavius to send a signal for the prospect to get rid of me and Jamie and have Ember ready for pick up. Octavius thinks he is coming up here to pick up Ember and Pete. ETA 75 minutes or less.”
“You know how many are coming?”
I shook my head at the same time Ember spoke, “He’ll come with eight men.”
“How do you know that?” Copper asked.
“He is obsessed with the number eight. He’s also weird about the number nine and the number three. His son’s name is Nivan, which means nine. Eight plus one is nine. He will come with eight men. I can guarantee they will arrive in three white Suburbans, three men in each vehicle.”
“This fucker is certifiable, yeah?” Copper mused.
I nodded. “Sounds like it.”
Copper smiled maniacally, “Nine’s going to be easy. We keeping any alive?”
“I think we should keep Octavius alive and anyone who might be important to him, if we can determine who that might be,” I offered.
Ember interjected, “His son is most important to him. He will be in the third vehicle, Octavius will be in the first, and Octavius’s right-hand man, Hector, will be in the second vehicle. Each will be wearing white and will be sitting in the middle row. That’s how they’ve always traveled to meetings or wherever they go.”
Copper laughed, “What a fucking idiot. He’s making this way too easy.”
Ember quietly added, “They’ll have guns. Probably two or three each.”
Copper patted her shoulder, “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. We’ve got guns, too. A lot of guns.” He clapped his hands together loudly. “Let’s get to it.”
I grabbed Ember’s hand and pulled her to me. Wrapping my arms around her, I buried my face in her neck and breathed her in. I didn’t want to leave her here, but I had to do this. She was mine damn it, and no way in hell was Octavius getting away with the way he had treated her and what he was still trying to do to her. “Stay here with Jamie. No matter what, only open that hatch for me, Copper, or Bronze. Okay?”
She nodded her head and sniffled. Aw, shit. I couldn’t handle tears right then. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes, but blessedly no tears. “Be careful.”
“I will.” Fuck it, I didn’t care who was watching. If this was my last chance, I was taking it. I covered her mouth with mine and kissed her as if it was the last time I would ever kiss her, because it very well could be the last time. I pulled back and met her eyes, “I love you, baby. So damn much.”
She shyly smiled, “I love you, too, Dash.”
I needed to get out of there before I changed my mind and stayed there with her. “Let’s go.”
Copper climbed out first. I hopped out right behind him. He turned around and shot me an appraising look, “Phoenix know about that?”
“I think he has an idea, but I haven’t specifically said anything to him. Didn’t want to do it over the phone during one of our check-in calls. I plan to talk to him face to face as soon as we get back, assuming he’s still there to talk to.” My voice trailed off with the last part. I was trying valiantly to not let my worry for my brothers take over. I could worry about them once Octavius and his men were taken down.
Copper placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. “Don’t go there, brother. He’s alive. I feel it,” he tapped his chest with his fist, “in here.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” he replied, as if it was a given fact.
***
An hour later, we were all in position awaiting the arrival of Octavius and his minions. I was practically vibrating with anxiety and pent-up rage. “Calm your tits, man. You ain’t going to do anyone any good if you can’t get a shot off or hit your target because of twitchy fingers and sweaty hands. Find your zone and get your fucking head in it,” Copper ordered.
I nodded. Fuck, he was right. I was letting my concern about my brothers and my fear for Ember’s safety cloud my mind. I needed to focus. I had a job to do. A simple job. Wait for them to exit the vehicles. Shoot to kill the ones not wearing white.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Not wearing white. Shoot to kill.
Exits driver seat. Shoot to kill.
Exits front passenger seat. Shoot to kill.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
My zone. I found it. The calm washed over me. My hands steadied. My vision sharpened. My ears homed in on the sound of tires crunching over gravel. They had arrived. It was go time.
Just like Ember said, three white Suburbans came to a stop in the cabin’s driveway. The occupants remained inside for several long moments before we finally heard the first click of a door opening.
Copper whispered into his earpiece, “Let most or all of them get out before you start shooting. Going black.” Copper turned off his earpiece. There would be no more changes or adjustments to the plan. No more communication between the contact men scattered around the property, each with a small group of brothers.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Doors started opening. Men exited the vehicles. Three were out of the second vehicle, two from the first and third. Come on, what were they waiting for?
A good 30 seconds passed before the last two doors opened simultaneously and the last occupants stepped out. The doors shut immediately followed by a cacophony of gunfire and screams that filled the air. Bodies violently dropped to the ground until there were only three standing. Three dressed in all white, each standing beside a different vehicle.
The next thing I knew, I was in front of Octavius with my gun to his head with no recollection of how I got there. “Gotcha motherfucker.”
He glared at me with hate-filled eyes. Then the ballsy fucker spit in my face. Spit. In. My. Face. Oh, fuck no. I slammed my gun into the side of his head. The pussy dropped like a sack of bricks. I pressed his head into the ground with my boot, keeping my gun trained on him at all times. “Gonna need some rope and some duct tape!”
I tied Octavius’s arms behind his back and tied his ankles together. Then, because I’m an evil bastard, I slipped a loop of rope over his head and used the end to
tie his wrists and ankles together. Next, I slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth. I’d be damned if he spit on me again. I hated that shit and he was going to pay dearly for it.
Copper and his SAA, Judge, secured the other two, while the rest of the crew checked the bodies on the ground. I had no doubt that each one on the ground was dead, but you could never be too careful.
“Hey Judge, come check this shit out,” Copper called out while he was walking toward me.
Judge came over and whistled, “Interesting. How does that work exactly?”
“It’s pretty simple. I tied a running bowline knot, slipped the loop over his head, pulled the end taut, and wove it through the wrist and ankle ropes before tying it off. If he tries to undo his wrists or ankles, he’ll choke himself,” I proudly explained.
Copper and Judge shared a look, grinned, and walked back to the men they had restrained. They undid the ropes and retied the men just like I had tied Octavius. Copper dusted his hands off. “Thanks, Dash. I love learning new tricks.”
“Listen up!” Copper shouted. “First off, well done, brothers!” Hoots and hollers filled the air. When the cheering died down, Copper continued. “We still have work to do. We don’t know the situation that awaits us at the Croftridge clubhouse. Phoenix and Badger are currently MIA. I want four of you to stay behind and clean up the bodies. There’s also one in the house, right, Dash?”
I nodded, “Yeah, in the master bedroom upstairs.”
Copper turned back to the group. “One body in the master upstairs. So, four stay for cleanup and disposal. When you’re finished, check in with me. I’ll likely have you come to Croftridge. The rest will come with me and Dash to the Croftridge clubhouse now. Toss these assholes in the trailer and lock it down. Better yet, Spazz, dose ‘em up first. I need a few brothers to take these cages back to Croftridge. We’ll load your bikes in the trailer. Any questions?”
Dash (Blackwings MC Book 1) Page 14
