Deep in Chaos
Linny Lawless
Copyright March 2018 by Linda Lawson
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Some of the places named in the book are actual places found in Virginia. The names, characters, brands, and incidents are either the product of my imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
This book contains mature content and is intended for adults 18+ only.
Cover Models: Garrett and Daria
Cover Design: MGBOOKCOVERS
Photographer: Lindee Robinson Photography
PA Services: Primrose Passage
Dedication
To Simon, aka Mr. Googles
Table of Contents
Prologue
1 Skully
2 Tanya
3 Skully
4 Tanya
5 Skully
6 Tanya
7 Skully
8 Tanya
9 Skully
10 Tanya
11 Tanya
12 Skully
13 Tanya
14 Skully
15 Tanya
16 Skully
17 Tanya
18 Skully
19 Tanya
20 Skully
21 Tanya
22 Skully
23 Tanya
24 Scully
25 Tanya
26 Tanya
27 Skully
28 Tanya
29 Skully
30 Tanya
31 Skully
32 Tanya
Other Books by Linny Lawless
Prologue
Tanya sat at the end of the black leather couch, knees drawn up to her chest. She listened to Matthew in the bedroom as he was throwing some clothes into his duffel bag, when she just realized the couch belonged to him too. Her eyes were swollen, and her nose stuffed from all the crying she had done in the past hour.
She came home to their apartment after work, to the sounds of muffled grunts and moans coming from the bedroom. She had shut the door and heard another muffled sigh that sounded female. Then had stood frozen, her eyes staring at the closed bedroom door.
“Matthew?”
Her feet moved her toward the bedroom door. She heard another moan, definitely female. She wrapped her hand around the door handle, placing her ear to the door. The feeling of anxiety had risen inside her. She just had to open the door, with the fear of witnessing a car wreck. She was afraid to see, but wouldn’t be able to look away.
There was no turning back now. The turn of the door knob and Tanya allowed her eyes to communicate to her brain the nightmare that was there before her. In their bed. Matthew laid on his back, sweating, moaning, hips bucking, sucking the nipple of a plump breast. His hands squeezed those breasts, attached to a curvy blonde woman, leaning over him, riding him. Fucking Matthew. Her boyfriend.
The blond opened her eyes and sat up suddenly, gasping. Mathew opened his eyes when her nipple was pulled from his mouth. Tanya was frozen and could not move or look away.
Matthew came into the living room, his stuffed duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
“I didn’t expect you home for another two hours Tanya….”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I got off work a little early and walked in on your fuck fest appointment in OUR bed!” Tanya threw a black leather pillow at him.
“Apology accepted. I’m leaving now, and I’ll stay over at Lou’s house for a few weeks. I’ll make arrangements to get my things moved out of the apartment.”
“Some of these things are mine too… “
Tanya squeezed her eyes shut tight. Matthew walked out the door, shutting it behind him. Leaving her behind. Alone. Betrayed. The tears flowed again and spilled on the expensive black leather couch.
1 Skully
Hot sticky night. My sweaty t-shirt clung to me as I sat in a shit-hole bar. I finished my third glass of whiskey and asked the skinny, blonde bartender for another. I crushed out my smoke in the black, plastic ashtray, exhaling the last drag. A good buzz would kick in after the fourth glass. I kept my head down low, pushing my cap and craning the brim, scanning the bar. I always stayed alert. Had to watch my back. I was being hunted.
The Hell Hounds MC were after me now. If they found me, they would kill me. But I had it coming. And I was lucky that Chaos King, Ratchet didn’t kill me that night. He was a big motherfucker too, nearly crushing my fuckin windpipe. But it was Tanya who got him off me. Tanya. Sweet-cheeks.
The second I saw Tanya, my heart slammed against my chest. I got Sam out of the Steel Cage and back to Tanya’s apartment. Sid told me he was selling her back to Ratchet but didn’t plan on giving her back to him. Instead, he made a fucked-up deal with those Russians. Now Sid was laid up in a body cast at Stayford Hospital. No plans for him to ever walk again after what the Russians did to him. He would have been better off getting a beat down from his dear ole dad, Knuck, the President of the Hell Hounds.
I was lucky the Chaos Kings didn’t hand me back over to the Hounds that night. Chaos didn’t give a shit about me. But I guess they weren’t as fucked up as the Hounds. They knew I was a dead man anyway. So, after that night I took off on my old shovelhead. It was a good bike. Went fast enough. But I sold it the next day down south of the county line to an old friend who owned and sold used motorcycles. I traded it in in for an ’04 Super Glide. Flat black, with a king/queen seat, and the two grinning skulls on both sides of the gas tank was the deal maker.
I was also paid up for a month at the shit-hole Del-Alton Motel, not too far from my buddy’s bike shop. The room smelled like mold, which probably came from the shaggy seventies style, puke green carpet. The bed creaked on busted springs, but it was a place to sleep and out of the cross-hairs of the Hounds. I didn’t want to leave the state. I grew up here.
I took off my Hound cut that night I left the Chaos clubhouse. I took it out into the woods behind the Motel. I found a dirt clearing, dowsed the cut with lighter fluid and torched it. The smell of burning leather and lighter fluid rose up into the night sky. I didn’t want to be a Hell Hound anymore. I had seen too much. Done too much. All bad. Nothing good.
It been a few weeks now. All I wanted to do was just get a good buzz. It sucked being alone. I lit another smoke, finishing off the fourth glass. I paid up my tab with the skinny blond. She told me I shouldn’t leave so quick. That she got off in a few hours and wanted to take a ride on my scoot. I winked at her and told her maybe next time. I’d probably be back sometime next week. She pouted, placing her hand on her jutting hip, as I headed out the front door.
I zipped up my hoodie as I walked out, and quickly recognized the two bikers as they swung their legs off their bikes. Hammer and Muddy. Hell Hounds. I lowered my chin. I was betting on the cap giving me enough shadow, and the hoodie would hide my ink. They were parked about twenty five yards from my bike. I walked down the three steps to the gravel lot. I kept my head down. It was dark out. They wouldn’t recognize me. They wouldn’t recognize my Super Glide. But then I gave myself away. With the slight limp I tried all my life to make part of my walk.
“Mother…. FUCKER!” Hammer recognized the limp. I was only a yard away from my bike. Next two heartbeats, I swung my leg over my bike, started it up, twisted the throttle and burned rubber, leaving Hammer and Muddy with a mouth full of gravel dust. I opened the throttle wide open and rode balls to the wall a few miles down the main road. I pulled into the back of a gas station, pulled my lid out of my worn-out leather saddlebag, put some shades on and high tailed it back to my motel, watching my mirrors and listening for other sounds of pipes close by. I knew the soun
d of every Hound’s bike. The pipes I heard around me were not Hammer’s or Muddy’s.
2 Tanya
I walked out of the salon after working ten hours on my feet again. Second time this week. I was exhausted. My calves and lower back ached. The tips and a full day of hair appointments was the pay off. I wasn’t complaining. I needed every dollar I could earn. Matthew moved out six months ago. He took most of the furniture, like the expensive leather couch and loveseat set, and left me with the rent, which I couldn’t afford by myself. I had to move in to a smaller, one-bedroom apartment about ten miles away because the rent was much more affordable. Plus, the Chaos Kings didn’t want me living there anymore because of what happened with Sam and the Hell Hounds. The Hounds knew where I lived, and Ratchet and all the brothers wanted me to be safe. Especially Magnet. We were childhood friends. We grew up together and graduated together from the same high school.
I don’t know where Skully went after that night. I kept telling myself I didn’t care. Why should I? He was a Hell Hound. God only knew the things he’d done. And my blood was boiling when he showed up at my apartment with Sam. I was so scared, but so relieved that Sam was safe. He was standing right behind her when I opened my apartment door. Tall, dark hair. Not as broad as Ratchet but built all the same. Calling me “sweet-cheeks” was not a good way to introduce himself to me, especially wearing a Hounds cut.
Even though I kept my distance from him, I couldn’t let Ratchet smash his throat in at the clubhouse. Skully did get Sam back to him and to Chaos. And he took off, after Ratchet beat the shit out of Sid and the Hell Hounds left the clubhouse that night.
Sam was now Ratchet’s ole lady. Safe. And loved.
Ten PM and I dragged my feet up the flight of steps to my second-floor apartment. I walked down the hall to apartment two-zero-six. I fumbled with my keys to find the one that fit in the door. Clumsy me dropped them. I knelt down swiping them up, exhaling at the same time. As I rose, a hand cupped over my mouth and my back was pressed up against a hard chest. I moaned, faint and muffled.
“Shh… Its Skully, Tanya… I’m not going to hurt you, ok? Will you nod for me?” Just a whisper next to my cheek. I nodded. His hand smelled like cigarettes.
“I’ll take my hand away as long you don’t scream, ok?” I nodded again. “I’m coming in with you.”
His hand came off my mouth and I didn’t scream. I found the key that fit the hole in the doorknob, u nlocked it, and walked in. He followed behind and shut the door. I ran to the kitchen and pulled out the butcher knife from a drawer. I spun back around and raised it above me, my eyes wide with fear.
He raised his hands up. “Whoa Tanya. I’m not gonna hurt you. I Can’t hurt you. Not in my condition anyway.”
That’s when I took a good look at him. His bleeding lip. His left eye swollen. Only one arm was raised, as the other was wrapped over his chest.
I lowered the knife and placed it back on the kitchen counter behind me. “What the fuck happened to you?”
He walked over to my couch. I noticed the slight limp he had, wondering if it was just the way he walked, or from a past injury. He fell back on it, and ended up slouching on it. His head fell back to lean against the couch pillows. He wasn’t wearing his Hound cut. Just a dark grey hoodie.
“Hammer and Muddy got me. Roughed me up a bit. Got away though.” He closed his eyes.
I walked toward him, around the couch. “Why did you come here? You really scared the fuck out of me. You know that, Skully?”
“Ok, ok sweet-cheeks – “
“Don’t call me that!”
His head came up from the pillows. “I wanted to make sure you were ok. I lost them, but I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“How did you know I even lived here?”
The side of his mouth lifted. His mouth was… sensual. “I know you moved out of the other apartment and moved here. I’ve been keeping watch over you.”
His eyes squinted, wincing at the pain under the hand he had wrapped around his ribcage. I stood above him, hands on my waist. What the hell was I going to do with him?
“Did they break something there?”
He looked down and winced again. “Yeah. No. Maybe?” He leaned back into the couch. “I promise I won’t do anything stupid. I just wanted to make sure you were ok… Don’t want the Hounds to get to you…” His eyes closed as he mumbled to me. Then he began to snore.
I sighed. “Damit…” I exhaled a breath. Kneeling, I grabbed his left boot and unzipped the side, pulling it off and did the same to his right. I gathered both his ankles and swung them up on the couch. Why? Hell if I knew. He didn’t wake up. I locked my door and went to my bedroom to catch some much needed sleep of my own.
3 Skully
“Wake up, Skully.”
My head hurt. My mouth was dry. I opened my eyes. Sweet-cheeks was standing there above me. She was in a pink soft looking robe, one hand on her hip, the other holding a coffee cup. Her brown hair was up in a messy bun. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. I sat up and swung my legs off the couch.
“If you want some coffee, go and get it yourself. This is not a bed and breakfast.” Her eyes were cold. Her mouth tight.
I got up off the couch. I remember now why I was there in her apartment. I walked up to the living room window, pulling the curtain just a bit to peer down.
“Where’s your bike?”
“Parked it several blocks away. Traded the shovelhead for a Dyna.”
I turned around from the window to look at her again. I had to admit, she was a hot looking chick. Those eyes, that auburn hair, her high cheek bones and that pouty little mouth. I looked away. Had to. I went back to the couch to put my boots on. “You took ‘em off?”
“Yes, I did. You passed out. Snoring away.”
“Sorry about the snoring. Thanks for letting me crash here last night.” I had my boots on. I stood up, and right into her personal space, only five inches from her. Not my fault. She shouldn’t have been standing so close. I could smell her hair. It smelled like that flowery stuff they put in expensive shampoos.
She stepped back from me then, giving us distance. “I’ll go now, sweet-cheeks.” I mumbled, staring at her mouth.
Her brows furrowed. “Don’t call me that. Damit!”
I chuckled. I liked how she got mad when I called her that.
“Well, you can’t go looking like that, Skully. Sit down. You should clean up a bit. And how are you going to ride if your ribs are all busted up?” She left me, walking into her bathroom and came back with a bottle of peroxide and a wash cloth.
Opening the bottle and pouring some on the cloth, she brought it to my lip.
“Fuck!” My head snapped back.
“Cry baby.” She pressed the cloth onto my lip again, but gentler this time. Then she pressed it up above my swollen eye.
“Oh, tough Hell Hound. Can’t take a little pain?”
I reached up and wrapped my hand over hers. “I’m not a Hound. Not anymore, Tanya…”
She was silent then, l ooking up at me. Her eyes were s oft now. “If they find you, they will kill you, Skully.”
I pulled her hand away from my swollen eye. I Turned from her, walking to the door. “Yeah I know… And my goal is to stay alive.” I unlocked her door and turned back to her. “Lock up when I leave, sweet-cheeks.”
“Damit, Skully!”
I shut it before she could charge at me.
My bike was right where I left it, five blocks away from Tanya’s apartment. My rib was killing me. Hurt like bloody hell. I swung my leg over my Dyna and high tailed it back to my shitty motel room.
I was relieved Hammer and Muddy lost me after I got a good ass beating the night before. I didn’t go back to that shit hole bar they’d seen me at. But they found me again at a fuckin gas station. Had to fill up the tank on the bike and pay cash to the old man at the counter inside. When I heard the pipes, it was too late. I stepped outside and ran to my bike, but they got me
. Roughed me up right there by the gas pumps. Muddy got my face. Once I was down, Hammer kicked his boot into my side. Hurt like hell. Far away came the sound of police sirens, and they were off me and, on their bikes, and gone. I got up off the oil stained asphalt, climbed on mine and burned rubber before the cops pulled in.
But if they found out where Tanya lived, I wouldn’t ever forgive myself for that. It would have been my fault if she ever got hurt or worse. A rock dropped down to the pit of my stomach every time I pictured those motherfuckers touching her. I’d seen how they hurt other women… And all those times I didn’t stop them. I would always carry that guilt around my neck like a fuckin albatross. But how could I protect her? The gimp Hound? The gimp ex-Hound, who just betrayed his club. She would be much safer with the Chaos Kings MC. I knew this, but I had to see her again.
4 Tanya
I was in a rare mood. All because of him. That smart ass, Skully. He had the nerve to scare the hell out of me the night before. And coming into my apartment uninvited! I hated to admit to myself that morning that I did sleep good. He was roughed up a bit by the Hounds, but knowing he was sleeping on the couch outside my bedroom made me feel safe for once in a long while, since Matthew left.
I was finished with the last customer for the day, an elderly woman named Patricia. She was a regular client of mine, in her 70’s, who told me of her growing up in the 1950’s and how things were so different than they are now. She had white hair and I would set it in curlers, for a permanent. She reminded me of my grandmother.
Patricia noticed my furrowed brows and that I had rarely smiled since the beginning of her appointment. I was in my own world all day. I told her not to worry. That I was just tired and needed a vacation. She patted my hands when she gave me her tip. Her hands were so soft.
Honey, the store owner and manager wanted to close early after Patricia left. It was a slow night and there were no more appointments.
Deep in Chaos (CKMC Book 2) Page 1
