Policy of Truth (Sacred Heart Continuum Series Book 1)

by Scarlett Holloway

  Durty flinched as sunlight reflected off the bar mirrors, her arm flying up to shade her eyes from the blinding pain that shot through her brain. Turning toward the door, her eyes squinted, watching several figures step into the dimly lit bar.

  “Sorry, we’re closed.”

  A snort from a silhouette was the only reply she got.

  “Come back in a couple of hours boys.” Durty had a bad feeling curling in the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right and every fiber in her screamed to get the fuck out of Dodge.

  “No, we’ll take a couple of drinks now.” A figure moved deeper into the bar, the door swishing closed behind the bulky bodies.

  The door being locked was all the confirmation she needed. Never taking her eyes off of the men, she took a step back, almost yelping in surprise when her ass slammed into a bar stool, blocking her avenue of escape.

  Durty counted fifteen Warriors standing before her. The odds weren’t in their favor. “I think you need to leave. Now.”

  The ringleader of the pack was their Sergeant-at-Arms, Cobra, who placed himself right in front of Durty. The way he drug his eyes across her made her want to vomit. “We’ll leave when you give back what you stole.”

  “Smoking that crack again, Cobra?” Stellar chuckled from behind Durty.

  “See, here’s the problem with women who want to play with us, but don’t like the outcome of when they fuck up.” He turned his head to peer over his shoulder at his brothers. “Take Durty here, for example,” his beady brown eyes looked back to her, thin lips parting in a sneer. “She should be making us a drink, making us feel at home. Instead, she thinks she has a set of balls and shouldn’t be punished for taking something that doesn’t belong to her.”

  “Kiss my artificially tanned ass, Cobra.” Durty growled, squaring her shoulders and swallowing down the bile that was threatening to choke her. “We don’t have anything that belongs to you, and if we did? We sure as hell wouldn’t have it here. Oh, by the way?” Durty grinned, her hands coming to rest on the front of his chest, eyes searching his face as she leaned in closer. “Your problem is I’m more woman than you’ll ever have and more of a man than you’ll ever be.”.

  The other men laughed as Cobra’s faced turned red with either embarrassment or anger. Durty wasn’t sure which. What she was sure of, was the pain that detonated in her skull as her head snapped to the left. Her body quickly followed from the force of the impact of his backhand, sending her headlong to the floor.

  “See, now she’s on her knees, where she belongs.” Cobra laughed, looking at his knuckles then back to his brothers, pointing at Durty, who struggled to get up on all fours. “She’ll learn quickly at this rate.”

  Durty wasn’t going to allow Cobra, or the other Warriors, to treat her or the other two like dogs. But what could she do from her position? Spitting out the blood that pooled in her mouth, the coppery tasting fluid wasn’t making her feel any better. Her right ear rang, and her jaw felt like it went nine rounds with Tyson.

  Fenix rushed to her side, assisting her to her feet, the look of concern evident, though she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

  Stellar, not so much. She ventured out from behind the bar, her voice shaking as she stalked toward the men, a dark colored bottle in her hand. The bottle was launched at Cobra’s head, though he ducked in a nick of time, the bottle crashing to the floor. “Awwah, Cobra still knows how to bow to us women.”

  Shit.

  This was going from bad to worse. There was no getting out of this one. Stellar’s little move cost them any chance of talking their way out of this. Fair was fair though, Stellar was giving it true. An eye for an eye and in the world, they lived in, backing down from anything or anyone came with the label of pussy, and Stellar just made Cobra look like one.

  The rest was a blur.

  Cobra gave a tilt of his head, the men quick to answer as they moved as a unit, closing in on the girls, trapping them against the bar. “Enough bullshit. Guess we’ll just send Lace a personal message.”

  Chapter 12

  Cry Little Sister

  “You know that bitch is going to want a rematch.”

  Lace rolled her eyes at Nytemare, pushing the gravy covered fry around her plate. “You know that old saying. Shit in one hand, want in the other.”

  Chaos snickered, elbowing Nytemare, motioning at Lace. “You only ask for a rematch if you think you can win. I mean, Bam! Bitch went down in less than five seconds. Lace wins. Superbitch.”

  Lace couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s antics, especially when Nytemare reenacted the swing Lace dealt Tiopa, followed by throwing her fists up in the air, imitating Rocky. “Bam! Bitch went down!”

  “Okay, okay, you two. It was a freak moment. I’m sure I couldn’t do it again.”

  “Pffft,” the two sounded together as they rolled their eyes at Lace.

  Lace’s smile was covered by the rim of her coffee cup as she took a drink. She loved the two women sitting before her. She’d known them both for over twelve years, struggled through ups and downs with them, and they’d always stuck by her side—she tried her damndest to stick by theirs. It wasn’t every day friends showed such loyalty and devotion.

  Chaos snapped her fingers as if recollecting a memory. “Oh yeah, I saw Steel in here earlier having some breakfast.”

  Lace smirked. “He eats here often.”

  Picking up her glass, Chaos grinned. “Guess who was with him?”

  Tilting her head, Lace really didn’t want to be informed about some bitch Steel might be with. “I have no idea.”

  Chaos popped a fry into her mouth. “That cute long-haired bouncer that you just hired. Not the kid, the other one.”

  Lace blinked in confusion, while relief swept through her. Unclenching her jaw, she sighed happily. Letting go of the death grip on her coffee cup, she chuckled. “If I remember correctly, he works as a mechanic at H&T with Steel.”

  “They seemed pretty cozy. Maybe he’s gonna prospect.”

  Squinting her eyes, Lace shook her head. “Ehh, I doubt it. Steel won’t take someone who wasn’t in the military. He’s pretty finicky about that.” Her brow quirked when Nytemare laid her elbows on the table, nearly breaking her neck to watch the waitress sashay past them. “Good Lord, Nyte. Put your tongue back in your mouth.”

  A lopsided grin was Lace’s reward for her observation of the sex addict. “Did you not see the ass on that?”

  “Uhm, no. Strictly dickly, remember?”

  “Don’t knock it ‘til you try us, Lace.” Chaos offered Lace her signature lopsided grin, her dark brown eyes lit with humor.

  A chime from her vest pocket drew Lace’s attention. Reaching inside, she pulled out her phone. “Saved by the bell.”

  Lace’s mouth went dry at the message that glared out at her. Club!

  One simple word followed by the punctuation mark stopped Lace’s heart. It was part of the coded system she put together in case anyone got into trouble, and to keep any snoopers from knowing what they were talking about. The exclamation mark told Lace she was needed immediately at the club. Something was very wrong.

  “Lace?”

  Nytemare’s question put her into motion. Lace was out of the booth, tossing cash on the table as she scooped up her helmet. “Stellar just sent code to get to the club, something is up.”

  “We’ll follow.”

  Both girls climbed out of the booth, slipping on their vests as they jogged to the door of the truck stop.

  Lace was pulled up short as her breast pocket started singing about touching herself. Stellar’s ringtone. She scrambled for her pocket, almost dropping the phone as she put it on speaker. “Are you okay?”

  “Enough of the bullshit. Guess we’ll just send Lace a personal message.” A male’s voice echoed through the speaker, chilling Lace to the bone as a scream of pain ripped through the phone.

  “The fuck?” Nytemare hissed out, yan
king up her helmet from the back of her bike’s seat.

  “Fuck you, Cobra!” Durty’s voice was clear through the speaker.

  There was a sickening crunch followed by a groan and what sounded like a body hitting something solid. “Stellar!”

  Fenix’s yell of terror sent ice through Lace’s veins. The Warriors were seeking retribution for the girls so called kidnapping of Jenny.

  A cold sweat broke on Lace’s forehead at the mere idea the girls were in danger and being hurt. “Chaos, get the cops there.”

  Firing up her Dyna, Lace straddled her bike, helmet tugged on and black visor lifted to yell over the motor at Nytemare. “Keep up.”

  Revving up the engine, Lace dropped the bike into first and tore out of the parking lot without any hesitation or care for other motorists. She left her phone on in her pocket, though she couldn’t hear it, it gave her a sense of security—if Stellar could see her phone, she’d know Lace was on her way, they’d be safe soon.

  Lace’s mind was going just as fast as her bike, unable to fathom the damage the men could be doing to the girls. She couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the club. That was fixable, but her sister’s lives were invaluable. She’d sworn to protect them, and this wasn’t keeping that promise.

  Traffic was thick, forcing Lace to maneuver between cars at a high rate of speed. A check in the rearview let her know she was being followed by the other two girls. She knew she was placing her own self into danger by her reckless driving, but one thing she was good at was high speeds. She lived to race and push limits, whether it was car or bike, so the quick ins and outs between vehicles was nothing but a game for her.

  Rounding the corner of B Street, Lace was met by a barrage of Harley’s fleeing the scene, speeding away from the club and headed toward Painted Rock. Every instinct screamed to follow them, but she skidded to a halt right in front of the doors, her main concern was the girls.

  For once, the echo of sirens was a welcoming sound.

  ****

  The carnage was forever burned into her mind. When Lace entered Domino, Chaos was the one who grabbed her by her arm to steady her. Lace knew many forms of emotions in her time, but nothing prepared her for this. The bar was trashed almost beyond recognition.

  Lace wasn’t sure how long the Warriors were there before Stellar was able to contact her, but by the looks of it, they’d done plenty of damage in what time they were there. Tables broken, mirrors shattered, empty liquor bottles laying in fragments on the floor, and the bodies of three women lay scattered about, surrounded by pools of blood, in what Lace was almost sure resembled death.

  Lace rushed over to Stellar, who was face down. She dropped to her knees as the coppery smell of blood mixed with the sour liquor aroma, enough to make her want to throw up, but the distressed breathing from Stellar kept her in check.

  “Jesus, Crissy!” Lace cried out as she rolled over Stellar, hoping if she used the girl’s real name, it might trigger her to keep calm, or maybe she was trying to calm her own self.

  A quick glance over to the other two confirmed Nytemare and Chaos were checking to see if they were alive. Nods in confirmation was all Lace needed as she focused back on Stellar.

  The rounded face looked as if it were mangled by a meat cleaver. Flesh split open, her jaw at an unnatural angle, bone visible to the naked eye. Unsure if her neck was broken, Lace carefully angled Stellar’s head to allow a more open airway since it sounded like she was barely able to take a breath.

  “Hang in there, baby. Help’s coming.” She took hold of Stellar’s hand, squeezing it gently. “You did really good calling me.” Reaching down, Lace brushed a blood matted piece of hair away from the broken face.

  “Durty’s breathing, banged up good. Might have a concussion.” Chaos informed Lace.

  Nytemare looked up from Fenix, “All good here. She’s out cold, but breathing steady.”

  Lace could only nod, tenderly petting Stellar’s head, ignoring her now blood-stained hands. “They’re here, doll. You’ll be free of pain in no time.”

  And Lace was right. The police rushed in, guns drawn, unsure of the situation they were running into. Bronson, a deputy the girls knew, ran over to Lace, his face plastered with worry, barking orders for someone to radio for a bus. “Fuck, Lace. Who the fuck did this?”

  Lace shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know. The door was wide open when we got here.” She was not about to give out any information on this. They’d handle this on their own.

  “We’ll ask the girls when they wake up.” Bronson sighed, moving out of the way of the gurney being rolled over to them.

  Lace was pulled away from Stellar by Nytemare, watching the medics work on her broken body with detachment. She knew shit would get real with keeping Jenny safe, but never thought they’d take it to such extremes. Jenny had to have something the Warriors wanted or some form of information that could implicate them in something.

  No piece of ass was worth this much trouble.

  “Lace? You want to ride with Stellar in the wagon?” Bronson, started to reach out toward her, Chaos stepping in front of her to block the unwanted affection. Sighing, he rolled his eyes. “Look, this is now a crime scene, you won’t be allowed back in here until we’ve collected all the evidence and the investigation is done.”

  Chaos snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “It looks like it was a robbery gone bad.”

  Bronson flicked his gaze over her, and then looked back to Lace. “That might be true, but robbers don’t usually beat people like this. Robberies with victims tend to end up stabbed or shot, not with their faces beat to a pulp. That’s personal. Have you pissed anyone off lately? Did she have any enemies? Did Crissy have a boyfriend she upset?”

  “No, no, and no. Can we do this later? I need to be with the girls.” She hated to cut him off, he was a good cop with bad tendencies, and was only trying to help.

  Bronson faced away from Lace, his gaze roaming over the mess the Warriors left in their wake. “That’s fine. I’ll catch up with you later after I get the girl’s statements, when they’re able too.”

  “Yeah, fine.” Lace nodded, waving her hand absently. “I got to get inside with Stellar.” She took in a deep, shattered breath, turning toward her two friends. Her voice was low as she gave them instructions. “Keep a close eye on these guys. Here’s the key to my office. You know where the footage is. Grab the drive and take it with you. You know what to do.”

  Nytemare smiled and hugged Lace tight. Releasing her, she pointed to the doors. “I got this. Now go.”

  ****

  Sitting in the waiting room at the hospital was torture in itself. The smell of bleach was thick in the air making Lace’s stomach churn even more. The vending machine coffee cup was cradled between her hands, her arms resting on her knees as she stared into space.

  Lace had sent out a group message telling the girls to come to the hospital as they could. Viper was the first to show up, followed by Flames, then Curby and Stiletto. The others started trickling in, one by one, the room soon over flowing by the group. Everyone was waiting for Lace to fill them in.

  Lace pushed up from the chair and tossed her empty cup into the trash. “Here’s what I know so far. Fenix is alright. A concussion. Durty took a beating. The worst of it is a couple of bruised ribs. They’ll release them both tomorrow. They want to keep them for observation. Stellar is in surgery, she’s critical. They don’t know if she’s going to make it. Her jaw is broken, lung punctured, several broken ribs, skull fracture, she’s got swelling on her brain.”

  Viper rubbed the palms of her hands on her jeans, releasing a large breath. “How much longer is this gonna take? Fuck!”

  Curby shook her head. “They’ll let us know when they can.”

  Viper rolled her bottom lip between her teeth, drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair. “We need to use extreme caution right now with everything.”

  Everyone sat there in qui
et contemplation at what was divulged. Any time a doctor approached the waiting room, the girls held their breath, waiting for news about Stellar. Minutes passed into hours, several of the sisters napping in the uncomfortable beige chairs, Viper and Stiletto smart enough to use the floor as their bed.

  Finally, a nurse knocked softly at the entrance of the room, jerking Lace awake from her semi-nap. “Miss Beck?”

  “That’s me.” Lace winced as her body fought her on pushing up from the chair. Stiff and tired, she couldn’t help but notice the girls waking up and scrambling to their feet behind her.

  “Crissy is out of surgery and in ICU right now. The doctor will come see you in a moment to fill you in.”

  “She’s okay?”

  The nurse patted her on the shoulder. “He’ll let you know in a few.”

  “Are the other two awake?”

  “Yes, they’re not allowed to sleep right now with having concussions. You can go see them, if you’d like.”

  Lace let out a pent-up sigh, nodding. “Great, thank you.”

  Once she got the room numbers, the girls dispersed, going to visit Durty and Fenix until Lace heard more about their Vice President’s condition.

  A soft tinkling of music and vibration on her left ass cheek got a slight smile. Lace pulled out her phone, answering it quietly, “Hey.”

  Steel’s smooth voice came across the line. “What’s doin? Heard you had some excitement today.”

  This was one-time Lace hated how they had to play word games. Hearing his voice made her want to crawl up onto his lap and just lay her head on his shoulder, pouring out everything. “Yeah, I’m at the hospital right now, waiting to hear about Stellar. It’s not looking to good.”

  “You need me, Tilly?” Concern for her filled his voice.

  “No need for you to come here, H. All you’re going to do is sit here and wait like the rest of us.”