“Let your spirit carry on into the afterlife. Let your loved ones know you aren’t suffering anymore. An evil brought you down here, but light set you free. Rest in peace, angels. And watch over each other. Amen.”
“Amen.” Trigger echoes.
We walk up the basement stairs with a slump in our shoulders, defeated. I turn off the light and close the door. Capone is pacing back and forth in the living room. He looks up when we enter.
“Done?”
“Aye, Prez. Done.” I respond walking out of the clubhouse. The fresh air hits me in the face and I breathe for the first time since entering that place. I sit down on the steps and wait for them to finish inside. All I want to do is head home to Monica. Let her soothe the anguish resting on my shoulders. Let her heal the carnage and heartache on my soul. I pull out my phone and send her a text.
Blayze: IDK if UR up but I’ll be home soon. I need you.
The little bubbles appear and disappear a couple of times before a response comes through.
Bug: I’ll be here. I need you too.
Capone comes out of the house and sits down next to me, lighting up a cigarette. He offers me one and I accept. “Torch will be done soon. Once he finishes, this place never existed.”
“What are we going to do about the other thing?” I ask.
“We’ll deal with that tomorrow. Right now, all I want to do is go home and forget, even if it’s for just a little while.” Capone’s way of forgetting is to be balls deep in some club pussy.
“Aye, me too Prez. I want to forget this night ever happened.” I inhale my cigarette and exhale the smoke through my nose. “What about these bodies?” I point to the men scattered across the yard.
“Cleaning crew will be here in about ten minutes. Once they dispose of the Bloody Scorpions, they have instructions on how to light this place up. Torch is one crafty motherfucker.”
Torch, Trigger, Red and Tiny exit the clubhouse and shut the door. Torch disappears around the back for a couple of minutes and returns.
“Ready, Prez.”
“Let’s roll. Head back to the clubhouse.” Silently we walk back to our bikes. Everyone lost in their own thoughts. Even though we brought down a huge trafficking ring, something still feels off. Something isn’t right. And until we get to the bottom of what Chains had on him, this will never end.
Chapter 11
Monica
It’s been an hour since I’ve come back to the clubhouse and cried myself to exhaustion. The tears finally quit falling but there’s a sharp pain in my chest. I rub my hand over my heart trying to ease the torture of each beat. I can’t believe I did this. This is all on me. I should’ve left Daisy here. I should’ve never let her come with me. If I did, then she wouldn’t be where she is now. It’s all my fault. Every drop of Daisy’s blood is on my hands. I slam my fists on the bar where I’m sitting and release a quiet scream. Everything is my fault.
“God damn it.” More tears trail down my cheeks. I don’t think they’ll ever stop.
The only ones here at the clubhouse are a few prospects, some club whores, Dagger, Danyella and the little girl who was with her and Daisy. Krimson and her crew stuck around waiting for Capone and Blayze to return. A man named Rush, a Latino woman named Hotflash, Redline, Quickshift and Noah. Then Krimson’s boyfriend Nolan and his team. Ashton Iverson, Duane Harris, Keanu Marks and Anthony Ramirez. His team is made up of retired military men who’ve served their time and got out. They’re scattered about the common room, drinking or staring off into space. Danyella took the little girl to her room we kept for her when we got here and I haven’t seen them since. Dagger and a prospect have been with Daisy trying to keep her alive. A silence descends upon us. It’s like they know the pain on my heart and the torture in my soul. No one’s talked to me since we first arrived and I don’t blame them. I’ve lashed out and snapped at anyone who’s tried.
I slam my hands on the bar top and stand up. I can’t sit here any longer. I have to do something. I have to release this pent-up rage brewing under my skin. Krimson watches me with concern in her honey-colored eyes and I’m sick of the pitying looks. I know it’s my fault Daisy is where she is. I know.
“What?” I snap. I don’t give a shit if she’s some badass chick with a hot as fuck guy with her. I don’t care if she’s taken down the biggest motherfucker in the racing circuit. This is my home, my club. I’ll do and say whatever the fuck I want.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Krimson asks. She’s being nice and I’m being a raging bitch.
I exhale a deep breath, composing myself. “No, I don’t. I already know it’s my fault.”
“Did you shoot her?” Krimson looks at me patiently.
I stare at her and blink a couple of times. “What?”
“Are you responsible for firing the gun that shot her?”
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest. “But I’m responsible for putting her in danger.” I’m getting pissed.
“That’s not what I asked. Did. You. Shoot. Her?” The punctuation of each word is grating on my nerves.
“No, I didn’t shoot her,” I growl, shaking my head.
“Then you’re not responsible.” Krimson rests her hands on my shoulders. “Look, I know you don’t know me very well and I don’t know you. But trust me when I say this isn’t your fault. You’re not the one who pulled the trigger. You’re not the one who shot her.”
“But I brought her with me. If I left her here…” I trail off composing myself so I don’t cry again.
Krimson interrupts me before I can finish. “If you left her here, you wouldn’t have known where to go. Danyella and that little girl would still be locked away in that basement or sold already. You didn’t make her go. She wanted to go and help. This isn’t your fault. Once you get past the blame game, you’ll see that.” Krimson’s soft voice rings in my head. She thinks this isn’t my fault. But she doesn’t understand. It is my fault. “No, Monica. It’s not your fault.” She looks at Nolan and he gives her a slight nod. “Walk with me?”
“Fine,” I motion toward the back of the clubhouse. We walk together out the back door. It’s safe back here. None of the club members are around and no one can get past our security to get in. We walk the length of the driveway lit up with floodlights. Once we reach the end, we turn and walk back. The nighttime sounds of crickets and owls can be heard over our footsteps. The warm wind whips around us, cocooning me with its heat.
Krimson wrings her hands together. “When I was a teenager, my family was taken from me in a tragic accident. For years I blamed myself. We were at a race in Palisades Del Ray. My father was on the dirt track winning the race. Rush and I were at the back of the crowd in a heated argument over who hurt him earlier that week when an explosion rang out.” Krimson stares off into space like she’s remembering that night. “When I realized what happened, I tried to get to the scene. Rush was holding me back. I broke free and what I saw next changed my life. My father’s car was burning with him inside. The debris from the explosion landed in the crowd killing my mother and little brother. For years I blamed myself for living when they died.” She inhales through her nose and closes her eyes. “I still smell the racing fuel and blood that hung heavily in the air.”
“That’s terrible, but how is it your fault? You didn’t cause the accident.” Realization dawns on me. “You’re a sneaky bitch.”
Krimson opens her eyes and smiles. “And once I stopped blaming myself, I discovered that it wasn’t an accident. My dad’s business partner wanted him dead so he could take over his territory. Only thing is, he didn’t expect me to come back and when I did, I ended his life.” The look in her eyes would make anyone tremble with fear. Now I see why they call her Krimson. “Then, I discovered my brother who I thought was dead, well, he wasn’t. They took him and kept him from me all those years. He’s still alive.”
“Where is he now? Does he blame you? Do you talk to him?” I rapid fire questions not giving her a chance to a
nswer.
“At first he blamed me for leaving him with them. But now? Now we’re in a good place. His anger is directed at the dead man who tore our family apart. We talk every day. He’s currently going through his own shit, trying to deal with being back in our circuit. But that’s his story to tell. He was such a vibrant little boy when they took him away from me. He had the world by the balls.” Krimson stops talking and silence descends upon us. It’s awkward but manageable. I want to ask more, but the buzz of the security gate breaks the silence. Krimson and I hurry to the edge of the clubhouse to see who’s coming in.
The two white vans the guys left with are rolling in and park next to the clubhouse entrance. Bear follows them in on his bike. He parks next to the vans and hurries around to open the back doors. Several women climb out of the vans, looking around scared out of their minds.
Krimson and I hurry over. Our footsteps are loud slapping on the pavement drawing attention our way. Bear unholsters his weapon and aims in our direction until we come into view. He lowers his weapon and puts it away.
“Monica, we need help with these girls. They’re terrified.”
“What do you want me to do?” I’m helpless when it comes to keeping people calm. It’s not my thing. Once I reach the vans, I see around twenty women and children huddled together, crying. I’m so out of my element. “Let me go get Danyella. Maybe she can help.”
One woman steps forward with a spark of hope in her eyes. “You know where Dany is?”
“She’s inside in her room. This is her home.” I spread my arms wide like I can embrace the clubhouse.
“Do you hear that? Danyella was right.” The woman turns to the others huddled around. “Those men were right. We’re safe here.”
“How can that be? They told us if we ever escaped, they’d kill us and our families. We’re all going to die.” A teenager with dirty brown hair sobs.
“You’re safe here. If you would’ve just believed me in the first place, you wouldn’t doubt what’s right in front of you now.” Danyella steps out of the building facing these irate women head on. She’s showered and changed. Looking more like her old self minus the skin and bones from being underfed.
“Danyella?” The woman who tried to reason with the others steps forward. “It’s true? We’re safe?”
“Yes, Kensi. We’re safe here. I’m going to get you ladies cleaned up, changed and fed. Aerial and I have already done that.” The little girl steps forward, she too has showered and changed. The clothes she has on are several sizes too big for her, but she seems happy and comfortable.
“Aeri? Oh my god. Ladies come on. I don’t know about you, but I need to wash this filth off.” Kensi smiles, lighting up the whole crowd. The other women are hesitant but follow Danyella, Aerial and Kensi inside. I bring up the rear with Krimson next to me. Bear and the two prospects stay with the van. It appears they’re debating about something but it’s not my concern. Not when there’s a clubhouse full of scared women. If they need me, they’ll come find me.
We walk down the long corridor into the common room. Four of Nolan’s men stop playing pool. Krimson’s crew stands up from the couches. Everyone who was doing something stops and watches us enter. The women stay together with their heads down, not making eye contact with anyone. Once they’re all at the center of the room, Danyella speaks.
“Ok. Here’s what we’re going to do. There are three bathrooms to use in this area. You can go two at a time if you want and a prospect will guard the doors so you feel safer. The bathrooms are down that hallway.” She points to the left toward our rooms. “Monica and I will get you clean clothes. The other prospects will start cooking for you and when you’re done, you come back out here and eat.” Danyella looks at me to make sure it’s OK. I nod my head. These women would’ve never listened to me. “Break off into pairs and the first three pairs follow us.”
I step up next to Danyella and offer a smile. It’s brittle, but the best I can do right now. “Prospects, start cooking,” I order. They’ll listen to me before Danyella.
“What do you want us to cook?” One asks.
“I really don’t give a fuck. Make what you’d want to eat after being starved for months, possibly years. Make enough for everyone to have more than one plate.” I roll my eyes and snap my fingers. Three of the six set off toward the kitchen. “You three, with us. And if any of you want to try something inappropriate, I’ll cut off your balls and shove them down your throat. Then I’ll cut off your tiny dicks and send them to your mamas. We clear?”
“Crystal.” The three answer in unison. I don’t have to worry about it, but I want these women and girls to feel safe here.
Kensi and five girls follow us down the short hallway. We stop at the first bathroom and Danyella opens the door for them. Two enter and close it behind them. I hear the lock click into place. One prospect stands guard outside the door, crossing his arms over his chest. He won’t let anything happen to those girls. Danyella comes to the second bathroom door and opens it.
“How big is this place?” Kensi asks.
“Pretty big. Large enough for each of our club members to have a room. Some rooms are designed for families of four or single rooms. That way, the families can be comfortable when we have a lockdown or they want to come stay. Then we have rooms for the club whores. Outside we have another building built for boxing and working out. I’d say around sixteen thousand square feet. This whole place used to be a warehouse for storing cars. The Royal Bastards MC bought it around ten years ago, converted it into their clubhouse and we’ve been here ever since.” I answer with pride in my voice. “We also have another area designed as a playroom for the little ones. There are different things to do in there like kids can draw, play and run around like maniacs.”
Kensi’s eyes grow wide. “Club whores?”
“Yeah, the women who want to fu..” I trail off looking at the little girl Aerial, that came with Danyella. Her eyes are wide and she’s listening to every word I speak. I quickly change the direction of my next words. “Two consenting adults who want to associate behind closed doors.” I look at Danyella and she is covering her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter. Bitch.
“They screw behind closed doors.” Aerial proudly states. Gasps fill the hallway and Danyella covers Aerial’s mouth with her hand before she can say anything else. Aerial removes Danyella’s hand and shrugs her shoulders. “It’s true. My mama told me that as long as it’s consenting it’s OK. What those men did to you wasn’t OK. You didn’t consent.” Tears fall from Aerial’s eyes as she hugs Danyella. “What they did to all of you wasn’t OK.” Aerial’s voice is muffled by Danyella’s chest.
I step up behind them and bend down to be the same height as Aerial. I turn her so she can see me, “No Hunny, it wasn’t OK. Those were bad men. But these men,” I motion to the prospects behind me, “You can trust. I trust them with my life and I hope you feel safe here. No one will ever hurt you again.”
“I do. I trust them. They have kind eyes. The other men didn’t. They were mean and their eyes were hard. Does that make sense?” Aerial darts a quick glance at the prospect behind us and then looks at me again.
“Yes, Aerial it does. It makes perfect sense. The eyes are the windows to the soul.” I smile and rise to my feet.
“You two will be in here. Please take your time and we’ll see you when you’re done.” I motion for Kensi and another girl to enter. They close the door behind them and lock it. The prospect stands idle in front of the door.
Danyella walks a few more feet to the third bathroom. “This is the last one. Same thing applies. Take your time and come back out the way you came when you’re done. Monica and I will bring clothes for you.” She twists the bathroom doorknob and opens it. The other two girls don’t say a word and enter. They close and lock the door behind them and the final prospect stands at the door.
“Let’s get some clothes. I’m sure between the club whores and us, we can find some.” I suggest. Lead
ing the way to the rooms at the far end, I open the door. This layout is different than the rest of the clubhouse. They bunk two or three to a room. It’s designed like a college dorm. There are two beds on the right side of the room and another bed on the opposite. Three dressers and a walk-in closet are between the beds. I walk to the first dresser and open the drawer. Grabbing two packages of unopened underwear and two packages of socks. I close that drawer and open the next.
“If you two want to go to the next room and see what you can find, I’ll meet you in a minute.” I direct Danyella and Aerial.
“Is it safe? They won’t have a fit if we’re in the rooms?” Danyella asks.
I spin around, “Danyella. You have more authority over these women than anyone. Besides me, of course. You’re the V.P.’s sister. If any of those whores have a problem with it, you come and find me. All these clothes are the property of the Royal Bastards. Not theirs. Anything with a Royal Bastards MC logo doesn’t belong to them and I’ll put each bitch in their place for giving you a hard time.” Aerial releases a little giggle. “Fuck. I mean shit. I mean damn it. Ah hell, I give up. Aerial, I swear. I try not to but sometimes it happens.”
“It’s OK, Monica. My mama told me that sometimes people have to swear in order to get their point across. Or when they’re really frustrated.” Aerial smiles.
“Your mama sounds like a smart woman.” I return her smile.
“She is. She’s the best.” Aerial turns her little face to Danyella. “Am I going to see her again?”
“Yeah, baby. You will real soon. Once Capone and the rest of the Royal Bastards get back, they’ll help you ladies find your families.” Danyella runs a hand down Aerial’s face, soothing the stress lines away. “I promise. And for some reason we don’t find your mama,” Danyella bends down so she’s looking directly at Aerial. “You will stay with me until we can find her. Does that sound like a deal?”
Royal Bastards MC: Blayze's Inferno Los Angeles Chapter Page 10
