“That would be good,” Alice said as she left the room to collect Rose and take her home.
Blaze didn’t want to bother Eli with the news that night. It could wait. Let him have a good night with Lexi. Besides, the cops won’t get involved if it has to do with motorcycle gang deaths.
Blaze walked behind the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey. Maybe I’ll make that two, he thought.
****
Eli and Lexi lay in each other’s arms after making love in the shower and again in the bed. Both were awake even though it was after midnight.
“What would you say to moving in together?” Eli asked.
Lexi turned to look at him.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m more than sure,” Eli said. “The question is--are you?”
“When you said ‘I love you’ on the phone earlier, did you mean it?” Lexi asked.
“I did mean it. I love you and I don’t want to lose you.”
Lexi smiled. “I love you too and you don’t ever have to worry about losing me.”
Eli pulled her close. For the first time in a very long time, everything felt right.
******
Bonus Book
The Wretched
By
Camilla Isles
Chapter One
The gazebo located in the outdoor garden area of The Copper Door restaurant was decorated with pink, red, and white carnations. Green vines wrapped around the railings and small twinkling lights hung from the gazebo’s roof. Inside the gazebo were the bride and groom flanked by their wedding party.
It had been six months since Lexi and Eli, President of the Keepers of Bedlam Motorcycle Club moved in together. They fell deeper in love and decided a wedding was in order, especially since she was five months pregnant. Raul, the cook at The Copper Door and Lexi’s friend and co-worker walked her down the aisle. Blaze, Eli’s VP in the KOBMC was his best man, while Alice, Blaze’s old lady, stood up with Lexi as her matron of honor.
The rest of the club attended along with friends in the community that felt the KOBMC was an asset to the small town of Carmel. Not everyone felt this way however. The KOBMC dealt in stolen goods, yet the small town police department took a blind eye. They didn’t have the manpower to police the club. Besides, the club contributed to children’s charities and so it rather evened it out. At least that’s what the police and townspeople told themselves.
Lexi remained the manager at The Copper Door, not willing to sever all ties to her past life, at least not yet. She loved Raul and his family, and feared her company might send someone with an iron fist to take over. So she kept working, although once the baby came she’d have to make a tough decision on whether to keep working or not.
Eli had never been happier. The last six months were a dream come true. He had the woman he loved, she was pregnant, and he was getting married. Before he met Lexi, Eli drifted; he had no center, no purpose. But the moment she came into his life everything changed. When he met Lexi, he and the club were going through a tumultuous time. The club lost several members due to secrets and lies. Their deaths and the deaths in a rival gang almost brought the club to its knees. Yet, they were able to rebuild and continue, becoming stronger than before.
Rose and Dog sat in the second row watching the wedding proceedings. They held hands and had become a couple in the last six months. Rose, wounded by a rival gang, who carved their signature on her face, had undergone skin grafting to help cover the scars. Four surgeries had almost erased the deep cuts, but not entirely. However, Rose was an expert at applying makeup, and she could bury any lingering effects under foundation and powder.
Rose had killed the man responsible for her wounds along with three others in his gang, the Hell Hounds. Zane, the President of the HH was a ruthless bastard, but he had no idea a petite girl like Rose would be his downfall. He messed with the wrong bitch. Since then the HH had disbanded, the remaining members scattered without a trace. Now the KOBMC could operate without the worry of the HH attempting to invade their territory.
Today was a celebration, for Lexi and Eli. They had survived and came out the other side with a new love and appreciation for one another. They weren’t sure what the future held, but whatever it was, they planned to face it together. What they didn’t know that day was there were more tragedies and heartache to come. So the question was, would their love be strong enough to handle the uncertainties life was about to hurl at them?
****
The reception was held in The Copper Door restaurant. The event was closed to the public and Lexi hired another chef to come in and cook so Raul and his family could partake in the festivities. Since it was a steak restaurant, everyone was served steak or fish if they preferred. It was a more upscale event than the MC was use to, and they didn’t dress up. Cuts, jeans and leather jackets was the normal dress code and it wasn’t about to change for a wedding, even for the President of the club.
The alcohol flowed and the club and regulars from Chancey’s Tavern, which the club owned, took to the dance floor and showed a few special moves of their own. The ones looking on laughed and everyone was having a good time.
Since Lexi was pregnant, Alice brought her a bottle of sparkling cider to drink.
“So, how does it feel to be married?” Alice asked Lexi.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Lexi laughed. “I’m still not convinced I’m pregnant. Maybe I’ve just gained a lot of weight!”
“No hon, you’re pregnant alright. It will be nice to have a little one at the club. Maybe the guys will tone it down a bit with a youngun around.”
“I don’t see that happening,” Lexi replied with a smile.
While Lexi loved the club members and the old ladies, it still felt foreign to her. She told herself she’d get use to it eventually and maybe now she was married to Eli, it would become easier. She hoped so. She didn’t want this odd feeling to linger. Fortunately, since the Hell Hounds disbanded and things had gotten quiet over the last six months, she was sure that she could get accustomed to club life.
She and the other old ladies, especially Alice who was 20 years older than her, had become close. Even she and Rose were on friendly terms after a rocky start.
Rose and Dog danced to a slow dance and Lexi watched them. She leaned over to Alice and asked, “So do you think there’s another wedding for the club in the near future?”
Alice looked in the direction of Rose and Dog and said, “Could be, but Dog doesn’t move very fast, much to Rose’s dismay. They seem to be on the right track though. As far as I know Rose has kept herself exclusive to Dog, so that’s something.”
Rose had been the club’s go to pussy girl for a year, but when she was wounded by the Hell Hounds, things changed. Dog became the person who was at her side during the surgeries and Rose was grateful. Things were looking up for the couple and they held each other close as they slow danced.
It was the quiet before the storm. Lexi, Eli and the club members would look back on this day and remember how happy they were before the chaos took over.
Chapter Two
Eli and Lexi decided to postpone their honeymoon until after the baby was born. Besides, Eli was working with a new supplier and didn’t want to be gone too long while breaking them in. Lexi’s job at The Copper Door was going smoothly and Eli was grateful for that, being she was pregnant and didn’t want to quit. He had come to terms with his father’s death and secret that almost tore the club apart. He could look forward to the future with his new wife and the birth of his child. Then the call came. It was Lexi.
“Eli, meet me at the hospital.”
“What’s wrong?” Eli’s first thought was the baby and his chest tightened.
“It’s Raul. Please hurry!”
Lexi sounded upset and Eli was concerned for her first. “I’ll be right there.”
Lexi met Eli in the hospital lobby.
“What’s going on?” He asked.
“Raul inter
rupted intruders in his home last night. Thankfully Maria was away visiting their two daughters in college, but Raul was beaten pretty badly.”
“Has he said who did this--did he recognize them?”
“He told the police no, he didn’t know them, but he told me something different. He asked Maria and his daughters to go get him some coffee from one of his favorite downtown businesses so we could be alone. Once they were gone, he told me that he had seen one of the men before. There were three of them. Two he’d never seen, but the other looked just like Zane.”
“That’s impossible, Zane is dead,” Eli replied shaking his head.
“He knows that Eli, but he said the man had the same appearance and talked like Zane. Raul said the man was bigger though, huskier and taller than Zane. He also wore dog tags. Did Zane have a brother?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah he did. Last I heard he had done a few tours in Iraq.” Eli was beginning to think Raul hadn’t seen a ghost. “I hadn’t heard he was back, but then I don’t keep up on their comings and goings.”
“Well, this guy told Raul that if he didn’t get out of town, his wife and daughters would be raped and slaughtered. It’s like some kind of racist garbage.”
Eli had heard of home break-ins in Marshall the next town over and home to the old Hell Hounds Motorcycle Club, but as long as it didn’t venture into Carmel he hadn’t given it too much thought. But now it had hit one of their dear friends. Lexi was close with Raul and his family, and this was devastating news to her.
“Raul has talked about having his wife go with his daughters back to college. They rent an apartment together and Maria can stay with them for awhile until this gets worked out.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I don’t want you stressing about this okay, you’ve got to think about the baby. I’ll get some feelers out and we’ll find out who’s behind this.”
Eli always made Lexi feel better, even in the midst of turmoil. She kissed him gently and pulled him close. The baby bump had grown and Eli loved how the baby felt next to him when he hugged Lexi.
“Now, I want you and Junior to go to the Tavern. I’ll meet you there later after I talk to Raul,” Eli said as he patted her belly.
After Eli walked Lexi to her car, he headed up to Raul’s room. Raul was sitting upright in the hospital bed, his head bandaged and right arm in a cast. He also wore bandages around his waist from the broken ribs he received.
“Raul, how ya doing buddy,” Eli asked as he entered the hospital room.
“I’ve been better. Eli, did Lexi tell you what I told her about the men in my home?”
“Yes she did. So you believe the main guy looked like Zane huh?”
“Very much so. Only bigger, more muscular. I saw dog tags around his neck so I think he must have just gotten out of the service.”
“Yeah, sounds like it.”
“Eli, I’m frightened for my family. They made threats.”
“Yes, Lexi told me. I think it’s a good idea to send Maria away for a bit until we can figure this out. Once you get out of the hospital I want you to come stay at the club in the Tavern where you’ll be safe.”
“Thanks Eli, I appreciate that.”
“You’re like family Raul--I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“You know, that Zane look-alike wanted to make it seem racially motivated, calling me and my family names, but I think there’s more to it.”
“Oh, I’m positive there’s more to it,” Eli said. If this was Zane’s brother come back from the service, he was sure the guy was after revenge. But why start with break-ins? Time for a church meeting.
****
Eli assembled the club members for a church meeting. Their meeting area was a room within the Chancey’s Tavern that the club owned. Blaze, Eli’s VP sat at his right. Laser, Journey, Dog and 7 others sat at the table. Eli filled them in on Raul and what appeared to be Zane’s brother.
“Fuck, I thought we’d read the last chapter on the Hell Hounds,” Blaze said.
“Yeah, well apparently not,” Laser replied.
“Do you think he’s trying to build the old Hell Hounds club up again?” Dog asked.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Eli said. “Committing break-ins is strange though. I mean if you’re trying to build a club reputation, why start out as common thieves?”
“It sounds more like a gang than an MC, “Blaze said. “You say Zane’s brother is a war vet?”
“Raul saw the dog tags, and I made some calls before the meeting and sure enough his brother just got discharged two months ago.”
“Does anyone know the bastard’s name?” Blaze asked.
“It’s Zach,” Eli answered. “If he’s building a gang, pretty soon we’ll be a fucking target. Once he’s got the manpower he’ll come gunning for us for retaliation for his brother’s death.”
“Do you think Rose needs extra protection?” Dog asked.
“We can put a prospect with her at all times, but I doubt the Hounds would ever believe Rose was behind the shooting. Even if they did believe it, I doubt they’d want it out there that a little girl took down the President and VP of their club,” Eli said.
“True,” Dog said. “I just want to keep her safe.”
“I don’t blame you Dog. Like I said, we can have one of the prospects with her when she’s not at the club.”
“Okay,” Dog answered. “She may not like it but I’ll have a talk with her.”
“So, back to the regrouping of the Hounds. What are we going to do?” Blaze asked.
“We’re going to pay Zach a little visit,” Eli answered.
Chapter Three
Zack returned from his tour of duty disillusioned. Even the old saying ‘war is hell’ doesn’t seem to convey the true horrors of the experience. Watching men you’ve come to love like brothers having limbs blown off from a land mine or shot to death by sniper fire tends to turn your sensitive barometer way down. The only way Zach felt he could get through his second tour was to desensitize or else he’d go crazy. He put his life on the line many times for his fellow comrades, and would have died for them as many died for him. But eventually, amid all the chaos of death and destruction, something clicked. Many veterans come back and seek help for PTSD, and others are able to work through it on their own. But Zack didn’t want help, as he didn’t think he needed it. His turn into the darkness came not from the ravages of war, but when he received the news from home that his brother was dead.
He and his brother Zane were close. He looked after him when his father took off when they were still in grade school. Zach became the man of the house then at the tender age of 11. Zane was eight and his mother had to work two jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Since she wasn’t home much, Zach cooked meals, helped his brother with homework and tucked him in at night.
But as the two brothers aged, Zane took with the wrong crowd. As much as Zach tried to steer him the other way, the more Zane rebelled. Eventually Zach gave up. He wasn’t Zane’s father and the responsibility was wearing on him. Since the recession had hit the area, jobs were scarce, so Zach decided to join the army with its promise of a huge sign up bonus. At least he’d be making a monthly paycheck, of course that meant also being shot at. Zach didn’t join the army out of a sense of duty; it was more of an escape and a way to make a wage.
Yet, he hadn’t counted on how the war would change him. You can only see so much violence before it no longer affects you. Emotions turn cold as a survival mechanism kicks in. Or maybe it was already in Zach and it took surviving a war to bring it to the surface. His brother Zane had turned cold, and he never saw a day of combat. But hearing about his brother’s death was the last piece of the puzzle emerging from Zach’s inner being. He turned a corner, and once he did, there was no going back.
Once he was discharged, four months after his brother’s death, Zach looked up some of Zane’s old gang. He was told from the remaining members of the Hell Hounds that it was believed Zach a
nd the other three men were killed out of retaliation for the murder of the KOBMC’s VP. Of course, they neglected to tell him of the butchering of Rose, not that it would have mattered much to Zach at this point.
So Zach decided to work slowly, build up his own gang until they were strong enough to take on the KOBMC. In the meantime, they needed funding, so since the police department was full of lame asses, why not take from the rich in home invasions. Most of the burglaries were done when occupants weren’t at home, but a few, including Raul’s, ended up with people inside. They always wore masks so identities weren’t a problem, but Zach wanted to make a statement. Killing might bring unwanted heat from other sources into the mix, so instead they cracked skulls, instilling fear into the community.
Deceived Page 9
