by London Casey
“She was serving drinks?” Jasper asked.
“Yeah,” Trent said. “Then things went to hell… because of Duke…”
There were a few seconds of silence again and then Trent took out his gun. “Before anything happens…”
That’s all I heard.
Because someone was then behind me… a hand around my body and a hand around my mouth.
nine.
(trent)
Kye grabbed Harlee and I seriously considered shooting Kye. I pictured a bullet blasting through his fucking head for touching her. She tried to scream and kick, her eyes wide as she stared at me, wanting me to help her.
But that’s not how it was going to work.
“You said you were going to kill her,” Trev said to me. “Now she’s here.”
“Wait a fucking minute,” Duke said. “Tell me she was the one…”
“Duke, go get a beer,” Trev said. “You, Max, and Hudson. Right now.”
Duke said something under his breath but Max and Hudson grabbed him to get him away. I knew me and Duke weren’t done yet.
“Kye, take her inside,” Trev said. “Put her in Trent’s room. This is going to be his problem and he will fix it.”
My heart sank a little as Kye carried Harlee away. She continued to kick and tried to scream. I wanted to tell her to just calm the fuck down. It was up to me to kill her and I wasn’t going to do it. I had my reasons, right or wrong.
“Tell me she’s the one,” Trev said.
I slowly put my gun away. “Yeah. She’s the one. I watched her pour the poison into Duke’s glass. Then she dropped the little bottle down a drain.”
“And she’s still alive?” Jasper asked.
“Do you want to know what happened?” I asked. “Or are you two going to fucking assume and accuse me of something?”
I was livid. The monster inside me was stirring. It was pissed that it only got a little bit of fun fighting all those rich businessmen. The monster wanted more. Not to mention another side of the monster wanted Harlee.
“We’re listening,” Trev said. “I’ll shut my mouth for a few minutes to hear this. Because it has to be good, Trent. That woman was going to kill a table member of this MC. And you’re supposed to be a monster. A ruthless fucking outlaw who would kill anyone at anytime for any reason.”
I turned and face the President of the club. My eyes were wide. He was fucking with me. He was tempting me. He wanted me to snap.
I inched closer to Trev, almost going nose to nose with him. “The truth… yeah, I didn’t kill her right away, did I? I let her live. Before I could get anything out of her, something happened with Duke. He lost his damn mind and started fighting people. I went to his rescue because The Hell Five were the ones guarding the outside of the building. They came rushing in with machine guns and I took off, saving Duke.”
“And saving that bitch,” Jasper said.
I turned and thought about hitting Jasper. Instead, I nodded. “That’s right. I saved her. Want to know why?”
“I think that’s why we’re standing here,” Trev said.
“She’s not a trained killer,” I said. “I watched the way she moved.”
“Hell, who wouldn’t?” Jasper asked. “I wouldn’t mind bending her over a table…”
I stepped back and leaned against a railing. I folded my arms. “Let me know when you’re done.”
“Sorry,” Jasper said. “I’m just saying… she’s not bad looking at all.”
“That’s not why she’s alive,” I said.
I knew some of that was a complete lie.
“Then why is she alive?” Trev asked.
“First off, Duke lost it,” I said. “I had to make sure he didn’t end up dead for real. That’s part of the reason. The other part? She’s not a goddamn killer, Prez. She was forced into this from Night Soul. They’re expecting Duke to be dead and Harlee to be back at their clubhouse.”
“Harlee?” Trev asked.
“That’s her name.”
“You got the name,” Jasper said. “Good for you.”
“Listen to me,” I said. “She knows the monster, okay? I had her. She watched what I did to protect Duke. My point here is that we have someone who could help us with Night Soul. We have what they want. We have Duke, alive. We have their so-called assassin, alive. It’s going to fucking drive them crazy to think how bad they fucked up here.”
I looked at Trev. He looked at Jasper, then at me. “So you think she knows something?”
“Depending on how long she was with the MC,” I said. “I didn’t get that far with her before Duke went crazy.”
“So she’s here now,” Jasper said.
“Yes,” I said. “Right now, the entire game over there is busted up. Guys are beaten up but nobody was killed. The Hell Five have a mess to clean up. And then Night Soul will be waiting for Harlee to go back to them. We’ve got the upper hand on this now. I’m not trying to step out of line here with anything but we have always acted harsh and what did it get us? So maybe now we can be strategic.”
“The monster,” Trev said. “Talking beyond the violence and blood. That’s not like you.”
I looked at Trev. “I’m tired of watching scumbags trying to kill my brothers and kill my new President. We just got rid of Ripper after a long road of lies. If I killed Harlee, what would it do? Nothing. It would piss off Night Soul and they’d be right back at us again. But now, we have the brains behind it. We knew about the gambling. We knew about the hit on Duke. We stopped it, trashed the place, and took the woman they sent to kill Duke. Plus, here’s the million dollar question… what else does she know?”
That got Jasper’s full attention. He grabbed for his knife. “I can make her talk.”
“Any of us can,” Trev said. He grabbed my shoulder. “You think she trusts you?”
“I made it very clear to her there are two options in this situation. Either she tells me what I want to know or she takes a bullet to the head. I’d call that a good foundation for trust.”
“You think you can actually pull the trigger on her?” Jasper asked me.
I reached for my gun with a grin on my face. Then I made my move to solidify who I was and to end whatever bullshit everyone thought about me right then.
I grabbed the blade of Jasper’s knife and squeezed, feeling my skin slice open. He looked down and I released my hold. I grabbed his shirt, leaving my blood on it, and then I put my gun under his chin.
“I can pull this trigger on anyone, VP,” I said.
I felt something touch the back of my skull. “Stand the fuck down, Trent.”
It was Trev and he had his gun to my head.
I gave my gun a little jam up against Jasper’s jaw. He stepped back and ripped my wrist away and put his knife to my throat. We were all a little crazy in the head but that’s what made us so good at what we did.
“I’ll slit your throat,” Jasper whispered.
“Good,” I said. “Bring it on, brother.”
“I’ll fucking shoot both of you,” Trev said. He pulled me away from Jasper. His gun was then at my chest, right at my heart. “I want you inside and find Harlee. You get your time with her to see what she comes up with. If I don’t get what I want, Trent, I’m taking her.”
“You have a pregnant old lady, Prez,” I said.
“I’m not looking for a fuck.”
“Hey,” I said. “If she doesn’t give us what we want, I’ll take care of it.”
“You were supposed to do that already,” Trev said. “You’re moving into an outlaw mindset.” He rubbed the barrel of his gun against my Back Down Devil MC patch. “You want to give up that patch and run on your own?”
“If I wanted that, I’d be gone,” I said.
I walked away from Trev and Jasper. I looked at my hand, blood on it. The cut wasn’t deep. It would heal. That’s just how things went. Either you healed up or you bled out and died.
I went into the clubhouse and stepped up between
Cash and Austin at the bar. I lifted two fingers for two beers.
“Heard you brought us all a present,” Cash said.
“Yeah, right.”
“At least Duke is alive,” Austin said.
“We’re going to bury those assholes in Night Soul,” Cash said.
“Think about it,” I said, feeling irritated as shit. “They were promised something. Probably paid for it too. This isn’t going to slip away.”
“Exactly why I said we’re going to bury them,” Cash said. “Anything Ripper dealt with needs to get buried.”
“You’re going to take on the big families too?” Austin asked.
“I’ll take on anyone,” Cash said.
I got my two beers and shook my head. “You two work this out. I have someone to interrogate.”
“You going to show her the monster?” Austin asked.
“Hopefully the right one,” Cash said. He winked and pointed between his legs.
I walked away, not in the mood for jokes.
When I got to my door, Xavier and Kye were inside with two prospects outside the room. Kye had Harlee tied to a chair and stood next to her with a gun in his hand. Xavier leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking bored.
“Was this necessary?” I asked.
“You never know,” Kye said. “She tried to kill a brother. She’s lucky she’s alive.”
“Okay, everyone get out,” I said.
“What are you going to do?” Xavier asked.
“Take care of things,” I said. “Go talk to Jasper and Trev if you need to. She’s all mine right now. So fuck off.”
Kye bent down and looked at Harlee. “It was fun hanging out. See you on the other side of hell.”
I squeezed the beer bottles tight. Man, I wanted to rock one of them off the bridge of Kye’s nose and watch him writhe in pain. But the truth was that he and Xaiver - and the rest of the goddamn MC - were all right. If I hadn’t gotten to the game when I did, Harlee would have served that glass of whiskey to Duke and he’d be dead right now.
The door shut behind me and I looked at Harlee. I tossed the two beers to the bed. I heard a noise behind me and turned, ripping open the door.
The two prospects were still standing there. They were young, in black t-shirts with their all black leather cuts on. They had earrings, tattoos, and tried so hard to look cool and fit the fuck in. They had no idea the decision they had made.
“Get out of here,” I said.
“We were told to stay,” one said.
I gritted my teeth. “Did you just talk back to me?”
“We’re doing what we were told,” the other said.
I nodded. “Doing what you’re told.” I grabbed my gun and put three rounds across the hall into a wall. Inches from the prospects. “Want to talk back again?”
One of them grabbed their left ear and bent over, yelling. I wasn’t sure if I tagged him or it was just the thundering sound.
“Do I have to say it again?” I asked.
The two prospects hurried away.
I slammed the door and put my gun on the dresser.
“Are you always like that?” Harlee asked.
“Like what?”
“Abrasive.”
“They call me the monster for a reason, darling,” I said. I pointed to the gun. “Now… I don’t plan on using that… but I would like to.”
I walked around the bed and right to Harlee. I towered over her. She looked up at me and I fought to not be captivated by her eyes and natural beauty. The worst part of it was that she wasn’t trying to use her looks or body to get out of this. That made it even more tempting.
“The President and VP want you dead,” I said. “I should have killed you. I was supposed to do it. But then shit got crazy. Now you’re here. I need to know everything, darling.”
“Fine,” she said. “Whatever you want.”
“That easy?” I asked.
“I’m the one tied up.”
“Yes you are.”
I reached forward and touched her chin. I tilted her head back all the way. I felt her exhale a shaky breath through her nose, the air hitting my hand. I started to draw a line along her jawbone, my mind wanting to know what the fuck I was thinking, and she winced and pulled away.
“Sorry,” she whispered. She swallowed hard. “That hurts.”
I put my finger back to the same spot and felt a little lump. “Turn your head.”
She did and I noticed a small bruise.
When our eyes met again, I curled my lip. “Who?”
“Daxton,” she said.
“Jesus Christ,” I said. “You’re Daxton’s old lady?”
“No,” she said. Her hands jumped, pulling at the rope. “No. I’m not anyone’s old lady. No. I hate Daxton. He was… it was a mistake.”
“He hurt you. What did he do and why?”
Fuck, Trent, what does this have to do with Night Soul trying to kill Duke?
“It’s Daxton,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve met him.”
“I asked you a question.”
“He grabbed my face, okay? I had bags packed to get out of the clubhouse. I wanted out of it all. I never meant to get as close as I did. I had helped them out with some stuff.”
“Killing people?”
“I’ve never killed anyone, Trent. I swear on my life.”
The way she said my name and the way she begged made my dick throb. I felt myself thickening, pressing against my jeans. Yet I still stood there, even though it was becoming obvious that my other monster wanted its own attention.
“If you tried to leave how did you end up at that gambling thing?”
“Rocco and Gunner made me,” I said. “Gunner pulled me into the room. Their main room I guess. They have everyone on the wall.”
“What do you mean?”
“All your pictures.”
“So that’s how you knew me,” I said. “When I grabbed you, you didn’t go all that crazy. You looked at me like you had seen me before.”
Harlee nodded. “They had the pictures in order of everyone.”
Her bottom lip started to quiver. She blinked fast like she was about to start crying. I couldn’t give in and give a damn though. If she needed to cry, then cry. If she needed to piss herself, then she could piss herself.
“So they told you to poison Duke,” I said. “They gave you the poison. Said to pour it into his drink.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Then what?”
“Then go back to them. I don’t know from there…” She turned her head. “I never wanted this. I’m not a killer. I don’t want to get hurt.”
“Look at me, darling,” I said.
Harlee did and I saw how glossy her eyes were. “I don’t want to die, Trent.”
I wasn’t going to tell her she wasn’t going to die because that was a lie. I had to keep the fear and get everything out of her. Because if I didn’t, the other guys would. They’d do it by any means necessary with death as a bonus at the end of it all.
A tear fell from Harlee’s eye and ran down her cheek.
I thought about wiping the tear away but I held back.
Instead, I reached down and put my hand to hers. She wrestled with the rope and turned her hand to grab at mine.
“Are you really a monster?” she whispered.
Stop tempting me, darling, or you’ll meet the monster.
Before I could respond to Harlee’s question, the door to my room exploded open.
I turned and saw a gun.
**
“You motherfucker,” Duke growled as he swung his gun at me.
Whatever he had been drinking worked to my benefit and against his own. He missed me by a mile and stumbled to the left. I quickly shoved him into the corner of the wall where he hit with a hard thud. I lifted my foot and kicked, slamming his hand to the wall making it so he dropped the gun. I kicked the gun out of the way and then grabbed Duke by the shoulder.
“What are yo
u doing?” I asked.
Duke swung with the back of his hand and got me in the jaw. He turned and swung a left fist and it was nothing short of getting hit with a brick to my cheek. I felt my neck crack as it turned and I instantly tasted blood.
Duke was in war mode and wanted to kill his enemy. I watched the way he looked at Harlee and he had her pegged as the enemy. Again, I totally understood it. She had been sent to kill him and she had come within a minute of actually doing so.
As Duke jumped over my bed, I tried to grab for him but missed him. Harlee let out a wild scream, kicking and pulling at the rope around her wrists. Not that she would stand a chance against Duke to begin with but having her tied up and unable to try and defend herself made it all that much worse.
I saw Duke bring his fist back.
My eyes went wide.
The guy could blackout all he wanted. He could get angry. He could want to fight. But if he thought for a second he was going to hit a woman, fuck him.
I raced around the bed and hooked my right arm to his arm and twisted, taking him down. He crashed to the nightstand, knocking a lamp over. It shattered. The nightstand fell over, a drawer opening, leaving a spilled mess of bullets and condoms.
All part of the life, my friends. All part of the life.
I took a swing at Duke’s face with my left hand but had a bad angle. He growled and grabbed my shirt.
“She tried to kill me!” he yelled.
“She was forced to try!” I yelled back. “I saved your ass.”
I pulled Duke up to his feet and slammed him against the wall. He moved fast - trained like an assassin - and rammed both of his palms into my chest. I left my feet for a split second and crashed into the chair and sent Harlee to her side. As I turned, I saw the left side of her body hit the floor. I dropped down and grabbed for her.
“Are you okay?”
I felt a hand grab my neck and pull.
I threw an elbow back and hit Duke in the gut.
Just like that we were tangled right back up, going across the bedroom into another wall.
Finally, help started to arrive.
Jasper, Kye, Xavier, and Tristan came charging into the room. Two grabbed me, two grabbed Duke. He was still trying to get at me as I just stood there.
