Heart Of Steel (Satan's Savages MC #1)

by K E Osborn

I glance around, I can’t see Knucklehead at the bar. In fact, no one is at the bar. It’s actually just chaos in here. I walk through to the back of the clubroom toward the hall where it’s less packed looking through the sea of people for Steel.

  My head is a muddled mess, I have no idea what’s going on and why everyone seems so frightened. I go to pull out my phone when I notice the sign above me flashing in neon lights. I glance up to read ‘Chop Shop’ and below it an opening with stairs leading down to a basement. Figuring it will be quieter in there to make a phone call to Steel, to see where he is and to find out what the hell is going on. I tread down the solid black steps and down the dark hall to open the door. The room is dark, so I close the door behind me and then walk around the small bend. Suddenly, I stop on the spot and gasp looking at a man strapped to a chair, naked, covered in blood and Chops leaning over him with headphones on slicing a layer of the man’s thigh and peeling the skin back to reveal the muscle. The man is out cold. Luckily. But the sight of the flesh and the smell churns my stomach. I’m frozen to the spot in fear at what I’m seeing. My heart lurches into my throat as my stomach turns on itself and twists so violently the bile hurtles up my throat and expels out of my mouth all over the floor.

  Gasping for air and gaining Chop’s attention, a wave of panic washes over me engulfing my entire body in a flaming hot inferno. Chops glares at me, and then his lips turn up into a salacious grin. My flight instinct kicks in and I turn, my feet fumbling as my body doesn’t react how I want it to. I’m unsteady on my feet, but I manage to start running toward the stairs, but his tight grip on my shoulder spins me around placing me slightly off balance. We look at each other for the briefest of seconds before my time in the gym with Steel flashes into my mind. My knee comes up between his legs and I thrust it hard into his groin. He moans out in pain and bends over as he lets me go.

  “Help!” I yell out turning back around and starting to run again, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me to the ground. I fall flat on my stomach knocking the wind from my lungs. My forehead smacks on the concrete, and the sudden pain radiating through my skull is immense as everything starts to spin. My body flips over on the ground and Chops is abruptly over the top straddling me. My vision is foggy as two of him comes into view. I feel sick. My heart pounds ferociously and my body is shaking so much it’s as if I’m freezing cold but, in reality, I’m burning up.

  “You’ve seen too much, Flame. This means I finally get to take care of you.”

  My vision starts to right itself and his harsh stare sends a shockwave right through me. I move my body against his trying to shake him off me, but nothing’s working. He’s just too heavy. His face comes close to mine, and he runs his nose along my cheek sniffing me.

  “You smell so good, Flame. I’m going to enjoy this.”

  My eyes sting with red hot tears as I struggle against him even more. He straightens up as his nose comes into my sight. I need to take action now while I can, so I struggle to get my hand free from his grip and bring it up forcefully smashing my palm up into his nose. The crunch echoes through the room as blood pours out of him and all over me while he hunches over moaning and cussing. I push him off me and fumble my way up as he rolls around on the floor. Running toward the door with every ounce of strength I have left, I start to climb the stairs.

  “I’m going to fucking kill you, you little fucking cunt.” His voice isn’t far behind me as I bolt toward the door screaming with tears falling from my ears hoping and praying for Steel to rescue me from this nightmare.

  “Hey Steel, Willow’s here,” Crash calls out as he walks past me.

  I furrow my brows and look around the clubhouse. “Shit, thank God. Where is she then?”

  “Dunno, I’ve been on the gate. Someone in here might know, though. Ask around.”

  “Thanks, Crash.” Rushing around, I can’t see her anywhere so I check my bedroom. Nope, not there either.

  Confused, I make my way back to the clubroom and stand by the hall looking out into the crowd. Hammer’s family are sitting right by me. I figure I may as well ask around, there're not many redheads walking around in here, maybe they’ve seen her. “Excuse me. Have any of you seen a cute little redhead in here?”

  “Oh, yeah! She went down there about ten minutes ago.” The older lady points to the Chop Shop staircase and my heart drops to the bottom of my chest.

  “Fuck! Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks.” I don’t hesitate and run right down the staircase. If Willow walked in on Chops, he would stop at nothing to kill her for seeing too much. The door opens just as I arrive at it. Willow’s terrified, tear-filled and bloodstained face greets me, and my heart stops in my chest. I lunge forward and take her in my arms as she cries hard. Her body goes limp when I catch her and Chops isn’t far behind cussing with blood pissing out of his nose. Moving Willow behind me to shelter her from Chops, my anger bubbles to the surface that he’s touched her again, let alone hurt her.

  “What have you done?” I ask through gritted teeth.

  He stumbles up to the stairs and shakes his head. “She’s seen too much, Steel.”

  My chest tightens and my heart races frantically. I know what this means. I know what happens when Chops gets like this. Turning, I look at Willow and she’s cowering as her entire body shakes uncontrollably while her face floods with tears. She’s looking at me furrowing her brows, her lips trembling from fear as a trickle of blood runs down her forehead. I hate seeing her like this.

  “Are you badly hurt?” I ask and she shakes her head. “Did he touch you sexually?” She shakes her head again, and I close my eyes taking a deep, steadying breath in relief. “I’ll handle this Chops. She won’t say anythin’.”

  “She’s a flight risk and a goody-two-shoes, Steel. She cannot stay alive.” He lunges forward and I punch him in his bloody nose, the crack resounding through the room as he moans and falls to his knees grabbing at his broken snout.

  “Leave her the fuck alone! Or I’ll send you out of here in a box myself. You got me? You. Do. Not. Touch. Her. Ever!”

  He looks up at me and smirks. “She’s a liability Steel, and you know it. She will be dead, you can count on it. I will see to it myself, no matter what Mad Dog says.”

  I huff and grab Willow’s hand turning and racing with her up the stairs and into the clubroom. She’s trembling. I know what she saw in there will haunt her for the rest of her life. But I need to protect her now. Not just from the Cartel, but more importantly from fucking Chops. I know him. Once he thinks someone’s a threat, he won’t stop till the threat is eliminated. I need to protect her, and I can only think of one way to achieve that goal.

  Everyone in the clubroom looks at Willow as I drag her through the crowd and into the assembly room. She’s still shaking. My blood is boiling, my palms are sweating, my pulse is racing and I’m ready to kill Chops myself for laying a finger on her. Slamming the assembly room door shut, I pull her to me as she’s still visibly shaken.

  “What the hell were you thinkin’ goin’ down there?” I pull back and look at her. Her eyes are glassy. I bring my hand up to caress her cheek.

  “I didn’t know what it was. I was just looking for you. It was terrible and terrifying Dylan.”

  She doesn’t often call me Dylan, so I know she’s in a state when she’s using my real name. I pull her back to me and hold her as tightly as humanly possible without hurting her.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  She pulls back and shakes her head. “No, it won’t. If you’re a part of that, if you know what’s going on down in that room, then you’re guilty by association. I can’t be with someone who enjoys stuff like that!”

  Shaking my head, I take a deep breath. “Babe, I don’t enjoy that. I hate the Chop Shop and detest the torture and the violence the club brings with it. But I’ve made a decision, and I’m hoping you go along with it. Because really, it could be the only thing to save your life right now.”

&
nbsp; Her eyes open wide and she bites her bottom lip. “Chops really wants to kill me?”

  Nodding my head, she staggers out a stuttered breath. “Come with me.” I grab her hand and drag her out of the assembly room before she has another chance to talk. Making my way through the clubhouse, I drag her outside to the burning tree where Dad is getting ready for the ceremony.

  Dad notices Willow and shakes his head. “What the fuck happened here?”

  “Dad, I don’t have time to explain. Just listen.”

  Dad nods and furrows his brows crossing his arms over his chest in a defiant stance.

  “Flame walked into the chop shop and saw too much. Chops wants blood. I have to take Willow and go.”

  Dad exhales and looks down at the ground running his hand through his beard as Willow stiffens next to me.

  “What? Go where?” Willow asks.

  “Anywhere but here, babe. Chops won’t stop till you’re either so far out of the picture he forgets about you, or you’re dead. This is the only way. We have to leave. Now,” I say and she furrows her brows and shakes her head.

  “But my job? My parents?” Her eyes water and I pull her to me in an embrace.

  “I’m sorry. But to keep you alive we have to leave this all behind.”

  “Fuck kid. You wanna leave the club? For her?” Dad asks and I look at him to see his eyes glistening. It makes my chest hurt.

  “I’ll go nomad, or go to another chapter. But the guys can’t know where we’ve gone. Chops can never find us.”

  “Can’t you just find her a place, and you come back to the club?” Dad asks. Willow tenses looking at me, a tear rolling down her beautiful pink cheek. Looking at her eyes, I half smile wiping her tears away. My heart pounds and I shake my head slightly.

  “I love her, Dad.”

  Dad huffs as Willow gasps. “You do?” she asks with a slight smile.

  I nod. “Yeah… I do.”

  She smiles and the sight is like a ray of heaven. “I love you, too,” she says with a sniff. I smile brightly as Dad groans and exhales loudly.

  “Fuck!” He leans forward and I think he’s going to hit me, but instead he pulls me to him in a tight embrace and a back slap. “I hope you fucking know what you’re doing, kid?”

  I pull back from him slapping his back and nod. “I have to keep her away from Chops, Dad. You know that as well as I do.”

  He exhales and nods as his eyes mist up with unshed tears. “I know. I’ve known Chops all my life. Once he has someone’s demise on his mind, he’ll stop at nothing to see it through. I’ll tell him she’s off limits, but leaving is the right thing. I’ll fucking miss you, kid.”

  I swallow a lump in my throat. “I’ll miss you too, Dad.”

  He pushes my shoulder and tilts his head. “Go, before I change my fucking mind.”

  I smile and nod. “Tell Techie, I’ll miss him.”

  “I will.”

  “Patch in FIM and Doug. They proved their worth. FIM’s road name should be Stealth.”

  “Okay! Now go!”

  Turning, I grab Willow and walk with her as fast as I can looking around the clubhouse for the last time. My chest is aching as my heart thrashes so hard I feel like I want to die. Leaving this place is not something I ever thought would happen, especially leaving without everything and not saying goodbye. I think that’s the hardest part. As I walk past the door and into the compound, I look over at my bike and swallow hard trying to fight back the emotion that’s threatening to overtake me.

  I’m losing so much, but I’m gaining even more by leaving with the woman I love.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? Leave everything behind?” Willow asks as we get to her car. I turn looking back at the clubhouse and take a deep breath.

  “I’m sure, babe.” Getting into her car, we drive back to her place in record time.

  “Can I, at least, tell my parents where we’re going?”

  I shake my head. “No babe. I don’t even know where we’re goin’. For now, no one can know. If no one knows, they can’t be tortured for information.”

  She opens her eyes wide as she unlocks her front door. “He would torture my parents?”

  “I don’t think so. Dad will make sure he lets it go. We’re just leavin’ as a precaution, but we won’t be coming back for the foreseeable future. So grab everythin’ you need, babe.”

  Her bottom lip trembles and she nods walking into the house and into her bedroom pulling out a suitcase. I exhale running my hand through my hair wondering what the fuck I’m going to do for us now. Making my way to the kitchen, I gather food and stuff to take on the road with us. I have no idea where we’re going. So I pack things in plastic bags—all non-cold items.

  Willow’s really quiet and I’ve gathered everything I can for her. I make my way into the bedroom to see if she’s done—she should be by now—because we can only take the essentials with us. Walking into the bedroom, it’s like a bomb has gone off. There’s clothes all over the bed and shoes and handbags scattered all over the floor. Willow is pacing the room holding up two dresses looking from one to the other frantically, and my breath catches at seeing her unravelling.

  “Babe?” I question hesitantly.

  Her head flicks around to me and she exhales and opens her eyes wide and slumps her body like she’s relieved I’m here. “Oh, thank God, I had no idea what one to choose. Dylan, help me. I don’t know what one to bring. I’m trying to be good and only bring what I need, but I can’t decide between these two.” She tightens her jaw and her shoulders tense as she chews on her bottom lip.

  Taking a deep breath at the obvious panic in her face, I step into the room dodging heels and handbags as I make my way over to her. Reaching out for her hand, I touch her softly and she smiles at me, but it’s a fake smile. I can tell.

  “Flame, babe, we need to go. I don’t know where we’re goin’ yet. But I can promise you, you won’t be needin’ either of those dresses there… or half the stuff you’ve packed. Babe, we need essentials, not night time and formal wear.”

  “No, I’m packing for every occasion, because you never know what I might need. I mean we’re not coming back are we. So I need to make sure I have as much of my stuff as possible… I’m preparing for anything.”

  Taking the dresses from her hands, I throw them onto the pile on the bed and take her hands in mine. “Babe, listen. We need essentials. Don’t pack everythin’. We don’t have room—”

  “But it’s my stuff.”

  I exhale and look in her eyes. They’re darting around the room looking at everything and her chest is heaving. I’m losing her, and I need to bring her panic down a notch. “I know babe. But we really need to go. The longer we’re here, the worse it is. Please just let me help you pack what we need and then we can go. All right?”

  She scrunches her brows up and pulls her hands from mine and starts to pace the bedroom floor. Shit!

  “Steel, this is all a bit much don’t you think? I mean you’re taking me to God knows where and for who knows how long, and I don’t even get to pick what I can take with me now?”

  “That’s not what I said, babe—”

  “Oh really? ‘Cause what if I wanted to take this?” She walks over and picks up a candle from her bedside table and shoves it in front of her so I can see it.

  Slumping my body, I grit my teeth. “Willow we don’t need a candle—”

  “See, that’s what I mean. You don’t know what this candle means to me! It was a gift from my grandma… she died… she’s dead… and now I have to leave it behind and the memory of her with it… forever probably. All because you say so.”

  Fuck!

  “Babe, I’m sorry about your grandma—”

  “Are you?”

  Furrowing my brows, I take a step toward her, but she puts the candle down and walks over to her tall boy and picks up a jewelry box. “And this… this was a gift from my friend in high school who died of cancer. I’m guessing I can’t take this
with me either. Can I biker boy?”

  Slumping my shoulders, I walk up to her feeling like absolute fucking shit. I’m the cause of this meltdown. If I just told her to never go down to the basement, to stay away from the Chop Shop this would never have happened.

  “Willow, I know you’re hurting right now—”

  “And what about this?” she continues ignoring me and opens her tall boy and pulls out some small dresses, they look like dolls clothes. I raise my eyebrows wondering what they are. “These are clothes for Petunia. I guess we can’t pack clothes for her can we? She doesn’t get to take the things she wants either, hey?”

  Scratching my head, I almost want to laugh that she has clothes for her pig. But right now’s not a time for laughing. Willow is falling apart and I have to try and calm her down.

  “Willow, will you just stop for a second and—”

  “Seriously? You want me to stop? You’re taking me away from my house. The one I bought with my money and you want me to stop. You fucking stop. Let me take what I want!”

  I huff and step over to her, but she pushes past me and rushes over to her en-suite and walks out with her straightener and puts that in her suitcase. I’ll let her have that, I know what women are like about their hair. She storms back into the en-suite and walks out with a giant makeup box.

  “Willow, be serious. You don’t need that much make-up. Just the basics, babe.”

  She glares at me and opens the box picking up a small rectangle of something and she throws it at me with force. I flinch as it hits me in the arm. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m more shocked than anything as it falls to the floor and breaks open spilling blue powder all over her cream carpet.

  “What the hell, Flame?”

  “Don’t tell me what to do right now, Steel.”

  I huff and shake my head. “Babe, I have to. I need to keep you alive. And right now we need to get you fuckin’ packed, and we need to get you the fuck out of here. We’re wastin’ time.”

  “Then go without me if you’re in such a rush. I don’t want to leave anyway. I mean this stuff Dylan it’s all mine… mine. I paid for it. I paid for this.” She holds up a photo frame with her and I’m guessing her parents. “I paid for this.” She holds up the pillow from her bed. “Hell, I paid for this. Why can’t I bring this with me? It has meaning to me Steel.”