by Vivian Lux
The scene that greeted me instantly turned my stomach. Two dead strippers lay sprawled across the stage, flat on their stomachs and pointed towards the stage door. They had tried to run from whoever had broken the door and never made it.
The overturned chairs and spilled drinks told me that the customers had been caught by surprise, as well. I saw a slumped and bleeding figure leaning against the wall, clutching his arm.
I crawled forward and pressed myself against the far wall. There was no one here with me—no one alive, anyway. But the bits of conversation that wafted through the chaos led me towards the stage door.
As I made my way carefully through the darkness, I stopped short when I spied a massive shadow blocking my path. As I got closer, I saw he was wearing a cut. The wild gray hair looked less like Santa Claus now that he was sprawled face-up on the floor. His dead eyes were frozen wide in shock, and his gun hadn’t even been taken from his holster.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Zyz as I wrestled the gun from his dead body.
I had never held one in my life, but my fingers folded around the handle instinctively. The reassuring weight in my hand gave me the courage to step over the dead biker. I turned to blow him a kiss before making my way to the stage door.
Once I reached it, I paused and listened again, trying to remember the layout of the rabbit warren of halls that lay behind it. I had been so tired last time I was here that I only followed Cade’s broad back.
The halls twisted and doubled back on themselves. The only thing to do was just hope I could follow the shouts that were now getting louder and more organized.
Taking a deep breath, I was about to push through the door when I made the mistake of looking up at the stage. I clapped my hand over my mouth before the scream gave me away. One of the dead strippers was wearing a pink wig. Tears sprang to my eyes.
Oh, fuck. Larissa.
I was still wearing the lavender top she had handed me. Her wide eyes stared back at me, unseeing, the tips of her lashes still fringed in pink marabou. I wiped a hasty tear away from the corner of my eye.
Without Cade to guide me through the hallways, I felt instantly lost once I pushed the stage door open. Voices echoed along the hall, men’s voices, gruff and panicked. I heard a shout, and then the sound of furniture being scraped across the floor.
With my back along the wall, I crept closer to the sounds. I was nearing the source of the shouting when I felt a hand on my arm.
Chapter 30
I jumped and stumbled as I was yanked off of my feet.
“Peaches, the fuck are you...?” Livvy didn’t finish her sentence, but instead clapped a hand over my startled cry. She pulled me back into the closet with her.
My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark. When they did, I saw that, besides Livvy, who still held me tightly, the closet also contained the huddled forms of Cici and Trina. We were all pressed together in the janitor’s closet, bending oddly to avoid falling into the slop sink. Cici was shivering uncontrollably.
“How did you get here?” Livvy hissed in my ear.
I twisted my head free of her hand. “The mansion was attacked. Moloch’s here.”
Trina squeaked at the sound of his name.
Livvy growled low in her throat. “I haven’t heard any gunshots in a while, but with him here, things can only get worse.”
“What happened?” I breathed, keeping my voice as low as possible.
Livvy snarled. “Rival bikers. Rat Kings, I think they’re called. Nasty fuckers. They came in and just started shooting.” Trina sobbed quietly as Livvy continued. “I don’t know how many of our guys they got, but there were at least five of them.”
“Zyz is dead.”
“Fuck. I liked that old pervert.”
“They got Larissa.”
“I know.” Livvy’s voice was somber. “We heard her scream from all the way back in the dressing room. What about Ginger, have you seen her?”
“There was another girl lying beside Larissa,” I told her.
“Oh...” her voice fell away. She took a deep breath and snaked her hand out in the darkness to stroke Trina’s shuddering shoulder. Cici sucked in her breath and moaned.
“Shh, Cici,” Livvy snapped.
We all shifted en masse. I extricated myself from Livvy’s clutches and leaned against the wall. I needed more information.
“Five Rat Kings?”
She nodded, “Pretty sure. Cade came and told us to hide as soon as the gunshots started.”
I felt a jolt go down to my toes. “Cade’s here?”
She shook her head grimly. “I’m sorry, Peaches, I don’t know where he is. He was resting in the clubhouse before the shit went down. He looked like hell. I haven’t seen the big guy look that awful since that shit went down with the hold-up.”
I balled my fists, remembering once again the story that Pauline had spilled to me. Hot blood pounded in my ears, and that wouldn’t do.
“And then what happened?”
“Just like I said. I was in the dressing room, ready to start my shift. The shots started and he busted in and grabbed me. Told me to hide here, that he’d come back.” She jerked her finger at the two other strippers. “Brought them here, too. But he ain’t come back yet.”
Cici cleared her throat and we turned to her. “I didn’t want to say...”
“Say what?”
“Jax...”
Trina made a strangled noise low in her throat and wavered on her feet. Livvy shot out a protective arm to steady her and stared at Cici angrily.
“What’s wrong with Jax?” Her voice was rising in panic.
I stroked her arm. “Livvy, shh...”
Cici held up her hands as if ready to ward of Livvy’s fury. “He ain’t dead.” Trina sagged when she heard this, her breath rushing out of her like a popped balloon. “But I see he hurt real bad. I see Cade throw him on his bike and ride off like he were tryin’ to get him help.”
Trina crumpled to the floor, clutching her hands to her mouth to stifle the sobs. I looked at her, partly in pity, partly in relief that Cade was well enough to seek help.
“She and Jax?” I questioned Livvy.
“Ain’t official yet ‘cause of the new rules and all, but yeah.” Livvy nodded grimly. “I’m so sorry, rich girl.”
“He’s strong.” Trina’s voice was wavering. She sounded like she was convincing herself as much as she was convincing us. “He’s been through worse shit and come through.”
“That’s right, sweetie.” Livvy stroked her hair.
Cade was okay. I wondered why that realization flooded me with relief. I hadn’t forgotten my anger. I hadn’t forgiven the betrayal; the abandonment of both me and of poor Pauline. And yet I wanted desperately for him to be okay, if only so I could punch him repeatedly. I wanted to batter my fists at his chest and scream out my rage at him.
I wanted him to feel my pain.
And I wanted a fucking explanation. I wanted him to kiss me and get down on his knees and beg for my forgiveness. And he had to be alive to do that. I needed to move.
We stood quietly in the dark, each of us absorbed in our own thoughts when I realized something. Moments ago, the four of us had been talking at nearly normal volume and yet no one had come to the find us. I listened intently at the door, then touched Livvy’s arm.
“Livvy, Moloch came in here. I don’t think he would have come in if it were still dangerous. He doesn’t seem like the type.”
Livvy grunted, still petting Trina’s head. “He’s in the building, huh?” She paused and thought for a minute. “Yeah, you may be right. Sick bastard doesn’t put himself out there. Likes to hole up in his house on the hill and fuck around with his little prize.”
I realized with a start that she meant Pauline and a wash of guilt flooded over me. I hoped she was safe where I had left her.
“I met her,” I said grimly.
Livvy’s eyes were wide enough to catch what little light made it into the
closet. She clutched my shoulder with her free hand.
“Jesus Christ, you poor girl. Are you okay?”
I swallowed. “I will be. If I make it through today alive.”
“What do you mean?”
Even as I spoke, the plan was forming in my mind. It was a million to one shot.
I spoke slowly, explaining it to myself as I explained it to her. “Pauline’s brother is a Rat King. I think I can end the war and get her home, if I can just talk to one of the Rats without getting myself killed.”
Livvy’s eyes narrowed as I saw her take in my other meaning. “And if they find out what Moloch’s done to her...”
“Precisely.”
She nodded in the dark. “What should we do?”
Chapter 31
Trina looked up from where she sat, and then silently extended an arm. Livvy lifted her to her feet without a word and brushed her off.
Trina squared her shoulders. Cici stood at attention, her hands fidgeting nervously at her sides. They all looked to me like I was somehow a leader.
I swallowed again. “I don’t actually know yet. Right now, I need to find out what’s happening.”
Livvy nodded and held up a warning finger. We all held our breath. Pressing her ear against the door, she paused, listening.
“Nothing,” she reported. Then she crouched low on the floor, pressing her head to the crack of light under the door.
Cici and Trina shifted quietly, giving her room to press herself flat. When she had lain like that for several moments, she lifted a graceful arm into the air and Trina hoisted her back to her feet. In spite of everything at stake, I still had to smile at their coordinated dancers’ grace.
“I could see down to either end of the hall. No one’s there.” She nodded at me and touched my arm. “Be fucking careful, Peaches. Watch that pretty little ass of yours.” She leaned in quickly and brushed her full lips across my cheek in a hasty kiss.
“Remember, you still owe me breakfast,” she whispered in my ear, a trace of her old lasciviousness returning.
I hugged her quickly. Putting my hand on the knob, I took a deep, calming breath. Then I slowly pushed the door open, peering cautiously in both directions.
The echoing voices were coming from my right. I could hear something that sounded like chanting and the wild, barbaric sound of it shook me to my core.
Hunched over in fear, I made my way slowly towards the clubhouse garage, stopping every few feet to check over my shoulder. Though it had worked out well before, I didn’t want to be surprised again.
As I crouched past an open door, I recognized the office with the huge desk where Cade and I had made love. Was that yesterday morning? The day before?
Everything had gone haywire since that moment. I had honestly believed in a happily ever after when he held me in his arms. I remembered feeling like the old me had been burned away. I had felt like I was no longer the scared Lainey who was passively waiting to be rescued.
And then with a jolt, I realized that this was exactly what had happened. I wasn’t waiting to be rescued anymore. I was the rescuer. I was making my way towards an unknown danger in an attempt to save a helpless victim. If I didn’t succeed with my plan, Pauline would never make it. Everything depended on me. I was still terrified, but I was doing it anyway.
The thought made me move a bit more quickly. I covered the last hundred feet in a burst of adrenaline and then dropped to my hands and knees to listen at the door at the end of the hall. The door where the voices of the Devil’s Due were raised in a chant.
I couldn’t make out the words, just the savagery behind them. Then I heard a sickening crunch and the sound of furniture clattering to the floor. A cheer went up from the voices.
There was a crack at the bottom of the door, between it and the floor. I pressed myself flat, with none of Livvy’s grace, and peered into the room.
It was the clubhouse, and it wasn’t empty any longer. The garage was several steps down from the hallway, letting me see out over the heads of the assembled Devils. I spied Wyatt’s grinning skull tattoo there at the center of the cluster. I looked anxiously for Cade’s golden mane, but couldn’t see it anywhere.
The bikers were standing in a ring around... something. I heard the scrape of furniture again and the crowd parted. A Devil I had never seen was righting a wooden chair. A wooden chair that contained a beaten, bloody pulp.
I had to swallow back the nausea that threatened to overtake me when I saw the Rat King that was tied there. The biker that righted the chair stepped back, and the huge guard from the mansion stepped forward. The wild chanting rose again as he cracked his bloody knuckles and prepared to strike once more.
The Rat’s head lolled backwards and I heard a flat voice rise above the crowd. “Enough,” Moloch said just as calmly as if he was waving off a waiter. “He needs to be able to talk.”
An aggrieved murmur went through the crowd, but the huge guard stepped back obediently.
Moloch took the steps up to the door and I almost panicked that he was coming back into the club, but he was merely using the stairwell to speak out over the assembled Devils.
“All your other Rat bastards are dead,” Moloch sneered. He was maybe three feet away from me and I could only see the heel of his boot, but I could picture the expression on his face. The blood-red lips and the flat black eyes would be twisted into a hungry leer. He was in complete control of another person’s life, and nothing got him off harder than that. I wondered if he was erect.
“You understand me? Anyone else coming, you’re gonna wanna call them off if you want to live.”
I heard a gasping bubble as the beaten Rat tried to speak. I heard motion, then a whispery voice floated up from below. “More... coming.”
A murmur of rage boiled up from the Devils, but Moloch raised his voice. “Why?”
“Truce... broken. War...”
“We don’t need a war,” Moloch replied. “You have your territory, and we have ours. You killed our men, and we killed yours. We’re even.”
“Not... what we want.”
“What the fuck do you want, then?!” Moloch exploded.
“Want... Turner.”
“What?”
“We want... Cade Turner.”
I clapped my hands over my mouth to stifle a scream.
Chapter 32
I had to do something. I had to get out of there. I had to warn Cade.
I needed to move. Right now.
But I lay paralyzed on the hallway floor. It was impossible to wrench my eyes away from the bloody face of the Rat King. He had just passed a death sentence on the man I loved and hated with my whole heart.
The roar of indignant voices that swelled up from the crowded Devils gave voice to my feelings.
“Eat shit, asshole!”
“You’re not getting him!”
“Don’t you dare talk about Turner with your filthy Rat mouth!”
One of the Devils broke free from the throng and landed a heavy blow across the back of the bound man’s head. Blood sprayed from his mouth in a fine mist and his head sagged sickeningly to the side. I bit my fist to keep from screaming.
“Enough!” Moloch shouted over the din. The Devils quieted, waiting to hear what their leader had to say.
I could see their twisted faces. They were waiting for him to give them to go-ahead to kill the man in the chair. Their bloodlust was at its height. They had been surprised in an unprovoked early morning attack and had lost several people.
Larissa and Ginger were dead. Zyz the bartender was dead and his gun was in my back pocket. Manny the gate guard was dead. Bear, a biker I had never met, was severely injured.
And then there was Jax. He had been part of my initiation. But once it was over, he had treated me with respect. And now I had just found out that Trina, who I liked very much, was his old lady. Jax had been shot by one of the attacking Rat Kings and Cade had rushed off with him on his bike to get him help before he bled out.
/>
The Devils were ready to exact their revenge.
“Enough!” Moloch cried again. His voice was high and panicked.
When the noise finally died down, Moloch spoke again. “Can you hear me?”
The battered Rat King dropped his head forward. I could hear the blood rattling in his throat. Then turned his head and spat to the side, right at the feet of the biker who had struck him.
“I can fucking hear you,” he said, and his voice was stronger than before.
“There’s more coming?”
“A whole lot more.”
“Why do you want Turner?”
“He broke the truce.”
“How?”
“Came into our territory.”
“That ain’t enough reason for us to give up our brother!” came the shout from the crowd. A roar of assent boiled up again. This time, it took several hysterical shrieks and curses before Moloch could quiet them down.
“Untie him,” he ordered, motioning to the big guard. A roar of disapproval went up from the assembled Devils. They were too loud to hear the approaching engines.
But I heard them.
Like rolling thunder heralding a coming storm, the unmistakable noise of motorcycles filled my ears. One by one, the shouts of the Devils died away as they listened. I saw fear written on their faces.
“Get him out front!” Moloch yelled. “To the parking lot. Move!”
I jumped from where I was lying on the floor and peeled out at a flat run, twisting through the narrow hallways at a sprint. Bursting through the stage door, I leapt over Zyz’s body and sprang to the front door. There I crouched, hidden behind the doorframe, and watched.
The roar of bikes was like thunder across the hills. They looked like a chrome armada, flanked out like an invading army. I remembered my fever dream of the attack on the house on the hill and shuddered. My dream hadn’t warned me that I would be on the losing side.
From around the back, I heard the answering shouts of the Devils as they massed outside the clubhouse to march into battle. I crouched lower as they passed the busted out windows.
