42 Days (Hell's Fire Riders MC Book 6)

by KJ Dahlen

Dewey nodded and went out into the rain. Two of the men standing there dragged Leroy’s body away. They took him down another hall and into a small room with only a bed inside. They could hear him screaming before the door was slammed shut.

  Pappy looked over at Bear. “Are you going to be ok?”

  Bear nodded once. “I’m going to be with Lacey until this is over. I promised her she would never have to see her brother again and by God, I’m going to keep that promise.”

  Dewey returned a few minutes later and after he brushed the rain out of his eyes, he looked at Pappy and shook his head. “He cut their throats as they were sleeping. They didn’t even know he was there. The two men standing guard didn’t hear a thing. He got in and out without raising a fuss.”

  “How the fuck did he get into the cabin?” Pappy asked.

  “There was a back window open to one of the bedrooms.” Dewey shook his head. “He got in past our defenses and murdered those women without batting an eye. Damn, he’s a cold hearted bastard.”

  “Was there ever any doubt? His plans for this nation left no doubt about his intentions,” Jim stated.

  “Are you sure he needs to remain breathing?” Bear asked. “It would be better just to send him on his way to hell.”

  “As tempting as that sounds, we’re still missing one container of Red Tide, and we don’t know what else he’s got planned,” Pappy said. “I’ll give Shay a call and let him know we’ve taken Leroy in custody.”

  “If he gets loose and comes after Lacey, I’m going to put a bullet in his head,” Bear warned them. “With or without the answers you want.”

  “Wound him if you have to shoot him. We can get our answers from a bleeding man better than a dead one.” Pappy shrugged.

  “Just don’t turn him loose. I can get your answers for you.” Bear told them. “I learned from the best how to get answers.”

  “I can get them too,” Bastian finally spoke up.

  Pappy nodded. Turning to Bear, he told the other man, “You stay with Lacey. Don’t tell her he’s here if you don’t have to. Bastian can get the answers we want.”

  Bear began walking toward the hall. He stopped briefly in front of Bastian. Looking at the other man he said, “Make it hurt.”

  Bastian gave him a half smile. “Oh, I will. Don’t worry about that. He’ll feel it.”

  Bear nodded then disappeared down the hall.

  Everyone standing there heard the door close and the lock tumblers turn.

  Pappy looked at the faces of the men standing there. “Let’s try and get a few hours of sleep before Shay and his troops get here. There isn’t much else we can do tonight. I’ll call the sheriff in the morning to collect the women’s bodies.”

  “At daybreak, we can go into town and find his boat,” Dewey suggested. “Maybe the container we’re looking for is aboard.”

  “Let’s hope he didn’t put it in the water already,” Jim said.

  Bastian came over to Pappy and spoke quietly for a moment.

  Pappy listened then nodded. He looked over at Dewey and gave the order.

  Dewey glared at him for a moment then nodded. He walked down the hall and spoke to the man standing in the hall. They both disappeared in the room for a moment then the three of them dragged the still unconscious Leroy out of the room and out the back door. Bastian disappeared into his bedroom and came out with a small duffle bag. He followed the three men disappearing into the rainy night. About fifteen minutes later, Dewey and one of the men came back into the house shaking off the rain. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he told Pappy.

  Pappy shrugged. “We need answers and he can get them for us. I didn’t want the women to hear anything.”

  “You may not understand what Bastian does, but he’s the very best at getting answers no one wants to give,” Jim told them. “It isn’t pretty but it’s very effective. He won’t kill him but he will get the answers you need.”

  “What if what Phoebe said is true and Leroy doesn’t feel the pain?” Pappy asked.

  Jim snickered. “He’ll get the answers, he’s dealt with just about every kind of man out there.”

  “Now that’s a scary thought.” Swede looked spooked.

  “Not as scary as Bastian can be,” Jim told them. “When you see the gates of hell swinging open, the Priest will be there to bare your soul.”

  Bear waited and watched over the girl in his bed. By the time the sun came over the horizon and she began to stir, he was ready to tell her the truth. He knew Pappy didn’t want her to know Leroy was there and one part of him didn’t either. Another part of him wanted to tell her the truth and let the cards fall where they might. He wanted one more time with her before he told her.

  He undressed slowly and by the time he was naked, she was wide awake and watching him. She opened her arms and welcomed him to her embrace. He joined her on the bed and when his mouth joined hers, he felt her body respond as only she could.

  Her lips opened under his and when his tongue slid into her mouth, he explored her mouth. His hands slid down her body cupping her breasts as his thumb tweaked her nipples.

  She gasped and lifted her hips as if to invite him inside her.

  Bear felt his cock harden and he wanted to lose himself inside her but he waited. He wanted this time to be one she would always remember, especially if it was to be the last time they made love. He didn’t know what the morning would bring but for the next little while, he would be there for her.

  His lips slid down her throat to her breasts and he sucked one nipple into his mouth while his hands reached down to the apex of her thighs. When he felt the outside of her core he felt how wet she was but she wasn’t as ready as he wanted her. One finger slipped inside her while his thumb stroked her clit.

  Lacey groaned and opened her legs wider. “Please… I need you inside me.”

  “Not yet,” he whispered in her ear. “I want to make you wild with desire then I’m going to take you from behind. I want you to give me everything you’ve got. I want you deep and hard.”

  Lacey shuddered. “Yes please…”

  Bear slid down her body and when he was between her thighs, he licked her lower lips, tasting her wetness. His tongue swirled around her clit and his teeth scraped against it. He added another finger to the first and each thrust got a bit deeper. He felt the walls of her pussy tremble and then spasm as her orgasm hit, but he didn’t stop. He felt his cock grow harder than it had ever been before and the tip felt damp with pre-cum.

  He swung her around, lifted her hips, and slammed his cock inside her core. She screamed at the intrusion but it wasn’t from pain. He withdrew and plunged inside her again. Reaching around to her front, he thumbed her clit and she ground her ass against his pelvis. Over and over, he slammed inside her until he felt her core explode around him. She yelled his name as she panted helplessly. He gave into his climax and together, they reached for the heights and gained the top.

  He collapsed on top of her and in his exhaustion, he couldn’t move for a few minutes. When he rolled over onto his back, he brought her with him. He took some heavy breaths and for a few minutes, all he could do was breathe.

  Then he sat up and led her to the shower. Without saying another word, he washed them both and then dried himself while she dried her own body. Then he led her back into the bedroom and sat down with her on the bed. Taking her hands in his, he looked her in the eyes. “I have something to tell you. Your brother arrived here last night. We took him into custody and he knows you’re here too.”

  Lacey began to tremble. “Has he killed anyone yet?”

  Bear nodded. “He got to the three women we rescued with you.”

  Lacey tried to get up but he held her on the bed. “Is he going to come after me?”

  Bear wanted to lie to her but he couldn’t. “He says he is but we aren’t going to allow that.”

  Tears fell down her cheeks. “Are you going to protect me from him?”

  “Yes, I am,” Bear vowed. �
��The government is on their way to pick him up. We’re questioning him about a missing container and whatever else he has planned.”

  Lacey shook her head. “He’ll never tell you anything he doesn’t want you to know.”

  “We aren’t exactly asking him politely,” Bear informed her

  Lacey licked her dry lips and told him again, “Leroy won’t tell you anything. He has a very high tolerance for pain.”

  “Do you know anything that would break him? Anything from his past we can use to goad him into revealing what we need to know?”

  Lacey’s eyes became haunted at the thoughts of her past. There was something buried deep in her mind that she could never think about saying out loud. Instead, she leaned forward and whispered her thoughts into his ear. Bear listened then nodded. He reached for his phone and texted his brother the information Lacey had given him.

  Swede responded and Bear put the phone back in his pants pocket. “You’d better get some clothes on. Everyone will be awake by now.”

  Lacey got off the bed and reached for her clothes. Neither of them said a word as they dressed and a few minutes later, she was ready to leave their room. Walking with her head held high, they joined the others in the main room.

  Bear noted the additional men standing in the room. They were wearing military uniforms standing along the wall at attention. One of the men was in a huddle with Pappy and Dewey. They all looked up as Bear and Lacey joined them.

  The man with Pappy broke away and walked over to Lacey. “Are you Lacey Nash?”

  Lacey shook her head. “My name is Phillips, not Nash.”

  “My apologies. My name is Shay Montross. Your brother Leroy has been keeping us very busy trying to put a stop to his plans.”

  “I know.” Lacey nodded slowly. “He’s been insane for a long time now. Were you able to find everything?”

  “We aren’t sure yet, but we hope so,” Shay replied. “I guess only time will tell. Can I ask you something?”

  Lacey nodded.

  “Why did he pick our nations Independence Day as his day of bringing down the nation?”

  “He was born on the fourth of July and he always told me he wanted this day to be celebrated as his birthday rather than our Independence Day,” Lacey said sadly. “I think he just wanted to matter to someone other than himself. His father never cared for him and our mother didn’t want him either. She wasn’t a bad person but he was a constant reminder of a bad time in her life and she couldn’t deal with him. Leroy’s father was a real bastard and he hated him.” She shuddered. “He told me what he did to his father when he finally found him. It wasn’t a nice story to tell a seven year old girl.”

  “I can about imagine.” Shay empathized. “When we leave this place, we’ll need to take you with us. We’ll need you to talk to us about everything Leroy did since he took you hostage.”

  “If you take her you take me too.” Bear growled.

  Shay glanced over at Pappy who shrugged. Looking back at Bear he said, “I don’t think that necessary. We can protect her.”

  “I’m not going without Bear.” Lacey protested. “If he can’t come then I don’t either.”

  Shay didn’t argue, instead he turned to go back to Pappy.

  Bear and Lacey watched them for a moment then went to the kitchen to get something to eat.

  “Is he going to be a problem?” Shay asked Pappy.

  “Only if you try to separate them,” Pappy told the other man truthfully. “You know his military record. You know he suffers from bad PTSD.”

  “I thought he couldn’t bear anyone’s touch? What’s up with that?”

  “She’s the only one he can bear to touch or be touched by. It’s weird but ever since we left the silo, he hasn’t let her go,” Pappy explained. “Maybe it’s the fact he felt she was more broken than he was, I don’t know but don’t be fooled. Not even Swede will touch him. I think he might kill anyone who tries to take her away from him.”

  “Okay then, the next few days are going to be fun.” Shay grimaced. “Where exactly is Leroy now?”

  “That’s another problem.” Pappy admitted to the other man. “We’re questioning him.”

  “Who is questioning him?” Shay asked after a moment of silence.

  “You don’t really want the answer to that question.” Pappy sighed. “Please don’t ask and I won’t lie to you.”

  Shay waited a moment then sighed as well. “Okay. I won’t ask. Let’s pray he can get the answers we need.”

  “Oh, I think he has that covered.” Pappy assured him.

  “Is there going to be anything left of Leroy to prosecute?”

  Pappy shrugged but didn’t answer his question.

  “God, I need some coffee.” Shay complained. “It’s way too early to start drinking.”

  “It’s five o’clock somewhere in the world.” Pappy chuckled.

  “I’ll stick with coffee for now. I might need something stronger after we talk to Leroy Nash,” Shay muttered with a frown.

  Pappy led him to the kitchen where he poured them both a cup of hot coffee.

  Shay took his cup and turned to stare at Lacey. “What do you make of her?”

  “It’s hard to say at this point.”

  “Is she as fucked up as her brother?”

  Pappy shook his head. “No I don’t think so. Even though she’s been with him for the last fifteen years, I think she was old enough when he found her that she just might be ok. With a little help that is.”

  “What kind of help?” Shay asked.

  “Leroy never gave her an education. She can’t read or write other than at a seven year old level. But she’s smart and I think she could learn quickly. She might also have some issues as far as trusting people but she seems to trust Bear completely. And that can’t be easy for her. He’s a big man and you’d never know how gentle he is with her. We were worried about his PTSD but he hasn’t lost it with her.”

  “Not yet,” Shay reminded him. “From what I understand, anything can set him off.”

  Pappy nodded. “Yeah, I understood that too, but I had to call him in on this mission. Between him and Swede, they were the best. We needed them to recon the silo for us.”

  “That silo was loaded for bear.” Shay shook his head looking disgusted. “We recovered everything we could. Leroy had enough munitions to start his own war. Then you guys were able to recover the Red Tide Algae.”

  “We missed one container. It’s still out there somewhere,” Pappy reminded him.

  “One is still better than twenty.” Shay said. “We’re still recovering the barrels in the swamplands but we should have the time to catch up with that.” He leaned against the counter top. “Do you think this is finally over?”

  “I don’t know.” Pappy sighed tiredly. “I hope so, god I hope so. I’m tired, my men are tired and the world needs a break from the madness of crazy people.”

  “I agree with you on that respect.” Shay took a sip of his coffee. “I never expected to be this busy protecting the homeland we live in.” He glanced over at Pappy and complained, “When the idea came down the line for this unit and I pressed you back into service, I never expected all this is happen.”

  Pappy smiled. “It’s all good. I needed this and so did my men. We served this country because we had honor and a need to be better men. We couldn’t get that in the military anymore. There were too many politics in the way. Too much bullshit to wade through. This way, we can still do what we were meant to do and keep this country and its people safe.”

  Chapter Nine

  Day Thirty…

  Shay began to pace back and forth as he waited. He’d been growing impatient over the last couple days. Pappy peeked down over the edge of the bannister and frowned at the sight of Shay’s pacing. “He’s beginning to look pissed off,” he murmured to the man standing behind him.

  Dewey snorted. “Do you really blame him? He’s been here for four days now and we still don’t have any answers yet.�
�

  “I know.” Pappy sighed. “I thought Bastian would work a lot faster than he has.”

  “He’s been at it for four days now. I really don’t think he’s going to find anything more out, do you?”

  “Leroy isn’t an easy man to crack,” Pappy reminded him. “His level of madness runs very deep and Bastian is getting through the layers of levels.”

  Dewey nodded down at Shay. “Yeah, but he isn’t the only man that’s getting uptight. Bear is about to blow his lid and I’m not sure we want that.”

  “I know, dammit,” Pappy agreed. “This wait can’t be good for Lacey either and that’s who Bear is worried about.”

  Dewey chuckled a bit. “I still can’t believe she was the one who brought the big man back.”

  “He isn’t back,” Pappy warned the other man. “No one but her can touch him yet. And as primed as he is, the first man who does touch him might not live through it. I’ve warned Shay to tell his men but I’m not sure they believe him. I’m afraid one of them is going to push it, then all hell will break out and we don’t need that to happen.”

  “No we don’t,” Dewey agreed. “I’ll warn him again and pray to hell he listens to our concerns regarding Bear.”

  They turned and watched as Bear and Lacey came down the hall from their bedroom. Bear seemed agitated to see only Shay in the main room this morning. Lacey wanted to hold back but Bear led her into the kitchen while keeping his body between her and Shay.

  Shay stopped his pacing and stared at the couple then took a step toward Lacey.

  Bear immediately stepped between them and glared at the other man.

  Pappy and Dewey rushed down the steps in order to keep Shay away from Lacey.

  Before they could get there however, Lacey put her hand on Bear’s arm and stopped him cold. “Please Bear don’t hurt him,” she asked.

  Bear turned his head and stared at her for a moment and when he turned back to Shay, he was calmer.

  Lacey stepped up to Bear and told Shay, “I’m willing to talk to you but Bear has to be with me.”

  “I can deal with that,” Shay assured her. He sighed deeply. “But just so you know some of the questions I’m going to ask you will be hard for you to answer. But I need you to tell me what I want to know. Will you be able to do that with him present?”