by Khloe Wren
He squeezed my shoulder briefly as his face tightened with a flash of pain before he moved away. The club really was my family, and like any over-protective uncle, Scout hated that I’d been taken and hurt.
It was only a few minutes before the teller returned with the boxes.
“When you’ve finished, just leave the boxes and keys here on the table and go. I’ll come back later and sort them out.”
Scout handed me the un-keyed one and tossed my uncle the key to the Iron Hammer’s box. Both men had brought a bag in with them, and they made quick work of unlocking the boxes. I shook myself back to attention and opened my box. No gun this time, but there was a wicked looking hunting knife. Thankfully, it was in a sheath so I wouldn’t cut myself on the thing by accident. I put it in my bag, along with another thick envelope. This one just had a note on the front, saying to be careful and to read it when I was alone. My eyes stung as I thought about what bullshit excuses he’d have written in this letter. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read the damn thing at all, but I knew I would. Ultimately, I missed my dad and wouldn’t be able to resist.
The rest of the box contained more rolls of money. Only three this time. Assuming they were the same as the last ones, and they looked the same size, that was another thirty thousand dollars. Fuck, that was over a hundred grand total from just two boxes. How much more would we find in the others?
Eagle snatched the cash and tossed it in my bag as I stood there in a trance. I snapped to attention with a muttered apology and the look in Eagle’s eyes nearly had me going to him for comfort. Until my uncle cleared his throat.
“Right, let’s get moving.”
I glanced over at Scout and my uncle, and they were both zipping their bags closed. I had no idea what they’d found, but both their faces looked strained.
“Where are we going after here?”
“If we can get clear of town without catching the attention of any of the Iron Hammers, we have three choices. One is we go back to the clubhouse, second is we go to Silk’s secret hideout, and the third option is the old quarry about half an hour out of Bridgewater. What’s it going to be Silk? Make it fast.”
My whole body tightened. “Fuck me. I don’t like any of those options! I guess the clubhouse, but I don’t want to be seen. I don’t want, or need, any fucking pity from the club.”
“Right. Done. Let’s go. And Silk, in the middle of the day on a Tuesday, there aren’t going to be many at the club house, so you got nothing to worry about. You can go back to your hideout as soon as we’ve gone over the boxes and we know they don’t contain anything that will bring you harm in the immediate future.”
With a nod and stinging eyes, I marched from the room. I hated being emotional and was grateful I managed to hold the tears back from spilling over. I rarely cried, and since those mob assholes had grabbed me, I’d found myself on the verge of tears way too many times for my liking. I was not that wussy, girly-girl that cried over every fucking thing. I was a tough chick who rarely shed a tear for anything.
It just appeared my tear ducts had forgotten that fact recently. Stupid, fucking things.
Eagle
By the time we pulled into the Charon’s clubhouse I was more than ready to be done with this mission. Tension radiated from Silk as she clung to me while we rode. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and take all her worries away. If I could get even half an hour alone with her, I could give her what she needed to clear her mind. But that wouldn’t be happening until much later.
I knew it would only be a matter of weeks before I got patched in–but it was going to feel like a fucking year now that I’d had her, and would have to stand clear until I got my top rocker.
I stayed a step behind Silk as we followed the others inside the clubhouse. The place was the quietest I’d heard it in a long while. There were two of the new prospects cleaning the bar area, but there appeared to be no one else around. I was so fucking glad I didn’t have to do cleaning duties anymore. Thankfully, there were enough newer prospects to do the truly shitty jobs. I guess Scout could see early on that Taz, Mac and I had skills better used elsewhere. From almost day one, we’d been put on security and watch jobs. Boring as hell, but at least I hadn’t been cleaning up blood and cum from the fights and orgies that seemed to take place nightly at the clubhouse. That shit made one hell of a fucking mess.
Before entering, we all put our phones in the small open lockers that lined the wall outside the doorway to the meeting room. Scout closed and locked the door after we were all inside. Silk’s steps faltered as she entered and I wondered if she’d ever been in here before. Women weren’t typically allowed in church, so she probably hadn’t. Scout marched straight up to the table at the head of the room and dropped his bag. Bulldog followed suit, then Silk placed hers next to them both.
“Right. Let’s see what John left us all, shall we?”
With that, Scout unzipped, then unloaded his bag on the table. I locked my jaw to stop it from dropping. Silk’s father was either extremely clever, or a complete fucking moron who’d gotten lucky too many times. Scout had emptied the Charon’s box. It had contained a stack of old VHS tapes labeled with locations around Bridgewater and the surrounding area together with dates. Fuck. I could imagine what they would have on them. There was a large envelope, that when Scout opened, revealed a stack of grainy photos. I’d need a closer look, but like the videos, it didn’t take much to imagine what they were. He also pulled out one single roll of hundred dollar bills that looked the same size as the ones we’d counted out back at the cabin.
“Silk had rolls like that in her box from L.A. They counted out to ten grand each.”
Scout looked up to me frowning. “How many? And don’t glare at me like that. I have no fucking intention of taking it off her, I just want to know how much John fucking stole so I can work out if the mob is going to keep coming for her.”
My shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t realized I’d tensed up at his words.
“You know, I am right here? In the room with you? There was eighty thousand in the box from L.A., then three rolls in the one I just got. So a hundred and ten grand to me so far. Assuming all the rolls are the same.”
She reached into her bag and took out the cash, along with the knife and envelope.
“He left you a weapon?”
Silk shrugged. “There was a handgun in the L.A. box.”
“Motherfucker.” Bulldog’s voice was rough with anger. “What? He thought if you got caught in his mess, you could fucking shoot your way out? Or take on an entire MC with a fucking hunting knife? You know, if the bastard wasn’t already dead, I’d be tempted to kill him myself for the shit he’s dragged you into, Silk. This whole thing is fucked up.”
Silk’s body went ramrod straight and my fingers itched with the need to take her into my arms. She was hurting and I wanted to comfort her. I kind of wanted to fucking throw a punch at Bulldog too. Sure, if John was still alive I’d have some choice words to say to the bastard too–but I wasn’t going to say that in front of his still grieving daughter. The man was still her father.
“Fuck, Silk. I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know I loved your father. Hell, even with all the shit he pulled, he was my brother and I would never have truly hurt him. It just guts me that he’s left so much shit for you to deal with.”
She nodded, and her shoulders lowered a little. That seemed to be enough for her uncle, who then started unloading his bag. This was the Iron Hammer’s box. Considering John had been a prospect, I had no idea what kind of dirt he could have collected on them. Turned out to be only two VHS videos, but three envelopes.
Bulldog ripped them open and photos spilled out onto the table. Women. Fuck that, they weren’t women, they were girls. Teenagers, too young to be doing the shit they were. I couldn’t help myself, I whipped out my hand and snagged Silk’s wrist, yanking her to me where I buried her face against my chest to block her eyes.
“Don’t look at that shit, sweetheart. It’s no
thing you need see.”
Her body shuddered against me and I knew I hadn’t been quick enough, that she’d seen at least some of those depraved photos.
Scout cursed and gathered up the photos. “I’ll have to find someone with a machine that can play these tapes, but I can take a guess that the Iron Hammer ones are going to be more of shit like in these photos. Charons have never done that shit, so the tapes on us won’t be anything like that. At a guess they’re beat downs, shit like that. This is fucked up. Especially, if he’s got copies stashed anywhere else. Fuck!”
Silk nuzzled me a moment before she took a deep breath and moved away. I forced myself to stay still, to not keep her against me. Thankfully, neither Bulldog or Scout looked like they were going to make a deal out of me grabbing her, but I didn’t want to risk bringing their wrath down on me. Especially when they were riled up from those photos.
Chapter 16
Silk
For as long as I lived, I was never going to forget the images of those teenagers being stuck with needles and cocks. Another shudder ran through me as I paced away from Eagle. I wish I could have stayed wrapped in his arms, pressed against his hard body, breathing in his scent. But that wasn’t going to do anything other than get him beaten up if Scout or Bulldog saw the display. In an attempt to distract myself and the men, I reached for the thick envelope my father left for me in my box.
“Let me read the letter he left me. At a guess the envelope will have copies of the ledgers for both clubs. But I have no idea what the letter will say.”
Ripping it open, I pulled the contents free and sure enough, the two bound bundles looked to be copies of the ledgers.
“Here are the copies of the clubs’ books.”
I tossed them onto the table and took the letter with me to go sit in a chair a little way away from everyone.
My dearest Claudine,
I have no idea if this is the first of the boxes you’ve found. If so, there are more. I am so terribly sorry this has fallen on your shoulders. It was never my intention. Of all the boxes I’ve had to leave for you, this is the one I’d hoped you never have to see…
I skimmed over all the bullshit excuses he’d written about in the last letter. They didn’t help any more now than they did when I’d read the last letter. It was still all his fault for his selfishness, greed and jealousy. I got serious about reading again when he quit with his apology.
Please, do not look at what the other boxes here contain. It’s nothing good. If neither clubs are chasing you, hand it all over to the police anonymously and run far away from Texas, Boston, Los Angles and New York. If you have been in contact with your uncle, go to him. He’ll know what to do with the boxes.
The thing that had my heart pounding and sweat breaking out over my face was a line he’d scribbled out after saying I wasn’t to look in the boxes. Holding the paper just right, I could see his words underneath.
Your mother wouldn’t want you to see her like that.
I shook my head. “No. Hell fucking no.”
My eyes stung. It couldn’t be. My mother had been one of those young girls the club had forced drugs and sex on? With my quick glance at the photos, I’d seen girls being pinned down to have needles shoved in their arms. I couldn’t bring myself to read the rest. I rose and pushed past Eagle to get to the table. I dropped the letter and reached for the Iron Hammer’s envelopes. My uncle tried to stop me.
“Sweetheart, you don’t want to see them.”
I spun on him and glared hard. “I have to see them. Trust me, I know I don’t want to, but I need to.”
I turned back, vaguely aware of Uncle Clint picking up the letter I’d tossed aside, as I tore at the envelopes, tipping all the depraved images out in front of me. I shifted them around on the table until I caught a familiar face. I froze and swallowed.
“Fuck.”
My curse echoed around the now-silent room as I lifted the image to look more closely at the face of the young teen whose face was oh-so-familiar.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
My uncle’s enraged voice came from beside me.
“It’s her, isn’t it?”
My voice was barely more than a whisper. His strong arm came around my shoulders and pulled me in against his chest. I went to him, seeking comfort from the man who’d been a father to me since that day, fifteen years ago.
“Yeah, honey. That’s your mother.”
There was a moment of shocked silence in the room before the cursing started. I stayed with my face pressed against my uncle’s cut, wishing I would wake up to find myself in Eagle’s arms and discover this had all been some horrible nightmare. My mother had been a club whore, most likely forced into the role as a teen. Was John even my biological dad? I took after my mother in appearance. I had pale blue eyes like my dad, but plenty of people had them.
Steeling my courage, I pulled back and held my uncle’s gaze. “Was he even my real dad?”
He cupped my face and wiped my tears with his thumbs. “Honestly, honey, I have no clue. But he loved you as though you were his own. Just like your Aunty Rose and I do. Do you want us to investigate it? Try to figure out what happened? Or do you want to leave it alone? The choice is yours.”
I blinked up at him, my mind a hazy mess. “I can’t think right now.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my temple. “You don’t have to answer me right now, Silk. Why don’t you go up to your room and lie down for a bit? We’ll finish up here, then Eagle, Mac and Taz will take you back to your cabin. Let me know what you want to do when you get there. We’ll lock all this down till then.”
I nodded and numbly headed toward the door.
“Silk?”
I turned to face Scout. “Leave the photo, honey. You don’t need to remember her like that.”
I’d forgotten I still had it in my hand. I looked down at the image of a young teen being pinned down by her shoulders as another man had a needle in her arm. Her mouth was open in a scream. Bile rose up in my throat and I dropped the thing, feeling as though it had burned me, then spun to sprint from the room.
I didn’t stop until I slammed into my room upstairs, and made it to my little bathroom. Dropping to my knees, I threw up in the toilet. I wretched for what felt like hours my energy leaving me with the contents of my stomach. I couldn’t make my legs move, so I just rested my head on my arm and closed my eyes.
A warm palm rubbing my back snapped me to attention.
“What?”
“Shh, sweetheart. C’mon up off the floor.”
I reached out without hesitation to take my aunt’s hand. She helped me up and I let her lead me to the sink. Just like she’d done when I’d been sick as a teen, she washed my face with a cloth, before she led me back out to the bed. I felt like a zombie. My brain wasn’t firing right so I just followed Aunty Rose’s lead. I knew I could trust her, so I didn’t need to think. My heart hurt from all the betrayal my father had inflicted. It made it worse that they were both gone. Who could I ask questions? How the fuck could I get to the truth if I wanted it? Did I want it? It could lead to all sorts of shit with the other club, and for what? My parents were dead. Nothing was going to change that.
I sat on the bed and Aunt Rose sat beside me, pulling me against her. I went willingly and didn’t even try to stop the sobs that tore free from me.
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry this is all happening. You go ahead and let it all out. I’ve got you.”
I didn’t say a word, I couldn’t. I simply wrapped my arms around her and let myself release all the pent-up emotion.
Eagle
I fucking hated this bullshit. I forced myself to stay still as Silk bolted from the room like the hounds of hell were chasing her. I knew the clubhouse was safe and she wouldn’t have any problems between here and her room, but still. It stuck in my craw I couldn’t go take care of her.
“Motherfucker! My brother was such a stupid bastard. I’m calling my old lady. She’l
l come and sit with Silk.”
As Bulldog stormed out of the room, Scout came up to me.
“I know you’re feeling her, and I know you want to go to her, but I need you to stay here. Just because we didn’t see any Iron Hammers this morning, doesn’t mean they don’t know about our visit. Word is already spreading about what happened in L.A. Trouble will follow us sooner, rather than later, and I need the skills you three have to help keep the fall-out to a minimum.”
I clenched my jaw a moment, breathing away my emotion, before I gave the President a nod.
“So, what’s the plan going to be?”
I stopped speaking when Bulldog returned.
“Rose is on her way. The prospects on duty know not to let anyone else anywhere near the first floor until I say so.”
Scout gave him a nod and I relaxed a little. Silk’s aunt was probably the best to handle this situation. Our relationship was so new and I was severely limited in what I could do for her while pretending we hadn’t become lovers.
Scout adjusted his bandana before speaking again. “Easiest thing to do with this shit is to blackmail the bastards. Give them a couple of the photos, tell them we have more, plus videos. If they try so much as to step foot into our territory again, we’ll release them to the cops and the media. They might be old, but that shit is sick and I’m sure the cops would find some way to press charges for it. Especially, if some of those girls are still being used by the club.”
Mac stepped forward. “What about getting the women out? Those photos clearly showed they were forced. If they’re still there, that’s over fifteen years of rapes they’ve lived through. And it doesn’t take a genius to work out they did this more than fucking once. They could have a fresh batch of teens being abused in there now.”
I grabbed Mac’s shoulder as Scout folded his arms over his chest watching us.
“I hear you, Mac. Trust me, this fucking shit doesn’t sit well with any of us, but the Iron Hammers are a big club. We don’t have the manpower, or the resources, to just go down there and break their fucking doors down. That’ll end in a bloodbath none of us want. We will get them out, but it’ll take time and careful planning. Right now, we need to be prepared to get them off our fucking backs about our trip this morning once they find out we visited. And if we can stop them from pushing into our territory while we’re at it, all the better.”
