by Ryan Michele
My father’s focus moves to him. “Cooper? What’s goin’ on?”
Nick walks up to my father and punches him square in the jaw. My dad’s head jerks to the side, but he comes back, his focus coming a little bit clearer. His silver mustache is a rust color from his blood.
“Shut the fuck up,” Nick spits. “You had to go and fuck up the plan!” he screams, his cool demeanor taking a hike. “This is all your fault!” He points his finger at my father who now has blood running down his face from his head. “You stupid motherfucker had to go and kill Wolf.” He shakes his head. “You ruined everything!”
Nick grabs the bat from Poe. He raises it and slams down hard on my father’s kneecaps, the echo of crushing bone reverberating through the room.
Tears stream down my face. Screaming doesn’t help. Fighting doesn’t help. Len just holds me tighter as I watch the bat come down on my father’s other kneecap.
He cries out in pain, something I have never heard my dad do in all his years.
This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening!
“Please, I’m begging you stop!”
“Oh, you want me to stop? Alright. Then I’ll just take this over to your boyfriend.” Nick walks over to Cooper as I scream at him.
The swing is massive, hitting Cooper in the gut. Pain etches all over Cooper’s face, but only a deep grunt comes from his lips.
“This what you want? Want me to beat on your boyfriend or your dad? Hmm … Here’s a better question for you: which one do you want to live? Because one of them is dying today,” Nick asks, and my stomach twists as emotions flood me.
Nick heads over to my father again, and I scream, “No!”
Then he walks over to Cooper, and the same thing happens, over and over. Every so often, Nick will take a swing at one of them while I scream.
I yell. I wail until my throat burns and I taste the metallic of my blood before I swallow it down. The longer I scream, the less I can be heard as my vocal cords strain from the stress.
“Put her in the fuckin’ chair, then go deal with that bitch you left,” Nick orders Len.
“You said you wouldn’t!” My words are frantic.
“I lied.” He smiles as he pulls me to a chair. It has metal lock cuffs on the arms that he easily gets my wrists in.
Fighting isn’t working.
I kick and hit him square in the chin. He jerks, latches both of my feet, then moves over to Cooper. Silver gleams in his hand.
“Don’t!”
Just then, Len sticks the knife in Cooper’s leg, turns, and walks out of the room.
“What do you want?” I scream at Nick. “What did we ever do?”
He steps up closer to me. I try to move my arms, but it’s no use. They are stuck. Tears stream down my face as the anger begins to bubble in my veins. It’s like a switch inside of me that has never been tested before. Even with tears coating my cheeks that have now stopped, I stare at the man.
“Your father killed Wolf. Wolf was going to take over the Red Devils, and we were going to take over Sinister Sons. Your father is supposed to be six feet under, not Wolf!”
It makes sense, but why are Cooper and I here?
“You were our prize. The three of us, not just Poe, we were supposed to have you, and now we will.” He leans over and his lips cover mine.
I yank my head back after biting his lip. He pulls back and slaps me across the face. My head whips around until I feel my neck twist. Heat then pain expands like a spider web through my face, but I turn back toward Nick.
“So, who’s it going to be? Your daddy dearest, or your boyfriend?”
“You want me to pick who lives?”
“The choice is yours. One of these motherfuckers walks out of here. The other, we bury.”
This is fucked up on so many levels.
I look to my left and see Cooper hanging there, his eyes directly on me, fire burning in them. Then I turn to look at my father. His head is to the side and eyes are closed. Please tell me he isn’t dead.
“Now!” Nick screams.
“Boss,” Poe calls. “Len has himself a mess with the bitch. He needs backup.”
Nick looks at all of us. “Fine. Hurry the fuck up and get back here.”
It’s then I realize something. Nick has no intention of killing one of the men I love—yes, love. No, he’s going to kill them both, right in front of me so I’ll fall in line with whatever his stupid brain has in store. He’s fucking with my head about who to choose.
My heart breaks and shatters at the mere thought of losing the two most important men in my life. Memories of my father, the loving, caring man he was when my mother was alive. How he would make sure my shoes were tied before I got on my bike and fixed the scrapes on my hand when I fell.
Cooper. We have just begun, and there’s so much more for us. My feelings for him run so deeply it’s to my soul. I love him and need him more than my next breath.
“You stupid bitch, answer me!” The blow hits me in the eye, creating an explosion of colors behind my now closed lids.
I scream.
“You motherfucker! You’re a fuckin’ pussy, hittin’ a woman,” Cooper taunts.
I want to scream, “Shut up. He’ll come for you, and I need to figure out a way out of this!” but the pain in my face is too much at the moment.
Instead, I mutter, “You, Nick. I choose you to die today.”
The backhand comes down before I can brace myself, and everything goes dark.
Chapter Twenty-Six
That fuckin’ piece of shit. He will die, and it will be by my hands. I don’t know how the fuck they got me here. One minute, I was sleeping at the hotel. The next, I’m being hoisted into the air. Hell, my body feels like it’s been beat to hell and back, but my memories of it don’t come.
These fucking assholes are going to pay. Every damn one of them.
Bristyl doesn’t know it, but she’s been our saving grace. When Len left, it heightened our probabilities of getting out of here alive. My plan was to lure Nick over here, snap his neck, then rush Poe. Since Poe decided to make an exit, that means I only have one fucker to go, and he’s a damn moron.
My muscles strain. Not from taking all my weight, but from me holding on and trying not to move. Whoever tied me did a very basic square knot, which is a huge mistake. It took me a bit, and the fucker hit Bristyl twice because of it. Still, she’s our saving grace. While she kept his attention, I was able to loosen the ropes.
The burn in my shoulders drives me. The fire in my leg from the stab keeps me aware. When you can’t feel pain is when you’re fucked. I feel it all, and I feel the rage that comes with these fuckers touching what’s mine. They are only fueling the fire.
I’m counting on the adrenaline pumping through my veins to get us out of this fucking mess. I’m not sure how my legs will react once I put weight on them. I’ve been hanging here for a while, and the numbness has set in.
Nothing is going to stop me, though. Bristyl will walk out of here alive and well.
As Nick walks toward me, my arms give a shake and I will them to stop. Nick can’t see the trembling. I need him close to incapacitate him. I’d love to beat the fuck out of him, but we need out of here now.
“You stupid fucker. Had to get involved with somethin’ that didn’t involve you!” Nick screams, his face turning a shade of red.
His muscles pull tight as he charges toward me, fist ready. Just when he’s about to swing, I twist my body and swing myself slightly to the left, letting go of the rope as I do and landing on my jellied feet. Thank God for the fire breathing inside of me.
Nick’s eyes look horrified as he begins to reach behind him, where I know he has a gun. I clocked it as soon as he came into the room.
Without a blink of hesitation, I rush him, going directly for his neck and twisting with every muscle in my body.
Bristyl screams as bones pop and break, and I land hard on my side, Nick’s head still in my hands. He doesn’
t move, but I give another yank just to make sure. When I do, his head comes with me, still attached by skin, but not by bone. He deserved so much more.
“Are you okay?” I ask Bristyl.
“Yeah. My dad.” Her voice is stronger than before. There was a point during this when I could see a change happen in her eyes. A reserve. A knowing.
Getting up from the floor, my side aches like a mother bitch. I search Nick’s pockets and find a set of keys and a cell phone. I unlatch Bristyl, noting the red burns mixed in with blood. Motherfucker. Yeah, he deserved so much more.
Bristyl stands and rushes over to her father while I grab the gun out of Nick’s back holster and the phone.
Watching Bristyl untie her father, I make the call.
“Coop?”
“How far out?” I ask my father.
“Only fifteen minutes. Regg called, said there was something suspicious going on with Red Devils. Your tracker was showin’ an unknown place. Called you; didn’t answer, so we left. Where are you?” He must be in his truck since he answered.
“Somewhere underground. Not far, because I hear cars. I’m finding a way out. Just get here.”
“Searchin’,” he says. Then I click the phone off.
“Your brother’s number?” I ask her as I help untie her father. She tells me as Regg starts to blink, and I start to dial.
“What the fuck?” he asks, looking confused as hell.
“Yeah?” a guy answers on the other end. I really don’t give a fuck which one, but I need to know it’s a brother.
“This is Cooper. Who’s this?”
“Stone. What’s wrong?”
“Poe and Len are going to Leah’s house right now. Need you there. Take them out—I don’t give a fuck—but get Leah away from them.”
“What’s goin’ on?” Stone asks again. I can hear him moving and yelling to his brothers to move it.
“We were taken. I’ll explain later. But they’re going to kill Leah. Get to her.” I disconnect the phone and shove it in my pocket.
“Daddy?”
“My fuckin’ legs hurt,” he says, looking down at his knees. “Fuckin’ hell.”
“Don’t got a lot of time.” I look at Bristyl. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, ’cause I’m gonna need to carry his ass out of here. The calvary’ll be here in fifteen.”
Regg is a big man, and it fucking kills my ribs to carry him. Not to mention, my leg. Regardless, I pick his ass up, putting him over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold.
“How do they know where we are?”
“Tracking devices. All Ravage wear them.” I move us toward the door that Poe went out of earlier, then pull the gun from my jeans, handing it to Bristyl. “If it’s not Ravage or Sinister, you fuckin’ shoot.”
She takes it and nods.
I open the door and look around. Nothing. We move down a long hallway. The ground is dirt, walls are concrete. There are so many twists and damn turns in this place.
I shift Regg on my arm.
“Sonofabitch,” he growls. “Don’t like this shit.”
“Get used to it,” I groan, every step agonizing.
We reach a door.
“Bristyl, open it carefully.”
She steps in front of me and does so as light shines in. Fucking hell, a set of stairs. Thank God. Step by step, we make our way up. Each one is more painful than the last. I feel my vision waver as the pain tries to beat my will. I’m motherfuckin’ Ravage; I have a will of steel. We are getting out of this. My resolve pushes me on.
I do a full-out scan of the area. We are at an old church that looks like it hasn’t been used in years. Gravestones line everywhere. A fucking cemetery.
I move everyone to a small out-building, not knowing if the other two assholes are on their own or have more.
Regg leans his head against the concrete wall, pain on his face. The normally stoic man looks like his spirit is as broken as his body. He is bloodied and bruised everywhere. He needs a doctor and fast.
“Cooper, how did they know?” Bristyl asks.
“Buzz. He’s a technology guy. The tracking devices detect sudden changes in heartrate and body temperature. He gets alerted when it’s off. Since he knew I was down here, he probably kept a close eye on it.”
“Holy shit.”
Motorcycles sound off in the distance, and my attention goes to them. Seeing Pops, I let out a silent breath. Bristyl’s safe. We’re all safe. Family came. They always do.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My mind is muffled in confusion, each thought taking so much energy. They all just tangle and mingle, not making a damn bit of sense. Voices above me are soft.
Nick has a whip.
The thought startles me awake. I pop up and look around the room, my breaths rushed.
“Calm.” Copper’s voice comes from behind me, and he wraps his arms around me.
Looking around the space, I see we are in a hospital room, and my father is lying in the bed, not looking happy. My brothers are standing at the windows, eyes on me.
“What’s going on?” I ask, quickly piecing the puzzle together. The room. The hurt. The blood …
“You’re fine, beautiful. Safe.”
I turn toward Cooper, whose body is black and blue. I’m not even sure how the hell he’s standing. His gorgeous face is marred with so many cuts, bruises, and swollen that he barely looks like himself.
“Oh, my God.” My hand goes to my mouth.
“I’m fine. Doctor’s stitched me up.”
Not thinking, I burrow my head in his chest. He gives a small grunt, but before I can pull away, his arms are around me.
“I got you. No one will touch you again. I swear it.”
“Damn right,” my father growls. “Stupid motherfuckers.”
I turn back toward my father. “How are you?”
“Busted kneecaps. All the rest will heal.” His expression is dark, fierce, and determined. “Motherfuckers.”
“Do you need surgery?”
“Yeah, due to go in tomorrow. My blood pressure, or what the hell ever, was bad, so they had to get it under control. Gonna be in fuckin’ leg braces,” he growls.
I know what that means. No riding his bike. Damn. But at least he’s alive.
My head whips back to Cooper. “Poe and Len. Leah!”
“Breathe, beautiful. She’s alive and here in this hospital. Green is with her and hasn’t left her side. She’s beat up and has a few broken bones, but the doctors said she’ll heal.” This gives me a little reassurance, but I want to see her.
“And the others?”
“Gone,” Stone says from the wall.
“What?”
“Gone. You’ll never see them again, Bristyl. I promise you that.”
“I don’t wanna know.”
“You’re not going to know. Just know you’re safe,” Cooper says.
Tears fall from my eyes. I can’t stop them, no matter what I do. Everything comes out as I fall into Cooper. It’s selfish as hell to have him wrapped around me, but I need him. I need him more than I’ve ever needed anything. My strength.
“We’ve gotta get you outta here,” he tells me.
My head pops up. “I can’t leave my dad. I need to see Leah. I can’t leave.”
“Beautiful, you have cuts they stitched up.”
I reach up and feel my face. “How did I not know this?”
“You were pretty out of it, and then they gave you a sedative. Said that if we kept an eye on you here by our father, you could stay in here,” Racer says.
“Damn.”
“It’s gonna be okay, I promise. Everyone is good,” Cooper reassures. “You need to rest, though, or they’re gonna admit you. Let’s go to the hotel and get you rested.”
I look at my father. “You’re gonna be okay?”
“Of course. Takes more than a bat to get me down.”
It’s horrible of me, but I laugh. He’s right. So
damn right.
“Yeah, Daddy.”
I’m too tired to fight to stay. My mind is in a fog. I hurt not physically, but emotionally. Nothing like this has ever touched me before. I don’t need to know what happened to Poe and Len. I simply find my comfort in Cooper, just how it’s supposed to be.
“Go on. The boys here’ll keep you updated. Doctors say I’ll be fine.” The look on his face is one of anger mixed with pain. Damn, this sucks. Royally sucks.
“Okay.”
Moving over to my brothers, I hug each of them then walk with Cooper out of the room. I stop mid-step when the Ravage MC men’s eyes come to us. They immediately stand.
“What’s going on?”
Cooper wraps his arm around me. “They’re gonna make sure we get to the hotel. They’ll stay outside the damn door and protect their family.”
A fresh wave of tears hit as Cooper leads us out and to a new hotel room.
“Will you stop babying me?” my father all but snarls.
One week, and he’s already a bear. I hate to see what he’ll be like in another week.
“Your new nurse will be here soon. You can’t look a mess.”
“Bristyl, I don’t give a fuck what I look like. I can’t fuckin’ walk right now, and I have bigger fish to fry besides my damn nurse.”
Cooper has been wonderful, agreeing to stay until the hospital and Dad’s insurance figured out an in-home nurse for him. One thing I have to say about Sinister Sons is they have damn good insurance. Especially to pay a nurse to move in for twenty-four-hour care. My brothers have been dealing with Sinisters, which leaves little time for them to take care of Dad.
Cooper and I have been staying at my old place, so I’ve been close to take care of Dad. Meanwhile, my stubborn-ass dad now wants me to get on with my life and live it. Can’t say I’m not happy to get as far away from this town as possible.
The replays of what happened that day continue to run in my head. I now understand how Cooper feels when he has his dreams. They take a hold and don’t want to let go. Hopefully, once I’m away, they will disappear. I have to be optimistic.
A knock comes to the door, and Cooper goes to answer it. He comes back chuckling.
