“What if he did that to me? To get to you?”
Leah started to grow angry and nervous. Lucas put an arm around Leah and pulled her tight. “I’m going to make sure that never happens. The club is a mess right now, love. We need to find out who killed those people and wrote on their bodies. That will probably be the same person who is the father to Debbie’s baby. Then we can handle business as needed.”
“Kill them? The baby? Debbie?”
Lucas’s eyes met Leah’s. “There are just some things…”
Lucas didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to because Leah got the point. She didn’t like the point, but she got it. Some things weren’t meant for her to know.
“It’s not all that I’m worried about, Leah,” Lucas said.
“Then what is it?”
“If I told Zayne the truth, he’d kill Vince. The club might end up voting to kill Zayne then.”
“That’s not good.”
“That’s still not my point.” Lucas put his beer down and touched Leah’s face. “It’s mine to have, not his.”
“Yours what?” Leah asked. Her heart was racing.
Lucas’s eyes were intense.
“I’m going to kill him, Leah. I’m going to kill Vince.”
*
He watched the wolf tear apart the man. The bone crunching sounds made him hungry. The squish of flesh and blood made his mouth water. He stood as a human, but his heart beat like a monster.
The other men had left. Lucas and Vince.
He knew their names very well. How many times had he stood just feet from them, listening to meaningless negotiations of two clubs trying to outdo one another? He never understood why they all just didn’t fight like men - and beasts - and settle it that way. Live as though there were no laws except for those measured in muscle and power. If you killed, you won. If you were killed, you lost. That was the ultimate justice. Life was judge and jury and death was the sentence.
The wolf, Zayne, played with the man as though he were alive. It was pretty obvious the man died after the first bite from Zayne, but it was even more obvious that Zayne’s consuming anger was fueled by the other dead body next to the bloody scene. He watched Zayne finally throw his head left to right one more time, tearing another limb off the man. Then the wolf fell back and turned its head to look at the woman on the ground. The wolf walked to the woman and blood dripped on her face. He could see this at such a distance because his senses were evolutionary perfection. Much like the baby that waited for him. His seed, his son. The baby was here and soon the baby would be with its father. A bloodline for the club… or maybe he would just start his own club now. A ruthless club that didn’t care about rules or laws or respect.
He watched the wolf stand and change back into human form, into Zayne – naked and bloody. After dressing, Zayne hurried to work. He watched with a curious eye as Zayne moved with ease through the land. Knowing right where to go and digging a hole to place the few remains of the destroyed man. Then Zayne took the car and drove it far into the thick brush. Even if police found it, he knew the club in Mercy had the chief on their side. This would never be investigated or cared about.
Then Zayne went to the woman and he lifted her up, cradling her. He heard Zayne’s voice but couldn’t make out the words. When Zayne started to walk in his direction, he hurried to the right and with a quiet whisper like a morning breeze, he shifted into wolf form. He was a massive monster able to slink away in the afternoon shadows and never be seen. Not that it mattered, because Zayne’s focus was so much on the dead woman in his arms.
As a wolf, he moved when Zayne did. Zayne walked into the brush and disappeared. He now rushed to the bloody scene and stood with his nose to the dirt, sniffing the blood, the life, the anger, the destruction. He licked the ground, sampling the blood. It was good, even with the sandy offering from the ground mixed in. There were a few small chunks of flesh on the ground. They tasted good, too.
When Zayne started to come back, he knew he needed to get out of sight again. Getting caught now would be such bad luck. He had come so far. Killing bodies, leaving messages, keeping Full Moon Mercy confused and spinning. All of this working so he could now get to his son. That one wild night with that stripper had certainly paid off in so many ways now.
He went into the brush and listened. The motorcycle engine kicked up and rumbled as Zayne rode away. He listened until the two wheeled beast was nothing but a fading sound. Once there was silence, he came to life again. Nose to the ground, he sought out where Zayne had placed the woman. It took him no more than two minutes to find her. He dug in the ground with his large front paws and soon a meal was before him.
It would be good to eat again, to fill up before getting to his son. Because getting there would be dangerous, and nothing short of death was going to stop him from claiming what was rightfully his.
17
Vince felt watched. The streets of Mercy were open and clear, the town alive with a sense of normalcy that surprised him. He thought by now things would have gotten strange, but Chief Charlie had done one hell of a job keeping the murders under wrap. His mind thought of Mandy and he couldn’t wait to get back to the clubhouse and take her to bed. It had been a long damn day on top of a long week, month, and hell, even a long year. With too many problems to count, Vince let his mind slip and rode faster. The scream of the engine drowned everything out.
That was until a bullet sped by his head.
Vince swore he felt it barely touch his cheek. It was so close that he touched his cheek and felt the front wheel of the motorcycle kick left to right. It took all his strength not to drop the motorcycle right on the spot. Looking back, Vince spotted a car and two motorcycles.
He was being followed and whoever it was no longer cared enough to hide it.
Vince was alone. The one rule he gave to all the guys he had broken. It seemed his own intentions and urges were starting to work against him. Much like with Zayne and Lucas…
“Shit,” Vince whispered.
He revved the engine and thought about where to go. It worried him to be alone, but he also knew that if someone wanted to shoot him, they would have. The bullet that whizzed by his head was a warning.
Pull over now.
Vince hung a right and moved to a different part of town. The car and motorcycles were right there with him. They kept a distance even though they didn’t need to. Vince pulled to the side of a road where it was very empty and there were no houses or buildings around. He wasn’t exactly comfortable with this, but there was no choice.
Killing the engine, Vince stepped from his motorcycle, leaned against it, and pulled out a fat cigar. He wasn’t going to show an ounce of goddamn weakness or nervous. Not within the limits of Mercy.
The black car pulled to the side of the road and the two motorcycles came alongside it and stopped. The passenger door opened to the black car and a man in a leather cut climbed out.
It was the leader of the Saal Five crew. They were the southern MC crew that went down through California, across the south into Texas, and even beyond the US border. Their dealings with Full Moon Mercy were few and far between, but when they occurred, they weren’t friendly.
Suddenly, Vince really wished he had someone with him.
These guys were cold and calculated.
Vince pushed from his motorcycle, blew rings of cigar smoke, and took a few steps before smiling.
“What’s with the leaders around here that don’t stick with two wheels when they take a table?”
“Vincent,” the man known as Grunn said.
He was a large man, even in his old age. He had at least fifteen years on Vince, and while his skin may have showed wrinkles, his eyes and muscles showed experience.
“What can I do for you in my town?”
“It’s time we have ourselves a talk,” Grunn said. “Been too long.”
“What’s the need to shoot at my head?”
Grunn laughed. He stepped closer.
He put a hand to Vince’s shoulder. “Vincent, if I wanted a bullet in the back of your head… it would have been there.”
“That would have started a nice war,” Vince said. “Then again, if you don’t get your fucking hand off my shoulder, I’m going to break your hand and start a war you’ll never be able to finish.”
“Think that the war has all been started,” Grunn said. He took his hand off Vince’s shoulder and looked back with a nod.
The two men stepped off the motorcycles.
“What are you trying to prove right now?” Vince asked.
“Like I said, we need to talk,” Grunn said.
“Time and place.”
The two men took a step and Vince was ready for a fight. It would be unfair and he would definitely get his ass kicked, but he believed that Grunn wouldn’t be dumb enough to kill him. Nobody went into another territory and took out the leader of a crew. Not without reason, votes, and the necessary men, monsters, and weaponry to ensure the backlash wouldn’t result in crews being wiped out.
Either way, Vince would need to defend himself and Mercy.
Vince tossed his cigar to the side and took a step back. He was ready to shift when he saw another wolf charging down the road. There was blood on the wolf and Vince quickly realized it was Zayne.
Zayne launched into the air and landed on the roof of the car. The roof sunk and Zayne looked down as the two men pointed guns at him.
Vince saw an opening and took it. He threw a punch at Grunn, connecting with his jaw. Grunn fell back and Zayne slowly climbed from the car to the ground. He walked to Vince and stood there.
“Time and place,” Vince repeated. “You don’t come into my town and make demands. You do it with respect.”
Grunn rubbed his jaw and then stretched it. “Fair enough, Vincent. Just wanted to see how big those balls were of yours.”
“We’re plenty fine here, Grunn.”
“Not what I heard. Bodies. A baby. Enemies.”
“What did you just say?” Vince asked.
Grunn laughed again. He looked back to his men and gave another nod. They put their guns away and got on their motorcycles.
“Vincent, when you’re ready to talk, we’ll meet up. I’m sure you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
“Then say it now,” Vince said. “I’ll keep my guy calm right next to me.”
Zayne stunk of blood and death.
Grunn walked to Vince and put a hand back to his shoulder. “It’s one of mine, Vincent. It’s one of mine. I’m as angry as you are. I just wanted to make sure you’re ready to handle this together before the war starts.”
Vince felt his lip curl. “Like you said, the war has already started.”
“Yes, I guess it has,” Grunn said. He touched his chin again. It was a deep shade of red. “I’m going to let this slide, for now.”
“I’m not going to let anything slide that happened in my town.”
“I’m not happy about one of mine coming through your town. We don’t operate like that in my crew. If we want to talk or we have business to take care of, we go face to face.”
“There’s plenty around here that stinks of Saal,” Vince said. “And some beyond this town. Is that what you’re looking for?”
“Smart man,” Grunn said. “I really hope we can work this out. From what I gather, Full Moon Mercy has quite a bit going on as it is. Don’t think you need Saal Five up your ass.”
“I bet you’d like up my ass, Grunn.”
Grunn smiled. He opened his leather to show off his firearm. That’s when Zayne stepped forward and growled, showing his teeth.
“We’ll need to talk, Vincent,” Grunn said.
“Heard you already,” Vince said.
Grunn walked back to his car and climbed into the passenger side. The motorcycles fired up their engines and they all turned and left. Vince looked down at Zayne and gave a quick nod. Zayne ran out of sight and Vince walked to his motorcycle. He leaned against it and opened his leather cut. He touched and found that there were no more cigars. He spotted the cigar he threw on the ground, but decided to leave it there.
Vince crossed his arms and shook his head.
It was Saal Five.
One of theirs had killed those bodies and written the messages on them. More so, one of the Saal Five members was the father of Debbie’s baby. Out of all the surrounding crews, Saal were the toughest. They were gritty, they loved to fight, and they had no real hearts. The perfect kind of blood to bring into a club.
It made Vince smile. He wondered if he could use Dr. Carane’s genius ability to turn the Saal Five newborn into a Full Moon Mercy member.
Interesting.
A motorcycle roared and Zayne came around the corner. He was human now, on his ride, blood soaked through his shirt. There were dried smears of blood on his face making him look like he had war paint on his face as he approached Vince.
He turned off the motorcycle and looked to Vince. “What was that?”
“You saved my ass, brother,” Vince said. “Thank you.”
Vince opened his arms and waited. He knew Zayne would come to him. He knew it because Zayne was loyal.
Zayne got off his motorcycle and went to Vince.
They hugged and Vince instantly smelled the carnage on Zayne.
“You did good back there, Zayne,” Vince said in a soothing voice. “I’m sad for what happened to that woman.” Vince pulled back and gripped Zayne’s face. “But the important thing to remember is that you got what you need out of it. You got that kill, brother. It had to feel so good.”
“It did, Vince. Thank you for saving him for me.”
“Of course,” Vince said. “We take care of each other.”
“What happened just now? Saal Five?”
Vince nodded. “Since I trust you, Zayne, I’ll tell you before we get to the conference table. It was a Saal member that killed those people in Mercy. And it was a Saal member that fathered the baby we believed to be Lucas’s.”
Zayne’s jaw dropped.
Without another word, Vince went to his motorcycle and got on it. He started it and rode back to the clubhouse. He knew telling Zayne something before everyone else would only further Zayne’s loyalty. Vince wasn’t dumb. He knew there were cracks between him and Lucas. If a President and VP started going to war, the club would implode. The only way to stop it was to have the right people on your side. That meant power and loyalty.
Vince cruised down the alley and saw a group of guys standing outside.
Ethan. Cooper. Reed. And Lucas.
When Vince met eyes with Lucas, there was instant tension.
It didn’t bother Vince much. He would just bide his time until Lucas cracked or fell to a sad and sudden death.
*
Lucas walked behind Vince and they went to a corner of the bar. Vince sat, ordered four shots, two beers, and waited for them to be served. He then ordered the guy behind the bar to screw off.
With a fresh smoke between his lips, Lucas felt ready for anything Vince had to dump on him. Before they spoke, they drank. Two shots a piece, the sting and burn becoming a comforting warmth.
“What happened back there…,” Vince started to say but stopped.
“What about?”
“What you saw. What I said. What we went through.”
“You mean you killing that woman and setting it up so Zayne could have a hunt?”
“Wasn’t much of a hunt, but yes.”
Lucas took a deep drag. He wasn’t about to resist Vince on this. He came to the shitty terms that maybe his only way to defend himself was to go along with Vince. Being comfortable would eventually lead to Vince being vulnerable.
“Nothing to think about,” Lucas said. “You were right.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I felt for Zayne because I know what it’s like to fall for a woman hard and fast. But like you said, she was a rat. Bringing that shit into the clubhouse…”
“It would hurt
everything.”
“Yes,” Lucas said. “I’m sure that Mr. K guy works with others.”
“That’s why Zayne buried the bodies and Chief Charlie is going to get rid of the car. It will be as though they were never in Mercy. And we will keep it that way.”
“So Debbie’s debt is now in the clear,” Lucas said.
“And Zayne got what he needed. Not what he wanted, son, but what he needed. You’ve never been there.”
Lucas felt his heart twist, wanting to explode. You’ve never been there. Been where? That desperate place of losing control. Your entire body shakes, your heart beats fast, scenarios run through your head that include so much blood that a dark nightmare becomes glossy with red. Lucas had been there; Lucas was there right now.
“I hope this eases Zayne,” Lucas managed to say. He grabbed his beer bottle and drank from it hard and fast.
“I’m sure it will help,” Vince said. “The anger will sweep into pain and then Zayne will let it all go. He’ll take comfort in someone else and this will be a thing of the past.”
Lucas nodded. He couldn't argue that fact, even though he hated to agree with Vince right now. The two men then found themselves finishing their beers, ordering fresh ones, but Vince wasn’t done talking.
“There’s more here, son,” Vince said. “I’m bringing this to you first because I care about you.”
“What’s that?” Lucas asked.
“I know who’s done this to us,” Vince said. “The bodies. The baby. Debbie. It’s all figured out now, son.”
Lucas wondered when he would ever get used to hearing Vince call him son. Then again, if Lucas had his way, Vince would be long dead before that would ever occur.
“You know who?”
“I know, son, I know. I was followed today after you left. Thought I was going to get hurt. Saal Five guys. Grunn and some of his men.”
Lucas slammed his beer bottle on the bar. He reached for a fresh smoke as guilt rolled through his body. He shouldn’t have left Vince there. He shouldn’t have left Zayne there. This was now starting to fall on Lucas’s shoulders, and rightfully so.
The Dark Monster (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 16
