Crank: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 4)

by Chelsea Handcock

  “What the hell, Tuck? There might be a vote, but I’m still a member of this Club.”

  “No doubt about that, Crank,” Tuck agreed, cracking his knuckles and stretching out his neck. “You’re a member although you haven’t been acting like one lately. But still a member, for now,” Tuck said, walking towards the bench next to the ring.

  “Fuck you, Tuck. You of all people know the shit I’ve been dealing with.” Crank watched as Tuck took off his shirt and boots. Looked like he was going to get his fight after all. Maybe this was better. Tank was a great opponent, but Tuck was a fucking master.

  “Yeah, I know what you’ve been dealing with, asshole. You're all up in your head, doing the would have should have game, not that it does any fucking good. It happened, time to deal. Hell, if you want my opinion, it was time to deal six months ago, but you shut down, first on the Club and then on your woman. Pretty pathetic in my book, but hey, that’s just my opinion.”

  That pissed Crank off, that simple statement, it happened, threw him right over the edge. He charged Tuck, landing a quick punch to his chin and an even faster one to his kidney. “It happened!” Crank bellowed, “That’s all you can say? My woman was gang-raped and beaten half to death, and your response is, it happened, time to get over it. What the fuck man. You're calling me pathetic, what the fuck are you, Tuck? Where the hell have you been? Where were you that day?”

  Crank was so caught up in his anger, he wasn’t guarding as he should. Tuck was a dirty fighter, something Crank was known for himself. When the blow to his gut caused him to lurch forward to catch his breath, he should have known the knee to the face was coming next. But that pain, the sound of the cartilage in his nose breaking, made something snap inside of him. He was their Road Captain, but he was also an Enforcer for the RBMC for a reason.

  “Is that all you got, Prez?” Crank smiled. “I think you’re getting a little too old and slow for this.” Shooting out his foot Crank connected with Tuck’s knee, taking him to the mat. They grappled for a while, and Tuck, the slippery fucker, got away from him, standing up, bouncing on his feet, shaking his hands out.

  “That all you got, you fucking pussy? No wonder you couldn’t protect your woman. I should have stationed that fucking green-ass prospect at your door. Maybe he would have done a better job of protecting your woman.”

  Those words were like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Crank attacked with his fists, feet, and head. He went after Tuck with everything he had. He was a trained fighter, could have gone into the MMA if he’d wanted to, but he chose the RBMC instead. He was also street smart and knew exactly how to gauge his opponents next move. They fought hard for a long time, Crank’s anger getting the best of him, making him sloppy. He knew better. Tuck gained the upper hand and had Crank laid out on the mat in a chokehold.

  “It wasn’t your fault, man. There wasn’t a damn thing you could’ve done. You almost died, mother fucker. You were drugged and beaten so bad your brain swelled, and then the assholes shot you. Fuck man, we didn’t know if either of you were going to pull through.”

  Crank pushed Tuck away and pushed himself over to the side of the mat, leaning against the ropes. “I can’t touch her, man. I can’t even be around her without thinking I fucked up.” Crank rubbed his hand down his face and spat out some of the blood that had pooled in his mouth.

  “That’s bullshit, man. I know for a fact Cathy doesn’t blame you for any of that shit. Hell, the first call I had this morning was from her. She wanted to take the blame for your fuck up, said it was all because of her.”

  “I told her I was leaving, that until she got help, I couldn’t stay at the house, but, shit Tuck, that isn’t the truth. It’s me. I’m the one who can’t deal. Those animals put their hands on her, hurt her, and I didn’t do a damn thing to stop it. How the fuck do I live with that?”

  “Simple question, man, do you love her?”

  Crank brought his knee up and rested his arm on it and thought about Tuck's question. It wasn’t that simple. Cathy had been the love of his life since the moment he laid eyes on her. Of course, he loved her, but could he live with her, care for her the way she needed, knowing that he’d let her down. That he hadn’t protected her?

  Tuck came over and plopped himself down beside Crank. “It’s an easy question, man. Only two answers to give, yes or no. Do you love her?”

  “Yes, she’s my life.”

  “Then, there you go, do the work and figure your head out. Be there for her, do what you have from the start. Come on, asshole. Church isn’t going to wait, neither is this vote.”

  “Wait, there’s something else.”

  “Fuck, what is it?”

  “Misty showed up at my house last night, had a key and the code to the alarm. Once she got inside, she stripped down to her skivvies and found me sleeping on the couch.”

  “Ahh, fuck man, I knew that chick was going to be a problem, but Cinny vouched for her.”

  “Yeah, well, Cathy came in and caught her, and the bitch tried to play it off like I had called her over.”

  “Shit.”

  “You could say that,” Crank laughed, “but Dude, I never called her, and she had the paperwork I asked Blade for. A prospect, Joker, was supposed to bring it over. She also told Cathy I was the one who gave her the code and the keys to the place while Cathy was in the hospital. I might have been out of it, but I never gave that chick shit.”

  “I’ll have Blade look into it and get back with you. Either way, the chick is out of the club. Not sure about Joker. I’m going to have to talk to him, then talk to the guys, maybe bring it to the table.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Crank tried to pull himself up with the ropes from the ring, but gave up. Fuck, he was in some serious pain. Tuck hit like a Mack truck on steroids. His only consolation was his President was having just as hard a time. When they were both finally standing, Tuck cracked his neck, bringing his fingers up to his chin, moving it back and forth.

  “I don’t know, asshole, you still punch like a pussy.” Crank laughed because he’d seen Tuck wince and could already see the bruises starting to form on his cheek and eye.

  “Yeah,” Crank said, bending over, trying to rub the hurt out of his ribs and side, “I think we’re getting too old for this shit, man. I barely felt your punches, just another day at the office.”

  “Whatever, man,” Tuck laughed. “Come on, let’s get this shit over with so we can both have a beer.”

  As they made their way out of the warehouse, Crank saw Tank leaning against the wall by the door. “All good?” Tuck smacked his hand down on Crank's shoulder, making him wince.

  “Yeah, we're good. Heading back to the Clubhouse. You coming?”

  “Right behind you, Prez,” Tank said, a smile on his face.

  Crank got on his bike, feeling a little lighter than he had in a long time. He knew he still had a hard road to follow, but he had faith for the first time in six months that he and Cathy would get there. Before he started up his bike, he looked over at Tuck.

  “Regardless of the vote, I want everything you have on the Vultures. I want to know why Cath and I were targeted and if any of the fuckers are still out there.”

  “You got it, man. I have it waiting for you on my desk; knew you’d be asking sooner or later.”

  Chapter 4

  Cathy made her way into Defiance. The drive wasn’t overly long, but it was long enough to get her thoughts together. She knew what she needed to say to Link, and she was pretty sure how he was going to react to it. Link could be an ass on a good day, and today wasn’t going to be one of those.

  Cathy walked into the diner and did her best to ignore everyone in there except the two people she’d come to see. But the looks of pity couldn’t be ignored. She hated it, hated that everyone knew her business. Defiance was a small town that meant lots of gossips. Making her way to the booth in the back, she sat down across from Link and Carri.

  “Cath, i
t’s good to see you, hon, but you know I can’t talk to you about this,” Link said, cutting right to the chase.

  “I know my place, Link. I’ve been an Ol’ Lady longer than you’ve been a patched member. I’m not asking you to talk about anything. I’m asking you to listen to me and make up your own mind about what I have to say.” Cathy knew she was pushing it. These guys were all Alphas in their own respect, and as far as many of them were concerned, a woman’s place was in the kitchen and out of the Club unless they wanted to party.

  Crank had never been that way with her, often telling her what was going on and asking her what she thought. She knew they were more than just an MC, that they were doing missions contracted by the government, but that was something else she never talked about.

  “Okay, hon, I can give you that, but you need to know, I’m not going to change my mind. Your Old Man fucked up, and it needs to be brought to the table,” Link said. Cathy looked at Link. He was a decent guy, but he had firm beliefs. This little talk had Carri written all over it. She’d gotten him to listen, and for that, Cathy was grateful.

  “Thanks, Link, that’s all I can ask. What I want to know is what kind of punishment did Carri get for disobeying the rules? Crank is being brought to the table, his rank challenged. What happened to your Old Lady?”

  Link’s demeanor instantly changed, even Carri looked taken aback by what Cathy had asked? “Cathy,” Link growled.

  “No, like I said before, I’ve been an Old Lady for a very long time. The Club was put on lockdown; that means no one leaves. No one goes outside to take out the trash or get the mail or even steps foot on the porch. Not only did Carri do that, but she also begged my Old Man to go check on Addy. Which he did, going against protocol. But what choice did he really have Link?”

  “Cathy, I didn’t…”

  “No, Carri, I know you didn’t know. I also know you weren’t an Old Lady then, either, but someone should have told you, stopped you. Everyone in that Club knows the rules.”

  “Cathy, that doesn’t change shit. Crank still left you and every other woman there, vulnerable.”

  “Did he, or did he make the only choice he could? Carri and the rest of the people at the Club had Blade and a couple of Prospects there to protect them. Who did Addy have? If she was really in danger, are you saying Carri and the rest of the people at the Club were more important than your brother’s wife, his old lady?”

  “That’s a low blow, Cath, and you know it. Addy wasn’t even there. She was already on her way to the Club.”

  “Crank didn’t know that, Link. He thought she was there by herself, the same place I was taken and beaten. She had no defense as far as Crank knew. Had what happened to me happened to Carri, would you be so quick to write off Addy? You guys knew something was going down. They had used Addy before why would this time be any different?”

  “Cathy, he had a job to do, and that was to stay at the Club. My woman was taken and held, fuck, she was hurt. He fucked up that’s all there is to it.”

  “No, Link, that isn’t all there is to it, and you know it. Crank was put in a position where he had to make a choice, and he did. He chose to go look for Addy, to bring her back. He put his faith in the members of the Club who were there to protect me and everyone else. Carri’s the one who messed up. She’s the one who begged him to do something. She’s also the one who went outside instead of staying where she should have.”

  Cathy watched as Link got more and more pissed. She didn’t care, she knew she was right. The situation at the Club had been a no win for anyone, damned if you do and damned if you don’t. But Cathy needed to keep going, she wanted Link to realize he was putting all the blame on Crank when it needed to be spread around.

  “Cathy,” Link said between gritted teeth, “you’re not a member of this Club, you’re an Old Lady, just like Carri. We don’t hold Old Ladies up to the same standards as we do Brothers. Crank knew what was expected of him, and he failed in that. Now he needs to pay the price.”

  Shit, Cathy thought, what an asshole thing to say.

  But Carri beat her to it, placing her hand on his arm, “No, babe, she’s right. I’m just as much to blame for this as anyone else. I didn’t listen, and I did beg Crank to go for Addy. If he hadn’t, I would have gone myself, and you know it. Val would have gotten me either way.”

  “Carrington, that isn’t the point,” Link growled, but Cathy could tell that he was starting to at least think about it, and that’s all that she could ask. His features had softened, and he wouldn’t look her in the eye like he usually did.

  “Listen, I’ve said all I came to say. Please, just think about it. If you were in Crank's place, what would you have done? Carri is a wonderful woman, Link, you made her your Old Lady, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. But you know as well as I do, in the Club, she doesn’t come first and she shouldn’t.” With those parting words, Cathy got up and left the Diner. She didn’t want to talk anymore, she’d done all she could. She hadn’t even made it to her car before Carri was right there in front of her.

  “Listen, I get that you had some pretty bad shit happen to you, but that was low. Link’s doing what he thinks is best for the Club.”

  “That’s the point Carri, so was Crank. He went after Addy because you asked him to. He did what he thought was best. We all have choices to make, right or wrong. I just wanted Link to think about that for a minute. As for what happened to me, yeah, Carri, it was terrible, and I hope no other woman has to go through it, but I refuse to let that or anything else hurt my man. He did as you asked because of what happened to me, don’t you get that?”

  “Yeah, Cathy. If you need to talk or anything, you know you can call me, right?”

  “Carri,” Cathy laughed, “you are treading in waters you know nothing about, girl.” She shook her head and got into her car. Carri didn’t let it go though as Cathy had hoped, she knocked on the window of her car. Cathy thought about just ignoring it and driving away, but couldn’t. Rolling down the window, she didn’t say a word, just waited Carri out. It didn’t take long.

  “Listen, I might not know, Cathy, but if you need to talk, I’m here. We all are. You need to speak to someone, so you can heal.”

  “Everyone keeps telling me that, Carri,” Cathy laughed again, but this time with absolutely no humor, “but talking isn’t going to get me through this and until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, you’ll never understand that.” Cathy didn’t wait, just put the car in gear and drove away. She knew she needed to do something, but talking with someone who couldn’t relate to all she’d lost wasn’t going to help her.

  When she pulled into her driveway, Cathy wanted to moan. Addy was sitting on her porch. She just sat there for a little while, not sure what her next move should be. Did she go and talk to her or just drive away like she wanted to? Like she had with Carri. Fuck! Getting out of the car, she walked up to her porch, to Addy.

  “Cathy, listen, I know you said you didn’t want any visitors, but I’ve been wanting to talk to you, and Carri said….”

  “Let me guess, Carri said that I went off on her, and you thought this was the time to do it?”

  “Cathy, it isn’t like that. We’re friends, and I just thought we haven’t talked since, well you know, and I’ve really been wanting to.”

  “Why?” Cathy wasn’t going to go into it. She had her own shit to deal with, and she couldn’t deal with Addison’s guilt right now.

  “Because it was my fault.”

  Bingo.

  “No, Addison, it wasn’t your fault, it was their fault and whoever paid them to take me to get to you. Not your fault.”

  “But Cathy, if it wasn't for me and them wanting the farm, it would’ve never happened. I just…”

  “Stop, just stop, Addy. I have so much shit going on in my life right now, I can’t even start to deal with this. Yes, what happened to both of us was awful. I’m emphasizing the both Addy, do you get that? I can’t deal with your guilt over i
t, right now. You weren’t to blame then, and you aren’t to blame now,” Cathy said going to the door. It was rude, but damn it, didn’t these women understand she was fucking trying? Her man decided he was leaving her, she had a shit load of guilt already over what happened, and then fuck, everything else. She just wanted to be left alone long enough to catch her damn breath and figure out her next move.

  Addy took hold of her elbow before she could get through the door and close it. “Listen, I know, and I’m not trying to make you deal with anything. I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been talking to someone, and she’s terrific. Katie Dodge recommended her.”

  Cathy knew Katie. She was a legacy member of the Club; well, not a member, more like a princess. Her dad had been heavily involved with the RBMC for years. She grew up with a lot of the guys. She was also a doctor and someone Cathy considered a friend. Why she hadn’t thought of reaching out to Katie was beyond her comprehension right now. At least Addy had, she thought.

  “Her name is Kayla Stewart.” Addy held out a card. “Cathy, she isn’t like other therapists. I just wanted to give you her card. She understands, she’s been where we both have.

  Cathy knew Addy was leaving some things out about this therapist, but she was just too angry right now to even think about it, so she snapped. Between her confrontation with Crank and then Link and Carri, she was about at the end of her rope.

  “Really, Addy, you think this woman, a woman I’ve never met before, is going to be able to understand what it felt like to be gang raped, almost beaten to death, only to have her womb ripped out of her and any chance she could ever have of having a child taken away? Do you really think this woman can relate to that?” Cathy snapped. “Or how about the fact that the only man I have ever loved just told me this morning he can’t deal with my shit anymore and is leaving.”