by J. L. Leslie
“Shit!” I curse as Dax and I reach it.
“Sonnie!” Dax cries, trying to figure out a way to get inside.
The entire building is in flames and half of it has already collapsed. There’s no way to get in and expect to ever get out.
“Sonnie? Dax it’s almost midnight.” I tell him.
“She’s here! She’s fucking here prepping for tomorrow!” he yells, still looking for a way in.
I pull my phone out and call 9-1-1, but I know in my gut that if Sonnie is here, she’s already gone. Dax lets out a string of curses, knowing the same thing I know. He can’t get in and it’s too late.
Still, he keeps looking for a way in, walking around the burning building and calling Sonnie’s name. We all do the same, just to give him hope, but none of us see a way in that isn’t collapsed or on fire.
When the VFD arrive, I inform them there’s a possibility of someone inside. Twenty minutes later, Sonnie’s body is carried out on a stretcher. A white sheet covers her burned remains.
Chapter Twenty-One
~Raiden~
I feel the hand over my mouth after it’s too late for me to scream. I thrash against my bed sheets, but have no luck in getting them off me.
“Ssh, it’s me.” Luka whispers and slowly removes his hand from my mouth.
Now that I know it’s him, his scent invades the room. Smoke. It’s so heavy it nearly chokes me.
“You smell like smoke.” I comment and he doesn’t say anything. “Oh God, what’s happened?”
I throw the covers back and hurry out of the bed so that I can turn the light on. Luka still sits on the edge of my bed. His head is down and he stares at his hands that rest in his lap. He’s wearing a black leather cut. The Raven’s symbol is engraved on the back.
I feel my bottom lip quivering and I bite down on it to gain some control. A tear rolls down my cheek. I know something has happened. I know it in my gut.
“Your dad sent me to tell you that Sonnie died.”
Sonnie. Not Sonnie. I lean against the wall and a sob escapes my lips. Luka is there. He pulls me against him and the smell of smoke and leather surrounds me.
“The diner…”
“It’s gone, isn’t it?” I ask and I feel him nod.
All this time, my dad was waiting on the Rykers to attack his members. He was waiting on an attack to his business dealings. I told him it was personal. I felt it in my gut. Now the diner’s gone. Sonnie’s gone.
I feel myself collapsing, but Luka lifts me and carries me back to my bed. I assume he takes his boots off before he climbs in, but I don’t really give a shit. I bury my face to his chest and just cry.
I cry to the point that I no longer know who or what I’m crying for. Everything I suppose. It doesn’t matter. Every once in a while a woman deserves a good cry. I can be weak for a short period of time. I’ll let myself have this moment.
I breathe in the leather and smoke smell and remember a time when the smell of leather comforted me. Now it’s becoming a smell I associate with everything I’ve lost.
“I don’t want her to be gone. She was like another mother to me. She was my mom’s best friend. She can’t be gone.” I sob.
“I’m sorry, Raiden.”
“It’s never going to be over.” I tell him. “Cal hates my dad and this war will never be over. I doubt anyone even knows why it ever started.”
“Probably not.” he agrees.
“But Sonnie, she wasn’t part of this. That was low, even for Cal. I knew he was going personal this time.”
“Why do you say that?” he questions.
“I could just tell when I saw him at the boutique. I could hear it in his voice. I know him.”
The moment I say the words, I feel Luka’s body stiffen. I know he wants to know more. How well do I know Cal? What kind of history do we have?
“He asked for a meeting to make peace, but he never meant it. He just wanted it to look like we made the first move when we took out Bart.” I explain.
“It looks like we did, but we all know that was for the two guys who throats they slit, right?”
“Now everything they do looks like they’re just retaliating.” I say and Luka nods. “But still, the diner was a cheap shot.”
“Unless it wasn’t personal against the Ravens, but personal against you.” Luka says. I won’t say that hadn’t crossed my mind. “Maybe Cal’s pissed that you didn’t set up the meeting with Dax.”
“Maybe.”
“Or whatever the history is between you two.” he throws out there.
“It was a long time ago, Luka. We were kids and he was using me to try and bring the Ravens down.” I admit. There’s no using in lying when I can’t change my past. It’s not like he doesn’t have one too.
He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes and I’m sure he’s letting it sink in that I had a thing with Cal Harrison. Big fucking deal. Get over it.
“Maybe it’s because you killed Bart.”
I don’t answer him right away. Truth be told, I’m a little taken aback by the fact that he assumes I could kill someone even if I have pulled a gun on him. Twice.
“You think I killed Bart?” I ask, looking up at him.
“Yes.”
“Why would you think that?” I question him, still not confirming nor denying his accusation.
“I watched you single-handedly take out the majority of the Ravens with a paintball gun and I never even saw your location. I know you’ve been primed to be a Raven since you were a kid and I don’t believe for once second that was just to become a fuck-buddy to the ADA. I think that was to become an undeniable asset. Your father is extremely smart, Raiden, and I know he would use you to the best of his ability…and yours.”
“Which is what he’s doing with Griffin.” I reply.
“And with your talent with a gun.” he counters. “You’re the perfect asset, Raiden. At least, until someone figures out what you do.”
Still, I don’t confirm or deny. I’ll let him believe what he wants. I close my eyes and press my face to the leather of his cut.
When I wake up in the morning, he’s gone. The evidence of him is still there though. My bed sheets are dirty with soot and so am I. I strip the bed down and throw them in the wash before I head to the shower.
Once I’m cleaned up and dressed, I get my burner phone and call my dad. I know he must be reeling from last night and I want to know what his plans for retaliation are.
“Yep.” His voice is clipped and cold when he answers. He honestly doesn’t even sound like my dad.
“Luka told me about Sonnie, about the diner.”
“That’s what I sent him to do.” he states.
“Have any arrangements been made yet?” I ask.
“We’ll put her to rest beside Jerry tomorrow at two o’clock.” he replies and I feel like I’m pulling every response out of him.
“I know you want to retaliate, but I think we should probably wait them out a little while. They’ll be expecting a quick response, but if we wait, they won’t know what’s coming.”
“I want them to know what’s coming.” he says. “Because I’m going to kill every last one of them motherfuckers.”
~Luka~
“I told you not to come here.” Lincoln says, his jaw clenching.
I ignore him and close the door behind me. A few Rykers are still standing guard outside his door. My father sits in the same chair I slept in, but stands up now that I’ve come in.
“Since when do I do what you tell me to do?” I smirk, but there’s no change in the solemn expression on Linc’s face.
I walk to the foot of the bed and cross my arms. My brother looks so different. Nothing like the twenty-four year old he was before going into jail. He looks older, worn.
“What the hell is this?” my father pipes in. “You two aren’t speaking?”
Linc and I just stare at each other, not saying a word. My father lets out a laugh. His laugh is one of those hoarse,
scratchy laughs of someone who has smoke three packs a day.
“Your mother used to try and pull that silent treatment bullshit on me. I guarantee neither of you could outlast her so you might as well give in and talk to each other. You’re brothers for Christ’s sake.”
“We’re not.” Linc states, coldly.
My dad’s laughter stops and I can feel his eyes on me. His gaze shifts between us and then he comes to stand at the side of the bed.
“Oh, you’re not?” he questions, crossing his arms.
“Nope.” Linc answers.
“And just who the hell do you think are your brothers, Lincoln?”
“They’re right outside my door.” my brother replies.
“Let me tell you something, son, those men outside that door are not your fucking brothers.” my dad tells him, pointing his finger to the door. I can hear the anger in his voice and I know he’s pissed. “Do you know what they do?”
Lincoln breaks his hard stare from me and finally looks at our dad. My dad is generally a mild tempered man. He’s quiet and minds his own business. He likes to work on vehicles and then have himself a beer or two, maybe five, while he watches re-runs of M.A.S.H. and thinks of my mom.
“They think they run this whole town. They like to intimidate everyone in it, son. They have their drugs, their motorcycles, and their weapons. They come to the small businesses in town and threaten the owners to try and make them sell. They want everything, but they’re not getting my fucking shop!”
I had no idea about any of this. He never said the Rykers were trying to buy his place. Never said a word.
“So they are not your brothers, Lincoln! This…this is your brother!”
Why would the Rykers want my dad’s shop? Why would they want any of those small businesses? Hell, why haven’t the Ravens heard anything about it? Those businesses are in our territory.
“I need to go.” I tell them. “I, um, I have a funeral to go to this afternoon.”
It doesn’t take me long to get to the clubhouse and find Dax. I tell him what my dad told me and he doesn’t look surprised.
“I know.” he replies.
“So you know the Rykers have been trying to buy businesses in our territory?” I ask, incredulously.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job as president if I didn’t know these things, Luka.” he says, calmly. “Cal started snatching up small businesses eight months ago, making threats to the owner’s families and burning down the businesses that wouldn’t sell. Now he thinks he’s the proud owner of four businesses on our side and he’s seeking out more.”
“He’s taking over our territory.”
“I said he thinks he’s the proud owner.” Dax corrects me. “The deeds are fakes. The business owners are under our protection and we have their loyalty. I just want to see what he’s planning. I haven’t figured that out yet, but I will. Cal is not smarter than me. My guess is, he wants the store fronts for his drug distribution. I also think he wants them for his trafficking. All the stores have basement areas which would be perfect for hiding the girls he’s trafficking.”
“I thought you hadn’t found proof of that.” I say.
“I’m working on it. He may not be smarter than me, but I’ll never underestimate the sleazy fucker.” Dax says and stands.
“I guess we better get ready to go.”
“Guess so.” Dax agrees. “Oh, you heard anything from Knowles lately?”
“Nah, not since the article ran. I guess he’s given up on me giving him reliable info. I’m not meant to be snitch.”
“He hasn’t cut you loose yet. He’s too thirsty for that.” Dax tells me. “Give him some time. He’ll be calling you.”
“Probably.”
I know Dax is right. As much as I hate to admit it, my nightmare isn’t quite over. I never should’ve agreed to Griffin’s proposal in the first place.
“The club will have your back when he does. Don’t take any more bullshit from him. You’re a member now.”
Hearing Dax say this makes me feel like I actually have a chance against Griffin. Like I can stand up to him and get Lincoln out. I know now how desperately he needs to be out of that hellhole. As I walk outside and get on my bike, the Ravens surround me and I feel partly at peace in this fucked up situation. The roar of our bikes is heavy on my heart as Dax leads us to the gravesite.
Chapter Twenty-Two
~Raiden~
I ignore Griffin’s pacing and zip the back of my dress up. I’m wearing my hair down in long, dark waves. Sonnie always loved my hair. After my mom died, dad didn’t have a clue what to do with it. I remember him trying to help me braid it one day and Sonnie coming to his rescue. I’d been so frustrated at him for tangling it up, but she had told me, “At least he tried. Give him some credit.”
I was thirteen at the time and I wanted two French braids, one on each side. Mom had always been able to do them, but I never could. Sonnie could do them really well too.
“I can’t believe you’re going. She was just a waitress.” Griffin snaps.
I calmly take a breath and slide my heels on. “Griffin, I grew up around that woman. She was more than just a waitress to me even though I didn’t spend time with her in my adult life.” I lie. “You are welcome to come with me or stay here. It’s your choice, but I refuse to continue arguing over this. I told you yesterday that I was going.”
“How can I possibly come with you, Raiden?” he questions me. “You said all of the Ravens will be there and then you’re going with your father afterwards. I am the Assistant District Attorney for fuck’s sake!”
“I know it’s not what you would normally do, nor is it what I would normally do, but under these circumstances…”
“Circumstances? Are you fucking kidding me?” he yells.
“Griffin, please, you don’t have to worry about me.” I assure him.
“You’re going to be hanging out with a motorcycle gang all night.” he argues.
“I’ll be with my father tonight and tomorrow I’ll be back at work, just like any other Tuesday.” I promise him. “He’s mourning the loss of a friend.” I place my arms on his shoulders to try and calm him. “He would never let anything happen to me. You know, he’s the president of a motorcycle gang.” I smirk.
“Don’t remind me.” he grumbles.
“I will be fine, Griffin.” I state, firmly. “Please don’t worry.”
I lean in and give him a kiss, letting him fold his arms around me and hold me a little longer than I prefer just so his fears subside.
“Okay, I’m going to call a cab.”
“You’re not driving?” Griffin asks and the concern is back again.
“No, my car was acting up yesterday.” I lie, yet again. “I need to get it to the shop to be checked out.”
“Fine, let me drop you off. It’ll make me feel better.”
I agree to this just because I don’t want him worrying. The more he worries, the more he calls. Tonight I need to be with my family.
Griffin leads me outside and opens the door for me. I tell him where the funeral is and he’s quiet as he drives me Winchester Cemetery. The same cemetery my mom is buried at. In fact, all the Ravens are buried there.
“There’s no one here.” he announces as he pulls up.
I see Sonnie’s casket, a pretty silver color with red roses on top, and it takes me back to twelve years ago. I threw myself on a similar casket and begged my mom not to go. I wasn’t ready.
“They’ll be here.” I assure him and as if on cue, I hear the rumble of bikes in the distance.
“I thought I would feel better bringing you, but I don’t.” Griffin says, sadly. “I hate that you’re a part of this world.”
“I’m not.” The words are thick on my tongue and I hate even saying them out loud. “I’ll be fine, Griffin. Everything is fine.”
His kiss is chaste and I feel nothing. Like always. As he drives away, I see the bikes pulling in followed by some vehicles whom I assume are
some loyal patrons of the diner.
I go stand beside the final resting place of my friend, my second mother. I run my fingers of the silver of her casket. I can still hear her warning me off my syrupy, peanut butter pancakes. I can still see her soft smile when she told stories about my mom and dad. I can still feel her warm hugs. I’m not ready for her to be gone.
“I see your boyfriend decided not to stay.” my dad quips as he comes to stand beside me.
“Not now, dad.” I warn.
“I’ll take your advice and bide my time. But I will be planning a move against the Rykers.” he assures me.
I simply nod, nod wanting to discuss this here. I fight back tears as the preacher begins to tell stories of Sonnie and how loved she was. The faces of the Ravens still have that same solemn look they always have when they lose a member and Sonnie may as well have been one.
I lean over and rest my head on my dad’s shoulder, smelling the leather from his cut. Telling myself again that it should comfort me, despite everything I’ve lost. It still smells like home.
I gaze over the casket and Luka is staring back at me. His dark hair has grown out a little since the first night I saw him fight at Diesel’s. It’s windblown and messy and he looks like he could care less.
I know Sonnie had liked him. She said he reminded her of Jerry, her late husband. Maybe it was his personality, because I know for a fact that pot-bellied Jerry looked nothing like Luka. This thought nearly makes me smile.
“Let’s go.” my dad says.
I climb on behind my dad and take one last look towards the casket before he speeds off, the Ravens following behind us.
~Luka~
Apparently, Sonnie was a huge fan of James Taylor. His songs have been on repeat since we got back to the clubhouse. Not that I’m complaining. Everyone needs a little “Fire and Rain” every once in a while. I can hear Eric humming along to it as we shoot pool.
Raiden sits at the bar with Eric’s wife, Melissa, both of them have two empty shots in front of them. She’s still wearing the black dress she wore to the funeral, but her heels are gone and have been replaced by a pair of black boots. I don’t know where she got them from. They honestly look like they belong to Dax because they’re about two sizes too big.
