Sufferance (The Chicago Defiance MC Series Book 4)

by KE Osborn

  I glance at Lala who shakes her head. “Club celebrations. They’re never ones to let the night go by sober.”

  I chuckle. “Amen. Look at Chains, he looks fucking wrecked.” I snicker as he sits in the corner with a bowl of cornflakes. He slowly eats them with his eyes closed as a single cornflake sits in his beard along with a trail line of milk.

  “Oh man, half the guys in here look like they’re in a coma. How they’re even awake right now is beyond me.” Lala chuckles as we walk in grabbing a seat next to Trax, Sparx, and Zane.

  “Morning,” I mumble as Trax puts his hand up as if to stop me, simply shaking his head.

  Sparx giggles. Out of everyone, she actually looks the best. She doesn’t drink heavily like the rest of us because of her medications plus being a mother to thirteen-month-old twins helps with that too. “Trax has a very bad headache this morning. As you can see, most of the guys here do. I think you two left at the right time last night… it got messy.” She giggles as Lala pats her brother on the back while he holds onto his head like its spinning.

  “I swear I can’t function, Sparx. You’re in charge of the kids today,” he murmurs.

  She laughs. “I knew it was going to happen. Why do you think they’re already down for their mid-morning nap? I’m all over it, Trax.”

  He glances up. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

  “Yes, you are, now drink your coffee.”

  He groans taking his mug starting to slowly sip as Torque and Foxy come into the room. They walk over to us taking a seat looking quite perky this morning compared to everyone else. Torque can’t help but laugh at the state his brother is in.

  “Big night, brother?” Torque asks.

  Trax groans again. “Inside voice,” Trax almost whispers making us all laugh.

  “I wasn’t even talking loud?” Torque queries as Trax plonks his head to the table while Sparx rubs his back for comfort.

  “I got a call from Harry Linn a moment ago. He wants to meet up to talk about another shipment before I head off. Looks like I’m not leaving until this evening,” Torque tells us making everyone groan.

  “You saying we all got up early to see you off for nothing?” Trax grunts.

  Torque chuckles. “Well…. yes and no. We have to see Linn, so I guess that’s not nothing.”

  “Fucking hell, when?” Trax asks.

  “Couple of hours. You have time to gather yourself, you all do,” Torque calls out louder to the rest of the brothers. Everyone shudders at the loudness of his voice making me chuckle.

  Neala leans into my side. “I might go off to get that… paperwork, seeing as there’s nothing holding me here for the next few hours?”

  I lean in planting a kiss on her tender lips. I look in her eyes knowing what this means for us. A chance at a life together. A chance at being as happy as Torque and Foxy are now. We can have that. I notice Chloe walk out of the sleeping quarters. She’s been here ever since she first arrived. Chloe fits in so well. I think Zane and her get on a little too well if you ask me. She still has her apartment and will go back to it, but until we find a solid lead on where Frank is, I feel safer having her here. As she heads toward us, I bob my head in greeting.

  Neala stands up. “I just have some stuff I have to do in the city. I’ll be back before you have to leave tonight.”

  Foxy and Torque acknowledge her as I grip her hand. She winks at me then turns to leave. My chest hurts at how much I love this woman. Now, I just have to make it official with Torque. As Neala walks out of the clubhouse, and Chloe takes a seat next to Zane, I glance at Torque figuring now is as good a time as any.

  “Torque, can I’ve a word?”

  He furrows his brow as he stands at the same time I do. We step over to the bar taking a stool each. Nerves flow through me, I haven’t prepared anything to say. I’m going in blind, but I need to be assertive and tell him how it’s going to be.

  “I love Neala.” His eyes widen like he’s a little shocked I started with that, but I continue, “Yesterday showed me what I want, what I could have. I want it all with your sister. I’ll treat her good. I’ll look after her. I’ll make sure she wants for nothing…” He rubs the back of his neck suddenly looking a little uncomfortable as my nerves increase. “I love her.”

  “You said that already.”

  Clearing my throat, I grimace taking in a long breath. “I’m gonna marry her, Torque. I’m not asking. I’m just letting you know.”

  He licks his lips turning up his nose a little as he looks back over toward Foxy. He exhales clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth. My heart’s fucking racing in my chest a million miles a minute as I wait for him to say something, any fucking thing as he looks me in the eyes with a simple shrug. “If I can make Foxy happy, then you, of all people, can make Lala happy. But, if you fuck this up or screw her over, I swear to God kid, I will fuck. You. Up.”

  Smiling, I put out my hand for him to shake. He leans forward taking me into a back-slapping hug. “Welcome to the family, Pyro. I expect you to change your last name to O’Shea. She’s not changing hers.” His face is completely serious as he stands walking away from me.

  I let out a small laugh knowing he’s probably serious when he says that, but I have to draw the line somewhere. I’m not changing my last name, no matter how much pride and authority that last name I’d be taking on holds. Neala will take my name because I need to be a man.

  I start to walk over to sit with my new family when a loud explosion rocks through the compound, and the clubhouse shakes on its very foundations as I duck down not knowing where the hell it came from as dust particles and debris pelt down from the ceiling. Everyone looks around at each other knowing this is not a good sign, especially seeing as we’re all under the weather. Our reaction times are off, but Torque quickly stands signaling to us all. I pull my Glock from my back pocket as we all rush to the center of the room.

  “Chloe, go to your room,” I call out to her.

  “Ladies, get yourselves undercover,” Torque adds, but Foxy signals to Sparx, Sass, and Kline. They all shake their heads in disapproval of Torque’s words as all four of them run behind the bar and pull out hidden Glocks that none of us knew were there. Chloe takes off with them which makes me tense up.

  “No!” Trax calls out. “Mylee, we have kids to worry about. You go back and deal with them. You’re not in this fight, whatever it is.”

  “I already gave the signal to Ruby to be with them. I’m not leaving you—”

  “But you’ll leave our children without parents?” he rebuts.

  I go to yell at Chloe when my heart suddenly drops through the floor. I tune out Trax and Sparx’s arguing realizing Neala was heading out to get the paperwork.

  What if it was her car that blew up?

  I start racing toward the exit.

  “Pyro!” I hear my name being called, but I don’t bother waiting or tell them what the hell’s going through my mind. All I need to know is that explosion was not my fucking woman. As I bolt outside, my gun aimed high, I hear running footsteps behind me. I know a few brothers are following me, I just don’t know who. But as I make it outside, no one’s there. Lala’s car’s gone, and the gate’s blown to pieces. Gatekeeper’s in a bad way as he hangs from his post.

  “Fuck!” I race through the gate that was obviously blown apart. I know someone’s making a move, I just don’t know who or how many.

  Then I see it.

  Neala’s car, just outside the gate.

  It wasn’t blown up, but it is on fire.

  “Neala!” I call out as I race toward her, my heart pummeling in my chest as I glance up to see a heap of black vans parked just up the road.

  “Pyro, you get Neala, we’ll watch your six,” Scratch calls out as he flanks my side. I glance up to see Ace on the other side of the car too, as they both look down. We can all see something’s coming and if I don’t get Lala out soon, I won’t have enough bullets to get them all.

  Whoever the
fuck they are.

  I race to her door yanking it open as the fire licks at the boot of the car. She’s coughing with the smoke filling the interior as she looks up at me, terror in her eyes. “Trem, I don’t know who they are. I don’t know… but my hands,” she rushes out as I glance to her hands tied up so tight with rope on the steering wheel. I waste no time moving my fingers trying their hardest to untie the tightly bound knots, it’s almost like they fucking glued them they’re that goddamn tight. The flames are getting closer, sweat beads on my brow as I frantically fight with the frayed fucking rope.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Neala!”

  She begins to cry as she leans forward to try to get away from the flames licking at her back. “Trem, I love you, but you have to go, you have to leave me.”

  I stop, looking into her desperate eyes, shaking my head. “I’ll never leave you. You go up in flames, I go up in flames. Pyro, remember?”

  She whimpers as her hands begin to struggle against the tight ropes. I look back at the flames and suddenly my name teamed with the yellow and red glow gives me an idea. I gasp as I reach into my side pocket pulling out my cigarette lighter. “Do you trust me?” I ask as she looks at the lighter.

  “With my life.”

  So, I flick open the lid lighting the flame. I see the rope joining her hands is only small so I put the flame against the one first. The rope crinkles, burning quickly, much to my delight as Neala breathes faster and faster.

  “It’s working,” I blurt out as the rope snaps, and she pulls her hands apart.

  “Hurry,” she calls out as I quickly work on burning the rope where each hand is tied to the steering wheel. Each one snaps off. I reach in grabbing Neala, yanking her out of the car just in time before the flames roar into the front seat.

  She softly cries as I basically carry her with me. I turn just in time to see the vans opening as men step out wearing black suits. I don’t wait around to find out who they are or how many are coming. We need to let the rest of our brothers know. We all race inside, but as we walk through, guns are instantly aimed straight at us.

  “Hold your fire, it’s us,” I call out as I race in with Neala on my arm. “But they are coming, I’m just not sure who. Suits. Lots of them. So arm up!”

  I run in seeing the old ladies and Kline at the bar with guns so I take Neala over to them. They grab her sliding her behind the bar on the floor next to Chloe handing Lala a Glock. I race over to the middle to be with Torque as I draw my gun back out. We all run over to the pool table turning it over taking cover behind it. We don’t know how these guys are going to come in here, but if it’s with bullets, we don’t want to be standing in the middle of the room with our chests bare ready to take said bullets on.

  My heart pummels in my chest so fast I can hear it in my ears. The faint crying noise of the twins echoes from down the hall as the pounding of many feet make their way in from outside. I peer out from around the pool table to make sure the ladies, including Neala and Chloe, are down behind the bar. They are as I see a mob of men walking in wearing black suits, the telltale red handkerchief hanging out of their top pocket as they stroll in like they own the goddamn place.

  They draw their guns as I look to them stealthily trying to assess what the hell is going on. Suddenly, one of them aims their gun at me pulling the trigger. The loud bang echoes through the clubhouse as I duck back around the pool table, splinters of wood ricocheting off the table right beside my head as I slide in beside Torque.

  He grits his teeth shaking his head as he grunts, “Not on my watch.” He stands up, abruptly his trigger going off before I even have a second to register what he’s doing. The echo of the gunfire rings out in the room. He ducks back down as the return fire comes. I waste no time in turning and throwing my Glock up above my head on top of the pool table, sending off a few rounds. The pool table starts to shake with the hits coming from the bullets being fired back. I grit my teeth as I watch Chains and Vibe rush out from behind the pool table to the other side taking cover behind the long summer camp tables as we lay cover fire for them.

  I lean out to the side trying to have a small glimpse as to what I’m shooting at. I see a heap of Gentlemen taking aim, shooting recklessly. One shoots toward Chains, I aim a bullet straight for his head. No need to injure them when you can take them out. The bullet flies straight into his temple, a kill shot as he falls into the man beside him causing him to stumble, his gun shooting off in the wrong direction shooting his own man beside him in the ribs.

  I chuckle as the man hunches over, then I see Sparx pop up from behind the bar subtly shooting him in the back of the head. Blood and brain matter spurt forward as he flops to the ground. I tense up wondering if she has given their position away, but the Gentlemen around him seem to taken by us to have noticed.

  Suddenly, Foxy, Sparx, Sass, Kline, and Neala all stand up, guns at the ready and aim seeing as they are behind the main row of Gentlemen. They start unloading their ammunition. I tense up, my heart hammering in my throat.

  Why they would do that is beyond me.

  This isn’t their fight.

  This isn’t her fight.

  Chloe is hiding behind the bar as the girls fire off.

  What are they thinking?

  I suddenly jump up from behind the table as a heap of Gentlemen drop to the ground from the ladies’ bullets. Trax, Torque, Sensei, and Chains all have the same idea as me, none of us wanting the women we care about to be in harm’s way as we lunge forward not caring about the bullets as we enter the fray. Bullets fly past me as I fire mine off, the girls dodging and firing like nothing is fazing them. It’s kind of a turn on to see Neala coming into her own like this, but as a Gentleman steps out grabbing Kline in a headlock, we all halt our actions as he aims the gun at her temple.

  We slide to a stop, our hands raising high as the gunfire automatically stops on both sides. I take a deep breath glancing at Chains to see him panting for rushed breaths. His nostrils are flaring like he doesn’t know what the hell to do right now seeing his foster sister taken hostage.

  Torque rushes forward grabbing the Gentleman closest to him putting him in a headlock aiming his gun at him. The Gentlemen all smirk as one of them rushes forward grabbing Trax without warning, forcing him into a headlock as he struggles and resists aiming a gun at his head. Sparx lets out a small whimper as Torque grunts.

  It’s only now I take a look around. I notice five of the men in here look familiar. I wrack my brain as we all stare off – then it clicks. They’re the five guys we got into it with at Sass’s competition. The five guys we fought with when they were trying to get Sass to pull out of winning her second place spot.

  “Enough! What the hell is this about? Surely, it’s not because Sass beat that douche in a contest?” Torque calls out as the ringleader steps forward. He’s not one of the five as he looks over at Torque his face alight menacingly.

  “Do you know who we are?” He ignores Torque’s question.

  Torque looks him up and down. “The Gentlemen?”

  His maniacal looking face has me concerned. “Yes, the very same… we have someone you might be interested in.”

  Torque raises his brow. “You have someone for us, but you come in like this? You have a damn funny way of showing friendship.”

  The guy’s lips turn up, but it’s not in a way that makes you feel elated. It’s in a way that makes your skin crawl. “We’re not here to give him to you. We’re here to give you… to him.”

  My muscles are tense as I glance at Torque while he looks at Trax. “Who the hell are you talking about?”

  He whistles loudly, obviously a signal as the unmistakable sound of footsteps echo through the clubhouse. I turn to look at the doorway. My skin prickles as he steps over the bodies littering the floor then he comes into view. My body tenses while my stomach churns seeing his familiar face.

  “Frank!” Torque grunts out as he steps into the middle of the clubhouse. The room shifts into an uncomfortable tensio
n.

  I glance at Chloe to make sure she’s okay. Her lips are drawn tight together like she’s rife with anger. She needs to hold it together right now. I can’t have her in danger. As if he’s reading my mind, Frank’s entire body turns like it’s a homing beacon, and he zeroes in on Chloe. He sneers at her. In return, Neala lifts her gun high aiming it right at him, the other old ladies follow suit aiming their guns at him too. I shudder as the Gentlemen all grunt their disapproval.

  I shake my head slightly at Neala, but she doesn’t back down.

  “What the fuck do you want, Frank?” I call out. “Payback? Bloodshed? What is it exactly you’ve come here for?” I grunt.

  He steps forward, a sneer on his face. “You… you’re a sniveling little fucking cunt, and I want you to suffer.”

  “No!” Chloe calls out rushing from behind the bar toward me, but I put my hand up telling her to stop. Torque grabs hold of her arm halting her from reaching me as she bursts into tears.

  I throw my hands out to the sides and huff. “Well, Frank, I’m right here. Let’s go. You, me, father and son. But how about we tell your little friends exactly how you treat your family members? What would they think of their great influential leader then, Frank?”

  “Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

  My brothers all stand taller, letting me know they have my back in this.

  “What’s he saying, Frank?” The other Gentleman asks stepping forward to Frank’s side.

  “Maybe I’m best to tell this story,” Chloe calls out.

  I turn to her with a grimace. “Chloe no, you don’t have to,” I tell her.

  Torque lets her go as she strides over to my side with purposeful steps. Frank curls his lip with disdain. “She’s nothing but a little girl. You can’t trust a word she says. She’s high on medications. She’s a drug addict—”

  “Quiet, Frank. Talk, Chloe. Tell us what it is you need to say,” the other Gentleman offers effectively shutting down Frank’s lies.

  “This is ridiculous,” Frank mumbles as I grab Chloe’s hand giving her the strength she needs.