by Erin Trejo
“We got our VP back. What’s our first move?” Hawk asks, grinning from ear to ear. I don’t want to be the one to break his happiness, but at least he understands where my world is heading – straight into the pits of hell.
“Ninja needs dealt with before we can do anything. This motherfucker is a loose cannon. He’s gonna detonate and explode at any fuckin’ second.” My eyes jump back to Stone’s. I can see the worry in him. I know it’s true.
“Ninja shouldn’t be hard to get off alone. You prepared to step up as the prez?” I ask Stone. My words are still slurring together from the amount of alcohol in my system, but the more I focus, the better I seem to be.
“Goddamn right I am. This bullshit way of runnin’ that club needs to end. We’ve come too far and been through too much for Ninja to ruin this shit,” Stone says, his tone hard and unyielding. I nod my head.
“Good. Glad you got your fuckin’ head on right. We get Ninja out of the way. The sooner, the better. Without Nick, Crashed is shit. They’ve always been shit and that will never change. They are a fuckin’ little MC that’s run around actin’ tough for far too long. When we move in, we move in hard. We make it quick. Get in, get out. Tip isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. He’s gullible. Bray-” I stop myself, closing my eyes to reign in my control. When I open my eyes, the guys are all staring at me. “Braylynn said the strongest link is Nick. We get him out of the way as soon as we possibly can. That makes the others easy fuckin’ targets.” They all watch me intently. What? Do they not want to hear what the fuck I have to say now? Do they not believe what I’m saying is true?
Draven claps his hands together pulling my attention to him. “Nice to have you back, motherfucker.” I huff and give him a half smile before turning back to Hawk.
“How do we flush Ninja out?”
Chapter 30
The plan’s simple. I call him up. Act accordingly. Get him to meet me and sweet talk him. Yeah, that’s how the plan is going to work. In fact, I’m sitting in this dingy-ass bar waiting on the motherfucker to show up. I knock back a few more shots when I feel hands on my back. I glance over my shoulder and take in the girl standing behind me. Long blonde hair and fake tits. Not my idea of fun tonight.
“Take a fuckin’ walk,” I tell her turning back around to face the bar.
“So, what you said is true, yeah?” His voice. Don’t choke the motherfucker just yet, Smokey. Let this play out the right way.
“You think I’d lie?” I ask not looking up at him. I can feel his presence behind me. Ninja moves to sit next to me, slapping his hand on the bar so that the bartender knows he wants a round.
“Wanna tell me why we are in this shit hole?” he asks. I chuckle and take down another shot.
“Seems my prez doesn’t understand my full intentions,” I tell him.
Ninja chuckles before sliding a cigarette in front of me. “Heard that. My club is half way to shit right now too.”
I huff out a breath and light up.
“We have a little bit in common, yeah?” I glance over at the bastard. Ninja nods his head before he looks over at me. His eyes study mine. I know what he’s doing. He’s looking deep to see if I’m playing him. Good luck, motherfucker. I’ve never been readable. Never will be. It’s like looking in the snow to find a cotton ball. It isn’t happening.
“You traded her back,” he says, grabbing his shot and downing it.
“Not my choice, brother. Club orders. Had no choice in the matter. They voted. I lost.” Even though that’s a complete lie, it hurts to say it. There was never a vote. Bray made her own choices just as much as I made mine.
“Fuck. Hawk’s a goddamn fool,” Ninja mumbles.
“What about you? Heard that you needed that chick for somethin’.” Ninja nods, his eyes still searching mine. I don’t pull away. I let him look. He won’t find what he wants, but I’ll let him try.
Ninja glances around, satisfied that he doesn’t see anything, then looks back at me.
“I need the girl for my own trade of sorts. I have an illegitimate child so to speak that’s causin’ me some problems.”
What the fuck is he talking about? A kid? What fucking kid and how the hell is it causing him trouble? This is all news to me.
“You got a kid?” I ask, looking confused as all fuck. That’s not an act either. I’m really fucking confused.
“Somethin’ like that. The motherfucker never wanted to be a part of this world. Ran off when he was seventeen. Heard he went into the navy.”
My heart starts beating faster and faster. No fucking way.
“Navy, huh? That must have been a fuckin’ shock,” I tell him. I wave the old man behind the bar over and motion for a few more rounds.
“Yeah. Opposite fuckin’ worlds. His momma was nothin’ but a club whore. Took off with him when he was little. I saw him a few times after that. She said he was the fuckin’ devil himself. She didn’t want him and he didn’t want my lifestyle. Although now it seems he does.”
Nick. Fucking Nick is Ninja’s kid. Son of a bitch. That’s all the more reason to kill those motherfuckers. I want them all!
“Changed his mind?” I ask. Ninja nods as I chuckle.
“What’s the problem then? Get his ass voted in, brother.” Slapping a hand on his shoulder, what I really want to do is snap his goddamn neck.
“Problem with that,” he says taking another shot.
“What’s that?” I ask like I don’t fucking know. What kind of bullshit. The little bastard is weaseling in with the Crashed for what? Surely it wasn’t only for Bray.
“He’s in with another MC. That’s where the problem lies. The club don’t wanna get mixed up with Crashed. I want my boy on my team. The girl is the only way to do that.”
It all comes in so clear in my mind’s eye. He wanted Braylynn to lure Nick into the Aces. Without Braylynn, Ninja has nothing. Not a fucking thing, and for some reason, that makes me want to laugh in his face.
“What’s your plans on the girl after you get your boy?” I ask. Let me play my cards the right way. I will throw out a few lows one and pull him in with the big ones.
“Don’t give a fuck. You want her? Help me get in there,” Ninja says. I nod my head, playing my part.
“Heard no one knew if she was still alive or not.” Saying it kills me. It rips me apart inside. I swallow the bile that races up, burning my throat at just the thought.
“Yeah. Thing is, Nick ain’t stupid. He wants what he wants. He wants that fuckin’ girl. Tip wouldn’t dare harm her if he wanted to keep Nick around.”
Another shot goes down smoothly. My heart does some strange leap around my chest.
“So, you think she’s still alive?” I ask.
Ninja turns to me with a grin. “Hell yeah, she is. Nick would take them all out for touchin’ her. That motherfucker is as sick as they come, brother. He has delusions that he thinks are real. Like the fuckin’ love he thinks that girl has for him. Fuckin’ delusional.” He tips his glass to me as I smirk.
“Heard that. So, we doin’ this? Once you get your boy, I want Braylynn.”
Ninja laughs. “She’s all yours. I saw the marks you put on that girl. Choked her ass out and shit. I like your style, brother, I do. I talked to her, you know. She didn’t want shit to do with my plan, but I promised that little cunt I’d be back for her. Slapped her around a little to make my point.”
My hand clenches around the shot glass in my hand. I have to hold that shit back so I don’t snap the glass. My blood begins to run cold and the thought of his blood all over me sends a rush through me.
“When do you wanna handle this?” I ask with my teeth clenching. I can hear them grinding. I feel the pain that radiates through my jaw.
“The weekend. Word is they are havin’ a little party. Most of the guys, if not all, should be there then. We go in, blow them the fuck out, and get what we want.” I nod my head when Ninja’s hand lands on my shoulder. “You know, I always thought you’d make a better
prez than Hawk. You got it in you to be a leader, man. You know what you want. You go get it. Fuck, man. You ever want to get that spot, you let me know. We’ll make shit happen.”
I grin and chuckle along with him. Sorry ass son of a bitch. Little does he know he will be going to hell soon. He can greet me when I get there.
Chapter 31
Ninja and I throw back a few more drinks just shooting the shit and relaxing. Or at least he is. I’m on edge. I want to strangle this piece of shit and I want to do it now. We’ve talked over the plan a few times, and to me, it seems to be a legit way to get in. The problem is getting my boys instead of the Aces. I know they’ll have our backs, but this is on us.
“Goddamn, man. I’m about sick of this shitty-ass beer,” I grumble, picking at the label of my bottle. I want to get out of here. I want to finish this fucker.
“Heard that. Let’s go hit the Nomad bar.” Ninja slams his glass onto the counter and points at the bartender. “Next time you better have some good shit!” he roars. The man just shakes his head as though he’s seen this type of shit before. He probably has in this kind of shit shack.
“So, you think your boys are ready to move in? You need any other backup?” I ask as we walk toward the door. We step out into the silence of the night and my heart pounds harder.
“They will if they wanna stay in the club. Can’t give them much of a choice.” Ninja lights up a smoke as I glance around.
I see the light flicker from the trees. That was our signal. I slap a hand on Ninja’s shoulder and direct him slightly toward the bikes.
“Yeah, I hear you. They need to follow orders. There’s only one problem with all this shit,” I tell him. He huffs out a breath and looks over at me.
“What’s that?” He narrows his brows and stares at me.
“You are.” I spin around, grabbing his throat. His hands start to flail before clenching into fists. The guys slowly come out of the tree line and take in the scene.
“Well, look who we have here,” Hawk says with a grin.
“What the fuck is this?” Ninja says through clenched teeth. I chuckle a little.
“This is an intervention, motherfucker. Seems you been actin’ out just a little and some of your boys don’t like it,” Hawk says with a straight face. I just hold him in place and watch.
“You can’t kill another prez; it goes against ethics,” he growls.
I love feeling of his throat vibrating around my fingers. It gives me a fucking high. “Yeah, but if it was accidental, you know? That doesn’t really go against the rules.” I shrug. Ninja tries to turn his head and look at me but I just hold his ass in place.
“Have to say that I agree on that one.” Stone steps forward. Ninja tries his hardest to free himself of my grasp, but there is no way that’s going to happen until I let his dead body slip to the ground.
“You traitor! You’ve always been jealous of me,” Ninja snaps at Stone.
Stone steps closer, his eyes raging with their own fury. I like that look on him. It makes the man look fierce.
“You keep fuckin’ us over, Ninja. You keep fuckin’ around where our club has no business bein’! You think we want half the wars we get? You send our boys into fuckin’ ambushes just to get your dick hard! It’s over, brother. It’s over.” Stone pulls a knife from under his cut. A sick grin creep across my face.
“Oh, you gonna step up, Stone? You’re weak!” he spats.
Stone’s eyes come to meet mine. I give him a slight nod before releasing my grip on Ninja’s throat. I move to his arms instead, pulling them behind his body roughly.
“All of you will pay for this. You think you know what the fuck you’re doin’ right now!” Ninja roars but Stone doesn’t falter. He moves in slowly with a steady hand. Pressing the blade to Ninja’s throat, he leans in closely.
“We won’t pay for your fuckin’ mistakes anymore.” He drags the blade across Ninja’s throat, a sick smile on his face. Maybe I underestimated Stone. He’s taking far too much pleasure in this shit.
Ninja gurgles and slowly slides to the ground when I release his arms. Stone steps over his body, kicking him in the ribs as he does.
“You fucked up, Ninja. You weren’t a president; you were a fuckin’ joke. You wanted shit your way, not the club way. We have a code we follow and you broke that shit.”
Ninja’s near lifeless eyes blink slowly as he tries to get air into his lungs.
“Burn this motherfucker,” I yell. The prospects come forward and look down at the lifeless fuck.
I take a deep breath ready to get this all over with and get into the fucking Crashed MC world. I want them all. I don’t know if I believe a word of what Ninja said about Bray being alive of not. In our world, it just doesn’t make sense. There are too many distractions and too much violence to keep her around without good cause.
“You ready to head out?” Hawk asks, slapping his hand on my back.
“Yeah. I want this shit over, Hawk. If she’s gone, I want them to pay for it.” He nods his head. He understands what I need here. I want Bray. Fuck do I want her, but the likelihood of her already being dead is high. The MCs don’t play when it comes to life or death. At least ours doesn’t. We take lives whenever we deem it necessary and we don’t apologize for it. It’s our way of life. Crashed aren’t much different than we are except for being at the bottom of the proverbial food chain. I know they will kill just for the hell of it. Look what they did to my family. I throw my leg over my bike and climb on.
Glancing around at the guys, I take in a deep breath. This is my family now and regardless of if I get Bray back, this is where my focus needs to lie. This is where I belong.
Chapter 32
Church went as planned. It ended with the guys telling me not to get my hopes up. I already knew that though. My hopes were never that high anyway. I knew from the time I took Bray that she would never be really mine. I was supposed to use her and toss her to the side, but something quickly shifted in that plan of mine. Something that wasn’t supposed to shift. I wasn’t supposed to give a shit. I wasn’t supposed to look at her any differently than a common whore, but I did. I always have. Even before all this began, Bray was something different. She was better than them. Better than me and we all knew it. That girl quickly took a piece of my darkness and held it in her pretty little hands only to crush it when she wouldn’t change her mind. She walked out there so stoically. She held her head high and did what she needed to do. It was something fierce yet amazing to watch. I didn’t know she had it in her. I guess growing up in the MC has to give you that edge. Even if it was just a small piece.
“You ready to get this shit started?” Draven calls out to me. I tilt my head back and look up at the fucker.
“Goddamn right I am.” I look back down at the rifle in my hand. Cleaning the guns. That’s what we’ve been doing for the past hour. We’re getting out gear together and primed for a fucking war. A war that I hope ends in our favor.
“Keep your head clear, brother. You go in there thinkin’ about her and only her, you’ll get your head blown the fuck off.”
I chuckle a little before he sits next to me.
“You know the hardest part of all this shit is knowin’ that this will be the end. It’s an end to the war that I’ve been wagin’ inside of me too. Not just with them. I’ve kicked my own ass over and over for my family losin’ their lives, man.”
Draven nods his head knowing all that. He’s been there when I’ve lost my head more than once. “You’re right. It’ll be time to put them to rest, brother. Let them be at peace. I know they are already, but you get what I’m sayin’.”
I nod without looking up at him. I know what he means and I can feel it. I feel like I’ve been holding them back from their peace. Like somehow I’ve kept them from moving on into the afterlife for my own sick reasons. I know it’s time to let them go, but it’s hard for me. They were all I had left of a blood family. They meant the world to me, and because of me, they ar
e no longer here. Those assholes knew how to cut me down without killing me first. They took the only thing that mattered to me at the time. They took them when they couldn’t touch me. There’s a part of me that knows I will blame myself for that for the rest of my life. In my heart, there is no way around it.
“Fuck, man. Let’s do this shit. I need a good ass beatin’,” I grumble.
Draven shoves out of his chair, grabbing some guns off the table. I do the same stuffing mine into the back of my jeans and into the front. I sling the rifle over my shoulder as I march toward the door. As surprising as it may be, I feel nothing. I have no urges. I have no feelings. I have nothing but this abnormal tug in my chest. It isn’t anxiety. It isn’t even rage. This is something I’ve never felt in my entire life; it’s an overwhelming sense of peace. I roll my shoulders back. When I step out the doors and see my brothers standing there ready for this fight, I grin. This is what we do. This is who we are. We have each other’s backs no matter what.
“Alright. Now that we’re all out here, let me say this. This is Smokey’s move. We know why, too. We have his back no matter what the outcome is. Follow his lead. If you see somethin’, speak up. Otherwise, we move in like planned. You ready?” Hawk roars getting the guys amped up.
My eyes move from each one of their faces. The men that will always have my back the way I’ll always have theirs. Just as the guys start roaring, I hear the unmistakable rumble of bikes pulling in. I know the compound is guarded so this must be a friendly visit.
My eyes track the bikes as they come to a halt in front of us. A fucking shit eating grin crosses my face.
“Son of a bitch,” I mumble as the guys climb off their bikes.
“Didn’t think we’d let you bitches go in without us, did you?” Mayhem says as he walks toward me. Holding his hand out in front of him, I grab it and pull the fucker into a hug.
