North: Broken Deeds MC

by Esther E. Schmidt

  I glance over the text I just hit send for and doubt if I made the right decision to type it out like that. It sounded way better in my damn head. But dots start to bounce letting me know she’s typing a reply and when the words appear, I know it was the right thing to say.

  Reva: I’ll be waiting. With pie. Or maybe I’ll eat my own pie if it takes too long ;)

  North: Babe, that shit makes my brain crack thinking of ways you can lick your own pussy. So, just leave the whole eating pie thing to me.

  “North, get that creepy grin off your face and fire up your bike, we’re leaving,” Depay barks.

  Reva: Pie will be waiting for you…as will I.

  I tuck the phone back into my jeans pocket wearing an even bigger creepy fucking grin on my face as I fire up my bike. Time to get moving so I’m closer to tasting all the sweet things my Old Lady can give me; pussy and pie. Best damn combination to look forward to if you ask me.

  Chapter 08

  ***Reva***

  The sound of someone stumbling draws my attention. I furiously rub my eyes and blink a few times to check the time. It’s almost six in the morning and I must have fallen asleep sometime after midnight when I was still waiting for North to come home.

  I swing my legs off the bed and dash forward. For a split second I question if I should run toward the sound or hide. Fear runs through me with the thought of the people who took me coming for me again but I quickly shove it down. Kray is here and so is my sister who happens to be a kick ass agent, and so am I.

  Though I don’t have a gun on me and in this moment, I could smack myself for not having one. Silently moving forward on my tiptoes, I take a quick peek around the corner and see North standing in the living room across from Kray who’s pointing his gun to the floor. Both their heads whip my way and I don’t even think twice but close the distance quickly as I launch myself at North.

  “You’re safe,” I sigh.

  He grunts and I feel only one arm around me as he drags me closer. I pull back and ignore his growly sounds to check why he’s not using both hands and to my horror I see one of his arms is covered in blood and lacerations.

  “What happened?” I gasp but don’t wait for a reply and instead dash back to the bedroom in search of the first aid kit.

  When I rush back Kray is grinning at me while North just stares at me as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing. Anger surges through me because I have no clue why Kray thinks North getting hurt is funny.

  “What?” I snap, opening the first aid kit to take out gloves before I snatch North’s wrist and start to clean his arm to see where all the blood is coming from.

  “She’s cute fussing over you,” Kray chuckles, earning himself a death glare from me.

  Behind him I can see my sister strolling toward us as she rubs her eyes and yawns.

  “Vienna, could you please drag your ass of a man out of here? He’s very annoying and North is hurt but all Kray is doing is laughing like a hyena.” I gasp when I see the large lacerations and as I’m cleaning them North doesn’t even wince. “What happened?”

  North reaches his hand out and lets the knuckles of his other hand slide over my cheek in a sweet caress. “We hit the bunker but it was empty. Empty and fucking booby-trapped. We were all on our toes but one booby-trap was triggered. Nash was standing in front of me and I only managed to pull him back some but couldn’t prevent him from getting crushed underneath some rocks. It’s when my arm got banged up but we acted fast or he’d be even more badly hurt. Now he only has half of his body fucked up. A few large chunks of concrete landed on part of his leg and arm. His ankle was hurt but not broken. His arm is, they needed to operate. Deeds along with Broke and Lochlan are there now. Nash’s pissed. He was raving how he should have stayed behind the safety of his computer screen.”

  His words make me halt. “Believe me, even that is not safe nowadays,” I mutter and start to put antiseptic on some of the lacerations. Then I suddenly remember, “Wait, Nash is the one who I used to send the cases to right? Oh, poor guy, I hope he’s not in too much pain.”

  “Yeah,” North says somewhat hesitant and he even manages to make it come out angry.

  I connect my gaze with his and he’s looking at me as if… “Oh, come on. Jealous? Really? Of someone I’ve never met and only ask about since he was the one who made sure justice was served for those in need of it. Ugh, Neanderthal.”

  “It’s always a club fuckin’ effort, not just him,” North snaps.

  I roll my eyes and add some more antiseptic on a large cut, making him suck in a breath this time as he shoots me a full-on glare.

  “You’re gonna pay for that,” he mutters underneath his breath. “Fuckin’ sadist.”

  I hear my sister giggle while Kray quips, “We’re gonna leave you two to it.”

  “No,” North snaps. “We need to head out. We’re taking our Old Ladies back to the clubhouse because we’re going after Blancher. I need to get you up to speed about things. We’ll talk once we get to Church.”

  I connect my gaze with Vienna and I don’t have to say anything because she’s thinking the same thing. She clears her throat. “And why is it you can’t get him up to speed right now? Something me and Reva aren’t supposed to know? Hiding shit? You know that will never work well, right? Besides…I don’t need to remind you how good she is with her fingers, meaning a few keystrokes will give her a lot of access. Even if your club has two brilliant computer geniuses, they don’t compare to Reva.”

  “She doesn’t want to go near a computer, Vienna,” North growls. “You should fucking know that little detail before you threaten us, ‘cause we don’t do well with threats. Nor will I tolerate you pushing Reva into something she’s not ready for or has any ambition to ever do a-fucking-gain. You can stop interfering and let us handle it. We know the both of you are agents, fucking good ones, but this became club business the second we accepted the case.”

  North’s chest is heaving and the way he fiercely stood up to my sister to protect me wraps me in a protective cloud only he’s been able to give me. But from the things he’d mentioned it’s clear they are a computer whiz short and this being a case mainly focused around computers…dammit.

  “I’ll help,” I whisper the words but I might as well have bellowed them because it makes all heads whip my way.

  “No, you’re not,” North growls. “I’ve already called Lips and she’s rounding up the girls. You two will be safe inside the clubhouse while we’re handling this.”

  I step closer to him and try to get in his face but he’s bigger than me so all I can do is glare while he towers over me. “You said it yourself, we’re agents. Damn good ones too and even if I’m having issues I won’t sit on my ass and not help. Things are different now.”

  “Things are different now? It’s been mere fucking hours,” North growls, a look of concern in his eyes and I have no clue where it’s coming from but he needs to understand where my mind is at.

  I’ve come a long way since I saw him yesterday. He managed to get the ball rolling with pushing the phone into my hand; the first step. Then I spend a whole night talking with my sister and with Kray. I feel like if I don’t get back into the saddle—so to speak—then I never will.

  “Yes. Things are different now. I’m still scared as hell of what can happen next but through these two, and mainly because of you, I know there’s no way you will let me get taken again. Let me help, you know it will make all the difference.” I place my palm over his heart as I wait for his answer but his face is already showing how torn he is in this decision.

  “I didn’t want to do this, but you’re making me,” he growls angrily and I have no clue what he means. “Tell me this, Reva...did you see who burned your face?”

  My head rears back. His question slams through me, letting ice flow through my veins. Why the hell is he asking me this?

  “I need to know, Reva.” His voice is low and filled with authority.

  “Shade. He was wea
ring a mask but it had to be him,” I whisper, the smell of burned skin filling my nose through memory only but still managing to make me nauseous.

  “Stop it,” I faintly hear my sister yell.

  “What day, Reva? Can you remember? Did he burn you the same day you were taken?” North keeps saying my name as if he’s distancing himself from me and keeping it business. No sweetie pie, sweetness, sweetheart, nothing is sweet about this.

  I try to keep my voice void of all emotion when I reply, “The sixth day. On the sixth damned day, okay? He came in wearing a mask and since I was tied to a chair I couldn’t do anything to prevent it. It’s done. It happened. He’s dead, right? Dead. It’s behind me,” I yell out those last few words. So much for keeping my voice void of all emotion, dammit.

  “The autopsy report came back…Shade was already dead by then,” North states.

  I process the words but they just don’t settle. They can’t. It’s impossible. I hear my sister suck in a breath while Kray curses loud.

  “No,” I gasp.

  “Yes.” North leans in closer to me. “Shade wasn’t the one who branded you, his half-brother did.”

  “Half-brother?” Kray snaps.

  North swings his head in Kray’s direction. I take the opportunity to retreat but I fail when I only managed to turn and take one step.

  I’m being pulled against a hard chest as I feel North’s hot breath beside my good ear. “Don’t walk away from me, sweetheart. We’re in the middle of talking things through. You wanted to help, you got it. I’m spilling the fucking details so you know why I didn’t want you involved in the first place. The fucker who hurt you is still very much alive and I want to kill him with my bare fucking hands while I keep you safe and as far away from this shit as I can.”

  I swallow hard and try to obtain strength from him to finally ask, “Who is Shade’s half-brother you’re talking about?”

  “Blancher,” North grits between clenched teeth.

  “That motherfucker,” Kray snaps. “But North…if Shade was already dead by that time…why the fuck did they let you come there when you gave away Blancher’s location?”

  North still has his arm wrapped firmly around me as if he’s afraid I’m going to run away any damn second. Well, I’m not. Even if all of this scares the shit out of me, the only place I feel safe is in his arms. I lean back against him and turn slightly so I can wrap my arms around his waist in return.

  I can feel his lips touch the top of my head, his chest rumbles when he starts to explain. “Prez asked the same question. Me and Nash were thinking how the other computer expert was killed and they might have needed what I was offering. The all in one thing, assassin, computer and weapon expert. Besides, when I replied to their message on the black market, I mentioned how I didn’t want to kill Blancher ‘cause I only take jobs where I get paid up front, and how I liked having a job opportunity as a reward instead. Me reaching out with the information was my foot in the door. Blancher took it for what it was; an opportunity for the both of us.”

  “Fuck, that sounds logical. Did you get any more information about Blancher?” Kray asks North while Vienna is bouncing her gaze between both guys, trying to process everything like I am.

  “Nash found out Blancher is a major player in the software business. The fucker built himself an empire from scratch.”

  As soon as the words have left North’s mouth I gasp and slip out of his hold. “So, it was Blancher all along? And did you say the bunker was booby-trapped?”

  North nods slowly at my question.

  I swallow hard and ask, “Did you find and capture all the people who worked with Shade? Or…or did they switch sides to Blancher?”

  “Those who we knew worked under Shade, the ones we considered at the top of the food chain, were all found dead. The bunker is ruined and it looked like it was taken out of commission right after we escaped from there.” North holds my stare and says, “If your mind is telling you something, I need to know. Even if it doesn’t make any sense in your head, throw it out.”

  “Blancher…you, you said he is a major player in the software business. You mentioned he was Shade’s half-brother. Their father died a few months ago. Right after Blancher tried to take over Shade’s empire, it took a hit but Shade’s brother was also killed by Blancher. What if they all knew Blancher was their father’s bastard child and didn’t want him interfering with what Shade thought was rightfully his? Blancher doesn’t seem the type to just walk away. He himself built an empire all on his own, you said so. This means he has the equipment, the people, the space…he has everything to lead the black market right out in the damn open. He didn’t need Shade, he didn’t need the bunker, he just needed Shade out of the way. It all makes perfect sense…oh, shit. He’s still after me, right? Oh, no…he’s the one behind everything.”

  “That motherfucker is hiding in plain sight,” Kray states.

  North grabs his phone but tucks it back just as fast. “Can’t tell Prez over the phone but I’m going to Blancher’s company and I’m going to kill each and every single person in there.”

  “You can’t do that,” I gasp. “There are innocent people in there too, I’m sure. Don’t you see? He constructed the perfect cover to keep the black market up and running? He might have an empire through his software business but it’s a wolf mentality, it’s never enough. The black market is where the big bucks are. And if he’s always dabbled in it from time to time it’s the ultimate high to have it in plain sight. Add the whole taking it from his stepbrothers who never gave him the light of day. Holy shit.”

  “Holy shit is right,” my twin states. “And it’s also the reason why we’re going to do what North says. You’re a key element, Reva. Blancher wants you and if he’s the one who branded you, come on…think!”

  I lock eyes with North and even if he’s looking all thankful at Vienna, I can’t stand on the sidelines; I have to help. “How about a compromise?”

  “What do you have in mind?” North asks and I have to say, it does give me a tiny boost to hear him ask this instead of shooting me down first chance he gets to keep me behind locked doors.

  “You get me access to a computer, and not a shitty one. I will see if I can breach his system and get a list of employees so we can scan all of them to clear or flag them who would be working a normal job and who might be involved in the online black market. Then maybe we could send out an alert to all employees who are innocent or something? A way to get people out of there who have nothing to do with any of this. Then you guys can go in and take him, and the rest of the criminals out. I will also see if I can obtain evidence on this guy, I’m sure there will be enough…there always is.”

  “No,” North growls. “We don’t need any more evidence because we have enough and this fucker’s only choice is to die.”

  “Well, that sure makes things easier,” I mutter to myself.

  And it’s shocking because I’m normally not such a violent person who’s okay with people dying but when it comes to this guy? The one who killed others and was okay with having me tied to a chair while mutilating the side of my face for the rest of my life. Yes. I’m absolutely okay with North’s decision.

  “So, we’re compromising?” I ask to double check because he only became angry when I talked about getting evidence to make sure Blancher will be out of the picture for good.

  “We’re compromising. I have my computer system set up in Kazz’s room. Are you sure you’re up to this? I’d rather talk this through with my Prez first. Fuck,” North curses some more.

  Kray steps closer. “Why don’t we take them to the clubhouse first, inform all the others. I’m pretty sure Chopper can give her access to a computer. Then we can plan it all out, while Reva is making sure to get people out of the building who aren’t involved, we can infiltrate and take out the fuckers who are dirty. Doesn’t hurt to take a little time to go through everything. Maybe Reva here can even run a check or something through their system to track em
ail or discussions to see if Blancher has others involved in this.”

  “Let’s go, we need to move now. I’m going to text Deeds to see if he can set up a meeting with a few of the guys to talk things through. Pretty sure he’s still at the hospital with Nash. Shit. Yeah, thinking this through and planning it carefully does buy us time to make us whole and not go in blind,” North sighs and rubs a hand over his neck. “Fuck, I need this shit to be over and done with, it gives me the fucking chills.”

  “Tell me about it,” Kray agrees and pulls Vienna close. “Having an Old Lady makes all the difference. But it also gives an itch to make sure nothing fails.”

  “Right,” North agrees and pulls me close. He places a finger underneath my chin to tip my head slightly back and to connect our gaze. “Having an Old Lady makes all the difference.”

  My whole body heats up at his words and sparks with adoration as he gently connects our lips to give me a tender kiss with so much meaning and value…it makes me dizzy from the feelings it ignites inside me.

  Yes. This whole disaster involving Blancher needs to be over and done with. Only then will I be able to move forward and get all the horrible memories behind me. Kind of like the scars on my face…they take time to heal and great care. Eventually they will fade. Still there, but I will never let anything define me.

  If there’s something I’ve learned from this man kissing me as if there is only this moment, our time, our lives, our own damn world…it’s never to settle for less and always go for the things you want and need in life.

  Chapter 09

  ***North***

  I watch as Chopper and his Old Lady, Ivy, guide Reva down the hall as Lips and Vienna head for the other Old Ladies huddled around a large table. When we headed for the clubhouse about two hours ago, I texted Deeds to call a meeting but also to have Chopper and Ivy waiting for me. Chopper will have a computer available for Reva to use but it’s the part where Ivy comes in that has slightly more priority in my eyes.