The Hunters Rage

by Elizabeth N Harris

  “The women.” Drake muttered. “Ain’t just brothers here, it’s them too.”

  “Jesus, a woman’s involved?” Ezra said disbelievingly.

  “Need to start breakin’ this down instead of reactin’. Make a list of brothers who were too young include bitches. They’re free of suspicion.” Apache said.

  “What about brothers who weren’t Rage and joined later.” Fish asked.

  “Nah, they stay, they could have offed Kayleigh and then joined. A rite of passage. Anyone under the age of sixteen when Kayleigh was murdered, can come off the list.”

  “Why sixteen?” Ezra asked.

  “You see them pictures, brother? Weren’t no boy child that carved Kayleigh like that. Was a man with a man’s hate and anger. Anyone over sixteen could manifest that anger.” Drake replied, chewing his lip as he looked out. Sixteen removed the prospects from consideration and ninety percent of the bitches but still left loads to go through.

  “Make your lists.” Ace replied. Drake rubbed his chin and stared at the miracle that was his wife, he’d a bad feeling about this. He left the room calling the meeting to an end and headed his wife.

  Texas sat in the inner sanctum for the third day running, wracking his brains, and he was tired. Artemis said he had something, but he didn’t have a scooby doo what. Texas was at the point of getting Drake to call her when his eyes fell on the police file. Every brother had seen it now.

  Not the old lady’s although they’d been told most of it. Texas drew it to him and saw the pictures. He flipped back to the beginning and read through the reports. Something finally tugged at his brain, and he went wired. Outside Drake saw Texas react and walked swiftly into the room.

  “Texas?” He asked. Texas waved him to silence. His brow furrowed as he read the front page again. Texas heard the door open and close again as he re-read the page several more times, the tugging got worse.

  Leant back in his chair, Texas frowned. Something was there. But what? His gaze fell on the date of the report, and he shot to his feet and placed his hands on the table. He had the damn thread now.

  “On the twenty-fifth of February, for the last eleven years, a package arrived. Addressed to the club, I opened it and found a second envelope. Marked confidential and addressed to Misty. Twenty-fifth of February is when Kayleigh disappeared.” Texas spoke slowly as he worked his thoughts out.

  “Misty?” Manny asked, surprised.

  “The first year Misty took it and looked puzzled but not worried. Second-year it arrived, Misty snatched it from my hand and left at once. Bitch was pale and looked scared. Skank reacts the same every year since, it’s the only day the bitch is here before mail arrives. And makes sure she gets that fuckin’ package before I do.”

  “We ride now!” Drake snapped at brothers behind him, and there was movement, and Texas sat back heavily. His eyes rose to meet Ace’s which contained barely leashed fury.

  “Had somethin’ and it didn’t register, wasn’t important. Fuck, brother.” Texas said heavily.

  “You got there, Texas. Got there in the end.” Ace clasped Texas’s shoulder and gripped it tightly before letting go and leaving the sanctum. Ace headed out to his bike. February was months away, there was no package arriving soon.

  Ace kicked the door in and stormed into Misty’s house, it was a shithole. Clothes, plates and shit strewn everywhere. House stank of smoke and pot, and he wrinkled his nose before marching through the house. Misty was gone, her closets rifled through and it looked as if Misty had left in a hurry.

  “Misty’s gone.” Ace snarled. Drake nodded.

  “Bitch got warned. We’ll find her.” Ace punched his fist through the bedroom door.

  “Search it, I want those packages found.” Drake ordered as he and Ace left the house.

  Parked up the street, their eyes fell on a black Harley Lowrider with glistening chrome. A small figure sat on it clothed in jeans and a black tee and a black leather jacket. A helmet sat in her lap, and they looked upon Artemis. They walked up to her as she started the bike. Artemis jammed on her helmet and lifted the visor.

  “Texas figured it out?” She asked. For the first time, Ace realised her voice was soft and melodic, and he felt a tug on his cock. Angrily, Ace pushed his reaction to the back of his mind.

  “Could have saved us time and trouble.” Ace sniped.

  “No fun in that. Anyhow, you’re here now. Make sure you check the floorboards.” Artemis replied and revved the bike.

  “You think this is a game?” Ace asked incredulously.

  “I think torturing, raping, sodomising a teenage girl is a game? You’re messed up in the head. How fucked in the head are you, to know you’ve dipped your cock for eleven years in the skank that fucked up your woman? Then again, maybe Misty acted on orders.” Artemis asked, turning to Ace and watching his face. Her cheap shot hit home hard. Loudly, Artemis revved the bike harder and rode straight at them. They stepped back as her bike shot past them.

  “That cunt has answers.” Drake said. Ace nodded. His eyes followed the tiny figure on the huge bike until she disappeared. Drake turned to Ace, checking him out. Ace tore open at what Artemis had said.

  “Fuck!” Ace roared. He’d dipped his cock into the skank who’d played a part in his old ladies’ death. Fuck him and fuck Misty. Ten freakin’ years he’d screwed Misty sporadically. Ace bent over and threw up on the curb. Jesus Christ, he’d fucked the woman who killed his Kayleigh. He’d never get over the guilt. Drake placed a hand on his back as Ace heaved again.

  ◆◆◆

  I turned the corner and drove up a way and coasted several more corners, parked my Lowrider and dropped my head. The look of ravaged pain that had crossed Ace’s face, when I got my shot in about Misty had torn through me. I hated Ace, truly hated him, but that pain had cut me too. It had come across genuine, something I was mindful of, Ace was fake.

  I turned the bike towards Hell’s Rage. The bar should be open now. I needed to interview the waitresses that were on at the time Kayleigh disappeared. See what they remembered.

  I walked in and saw Gunner and Mac behind the bar. A woman was with them doing inventory. My lip curled when Jacked walked out of a door and crossed his arms and looked at me. Jacked had become one of those Kayleigh had hated. I approached Gunner, who turned to look at me, his cool grey eyes closed and wary.

  “What do you want?” Gunner asked in a low tone.

  “Need to speak to Tati, April, Sue-Beth and Cliff, Donny and James.” I named the waitresses and barmen who’d worked that night.

  “Tati and Donny don’t work here anymore, April is in the back with Sue-Beth and Cliff and James are on at five.” Gunner replied. The clock showed I’d an hour to wait.

  “I’ll speak to the women.” I moved to walk past him, and Gunner reached out and grabbed my arm.

  “Don’t like you, don’t like what you’re doin’. Don’t enjoy an outsider is meddling in MC business.”

  “I just bet you don’t, do you, Gunner? All those little secrets coming to light.” Gunner’s eyes flashed a warning. “Take your hand off me before I make you.” I warned him back. Gunner slowly released me, and I met the hostile gazes of Jacked and Mac. Holding

  them, I met them stare for stare before they turned back to what they were doing. Mac stopped me at the door.

  “I understand why Drake brought you in. I don’t like it but understand it. If a brother is involved, Ace will tear the club apart. None of them can be impartial, Fish, Apache, Slick, Ace or Drake. None of them can see past those pictures. For eleven years, I watched Ace die until there was nothing left except Rage. I want him to have whatever peace you can find. But you won’t rip the MC apart bitch, I won’t let you do that.”

  “I’d be more worried about yourself Mac.” I replied and walked through the door.

  After a fruitless half an hour with the waitresses, I got nothing. They didn’t remember Kayleigh being there that night, hell they didn’t even remember that night. Which
meant the only information would be what I fed Rage. I hung around and spoke to the guys and got much the same info, except for James. He remembered Thunder and Misty entering the bar and Kayleigh leaving.

  I nodded my head and took my info and left. I chased Tati and Donny down at their homes and found they barely remembered that night either. Donny was too stoned to even care what day it was. Tati had her hands full with kids and life. Nah, they’d give Rage no leads.

  I rode back to Rage later after eating and grabbing a beer. The clubhouse was buzzing with the energy the guys emitted. I walked in and paused, skanks stopped and looked at me. Rage’s three old ladies stopped and looked at me. I sneered at the skanks sending them warning looks and gave a curt nod to the old ladies.

  Inwardly I snickered as even the brothers stopped and looked at me. I walked towards the inner sanctum and tilted my head towards Drake. He rose to his feet, kissed Phoenix on the top of her head and followed.

  “I’ve a name. No idea where he is, but a witness firmly puts him in Hell’s Rage. And puts him and Misty leading Kayleigh out the night she disappeared. The witness remembers Kayleigh looked upset.” The door opened, and Ace walked in and leant back against it.

  “What name?” Drake said, his voice low and ominous sounding.

  “Thunder and Misty were both seen, and the guy remembers seeing Kayleigh getting into Thunder’s truck.” Ace jolted.

  “Thunder?” Ace sounded dumbstruck.

  “Holy shit.” Drake said.

  “Thunder was forced from the MC when Drake took over Rage. He was one of a few of Bulldogs group, that remained standing” Ace replied slowly. “For three years asshole looked me in the face, knowing what he’d done.”

  “Semen was found inside Kayleigh and DNA under her nails. Find Thunder, get his DNA and you’ll have an answer.”

  “Anyone else?” Drake asked, searching my face. I shook my head, too soon for the rest. A little at a time. Let the guilty assholes sweat.

  “For now, no. Thunder and Misty are the two you need to track.”

  “Thank you.” Ace mumbled. I saw burning in his eyes and was shocked to realise it was vengeance. Bastard. I nearly outed Ace then but kept my mouth shut with effort.

  “You get Thunder and Misty, they’ll give up whoever else was involved. Be prepared.” I said, turning to Drake and ignoring Ace totally. “This goes deep, deeper than you realise. Brace.” I warned Drake softly. Drake looked into my eyes, and I could see him trying to work out my secrets. Drake couldn’t be protected from what was to come, neither could anyone else. With a sigh, I left the room.

  “Artemis.” Drake called as I walked across the forecourt to my bike. I stopped and turned to face him.

  “You have more than you’re letting on darlin’.”

  “Yup.” I said.

  “You’re not gonna share?”

  “Nope. Drake, you ain’t ready. One step at a time.”

  “Can make you.” Drake pushed. I shrugged off my jacket. Drake stepped back as I whipped off my tee and stood in front of him in a bra and jeans. Turned slightly in the light, I made sure Drake could see my torso. Widened eyes, told me he could see just fine. I began touching scars and giving explanations.

  “Knife to the ribs, tried gutting me while I was tied to a pole. Took him down with the knife still inside me. Always tie legs at the thighs if you’re hanging someone from a hook. Two gunshot wounds while rescuing a little girl. Held her tight and got her the fuck out of there.” I turned my back, and Drake made a low noise. A huge diagonal slash jagged from shoulder to waist.

  “Machete. Drug dealer in Detroit. Didn’t appreciate I’d taken half his gang down and brought them in for the bounties on their heads.” I spun in the opposite direction and faced Drake. A tattoo of an old fashioned galleon covered my left ribs. I took his hand and ran it across the tattoo, Drake felt the scaring under it.

  “Held for captive for four days and tortured. They began peeling off my skin a slice at a time. Skin grafts replaced the skin I lost.” I looked into his eyes as I dragged my tee back on. Drake caught my hands and dragged the tee back up. He traced a scar that ran from hip to hip, his eyes questioning Drake looked at me.

  “That one, Drake? You want the truth behind that one?” Drake nodded silently.

  “Tied to a table and cut from hip to hip after being caught. Government assignment. Can’t discuss it, but I walked out of there with my guts slashed open and finished my mission. They had their hands inside me when I made my move. And I didn’t leave anyone breathing. I used rags to wrap around my open guts. Don’t need to mention the raging infection that surfaced after that.” Drake let go of my tee and looked at me.

  “Think you can make me talk now? You haven’t seen half the scars I carry or the ones inside. No one can make me talk. ‘Cause you see this,” I swished my hand at my body, “this is a shell, I get caught, get hurt, I shut down, go places no one can reach. I’m simply not there. Do what you want to my body, you can’t touch me. No one will ever touch me again.” Drake's eyes flashed, and I sensed his question before he asked it.

  “Showtime is over, Drake. Good luck hunting Thunder and Misty, if I find more, I’ll contact you. But I believe they’ll have the answers you need.”

  “Owe you a marker.”

  “Don’t need your marker because, by the time you clean house, you won’t have much of an MC left.”

  “You got a marker woman and my thanks.”

  “Thanks, I’ll take, I like Phoenix, admire what she does, I like the fact you make her happy. So yeah Drake, I’ll take your thanks. Your marker I don’t need.” Secure in the knowledge, I’d sown the seeds that would bring down the shit left inside of Rage, I got on my bike. Drake ran his hand through his hair as he watched me.

  “You’re a good guy Drake, great with Phoe, loyal to your MC, don’t let loyalty blind you when the truth comes out. The truth will come out, and it’ll make or break you.

  Don’t let it break you, there’s a young girl who thought the world of you, for the way you acted the night you saved her. Don’t let that girl down again.” I muttered to him and rode off into the night. If I hadn’t had been in a hurry, I’d have seen the look that crossed Drake's face. If I had, I’d have been worried.

  ◆◆◆

  “Need to call in a marker.” Drake said to the man who answered the phone. He was in his home office at Reading Hall, Phoe was curled up in bed and waiting for him to join her.

  “What do you need, man?” Dylan Hawthorne asked.

  “I need information on a bounty hunter called Artemis.” Drake heard a huff down the phone.

  “Artemis is difficult to get a lock on, we’ve tried.” Hawthorne replied. Dylan Hawthorne owned the premier private investigation company in Rapid City. His men were known to play it loose and fast to get the results they wanted.

  “Activated Antonio Ramirez too. I want everythin’ on her. Be needin’ it quick.”

  “Ramirez can run different searches from me, find out what bounties she’s brought in, what else Artemis is involved in.” Hawthorne agreed.

  Ramirez, Hawthorne and Drake had crossed paths earlier this year when Phoenix was targeted by an insane fucker and her ex-husband. They stayed in touch because Miguel Santos had decided he’d had an interest in Phoe. Santos was a very dangerous kind of insane fucker, and he was still out there. He’d gone to ground, and no one could find him.

  “No one knows shit about her.” Dylan mused, “Artemis is good, very good at what she does but she’s a loner. Hardcore.”

  “Woman’s got body scarring, suspicious in the placement,” Drake replied. “Says she got it during kidnap and rescue, but it strikes me as off.”

  “She ringin’ your bell?” Hawthorne asked.

  “More ways than one. Look at links to Kayleigh Mitchell. I overheard a conversation, she was called Stace in it.”

  “You think there’s a link?” Hawthorne asked, surprised.

  “Not ruling anythin’ out, ma
n.” Drake hung up the phone and walked upstairs where his wife waited.

  I swung the bike into the garage and dismounted and entered the house through the side door. Two bodies launched in my direction and I caught them before falling on my ass. I squeezed them both tightly and let them go to get to my feet.

  “Mom! Mom! I made the little league team.” My son yelled, grabbing my hand and jumping up and down. I crouched and grabbed him in a tight hug. Falcon threw his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek.

  “That’s wonderful.” I said, proud of my little man. My eyes drifted towards his sister, who was grinning as well. “Go on.” I encouraged her.

  “Won my three heats.” Nova danced happily on the spot. I grabbed her in a hug as well and tussled her hair. My kids were sporting, they definitely took after me. Falcon was going to be tall, he was already nearly my height. Falcon’s body showed evidence he’d have his father’s build.

  Nova was my little darling, a vicious, bloody, little darling, who looked like a baby doll. She’d my body type, and it was obvious she’d be dainty. But Christ, Nova looked like her brother and therefore her father.

  Falcon played baseball, ice hockey and was one of the best swimmers in his league. He’d been swimming since he was born. My brother Akemi had been teaching both of them mixed martial arts and ju-jitsu before they could walk.

  Nova, same as Falcon was into swimming and swam like a fish but did it for fun. Her thing was kicking the shit out of someone in a tournament. Nova had no mercy, only a desire to win and my determination and cut-throat philosophy and that made her unbeatable.

  Nova flicked her hair back and grinned showing me the trophies she’d won on this tournament. Usually, I didn’t miss an event, but this shit with Rage had kept me away. There was a bustle and Akemi and Mrs Humphries, my live-in housekeeper, entered the kitchen.

  “Stacey.” Mrs Humphries smiled. She opened the fridge and began pulling out food. Mrs Humphries idea of love was to feed someone to death, my housekeeper was a damn good cook.