by KJ Dahlen
“Knew what?” Hades wanted to know.
“Ten years ago, my parents were brutally murdered in a home invasion. I was left critically wounded by a bullet to my belly. I learned to hate every single morning I woke up because it was just another day for Dane to hurt me. I don’t know why but he really hates me.”
“You really don't have any idea why?” Hades asked.
Noelle nodded and hung her head again. “We share a parent. Our father was shut out of the home he shared with his wife and son. He stayed as long as he could. My mother was someone he met and fell in love with. She was warm and loving and when he left his wife, he came to live with us. My dad was the best man I ever knew. Dane’s mother was pure crazy. She didn’t want him but she didn’t want him happy or with another woman either. She hung onto him as long as she could. She made his life pure hell until the day came when he just didn’t care anymore. After he left her for good she began to drink and she treated Dane like shit until the day she wrapped her car around a tree. The report said she was more than twice the legal limit. My father never went to her funeral but he did touch base with Dane. He was his son. He offered him a home with us but Dane didn’t want that. Instead, he took over his mother’s company and turned his back on our father. But not completely. He did everything in his power to destroy our father but when he couldn’t do that, I think it threw him over the edge, just like his mother.”
“Do you think he had something to do with what happened to your parents?” Aries asked.
“I didn’t for the longest time but now? Now, I think he had everything to do with my parent’s murder.”
“What makes you think so?” Jackal wanted to know.
“You know when I freaked out about the snake on Cobra’s shoulder?” she asked. When he nodded, she told him, “I told you I thought I saw one just like it. Well, I couldn’t remember where but I know now.”
“How do you know now when you didn’t earlier?” Jackal asked.
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “When I laid down on your bed for a nap, as soon as I closed my eyes my subconscious brought up my worst nightmare. Only this time is wasn’t vague, I saw everything that happened the night my parents died. I saw the bastards push their way into our living room I saw them hit my mother and knock her to the floor. I saw my father reach for her and one of the men slashed his arm. I saw one of the men tie their hands behind their backs. My mother was sobbing and when my dad asked what they wanted, their leader whipped him with a pistol.”
“Where were you while this was going on?” Hades asked quietly.
“Two of his men were holding me. I couldn’t move. I was fourteen and I had to witness that prick pull a gun as he stood behind my Mother first, then my father and put a bullet in the backs of their heads. The last thing I heard my father say was that no matter what happened, he loved me.”
“Then he shot you?” Jackal asked.
“Yes, the bastard turned toward me and with the gun still in his hand and shot me in the belly. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the snake on his wrist. Then I didn’t see anything at all.”
“So you’re saying that this Venom bastard is the same man that shot your parents ten years ago?” Jackal demanded.
“I know he is. I saw the snake tattoo on his wrist before he beat me up. I heard his voice and it was the same as it was ten years ago.” Noelle nodded.
Jackal stared at her for a moment then looked at his men. “Check with Trudy and see if she can discover who this bastard really is. If Cody Pekin isn’t his real name then what is? Also find out what his beef is with Noelle and Dane. I need answers people. Let’s find out. We may not have much time. Pappy and his posse are on the way to join us.
Chapter Seven
Later that same night, Jackal was sitting in the main room with Beast and a couple other brothers when one of the brothers joined them. He was a newer member named Razor. He’d only been with the club a few years but he had proven himself to be loyal to the club on a number of occasions. Noelle was taking a shower Jackal was waiting for her to get done before he took her back to his duplex for the night.
Razor seemed nervous and twitchy. He came to a stop beside Jackal and looked at each man sitting there at the table.
Jackal turned and looked at his man for a moment. When Razor didn’t say anything, Jackal glanced over at Beast then turned back to Razor. “What?” he inquired.
“Pres, I have to tell you something.” Razor swallowed hard. He stared at the men at the table. He didn’t look down nor did he look away. “Something happened four days ago that I should have told you about before now but after Venom’s visit, I realize you need to know about it now.”
Jackal frowned. “What does that mean? After Venom’s visit?”
“When he was here today, he said something about the attack coming from within this MC.” He exhaled deeply. “He didn’t look at me but he thinks he can use me to get information about us through me.”
“Why would he think that?” Jackal asked. Beast growled beside him but Jackal raised his hand.
“My woman, Shelly was taken off the street four days ago. When she didn’t come home from work, I went looking for her. I found her purse and keys in the parking lot of the Love’s Store she worked at. One of Silas’s men told me he saw what happened. He said it was one of the Devil’s Own that took her, but they didn’t know why or where she was taken. Then yesterday, I got a phone call that said if I did exactly what they wanted, I would get Shelly back. I could hear her screaming and crying in the background, but they wouldn’t let me talk to her.”
Jackal turned in his chair to glare at the other man. “So they want you to betray us to get your woman back huh?”
Razor nodded.
“And why are you telling us about it now?” Jackal stared at him.
“I know I should have told you guys about them taking her long before now, but I was afraid I’d never seen her again. Then I saw that little bastard today and I knew unless I said something about Shelly, he would use me and kill her anyway. I have nothing to go on, nothing that tells me she’s even alive right now, and I’m not going to betray this MC. This brotherhood is my family but I also don’t want to have to choose between her and you guys.”
“He did say something about being betrayed from within the MC,” Beast reminded Jackal.
“I remember.” Jackal nodded. He thought for a moment then shook his head. “Damn, I wish I’d known about Shelly before this.” He looked over at Razor. He could see how pale and nervous he was. “Have you heard anything about Shelly since then?”
Razor shook his head. “I was hoping your woman might know something about her. If they held her before they threw Noelle away, maybe she saw something or heard something that might tell us if she’s still alive. Maybe where they were holding her or something? I can’t give up on her but I can’t betray this club either.” He deflated slightly before he raised his head up and looked Jackal in the eyes. “If we get through this, I’ll totally understand if you don’t want me here anymore. But please give me a chance to make up for not telling you about Shelly.”
“You aren’t going anywhere, not now and not later.” Jackal growled. “You’re one of us and always will be.”
“We’ll find your woman and crush the men that hurt her,” Beast assured him as his very meaty hand curled into a very big fist. “We’ll start with the Devil’s Own MC, if that’s where the trail leads us.”
“I’m just praying she’s still alive.” Razor pushed his fingers through his hair as he was obviously agitated.
“Can you live with the fact that she may not still be the woman she was before this happened to her?” Doc asked. He’d been listening to the entire drama as it was revealed but he had to at least warn the brothers of what could be.
lot can happen in four days and knowing who took her I wouldn’t doubt that it already has. I know she’s not going to come back to me the same way she was before but I’m going to
be there for her. Every fucking step if she’ll let me. I love that woman and I won’t let what happened kill her. I will love her through all that.”
A small noise alerted the men that someone else had joined them. Everyone turned to see Noelle standing in the doorway leading to the hallway to the bedrooms.
Her damp hair and tear stained face told them she had heard their conversation. Without saying a word, she walked unsteadily to Jackal. He pulled her onto his lap and she buried her head into the crook of his neck.
“When I woke up on that slimy floor, I thought I heard someone crying in the next room to mine. I couldn’t be sure about what I was hearing was real or not. I don’t know what woke me and I was only awake for a moment or so. The only other sound I heard was a steady drip of water. It was like I was underground but I wasn’t sure about that because very few places down here have basements.”
“That might give us a place to start.” Beast nodded. “You’re right about the basement thing. Not very many places down here have them.”
Jackal reached inside his pocket and made a call to Silas. If anyone knew this city, he and his men did. “Silas, do you know of any places in the city that have a basement?”
“Why do you need a basement?” Silas asked.
“One of our women was snatched four days ago and I think she’s being held in an old building with a basement. There’s a steady drip of water and the floors might be slimy with mold.”
“Those are very precise details,” Silas stated drily.
“It’s all I got.”
“Ok, give me twenty minutes I have an idea but I need to check it out first ok?”
“Call me back as soon as you can.” Jackal demanded.
“I will, but I need to check it out first,” Silas repeated.
“Watch your back, old man,” Jackal warned. “These guys don’t play nice with others and they won’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way. They might figure they need to keep what they got.”
Silas chuckled. “Don’t you worry about me boss. I know what I’m doing and so do my men. We know every back alley and abandoned building in this city. Who should we be looking for?”
“Her man Razor said her name is Shelly and she might not be in the best of shape after four days, so treat her carefully.”
Silas was silent for a moment before he said, “Always do boss.” He sighed hard, “I’ll call you back.”
When the call ended, Jackal looked at his men. “Now we wait for Silas to call us back.”
“Damn Pres, it’s gonna be a long night,” Beast grumbled and sat in his chair as he grabbed a toothpick from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth.
Shadows moved along the old warehouse down by the river. Inside, nothing moved.
Silas and his men entered without making a sound. They searched all the rooms but no one was there. Then Silas and George slipped downstairs and began searching the basement as well.
They found her in one of the rooms with the door shut. Silas and George went in and they tisked at the sight of her. She was naked and tied to the bed. Her body was bruised and dirty but when they went to untie her she moaned as she shook her head. “Please, no more.”
“Hush now darlin,” Silas whispered. “We ain’t gonna hurt you. We’re gonna take you home.”
“Oh god, Razor won’t want me now. Not after this.” Shelly groaned.
“Hush now Shelly.We still need to get you out before they come back.” He wrapped her in the blanket and between the two of them, they carried her upstairs. One by one, they faded back into the shadows.
Silas and George carried her off and took her far enough away to keep her safe.
Leab ving her in the care of one of their women friends, Silas and George slipped outside, found a corner to make their call in.
Silas shook his head. “Well, we’ll find out soon enough just what kind of man this Razor is.”
“You figure he’ll turn his back on his woman?” George asked.
“I hope not.” Silas growled. “This wasn’t her fault. If he does, I’ll just have to kick his ass won’t I?”
“You might have to stand in line.” George growled back.
Silas held up his finger to hush the other man as his call went through. When Jackal answered his phone, Silas growled. “We found your missing woman.”
“She was still alive then?”
“Yeah, she’s alive but she ain’t in the best of shape if you know what I mean. She’s more worried about how her man will never understand than she is worried about livin.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Jackal assured him. “He’ll want her back. Where did you find her?”
“Exactly where we figured they were hiding her. The old warehouse down by the river. They weren’t there when we got there and that makes me a little worried.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling,” Jackal agreed. “We got some backup coming anytime now. We’re making plans on the showdown we know is coming.”
“Only problem is you guys can’t start this war, they have to” Silas finished his thoughts.
“That’s about it,” Jackal admitted. “And these bastards won’t take any prisoners either. They’d just as soon spill blood first and ask questions like never.”
Silas snorted. “I’ve known a few men like that in my lifetime.”
“Yeah so have I.”
“You want us to bring Miss Shelly out to you?” Silas asked. “I don’t think Baton Rouge would be a safe place for you or your men to visit tonight. If and when they find her gone, they’ll be turning over every rock looking for her. They ain’t gonna like the fact that she just walked out of that warehouse.”
“No they won’t. You and yours better lay low for the next few days.”
“You better make sure Miss Shelly is protected even against one of your own,” Silas warned.
Don’t you worry about her. I think I’d be more worried about the Devil’s Own tonight. If they weren’t at the warehouse, they have to be somewhere right? They aren’t here but they might be riding against the Kings.”
“Don’t you worry,” Silas replied. “We got them covered. Luca sent out a call to Arms this morning and he’s got backup. His brothers have been coming in two’s and threes all day. If the Devil’s thought this was gonna be a cakewalk, they got one hell of a surprise coming.”
“You got eyes on the club too?”
Silas snorted. “Yeah, we got eyes on the club.That little bastard Venom thinks he’s the king of Baton Rouge.”
Jackal sighed over the phone. “Yeah, we’re trying to get some intel on the little fucker now. On him and the leader of the Devil’s Own.”
“You don’t have to look very fucking far for that info.”
“What does that mean, old man?” Jackal demanded.
“The leader of the fucking Devil’s Own is Harvey Norris.” Silas grunted. “Not even facial hair can disguise that ugly mug.”
“Who the fuck in Harvey Norris?” Jackal demanded.
“His brother, George was the leader of the old MC, the Dogs of Hell. That’s the MC you guys replaced ten years ago.”
“Well, fuck.” Jackal growled.
“Yup. Old George wanted his baby brother on the police force, so he sent him to police school, and when he got done there, old Harvey came here. Within a year or so, old George had everything set up the way he wanted. Then you guys came here looking for a place to settle down. Old George couldn’t have you guys around. You see... he ran this little area of Louisiana and he knew you guys wouldn’t play his games.”
“So that means Harvey is the cop took Blane out and buried him in the swamps?”
“Yeah,” Silas went on. “That’s only one of the ways he used his badge to get away with murder. When you guys struck back and old George was taken out, Harvey never expected to lose his meal ticket. I don’t think too many of the old crowd did. Things changed for the better after you guys took out the Dogs. You might not know this, but you guys took ou
t the trash ten years ago.”
“Yeah well, it looks like we have to do it again.”
“Speaking of old George, seems to me he had a boy way back when. That little shit thought Baton Rouge was his personal playground. He was only about fourteen when his dad was still alive. He was a cocky little shit even as young as he was.”
“What was his name? Do you remember?” Jackal asked.
“Caleb, or Cody I think. Hell, boy, that was a long time ago and I’ve slept since then.” Silas grumbled.
“Cody Pekin you think maybe?”
“No Pekin wasn’t his last name,” Silas said. “His mama was a club whore named Summer Bryar.”
“Thanks man, maybe we can track him with his proper name,” Jackal concluded.
“You be careful looking into those two,” Silas warned him. ‘They both got secrets to hide and a man with secrets, you know good an well he’s willing to kill for, it aint gonna be good man.”
Jackal scoffed. “Oh, I know exactly what kind of men I’m dealing with in those two. They think their reputations are gonna protect them. What they don’t seem to realize until it’s too late is me and mine have been pushed as far as we can be pushed and now it’s time we started pushing back.”
“Lord save us all,” Silas whispered with dread.
“Just remember we didn’t ask for this war but we won’t back away from it either. We served our country to the best of our ability and were thrown away like garbage. When the military didn’t want us anymore because we were too broken they turned us away. Society deemed us unfit and unworthy so we came here and made our own family of sorts. We are a band of brothers and we look out for each other. Right now, we’re fighting for our little piece of ground. We won’t give in or give up, not to them.”
“Like I said, lord help us all.”
Chapter Eight
