by KJ Dahlen
“My men will die right here, right now if I deem it so!” Harvey yelled out.
“So be it then,” Jackal called out.
“But if you think we’re not going to take some of you with us, you’re sadly mistaken.” Venom snarled.
“True, you may get a shot or two off but you and your men will be dead before that shot hit’s anything,” Jackal assured them. “Are you really sure you want that?”
“Oh and something else your men might want to think about,” Pappy commented almost like they were all just having a conversation. “...is the fact that you and your brother will live longer than they will. You and your brother will live to face a tribunal. Are they that willing to die for you?”
Harvey and Venom looked at the few men they had left and saw the hate they had on their faces. One of Harvey’s men threw his gun down to the ground and Harvey lost it. He lifted his own gun and squeezed the trigger. The shot threw the other man off his feet. He never even got to scream as the bullet tore through his body. He was dead before he hit the ground.
That single shot began the war. Shots were fired from both sides and after a few minutes, the shooting slowed down. When the smoke cleared, the five remaining men were down.
Venom and Harvey remained standing but they had taken bullets. Both men were bleeding but standing.
Harvey was still holding his gun but barely as blood dripped from his arm to his hand. “You sons a bitches.” He growled. Blood gushed from his shoulder wound but he didn’t even seem to notice it as he stared back at the group of men standing opposite him. “You’ve taken everything I worked so hard for and turned it to shit.”
“No, you did that all on your own.” Jackal shook his head. “And now it’s judgement time.”
“I’ll be damned if I’ll allow you to judge me. Fuck you and fuck that!” Harvey exclaimed.
“Always knew the Norris name was nothing but shit,” one of the Kings commented from the shadows. “You can talk the talk but you chicken out when it comes to walking the walk, don’t you? Ole Denver never taught you a fucking thing except how to run away with your tail between your legs. He was a dammed coward and he taught his sons to be fucking cowards too. There ain’t a one of you worth a damn.”
“Don’t you blame our dad,” Harvey scoffed. “He ran a respectable MC, nothing like this one who needs help to get the job done.”
“Shut the fuck up you twit.” Venom growled. “The old man was shit and you know it. The only thing Denver ever cared about was Denver. He more than made that clear from day one and daddy of the year he never was.”
“I’ll never be judged by these fuckers!” Harvey screamed.
“No you bastard,” Venom snarled. “You never once thought it would come to this. You thought you had it made, you thought you could just ride in here and take over. Never once did you give a shit about the men who rode with you. You saw yourself as a conquering hero but found out you’re just as human as the next man. Better men beat you and now, they got you by the balls. You lost man and you took us all down.”
“Not all of us.” Harvey nodded. “You’ll never get us all.”
“Then we won’t stop until we do,” Jackal vowed. He motioned toward the path leading back to the clubhouse, one of the brothers tied Harvey and Venom’s hands behind their back. The men didn’t seem to care that they were wounded.
Both men growled but never said a word.
When they got to the clubhouse, the men shoved the brothers in.
Beast disappeared inside the club then returned dragging Dane behind him.
Harvey and Venom looked surprised yet resigned when they saw him.
Dane’s eyes widened when he realized they were standing there. He still had the duct tape over his mouth but when he saw Venom, he began struggling to get away.
Beast turned to face him. “At least be a man for once in your life, you fucking pussy.”
The three men were dragged to a cleared spot that held three tall wooden posts. They were tied to the posts even though all three fought their restraints.
Before they called for the charges to be read, Jackal went over to Dane and stared at him for a moment before ripping off the duct tape.
Dane yelped briefly. “You bastard,” he cursed.
“I’m the bastard?” Jackal snarled. “I’m not the one who killed two people in cold blood then took their daughter as a prisoner for ten years while doing my best to kill her by beating her, locking her in a room for days at a time with no food or water. I’m not the one who sent her here to die at the hands of a fucking known killer. You used and abused her for ten years. And for what? For money? What? You didn’t have the balls to earn your own way in life? You had to grab what her father left for her too? I’m sure Derek left you money, after all he died thinking you were his first born and a son besides.”
Dane didn’t seem to care about the list of sins that jackal had recited. “Yeah some fuckin killer Venom turned out to be,” Dane grumbled. “He didn’t do a very good job now did he? If he had she’d be dead already.”
Jackal leaned closer to the man and showed his teeth in a snarl. “Listen up you little fuck, Noelle belongs to me now. I found her and I’m keeping her.”
“You can have the little bitch and good luck trying to keep her alive.” Dane laughed. “When Venom couldn’t kill her I paid someone else to do the job. Someone you won’t see coming until it’s too late to stop the bullet.”
“Who did you get?” Jackal snarled grabbing the other man’s shirt and getting right up into his face.
“That’s information I’ll take to my grave,” Dane vowed. “But it was money well spent.”
Jackal wanted to smash in the other man’s face but that wouldn’t do any good. Instead, he stepped back and looked at his men. “These three men are all that’s left of forces who thought they could bring us down to our knees and then wipe us from the earth. We fought for our right to live and we won the day. As an MC you will judge them and pronounce sentence for what they have done. How do you find them, guilty or not guilty?”
The whole crowd of men shouted guilty.
“What is your sentence?” Jackal yelled.
“Burn them. Burn them all.!”
“Yeah, that’s what they planned to do to us.”
The crowd all yelled their aye’s.
“Introduce them to the fires of hell!”
Jackal called out to the prisoners, “You have been found guilty of crimes against the MC and against innocents and you have been sentenced to death by fire.”
“You also tried to wipe out the Kings,” Lucas spoke now. “And for no other reason than we wouldn’t work for your sorry asses.”
“You can’t judge us!” Harvey called out. “You don’t have the authority to judge us.”
“You know how the MC works, Norris,” Pappy called out. “We have our own justice system and our justice is always swift. It’s only fair that you get the sentence you would have given us if the shoe would have been on the other foot.”
“Get on with it then!” Harvey snapped. “I’m tired of looking at your ugly faces. But before you do, tell me one thing, why are you guys even here? This isn’t your fight.”
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Pappy told him as he moved a little closer to the posts where they were tied. “You see, we’ve been looking for Venom here for a number of years for a crime he committed in our neck of the woods years ago. We’re getting justice for a man named Mario and his family that Venom murdered in cold blood for no reason other than he could. Dane destroyed someone close to us. We never knew who did it until recently but we choose to stand with our brothers anyway.”
Then men standing around them began gathering broken branches and sticks hen one by one, the brothers lay them at the feet of the three men tied to the posts.
Venom, Harvey and Dane started to kick them away so the MC guys tied their feet to the pole and they built the pile of wood at each of their feet.
&n
bsp; Thor brought over one of the wine bottles Harvey’s men brought to the tunnel and began pouring the gas inside at the feet of the men.
Then Beast stated, “It is appropriate that we use your fuel after all.” Then he struck a match and lit the wood.
Stepping back, they all watched as the flames grew and spread.
Venom, Harvey and Dane were squirming and yelling as the flames began burning their clothes and skin.
It wasn’t long before their yelling turned to screams.
Each of the Devil’s Advocates, the Kings and the Hell Fire Riders watched as the three men burned to death. The air was thick with smoke and the scent of burnt flesh but they all watched until the very end. It was the way of this kind of Justice. If they meted it out, they had to stay till it was done.
Then one by one, they began pushing dirt on the embers of the flames and when they knew the fire was out, they moved to return to the clubhouse and their families.
Jackal, Beast, Pappy and a few of their men were the last to leave. This was something no one wanted but it was necessary to maintain the club’s integrity. It was justice MC style.
On the walk back to the clubhouse, Pappy asked a question, he’d wanted to ask for a long time now. “Can I ask you why you took on the name Devils’ Advocates?”
Jackal didn’t pause in his steps but he was somewhat taken aback by the other man’s question. No one had ever asked him that before. Everyone in his MC knew why they had taken the name but the reason for that was personal to them alone.
“Well, you know we’re all ex-military right?”
Pappy nodded.
“We served in Desert Storm. We were a recon squad and there was one man in our group by the name of Eric Sean Connors. He was the best man any of us knew. If you needed someone to listen, he was right there. If you needed someone to have your back, he was there for you. We all knew him by his MC name, Bull Rider. His family was an MC in Massachusetts called the Devil’s Advocates, but some shit went down a long time ago and they were wiped out.
Beast took on the tale now, “Bull Rider used to tell us stories about his dad and his brothers and how he couldn’t wait to come home for them. He felt so bad about not being there when they needed him. Then one day on patrol, Bull was nervous about something. He said he felt like we were walking into a trap.”
Jackal shook his head. “And we were. He took point for a reason that day. Just as we were stepping out into the open, he took a step in front of me and his head exploded. He took the bullet meant for me. He died in my arms and we never forgot that day. It was the bloodiest day we had over there and it all started with Eric Connors dying. While we were recovering in the medical unit, the army declared we were done fighting for our country.” He looked through the trees and stated, “We were discharged a month later. Then we came here and began this club. We took the name Devil’s Advocates to honor Bull Rider.” Jackal paused then looked over at Pappy. “Why do you ask?”
Pappy nodded. “Because one of the members of my MC is married to Eric’s niece, Willow. We found her along the way too. When we heard her story, we stepped in and were able to stop a threat to the United States.”
Jackal stopped in his tracks. “Eric still had family? We thought they had all been killed by some group of terrorists.”
“Most of them were killed but Gage found her and brought her home with him a while back.”
Jackal shook his head. “If she wants to know about her uncle you can tell her to come see us. We knew him very well. In fact, if she wishes to bury him I have his ashes. She’s more than welcome to them as family. One day, I was going to bury them with the rest of his family. I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”
“I’m sure she’d like that,” Pappy agreed. “Although I don’t think I ever heard her mention her uncle Eric before.”
“He died a long time ago, she might not remember him.” Jackal shrugged. “Some of us have stories about him if she’s interested in hearing them. He was a hell of a guy.”
“So what are you going to do about the threat to your woman?” Pappy asked. “Did you believe Dane when he said he paid someone else to kill her?”
Jackal nodded. “Yeah, I think he did. He really wanted the money her father left her. He knew for years, he wasn’t related to Derek Williams and he never told anyone until now. I think he knew exactly what Venom would do to her when he sent her down here with nothing more than newspapers.”
“Well, Silas told us that Venom was looking for her when he couldn’t find her body, so anything is possible.” Pappy shook his head.
“He was a crazy mother fucker I’ll give him that, but from what I heard, he didn’t fall far from his mother or his father’s tree.”
“I’ll get Trudy on looking into his phone calls and contacts and see if we can’t find who his threat is.”
“I would appreciate that.” Jackal nodded. “I just found her and I sure as hell don’t want to lose her, not yet, not ever. I plan to grow old with that woman.”
Pappy chuckled. “I hear ya man. It took me a long time to find mine too.”
“Do you ever think about maybe you’re too old for her?” Jackal asked.
“Every single day,” Pappy admitted. “Then I look into her eyes and there’s a light there just for me. It’s an awesome feeling but she makes me whole in a way no one else can.”
Jackal stopped just inside the woods and looked across the compound. He saw her standing there waiting for him and he knew his heart was beating a little faster because of her. He turned to Pappy. “You’ll excuse me for about an hour won’t you? I want to tell her she’s finally free of Dane.”
“You aren’t going to tell her about his threat?”
Jackal shook his head. “Not yet. Not until we know something for sure. Dane might be blowing smoke out of his ass. One last hurrah so to speak.”
Pappy just looked at him, then smiled. “Maybe but for now, go take care of your woman.”
Jackal smiled and ran over to her, lifting her off her feet he twirled her around then threw her over his shoulder fireman style and raced for the clubhouse. He bypassed everyone else and walked quickly down the hall to his bedroom. He slammed the door shut and locked it then threw Noelle down on the bed. Crushing her lips under his own, they kissed until neither one of them could breathe.
Jackal began tearing at her clothing while spreading kisses on her neck and chest. Using his teeth, his tongue and his mouth he made her crazy while he stripped her shirt and jeans from her body.
Then he went for his belt and pulled his jeans down to his knees. “I can’t wait anymore. I need to be inside you.” He surged inside her and Noelle cried out his name. Slamming into her, he felt her take him deep. Again and again, he thrust into her, building up the excitement until it took them over the edge. Noelle screamed his name and Jackal roared his release.
He collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him to her. Their sweat mingled and finally when he went to pull away, it felt as if he had to peel himself off of her as their heat had melted them together.
“Wow!” he exclaimed as he flopped down at her side.
“Yes, wow...” she whispered. Turning her head, she stared at him for a moment. “What was that all about?”
“It’s over. Dane, Venom and Harvey Norris will never bother anyone again. The world won’t miss men like them.”
Noelle closed her eyes and it felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She almost shuddered in relief. “You got that right.” She paused then opened her eyes and looked at him. “What’s going to happen to me now?”
Jackal turned his head and stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“Do you want me to go now that I’m out of danger?”
“You aren’t going anywhere woman.” He frowned at her. Pulling her on top of him, he said, “You belong to me and you aren’t leaving this place.”
“Oh....” She whispered.
“What? Did you think I�
��d kick you out on your ass or what?” he asked her angrily.
“I had hoped you wouldn’t. I like it fine just where I am.”
“You do?” He smiled at her. “Why?”
“I haven’t been around many men in my life but with you, I seem to fit. When I found you, I felt whole again for the first time in forever. You gave me a sense of safety but it was so much more than just that. It’s hard to explain but...”
“But together, we are one,” he whispered in awe. “Like we were made for each other and fate finally brought us together.”
Noelle studied him with wonder in her eyes. “How did you know that?”
“Because that’s how I feel about you too little girl,” Jackal admitted. “You aren’t going anywhere without me and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you go. I’m putting a ring on your finger and you’re going to be my wife. You’re going be Mrs. Sam Flint from now until the end of time.”
Noelle smiled. “Sam Flint?”
“Damn right.” Jackal nodded. “Well, actually Samuel and It’s gonna be your name very soon too.”
“Oh, I can’t wait.” She leaned down and kissed him.
Jackal took the kiss to a whole other level and when he broke it, off they were both gasping for breath....
Beast had been monitoring the cameras on the perimeter of the compound when an alarm flashed a silent signal. He reached over and turned the camera to widen its focus. For a moment, he didn’t see anything but shadows. He almost looked away and then a face emerged from the darkness and he caught his breath. Her face looked ethereal for a moment then came into focus as she turned directly into the camera lens.
He frowned as he stared at her face for a long moment then she moved out of range. He checked where the camera was located and then he was on his feet running out of the room. Beast grabbed his weapon, then disappeared into the darkness of the night....
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