Rival (The Aces Book 1)

by A. J. Macey

  “Chase!” I screamed, but an iron grip wrapped around me to keep me from running headlong into the fire.

  “Baby.” Brooks’ voice was pained as he held me to his chest. My own screams drowned out all noise as I felt myself burn from the inside out at the sight of the fire and my home that had been blown to hell. My little assassin…

  I don’t know how long I struggled against Brooks until I finally stopped, my voice having given up long ago under the volume of my screaming cries. My body numbed from feeling and emotions as I stood stoic in the president’s arms. Garrett and Stone handled the police and the fire department; after they had shown up and battled the out of control blaze, the fire died out.

  The other two MC officers, despite the protests of the fire department and police, scoured the rubble, but came back empty handed, faces solemn as they looked at me. Brooks’ arms fell to his sides when he realized I wasn’t going to run directly into a fiery death in a wave of despair, and he made a call. Within a half hour, over two dozen Aces members arrived to help the police canvas the large blast radius.

  According to the detonations expert for the Aces, Rider Frost a.k.a. Blast, numerous well-placed pipe bombs and explosives were activated after the house had been doused in an accelerant. After the canvassing was complete, and the authorities as well as the MC members left, the sun had started to rise in the distance. Not even the growing light on the horizon could warm the ice that had solidified in my chest. The night had passed by in a numb haze, but finally, the three club officers gave me the news I had been hoping for.

  No sign of Chase within the bomb site or in the remnants of my burned home.

  At that pinprick sized amount of hope, my fury sparked, burning brighter and hotter than the fire that had destroyed the place I’d called home for the last four years. Resolution filled me as I stepped forward to the cooled rubble. Kneeling one leg down, I grabbed a handful of the ash and crumbled it, letting the wind blow the dust away.

  “What are you going to do?” Stone’s voice was quiet behind me as I felt the three of them creating a half circle behind me.

  Staring out at the ruin in front of me, I answered, “I’m going to kill them. I’m going to kill them all.”

  May 5th

  Sunday Morning

  Brooks

  Leaning back against the office desk, I watched Kiera. My baby had been silent since we left her house, her face as flat as stone, but her eyes were what caught my attention. They burned and smoldered in silent fury, waiting to be unleashed on those who had targeted her and had taken her assassin. Her grave declaration echoing in my mind, I had no doubt she would do just that, but she didn’t have to do it alone. I looked around the room at my fellow officers. Garrett and Stone appeared as angry as I was at the blatant attack on our girl. Nate came in, his face drawn in tension.

  “It was definitely Alloy Kings, but no one knows where Chase would be at. They have dozens of shell companies and safe houses,” Nate explained, pity filling his eyes as he looked at one of his oldest friends.

  “Not to mention the fact it could be any one of Frank’s properties,” Garrett growled, running a hand over the back of his neck. “What’s our next move, Boss?” I hesitated, looking over to Kiera.

  “Do you have anything you need to do?” I questioned quietly, unsure of how she would react right now. She was a ticking time bomb and we all knew it. Her brown-green eyes that glowed in anger centered on me.

  “Yes, I need to stop at The Bank.” Her voice was flat, dead.

  I furrowed my brows. The bank? Whatever money she needed she could use from the club, I thought.

  She must have read my facial expression because she started to shake her head. “Not that kind of bank. I’ll need a large vehicle.” My curiosity growing with her request, I turned my attention to Nate who nodded before heading back out of the office to pull one of our crash vehicles out of the garage.

  We filed out in a single line, down the hall and into the morning sun. Nate pulled up a moment later in a large SUV. Switching places with Nate, Kiera got into the driver’s seat while Garrett and Stone slid into the back seat.

  “Keep me updated,” I whispered to my Road Captain. “See if this is related to the snitch we have within the club.”

  He nodded as I climbed into the passenger seat. The drive was silent, not even the radio played as we headed wherever my baby needed to take us to. Over a half hour later, we entered Carson City, driving through the main portion of the city until we were on the outskirts pulling into a bank parking lot. Instead of parking in the front, she pulled around to the rear of the building and backed into the spot in front of a nondescript door.

  “I thought it wasn’t a normal bank?” I tilted my head in confusion.

  “It’s not,” she muttered, her furious eyes staring at the building. “Come on, boys. I’ll need all of you.” Exiting the car, we walked all the way back around to the glass front doors. A bald man with plastic frame glasses looked up from his position behind the counter. His teeth were bright white against his dark skin as he smiled.

  “Ah, Ms. Kitty,” he exclaimed, his voice rising in excitement as he addressed Kiera. I had to force myself not to question the blatant alias. “Need to make a withdrawal?” She nodded.

  “I also need to visit the backroom, Dwight.” She smiled at the bank worker whose tag read: Dwight Abrams, Manager. My curiosity continued to grow as he nodded and led us to a side hallway and down a long staircase.

  Jesus, we have to be down at least three floors at this point, I thought as I let my gaze wander around the concrete room at the base of the stairs. All four walls held thick vault doors, all of which were behind barred enclosures. Stone was looking around the place in appreciation as Garrett eyed Kiera.

  “Which vault this visit?” Dwight pulled out a set of keys as Kiera did the same. She smiled wickedly; the Devil himself would cower in fear at the look.

  “All of them.” Even Dwight’s eyes widened as he stepped up to the first wall.

  “Are we to expect you back again after this visit?” His question’s double meaning was clear—are you going to live long enough to come back?

  “I would like to think so, I just have some business to tend to, Dwight. No need to fret about me.” Her words were polite as she unlocked all of the barred gates and the manager stepped up to the first vault. Dwight dipped his head, spinning in the combination for the lock and turning his own key in the thick door.

  “Of course, Miss Kitty. The Bank just wants to make sure its proprietress will be around in the future.” The vault unlocked with a loud clunk before he moved to the next three doors.

  I studied Kiera; her chin raised high as if she sat on a throne. Although my baby’s crown would be made of gold and the most expensive jewels she could get her little thief hands on, it would also be dipped in the blood of her enemies. It just occurred to me that he had said proprietress, meaning this bank’s existence was owed to Kiera, and whatever was held in these vaults was hers and hers alone.

  “Let me know if you need anything else, but it looks like you’re in good hands.” Dwight dipped his head flashing a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing smile to the rest of us before starting back up the stairs. We stood in stoic silence until we heard the door at the top of the stairs shut.

  “What is this place, Kiera?” Garrett demanded quietly as he stepped up to her, his hand resting on her lower back bringing her attention to him. Her smile was cruel, as if she really did wear a bloody crown of stolen jewels atop a throne of bones. Hitting a button on the wall that I hadn’t noticed before, all the vault doors swung open in a hiss of hydraulic air.

  “They wanted a battle,” she murmured, her words manic and crazed. Her furious eyes flared brighter as her lips curled in a snarl. “I’ll bring them a war.”

  Looking around, I felt my jaw drop. The first vault was large and filled to the brim with guns, ammunition, and wickedly sharp knives. The second held even deadlier equipment like explosives, g
renades, and… are those rocket launchers? I couldn’t believe my eyes as I turned once more, greeted with a vault of gear-like harnesses, pulleys, rope, and a large rack of different sized black or desert camo clothing. Finally, the last vault was filled with what I had expected from The Cat: money, file cabinets, and stolen goods including famous paintings, jewels, and artifacts.

  “Jesus,” I breathed making another circle. Stone was stunned into silence, for once not snarking on every single thing Kiera did, while Garrett looked at her as if he’d never seen her before.

  “When…” I stuttered attempting to get my brain to work. “How?” She chuckled; the sound wasn’t pleasant but as cold and biting as the arctic ice.

  “There’s a lot about me you don’t know, Brooks.” She eyed me predatorily, deadly. This wasn’t the baby I had come to know, this was someone dark and lethal, someone any smart person ought to be afraid of. “You’ll learn, of course, but to start”—she waved her hand out—“this is one of my stashes.”

  “One? One of your stashes?” Stone finally spoke, his question littered with surprise.

  “You think I’d be stupid enough to leave all my shit at my house?” she sassed him, a brow raising. “Fuck no. I knew years ago I would go after Frankie, and when I did”—she nodded after pausing, seeing a plan in her head that the rest of us couldn’t—“I would bring all of Hell with me.”

  What had Frankie done to her to burn her so badly? I found myself asking quietly in my head as I watched my baby. This wasn’t the kind of anger from being burned, I realized. No, this was the kind of loathing one had after years of staring down evil itself before walking away carrying only scars she could see.

  “How long have you planned to go after Frankie ‘Smokes’?” Stone asked.

  My baby’s eyes darkened into that depth of rage at the question. Silence reigned as we waited for her answer, Garrett’s jaw clenching, but he couldn’t hide the pity in his expression. He knew what had happened to her, and based on his facial expression as he looked at her, it was very, very bad. Garrett didn’t pity, ever, until her.

  “Since I was seven,” she finally whispered. Striding into the first vault, she piled up a duffle with guns and ammunition, effectively ending the conversation.

  Frankie ‘Smokes’ Casterelli’s death just moved to one of my top things to deal with.

  Right after getting back Chase and fucking over the Alloy Kings.

  It’s going to be a long ride…

  Chapter 12

  May 5th

  Sunday Evening

  Kiera

  For the fifth time since leaving The Bank, I double checked my pocket to ensure the flash drive was still there. Not that I didn’t have more copies, but I didn’t want to have to go back to dig it out of the vault. We unloaded the vehicle into one of the unmarked buildings at the edge of the property that was never used. Nate returned the SUV to its usual home after we finished. We would be back later to separate the gear between the four officer houses, each of which were equipped with hidden rooms to hide the weapons and other miscellaneous gear I had loaded up. I didn’t have a plan yet on how to get Chase back and hit the Alloy Kings where it hurts, but when I did, I wanted everything I could possibly need at my disposal.

  Sipping the glass of alcohol Cheryl had placed in front of me, I sank into my usual stool at the bar. I sat without seeing, but I felt the gazes on me from the club members and the hang-arounds, their eyes lingering on my thigh holsters. I wasn’t holding back at this point; the Alloy Kings had gone too far, so I had loaded up on my weapons not giving a fuck how I looked to anyone else.

  Brooks sank into the seat on my left while Stone took the right. Garrett opted to stand, his hand going to my shoulder and neck like he had the night we fucked, but my mind was solely out for blood, unable to focus on any sexual desires. It was only a few minutes of solemn, tense silence between the four of us until my phone dinged, but the sounds of shouts behind us pulled me away from checking it.

  “Brooks Abbott!” a familiar smarmy voice called out and, turning on the stool, I spotted Alloy Kings President Bryce Hill backed by his VP Ronnie boy and that bastard Jace Corden who was attempting to glance around Garrett as he stepped in front of me. “My, my it’s been a long time, ‘asn’t it?”

  “What do you want?” Brooks questioned dully from his seat, his forearm resting on the bar as he took a drink. Shifting to standing, the three officers created a wall between them and me.

  “We’d like to offer you a little trade,” Bryce tittered. “You see, we have something you might like. A certain assassin…” At the mention of Chase, I shot out of my chair. Garrett barely held me back from shooting the three of them in the knees.

  “Ah”—Ron’s eyes lit up in recognition—“I never would have guessed, Miss Wright,” he sneered my alias. The club members’ eyes flickered to me in confusion, but I didn’t attempt to quell their curiosity, my entire focus on what they had to bring up about my assassin.

  “As I was saying,” Bryce took over, “we want to trade you the assassin.”

  “For what in return?” Stone scoffed his question, clearly not up for whatever game they were attempting to play.

  “Her,” Jace finally spoke, his rough, deep voice bringing back memories I had to fight to push away. His bright brown eye centered on me as he stepped forward, the black material of his eye patch scuffed up in the light. “The assassin for my Kiera. Or if you prefer, The Cat.” Murmurs and whispers ran through the crowd at my identity. Garrett pulled me tighter against him at Jace’s predatory smile. Brooks stepped forward and angled himself in front of me.

  “She’s not yours, Corden,” he ground out. His brow went up, attention shifting back to Garrett and me.

  “I see my girl’s mentioned me then.” His wicked smile was crooked from his facial scarring. “Glad I was memorable.” I bit back the urge to throw up. “But that’s not the conversation right now. You want the assassin? You give us the girl. You have until tomorrow evening to make your decision.” Without any more conversation, they left, Jace smirking at me once more on his way out.

  The bar was silent as everyone stared at me, understanding filling their eyes. Garrett squeezed me once before releasing. Now that the confrontation was done, I pulled out my phone to check it.

  Dipshit: Deer

  My heart clenched painfully at the message, but I had no idea what Chase meant. Grabbing Brooks’ sleeve, I dragged him down the hall to the office. Garrett and Stone followed quickly, their faces filled with confusion at my abrupt movement. As soon as the door shut, I started to pace, my mind running through what he could have meant. It wasn’t a term of endearment, and it didn’t make sense as a location.

  “Hey, Boss.” Nate’s voice filtered in from the door frame. “The boys want to talk to you about everything.” His voice was grave, meaning they weren’t happy with me being in the middle of this shit show, but right now I didn’t care. Brooks sighed before directing me toward the door not bothering to ask why I dragged him back here. The talking in the room quieted as we entered, the tension and accusing eyes on us. Brooks addressed the room, but I wasn’t focusing on what he said, Chase’s message holding my entire focus. Finally looking up, I glanced around the room for any semblance of a clue when my eyes landed on her.

  Deer.

  Bambi.

  “Brooks,” I bit out in the middle of his statement. “I know who our snitch is.” He immediately stopped talking to look at me, his eyes burning. Shoving the phone in his hand, I stormed over to the bleached blonde bimbo who attempted to dart toward the door, but I was faster. I grabbed her hair and dragged her to the middle of the room.

  “You little fucking cunt,” I angrily spouted out as I tossed her onto the ground. Without hesitation, I had the sweet satisfaction of her nose crunching under my fist. I saw red.

  My house was destroyed because of her.

  The Aces had lost a shipment because of her.

  My assassin had been taken fr
om me because of her.

  I continued to throw punches, and the feeling of her nails on my arms didn’t phase me as I felt her blood splatter my face. After what felt like an eternity in a single second, Garrett’s harsh voice pulled me back to myself, Stone’s angry face appearing in my vision as he yanked her beaten and broken body to standing.

  “Kitten!” Garrett shouted as I punched her once more in the stomach. “We’ll get him back, Kitten.” His hand soothingly rubbed circles on my back as I heaved in sharp breaths. The fucking snitch spit blood at my feet, her knees giving out. The only reason she didn’t fall to the ground was Stone’s excessively tight grip on her arms.

  “Fuck you, bitch,” she slurred through the blood that poured down her face. Brooks immediately stepped in front of her, my phone extended toward me, another text had come in. A GPS pin showing Chase’s location.

  “Why did you betray the club?” Brooks’ smooth voice demanded in outrage. She glared at him, and when she didn’t answer, he grabbed her bloody face in a vise-like grip. She screamed an answer.

  “I didn’t know! I didn’t know he was an Alloy King! I was just out with some guy and drank too much,” she half-sobbed half-laughed, the shock making her delirious. “I swear it was an accident!” I glanced at Garrett who was looking at her in disgust, his jaw ticking at her confession. Brooks and Stone glared harshly at her as she spoke, no pity or forgiveness within any of the officers’ eyes.

  “Get her the fuck out of here,” Brooks commanded Stone before addressing her once more. “You’re burned in the underworld from this point onward. If I think you’ve so much as blinked in our, her, or the club’s direction, I will gladly hand you over to my baby and let her deal with you as she sees fit. Trust me though”—he crowded her space—“she will make you wish you had been killed long before she buries you out back. Got it?”