Storm- A Wings of Diablo MC Novel #8

by Lake, Rae B.

  It doesn’t take long for him to get the room set up, and I psyche myself up to get ready for the beating I’m about to take.

  “Hey, hey! What the hell is this?” Duo is rushing toward the doors, and Clean is about to shut the door in her face.

  “No, wait, wait. Please. Just let me tell her it’s ok. Please?” I look to my president. I don’t want her to worry about me. I just want her to know what is going on.

  “Make it quick, Storm.”

  I nod, and he opens the door wider.

  “Let him go. What are you doing? He needs to stay with me. You said you would help him.” She is starting to get irate.

  “Duo.”

  “No, let’s go! This is bullshit. We can be fine together. Let’s go.” She tries to pull my arms.

  “Dewdrop, stop.” I look down at her and wait for her to stop before I continue. “I need to do this. This fucked up way is how we show our love. I need you to be good with this.”

  “Storm.” Her voice is weak.

  “Duo, trust me.”

  "I'm not going to leave you. If you're going to do this, I'm going to stay right the hell here."

  "No, Duo, you don't want to see this." I don't want her to see me go through the amount of pain I’m about to go through. If I end up crying like a bitch, I don’t want her to witness that.

  “Storm, either you let me stay in this room, or I swear on my life, I will scream bloody fucking murder, and I will try and kill every one of these bastards. You want that?”

  I roll my eyes at her. "Why you gotta be so damn dramatic?"

  "I'm not leaving, Storm."

  I look over at Clean. That isn't my decision. If he says he doesn't want her there, then she’d have to go.

  "It won't be pretty in any sense of the word. Are you sure you want to be here?" He asks, his voice a bit softer than it was before. Clean has always had a spot for the ladies.

  "Yes, I want to be here." Duo moves over to the corner and lets my brothers go about what they were doing.

  Ink goes into one of the many chests he has in the room and pulls out a long black leather whip. If I weren’t so fucking scared for my life, I would crack a joke about Jazmine using that on him for some BDSM play, but I can't even force those words to come out of my mouth.

  "Wait a minute! This is the punishment you’re going to be forced to take? Y’all are going to whip him?"

  "Yeah, what’s the problem?"

  "Uh well, you know, black woman here? Years of slavery, that whole bit in time. Whipping people like dogs isn't one of the best punishments I can think of."

  I can't see Duo’s face, but I just know she’s glaring at Ink. I also know Ink isn't going to back down.

  "Sorry about that, but this is what we do. If Storm isn't going to suck it up, then he can say so, and he can go his own way. This is the punishment; either he accepts it, or he doesn't.

  "Fine." There’s a huff, and then something heavy hits the wall. She's pouting,

  "Bite down on this." Mack comes up to me and puts a thick belt into my mouth. It gives me something to press my teeth against as Ink tears my back to shreds.

  I inhale, and there is a large crack in the air before a thin slice explodes on my back. The initial strike isn't that bad, but the fire that blooms on my back after that is enough to have me calling for my mother. And it was only one strike so far.

  Blow after the blow, I scream and curse against the leather in my mouth. The world around me starts to get dark, and I can see nothing in my peripheral. I can hear Duo crying and the guys groaning after each strike, but I can't see anything. I stop counting. I don't think my brain remembers how to count at this moment.

  Ink flicks the whip at me, and this one catches me right at the base of my spine, and the pain is so singular I don't have the energy any longer to keep the leather in my mouth or to stand up. I sag against the ties holding me up, and the leather that was in my mouth falls to the ground. My head lolls to the side, and I can hear Ink telling Clean it’s too much. That he needs to stop, but even I know he can't. The punishment for the crime is thirty lashes.

  “I'll take the rest. It's our fort, too, for forcing this on him. Give me the rest.” Mack says from beside me. My head turns, and I can see a hazy version of him.

  Is he really doing what I think he is? Is he sacrificing himself for me?

  Clean and Mack undo my binds and sit me on the floor. Duo grabs onto me and pulls me over to the side as she cries with my broken body in her arms.

  "No, stop it." I croak. Mack shouldn't be doing this.

  "Shut up, brother." He grabs onto the chains above his head. His kutte and shirt already off. Ink looks to Clean, and he nods his head. I watch as the flash of leather strikes against Mack’s back, and he yells in agony. I crawl toward him, and Duo has to hold me back.

  "No, stop." I'm in pain, and my back is torn up, but I can't stand to see him hurt like this. There has to be something to do, someone who can help him.

  "Clean, I'm begging you. Please. Stop. It's enough. Please." My voice is hoarse as I sway back and forth with my unconsciousness.

  "Mack, stand down." Clean orders, and I feel a sense of relief wash over me for only a second as I watch Clean himself take his kutte and shirt off. It’s his turn, apparently.

  "Fuck that. I'm not doing this shit." Ink shakes his head. "You don't get fucking whipped. That’s not how this shit works."

  "Ink, we're a family. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one fucks up, we all fuck up. He's my brother. I failed him the same way he failed us. Let's go, boy, give me my licks." Clean walks over to Mack and pushes him off the spot before he reaches up and grabs onto the chains above his head, his huge wide back taking up more space than the rest of us.

  I’m so fucking upset they have to go through this shit, but at the same time, I don't think I’ve ever felt prouder than what I do right now.

  Clean takes a few slashes, then Ink stops and gives him the whip so he can take the last of the punishment.

  None of them had the same amount of hits as I did, but I'm sure they are hurting just as bad as I am.

  "Come on, let's go. I have to get these cleaned up."

  "No. No aftercare." Clean grits his teeth at Duo.

  "What the hell do you mean, no aftercare? These are open wounds. They could get infected." Duo argues.

  "No, it's fine. If it gets infected, we will work on that later." I tell her as I hold onto Duo and try to walk out of the room.

  "I swear to you, if it gets bad, we will take care of him, but right now, this is my fucking word," Clean says, and he stares at her waiting for her to say something in return. She has no place questioning my president, but I don't have the energy to tell her about it right now.

  "Whatever, let's get out of here, baby." She tries to drag me over to my room, but by the time I make it out of Ink’s room, my legs are already giving out. My brothers are right there to catch me.

  "We got you, Storm." Clean is in front of me, holding onto me. He holds me up, and as I blackout, I know I will be ok.

  It's so fucking hot. I try to get comfortable on the bed but no matter how I move, everything fucking hurts. I'm sweating, and even breathing feels like hot pokers are being stabbed into my sides.

  "This is bullshit. You shouldn't have to fucking go through this." Duo has been crying non-stop, and I did what I could for a while to soothe her, but right now, I can't do anything but breathe.

  "It's ok. I'll be fine." I pat her knee. "I'm going to go outside and get some air. I'll be right back."

  "Ok, let's go."

  "No. You stay here and relax. I'll be fine, Duo. I just need some air, ok." I lean over and kiss her on the mouth before I get up and slowly make my way to the back of the property. Now that I've had my punishment, I don't need a fucking escort. I walk past my brothers, who are all sitting at the bar having a drink. It's considered pain relief, and I can't partake. I see Ink twitch in my direction like he's going to come and help me, but Clean for
ces him back down.

  I open the back door, and the slight movement is enough to have me crying out in pain, but I bite the inside of my lip to keep the sound to myself.

  The ground begins to sway, and shit that used to be one color seems to fade to a different color. I'm in so much fucking pain that I'm fucking hallucinating.

  I wipe my hand over my face and try to focus on the tree line.

  Something moved.

  I groan and try to turn toward the clubhouse, but I hear something moving again. I look out of my peripheral vision, and I see my reflection. Fuck I'm hallucinating badly. I turn away, but my reflection doesn't. The scar on his face is bright red and angry looking.

  Fuck, it’s Vale.

  I don't fucking move. I just went through all this shit so my club would take me back, but even thinking about going against Vale right now has me foaming at the mouth. I still can't do it.

  I let my head drop, and when I look back up to my brother, I can see he’s smiling. He knows I won't go against him no matter what the fuck is going on. I never have before.

  I turn around and walk back into the clubhouse. I look around for a second and try to remember what the clubhouse used to look like. It has been burned down so many times already. Everything has changed, but it is still my home. My heart races in my chest as I look up toward the stairs. I could just go up to my room and wait for this all to be over. If they figure out he’s here and take him out I wouldn't have to be around for it.

  Mack laughs and picks up the drink in front of him. He takes a sip before he puts it back down and continues to laugh with the rest of the people there. My cousin has really opened up since taking his place in the club and became a part of this family.

  I pick up my foot and drop in on the stairs. Vale would be here any fucking second. He would come in here and kill everyone. He might leave me alive, but there’s a chance he’d kill me too. Vale would destroy my entire family if it meant he would have what he wanted.

  The tears cascade down my face. I feel like a fucking bitch, but I can't stop them. I turn but don't step off the stairs.

  "Clean, Vale is outside," my voice doesn't come out loud enough for anyone to hear me.

  "What?" Pope asks from the back of the bar.

  They stop talking and wait for me to speak again, but I have a hard time saying it. It burns. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just hallucinating.

  "Storm?"

  I let my head fall, and then the door opens, and Angel runs out. She skips quickly to the back and gets a juice. She waves to me as she makes her way back to her room to be with Jazmine and Lorelai.

  Vale will kill them all if he has the chance, no questions asked.

  I can't let that happen.

  "Clean, Vale is outside."

  "This man is out of his mind. Maybe we should let him get a drink." Ink thinks I'm off. From what I look like, I guess I can understand why he’d think something like that.

  They laugh, and I feel myself getting angrier by the second. There’s nothing I want more than for this to be bullshit, but it's not, and if it does turn out it was just a fucking hallucination, so be it.

  "Clean!" I let my eyes jump to him so he can see I'm serious and hurting. Not the pain of the whip marks on my back, but the pain of the betrayal I just committed against my flesh and blood.

  "Fuck! Where?" Clean hops off the seat, and Pope jumps from around the bar. Everyone is moving fast now.

  "Put the women and children up. He'll kill them." I warn and let my head fall.

  "You with us, or you ain't right now.” Clean barks at me, and when I don't answer, he just moves on. I'll be a prospect for the rest of my life the way this shit is turning out.

  A loud explosion goes off outside of the club, and I hear the women screaming. Mack is rushing them all into church. It is the most secure place in the entire compound, and it has a secret passageway that will allow them to escape if they need to.

  Another explosion, this one closer to the clubhouse but still on the outskirts.

  "Let's get this shit done. Keep your fucking head down and take no fucking prisoners."

  They were going to go outside.

  "No, you can't go." I grab onto Clean's kutte and pull him back.

  "Look fucker, just because that’s your brother out there doesn't change what I fucking said. He's a fucking dead man." He yells in my face. I shake my head to get him to understand that it isn't what I’m trying to say. All the information my brother has gotten so far about what he needed to do has been wrong. He thought they’d come for Duo right then and there. He didn't know what to expect in Puerto Rico, and he didn't know about Inferno's Clutch. He was grabbing at straws. Vale is causing a ruckus outside because he doesn't know how many of us are in here. He has no idea the Wings were down to the bare minimum.

  "Vale's trying to draw us out. He doesn't know how many of us there are. If we show him how small our force actually is, it'll give him the edge. The last thing he wants is to get caught, so he won't come in here until the last possible moment, but he will come. We just have to stand fast." I explain, wiping the sweat off my brow and taking a step back. I am a prospect. My opinion means shit in the grand scheme of things.

  Clean looks over to Mack, and he nods his head.

  "He's going to take the entire fucking area out just to see how many of us there are?" Ink looks at me, and I shrug. There isn't much my brother wouldn't do, something I figured out a bit too late.

  "Clean, the windows!" Red yells from where he’s standing, a gun in his hand and his eyes bouncing from side to side. Flames are lapping up the side of the window, but nothing is getting inside. Before Wire left, he made sure the entire compound was at least fireproof. There’d been so much devastation caused by fire, and he wanted to make sure it never happened again.

  The alarm fucking blares on the inside of the compound. It means someone is in the building.

  "Fuck! So much for him not wanting to come in." Ink turns his head and looks toward the doors, but they don't open. No one is coming in that way.

  The side door is still closed, as are the windows, so why the fuck is the alarm going off?

  We hear a shriek, and it's coming from church. Oh fuck, they got in there.

  "Fuck, no." Clean stumbles and takes off toward the sound when the doors to church open. For the first time since I realized my brother was out the back and ready to kill us, I’m excited. The band is getting back together.

  Wire rushes in, his kutte still firmly planted on his chest, the word Nomad etched into the leather, and his gun pulled out.

  "What the fuck?" Clean stops and looks at his old president and best friend. “What are you doing here?"

  Clean doesn't trust anyone, and when Wire decided he would leave the lifestyle to go nomad, it hurt him. At least, that’s what Ink told me. I guess that meant he didn't trust Wire either.

  "I came back for my check-in. I may not be fucking living in this clubhouse right now, but I still wear this kutte on my back. I have fucking responsibilities. Why didn't anyone call me? Anyone call Ryder?"

  "Why the fuck would I do that? Y’all left? Remember?" Clean steps up into Wire's space. The animosity is high.

  "Barry, I get it. You're pissed, but this shit here is bigger than your fucking feelings." Wire slaps the Wings of Diablo patch on Clean's chest. "Shit is going down. Then you need to reach the fuck out. If I can't fucking drop whatever the fuck I'm doing and help my brothers, then I don't fucking need to be part of this family. Even if I'm not here, you are still my fucking family."

  "I'm happy for the fucking help, but maybe we can do this another fucking time?" Ink yells, and another explosion goes off outside.

  Wire turns his head and catches my eyes. "Not my place, but what the fuck is this bastard doing here?"

  "He's been forgate," Mack answers.

  "Forgiven?" Wire asks.

  "Not without giving my pound of flesh," I smirk, and then another explosion goes off outside.

&
nbsp; "We can't let him continue to blow shit up," Pope says from his place by the door.

  "Orders?" Wire doesn't move, waiting on Clean to tell us all what to do.

  Clean swallows hard, “Pope, you and Red go up to the top floor and find out if we can see anything from there. Maybe we can get a shot. I need to know how many are out there and if it even makes sense for us to stay. We may need to fucking abandon the clubhouse.”

  "You want to leave?" Pope asks.

  "This club isn't just a fucking building. As long as we still survive, so does the fucking club." There is a lull in explosions.

  "They're moving closer. I can hear the fuckers running." Ink says from by the door. His ears are freaky as fuck.

  "Mack, I need you and Wire outside. Don't fucking get caught. Take out as many as you can." Wire and Mack nod, and they both rush out the side entrance after checking is no one there yet.

  "Storm, you and Ink will stay here with me. If the fight comes inside, we have to handle them. You got it?"

  I have my orders, and it sort of gives me a sense of relief. At least he didn't tell me I have to kill Vale.

  The lights go off, and fucking chaos breaks out. Windows are smashed in, and gunshots sound outside. "Fuck!" I hear Ink yell, and I know it's not because he's hurt but because he knows his brothers are outside in the fight of their lives, and he can't go out and help them. If we all go out, whoever Vale has convinced to help him would have the upper hand for sure.

  Smoke fills the room, and I can't see anything in front of my face.

  "Stand fast!" Clean calls out.

  The smoke hurts my lungs, but I can't get my body to stop taking in huge breaths. I'll pass out before I can do any good.

  The flash of the gunshots is the only light filtering through the clubhouse.

  I look to the right of Clean, my reflection. My twin. Vale.

  He's made his way in and is sneaking up on Clean. His gun is drawn.

  Time stands still, and everything that Vale and I have been through in our lives flashes before my eyes. This man beat up every bully I’ve ever had as a kid. He kept me fed and nursed me when I was sick. Vale was there when I learned how to ride a bike. He's been through everything with me, and now he’s standing there with his gun drawn on my president.