The heat radiating up from the highway is stifling and feels like a furnace burning your eyeballs from the hot wind. I hold my phone in one hand as I come up behind what looks like a desert storm truck and I stay on his tail. Up the road are two old police cars that are stripped down to almost nothing. A park ranger stands in the road to Desert Valley, blocking the entrance into the park and stopping the first car he approaches. Seconds pass before the whole scene changes.
He reaches behind his back and pulls out his gun with a silencer. Three rounds go off in quick succession. The truck in front of me swerves deep to the right and T-bones the car behind the first. He doesn’t stop, kicking the truck into gear and pushing the car off the road until it flips when the tires dig into the sand. Dust covers the area like a storm came barreling through.
Parking my bike, I jump off with my gun in my hand and find that the park ranger has his aim trained on what is more than likely the boss in the front seat. The wind is picking up and the howl can be heard through the abandoned valley. I edge my way around the front of the car with my gun raised. From where I stand, I can see that Cash is okay, but he’s screaming at the top of his lungs, calling for his mom.
Once I’m at the passenger seat, I find a dead Amanda with her blood splattered across Cash’s face. Her eyes are open and a bullet hole between the eyes. The friend that Tami cared so much for in the end sold her out. Revenge won out. That’s how they had to have found her. I wanted them all dead when I found them all those years ago. Had I killed her then, this would have never happened. Never again will I go against my gut instinct.
Ripping the passenger seat open, I rip the man responsible from the seat to stand in front of me. He laughs in my face, “All’s well that ends well. I should have fucked Tami when I had the chance instead of taking this stupid little cunt.”
Rearing my gun back, I slice the butt of it across his face. He falls back against the car. The roar of bikes are parking along with the SUV that Tank brought and our rock crawler. I don’t let up. I rain down the blows like he did to Pawn. The pent-up frustration becomes the energy to make him bleed for me.
Tank is the first man to dive into the car and takes Cash out. The screaming toddler settles down when he’s in the arms of his uncle Tank. He’s taken away from all the commotion, then put in a vehicle headed home to Tami.
I hold him up by his shirt until he is limp. When he falls to his knees in front of me, I lift my foot connecting my boot with the side of his head. His lifeless body collapsing into the sand. Everyone swarms around the scene and my men take a look at the stupid fuck. “Beat him but he stays alive. Then load him in the truck.”
One-by-one, they take their hits, payment for taking from the MC. Spider raises his boot and stomps on his face then uses his steel toes to break a few ribs.
I walk around the car and hold my hand out to the park ranger, “Nocturnal.”
The evil gleam covers the slick bastards face, “Tell the Black Widow we are even, debt’s paid.” He doesn’t shake my bloody hand but turns his back to me and walks away, leaving in a small unmarked Ford Ranger truck. The other truck that plowed the car off the road, follows the other one like nothing happened here. Kat will never cease to amaze me. Never.
I make a call to Stryker asking him to get a crew up here to clean this up.
“Stryker, we’ve got a mess up here at the north entrance of Desert Valley State Park.”
“It’s all done?” he questions.
“Just one more, and then I’m heading out.”
He hums, “Call me tomorrow with details.”
We hang up and I walk briskly over to the rock crawler and sit in the passenger seat. Saint drives us out further away from the road. The brothers jump out from the back and drag the thief out. The piece of shit that’s tied up, is dragged through the dirt.
“Pin him to the desert floor, spread out and find me what you can.” The man’s clothes are cut away from his body as he’s nailed down and staked to the hot sand. Hot enough to fry his flesh. The heatwaves emit from the surface in waves. He winces from the burns from both the sun and the sand he lies on top of.
“Tell me now, how you knew I had your money.”
“I didn’t.” He defends wheezing through his words.
“But you did.” From a small box I take out a scorpion by the tail and place it on the man’s bloody and bruised chest. The little beast tenses and flinches when I poke at it with a stick.
“Okay, stop, I’ll tell you what you want,” he begs hyperventilating.
It rears back and then its sticker digs into the man’s chest. He hollers out when stung.
“Can’t be worse than a bee sting. C’mon, don’t be a pussy.” Once again, I poke at the scorpion and it strikes at his chest again. He cries out and the brothers and I get a kick out of his cries. The insect runs off into hiding and when he calms down, I ask him again, “How did you know I had your money?”
“Amanda contacted me a few months back, she said she had information on the diamond they stole. She knew Tami had it when they parted.” He wheezes in discomfort, then finishes, “There’s no way those girls could sell it. It had to have been you. Amanda paid her back for what they took. The bitch wanted her payback in the end. Tami went and saw Amanda, that’s how she knew where she was.”
“Driving through the desert for a reason?”
“Yeah, she was going to be dumped,” he admits.
Done with the stupid cunt, I pull my blade out from my holster. The thief begs and pleads for me to stop. But there is no stopping what he is getting. Slowly, I carve the word, THIEF, across his entire torso. He squeals like a hog at the slaughter.
Wiping my blade clean I look up to see Cuervo headed our way, the heels of his cowboy boots sinking into the sand. But what he holds send a shiver up my back. A rattlesnake hisses as he carries it, holding onto his head with one hand and the body coils around his arm rattling. Warning Cuervo, there is death behind his bite.
The man blubbers with an intense fear of what’s coming. Snot and tears mix in with the blood running from his nose and eyes. “No, just shoot me!”
Cuervo kneels next to the man, reciting the Prayer of the Holy Death, “La Santa Muerte, grant us your protection.” The snake hisses and Cuervo brings the fangs to the man’s flesh at his leg and the venom seeps into his body. The screams of terror would bring a lesser man to his knees, but not me and not my men.
Cuervo pulls the snake away and holds it tight to a rock on the desert floor. Taking his machete out he brings the weapon down. Cutting the head from the body he tosses the head next to the thief. Cuervo then cuts off the rattle and pockets it. Silently, he walks off into the desert alone.
Taking a picture for Kat. She’ll send out a warning to our enemies and allies to spread the word that we found our thief, a snake, and the bounty has been claimed. I walk over to Spider and Cowboy. “Stay with him. If he lives long enough, let the coyotes finish the job. Then burn and bury him.”
Only play with a group of thieves if you know you can win. Betting on winning with shit odds will put you in the mercy of Battle Born MC.
Chapter 36
Pawn
At the front steps of the clubhouse, I release the smoke that has filled my lungs. Instead of taking too many prescription painkillers I rolled a joint and lit it. It’s helped with the pain management and the stress of the last twenty-four hours has brought. I haven’t heard many details, and it’s been humbling to sit back and wait for information. A position no person or man wants to be in. I’ve lived through the mercy a few times and one I hope to never experience again.
I’ve held onto hope that my brothers would deliver because every moment that he is gone is an ache that I never in my life have felt. My chest feels as if someone has dug my heart out with a dull blade. I won’t sleep until he returns. As the sun starts to set so does my hope. Little by little it dwindles away with the fading sunlight.
“How are you holding up?” Jenn appro
aches and stands next to me.
“Holding on with everything I got.” I assure her.
“Good. If you need someone I’m here too. I know you men like to look tough and shit. But if you need, I’m always around.”
“Jenn. I appreciate that and everything else you have done for me along the way. There ain’t many bitches I would call a friend. You would be one of those bitches.”
“Wow.” She holds a hand to her chest, “So proud to be considered a bitch. Keep smoking, you’re getting funnier by the second.” She shakes her head at me, “Hand that over to me.”
Hesitantly I pass over my joint eyeing her suspiciously, she takes a drag and coughs out, “I forgot to mention.”
“Yeah...”
“That Tank should be here in less than thirty seconds.” She winks and drops the butt into the dirt and puts it out with her boot. My mind spins and my heart is bursting with pride and hope. The blood returns the heat my body that has been lacking since Cash has been gone.
Tank’s truck pulls in and I run over to the truck, opening the backseat door where Cash is fast asleep in a car seat. Unbuckling him as fast as I can, I gather him up and hold him to my chest. Everything in me relaxing with the weight of him in my arms. Ten thousand pounds of worry leaves my body and I can breathe. That ache in my chest starts to loosen and I can feel happy again.
“Daddy,” he mumbles halfway awake.
“Thank God.” I look up to the sky saying a small thank you to the heavens. His little voice and tiny body are my entire world. Swinging him side to side I take comfort in his presence. I hear a commotion behind me as Tami comes running to us and yelling Cash’s name.
He perks up and squeals for her as she approaches. She steals him from me and falls to her knees, planting kisses all over his face. He is smiling and finally Tami is whole, we are whole.
“Dude.” Tank interrupts my moment with a whisper.
“What?” I sarcastically whisper back irritated.
“Cash needs a bath.”
“I know.” What the hell is telling me this for now.
“Bro he had… splatter stuff all over him. I cleaned it off. But he NEEDS.” His eyes bug out looking at Tami. “A bath, ASAP. You picking up what I’m saying now?”
I look over to her and think of the shit that could have been on his face, and having a pretty idea there was blood, and her kissing him all over makes me gag in my mouth.
“Good, you got it,” he smarts and smacks me on the back leaving us alone.
“K-love, baby, your man is home,” he hollers walking into the clubhouse. “Your king needs a beer and tacos.”
The asshole leaves me alone to figure out how to pry Cash away and get him cleaned up. One thing is for sure, those clothes will be burned, and Tami and I will have it all. A love and life she has dreamt about. It will never be easy, but I know I can be the father and husband she needs. I feel it. I’m more than ready to see the baby she has growing inside her and what Cash’s future holds. They all a bigger part of what the world is, and I see it now, what a man is. I’ll have their backs until the day I die.
Gathering Tami and Cash from the ground I hold them both close to me and walk us into the clubhouse. Kat comes running with Eli right behind her. “Thank God, he’s home.”
Tami’s lip trembles, “What if he is affected or remembers?”
Kat rubs Cash’s back, “I think with your love he will heal and not remember anything. He wasn’t with them long enough.” She nudges Tami, “I’ll make dinner, the king has demanded tacos. He’s like feeding a bottomless pit.”
Tami may not see it, but I do, Kat is pushing Tami along to move forward. Which is everything she needs, and I follow her lead. “Let’s get him bathed?”
Tami goes along with it, giving her a task keeps her mind on track. I mouth a ‘thank you’ to Kat and we take him into the bathroom. By the time she has the bath filled I have him undressed. She takes him from me and plays with him, handing him a few toys. While they are occupied, I pick up his clothes and I take them outside.
In a burn barrel I toss a small stack of wood and his clothes, including his shoes. Looking around, I can’t seem to find any lighter fluid. I’m about to give up when Tank comes through the door with a cup of liquid. “Gas.” He pours the liquid over the contents inside the barrel. “I saw you searching around and thought I would help out.”
Striking a match, I toss it inside. The flames ignite, and in that moment, I give in and falling to my knees. It is all over. “Thank God.” I hold myself up by placing my hands on my knees. There is no stopping the few tears that are escaping. The relief is so tangible as if I could reach out and touch it. If I lost him, I would have lost them all. I never want to know what that world looks like. A true prison that I could never be freed from.
Tank gives me a few hard pats, “Let it out brother, you had a lot to lose.”
Allowing myself a few more moments of exposing my fears and gratitude, I take in a deep inhale and get up to my feet. Drying my face with my sleeve.
“Sucks growing up, doesn’t it?” Tank asks with a quirked eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I chuckle. “It’s not made for the weak.”
“You’re going to be okay from here on out. You know that, right?”
“I do know that. Tank, I can’t thank you enough for everything.” I tell him about all my regrets not being good enough Tami. The times that he was there for her when I wasn’t until now. “I needed you guys and there was a time I could have thrown it all away. I’m glad I didn’t, that we are standing here right now in this moment and not worse. Because had I left, who knows what could have happened.”
“Don’t go there in your head because it all happened for a reason so the bad wouldn’t touch Cash. You are the man you were meant to be. You protected them the best you could. We all work as a team.”
Tank reaches out and gives me a half hug when the backdoor opens and a little Eli comes running out with two beer cans and a root beer. He hands one to Tank and one to me. Tank opens Eli’s root beer and hands it to him. I’m thankful for the distraction and the second I have to let it all go.
“Mom said only one,” he seriously states with a finger in the air. “One.”
“Maybe for you little dude. Your mom doesn’t tell the Road Dog how many.” Tank sighs, “It’s so hard to teach this boy when his mom is constantly butting in.”
Eli grins and takes off running back to the house. “Where is he going?”
“To tell on me. The kid stirs the shit. My team building efforts need some remodeling for his generation. Plus, he’s part Black Widow. I need some creative lessons.”
“Yeah, because what he just did has nothing to do with you at all.” Popping the can open, I take a long pull of the ice-cold beer.
Tank smiles around the can he’s holding up to his mouth, “That too, we are so fucked.” His boisterous laugh fills the air, clearing the area of any leftover dread. “Take the good with the bad. Because the good is what gets us through it.”
Holding my can of beer up, I say, “Cheers.”
Kat calls us in to eat and I go in search of Tami and Cash. I find them both asleep in my bed. Tami has him curled up, wrapped up tightly to her. They’re out cold and resting. I leave them alone and sneak back out to the bar.
On my way, Blade crosses paths with me and signals for me to follow him back into the office. He calls Kat on his phone. It isn’t too long before she is shutting the door behind her.
“Did you find anything?” he asks her, his tired face looks as if he hasn’t slept in days.
She nods at Blade starting to fill us in. “I looked back over Tami’s receipts and phone records. She reached out to Amanda shortly after Pawn was out.”
“Which would make sense of the timeline of everything.” Blade rubs his face, “Thank you.” Kat knows she’s dismissed and leaves us alone. “I gave Tami the cash from the diamond she stole. Not only that, I invested it for her to make money. I put it into a
stock and I pay someone to manage it for her. It’s quadrupled from the four grand I originally had and continues to grow.”
He lights a smoke and rests back into his chair, “I was responsible for her and I failed. You have my apologies for the mistakes I made. If I could go back I would but the only thing I would change is saving Amanda. Tami should have never known how to find her.”
“I don’t think anyone of us would have known that her friend would have gone to those lengths to pay her back.” Even though we know Solo did it to help her, I still will defend him. “What is going to happen with her now?”
Blade explains to me that Amanda was already dead when he arrived, or he would have tortured her. Her sole purpose was only to hurt Tami and pay her back for everything she suffered. “After being raped and tortured when your friend is living the life you wanted can make you crazy. Tami’s heart was in the right place just didn’t see that evil existed there.”
Call me crazy, but Blade has changed, but he is more concerned about her than I would even suspect. “Why, Blade? Why are you helping Tami?” Something just feels off.
Lighting a smoke, he tosses the pack and lighter on the desk. After a long drag, he holds my gaze with a sternness that because he hesitates, I know for him it personal. “She’s my sister. My mom knows and Stryker is dealing with that and how to tell Tami. The truth it is eating him alive. With everything that has happened he wanted to wait. But she’ll know soon.”
“How did you figure it out?” There is only one set of eyes that I have ever seen like hers. A hazel so bright it’s like looking at a tiger.
“Tami has identical eyes to Stryker.” Sitting back in his chair he rubs the back of his neck, “She told me a story of living in New Mexico on the streets. We run our shit through there regularly. I remember my old man being gone on business there. Just a hunch I didn’t know then, but I had her tested.”
Loving You Forever (Battle Born MC Book 7) Page 19
