by Katie Ashley
TWENTY-TWO
REV
Two days after Wyatt’s birth, I had Boone and Crazy Ace open up the main gates on the compound. Deacon, Bishop, and Mac, our club secretary, followed me as I zipped out onto the main road. I had received a call the night before from Hector Rodriguez himself. He was more than willing to take the guns off our hands, and he had set up a meeting with us at noon with some of the men in his operation. As vice president, Deacon would be there as my second-in-command, and we needed Mac to record what was agreed to verbally. Of course, Bishop, as sergeant at arms, was along as well for any needed muscle.
Although the January cold bore down hard on us, I couldn’t help enjoying the sunshine and the freedom of being outside of the compound. Our contact point was about two miles from the compound, which Rodriguez had chosen to put us Raiders at ease of not being far from home. We pulled into the parking lot of a rather run-down Mexican restaurant, which I’d previously had no idea was involved in any dirty dealings.
When we stepped inside the restaurant, I quickly scanned the room. A waitress hurried up to us. “Come with me,” she said.
“Guess she knows we’re not here for the food,” Bishop mused.
We were led to a back room that had once been used for private parties. Two men sat at one of the tables. They rose to their feet at the sight of us. “Please come in. You’re very welcome,” the older of the two said.
When I stood before him, he offered me his hand. “I’m Hector’s cousin, Juan. He flew me in to meet with you.”
After shaking his hand, I introduced him to Deacon and the others. As we sat down, beer and bottles of tequila appeared from several waitresses. I took a beer to ease some of the tension I couldn’t help feeling.
Since you never wanted a paper trail of your dealings, everything was done verbally. Your word was your bond, along with a handshake. “So I’m to understand that the Georgia chapter of the Raiders will no longer deal in guns to other sources. Instead, your shipments will come to us in Juárez via your brothers in the El Paso club,” Juan said.
“We’re going legitimate.”
Juan’s eyes widened. “Interesting. Too much bloodshed or too much heat from the authorities?”
“Too much blood.”
“Although I cannot totally understand your desire, I greatly appreciate it, since it will benefit our organization.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you see it that way.”
Juan glanced at the still-nameless man at his side before turning back to me. “I understand you ask for no money in return.”
“That is true.”
“Your generosity comes in the form of the elimination of one man. Manuel Mendoza.”
I shifted in my seat. “I never asked for his termination. Merely for protection.”
“He killed two of your El Paso brothers, did he not?”
“Yes. That is true.”
“And he is your fiancée’s rapist, true?”
Sucking in a harsh breath, I tried to still my emotions. Juan had hit a raw nerve by mentioning Annabel. “Yes. He is,” I spat out through gritted teeth.
“So tell me why this man deserves to live.”
Before I could respond, Deacon growled, “We came to make a deal, not to be fucked with!”
Juan’s lips quirked up in a smile. “My apologies.”
I cleared my throat. “Excuse my brother. He is very protective.”
“It is understandable. I was merely feeling you out on the subject.”
“You would take out one of your loyal lieutenants for a deal?”
“Members of our organization are expendable. They know that when they join.” Juan narrowed his eyes. “To say that Mendoza is loyal would be far too complimentary. He’s always had his own agenda. But that stays within these walls.”
“I understand,” I replied.
Juan extended his hand. “So do we have a deal?”
As I stared at his hand for a moment, I couldn’t help thinking of my old man and of Case. I hoped that what I was about to do would have made them proud. Even if we went legitimate, we would never disband the Raiders brotherhood.
I reached for Juan’s hand. “It’s a deal.”
He smiled. “I’m very glad to hear that. I will phone Hector and let him know everything is taken care of.”
“Including Mendoza?” Bishop asked.
Juan nodded. “He is no longer a threat to you.”
“My club, as well as my El Paso brothers, appreciate that.”
After Juan had shaken hands with the others, we headed out of the back room. When we got outside the restaurant, I exhaled the breath that I felt I had been holding since Mendoza had reared his head again.
“How does it feel to be just a regular old biker?” Bishop asked.
Deacon snorted. “Until we unload the gambling at the gym, we’re only half-legitimate.”
With a grin, Bishop asked, “So we’re basically a bastard?”
“You’re always a bastard,” I replied.
“Har fucking har,” he muttered, as he slid across the seat of his bike.
After putting on my helmet, I gunned my bike’s engine. We then rode out of the parking lot, me speeding ahead of my brothers. I couldn’t wait to get back to Annabel.
Just as we rounded the curve about a mile from home, the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Deacon and Bishop spin out, their bikes crashing onto the pavement. When Mac tried to miss their combined heap of metal, he overcorrected, sending him careening into the ditch. When they didn’t move, I didn’t know if it was from the bike wreck injuries or if they had been shot. I started to turn my bike around when a bullet hit my back tire, and it was my turn to slide along the asphalt.
After struggling until my bike came to a stop, I lay on my back trying to catch my breath and heard squealing tires. Turning my head, I watched as a car came speeding toward us. Furiously I started trying to pull myself out from under my bike. The car screeched to a stop, and a man jumped out just as I wiggled free. I had no time to reach around my back for my own gun before the muzzle of a pistol was pointed at my head.
Although I had never laid eyes on him, I knew who it was. Mendoza stared down at me with lifeless black eyes. Then with one kick of his steel-toed boot, the world around me went dark.
TWENTY-THREE
ANNABEL
Pacing around Deacon and Alexandra’s bedroom, I kept an eye on the nightstand clock as well as the light blue bassinet in the corner. Rev had left two hours ago for his meeting with the Rodriguez cartel, and by now I was beginning to get antsy. As a novice in the MC world, I had no idea how long such meetings should take.
While she waited for Deacon to return, Alexandra had slipped into the shower while Wyatt slept peacefully. I had offered to watch him to put her at ease. Although it had initially been hard being around Wyatt, I had grown to enjoy being with him, feeling his soft skin, smelling his sweet smell.
Digging in my pocket for my phone, I checked to see if there was a call from Rev that I had somehow missed. When there wasn’t, I decided to be the overbearing fiancée and call him. After the voice mail connected, I said, “Rev, I hate to be a nag, but could you please give me a call? I love you.”
Loud, panicked voices and heavy boots stomping down the hallway caused a chill to run down my spine. I hurried over to the door and threw it open. I gasped at the sight of Deacon and Mac carrying Bishop into his room. I ran into the hallway, forgetting all about watching Wyatt.
Boone stopped me before I could go into Bishop’s room. “What’s happened? What’s wrong with Bishop?”
With a grimace, Boone replied, “He’s been shot. Breakneck’s on the way.”
Craning my neck, I surveyed the group of men in the hallway. Rev was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Rev?” When no one answered me, it felt like I was free-falling off the edge of a cliff, my arms and legs pinwheeling madly. “Where is Rev?” I demanded again, my voice growing shrill.
Deacon appeared in the doorway. His face and arms were torn with ragged cuts, and dried blood crusted over the deep scratches. With legs that shook so hard they could barely support me, I lunged at him.
“Where is Rev?”
“We were ambushed on the way home from our meeting. He took Rev.”
I didn’t have to ask who had taken Rev. I knew without a shadow of a doubt. “Oh my God,” I murmured.
Deacon’s arms reached out for me, pulling me against him. “We’re going to get Rev back, Annabel. Mendoza took him for a reason. If he didn’t plan on making demands of us, he would have killed Rev then.”
“You don’t know Mendoza,” I whispered. Flashes of his vicious eyes, his volatile temper, and his never-ending cruelty raced through my mind.
Tilting my head to cause me to look at him, Deacon said, “Mendoza is pretty much fucked. He has both us and now the Rodriguez cartel on his ass. He’s not going to win this one. We’re already working on tracing his phone to find him.”
I wanted to believe Deacon. I couldn’t bear the thought of living in a world without Rev. After all, he was my world—the sun, the moon, and the stars. I knew I needed more security than just what the Raiders could do.
“We need help.”
Deacon’s brows rose in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want to take one chance when it comes to Rev’s life.”
“I said we would—”
“I’m calling my father. I want the FBI or the ATF or whoever the hell takes out men like Mendoza to make sure Rev gets out of this alive.”
A collective intake of breath came from the other members of the Raiders. Deacon’s expression darkened. “We don’t work with the feds.”
With adrenaline pumping obscene amounts of courage into me, I stood toe-to-toe with Deacon. “You might not work with the feds, but I do.” When Deacon growled with frustration, I countered, “Think about it for a minute. Mendoza would never imagine you coming at him with the feds, would he?”
“Probably not.”
“I think it’s pretty clear what Mendoza is going to demand when he does reach out to you.”
Deacon winced. “I imagined as much.”
“Then I think if I’m the target it’s only fair I get a say in this.”
“She’s right,” Alexandra said behind us. Outfitted in a robe, she stood at the entrance to her bedroom. “It’s just like with me and Sigel. You have to come at them where they least expect it.”
“I’m not sure when women started having a fucking say in the way this club runs, but it sure as hell needs to be stopped. Fucking pronto,” Deacon grumbled.
Holding up my phone, I said, “Sometimes you don’t have to have a dick to come up with the best plan.”
Deacon stared openmouthed at me before slamming his hand against the wall. He breathed heavily for a few seconds. “Fine. Call your father and the feds. You just make sure that nothing blows back on the Raiders since we’re going legit.”
“You’re such an asshole,” I muttered as I started dialing my father.
“Damn straight, babe,” Deacon replied.
TWENTY-FOUR
REV
Oh, sweet Jesus, the pain. Fiery torrents of it plagued every inch of my body. It pulled me out of the depths of unconsciousness. The smell of burning flesh assaulted my nose. It took a few seconds for my brain to process that it was my own skin being burned.
My eyes shot open to see Mendoza standing before me with a blowtorch in his hands. When I tried to jerk away, I found my hands were bound and my arms were stretched above my head. I had been stripped of my shirt to give him better access to torture me.
“Glad to see you’re back with me. I was almost afraid I had kicked you too hard. I didn’t want you to miss out on the fun.”
“Fuck you,” I spat.
He rewarded my outburst by singeing my bare lower back until I couldn’t bite back my screams. I panted and heaved as I tried to stay upright. When I moved, it felt like the entire layer of skin on my back was peeling off as it blistered and bubbled.
“You know you deserve much worse for what you and your men did to my camp. Do you know the money you cost me?”
I didn’t answer him. I knew if I opened my mouth I would throw up from the searing pain biting my flesh. Instead, I focused my energy on staring him down.
Mendoza met my glare. “But the worst thing you did was taking my Roja from me.”
Gulping down the bile rising in my throat, I grunted through gritted teeth, “She isn’t yours. She never was.”
Burning agony engulfed my chest. Pinching my eyes shut, I tried riding out the pain. I bit down on my lip so hard that blood ran down my chin. When Mendoza finally let up, I couldn’t speak. I could barely think. All I could do was try to focus on my breathing. As long as I was breathing, I was still alive. I had to stay alive for Annabel.
“Did you enjoy fucking her?” Through my tormented agony, I opened my eyes. When he saw I was looking at him, a cruel smile curved on Mendoza’s lips. “She’s one of the finest pieces of ass I’ve ever had. And the way her pussy tasted when I stuck my tongue deep inside her.” He licked his lips. “I can’t wait to taste it one last time.”
I jerked against my bindings, desperate to get free so I could tear him apart. The thought of him reminiscing about the way he had tortured Annabel made me as rabid as a feral dog. As I focused on Mendoza’s throat, I envisioned ripping it out with my teeth.
Mendoza’s next words chilled me to the bone. “I’m about to call her to make a deal.” While I stared at him in disbelief, he said, “I’m going to lead her to believe I will trade you for her. What a beautiful little fool to be willing to risk her life for the man she loves. Some would think I would be stupid to trust her, but I know my Roja. She is honorable to a fault. Took the worst fucking beating of her life just to keep a ring one of the whores gave her.”
I hung my head and my chest tightened as I remembered that it had been Sarah who gave her the ring. Surely my brothers wouldn’t let Annabel come for me, even if it meant my death.
Mendoza jerked my hair so I had to look at him. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, he said, “When she gets here, I’m going to fuck her one last time in front of you. Then to truly devastate her, I’m going to kill you in front of her. For the big finish, I’ll slit her throat.”
Holding up my phone, he smiled. “Let’s get the party started.”
TWENTY-FIVE
ANNABEL
Regardless of the way I had left things with my parents, I believed they wouldn’t completely abandon me. Of course, it didn’t hurt that my life was in danger once again by the man who had enslaved me. Within minutes of our call, my father’s connections had us patched in with the Georgia branch of the ATF, and after just a half hour, they had two teams heading to our area. I also had my phone being tracked for my location as well as to trace incoming calls. If I had ever doubted the power my father possessed, I would no longer do so.
All that was left was to wait for Mendoza to reach out. I once again resorted to pacing around the main room of the roadhouse. Thankfully, Breakneck had stitched up Bishop’s bullet wound to the back. Luckily it had narrowly missed nicking one of his kidneys. Breakneck had gotten Deacon and Mac cleaned up as well.
The eerie silence in the roadhouse was interrupted by my phone ringing. I would have ignored it had it not been Rev’s ringtone. Snatching my phone to my ear, I said, “H-Hello? Rev?”
There was a pause on the line before I heard the voice from my darkest nightmares. “Roja¸ how lovely to speak to you. I’ve missed you. Haven’t you missed me?”
A chill ran over my body at the sound of his voice in my ear. I had been haunted by it for months. Flashes of his rapes instantly tormented my mind, but I fought with everything in my being to push them out. I had to be strong and focus on the here and now to get Rev back.
“Where is Rev?” I demanded.
“Ah, I would assume you’re speakin
g of the biker trash you spread your legs for.”
“Tell me where he is!”
“You have been away from me for far too long, Roja. You should know better than to speak to me that way,” he admonished.
Refusing to let him ever intimidate me again, I snapped, “Cut the bullshit and tell me what you want!”
“That should be clear. I want you.”
I closed my eyes as a wave of revulsion ran through me. “So you are willing to trade me for Rev?”
He chuckled. “You’re already trying to negotiate a deal. This man must mean a lot to you.”
Thinking of what Deacon had said, I replied, “You obviously took him for a reason instead of killing him. So tell me what to do so we can end this.”
“I don’t give you any directions until I know you’re away from the Raiders.”
“Fine. I’ll leave the compound now.”
“I’ll give you ten minutes. If you’re not alone then, I’ll start taking out chunks of your lover.”
My stomach churned at his words. “I’m on my way.”
Deacon and the others stared expectantly at me. “He won’t tell me where he has Rev until I’m away from the compound.” I then related to them what he had said about giving me ten minutes or he would hurt Rev.
“So that’s it? We’re just supposed to let you walk out of here alone?” Deacon demanded.
“I won’t be entirely alone. I’ll have the ATF with me then.”
With a roll of his eyes, Deacon said, “That makes me feel so much fucking better.”
“I can’t argue about this anymore. I have to get out of here.”
“If something happens to you, Rev will never forgive me,” Deacon said.
I smiled sadly at him. “This isn’t his choice; it’s mine. I’m doing what I feel I have to do to save him—and to save me.”
