by D. M. Burns
“Carter.” I bark out.
“Rampage, those black soulless eyes that you were talking about earlier are currently standing in front of us demanding to speak to you. Seriously, I’m not into dying tonight but the bulge on both sides of this dudes coat tells me there’s a high possibility of that happening if you don’t get out here.” The bouncer says.
“I’m on my way,” I growl.
“Let me guess… Crellan.” Reb chuckles.
“Yeah.” I smile wide.
“This should be entertaining,” Reb says over my shoulder as I step out of my office.
When Crellan comes into view, it’s safe to say the bodyguards have every right to be intimidated. The man’s vibe is that of death and his cryptic calm demeanor only ices the place down around him. His hazardous holes take me and Rebel in as we step out of the locker and management area hall. Of course, Rebel blows him a kiss. I’d warn Reb to stop taunting the brutal bastard, but my baby brother is his own kinda crazy. He wouldn’t listen anyway.
My eyes snap down to the white clutch in his hand. It’s a fucking eyesore in the hands of a mental manic-like Crellan. Plus, I know that belongs to Lena but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Lena?” I grit the words out.
Crellan generally looks caught off guard for a split second before his black cloak comes back down. Without uttering a word, he turns on his expensive kicks heading for the exit door with me and Rebel right behind him. Just as soon as we step outside, I explode.
“Hold up god damnit.” My voice is a warning and when he doesn’t heed the message, I reach out and grip him by the coat sleeve physically demanding his attention.
When he spins to face me, we’ve both drawn our weapons aiming for each other’s forehead, kill shot. Our lethal steel skills are not matched; unbeknownst to him, I’m better. Rebel runs both his hands through his hair and snickers. We ignore that.
“You knew and still brought her here.” My voice is venom. The black snake against the viper.
“She was safe with me but you’re an entirely different story altogether. God damn amateur.” He growls.
“I don’t have time for this shit, Haze.” I grit out.
Just beyond Crellan’s shoulder, I see Rebel brandishing a ball bat, crazy little batshit bastard. I had no clue how his beefy ass disappeared without us noticing but then again, I’m a little preoccupied with a showdown. The loud whacking sound rings out around the alley and Crellan goes down like one of Rage’s opponents. Hard and out cold.
“It goes without saying that he better stay outta Georgia, fucker.” Rebel deadpans.
When my phone rings, I slip it out of my pocket and hit go while tucking my gun back in my holster.
“Carter.” I clip.
“I’ve had all kinds of fun with your little feisty redhead, Rampage. You’d think she’d show some appreciation for the guy that sent her flowers but she’s a biter. Did you know that?” It’s none other than Archer himself. That has me immobile. His words cutting through me like a thousand daggers.
“If you touch her…” Calm the fuck down Rampage. “Archer, don’t do anything you’ll regret.” My voice is composed but my thoughts have never been so deadly.
“Like you killed my brother?... Yeah, I’ll bet you’re regretting that decision right about now, huh? You bunch of lucky motherfuckers avoided the little bonfire at your cousin’s house, huh? I promise different results this go around. If you love your girl half as much as I loved my baby brother, you better come alone to the place where you first met lovely Lena. It’s a romantic story, really…” I cut him off.
“You motherfucker.”
“Would you believe that’s her best memory in life, is you? Sad really… Seeing how her life ends today. You took what I loved and I’m going to return the same favor.” The call ends and I move my ass.
chapter 33 - renegade
Creeping through the woods as quietly as possible for two oversized assholes like me and Rage, I stop and hold up my hand singling for Rage to stop. Instead of paying attention, he runs right into my back.
“Move your ass, you manbun bitch.” Rage growls as he pushes at my back almost causing me to fall over.
“Listen, you angry fucker. I already owe your ass for face planting me in those rose bushes the other day, keep it up. Asia spent an hour plucking those god damn thorns outta my ass. Last warning. Don’t put your hands on me.” I whisper yell in his face then turn back around.
“You sound just like a little bitch. Keep it moving, pussy.” He growls while jabbing me in the back again. “I gotta bad feeling about this shit.”
“Do you wanna go first?” I whip to the side and throw my hand out as if to say, after you.
He shrugs his big beefy shoulders while moving ahead but I have a surprise for him. When pushes pass me, I let go of the tree limb I was holding onto and watch as it boomerangs off the back of his head. Even I flinch because I know that shit had to hurt.
“You faggot ass little bitch.” He growls. “Paybacks coming.”
“Gotta watch where you’re going in these Georgia woods. Shit comes flying out of nowhere.” I shrug my shoulders. “We’ve got more important shit to tend to.”
Reese called Rage from the security room when she saw some guy manhandling Lena out of the building. Reese’s Pieces apparently went to the security room, of all places, for a wacky weed break. She swore to quit after the blaze and she did, crunchy peanut butter that is. That girl’s a hot mess.
When Rage and I finally managed to make our way out of the side door we saw Trace Archer pushing Lena into a car. Naturally, we jumped in my truck and follow them. Rage said this was the asshole that blew his house up and had enough C4 anchored to the pool house to kill us all. He said this was personal. Which it very much is.
“Did you call Ramp and Reb?” I whisper as we duck under more tree limbs.
“Yeah, voicemail.” He mumbles.
“Rage, stop. I hear voices up ahead.” I whisper and crouch down. Rage does the same.
“Screw you, asshole.” We both hear Lena’s high-pitched voice.
Rage and I both look at each other. I motion for him to go one way and I motion that I’ll take the other. He gives me a chin lift and takes off surprisingly fast and quiet. I do the same in the opposite direction.
When Lena and Trace Archer come into view, he has her hands tied behind her back. The guy is practically dragging her through the gravel that her six-inch heeled feet are literally protesting every step of the way. Why the hell he brought her here is beyond me.
“Move bitch.” He yells out of frustration with her inability to keep up.
All of a sudden, he backhands Lena so hard it causes her to come off the ground. Motherfucker… She falls over hitting her head on the train tracks and I bolt out of the tree line to get to them. Out of nowhere, Rage comes clashing in and rages like a machine-a deadly beast. The woman beater has no time to react.
All you see is a flash of hulking meat and muscle tackling the Falcons hat-wearing fucker to the ground. In one swift move Rage has him pinned dealing out the death punches nonstop. I hope he breaks his face. Which he will. It’s what his Rage and Ruthless Tendencies do best. They play well together.
Kneeling down, I gather Lena up off the tracks and catch sight of her battered face. That wasn’t the first hit he doled out to her. The gash at her temple where she took a fall is bad and the other side of her face is swelling up from other hits the asshole got in before we got here.
“Damn it,” I whisper. “Hey, Lena… Come on girl. We’re going to get you out of here.” I say. She’s doesn’t show any signs of a reaction. I feel for a pulse and we’re good to go there but she needs medical attention and fast.
The crunching sounds of fast footfalls have my head snapping up. I see Rampage and Rebel coming this way. Ramp is going to lose his shit in a bad way. He barrels toward me leaving Reb lagging behind harking up a lung in the process.
“Give her
to me god damnit.” Ramp’s voice is shaky just like his hands are as I pass Lena over to him.
“Hey… Pretty girl… Len, open those beautiful eyes for me, yeah?” His voice breaks.
“Rebel, go get Rage,” I yell and point toward the brutal beat-a-thon taking place.
Rage hasn’t stopped pounding on the guy yet. Rebel is hunched over with his hands braced on his knees trying to catch his second wind. That’s what he gets for smoking all that damn weed. He finally moves for Rage and pulls him back off Trace. You can hear Archer whining out for help. He won’t get any in this crowd.
“Let’s go, brother.” Reb nudges Rage and takes a step back while Rage bounces up. They both walk over to where we are.
“Ramp, we gotta get her to the hospital. She hit the tracks going down pretty fucking hard. It’s not good. Let’s go, yeah?” I say.
“Yeah, sure… What the fuck?” He says.
Those words are whispered out. It’s not a question he wants answered. He gently swipes her strawberry mixed with blood-colored hair from her face. Even in the dark, you can tell that Archer worked her over bad. He’s taking in her face and the calm-cool-composed-calculated fucker has left the building. I see it when it happens.
“We need to go, Ramp,” I say.
Rampage carefully places Lena back into my arms as if she were a China doll without speaking a word, nothing. There’s no life or emotion in his eyes, vacant. He’s switched his human emotion off. This is the Rampage mom always told me to be wary of. Rage and Rebel both look to Ramp then back at me. I shake my head slowly no. It’s a warning to leave him be. They move out of the way as he closes in on Archer.
When Ramp comes to a stop beside him, Trace has the balls to chuckle, bad mistake. And just like that, Rampage slides his hand underneath his coat, slips his gun out of the holster, and pops a round into Archer’s head then slowly returns his gun then steps back in our direction. No one says a word. Ramp reaches out and takes Lena back from me then walks in the direction he came from.
No words.
No warning.
No mercy.
No remorse.
“I didn’t see that shit coming.” Rage deadpans. The big guy is shocked and rightfully so. He’s never seen Rampage’s lethal bite strikeout, venom potency unknown until now.
“You guys don’t know him like I do. He’s my twin. When it comes to her, he’ll leave everything behind if he has to, including us.” I scrub my hand over my face then look at my twins back as he protectively carries Lena alongside the tracks. “He’s loved her since middle school.” Enough of this heavy shit. I clear my throat and look to the guys.
“What about that faceless fucker.” Rage throws his thumb over his shoulder indicating the brain splattered body.
“I got this here. It’s my specialty. Go with him.” Rebel says while nudging his head at Ramp. “He’s probably gonna need you guys.”
“No, he won’t. He’s got what he needs in his arms, but we’ll go all the same. I wanna make sure Lena is okay.” I turn and head in the direction of my twin.
“Just like old times, yeah? If ya tardy to the party, you get to clean the mess.” Rage chuckles while slapping Rebel on the shoulder then jogs up to me from behind.
“Don’t touch me, asshole,” I say.
“You manbun bitch.” He growls.
chapter 34 - rampage
Lena woke up briefly on the drive to the hospital, but she didn’t speak. I knew she was conscious because she wrapped her hand around mine and squeezed lightly. I had so much I wanted to say but that wasn’t the time and damn sure not the place.
Once we got to the hospital, the details given were vague at best. Other than she hit her head that was all I offered up. Of course, I was about as welcome as an STD would be at an open orgy. The attitude and dirty looks sent my way from the hospital staff were understandable though. I’m fairly sure they took one look at her neck and thought we had kinky sex that ended with me beating her ass.
Basically, they thought I was the cause of her facial injuries, concussion, and visit tonight. Which I am. If it weren’t for my poor career choices and family dealings none of this shit would’ve happened. That’s on me.
Thankfully, I knew the doctor on duty. He has a shit poker face and a bad gambling problem. He also knows that I don’t beat women. Which is good since Len’s mother is still frolicking somewhere out of state. I have no idea how to get in touch with her, not that I would bother with that anyway. I’m leaving here with Len and she’s coming back to Aces with me, period.
“What’d they say, brother?” Renegade asks.
“They want to keep her overnight for observation because of the hit to the head. Other than that, they say she should be fine. I’m just waiting for them to get her to a room.” I run my hand through my hair and fall into one of the waiting room chairs beside Ren and Rage.
“You guys talk to the wifey’s?” I ask. Rage nods his head.
“Yeah. I shaved off some details but they know we’re here. Which is why Asia dropped this bag of fresh clothes off for Lena. She threw some stuff of mine in here for you too. Less casual attire then what you’re used to, but it’ll work for now.” Ren slaps the duffle bag in the chair beside him.
“Appreciate it.” I lean my elbows into my knees and interlace my fingers while peering down at the bleached floor underneath my feet. The strong smell of antiseptic cleaning agents is clearing out my sinuses. “Seriously, thanks for everything tonight.” I look between Rage and Ren both. They simply nod.
They're probably freaked out by what I did but they truly have no idea what I'm capable of. I’m thankful for that. Those days are also over. Ace’s Down will stay open with me running the place, but my hands will stay clean from here on out, maybe.
“This was Asia’s first night getting out of lockdown since all this shit started. We’ve been dying to go back home with the boys. Hell, I’ve been dying to get back between her legs. The parent quarantine makes that near damn impossible.” He chuckles. I nod my head pretending to know what he’s talking about. I have not one damn clue, but I want to know, with Len.
“Shit, Reese went AWOL after day one. Saying she was having wacky weed withdrawals.” Rage chuckles and shakes his head.
“You good?” Ren asks.
“Yeah.” I stand and they follow.
“Time for me to go get my family and head home,” Ren says.
“Yeah, me too. Holla, if you need anything. My baby girl looks for any reason to get outta the pool house.” He shakes his head and moves for the door with Renegade. “Bye fucker.” Rage flips me off over his shoulder.
“Mr. Carter?”
Turning around at the sound of the nurse’s voice, she’s standing in front of the square-shaped box window wall divider. I grab the duffle bag of clothes, tuck my free hand in my pocket then move her way. She smiles and points to the entrance door.
“Lena’s in room 202. You can go on back.”
When I drop the bag on the floor, I fold into the chair right beside Len. Her skin looks as if it’s lost some of the tan texture but her face is clean now. It only gives clarity to the fuckery that Archer pulled. Her lip is split with an angry red outline. One of her eyes is swollen with red and purple exploding colors around it too.
The other side of her head has one helluva bump and it’s badly swollen. I can even see the stitches that trail off into her hairline. She looks fragile as her chest rises and deflates with every breath, but I know better. This one is feisty and all mine.
Scrubbing my face with my hands, I lean up in the chair and bury my face into the sterile bedsheets. Her soft touch glides over the back of my neck and goosebumps break out across my body.
“Hey, you… We’ve got to avoid those rabbit holes of life.” She whispers. I turn my head to the side and peer up at her ice-blue eyes. The ones I want to see every day for the rest of my life.
“Yeah. But honestly, as long as you’re with me, I can handle it.” I say.
I raise up and kiss her forehead then say, “Sleep, pretty girl. We’ll go home in a few hours, yeah?”
“Okay.” She turns on her side in a protective ball and drifts back out. I plant my ass down in the chair and thank Big G for giving her back to me.
When I hear footfalls behind me, I crane my neck to the side and see Crellan standing just inside the room. His black holes are firmly cemented on Lena while rolling that damn toothpick around manically. He looks to me and gives me a chin lift. Son-of-a-bitch…
My head falls back, and I let out a long exhausting breath of air while taking in the tiled ceiling up above. Hoping to clear my mind while mentally gearing up for this prick. Pushing out of the chair, I head in his direction as he quietly turns and leads the way out. This shit should be good.
He comes to a stop just outside the hospital sliding glass doors. Parking lot areas seem to be a hotspot for him. He turns to me and I see that he has a matching knot like Lena. The gash in his head was no doubt treated by himself but impressive all the same.
“Nice stitch job.” I nod my head at his parting gift from Rebel and smile.
“Crazy fucker.” He mumbles while scrubbing his jaw. “I take it you and the Chaos Crew handled the problem?” He asks. It’s not really a question. He already knows the answer. I just stare at him. “Archer was the FBI informant anyway. Are you worried about Wallace? I mean, since you let his ass trail back to Texas after you left his hotel the other day.” He quirks his brows. I should’ve known this fucker was watching. “Do I need to fly out to Dallas?”
“If I thought it was a problem then it’d be dealt with.” I shrug my shoulders. He nods his head but regards me intently. “Haze, you fail to realize that I was in this game as long as you. Wallace is not a problem but if he becomes one, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Right… She used my laptop for probing through the FBI files. I tracked her time.” I cut him off.
