Booker (San Francisco Steel, #5)

by KJ Dahlen

  Booker chuckled. “I know it sounds strange. It is a long ass story. For now, we have to...” He gazed around. “... Get off the beach and fast.”

  “O-oh... okay?” Quincy nodded and stumbled as Rainy suddenly jumped up on her and knocked her off balance. She went down just as a shot rang out. The first shot came from the trees outside the fence but the next few shots came from the nearby dock.

  Booker pushed her to her feet and they rushed to the trees.

  As soon as they all made it into the tunnel entrance that was hidden by cliff side bushes, Carson exploded, “What the everlovin fuck was that?” he growled. His eyes were a little wild and he reached down to put one hand on his dog. The connection with his dog then seemed to calm him.

  Booker sighed and flashed his light ahead. “We will explain later. We need to move fast now.”

  Chapter Five

  Mammoth helped the woman up from the hole in the wooden floor.

  She finally stood on the floor of Slammer’s bedroom, as she looked troubled. “How are my dogs going to get up here?”

  “I got it sis,” a man said from below as he scooped a dog up and climbed up with him. He handed him to her. He then climbed back down and got the second dog.

  The man finally climbed out after the dogs were up, followed by Booker.

  He finally stood up and stepped aside, so Booker could climb up. Then his gaze swung over to the very large biker. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re still alive and just as ugly as ever.” He stared at Mammoth.

  Mammoth narrowed his eyes and looked as if he was trying not to rip him a new one. “Right back at ya Scope.” He paused. “I thought you were...” His voice trailed away.

  Carson nodded and raised his hands. “In a chair? I was. I couldn’t walk for a year. But I had some great doctors and a new type of surgery that actually worked. Then it took six more months of physical therapy.”

  Mammoth looked stony for a minute as though he was thinking too hard about what had caused all of that. “And now you can climb up from a fucking hole and hand me some dammed dogs?” He glared at Carson.

  The men and the women in the room all stared at them both as if they might start punching each other any second. The room had gone silent with tension.

  Carson stared hard at him for a second and then he burst out laughing.

  Mammoth joined him with his own loud laughter as they embraced and patted each other on the backs.

  Carson stepped back then patted his huge arm. “It’s okay, brother. We are alive and that is all right, man.”

  Mammoth let out a sigh. “Yeah, I had to learn to be okay with that just recently.” Then he looked down at the dog beside his feet. “Tell me something Master Sergeant, does the dog help?”

  “Yeah, he really does,” Carson told him in a low voice. “I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for him.” He looked up at his sister. “This is Quincy and she had a lot to do with the fact that I am even standing here...” he paused and looked around. “Wherever here is.”

  Mammoth smiled. “Man, it is a long story. I also want you to meet my brothers.” He turned to introduce all the men, including his president.

  “We’re dealing with a bit of a situation right now,” Slammer told the pair. “I’m so sorry. That happened out there. I had thought now would be a good time for you to come.” He motioned to the door. “Let’s all go and get some coffee, or whatever you all might want to drink.”

  They all filed out of the room.

  Booker kept his sights on the woman with the dogs. In fact, he kept her backside in sight. Then he caught himself and raised his gaze to follow them all to the main room.

  They all sat at a large table as Audrey brought out trays of drinks. Ivy and River helped to bring more trays of extra glasses, pitchers and carafe’s of coffee.

  “So, big man...” Carson raised his chin at Mammoth. “Tell me the story here. You are hiding out in this old house. Then we have to come through a dammed tunnel to get in here while under sniper fire?”

  Mammoth snarled before he told him, “We got a gang that doesn’t want us here. They seem to think they should be here and not us. We have been year for years. These men think they can scare us out.”

  “They also think we have a pirate’s treasure buried here,” Slammer informed the pair. “And they are preparing to kill us to get their hands on it.”

  Carson looked around the room and saw the truth in everyone’s eyes. “Are you fucking with us right now?” He wondered out loud. “Who the hell believes in an old pirate’s treasure story?”

  “Venom and Anaconda,” Shotgun assured him.

  “Holy shit, I’ve heard of them,” Carson murmured, as he looked a bit stunned. “Of course, it was only rumors but I’ve seen his tag all over town. I’ve also heard some not so good stories about those two.”

  “They’re all true.” Slammer growled. “Those bastards have become a plague on this city.”

  “They sure have,” Carson agreed. “But if you listen to rumors, you might be surprised what is being said as of just yesterday.”

  “Oh yeah, what are you hearing?” Shotgun wanted to know.

  “Several of their businesses have been hit by the Triad in the last day or so. Bodies are turning up all over town,” Carson informed them. “I also heard the top four guys are nowhere to be seen. They barely got away from the first hit.”

  “Well, that’s too bad.” Quincy shook her head. She brushed her hair over her shoulder. “This city would be a better place without them in it.”

  Booker snorted. “The world would be a better place without them in it.”

  Quincy was about to say something when she noticed a movement in the corner. There a small girl sat, but she was staring at her dog Rainy. Quincy looked down at Rainy and found the dog was staring back at the little girl.

  Just then, two of the women walked over. Quincy looked at them and smiled. “Ivy, it’s so good to see you again.” She dropped the leash as Ivy and River joined them.

  Ivy wrapped her arms around Quincy and she introduced her to River and Zoe.

  Finally, Ivy turned to Bess.

  “Quincy, I want you to meet Bess. She’s Shotgun’s daughter. She’s eight years old and deaf. She knows sign but we’re teaching everyone else how to talk to her.”

  “She’s the one I brought Rainy here for?” Quincy wanted to know.

  “I’m hoping so,” Ivy explained. “She has the club but she’s still so alone because she can’t hear. I think she’s needs someone on her side.”

  “Shall we see how she does with him?” Quincy picked up Rainy’s leash and began walking over to where Bess was sitting.

  Bess watched her come closer with wide eyes. She didn’t show any fear of Rainy though. Bess looked over at Ivy and she began to sign. Bess’s eyes got wide at her message back and she looked over at the dog. She glanced up at Ivy and signed something.

  Ivy dropped down to her knees and gathered the little girl in her arms. She nodded then began signing but voicing the words to the others as she said, “Yes my dear, the dog now belongs to you. But before you can take him, we have to know you’ll love him and care for him. His name is Rainy.”

  Bess turned and faced the dog. She held out her hand.

  Rainy sniffed it then began wagging his tail. He inched closed, to her and nudged her hand again.

  Bess carefully wrapped her arms around the dog’s neck and hugged him. Rainy began licking her face and for the first time since she arrived, she giggled out loud. The sounds from her throat were rough but they could all tell she was happy.

  Shotgun stared at her in shock, as did all the men. They had never heard her laugh in the months she had been here.

  Bess then turned to Ivy and signed something.

  Ivy had tears in her eyes when she looked over at Shotgun and Slammer. “She loves her new dog.”

  Quincy looked down at the little girl. Kneeling down to her level, she began to sign, “Will you promise to t
ake good care of Rainy? To feed him and walk him and be good to him?”

  Bess nodded and when she gave the little girl Rainy’s leash, Bess scrambled up while looking excited and took the dog to her bedroom.

  Shotgun walked over to Quincy and helped her to her feet. Looking into the other woman’s eyes, he said simply, “Thank you.”

  Quincy blushed and said, “You are more than welcome. I hope they are good together. He will protect her as well.” Looking over at Ivy, she told them, “Ivy knows the commands and can teach them to you and she can work with Bess.”

  Booker frowned as he stared at Quincy. “How do you know all of this?”

  Carson threw his head back and laughed. “Are you kidding? Who do you think taught Quincy and me? Ivy’s been an advocate for deaf kids for most of her life. Training dogs was what got her through some rough times at home. She couldn’t have a dog at home, so she had a dozen dogs at the shelter. She and Quincy started the shelter we run today.”

  Slammer looked over at his woman and asked quietly, “Why didn’t you tell us about this before?”

  Ivy shrugged. “What was there to tell you? Quincy and Carson run the shelter now.”

  “I owe my life to that place,” Carson informed them all. “Ask Mammoth, he can tell you the hell we went through over there. It wasn’t pretty and it sure as hell fucked up your mind. When I came back, I was a mess. Quincy and Ivy worked together on training my dog Rembrandt. Without him, I would have eaten a bullet years ago. PTSD does a mind fuck on you man. Flashbacks, nightmares, cold sweats, it isn’t fun to live with believe me.” He turned to Mammoth, “Sure am glad you didn’t have any trouble.”

  Slammer and Shotgun snorted.

  “Oh, he has trouble with it. He’s trying to ignore it but he has trouble with it,” Slammer told the other man.

  Carson turned to look at Mammoth who was as stiff as stone next to him. Shaking his head he told his friend, “I’m sorry man. It isn’t good to ignore something like that. When you’re ready, you came see me and I can help you deal with it. When you’re ready.”

  Mammoth slowly turned his head and nodded. “I think I am already getting help. Maybe not from...” He smiled. “...A dog, but from another magical source.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him with curious expressions.

  He shook his head and looked over at Zoe.

  She sat up as she gasped while everyone in the room stared at her.

  “My sprite.” He nodded his head at her as their eyes locked. “A woman that is as tough as any warrior I ever served with. I am not all better, but I am on my way.”

  Zoe’s lip trembled as tears formed in her eyes.

  The room went quiet for a long moment.

  “Is it safe for us to leave here?” Quincy asked as she broke the quiet.

  Just as she asked this... the silence in the room erupted in an explosion as the outside of the compound was rocked by a firebomb.

  Chapter Six

  Quincy was taken to the floor hard and there was a hard body on top of her.

  Ivy and River screamed and ducked. Shotgun and Slammer crowded over top of them.

  Zoe was under the table and Mammoth ducked under it too, as he scrambled for her and pulled her to him.

  Grinder and Andrea came running from the hallway and joined everyone in the main room.

  Audrey came flying out of the kitchen and ran for Bess’s room. She came out a moment later with Bess in her arms and Rainy at her heels. She crouched down in the corner shielding the little girl’s body with her own.

  Carson knelt beside his dog and hung on to him for dear life.

  They all heard shots being fired from both sides and finally, the sounds from outside were quiet.

  A hush fell over the room once again.

  Booker slowly rolled off Quincy and helped her to her feet. “Are you okay?”

  Quincy nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” Shaking her head she said, “Wow, that happened fast. Is everyone else okay?” Then her eyes widened as she looked around for her brother. Booker wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I think the big guy is in good hands. Mammoth won’t let anything happen to him.”

  Quincy looked at him and shrugged. “My brother has PTSD and things like this might cause him to have flashbacks to the war.”

  “Yeah, I get that, something like this brings Mammoth’s nightmares back too. Zoe was able to bring him out of it and for the first time, he didn’t hurt anyone. He’s been known to throw a mean punch when he’s caught up in the nightmares.”

  Quincy nodded. “Yeah, Carson too. They went through hell back then. That’s why we trained Rembrandt to deal with him.”

  “Well, Mammoth seems to be in good hands and I’m not sure he needs a dog. But Bess does and that’s why we ended up dragging you into this. For that part, I am sorry.” Booker helped her over to a chair and sat down next to her.

  “It’s really a therapy that has helped Carson and I hope it will help Bess.”

  Booker looked around and found Bess had her arms wrapped around Rainy’s neck and the dog was leaning against her as if to protect her. “I think it’s working already.”

  Quincy looked over at the pair and smiled. “I think they’ve bonded already.”

  Booker took her hand and they both felt the spark that passed between them. Quincy snapped her head up and stared into his eyes.

  Booker looked at her steadily. “I think you know you aren’t going anywhere at the moment, right?” he asked her softly.

  “I had a feeling,” she whispered with a smile.

  “Good, cuz lady, I got a feeling you’re here to stay.”

  Quincy’s eyes rounded as she stared at Booker.

  Slammer got to his feet and walked over to the boarded windows. Shotgun and Mammoth joined him and they all watched for movement from outside the fence surrounding the property. The fire had been burned out and everything looked calm.

  Slammer swiped his phone to call one of the men on the roof and after a moment or so, he swiped his phone and looked at his men. “They got the guy after he tossed the firebomb. They are okay but they said they heard screaming from the woods so they’re pretty sure someone out there was shot.”

  “Good, I hope he doesn’t die too quickly.” Mammoth snarled.

  Carson got to his feet and swayed for a moment. His dog Rembrandt crowded him slightly, giving him both time to recover and to let him know he was there. Then he exhaled deeply and looked over at his buddy Mammoth. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  “This is the work of Venom and Anaconda. We told you he wants this compound and he was wants us dead.” Mammoth growled.

  Carson shook his head. “I didn’t think it was this bad though. I mean this is all over some stupid pirate treasure fantasy?”

  Mammoth nodded. “Yes that is the main reason, so welcome to my world brother.”

  Slammer looked around and shouted out, “Is everyone all right?”

  Spider came barreling down the hall into the main room. “Everyone here okay?”

  Slammer nodded, but he still looked concerned as he wondered if they all were fine.

  They could all hear banging and shouting from down the hall.

  Shotgun looked over at Slammer. “I’ll take this one.” He walked down the hall and unlocked the room where the girls were.

  Amber and Trish were screaming while Tracy just crouched in the corner. She was shaking and tears rolled down her face but she wasn’t screaming at least.

  “What the hell is going on out there?” Amber cried out grabbing his t-shirt.

  Shotgun pushed her hand off him and snarled, “Just a little wakeup call from your boyfriend.”

  “You can’t leave us in this room any longer. It isn’t fair. If there is trouble, we can’t get out in time!” She screamed.

  “Well guess what bitch, you betrayed us, we didn’t betray you. You three are right where you belong and you’ll stay here for the duration.” He pushed them ba
ck into the room and closed the door, locking it from the outside.

  When he joined the others, he nodded at Slammer. “They’re fine, just wanting out of their cage. They claim it isn’t fair to them.”

  Slammer snorted and shook his head.

  Carson looked over at Mammoth with a frown. “You got women locked up?”

  Mammoth shrugged. “They betrayed the club by keeping the enemy informed of what was going on inside.”

  Carson raised his eyebrow. “From what I know about MC’s, I’m surprised they’re still alive to bitch about it.”

  Mammoth shook his head. “We aren’t one percenters here brother. Personally, I don’t think much about the pirate treasure part of this but I know Anaconda always hated this group ever since he got kicked out of it fifteen years ago, I also know he’s a killer. He killed his brother and his parents and he thought he killed his sister but she’s still alive. He believes the pirate’s treasure is still here, waiting to be discovered. That man is loony tunes to the tenth degree.”

  “Is there a treasure buried here somewhere?” Carson asked.

  Mammoth shrugged. “Grinder’s woman Andrea seems to think so. She’s a reporter and she’s been researching it, but who knows for sure. All that shit happened over a hundred years ago.”

  Carson looked over at Grinder and Andrea.

  Andrea stared right back at him.

  Carson then looked stunned as he said, “Oh, wow! You are that journalist who’s doing that awesome series on the lost treasure of Black Jacques!”

  She nodded.

  Carson looked around at all of them then centered his gaze on Andrea once again. “Well god dammit, I never realized we would be walking into a dammed documentary today.”

  Shotgun and Slammer shook their heads.

  “Oh, no. I’m not...” Andrea looked troubled by his assumption. “I mean I am doing a series.” She looked up at Grinder. “But now, it isn’t about that. It is about helping this MC survive a bloody coup run by two madmen.”

  Carson looked around at all the men to see the fire in their eyes. This was a hard look that he’d seen a hundred times before in war. They were fighting for their very survival.