Wraith (Dixie Reapers MC 8)

by Harley Wylde

  “Brother?” Venom asked.

  “We have the same asshole for a sperm donor,” Slash said. “Abraxas has given me a wide berth over the years, and I have a good feeling he won’t make it out of prison.”

  “Why is that?” Jackal asked. “Because if you can guarantee he’s out of Josie’s life, I’m sure she’d sleep better at night. She still sometimes has nightmares about her dad coming after her.”

  “Let’s just say he’s going to have a fatal accident,” Slash said.

  I noticed his cut said VP, even though he appeared to be younger than Tank.

  Jackal nodded. “You make that happen, and we may name our next kid after you.”

  Tank’s gaze locked onto Jackal. “What kid? You have two already. Are you telling me you knocked her up again? Your second kid is only a few months old!”

  Jackal shrugged. “She doesn’t like birth control.”

  “Then you’d damn well better go get neutered,” Tank said, scowling at Jackal.

  Slash slapped Tank on the back of the head. “That’s not our decision, dickhead. Just because Josie is our sister doesn’t mean we can dictate her life.”

  “What’s this ‘we’ bullshit?” Tank asked his brother. “You haven’t even met her.”

  “Not my fault,” Slash said. “Apparently, you’ve known about me for a while and never reached out.”

  “So how did you know Tank was your brother?” I asked before I could think better of interfering.

  Slash pointed to Wire, then another man. “Wire and Outlaw talk. When that shit went down with Josie, Wire decided to pass along a bit of intel to Outlaw. And I’m glad he did. Now I can make sure dear ol’ Dad gets what he deserves, and the families of his victims can have some peace.”

  “While this is a touching reunion, we have a woman to save,” Spider said. “You didn’t call in three other clubs to sit down for afternoon tea.”

  Torch snorted, then called the meeting to order.

  Wire passed out some of the intel he’d found not only on Joe Banner, but the city officials as well. Thankfully, I didn’t have to see the pictures of my sweet Rin being violated. I knew Wire had them, but I was grateful he hadn’t shared them with the entire room. Even though none of that had been in Rin’s control, if she knew my club and the others had seen those photos, she’d be deeply embarrassed.

  “It’s my belief that Joe Banner has gone to ground at the town hall. The camera feeds have been shut down, or at least anyone outside the building has been locked out. Even I can’t hack into them,” Wire said. “Shade and Outlaw have been helping me, so you can thank them for some of this information. Since our clubs seem to be intermarrying, I guess I’ll be working with them more often.”

  “One big happy fucking family,” Slash murmured as he perused the documents.

  “What can I say?” Jackal asked. “The Reapers’ sisters seem to have a type. Any of you have single sisters? Maybe we should have a party when all this is over and you can just get the introductions out of the way now.”

  Venom, Torch, Spider, and a few others looked rather amused. Tank and Flicker were not, since it was their sisters who had hooked up with other clubs.

  Saint shrugged. “Sorry. Mine hooked up with a Reaper. Guess she had better taste than Josie and Laken.”

  Preacher smirked at Saint’s comment, since he was the Reaper in question that she’d married.

  “Leave my sister out of this shit,” Gears said. “Cleo’s too damn young to be thinking about hooking up with some asshole biker.”

  “Mine too,” Bats said. “Mary-Jane is a no-fly zone for all you fuckers.”

  I had the sudden feeling that neither of my brothers were going to get their wish on that one. If Cleo and Mary-Jane were anything like Josie, Laken, or Kayla, then they would no doubt end up hooking up with another biker. Hard to say if they’d stick with a Reaper or pick someone else. On the upside, the more our clubs intermarried, the stronger our alliances became because it made us family. Fuck with one club, you get them all. Once people started realizing that, we’d hopefully have fewer issues to deal with.

  “Enough,” Torch said. “If all of you want to start a dating service, do it after we save Rin. Time is of the essence and y’all are pissing me the fuck off.”

  Everyone shut up. Spider, the Pres of Hades Abyss, moved closer to Torch, as did Scratch, VP for Devil’s Boneyard. Slash stayed near Tank.

  “Devil’s Fury was kind enough to send their VP, Slash, as well as a few other members. Badger, Outlaw, and Demon are here to give their assistance,” Torch said.

  Spider stepped forward. “Most of you know I’m the Pres for Hades Abyss. My son Diablo, who you know as Ryker, lives here with his woman, Laken. I brought Rocket, Marauder, Bear, and my VP, Fox. We’ll do whatever we can to get Rin back. She’s a sweet girl, and we’re honored to have gotten to know her the past month.”

  Scratch cleared his throat. “Pretty sure all the Reapers already know my crew. I haven’t had much dealings with Hades Abyss or Devil’s Fury so there are a lot of new faces around the room. Jackal, Shade, and Havoc came with me.”

  “And now that everyone knows every-fucking-one else,” Torch said, “we need to discuss our plan of attack.”

  “The building is mostly secure. I’m sure they’ll have someone watching all the entry points, or at least the ones they know about,” Wire said.

  “What’s that mean?” I asked.

  “I’m hoping they aren’t aware of the secret entrance to the underground parking garage. There’s a grate in the south corner that leads to some underground tunnels. I did a bit of research and the town hall is one of the few buildings still remaining in town that was here back when the town was founded in 1902.”

  “Which means?” Tank asked. “Break it down for those of us dumber than you.”

  Wire snickered. “It means that building was used during Prohibition. The underground tunnels were a way to smuggle in illegal alcohol. It wasn’t always town hall. The original town hall burned down in 1962. Instead of rebuilding, they took over an old clubhouse that had an underground speakeasy.”

  “The parking garage?” I asked. “It was a speakeasy?”

  Wire nodded. “I pulled up the plans from when the building was renovated. While there’s a section of the parking garage that was used for that purpose even back in the day, a big chunk was walled off and turned into the secret club. The alcohol was smuggled through that grate and no one ever knew. The upper floors were a legitimate gentleman’s club that followed the letter of the law.”

  “Learn something new every damn day,” Flicker said. “So how do we access that grate? Would those tunnels even be safe after all this time?”

  “Hard to say,” Shade said, joining the conversation. “We can’t find anything on the tunnels being officially shut down, but it doesn’t look like they’ve been maintained either. Unless it’s being handled off the books. With some luck, they don’t know where that grate leads, or that it will give us access to the building.”

  “The speakeasy closed up when the owner was arrested on other charges, and as far as we can tell, those tunnels haven’t been used since,” Outlaw said. “There’s an old dirt road outside town. It goes through a wooded area, and the entrance to the tunnels is at the end of the road.”

  “A road that hasn’t been used since Prohibition?” Torch asked. “How the fuck are we supposed to find it?”

  “We think it’s being used for other means now,” Wire said. “It’s not any of the newer maps, but it does still show as far back as the late seventies. That road had a purpose even after it wasn’t used for smuggling alcohol anymore. I just don’t know for certain if it’s being used now.”

  Torch rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked like he was getting a headache. I knew the feeling because I could feel one building behind my eyes.

  “I just want Rin back,” I said. “If I have to find some supposed road that may or may not exist, then point the fucking way.
I’m not going to let Joe Banner hurt her, or our baby.”

  Nearly every eye in the room locked on me, except for a handful of people who I suspected already knew Rin was pregnant and had kept that shit from me. I’d deal with them later.

  “She’s pregnant?” Flicker asked.

  “Yeah. About a month along. I didn’t find out until I went to bring her home. Thanks for that, fuckers,” I muttered.

  “Have Dr. Myron on standby for when we find Rin,” Torch said. “Between the accident and the stress she’s probably feeling right now, she’ll need to be checked out when we get her back.”

  “On it,” Preacher said, pulling out his phone.

  “So we find this dirt road, follow it to the tunnels, and then what?” Venom asked. “I’d imagine that grate is sealed. Do we know if they welded the damn thing shut? Are we going to make it all that way only to not be able to get through?”

  “I can’t answer that for sure,” Wire said.

  “I might could help with that,” Rocket said. “Just need an acetylene torch. If that grate is welded shut, I’ll cut a hole in it big enough for us to get through.”

  “Any cameras on that grate?” Torch asked.

  “No,” Wire said. “At least, there aren’t any in the security plans. Without being able to access the camera feeds, I can’t say for certain they don’t have cameras up that aren’t on the building schematics the security firm has on file. Even if I couldn’t get to the cameras, I was able to hack into the plans.”

  “There’s a portable acetylene torch out in the old barn,” Tank said, giving the Reapers a pointed look that translated into that place where we torture and kill assholes.

  “I’ll get it,” Saint said. “Anything that needs to be carried can go into one of the trucks.”

  I could tell that Saint felt partially responsible for what happened, the guilt in his eyes gave it away. But if he’d left the same time as us, then his daughter could have been in an accident. Thankfully, he’d taken off ahead of us.

  “You’re staying here,” Torch said. “You have a new daughter to guard, and I want you to keep an eye on Isabella and Lyssa. Get Diego to drive the truck. I’ll have King watch the gates.”

  “I’m not leaving Kayla and the kids unprotected. Some more people need to stay behind. Not to mention, if every man in this room goes, we’re going to be noticed,” Preacher said.

  “My crew is going,” Spider said, “but I can remain behind and watch over Laken and my grandson.”

  “I’ll stay with Darian and the kids if Bull wants to go,” Scratch said. “If Venom is going, then Ridley and the girls can some stay with us too.”

  “Venom should stay here since I’m going,” Torch said.

  “I’m going,” I said. “No one’s keeping me here while Rin needs me.”

  “We already figured that,” Torch said.

  “I’m going too,” Tank said.

  “At the risk of overstepping,” Shade said, “what if the Devil’s Boneyard remained behind with a handful of Reapers to keep the women and kids safe while the rest of you go find Rin? You’ll need people hidden in the vicinity of the town hall in case anyone tries to run, or if Joe Banner tries to leave with Rin, you’ll need eyes outside the building that can keep everyone abreast of what’s going on.”

  “I think I like him,” Bull said. “Good idea, Shade.”

  “Wraith, Rin belongs to you. Who’s going with you in the tunnels?” Torch asked.

  “I’ll take Hades Abyss with me, you, and Tank. If everyone else that’s going would be our eyes outside the town hall, that would be great,” I said.

  “I’m going too,” Agent Montoya said. “She might want a woman there.”

  “Then it’s settled. Everyone grab what you need and we’ll meet at the gates in fifteen,” Torch said, then slammed down the gavel, ending Church.

  Ryker bumped my shoulder. “We’ll get her back.”

  “You know I was including you in the crew that goes with me, right?” I asked.

  “Yep. I’m still technically Hades Abyss so I figured that meant me too. We’ll get her back, and we’ll make the fuckers pay who are responsible for hurting her. Now or in the past,” Ryker said.

  I eyed his Hades Abyss cut. “You going to show me why they call you Diablo?”

  “Let’s hope no one ever sees that side of me, but it’s there when needed.”

  I nodded and we filed out. In the end, we took two trucks and everyone else rode their bikes. We stopped about a half mile from the tunnels, in case they were being watched and Wire had been wrong about them being an unknown. By the time we’d hiked in, made it down the three-mile-long tunnel, and came to the grate, I was a mass of nerves and fury. The longer it took to reach Rin, the angrier I got, just thinking about what they might be doing to her.

  Joe Banner was a dead man, and so was every other fucker in the building. I wouldn’t rest until I knew the name of every man who had ever harmed Rin and I’d bled them dry.

  Chapter Nine

  Rin

  I knew Wraith would come for me, just as soon as he figured out that Joe had taken me, or where we were. I had faith he’d rescue me. My asshole half-brother had taken me when I’d been unconscious after the accident. Otherwise I’d have fought tooth and nail to stay away from him. I’d woken bound and gagged. Now I was tied to a chair, my legs spread so my ankles could be fastened to the back legs, and my arms tied behind me. He’d removed the gag, though. Guess he didn’t care if anyone heard me scream.

  We were in some sort of conference room, and Mayor Fuckstick, along with some other assholes I recognized, were present. If they thought I was going to accept whatever they had planned, they’d better come up with a new plan. The second they untied me, I was going to start fighting, and I wouldn’t stop until they either knocked me out or I managed to escape. The baby growing inside me was counting on me, and I knew Wraith was too.

  One of the guards for town hall came closer, a leer on his face as he eyed me. Someone had cut off most of my clothes and I only had on panties, since I seldom wore a bra. In my old life, I could have hardened myself enough to ignore the fact I was naked. I wasn’t that same woman, though, and it bothered me that they could look at my naked body. I wanted to cover myself and scream that only Wraith got to see me without clothes, but I knew that wouldn’t do me any good. I had to act unbothered by my naked state. Emotions could get me killed, at least if they knew how I felt. I had to lock that shit down and keep it hidden.

  The guard reached out and squeezed my breast until tears gathered in my eyes and I knew I’d have bruises.

  “Why leave the panties on?” he asked Joe. “We could have played some if she were naked.”

  “Her mouth is available,” Joe said absently, as he looked at something on the mayor’s computer.

  I nearly gagged at the idea of the guard, or any of them, putting their cocks anywhere near my mouth or any other part of me. No way I was going to take that shit anymore. I’d done it to survive before, and I knew if I had to, I would endure it again. If for no other reason than to give Wraith time to come for me. But if they raped me and he found out, I also knew none of them would live for very long. I’d seen what he’d done to the Prospect who had just felt me up over my clothes. I could only imagine what brand of justice he’d give anyone who went further, especially now that he’d decided I was his.

  The guard rubbed my lips. “That what you want? My dick in your mouth? You want me to free you and we go have some fun over on the conference table? Spread you out and play a little.”

  Bile rose in my throat, but I knew this was a chance I couldn’t pass up. I pasted a fake smile on my face.

  “We can play. But not like this. I’d need my hands.”

  Joe glanced at me, but must not have thought I was a threat because he turned away again just as quickly.

  The guard started undoing the knots holding my hands tight behind my back, then worked on my feet. It felt like needles were stab
bing me as feeling rushed back into my limbs and I staggered as the guard pulled me up to my feet. I hadn’t counted on not having complete control of my body, and I panicked for a moment. The guard led me over to the table and I saw two other men in the room start to unfasten their pants. My heart hammered in my chest and I tried to survey the area without being obvious. No one was by the doors to my far right. If I could break free, maybe I could make it? I didn’t know where the doors led, but anywhere was better than here, right?

  I meekly let the guard drag me where he wanted, and as he picked me up and set me down on the table, I knew I had to act quickly. He tugged on my panties and I took the moment to nail him in the balls with my bare foot. His eyes went wide as his face turned purple and he hit the floor. The other two men watching us had their pants down around their knees and their dicks in their hands. I made a mad dash for the doors to the right and I heard them shouting behind me, but I didn’t dare stop to look behind me.

  I ran, my feet pounding against the hard, cold floor, as I raced toward what I hoped was the front of the building and freedom. I could feel the dried blood on my body from the accident cracking as I flew through town hall, or tried to. A surprised cry left my throat as someone tackled me from behind and I slammed into the floor. The air left my lungs and I gasped as I tried to breathe.

  One of the other men had pinned me down. As he flipped me over, I felt his dick brush against my thigh and I started fighting again.

  “Such a little hellcat,” he said, interest and fire lighting up his eyes. “I like it when they fight. Makes it more fun. Go ahead and struggle.”

  He was pulling at my panties with one hand while he held my wrists over my head with the other, and seemed immune to my squirming and kicking. The right hook that came out of nowhere got his attention, though. I was surprised to see it was a small hand that landed the blow. My gaze jerked up, and I saw a pretty Hispanic woman sneering at the asshole who was about to rape me.