by Sam Crescent
There was a sudden whimper.
“That’s my call. I’ll be back. Think about it.” Betty patted her knee and then got up.
Ally watched her go.
Leaning back on the sofa, she put her hands on her stomach. “Did you hear that? Lord is pussy whipped. Your daddy wants me. Well, I hope he does. Either way, I’m going to love you enough.”
Her nerves were getting the better of her.
She rubbed her stomach, wondering when she’d really start to show. The sudden urge for some hot chocolate overcame her, and she got to her feet, making her way toward the kitchen.
Making herself at home inside their ranch was hard.
She grabbed two mugs from the cupboard before opening the fridge. She poured out two mugs of milk and then put it into the saucepan. Next, she had the pan on the stove, heating up.
She went through each cupboard, looking for some chocolate mix. The moment she found it, she smiled.
Score.
Just as she was sprinkling the powder into the milk, Ally paused as she heard the unmistakable sound of bikes entering the front yard.
Turning off the burner, she put the packet on the counter and rushed toward the front door. Her heart raced and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
Without looking, she opened it up and stepped onto the porch, only to come to a stop.
It was dark and the floodlight had turned on as the bikes arrived.
The insignia wasn’t Lord’s.
She recognized it as the Skull Nation MC.
Before she had a chance to react, Betty was there, already thinking ahead.
“Fuck. Shit. Fuck.” Betty slammed the locks closed.
“Mommy?”
The bikes and lights must have woken the kids.
“Go and hide, baby. Do as I’ve told you. All of you. Go and hide. Now!”
Bullets rained down on the house, shattering glass.
Betty grabbed her hand, and together, they ran upstairs. She expected them to go to the children, but they ran to her bedroom.
Ally didn’t know what the hell she was doing.
“Call Rancher.”
“I don’t have a cell phone.”
“Open the fucking window and yell. He’s in the barn. Just keep on yelling.” Betty had pulled a box out from under the bed. It had a lock on it and she was surprised how Betty was able to get into it. The woman’s hands shook.
Rushing to the back window, she pushed it up and yelled Rancher’s name at the top of her lungs. She did this over and over again until the sound of a door slamming open interrupted her.
Ally looked toward Betty.
Her gun was loaded, and she grabbed Ally’s hand. They ran through to the bathroom. She closed the door and snapped the lock into place.
“What do we do?” Ally asked.
“We stay silent.”
“What about the kids?”
Betty shook her head. “This is what Rancher’s been training us for. They know what to do and they play the game how to stay quiet. They all have to be so silent that no one will ever know they’re there. He’s the one who adapted this house.”
“Betty, they’re the Skull Nation.”
“I know.”
“They’re going to kill us.” She’d never get to tell Lord she was pregnant. Holy crap, had she and Lord gotten Betty, Rancher, and their kids killed?
“Rancher will come. He always promised to protect me. He’ll be here.” Betty held the gun up and aimed at the door.
“But … what if he doesn’t?” Ally asked.
Betty opened her mouth, closed it. “He won’t let me down. He never has. I trust him. He’s coming.”
Ally covered her mouth with her hand as they heard the loud footsteps of the men coming up the old wooden stairs.
If Rancher came, would he be able to take on the men alone? She saw at least three, but there could have been more.
All she wanted was Lord.
She didn’t have a gun and as the bathroom door slammed open, Betty fired.
Ally screamed as one of the men grabbed Betty and threw her hard against the wall. The gun she’d been holding dropped to the floor. As Betty tried to attack, struggling wildly, she got slapped in the mouth and Ally finally saw red.
She screamed, charging at the man. His jacket claimed him to be the President of the Skull Nation club.
Jumping on his back, she brought her arm across his neck, hoping her weight would do something to stop him.
He slammed her back against the wall, the impact winding her.
Within seconds, he had his hands wrapped around her neck as he smiled at her. “I knew I’d find you.”
Chapter Twelve
Lord cut off the guy’s dick, then nodded to Brick. As soon as he stepped away from the howling piece of shit, his VP put a bullet between his eyes.
“We ride out now,” he said.
This was the reason he’d sent Ally to stay with Rancher. He didn’t trust the Skull Nation to use her against him. Now he wasn’t sure if the VP had been fucking with him or telling the truth. What if they’d found out where Ally was staying?
She’d begged him to keep her at the club, and he was starting to believe it may have been the best choice. At least his compound was heavily fortified and protected by armed men. Rancher’s place may be off the grid, but it wasn’t a fort, and there was only one man guarding it. Rancher was a tough son of a bitch, but he wasn’t invincible.
It wasn’t supposed to go down this way.
He was certain he’d made the best choice. There was no way the Skull Nation could have found out what he’d done with Ally. As far as they were concerned, she was at home waiting for him.
Should he head back to the club or to Rancher’s place? Time was of the essence right now. They’d killed the VP, but Lord wanted their prez.
“Call Righteous. Find out if there’s any trouble at the club. Let them know to be ready for trouble,” said Lord.
He headed back out to his bike, swinging his leg over the seat. Before starting the engine, he looked to Tarmac, waiting for an answer.
“No trouble at home, boss.”
Lord kicked his bike to life and had one destination in mind. Even if the VP had been screwing with his head, he’d feel better knowing Ally was safe. Maybe he’d change his mind and bring her back to the clubhouse for his peace of mind.
Only his headlights on the asphalt ahead cut the pitch darkness. There didn’t even seem to be a moon tonight. They were far off, no signs of civilization for miles. He couldn’t believe how unsettled he felt. For decades, he’d lived on a fine line of life and death. Nothing much gave him pause because he didn’t give a shit about himself or anyone else.
Ally changed everything.
He wanted to wake up tomorrow because she made him want more out of life. That girl would become his old lady. They’d make a family together. Lord would make sure his kids were raised properly so they didn’t turn out fucked-up like him as adults.
Lord took a breath as he rode, keeping up the punishing pace. He’d lived through countless disappointments, even came close to ending his own life on a few occasions. But he wouldn’t be able to come back from losing Ally. You couldn’t kiss the sunshine and return to the darkness unscathed. It would destroy him.
First, he’d kill every single Skull Nation and their families, but he probably wouldn’t stop there. Her death would turn him into a devil. And he’d welcome a bullet when his rampage was over just to end the pain. The way his life had panned out, he almost expected fate to steal her away from him.
Fuck, that hotel had been far out. Was that their plan all along? Lead him away from his woman?
As much as he didn’t want to announce Ally’s location in case that VP had been blowing smoke up his ass, he had to be safe.
Lord slowed down and pulled into a lookout point along the side of the highway. The other brothers joined him moments later.
Reaper walked up to his side. “Wha
t’s the trouble? Your bike?”
He shook his head. “You heard what he said. I’m not going to pretend everything’s good. I’m calling Rancher to be safe.” After pulling out his cell, he dialed his old friend. He hated the fact he could have put the man and his family at risk. It had never been his intention.
The phone kept ringing. It was after midnight, so he was probably sleeping. Or dead. Fuck!
Lord pocketed the phone, his chest tight. He was forty years old, and this shit couldn’t be good for his health. “Reaper, give the club a call. Ask a couple patches to ride out to Rancher’s place. It ain’t far. Tell them to do some recon, make sure everything’s on the up and up until we get there.”
“Will do.”
He headed back on the road, feeling somewhat relieved knowing things would be handled until he got home.
They’d been driving close to an hour but everything was becoming familiar now. They were close to Rancher’s place in the country. At least there was no fire in the sky. He wasn’t sure what he expected next to Armageddon. The night was just as dark out here as on the road. Rancher owned hundreds of acres, a mix of forest and farmland. It felt calm, like any other evening.
Lord smiled to himself as they neared the ranch. That VP was just messing with his head. Lord would have done the same thing if he’d been close to death at the hands of his enemy.
He wasn’t sure if he should let them sleep or wake the whole damn house just because he wanted to bring Ally home to the club. When he saw the faint light on in an upstairs window, he was glad for it. Someone was awake, so that meant he could steal his woman away without being a complete asshole. Maybe he’d claim her ass tonight. Make her his in every way. Just thinking about her aroused him. Imagining all those soft curves, warm and comfortable in bed, were calling his name. Sleep was starting to pull at him, but his determined focus and the cold night air kept him alert.
He slowed down and entered the winding front path to the house. No sign of the Straight to Hell MC. All must have checked out.
Reaper pulled up alongside him.
They all stopped their bikes within plenty of distance to not wake the entire house with the roar of their engines. “You called the club?”
“Yeah, they said they’d come do a round. That was a while ago.”
His headlights reflected off something metallic. There was one bike in front of the house. Maybe it was Rancher’s.
He turned off his Harley and walked toward the old farmhouse, his hand on the butt of the gun in his waistband. The dry grass crunched under each footfall. The light in the window went black. His hackles began to rise, and he sure as hell hoped his intuition was wrong.
There was another bike. Neither were from his club. He didn’t like this one fucking bit.
He nodded to his men to flank the house.
Brick came up beside him as they approached the door. They weren’t small men. He mouthed the count of three, then they both rammed the door with the sides of their bodies. It took two firm strikes, then it flew back against the wall with a crack.
The lights were out and Brick nearly tripped over a body in the foyer. He aimed a small flashlight on the floor. It wasn’t one of theirs. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad considering how quiet the house was.
“Skull Nation,” Brick whispered.
They proceeded deeper into the house. The glow from oven light highlighted another body, but this one started moving as they entered, so he instinctively drew his gun.
“Boss…”
He dropped down to one knee. It was Tank, his hands clutching his stomach. There was fucking blood everywhere. “What happened?”
“Skull Nation. They’re out back. The barn…”
“Shit! You’re going be fine, Tank. Hang on.”
Tank was one of the biggest guys in the club. A real force. He’d single-handedly gotten them out of a lot of scrapes with his sheer size and strength. As much as he wanted to call for backup or get him to a doctor right away, he had to clear this scene and find his woman first.
The party was apparently outside in the barn. If they’d put one hand on Ally, he’d kill them all nice and slow. They met up with the other brothers out back. Reaper had an automatic across his chest. The spotlight in the rear alley gave them a wash of light to see by.
He heard a scuffle coming from the barn, followed by breaking glass, so they all broke into a run. So many scenarios ran through his head. What if Ally was already dead? What if they’d tortured her? Raped her?
The Skull Nation was capable of anything.
Bullets rang out close to his ear. He hadn’t even seen the threat before Tarmac began firing beside him. Lord saw the opposing muzzle flash coming from the side of the barn. They scattered, firing back. The darkness and deafening gunfire created an atmosphere of pure chaos. He didn’t even know where Ally had been taken.
“Watch where you’re shooting,” he shouted out to his men. He ran in a crouch, getting as close to the barn as possible. With a forward kick, the old wooden door planks broke apart. A lone lightbulb hung from the ceiling of the barn, swinging back and forth from the commotion.
“Lord, in the first stall.” It was Rancher. He was on the ground, a gun in his hand as he covered him from the Skull Nation. Stump was behind a wall of hay bales, leaning to the side to fire deeper into the barn. Lord rushed over to join him.
“Where’s Ally?” he shouted to be heard.
“Don’t know. We got here and the Skull Nation fired on us as soon as we pulled up.”
“Fuck,” Lord muttered. She was probably already dead. Dread and panic consumed him. “We need to finish this. Tank’s bleeding out in the house.”
They took a breath and charged into the barn with guns blazing. His other men followed, creating a line of fire. Nothing could survive that much lead.
When it didn’t seem they were being fired at, he stopped shooting.
“Stop!” he called out.
Silence.
“Brick, check it out. Make sure they’re all dead,” Lord said. He went to check on Rancher. “Where are the women and kids?”
Gunpowder still lingered in the air, creating a fog similar to a battlefield. Rancher’s leg was shot up. He couldn’t move. Without medical help, he’d bleed out the same as Tank.
“I never made it to the house,” he said. Then he swallowed hard before continuing. “I heard Ally calling for help, but those fuckers had already surrounded the house. I couldn’t get to her.”
“Called from the house?”
He nodded.
Lord clapped his old friend on the shoulder before rushing off. They’d controlled the scene, but what about the house? There had been a body by the door and Tank had been shot in the kitchen. He didn’t want to find Ally’s body.
Reaper ran with him. They did a sweep of the main floor. Tank was still holding on, but he didn’t look good.
“Call the club. Get a truck here with a doctor. Right fucking now,” Lord told Reaper before taking the stairs alone. As he burst into room after room, he heard a muffled cry coming from the end of the hall.
Lord stopped dead.
He slowly neared the door. Judging by the location, it had to be the room he saw from the street, the one where the light had turned off as he’d approached the house. He took measured breaths, but the squeaky wooden floorboards gave him away. Gunfire sprayed the door, but he kept out of the line of fire. There was at least one Skull Nation motherfucker still breathing. He couldn’t give him more time if he had a hostage. Whether he lived or died, he had to end this now.
****
Ally kept hugging her stomach, hoping to somehow protect her unborn baby from harm. After the firefight outside ended, she began to lose hope again. But the prez of the Skull Nation was firing at something now, so that meant whoever was on the other side of the door was on their side. If it was Lord, she prayed he wasn’t hit by all the gunfire.
“Don’t fucking breathe,” he whispered in warning.
He had a gunshot wound to the side of his body and hadn’t been doing too well in the last twenty minutes or so. The skin of his face had blanched unnaturally white. Betty’s first and only shot had done the damage, but they didn’t even realize until after he’d nearly knocked them both out. He’d tied Betty’s wrists to the sink leg and he had a rope around Ally’s neck, the other end firmly in his fist. Whenever she whined or squirmed, he’d tug it hard enough to steal her air.
There was a bang on the bathroom door, making the prez panic and spray the door with bullets again. She shielded her head and face from the splinters of wood. As soon as he stopped firing, what was left of the door burst open. He yanked her leash tight, pulling her in front of him as a shield.
It was Lord.
She felt her entire body melt and her knees gave out completely. He was a beautiful sight. Before the prez could react, Lord moved impossibly fast, lunging forward and wrapping his hand around the man’s neck. He slammed his head against the wall with force. The medicine cabinet crashed down into the sink. Betty shielded her head. With Ally’s rope on the ground, she quickly crawled over to untie Betty.
“You have my woman tied up like a fucking dog?” Lord rammed his head into the wall over and over, the sounds sickening. Some of the brothers from the club appeared in the doorway, but they didn’t move to interfere.
Ally was worried about Rancher and the kids. Seeing Lord in the flesh felt almost like a dream after the night she’d had. He’d found her. Saved her.
She sat on the floor with Betty, keeping her eyes averted as Lord literally beat the man to death. He was a powerhouse, an unrelenting beast of vengeance. All she could see in her peripheral vision was red.
When everything went quiet, Betty nudged her. She looked over and saw Lord covered in blood. He looked like the devil himself. But he wasn’t, she knew that more than anyone.
After wiping his hands on his jeans, he beckoned her to stand. She was hesitant. They’d been kept prisoners in the bathroom since this attack started. The prez had wanted to kill her in front of Lord, so he could watch him suffer.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” He pulled her close and she tried to ignore all the blood and accept the comfort. “Did he touch you?”