The Queen of Carnage

by Wright, Candice

  When I don’t react, he continues.

  “I found out, after the fact, the guy’s six-year-old daughter is in the hospital battling leukemia. He borrowed to pay for her treatment. He hadn’t left her side until one of us snagged him from the cafeteria. He actually had the money to pay back until Joker doubled his interest. Now he’s in a bed beside his daughter, thanks to me. I’m a lot of things, I’ve done a lot of things, but I’ve never been more disgusted with myself than I was when I found out. Joker found the whole thing fucking hilarious.”

  I let go of his hand and watch as a look of shame passes over his face before I wrap my arms tightly around his waist. He lets out a shuddering breath when he realizes I’m not pulling away but holding on tighter.

  “You know I’ll always have your back,” Halo tells Orion.

  “Me too,” Gage agrees, watching me and Halo, making me breathe out a sigh of relief.

  “You sure about this, brother?” Diesel asks him, torn between his loyalty to his club and his brother.

  “He put his hands on our sister. To him, she’s expendable, to me, she’s family.” I watch Megan’s eyes flood with tears as she watches Orion’s lips move.

  Diesel nods. “Family.”

  Orion looks around the room at his club brothers, each of them looking to him like the leader he was born to be.

  “Things have been off lately, even before King got sick. The Kings of Carnage has always been a club I have been honored and proud to be part of. As you all know, my grandfather was a founding member but we have been getting complacent. Luna and Megan have been abused—there is no other way to put it—while in our hands. Tell me how that makes us any better than the Chaos Demons?” He lifts his hand when the room starts getting loud.

  “Tell me how many of you have been ordered to do something lately that didn’t sit right with you but you did it anyway because it was the president’s order, like Halo?” I can see a few people nodding and agreeing but my eyes are on Gage who looks at me with remorse. I guess he’s thinking about the night I spent in the cells. I grab his hand and pull him closer to me.

  “We need to go down to church now but I’m warning you all what might be coming. I won’t go down without a fight. I love this club and I used to love everything it stood for but lately, I think a lot of us have been going through the motions. Luna is my old lady and Megan is my sister and I will not sacrifice either of them for this place.” He turns to me and steps forward, cupping my face before placing a soft kiss on my lips.

  “I’m going to have Gecko lead you out the back and down to the woods. The spot you broke King free from now has a gate and a keypad. The code is the date we met. If this goes bad, you take my sister and you run.” I try to protest but he kisses me again and signals for Gecko. Halo kisses me, holding me tight for a moment before Gage moves in and does the same. They both leave without saying a word and yet it feels strangely like goodbye.

  Not today, that is not going to happen.

  All the men file out and we follow behind, using them to shield us from sight. Gecko leads us away from the group and down to the spot Orion instructed. He ruffles my hair and tells me to be good, making me smile like I’m sure he intended, before running back to the club. As soon as he’s out of sight, I type in the numbers on the keypad and pull Megan through. I drag her to the end of the small path I ran down that fateful day and hand her over to the two men waiting for us. She looks at me with wide eyes. I sign for her as quickly as I can but I don’t have a lot of time to go over this right now.

  “Trust me. That’s all I’m asking for. There are things you don’t know about me but everything you do know is true, including our friendship. I’m asking you to please just trust me so I can get your brothers out alive.” She nods instantly, without even having to think about it. I give her a quick hug before leaving her with Zig, who signs that he wants her to follow him. She nods and with one last look at me, disappears into the trees with one of my brothers.

  “Okay, Oz, what we got?”

  “I managed to get a call in to the presidents of the mother chapter. Not real friendly but they were not happy to hear about the shit going down from an outsider. They’re coming down themselves but I wouldn’t expect a warm welcome.”

  I look around to make sure nobody else is around and lead us both back through the gate.

  “What did you find out?”

  “They go by the names of Priest and Bates. Bates because the guy is a psycho, apparently.” I throw him an are-you-serious look, making him shrug.

  “I know but here is where it gets interesting. They both took over the president's position by removing the former president from his throne.” I stop and stare at him.

  “How did they remove him?”

  “They slit his throat after they found him raping a young girl who came to party and quickly realized she was in over her head.” Well, fuck.

  “They’re hard asses from what I could find out but women and children are a big no-no for them. Also, each patched member of their club has either a partner or a trio they are part of—much like Orion, Halo, and Gage—only it’s mandatory for their royalty. You can’t move up into a royalty position without at least one partner.

  “Royalty?”

  “You have the president or presidents, in this case, then the royals. The royals are the VP, treasurer, road captain, enforcer, etc., then your regular patched members, followed by your prospects. It’s a hierarchy thing.

  “Right, okay. It’s not like that here, not that I’ve noticed,” I point out.

  “No, and that’s because of Melinda. Twenty years ago, King was the road captain, Joker was the sergeant-at-arms, and a guy called John was the enforcer. They had an old lady named Melinda. Rumor has it John and King had a major falling out and John left the club and formed one of his own.

  “Let me guess, the Chaos Demons.”

  “Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. When Melinda left to follow John, things started to deteriorate further, culminating in the death of the Carnage president in a shootout. King, who became the new president, was left raising two boys, and Joker, who became VP, went off the rails for a while. They didn’t care if their men had partners or not, or about the hierarchy. The only people they trusted was each other, at least until Orion and Diesel came of age.”

  “How are they so sure that Orion and Diesel are actually King’s sons?” It had been bugging me since I found out about these multi-relationships.

  “Melinda and King met first. King brought her around the club when he quickly realized he wanted more than just a fling. He made her his old lady before telling her about Joker and John. She was not a happy bunny but, by then, she had discovered she was pregnant. I don’t know the ins and outs of what went down between them all but King was the only one who officially named Melinda as his old lady. According to the rumor mill, Diesel was conceived when Joker and John were on a run a couple of years later.”

  “Wow, those are some odds. Regardless of that, how did things get so out of hand here without the mother chapter noticing?

  “Well, the mother chapter had its own issues. They had two presidents at that point like they do now, twin brothers, but one was shot and killed in a turf war. That left one president. Nobody made an issue out of it because fuck, he lost his twin. How can you replace that? It would be like me losing Ziggy. The thing is, the guy was a loose cannon to begin with, his brother was the one to rein him in. It’s one of the benefits of having a second or a third to rely on. Without him, he was unpredictable and pretty much a recluse, never leaving the compound.” I look at Oz, impressed.

  “You found all this out within a couple of hours?” He laughs.

  “I’ve been checking shit out for the past few days. It’s not every day your baby sister decides to become an old lady to a notorious motorcycle club.”

  I flip him off. “Bite me. Okay, is everyone in place?” He just looks at me disgruntled for insulting him. Jesus, he’s so sensitive.
r />   “Fuck, I was only asking. I’ve left the back gate unlocked, so refrain from blowing shit up.” His shoulders deflate with disappointment, making me laugh.

  “Ready?” I ask.

  “I was born ready.” My brother the comedian, everyone. Fucking hell. I walk back into the compound and Oz follows me inside before he disappears into the shadows. I make my way through the quiet clubhouse and into the main room. Walking behind the bar, I pour myself a Coke and wait for everything to play out.

  It’s maybe half-an-hour later that Joker comes storming out of the room they’re holding church in with a face like thunder. Everyone spills out behind him and heads toward the bar. I start popping open beer bottles and sliding them down the bar before lining up shot glasses and grabbing the whiskey.

  Halo is the first to spot me. Walking around the bar, he throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in for a kiss.

  “How did I know you wouldn’t listen? It’s gonna be a toss-up between Orion and Gage as to who is gonna spank your ass later and, you know what, sugar? I’m gonna stand back and watch as your ass starts to glow red.”

  I roll my eyes but tuck myself against him so he can hear me better.

  “How’d it go?”

  “Joker is still the president for now. We just don’t have enough on him to convince the old-timers to strip him of his title. That being said, when Joker tried to vote Orion out, he was shot down and lost the support of a few guys that would have otherwise been faithful to him. More than that, he pissed off King.”

  “So what happens now?”

  “That will be up to Orion but I doubt there will be any way they can co-exist together now. Where’s Megan?”

  “Safe.”

  “Well, we need to figure something out because we’re gonna have the Chaos Demons breathing down our necks soon enough. The last thing we need now is to be fighting among ourselves.”

  “I really need to talk to you guys about something, well, two somethings, actually.”

  “It’s gonna have to wait, sweetheart. Heads up, Orion has spotted you and he does not look happy.” He barely gets the words out before I’m pulled away.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Cherub, and where the fuck is my sister?”

  “I’m fine and Megan is safe. Chill the fuck out,” I growl lowly so only he can hear me.

  “You!” The noise dies down as Jokers bellows. There are over a hundred people in this room but I know he’s shouting at me.

  “Yes, Joker?” I see King whip around at the sound of my voice.

  “Fetch me a beer.” I could tell him to fuck off but I’m curious enough to see where this is going. He must be touched in the head if he thinks I haven’t noticed the gleam in his eye. I know I’m not the only one either when I see a few hands move to rest on their guns.

  I snag an open beer off the counter and carry it over to where Joker has perched himself on one of the chairs. He has Chewy on one side of him and King at the next table over but I ignore them and head toward Joker, holding out the beer he asked for. He takes it with his left hand before grabbing my wrist with his right and pulling me onto his lap, twisting me so I’m facing everyone else in the room. Gage steps forward with a face of thunder, not stopping even when Chewy points his gun at him. He freezes, though, when Chewy turns the gun on me. I see Diesel and Rebel holding back a struggling Halo behind the bar.

  “Back the fuck up,” Chewy growls at him but Gage doesn’t move until Chewy pushes the gun against my temple.

  Orion lunges forward but Gage snags him and holds him back. “You piece of shit. This is why you aren’t fit to be President,” Orion snarls at Joker.

  “And you?” Orion addresses his father, who looks away disinterested. “I’m ashamed to call you my father. The man who raised me would never let this shit happen.”

  King just sips his beer, ignoring him.

  “You see the kind of man you agreed to keep on as your leader. This is the kind of man he is,” Orion addresses the room while Halo keeps his eyes fixed on mine.

  “Tut, tut, Orion. Maybe you should rein that temper in a little. I’m not doing anything wrong. Check the bylaws. No tat, no vest, makes her free pussy. Don’t blame me because you dropped the ball and didn’t claim her. Now it’s my turn.” He slides his hand up to cup my breast before squeezing it hard. I bite my lip, refusing to give him a reaction. I keep my eyes locked with Gage and smile.

  “I claim her, right here and now in front of you all. Luna is now my old lady and as her first task, I think she should strip. I’m feeling generous. Who here would like to have a go with her? Anyone who has my back can have any of her holes.”

  I snort out a laugh making the men gathered around look at me strangely. I laugh until tears leak from my eyes and only stop when Joker wraps his hand around my throat.

  “I doubt you’ll be laughing when you’re bleeding all over my dick,” he grates out in my ear, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

  He lets go of my neck so he can grab my hair at the nape of my neck and yanks it hard.

  “Laugh all you want, Luna, I have nothing left to lose,” he whispers.

  “You fucking idiot. You have everything left to lose. Every man in here worshipped the ground you walked on. They would have walked over fire for you, taken a bullet for you but you are not the same man they pledged their loyalty to. You are not my president and you will never be my old man, so I suggest you get your hands off me before I kill you myself.”

  “Oh yeah, you and whose army?” He laughs and I notice Chewy is the only one that laughs with him.

  “Mine,” I answer. He freezes as a click sounds behind him and he finds himself with a gun pointed at the back of his head. He lets go of my hair to grab the gun sitting just inside his holster but I’m faster. I pull my elbow back and connect with his nose before grabbing his gun and pressing it against Chewy’s forehead.

  “What you gonna do now, Luna?” Joker laughs.

  “You think these guys are going to just let you walk out of here? These are my men. They do as I say. The only way you and your little friend behind me will leave here will be in a body bag.”

  The main doors open and men in camo gear and grade A military assault weapons start pouring in but I don’t move my attention away from the two threats closest to me.

  “What the fuck?” I hear someone yell and the sound of multiple weapons being drawn.

  “I wouldn’t bother with the guns, biker boys. You’re not a threat unless you’re siding with Pres here,” I tell them.

  “Luna? What the fuck is going on?” Orion yells, walking closer to me and ignoring the guns completely.

  “Meet my army.”

  “Shoot her now, Chewy,” King roars. Chewy’s finger twitches on the trigger. So be it. I shoot first and leave him with a hole matching the one I gave Weasel earlier. I stand from Joker’s lap and in his shock he lets me. I roll my neck and walk the few steps to Orion and Gage. I kiss each of their cheeks while everyone in the overly quiet room stares at me in shock.

  “Ermm… surprise?”

  My brother starts laughing from his position behind Joker but the MC still looks confused as fuck. I look around at them and sigh.

  “You’ve met Oz before. You know what he and Ziggy do,” I tell a stunned Gage and Orion. I wave my arm around the room at the soldiers.

  “This is the rest of my team.”

  “Your team?” Orion asks.

  “Yeah. I took over the family business when Gramps died.”

  “Are you trying to tell me you own and run a team of mercenaries?” Gage asks me.

  “Well, yeah. But I also make pretty gift baskets and sell them online. Life’s about balance, right?”

  “But… she’s so… and a…” I turn at the sound of the confused voice and find Agro staring at me in shock.

  “I get this a lot. It’s the boobs, right?” I look over my shoulder at Oz who has his gun still trained on Joker, but he shrugs.

  “L
una, you can’t just walk into an MC and fucking kill someone without starting a fucking war,” Halo yells, stomping over to me. His anger is at odds with the way he checks me over for injuries.

  “Sure I can.”

  “Luna, this shit is serious,” Halo says, like I’m playing freaking amateur hour.

  “Just pointing out the obvious here but in case anyone missed it, Joker started this shit. Before you start with the whole ‘he’s the president thing,’ let me ask you this. Would you willingly bring your women around this man? Would you give him access to your sisters? What about your daughters?” Nobody says anything but I can see them beginning to look uncomfortable as my words strike a chord.

  “You guys are supposed to be family, brothers that have each other’s back. But why? What the fuck are you even protecting? Your right to drink and fuck? Well, congratulations. What an amazing legacy to leave for the next generation. Oh, that’s right, there won’t be a next generation because no woman in her right mind would constantly put herself at risk for a club that treats her like she’s expendable. Not everyone is fortunate to have an army like me.” I grin, my boys in green smiling back.

  “I’m never going to fit the mold you guys want to squeeze me into. I’m done trying.” I look at Halo, Gage, and Orion.

  “I love you guys. I’m not leaving you but I’m not staying here in a place that will never be home and neither is Megan. I’m not asking you to leave, I would never do that, but you deserve better than what a tarnished president can give you.” I step forward and cup Orion’s jaw, imploring him to understand.

  “You three will always be welcome in my home and in my bed.” I grab one of Gage’s and one of Halo’s hands and give them a squeeze, hating that it’s come to this, even though I knew it was inevitable.

  I pull away and offer them a sad smile.

  “You can’t just leave, you stupid whore. You shot one of my men. Blood for blood,” Joker yells.

  “Oh, shut the fuck up, you idiot. You ordered him to kill me. I wasn’t into that. The person at fault here is you. Shocking, right?”