Jeremy lowered his mouth to the gag, and I twisted my neck while tugging at the rope around my wrists. With a grin, he reached up and pinched my nostrils closed.
“Did you know I killed a club whore just like this? She reminded me of you with her dark hair and green eyes, it’s what caught my attention. I even pretended that it was you as I fucked her.”
I bucked backward against the wall, trying to break his grip.
“Had her tied down to my bed and gagged. As she came, I held her just like this and watched her eyes widen when I didn’t let up. Her body was so fucking tight around mine I couldn’t have let go if I wanted to at that point.”
Just as black spots moved where his face had been, he released me. I fell back, sucking in as much air as I could get while my limbs shook uncontrollably.
“What I didn’t expect was how much of a fucking mess she’d make. Thought I was done for, but Saint helped me get rid of her body like nothing ever happened. I told Grey that she’d packed up and left town. No one even cared.”
His fingers rested against the base of my throat. “All I’ve ever done is help. Grey wanted me to babysit you, I did it. Needed me to break through a firewall, I hacked it. I jumped through every goddamn hoop, but no one was ever grateful. My road name was Jarvis as if that’s all I was… a fucking computer.”
He tightened his grip. “All I wanted was a little gratitude… to maybe feel like I meant something.”
Knowing there was only one way out, I nodded until his hand fell away and pushed my face up toward his. He ripped the gag free and gripped the hair at the base of my skull. The movement forced the front of my body up against his. I sucked in a deep breath before his lips roughly brushed against mine.
He took my mouth as surrender, as a white flag going up; when in reality, it was a declaration of war.
“Suck me,” he murmured before releasing my hair. He patted his belt buckle. “Show me how grateful you are to be alive.”
I crouched in front of him, lowering my head as if I was his submissive. His head dropped down as he reached for the zipper. “See? Was that so—”
My head exploded into a thousand slivers of jolting pain as I surged up onto my knees, thrusting the back of my head into his chin.
Jeremy fell back with a roar that pierced my skull as my own momentum sent me sprawling onto his chest. My shoulder landed hard against his exposed throat, cutting off the sound. When he began struggling beneath me, I used my legs, fighting to keep him pinned down.
I was no match against him, and his left fist knocked me back to the dirt, leaving me stunned and panting for my next breath.
“You little bitch,” he growled, yanking me up by the hair. Instead of dealing another blow, he stuffed the material back into my mouth with such force that part of it ended up in my throat.
Jeremy flipped me over and thrust my face into the dirt as I choked around the gag, my eyes streaming with tears.
I heard his zipper coming down, felt him against my back. His fingers dug into the skin around my hips, and I sucked in a pained breath, filling my lungs with dust.
With the last of my strength, I tried lifting my head, but he brought a hand down against the back of my head, filling my nostrils with dirt. I was being buried alive.
He was going to kill me just like he’d killed that girl.
There was an explosion that reverberated through the dirt like an earthquake and then the weight was gone. My body jerked violently against the ground as I tried to expel the gag.
“Katy!” A deep voice shouted as someone cut through the rope around my arms, pulling me up.
“She’s choking! Fuck, she’s choking!” The second voice was different, sounding almost like Nate’s brother, Garrett.
I had to be dreaming.
The gag was yanked free, and I turned my head to vomit up a small amount of liquid before taking in as much oxygen as I could get. My limbs trembled from exhaustion, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for days, but I let my rescuer slip his jacket around my shoulders.
I snuggled into the warmth and relaxed, only to be jolted back to reality amid the sounds of a struggle. The tears I’d been holding back fell freely when I opened my eyes and took in the scene in front of me. Nate had a knee on Jeremy’s chest, and his hands locked around his throat in a death grip.
“Nate?” I rasped.
“I got you, babe,” he growled, panting from the exertion. His eyes met mine and his jaw tightened. “Did he?”
He couldn’t finish the question.
My dry tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, making it hard to talk, but I shook my head. My head screamed in agony from the movement. Had they been just a few seconds later, he would’ve raped me.
Jeremy continued struggling, not putting up as much of a fight as he had with me. The crimson stain on his shirt might’ve had something to do with that.
“You shot him?”
“Well, technically, I did.” Garrett stood in the doorway, holding the rifle across his body. “Took first place every year in the county’s 4-H field-shooting contest. Just maimed him for Nate, really. What are brothers for, right?”
He rambled when he was nervous or worried, something that only ever seemed to occur in situations involving his son, Daniel.
“I’m… okay,” I whispered before letting my head fall back against a solid chest.
“Shit’s about to hit the fan in a big way,” solid chest man said in a low voice. “Got a vehicle across the lake. Take it and get as far away from the cabin as possible.”
Jeremy gave a final jerk in Nate’s arms before going still. It was over. He would never hurt anyone again. I looked away and tipped my chin up to see who was holding me.
“But you’re dead,” I croaked.
He grinned. “Not yet, Counselor. Figure I still got a little fight in me. Now, let’s get you some goddamn clothes.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mike
I stood frozen outside the storage building, trying to pinpoint what felt different. There was nothing. The woods had gone deathly quiet around me.
The cabin sat over a half-mile away, hidden behind a multitude of evergreens. Shaking my head, I took one last look at Jeremy’s body before turning away.
“See you in Hell, motherfucker,” I bit out.
“We’ve got a problem—”
I spun toward the sound, reaching for my gun before lowering my hands with a sigh. “Jimmy, sweetie, the fuck are you doing here? You’re supposed to be leading the Sons down south so that Daddy can wrap up things here.”
He stepped into the clearing. “And we were, pumpkin. But, Masterson had a wild hair and decided to track his wife’s phone.”
“And?” I asked, the back of my neck prickling in fear. “They’re at the house, right?”
Jimmy straightened uncomfortably. “They’re here, Mike… along with all the Sons. Wolverine spotted them along the ridge just over there. We get within ten feet of that cabin, and they’re gonna light us up.”
Please be wrong.
I rubbed at the stubble on my cheek. “Lauren? Celia?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I swear to god, I told them to stay put. I’ve wracked my brain, trying to figure out why the fuck they’d come here.”
“She led them here, which means I’ve got to work quickly. I called Bear, said he and his crew can be here in…” I checked my watch. “Twenty minutes. It’s not a lot of fucking time, we’ve got to stick with the original plan.”
“They’ll shoot you the minute you’re in range—”
“Not if they know who I am, they won’t.” I grinned. “Jimmy boy, let’s end this without getting dead, okay?”
He clapped me on the shoulder and glanced at the storage building with a grin. “Let’s see if Torch can’t create a bit of diversion for you.”
Within minutes, Torch had all three buildings lit up like the goddamn Fourth of July. I wound my way through the woods to the cabin, pausing in the
shadows as the Sons raced toward the inferno.
“What are you gonna do, Sullivan?” I asked myself. “Stroll up to the front door like you own the joint? Why yes, yes I am.”
The two bikers on the porch scrambled to their feet as I came into view. I had a bullet in each of them before they’d even drawn their weapons.
“You step one foot onto this porch, and I’ll kill everyone in here,” my mother called through the door.
I’d spent weeks tracking her movements, wanting to believe it was someone else. I hadn’t wanted to believe that the woman who’d baked pies and run charity auctions at church could be the mastermind behind it all. When she left the state, I forced myself to follow, knowing she was going to lead me right to my father.
“Is that any way to treat the prodigal son?”
The front door opened immediately, and Betsy swayed on her feet, staring at me like she was looking at a ghost. “You—you died!”
I climbed the steps, keeping my gun down by my side. “See, we in the biz call that misdirection.” I waved my fingers mystically. “Good to see you, Ma. Care to chat inside? Okay, cool."
She continued staring out onto the porch as I brushed past her, scanning the faces along the wall until I found Lauren’s. The others looked relatively unscathed, but my girl had put up a fight. “Darlin’, thought we had an agreement. No more running off to war without my permission.”
Her lips curved up into a small smile. “Thought I could handle it, Tex.”
“Wanna tell me who battered your pretty little face?” I kept the grin on my own while staring down the men in the room. “Anybody? Anybody here wanna admit to laying a finger on my pregnant wife?”
“Kyle,” Lauren stated. “Asshole sucker punched me.”
I shoved the gun back into the holster and stormed toward the miniature cop. “Barton?”
“It was—I was just—”
I threw my arm into the side of his head, laying him out on his back, unconscious. “That,” I panted. “That’s a motherfucking haymaker. One and done. Comedian taught me that—”
“Junior?” A broken voice cried out.
I’d been so focused on getting to Lauren that I hadn’t even looked to the other side of the room. Celia knelt beside Comedian, holding a blood-soaked piece of clothing to his chest. His head slumped forward, and his eyes fell shut as his body fought to conserve what little strength it had left.
The man who’d been my hero my entire life lay nearby, nothing more than a walking skeleton. I’d wanted to believe that Saint was a man because it seemed impossible that a woman could be that sadistic.
When my eyes landed on the body in the corner, I brought my split knuckles up to my mouth in a growl.
Angel.
“Now, Mike, I did this for us,” Betsy began. “I thought you were dead—”
“Everything you saw, we wanted you to see.” I forced a bitter laugh. “You had eyes everywhere. Knew our next move before we did, but I figured out a way to beat you at your own goddamn game. So, if you’re the saint, then I guess that makes me the motherfucking savior.”
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The wooden floor began to vibrate under my feet as the air outside filled with the thunderous sound of motorcycles.
Something like confusion crossed Betsy’s face before she snapped, “What’d you do, Mike?”
“Brought a few friends to even the odds, Betsy. You’re Saint, don’t you wanna see a good fight? What the fuck am I saying? Of course you do. It’s what you’ve kept us doing for years.”
Dakota began squirming on the floor. “Um, excuse me. I really need to pee! This baby is on my bladder.”
The biker nearby looked at my mother in question. “What do I do?”
“What do you do? You take her to the bathroom, genius. She’s a pregnant woman, what the fuck is she gonna do? Just stay in there and make sure she doesn’t try to run.” Betsy threw up her hands before turning back to me. “Mike, I want you to come with me. We’ll leave all of this behind and start a new life together. Just you and me.”
“And my family?”
“I’m your family. Me! These people are nothing!” Her voice rose, drowning out the thump of a body hitting the floor in the bathroom. She continued rambling, but I couldn’t hear a word she said as I made my way toward the bathroom.
Just as I reached for the door handle, it opened beneath my hand, and Dakota stepped out, straightening her hair. The biker who’d escorted her lay on the floor, unmoving.
“Jiu-Jitsu. I’ll teach you someday.”
“Fine, “ I whispered. “Need you to help me get everyone out of here. Zane and the others are nearby, but it’s gonna get ugly here real quick. Stay hidden.”
She nodded, and I walked back to the main living area, calling over my shoulder. “Jesus Christ, how long can one woman pee?”
Carnage jerked his head. “Now.”
Molly pulled a gun from behind her back and fired, hitting one of the bikers in the chest. Carnage fired on the other one, hitting him in the head and sending him to the floor. The first one managed to get two shots off before collapsing, striking Molly in the chest and abdomen.
“No!” Lauren shouted, covering Molly’s body with hers.
I didn’t even think about the ramifications before sending two rounds into the guy’s forehead. For good measure, I walked over to Kyle’s unconscious form and unloaded the rest of my mag into his skull. “You cocksucking pieces of shit,” I growled.
Gunfire erupted outside, echoing off the mountains and turning the woods into a war zone. Sun Tzu believed that it was crucial to end a battle strongly. We’d chosen to follow his principle of shock and awe by striking on the military that had backed my mother.
We were cutting the head off the snake.
Without an army, there was no Saint.
“Mike, put the gun down. Let’s talk.” Betsy gripped Celia’s hair in her fist, holding the barrel of a gun to her temple. With the way she was positioned, Celia had become a human shield.
“Carnage,” I said calmly, keeping my eyes on my mother. “Get them out of here and kill the one in the bathroom before he wakes up.”
“You got it, boss.”
“Nobody move or I’ll do it. I will end her.”
Grey struggled to free himself, thrashing wildly against his restraints. “Let her go, Betsy. It’s me you want.”
She looked down at him as if he were something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “Not anymore.”
“Take the shot, Mikey,” Celia demanded, stoically resigning herself to her fate.
I shook my head. “I’ll hit you.”
“Then hit me,” she ground out. “Just end it.”
“He won’t,” Betsy gloated. “I’m his mother. He couldn’t even put down Michael, and I gave him every opportunity to do that. What makes you think—”
I’d always thought it was bullshit when people talked about time slowing down, but as Bear kicked in the front door and bikers swarmed the cabin, it felt like we were all moving underwater.
“Comedian,” Grey rasped. “Punchline.”
My old man suddenly grinned, his teeth stained with blood. His hand moved down to his boot, retrieving the .38 Special he used as a backup weapon. “Betsy, why’d God give men dicks?”
When she turned her face toward him, he took the shot, sending her and Celia tumbling to the floor. Celia immediately rolled away, hands up in defense, but my mother was gone.
“Bet you’re wantin’ the punchline,” he panted, his breaths growing farther apart. “It’s so we’d have at least one way of shuttin’ a woman up.”
I lowered my gun and went to him, peeling the shirt away from his chest. It was a miracle he was still conscious with as much blood as he’d lost. “We’re gonna get you some help—”
He jerked his chin to look up at me. “It’s okay, Junior. The monsters—the monsters are all gone now.” He exhaled loudly, and then his body went limp.
I sta
red down at the bodies of the people who’d raised me, both of them monsters in their own way. My mother had hidden her darkness well, letting everyone around her take the blame.
My old man had come into the world a villain but had died a hero.
“Molly!” Bear roared from across the room, dropping to his knees beside her limp body. He dragged her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay, baby. We’re gonna get you help—”
She reached up and stroked his beard, her eyes closed as if she was slipping away. “I didn’t know Little Ricky was yours. I wanted it to be true so badly, but I swear to God I didn’t know. Please forgive me. You have to—”
“There’s nothing to forgive. I just need you to stay with me. I can’t do it without you, Mol.”
I frowned when her eyes suddenly popped open and her lips curved up into a smile. “Good. Because I need to be honest with you, bulletproof vests don’t absorb the shock like I imagined. Feels like I got hit with a sledgehammer,” she groaned.
“Wait. You’re wearing a vest? So all that talk of me needing to forgive you—”
“I thought now was as good a time as any to get back in your good graces.”
“Jesus Christ, woman,” he grumbled. “I oughta take you over my knee.”
“Please do,” she purred.
I turned away with a grimace, trying to get the mental image of them fucking out of my head. I’d seen enough old people going at it to last me a lifetime.
Those were scars that didn’t fade.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Jimmy announced as he stepped over broken glass and blood. “Looks like you pulled it off, Sullivan.”
I watched as Grey was carried out by a team of bikers. He’d known I couldn’t take the shot and had saved us all with one word to Comedian.
He still owed me a conversation.
We’d put it off for too long.
We’d kept silent out of fear of Comedian, never once seeing that Betsy had been setting him up for years. From now on, there would be no more secrets between us.
I gestured toward Molly. “Hey, Jimmy, someone else here backs up my claim that, even with a vest on, a fucking 9mm feels like taking a bat to the chest.”
Savior: Silent Phoenix MC Series: Book Five Page 33