by Kasey Krane
“That’s good, Drax, let it all out.”
This sleazy bastard was crazy. He made me sick.
“Eagle!” It was Crash’s voice from somewhere down the dark corridor. “Where the fuck are you?”
I turned to look, and Eagle took the opportunity to make his escape. He ran out the open door and I made the split-second decision not to follow him. I wanted the motherfucker to go down, but right now, I needed to focus on Crash. So I stalked down the corridor to the office door, sure he was in there.
I saw Crash sitting behind his desk in his office. It was a pretty lavish room. Way more lavish than mine, anyway. He looked up when I pushed the door open with my foot. His eyes were red and darting in all directions. Mary-Beth was right when she said there was something off about him lately.
This definitely wasn’t the guy I used to know. Then again, I didn’t exactly know Crash well.
“Oh!” he exclaimed when he saw me. I had my gun pointed at him, while he looked completely unprepared. Hadn’t he heard all the shooting and screaming outside? What the bloody fuck was wrong with him?
“Stand up,” I growled as calmly as I could. I moved the gun up and down. Crash glared at me. Then slowly, he stood up.
“Where is Eagle?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“He made a run for it. Fine fuckin’ VP you got there,” I said. I saw him grit his teeth, but he didn’t make a reference to Eagle again.
“So, you have my sister, huh?”
“She’s with me by her own choice. That’s where she wants to be. I treat her right.”
Crash scoffed and shook her head.
“Mary-Beth always thinks she’s a martyr of some kind. She thinks she has the community at heart. Working for the family’s welfare and all that jazz. She has no idea what she’s talking about. Most of it is through her ass.”
I strode up to him and he took a few steps back. The gun was still pointed at his face.
“Don’t say another word about Mary-Beth or I blow your face off,” I snarled.
Crash was pissed. His eyes were bloodshot. I thought I even saw his hands shake a little. Then he wiped his nose with his forefinger and shook his head.
“Young love. You’ll grow out of it soon,” he commented.
I lunged at him, punching him right in the face. I got his nose and heard it crack but he punched me in the gut at the same time. I had the wind knocked out of my lungs and the gunshot wound on my side was triggered. I could feel the blood oozing out of me now. Fuck, it hurt.
We were both rolling on the floor, Crash trying to wrestle the gun out of my hand. Eventually, I was able to kick him hard in the nuts, giving me the leverage I needed to jump up and point the gun down at him again. He covered his face with his hands.
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” he yelled.
I could feel the blood rushing through my veins. I held the trigger with both hands, trying to keep it as steady as I could. I was so close. Ridiculously close to ending this war. All I would have to do was squeeze lightly and this would all be over. Crash would be dead. The Silver Knights would be without a leader. They wouldn’t be able to fight us anymore.
But for some reason, I kept thinking about Eagle. The crazed look in his eyes, his manic laughter. He didn’t look upset or fired up enough to fight me.
In fact, it seemed like he was trying to get away, with his tail between his legs.
“Where is Eagle? Your VP?” I growled at Crash. He looked a bit confused and then looked around the room like he was expecting the guy to just pop up there.
“I don’t know. I don’t know! Eagle!” He was screaming again.
Whatever was going on with Crash, he didn’t seem right in the head. I was convinced now, that even though we had never exactly been friends, this wasn’t the guy I knew. Mary-Beth was right, there was something going on with Crash. He just seemed different. Weaker. His brain seemed clouded.
“Go ahead. Pull the trigger. Kill me,” he grunted. Slowly, as he sat scrunched up on the floor, he was pulling his hands away from his face. “That is what you want to do, right? That is what my sister wants too. I’m nothing but a fuckin’ disappointment to my family.”
I clenched my jaws, could feel the gunshot wound on my side starting to bleed profusely. I was in pain. I could barely hold my back straight. But I wasn’t about to give up. No way was I going to falter till I’d seen this through.
“All your sister wanted was to help you. That’s Mary-Beth’s weakness. She fuckin’ cares too much,” I said. Crash stared at me and then gulped. Maybe he didn’t know what to say to that.
I didn’t know what to do either. If I killed Crash right now, would she forgive me? She said she was on my side. That she hated her brother’s actions. She wanted Iron Thunder to win. But if I killed her brother, would she actually be able to live with that? Live with me?
I heard boots crunching the floor behind me, and I whipped around with my gun held out.
“It’s me, boss!” Ghost said. His eyes immediately fell on Crash on the floor. I knew what he was thinking. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate our number one enemy. The guy who had already caused too much damage to our Club.
I went up to Crash. Closer to him and held my gun high above his head. He was cowering, grimacing. I thought he was about to burst out in tears. But instead of shooting him, I bashed my gun into his head and knocked him unconscious.
This battle was over. The guys came in and some of them carried Crash out of the room. I was sitting on his chair, nursing my head in both hands. I felt like my brain was about to explode.
Ghost was still in the room.
“Most of the bastards have scattered,” he said, and I looked up at him.
“Starting with Eagle. Their VP. That motherfucker was the first one to go,” I supplied.
Ghost shook his head.
“Well, we’re rounding up the strippers. They’re all pretty panicked.”
“Take them back to Fifth Gear. Get the docs. If any of the girls are hurt, get them checked out by the doctors along with our guys.”
Ghost nodded. But I caught the expression on his face. He had something more to say.
“You think I should have pulled the trigger? Killed him tonight and finished it off?”
Ghost ran a hand through his hair and then shrugged his shoulders.
“Technically, he’s kinda your brother-in-law too.”
“But it’s not just about Mary-Beth. I feel like there’s something else going on with him. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“You feeling sorry for the motherfucker?” Ghost grunted and I breathed in deeply. The truth was, I didn’t know how to feel about Crash. I just didn’t want to make any rash decisions. I just needed some time to think and then I’d decide what to do with him. Once I had all the information.
“Keep him in our holding cell,” I said and stood up. Ghost nodded quickly and then left the room.
I was alone in Crash’s office now. I looked about the room; there was nothing of importance here. Crash wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave a paper trail or anything valuable lying around in his office. I didn’t know what I was looking for either. I just wanted some answers, wanted a definitive answer on what to do with Crash.
If I didn’t make a decision on him soon, while we still had him in our custody, the rest of my MC was going to start getting bloodthirsty. They would blame Mary-Beth even more for all our problems.
But how was I supposed to kill her brother?
Did she even know that was a possibility?
Would she be able to forgive me if I did?
What was I supposed to do? Put my Club before the woman I was in love with?
“Boss. Time to go!” It was Ghost. He came back to the room. I nodded at him and I felt he had a look of sympathy in his eyes, like he knew exactly what my predicament was. Nobody would want to be in my shoes right now.
16
Mary-Beth
Sophie found me sittin
g on the bottom step of the stairs. The guys Drax had assigned to watch me had brought me back to the Clubhouse and I went running to Drax’s room. I wanted to stay locked in there all day until Drax returned. I felt anxious and upset and embarrassed. All those emotions at the same time lay pretty heavy on my soul. Alone in his room, I felt like I could barely breathe.
I had to leave, had to go out, had to do something.
But I managed to get to the bottom of the steps and then plonked myself down. I covered my face with my hands and the tears bubbled up. I couldn’t hold them back any longer. Everything was going to shit.
I didn’t know what was happening with Crash. As much as I disapproved of everything he did, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever see him again, if we would ever share the same relationship we did when we were growing up. Despite everything, I wanted him safe.
But I was even more worried for Drax. Did my actions today ruin our relationship? Now that I’d given it all some thought, I knew I had behaved rashly. I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the store’s opening. I should have followed instructions. Drax was right—I had put myself and everyone around me in danger by making a public appearance like that.
So, when Sophie found me at the bottom of the stairs, I was in the middle of crying. This wasn’t a great look on me.
It was the last thing I wanted her to see.
“Hey, Mary-Beth!” I heard her say as she came rushing to me.
I quickly tried wiping my cheeks and I sniffled, trying to get a hold of myself.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing. Everything’s fine,” I lied.
Sophie was standing over me but then she sat down on the floor. She placed her hands on my knees and I looked up at her and met her eyes. We used to be friends…friendly…and now it felt like everything had changed.
“I heard what happened today. At the reopening.”
I had to look away. The color was rising in my cheeks. How was I supposed to face everyone at the Clubhouse now? They’d all heard about or witnessed what had happened. What did they think of me now?
I sniffled again and shook my head.
“Yeah, that was a mistake. I made a bad decision…” I was being defensive. Sophie squeezed my knees.
“And we’re all entitled to them. Bad decisions.”
I snapped my face around to look at her again. She was smiling faintly, but it was an encouraging smile.
“I know you can’t help but think about it today, but in a few days, it’ll be forgotten. We’ve all done some pretty stupid things around here.”
“But I put people’s lives in danger,” I argued.
Sophie sighed and then shrugged.
“Look around, hon. Do you realize where you are? In the clubhouse of a Motorcycle Club that’s involved in things so-called honest folk don’t like to discuss, and shootouts and armed wars. Trust me, your contribution to the danger radar is like a drop in the ocean. Come on, hon, you know how things are around here.”
My shoulders relaxed a little. I couldn’t help but think that maybe Sophie was right.
“But Drax was so mad…I was so mad. We fought again. And I don’t…I really hoped things would be different this time.”
“They will be,” Sophie said with conviction. I wanted to fight her on it. What did she know? What made her think she could make a sweeping statement like that? Nobody could guarantee that Drax and I were going to make it through this in one piece…but there was something about the way that Sophie was looking at me.
There was a crooked but soft smile on her face.
“I don’t think you guys are giving each other credit for how tough this situation is. Your man is in an actual bloody war with your brother. You’ve had to pick sides. Your brother is a dangerous guy. He will never forgive you for choosing Drax over him. And Drax will never forgive him if he hurts a hair on your head. Do you realize how complicated that is?”
I gulped. She was right. This was complicated. This was complicated as hell! I breathed in deeply.
“And most of my man’s friends don’t trust me. You forgot to add that part.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and then smiled.
“I think you just need to give the rest of us some time to remember what Mary-Beth is like. Fiery, opinionated and lovable.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. I was so glad she’d come to talk to me.
“So, you’re not suspicious of me?” I asked.
“I can’t lie. I was suspicious of you. Everyone was. You were broken up with Drax for a year. You came here accusing us of starting the war. But it doesn’t mean you have to risk your neck to prove yourself to us. Drax trusts you and that is all the reassurance the Club needs. Because we all trust him.”
It was heartwarming to hear her speak this way. I clutched her hand and we smiled at each other.
“Thank you for this, Sophie.”
She shrugged.
“You should tell the rest of them, Sophie knows best. Sophie knows it all!”
“I definitely will.”
“Now get up and join me at the bar. The place is practically deserted.”
“Do you know when they’ll be back? Have you heard anything about the raid?” I asked and she shook her head.
“I have no idea what’s going on. The guys have been keeping their plan pretty hush-hush. We just need to go plough ourselves with drinks and try to keep the anxiety at bay,” she suggested, and I had to agree.
At least now I had company.
I tried Drax’s number again. There was no answer. Sophie poured me another drink and I took a big sip of it.
I’d been trying Drax’s phone for the past hour and none of us at the Clubhouse had heard anything from them. Sophie could tell I was getting anxious.
“We would have heard something if things went wrong. No news is good news, you’ve always gotta remember that,” she said.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the feeling,” Cassie added, and Allegra shook her head. They were new to this too. Sophie was the only veteran.
“I never got used to it,” I replied, and the others sighed.
“Well, hon, I wouldn’t want to be in your place,” Sophie said. “If Drax walks in here victorious, it could only mean one thing…”
“That I can stop worrying about Drax and start worrying about Crash.”
The girls exchanged looks and I decided to speak up about it.
“I just want to clear the air with you guys. I am a hundred percent committed to Drax. To this MC. I wouldn’t blink an eye if I had to choose between Drax and Crash. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a part of me that’s concerned about my brother too. No matter how monstrous he’s turned out to be.”
Sophie was nodding her head.
“I get it. You’re human. My brother did something pretty terrible too. Though I haven’t forgiven him, I still want him to be well,” Cassie said. I remembered then what Drax had told me about her brother. He was the one who started this whole thing. Crash bribed him to sell Iron Thunder’s shipment to them.
Allegra turned to me with a soft smile too.
“You don’t have to keep explaining yourself to us, Mary-Beth. I know what it’s like to live with guilt, run away from your past, try to make a happy life through all that.”
I didn’t know much about Allegra’s history yet, but I had a feeling she got it.
“Thank you, guys. I feel a lot better now knowing I don’t have to prove myself to everyone here every step of the way.”
Cassie affectionately thumped my chest and I drank some more. I was feeling lighter now. More like myself. Now if only Drax texted me or called me back. I just wanted to know if he was doing fine and then everything would be okay.
I turned to look at the door, anxious and fretful. And that’s when we heard the sound of the bikes outside. They were roaring into the driveway. They were back. The men were back.
I turned to Sophie with my eyes wide and she jumped over the bar counter. Together we
ran toward the door. I just needed to know if Drax was safe. What had happened to my brother? My heart was thudding wildly in my chest. I didn’t know why but I had a bad feeling about this.
17
Drax
We stormed into the Clubhouse together. This time, it wasn’t just the MC returning to Fifth Gear, but there were the strippers too. We had brought the women back with us.
Ghost had already called for doctors and they were supposed to be arriving soon.
While I was in the back office dealing with Crash and his situation, the rest of my MC were taking care of the raid. We’d won. We managed to drive the Silver Knights out of their own strip club. We’d managed to pull all the strippers out and send their customers packing.
The purpose of this raid was to prove to them and the rest of the community that we weren’t just sitting ducks, that we were ready for this war. We were going to do whatever it took to keep our power.
And now their leader was in our captivity. Most of the members of the Silver Knights had fled already, and things were looking up for us. Except that I was battered, bruised, and cut with a gunshot wound.
I needed to rest.
I got off the bike and walked slowly to the entrance of the Clubhouse. That was when I saw her.
Mary-Beth was running toward me. Her golden hair blew in the breeze behind her.
“Drax! Oh, my God!” She was screaming my name.
I had no idea what I looked like right now, but I figured it must be pretty bad because I could see the panic in her eyes; I must have been covered in blood and cuts. I was also limping slightly because that side of my body ached, and I was bleeding out from the wound.
“Drax…what…what happened?” she cried and tried to hug me.
“I’m fine. I’m okay,” I grunted and continued walking in the direction of the Clubhouse. She followed me, hard on my heels.
Maybe our reunion tonight should have been different.
Maybe she was expecting me to lift her up in my arms and kiss her and swing her around. But it was not to be. I couldn’t—physically couldn’t—lift her up. And right now, I was too messed up in the head to know what I needed to do.