by Kasey Krane
“The Silver Knights are in hiding. Drax and his men raided Teasers last night. You remember that, right?”
My brother stared at me blankly again. I seriously doubted that he recalled anything that happened last night. It was a little scary to think what might have been going on in his head, how much damage the drugs had already done.
“Where is Eagle?” he insisted, and I gulped nervously.
“He’s hiding too,” I answered. That was my best guess.
“But I need to see him.”
“What you need right now is our help, Danny. Do you get that? Silver Knights is destroyed. You are not an MC President anymore, and you will have to pay for all the damage you have done to the community. To this town. To the Iron Thunders.”
He looked up at me sharply. Some of those words must have registered in his head.
“I did what anybody in my position would have done. For absolute power.”
“Why did you want absolute power, Danny? We were all coexisting in peace, weren’t we? The Iron Thunders never tried to take power from you. What made you want to start a war with them? A war you would never win.”
I went up closer to him as I spoke. I wanted to see him more clearly. His bloodshot eyes roamed in every direction. It was like he couldn’t focus on a single thing.
“Fuck that. I need to speak to Eagle. If you want to fuckin’ help me, you will go get me Eagle.”
I shook my head. “You’re not hearing me, Danny, Eagle is gone. He’s hiding somewhere. He shot Drax. He could have killed him. He abandoned you, his own President. Why do you want to see him?”
Crash stood up then with a jerk. He came toward me and I backed away from him. Before I knew what he was going to do, he grabbed me by my wrist and yanked me to himself. His face was level with mine and I could smell the stench of his sweat. I was afraid again but tried to keep calm. He couldn’t do anything to me here.
I glared right back at him, daring him to do something.
“You think you’re some kind of Queen Bee around here, do you? You’re fuckin’ sleeping with the enemy. Do you get that?” he hissed.
I tried to keep calm. I had to keep calm. He didn’t know his own mind. He didn’t know what he was talking about.
“I am just trying to help you, Danny. We all are. You need to let me help you.”
His nostrils flared. The stench of him made me gag. It was heartbreaking seeing him like this. Seeing what he was reduced to.
“And why do you think I need your help? Or anybody else’s?” he snarled.
“Because you clearly have a problem,” I answered.
He blinked, but in silence, and then just as suddenly, he let go of my wrist and stepped back. I felt a heavy load lift off my chest, but I wasn’t going to let him see that. I gulped and watched him step toward the skylight, the only source of light in the room.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Mary-Beth, and you should stay out of it.”
“Just admit it, Danny.”
“I have nothing to admit.”
“If you saw yourself through my eyes, you would see that you’re not yourself. You are not acting rationally. You have no sense of loyalty. You’re not even concerned for your own MC.”
He wasn’t looking at me anymore.
“And who is feeding you all this? Your boyfriend?”
“Drax let you live. For my sake.”
“And what does he want from me? A standing fuckin’ ovation?”
“Some gratitude won’t go amiss,” I replied. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was rolling his eyes.
“Danny, please look at me. Please?” I tried urging him, but he wasn’t going to turn. “Okay, then just listen to what I have to say.”
I waited but he didn’t respond.
“You have a second chance; do you get that? Drax let you live but on the condition that you don’t stir up any more shit. That you get…get help. Let us help you. I want you to come out clean on the other side.”
“Come out clean?” he growled and finally whipped around to face me. He was never going to admit it, that he had a drug problem. If he did, that would be admitting weakness.
“You can start all over again. Do you see that? This is your chance.”
Crash was glaring at me like he wished I’d just disappear. Like he hated me. How could he hate me? How couldn’t he see I was here to help him? Why didn’t he want my help? What had the drugs done to him?
I felt the sting of hot tears in my eyes again.
“Please, Danny?” I whispered. He clenched his jaws and took in a deep breath.
“Never. Go and tell your boyfriend that.”
I was frustrated. I was incredibly frustrated with Crash. I was mad at him enough to want to punch him myself. But Drax had already done that for me.
How could he be so stubborn? How could he not see that I was trying to help him?
“It doesn’t matter what you want. The fact is that we won, and you lost. Drax kicked your ass,” I said. My voice was a hiss. I didn’t care about being calm or kind anymore. I was done with this.
The color rose in his cheeks and he shuddered again a little. I could see his temper rising.
“The Silver Knights is finished. I hope you get that through your thick skull. You should be kissing the ground Drax walks on because he’s let you live.”
Whatever my brother wanted to say to me, he was biting back his words. I had to admit, this was satisfying. I couldn’t remember the last time I had spoken to him like this. Probably never. But now I wasn’t holding back.
I took a few steps toward him and noticed the tightness behind his eyes. His fists were clenched into balls. He knew he couldn’t touch me, as much as he wanted to smack me. He couldn’t. All I had to do was scream once and Flash and the other guys would storm this room. The punishment for touching me would be much more severe than whatever else Crash had faced already.
“The only reason you’re still alive is because Drax treats me like a Queen. Because he knew I would have wanted you to live. So, don’t make him regret that decision. Don’t piss him off.”
I was close to spitting on him and wanted to do something. I wanted him to understand that he was under Drax’s control now.
“I know everything. All the stupid shit you pulled. All the ways you tried to gain control over Iron Thunder. But none of that worked because Drax is superior to you. In every way. And you should be ashamed of yourself.”
My brother’s eyes softened. I could only hope that the words were hitting home, but I didn’t have my hopes up. He looked dulled. I wasn’t even sure he was capable of thinking straight right now.
“So it doesn’t matter what you want, dear brother. All that matters is what you’re going to get. Admit it or not, we are going to do something about this problem of yours.”
Crash was gritting his teeth. So hard that I was sure they would crack.
“You’re going to get clean and then you’re going to make a deal with Drax. A deal in repayment for sparing your life. Then you’re going to crawl under some rock and stay there till we are convinced you aren’t going to pull some stupid stunt again.”
With that, I whipped away from him and walked to the door. I wasn’t going to give him a chance to respond. I didn’t even want to hear what he had to say. I just wanted him out of my sight.
I knocked on the door once and Flash was quick to open it.
“You can lock this up now,” I said as I walked past him.
Maybe I should have gone straight up to the room and talked to Drax, but I needed a breather. Seeing my brother in that state—the conversation we ended up having, the threats we both made to each other—seemed to have taken a toll on me.
I headed straight for the back door of the Clubhouse instead and rushed out like I was gasping for air. It was a cloudy day. Drizzling. Not the right kind of weather to help me feel better. In fact, it almost made me feel worse.
I looked up at the sky, allowi
ng some drops of drizzle to fall on my face.
“Hey, you okay?” It was Sophie. I turned to see her stepping out to join me. “I heard you went to see your brother and then you went gunning for the back door. What did he say?”
“He hates me. He hates everyone. I think he hates himself a little too,” I said. I didn’t know whether to tell Sophie what was really going on, that Crash was potentially on drugs. I didn’t know if the rest of the MC was supposed to know about it. But honestly, it was plain to see for anybody who went near him. It was that obvious.
How had I not noticed it before? Maybe I could have helped him.
Sophie looked sympathetic.
“Yeah, it’s hard. For everyone. Especially for you. You must be filled with a whole bag of mixed emotions.”
I gulped and then nodded.
“I want to be able to help him. Drax wants to help him too. As long as he stays under control. But I know he’s going to fight it the whole way. It’s going to be a long journey for us.”
“But at least Drax is on your side. You don’t have to do this alone,” she said. She had a point. I nodded.
“It’s going to be hard, but at least this way you don’t have to choose. Between your brother and your man.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“I know I am. So for now, come in and I’ll fix you a drink.”
“It’s like two in the afternoon!” I said with a chuckle. Sophie shrugged.
“So? Who is complaining? You need a drink and if today isn’t a day for drinking in the afternoon, then when is it?”
She put an arm around me and together we went in. I was beginning to feel a little relieved. Crash was alive. He would get the help he needed. We would get there in the end. Eventually. To a place where his life would be under control.
And all this was going to be possible because Drax loved me. I knew I was lucky to have him.
The first person I saw when we got to the bar was Mercy. She was one of the strippers at the Silver Knights strip club. Even though Ghost had told me last night that the place was evacuated, and the girls had been given a place to spend the night safely, I was surprised to see her.
She was sitting at a table in the corner of the bar, nursing a glass of what looked like orange juice. She still had her outfit on from last night and her makeup was all smudged. When she looked up and met my eyes, I saw her expression change. She was glad to see a familiar face.
We weren’t exactly friends, but we knew each other. Sophie had handed me a glass of vodka and I carried it over to Mercy’s table.
“Hi!”
“Mary-Beth! I heard you might be around here, but I didn’t expect to actually see you.”
“Yeah, I was here the whole night.”
“You’re with the President of this MC, right?” she enquired, and I smiled and nodded. “The guys have been super nice to us. Like, we were so scared and lost. We didn’t know what was going to happen to us, but we got a safe place to stay at night and one of the guys told us they’re going to try and get us all jobs.”
I was glad to hear it. This was exactly why I loved Drax so much. Why I believed in the Iron Thunders. They never compromised on their belief system and their moral standards.
“You will be well taken care of, don’t worry. All they want from you is your loyalty,” I said. Mercy was nodding. She looked relieved.
“I might not even have to strip anymore!” she exclaimed, and I was smiling again.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I hope the other girls are doing well too. I guess I’ll see you around,” I said, and I was about to walk away. I wanted to go sit at the bar and talk to Sophie some more. And then I wanted to go to Drax. Maybe he was awake by now. But Mercy rose up quickly and grabbed my hand.
“Mary-Beth, wait!”
I eyed her suspiciously. Her expression had changed again. She looked worried now.
“I want to do this right. I want to show the Iron Thunders how loyal I can be.”
“Is there something you want to tell me?” I asked, prying my hand out of her grip.
Mercy gulped and then sat back down again.
“It’s about Eagle,” she began.
I remained silent. My heart was racing again. I didn’t want to hurry her, but now I was desperate to know more.
“He…he has been trying to take control of the Silver Knights for over a year now. He’s been trying to overthrow your brother.”
My brows were crossed. Mercy looked around suspiciously and dropped her voice. “He got Crash hooked on heroin.”
My heart sank. I knew Eagle was up to something. Crash was unnaturally attached to his VP. I should have known.
“Has he been supplying it to my brother?” I asked. Mercy nodded.
“Yeah. He kept Crash doped up and was making all the decisions for him. He basically started slowly taking control of the MC. He wanted all the power. Crash has no idea.”
“No, he doesn’t. He still thinks Eagle is loyal to him, is going to work for him.”
Mercy chewed on her lip.
“Do you know where he is?” she asked me.
“Who? Eagle? No. He’s gone into hiding like the rest of the Silver Knights.”
She breathed in deeply and then started shaking her head.
“He may be hiding right now, but he won’t be for very long. If I had to take a guess, he’s planning something.”
“Planning what?”
“An attack. He’s going to want to take control of the Iron Thunder. Taking control of the city was always his plan. Not Crash’s. Now with Crash out of the picture, he’s not going to give up that plan.”
“And Drax won’t be expecting it. Drax thinks the Silver Knights have been reduced to rubble. He won’t be prepared for an attack,” I murmured, more to myself than to Mercy. But she was nodding her head in agreement.
“I have to go find him!”
“Find who?”
It was Drax, standing behind me. I turned to him slowly and found Ghost and Bolt on either side of him. Drax was smiling.
“Y…you. I was going to the room to look for you. What are you doing out of bed?” I asked.
“I feel fine,” he said and reached for me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. “How did the talk with your brother go?”
I searched his eyes. Drax didn’t suspect anything. I gulped.
“Yeah, fine, I guess. He’s just going to have to deal with his current situation.”
Drax smirked.
“But there is something else you should know about.”
“Tell me on the way. We’re going to the store first and then back to the apartment. The guys have offered to handle the scene here for the next few days. You and I are going to stay locked in the apartment,” he said, gently walking me away from the group. He was smiling and looked relaxed. He looked like a man who was totally content.
I loved the sound of that! It was exactly how I wanted to spend the next few days. With not a care in the world. But I had no choice. There was something else that had to come first.
I pulled away from Drax so he could look at me while I spoke.
This was serious.
“You can’t stay away from the Clubhouse now. You have to get to work,” I said. Drax chuckled because he thought this was a joke.
“Who are you and what have you done to my woman?” he growled happily.
I shook my head. “I wish this was funny, Drax. But Iron Thunders is still under attack. It’s Eagle. He’s planning it. He’s taken over the Silver Knights in secret and he’s going to come for us,” I said.
Sneak Peak at Ghost
We attacked Teasers last night, the strip club that used to be owned and operated by the Silver Knights, but now they’ve scattered. Their President is under lockdown here at our Clubhouse now, and he also happens to be Mary-Beth’s brother. The fact that Mary-Beth and our President, Drax, are back in a relationship again means that shit is going to get really complicated from here.
Under any other circumstances, after the shit he pulled on us, Crash would be dead by now. There was no reason to spare him other than that he was Drax’s family, in a way. He couldn’t order the execution because he wouldn’t know how to console Mary-Beth. Despite everything, and even though we know her loyalty lies with Drax, Crash is still her brother.
Yeah I was fuckin’ pissed off, and had no interest in hiding it. We should have just ended the bastard and moved on with our lives. Instead, he was locked up in our cellar, one of us constantly on guard. Waste of resource. Waste of space.
Because of Crash and his stupidity, our MC had been under serious attack for the past months.
We had always operated on a live-and-let-live motto around here. We’d had no intention of warring with the Silver Knights, till they stole our cargo and started this shitstorm. And now there’s no going back. We had to retaliate. We had to protect ourselves and what is ours.
Even though we won last night at Teasers and sent them scooting on their sorry asses, it caused damage to us too. Our men were injured, some of them badly, many coming close to fatal injuries. And now our Clubhouse was teeming with the strippers from Teasers that Drax had ordered us to house.
These girls were in Silver Knights’ employ for years. When their strip club was under attack, they emptied out but now they had nowhere to go. Drax ordered that we brought them back here. We were running out of fuckin’ space, but we were following the President’s orders.
So now when I walked down the Clubhouse corridors, all I could see were chicks with bleach-blonde hair and copper-tanned bodies. On any other night, I would have taken my pick and fucked one of them in my room. Maybe two at the same time, depending on my mood. But tonight I was pissed off. Tonight, I just wanted to get my head around what we were going to do about Crash.
I went up to my room to take a shower, to get rid of the blood caked between my fingers and in my ears. When I peeled off my clothes, I saw bullet-burn marks on my skin I hadn’t noticed before. The bleeding must have stopped some time ago because I wasn’t losing any more blood, but still they burned when the hot steamy water hit my body.