by K E Osborn
K E Osborn
USA Today Bestselling Author
Vengeance
The Chicago Defiance MC Companion Novella
K E Osborn
USA Today Bestselling Author
Copyright 2020 K E Osborn
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.
ISBN: 978-1922489135
Editing by Swish Design & Editing
Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing
Book design by Swish Design & Editing
Cover design by Designs by Dana
Cover Image Copyright 2021
First Edition – Published in Call My Bluff Anthology 2020
Second Edition 2021
All Rights Reserved
The love of your family should be unconditional.
My lineage—a long line of MC presidents before me.
My role—to live up to the expectations of those who filled the shoes I now wear.
Through my self-doubt, the lights of Vegas shine a beacon of hope.
A phoenix to rise through the ashes.
When my VP goes rogue, putting the club in jeopardy for his chance at happiness, will I find mine when the dust finally settles?
Or will my darkest secret be the very thing that not only destroyed my past but also a chance at a bright future?
This story isn’t about finding a way through—it’s deception, misunderstandings, attraction, and lies.
Love—it’s possible.
But who will have their vengeance?
Blurb
Family Tree
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Connect With Me Online
About the Author – K E Osborn
VIPER
I slam my gavel hard on the table at the end of church, the loud thump resounding through the room as I take in my men. My VP, Vex, who also happens to be my cousin, sits to my left and Socket, my baby brother and Sergeant At Arms, to my right. Around the table of the Chicago Defiance MC, it’s a real family affair. My other cousin, Highway, sits at the end opposite me. While the rest of the men of my club-family, not by blood but the men I’ve grown up with, surround the table—Kampai, Vegas, and Atomic.
The thing about us is we grew up here.
Every single one of us.
We’re all sons of elders.
Hell, Socket and I have the privilege of having an ex-president as our father.
Rylan ‘Torque’ O’Shea—his name is famous around the streets of Chicago.
Synonymous with winning fights against the Yakuza, coming up against an ex-POTUS, turning the leader of the Andretti Mafia into an ally, and bringing down underworld organizations, to name a few, yeah, Rylan ‘Torque’ O’Shea is like a myth, a fucking legend in these parts. So, it’s tough being in my position—the president of this club—while trying to live up to his image and all the good he did for the Chicago underworld.
But I’m trying.
We’re all trying.
And with my dad, the fucking legend himself here in the background as our ‘Wise One,’ he’s always giving my brothers advice about what to do.
My brothers stand from the table getting ready to walk out while my attention is brought back into the here and now. My blood brother, Socket, is loitering at the rear of the chapel, and Atomic is sitting at his tech station.
I exhale, aware of what they want.
So, I walk over to them.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking, but it can’t be a serious threat, can it?” I ask, my eyes focused in on Atomic.
He grits his teeth while typing something into the computer system. His father, Ace, still tries to come in and take over. Often. I guess you never stop being a tech guy for the club. “I don’t know if there is any other way to see it, Pres. Unless someone’s sending out false data, it’s pretty conclusive.”
I shake my head in aggravation. “I don’t want this to be true. We’ve had peace in the streets of Chicago for years. My father and the brothers around him brokered that peace, and now because of one stupid misunderstanding, that could all be blowing up in our damn faces.”
Socket grips my shoulder. “Look, I know you haven’t been wearing that president’s patch for a long time, but shit, brother, if you need advice, you know who to turn to. Dad knows these guys better than anyone. He’ll know what to do. There’s no shame in trying to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand.”
I flare my nostrils. “Yeah… but fuck! Last thing I want is to go to Dad with this, but I see no other option.” I swipe my hand through my hair. “He’s gonna fucking kill us,” I murmur the last part.
Socket grimaces. “Want me to come with? You know, for back up?”
“Nah… I’m the president. I have to man up to my club’s mistakes.”
I turn, heading out of the chapel.
Music assaults my ears as Jada and Mish serve behind the bar, their tits practically hanging out of their tops. The two new prospects, Kaden and Ash, are drinking heavily, their eyes firmly set on the club girls’ cleavages.
I roll my eyes, walking past them. “Go! Clean the damn bikes, prospects.”
They both turn, dropping their beers to the bar with shock. “Yes, Pres,” they blurt out in unison and scurry off. I may not have been president for long, but being a third-generation president gives you mad respect.
I just hope I haven’t screwed it up in my first month of being in the damn chair.
My eyes continue to search the clubroom. It’s a mismatch of the old and new. The next generation is climbing the ranks while the older generation is slowly taking a back seat.
My parents have entered their early sixties.
Dad could have stayed on the throne. There was no reason for him to hand it down to me. He’s not sick, but he told me he wanted to spend more time with Mom and maybe travel. He spent his years behind the desk, and he wanted to pass on the gavel. That way, he could be here to guide me—well, Socket and me. When Dad did that, my Uncle Trax decided to do the same. So, his son, Vex, was promoted to VP.
Vex is just like his father—immature in his actions, irrational in his ways. They say deviance is an absence of conformity to the normal, and you better believe Vex is just like that. His moods are up, down, and all over the place. He’s a loose cannon.
Mom and Dad sit in the corner, all cozied up. It’s crazy, even at their age at how loved-up they still are. As I walk over, their heads turn up, and I grit my teeth.
“Hey, Pres.” Dad chuckles. “You don’t have any clue how fucking proud I am to say that to you, Beau.”
I scowl. “Dad, call me Viper. You know that.”
Mom smiles. “He’s just letting you know that you’ve come a long way, is all.”
&n
bsp; Tensing, I understand what she’s referring to. “Mom, I don’t want to talk about that.”
Dad sits forward. “Pres, your time in the Army taught you how to be strong. You shouldn’t disregard it so easily.”
I cock my head. “Yeah, well, the Army is history now. I have bigger fish to fry at the moment. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” I grab a seat opposite them and plonk my ass down.
Dad shrugs. “You can always talk to me, kid. You know that.”
I let out a groan. “I don’t think you’re gonna wanna hear this.”
Dad sits taller. “What did you do?”
Rubbing my face, I let out a huff. “Vex did something…” I grimace, “… stupid.”
“Still taking after his father, I see.” Mom snickers.
Dad pulls his lips into a thin line, but I continue, “It’s to do with Nio Andretti.”
Dad’s face falls, turning red with obvious anger. “Nio isn’t like his mother, Viper. I don’t have control over the Andrettis now like I used to. What. The. Fuck. Has. Vex. Done?”
I rub the back of my neck to ease the tension. It doesn’t help. “You know how Nio was kind of seeing that girl, Isabella?” Dad nods. I exhale. “Vex is in love with her. Apparently, they’ve been dating each other behind Nio’s back and… he’s fuming.”
Dad slumps with a groan. “So, you’re telling me that after all this damn time, a new reign comes over the Defiance MC, and now the Andrettis and us are going back to war… over a fucking female?”
I roll my shoulders. “I don’t want it to come to that, Dad. That’s why I’m coming to you.”
Dad glances at Mom, the worried expression telling me everything. “Nio’s a loose cannon. He’s ruthless. Conniving. He lost his father and had no one to guide him.” Dad sighs. “I don’t know if I speak with Bianca that we can fix this, kid.”
Bianca is the matriarch of the Andretti Mafiosos. She ran the entire famiglia when her husband met his untimely end. She raised Nio and his sister on her own while being in charge of the most powerful mafia in Chicago. Bianca stepped aside when Nio came of age and took his rightful place as Capo Di Tutti Capi.
I dip my chin as a sense of courage fills my chest.
I can do this.
I can find a way.
I’m the motherfucking president of the Chicago Defiance MC.
We’ve been at war with the Andrettis.
We’ve been at peace with the Andrettis.
There’s no way we can’t make it through this again.
Through the decades this club has fought battles.
In love.
In war.
In life.
In death.
And we’ve come out swinging after all of them.
I might be new at the head of this club, but it doesn’t mean I won’t stand up. It doesn’t mean I don’t know this club inside and out.
This club—this club is a tightknit unit.
We’re family, and we work well together.
We bond together.
Anything that happens to any of us happens to all of us.
I take a deep breath, cracking my neck to the side. “Then, if the old generation can’t settle this brewing war, I guess it’s up to us. The next generation. Nio might be a loose cannon, but so is Vex. Having them both fighting over the same woman is like a fucking disaster waiting to happen. Leave it to me. I’ll think of something.”
“I know you will, kid, that’s why you’re the president. These shoes are yours to fill, Viper.”
I grip Dad’s shoulder, dipping my chin. “Thanks. Now I need to see my VP.”
Mom reaches her hand out, gripping my forearm. “Go easy on Vex. He might act all high and mighty, but deep down, he’s as soft as they come.”
I let out a snort. “Vex? Soft? You’ve met the douche, right?”
Dad smirks. “He takes after your Uncle Trax when he was the same age. Hot-headed. Damn moods all over the place. But deep down, he has a heart of gold. He just doesn’t want anyone to see it.”
“And you have?”
Mom’s lips turn up. “Aunts know these things.”
“Mm-hmm. I gotta go. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Please do. And kid…” I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
I snort out a laugh, hightailing it to find Vex. I know exactly where he’ll be and make my way to the armory, my heavy boots stomping as I walk. Upon entering, the lights are bright in the stairwell for the Chamber. I was right. I take the steps two at a time heading down into the dank, musty room. It always smells like rotten mold whenever I come down here. I push on the heavy steel door which creaks with the heaviness of its weight, and I step into the dimly lit underground room.
This is the men’s room.
This is where shit gets done.
This is where men lose their minds to the madness of their demons, and their devils take hold.
This is the Chamber, and this is carnage. This place holds within its walls the beast inside us, and we let it rage, we let it ravage. In the Chamber, all bets are off, and you don’t want to be the man sitting in the silver fucking torture chair.
As my foot slides from the bottom step into the dimly-lit room, a drop of water hits the top of my head. The walls are solid stone, so no sound can escape. Moss grows through the hairline cracks, and the smell is not describable. The space is like an underground bunker. This is the place where Vex takes out all his frustrations, all his pent-up emotion, on whichever poor unwilling soul is his target.
But not today.
Today his target is the boxing bag as he pounds into it relentlessly in the corner of the darkened room. His cut and shirt off, his torso is glistening in sweat as it rolls off him. Vex is in the zone. He’s aware this war is brewing because of him. I don’t need to lay on any sort of guilt trip. Vex is temperamental, we all know that, but he also has a hereditary form of bipolar disorder passed onto him from his mother, Sparx. He’s medicated, and most of the time under control, but he’s always on edge. We just need to find a way to fix this latest shitstorm.
I walk past the silver torture chair and keep going. He knows I’m here, but he doesn’t stop his assault on the beaten-up, ratty old punching bag.
“We should kill him… that would solve every fucking thing,” he mumbles, then lands a right hook making the bag swing even harder with the brute force of his hands.
I fold my arms over my chest. “Sure, let’s do that. Then his underboss will come after us with the entire Andretti Mafia! And not only that, but we’ll have the one Andretti who is on our side turn on us, too.”
Vex stops punching, letting out a loud huff. “His mother, Bianca? She’s on his side anyway. As if she’s going to see this from our point of view.”
“Goddam, Vex! You’re sleeping with Nio’s woman. It’s a big fucking deal. If a Mafioso is promised a woman, then…” I scrape my fingers through my hair, “… she’s his.”
Vex stands taller glaring right at me, the pure venom in his eyes could kill me if it were lethal. “She’s not his. She’ll never be fucking his!”
I throw my hands in the air. “Then honestly, what the fuck are we gonna do about it? You won’t give her up. Nio won’t give her up. Unless polygamy is on the table, then I don’t see an option here, brother. You’re gonna have to let her go.”
He curls up his lip, pulling the Velcro off his gloves with heavy tears. “Thing is, Viper, you might be a damn good president, but you’re an asshole at being family.” He drags off his gloves, throwing them directly at my chest with force. I let out a huff as I catch them.
Vex picks up his shirt and cut, then heads for the stairs.
“You know this is the right thing to do, Vex.”
He flips me the bird before taking the stairs two at a time.
I’m unsure if I got through to him, but he didn’t fight me like I thought he would.
Maybe, just maybe, he’ll put the club first.
But my gut is telling me this isn’t going to be that easy.
VIPER
We haven’t heard anything from the Andrettis regarding the situation with Vex and Isabella.
Vex has been unusually quiet today, keeping to himself. Basically, he’s sulking in his room like a spoiled little brat. I get it, I guess. Being told you can’t have the woman you love, and that she’s being forced to spend her life with a man she despises, is not ideal, but we all have to make sacrifices to keep the peace. Some of us need to sacrifice more than others. Is it fair? Fuck no, but it is just the way of the damn world.
He needs to step up, be the VP he was born to be. Otherwise, I might need to rethink his position at the table. Socket’s capable and nowhere near as emotionally unstable as Vex.
I’m sitting at the ‘summer camp tables’ aptly named by Mom eating my dinner when Sparx comes rushing through the clubroom holding a piece of paper in her hand. She scurries up to Trax making me narrow my eyes at them. As parents of Vex and his twin, Grace, seeing my aunt worked up over something has me intrigued.
They both make their way over to my dad to show him the note.
Dad’s eyes immediately fall on me.
And instantly, I know some shit’s going down.
Fuck.
I slide my plate away, stand, and walk over to the elders with a stern look on my face. “What is it?”
Dad exhales, handing me the note. I hesitate for a moment aware whatever’s written on it I’m not going to like. I peer down to see Vex’s handwriting which instantly has my back up.
Mom, Dad,
I’ve gone to get Izzy, and we’re leaving for a few days. Viper can’t see any way out of this, but I can. If I stop Nio’s wedding to Izzy, then there’s no way they can be together. I need to take that leap with her first.
I’d love it if you could be there to help us celebrate.
Friday, 9:00 p.m.
Chapel of Crystals
Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino (North Tower)