by KJ Dahlen
“Yeah, that’s just it though isn’t it?” Thor commented. “I’ve hated that bastard every day of my life. All I ever knew was the pain he gave me every day since I was a kid. I had to watch him beat my mom and I begged her to get us out of there. But she never would leave him. By the time I was seven, he’d broken four bones in my body. By the time I was ten, he’d broken three more. I finally got big enough and tough enough when I was sixteen to fight back. Then at seventeen, he damn near killed both of us.” He looked over at Cobra. “So am I doing this for me or her?”
“I don’t know what to tell you man, but I think you need to see this through. You need closure whether it's for your mom or yourself.” Cobra looked down the road. He could see the cement building in the distance. Huntsville Prison. “It’s not going to be easy, but he’s had seventeen years your mother never did. Today, will end all that. Today, that bastard will go straight to hell and he’ll never hurt anyone ever again. I think you need to witness that for your own peace of mind.”
“Maybe the old bastard won’t haunt my dreams anymore, is that what you're saying?” Thor asked.
Cobra shook his head. “He will probably always haunt your nightmares, but maybe the fact that you were there when he takes that last breath and heads straight into hell will finally ease some of the pain in your heart of what happened that day.”
Thor exhaled slowly. “Then I need to see this done, don’t I?”
Cobra faced him and nodded. “Yeah I think you do. Face that fucker one last time and tell him how you feel. Let him go to hell with your blessing. Tell him all the things you couldn’t tell him as a kid. Then let it all go. Let go of the hatred you feel. You’ve held on to that for far too long. You need to forgive yourself for what happened the day your mom died too.”
“Forgive myself?” Thor frowned.
Cobra nodded. “Yeah man, you’ve been blaming the wrong person all these years. You didn’t kill her, he did. You were a kid and he was a grown man. You aren’t the one who beat her, he did. You have to finally realize you did everything you could to protect her but he was just too damn big and too damn mean.”
Thor listened to his friend’s words and they made sense to him. He finally realized Cobra was right. He had been blaming himself all these years for something he couldn’t change. Then he realized it had been the same with Cobra and Nora. “You didn’t kill Nora either, you know that, right?”
“But I couldn’t stop it either, any more than you could with your mom. At least you’ve known all these years there was nothing that would’ve ever stopped him from doing what he did. Back then about Nora, I didn’t know we were being lied to from day one. I should have, but I didn’t. What really bothers me is the fact that I should have known Nora better than I apparently did. She was a good woman and I should have trusted my feelings for her. I let her down and I won’t ever do that again. That’s what I have to live with now.”
Thor smiled fleetingly. “Yeah, but now you got a woman who trusts you with her life. She would never betray you and you know it.”
“I do know it.” Cobra nodded as he looked over the view they had into the distance. “Ivy Blue is different from any other woman I’ve ever met. She could have left my ass out there in the cold but she didn’t. She didn’t know me from Adam, yet she risked her life for mine and that kind of woman is rare. You know Thor, her actions remind me of what your mom did the night she died. She didn’t hesitate to step in between you and your dad. She knew he was hellbent on killing you that night and she didn’t hesitate to step in to try to protect you, even at the cost of her own life.”
Thor thought about it for a minute then nodded and stared off into the distance now.
“That’s the reason you have to see this through. Not for your dad’s sake but for your mom’s. This will be the last thing you can do for her.”
Cobra spoke his words quietly but they were final and Thor felt it. “You’re right.” He started his bike. “Let’s get this done.”
A few minutes later, they pulled their bikes into the parking lot.
Thor looked around once they parked and not far from them were six other bikes sitting in a row and he stared at one of them. He swore. “Well fucking hell.”
“What is it?” Cobra asked.
Thor turned his head and said, “You are about to meet the biggest piece of shit asshole in this part of Texas. My dad’s old President is here.”
“Who the fuck are you talking about?”
Thor nodded at the line of bikes. “The chrome hog belongs to Satan's Fury MC President, Hellspawn.”
Cobra shrugged. “So what? They can’t start anything in here.”
Thor shook his head. “You don’t understand, they aren’t going to like us wearing our cuts. Fury runs this part of the state and they think if you're born into the MC, you stay with the MC until you aren’t breathing anymore. If I wear this in there, I’m disrespecting them, and Hellspawn isn’t going to like it.”
“What are you going to do?”
Thor looked over at his president and stood up tall. “I wear this cut because it means something to me. I’ll be damned if they’re going to take that away. They played a part in what happened seventeen years ago. They let it happen and I have no doubt it was Hellspawn himself that gave the order for my dad to let me take the blame. You see my dad was his right hand man and he didn’t want to lose his services. I’m proud of who I am, who I am affiliated with, and the fuck I’ll take off my cut for them.”
Cobra nodded and got off his bike. He followed Thor to the visitor’s desk. This wasn’t going to be pleasant any way you fucking sliced it but he would see it through. Thor was his VP and his best friend. He needed him and he was going to be there for him.
Chapter Two
When they entered the observation room, there were four other men sitting there. They turned to look at who entered and when they noticed the vest, they wore all four looked enraged.
One of them got up and stood in front of Thor. “You aren’t welcome here. This is Fury territory.”
The guards all watched the interaction carefully. They had doubled the number of guards because this was an MC gathering and this particular MC was well known in the area. They still had an hour to go before the main event and the prison was on high alert today.
Thor looked at the men in front of him. “We aren’t here to start any trouble, but Bonecrusher was my old man. I am here to see justice done.”
The man frowned as he stared at Thor. “You’re little Nicky?”
Thor nodded.
The man glared at him. “Where the hell have you been the last seventeen years? Bonecrusher hasn’t seen you since the trial ended and he got sent to this hellhole.”
Thor snorted. “He expected me to fucking visit him?” he said with disgust.
“We all did,” a voice from behind him snarled.
Thor and Cobra turned to see Hellspawn and Expo walk in.
Both men were older and Hellspawn looked old. He looked like he had been rode hard and put away wet, old. He had gained a good fifty to seventy pounds and his clothes were dirty. He smelled of booze and body odor. His hair hadn’t been combed in god knows how long and his beard looked long and scraggly.
Thor couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Where you been all this time Nicky?” Hellspawn asked.
“Been around,” Thor answered.
“I see you’re wearing colors,” he noted with a nasty sneer on his face.
Thor nodded.
“They’re the wrong fucking colors.” Hellspawn growled.
“They fit me.” Thor shrugged. “Not here to start trouble.”
“What are you here for then?” Hellspawn asked. “Couldn’t be cause you’re concerned about your old man. You never came to visit him the whole time he was here. You never came to me to become a brother and take your dad’s place in the club. Not that you could, you were nothing like your old man.” He looked over at Cobra. “Instead, you show up here today with him
. Wearing his colors and you didn’t think we would give a fucking shit?”
“I have a right to be here, same as you do,” Thor stated. “I don’t mean disrespect to you or yours but he’s my old man and I want to see this through.”
“You little bastard!” Hellspawn shouted. “You walked away seventeen years ago, and you should have stayed away. Your being here today is too little too fucking late.”
Thor glared at the men he was facing. “I’m not here to apologize to anyone. I’m here to see that bastard breathes his last and I will know my mother can rest in peace. I’m here to watch the grim reaper take his sorry ass straight to hell and take his place in the fiery pit.”
Hellspawn took an angry step toward him but the guards moved closer to keep the peace. That was the only reason the other man stopped. They were escorted to their seat.
Cobra and Thor took seats as far away from the others as they could. The guards stood between them as the curtains opened to show Bonecrusher had already been strapped down to the table.
His face was turned toward the audience and he stared at the men of his MC. Then he looked at Thor and Cobra. His eyes widened in recognition when he saw Thor. He almost smiled then the smile turned to a frown when he saw the colors he was wearing.
“You fucking sonofabitch!” Bonecrusher shouted. “You God damn traitor.” He gazed over at the Warden and began screaming, “I don’t want that little bastard here. Get him the hell out of there!”
The Warden nodded at the guards and they motioned for Thor and Cobra to move.
Hellspawn snorted and looked happy that Thor was leaving.
The Warden joined them in the hall. “I’m sorry to ask you to move but this is an unusual situation. We really don’t want a riot to start today.”
“I need to see this done,” Thor told him. “I’m his son and I want to see this through.”
“I understand all too well,” the Warden agreed. “We have a private viewing room I can allow you to watch from.”
“Will he see us? Will he know I’m still here?” Thor asked.
The warden nodded. “I’ll make sure he knows. And I can cut the mic into the main viewing room, as they don’t need to hear it.” He hesitated then informed them, “Mr. Delaney wanted to claim your father’s personal effects and his body when we release it. Do you have any objections?”
“No, he can have it all. I don’t want anything of his.” Thor nodded. “And I sure as hell don’t want him buried next to my mother. Let the MC have it. They think he’s a fucking hero, whereas I know he’s nothing more than a lowborn bastard.”
When they were ushered into the smaller room the Warden asked, “We only ask that you leave right after the deed is done. We can hold the others for up to an hour to give you time to get clear of the area. We don’t want any trouble here. Please respect our request.”
“Of course. As I said, we didn’t come here for trouble,” Thor assured the other man.
The Warden left and then it was just the two of them.
Cobra watched as he went back to the room where Bonecrusher was laid out. He saw the warden speak to the other man and he watched as rage overtook him.
“You could have just taken off the cut you know,” Cobra told Thor.
“Why? These colors mean something to me. Why would I take my cut off for their sorry asses?” Thor asked.
Cobra shrugged then turned back to the window. They watched Nicholas Quincy A.K.A the Bonecrusher, as he fought the doctor trying to inject the needle in his arm. When the needle was finally in, blood dripped on the floor from the injection site.
The Warden then nodded over to the doctor on site for this purpose and he hit the plunger that would deliver the fatal dose according to the law.
As Bonecrusher felt the moment the mixture hit his body, he fought its effects. But not even Bonecrusher could stop the drugs entering his body. He struggled right up to the end and when death came for him—his face was frozen in terror.
Thor watched for another moment then turned to walk out of the room. He didn’t stop until he walked out of the prison doors. He had seen all he needed to see. His dad was dead. Now maybe the healing that should have been all this time could begin.
“Anything else you need here?” Cobra asked.
“Not here no, but I would like to swing over to Trinity and visit my mom’s grave.”
“How close would we be to Fury's compound?” Cobra asked. “Might not be your swiftest move right now.”
Thor shook his head. “The Fury is over in North Zulch. I didn’t want my mom anywhere near the club. We should be able to get there and get away before they even know we were there.”
“Then let's ride. The quicker we get there the quicker we can get back on the road and out of their territory.”
Thor nodded and swung his leg over his bike. He led the way and twenty minutes later, they pulled into the cemetery just outside the small town of Trinity. He rode over to a small corner. It looked a little forgotten but as they rode up a young woman got to her feet and stared at them.
She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in blue jeans, sneakers and a tank top. Her short black hair curled around her face and her blue eyes blazed with defiance. “What the hell do you want here?” she snarled. “You got no right to be here, so move on.”
Thor stood with his bike between his legs, and reached up to slowly remove his sunglasses. His own dark eyes surveyed her from head to toe and he found he liked what he saw. “Who are you sweetheart?” he drawled. “And what are you doing here? At this grave?”
“What’s it to you, biker boy?” She sneered. “You know wearing those colors even here can get you dead, you know that right? This is Satan’s Fury territory, or so they think.”
“We’re just riding through,” Cobra stated. “We aren’t looking for trouble.”
“Yeah well, you shouldn’t be here today, of all days.” She shook her head.
“What’s so special about today?” Thor asked.
The girl shook her head. “They’re burying a lost member today. He spent a lot of years on death row and today they will put him to death. The club will not be in the best of moods and wearing those colors is not a good idea.”
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Thor demanded.
She glared at him while refusing to answer.
“Elise,” someone shouted.
At the call, the girl started. Turning to stare at the yeller, she growled. “What the hell are you yelling about Digger?”
Another biker stomped his way over to them, grabbed her by the arm, and shook her. “Tank ain’t gonna like this shit.”
Elise shook her head. “Tank ain’t got anything to say about what I do or where I go. I’m not with him or anyone.”
“He don’t see it that way.”
“Let me go.” She snarled, as she broke free. “Go away and leave me alone. I don’t account to you or anyone in the Fury’s for my time.”
“Now Elise,” Digger seethed as he grabbed her again, this time he took her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her back making her cry out. “You know as well as I do that Tank ordered me to watch over you, so you don’t get lost. He’s coming for you in a week's time and it's my job to make sure nothing happens to you. He’s claimed you.”
She struggled to free herself and had to cry out when Digger’s fingers tightened on her wrist. “Let me go! I don’t care if Tank says he claimed me or not. I told him no a million times.”
“I suggest you let her go.” Thor growled. He kicked the stand down and stepped away from his bike. He hated to see her struggle against a man who was obviously bullying her.
“Mind your own fucking business dickhead. This has nothing to do with you. You’re gonna be dead anyway when Fury sees your colors,” Digger assured him.
“Hellspawn’s already seen them fucker.” Thor stepped closer. He reached over, grabbed the man’s wrist and put some pressure on him. He knew he was stronger than Digg
er ever thought to be and he knew exactly how to put a hurt on his scrawny ass.
Digger had no choice but to release Elise’s wrist as he was brought down to his knees as Thor was inflicting a lot pain with his grasp. When he had the boy’s attention, he told him, “I didn’t come here for trouble, I came to visit someone. I’ve already seen your boss and I’m not impressed with him or his fucking club. I’m leaving now, not because you told me to leave but because I don’t want any trouble here. Not today.” Thor threw the boy's wrist away from him.
Elise snorted in delight.
Digger got to his feet and slapped her hard for laughing at him.
Thor turned and decked him hard.
Digger dropped to the ground in almost slow motion. He was out cold.
Elise shook her head then looked at Thor. “Buddy, you might just have found that trouble you weren’t looking for.”
“What do you mean?” Thor wanted to know.
She shook her head. “You just laid out Hellspawn’s nephew. Not only wearing someone else's club colors, but then you lay out his blood, he’s gonna come after you and make an example out of you that’s for sure.”
Thor shook his head and looked down at the man she called Digger. “He shouldn’t have hurt you.”
“We’d better go, Thor before World War three gets here,” Cobra suggested.
“You can’t leave me behind.” She glared at them both. “I’m in this just as deep as you are now. Digger will tell the guys just what they want to hear whether it's true or not.”
Thor ignored her and swung his leg over his engine. She didn’t wait around, instead she went over to his bike and climbed on behind him. “You aren’t leaving me here. I’m not taking a beating for this shit-tastrophe.” She motioned him toward the road. “Let’s get on our way outta here mister.”
Thor glanced over his shoulder and growled. He looked over his other shoulder and glared at Cobra. He growled deeper at the other man’s smirk. But he kicked on his engine and together, they roared out of the cemetery.
Elise yelped as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. The road disappeared as they flew down the highway. She just laid her head on his back and let the road take her away from her troubles. She had no idea where they were going and to her, it didn’t really matter. There was nothing left for her in Trinity anyway. The further away they got, the freer her heart felt.