by KJ Dahlen
Cobra nodded. “What about him?”
“Well, come to find out he wasn’t one of Hellspawn’s men, he might have been one of ours,” Thor told him.
Cobra glared at the other man then turned to study Dani. “The fuck you say?”
Dani shrugged. “I told him it was over twenty years ago and that it didn’t matter to me one way or the other. He was dead and I can’t prove it either way. My mom wouldn’t even tell me his name but she had a tat on her wrist that said Soldiers and Hondo on it but that’s about all I know.”
Cobra nodded then asked her. “Do you want to know?”
“Know what?” Dani frowned.
“His name,” Cobra stated. “You should at least know that much about the man.” He studied her face. “I thought you looked familiar but I just couldn’t place why. I see it now you have his eyes.”
“What do you know boss?” Thor stared at him.
“When she was telling us her story, something flashed in my memory, back to when it all happened. It was pretty much like she said. When the club was still growing, twenty two years ago. We were young and wild as hell.” Cobra chuckled. "Your dad was a man named Jethro Rowlett. His road name was Speed because he liked to race at high speeds. He could outrun any cop and he rode his bike as if it were an extension of himself, it was part of him. Your mom must have been Janet then.”
Dani nodded. “She was.”
Cobra nodded. “She was a good woman, one that didn’t put up with shit. Speed wasn’t one that denied himself anything. When Janet got pregnant with you, he asked her to move in with him. He told her he would take care of both of you and he did for a while. But then he got mixed up with other women and Janet wouldn’t accept that shit. She moved out but she wanted him to take care of his responsibility to you. She never begged him for anything but he couldn’t just let her go either. He was the one who wanted her and other women as well. Janet didn’t like it and she refused him. He got upset with her and smacked her around on more than one occasion. But she never came to the club to make a complaint, so we couldn’t do anything about it. Then when you were about two I'm guessing and he got mad at you over something stupid, I mean you were just a kid back then and he smacked you hard across the face and that was when shit hit the fan. Your mom went total mama bear on his dumb ass and she let him have it in front of the whole club.”
Dani nodded. “That sounds like my mom, all right. She taught me never to lay down and take crap.”
Cobra nodded and chuckled under his breath. “When she got done giving him what for, she picked you up and walked away. She packed you both up and left in the middle of the night. We never heard from her again, and believe me, we tried to find her. Jethro went on a rampage when she left but he never found her either. You see after her cursing him and sharing what all he had been doing, he lost his status with the club and that pissed him off...a lot. He had to earn back his rank and that didn’t make him happy at all.” Cobra exhaled. “It was either that or get out altogether. About six months later, he took up with another woman and he tried to pull the same shit with her but she wasn’t having any of it. He lost what little sense God gave him and he started hitting her. She grabbed a pistol and she defended herself by putting all six bullets into him.”
Dani lowered her head as she listened. She was stunned as all this information was new to her. Her mom never told her what happened back then. She always said it was in the past and the past was over. They had to live for the future. She learned not to ask about her father. Until now, she hadn’t even known his name.
Thor watched her the entire time as he held her hand.
Shaking his head, Cobra told her, “The cops called it manslaughter but everyone in the club knew it was self defense. She spent four years in prison for what she’d done. You see the first bullet is the one that killed him but she didn’t stop firing at him until the gun was empty.”
“Thank you for telling me this,” she whispered. “My mom wouldn’t talk about him at all and now, I know why.”
Cobra stared at her for a moment then told her, “Speed wasn’t the only one looking for the two of you.”
Dani frowned. “Who else was looking for us?”
“Your dad had family living in the area. His dad Owen is still alive and he had three brothers. One of his brothers joined the club a couple of years after Jethro died. His name is Joel but his road name is Spirit. He was in the military and a damn good sniper. We call him Spirit because one minute, he’s there and then he’s gone again, and the only thing he leaves behind is usually his target.”
Dani stared at him for a long time before she spoke, “I’m not looking for family troubles, so if it’s all the same to you, please don’t tell them you found me. I didn’t know my father at all once we left and I was only two at the time, so I can say I didn’t know him at all.”
“They’re still your family.” He pointed out.
Dani nodded. “Well, let's say then if I live through this mess I’ll think about it, but right now we have to get through this first.”
“You belong to me, to us.” Thor stated. “You were born into the club and we don’t leave anyone behind.”
Cobra nodded. “That’s true enough.”
“Let’s just get through this before we make plans for the future. For all we know, I may not have one,” Dani suggested.
“That just ain’t going to happen sweetness.” Thor growled. “Not on my watch.
Rigger came out of his office at a dead run while shouting, “Incoming!”
Chapter Nine
“What do we have?” Gunner called out.
“About a dozen men,” Rigger told him as he set his laptop on the table where the men were all gathering. They all looked at the faces of the men just outside the gates.
Dani gasped. “Those are Digger’s men, not the MC.” She looked up at Thor and asked. “What? I mean how did they happen to get here first?”
Thor shook his head. “I don’t know, but he’s who we will deal with first then.”
Gunner looked at his men. “I want six of you guys on the roof, the rest of you find a vantage point and pray these guys can be reasoned with. This is our home we’re defending.”
“Where do you want us?” DeeDee asked. “And before you say something stupid like locked out of the way, don’t. Just don’t.” She narrowed her yes at him. “This is our home too, and you are our men. Where else would we be but at your backs?”
Gunner smiled. “Indeed.” He looked around at several of the women standing there waiting for their orders. “Those of you who can shoot, grab a gun and find a safe place to hunker down. If you can’t shoot, find someone who can and be prepared to help them reload.”
Winona snorted. “We might not all have been born in Texas, what makes you think we can’t all shoot? Boone has been giving me lessons in the down time. I can shoot.”
“Daddy, even I can shoot when I want to.” Dana growled. “I may not be the best shot but I can shoot.”
“Oh, my god...” Dani called out.
“What is it?” Gunner demanded as he turned around to watch the screen.
They watched in silence as Digger came up behind the one they called Tank. Digger grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back with one hand while the other brought a wicked looking knife to Tank’s throat. Digger had an unholy gleam in his eyes when he dug the knife into Tank’s neck and drew it across the exposed skin of his throat.
They all watched as Tank tried to fight his containment but no one helped him. Soon, blood sprayed out from the cut and soaked his shirt. Before he was even gone, Digger tossed his body down in the dirt.
Digger threw back his head and they could see him scream out his battle cry.
The rest of his men hooted and hollered right along beside him. The six men gathered their weapons and disappeared up the steps without a word.
Dani just stood there as she paled.
Thor came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms
. “You were right about one thing. These men are wild animals.”
Dani turned in his arms and hugged him tight. She couldn’t bear to let him go just now but Thor didn’t mind that so much.
“In the clubhouse...” Digger shouted to them from outside.
“What do you want here?” Gunner called out.
“I want the stones Bonecrusher stole seventeen years ago. They belong to the club,” Digger shouted back.
Many of his men laughed out loud while razzing him on.
“We’ve already told Hellspawn he wasn’t getting them,” Gunner called out.
Digger threw back his head and laughed out loud. “Yeah, well Hellspawn ain’t in charge of us no more. He and the others met up with an accident on their way home you see.”
Dani looked up at Thor then she looked over at Gunner and Cobra.
“How did you hear about the stones, if they didn’t make it home?” Gunner finally asked.
“Oh, we met them along the way home,” Digger assured them. “It was a terrible crash you see. None of them survived but Hellspawn lived long enough to tell us about the stones. He said something foolish like Dani was threatening to flush them down the toilet. Did you really tell him that load of bullshit?”
“Yes, I did!” Dani called out. “And I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. I will flush the stones if you try to come in here. I figure I got nothing left to lose either way. But sure as shit, those stones will be gone.”
“Then the blood of these people will be on your hands Dani. You’ll go to your grave knowing you killed them all. All we want here is the stones and we’ll ride away.” He paused then shouted out, “Give us those fucking stones and we’ll be merciful. You make us come in there after them, and we’ll kill everyone but we’ll kill you last.”
“Well damn Digger, if I could count on you to keep your word it would be one thing but you can’t tell the truth if your life depended on it.” Dani walked toward the front door. Throwing open the portal, she glared out into the darkness. “I hope you didn’t tell these boys of yours that you’d share the stones with them. Cuz we all know you won’t do anything of the kind. You got your uncle’s greed inside you. Everyone who knows you knows you don’t share well with others. You never have.”
“Shut your fucking mouth you lousy bitch!” Digger screamed at her.
“Let me ask you guys something,” she called out. “He had to sneak up behind Tank to slice his throat. That way he wouldn’t have to look in the man’s eyes when he killed him. Did he do the same when Hellspawn and others died or did you do the dirty deed? I bet he just sat there on his bike and watch while you murdered those five men!”
“How the hell did you know that?” one of the men asked.
“Because basically the man’s a coward. Always talks the big talk but fails every time when it comes to walking the walk. He’d rather drop names than actually stand on his own two feet,” she assured them. “He always used to tell people he was the president of the Fury’s nephew to get their respect. Most people knew Hellspawn and they bent over backward not to get on his bad side.”
“Shut the fuck up you little bitch or I’ll take you out right now. You ain’t bullet proof you know!” Digger screamed out.
Thor grabbed her and hauled her out of the doorway then slammed the doors shut. He glared at her. “What the hell are you trying to do woman? Start a fucking war?”
“The war is already here and it's about ready to spark out of control.” She stared back at him.
“She’s right you know,” Cobra told him.
Gunner nodded. “She’s just turning things around and making Digger the liar. If his men turn on him, they might not come after us.”
Thor shook his head. “They know we got the stones, they won’t leave without them. That is what they came for after all.”
Tears rolled down Dani’s face and she felt frustrated that she couldn’t control her emotions as she wiped them away. “You know if I could somehow give those fucking stones to someone, anyone except for Digger and the Fury MC I would give them away. I just don’t want those bastards to have them. It’s the blood that’s on them and the heartache that’s associated with them. People keep dying because of them. I wish we’d never found them. Now they have the blood of six more. I’m beginning to think those damn stones are cursed somehow. They only bring death.”
Gunner looked over at Cobra and saw the look in his eyes. “Actually, she may not be far off the mark with that statement.”
“What do you mean?” Thor swung his head over to look at the pres of Savaged Souls.
“He means ever since we discovered the stones he’s had me looking for where they came from,” Rigger told them. “And I think I found that.”
“What did you find?” Gunner wanted to know.
“Twenty one years ago, a shipment of jewels were stolen from a noble woman in South America. She wasn’t mad because she knew those stones were cursed with death. She went to the media and told the world that whoever stole the jewels would find that only death would follow those stones. The curse on those stones had killed just about everyone in her family over the last ten years and now that she no longer had them, the curse would be gone from her family. Essentially, she told this to media happily. The curse follows the stones. The cartel that took the stones seemed to be visited by problems from the moment they got the stones. They lost five people until they finally traded the stones to Hellspawn seventeen years ago, which was maybe six months after they got them.” He shook his head. “We all know how that worked out, don’t we.”
“The cartel actually believed in this curse?” Jett asked doubtfully as he shook his head.
Rigger shrugged. “No clue what they thought but they worked the shit out of Hellspawn’s club for ten years. And I don’t think they bothered to tell them the stones were cursed.”
Dani shook her head. “I don’t think that information would have bothered Hellspawn at all. He would have laughed at them, if they told him that. He didn’t care about anything but the money.”
“Yeah, but that didn’t save him from his nephew did it?” Rigger shook his head. “He never even got to look at the stones and yet they still killed him.”
“Maybe you should give them the stones.” Gunner shrugged. “Just make sure you tell them about the curse when you hand them over.”
Dani threw her head back and laughed out loud. “You are a wicked man and I love it.” Shaking her head she said, “As much as I would love to do that the stones aren’t mine to give away. They belong to Thor.”
Thor looked stunned by this news and he shook his head. “Hell no, they do not belong to me. I want nothing to do with them.”
Dani snapped her fingers and her face lit up. “I know what we can do.” She turned toward Thor. “Do you really lay no claim to the stones?”
“I never wanted them in the first place. My dad killed for those and ended up on death row. Why would I ever want them?”
She got a smile on her face. “Then I know how we can offload them and pass the curse onto Digger and his group.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Cobra stared at her.
“Oh, yeah.” Dani nodded. “You see, I recognize one of the men out there. And I know he’s really superstitious. If we tell him, the stones are cursed, he’s going to be mad about it but he won’t touch them. If I tell him they have a death curse on the stones, he’ll know Digger lied to them.”
Gunner shook his head. “Sorry, but no sane man is going to believe that fucking bullshit, sweetheart. Besides, they don’t care if the stones are cursed or not. They only want the value they represent.”
Dani looked over at Rigger. “What was the name of the woman the cartel stole the stones from in the first place?”
“Carmen Diangelo.”
She went over to the door and called out to them. “Ricco, you out there?”
“Si, I am here. What do you want?” a voice replied.
“I want to
make you a deal,” she called back.
“What kind of deal you got to offer me?”
“I’ll give you guys the stones. You guys but not Digger.”
“Are you a crazy woman? I fucking won’t accept that offer!” Digger shouted out. “Those stones belong to Fury’s men and right now, that’s me. Not them... me.”
“Be careful Digger.” She grinned as he did exactly what she’d thought he would do. “Your greed is showing. Those are your men aren’t they? A club shares the wealth, along with the pain and sacrifice, don’t they? Your uncle didn’t want to share them either and now he’s dead. Bonecrusher didn’t want to share them either and now he’s dead.”
“What are you saying, senorita?” Ricco’s voice called out.
“Ricco, do you know where these stones came from in the first place?” Dani asked.
Ricco answered her with, “Si, the cartel”
“Yes,” Dani agreed. “But seventeen years ago the cartel gave them to Hellspawn when he sold out his club for ten years. He traded his men for a handful of stones.”
“Which cartel did he get them from?” Ricco asked.
“I think you know.” Dani sneered at the question. “The cartel got them from Carmen Diangelo.”
“Madre de dios!” Ricco swore loud enough for the men in the club to hear it.
“You know all we have to do is tell everyone you’ve got the stones and no one will buy them. You won’t ever get the money you think you’ll get for them, in fact all you’ll end up with is a worthless bunch of stones, you’ll never be able to get rid of.”
“What the hell is she blathering about?” another voice called out.
“The stones are cursed,” Ricco told his brothers. “She’s right. No one will trade them for cash of any amount.”
“Don’t believe in her shit stories!” Digger claimed. “She wants the money the jewels will bring for herself.”
“Digger, I told your uncle I would flush the stones down the toilet and I mean it. I don’t want them. They are stained with the blood of everyone who has come in contact with them.”
“I don’t fucking believe you.” Digger snarled.