Game Changer (Hell's Saints Motorcycle Club)

by Marinaro, Paula

  Oh my god.

  Was this her?

  Jesus, what was her name? Eileen? Ellen? Shit. Not that it mattered. Was this what this was?

  A random car pulled into the rest area and the door was shut quickly again keeping the two sisters out of sight. Claire thought about screaming but before the door had closed, she caught sight of a baby car seat and two small children in the back. She didn’t want to put the family’s life at risk.

  Putting her ear to the door she heard the two bastards arguing in muffled voices. Then she heard a car door slam. Claire prayed it was the crazy one getting in the car, and that the prospect would be driving the van. Not sure why, but Claire felt sure she might have a better chance talking the duped fool into reason.

  *****

  Crazy Ellie.

  Raine had been feigning sleep and had recognized her voice.

  Really over a man? They had been kidnapped and hit over the head and a life that had not even had a chance to begin yet had been put at risk? Over a man?

  Once they were on the road again, Claire eased Raine into a sitting position and grabbed some blankets that were in the van to support her back against the cold hard fiberglass interior. Then Claire took a minute to assess her situation. The van looked like it might be a carpenter’s or mason’s rig. There were some tools bungee corded on peg board. A claw hammer and a nail gun stood out like beacons of light against a few other items that were of no interest to the girls.

  Claire looked at them, then at Raine and nodded. Then Claire got up and plastered herself against the mesh barrier and began trying to talk to Manny. He turned up the radio to drown her out. Asshole move on his part, but the sisters used the noise to shield the sound of them prying the tools from the pegboard.

  Claire slipped the hammer in the back of her jeans waistband and Raine hid the nail up the elastic sleeve band of her voluminous shirt. She felt momentarily for the baby moving and gave Claire a thumbs up.

  They were armed.

  Once she had Raine comfortably wedged against the van wall, Claire took advantage of her small stature and crawled over to right under the mesh rigging. She was trying to hear what Manny was saying to whomever he was talking to on his cell.

  He had turned the radio back down and seemed to be trying to talk his way out of the trouble he had gotten himself in. Whoever was on the other end of the phone was not pleased.

  Claire started shouting from the back. “Let Prosper Worthington of the Hell’s Saints know where we are. Tell him Claire and Raine are with this ass wipe.”

  Manny elbowed the mesh and caught Claire on the lip through it. “SHUT UP BITCH.”

  Then he was back on the phone. He shouted something back to whomever was shouting at him. He shut off the cell and threw it on the seat next to him.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Manny yelled back into the compartment at Claire.

  Now they were getting somewhere.

  “I’m Claire and that’s my sister Raine. We are Prosper’s family. Raine is Diego Montesalto’s woman and that’s his baby she’s carrying. That woman you have been banging is cat lady crazy. Diego sent her packing months ago. This is about her getting him back.” Claire was talking with her mouth back up against the metal mesh.

  “She told me……” Manny began.

  “Yeah, I heard what she told you. It’s not true. You know it’s not true. Whoever was on that phone knows it’s not true. You take us wherever you taking us, that bat shit crazy bitch is going to kill us and then probably kill you too. And if she doesn’t kill you after what you have done here, there will be no place, no place you will be able to hide. Prosper will never ever let you get away with this. If we die, you die. Ellie dies. Your family, they all die. You know it.” Claire knew every word she said was true, and Manny knew it too.

  “Motherfucker!” Manny screamed.

  Then he swerved the van hard to the side of the road and shut off the engine.

  Claire looked at Raine and whispered, “It’s now or never. You ready?”

  Raine nodded.

  Manny pulled the van door open, he was waving his gun at them and shouting.

  “Get out! Get the fuck out of the van right now.” He was sweating and his eyes were black. The hand that held the gun was shaking. He had powder residue on his nose and the side of his mouth.

  Shit. He was jacked to his core. Claire hadn’t counted on him being coked up.

  Claire looked at Raine.

  Raine nodded, “Yeah, I see it.”

  The two of them were calm as cucumbers. Years of self-preservation and instinct taking over.

  Claire moved in front of Raine and once again shielded her sister and her baby from the madman.

  Manny moved aside as the girls got down from the van.

  As Raine passed in front of Manny she bent over and held her belly groaning. Pretending to lean against him for support, she moved into him and reached for the nail gun under her sleeve. Not being at all careful where she aimed she pumped three nails into Manny’s groin area.

  His face spasmed in unbearable pain and he let go of the gun. Then a rush of adrenalin coursed through his veins and he roared.

  Claire hit him over the head with the hammer. Hard.

  The two women looked at Manny slumped on the ground a stain of blood beginning to pool the front of his pants.

  Raine looked at Claire and grinned, “Ouch.”

  “Yeah.” Claire grinned back.

  Chapter 65

  “Interstate 7. Yeah family called it in a few minutes ago. Seems they pulled into a rest area and noted some suspicious activity. Looked like two women, one pregnant, were being held in the back of a van. Guy was standing in front of plate but it was a gray service van. Family wanted to get out of there quick. Guy was wearing a cut, but they couldn’t make it out. Young woman with him, early twenties, skinny, blonde hair. Sound about right?” The State Trooper was reporting into Prosper.

  “Yeah. Thanks, man.” Prosper hung up.

  Diego and Reno were looking at the map.

  “Runs north.” Diego was saying. “Turns off here. And here.”

  Prosper was on the phone again.

  “Get guys up on North 7 up near junction 29. Gray utility van.” Prosper ordered.

  Pinky and Dolly walked through the Hells Saints door and put a pot of fresh coffee, sandwiches, and several new packs of smokes on the table. They also brought in four shots of brandy but didn’t leave the bottle. Jules was in the other room getting a bag of medical supplies ready. Just in case.

  Chapter 66

  It’s different being scared for yourself. When you’re scared for yourself, that’s bad. Really bad. But being scared for a life you are responsible for, that brings scared to a whole different level. A whole different level.

  Crazy goddamn Ellie. I knew it. I knew from the moment I saw her watching Diego and me from the woods that first night that she was going to do me harm. I felt it. I felt it in my bones the way you feel the winds of an impending storm or the drizzle of rain before it turns into torrents.

  I knew she would try and hurt me.

  But I never thought she would go after a pregnant me. I had underestimated her baseline of crazy. I had seen the mean but I had not recognized it as the pure evil it was.

  And because of that, I had put the two things I loved most in this world in harm’s way. My sister and my unborn child. I was filled with self-recrimination.

  I was also filled with anger and a sense of protective instincts that sent adrenalin coursing through my veins. The disappointment that I felt in myself would have to wait. I had better use for my fury.

  Claire and I had left Mr. Shit for Brains in a pool of his own blood. By the tearing sound I heard when he tried to straighten himself up, my guess is that I had nailed his nut sack to his thigh.

  Good for me.

  Claire and I had scurried into the van and found the keys in the ignition. Not knowing the whereabouts of Miss Crazy Pants scared us and upped our
sense of urgency to get off the side of the road and fast.

  Neither of us had any idea where we were going and it was a damn good thing that Claire knew how to drive a shift. We decided out best bet was just to turn the van around until we figured out where we were.

  I grabbed the cell on the seat and said a prayer that it was a smart one. But no, just like its owner this phone had limited capacity. Actually, it was locked on two numbers. One said clubhouse and the other said Lucius. This was not uncommon. Prospects usually carried throwaway. Throwaways could not be traced. This prospect could receive any calls coming in, but calls he made out were only to his president or his clubhouse. Other access was earned.

  Figuring what the hell, Claire and I decided to press the “Lucius” button.

  “Manny, where the fuck are you?” someone roared into the phone.

  Claire and I looked at each other and I almost lost my nerve.

  Claire nodded and I swallowed hard

  “This is not Manny. Manny is on the ground somewhere with his nuts nailed to his leg. I’m Raine.”

  “Jesus.” Lucius answered.

  “You okay, Chica? Your sister okay?” Lucius’s voice sounded anxious.

  They had been right. Prosper had put the word out.

  “Yeah, we’re okay for now.” I answered.

  “Where the fuck are you?” Lucius wanted to know.

  “Just have Prosper call this phone.” I answered then I hung up.

  Claire and I looked at each other and barely stopped ourselves from high fiving.

  It seemed a little too soon to be that optimistic but for now, we figured we were out of the woods.

  The phone rang and we felt the bump come from behind us at the same time.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Thank god.” It was Prosper.

  Our smiles of relief turned to something else instantly.

  “Ouch.” I said into the phone as the seatbelt strained against my swollen abdomen. I leaned forward to put my hand on the dash and release some of the pressure.

  Then I felt it again. Whack.

  We were being plowed into from behind

  “Ouch? What the fuck is ouch Raine?” Prosper worried into the phone. I looked at Claire. I wanted my hand free to cover my stomach so I handed her the phone.

  “We’re in the van. Something is hitting us from behind!” Claire yelled into the phone.

  Then.

  “I don’t know!” My sister’s hands on the wheel were shaking.

  The whole contents of the van were propelled forward. We could hear the tools come loose and clang against the metal mesh of the divider. Claire’s chest hit hard against the steering wheel.

  I looked in the rearview on my side and there she was, like some crazy phoenix rising from the ashes, Ellie was ramming us hard from behind.

  “Claire, look.” I adjusted the interior mirror for her. “It’s Ellie.”

  BAM.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know. Prosper.” Tears were threatening my sister’s voice.

  Then she was desperately looking out the windows.

  “There’s nothing around here to look at, Prosper.” She was full on crying now.

  “Stop yelling at me!” Claire sobbed into the phone. “That crazy bitch is ramming us from behind.”

  “I don’t know which fucking direction. I can’t tell.” She was running out of brave and fast. I knew exactly, exactly how she felt.

  Claire looked at me helplessly. Ellie crashed into us again. Hard. The seatbelt tried retract against my belly, but I held the slack in my hand. My arm outstretched against the dash.

  I wanted to help, but I sucked at directions too. I looked around desperately.

  Then I saw the little compass bobble thing on the dash. I pointed to it for Claire.

  She took a deep breath and nodded.

  “North, and there’s a marker. We are traveling north of interstate 7.” Claire breathed out.

  *****

  “FUCKING BITCH!” Ellie had pulled up beside us in a black escalade and took a sharp turn into us.

  “CRAZY PSYHO!” Claire yelled back.

  I screamed. I couldn’t help it.

  Claire dropped the phone.

  She looked at me and yelled, “Raine. Hold on. I’m going to have to force some road rage on this LUNATIC (and she spared a glance in Ellie’s direction) or she is going to run us straight off the damn road!”

  I braced myself with my feet and hands. Then I thought again and reached for the blanket and put it between my pregnant belly and the dash. Damn old heap did not have airbags. That was a good thing for my baby I thought. But I still wanted to provide as much protection as I could if things went bad.

  “Ready?” Claire glanced at me.

  “Yeah.” I answered and put my hand to Claire’s briefly. Our eyes met and misted over.

  “I love you.” We both said at the same time.

  Then Claire swerved violently to the left catching Ellie off guard on a sharp corner. The escalade veered on two wheels throwing sparks as the muffler dragged on the ground. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the damn jeep right itself.

  She was coming at us again and fast.

  Claire looked at me and said, “I don’t think I can out run her.”

  I looked back at the jeep and at the road ahead. “Look, there’s a steep embankment to the right up there.”

  “Yeah, I see it.” Claire was looking ahead.

  “She can’t see passed this van. If you stay in front of her, just enough so she doesn’t ram us and then swerve to the left at the last minute, she won’t have time to corner the turn and will drop off the cliff.”

  “Yeah or she’ll lock on to us with her fucking bumper and we’ll both get pulled over.” Claire looked at me.

  Then the bitch bumped us again. Really hard

  “We have to try it. Claire I think we have to try.” I was crying too by then.

  Claire took her eyes off the road long enough to search mine for a minute.

  I could see the terror in her eyes.

  “It’s our only chance, honey. You can do it. I know you can.” I smiled at her through the tears and took my hand off the dash just long enough to clasp hers in mine.

  Claire squeezed my hand and nodded once.

  “Damn right I can do this.” Claire sat up straighter in the seat.

  She swerved the wheel and looked into the rearview. Then she positioned the van right in front of Crazy Ellie. I looked in the mirror and helped Claire navigate to stay in front of her. Claire had the pedal pushed to the floor.

  “Ready?” Claire’s hands were white knuckled to the steering wheel.

  I just nodded.

  “RAINE?” Claire had the pedal to the metal.

  “READY!” I yelled over the roar of two engines.

  Claire veered sharply to the left then and the whole van careened and squealed on two wheels for what must have been a mile before it finally landed upright then halted at a dead stop.

  We looked behind us just in time to see the escalade miss the turn and fly high over the embankment. We listened for it and heard it land heavy amongst a sea of bent metal. The sound of thick tree trunks being broken in half filled our ears before the raging bull finally succumbed to broken glass and torn gas lines.

  It went up in a roar of deep crimson flames.

  Claire and I had gotten out of the van and were walking toward the edge of the cliff. Even though the crash was well beyond the steep ledge we could hear the hiss and pop of explosions going on around the vehicle and the heat was so intense I could feel it on my face.

  I suddenly felt Claire clap her hands tight against my ears.

  I looked at her face and her eyes were bright. Tears were streaming down her face.

  Then I heard them.

  The sounds that my sister met full on in her attempt to spare me from them.

  Through the warmth of her hands I heard them.

  The tortured screams o
f Ellie being burnt alive.

  Chapter 67

  A roar of engine sounded toward us. We listened to them approach. The pavement reverberated with the sound. The welcome vibration ran through our bodies. We could feel them. A fleet of steel horses ridden by dark knights charging to our rescue. We knew before we saw them. Our men had come to take us home.

  Our family would be waiting for us.

  Our outlaw father and brothers and lovers. And their women.

  The shadow people. The brotherhood. The ones I had hidden Claire and myself from so long ago when their dark images had given way to my every childhood nightmare.

  They had now become the heroes in our story. Our dark avengers.

  They were now our hope.

  They were now our loved ones.

  Loved ones.

  These not so merry band of outlaws had taken us in. Had made us feel warm and welcome.

  Had made us feel wanted.

  They had opened up their own care worn, damaged, hard hearts and saw what had been broken in ours.

  And they had fixed them.

  They had held our hearts in their hands. They had glued and stitched and hammered and nailed until our hearts were whole again.

  Our outlaw family had succeeded where even royalty had failed.

  They had done what all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not do.

  They had put us back together again.

  Putting my hand on the life growing inside me, I knew that someday the shadow people would cast fire lit images on the walls of my own child’s bedroom. My silhouette would merge with theirs as they formed the dancing shapes.