“Aww, honey, that’s sweet of you girls, but I doubt Mona would want any company right now; she’s not feelin’ too well.” He gazes at the ground sadly.
London walks up to him giving him a giant hug, holding him tight and responding quietly, “We know, Prez; that’s why we’re here. We want to make sure the house is picked up, y’all have some clean clothes, and there’s food already prepped to eat. My best friend’s granny fought with cancer. Emily’s granddaddy always told us about how hard it was during that time. Avery and I want to make sure you have all the tools you need to help Mona get through it and get back to feeling well.”
Prez has always been the strong, more silent type, so to see a tear run down that man’s face completely shatters my heart for him. He rests his forehead on London’s shoulder, bringing her close for a moment, collecting himself.
“My brothers are some lucky fuckers landing the two of you. Come on in and let me introduce you.”
London smiles as I approach them. We walk through the front door and Prez throws his arm over my shoulder. Leaning in, he quietly mumbles, “Hey Shug’. Thanks for doin’ this. My boys bein’ good to ya?”
“No problem, really. Yes, they are being very good to me.” I shoot him a small smile and his lips turn up in a miniscule grin. He leans in, kissing my forehead and releases me as he shows us the way to his Ol’ Lady.
My mind was fuckin’ racing when Cain came rushin’ in, warning us that the girls had taken off again. I had never run to get on my bike so fast in my damn life. I wasn’t about to let her go get hurt this time. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by bikes, as Cain, Ares, and Twist all sped after them alongside me.
Blasting down the highway, I can see the other bikes up ahead of us. Ares gives me the signal and as we get closer, I pull one of my weapons from my boot. It’s hard as fuck trying to steer my bike and shoot straight at the same time, but I’ve been getting better at it. Hell, if it’s to keep Avery safe, I’ll shoot any fucker in sight.
After a few moments I don’t see Cain’s beast anymore, so the girls must have been able to lose them. They must be doing well over a buck fifty and that shit makes me nervous as hell, knowing something could happen to Avery if they were to wreck at those speeds.
I watch one biker on a red Harley giving hand signals to his buddies as we start to get closer to them. Their cuts are a deep crimson with a large white fist in the center. Fuck. That’s an Iron Fists’ cut. Glancing to Twist, I see it register on his face on what kind of shit we may be in after seeing just who it is we’re following and will be shooting at.
One biker turns slightly, flashing his Glock and I immediately get on one of Are’s sides. Being VP, I have to protect him. I would regardless; I love him too much to want anything to happen to him. Cain speeds up, riding on the other side of Ares, both of us shields.
Instead of Twist staying close, he speeds ahead of us getting much closer to the Iron Fists. Shaking my head, I breathe in through my skull bandana, attempting to stay calm and focused.
The fucker in the middle, on the red bike, raises his arm, and clutches his hand in a fist. The guy beside him throws something on the ground. I can’t tell what it is because they look tiny.
Ares must know what it is as he screams at a deafening tone, ‘Twiiiiissstttt!”
Twist can’t hear over the pipes or he ignores him, when suddenly his bike swerves, careening off to the side of the road, and I see his body fly through the air completely off his bike.
“Fuck! Twist!” I yell, slowing my bike down as quickly and as safely as possible. Ares and Cain do the same and stop beside me. I put my kickstand down, jumping off my bike to get to Twist.
“The fuck was that?” I yell back to the guys.
Ares catches up and runs beside me to get to Twist, while Cain stands by the bikes with his gun out in case the fucks decide to come back for a drive-by or some shit.
“It was motherfuckin’ shrapnel,” he huffs as we run.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Yep, as a goddamn heart attack.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing; those dickwads threw fucking shrapnel at us? Bunch of fuckin’ bitches is what they are. Fuck throwing it; I wanna shoot the shit straight into their goddamn bodies. We get to Twist only to find him lying sprawled out and unconscious.
Sitting at his side, I shake him a few times. “Twist, you ugly fucker, wake up!”
Ares grabs my shoulder, “Stop, brother, we don’t want to move him in case somethin’s fucked up.”
“Then what do we do with him?” I’m normally the one playing doctor for the club, but I have no fuckin’ clue what to do for him. It’s not like he needs me to feed him some whiskey and sew up a few stitches somewhere.
“I think this time we’ll have to call an ambulance; fuck if he ain’t gonna be mad when he finds out.” Ares shakes his head, his gaze meeting mine. “Do you have anything on you?”
“Naw, just my Glocks, but their registered and shit. Nothing in my bags either, I just cleaned the unmarked guns out of my bike the other day.”
“All right, I’m gonna go make sure Cain doesn’t have any blow on him and then call an ambulance. You stay with Twist until they get here, and I’m gonna have Cain call the girls back, to make sure everything’s straight with them. I’m going to send out Exterminator to watch Mona’s crib. Make sure none of those fucks stop by. I’mma tell the ambulance he lost control and flew off the bike.”
I nod, and he takes off jogging back to Cain and our bikes.
Rubbing my forehead, I peer down at Twist and quietly begin to talk, “Look motherfucker, I may not approve of you with my sister and all, but fuck if you aren’t doin’ some good with Sadie. Who the fuck knows why, but anyhow she will never forgive my ass if I let anything happen to you. You better be okay, ‘cause I love my younger sister, and if you happen to stick around with her, then I reckon’ I might could deal with that. Don’t go tellin’ nobody that shit though, ‘specially Sadie.”
He’s unresponsive and I’m by no means a praying man, but I have to sit here and hope that if anyone’s listening that they will take care of my brother. I ain’t tryin’ to go to no fuckin’ funerals. That’s the last thing Ares needs to have to worry ‘bout, with all the shit goin’ on.
After a few minutes of the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, the air is littered with the loud shrieks of sirens as the ambulance nears, along with a police cruiser.
The two medics unload from the truck, going to the back of the vehicle to get supplies. Ares approaches them as the cop starts looking around the road and at Twist’s fucked up bike. Fuck, that cop’s gonna see that shit in the road and ask questions.
The medics start walking toward me with a portable stretcher board. Ares pulls his wallet out, handing the blond cop a large wad of cash when no one’s paying attention. Well, no one but me anyhow. The cop nods, shaking Ares’ hand.
“Is he responsive?” the younger medic asks, nodding to Twist.
“No, he hasn’t moved at all.”
“Okay, thanks. Please step back so we can take a look and get him loaded.”
“Yeah man, no problem.” I backtrack a few paces. “You know what’s wrong with him?”
“Not yet, but hopefully soon,” the older medic replies as they secure Twist in a neck brace.
All that jostling around, and yet the brother doesn’t stir at all. It makes me worry even more for him and my sister. I don’t know what the fuck they have goin’ on exactly, but I know she don’t need this kinda stress being pregnant and all.
They lift him up and start to carry the stretcher to the ambulance, so I follow along. They load him up as we all stand around and watch.
“You going to the hospital, brother?” I ask Ares.
“No. I just called Scratch; he’s gonna come get Twist’s bike, and I need to help him load it up. Brother is gonna be lit the fuck up when he sees his bike all smashed up and shit. You should head to the hospital so
you can keep me updated, especially if Sadie heads over. Don’t want no Iron Fists around to fuck with her, too.”
“What about Avery?”
“Trust me 2 Piece, I will make sure she’s safe.”
“What about that cop? He gonna be a problem?”
“No, that was actually Dom’s older brother. He just saw a biker lose traction and wreck. Gotta get this shit outta the road though; I gave him my word.”
Nodding, I fist-bump him and Cain, climb on my bike, and follow the ambulance to the hospital.
This shit with the Iron Fists MC better get squared away quick. If need be, I’ll take Avery and get the fuck outta here if it means keeping her safe this time. I won’t have her gettin’ shot or terrorized every time she fucking leaves the goddamn compound. We should be able to keep our women safe, not be the reason they get hurt in the first place.
2 Piece leaves, riding behind the ambulance and Cain steps next to me, “He’ll be okay, Ares; you did the right thing, bro.”
“I just hope Twist doesn’t flip out when he comes to and stab a nurse or some shit. Last thing he needs is to go back to jail. I don’t think the brother would come out again functioning. Scratch is on his way. We need to direct people around this shit in the road till he gets here and it all gets cleaned up.”
“You gonna call the Prez?”
“No, he’s got shit goin’ on. He told me to deal with everything for now, so I plan to take care of it. I’ll fill him in when I find out how Twist is doing.”
“He’s gonna fuckin’ scalp you, man.”
“Nah, Prez will be cool; he knows shit like this happens.”
“The fuck we gonna do about the Iron Fists?”
“Well, you call London and tell her not to leave Mona’s house until one of the boys escorts them home. If the Fists are watchin’, I want them to know we are, too. I’m so fuckin’ happy you got a crazy bitch and she steals your cage. Had she been in that silver hunk of shit she has, they’d never have gotten away either time.”
“All right. Yeah, I’m thinkin’ I need to get her a pink one or some shit. I told her an SUV, but if I end up going that route, then that fucker will be jacked up with some beefy tires and shit.”
I chuckle and shake my head. Cain is gonna go broke spoiling the shit outta his ol’ lady and kid, but whatever makes him happy. “Then we visit ol’ Jake in the shed and find out a little more information about his cocksucking uncle that’s stirrin’ this bullshit up. We may be able to use the kid as leverage if he means sumthin’ to the uncle.”
“Good thinkin’.”
“I am the VP motherfucker. Not all of us think with our muscles.”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Right, the retired Enforcer, not using his muscles to set someone straight. Sure bro.”
Grinning, I wave my hands to flag Scratch over. He slows the black van, stopping near us. Spin jumps out of the passenger side, as Scratch gets out, immediately going for the giant shop broom he has in the back.
“The fuck happened here, brothers?” Spin wrinkles his brow, and it makes his Mohawk shift forward slightly.
“Fucking Fists threw some shit at us,” I grumble and he scoffs.
Scratch starts sweeping the shrapnel on the road to the shoulder, thankfully no cars are coming through. This road isn’t busy much, part of the reason Prez first picked this place out here to build the compound.
“Help me get Twist’s bike in the back of the van.”
Spin climbs in the vehicle, turning it around so the ass end is damn near butted up to Twist’s bike. He climbs out and we all work together to load up the Harley. Thank fuck we’re on the larger side of men or that wouldn’t have happened so smoothly.
After that’s all taken care of, I climb on my bike, and gesture the guys to head back to the club. I need to think, to plan on what to do with these fuckin’ yo-yo’s. My pipes rumble loudly, vibrating my thighs as I glide down the highway back to the clubhouse.
Besides all this drama shit, I love my life in the MC. I love knowing that I can do basically whatever the fuck I want. Even now, having Avery and 2 Piece, I feel more complete than I ever have in the past. I have so many damn issues I deal with because of the way things were as a kid, but I’m gonna do everything in my power to not let it all creep up on me and fuck up this relationship I’m having with them.
I hadn’t seen Dom’s older brother, Brax, in a few years. I knew he was a cop, but I try to stay away from the law. Brax didn’t want to take any money, so I told him to send it to his mom. I had heard a few years back she wasn’t doin’ so well. Kidney disease was gettin’ so bad, she could barely leave the house. Poor old woman was stuck in a wheelchair on a crazy strict diet with a list of complications and meds.
I should visit. I know I’m not how they wanted me to turn out, and Dom’s dad partially blames me for Dom turnin’ towards livin’ the free life on his own bike. His dad wanted both of his sons to be cops, but Dom was troubled inside like me. I don’t know what on earth could have fucked with him, as he never shared, but he craved the freedom like I did.
Pulling through the gate, Brently signals that everything has been good, so we ride on through and park. Scratch parks the van next to the big shop and we all help unload the mangled metal. It’s gonna take a lot of bending and welding to get her pretty again.
“Who’s gonna fix his bike?” Cain glances at me curiously.
“I’d imagine he’d wanna do the shit himself, and if anyone else touches her, he’s liable to drive a knife in ‘em.”
Spin chuckles. ‘Fuck that shit, I’ll stick to tattoos.”
“Good idea,” I smirk and head to the little shed where our new friends are still tied up. I can hear the crunching behind me, letting me know I have an entourage in tow.
Once I’m face-to-face with Jake, I can’t help but feel my blood start to simmer as I think of his club causing Twist to get injured. The thick air, smelling strongly of urine and sweat nearly makes me gag but I choke that shit down.
“Ran into a little issue today. You know anything about your fuckin’ club following around our women? Are they just asking to die?”
He blinks, the wrinkles next to his eyes making him appear more worn down than the day before. “Look, they aren’t really my club. My cousin,” he gestures to the barely alive guy next to him, “and I don’t want to be involved with them at all, but my uncle doesn’t give us a choice.”
“Naw, I don’t fuckin’ believe that shit,” Cain interrupts, spitefully glaring at Jake.
“I swear to God. He’s told us that he will kill us, and if you know my uncle, then you know he will find you and keep good on his promises.”
“The fuck he want with our women?” I try again.
“He said they would probably mean something to you and it would get your attention. He didn’t want me to hurt them, just to talk to them at first. Then when that bitch hit me with the car, he knew you all meant business. My uncle wanted me to take one of them, then he was hoping we could keep one until you met with him and worked out a deal.”
“Well, he done got my fuckin’ attention; so much so, I’m ready to find his ass now. I have a brother down, injured right now, that means I can take your cousin as payment, right? Especially now that I hear you was planning on keeping one of our women.”
“No way, man. That’s his son, he’d go crazy.” His eyes widen as that piece of information slips out and you can tell he just realized the importance of what he just admitted to me.
“Hmm.” I grunt, going to the bench and finding Jake’s cheap black throwaway phone. “Least this piece of shit will still take a photo,” I mumble as I scroll through the only two contacts listed. “And I’m guessin’ one of these numbers labeled one and two are to reach your uncle,” I finish, as I snap a photo of Jake’s barely alive cousin. “Let’s see which one belongs to him.” Smirking, I look at his pale face, taking in his expression that looks as if he just swallowed something rotten.
“Ple
ase, you don’t know what you will be unleashing if you let him see my cousin like that.”
“Yeah? Good. Maybe this motherfucker will get a fuckin’ clue that I’m beyond done with his ass.”
“You will be starting a war with one of the worst clubs in history. You know this, right? They rape women for sport, they beat their wives and children, fuck they even beat their dogs and you want to send him a photo threatening his own son? Are you crazy? Your club will never survive.”
“I ain’t fuckin’ crazy. ‘Cause if your uncle is the type of scum I think he is, well then his kid don’t mean a whole hell of a lot to him when it comes to business. He needs to see I’m serious and he needs to respect the fact that I will fuckin’ find his ass if I have to and chop that piece of shit into tiny pieces if need be.”
“He’s the first one; my ma’s the second. Please don’t send it to her,—her life’s already shit.”
I nod and watch him for a few beats to see if he lets on about anything else. Jake swallows harshly staying quiet. Well hopefully, he realizes I’m completely serious. I won’t live in a place where my club is being threatened to fuckin’ extinction and not do anything to try and save it.
Taking one last look at the grainy photo of the beat up piece of shit, I click send. Now we wait and see what happens.
FIVE HOURS LATER…
We finally make it back to the compound after a long day of cleaning and cooking. Mona was having a really rough morning, and Prez was just happy to finally get in a little nap, and then be able to spend some quality time with her.
The poor man has been running ragged by the looks of it. He definitely appears thinner than I’m used to seeing. We made him take a shower while we did the laundry and whipped up a large batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. London and I made enough to put a few small tubs in the freezer. Something really easy for Mona to eat, and all Prez will have to do is microwave it. We made a few others, too—creamy broccoli and cheese and cheddar bacon potato, my favorite. Mona may not be able to eat much, but at least when she’s feeling up to it, there are some yummy, healthy things prepared. We made sure to make a few quarts of plain chicken broth for when she’s having really tough days and can’t eat much.
Forsaken Control (Oathkeepers MC) Page 13