Chicago Defiance Box Set Part One

by K E Osborn

  Ace rolls his shoulders with a heavy grunt. “Sounds like the guy’s got any number of screws loose.”

  My head bobs rapidly. “You don’t even know the half of it. It got so bad one day, he came into my room, tried to tell me we had to attempt an escape from the prison we were in. By prison, he meant life. He brought in a knife he somehow found and wanted us to slash our wrists because we were meant to be together. It was all so confusing. I don’t know why he’d singled me out, out of everyone in the hospital. He just took to me, and he’s been obsessed with me ever since.”

  Ace shakes his head. “So what changed? You were diagnosed two years ago. You’ve been out of the hospital for how long and living fine? Why’s he coming after you now?”

  I exhale. “I was released from the hospital when my meds kicked in. Luckily, he was pulled out before me. Unfortunately, in the hospital we exchanged phone numbers, so he kept in contact once I got out, but he was being kept under strict control with medication. But for the last… maybe six months, he must have gone off his meds because he’s been getting worse and worse, his threats becoming weird again, until Dad took action to get me out of Grand Rapids and away from him. He’s so unstable, so unpredictable. With Malcolm not really putting a leash on his son right now, we have no idea what Everett’s going to do. If anything. He might be harmless, but he also might not. He showed me in my room at the hospital with that knife and wanting us to kill ourselves just how untrustworthy he really is.”

  Ace purses his lips. “I’m guessing that fucker, Malcolm, is trying to keep everything under wraps. Nothing like having a chaotic son as leverage for your opposition.”

  “Exactly, Malcolm wants it to be like Everett never existed. So he’s trying to keep everything to do with him under lock and key. If we can dig up any information on either of them, to keep them both out of our lives, that might be the key?”

  Ace lifts his brow in agreement. “Yeah, hopefully I can find something on one of them, so it’ll keep them both out of your life. I started digging once your father told us a little about this in church, but now I know more.” He dips his head. “I’ll find something for you, Mylee. Leave it with me.”

  Looking to him, my eyes well… with happiness? I’m not sure. “That would be amazing. I’m so grateful. If you could help me bring down the Scotts and stop them from harassing me, I could have Everett out of my life once and for all. That would be utterly amazing. I wouldn’t know how to repay you, though.”

  He waves his hand through the air, shaking his head. “Just being your friend is payment enough, Mylee.”

  I lean forward taking Ace into a tight embrace. He feels warm as he hugs me back. It’s nice to feel a sense of comfort in my new home. I might actually be okay here after all with Lala and Ace.

  Everything might actually be okay.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  TRAX

  A shudder ripples through me as I watch Mylee lean in hugging Ace. Her arms wrap around him as his arms encase her body. Tension builds up making me want to hurtle something across the room. Or, at the very least, punch the motherfucking wall. But watching Ace and Mylee with each other has made something in me click, it’s made me realize I’m jealous, and I don’t fucking like that shit one little bit.

  Though it was good to see her smiling before their talk got serious, it’s taking everything in me right now not to march over and smash the ever-loving shit out of Ace for talking to my woman.

  But she isn’t my woman.

  She can’t be.

  Movement grabs my attention, and I turn to see Torque step to my side raising his brow.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” he asks curtly.

  I tilt my head toward Ace and Mylee making Torque groan.

  “If seeing her with other men is gonna be an issue, I suggest you don’t creep around watching her. This is a club full of men, so she’s gonna be talking to…” he shrugs his shoulders with a smirk, “… fuckin’ men.”

  I groan shoving him as I turn to walk outside with him hot on my tail. “I know that, cockhead. Doesn’t mean I have to like watching it, though.”

  Torque slaps my back. “I get it. You have to let her go and jump back on the horse yourself. Go spend the night with a club girl getting lost in some damn pussy.” He tilts his head. “Or just swallow your fuckin’ shit and be with her. Don’t do this half in, half out shit.”

  Shaking my head, I exhale. “No, we’ve decided to be friends. It’s better this way.”

  Torque snorts. “For who? Certainly not for you… you damn idiot. You proved that last night.”

  I groan as a car pulls up in the compound. Those of us who are outside turn to see the passenger door open and Ruby sliding out. All of us erupt in a round of applause while Mom gets out of the driver’s side. We all crowd around Ruby to welcome her home. She looks pale but happy to see us as we all swarm around her. Her lips are parted, her teeth beaming bright white at the sight of all the fuss. Her face is glowing, showing her tanned skin for the beauty she is. But with that look on her face, she appears more beautiful. Even if not at full energy.

  “Now c’mon boys, you didn’t miss me that much, did you?” she calls out making me laugh.

  Chains grabs her around the waist, picking her up causing her to giggle.

  “You have to know we all love you, Ruby,” Sensei calls out.

  Freckles waves her hands in the air. “All right, enough. Let the poor girlie breathe, lads. She’s just come home from being drugged by the Yakuza. Let her have some downtime, will ya?” Mom calls out in her Irish accent while pushing past all the burly bikers as we all make our way inside the clubhouse. “Chains, take her to her room, then leave. Don’t ya dare try to get any. She’s out of bounds tonight, ya hear me?” Mom demands.

  We all chuckle. I don’t think anyone had intentions of seeking solace in Ruby tonight, but it’s good Mom made it clear.

  “Thanks for everything, Freckles,” Ruby calls out as she’s whisked away while we all walk inside the clubhouse. My smile falls when I see Ace and Mylee still sitting together at the end of the bar. My eyebrows pull together tightly wondering if she’s affected by me walking in here like I am just by seeing her. She glances up casually but quickly looks away again. I can’t handle the damn strain. Walking to the opposite end of the bar, which is far enough away from them, I give it a tap needing a goddamn beer. As I sit down, I’m flanked either side as the seat next to me is quickly taken by Mom which effectively blocks my view of Mylee and Ace. She turns to look at me, raising her brow. The seat on the other side is taken by Torque while Cindi places beers in front of Torque and me, then walks off, leaving me with what looks like a family intervention. Well, that’s certainly what it feels like.

  “Surge tells me you have a new house guest. How are you goin’ with that, boyo?” Mom asks.

  I raise my brow to her with a sigh. “Honestly, Mom… you wanna talk about my love life?”

  She exhales, turning to grab my face in her hands, looking me dead in the eyes which takes me by surprise. “I think ya need to get ya head out of ya ass. You look like a sour fuckin’ fish.” She pulls back lightly tapping the side of my face.

  Torque bursts out laughing.

  I huff. “Thanks for the pep talk, Mom.”

  She groans. “Trax. I love ya. You’re my middle child, and God knows you’re the hardest—”

  “This talk isn’t getting any better, Mom—”

  “Shut up! What I’m tryin’ to say is… this woman came back. Sure, she didn’t necessarily come back for you, but fuck it, boyo, if she’s here and she’s willin’… ‘cause God knows not a lot of women would be…” Torque chuckles making me glare at him, “… then stop bein’ a dick. I don’t know what’s holdin’ ya back. But I know something is, right?”

  I let out a long exhale. “Mom, I can’t. She deserves someone better than me.”

  “Bullshite! And ya know it. You’re making excuses ‘cause you’re damn scared.”

&nb
sp; I scoff. “Scared? Scared of what?”

  She sighs. “Bein’ hurt again if she leaves. Trax, I know she hurt ya last time, but for God’s sake, boyo, give yourselves the chance to make amends.”

  Torque grips my shoulder. I look back to him, tension swirling in my stomach as I gulp down a mouthful of beer. I have no idea what the right thing is to do. Do I follow my heart, or do I follow my head? I want Mylee. With every damn thing in me, I want her. But am I just being fucking chicken shit and using the fact that maybe I’m not good enough as an excuse?

  I don’t fucking know.

  Not knowing what to say, I reach out for my beer, picking it up taking another long, deep swallow. The amber nectar hitting the back of my throat and sliding down effortlessly. It soothes my nerves. Makes me feel a little more at ease with this fucking ‘family’ conversation.

  “Look, I don’t wanna harp, so I’m not gonna. I’m certainly not gonna tell ya what to do, but Mylee and you are a good fit. Ya have history. The one thing I can tell from a mile away is ya love each other. Even after two years apart, the love’s still there, boyo. Don’t ya give up on it!”

  I rub my brow as I lean against the bar while Torque does the brotherly pat on my shoulder again. “Okay, look, we’re just saying we’re with you, that’s all. We wanna see you happy. But we also realize you two need to work at this on your own. So Mom and I are fuckin’ gonna keep out of it… aren’t we, Mom?” Torque urges making the corner of my lips turn up as Mom huffs in annoyance.

  “Yeah, I suppose. I just—”

  “Aren’t we, Mom?” Torque affirms.

  I smirk as Mom pouts. “Yes, boyo. I’ll stay out of it as long as ya don’t fuck it up even more.”

  I snort out a laugh. “I’ll try my best.”

  She leans in planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “I only nag ‘cause I care.”

  Torque and I both laugh. “I know, Ma. I know.”

  “Right, we got work needs attending to. You want in, or you wanna sit this one out?” Torque asks.

  I raise my brow in confusion. “Why the hell would I want to sit this one out?”

  Torque raises his hands in surrender. “Just making sure you don’t wanna stay behind… keep an eye on Mylee and because of the shitstorm that was last night.”

  I scoff. “She’s fine, Torque, she doesn’t need a babysitter twenty-four-seven. As for protection from Everett, it’s not likely he’s going to visit anytime soon, and will you stop talking about last night. I’m fucking fine.”

  Torque shrugs. “Okay then… we ride.”

  ***

  I can’t help but wonder what Mylee was thinking when she saw us walking out of the clubhouse—to know we were off on some mission, and I never told her where I was going. She’s not my Old Lady, I don’t have to tell her shit. Even though a part of me wants to confide every-fucking-thing to her, that’s not my place, especially when right now I’m not sure we’re even on speaking terms.

  I’m such a damn idiot. I don’t know whether I should have just fucking kissed her, so then at least I would have had the pleasure of tasting her lips again. I could have dwelled on that rather than regretting not kissing her. My head’s a goddamn mess, but right now I need it to be in the game, not on Mylee, as the vibration of my engine rattles between my legs. Normally, going for a ride frees my mind, but not today. I have too much going on, too much to think about. I need to focus because we’re heading into Triad territory, and even though these guys are on our side, you can never tell what shit might come flying at you at these exchanges.

  We know that all too well.

  Scratch rides first into the warehouse, shadowed by Torque, then me. The rest of the guys follow with Vibe in the truck covering our rear. I dodge the potholes filled with water as the roar of the engines echo through the large expanse. I see Harry Linn’s telltale glowing Nissan Skylines parked three in a row waiting for us at the other end. Scratch is the first to pull up making the line. I draw to a stop kicking out my stand as I slide off my bike yanking off my helmet.

  The car doors open, Harry and his goons step out patting down their tailored suits. I instantly smirk at the tiny man who grins widely throwing his arms open looking like it’s his birthday, and he’s the happiest he’s been in ages.

  “Fuckers… it good to see you! Torque, my main man,” Linn calls out rushing over to Torque who’s barely made it off his bike before Linn grabs my blood brother yanking him into a questionable back-slapping exercise.

  Torque audibly groans grabbing Linn and pushing him back. “What have I told you about this shit, Harry?” Torque grunts.

  Linn laughs with a shrug, a contagious gleam plastered all over his chubby face. “You know me… I like to push boundary with you. Little hug here, extra gun there… we be friend a long time you and me. We keep it that way, yes?” Linn chirps.

  While shaking my head, I smirk in understanding. Harry Linn is one twisted motherfucker. He plays on the friendship for extra gain—his. Typical.

  “We’ll always be friends, Harry,” Torque appeases.

  Harry’s smile falls as he stands up straight with a huff, folding his arms over his chest in what looks like anger. He signals to his men who suddenly pull up their weapons aiming them right at us.

  My heart leaps into my throat as I reach for my Glock which is tucked in the back of my pants. Yanking it out at the same time as everyone else, I point it directly at Linn, my finger on the trigger lightly waiting to see what the hell is going on.

  Torque’s eyes frantically swing around the warehouse trying to figure out what sort of game Linn’s playing at. “Linn, what the fuck?”

  Harry stands in front of Torque, the only man in the warehouse without a gun in his hand.

  Tension ripples through the air while his men continue their aim at us. We all set our sights on Linn, but no one’s making the first move. My skin prickles with the turmoil that’s happening in my brain. Linn’s one of our longest allies. If he’s turning on us, something’s very wrong.

  “You tell me something. Why you side with Andretti scum? I not sure I can continue our friendship if you friend with them. After all, they the ones who came in here and shot up all my men… you remember that, Torque. Yes? The day my men die, bullets riddle their body… for you?”

  I swallow hard remembering that day well because we were, by all accounts, fucked. Locked in the warehouse with Linn’s men surrounded by what we thought were Andretti Alpha Romeos shooting up the joint. It looked like we had no fucking way out. But we did, we made it out, all was not as it seemed.

  Torque takes a step closer shaking his head. Linn’s men aim their guns at Torque, but he doesn’t flinch. “Thing is Harry, we’ve since found out those men, in the Romeos, weren’t the Andrettis. They were wearing balaclavas, remember?”

  “Yeees…” he draws out.

  “They were the Yakuza driving Romeos which looked exactly like the fuckin’ Andrettis and set them up to pit us against one another. It was all a big set-up. The Yakuza were screwing with us. But Enzo Andretti helped us rid the Yakuza from Chicago… actually, out of America. They’re gone, Linn. We don’t have to worry about the damn Yakuza anymore.”

  I glance to Sensei who’s smirking as Linn takes in all this information. “Well…” he takes a breath, cracking his neck to the side, “… I can see now this been handled.” He waves his hand through the air in response, and his men lower their guns making me release the breath I was holding.

  Torque waves his hand through the air, and we all stow our weapons as I shake my head slightly in disbelief.

  Fucking hell, talk about tension.

  Linn suddenly bursts out laughing. He reaches out and places his hand on Torque’s shoulder. “Oh, man, I sure had you going, Torque. I never shoot you guys. I think you too pretty to ruin your face, Torque,” Linn jests reaching up and pinching Torque’s cheek.

  Torque pulls away from him dramatically. “Fuckin’ hell, Linn, cut that shit out. Do it again, and I’ll f
uckin’ pull the trigger on you myself,” Torque murmurs.

  I laugh as I glance over to Vibe, and with a raise of my chin, I let him know to start the transfer. He moves to the back of the truck.

  “You too uptight, Torque. My gun ready? Yes?” Linn asks.

  I gesture to the back of the truck beginning to walk off. Linn steps off but quickly catches up. “You’re the brother… yes?”

  I clear my throat. “Yeah, the better looking one.”

  Linn bursts out laughing, slapping my back playfully. “Oh, you pretty for sure. But Torque always be favorite.”

  I laugh while I glance back to Torque who’s rolling his eyes as we walk to the back of the truck where there are three crates of AK47s waiting. Linn jumps up into the back of the truck like a stealthy little ninja. He’s fit as fuck! I hoist myself up with a little less flair. He gleams as he looks down onto the crates. “Real thing of beauty.”

  “They’re ready to go. Serial numbers are scrubbed, same as every time.”

  Linn sighs running his hand over the guns like they’re his long-lost fucking children. I have no idea what he does with so many guns, but he keeps us in business, so fuck if we care.

  “Welcome home, babies,” he murmurs under his breath, then he yells out something in high pitched Chinese. Immediately, a couple of his men spring into action and rush into the truck grabbing at the crates.

  Ace jumps up in the back of the truck, his tablet at the ready. “Linn, we need to complete the transaction?”

  “Sure, sure,” Harry taps some shit or other into Ace’s tablet. A bing sounds. Then just like that—Harry has his guns, we have our money. Another successful transfer.