by Jamie Begley
“Like a shooting star.” Moon moved away from the door, seeing Razer had calmed down.
“You sure you want us to try to hook Jo up with Rider? He doesn’t share his bikes. Nor does he share the candy he cons Willa into making for him.”
“He’ll share Jo. Rider will never fall in love with a woman the way you and Shade have done.”
“You never know. Never underestimate the power of a woman to steal their way into your heart.”
“We still talking about Rider?” Moon laughed.
Razer laughed, too. “I guess you’re right. Crazy thought, right?”
They were still laughing when a shooting star flashed across the sky, gaining their attention that had already been affixed on the night sky.
“Did you see that?” Razer asked, turning toward Moon to see if he had also seen it.
“Maybe it’s a good luck sign that you’ll be able to get Rider off your back.”
“It could also be an omen that Jo is going to shoot Rider down like she did you.”
“She’s going to shoot him down; that’s a sure thing. The question is: what are you and the brothers going to do when she does?”
Through the open door, he saw Rider coming down the steps with his hair neatly brushed and with an anticipatory smile on his face. Razer knew he would go home to find the man sitting at his table, eating the leftovers that he had planned to eat for lunch the next day. And he knew the married brothers where just as fed up with him as he was.
“I’m going to do what The Last Riders always do.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to make it happen.”
1
One by one, booted feet stepped into the clearing a quarter mile away from The Last Riders’ clubhouse. As Rider took his place next to Train, his eyes went around the circle, stopping on each of the brothers.
Cash’s inscrutable expression gave no clue what he was thinking as he stood next to Viper. Meanwhile, the president of The Last Riders made no pretense of the burning hatred for the men they had been waiting for, wanting to serve their own brand of justice. The men thought they were too smart to be caught, that their victims wouldn’t live to point a finger at them. Regrettably for them, their victims had survived, and now their fates were sealed. They would be taken out of society before any more damage could be perpetrated by them.
Rider couldn’t blame Viper. He had no sympathy for anyone who fucked with The Last Riders. Each of those they would be serving justice on today knew what The Last Riders were capable of and had taken their own lives in their hands when they had hurt someone the club protected.
The Last Riders might hate the prisoners, but their vengeance was never taken lightly. Only those who deserved their wrath found themselves unable to escape the club’s justice. It wasn’t like they didn’t respect the legal system; The Last Riders just didn’t believe those who had committed certain grievances against them deserved to escape into the forgiving arms of the law. They wouldn’t be given a chance to plea to a sympathetic jury or parole board. The Last Riders were their jury, and no mercy would be given to them.
Knox stood on the other side of Viper, his sheriff’s uniform at home as he stood straight in his jeans and T-shirt, proudly wearing his vest with the patches he had earned through the long years of being a Last Rider. Razer’s expression was just as fierce, waiting for Shade and Moon to arrive so they could get started. There was an empty spot next to Razer where Shade would stand when he arrived.
Rider couldn’t help looking toward Lucky, his own fury building at the jagged scar that could be seen over the collar of his T-shirt. Behind Lucky, Stud and Calder stood. Viper had invited them to keep them from snatching justice out of The Last Riders’ hands.
Turning his head to the side, Train caught his eyes. The brother knew he had misgivings about them being there. Rider silently assured him of their silence.
Looking forward again at the sounds of a shuffle, he saw Shade and Moon throw a struggling man into the center of the circle. None of the brothers made a sound as Shade took his spot, leaving the man heaving and standing alone as Moon stepped outside the circle, leaving the clearing to retrieve their next victim.
Rider’s eyes went to Viper’s as his deadly calm voice filled the quiet air that had been filled with respectful silence for the solemn act they were about to carry out.
“Bear, you know why you’re here?”
The muscle-bound man straightened, turning to face Viper and spitting a glob of bloody spit onto the dirt. Rider wondered if it was Shade or Moon who had managed to get a punch in before delivering him to Viper.
“I’m not a fucking idiot. You’re going to kill me because I tried to kill Lucky. Fucking cowards. You’re too afraid to take me on man to man. I could beat any man here, and you know it!”
“Lucky,” Viper unemotionally called out the brother’s name.
Lucky stepped out into the circle, coming face-to-face with the large man who nearly took his life. “There’re not many men who can brag that they got one over me. I got sloppy. That’s on me. As a Christian and pastor, I should be able to stand here, turn the other cheek, and offer you forgiveness. It’s taken me a lot of soul searching to realize you’re not worth me being unable to look at my God, wife, son, and congregation with your death staining it.”
Bear’s relief was palatable in the clearing, believing he was going to get away scot-free, unaware that the mountain he was standing on was going to be his final resting place.
“I’m not sorry to say the other brothers don’t feel the same,” Lucky cut short Bear’s relief. “A strike against me is a strike against them. They don’t have the same connection to God as I do. They also don’t have a problem looking their wives or children in their eyes, knowing they took out a piece of shit like you.” Lucky reached into his leather vest, taking out seven cards. Rider knew how many there were because there were seven original members who were waiting to complete what Lucky felt honor-bound to relinquish.
Holding the cards, he fanned them out. “We’re going to give you a fair chance to live, which is more than you gave me. Each of these cards represents one of the brothers. You’ll each be given your choice of weapon. None of us will interfere, but only one man is going to be walking out of this circle.”
Bear didn’t make a move to choose a card. “I’ll take all you fuckers on if you’re going to be fair.”
“We’re not the one who came up behind someone and bashed them in the back of the head with a crowbar, then slit his throat when he was unconscious. Choose before I change my mind and show you what I’m capable of when my back isn’t turned.”
Bear reached out, taking a card, then contemptuously flicking it at Lucky. The card spun in the air, hit his chest, and then fell in slow motion to the ground.
“It’s a five,” Lucky called out to the brothers, then went back to his spot in the circle, putting the remaining cards back in his vest.
None of the members needed to ask who the five-card represented.
Rider stepped into the circle, grinning good-naturedly at Bear. The biker thought he had the upper hand. Rider could tell from his straightened posture, already planning to take him down in his mind.
“I’ll let you pick your weapon of choice first. Pick whatever you want. I think we can come up with whatever you want,” Rider offered, not caring which one he picked, just hoping the asshole would at least make their fight interesting.
“I want a gun. I wouldn’t mind putting a bullet in your head. It’s what I should have done to Lucky.”
“I think we can accommodate you with the first half of what you want. Viper?”
Rider watched as Viper moved forward, taking a gun from the back of his waistband and handing it to Bear.
“There’s only one bullet in the chamber—use it wisely,” Viper advised before turning his back to Bear and returning to the rim of the circle.
Bear appeared stunned that Viper had actually given him the gu
n.
“You sure you don’t want to make it easy on yourself by putting that bullet to good use and blowing out your own brain?” Rider drew his attention back to him.
Bear laughed in his face. “If The Last Riders keep their word, I’ll be back at the Destructors’ club, drinking a beer before they get done burying you.”
As Bear bragged, Rider didn’t take his eyes away from the gun, watching him steady it in his hand and raising the barrel toward him as his thumb went to the trigger. Bear had intended to finish his sentence with a bang, but before he could pull the trigger, Rider struck his foot out, knocking it out of his hand.
Bear tried to take a running dive for the gun where it had landed by Razer’s foot. No sooner had Bear’s chest hit the ground than Rider stepped on his spine, hearing the whoosh of air escape his lungs as Bear tried to reach for the gun with his fingertips.
Keeping his booted foot on Bear’s back, pinning him to the ground, Rider reached down for the gun. His good-natured expression then vanished as he bent, pressing the barrel of the gun to Bear’s forehead.
“You stupid fucker. You should have taken me out before bragging about it.” Pulling the gun away, Rider straightened, handing the gun to Razer, who neatly tucked it into his waistband as Rider removed his foot from Bear’s back. Standing still, he waited for Bear to get to his feet.
When the large bear of a man came at him, Rider dug his heels into the dirt, steadying himself to keep from being thrown down. Bear was used to taking his opponents down with his size.
Rider began pummeling Bear’s ribs, forcefully driving the oxygen out of his lungs. Bear tried to jerk away and regain his breath, but Rider didn’t let him, following him in the confines of the circle, using all his strength to hold him in place. When Bear stumbled backward into Cash, Cash shoved him back toward Rider.
Rider caught the first glimpse of worry from Bear, realizing he may not succeed in taking Rider down as the man took his eyes off him for a second, looking for a gap between the brothers that he could get through to run for his life.
There wasn’t one.
When Bear turned back to him, Rider was waiting, smashing a fist into his nose and sending a spray of blood over his T-shirt. Regretting he had worn his favorite shirt, he hoped that Jewell or Stori would be able to get the blood out. He didn’t want any reminders of Bear. The son of a bitch deserved to be forgotten.
Bear frantically swung his fists wildly, trying to drive him away, or hoping to get lucky and connect with some part of his body. However, Rider fluidly dodged his fists, methodically wearing Bear down by hitting him in his vulnerable spots.
It wasn’t the first battle to the death that Rider had taken part in. Bear might have gotten into numerous fights, but unless he had fought with his life on the line, he wouldn’t be able to beat Rider’s experience.
Bear hunched over, trying to protect his ribs, so Rider viciously punched him in the jaw. When Bear tried to jerk his head from being struck again, Rider hit him in the chin, then the mouth, satisfied when he heard Bear’s jaw bones shatter. Damn, how he loved the sound of bones breaking.
Like a predator, he circled Bear. Raising his arm, Rider brought his elbow down on the back of Bear’s neck, driving him to his knees. Then Rider reached out, taking a swatch of Bear’s hair and exposing his throat as he reached down to take a long knife out of his boot. He pressed it to the flesh he had exposed.
“How does it feel to know I could slit your fucking throat and you can’t do a damn thing about it?” he goaded the biker who was gasping in pain from his injuries.
“Fuck you.”
Laughing down at him, Rider carved a thin line across his throat. “You’re not my type, but your sister is. She’s going to need a shoulder to cry on when you go missing.”
“My sister wouldn’t let you smell where she pisses.”
Rider released Bear’s hair to circle him. As Bear’s head fell forward, Rider then snapped his foot out, kicking Bear in the jaw and sending the man to the dirt, whimpering.
“She’d fuck me and beg for more. Your sister is a slut,” Rider continued to goad, disappointed the man wasn’t putting up a better fight. “I bet it won’t take me an hour to get in her pussy.”
“I’ll take that bet.” Viper’s mocking voice drove Bear into a mindless fury that had him getting off the ground and barreling toward him.
As Bear charged toward Viper, Rider blocked his path by plunging his knife into Bear’s stomach. He jerked it out then plunged it in again, this time in Bear’s side between his ribs.
Bear dropped to his knees, dazedly staring up at Rider before falling to his side.
Rider used the tip of his boot to toss him onto his back. Then, crouching down next to him, he surveyed Bear’s injuries. None so far had dealt a killing blow. He had no intention of making his death easy. He wanted to send Bear to hell screaming in agony.
Taking his knife, he split Bear’s T-shirt in half, exposing his chest. Meticulously, Rider then carved Lucky’s name on the flesh of his chest.
“That’s so you won’t forget why you’re going to hell.” After making a sprawling Y, he stabbed him again in the stomach, using his weight to let the knife sink deeply. “I expected you to be more fun to kill, Bear. Instead, you’re boring me, and I hate being bored.”
Rider used his hand to close Bear’s mouth, shutting off his oxygen. Bear’s eyes started bulging out as he struggled to breathe. Terror had his legs sawing in the dirt as he struggled to get out from under him.
The man Rider was slowly killing was going pale and shaking as shock began to set in. When his eyes closed, Rider jolted him conscious with a hard slap on his cheek.
Rider couldn’t understand the unintelligible words coming out of Bear, pressing his mouth closed with the palm of his hand and sawing his tongue in half with his teeth.
“Your prayers are too late.”
He used what was left of Bear’s T-shirt to wipe his bloody hand before standing and heaving Bear over his shoulder, easily carrying the heavy weight as the brothers parted to let him through the circle. He walked over the rough ground to the deep hole that all the members had taken turns digging. Hurling the heavy weight, he was happy to see that Bear had landed face up.
Reaching behind his back, he took out his revolver then emptied the barrel into Bear’s legs, making sure each kneecap and hand had bullets in them before he gave Bear the final words he would hear addressed to him.
“Did Lucky look at you the same way you’re looking at me when you threw him down that ditch?” Rider sadistically mocked the man staring up at him. “Don’t worry; I’m not going to bury you alive. You have company coming on your way to hell.”
Leaving Bear staring up at the bright blue sky, Rider walked back to the circle, passing Stud and Calder as he returned to his spot. The two men had known The Last Riders would exact justice for Lucky. They had wanted a piece of Bear, too, but unfortunately, you couldn’t kill a man twice. Both Stud and Viper had argued back and forth about who had the right to deal with Bear. The Last Riders had won when Stud had given in for a favor in return.
The freshly turned soil next to Bear’s plot held the body of a woman whom the Destructors had exacted their own form of revenge on. He hadn’t asked for an explanation from Shade when he had been woken last night and been told to meet him in the clearing. Nor had he asked for any about the dead woman and why Crazy Bitch was there. The three of them had buried the woman, then drove to the diner in town to eat breakfast.
When his stomach growled, Train gave him a disgusted look. He had eaten two plates at lunch and was already hungry. He shrugged it off. He was a man of big appetites.
His attention was diverted from thoughts of food and sex when Crash willingly entered the circle after being escorted by Moon. The brother had asked to stay, but Viper had refused. No one was allowed to witness punishments administered by the original members. However, Viper had made the exception for Stud and Calder for Bear, who were now
leaving with Moon.
Crash and the brothers waited expectantly for the man who had to lean down to dodge a low branch. Viper and Cash stepped to the side, making room for the late arrival.
The Gavin who strode into the middle of the circle to face off against Crash wasn’t the same Gavin who Rider had partied with during their leave in the Navy, nor when they had started the club in Ohio when the original members had been a force of nine.
Rider could still remember their ride to Ohio when they had left the service, fucking and drinking their way through state by state until they had found themselves staying a weekend in Ohio. The weekend had turned into a week, then another. When they hadn’t found the enthusiasm to move on, they had decided to make Ohio their home, content to build the club until Gavin had come up with the idea to branch out and start another charter in Kentucky, where Gavin had found a house and property large enough to build the factory and house the men. It was a fateful decision, one that each of the members were still struggling with equal parts of regret and happiness. Many of The Last Riders had found their wives in Kentucky, while Gavin had lost the woman he loved and the life he had led.
Gavin was dressed all in black, from his boots to his jeans. His black leather jacket was unzipped, the black T-shirt underneath showing his massive chest. He had regained the weight he had lost during his captivity with the Road Demons, and he was no longer the pasty white wraith he had been in the rehab center. Now, his skin glowed with health and vitality … until you looked into his eyes that were as dark and mysterious as a still, murky lake, not showing what lay beneath the surface.
Crash paled at the forbidding stranger that Gavin had become. Hell, Rider was thankful he wasn’t the one who would have to fight him, and he was always ready for a good fight. Gavin scared the Jesus out of him, and he didn’t scare easily.
“Gavin …” Crash started, but broke off at the intense hatred on Gavin’s face that spoke volumes of how much Gavin loathed him. “Broth—”
Gavin struck his hand out, backhanding Crash’s cheek. “No brother could do to me what you did. I wouldn’t do to my worst enemy what you did to me. I don’t have to tell you what they did—they sent you the videos. I would have died before I had let someone I called brother suffer through what I did.”