Rattrap

by L. M. Somerton

  Teddy didn’t respond. All his attention was fixed on the small group of men at the far end of the space, gathered beneath a red banner displaying two black lightning strikes. One of them stood and walked over.

  “I’m Reiker. I hear you’re looking for me.”

  “You hear right.” Teddy made eye contact.

  “And why might that be?” Reiker spat on the floor at Teddy’s feet.

  “I’ve heard our thinking might be along the same lines and I find myself free of any other allegiance at present.”

  “You think I’m an idiot? You’re a Wyvern.”

  “I was. Not anymore.”

  “I had heard about a small altercation.” Reiker sniffed and wiped the back of his hand across his nose. “We’ll talk. Take a seat.”

  Teddy put up token resistance as Cutter shoved him into a chair and bound his hands behind him.

  “Clear the room, this ain’t a spectator sport,” Reiker snapped.

  Reiker’s cronies melted away leaving Teddy, Reiker and three others, including Cutter. Teddy assumed they were the club’s inner circle.

  Teddy made a conscious effort to relax his muscles. “This the way you always get to know people?”

  Reiker flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles. Teddy had a second or two to anticipate the punch. He rolled with it but the blow still hurt like a mother. The lip that Rogue had split began to bleed again.

  “What are you doing here, Wyvern?”

  “Just trying to find a new crew with the right mindset.” Teddy stretched his lips into a grin until his jaw cracked.

  “Little bird tells me you might be a cop.”

  How the fuck does he know that? “Ex-cop. I have a healthy disrespect for authority.”

  “Right. Let’s try again, what are you doing here?” Reiker took another shot.

  Teddy rocked on his chair but it didn’t fall. The ropes around his wrists dug in deep.

  “You know, you’re making it fucking hard for me to like you.” His face ached. There were going to be bruises.

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  Teddy hissed as his head was jerked back. A thick towel was thrown across his face, and seconds later water began to pour through it. Someone gripped the towel tightly, holding it in place. He held his breath as long as he could as his mouth and throat filled.

  “Sooner or later you’re going to have to take a breath and when you do, you’re gonna know what it feels like to drown.”

  Teddy coughed and choked. The soaked towel was removed from his face and he stared wildly around. The bucket was being refilled from a faucet in the wall.

  “They needed a constant supply of water in here to sluice away the blood,” Reiker said. “I’ll ask you again. Why are you here?”

  “Okay, okay, you’re kind of persuasive.” Teddy gulped in some deep breaths. “The reason I’m here is… Uh, sorry, my memory’s shot, I lost it. Hey, I could do with a drink. Do you think I could get some water?”

  The towel returned and more water flooded Teddy’s nose. Eventually he had to open his mouth. He swallowed convulsively but the flow was too much to take. He coughed and spluttered.

  “Enough.” Reiker’s voice penetrated Teddy’s muffled hearing. “Talk.”

  “Stop screwing with me, Reiker. I made nice at your party and I’m not busting anyone’s balls about this welcome but if you don’t want me just say the word. I came here of my own free will. I’m not hiding anything. I get that you don’t trust me but the least you could do is give me a chance to prove myself. If you’re not recruiting, I’ll fuck off outta here and you’ll never see me again.” Teddy shook his head in an attempt to clear it. Water droplets scattered. “Yes, I was a cop, and if your intelligence is halfway decent you’ll also know why I was thrown out of the force. I’m done with The Wyverns. That’s ancient history. I know what War stands for in Knights of War. You’re the White Aryan Resistance. You’re no bikers, so stop fucking around and make your mind up.”

  One of Reiker’s lackeys stepped in and backhanded Teddy across the face.

  “No. Stop.” Reiker laced his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “Very well. One chance.” He glanced around at his colleagues. “He looks right at least.”

  There were various snorts and nods. Teddy was never more glad to be blond and blue-eyed.

  Teddy controlled the urge to wince as Cutter removed his bonds. He understood the show value of an initiation test—didn’t mean he had to like it. He was also under no illusions that taking a few minutes of interrogation made little difference in how much Reiker trusted him. It meant he lived a bit longer, though he’d be balancing on a knife-edge for a while. If it bought him enough time to find out exactly what the Knights were up to then it was worth a few bruises and a gut full of water.

  “Need to piss and dry off,” he stated baldly.

  “You got any gear?” Reiker asked.

  “Nope. Wasn’t really the kind of situation where I got to pack and kiss folk goodbye. I’ve got the contents of my bike pannier and what I’m standing up in.”

  Reiker shrugged. “We take care of our own. We’ll get you fixed up.” He scanned the small group of men standing around him. “Where’s Kit? I swear that little shit can make himself invisible. Kit!” Reiker’s shout echoed around the cavernous space.

  Teddy heard a curse from the other side of the building, then the sound of running footsteps.

  “I’m here, Reiker, sir. What can I do for you?”

  Teddy took in the new arrival. A shock of white-blond hair topped a slight body dressed in tatty jeans and a ripped T-shirt. The young man had huge blue eyes, a snub freckled nose and pink pouty lips.

  “Kit here is in charge of keeping us fed and clothed. He’ll show you around and find you a bunk.”

  “Yes, Reiker sir. Hi, I’m Kit.” Kit stuck out a slim hand.

  Teddy shook it, being careful not to squeeze too hard in case the delicate fingers snapped. “Teddy Austin.” Kit was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. Teddy never went for twinks but he thought he might make an exception in Kit’s case.

  Wonder what he’d feel like sandwiched between Adrian and me? The thought flashed through Teddy’s mind and his cock instantly plumped. We could fuck him from both ends and enjoy the moans. Oh, that was an inspiring thought. Teddy shook himself out of his daydreams.

  “Follow me. I’ll show you the sleeping quarters.”

  Excellent plan. Maybe there’ll be time to bend him over a convenient flat surface and relieve a bit of tension. “Right behind you,” Teddy said with a grin.

  Teddy fixed his eyes on Kit’s cute little ass and stuck close. Kit took him through a door in the corner of the abattoir to what Teddy guessed must have been the office accommodation when the business had been a going concern.

  “We move around a lot so we have cots set up in the old offices. There’s a bed ready to go in here.” Kit pushed open a battered door, and Teddy peered inside. Two low cots were made up with sleeping bags and pillows. One side of the room seemed lived in. There was a book open on the floor next to the bed and a holdall containing neatly folded clothes sat against one wall. There was no window and a single bare bulb hung from the ceiling.

  “Homey. Who’s my roommate?”

  Kit blinked. “I am.”

  “Sorry to impose on your privacy,” Teddy said, feeling obliged to offer up an apology even though he didn’t mean it.

  “I’m used to it.” Kit closed the door on his meager possessions. “I’ll show you the washroom. There are only two showers and the hot water is sporadic at best. One of the guys rigged the meters so we have electricity but we try not to use too much in case it attracts attention from the utility company.”

  “Trying to stay under the radar, huh?”

  Kit gave Teddy a look that said ‘Well, duh’.

  They finished the quick tour with Kit pointing out the makeshift kitchen and a small yard where several bikes were parked up alongside a van.

&n
bsp; “So you’re the club skivvy, have I got that right?” Teddy asked.

  “I… Yes. No point in trying to put a gloss on it.” Kit shrugged. “I have a roof over my head, food when I want it and nobody touches me unless I allow them to.”

  “I’d have thought this bunch would be firmly in the homophobic camp.”

  “Indifferent. They have a bigger agenda and sometimes any hole will do. Reiker doesn’t allow women in here, or any outsiders. He knows which team you bat for, by the way.”

  Teddy raised an eyebrow. “Don’t keep it secret, but he seems to know an awful lot about me.”

  “He’s made it his business to know all about The Wyverns and every other biker gang in the state. You rode with The Wyverns?”

  “I did. We had differing views on a few things.”

  “Right.” Kit sounded skeptical if not downright disbelieving. Teddy elected not to say any more. “I have a stash of clothes and other gear if you need anything,” Kit said. “Men here have a habit of disappearing, their gear gets confiscated.”

  “Good to know.” Teddy shivered. The more he got to know about the Knights the less he expected to reach his next birthday.

  Kit gave him a penetrating stare. Sharp intelligence shone from his pretty blue eyes, and for a moment Teddy wondered if the innocent façade hid a spy. Reiker didn’t appear to be stupid. He’d have someone watching Teddy.

  “I have to do a laundry run,” Kit said. “I’ll ask Reiker if you can tag along, I could use the muscle.”

  Ten minutes later, Teddy found himself heaving huge bags of laundry into the back of the van, with Kit supervising.

  “Is that it?” Teddy glanced around but all the bags were loaded.

  “Yes. Let’s go.” Kit climbed into the driver’s seat while Teddy rode shotgun. They drove through the back gates where a few men hovered, obviously keeping watch.

  “I use an industrial place a few blocks from here. They clean hotel laundry, that kind of thing. I slip them some cash and they let me use a couple of machines once a week. I have too much stuff to go to a domestic place.”

  Kit turned the radio on and sang along to a country and western channel. He had a sweet voice and Teddy was content to sit back and listen. After a few minutes’ drive, Kit pulled in to premises that the signage proclaimed to be Sunshine Laundry Services. The unprepossessing gray building was anything but sunny. Several wheeled cages sat next to the roller shutter doors, so Teddy pulled one of them over to the back of the van and lobbed the bags in. He followed Kit inside, pushing the cage. Kit waved at a couple of people and made his way to a room full of huge industrial washing machines and dryers. The noise was tremendous. Teddy could barely hear himself think. He unloaded the bags, and Kit sorted clothing, towels and bedding into a few piles. He loaded up a couple of machines, dumping in a bucket load of washing powder.

  “We have about half an hour before we need to switch stuff into the driers,” Kit yelled. “Let’s get coffee.”

  It was a good job Teddy could lip-read. The relief as they exited the machine room was palpable. Teddy huffed out a breath.

  “Fuck, that was loud.”

  Kit grinned and led Teddy to a small seating area, which housed a couple of vending machines.

  “Coffee’s free. How do you like it? Not that it makes much difference. Everything that comes out of this machine tastes the same.”

  “Black with sugar.” Teddy parked his ass on a cheap vinyl chair and stretched out his legs.

  Kit grappled with the drink dispenser’s buttons until, after a worrying grinding noise, a couple of plastic cups of something brown were produced. He handed one to Teddy and took the seat next to him.

  “Mr. Trap sends his greetings,” Kit said.

  Teddy nearly choked on his coffee-flavored beverage.

  “Dear God, you’re a plant?”

  Kit nodded. “Homeland Security. I’ve been embedded for going on seven months now.”

  “Holy fuck.”

  “Quite.” Kit sipped his drink. “I couldn’t talk earlier, I think my room and the van are both bugged. It’s safe to talk here.”

  “So, you know…”

  “Everything,” Kit said. “You faked your fall out with The Wyverns and you’re here because Mr. Trap ordered it.”

  “Fuck a duck.” Teddy couldn’t imagine the horror of the undercover work that Kit was undertaking. He had to have nerves of steel.

  “Whatever floats your boat.” Kit’s grin was disarming. “It’s not just me that Reiker doesn’t trust. He’s suspicious of everyone. Full-out psychotic paranoia. He’s a dangerous man, Teddy. He has no conscience.”

  “And he ain’t no biker either. The Knights of War are a cover, right?”

  “Right. A means to an end. He’s planning something big and he wants it blamed on biker gang warfare. You did a good job of faking your split from The Wyverns. He almost believes you.”

  “Almost?”

  “Enough not to kill you straight away.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “It’s not important. You’re here to help me and with any luck you won’t be around long enough to get dead.”

  “Well, that’s reassuring. What exactly do you need me to do and how long is it going to take? It sounds like I’m living on borrowed time.”

  “Reiker has a meeting with his inner circle tonight. His plan is to stage a gun battle and make sure that plenty of innocent bystanders are caught in the crossfire. I just don’t know where. I haven’t been able to find anything that tells me where this is going to happen.” Kit chewed on his lower lip.

  “How the hell did someone as adorable as you get caught up in this mess?”

  Kit’s cheeks flushed pink. “I was still in training, but I had the right hair and eyes. The previous holder of my job with the Knights got knifed in a bar fight. I got set up as his cousin and I met Reiker at the hospital when I was supposedly visiting my cuz. Been dodging bullets ever since.”

  “Well, you’ve got a big, hairy set of balls, kid.” Teddy squeezed Kit’s thigh.

  “Not hairy,” Kit mumbled. “Shaved.”

  “Shit on a stick, Kit. What are you trying to do to me?”

  Kit burst out laughing. “Just trying to defuse some of the imminent-death tension here. But they really are. Shaved, I mean.”

  Teddy groaned and put his head in his hands. “You’re going to kill me before Reiker gets the chance, aren’t you?”

  Kit batted his ridiculously golden lashes.

  “What about your cover—have the cops got your imaginary relative locked away somewhere?”

  “He died without gaining consciousness,” Kit said with a shrug. “In the meantime, we have laundry to shift. I’ll get a message to you tonight, so be ready.”

  “To do what exactly?”

  “Leave the abattoir and get a message to the authorities without getting your ass caught, of course.”

  “Of course.” Suddenly, emptying washing machines didn’t seem so bad.

  Chapter Five

  Adrian couldn’t kick the feeling that something was wrong. Leaving Teddy in his home had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Not because he didn’t trust Teddy but because he wanted to stay and experience a repeat performance of the previous night. Adrian didn’t bottom often but he’d be quite content to have Teddy pinning him down for a while. Not forever, though. One day Teddy would roll over and beg for it.

  “Fuck, why am I even thinking we have a future? He got what he wanted and he’s hardly the type to be seeking a serious commitment.” Adrian chuckled. “And I’m talking to myself like an idiot.” He peered through the windscreen of his cruiser as he rolled past The Oil Drum. Late afternoon and there were only a couple of motorcycles parked outside. Adrian checked his watch. Only ten minutes before he clocked off. He took the next turn and headed back to the office to swap over his vehicle and go home.

  Adrian half hoped that Teddy might be waiting for him at his house. He pulled up outside and
fought back the disappointment. There was no sign of Teddy’s bike. Adrian kept casting around as he locked his car and walked up the path to his front door. A sense of loneliness swamped him. Never before had coming home alone felt so depressing.

  Inside, the silence was overwhelming. Adrian switched on the radio for the company and the lively music lifted his spirits a little. Teddy had left the house clean and tidy. Adrian drifted through each room noting how everything had been cleaned up.

  “Who’d have guessed he would be so domestic?” It was a shame. Some reminder of Teddy’s presence would have been nice. Adrian made the effort to cook a light meal, then sat in front of the TV for an hour or so sipping on a single beer. In theory, he could be called out, though it didn’t happen that often. His staff was perfectly capable of managing without him.

  He kept an ear out for the sound of a motorcycle in the street, even going so far as to turn down the volume on his favorite program, Sons of Anarchy.

  “Not that Jax is a patch on Teddy,” he muttered. “Though if Teddy grew his hair out a bit…” He gave the nearest sofa cushion a frustrated punch. “Might as well get an early night. I need to catch up on my beauty sleep after yesterday’s nocturnal activities.” The memory was directly linked to his cock, which began to stiffen. Adrian gazed down at his lap in disgust. “Have you no self-respect?” Apparently not.

  He left a table lamp on in the lounge, then went upstairs to take a cold shower. The routine of preparations for bed normally calmed him and helped him relax but tonight was different. Adrian had the sense that something bad was about to happen. Every creak, every tap of a branch against a window had him tensing. He was as jittery as if he’d knocked back three double espressos.

  “Sleep, I need sleep.” He dropped the towel slung around his hips and slipped naked between the sheets. The AC was cranked to frigid. He lay staring at the ceiling and let the drone of the fan lull him into sleep. It didn’t last. The luminous numbers on his alarm clock let him know that he was managing to sleep in fifty-minute bursts. The glowing green numbers got increasingly blurry as Adrian tossed and turned through the hours of darkness. When it hit five o’clock, he gave it up as a bad job and got up. He pulled on a pair of briefs and wandered downstairs to the kitchen. Fatigue-induced confusion had him staring around the room in a daze.