Ready to go, Lucas walked to the side of the bed and crouched down. He touched Leah’s forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. She quickly woke and jumped up, letting out a whimper as her eyes focused on him.
“Just me, baby,” Lucas said.
It bothered him that Leah was so skittish. That threat she felt outside her apartment wasn’t just real, it was damn near devastating.
“Sorry,” Leah whispered.
“No need to be. I have to go now.”
Leah reached for Luca’s face. The sheets fell off her chest, leaving her breasts exposed. Lucas looked down at Leah’s chest then back to her face.
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
“Please be safe,” Leah said.
“I’m always safe.”
“Come back soon.”
“I’ll be back when I’m here,” Lucas said. He kissed Leah. “There’s guys at the bar that will get you anything you want. Food. Drink. Whatever. Then you come back here and you wait for me.”
“How long?” Leah asked.
Lucas stood up. He looked Leah in her eyes. “Long enough.”
Lucas knew each time he stepped from the club it could be the last time leaving. He wasn’t immortal, just inhuman. Death could take him. Death could take anyone in Full Moon Mercy. Hell, someday death would take all of Full Moon Mercy. The interesting part was that with the life inside Debbie’s stomach, it gave Full Moon Mercy a chance to live on.
The thought almost sickened Lucas as he left his room. He pushed the thoughts away and went to the conference room. There he found Vince waiting.
“Cooper was at the bar,” Vince said.
“He’s not there now,” Lucas said.
“Outside then. Hey, I had to make a judgement call on this. Seth will be tailing behind.”
“Seth?”
“He’s got the truck. He’s got our peace offering.”
Lucas put a cigarette between his lips and smiled. “Let’s ride.”
Lucas lit his smoke and left the club. The outside air hit him as he inhaled his smoke along with a breath of fresh air. Cooper was at his own motorcycle. Ian next to him. Sunglasses on. Helmets on. Ready to go.
“Brothers,” Lucas called out.
“I’d like to lead on this one,” Ian said.
“Lead what?” Lucas asked. “Vince is going to talk.”
“But we need to get their attention,” Ian said and smiled.
“Shit,” Cooper said.
“I don’t care,” Lucas said. “You two form behind Vince and I. When we roll up, do what you have to do.”
Vince stepped up next to Lucas and put a fist out. “We’ll be back for an afternoon drink.”
Cooper put his fist to Vince’s. Ian followed and Lucas did the same. The rumble of a pickup truck echoed as Seth arrived just in time.
They started their motorcycles and Vince and Lucas led the charge.
As Lucas cruised down the main street of Mercy he admired the small town. Those wandering eyes looking at him and the crew, some judging, some jealous. Lucas finished his cigarette while riding, letting himself get lost in the distant horizon.
The town limits of Mercy came and went.
Now things were serious.
Lucas kept his eyes more focused and his sense of smell the same. It wouldn’t take long for interest to be perked when the thundering engines of Full Moon Mercy came rolling into another crew’s territory.
Through the twists and turns of the flat road and the rolling hills around them, the ride settled. There was a great sense of freedom riding for so long. Knowing that the road could never end. Ocean to ocean, the greatest of Full Moon Mercy had made the nation wide journey. The entire ride Lucas could only think of Leah. Of all damn things to have happen to him he fell in love with a human. The first time he felt that intense urge to claim a woman and it had to be a regular human. Yet he’d put her life in danger now. Danger that he would fix before ever trying to stake a claim in her life.
After passing through another long turn, Vince waved a hand and cut to the right side of the road. The four bikes all came to a stop alongside each other.
Lucas leaned toward Vince. “What’s the plan?”
“Thought you had one,” Vince said.
Lucas looked back and nodded to Ian. Without hesitation, Ian took the lead and sped off.
“Holy shit,” Lucas cried out as he hurried to follow Ian.
Ian had been so unstable as of late maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to let him attract the attention of the Oreno crew.
Ian sped right into a small part of town. As he sped down the yellow line of a road, he pulled out a handgun.
“Shit!” Lucas yelled.
Ian started to fire the gun in the air.
POW! POW! POW!
Lucas got his motorcycle next to Ian’s and cut close to him.
“What the hell…” he managed to scream.
“Just wait,” Ian yelled back.
The just wait part took no more than a few seconds before two motorcycles and two black cars seemingly appeared from nowhere.
The Oreno crew were here.
Well, actually, Full Moon Mercy was here… the Oreno crew now knew it.
Lucas expected to stop the ride and have an attempt at a civil conversation. But that wasn’t in the cards at all. Ian sped up again and this time, Vince was right next to Ian. They took the lead and Lucas looked back to find Cooper speeding up, too. Cooper waved a hand and Lucas had no choice but to keep up with the rest of his crew now. He looked over his shoulder and saw the two big men on their big motorcycles as they gained ground on Full Moon Mercy.
Once through the first part of town, Vince and Ian cut into a dusty field, leaving big clouds for Lucas and Cooper to trail into. Lucas kept his cool and kicked the back tire of the motorcycle left to right to kick a trail for the Oreno crew to suffer through. When they came to a grassy clearing, Vince cut his motorcycle around, ending the ride.
Ian, Cooper, and Lucas did the same.
Lucas hurried to take his helmet off and jumped from his motorcycle, pulling out a gun, ready for whatever the hell was about to happen.
“I thought we were here to talk,” Lucas said.
“We are,” Vince said. “We’re just keeping the power in our hands.”
The two black cars soon appeared, coming to a stop. The backdoor of the first one opened and a man walked to the other car, opening the door. The man who got out of that car was Eli, the guy who ran the Oreno crew. He was dressed nice even with the random tattoos on his neck. He was a thick man, solid muscle, and a had a scar across his face. A memory of a lost battle.
Eli walked with his arms folded. A few feet away from Lucas, he put his hands down and snapped his fingers. Lucas lifted the gun and watched as two massive wolves stepped into the scene. They were obviously the two men on the motorcycles. The wolves were tall and their mouths open, their growls deep but none of it bothered Lucas.
“Eli,” Vince said. “Good to see you, man.”
“Good to see me?” Eli asked. “Imagine me sitting with an old friend, sharing some breakfast. Then I hear the sounds of gunshots through my street. Then I catch the smell… you know that smell, right Triel?”
The man next to Eli nodded and sniffed the air. “Dirty smell.”
Vince tugged at his leather and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t think we smell that bad.”
Ian and Cooper laughed. Lucas remained focused, his gun pointed at Eli. He knew even if he took a shot at Eli, the two wolves would jump in front of the bullet, protecting their leader.
“Lucas, you could put that gun down,” Eli said. “I don’t have a gun. I don’t even carry anymore.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Lucas said.
“So you will.”
Eli nodded and the two wolves took a few steps toward Lucas. Lucas put the gun to each of the wolves, but this only drew out deeper growls from the large beasts.
“I don’t think we’re
here to fight,” Vince said.
“Then why are you here?” Eli asked.
Lucas lowered the gun and tucked it away. He showed his empty hands as a peace offering and moved toward Eli. Triel stepped forward and put a hand out. Lucas smacked his hand away and Triel threw a punch. Lucas dunked under the punch and came up with a solid fist to Triel’s gut, knocking him back. The wolves made their move and Lucas was ready to shift if need be. Ian, Cooper, and Vince were all there to back Lucas, calming the scene.
Lucas stared at Eli. “We need to use your roads.”
“Is that so? Seems like you just did so now.”
“Yeah, well, we need to pass through with a delivery. And we need to pass back to Mercy.”
“There’s no other way you could go?”
“If there was, we wouldn’t be here,” Lucas said. “Don’t be a dick, Eli.”
Eli looked down at Triel as he started to climb to his feet. Then he looked back to Lucas.
“You come to my town and fire a gun. You force us to chase you like cops and criminals out here. Then you attack one of my guys. Who’s the dick here?”
“He’s got a point,” Cooper said.
“Fair enough,” Lucas said. “I’m not in the greatest of moods lately.”
“I can see that,” Eli said. “What are you delivering?”
“We can’t discuss that,” Vince said. “We just need access to the roads. Peacefully.”
Eli laughed. “You speaking the word peace seems a little… unusual.”
“We’re not going to hurt anyone,” Lucas said. “We just need to ride through.”
“And back,” Eli said. “You’ve stated that once. My question is… why do I care?”
“Do you smell that?” Ian asked.
“I smell it,” Lucas said. “You guys are hungry.”
The wolves growled. Eli put his hands out, commanding the wolves back.
“Hey, we get it,” Vince said. “The urges come and go. Finding food is hard. Especially when you’re trying to keep your town peaceful.”
“What are you getting at?” Eli asked.
Lucas saw the pickup truck coming along the dirt path.
Just in time.
“We have something for you,” Lucas said.
The two crews slowly walked around each other as Seth pulled his pickup truck to the scene. He got out of the driver’s seat and went to the bed of the truck. Lucas watched as he unchained the two bodies from the bed of the truck and threw them to the ground like they weighed nothing. The two men quickly jumped up and began to fight the tarp off themselves. They were still chained together though, making an escape impossible. At the sight of the two men, the Oreno wolves growled.
“Looks like your boys are hungry,” Vince said.
“What the hell is this?” Eli asked.
“An offering,” Lucas said. “These two here are a little gift to you from us.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Eli asked. “Let us tear these two apart and then have someone come looking for them.”
“No,” Lucas said. “These men are criminals. The pieces of shit that roll through towns like yours and Mercy, causing trouble.”
“So it’s a sacrifice,” Eli said.
“Call it what you want,” Lucas said. “We come through on our travel and if you give us peaceful access, we will have a box truck full of bodies for your crew to feast upon.”
Eli folded his arms again. He glanced and Triel and nodded to the car.
“Allow me to speak with my associate,” Eli said.
“Associate,” Lucas whispered as Eli and Triel walked away.
“Help us!” Dickie yelled as he pulled on the chains connected to Ralphie.
“Run with me,” Ralphie said.
The two men tried to turn, but Seth stood behind them. He pushed at the men and they toppled to the ground. Seth started to laugh as the men cursed at him.
The two wolves were hungry. Lucas could smell it in the saliva that poured from their mouths. They probably hadn’t a real meal in a long time.
“What do you think?” Ian asked.
“Just play it cool,” Lucas said.
“They’ll fold,” Vince said.
“If they don’t?” Cooper asked.
“We’re getting that woman to the doctor,” Vince said. “One way or another.”
Lucas kept to himself and waited patiently for Eli and Triel to come back. When they did, Eli folded his arms again.
“You have to understand my concern here,” Eli said. “The men of Full Moon Mercy wanting access on my streets. Obviously whatever you have planned benefits your club.”
“Nobody said that,” Lucas said.
“Then what would you need us for?”
“Someone is sick,” Vince said.
Lucas curled his lip and looked over his shoulder.
“Sick?” Eli asked.
“A friend of the club,” Vince said. “There’s a situation we have to get taken care of. There’s a doctor north of here that is willing to help.”
“Sick,” Eli said. His eyes met Lucas’s.
“Look,” Lucas said, “I’m not here to mess around. We’ll have a crew with us. We need to pass through. Going north is a risk in itself for all of us. I don’t want to have to worry about your crew. I promise you, we’re traveling with our eyes focused north and nothing else.”
“Will this sick person die without my help?” Eli asked.
“Yes,” Lucas said.
“And no doctor in Mercy can help, huh?”
“We know what we need to do,” Lucas said.
Eli stepped closer to Lucas. “Let’s get one thing straight. This is my town. My crew. Anything within the town is also mine. That means when you’re traveling through, you become part of my property.”
“Like hell,” Ian said.
“Cut it,” Vince growled.
“I get it,” Lucas said.
“I’ll have men everywhere,” Eli said. “Some on motorcycles. Some in cars. Some as wolves, ready to kill. If you fuck with me…”
“We’re not fucking with you,” Lucas said. “We brought an offering for you. For your crew here.”
“And that box truck will be full,” Vince said. “Plenty to enjoy.”
“They’ll all be alive?” Eli asked.
“Of course,” Lucas said.
Eli smiled. Lucas knew where the man was going with that. If the men were brought alive, they could be kept alive as bait and leverage. And reward. The ending result of this would probably be more power given to the Oreno crew than anyone in Full Moon Mercy cared for, but sometimes in life there was no damn choice. Giving something up to move forward was just part of the life. It was about survival.
“Live bodies in exchange for use of our roads,” Eli said.
“Not roads, man,” Lucas said. “Road. The main road. We’re not going to be sneaking around. We’re not drawing attention to us on this. This isn’t some deal with another crew.”
“Just someone sick,” Eli said.
“Exactly.”
Eli looked around. The chained men - Ralphie and Dickie - continued to try to get to their feet, but Seth kept them on the ground. A cellphone rang and Seth took a phone from his pocket and smiled at the screen. He waved it to Lucas.
“What’s that?” Eli asked.
“No idea. Probably a woman.”
Eli laughed. “Sex and food.”
“That’s all there is in life.”
“Don’t forget the booze,” Vince said.
“Of course,” Eli said.
Lucas kept one eye on Seth. He seemed distracted by the cellphone call. He looked excited to take the call. It frustrated Lucas. This was the problem with Seth it seemed. He was pretty loyal, but sometimes he just couldn’t fully commit to the club.
“Do we have a deal here?” Lucas asked.
“You know, I would normally like to take some time to think on it,” Eli said. “I have my own crew to talk to you. I’m sure
you get that.”
“Sure,” Lucas said. “The vote always gets respect.”
“I’ll take your offering though.”
“But the problem is that we don’t have time,” Lucas said. “Someone is really sick. If we wait… even another day…”
“Eli, brother,” Vince said as he stepped next to Lucas. He offered his hand. “We’ve had our shit in the past. Need I remind you of the time Full Moon Mercy came to your aid and split up the Reckingdune crew? That wasn’t our battle, but now it’s our war.”
Eli glanced at Triel who nodded. Eli shook hands with Vince first, Lucas second.
“Okay,” he said. “I think we can work this out. I’ll keep the main road open for Full Moon Mercy access. Your crew can pass through twice, okay? Once going north, once going back. If there’s any gunfire, any threat of violence, then it’s off. I’ll send my crew to protect their town.”
“All sounds reasonable to me,” Lucas said.
“We’ll have the box truck with us,” Vince said.
“I look forward to feeding my crew,” Eli said.
Lucas pointed to Seth and waved to the bodies. “Give Triel the keys. These guys aren’t our problem anymore.”
“What does that mean?” Ralphie asked.
“Hey, fuck you guys,” Dickie said. “I swear…”
Seth kicked Dickie in the face to shut him up.
“Hey, hey,” Eli called out. “Let my friends here take care of that.” Eli pointed to the two wolves and gave a nod.
Seth tossed the keys to Triel. He hurried and unlocked the chains. Seth ran to Lucas as the two wolves made their move. The wolves pounced on Ralphie and Dickie. Before the two men could let out real screams, the wolves bit at their throats, silencing them with a wet, gurgling sound.
“Shit,” Lucas whispered.
The wolves then backtracked with their prey in their mouths. They took Ralphie and Dickie into the brush.
The True Beast (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 13