No Mercy

by Tory Richards

  She didn’t like the sound of that. I could see new fear brighten her watery eyes. “Rock−no−”

  “It will be okay, baby.” I would fucking see to that. “You’re going with me to get him.” I could tell that surprised her. “We do things his way until you and Sam are safe.”

  “I’m scared.” She trembled against me. “I can’t lose Sam or you, Rock. I need you both.” Her hand went down to her slight belly. “This baby needs you.” The thought that I might not be around for this child gutted me.

  “Are you sure Allie should go with you?” Audra questioned with concern in her eyes.

  Fuck no, I wasn’t sure, but it’s what Boomer wanted, and right now he held all the cards. If we tried anything before we had Sam back, the situation could turn disastrous. I knew the camp he wanted to meet at, and the location would give Boomer a clear view of us coming in. It was probably the reason he’d chosen it. Hawk and Big John would need to stay well behind us to remain out of sight.

  “Boomer won’t give Sam to anyone but her.” I didn’t have to explain anything to Audra, but because she was Hawk’s woman and she obviously cared for Allie and Sam, I did. I took a deep breath, keeping my eyes on Allie. “You ready, babe?” She nodded. I couldn’t help myself from leaning forward to kiss her. I had meant it to be a brief show of affection, but once it occurred to me that it may be the last time I would ever kiss her, I ground my mouth against hers, tasting her sweetness, taking her strength. The hardest thing I’d ever had to do was end it. “Come on.”

  Snake’s old, rusty truck was waiting for us when we stepped outside. Hawk stepped forward, demanding Allie’s presence in a silent way. “There’s something you need to know. Clay will be going with you, but he’ll be hiding beneath the truck. You’ll be on an old camp road, so if you come across any water or deep holes remember that. Just follow Rock and do what he says, it will all work out.”

  Allie nodded, and then looked at Clay. “I’ll try to be careful,” she told him.

  “No worries, sweetheart.”

  “We ready?” I was eager to be on our way.

  “Yep.” Clay fell to the ground, rolled onto his back and scooted beneath the truck. “Ready!” he called out.

  I opened the truck door, helped Allie in, and closed the door. We kept our eyes locked. I purposely hardened mine against the soft vulnerability I saw in hers. “I need you to stay strong, babe.”

  “I will,” she promised. “I love you.”

  I steeled myself from giving in and kissing her again. “Love you, too.” I pivoted to my bike, got on, and kick started it. Making eye contact with Hawk and Big John, I said, “Let’s do this.”

  The sound of their bikes revving behind me as my bike shot forward was music to my ears, because I knew I had my brothers at my back. If anything went south they’d protect Sam and Allie with their lives. I knew they would do everything within their power to make sure they got home alive and safe, even if it was at the expense of my life. That’s what we did. We didn’t hesitate when it came to our women and families.

  Allie and Sam were my life.

  They were all that mattered.

  Chapter 37

  Allie

  I was scared and shaking. Who wouldn’t be under the circumstances? There was so much that could go wrong, but I trusted Rock to get our son back. I didn’t know this Boomer person, but only a monster would take an innocent boy and use him as a pawn. I knew I would go to hell for my thoughts but I wanted him dead, and I hoped that Rock made him suffer first.

  We’d turned onto a barely there road and it was instantly clear that we were heading into the woods. Hawk had said that it was a camp road, and it was easy to see that it was hardly traveled. It was nothing more than a narrow one-way road with a strip of grass down the middle. Trees and bushes brushed the side of the truck as I followed Rock.

  Worry for Clay came at almost every bump in the road. I was forced to go around several deep pot holes that were filled with muddy water. There was no telling how deep they were, and I wasn’t going to take a chance of getting stuck in one and drowning him. We passed a couple of tiny houses that were little more than shacks, located off the trail a little ways, overgrown with uncut grass and bushes. I guessed they were camps that were not currently occupied.

  I sensed that we were nearing the end of our ride when a lake appeared ahead of us. Thank God! I was anxious to have Sam back in my arms. Robin had felt terrible over what had happened, but she and Sheryl hadn’t stood a chance against the two armed men, not when they’d also had Robin’s four children to consider. I didn’t blame them for anything, but I knew it would be a while before I allowed Sam out of my sight again.

  We were coming up on the lake, and I assumed that we would be taking a turn somewhere. I took in our surroundings, noticing another camp off to the right. It was a dead end, but if that wasn’t enough to convince me that it was our destination, what met my eyes next was. There were six motorcycles parked near the small, faded green house, and one of the riders was standing guard right outside the door with a gun already in his hand.

  My heart stopped, as did my breathing. I stopped the truck because Rock had stopped. When he got off his bike I immediately opened the truck door and stepped out. Rock swung my way when he heard the door slam shut.

  “Stay put!” he snapped, causing me to jerk to a halt. He’d never used that menacing tone with me before, and it got my attention. He pivoted back to the man standing guard. “I know the assholes inside heard us. Tell Boomer to get the fuck out here with my son.” His rigid stance revealed that he was struggling to hold on to his control.

  “Just a minute.” The man walked to me and the truck, making a show at looking me over, the truck, and then around it, and I sensed that he was looking for hidden threats. He walked toward me with a cocky grin on his whiskered face. My gaze went past him to Rock, who remained like a statue. “You hiding anyone?”

  My heart jumped, but I didn’t answer him. My stubbornness received a small grin of approval from Rock. The man took a quick peek inside the cab at the floor area, and then at the empty truck bed. I held my breath, willing myself to remain calm and not give anything away by looking guilty. If he discovered Clay he’d kill him before Clay would have a chance to move. When he bent as if to search beneath the truck, I knew that I had to divert him.

  “Where’s my son?” I hissed. He straightened and looked at me. His nasty grin angered me, and I lost control. I took several steps in the direction of the cabin. “I want my son!” I didn’t get far. The man caught up with me and wrapped a heavy arm across my chest, spinning me toward Rock, when Rock made a move toward us.

  “Easy, big man,” he growled against my ear. He pointed his gun at Rock, keeping me tight against the front of his body. “I haven’t got orders to kill you yet, but nothing was said about crippling you.”

  “Do it,” Rock snarled.

  “No!” I cried out, struggling to pull free.

  “Can’t. Boomer wants that pleasure.”

  I gasped with fear, trying to pull away but he was stronger than me. The next thing I knew he was walking us backwards toward the cabin.

  “Take your fucking hands off her,” Rock growled in a low, grisly tone. He had barely opened his mouth, and I could see his hands fisting at his sides. If it weren’t for the gun pointed at me, I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to go after the man.

  Behind me I heard the cabin door open, and I twisted enough so I could see who it was. “Sam!” I cried out. Suddenly I was released and rushing to my son.

  “Mom!” he said in a childish voice of happy surprise.

  I fell to my knees and scooped him into my arms. “Are you okay, honey?” I ran my hands over him, searching for any injuries. Other than being dirty and disheveled he appeared unharmed.

  He wrapped his little arms around me and held tight. “I’m okay. He said you and dad would come for me.”

  For the first time I noticed the pant legs next to me. Not letting
go of Sam I glanced up, taking in the familiar biker garb I’d grown used to seeing, until finally coming to the man’s face. I gasped. I hadn’t seen him since our girls’ night out, but I recognized who he was. His hair was a little longer, shaggier, and he wasn’t clean cut now as he had been then, but the scar cutting through his eyebrow was the same. He was smiling down at me as if we were friends.

  “You got what you fucking wanted,” Rock said from a few feet away. “Now let them go.”

  I stood with the intention of walking back to the truck, Sam’s little hand clenched in mine. I had barely taken a step when a hand grasped my upper arm and I was jerked back.

  “Not so fast.” I tried to pull away. “I’ve had time to think while waiting for you to get here.” I didn’t like his smirk, or the painful way he squeezed my arm. It was as if he were silently antagonizing Rock by making it clear that he was keeping me from walking away. “I was wondering what would hurt you more, losing your kid or losing your woman?”

  I didn’t like the sensation of doom moving over me. A full minute went by as the words just hung there between us. Rock’s set expression revealed nothing of what he must be feeling inside. I glanced down at Sam, giving his little hand a squeeze to get his attention. His expression revealed that he hadn’t grasped the dangerous situation we were in, yet he waited patiently for me to say something.

  “Then I thought, why not take both of them?”

  No! I screamed inside. I wouldn’t let him! I reacted in fear and pushed Sam in front of me, yelling, “Sam, run! Hide in the woods!” He hesitated only briefly before taking off in a sprint toward the trees behind Rock. He didn’t look back, and I watched with relief when he disappeared from sight. “Don’t stop, Sam!” I hollered after him.

  I prayed these men wouldn’t use violence against a small child, but when the man who’d been guarding the camp raised his gun I could only stare in silent shock. The next second the gun was chopped viciously out of his hand.

  “You fool! I don’t want him dead. Go after him!”

  With a grunt the man picked up his weapon and followed in the direction Sam had run, but when he neared Rock he came up against a brick wall. Rock stepped into his path and delivered a solid punch to the man’s jaw and gut, giving Sam more precious seconds to get away. “Run, Sam!” I screamed loudly, watching the man hit the ground. He raised his gun to fire at Rock, but Rock kicked it out of his hand.

  It was over before it had even begun. The man next to me fired a warning shot, hitting the ground close to where Rock and the other man were fighting. Both looked in our direction. “The next shot goes into your pretty woman.”

  Rock instantly grew still. The man he’d been fighting took the opportunity to punch Rock in his jaw. The force staggered Rock, but he remained on his feet. “You hit like a woman,” he taunted. The man drew back his arm to hit Rock again.

  “Stringer!” the man next to me hollered in a warning voice, halting the other biker in the middle of his swing. Stringer looked back at us questioningly. “The kid?” Stringer dropped his arm and took off into the woods.

  My gaze met Rock’s. His jaw was already swelling. In spite of our situation he gave me a wink, and it was enough to give me hope that we might make it out of this. I was close to losing it, worry over Sam and the unknown overwhelming me. If Stringer caught up to him he wouldn’t kill him, and that knowledge gave me a small comfort.

  “What the fuck do you want, Boomer?” Rock broke the silence. Everything about him was held tight this curled fists, his clenched jaw, the hate glittering in his dark eyes. “I thought we’d killed all the fucking Red Devils.”

  A mocking laugh sounded next to me. “There were a handful of us who got lucky,” Boomer said. “Decided to put together a new MC, took things slow to build our number and get our name out there.”

  Rock snorted. “Inept as the fucking Red Devils.”

  Boomer laughed sarcastically. “Doesn’t look that way now, does it. I’m the one holding your woman, and when Stringer gets back I’ll have your kid.” He paused meaningfully.

  “Over my dead body!” I hissed, yanking my arm in an effort to get free.

  With a painful squeeze he jerked me up against his chest and warned, “That can be arranged, but you’re way too pretty to kill. I’d rather fuck you instead.” He turned back to Rock with a smirk. “I’ve got it all planned out and you get to watch.”

  The low guttural sound erupting from Rock sent chills down my spine. “You won’t live long enough to touch her,” he growled.

  Boomer laughed again, seemingly unaffected by Rock’s declaration. “Looks like I’m touching her now.” He kept me against him. “Tank!” he called over his shoulder. The door opened behind us and another biker stepped out.

  “Yeah, boss?”

  “Help Stringer find the kid, he’s in the woods somewhere.”

  The huge biker moved around us and disappeared into the woods.

  “Aren’t you gonna ask why I hate you so fucking much?” Boomer questioned Rock.

  “I don’t give a fuck.”

  “You will. Especially since this is all your fault. I could have been happy staying a nomad, until I ran into a couple of brothers who’d been at the massacre that day and they told me who killed my son.”

  “I killed a lot of fuckers that day,” Rock said without feeling. “By the time we were done no one was left standing.”

  “Not so. These brothers came up on the fight, took in the situation, and decided to stay hidden.”

  “Cowards,” Rock grunted with a twist of contempt on his face.

  Boomer shrugged. “They were on the losing side and decided to stay alive and fight another day. They watched Wildman go down.” His tone hardened. “Saw you standing over my son before you shot him through the head.”

  “That’s how you kill a rabid dog.”

  I gasped, my eyes widening at Rock’s remark. What was he doing, antagonizing this man? I stared at him, trying to read what he was thinking, but he didn’t give anything away. I couldn’t tell if Boomer’s words had affected him. Probably not. From what Boomer had described, the two clubs had been in a violent fight. I wasn’t naive. I knew some of what happened in MCs, and had seen and heard things when we’d been together years before. I didn’t like the idea of killing, but I knew it happened, and usually for a good reason.

  I knew that MCs did a lot of good things, too.

  The hand around my arm tightened, the only indication that Boomer hadn’t liked Rock’s cruel comment. In the next instant Stringer broke through the trees, a disgusted look on his sweaty face. I smiled when I saw that he didn’t have Sam with him.

  “The little shit got away!” he rasped out of breath, stopping behind Rock.

  “Tank’s looking for him, too. Get the fuck back out there and don’t come back without him.” Stringer turned around without question, but the downturn of his thick lips revealed he didn’t like it.

  “You won’t find him,” I said with confidence. Sam was good at hiding. He was small and could tuck himself into tiny spaces. When we’d played hide-n-seek I had often had to call him to come out because I couldn’t find him.

  Boomer stared down into my face, a slow smile crossing his features. “No reason to let this little upset get in the way of what I really want.”

  Afraid of what his answer would be, I refused to ask him what that was.

  Rock wasn’t afraid, though. “And what the fuck is that?” he snarled. “You want me, here I am.”

  “Yeah.” Boomer laughed, but his tone was far from humorous. “You’re going to suffer for killing my son, in so many ways. By the time I’m done with you you’ll be begging for me to end you.”

  He turned his attention back on me. I felt panic rising, my mind filled with all kinds of unpleasant things that he could do. I turned my head when he leaned in and put his nose against my neck.

  “You smell nice, just like that night on the dance floor.” I refused to react, holding myself st
ill and barely breathing. With a sick feeling I knew that he was going to use me to break Rock. “The rest of you brothers come out!”

  Three more burly bikers joined us, each one looking lethal in his own right. They weren’t necessarily big, but the aura surrounding them was palpable. They looked dirty and scruffy, the kind of men who had nothing to lose. Fear for Rock overwhelmed me, and my gaze swung to his. He didn’t look afraid, if anything he appeared frustrated with the situation, and then it dawned on me that he wouldn’t react in the way he wanted to as long as I was there.

  He was afraid for me and Sam. We were in the way.

  “Check him for weapons.” Boomer didn’t speak to anyone in particular. I watched one man step up to Rock to follow orders.

  The muscle in Rock’s jaw clenched, but he remained unmoving like stone. Two guns and a knife were removed. “You think that’s going to stop me from killing you?”

  A snort sounded close to my ear. “You won’t move as long as I have your family at my mercy, but just in case--” He gave a sharp chin lift to his men.

  They ganged up and jumped Rock before he had a chance. He fought back, and for a while he held them at bay, punching and kicking them as they closed in around him, turning this way and that, always getting in a well-placed hit before being confronted by another man. Grunts filled the air, and it was clear that he was in prime fighting condition from the way Boomer’s men stumbled and fell back. Blood spewed from broken noses and hits to the mouth. But he couldn’t hold out for long, three against one was hardly a fair fight, and they eventually gained the upper hand.

  “Stop!” I screamed, afraid they were going to kill him. They were pummeling Rock ruthlessly, going at him like rabid dogs out of control, hitting him over and over on his face and upper body. Every grunt tore from him tore my heart out, and tears began to leak down my face. “Please stop!” In desperation I turned enough to rake my nails down Boomer’s face, digging deep gouges into his flesh. His grunt was hardly satisfying compared to the sounds of the fists hitting Rock.