Taking a man’s life might lay on many other men’s conscious but if you take out one of my friends, I don’t care who I have to go after in order to seek revenge, I won’t let my friend die for nothing. Tonight we are claiming our payback for him.
“Keep your cool, man,”
I look to Mark in the driver’s seat and see him watching my leg bouncing up and down, my nerves are standing on edge and feel like they are on fire.
“I don’t need to be cool when I’m about to take out as many fuckers as I can.”
His heavy sigh and tongue clicking makes me laugh.
“Do you honestly expect any less from me, brother? We’re sitting here about to end their lives and you want me to be cool,” I snort.
The last thing I expected from my brother, my calm and collective brother was for him to start laughing.
I throw a start explaining look and wait for him to talk.
“I have always tried to keep you away from trouble and here I am, telling you to keep cool about what we’re about to do.”
Yeah, I see the funny side of it too.
“Being serious though, be careful. Keep your eyes everywhere,” he warns.
The whole atmosphere becomes serious, don’t get me wrong I know the seriousness of tonight and the danger that is about to occur but I don’t let it affect me the same way it does my brother.
Watching the rear view mirror, I see two more of our vans park up further down the road.
We’ve seen four guys ride into their compound in the last hour and from where we are parked we can see their party is getting pretty wild and is slowly spilling outside. The plan was to walk in bold as brass and shower the place in bullets. I wait for Mark to decide how to proceed and hope he doesn’t take too much longer.
“C’mon man, what’s the plan?” I ask, losing my patience.
He takes one last look out the back window and then towards their clubhouse.
“We keep to the same plan, we’ll go first then everyone else will follow. Whoever’s outside will go down first and then we go in. Let’s go.”
“About time,” I holler.
Taking the safety catch off my gun, I leap out of the van and cross the road. The guys follow behind and silently creep along the wall, remaining hidden from our enemy. A surprise attack just like they did to us.
Laughter and jokes fill the air behind the wall and the idea that they don’t have a clue we’re here makes it all that much sweeter.
Mark and I with ten brothers beside us line one wall leading to the gate and Oak and Micky with twelve brothers line the other wall.
I can feel every second tick by with the beat of my heart, excitement filling the night.
This is for you Benny boy.
Mark holds three fingers up and counts down to a closed fist and then signals for us to move. With every movement I can imagine the carnage that’s about to go down.
The moment we get the go ahead our guys round the corner and storm through the gate. The first sound to come from us is the first shot being fired. Precision, Mark told us. Aim and shoot, don’t waste time and don’t take any prisoners.
For a few short, priceless moments they are shocked and none of them move. Once they grasp what’s happening around them, we have taken out six of their guys and they begin scrambling for their guns and then for cover to retaliate.
The scene before me is flashes of gun blasts from both clubs. Right this minute my vision is one long tunnel and the only thing I can see at the end is Raging fucking Riders.
“Boss! Behind you!”
Scanning the area for Mark, I see too late. He’s been hit with a steel pipe around his back and he has fell to his knees. Before I can shoot his attacker myself, Oak already has his gun trained on him. The poor fuck doesn’t even see his death coming.
“Where’s Hunter?” I yell, when I see Mark has Oak helping him up to his feet.
“He’s not here.”
What the hell? We saw him arrive a few hours ago and he didn’t leave. Their doors to the club all slam shut and by the time I get my breath back the fight is over. Tommy is standing over a Raging Rider slumped on the ground, he is just standing there looking down at him. In the darkness I can slightly make out his lips moving but I have to move closer to hear what he is saying. I approach him from the side and I know he senses me here. He is praying for the guy dead on the ground.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, the fuckin’ pope?” I laugh.
“And do you think you’re a fuckin’ tornado? The way you were shooting that thing was crazy,” he replies, still looking down at the dead guy.
I laugh and go to grab his arm to start moving him along. He yanks his arm back and I hold my hand up to show him I meant no harm. I know the guy has issues but not the specific causes of them.
I look around and the only men left outside still breathing are Lost Souls. Unspoken, we all filter back to our rides. Mark back on his feet makes sure we are all out and climbs into the driver’s seat.
Between the two of us, our violent adrenaline is tangible.
“That should make it clear where we all fucking stand,” he growls, slamming his foot down on the gas.
“Clear like crystal,” I laugh, feeling the rush begin to fade.
“You enjoyed it back there, didn’t you?” he asks, throwing me side way glances.
“I’m not going to lie, I did, just a little. Benny would’ve been cool with it.”
“Don’t get used to it, that was purely business not fun.”
“It can be both,” I argue, and it fucking was fun.
The Lost Souls will be a force to be reckoned with and after tonight, everyone will know it.
Mark
With all the guys returning to the clubhouse still hyped from the hit on the Raging Riders, they were ready to hit the bar and drink to our victory. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to celebrate so I made my way back to the house where I knew my wife was sleeping peacefully.
I unlock the door and turn to make sure the three guys I put on the gate are still there, they are. They are to stand watch until sun rise which isn’t far off and alert us if any retaliation comes our way.
Moving through the darkness I lock myself in the bathroom to wash up before I climb into bed next to Rayna. I wash quickly and stretch my back out, the fucker who hit me with the pipe wasn’t holding back, looking over my shoulder in the mirror I can see it is already bruising.
I finish up in the bathroom and quietly slip into our bedroom. Rayna’s beauty hits me every time I come home. She doesn’t wake when I pull the covers back and lay beside her but she knows I’m home and nestles into my side. Setting the guys on the gate to stand watch is the first of many new precautions that will need to be put in place. Each and every guy’s safety is paramount to me and not only for them but for their families too. Lives are changing and when you can’t guarantee each outcome you have to prepare for all outcomes. Tonight was inevitable from the moment we decided to form the club, it’s not the way I wanted to run things but if we don’t keep up then what happened tonight and to Benny will have been for nothing and we’ll be dead.
That’s not a future I can live with, we live in a world now where only the strongest and sharpest survive. I don’t have it in me to be the weaker man and go out for nothing.
PART TWO – 1990
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mark
“We’ve got a good arrangement. I trust you as much as I trust my mother. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s more than I do most people, which is good.”
“That’s good to know Denzel. Where are you going with this?” I ask.
Denzel Parker has been throwing us business for the last six years and his money has been the main cash boost for our club. I hate the guy, as each year passes he seems to get sleazier. He looks the same as he did when I first met him, apart from he’s now starting to go grey.
It took two years before he trusted us with details of a run before he didn’t
join us at the pickup point. Now he just has one of his guys deliver us the instructions and destination and we get the job done without him hovering around us.
Every three months I personally make the trip with Oak and Micky to meet with Denzel and we make sure our arrangement is still beneficial to us both. So far it has been.
“Clubs, gangs and every other fucker who wants power and money are getting out of control. There is more demand for weapons and I want to cash in on that. I want to up our monthly run to three. More cash for me and more cash for you.”
I lean back in the chair in Denzel’s office in his bar and blow out a long breath. None of us are going to turn down the opportunity to make more cash, yet with more cash comes more risk and danger.
“I can see you thinking about it. Each run you make will be to a different drop off point so you won’t be routinely going to the same place. It’s a win win, Mark.”
I know I can make this work and extra income means more security.
“What do you say? Do we have a deal?” he asks, leaning forward on his desk.
“I say we have a deal,” I smile, “Are we keeping it the same receiving the run details?”
“Yeah, my guy will let you know about the next run sometime next week so be ready to go when he gets there.”
We may have a good business arrangement but we are by no means friends. We never usually bother with goodbyes and pleasantries. I know where we stand and he knows the same. I make it to the door before he stops me.
“How are you with the Raging Riders these days?” he asks.
“It’s been quiet on their side lately,” I say, not giving him too much.
From the day Hunter heard we had formed the Lost Souls he took it upon himself to try and make our lives a living hell. I kept my guys in check and didn’t allow them to shoot first. So far, we only retaliate. Some of the brothers feel like we’re soft for not wiping them out. I have to remind them it’s not why the club began. However, if we are attacked then all bets are off and we fight back.
“Good, see you in three months,” he grins.
I nod once and escape his office to go find Oak and Micky in the bar so we can get out of here.
They see me coming and leave the bar heading for the same direction as me, the exit.
The sun is starting to set as we leave, not realizing how long we had been in there.
Heading for our bikes a Raging Rider rides past us. He sees us before speeding up and disappearing around the corner.
“How did it go in there?” Micky asks, jerking his chin back towards the bar.
“We should get out of here before any more Raging fuckers show up. I’ll tell you when we get home but for now, he’s giving us more work,” I say, clipping my helmet on.
“How much?”
“Three runs a month,” I say, throwing my leg over my bike, “Come on, let’s go. Rayna wasn’t well when we left, I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s carrying a human in her belly, of course she isn’t okay,” Oak grunts, causing Micky to laugh in hysterics.
“It’s the most natural thing in the world man, you make it sound disgusting,” he manages to say through his laughter.
Shortly after Micky and Flo got together they started trying for their own baby, but nature hasn’t been kind to them and from what Rayna has told me. Flo has given up hope of having her own child.
“Come on, let’s go.”
I pull out into the traffic first and Micky and Oak follow. The fresh air hitting our faces is just what we need after being in Denzel’s sleazy bar. Coming up to a cross junction two Raging Riders come towards us from the opposite direction. We pass them as they are at a red light and all three of us keep a watch in our mirrors to see if they follow.
Before their light changed they had made a U-turn and were speeding up behind us. I reach for my gun packed in my inside pocket in my cut and try to come up with some sort of plan of how we can get out of this alive because with the amount of traffic and pedestrians in this built up area, it’s going to be hard shooting them off if they fire at us.
If we can just make it out onto the open road we will be fine. It’s so frustrating that the Raging Riders don’t have the same standards as us and they prove it by letting their hatred towards us put the public in danger when they fire at us. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the public getting hurt because of us but that doesn’t mean I’m not in survival mode right now and will do anything to get out of here.
We swerve our bikes trying to make it harder for them to aim at us. I count three more shots being fired before we carry on straight and the two Raging fuckers withdraw around the corner and out of sight.
Oak and Micky ride up alongside me. Micky sticks his thumb up signalling he is okay but Oak is holding his side. I look closer and blood begins to seep down from underneath his cut.
“We’ll stop at the next motel,” I yell to him.
He nods knowing it isn’t too far from where we are now and Micky and I keep our eyes open for any more attacks.
Parking our bikes at the furthest point of the motel to avoid bringing too much attention to us, Micky goes to the office to pay for a room while I take a look at Oak’s wound.
“It’s only a flesh wound, it doesn’t look too deep,” I tell him.
“Good, I ain’t got time to die today. Shellie would put my balls in a pie if I show up late again.”
“I wasn’t aware Shellie bakes,” I laugh.
“She has been lately, I think she’s trying to show me she’d make a good old lady or something.”
“She’s been loyal to you for a long time now, you could find much worse,” I say, watching Micky walk out of the office throwing a key from one hand to the other.
“We’ll see.”
Shellie decided to stick around after the shooting on my wedding night. In the beginning she was quiet and would jump at every loud sound. She asked if she could work the bar. I agreed, mainly to keep the girl around and make sure she didn’t open her mouth to anyone about what happened and also because I saw she and Oak had been spending more time together alone. Slowly they became an item. Lately, all they do is argue. My friend can’t do any right most of the time.
“We’re in room ten, at the end,” Micky tells us, nodding to the end of the motel. He grabs a black leather bag from his side bag and we help Oak to the room. He slumps on the bed as soon as he is through the door and is looking a little too pale for my liking.
Micky sets about cleaning him up and dressing his wound while I tell them what Denzel wants from us.
“Three runs is going to mean we’re more noticed,” Oak hisses through the stinging when Micky cleans the wound.
“He assured me that each run will be different. The guys will be fine with it, the more cash they make the happier they are.” I say.
“We’ve got more problems than making more cash,” Micky grunts, “We were in a bad position back there, this could’ve been much worse,” he says, pointing to Oak’s side.
I look at my friend and his heavy eyes.
“We’ll sort that out when we get back and we’re with the others. For tonight, we’ll stay here so Oak can rest. I think he’s lost more blood then we thought.”
They both agree and Micky carries on playing doctor.
Staying here tonight will give me more time to think before we get back because Michael is sure as shit is going to want to retaliate for the attack on us tonight and that is if he didn’t run into any trouble of his own in the last few days while he was running an errand of his own. I want to have a plan set in my head before I see him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Michael
With all the shit going on with the club at the moment, the last thing I need after a three day ride is Kitty is on my back wondering why I don’t want to stick around for long after we’ve had sex. I’ve barely got my jeans on before she’s bitching again.
“Why can’t you love me, Michael?” she asks, sitt
ing up in what I class as our bed no doubt and wraps the sheet around herself.
“Who says I don’t?” I mutter, scrubbing my hands over my face.
“You’ve never said you do.”
I hate these conversations and I hate even more how frequent they are becoming.
“You’re in my bed every night, isn’t that enough?”
“It might be if you were with me too, if you’re not on a run then you’re always checking on golden tits, Rayna.” She spits her name out like venom, intent on looking at nothing but her hands in her lap, “She has her own husband, Michael, and that isn’t you.”
I’m across the room and on the bed as fast as a streak of lightening. Jerking her chin up towards me, I hold on hard to make sure she’s listening very carefully.
“I fuckin’ know that, you ain’t my old lady Kitty, you don’t get to tell me what to do. When Mark’s away it is my job to check on her, especially when she’s carrying my niece or nephew.”
“You still wish it was your son or daughter she is carrying though, don’t you?”
Her eyes are hard as she keeps eye contact with me. Usually I like this about her, not her cold eyes but the way she will hold her own against me. She will always tell me what she thinks, most of the time I don’t have the patience for it, but when most people don’t argue or fight back with me as I am known for my hot temper, it is refreshing when she does but not today and not when it concerns my feelings for Rayna.
“I would shut that fuckin’ hole under your nose if I were you. You don’t have a fuckin’ clue what you’re going on about.”
Biker Born: The Lost Souls MC Series (The Lost Souls Series Book 4) Page 11