We drifted off to sleep with our bodies connected together and enthralled in the final embrace of our passion. Even in the impending storm that was raging on the horizon, I felt peace with Monica in my arms.
I woke up to the sound of engines—a sound that got louder as they revved outside Monica’s house. I sat up in bed and nudged Monica. The longest day of my life was about to begin.
“Wake up.” I kissed her cheek lightly. “They’re here.”
“Who?” She blinked and yawned as she stretched out.
“The Devil Knights.” I slid to the edge of the bed and pulled on my jeans.
We got dressed and hugged before I walked to the front door and pulled it open. There were at least two dozen members of the MC with motorcycles parked in the yard and along the street. The man that was watching the house for Ray Stone quickly cranked up his car and drove away with panic on his face. Ray would know that I wasn’t coming to the fight alone and if he had any thoughts of betraying the arrangement we made, it would be snuffed out the instant he found out who was backing me up. He might have carved out a place in Las Vegas for his brand of cruelty, but I was bring hell itself with me when I stepped into the ring with him.
There was no reason to keep it a secret. Ray was a dangerous man and after what I had seen, I couldn’t risk him not honoring the deal. I was still going to fight him, and there was a chance I could lose, but it was going to be as fair as it could be under the circumstances. The leader of the MC smiled and waved when he saw me walk out the door. I walked towards him and we quickly embraced.
“Reggie!” I pulled back from him and smiled. “It’s been too long.”
“That was your doing.” He shrugged. “We’ve always had a patch waiting for you—all you had to do was claim it.”
“I know.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I had to go my own way though, and I think that is going to work out for both of us.”
“You have to beat this motherfucker first.” Reggie’s eyebrows raised. “Ray Stone? I did a little digging on him. He’s not the kind of guy to fight fair. Even the Army didn’t want him. He got a dishonorable discharge for some shit that happened during his last tour of Afghanistan, but even my guys couldn’t figure out what he did.”
“A cover up?” I tilted my head and nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me. He killed Walter Grant.”
“Fuck.” Reggie’s eyes opened wide. “I respected that guy, even if our interests didn’t necessarily align when we tried to get a foothold in Las Vegas.”
“So you’re good with the plan? You get my wife to safety, I take out Ray Stone, and then you take over what’s left of Walter’s operation?” I motioned for Monica to come down off of the porch.
“It isn’t how I envisioned getting the MC started in Las Vegas, but Walter’s death is going to create a vacuum. We’ll be glad to fill it.” He nodded quickly. “But do you think you can take Ray Stone down? We can do this a different way. We’re ready to end this without you having to step in the ring with that motherfucker.”
“This is how it has to go down.” I put my arm around Monica when she joined us. “I want to know she’s safe. If I don’t make it out of this, then you have to honor my deal with Ray.”
“Don’t say that.” Monica shook her head. “You got this.”
“We’ll take care of your lady.” Reggie nodded. “You just take care of business.”
“That’s what I’m good at.” I smiled and shook hands with Reggie.
Monica and I shared another embrace before she climbed onto the back of Reggie’s motorcycle. By the time I fought Ray, she would be safe in Indian Springs. The sound of the engines roaring to life drowned out my thoughts for a moment as they drove away. I was putting my world in their hands and while I didn’t doubt they would keep her safe, I still couldn’t help but feel a pain in my heart when she was gone.
I sat down on the steps in front of her house and lit a cigarette. The fight wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be the moment of truth, and my future, as well as my life, depended on the outcome. The smoke drifted from my lips but it didn’t bring me the enjoyment it once did.
I tossed the cigarette into the yard and walked back inside the house. There was a single piece of paper on the table and a pen was lying next to it. It wasn’t there when I left the house, so it appeared that Monica had written it before she left the house. I walked to the table and flipped it over. The words practically tore me apart.
I believe in you. I love you. PS: I’m pregnant.
Chapter 15: Monica
I had noticed the changes in my body, but it wasn’t until my cycle was late that I realized the truth. I was pregnant with Grady’s child. I wanted to tell him. I had considered it at the dinner table the night before, but I couldn’t find the courage to say the words. I didn’t want to put more stress on him, but after he told me that he loved me, I knew I couldn’t leave without letting him know the truth. He wasn’t just fighting for his own life—he was fighting for the future of our family. No matter what happened, there was a part of Grady that would be with me forever. I didn’t want to raise our child alone. I needed my husband to be there with me.
The motorcycle carried me away from him and it felt like I was leaving a gigantic piece of my heart behind. I spotted the black SUV heading towards us before anyone else did. I furiously patted Reggie on the shoulder and pointed. He was able to slam on his brakes and come to a grinding halt, almost laying the motorcycle down in the process. The riders in front of us weren’t so lucky. The SUV started sliding as he barreled down on us, and I heard the loud crash as it drove into the group. Reggie’s foot hit the kickstand as he let his motorcycle lean to the side.
“Fuck!” Reggie pulled his helmet off as he he looked at the carnage in front of him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded and carefully stepped off of the motorcycle. “I’m fine.”
All four doors on the SUV opened and Ray Stone stepped out from the driver’s seat. Some of the members of The Devil Knights had been lucky and were not caught up in the initial crash, but it looked like hell on earth as the mangled mess of bodies and blood covered the pavement. Reggie reached into his leather vest and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the group as they started to exit the SUV. Two black sedans pulled up, and more members of his crew emerged. They started to fire without warning and I dove behind Reggie’s motorcycle, clutching my stomach in the process. Several members of The Devil Knights fell before they could even draw weapons, and those that did quickly started firing shots back at Ray’s crew. All I could hear was the explosions echoing through the streets and I covered my ears. When they finally stopped, I peeked around Reggie’s motorcycle to see Ray approaching. He reached down and yanked Reggie to his feet and I saw blood oozing out of bullet holes that covered the back of his leather vest.
“The Devil Knights.” Ray smirked. “I’m not impressed.”
“Fuck you...” Reggie’s words were garbled as he struggled to speak through the blood.
“Famous last words.” Ray put the gun to Reggie’s skull and pulled the trigger.
“No!” I jumped to my feet and stared in shock as Reggie slumped to the ground and his head turned towards me, no life left in his eyes.
“It was a valiant effort.” Ray stomped over and grabbed me by the wrist. “I give your husband credit for organizing all of this. But like everything else, it stinks of his failure.”
“Let me go!” I pulled against his grasp.
“I told you what I was going to do to you once I killed your husband.” He started walking back towards his SUV. I tried to dig my heels in, but he yanked me off my feet and carried me the rest of the way. “Once he’s dead, you will belong to me.”
“No!” I reached out and dug my nails into his face, dragging them down the side until I saw blood start to pour from his cheek.
“I guess I have my war paint.” His hand lashed out like thunder, connecting with the side of my skull. I saw stars and then I wa
s pushed into the SUV.
The escape plan Grady organized had resulted in nothing but bloodshed. I looked out the window at the remnants of The Devil Knights and I felt tears rising up in my eyes.
Ray drove me to the location of the fight and carried me into what appeared to be an old warehouse. I would have fought him with every ounce of strength in my body, but I didn’t want to risk losing the baby. Ray took me into one of the rooms and tied me to a chair, binding my wrists so tight that I could barely feel my fingers once he was done. He left without saying a word and slammed the door behind him.
Grady was my only hope. He was the only one that could save me and put our family back together. My mind went to a point of despair that slowly became more and more destructive as the minutes passed. If Grady didn’t survive the encounter with Ray, there was a very good chance I would never give birth to our child.
Chapter 16: Grady
The only thing I really wanted was to hold my wife in my arms. I wanted to tell her how happy I was to know that she was pregnant and that I was going to become a father. The joyous news should have been met with celebration instead of separation. I sent her a message, just searching for confirmation that was she was safe and sound in Indian Springs. There was no response, which worried me a little bit, but I had to assume she was reunited with her father and catching up.
I waited around until it was time to go to the location of the fight and climbed into Monica’s car. I lit a cigarette as I drove, feeling the anxiety creeping up inside me. I reached over and flipped on the radio, hitting the buttons as I searched for something that would soothe me or provide a little bit of a distraction. There was a lot of news, but very little music. A series of words caught my attention and I stared at the radio, almost rear-ending the car in front of me as I came to a screeching halt.
“Fuck!” My eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
The radio started to describe a horrific scene involving a car accident, The Devil Knights MC, and a number of injuries along with casualties in the double digits. After the news anchor broke the news, there was a prerecorded clip from the Las Vegas Chief of Police, who described the horrific scene. They thought it was some sort of turf war and went over some of the investigations that had centered around the MC over the years. They didn’t know who did it, but when I heard them mention a black SUV and several black sedans that were seen leaving the scene, I knew it was Ray Stone.
I kept listening as I pulled to the side of the road. There was no mention of a woman. Ray didn’t honor the bargain. He had taken my wife. My blood boiled in my veins as I put the car back on the road and drove to the location of the fight. I was going to kill the motherfucker the instant I saw him. I didn’t need to face him in the ring.
“Ray!” I saw him across the warehouse and started running, but several members of his crew immediately jumped on me and held my arms.
“Grady.” Ray’s emotionless smile crossed his face. “I see that you made it.”
“Where the fuck is Monica? We had a deal!” I pulled against the men that held me, but there were too many of them.
“Your wife is fine.” Ray folded his arms as he glared at me. “She wasn’t injured. As for your friends—well, they should have kept their business in Indian Springs where they belong.”
“You motherfucker.” I pulled against the men that were holding me again. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Then I guess it’s time for the fight.” Ray turned to the crowd that had gathered and they started to cheer.
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” I glared at him and curled my lip in a snarl.
“I have to thank you though, Grady.” Ray turned back to me and chuckled. “I only expected to get fifty thousand, but it seems like you’ve got quite a reputation around here. I’ll clear at least double that when I finish you in the ring.”
“You think you can finish me?” I snarled at him again. “Let’s do this.”
“All that rage running through you—it’s delicious.” Ray ran his tongue across his lips before turning to the crowd. “Are you ready to watch me kill this motherfucker?”
There was a mixture of cheers and boos that erupted in the crowd. Even if Ray had made a name for himself and had taken down Walter, it didn’t seem like he was very popular with the people that came to watch the fight outside of his own guys. I was taken to the edge of the ring by the guys that held me and Ray climbed through the ropes. He removed his suit jacket along with his button-down shirt, revealing an array of tattoos. He was built like a tank and there was no doubt he would be a challenge.
My adrenaline was coursing through my veins and I didn’t care how strong he was—I was going to fight him until my dying breath. I climbed into the ring and stripped off my t-shirt, bouncing on my toes as I watched him flex and throw several shadow punches. Ray reached over the ropes to one of his guys standing at ringside and walked to the center of the ring with a leather vest in his hand. He tossed it towards the mat and as it unrolled, I saw The Devil Knights patch. It was covered in bullet holes and blood, but the one thing that stuck out was the words on the front—President. Ray had not only taken my wife, he had killed Reggie Dawson.
“Was he your friend?” Ray smiled. “I hope he was your friend.”
“You don’t even understand what kind of hell you’ve unleashed.” I shook my head and picked up the leather vest.
“That’s the difference between you and I.” Ray shook his head with a smile still plastered on his face. “I don’t care.”
“You will.” I hung the jacket in the corner and turned back towards Ray. “I’m going to make you.”
“Brave words.” He chuckled again.
The fight started and Ray circled me once we came to the center of the ring with our hands in a fighting stance. I threw several wild punches to start the match and Ray dodged them, tapping his fists together as he did. I swung again and he caught me with an uppercut in the center of my jaw. I immediately saw stars and staggered away, only to feel an even harder punch being driven into my ribs. I backed up against the ropes and Ray was on me in an instant, delivering a series of rights and lefts that slammed into my body. I threw up my hands, barely deflecting a punch that could have knocked me out before it was driven into my skull.
I pushed him away and walked back to the center of the ring, feeling pain resonating through my entire upper torso. Ray hit hard—there was no doubt about that. He was also pretty damn quick for a man his size. I swung again and Ray sidestepped, spinning around and grabbing me from behind. His forearm slid underneath my jaw and he started to squeeze my throat.
“You remember this don’t you?” He leaned against my ear and snarled. “This is how I killed Walter. One quick snap and—”
“Fuck you.” Before he could finish his sentence, I slammed my head backwards and felt my skull connect with his nose.
Ray released his grip and when I spun around to face him again, I saw that there was blood pouring from his nose. He wiped it away and immediately took a fighting stance again with his fists ready for combat. The hit I laid on him would have dropped most men, but it didn’t seem like it effected him, even if his nose was bent sideways and broken. He charged at me and swung a couple of times. I dodged the one aimed at my skull, but caught a stiff shot to my ribs. I staggered backwards and gasped for air. The crowd seemed to be shifting out of my favor, even though I had managed to draw first blood.
A flurry of fists came at me while I was struggling to regain my composure from the impact to my ribs. He used my midsection like a punching bag and finished the sequence with a shot to my jaw that sent two teeth into my throat as I spun around and hit my knees. I coughed up my teeth and watched them bounce on the mat. Ray came after me while I was down, and I had to scramble to avoid him. He tried to kick me and I narrowly avoided having my head taken clean off. I stood up and took a defensive stance, feeling my mind reeling from the shot I took in the face.
“Your wife fights more than you do.”
He stood in the middle of the ring and glared at me. “I’ll enjoy breaking her just like I’m breaking you.”
“You son of a bitch!” I felt my rage rising and I charged him.
Ray had suckered me in. My fists swung wildly as I tried to defend my wife’s honor and it was exactly what he wanted. He took one shot in his arm, but the rest were deflected and he pounded my flesh with his knuckles. I felt a rib crack, an abdominal muscle rip, and then my jaw was nearly dislocated from the stiff shot he landed on it. I didn’t feel any more teeth come loose, but it felt like two of them had cracked when they came together. Blood was pouring from my mouth as I backed up into the corner and prepared to defend myself if he advanced, but he simply raised his arms and celebrated with more of the crowd turning on me as they watched the decimation.
Ray was picking me apart like he was in the ring with a toddler. There was so much pain that it was hard to focus on any solitary source. Ray came at me again and I defended several shots, but he still managed to bounce two off my skull and drive one up into the bottom of my jaw. I staggered forward and he stepped out of the way, letting me fall to my knees in the middle of the ring. I had very little left. My head was spinning, I was sure that I had a concussion, and my body was getting weak.
“Bring out his bitch!” Ray roared and pointed out into the crowd. “She needs to watch him die.”
“No...” I muttered and spat blood onto the mat.
There was movement in the crowd and the sea of people parted. I saw Monica in the grasp of two guys I remembered from the club. My eyes were glossed over and my body was exhausted from the pain, but just seeing her seemed to bring a second wind. If the horrified look on her face was any indication, then I looked worse than I felt. I pulled myself up to my feet and turned towards Ray. He seemed amused—even jovial at the sight of my wife’s terrified expression. I glanced over at Monica and locked eyes with her. Her hand moved to her stomach and it reignited the same feeling I had felt when I read the letter at her house. My child was inside her—it was going to grow up without a father if I didn’t find a way to defeat Ray. I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Ray got his hands on her.
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