by Amber Morgan
“I was bringing Tanner’s chick back here and this guy just came out swinging. I don’t know, I mean …” Norse tried to gather his thoughts, still scattered from the blow to the head. He avoided Nash’s glare. The Prez didn’t think Norse was the sharpest tool in the box as it was. “He knocked me out.” Norse shrugged. “I guess he snatched the chick.”
“Why the hell are you ferrying Tanner’s girl around? Where’s he gone?”
“Him and Wolf took off …” Norse remembered too late he’d promised not to say anything to Nash. “Shit.”
Nash still had hold of Norse’s hand. He squeezed hard now, crushing Norse’s fingers. Norse wasn’t a small man. Nash made him feel small—small and weak. “What have they done?”
Norse yanked his aching hand free of Nash’s iron grip. “Don’t fucking pull that shit with me, Nash,” he warned, temper flaring. Nobody belittled him. Nash could think whatever he liked about Norse—and Norse knew most of it wasn’t good—but he wasn’t going to put up with bullshit displays of power. He’d taken enough of that in his life.
“Don’t cover for them, Finn,” Nash said. Quiet, remorseless anger built in the Prez. Norse could almost smell it. Nash using your real name was always a bad sign. “If Tanner’s doing something stupid, I want to know.”
“Some guys attacked Mia. I guess the guy who jumped me was with them. They were after Tanner’s chick.” Norse folded his big arms across his chest, meeting Nash’s gaze evenly. “Tanner and Wolf went after them and Rattler’s taking care of Mia. That’s it.”
“Motherfucker.” Nash pounded his fist into his palm. “I knew he was gonna lose his head over her.” He stormed into the mill, yelling for Judge. Wanting to shake off the scolded child feeling Nash had given him, Norse followed.
“You should have seen Mia,” Norse told Nash as they entered the bar. “They fucked her up—nobody was gonna let that go.”
Nash ignored him. He headed for the bar, where Roxy sat polishing glasses. Judge propped up the bar, watching his old lady like polishing glasses was the sexiest fucking thing a woman could do. “We’ve got a problem,” Nash told his vice president.
Judge glanced from Nash to Norse and back again. “Tanner?”
Nash grabbed Norse by the collar of his leather vest and almost threw him toward Judge. “Tell us everything,” he ordered. “When, where, how, every last fucking detail.”
“You wanna stop ordering me about like some fucking dog?” Norse flattened his palms against the bar, staring down at the grain of the smooth wood. If he looked at Nash, he had a bad feeling his temper would snap and he’d go for him. “If Tanner wants to start a fight over some pussy, so what? He won’t be the first guy and he sure as hell won’t be the last. Let him bang some heads together. Kid needs to let off some steam.”
Nash grabbed a handful of Norse’s long hair and yanked, forcing Norse to bow backwards. His spine screamed in pain, and then Nash released him and Norse found himself on his ass again. Before he could get back to his feet, Nash leaned over him, his tall frame pinning Norse down without ever even touching him. The Prez’s face was stone cold, but his eyes burned with rage.
“You don’t like how I run this MC, Norse, you can leave. Take off your patch and walk the fuck away. But if you want to stay, don’t you ever forget that I do run it and I don’t take orders from anyone else. I’ve got reasons for every single decision I make, and when it comes to Tanner and this girl, my decision is that you are going to tell me everything that happened. Now. Or I’ll take your patch myself. Got it?”
All Norse’s life, he’d carried the rep of being brawn, not brains. Family, teachers, friends, and the MC … they all thought he was just muscle, good with his fists, good for a drink and a little coke, but not much else. Not Norse. Not Finn Olvirsson. And he could take that shit from his folks—their opinions had mattered to him for years. But from his brothers at the MC? It hurt. It needled that Nash could throw him around like trash, talk to him like a child, and just expect Norse to do as he was told.
He hauled himself to his feet and shrugged off his vest, slinging it at Nash. “I told you what happened. You don’t like it, that’s your problem, not mine. Take the patch. I joined an MC, not a daycare center.”
“Norse,” Judge said, loading the single word with warning.
“Don’t,” Norse said, spinning to face him. Judge looked annoying calm, unaffected by either Norse or Nash’s bursts of temper. But that was Judge, wasn’t it? Cool, calm, and motherfucking collected. Like some fucking saint. “You both think you’re such big fucking dogs, don’t you? Laying down the law, saying don’t do this, don’t fuck that girl, don’t start that fight. Well I’m done. Tanner and Wolf broke your rules, Nash. They’re going after the assholes who hurt Mia, they’re going to start a really big fucking fight and I say good luck to them.”
Nash looked ready to explode. Judge clapped a restraining arm on his shoulder. “Let him go, Nash,” he said. “We’ll deal with it later.” Judge nodded sharply at Norse. “Go walk it off. Think about this.”
“I’m done thinking.” Norse gave his cut one last glance. The Wild Blood patch, a wolf howling at the full moon, stood out starkly against the black leather. He sighed explosively, shook his head and walked out of the bar. This wasn’t the only MC in the world and he was damn sure he could have more fucking fun at another.
****
“Oh my God.” Roxy set down the glass she’d been clutching, staring at the door Norse had stormed out of. “Did he just quit?” She couldn’t quite believe it. Norse had a temper, sure, but that was … a tantrum.
“Let him go,” Nash said, dismissing Norse with a wave of his hand. “We need to find Tanner and Wolf first. Norse said some punk snatched Beth—it’s gotta be a member of her cult.”
“So they’ve gone to rescue her?” Roxy asked. Her heart stung for the poor girl and despite her shock at Norse’s outburst, she couldn’t help feel he was right on this one—Nash shouldn’t get between Tanner and his target.
Nash shook his head. “Sounds like she was taken from here, after Tanner and Wolf set off.” He looked to his vice president. “This is a clusterfuck waiting to happen. You ready to go clean up?”
Roxy chewed her lip, watching her old man. Judge stroked his beard and grinned. “You know me, boss. Always ready for action.”
“You guys be careful,” Roxy said, knowing it was pointless.
Judge kissed her, a rough, fast kiss that made her knees knock even after all their years together. “You know me, honey. Always careful.”
“Yeah, I do know you, both of you,” she said. “That’s the problem.”
****
Out past the abandoned ruins of Heatherton Farm, the road got rougher and narrower, and the fields full of golden corn turned to empty beds of mud and grit. Storm clouds bloomed like bruises overhead and billboards plastered with doom-filled Bible verses popped up along the roadside. Doom has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the land. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Tanner had never been one for religion, but the billboards were creepy as fuck. There was no doubt they were in Church territory now. Up ahead, he could see clusters of low buildings appearing.
He killed his speed as they got closer to the village, taking in the run-down buildings and almost visible sense of gloom hanging over the place. The only signs of life were the vegetable patches in every garden, which looked fresh, green, and thriving. When he cut his bike’s engine, he heard chickens clucking softly and the distant lowing of cows. He guessed a place like this had to be as self-sufficient as possible—the better to keep outsiders away. What he couldn’t see or hear was people, and that was just plain creepy. The silence and emptiness of the village was oppressive.
He left his bike leaning against a rotting wooden fence and waited for Wolf to join him. The mindless rage that drove him here still burned away in his blood, but the ride had clear
ed his head a little. It was tempting as hell to just rip through the town on his bike, stir up some trouble, rattle some cages and tear off again. But that wouldn’t help Beth or avenge Mia. If anything, it could make things much worse. He needed Abram and the whole fucking cult to know that his woman was off-limits. That any woman Wild Blood cared for was off-limits. And that justice for hurting them would come fast and hard. He needed to send a message.
“What’s the plan?” Wolf asked, coming to his side.
Tanner scanned the streets, looking for a church or chapel. It seemed the obvious place to start. “Let’s find the bastard in charge and see if we can change his views on a few things.”
“Shoulda brought a baseball bat.” Wolf mimed swinging one. “Nothing gets a man’s attention like one of those aiming for his balls.”
Tanner smirked, amused despite himself. “You talking from personal experience?”
“I broke a lot of knees back home. A lot of knees and a lot of hearts. Sometimes one lead to the other.” Wolf grinned, but a shadow passed over his face, making him look older for a second.
Tanner didn’t know much about Wolf. He’d been a prospect while Tanner was in prison, and newly patched in when he came out. He came from Louisiana, he liked to fuck, he liked to fight, and that was it. Another time, when Beth was safe, Tanner would ask him what he left behind to join Wild Blood, what shadows hung over him. But it wasn’t important right now.
The church stuck out like a nun in a whorehouse. Smack in the center of the village, it was a gleaming white wooden building, looking fresh and vibrant among the dust and drear of the other buildings. Low music swelled inside, hinting at where all the people might be.
“Think they’ll swarm us?” Wolf asked, clearly thinking the same thing.
“You worried about taking on a bunch of church-goers?”
Wolf shrugged. “Let’s hope they don’t practice human sacrifice, is all.”
The doors were closed but Tanner peered in through a stained-glass window and made out a small congregation—maybe eight or nine people, tops. That couldn’t be the whole village, surely?
Well, fuck it, it didn’t matter. As long as Abram was one of them. “Go in hard,” he told Wolf, who nodded grimly. Tanner put his big boot to the door and kicked it open.
Chapter Twelve
A woman screamed as they burst in, and Tanner saw her dodge behind a guy who looked like he’d have preferred to hide behind her. The couple stood at the front of the church, surrounded by four younger girls. They had to be Beth’s family. He saw the resemblance in the girls. A rake-thin man stood at the altar, face like thunder. Nathaniel stood at his side.
“What is the meaning of this?” the man at the altar demanded. Abram, had to be.
Tanner strode towards him, shutting out the whimpers of Beth’s family. “You Abram? You in charge here?”
Nathaniel stepped into his path. “You have no right to be here. No reason to be here,” Nathaniel said. All the bluster and smarm he’d been packing yesterday at the diner was gone, Tanner thought. There was something … shrunken about him, something defeated. No power in his voice, just desperation. It would have made Tanner pity him, except this asshole had smacked Beth.
Tanner shoved him, sending him stumbling. “You stay the fuck out of my way, unless you want me to finish what I started yesterday.”
“Nathaniel,” Abram said. There was no hint of emotion in his tone, but Nathaniel stepped out of Tanner’s way, leaving the path between Tanner and Abram clear.
“You are the one who kidnapped Bethany?” Abram asked him, gripping the altar so hard his knuckles turned white. Angry or afraid, Tanner wondered.
“Kidnapped?” Tanner spat and turned to Beth’s family. “Listen, Beth hasn’t gone anywhere or done anything she didn’t want to. Got that? She’s fine, she’s safe, and she’s not fucking coming back to this bastard.”
The oldest girl gave him a hopeful look, but the others wouldn’t even meet his eyes. Tanner focused on Abram again, clenching his fists as he strode to the altar.
“I just wanna make one thing clear to you,” Tanner said, fixing his glare on Abram and letting all the anger he felt blaze in his eyes. It felt good, having a target. “From now on, Beth’s free. And if you or any of your scumbag kids come looking for her, I’ll kill ‘em.” He meant it, he realized, and he hoped Abram realized it too. Snapping the prick’s neck would be goddamn satisfying.
Abram regarded him icily. “I have nothing to fear from the likes of you. God protects the righteous.”
“What’s righteous about beating women? What’s your god say about that?” Wolf called from behind Tanner.
Abram ignored him, keeping his steely gaze on Tanner. “Bethany is to be my wife. It is agreed with her parents—you have no right to keep her from her home and family.”
They could talk all day, Tanner thought. Talk and posture and get fucking nowhere, because men like this never thought they were wrong. Tanner wasn’t in the mood to talk. He snapped forward, grabbing Abram by the collar and hauling him so he was sprawled across the altar, spluttering and flailing like a landed fish. The fear in his eyes now made Tanner smile.
“Listen to me, you piece of shit—”
“Tanner!” Wolf’s shout made him twist around just in time to see Beth stumble into the church, shoved by a man who had to be another of Abram’s sons. The man took in the situation with a quick glance and grabbed Beth, pulling her back against his chest. She struggled against him and the sight made rage roar inside Tanner. He shoved Abram backwards, sending him crashing off the altar and onto the floor. Beth’s mother screamed again, although none of her panic seemed to be on Beth’s behalf. She stared at Abram, hands clasped to her mouth. Tanner dismissed her there and then. Parents who didn’t fight for their kids—worse than useless.
He spun on the guy holding Beth, storming past Wolf. “Let her go.”
Beth's face was a mask of horror as she stared past Tanner to her family. "What are you doing to them?" she screamed at Abram, fighting harder against the guy holding her. "Let them go!"
Abram pulled himself to his feet, clinging to the altar. "They are here waiting for you, Bethany. Just for you to return. They've been worried about you—we all have. Tell her, Samuel."
Samuel opened his mouth but before he could speak, Beth stomped hard on her captor's foot. He muffled a curse and she pulled free, throwing herself into Tanner's arms.
Tanner crushed her to his chest, shocked at how hard his heart was hammering. "I've got you. I've got you," he murmured into her hair.
She wasn't listening. She yelled over his shoulder at Abram. "You let them go! If you hurt them—"
"Bethany." Her oldest sister broke rank, running from the pews where her family huddled and joining Beth and Tanner. She clung to Beth's arm, imploring her with big, tear-filled blue eyes. "Bethany, he said you were kidnapped, he said you could be dead ..."
Beth released Tanner to hug her sister tightly. "I left, Hannah," she said, defiance in her voice as she held Abram's gaze. "I left because I'd rather be dead than married to him."
"Bethany!" her mother gasped.
"You don't know what you're saying," Abram said. "You can still repent, Bethany, and be welcome back to your home. Your family." He flicked his fingers at her parents, expression smug. He was so fucking sure he'd get his way. Tanner wanted to claw that smile off his face.
Beth was ahead of him again and he felt a surge of pride as she snapped at Abram. "This isn't my home. I'm not coming back. If you threaten my family, I'll go to the police. I'll tell them about all the people you've buried after testing their faith. I'll tell them how you beat your wife, and how you assaulted me. I'll make sure you burn, Abram."
"Bethany!" Her mother all but wailed her name this time.
Abram slammed his fist down on the altar. "Peter!"
Tanner glanced back at the man who'd brought Beth in. Peter pulled a gun from inside his jacket, aiming it squarely at Tanner. He
stepped in front of Beth quickly, fury rising in him again.
"Try me, asshole," Tanner challenged. Peter looked confident with the gun, but Tanner was willing to make a dive at him. He could probably slam him to the floor before he got a shot off. And Wolf was closer to the guy still, looking poised for action. Peter's focus was all on Tanner. Amateur.
"Tanner, no." Beth grabbed his arm, fear in her voice now.
"You think I'm scared of him?" Tanner sneered at Peter. "I bet he's never fired a fucking gun in his life."
“Nathaniel,” Abram said, sounding almost cheerful now. “Perhaps you would take Samuel and his family back to their home. Now that Bethany is here, I’m sure we can resolve everything peacefully.”
He put a nasty emphasis on the last word. Tanner guessed having a bunch of gun-toting fanatics at your beck and call would warp a man. He kept himself between Beth and Peter as Beth’s family shuffled out meekly, not even trying to make eye contact with Beth. Only Hannah protested, clinging to Beth.
“I’m not leaving you!”
“Hannah, please.” Beth sounded close to tears as she pried her sister’s fingers from her arm. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Tanner made careful note of all the pain in both women’s voices as Hannah followed her parents, weeping. He’d make sure Abram knew exactly how much they were hurting.
The church door slammed shut. Tanner took stock of the situation. Peter, gun aimed firmly at Tanner. You couldn’t hold that pose long though, arm out-stretched, gun clasped tight. His arm would start to shake, his grip loosen. Wolf, just to the left of Peter, watching him with a predator’s intensity. Probably thinking the same damn thing Tanner was, and waiting for Peter’s body to tire. Abram at the altar, a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched the face-off. And Beth at Tanner’s back. He could feel her shaking and he wanted to pull her round into his arms but that would put her straight in Peter’s sights.
“If you leave now,” Abram said to Tanner and Wolf, “I will let you go in peace.”