by Khloe Wren
One of the Knights’ prospects held the door open for us as we started dragging the fuckers inside. The first time I crossed the threshold, I froze for a moment at the blood bath. Fuck me. I’d seen some messed up shit in my time but in that moment I was fucking grateful I’d never ended up on the wrong side of Parrish. He had a pair of pliers and was literally ripping bits of Chains’ ear off.
Turning away from the sight of Chains being tortured, I dropped my man to the side of the room, before heading back out to grab the next one. The trick to getting through shit like this, I found, was not thinking about it. Just get it done and move on. After I dropped the last body, I headed out to the loaner bike I’d ridden up here on and grabbed the cuts from the saddle bag before returning inside.
By the time I made it back into the main room of their clubhouse I had Tiny, Mac and Arrow with me. Bash had stayed behind at the Knights’ clubhouse. Not only did I still have him on ledger guard duty, but he was young. He was better off not having to witness this level of carnage this early in his life. I’m sure the day would come when he’d take part, but for now, I felt better having him far away from it. I didn’t stop until I was standing in front of Chains, the Ice Rider President. He’d been strapped down to a chair and Parrish had gone full Bulldog on him by the looks of things. One entire ear was missing and the whole side of his face was fucked up. Going by the bloody hammer, I’d say Parrish smashed his cheek and eye socket to hell with the thing.
Despite myself, I winced at the butchery. He had to be hurting like a motherfucker. Which was what I wanted, and what he deserved for all the shit he’d pulled on my club and family. I was grateful that despite all his injuries, the fucker was still conscious. I glanced briefly from him to his right, where Parrish stood, having just finished a phone call. Who the fuck was he ringing in the middle of all of this?
“You get the information you need yet, Bulldog?”
I keep my gaze on Chains as I waited for Parrish, aka Bulldog, to respond.
“Yeah. This cunt is all yours.”
I sneered at the pathetic piece of shit before me. Mac and Tiny were still standing to either side of me as I tried to push past my fury at all the trouble this club had fucking caused me and mine. I needed to do this right. Show everyone around me I was still worthy of the president patch I wore.
I could tell by the bastard’s body language he was just acting tough, with his jaw clenched tight and his shoulders up a little too high. Under the surface, he was on the verge of breaking down completely. Hell, fucker was tied to a chair and covered in explosives, his face fucked up and the bodies of his crew scattered around him. It was enough to have even the toughest of men feeling weak—and this fucker was not one of the toughest. No way.
I knew this operation had taken about all the time we could risk giving it already, but I wanted to take a few fucking seconds to soak this moment in—to let my brothers do the same.
This was sweet vengeance, Charon MC style.
“You didn’t even know who the fuck I was, yet you came after my club. My pregnant old lady along with my brothers’ women. Only a fucking idiot goes after a man and his club when he knows nothing about any of them. Let me clue you in. I’m the motherfucking president of the Charon MC, and you do not fuck with me or mine and live to speak about it.” I held up the first of the cuts I’d brought in with me, making sure Chains got a good look at the name tag with his good eye. Then did the same with the second one before I laid both cuts carefully over his legs, making sure he could see both nametags, and the blood splatters that stained the leather around them. “You came after us for no fucking reason. We didn’t do a fucking thing to bring down your wrath on us. But you came anyhow. And we will never stand idle when a threat shows up at our door.”
His jaw clenched and his gaze narrowed on the leather in his lap, but he stayed silent. I figured he’d said all he was going to already, or maybe Parrish had broken his jaw and he couldn’t speak. I didn’t give a fuck. Everyone in this room knew he had nothing to say that could save his ass, or his club, at this point.
“Take a good fucking look around you, Chains. You did this. You took the fucking word of a mobster over three thousand miles away who you don’t know from shit and came after us with guns blazing.”
I moved forward, taking a handful of his hair, tilting his face up so he was forced to look me in the fucking eye rather than the cuts of his fallen brothers.
“You started this fucking war, but we’re ending it. As of this moment, the Ice Riders MC is gone. History. Every single one of your brothers is dead or dying, and when we walk outta here, we’ll hit the switch and your clubhouse will be nothing but fucking dust. Your precious club will be nothing but a cautionary tale on why you don’t fuck with Charons or the Satan’s Knights, because we will always fucking win.”
With a growl, I released my hold on his hair and wiped my hand off on my jeans as I turned and walked out of there. I was done with all this shit. I had a woman and kids to get back to.
“Let’s roll out. We’ve wasted enough time on these fucking fools.”
As I pushed open the door I glanced back to see Parrish press his thumb on Chain’s forehead and draw something. A cross maybe? Then he spat on the man before turning away. With a shake of my head I continued out to my loaner bike. So long as they blew this place straight to hell, I didn’t give a fuck what the man did to the bastards within its walls prior.
With the air singing with the sound of all our Harleys roaring, Pipe hit the switch on the detonator before tossing the thing into the clubhouse’s yard, it still sailing through the air when Wolf twirled his finger in the air and we all peeled away, riding down the street as the first explosion went off, shaking the ground beneath us for a moment.
It was done.
Vengeance had been served and this particular threat to me and mine was gone. I hoped Sabella heard about it. Heard about it and quaked in his fucking fancy-ass Italian loafers. Because the Charon MC was coming for his ass next.
Chapter 15
Marie
As grateful as I was for Scout’s call to assure me it was all done and over, and that no Charons were injured, I wouldn’t truly believe it until I laid my eyes on him. Taking the pie out of the oven and putting on the rack to cool, I glanced at the clock on the wall for the millionth time since he’d rung. He’d gotten the last seat on the six-thirty flight out of New York, so that had him landing in Houston at a little past twelve. It was currently about to click over one am. Bulldog had driven up to collect him, since I still couldn’t drive, and hopefully they would get back any moment now.
This whole “can’t do a damn thing for six weeks after surgery” thing was driving me crazy. I wished I could have gone to get my man personally. Been able to jump into his arms the moment he came through the gate, into the airport. But no, I was stuck here at home. With a sigh, I flipped the tap on to fill the sink. Seemed a waste to run the dishwasher for these few dishes, and honestly, I could use the distraction that washing them by hand gave me. Since I’d already baked four pies tonight, I really didn’t need to start another one. When Zara saw them all tomorrow, she might just call the psych ward on me.
Once done, I pulled the plug. The sound of the gurgling water was loud in the quiet room. So loud that I missed the front door opening. When I heard low male voices, I gasped and fled the kitchen, sprinting through the house toward the sound of Bulldog and Scout’s murmured voices.
“What the fuck?”
He spun at the sound of my feet pounding against the hardwood floors. The second he saw me, a grin lit up his face and he held his arms out, catching me against his hard body when I crashed straight into him.
“I’ll leave you to it and head up to Rose. Night.”
I didn’t give Bulldog any attention. I knew he’d understood. Instead I wrapped my arms around Scout’s neck and buried my face into his beard, nuzzling until I found the soft skin there and kissed my way down to the edge of his shirt. Wi
th a growl, he gripped my ass and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he started moving, flipping off lights as he went through the house. He chuckled as he strode through the kitchen.
“Been baking, babe?”
“I was worried. It’s what I do.”
Making it to the bedroom, he loosened his grip and I lowered my feet to the floor.
“Well, it’s what you used to do when you were stressin’. I’m glad you’re back at it. Have to say, I was getting real worried about you, love. You haven’t been your usual self since the attack. I hate that it was my fault—”
I put a finger over his mouth to stop him. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for that. I know you don’t tell me everything that goes on with the club, and honestly I don’t want to know most of it. But I’m guessing you didn’t actually do anything to bring those men to our door, right?”
He shook his head and pulled my hand away from his mouth. “It’s a little complicated. But in short, the L.A. mob guy that came after Silk a couple years back told the Ice Riders we had some dirt on them and were planning to use it against them soon.”
I shook my head as I tried to wrap my head around that one. “That still doesn’t make any damn sense. Did they try to contact you at all prior to the attack? Are they going to try something else in the future?”
He shook his head no.
“What kind of person starts negotiations by holding innocents hostage?”
A new wave of rage flowed through me at how completely unnecessary the whole thing had been. I started pacing our room and going on a rant about how incredibly stupid those morons were. Not fully focused on what I was saying or where I was walking, I didn’t realize Scout had stepped into my path until I walked into his chest.
“Babe. As cute as you are all riled up, there’s no need. It’s over. I don’t normally tell you club business because you don’t need to worry about any of it, but just so you can have peace of mind that they’re not going to come back, I’ll tell you a little. But don’t go sharing this, even with the other old ladies.
“I agree with you. The Ice Riders should have just fucking called me, but they didn’t. And now they don’t exist anymore. That’s what I was doing up north, babe. With the help of the Satan’s Knights, we burned their club to the ground. We left no Ice Rider standing.”
I tried to not wince at what he meant by “burned to the ground,” and didn’t want to know anything else about his trip up north. I rose up on my toes and pressed my lips to his, giving him a quick kiss and pulling away before he could deepen it and take control.
“If that’s the kind of information I’m missing out on when you keep club business to yourself, then I’m more than happy for you to continue to keep me uninformed.”
With a shake of his head and a small chuckle, he wrapped his arms around me. “Deal. Now, did you miss me?”
I rose an eyebrow and smirked up at him. “What? The sprinting through the house and jumping into your arms didn’t make it clear?”
With a bark of laughter he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“Let me go get cleaned up, then we’ll curl up and get some shut-eye. Because, Marie, I missed you like hell today, but I refuse to get in our bed all dirty from taking care of business.”
I didn’t say a word as he pressed another kiss to my lips before he released me and headed toward the bathroom. He paused near the hamper and stripped, gifting me with a view I’d never get tired of.
With a soft sigh, I watched his muscles flex and ripple as he got naked, then strode from the room. He left the door open so I shifted until I could keep him in my line of sight. I really was one lucky woman. He was strong, sexy as hell, as loyal as a man could get, and he loved me.
“You gonna just stand there watching, or you gonna come on in here and help me wash my back?”
I knew it wasn’t his back that would be getting washed if I did join him, and I knew it wouldn’t end how we both wanted it to either, because, dammit. I still had another five weeks until I could have sex. But I’d missed him like crazy and getting all wet and sliding up against his sexy body was too much temptation to resist.
I didn’t take my time or draw out my stripping down. I just shed my clothes and strode into the bathroom, with a grin on my face and my heart about bursting for the man who held the door open for me while he got a glint in his eye I knew meant good things for us both.
Scout
Nothing beat sleeping wrapped around my woman. I was grateful I’d been able to make it back last night. Well, it was more like early this morning, but either way, I didn’t have to spend a night sleeping away from Marie. And she’d stayed up waiting for me. I grinned as I remembered how she’d come barreling through the house before throwing herself at me. Now that was a homecoming I could get used to.
This morning had been equally enjoyable. I’d spent it at the hospital with my family, getting a cuddle from my baby boy, and watching as Ariel, completely in awe of her baby brother, got to hold him for a short while before Marie had to take him for a feeding.
But now it was afternoon and time to get back to club business. Since I’d only been able to get one ticket for the flight last night, the others had to stay up north until this morning. I’d sent Keys up in a cage to get them from the airport, letting Bulldog sleep in since he’d been the one to collect me in the wee hours of the morning. They were due to roll in any moment now. Later this afternoon we’d have a big family barbecue to celebrate, but before we got to the partying, I needed to grab Arrow for a quick chat, then we’d have church. After that, it would be relaxation time, at least for a short while. We still had business that needed to be taken care of before we could truly let our guard down for any length of time.
I was sitting at the bar nursing a beer, when the door swung open and they entered. I stood, making my way over to give each of them a back slap.
“Good to see you all got in safely. Sorry I couldn’t get you home last night.”
Arrow smirked and nudged Bash. “No problem, prez. Pretty sure it suited Bash, here, to have a few more hours in New York.”
“Oh, yeah?” I raised my eyebrow and glanced toward the man who was blushing a deep red at Arrow’s teasing. I remembered one of the Knights, Riggs, saying that Bash had been eyeing one of his bartenders. Guess from the color of his face right now, Bash got himself some lovin’ before he left. Good on the kid. He deserved a reward for all the work he’d put in up there.
“Bash, all joking aside, you did good on this trip. We’re having a barbecue later to celebrate. You’re off the hook for any work. The other prospects can handle it all and you can sit back and enjoy the down time, yeah?”
“Thanks, prez. Can I head off till then? I need to check in on my mother.”
I gave him a nod. “Of course. Family always comes first.”
With a frown, I watched him run out of the clubhouse like his ass was on fire. Guilt ate at me that I hadn’t spent more time with the kid. His mother had come to me nearly two years ago and asked me to watch out for him, as a favor to her deceased husband who’d served in the USMC with me. She’d had a brain tumor that had needed surgery and she wasn’t sure she’d live through it. Naturally I’d agreed, and after meeting the man, I’d invited him to prospect with the club. He’d jumped at the chance and had proven his worth time and again. He was a quiet man though, and it hit me that I’d not taken the time to sit down with him to ask how he was, how his mother was doing. I knew she’d survived that initial surgery, but had she needed more since then?
I rubbed a palm over the back of my neck. Bash was well fucking overdue for his top rocker. Dammit. It felt like all we’d been doing for years now was putting out fucking fires. We hadn’t put on a poker run, or even had that many family barbecues. That shit needed to change. We needed to get back to the core of what we were. Yeah, we protected our own and our town when trouble arrived, but we were also a fucking family. We needed to help each other
out with the small stuff too, and celebrate the good.
With a sigh, I turned to Mac and Tiny, who both had moved to sit with their families, who’d been waiting with me for their return. Tiny had his woman in his lap, kissing the hell out of her. Mac had his daughter nestled in one arm while his other was wrapped around Zara, keeping her pressed up against his side as they sat on one of the couches.
“We got church in half hour so don’t go running off too far.”
I gave Arrow a nod and he followed me down to my office. Once the door was shut and we’d both taken a seat, I got straight to the point.
“How’d he do?”
“He did great. Handled everything he was thrown, like we knew he would. Kept his cool, even when Parrish was losing his. I think we should leave it until after we deal with Sabella to put it to a vote, but I’m confident he’s a good choice for VP.”
“You think he’ll be able to handle shit in L.A.?”
Arrow shrugged a shoulder. “He’s got a better chance than anyone else in the club at getting it done. He grew up there, used to be involved with the fuckers. Let him pick a team—at a guess that’ll be Mac and Eagle, and give him the green light to get Sabella taken out and out of our lives for good.”
I gave him a nod. That’s what I’d been thinking of doing. Of course, we needed to run it by the club in church first, but I knew no one would object.
“We need to get this mob shit finished once and for all so we can get back to being us. Once Mac and his team are back home, we’ll set up a poker run, have a big patch party for the prospects, and of course, for Mac.”