Damaged and the Outlaw

by Bijou Hunter

  As I hunted my old club members in the woods of Kentucky, I wondered if I’d hesitate when facing Caleb. He and I were friends once. We bowled every week. Got drunk off our asses and stumbled around on the streets of Tucson together. Before Caleb, I’d never had a really close friend my age. My buddies were the old timers at the bowling alleys. My confidants were Mom and Granddad. Caleb was my friend, but I planned to kill him anyway.

  I remembered the bruises on Harlow’s face and the way Winona trembled. I thought about Dylan in the hospital with a gunshot wound and Bailey under attack in a place she considered safe. Most of all, I had Raven to protect. Once these bastards were dead, I was free to build a real life with my woman.

  Yards away, Judd moved in sync with me. These last few years of training, we’d learned to work well together. Behind us were Cooper, Kirk, Tucker, and a half dozen other Reapers.

  After Harlow and Winona escaped, Caleb and his guys were left with two choices. Run or double down.

  We walked near the only road from the cabin to the main road. Thirty minutes passed before we heard movement coming in our direction. Judd and I squatted down to lie in wait.

  Two guys hurried down the path with bags on their backs. A chunkier third guy farther down the path was breathing hard while trying to keep up. None of them were Caleb.

  The rifle felt comfortable in my hands as I prepared to take my shot. Judd aimed at the guy on his side of the road. The out of breath third one would give us info about where his boss was hiding.

  Once Judd and I fired in unison, the two front guys collapsed instantly from head wounds. They’d died quicker than they likely deserved.

  The third guy stopped his huffing and puffing. Standing very still, he studied the woods. I wasn’t sure what he hoped for by standing so still. Did he think we hadn’t seen him or heard all of his bitching about the walk? Whatever he hoped, reality took hold. He bolted into the woods, not far from my hiding spot.

  Taking off after him, I expected gunfire. Clearly, he hadn’t the time or brains to grab his weapon. Recognizing him, I thought his name was Freddy. When I yelled it out, he turned and I tackled him.

  Nailing him across the jaw, I quickly had Freddy shoved against a tree with my gun at his head.

  “It’s the traitor,” Freddy hissed, catching his breath.

  “Where’s Caleb?”

  “Fuck you.”

  I relaxed the gun from his temple. “Look, I can make you talk. It’ll be long and painful and you’ll likely piss yourself. You will talk though. Why suffer when we can make it quick?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “When you came here, I assume you knew you would die. Caleb made that clear, didn’t he? How coming into Reapers territory to attack the locals would make you dead. Why act shocked about death now?”

  “Caleb never said we were going to die because you Reapers are pussies.”

  “You know Lloyd’s dead, I assume. Now, the Mexicans will tear apart the Devils, so there’s nothing for you to suffer protecting.”

  After glancing at Judd, Freddy noticed Kirk and his boys approaching. He clearly hadn’t thought he would die by coming to Ellsberg. While I didn’t know Freddy well, I felt safe in assuming he was an idiot. In his defense, Caleb could be persuasive.

  “Where’s Caleb?” I asked.

  “The coward fucking ran off. He said he was finding us a new place to hold up at after those cunts killed Peter. When we called him, he said he wasn’t coming back. He told us to walk to the road and find a ride and get out of town. The bastard ditched us and ran off.”

  Knowing Caleb, leaving his guys to die made sense. He had always viewed himself as superior to the other club members. Like Cooper, Caleb had things handed to him. Unlike Cooper, Caleb viewed the club as serving him without him having any responsibility to the club.

  “You know what happens next,” I said to Freddy who stared at me with pleading eyes.

  “This is bullshit. You killed Playboy. You stole our money. You deserve to die. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Man, you came here looking to spill blood in Reapers’ territory. You grabbed those girls.”

  “That wasn’t me. It was Caleb and the others.”

  Doing the math, I knew four guys grabbed Harlow and Winona before shooting Dylan. When I glanced at Kirk, I realized he knew what Freddy had been up to while the others were at Cooper’s office.

  “I’m not going to kill you, bud. I’ll leave that to the dad of the girl you took a shot at.”

  Freddy tried to talk his way out of getting a bullet to the head, but Kirk wasn’t in a forgiving mood. Not when his kids were involved.

  As I stepped away and the Johanssons handled Freddy, Judd joined me.

  “You think he’s telling the truth about Caleb?”

  “Makes sense. Why else would they be walking? They ditched two cars near the road. They had three, leaving one to take them to the cabin.”

  “Caleb took the car, but would he leave Ellsberg?”

  “I don’t know. He wanted revenge, but once the girls escaped, he likely knew we’d catch up to them.”

  “He had time to get away. Why not take his buddies?”

  “Bait,” I said, sighing. “Every minute, we’re dealing with them, we’re not chasing him. As the club VP, he has access to the club’s hidden funds. He could go anywhere with that money. If he takes the guys, he has to hide them too. They might even want to go back and fight for the club. If he figures it’s a lost cause in Tucson, he’d save himself and never look back.”

  “Fucking cold.”

  “Yeah, but we should head back to the compound just in case he gets it into his head to start shit again. Make sure word remains out about him. He could be lurking around my place, Kirk’s bar, anywhere he think he can hit us.”

  “Not the compound though?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, feeling uneasy. “It’d be suicide. I don’t know if he’s ready to die. The fucker’s always had life handed to him. I have trouble thinking of him giving it up when he has an out.”

  Maybe feeling uneasy too, Judd rubbed hard at his neck. “Let’s just head back and regroup. I know Tawny and Jodi can hold their own, but I won’t feel right until the Devils are dust.”

  While Kirk sent out word that Caleb could still be around town, Cooper called his guy out at the compound. Even knowing Raven was safe, the ride back felt too long and the heat irritated me. An hour earlier, I hoped we’d hit the cabin, kill the bastards, and be done with it. My life with Raven could begin without the contract on my head and worries about our safety.

  The Johansson place was quiet when we arrived. In the distance, dogs roughhoused by the river. Hearing a TV playing inside the house, I smiled at how loud Jodi kept it. Nothing seemed out of place as we parked our Harleys in the massive driveway.

  As Cooper and Judd started for the house first, I wondered about Raven getting ready for my caveman needs. Unsure if she was at the house or the apartment, I decided to go for the house.

  A scream broke through the stale summer air. Without thinking, we were all running towards the house except the Rottweilers were barking at the apartment. A few were running down the stairs in that direction too, so I switched gears.

  The scream lasted only a few seconds. As I barreled up the stairs to the apartment, I felt like I was trapped in a horror movie. Her screamed echoed in my head and the staircase seemed to go on forever. I feared I would never reach the top. A million horrible possible outcomes lingered in my thoughts, but nothing was as horrifying as what I found.

  When the door burst open and I rushed inside, Caleb was covered in blood. No longer was he my cousin or friend. Caleb was less than a stranger. He was the fucker who caused my woman to bleed. There was no time to consider my feelings about him. The moment I caught a glimpse of my battered love, my humanity snapped off and I was no more than a killing tool.

  Caleb reached for the gun in his waistband, but never had a chance to point it at me b
efore I was on him. We fell to the ground where I easily ripped it from his grip. Realizing the fucker was worn out from beating on Raven, I wanted him to bleed now.

  Using the butt of the gun, I slammed it into his face. The first strike caught him telling me to fuck off. The second landed as he choked on his shattered teeth. Hitting him again and again, I tossed the gun aside and used my fists.

  His bones shattered under the impacts, but it wasn’t enough. I knew on some level he was dead long before I stopped hitting him. Logic meant nothing until he was a stain on the floor.

  I only stopped pounding when I saw Judd moving towards Raven.

  “No,” I growled. “Don’t touch her.”

  Crawling to Raven, I begged for some sign of life. As if sensing my desperation, she reached out for me and tried to sit up.

  “Don’t move, cookie,” I said, taking her bloody hand and running my fingers over her already swelling face.

  Seeing her bloody lips move, I leaned down to hear her.

  “I knew you’d come,” she gurgled.

  “I’m here,” I whispered, wanting to apologize for failing her.

  Her eyes already swelling shut, Raven turned her head and spit out a tooth. Blood was everywhere, making me fearful to touch her.

  “We’ve called an ambulance,” Judd said, leaning down next to me as I held Raven’s hand.

  “Don’t,” she mumbled, “tell Lark it’s bad. Protect her.”

  “We won’t, baby. It’ll be okay, sugar. I promise, darling.”

  Raven laughed at my excessive terms of endearment then whimpered in pain.

  “We’ll have them turn off the sirens,” Judd said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll clean up the trash.”

  Noticing Cooper and Tucker at the door, I knew their faces said it all.

  Raven was bad off.

  Judd patted my shoulder again. “You got here in time. It’ll be fine.”

  The way he said the words helped me believe the lie. I needed lies more than anything. Raven wasn’t a delicate girl, but I didn’t see my woman on the ground. I saw a bloody and broken stranger.

  I leaned forward to whisper in her ear and Raven exhaled at the feel of my breath. She sighed the same way in the morning when I’d wake her by whispering naughty ideas. Raven always smiled after she sighed, but she couldn’t now. Her lips were busted and I couldn’t imagine her smiling ever again.

  “I love you, peanut. Baby doll, don’t leave me, candy.”

  “Nickname overload,” she mumbled with great effort.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, fighting my panic and rage. Wanting to cry and scream, I really wanted to kill Caleb a million times. Instead, I begged, “Don’t leave me.”

  Raven tightened her grip on my hand. While I sensed she wanted to speak, it was too much effort.

  “We’ll protect Lark,” I promised, calming myself. “She won’t see you until you look like yourself.”

  This was the biggest line of bullshit I ever told.

  Raven arrived at the hospital where they did x-rays and gave her pain medicine. I stayed with her whenever I could and paced around like a caged animal whenever they made me leave her.

  Two cracked ribs, a broken nose, and a break in both her right leg and left arm. With time and care, Raven would recover. Once they cleaned her up, added a cast to her leg and arm, and settled her into a room, I took my post at her side.

  Despite my promise to keep Lark from seeing Raven until she was healed, the pixy wasn’t taking no for an answer. I knew she wanted to be brave, but seeing her sister beaten so badly sent her into hysterics. A sobbing Lark only calmed when Aaron hugged her and whispered something. Soon, she was merely teary-eyed as she caressed Raven’s swollen face.

  “You’re so strong. So brave,” Lark said.

  Raven mumbled something then giggled.

  “She’s really digging her meds,” I explained and Lark gave me a weak smile.

  “We’re going to take care of you. I’ll cook your favorites.”

  Raven made a humming noise then fell asleep. Long after Lark and Aaron left, she remained quiet. Nurses came in, checked her, and smiled reassuringly at me before slipping out of the room. Raven needed rest and the medicine would keep her out for a while, but I needed her to tell me that she was okay.

  As the sun set, I ate a hospital meal and watched TV. Every few minutes, I glanced at the girl on the bed and tried to see Raven. I struggled to remember her smile and laugh. With her face so swollen, she didn’t seem like my love. I worried I’d lost her because I brought Caleb to Ellsberg.

  Eventually, the nurse showed me how to turn the chair into a pull out bed. I thanked her, but the thing was too damn small for me to fit on. Besides, I didn’t want to sleep until Raven woke up. Finally, I gave into my weird little urge to kiss the sleeping beauty. I needed to know she was okay. Know she wanted me to stay because she still loved me. I felt nervous until her swollen lips twitched into a smile after my kiss.

  “Tell me a story,” she mumbled while gripping my shirt with her good hand and tugging me into the bed with her.

  I adjusted our bodies just enough for me to rest next to her. While the position wasn’t comfortable, I finally relaxed at knowing my woman wanted me close.

  Caressing her battered face with my fingers, I loved how she smiled for me. Even in pain and after a hellish day, she soothed my fears.

  “Once upon a time,” I said and she smiled again, “there was a lonely fool who wasted one day after another of his life. One day, he met the most fascinating chick and she quickly wrapped the fool around her finger. She loved him in the best way and saved him from himself. He loved her too and only wanted for her to be happy and safe.”

  Hesitating, I frowned at the sight of her suffering. As if knowing what I was thinking, she reached up and ran a finger of my lips.

  “More.”

  “After the evil…let’s call them gnomes because I hate those ugly little fuckers. So, once the gnomes were destroyed, the fool and his lovely savior bought a big house for all the beautiful blond babies they would have together.”

  As Raven smiled at this idea, my uneasiness faded.

  “Their kids all had names with a V in them to honor their hot parents.”

  Raven laughed then moaned at the gesture. Still, she kept smiling for me.

  “The fool, his beautiful woman, and their army of glorious babies played videogames, bowled, and roller skated. They were always happy and never sad in a town with their friends and family. They all lived happily ever after.”

  Raven swollen lips smiled enough to show her missing tooth. Even though she was essentially blind with her battered eyes, she knew I’d seen her mouth and covered it with her hand.

  “You’re beautiful, darling. Nothing will ever change that.”

  Raven grunted, unconvinced.

  “There’s more to love about you than your beauty.”

  Another grunt followed by a hint of a pout.

  “Sugar, if I got all banged up and my stunning good looks were damaged, you’d still love me, right?”

  Raven laughed, but said nothing, so I answered for her.

  “Of course, you would. My amazing personality and giant brain would keep you horny even if my hot body wasn’t at its best.”

  Laughing harder now, Raven leaned against me. “I liked your story.”

  “Unlike most fairytales, this one is coming true.”

  “Promise.”

  “All my life, I accepted what I was given. I was lazy, I guess, and I never dreamed big. With you, I have a dream I refuse to give up. I will never let you go even if I need to bring out the chloroform again.”

  Normally, Raven would give me her grumpy glare at the mention of chloroform. This time, she sighed with relief. I was still hers. I couldn’t imagine her worrying about this fact, but she clearly had until my promise. We were finally free and nothing was driving us apart again.

  Chapter Twenty Nine – Raven

 
Flowers filled my hospital room. The girls in the Storm Babes sent a beautiful arrangement while the Johanssons sent another. Lark and Aaron sent me balloons along with a teddy bear riding a Harley.

  Most gifts were from Vaughn who ordered them off his phone whenever I dozed. If I was awake, he would talk to me about anything that popped into his head. Some of it was pure lunacy based on his lack of sleep. The bed wasn’t comfortable for him and he hated sleeping away from me on the pull out bed. We needed to get home where he could stretch out while remaining close to me.

  A few hours before I left the hospital, Dylan wheeled himself into my room. I think the nurse wanted to do it, but she had a bitchy vibe and he was clearly avoiding her. My leg was no longer elevated and I wore actual clothes instead of a gown. Even looking as normal as I had managed since arriving at the hospital, I was clearly a mess based on his pained expression.

  “You took a bullet to save those girls,” I said as he watched me.

  A pale Dylan shrugged then flinched at the pain of the movement. “In my head, I would stop the bastards without getting shot. Didn’t really work out that way.”

  “Very brave though.”

  Looking pale, Dylan nodded. “I’m sorry I kicked your ass that day. I never really thought of you as a girl.”

  “That’s okay,” I said reaching for his hand. “I’m sorry I kicked your ass worse and made you look like a girl.”

  Dylan smirked. “And our gentle moment is over.”

  “Are they releasing you soon?”

  “Tomorrow. I should have gone home sooner, but I got a light fever the other night. Man, they lost their fucking minds. I think they just wanted to jack up the bill.”

  “Probably. You look fine to me. Even like you might be faking the whole getting shot thing.”

  Dylan smiled. “I hope the fucker who did that to you is dead.”

  Through the conversation, Vaughn said nothing. He didn’t have to speak. When Dylan mentioned the guy hurting me, he and Vaughn shared a secret man signal. Whatever their man antennas announced, Vaughn decided to push Dylan back to his room. That way, the bitchy nurse wouldn’t hassle him.