by Wilder, L.
“Okay. Just be careful.”
I nodded. “Always.”
I walked out of the room, closed the door, and started back to the conference room. When I walked in, I was surprised to see that Shadow and Riggs had both returned and were standing up front with Gus. As soon as I found my seat, Shadow started passing out folders with names and photographs of each of the Disciple’s members. “Turns out the Red Knights have twenty-one members. We managed to get all their photo IDs and possible locations of where they can be found. If we can cover our tracks and remain off radar, we shouldn’t have a problem wiping out these fuckers by the end of the night.”
“Are we waiting until nightfall, or are we doing this thing now?” T-Bone asked.
“The sooner the better,” Riggs answered. “I know it would be easier to lay low at night, but time isn’t on our side. We need to move while we know where we can find these guys.”
“Understood.”
Gus looked out at us as he said, “Shadow and Riggs will break you into groups and give you all the information on your targets. We need to move fast on this. Get the job done and get the hell out of there.”
We all nodded.
“We’re keeping this whole thing low profile,” Shadow announced. “No cuts or bikes today, fellas. Take the SUVs and don’t leave any evidence behind. I want each of you in direct contact with me at all times. Nobody makes a move without checking in first. Understood?”
All the guys responded in unison. “Understood.”
“Once you have your assignments from Shadow, get geared up and let us know when you head out,” Gus ordered.
Shadow and Riggs started passing out information to each of the different groups. As soon as Gunner, T-Bone, and I had our list of names and addresses, we went to the garage to gather a couple of extra weapons and ammo. We were all silent, each preparing for what was to come on our own, as we each grabbed a couple of our old .22 revolvers. They didn’t leave an exit wound, so there would be less mess, especially if we were able to get close—really close. Once we’d loaded up with extra ammunition and a few thick plastic bags, we radioed in to Gus to let him know we were on our way out. With T-Bone behind the wheel, we set off for downtown, and fifteen minutes later, we were pulling across the street to the backside of our first address. The worn-down house was on a main street right in the middle of the hood, making it difficult to advance without being seen. As he killed the engine, T-Bone turned around and offered me a baseball cap. “You got your silencer on?”
“Yeah.” I threw the hat on my head. “I’m set.”
“I’ll go first. We’ll go in through the back,” T-Bone explained. “Keep your head down and let’s get this thing done.”
As soon as he got out of the truck, my pulse started racing as Gunner and I followed him up to the back door. The two of us watched in silence as T-Bone took a quick look through the window, then glanced back to make sure that we were ready. We gave him the nod, and seconds later, he was reaching for the doorknob. Thankfully, it was unlocked, and we were able to enter without breaking down the door. While we’d been in situations like this before, it was impossible not to feel anxious as we stepped inside. T-Bone held up his hand, and we all immediately froze when we heard voices coming from the next room. Our target was just a few feet away, but he wasn’t alone. We could only hope that the others were also members, and we could take out more than one while we were there.
As I waited for T-Bone to give the okay to advance, I took a quick look around the kitchen, and my stomach turned at the filth: dirty dishes piled up in the sink, the garbage can overflowed, and roaches covered the walls. After several moments, T-Bone eased up to the doorway for a better look, then turned back to us with a nod. With my gun drawn, I followed as he started into the next room. When we walked in, three men were sitting on the sofa smoking pot. The big guy on the end caught my eye first. He had a dragon tattoo that started at his back and made its way up to his neck, stopping just as it reached his cheek. I had no doubt that he was one of the guys in the photographs Riggs and Shadow had shown us, and the guy next to him looked familiar as well. The third guy I wasn’t so sure about. He was thin with no ink that I could see, but it was hard to tell with all the smoke billowing around him.
They continued to banter back and forth, completely oblivious to the fact that we were we standing right behind them. T-Bone took another step forward and placed the barrel of his gun against the big guy’s head. His voice was low and full of warning as he said, “I’m gonna need you assholes to shut the fuck up before I blow your brains all over the fucking ceiling.”
Silence filled the room as each of them slowly turned their heads to look at us. It wasn’t until then that I could see just how blitzed they really were. The one in the middle finally mumbled, “What da fuck, man. What you doing in my crib?”
“Word on the street is you and your boys planning something with the Disciples.”
He shrugged. “What’s it to you?”
“We want to know what Lewis did with the girl?”
His brows furrowed as he asked, “Who the fuck is Lewis?”
“Slayer,” T-Bone growled. “Now, what the fuck did he do with the girl?”
“I don’t know nothing about no girl,” he lied.
T-Bone ground his gun into the back of the guy’s head. “You sure about that?”
“I done told you. I don’t know shit about no fucking girl!” he shouted as he pointed his finger across the room. “There’s the fucking door. Now, get the fuck outta here before you end up dead!”
Knowing T-Bone like I did, I wasn’t surprised when he decided against pushing the guy any further and simply grabbed a plastic bag from his back pocket and quickly slipped it over the guy’s head. The asshole didn’t have a chance to react before T-bone had pulled the trigger, killing him instantly. The other two freaked out and started shouting incoherently as they tried for their own weapons. Gunner and I quickly stepped into action, placing the barrel of our guns at their temples, and they both froze. After several deep breaths, the guy with the tattoo started, “We don’t know where he put the girl, man. I swear it. We just got word that he got her. That’s it.”
“What else do you know?”
“What do you want to know?” he gasped.
“Everything you know about Slayer’s plan to take down Satan’s Fury, and it better be fucking good or you’re fucking done,” I growled.
“Just know he got that girl he’s been after, and she’s tied to their club.” He glanced back at me with a grimace. “Tied to your club.”
“And?”
“He offered us a shit-ton of guns and dope to help him hit you where it hurts.”
I nudged him with my gun. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“He wants us to help him hit your garage and some diner too.” Unlike Anthony, this guy wasn’t worried about running his mouth, but that changed the minute his buddy gave him a warning look. Realizing that he was snitching, my guy’s back stiffened, and he instantly stopped talking. Knowing he had more to tell, I looked over to Gunner, and reading my mind, he took a bag from his pocket and thrust it over the friend’s head. Once he had it secured, I aimed my barrel at his head and pulled the trigger of my .22, killing him instantly. My guy panicked as he screamed, “What the fuck, man!”
“You’re next unless you tell us everything you fucking know.”
“Slayer knows where your president lives.” His eyes dropped to the floor as he continued, “He’s planning on taking him and his family out before coming after the rest of you.”
It took all the restraint I could muster not to pull the trigger after I heard him say what Lewis was gonna try to do to Gus. I was too angry to even speak, so Gunner stepped forward. “When?”
“Hell, you never know with fucking Slayer. We could get the call tonight, or it can be next fucking week,” he complained. “Besides, he’s got the girl now. That’s going to keep him entertained for a while.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Gunner barked.
“From what I’ve heard, he’s been trying to get his hands on her for weeks. Now that he has her”—he shook his head with a smirk—“I figure he’s going to have himself a real good time.”
“I’ve heard enough,” T-bone snarled. “End the motherfucker.”
“Wait!” The guy raised his hands and started, “You said—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Gunner had put a bag over his head and stepped back as I squeezed the trigger. The job was done. As I looked down at the lifeless bodies in front of me, I quickly realized that killing them was the easy part. Now we had to figure out how to deal with the aftermath, which wouldn’t be easy in the light of day. T-Bone pulled out his burner and called Gus to catch him up to speed. Once he got off the phone with him, he turned his attention to us. “We gotta get this mess cleaned up.”
“You got any thoughts on how we’re gonna do that in broad fucking daylight?” Gunner asked.
“I’d say we’d burn the place to the ground, but that will bring too much attention. We’re gonna have to clean this shit up the best we can and find a place to dump the bodies.”
“And how are we supposed to get them out of here without being seen?”
“I’ve got some bleach, gloves, and plastic tarps in the back of the truck. I’ll go grab them,” T-Bone answered as he headed towards the door. “We’re gonna need to make sure we don’t leave any trace of blood anywhere.”
“You got it.”
Once T-Bone returned with the plastic, we got busy wrapping each of the bodies. By the time we were done, T-bone had already backed the truck up to the rear-entry door and was ready to help us start loading them into the SUV. We were just about to carry the first body out when the sound of police sirens stopped me dead in my tracks. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t sweat it. We’re good,” T-Bone assured me. “After I checked in with Gus, he had Riggs call in a false report of rape around the corner. That will keep our local nosey-bodies busy for a while.”
“Good thinking.”
In a matter of minutes, we had all the bodies loaded in the truck. Before we rolled, I went through the house once more, making sure we’d left nothing behind. After I was certain that all was clear, I went back out to the truck, and we started towards our next hit. Thankfully, he wasn’t only easy to find, he was an easy kill. We were able to catch him stumbling out of a local bar. He was totally wasted and never saw us coming. Gunner and I had just loaded him in the back with the others when we got the call from Gus. It turned out that Riggs’s plan worked. We’d wiped out the Red Knights, leaving nothing but the easily forgotten memory of their name behind, and it wouldn’t be long before we’d do the same to the Disciples. KeShawn Lewis was about to learn the hard way why you don’t go up against Satan’s Fury, and you sure as hell don’t fuck with their ol’ ladies.
Darcy
I was half asleep when I felt Caleb slip into bed next to me and wrap his arm around my waist. His body was still warm from a hot shower, and I could smell the fresh scent of soap when he nestled in behind me. I kept waiting for him to say something, but all I got was silence and the subtle heat of his breath at the back of my neck. He was so still and quiet, I might’ve thought he was sleeping, but I knew he wasn’t. I could feel the tension radiating off of him as he lay there next to me, staring at the back of my head. I knew he was concerned about me going over to KeShawn’s place, and I was too. I wasn’t naïve enough to think he would just let me walk into his place without question, especially when he had Kenadee locked away in there, but I owed it to her and Blaze to at least try.
Since neither of us was getting any sleep, I decided to try and take his mind off of things for a little while and asked, “Do you remember that night you helped me fix that battery in my truck?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“You remember how I asked you out?”
“Yeah, only after I asked you out and you turned me down,” he teased.
“Asking if I wanted to go to some party wasn’t asking me out,” I argued. “But anyway. Did you know that I had this big night planned for us? I’d been working on my cousin’s ’72 GT, and I thought we could take it out on the track for a test run.”
“That would’ve been incredible.” The sadness in his voice tugged at my heart when he said, “I hope you know I would’ve been there if it hadn’t been for the accident.”
“I know.” I rolled over to face him and placed the palm of my hand on his chest. “I really hate what happened to you. I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for you to go through that.”
“I was pretty bad, but I’m the one who made it harder than it needed to be.”
“How so?”
“I let my bitterness get the best of me.” He let out a deep breath. “Like I told you before, I did things I wasn’t proud of. Got hooked on my pain meds, destroyed my family, and got myself kicked out. Hell, I almost died before I pulled my head out of my ass.”
“We all make mistakes, Caleb.”
“I didn’t just make one mistake. I made a fucking truck load of them.”
“Maybe so, but things seemed to have turned out okay for you now.” I paused for a moment before asking, “What about your family? Have you worked things out?”
“I haven’t spoken to them since the day they kicked me out.”
“Oh.” His answer surprised me. Caleb’s folks were good people. Everyone back home thought a great deal of them both, and from what I could tell, they seemed to love their kids. It was hard to imagine his parents turning their backs on Caleb, especially after all he’d been through, but I wasn’t there back then. I had no idea how bad things truly had gotten. At the same time, Caleb wasn’t the same kid they kicked out all those years ago. He’d grown into a man—a good man, and I hated that they didn’t know it. “You could always reach out to them...at least let them know you’re alive.”
“I’ve thought about it, but too much time has passed.”
“Caleb, I’ve never had parents who actually gave a damn about me. They were too busy getting locked up and running out to even notice if I was alive or dead.” Our eyes met as I continued, “If I had parents like yours...parents who loved me, I wouldn’t let them go so easily.”
“They let me go. Besides...I can’t be sure that they’d even want to see me.”
“You’ll never know unless you try.”
“Okay. You’ve made your point.”
“Good.” I smiled. “See, me being stubborn pays off from time to time.”
“Um-hmm. You are something else.” Caleb leaned forward and the bristles of his beard tickled my neck, causing me to quickly shy away from him. His full lips curved into a sexy smile. “Something wrong?”
“No.” I giggled. “It just your beard. It tickles.”
“You saying want me to shave it? ’Cause I will.”
I could tell by his tone and the little spark in his eye that he was just teasing. “Don’t you dare. I love your beard.”
His eyes met mine in an intense gaze, and it was all I could do not to completely lose myself in him. As I lay there, looking deep into his eyes, I searched for some indication that he, too, felt this magnetic pull between us. I got my answer when he lowered his mouth down to mine, kissing me softly…so gentle and sweet. There was no better feeling than being in Caleb’s arms. He made me feel safe and secure—protected. It was at that moment when I realized that my feelings for Caleb were even stronger than I thought. I was falling for him, and it terrified me. I’d learned a long time ago never to trust anyone with my heart. It had been broken too many times, and I wasn’t sure I could withstand another heartbreak. But at the same time, I couldn’t imagine walking away from him. I wanted Caleb too much, needed him too much, and I would do anything to have him—including putting my heart on the line.
Without removing his mouth from mine, Caleb eased on top of me, his body hovering just i
nches above mine as he deepened our connection. He felt so good, smelled so good, making my entire body ache for more. Overcome with the urge to touch him, my hands started to drift over his chest, gliding down over the chiseled muscles of his abdomen. I caught us both by surprise when my fingers slipped through the waistband of his boxers. A light hiss slipped through his lips when I curled my fingers around him and gently started stroking. I loved how he felt in my hand, so thick and erect, and the thought of having him inside me had me squeezing my thighs together.
Sensing my frustration, he lowered his mouth to my ear and whispered, “Tell me what you want, Darcy.”
“I want you, Caleb,” I answered without hesitation.
I knew he wanted to hear the words, and I gave them without any doubt in my mind. Reaching for the hem of Caleb’s white t-shirt, I helped him pull it over his head. Once it was off, both our hands became frantic, quickly removing the clothes that separated us. In just a few seconds, I was lying beneath him completely bare. With his tousled, wet hair and penetrating dark eyes, Caleb was so unbelievably handsome. My heart fluttered when his hands slowly roamed over my body. “You’re beautiful. Every fucking inch of you.”
His hands slowly drifted up my abdomen, and a wave of lust consumed me the minute his mouth reached my breast. Hunger danced in his eyes as he looked up at me for just a brief moment, and then his mouth resumed its heavenly torture of kissing and nipping the delicate flesh. Anticipation washed over me when he settled between my thighs. His eyes met mine as he raked his cock across my clit. “Is this what you want, baby?”
“Yes.” I lifted my hips, grinding against him as I tried desperately to find relief for the throbbing need that was building up inside me. “Please!”
He reached into his bedside table for a condom, and I lifted my head to watch as he slid it down his long, thick shaft. A look of satisfaction crossed his face as he settled back between my legs. He clenched his jaw before lifting my hips and driving deep inside me, filling me completely. He slowly began to move, each thrust deliberate and powerful. When I let my legs spread farther open for him, he growled, “Fuck. Never had anything feel so damn good.”