While I held the guard's focus, Alexander moved to the desk.
"Preston, I presume?" he said. "Alexander Donnovan. I believe we have some business to discuss."
Preston seemed oblivious to what was going on with his bouncer and the mysterious and beautiful woman who had just arrived. The well-dressed young man in front of him was much more pressing.
"We do?" Preston asked. His tone was more than a little suspicious. "What business is that?"
I got the feeling from looking at the place that most of Preston's "business meetings" had to do with money he'd borrowed to build it. The place didn't exactly scream out "affluence".
"I like your club, Preston," Alexander said in a cloying tone. "I like it a lot. There's just so much more you could be doing with it."
"What do you mean?" he asked. I could hear that the suspicion in his voice wasn't letting go. I think Alexander was banking on an overture like that greasing the wheel for a bit more glad handing than it did. I found myself hoping that Cash and Tubbs would arrive soon. I thought more highly of Alexander's abilities in the situation than I did at first, but I still had my doubts.
"Listen," Alexander said, shifting his weight and placing one hand casually on Preston's desk. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you a little about who I am and then we'll talk about what we can do for each other."
I turned to look at them and could see that Preston was about to say something when he quickly shifted his vision to the door. I looked, too and there they were - Cash and Tubbs, calmly stepping into the room.
"God damnit!" Preston said to nobody in particular. He then turned to Alexander. "Oh, I see exactly who you are."
Alexander took a step back from the desk, clearly sensing that his role in this little drama had just about been played to completion. Cash stepped further into the room, exaggerating that cocky little walk of his that I sometimes made fun of him for.
"Been a long time, Preston," he said without a trace of a smile on his face.
Preston turned to the bouncer who was standing in the corner looking shocked. "Fucking hell, Anders," he said, "Why aren't you at the door?" In that moment I felt slightly bad for the bouncer. He'd been played, but for all I knew at the time, he might be a decent guy who just wanted to do his job.
Cash kept the room focused on himself and stepped around the desk towards Preston who was still seated. When Cash rounded the desk, the club owner looked startled and tried to reach for something on the desk, but Cash's hand leapt out quickly and he caught the older man's palm between his powerful fingers.
"Preston, Preston, Preston," Cash chided him, "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"
"You're not my fucking friend, Cash," he said. "What do you want?" He was still squirming in his office chair, his hand caught in the vice-like grip of the man I loved. I knew well just how strong Cash's hands could be and I found myself doubting that Preston could get away even if he'd tried.
"When we told you to get out," Cash said, "It looks like you didn't really get it. You're too close for comfort and your club is no better."
"What the fuck do you want me to do," Preston said. "I can't knock this place down and start over, can I?"
Cash tightened his grip around Preston's hand and the smaller man let out a sound that was somewhere between a cry of pain and a low, rumbling groan. I just felt a smile appearing on my face when suddenly I was shrieking as well. Two huge, meaty arms wrapped around me and pulled me backwards. Anders had grabbed me and was squeezing me with more force than I would have thought I could withstand. With little effort on his part, I felt like I could barely breathe.
All eyes in the room turned to me. Preston looked terrified. Alexander had an expression of pure shock on his face. Tubbs' face did something I had never seen before and his lips curled with anger. And then there was Cash. I've been to some rough places in my life. I've seen people who want to hurt other people before. I've never seen anything like what Cash showed me that afternoon, though. His eyes were practically on fire with rage. As soon as he saw what had happened, he twisted and squeezed Preston's hand, such that Preston cried out in anguish.
"Let her go, you sack of shit," Tubbs said firmly, stepping towards us.
Anders looked determined but also frightened. He was outnumbered and probably didn't quite know what he was doing. He looked over to Preston, but his boss was in such pain that he was of no use.
"Get your hand off him!" Anders said towards Cash. Cash didn't relent though. The constant wail of agony coming from Preston, combined with the tight pressure across my midsection was making me feel lightheaded already. I struggled but there was nothing I could do to get away. Anders was far stronger than me and had almost a foot in height over me.
When Cash made no move to release Preston, Anders started walking the two of us towards the door. Tubbs charged at him and the large man released me. I collapsed to the floor, panting for breath, looking up just in time to see Tubbs collide with the huge bouncer. They grabbed at each other's arms and the momentum of the charge had them crashing into the wall. Anders reversed their path and rolled against the thick metal beam that held up the structure of the club, pushing Tubbs against it. I heard a sickening crunch and I knew something was terribly wrong. I saw Tubbs' grip relax and gasped, trying to yell something, anything to my friend.
With a huge roar, Anders pushed forward with all of his strength and launched Tubbs towards the tall window. I barely managed to croak a scream of "No!!!" as Tubbs crashed through the glass. Sparkling shards exploded outwards as Tubbs sailed through the air. The crashing of the broken glass was still ringing in the air when Tubbs disappeared from sight, falling towards the club below.
I heard Cash call out to his fallen brother, and heard the constant scream of pain from Preston turn into a blood-curdling wail for mercy. Anders turned to face Cash, his face a mask of rage. He took a step towards the desk and then bolted into a run across the short room. I caught my breath enough to scream but still couldn't stand. The aching in my ribs was just too great.
From the side of my vision I was shocked to see Alexander running towards Anders. I hadn't even remembered he was there. I don't think Anders remembered either. That being the case, he was struck completely off guard when Alexander collided with him. Alexander was much smaller, but the force of the impact caused Anders to tumble towards the window. His roar of anger turned into a yelp of fear as he fell over the side. I saw his hand shoot out and his fingers grasped the edge of the window, the broken glass cutting into his skin. Alexander regained his feet and stepped towards the window. For a moment I thought he was going to say something, but he looked down for just one moment before bringing the heel of his shoe down on Anders' fingers. A few seconds later a huge crash from the floor of the club below told me that Hot 10's bouncer wouldn't be bothering us anymore.
Cash looked to me. "Emma are you alright?" he asked loudly.
I could feel breath returning and pain receding throughout my body. I held up a hand and waved him off, looking into his eyes as I did so. When he was sure I would be alright he turned his attention back to Preston, who was begging for release, clawing at Cash's arm with his one free hand.
Cash reached across with his other hand and grabbed Preston's fingers. I winced and was nearly sick when I heard the loud cracking noise of four fingers breaking all at once. Preston screamed louder than ever before, tears streaming down his face. Cash released him and he collapsed onto the floor behind the desk.
Cash towered over him and held a curled fist towards the broken man on the floor.
"If I ever see you again or if you tell anyone we were here, I'm taking it off at the wrist." Without getting a response, he hurried across the room to my side. With his help I regained my feet.
"I'm alright," I told him. "Tubbs... he..."
Cash held me close and kissed my forehead. With his arm around my shoulders, we made our way out of the office. Alexander followed behind us, looking shaken. I was certain t
hat whatever thrill-seeking he'd ever done in his life, nothing could compare to this.
We made our way down the spiral staircase and I gasped as we got a clear view of the floor of the club. I spotted Anders first. He'd fallen onto the bar. His weight and the force of his impact had partially demolished the bar. I could tell immediately he wasn't moving and from the way his legs were twisted beneath him, even if he was somehow alive, he wouldn't be walking ever again.
We found Tubbs on the floor a few feet from the bar. Cash kept his arm around me and Alexander rushed forward. He bent down and checked for vital signs but stood up shaking his head sadly in our direction.
"We have to get him out of here," Cash said resolutely. He gave my shoulder a squeeze and then stepped away from me. Tall though he was, Tubbs' thin frame made it easy for Cash to carry him. He held him in his arms and turned to face me. It was only when I saw his broken and lifeless body being carried that the full impact of what had happened hit me. Tears ran from my face, but I didn't sob. I didn't have the energy to do anything other than let tears roll down my cheeks. I couldn't believe he was gone.
Alexander stood up looking grim. "Put him in my car, we'll take him back to the garage," he said. In retrospect, I'm surprised Alexander didn't run as soon as he was able. Turns out he was made of stronger stuff than any of us had given him credit for. There was more to Alexander Donnovan than any of us - maybe himself included - had guessed.
I came up beside Cash and reached out for Tubbs, but couldn't bring myself to touch his still body.
"Emma," Cash said. "Are you alright enough to take Tubbs' bike? We can't leave it here in case cops show up."
I nodded. The thought of riding was far from my mind, but somehow I was given strength knowing that I would be taking Tubbs' bike back with us. It was one last thing I could do for the man who had given me so much. We made our way out of the building. The street in front was empty and Cash quickly loaded Tubbs into the back of Alexander's car, covering him with a blanket from under the seat.
Alexander stood with the door to the car open for a moment, nodding to us. "See you back at the garage," he said before getting behind the wheel and quickly getting out of sight. Cash and I continued around the block to where the bikes had been parked. When we were around the corner, Cash held me close. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Losing Tubbs like this was devastating, but he had died well. He died for the club and he died saving me. I held tightly against Cash and then stepped towards the bike.
It was larger than mine and Tubbs had done even more custom work on his bike than I had, but the ride was easy. We kept out speed low so as to avoid attention on the short journey back to Peasant Motors. I knew I had to think about something other than that terrible moment of watching my friend fall through the glass. Instead I thought of the plan. Had it worked? It seemed so. I had my doubts at first, but Alexander had gone above and beyond. In the end, when there was no one else, he stood up to take out someone who had killed one of the club's own. In many ways, that was more than some Dead Men would ever do for the club. When the time to act had come, he didn't hesitate. Cash had said the night before that Alexander wasn't cut out to be a Dead Man. Suddenly I wasn't so sure. He might come from a whole other life, but he'd already shown his willingness to put himself at risk for the Dead Men. What more could be asked?
Whether that would be enough to turn him against his father, I couldn't be sure. The foundation had been laid, though. As Cash and I pulled the bikes into the lot at Peasant Motors, I saw that Alexander had already arrived and was talking to Karen outside the garage. Even if we freed San Viero from the grip of men like Taylor and Donnovan, the cost had been greater than I'd ever feared already. Tubbs had known the risk, but that didn't make me feel any better.
We got off the bikes and Karen came running over to me. She threw her arms around me, sobbing. I held her close and let her cry for the both of us. I would mourn for Tubbs in my own way. For now, I could help those around us to see that he hadn't died in vain. When stories were told about Dead Men who had gone beyond, I would make sure that his name was always among them.
EPILOGUE
Cash and I stood, hand in hand, watching the sun set over the green hill. The funeral had just finished and Tubbs was now at rest. The whole club and many others had turned out for the ceremony, including Tubbs' sister Jane. None of us even knew he had a sister, except for Karen who had managed to contact her. She'd flown all the way across the country from Boston for the funeral. I spotted her standing with Karen, the two of them helping to keep each other standing.
The price we paid as his friends was nothing compared to the price he paid. We have to keep that in our minds. Though we lost a dear friend, he lost his life. He would not have flinched at this, though. Tubbs died to save me and, in the end, to save all of us. If he could bear that cost, then so must we. When someone is taken from you, and when revenge has been leveled, there is nothing left to do but mourn and make sure that their memory lives on.
For the Dead Men, losing Tubbs would need to be the call that awakens us. With a powerful new ally, we would finally have the strength we needed to stand up to the powerful men who tried to control our destinies. Jonah "Tubbs" Norton was a true friend and a more skilled mechanic than I could ever hope to be. For his memory, the Dead Men would free San Viero. For his memory, I would always live my life to the fullest.
"I love you," I said suddenly, breaking a long silence that had persisted between Cash and I.
He looked down at me, his deep blue eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. "I love you, too," he said. This was not the first time we'd spoken those words, but somehow it carried more meaning than ever. Losing someone who is dear to you can drive you crazy or it can show you what's really worth living for.
I squeezed Cash's hand more tightly and began walking us towards where the bikes were parked. Tonight there would be a huge wake to celebrate the life of the quiet man we had all cared for. He never liked loud parties, but I was sure he would excuse us that. The Dead Men would continue on without him. Though the club might triumph, they would never again be truly whole.
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About the Author
Angelica Siren is an emerging, young erotica writer. She likes to write hot and passionate stories for everyone, but especially loves making them for fans of the strange and the unusual. Angelica Siren never shies away from a topic - no matter how taboo! When she isn't writing, she is probably sipping a hot latte or gathering personal "research" for future books (inspiration has to come from somewhere)!
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© Angelica Siren 2014, all rights reserved.
All Romance Edition.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are consenting adults 18 years of age or older.
This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers.
Table of Contents
Learning to Ride
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Epilogue
Tell No Tales
Paying the Price
gelica Siren, Dead Men Motorcycle Club
Dead Men Motorcycle Club Page 14