Shadow's Dilemma (Wild Kings MC: Dander Falls Book 4)

by Erin Osborne

  “You good?” I ask, turning down the radio just a fraction.

  “Yeah. Just a lot to think about,” he responds, glancing at me before resuming looking out the window.

  “You gonna be able to do this?” I ask, trying to get him out of his head and talk about whatever is bothering him.

  “Yep. Just tryin’ not to think about her layin’ in that fuckin’ bed. Wood might be there with her, but I’m not. I should be there!” he says, finally letting me in on what’s wrong with him.

  “You know she wants you there. She was askin’ about both of you before you showed up. She’s not just into him. You’re bein’ there for her by watchin’ over Wade and makin’ sure this motherfucker pays for what he did. Even if she doesn’t know your doin’ it,” I tell him, knowing how he feels. I wanted to be with Renee from the second I heard about the accident she was in.

  “I know. It’s just hard. Not only is she the first girl I can see myself settlin’ down with, she’s the first one Wood and I have talked about keepin’,” he says, letting me in even further.

  “You think that fucking slut wants you? You’re nothing but a cock to her,” Nathan says, proving that he’s been listening in.

  “No! You’re the one that can’t handle bein’ told no. You’re the one that can’t get his small as fuck cock hard unless you’re beatin’ on the girl. Fuck you, you rotten piece of shit!” Boy Scout explodes, turning around in his seat and letting his fist fly.

  Finally, Nathan shuts his mouth. I almost wonder if he got knocked out with one punch. I hope not because I want him fully awake and aware when I beat the shit out of him. It’s no fun if he’s not conscious.

  Pulling up to the clubhouse, I drive out back to the shed that we use for torturing people. It’s far enough away from the clubhouse and the other houses I’m working on building for the members. Mike is standing outside waiting for us. He’s already got the door open before I can even get to the side of the van. Boy Scout lets him get Nathan out of the van, but then he takes over. There’s no way in hell he’s not going to have his hands on him as much as possible.

  I watch as he drags him inside by his hair. Nathan can barely keep up with him and his feet keep dragging behind. I’d laugh if I weren’t so pissed about this fucker causing so much damage to girls. Standing back, I watch as he restrains him before walking over in front of him.

  “You know the one and only time I ever saw you out with Renee, my girl, you treated her like a piece of shit. I watched you spend more time on your phone than the attention you gave her. After you left her to walk inside on her own. Then you talked shit about her and her little boy. Who the fuck does that? Especially when, from what I hear, you’d been beggin’ her to go out with you. What did you think was gonna happen?” I ask, taking my cut off before removing my shirt. There’s no way I’m going to walk back in our house with his blood tainting it.

  “She was gonna put out like all sluts do. I bet she fucks you real good, doesn’t she?” he says, taunting me.

  “You’ll never fucking find that out. Maybe if you weren’t such a piece of shit, you’d know what it’s like to be with a good girl. One that will take care of you, be there for you, and want to spend time with you. Not run as far away from you as they can. Me, on the other hand, I see how good she is, what she does for those that make the small circle of her life, and I get to love her little boy like my own. I get all of her sweet and good while you get to suffer in a puddle of your own piss,” I say, letting some of the rage I feel out when I begin to land hit after hit to his body. “Compared to the guys I fight in the ring, you’re nothin’. You’re a fuckin’ waste of space that will never see the light of day again!”

  “You aren’t going to do anything to me. If you do, you’ll spend the rest of your pathetic life in prison. Then I’ll be free to take what I want from Renee. And that fucking whore Jennifer. How’s she doing after I tried to take what I wanted from her?” he asks, trying to taunt Boy Scout and me some more.

  “You’re not gonna get to us. See, unlike you, we know how to control ourselves. Here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m goin’ to beat the shit out of you. Then, my friend here is goin’ to get a few shots in. Tomorrow, he’s gonna take more of you. Then another guy will be here. See, I’m waitin’ for him to get here because I want to see him unleash the beast on you. It will be fun…. for us,” I say, deciding that I’m going to just get my hits in and go home.

  I land punch after punch to his midsection until I hear a rib or two crunch under my hands. If I didn’t care about how much damage I was doing to him, I’d keep going. But I want there to be plenty left for the two men that deserve to get their punishment out of him. Making sure that I have his full attention, I swing my arm back one more time so that I land a solid punch to his face. Once again, the coward goes out. What a fucking pussy!

  Boy Scout decided not to work Nathan over last night. Instead we’re heading back there now. Wood brought Jennifer home from the hospital and she’s resting at my house with Renee, Dylan, and Wade. I thought Renee was excited when she came home after being in the hospital and could finally see her son, but Jennifer was a mess. She cried and wouldn’t rest until her son was in her arms. Now, the guys and I are on our way back to Nathan so that we can get on the road.

  “You ready, Boy Scout?” Wood asks, stopping just outside the doors to remove his rings, bracelets, cut, and shirt before walking inside.

  “Yeah. Been waitin’ since last night,” he responds, following suit and taking everything, he can off before walking inside.

  There’s a lethal calm about Wood as he patiently waits for his brother to be ready. I’ve heard that Wood almost goes into another world when he’s about to get his hands dirty. To witness it first-hand is amazing. I know I couldn’t be as calm as he appears to be right now. Not knowing that the man that hurt my girl so bad was a few feet away from me.

  “Let’s get this done. I really don’t want to waste our time on the stupid fucker because he’s not worth it,” Wood says, finally approaching Nathan. “You get yours first and then I’ll finish him off.”

  Boy Scout nods his head as we stop in front of Nathan. The stench coming from him is almost unbearable. He’s pissed and shit himself multiple times. Must be he’s had more than enough time to really think about what he’s done and what’s going to be done to him today. I watch as Nathan looks up and his eyes widen in fear.

  “Please, please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me out of here,” Nathan says, finally beginning to plead for his life.

  “Is that what you were sayin’ last night?” I ask, knowing that Wood doesn’t need anything else to push him over the edge, but I’m going to do it anyway. “What about what a whore you were sayin’ Jennifer is?”

  “W-what are you talking about?” he asks, playing dumb like he has no clue what I’m talking about.

  “Oh, you know what he means,” Boy Scout says, stepping up to get his hands dirty.

  Standing back against the wall, I watch as he begins beating his frustrations out of the pussy chained up. He lands kicks, punches, and a well-placed knee. Nathan is crying and trying to squirm his way out of the chains. It’s as if hearing Nathan lie about what was said last night broke the last shred of self-control Boy Scout has. Before walking away, he rips Nathan’s shirt from his body and then tells Mike to remove his pants. This is getting interesting. I can tell that Wood feels the same way as me because he stands up against the wall straighter.

  Wood is playing close attention to what the man he’s closer to than anyone else. Sometimes it’s like they’re on the same wavelength, but not today. We watch as Boy Scout grabs a knife off of the tray and makes his way back over to Nathan. For a minute he just circles him like he’s stalking his prey. Nathan tries to figure out what he’s going to do as he becomes a blubbering mess. When Boy Scout gets back to the front of the asshole, he jabs the knife straight into his side. There’s no hesitation or anything stopping the knife
from sliding through the skin, muscle, and bone.

  The scream that Nathan lets out is one that shatters ear drums. I cringe as Boy Scout lays the knife down. He walks away from Nathan and out of the shed without a backwards glance. Wood stares after him and I can see that he wants to go find out what’s wrong, but he needs to do this. He needs to let go of the rage and vengeance he feels before walking back to Wade and Jennifer. She doesn’t need to see him like this. We’ll give Boy Scout a little while and then go check on him.

  “Get this done. Then we’ll see to your boy,” I tell him, putting a hand on his shoulder to let him know that I understand where he’s coming from.

  Wood nods his head at me before stalking up to Nathan. He grabs a pair of pliers and bends down. I watch as he pulls every single one of his nails out of his toes before moving onto his fingers. Then he proceeds to break all of his fingers. The pliers then move to his mouth where Wood pulls every tooth. There’s blood pooling from his open mouth as he yells out.

  “What’s that? You want me to do some more?” Wood asks, grabbing the knife.

  He places several cuts of all sizes all over Nathan’s body. Some are deep while others barely break the skin. He’s playing mind games with the fucker and it’s getting to him. I watch him looking around before he stabs the knife into the Nathan’s thigh. We always have salt on hand out here and Wood makes good use of it. After pouring a liberal amount into his hand, he rubs it in every single cut he made.

  “Feel that yet?” Wood asks, pouring the rest of the salt over his head to make sure that it gets in any wounds he forgot.

  Next, he takes the torch and lights it. When I see that pulled out, we’re usually burning something off of someone. Not Wood though. No, he takes the torch and takes it right to his cock after having Mike pull his soiled boxers down. His screams pierce the air. The sound is tortured and only lasts a few seconds before he promptly passes out. Wood steps back and pulls a pack of smokes out before lighting up. He offers me one and I decline.

  “I’m done. There’s nothin’ more I want to do to him. Yeah, I could play for hours and make him pay more than I already have. But Jennifer might need us. Let’s find Boy Scout and get back to your house,” he says, crushing the cigarette beneath his foot, pulling his gun out, and then puts a bullet through his head.

  We make our way to the clubhouse so that he can clean up. Boy Scout is sitting at the bar with a beer in his hand. He looks up at Wood and I see the realization that it’s over reach his eyes. Nodding, he gets up and leaves. I hope that Wood and Jennifer can pull him out of his funk before it’s too late. The last thing I want to see is him ruin a good thing before it really gets started.

  Wood

  I’m not sure what’s bothering Boy Scout. He was all for making the man pay that dared to put his hands on our woman. Now, he’s sulking around like someone kicked his puppy. Hell, he didn’t even really get his hands dirty. Maybe he just didn’t know what to do. Or, maybe he’s got something else on his mind. I need to find him before we go back to Shadow’s house and get this shit straightened out.

  As soon as I’m clean and changed into fresh clothes, I go in search of my brother. He’s sitting outside smoking at one of the tables out back. I pull out a chair and sit down. Boy Scout doesn’t even look up at me. He keeps his head down and I can feel the uncertainty radiating off him.

  “You good? Because I can tell somethin’ is off with you,” I say, pulling out my own cigarette. “What’s goin’ on with you?”

  “I don’t know. It started yesterday when I left the hospital. All of a sudden, I’m not sure that Jennifer is really gonna want both of us. You’re the one that stayed in the hospital with her last night. I left to come back and be with Wade. Don’t get me wrong, I loved bein’ with him last night. He’s a great baby. I guess I’m just havin’ second thoughts about what she’s really gonna want. Especially if she has to continue facin’ assholes like Nathan,” he finally says, looking up at me.

  “Known you a while now. Shared more with you than anyone else in a long time. I appreciate you finally tellin’ me what’s wrong. But we’ve told Jennifer what we want. She’s been talkin’ to both of us. Last night, if you wanted to stay with her in the hospital, all you had to do was say somethin’. Neither one of us had to leave. Shadow and Renee were fine with Wade bein’ with them,” I tell him, sitting back and relaxing in the chair. “You about ready to go see her? Let’s get home.”

  Boy Scout nods his head and we make our way over to Renee and Shadow’s house. Jennifer is still lying on the couch with Wade sleeping on her chest. She’s almost asleep herself. I hate to wake her up, but we need to head out. Her bags are already out in the SUV, Shadow was taking the last ones out when we walked up. I stand back and let Boy Scout walk over to her. He needs to see for himself that she wants him just as much as she wants me. The only one that’s going to prove that to him is her.

  We’re finally pulling up to the clubhouse. The ride back seems like it took a lot longer than normal because we had to make several stops for Jennifer. She needed to get plenty of fluids, take meds, and go to the bathroom. I’m not complaining one bit though. I would’ve stayed on the road for days if it meant she was comfortable. Plus, Wade had to be changed a few times on the way home.

  Slim, Playboy, and Killer walk out the door to meet us. Kim also makes her way out so that she can meet Jennifer and see her girl. Kim walks directly over to the SUV and helps do what she can. Boy Scout is also over there, helping our girl get out of the vehicle before getting Wade out. They’re talking and he’s laughing at something she said so I’m going to take that as a good sign. Hopefully our little talk helped get him out of his head and he’ll be talking to our woman sooner rather than later.

  Shadow starts to walk over to us before turning around and pulling Kim to the side. I’m not sure what they’re talking about, but I watch as her face pales. This can’t be a good thing. Especially when Renee walks up to them with Dylan in her arms. She’s immediately on high alert as she notices the look on her friend’s face.

  “What’s goin’ on there?” Slim asks, stepping up so that he can make his way over there if he’s needed.

  “I don’t know. We’ll find out soon enough,” I say as Shadow turns to walk over to us.

  “Everythin’ good?” my President asks him when he gets to us.

  “Yeah. I told Kim that she needs to make a call to her dad and tell him to back the fuck off. Renee’s pregnant now and I’m not gonna keep lettin’ the sick fuck mess with her head. It’s the last thing she needs,” he says, leaning against the clubhouse as he watches his woman.

  “Understand that, but I would’ve talked to Fox first,” Slim says, turning to look at him. “Congratulations on the baby though.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry, but she’s the only one that can call and talk to him. Fox can’t do this for her,” he says, letting me know that he’s thought about this and isn’t just flying off the handle here.

  We spend the next little bit talking and hanging out with Shadow and Renee before they head back to Dander Falls. I’m not thrilled that no one will be following them in case something happens, but that’s Shadow’s call. He must feel safe enough that he didn’t want an escort. Or, he’s going to have some guys meet him on their way back. It’s not my business though. The only thing I need to think about now is Jennifer, Wade, and Boy Scout. Later on, we’re going to our house, but I want her to get some rest before we leave. With Shadow and Renee leaving, she can go lay down now.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Renee

  IT’S BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE THE LAST package showed up. Since my house was turned upside down and everything Dylan and I owned was destroyed. Honestly, I can’t be happier than I am now. Shadow and I are making the house he built a home. Dylan is growing like a weed and loving the extra time he gets to spend with the other kids in the club. My pregnancy is progressing normally. Even if I’m already showing a lot more than I did with Dylan. Hell,
I give it another month and I’ll be bigger than I was when I was carrying him.

  Today, I left work early so that I can go to my doctor’s appointment. Shadow is pissed that he can’t go today, but he has a meeting with a potential new client that wants to build multiple homes. He has to take the meeting and I understand it. So, I’ve decided that I’m not going to find out the sex during the ultrasound.

  As I walk into the door of Doctor Sanchez’s office, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull my coat aside so that I can grab it. Seeing Shadow’s name on the screen, a smile breaks out on my face. He must be waiting for the client to show up and wants to check in. Yeah, he’s been going a bit overboard on the checking in and ‘taking’ care of me. Some days, I want to punch him and tell him to back off. But I know he’s trying so I let it go.

  “You good babe?” I ask, answering the phone.

  “Yep. Just wanted to check in and say I love you,” he says, shuffling some things on the desk he’s sitting behind. “The client should be here soon and I’m gettin’ paperwork ready.”

  “I figured as much. I’m gonna check in soon so that I can pick Dylan up and make dinner,” I say, letting him know my plans for the night.

  “I’ll grab him. I’m leavin’ as soon as I finish up with the client. Steel is almost done with the house and I’ll check it in the mornin’. If anythin’ else needs to be done, we’ll wrap it up then,” he says, letting me know he’s having an early day today. It’s been awhile since he’s been home for dinner. “Grab takeout from the Country Corner on your way home. We’ll eat and veg out tonight.”