Taking a Dare

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  "You can't do this, Gus!" I saw one of my mom's hands shoot out from her hips as she got up in my dad's face. "You have a fucking family: Rye and Lee and me. What happens to us if you get your ass shot off, huh?"

  "Fucking shut it, Mags!" My dad was loud, louder than I could ever remember him being. "You and the kids mean everything to me, but I'm a fucking Hellion and do what I'm told!"

  "Maggie convinced him that his responsibility was at home and not out on his ride," Dee told, her voice going deeper and turning sad. "So Gus kept his ass at home with his family when he was supposed to be out with his team."

  Ohshitohshitohshitohshit, my mind chanted even as my stomach clenched.

  "The three Hellions hit a group of five BKC's and shit went down. We lost two Hellions permanently. One that didn't die but that never rode again," Dee finished and I could see the sorrow in the heaviness of her gaze. One of those Hellions had meant something to her, something at a heart-level.

  "Word went out," she went on, but her gaze had left mine and dropped to the island. "No Honeys were to know nothing beforehand." She sucked in a breath that had a hitch to it. "So we couldn't interfere or remind them of…"

  "Jay-sus," one of the girls from one of the corners murmured and as if on cue, all of us went to the dark-haired, older-than-us woman who had her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. I was at Dee's back, my arms around her waist as I angled my mouth to her ear. "I'm sorry, honey," I whispered. "I was just a little girl. I didn't know."

  She nodded and over her shoulder, I saw a splash occur on the countertop next to her hand.

  "Ain't never seen Dee cry before," one of the girls, I think it was tiny Lily, murmured. "Not even when Big Duke passed."

  "Who was he, honey?" I asked, keeping my voice soft and on the edges of a whisper.

  I felt her body flinch and almost heard her swallow before she answered.

  "My brother, Chip."

  I pressed my cheek into the back of her head and tightened my arms. Yeah, I got it. If a Hellion was supposed to be a part of a team, he didn't show and Leif bit it? All because the brother's woman talked to him of priorities? Oh fuck. No!

  "I'm so sorry, Dee," I repeated but at my words, she pushed back against me, disentangling herself from my hug and gave a wet sounding sniff.

  "Don't have time for this shit," she sniffed, bringing both ring fingers up to wipe underneath her eyes which came away with black smears. I released my arms fully, allowing her to have her play. "Our spaghetti dinner won't make itself you know!"

  She was covering, working the false bravado card and all of us in the sunshine that lit kitchen knew it. But there was good in that knowing and in the support I knew each one of my sisters were silently sending to Dee.

  Just then, I understood. Understood why Dallas, who was so new to the Hellions and the Honeys, had given the reins over to Dee. Dee was Dallas's mentor. The one who had the know-how and was teaching her precisely how to be a Honey. How to lead and how to act.

  I was finally seeing how the torch of responsibility, of leadership and of caring for the Hellion brotherhood was passed among their women.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  The bar was small, tiny in Dare's opinion, but with a massive parking lot that had signs directing motorcycles to the left of the building and auto/trucks to the other. If he were to guess, he'd say that way back when, the structure had been a family home and with the amount of available acreage that surrounded it, was of the farmer variety. Even if there was a stand of trees that bordered the biker lot. Something a lot of folks planted in order to break the fierce wind that tended to blow across the flatlands.

  After the Hellions had parked, each brother filing in and then walking his ride into a space, rear-wheel first, the five that were to hit the building did a small huddle before breaking away.

  Only Trey looked back at the others and did a chin lift giving a signal Dare knew meant to get into position.

  "You ready, bro?" Dare asked, shooting a glance at Leif, knowing the other man was completely unaware that at some point in the near future they would be much more than members in the same club. They would be brothers.

  "Absolutely," Leif shot back and performed the same maneuver in adjusting his leathers back up as Ryley used. "Who's got our ears?"

  "Pagan," Dare replied as he walked the uneven asphalt, his boots making small clouds in the residual dirt that had accumulated. He wanted the position straight in front of the large red door that Trey and the others were just walking into. If shit was gonna go down, he wanted point.

  "Milk's new man? Shit," Leif mumbled. "Wanted some of that before she decided to settle on just one brother." His clear blue eyes slid to Dare. "Like 'em quiet until you light 'em up yourself, dig?"

  "Gotcha," Dare said, pushing the thought of any and all pussy out of his head. But Ryley, the thoughts of her at least, wouldn't budge and just sat on the periphery of the playground of his mind.

  Motherfucker!

  He had it bad for that girl.

  So bad, his mouth didn't waste any time in informing Leif of what was doing. "Asked your sister to marry me."

  Leif's tread went out of cadence before resuming. "Yeah?"

  "Yeah," but Dare's voice was only a shadow of its normal self and he couldn't look at Leif at all in case the reaction wasn't good.

  "It'll be over our pop's goddamn body," Leif growled as the two men stepped across the dusty parking lot. "You are aware that you're hated by the Daniels?"

  Dare let a little of his smile, his happiness, out as he glanced at the other man. "Think I can fuckin' hang with that hatred, bro' since not all of the Daniels seem to be of the same fuckin' mindset."

  He heard a snort from Leif as the other man held out his left arm in order to maintain a straight line as he moved to the right of Dare. "Ryley hasn't been right in the head since…"

  Dare felt his eyebrows raise, wondering how Leif was gonna complete his fuckin' sentence even as he watched the man pace off fifteen yards. When his soon to be brother-in-law held his silence, Dare completed it for him. "Me. She hasn't been right since we left each other." He eyed the door and his position before turning his face back to his Hellion brother. "And just to let you fuckin' know? Neither have I."

  Leif stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Dare. "You're shitting me."

  "Wouldn't lie about that, amigo. The stakes are too fuckin' high to lie when it comes to Ryley," Dare affirmed and watched Leif's eyes narrow as he took in what Dare had said.

  "You fucking hurt her again and you're dealing with me, motherfucker," Leif growled, his whole body attesting to the truth of his words.

  Dare stared back but made sure Ryley's brother could clearly see the verity of his feelings. "Would expect no less, Leif. Real and true."

  They shared stares before Dare saw Leif's chin dip on a nod before taking stance that would allow him to pull his weapon from where it was tucked into his lower back at a moment's notice.

  Dare planted his own feet and softened his knees as his hands went to his hips in the exact position Ryley's brother had assumed. He looked to his left and saw Si and Blaze situating themselves. On the other side of Leif, Pagan and Lo' Ball were waiting.

  He caught Pagan's sudden movement and turned to look at the other man who'd straightened from his at-ready crouch, holding a finger to his ear. "They want Leif, Dare, Silo, me and Blaze on the inside."

  What the fuck? Why the change in plans?

  Dare turned and waved to Chucky, silently asking him to take his position. With the other man's military experience and calm under pressure attitude, Chucky was the perfect choice to hold point on the front door. After assuring that the other men summoned had replacements, he joined them and entered the building getting a nostril full of stale beer and even staler sweat in the musty air of the interior. Their group paused just inside the door in order to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim light.

  It was just as Dare had imagined, with a long length of battered ba
r-top on the left, the worn barstools standing as sentries before it. Letting his eyes roam, he saw the right hand side of the space was littered with scarred wooden tables and chairs pushed closely together. Seeing how there was a four foot space around the only occupied slab, he determined that a little re-arranging of the seating had taken place beforehand.

  There were already four men seated which was then being encircled by Trey, Gus, Bishop, Rio and Brand. And as Dare looked further, he saw another five men standing in the shadows more than a few feet back from the table.

  So that's why they called us in, Dare realized. But why are there only four Czars sitting?

  The Hellions pulled up chairs and sat down across from the four Czars.

  "Thought you said five," Trey said without preamble.

  Ham Banks, or the man Dare assumed to be the Czar president, stared unblinking at Trey for a couple of seconds before answering. "He's coming. Just had something he had to do first. Since you asked for this fucking meeting, Jackson, you open."

  "Need unrestricted 94 access." Trey started the negotiations, stating exactly what he and the Hellions wanted straight up.

  Ham glanced at his men before turning back to the Hellion president. "Why?"

  Trey didn't answer but Dare saw the broad shoulders minutely shift under his cut. "That's privileged info but the fact of the fucking matter is: no club can or should call a freeway as their turf. The Hellions have no designs on your goddamn streets but are taking objection to having a public highway off-limits without permission."

  "The Czars do," Ham stated flatly. "We control who we want going through our towns."

  "Understand Czar control for the towns of Belgrade, Butte and Livingston," Trey began with a chin lift. "And the Hellions respect it. But absolutely fucking do not agree with Czar command of 94."

  Ham remained silent and Dare saw the other man's chin jut. "And I say that restrictions are needed to prevent anyone from getting ideas about a take-over."

  Bishop gave out a small laugh, drawing the attention of all the men in the room. "We ain't interested in those towns, Ham," Bishop said with a snicker. "If the Hellions had wanted them, we would've had a presence there long ago."

  The Czar president's face more than showed that he didn't believe Bishop's words.

  "Hellion Construction has even stopped taking bids in those areas, which is a bigger loss to the towns than to our business," Bishop continued. "So you don't have to worry that the Hellions want to sneak in to your acreage. It's just a fucking fly-by, man. Not looking to even stop in your portion of it."

  "Your men did it before. Stopped in Livingston," Ham sputtered. "Didn't even try to get permission first."

  "But we didn't know the Czars had claimed it," Trey shot back. "As soon as we were informed of what was doing, we gave respect and left." Dare saw Trey's head move and guessed he was looking around the table. "We'll give deference to the Czars for the towns but the shit with holding the freeway as Czar territory won't work."

  Gus threw in his two-cents for the first time. "The Hellions have shown respect for Czar turf but seems to me the Czars fucking didn't when they entered Missoula. Need to come to an agreement on how this is to work between our clubs."

  "And make no mistake, we would like it to work and not keep cock-blocking each other. But right of access through your town is what is needed and what the Hellions expect," Trey went on.

  From his position, Dare saw a shadow shift in the deeper gloom of the furthest wall. As the shade moved closer to the light, he saw its outline become clearer until it was a tall, thin man with an acne-scarred face.

  "As usual, Mr. Jackson is attempting to push his own agenda onto others," the cultured voice of a new addition to the Czar side of the table said. "And what will happen this time if the Hellions do not get their way? More childish bullying before you bring in law enforcement?"

  "Rodriguez!" Trey exclaimed as he stood quickly. Dare soon found why Trey was on his feet when the dim lights caught on the Beretta held in the other man's grip. Dare saw he wasn't the only Hellion reaching for his piece at the sight.

  "Meet the Czar's newest vice-president," Ham offered with a cheesy, shit-eating smile. "I believe you boys know one another."

  "Indeed we do," Rodriguez affirmed with a head nod. "Mr. Jackson and his group took a disliking to my last club, making it impossible to do business in Missoula."

  "After you killed one of my recruits, interfered with my business and kidnapped my girl," Trey reminded.

  Rodriguez shrugged his thin shoulders while his eyes remained on Trey's. "I didn't say that your dislike was unprovoked. But it was extreme in light of my former actions."

  Dare had to bite his tongue in order not to call 'Bullshit' on the man. What the Ghosts had started more than justified the Hellion retaliation they'd received. Had, in fact, caused the club to either disband or flee and had Rodriguez high-tailing it back to San Diego.

  Or so they had thought.

  "So holding the 94 hostage is your way of getting back at the Hellions for something the Ghosts started?" Brand asked, his deep voice holding a deep note of you've-got-to-be-shitting-me.

  "Oh no, Mr. Jovanovic. Killing both of your chapter's presidents will be solely for my satisfaction." The scarred man paused and his eyes roamed the Hellion side of the table as men locked themselves down in order not to react to the obvious threat that was given. Even the Czar side of the table were reacting.

  But Rodriguez continued in spite of the sound of cocked weapons. "To remove the man that disrupted my business will be a joy even if he showed that I had aligned myself with a weak, unskilled club. Restricting the freeway is just a…" the scarred man with the maniacal gleam in his eyes flapped a hand as he seemed to search for a word. "Bonus. Especially now that I am leading the Czars, who you have to agree is a group to be reckoned with."

  'Oh shit!' Dare's mind warned but he wasn't going to be provoked into taking his eye off the former Ghost president who wielded his gun as if it was a fairy wand or some shit.

  Trey stiffly sat down again and Dare saw that Rodriguez's weirdly gleaming eyes had moved to Gus. "And your actions, Mr. Daniels, from years ago have convinced me of Hellion cowardice. You too, must die."

  All the men surrounding the table, whether Czar or Hellion, looked to one another having no clue to what the scarred man meant. But once the words, 'Hellion cowardice' had left the crazy dude's mouth, Dare knew all hell was willing and gonna break loose.

  "Leading?" Ham repeated as he twisted to look up at his new second in command. "You aren't leading the Czars, I am! I brought you in on the recommendation of…"

  The retort of the Beretta was loud and echoed in the mostly silent room. Almost as loud as the squeaking of chairs as the other Czar's eyes shot to where Ham laid slumped over the table, a pool of blood seeping out from underneath him.

  "What the fuck?" one of the other Czars yelled and made a move towards Rodriguez. As the Czar turned his revolver towards the other man, Rodriguez took a step back—right into Pagan's Glock that was pointed at the back of his head. Dare hadn't even seen his brother move to take a new position behind the old Ghost chief.

  "Drop the gun, you motherfucking murderer," Pagan ground out. Two Czar's had also pulled out their weapons and had them trained on the thin man. Seeing the other club's members in place, Pagan barked out, "cuffs," and there was a flurry of activity from almost everyone in the room.

  But the thin man never wavered as he pointed the gun at Gus. "You're first, Mr. Daniels."

  Dare didn't even think twice before he jumped. Leaping the two and a half feet to knock Gus and chair over in a clamor of wood chair to wood floor. There was a similar noise to his left, in the direction of where Leif had stood next to him. Right behind Trey.

  There were two sharp retorts that blasted overhead and, as they did, Dare's eyes met Gus's.

  To eyes that held equal measures of confusion and fury.

  *.*.*.*.*

  The hours were
agonizing as we waited to hear from our men, none of us knowing what was going on. Only knowing that it was bad, bad enough that it had to remain a secret.

  I wasn't the only one that paced the forecourt as we all kept our cell-phones in hand awaiting a call or a text message and as the hours piled up, so did our tension.

  "I fucking hate this waiting shit," Carly ground out as our paths crossed in our strides around the property. "Goddamn fucking hate it!"

  I shot out my hand in a high-five pose as our bodies came close and the resounding sting of her palm on mine helped to calm me. I wasn't alone but had other women around who had as big a stake in whatever it was our men were doing.

  And were equally not willing to simply be a fucking cheerleader in their play.

  Whatever the fuck that goddamn play might've been.

  Chapter Thirty

  With his blood still singing with the rush of adrenaline, Dare held out a hand to Gus in order to help the other man to his feet. As he did so, he saw the confusion had left and now the Spokane president was just fuckin' furious.

  Gus slapped at Dare's proffered hand. "Get your fucking paws off me, punk!" While Dare did as instructed, he watched as the older man struggled to his feet, using a nearby chair to help him stand.

  Dare's gaze slid to where Pagan and two Czar's were holding the former Chaos president. One of the men wrenched the skinny man's arms behind his back but the man being held didn't stop talking. "Why did you not shoot me? I gave you ample opportunity to do so and yet you didn't. Or is it simply another example of Hellion cowardice in the face of a true biker?"

  "Ain't doin' time for a fucked up motherfucker like you," Pagan answered and Dare heard the snick of the handcuffs being closed. At the noise, the entire group in the room seemed to heave a collective sigh. Dare saw a couple of Czar's standing over Ham's body as if to guard the remains of their former president. Now that the situation was over, no one appeared willing to take the next step.