Zero

by Crescent, Sam

  “Go on.”

  “If you wanted Whizz this would be it and you’d be gone. You want me and Zero. Trevor is gone. One down, two to go. I’m not dead. You can’t get over your revenge until we are both dead.”

  “I’m hurting Zero.”

  “Really? How are you hurting him?” she asked.

  “Angel is the sweet one of the club. Everyone loves her. He fancied himself in love with Sophia. I’ve got what I want.”

  “No, you haven’t. You’re wrong on both counts.” She twirled the ring she wore around her finger.

  Opening her eyes, she pressed a finger to her lips signaling for the men to be silent. She was surprised they were giving her this moment to talk with him. Prue was gambling with a guess. Alan had only talked to her twice, and his sudden backlash was desperate. She was losing interest as well. Prue wanted to marry Zero and get Alan out of their lives forever.

  “Why am I wrong?” Alan asked. She had his attention, which was good to know.

  “Zero hates Angel.” Prue stared at Zero, letting him know she was bluffing. “He told me she was a pain in the ass. Her presence was a thorn in his side. Always needing protecting, always crying. Let me tell you, Alan, I know Zero, he can’t stand someone who moans and cries all the time. It gets a little boring.”

  When they were growing up, Prue had gotten her and Trevor out of a lot of trouble with her ability to make up tales.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, the only person he cares about is Lash. Having Angel out of the way would make life so much easier.”

  “What about Sophia?” Alan asked.

  Was he buying the lies?

  “She was a slut. Zero told me he had to practically peel the woman off him. The moment Nash was out of the room she was driving him crazy with her insatiable appetite.”

  Prue shrugged her shoulders at Zero.

  Give me a break. I’m making this shit up out of my own head.

  “Also, he proposed to me. Zero always comes back to me,” she said, smiling. This part was not a lie. “Whizz is not Zero’s friend either. He belongs to The Skulls.”

  “Well, I guess we both have a problem,” Alan said.

  “No, you don’t.” She reached out, grabbing Zero’s hand.

  “No?” Alan asked.

  “We’ll make a trade. Zero and myself for Whizz.”

  Zero shook his head. “No, Alan. I’ll trade Whizz’s life for myself. Leave her out of it.”

  “Nah, I like the way your woman works. She knows her stuff.”

  Silence was on the other end. “I’ll get my men to dump Whizz somewhere. I want you to meet me. You’ll come alone or else.”

  “What will you do if we don’t?” Prue said, feeling Zero’s anger directed at her.

  “I’ve got ways. You don’t come alone, Angel and Sophia will get a healthy dose of poison injected into their veins. I’m not so fucking stupid, but I think it’s time for us to get to the end of this game. I expect you where this all began. You know the location of where Trevor took his last breath. I think it’s only fair we end it there.”

  Alan hung up. There was silence over the line.

  “You’re so fucking stupid,” Zero said, releasing his anger on her.

  She touched his hands. Tears filled her eyes at the blatant anger directed at her.

  “Why the fuck did you do that? He doesn’t need to have you.”

  “He’s right, Prue. That was fucking stupid,” Tiny said.

  “This is a game to him. One down, two to go. He takes you, then he’s after me anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t let that happen. Ten years ago I was a young fucking fool. I’m not a fool anymore. I wouldn’t let any harm come to you.”

  She smiled. “It wouldn’t matter. Alan wouldn’t have agreed until he got what he wanted, which is both of us there.”

  Zero shook his head. “I’m so fucking angry at you right now.”

  “Save the anger. I get that she lied, but now you’ve got a big fucking problem,” Devil said, moving away from the wall.

  “What problem is that?” Zero asked.

  “Alan is expecting you both to be there alone. I’m a betting man, and I’ve got a feeling he will find a way to put poison into Angel and Sophia. How the fuck are you two going to get out of that shit?” Devil asked.

  Glancing at Zero, he shrugged.

  “There is no plan,” Zero said.

  “No, you can’t do that,” Tiny said. “There has to be some kind of plan.”

  “There is. Get Whizz out alive, kill the bastard, and let Nash and Lash know there is someone walking around the hospital. They deserve some justice. Prue and I will make do and take Alan out.” Zero looked at her.

  She trusted him with her whole heart. Tears filled her eyes knowing this could be her last day on earth. There is no one else she would want to spend it with than with Zero. Smiling at him, she tugged him down to kiss his lips. “Come on, let’s go and face the music.”

  Ten years they’d been apart, and now in some sick twist of fate, Alan had brought them back together. Holding Zero’s hand, she made her way out of the room and toward Alan.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You’re going to let them do this alone?” Devil asked.

  Tiny turned to look at his men and then at his friend. “This is what Zero wants. We’ve got to get Whizz and then to the hospital.” He lifted the phone and made the call to the two of his men. Once he told the two brothers about the danger he hung up.

  He was torn in two over what to do. In all of his life he’d never left anyone behind. Zero had proven time and time again his loyalty was to The Skulls.

  “I’m not letting them do anything alone. Do you think I like the thought of my men and their women hurting? It fucking kills me inside.” Tiny slammed a palm to his chest. “Just once I’d like to get by in peace, but we’ve all got a fucking past, and it always comes to bite us in the ass one way or another.”

  “Get the fuck out,” Devil said, looking around the room.

  Tiny gave a nod of his head for his men to leave.

  “You can’t leave them alone.” Devil faced him with his arms folded.

  “We’re not going to leave them alone. We can’t exactly go following them on our bikes either.”

  The far door opened. Tiny had left his cell phone on for Eva to hear the whole conversation. There were tears in her eyes, and she held a set of keys out toward the men.

  “I know where they’re going,” she said. “I’m tagging along. I know the road quite well.”

  His heart gave out. Eva was a strong woman. She matched him in all things.

  “Baby, I can’t let you drive us out. He’s a lunatic.”

  “So? I grew up with lunatics, and I’m no stranger to a man’s anger. I will not stand idly by while Zero and Prue die because of this fucker.” Eva held the keys to her heart. “You’re taking me, or you’re not going anywhere.”

  Walking forward, Tiny watched her take a step back. “Baby, go and get in the fucking car. We’ve got a man to fuck up.”

  ****

  “You don’t have to do this,” Zero said, glancing over at his woman.

  They were sat in the car about to pull out of the lot.

  “I have to do this. He killed Trevor. I’m not going to let him take this from us.” She was rubbing her temple, staring straight out of the window. He caught sight of the diamond ring on her finger. When all of this was over he was going to marry this woman and claim her for his own.

  “That doesn’t mean you’ve got to stay with me,” he said. “This is not your fight. I hurt this man, tortured him. He’s coming for me.”

  She shook her head. “We’re in this together.”

  Taking her hand, he pulled out of the compound seeing his men, The Skulls, watching them all go. Butch was there at the end. Zero bit his lip seeing his friend watching them leave.

  “We’ll get through this. It’s going to be fun.”

  He chuckled. “You�
��re the first woman I know who will find this coming fight fun.”

  “I’ve never been in a true fight before. This is going to be hardcore.” He felt her hand tremble within his.

  “Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?” Zero asked, changing the subject.

  “Really? You want to talk about that now?”

  “Why not? We’re going to have that conversation anyway, so why not now?”

  He worked his way out of the town, watching everyone pass as if nothing had happened.

  “I’d like to go somewhere hot,” she said. “How about the Caribbean?”

  “Nah, I don’t want the Caribbean. I want somewhere cold so you’ve got no choice but to wrap up warm with me.”

  “If it’s warm we can be naked without fear of dying,” she said. “I’ll even wear a bikini for you.”

  Zero groaned. The thought of seeing Prue in a skimpy swimming set was too much. His cock thickened, and all he wanted to do was drive them to the nearest airport and take her away.

  “We’re going to the Caribbean, and you’ll wear a lovely bikini, which I can take off with my teeth,” he said.

  She giggled. “You’re insatiable.”

  “I know, but it’s all directed at you.”

  They talked for the first fifteen minutes of the drive about their wedding. He knew his brothers wouldn’t accept being in suits for the wedding. Prue didn’t want them in suits. She wanted the men to wear their leathers as she walked down the aisle in a white wedding dress.

  “The boys are going to love you,” he said, laughing.

  “It’s what I want. We’ll pay the church the proper money for us to get what we want.”

  “Okay, I’m game if you are,” he said. “Tiny will help pay for the wedding, or at least the club will.”

  For several minutes they were silent. Zero recognized the road. He’d not been down this road for a long time. Memories of Trevor dying in his arms were too much.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Trevor stayed in a hotel room when he called me. He was bleeding out and knew they’d come to finish him off in a hospital. Before he died he wanted to talk to me about you. He asked for me to keep you safe.” He laughed. The sound was hollow. “How fucking safe am I keeping you when I’m leading you to the man who killed your brother?”

  She squeezed his hand. “Don’t let that happen. What happened afterward?”

  “I burned the building to the ground. No one else was inside the hotel either. Only the person on reception who was too late in calling for help, so the whole building burned to the ground. Since then it was demolished, rebuilt, and is now an abandoned factory. The economy really hit the factories hard. A lot of places closed down, and not all of them have been rebuilt.” He rubbed at his temple.

  “Why is he doing this?”

  “He wants us on edge. This is where Trevor died in my arms. He’s going to test us by throwing everything at us.” Zero shrugged. “We’re strong together, baby. We’ll get through this.”

  “I love you,” she said.

  “I love you, too.”

  They were silent as the building came into view. It was such a horrid vision, and he couldn’t help but imagine Trevor placing a hand on his shoulder.

  You can do this.

  Parking the car, he climbed out staring at the building. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to clear his vision. Staring at the factory he saw several windows were smashed, and the whole building itself looked like it was crumbling. Graffiti coated the walls with names or pictures. One picture was of a cock with large balls.

  Shaking his head, he looked down at the floor. Prue grabbed his hand. “We can do this. We’re in this together. We’ve always been in this together.”

  Feeling her strength, he took several steps forward. He paused when he saw a man wearing a hood walk out of the building.

  “Well, well, well, I really thought I’d have to send a message to my men,” Alan said, raising the cell phone to his ear. “Back off. He’s here, and he’s here alone.”

  He watched Alan throw away the cell phone.

  “Are you going to stay hidden behind that hood?” Zero asked.

  “I guess now is a good time as any.” Alan removed the hood.

  Zero didn’t make any move, but the man’s face was a complete mess. Ten years ago he hadn’t shown any kind of mercy. There were also burn marks over his face. The picture Whizz had gotten hadn’t done the man justice.

  “I’m a fucking beauty, don’t you think?” Alan asked. His gaze turned to Prue. She didn’t look shocked or even scared. “Would you fuck me, baby?”

  “No, you killed my brother.”

  “The only reason?”

  “No. You fucking repulse me, and it has nothing to do with the scars. Your game is what turns me off.”

  Alan looked up at the sky and started laughing. “Ah, I really do love my games. It was a stroke of genius. Seeing men, hard-nosed men, turn into a bunch of fucking pussies. It was brilliant.”

  Zero gripped Prue’s hand tighter. He was really struggling to keep his anger at bay. Those men were his friends. They had been through so much, and the women didn’t deserve that kind of pain.

  “The whore nurse you fucked was especially delightful. She squealed like a little bitch with every cut I made.”

  “So did you if I remember correctly.”

  Alan’s smile vanished, and his face turned into thunderous rage.

  “Where is Whizz?” Zero asked.

  “Now, the computer nerd was a delight. He’s never going to be the same after I got through with him.”

  He watched Alan grab his cock giving it a rub.

  Zero’s stomach turned. He hoped to God Alan didn’t rape Whizz. He was sick to his stomach, his rage simmering, waiting to be released.

  “Call your bastards. I’m sure they’re there.”

  Pulling out his cell phone he dialed Tiny’s number.

  “Hello,” Butch said, answering.

  “Butch, where’s Tiny?”

  “You don’t need to know that now. We’ve got Whizz. He’s in a fucking awful state. The bastard, he, erm—fuck, I’m not telling you. I’ve got to get him to the hospital. Get that fucker to hurt,” Butch said.

  “The person with him?”

  “Dead. We let him tell Alan that he was alive and well. This fucker won’t be doing any more damage. Before your call Lash phoned. They’ve taken out the two men who were going to kill their women. Alan gave the order to kill. The fucker was lying the whole time. He was going to kill them all.” Butch explained everything. Prue kept her gaze on Alan, and he held her hand.

  “Take care,” Zero said.

  “You listen to me, Lucas Blakely. You’re my best friend, and I will not be held responsible for your death. You will beat this bastard and come home to all us.”

  “I will. I’ve got my woman at my side.”

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Butch said.

  Hanging up the phone, he placed it back in his pocket.

  “Is everything okay?” Prue asked.

  “Yes.”

  Alan started laughing, and their gazes landed back on him. “Now, I’ve given you back Whizz, and I’ve got the two of you. I think it’s time for us all to play a game.”

  “I’m a bit old for games,” Zero said.

  “No one is ever too old for games, especially not the games I play,” Alan took a step closer until only a few feet divided them.

  The scars on Alan’s face didn’t fill Zero with happiness. This fucker in a matter of weeks and days had hurt his club.

  Alan withdrew a gun. Zero tugged Prue behind him.

  “Now, my game is going to be fun,” he said. “No, you don’t get to hide that bitch. She has to play her part.”

  Prue stepped from behind him and stood by his side with her head held high.

  “She looks so fucking sexy. I see why you’re going to marry her,” Alan said. “I bet her ass would be a fucking dream to sink into.
”

  Zero stared at the other man, wishing he would shut the fuck up.

  A second gun was produced, and he held it up in the air. “Now, I’ve not thought of a name for this game. It’s going to be fun. Do you want to know the rules?”

  ****

  Prue stared at both guns, wondering what the hell they were going to do. Zero wasn’t even shaking as he stared at the man opposite them. She wanted to run away and never look back. Staying by Zero’s side would win the battle. Tightening her grip in his hand, she waited for Alan to tell them about the game.

  “Now, it took me a little while to think about this game, so bear with me.” He raised the gun, and Prue ducked instinctively.

  Alan laughed, mocking her movements.

  She really wanted this bastard to die and to die now.

  “Tell us about the fucking game,” Zero said.

  “It’s quite simple. For every bullet I put inside you, she gets to have a shot at me.”

  Eyes widening, she looked at Zero. Didn’t Alan know she could shoot and shoot well?

  Zero gave her a quick squeeze. She wanted to jump with joy but knew they had to keep their wits about them. If she started acting all excited then Alan would change the game.

  “If she shoots you?” Zero asked.

  “I doubt that’s going to happen.” Alan showed them the gun was loaded and got it ready. He aimed for the building and fired the first bullet. A window shattered in the background. “I don’t cheat,” Alan said. “I shoot you, and she gets a chance to shoot me.”

  This has to be some kind of mistake.

  “What are you thinking?” Alan asked.

  “Why are you trusting her with a gun?”

  Alan laughed. “Trevor talked all the time about the pair of you. I recall him saying how you and he would train for hours shooting a gun. Not once did he mention her involvement. She doesn’t own a gun of her own. I checked. This is going to be a fun game. Your life is in her hands.”

  The gun she owned wasn’t registered. It had been given to her by Zero a long time ago, and she kept it in top condition. He’d also bought her the ammo to be able to use it.

  Trevor and Zero wouldn’t tell their parents that they were teaching her. She did own a gun, but she kept it hidden inside her home.