by Franca Storm
Jesus Christ.
Despite the severe cuts and bruises disfiguring his face, I recognized him from photos around the clubhouse, my training enabling me to see beyond the surface.
The beaten, bloodied figure in front of me was none other than the former Sergeant-at-Arms of the Iron Kings MC.
Lou.
The failure.
The weak link.
The traitor.
He looked me up and down frowning for a bit until realization hit him. “You’re their ringer. Wraith. The guy who took out a bunch of Rogues singlehandedly.”
I didn’t have time for small talk. Something wasn’t right here and I needed answers ASAP.
“What are you doing here?”
“This is my home.”
“That stopped being true the second you betrayed the club.”
He jerked forward, yelling wildly, “They were gonna kill me! Real fucking slowly! Torturously! I had no choice!
Weak men made excuses. “You put Ashley in danger, led them right to her.”
“That’s why I’m here, why I escaped them, to make up for that.” He scrubbed his hand over his face in distress. “He’s trying to help me out, but I can’t let him do this, I can’t. She doesn’t deserve it.”
I tensed. “Who?”
Pain flashed on his face as he admitted, “Ashley.”
“I got here as soon as I could, but I’m too late. It’s already happening. He’s gonna hand her over to Knox.”
Fucking hell.
Adrenaline flooded me, my pulse racing like a freight train as panic took root. Terror gripped me unlike anything I’d ever felt before. The woman I loved was in danger.
Hold it together. I fought to get a grip, to push down my emotions in favor of rationality. Losing it wouldn’t help her. I had to be smart here.
Tears filled Lou’s eyes and he started breaking down. “I’m sorry. I never wanted any of this. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I’m so sorry.”
“Lou!” I barked. “You want me to stop this, I need details. Right fucking now. Who’s gonna take her?”
When he just continued losing his shit, I lunged at him and fisted my hand in his hoodie. “Tell me! Now!” I roared ferociously.
The crunch of footsteps had me jerking my head up.
Fuck.
Four guys all donning Rogue Riders MC cuts emerged from the thick foliage either side of the dirt road. They were the guys from the surveillance footage Scott had shown us, the ones who’d been fucking with Iron Kings property.
The one I recognized as Wolf led the charge, his gun aimed my way with the other three flanking him.
I met their threat with my Glock and Wolf smirked.
“Nice job,” he told Lou. “That was some Oscar-worthy shit.”
Lou grinned nastily at me, the pain on his face disappearing as he jogged to the guys and made a show at me of wiping away his apparent crocodile tears.
Wolf shook his head at me, tutting. “Yeah, Knox figured as much after the way you reacted during the garage attack. Your head’s so full of biker princess pussy that you ain’t seeing proper. It’s knocked you off your game. You didn’t even know we were watching over there. Real disappointing for a guy with your rep.”
I ignored the personal attack, knowing he wanted to get a rise out of me so I’d slip up and do something stupid. Instead, I ran through possible strategies rapidly for the most effective way out of this ambush without taking significant, or even fatal, damage.
Wolf signaled his guys to surround me.
“The town and the club are heavily fortified. You’ll be cut down before you make it anywhere near the compound.”
Wolf laughed. “Oh, we’re not here for that. After today, Iron Kings will come to us. Then we’ll tear through them all in one shot. The bait's already on its way.” His eyes flashed. “The club princess.”
A snarl tore from me.
The monster clawed at me to unleash it.
I gritted my teeth, my grip white-hot on my weapon.
“We just got one complication to wipe out first.” He glared hard at me. “Did you think we’d let you get away with putting our brothers to ground?” He snapped his fingers and called to his guys, “Kill him. Make it fucking hurt.”
I braced myself, the monster going wild to get out, to damage, tear apart and destroy. It wanted blood. And so did I. With Ashley under threat, in immediate danger, every second I spent delayed by these fuckers stopping me from getting to her fast enough, all bets were off.
A sharp whizzing sounded.
Once. Twice. Three times. All in quick succession.
Lou and two of the enforcers surrounding me slapped their hands to their necks. Darts protruded from their flesh. A second later, their eyes rolled back in their heads and they collapsed onto the road like rag dolls.
Tranqs.
There was only one person I knew who used those.
Wolf freaked, spinning around just as a familiar figure emerged, sprinting down the road toward us.
My relief was short-lived as Wolf took aim at him. Reacting quickly, I lunged at the asshole, executing a lightning fast move to dislodge his weapon from his grip. I snatched it from him, then delivered a brutal roundhouse kick that sent him reeling across the road. He lost his balance and hit the dirt hard, grunting in pain.
Before I could finish him off, the remaining guy ran at me.
Big mistake. The monster was right at the surface.
It ramped up my brutality and as I deflected his fist with ease, I couldn’t leave it there.
I took aim at his kneecap and fired off a close-range shot, blowing it to bits. He shrieked in pain, hitting the ground and writhing wildly.
A boot smashed into his temple, knocking him out cold and putting an end to the screaming.
I looked up to see my old friend standing over him.
“Jesse,” I breathed.
He grinned, shoving his dark, curly hair out of his face. “Figured you could use a hand.”
“How did you know?”
“I’ve been tracking their movements while I’ve been gathering the intel you asked for. You know I always go above and beyond.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
I looked back at the fallen guys sprawled out all over the road. One was missing. A flash of movement through the brush caught my eye. Fuck. “Wolf’s on the move.”
“I’ve got this, head after him.” He smiled. “Save your girl.”
I slapped the shoulder of his tactical jacket, a knowing look passing between us.
I ran back to my bike, calling Scott as I went.
This was not happening.
I’d finally done it, finally found happiness in a life plagued by darkness.
There was no way I was going to let anyone take that away.
And there was only one sure-fire way to make sure that didn’t happen.
I had to unleash.
26
~Ashley~
I COULDN’T WAIT.
My dream was closer to becoming a reality than ever before.
It wouldn’t be long now.
I took one last quick look through the windows of the empty shop, mindful of Finn’s orders to me. Legacies was just across the road, but I couldn’t delay a second longer. I knew Finn had gone to great lengths to ensure that I didn’t feel suffocated with the protection on me. Although it was only the illusion of freedom, because I was well aware I was being watched over round the clock, I still didn’t want to push it. I didn’t want to stress Finn or the boys out any more than they already were with everything.
So, I tore myself away from the vacant shop, smiling to myself as I made my way down the street to Legacies.
Excitement bubbled within me.
I was getting back to it, to making my dreams happen.
It was what had led me here to this vacant store today. I was stepping up my efforts to make owning my own tattoo parlor a reality. Over the last little while, I’d produced pages upo
n pages of tattoo designs, finished my business plan, found an interior designer who I was happy with, sought out a reputable contractor in Ridgefield, and I’d set up a meeting with the real estate agent listing the little shop I’d been checking out.
I was a few feet out from Legacies when an old Chevy truck swung around the corner and came to a stop at the curb beside me. I tensed up until I saw that it was a familiar face. The new prospect, Kyle.
“You need to come with me, princess,” he announced abruptly.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned by the urgency coming off him.
“Yeah, all good,” he said, flashing me a smile that was so obviously fake.
I figured his odd, uncomfortable behavior had something to do with me being involved with Finn, the person he resented for supposedly taking the place of his idol, Lou. He was probably worried about what it meant for his position with the club now that he’d lost his sponsor.
He gestured to his truck. “Get in, okay? Got orders to drive you up to the barbecue. I’m already late and if I’m delayed any longer I’m gonna be in deep shit.”
Oh. So that was why he was so anxious and out of sorts.
“Finn said he was coming to get me.”
“Plans changed. He didn’t want you out alone, seeing as though all your bodyguards are up at the barbecue and not here to watch your back.”
That did sound like Finn. Despite his attempt to hide it I knew he hadn’t been happy to hear I was still downtown instead of being up at the clubhouse like we’d agreed.
“Okay,” I conceded, heading over to the passenger side of his truck.
He was there hauling open the door for me so quickly that it made me jump, a gasp escaping me.
“My bad,” he said.
But he didn’t look sorry at all. In fact, he looked… pleased that he’d gotten that reaction from me.
My senses screamed at me.
Something was off with him, with this whole situation.
I started to step back from the truck. “I’m just going to give Finn a call.”
“Fucking difficult bitch! Get in the truck!” he exploded suddenly.
Instinctively, my hand brushed my jacket, the inside pocket where I kept the device Finn had given me as a last resort defense. A top-of-the-line Taser. But before I could even grab it, Kyle lunged at me. Grabbing my shoulders, he shoved me inside and slammed the door closed. In the seconds it took me to right myself, he’d rounded the vehicle and climbed into the driver’s seat. He activated the automatic door lock just as I reached for the handle, trapping me inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, as he started the truck and peeled away from the curb, driving like a maniac down the street, rubber burning, tires screeching.
He didn’t answer me.
I lunged for the lock button, but his hand shot out, clamping down on mine and squeezing painfully hard. “Sit back right now, put on your seatbelt and be a good girl, or I’ll really give you something to freak out about.” His eyes flashed. “I’ll break your fucking hand.”
I swallowed hard at his threat and nodded, my throat too dry to get out the words.
He released me and kept looking back and forth from me to the road to make sure I followed his orders. My hands shaking with a medley of fear and adrenaline, it took me longer than normal to actually lock in my seatbelt. When I’d finally managed it, he settled his gaze on the road.
With him no longer staring at me and studying my every move like he would pounce if I’d made the wrong one, it gave me time to think, to search my brain for a solution to the messed-up situation I’d somehow found myself in.
I didn’t need to ask to know that he wasn’t taking me to the clubhouse, that he hadn’t actually been sent down here by Finn. In fact, from the way he’d treated me, it was looking like his loyalty to the club had been shot to hell.
I was in some serious trouble.
Tense silence filled the truck as he shot down the road. I could see him growing antsier with every passing second, drumming his fingers on the doorframe, shifting his weight uneasily, his eyes darting back and forth either side of the street.
He made a sharp left turn a couple of blocks before the end of the street.
“This ain’t personal, all right?” he said all of a sudden. “I like you just fine. You seem real nice, not bratty or bitchy or nothing like some biker princesses are neither.”
“I’m flattered,” I responded through gritted teeth.
“Thing is,” he went on. “Being who you are, it makes you a real good bargaining chip to a lot of people. I need leverage right now. For me, for Lou. The club turned their back on him and they’re gonna on me soon too now he’s gone. So, I gotta set up another life for us.”
He was clearly trying to keep things vague, but I wasn’t a fool. I could deduce very well. “This life,” I said, eyeing him. “It’s with the Rogues, isn’t it?”
He swung his head my way, his eyes wide with surprise. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”
“So, we’re headed to them right now? That’s where you’re really taking me?”
He looked away and continued on trying to justify it again, “Iron Kings have kept me hanging on for eighteen fucking months. I’ve been busting my ass for them and I’ve got nothing back.”
“That’s the whole deal of prospecting.”
“Yeah? Well, the Rogues are gonna give me an officer position, treat me like one of their own, give me the respect I deserve. All I gotta do is deliver you.”
He was unbelievably misguided and so naïve. He didn’t understand the meaning of brotherhood either. It was just all about what he could get. Power, prestige and whatever the hell else.
He looked over at me again. “They won’t hurt you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You have no idea.”
“What?”
“You have no idea what you’ve done, how bent they really are, or what they’re going to do to both of us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m the daughter of their worst enemy. The way to get at the heart of him is to kill me. That’s what they want, to destroy my dad and everything he’s built. Of course they’re going to hurt me! As for you, you just betrayed another MC. Do you really think they’re ever going to trust you enough to make you one of them?” I scoffed. “Unbelievable.”
“Shut up!” he yelled. “Just shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
I watched his fingers tighten on the steering wheel, his knuckles burning white-hot from his intense grip as he struggled to control his rage.
After a few moments he said in a calmer tone, “Just a little ways to go now.” He pointed to the northern border straight ahead in the distance. I could just about make out a wall of motorcycles lining the road. Oh my God.
A shudder rolled down my spine.
I had to do something and I had to do it now.
I drew in a deep breath to try to force a calm that I really didn’t feel.
And then I started gagging.
Kyle jerked his head my way, looking equally agitated and grossed out. Good. It was working. “What the fuck is wrong?” he snapped.
I escalated it, pulling off some of the best acting of my life. Finally, high school drama class was coming in handy. I started some fake dry heaving, then slapped my hand to my mouth.
“You gotta calm down, that’s why this shit’s happening. Just breathe.”
I shook my head from side to side, then escalated the awful sounds and motions, really milking it for all it was worth.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “You ain’t doing it in my truck! Jesus. Just hold on.”
The next thing I knew, he was swerving off to the side and slamming on the brakes.
“Go on,” he said, as soon as the truck was fully stopped. He released the door lock and pressed, “Throw up on the bank there. You ain’t gonna go nowhere. There’s only forest for miles.” He was obviously trying to convince himself that tha
t was true. He was worried and way out of his comfort zone. Kidnapping really wasn’t a skillset of his, which worked in my favor. He would be prone to mistakes and easy enough to catch off guard.
I bolted out of the truck and feigned doubling over. After a few moments, I heard his boots crunching on the road, coming over to me.
“Ain’t holding your hair back or nothing,” he muttered. “Hurry up, or those Rogues members up there are gonna think something’s wrong and drag us both over the border.”
I discretely retrieved Finn’s gift from my jacket pocket. I couldn’t even begin to quantify how grateful I was that he’d gotten me into the habit of carrying it everywhere with me.
Drawing in a centering breath, I spun and lunged at Kyle, shoving it at his chest, right at his heart.
He roared, his body jerking wildly. “Taser?” he managed to choke out before he collapsed into a shuddering heap on the dirt road.
“I’m a club princess, you shit. I’m far from naïve to the down and dirty world surrounding us, so I take precautions.”
The rev of the bikes up ahead thundered, reverberating the ground beneath my feet.
I snatched my phone out of my pocket and frantically speed dialed Finn.
He spoke before I could get a word out, his voice cold, calm and confident, “Get back in the truck. Pull a U-turn and drive like hell in a straight line. Put the phone on speaker on the passenger seat and maintain communication.”
I hesitated for a moment, fighting to absorb everything.
“Don’t think. Do. Move now,” he barked.
His brash, severe tone worked on me, providing the kick in the ass I needed to act.
I ran to the truck and hauled myself up into the driver’s seat. Thank God, Kyle had been stupid enough to leave the keys in the ignition. I slammed the door closed, placed my phone on the passenger seat, then gunned it.
I caught sight of the bikes in the distance crossing the border onto Ridgefield territory.
“No. No. No. No,” I cried, as I made the tight U-turn and hauled ass back the way we’d come.
“Ashley, I need you to ignore what you’re seeing. You freeze up and they’ve won. Help is four minutes out. You just need to keep your head in the game until then. Four minutes. That’s all.”