“Two days,” I bob my head.
With taking care of Lizzie, planning, and meetings, two days fly by. We’re in our warehouse, getting guns and ammunition ready for tonight’s attack. We won’t be wearing our cuts, and will be going in unmarked, untraceable cars and SUVs. Each one donated to us by our very own PD and chief. They are vehicles in the impound lot that are set up for future auctions.
We have fake plates courtesy of one of our contacts. Dominique Arcola has given us some automatic weapons and launchers with all the serial numbers filed off. We’ve made sure to wear protective gloves to keep all prints off the weapons in case any land in the wrong hands. We aren’t going in to take out just the head of the Ozzie’s, we’re going in with the plan of taking them all out. Even the lowest members on the totem pole.
We aren’t just taking out our local problems, we have others in place and ready to take them out worldwide. We don’t wanna take a chance of retaliation blowing back on our club. The Ozzie Walkers will be a forgotten gang of misfits and no one will bat an eye at their disappearance. We will be wearing masks, BDU’s, and having government-issued weapons, giving off the appearance that this was sanctioned by good ole’ Uncle Sam.
Our alibis have been set in place. Our women will be safe and secure. Each organization has placed their bodyguards at each individual compound to ensure that nothing happens to any of our families. Each one of us have a stake in this, and none of us want to have anything happen while we’re taking out the trash.
“You ready to do this?” Riptide asks me.
“More than ready,” I respond, sliding the chamber back on the gun I have in my hand. I am doublechecking each gun making sure they’re loaded. I don’t want any of us being caught with our pants dropped below our asses.
“Relax, brother. We’ve got this, we will wipe them from the planet.”
“We all have to be successful,” I remind them. I think that’s what has me on edge. I won’t be with the others, checking to see if they’ve managed to take out each and every member. The need to be in control of mine and Lizzie’s destiny is strangling me. I’ve been choking on the fear for days now. I can’t even fathom the thought that things may go wrong on one of our ends.
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Jackson interrupts my inner contemplations. “We’ve never left you with your dick swinging in the cold before and we’re not fixing to start now.”
“I know, but before the stakes weren’t as high as they are now. This is personal, guys.”
“In one way or another, it’s become personal to all of us,” Dust interjects.
Each one of my men has become close to my club brothers. They are even thinking about sticking around and joining the club. The brotherhood we had in the service has been missed by them and they’ve enjoyed the bonds they’ve been forming since they arrived.
A hand is placed on my shoulder. I look over and see Kid standing over me. “Everything good here?” he asks me.
“It’s all good, everything is locked and loaded. We just need to put them in the vehicles and hit the road.”
“All in due time, brother. We’re just waiting on the other teams to arrive before we branch out and go after our targets.”
“My patience is running thin,” I announce.
“That’s understandable, Justice. But we can’t show up without all the players in tow.”
“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath. I’m ready to get the show on the road and draw some blood. I can’t wait to see the ground littered with bodies and the crimson red splattered.
An hour later, and a lot of pacing later. Weapons are loaded and we’re all in our predetermined rides. I don’t pay attention to any of the conversations going on around me. I’m getting myself in the zone, ready for battle just like I have every time I’ve faced an enemy.
Julius is lovingly stroking his hunting knife, and I instantly know that he’s in the same head space as I am. Time seems to be dragging by, until we come to a stop about a mile away from where we’re infiltrating and taking out the Ozzie’s. We each put on a bullet proof vest, beneath our shirts, before leaving the warehouse to guarantee our safety as much as we can.
I fill my pockets with clips and load my belt with knives, three guns and throw my rifle over my shoulder. I take my dog tags and chain that are placed on around my neck and kiss it. It’s something I’ve done since my service days. Any time I felt like I was facing something that I could possibly not come back from, I’ve kissed them and said a silent well wish for my fellow brothers. Needing to feel as if I’ve given us as much of a chance of making it out alive and well as I could.
When we’ve all got our preferred weapons on our person, we begin to stealthily move through the woods. It’s a good thing these guys chose to have a secluded base, we will be able to use it to our advantage. We blend in with our surroundings, Riptide, Julius, Dust, Jackson, and me are leading the group of men since we have the most experience in these types of situations.
I can feel Andre close, he never confirmed he’d be here, but I’ve always had this sixth sense when it comes to him. Cardozo, Arcola, Marsalis, and Jiménez’s men are trailing closely behind. They each sent their most lethal and trusted soldiers to help us with this operation. It doesn’t surprise me that none of them wanted to get their loafers dirty, instead depending on all of us to do the dirty work.
If it had been my daughter who’d been kidnapped and nearly died from hypothermia, I guarantee you I’d be the one leading this escapade. But no, Cardozo would rather sit back, smoke his cigar and drink his brandy before getting dirt under his fingernails.
He’s a vicious man who hires others to do his bidding. He’s not a man in my eyes. He’s not even a true leader, because if he was, he’d be here just like Kid is. My President isn’t perched on a comfy chair behind a desk, shuffling papers and passing out orders. No, he’s right here beside his men.
We shuffle our way along, avoiding the snap of branches and crunching of leaves. I’m pleased to see that everyone is following our lead and doing what we are. It will make things easier and keep us out of the spotlight until we’re ready to be seen and heard.
When we see lights up ahead, illuminating their space, we crouch down and stick to the shadows. We stay low, some of us duck walking and others crawling to stay unseen and unheard from the windows that are wide open. We hear what sounds like a party going on, which will allow our sounds to blend in.
My heart is racing, and my blood is pumping.
Lizzie
I’m having a hard time sitting still. I’ve been on the phone with my sisters for most of the day trying to preoccupy my mind. None of us know what our men are out there doing, but we have a pretty good idea. Especially once my sisters confirmed that a lot of my father’s soldiers have been in and out of the house this past week. There’s only a few times that this occurs, it’s usually when my father is preparing for something big to take place.
I could sit here and berate myself, taking this on my shoulders as being all my fault. But Skylar put her foot up my ass—metaphorically, not literally. She was explaining to me that I didn’t ask to be taken, I didn’t ask to be stuck out in the woods freezing so cold that I felt it bone deep. I also know there was a reason we were asked to come here in the first place, and something deep down inside of me tells me it has something to do with this group.
I’m so used to apologizing for everything, that it didn’t once occur to me that this was an issue before I came along. But my new sisters are right, I didn’t ask for this, if anything I was trying to escape it before I felt the desperate need to be standing next to my Ol’ man.
I’m innocent in all of this, when it hits me like a sledge hammer, I become angry. How dare those sons-of-bitches place their hands on me! How dare they take me away from the safety of my home and my family! Especially that of my man, my husband, the love of my life. The only person who’s ever showed me each and every day how much I mean to him. I didn’t even experience that fr
om my own parents and someone had the gall to attempt and take that away from me!
“That’s it girl, get angry,” Riley encourages me.
“We should take her down to the gym and let her hit the bag a time or two,” Sadie implies.
“What bag?” I come out of my reverie and asks.
“The guys keep a punching bag downstairs in the gym to help them expend some of their pent-up aggression. These men go through a lot and sometimes need something to beat up.”
“I could beat something up,” I agree.
“Let’s go.” They lead me down a set of stairs and I’m impressed by the gym. I was expecting a treadmill, weight set, and a punching bag or two. But this, this is spectacular, and I’ve never been so wrong about my thoughts before. There’s a boxing ring in the middle and it’s impressive. Off to the right are several different sets of weights and benches. Across from them are five treadmills, three ellipticals and stationary bikes.
“If I’d known this was here I’d have taken advantage of the equipment,” I state in awe.
“I’m surprised Justice hasn’t shown you, he’s down here every morning.” I stare at her in shock, because every time I wake up he’s right there beside me in bed.
“He is?”
“Four a.m. like clockwork,” Skylar advises me.
“Well, that answers that question, I’m comatose at that hour.”
They walk me over and show me how to properly hit the bag. They take turns holding it and punching it with me. Seems as if I’m not the only one needing to be physically doing something.
Twenty-One
Justice
When we charge the house, we take them by surprise. They jump up and I see guns being pulled from couch cushions, boots, tucked from their backs and under different tables. It’s full out pandemonium as we attack, and they defend. We are in our disguises, so they don’t recognize that it’s us evening the score against them. I take elation in the fact that they have no idea what they’ve done to collect this type of intrusion.
My focus comes back to the situation and the soldier in me comes to the forefront. I fight, pillage, destroy, and maim everyone from the other side coming into my view. I fire my gun and shoot several, my knives are buried to the hilt in others. I don’t care who’s getting what brand of treatment from me, my only goal is to end their miserable excuse of existence.
When the fighting comes to an end, I’m covered from head to toe in blood, the red substance coating me like a second skin. I breathe in the death that permeates in the air and finally feel a freedom from the burden falling from the weight of my shoulders.
It’s over.
It’s time to go home.
“Do we really have to leave?” Lizzie asks me with tears in her eyes. I know she’s going to miss everyone here, but Templeton isn’t our home and I miss my brothers something fierce.
“My job here is done, Lizzie. I need to go back home.”
“Can we come back and visit soon?” I smile at her question.
“Of course, we can, beautiful. They may be a different charter, but they’re still our family.” She seems satisfied with my response and continues packing. We’re having our things shipped back so we can take our time and enjoy the freedom of the open road. She loves riding as much as I do and all but begged me to ride the bike back.
“But, does it have to be today?” She’s trying to stall us leaving, and on one hand I’m happy that she’s so comfortable here, but on the other I hate that she’s not looking forward to leaving with me.
“Lizzie,” I say her name but nothing more.
“Fine,” she breaths heavily while slamming her things around.
“It’s going to work out, Lizzie. You’ll see.”
“If you insist, but I got a lot of go to hell looks from the women of your home club.”
“Ours.”
“What?” she raises her eyebrows.
“Our club,” I reinforce.
“If you say so,” she glumly retorts.
“Dammit, Lizzie,” I sigh, not sure how to make this any easier on her and feeling as if I’ve failed her in some way.
“Sorry, zipping my mouth now,” she says, making the zipping motion with her fingers over her mouth while clamping it shut.
“I don’t want you to be sorry, baby. I just don’t want to feel like a failure when it comes to you,” I embarrassedly admit.
“You could never fail me, Justice. I’m just going to miss everyone so much. I was accepted and included here. I haven’t ever had that before. Forgive me,” she comes up to me and pushes my shoulders to where I lose my footing and end up on the bed. She climbs on top of me and straddles my legs. “I love you, Justice. I never want you to feel like you are. If you say everything will work out, I believe and trust you when you say so. Now, give me those lips,” she uses my words against me. I’m always commanding her to pucker up and lay ‘em on me. I respond, giving her what she wants. “Now, let’s get this done so we can put your other woman between our legs and head home.” My dick just got rock hard at her words.
“I have a better idea,” I insist, stripping her of her shirt.
“That’s an even better plan,” she says, shoving her chest forward as I play with her puckered nipples above the material of her lacy bra. It doesn’t take long before we’re both naked and I’m pounding away inside of her. When we both collapse from our releases, I grasp that this is what we were both in need of to get rid of our individual stress.
“Love you, beautiful,” I announce.
“Love you too, my sexy biker man.” I burst out in laughter, because that’s the first time she’s used that phrase on me, and I like it even though it’s funny as fuck hearing from her.
Lizzie
The night after we make it back home we’re at the clubhouse having a welcome home party. Ashton, the President Wasp’s wife, keeps giving me dirty looks. Only this time, I don’t want to back down from her harsh treatment like I did on my wedding day, so I return her dirty look.
Justice notices the exchange and gives my knee a squeeze under the table. “Trust me, it’ll all work out. Give her time, baby.”
I don’t feel like I owe her anything, but I concede to his request and nod my head. It’s a silent promise, one I’m hoping I can keep. I met Bristol, Rainey, and Kori. They are sweet and don’t make me feel unwanted. I get the sentiment that they will become close friends of mine, and suddenly being here doesn’t have me so glum. We drink, laugh, exchange stories of our ‘alpha’ men and talk about our dreams and ambitions.
I talk to Rainey and Bristol the most. I’m surprised to hear their stories—their loss is heartbreaking, and I discover that Bristol has had a worse childhood than I did. I feel an immediate connection to her, Rainey’s link to her sisters and mother are phenomenal. I feel her pain when she speaks about her father and the damage his loss had on them all.
I haven’t physically lost my father, but I’ve never felt his presence either, at least not in a positive way. Justice leads me out of the clubhouse later that evening and informs me that he had a house constructed for us while we were away. We were only gone a few short weeks, he must really have pulled some strings to get it done it that limited amount of time.
When we get to the house, he carries me over the threshold and I hold my breath at the beauty of what I’m seeing. It’s like he pulled my dream home out of my head and made it a reality. The kitchen is huge! Although I don’t know how to cook, I am anxious to learn.
It’s open, three bedrooms and two baths. There’s even an office space that he says I can use however I would like to. I have no idea what I want to do with it, but am excited to explore my options. I know I want to go to school and have a career, I just am not sure of what it is I want to do. I’ve never had the choice before, so I plan on taking my time and not jumping head first into something that I won’t want to finish.
Six months later
I can’t keep my head out of the toilet bowl and the
taste of vomit penetrates my mouth. I must have the flu bug that’s going around. I’ve not really ever been sick as a child, so this is the worst thing I can ever remember experiencing. It’s been a week now, and I’m feeling considerably weak, and tremendously exhausted.
I fall asleep again on the bathroom floor. I’ve been doing this lately because the cold tile feels good against my overheated body. My body is lifted from the floor and I protest being removed from my spot. “Please, Justice. It’s easier if I’m already at the toilet when my tummy rolls.”
“I’ll get a trash can and put it next to the bed. Doc is on his way, I’m tired of this shit, Lizzie. We need to find out what’s wrong with you and treat it. I’m sick and tired of coming home to find you passed out on that damn hard floor.”
“But it feels good,” I implore.
“The bed will feel better,” he advises me.
“According to whom?”
“Me, you deserve something soft to caress your skin, beautiful girl. I’ll get a cool wrap to put around your neck while you rest.” He places me down on the bed and I snuggle into my pillow top mattress and goose down feathered comforter and pillow.
“Okay,” I slur when the darkness once again takes over.
I wake to the doc standing over me. He asks me questions to which I answer honestly. He takes some blood and makes me go pee in a cup. Justice is pacing the bedroom frantically while this is going on. When I go to the bathroom to do as ordered, he tries to follow me.
“I’ve been peeing on my own for a long time, Justice.”
“You’re weak, Lizzie. Let me help you.”
Faithfully Devoted: Rage Ryders Templeton Page 16