Burn to Ashes

by Brynn O'Connor

  BURN TO ASHES

  Sons of Ash Motorcycle Club

  by Brynn O'Connor

  Copyright © 2014 Brynn O'Connor

  All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced in any way without the expressed written consent of the author. The ideas, characters, and situations presented in this story are strictly fictional and any unintentional likeness to real people or real situations is completely coincidental.

  Dedication

  Thank you all for reading, I'd like to dedicate this book to my boys Diego and Ethan, and to my good friends Dan and Diane. Without them this book would never have been written.

  Other Books by Brynn O'Connor:

  Edge of Ashes (Sons of Ash Motorcycle Club)

  Edge of Chaos (Sons of Chaos MC #1)

  Broken Strings (A Rock Star Romance Novel)

  Fuel To The Fire (A Racing Romance Novel)

  Contents

  Prologue

  One – Out of the Fire and into the Garbage

  Two - In a Fleabag Bedbug Ridden Hotel Room

  Three – A Second Chance

  Four – Shoot the Messenger

  Five – Shots in the Dark

  Six – Phone Calls

  Seven – Some Good Advice

  Eight – We go to Plan B

  Nine – Testosterone for Lunch

  Ten – The Great Escape

  Eleven - Frenemies

  Twelve - Housesitting

  Thirteen - All’s Well That Ends Well…At All

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  A lone black clad figure stands in the shadows at the corner of the building. Steady hands draw a handgun from a thigh holster before peering around the corner of the structure. The figure takes a deep breath then lets it out before stepping around the corner. With practiced movements the solitary individual who is of course Kari, moves along the wall to the building’s only visible door. A hand reaches out, grabs the handle and gives it an experimental twist; it turns easily.

  Abruptly Kari rams the door with a lowered shoulder and disappears inside. The moment she crosses the threshold into the darkened building a sinister looking man clad only in black jeans and a grey tee pops up from behind an oak desk in the middle of the room. With instincts born from a thousand hours of training, Kari aims and fires two quick shots to the target’s chest. The man goes down but gets back up almost immediately.

  A soft metallic sound on the ground announces the arrival of a single Russian made grenade as it bounces and comes to rest at Kari’s feet.

  “Dead!” Shouts a loud voice from somewhere in the darkened room. “You just got blown up because you forgot your training; again!”

  Thoroughly disgusted with herself, Kari holsters her 9mm and waits for the lights to be turned on. Her teacher’s acerbic commentary of her failed exercise will soon follow. Moments later the warehouse is bathed in light. From another door inside the back of the building none other than Adam himself appears.

  Despite her current inner angst that’s got her gut twisted up, it’s still good to see him. She has been holed up here in the mountains for nearly three months now and she has only seen him twice. It’s been at least four weeks since his last visit. His hair has grown out and looks like he’s just stepped out of the shower; thanks in part to the thermometer being well into triple digits this afternoon. His biker cut fails to hide his latest scar; a long jagged slash that runs from the inside of his right elbow down to the middle of his forearm. It’s in that nasty stage where his skin is still inflamed and swollen around his stitches and it looks damn painful. She loves the way his worn black jeans ride low on his waist while hugging his muscular thighs. He actually looks more relaxed than the last time they talked. That must mean he’s got good news for a change. Kari decides to go with confidence and smile despite her inner misgivings about this afternoon’s poor performance.

  “Get that puppy dog grin off your face Cadet! You think your mamma’s gonna be smiling like that when I have to deliver the news of your death?”

  He doesn’t wait for Kari to respond and just keeps talking. Since she agreed to be trained by his people he has taken to calling her cadet whenever he’s pissed at her.

  “Now can you please tell me why you’re dead right now instead of back home sipping a nice pinot? You being dead doesn’t only affect you. Who else is affected by your death cadet?”

  “My family.”

  “Wrong! They’d be far too embarrassed by today’s shoddy performance to be anything but ashamed. Your brothers in arms are the ones who suffer when you’re no longer around to watch their backs; that’s who suffers from your amateur performance and subsequent death!”

  He’s right of course. She’s not used to being around to watch anyone’s back. This military stuff is all foreign to her and much of what he’s taught so far has gone over her head. She is just not used to thinking like a soldier.

  “Yes Sir!” She finally barks back.

  “So Cadet, what should you have done had you not forsaken everything you are supposed to have learned these last 90 days or so?”

  With effort Kari forces herself to forget about just how sexy he looks underneath his biker garb. She refuses to paint a mental picture of his muscular chest and strong shoulders, his six pack abs and the jet black hair that surrounds the base of his cock! She will not picture him riding her, thrusting deeper, harder. She will not get his hotness out of her head; damn!

  Kari rearranges her face into an appropriate expression, a glare before answering him. “He’s not dead because he was wearing a bullet proof vest. I should have put one shot in the chest, then double tap; two in the face.”

  “Well it’s nice to see that not every aspect of your training has been lost on you. I’d hate to think I’d wasted three months of my guy’s time on you when I have so few to begin with.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Go clear your gun and meet me at the picnic tables out back in fifteen minutes.”

  “Yes Sir!” Kari barks back at him with the right amount of respectful exuberance.

  She holsters my weapon and retires to the storage facility where weapons are kept alongside motorcycle parts and other miscellaneous items. When she gets there she ejects her magazine and checks to be sure the chamber of her 9mm is empty. Then it’s gun cleaning time before returning it to its case. Ten minutes later Kari’s sitting on one of the picnic tables waiting for Adam.

  So far Adam’s plan to take his club legit has gone by the wayside. Turns out nobody wants to join up with an ousted VP of the Sons of Ash. At this point he must have only a dozen or so loyal brothers. He won’t get any more until he can show the world he deserves to be followed. To do that, he’ll have to take out his former friend and current president of the Sons, Ripper and his chief lieutenants. When Kari had asked how 12 are going to go up against several hundred he simply said, ‘You bite the head off the snake and he can no longer hurt you; Ripper is the snake’s head and Adam vows to bite it off.

  Kari’s training began with a 90 day crash course in self-defense where Adam and his brothers covered everything from hand to hand to unarmed defense, taking on assailants armed with things like guns, knives, and chains. It was only three months but there’s a spot on Kari’s body that hadn’t been bruised.

  Then, after endless hours of empty hand training he finally taught her how to use a knife and then a gun. They also taught how to use the environment around her. Thanks to them she no longer looks at common household items like brooms, scissors, magazines, and pencils the way used to. Thanks to her trainers she can make a pretty good suit of body armor in ten minutes with books and duct tape. She did it, not because she thought she could actually use any of the skills he and his people taught her, but because sh
e needs his training or he’ll never let her be a part of taking out Ripper. She’s pretty sure he doesn’t feel she’s ready to use her training either but he does know Kari well enough to know that she would have gone after Ripper with his help or without it. Perhaps the two together can take down a few of Ripper’s guys and maybe even the man himself although he recently has proved that taking him down is not going to be any easy thing to do by any stretch of the imagination. Most of what Adam taught Kari had to do with mental training. Three months of self-defense would not a warrior make. However, thanks to her training she will no longer be an easy target. Adam armed her with knowledge and sometimes that is far more deadly than a handgun.

  Thanks to Adam’s awareness training Kari is finding it impossible to enjoy relaxing in the sun for example. Before his training she would have waited here by lying on top of the table in the sun with her eyes closed. Thanks to his awareness training she has been sitting and watching everything around her. She calculated how fast it would take her to get to the nearest shelter should someone begin firing on her forcing her to run for cover. Kari knows about how long it would take to get to the door in the warehouse and that it would be faster to run for the storage area where she left her gun.

  Kari’s ears are like twin radars orienting on every little noise filtering the harmless noises from the potential harmful ones, like very quiet footsteps that are approaching from behind right now. Instinctively Kari spins around as she changes her position. No point in turning around if she’s going to stay there like a sitting duck. As she drops from the table to the soft dirt her guards (hands) come up immediately. That surprised her. Kari must be assimilating more of Adam’s training than she had thought.

  Adam steps out from behind a tree, about twenty feet from her. He got a little closer than he should have been able to but at least he couldn’t have stuck a dagger in Kari’s throat before she knew he was here.

  “Perhaps I haven’t given you quite enough credit Kari.” Adam says with the hint of a smile. “It’s good to see I wouldn’t have been able to just sneak up on you and slit your throat.”

  “I believe I have learned one or two things,” Kari replies modestly.

  “You’re far more capable than you think and I’m going to prove it.”

  “Not another drill!”

  “No…this one’s for real, Kari. A couple weeks ago Ripper’s secretary turned up in Vallejo. He-”

  “We’re going after some woman? Why can-”

  “This is an outlaw club Kari! There are no women members. Marco has been in the club for fifteen years and will not be an easy target! But, with careful planning we can pull it off without either of us being hurt. Now are you in or out?”

  “In.” Kari replies after a long sigh. “I’m definitely in.”

  Part One

  The Hunt Begins

  Chapter One

  Out of the Fire and Into the Garbage

  I’m tired, hungry, and my ass aches! I had no idea just how much fun a stakeout could actually be. I glance at my watch for the three hundredth time and it hasn’t moved since the last time I took a gander; it is still five minutes after three in the morning. I should be used to staying awake all night after all, I work the night shift at the hospital. Or I did right up until I took a six month leave of absence. Of course at the hospital pure adrenaline kept me wide awake and I never once felt sleepy like now. I also would have thought that sitting next to Adam all night would actually be enjoyable. I look over at him. He’s in the driver’s seat and is looking across the street at a club where Marco, the Son’s new secretary is holed up. Marco was with the Cycle Demons and he became the combined club’s secretary, filling a vacancy left by Manny who died the night Adam and his brothers recaptured my little sister Anna.

  The combined club of the Sons and Demons are like a Seven Headed Hydra. If we’re going to take them down we’ll have to chop off all seven heads. That means we have to Take out Ripper who is the President, along with the Clubs two Lieutenants, the Sargent at Arms, the Vice President, the Treasurer, and Marco the Secretary. If we can remove those seven guys Adam figures the club will fall apart and another civil war will ensue. After they’ve weekend themselves Adam will make his play to start a new legit club. Until he does that no one will follow him. Outlaw bikers follow whoever is the most powerful and Adam looks week now that he had been defeated by the combined forces of the Cycle Demons and Sons loyal to Ripper. Here’s another sad fact; I won’t be safe until that happens either. Sure it’s been 6 months since they kidnapped my sister and they’ve yet to make a move but as soon as her 24 hour police escort is gone she’ll be vulnerable again. That’s slated to happen in three months. Instead of going into witness protection, something she refused to do she was granted 6 months protection. I spent the first three training under Adam and his remaining loyal bikers. We’re using the last three months to hunt down the Seven Headed Hydra.

  I look over at Adam again. He just keeps getting better and better looking. Before tonight I thought it would be bucket loads of fun hanging with him all night long, but he has been 100% business and won’t even entertain a short make out session; you know, to break up the routine a little. I guess I could diddle myself but he might construe that as weird so I’m keeping my hands out of my lap. I let my eyes travel down his handsome face to his broad, muscular shoulders, then his powerful chest. He obviously spends a lot of time at the gym maintaining his physique! I just wish he would let me reap the benefits once in a while. I suppose I shouldn’t be complaining here. I have an honorable, trustworthy man who loves me and has proved capable of taking care of me. What more could I want? With sugar plums dancing in my head, I decide to push my luck. I place my left hand on his thigh, halfway between his knee and the promise land. He neither moans nor does he remove my appendage so I let it slide smoothly up his well- muscled thigh. I start to move again when his right hand covers mine. Maybe… Then he just picks up my hand and drops it unceremoniously into my own lap! My god, the man’s become a eunuch!

  I’m just about to voice my feelings on the subject when he suddenly sits up right. He’s seen something. I look over at the club. Marco has just come stumbling out and is headed for a row of Harley Davidson bikes. As he approaches the first one in the line he stumbles and falls into the bike and it becomes a comical domino effect. By the time the last bike has fallen he has knocked over eleven bikes. Seconds later, as our quarry is struggling to stand, several brothers come streaming out of the club. They must have heard the commotion. They stand there for a second not sure what has happened. Then they put two and two together and get Marco; he’s gonna have a rough night. It sucks balls for us too. No way can we act with a dozen angry bikers buzzing around like someone’s kicked their hornet’s nest. It’s actually time we left before someone spots us sitting across the street.

  Adam is just starting the engine when we hear a shout. I look over and one of the bikers is pointing at us. He must have recognized Adam because he looks none too friendly. Adam comes to the same conclusion and we peel out onto the road in effort to lose them; it’s not going to be easy. Our saving grace here may be that they are all probably as wasted as Marco; let’s hope so.

  There’s little to no traffic in town at this hour which means we’ll probably be able to avoid entanglements with the police. We just have to lose our tail before we can go home. If we lose them maybe when they wake in the morning they’ll forget who they think they saw. We don’t want them to know we’re spying on them. That’ll just bring us too much heat.

  We screech around another corner barely staying in control. Adam turns to me.

  “You have your gun right?”

  I pull it out and hold it up.

  “Loaded?”

  “Of course, otherwise it’s just a useless hunk of metal.”

  He smiles. “Good to see that at least some of your training stuck.”

  His smile and compliment warms my icy heart and just a little bit of the fear that’
s gripping me melts off. I do not feel ready for a gun battle. I wasn’t ready for my first one either and it went pretty well. With all this training it ups our odds quite a bit.

  “Shoot for the front tire.” He instructs me. “I’m gonna slow down so that they’re right on us and you got about two seconds before they fire at us. You ready cadet?”

  I shoot him a grim smile and chamber a round. “I’m ready Lieutenant!”

  Adam hits the breaks which does two things. It brings the lead biker close to us and it forces him to use both hands and his breaks so he doesn’t plow into us. No way can he shoot while braking hard; smart move on Adam’s part.

  I stick my head and shoulders out the window and take aim. He’s right on our bumper so the angle makes it impossible to take the shot.

  “Too close!” I shout to Adam. Hopefully he’ll know what I mean and speed up a bit.

  Adam hits the gas, just a smidge, and gives me the clear shot. I take it. Tap tap, two 9mm projectiles spit out the barrel of my wobbling gun and go nowhere near the bike or the biker. I take a deep breath and force myself to calm down.

  “I gotta turn here so take the shot Kari!” Adam hollers.

  I take the shot and suddenly the night sky is filled with a shower of sparks as metal meets road and not one, but three bikes go down hard. A hard right puts an end to my celebration and I have to hang on to keep from going out the window; he did warn me.

  “Keep inside with your head down!” Adam instructs. “I’m going to be doing some evasive driving here to try to shake them.”

  I don’t need to be told twice to hide. He wasn’t kidding about evasive driving and before long my stomach is beginning to protest. Better blowing chunks out of my mouth than out of the back of my head. Any moment now I expect to get my head blown clean off my shoulders and the nice beige leather interior of Adam’s truck is going to look more like the beginning of a Jackson Pollack painting. I really don’t like Jackson Pollack!