"Oi!" he shouted and ran across the car park to where Stoney and Diesel were standing. I followed in hot pursuit but by the time I had got there, Diesel was doubled over being sick.
"Who is it Diesel, for fuck's sake man who is it?" I asked knowing that it had to be someone we knew.
Stoney squared up to me as he pushed me hard in the chest. "It's about time we had a new president, someone who can lead this club into good times rather than constant heartache."
I wasn't concerned about his puny threats, I needed to know who was under those sheets.
"Who the fuck is it?" I yelled with more aggression.
The police officer didn't intervene, he could see how this was playing out and stepped back not getting involved.
"It's Paige you fucking prick. It's probably another arson attack and while you're running around wiping stray kids arses the club is falling apart around us."
I placed both hands at the back of my head and took a deep breath, this couldn't be fucking happening.
"How the fuck are you going to explain this to Hound?" Stoney asked with venom in his voice.
"Duke!"
I ignored who was calling me, "Stop being a prick Stoney and let it go."
"No I won't until we have change, the club needs someone to lead us and get to the bottom of all this shit!"
"Duke!"
"Not now Spike," I shouted so close to losing my shit. "Well come on then Stoney, you need to get everything off your chest so do it. Let's hear every fucking gripe you have." I held my arms out wide beckoning him.
"Let's start by how you're gonna look another brother in the eye and tell him that your actions have led to the murder of his daughter."
"My actions?" I blurted not understanding what he meant.
"Yeah, your lack of leadership. Someone has had it in for this club for a very long time and we're still not any closer to finding out who's behind it and that's down to you."
"Duke!"
"I said not now Spike, I've got bigger things to sort out."
"Duke it's Hound."
"What do you mean it's Hound? Tell him to wait." I held my hand up towards Spike dismissing him because I hadn't finished with Stoney yet.
Spike grabbed my cut and spun me around so that he had my full attention, "Hound's gone man."
I still didn't understand what he was saying, "He didn't pull through Duke, he's gone." Spike's eyes instantly welled with tears as the words came out.
"What do you mean?" I knew exactly what Spike was talking about but I needed to hear the words.
Spike simply opened his arms and the tears began to fall hard.
I dropped to my knees, "Fuck no! Fuck no this can't be happening."
"Well at least you don't have to tell him that his daughter's been murdered." Stoney said coldly as he walked away from the group.
I jumped to my feet and swung for him, making contact with the side of his head. Stoney hit the ground and skidded across the loose gravel. He groaned and quickly ran his hand over his face cheeking for blood before he got to his feet.
"Stop it, just stop it the pair of you, this ain't the time or the place." Diesel had gathered himself together and stood beside me.
Stoney brushed himself down and came back at me not listening to anything Diesel had just said but Spike shoved his hand into Stoney's chest halting him. "One word and I'll fucking kill you Stoney, I mean it."
He glanced at his surroundings seeing myself, Duke and Spike standing strong and thought better of it. Stoney turned on his heels and walked away clearly annoyed.
"Where's Savannah?" We turned to see Skinner frantically running across the car park.
We looked at each other confused, "She was here?" I asked concerned for her safety.
"Yes, I dropped her here earlier, she was meeting Amy for drinks." Skinner glanced over at the injured people sitting by the ambulances.
"Fuck, Amy's here as well." Diesel broke from the group and made his way over to the paramedics.
"Right split up and let's see if we can find them." I was still president of this club and I needed to take charge of this situation even though my heart was broken in two.
"Check the injured people first and you two try their mobiles." I pointed to Skinner and Spike as we headed towards the ambulances and injured people.
A paramedic jumped from the back of an ambulance and closed one of the doors, "Wait hold up man, who you got in there." I asked trying to look over his shoulder.
"Who you looking for?" he asked looking at his note pad.
"Amy Stokes and Savannah...I mean Olivia Reed," I only hoped that he had treated them and sent them away because of minor injuries.
"Yep we've seen Miss Stokes but not Miss Reed."
"So where would they be?"
"Miss Stokes was advised to take it easy, she breathed in some smoke but she doesn't need hospital treatment. Try the other ambulance crews for the other lady." He stated pointing to the other vehicles.
"She's here." I turned to see Skinner jump in the back of the ambulance and sighed with relief that she was okay.
I quickly made my way over to the vehicle and smiled when I noticed Savannah looking relatively okay as the paramedic bandaged her hand.
"You gave us all a fright Savannah." I stated extending my hand to rub her calf.
She smiled, "I'm okay guys, I'm made of tougher stuff than that."
I shook my head lightly, Savannah always made light of a situation because it was the way she dealt with things but I wasn't quite sure if she was aware of the whole situation.
The paramedic looked at Skinner and I sitting in the ambulance, "You're not supposed to be in here guy's." He stated before returning his attention back to Savannah.
"Come on mate it's been a rough night. Patch her up and we'll be on our way." Skinner held Savannahs hand lightly and brushed the strands of hair from her face. I saw the love that they held for each other and was pleased for them both. Savannah was a dear friend and I was now ecstatic that she'd found happiness.
"Okay, just don't touch anything."
I caught Savannahs attention and she smirked at us getting our orders from the old man.
"So is there any news regarding Paige? I must've blacked out but before I did, I saw Jordan trying to put the fire out before the explosion." She looked at us both eager for information but quickly read our expressions. She let out a shriek and placed her hand over her mouth to try and control her emotions.
"Sorry love but you need to hold still so I can finish working on your hand."
"Cut her some slack mate she's just had a shock." Skinner blurted trying to defend her.
Savannah placed her hand on Skinners chest, "Shhh, he's only doing his job." She briefly smiled at the paramedic allowing him to continue.
"I can't believe she's gone, I mean I know she wasn't in a good place Duke but I didn't think she'd do that to the club or herself." Savannah shook her head slowly still taking in the information.
I was confused, "What you talking about Savannah, do what?"
"I just assumed you knew."
"I need you to explain Savannah, from the top and don't miss anything out." She was implying that Paige had something to do with the fire but that was ludicrous.
She nodded, "Paige was drunk and rambling on about her boyfriend seeing some other girl. She was agitated and kept playing with a lighter."
"A lighter? She doesn't even smoke." Diesel blurted.
"Well regardless, she had one and she was freaking me out as she kept lighting it and putting it out with her thumb. I knew she wasn't quite right and eventually she brought out a small bottle of lighter fuel."
"You mean she started the fire?" I asked shocked by what I was hearing.
"Duke, she also set fire to herself."
"No, you must have it wrong Savannah, Paige wouldn't do that." I looked over my shoulder, Maggie stood at the doors of the entrance annoyed by the revelation.
"I'm sorry you have to hear this Maggie but it's
true. I tried to stop her, I swear to you I did but she was determined to harm herself."
Maggie's bloodshot eyes looked worse under the light from the back of the ambulance, "Harm possibly but not kill herself."
"That's where you're wrong Maggie, she had bottles of lighter fuel strapped to her stomach and a bag full of the shit. This was planned, she planned on killing herself."
Maggie stood motionless, the tears slithered down her wrinkled skin as she listened to Savannahs words. Diesel wrapped his arm firmly around her shoulders and held her tightly letting her know that she wasn't alone.
"Go on Savannah, there must be some clues as to why she did this. It can't all be down to her thinking Cade was having an affair." I needed to know the full story in order to piece everything together.
"She did say something strange before she lit the match," I could see Savannah wracking her brain. "Bear with me I'm trying to get the wording correct, she said what they've asked her to do is impossible and that she couldn't do that to her family so she's dead already."
The group around me fell silent and I went over the words Savannah had said trying to make sense of it all.
"Who, who had asked her to do something?" Skinner asked.
Savannah shrugged before she glanced in my direction and I knew she was withholding information from the group.
"Right you're ready to leave. Go to your GP in 3 days to change the bandages." The paramedics comment broke the tension and allowed me to take stock of the situation. I left the ambulance and immediately found Amy standing with Spike. I scoped her into a huge hug and held her tightly.
"Thank fuck you're safe, I've been going out of my mind with worry."
I stepped back as she gave a small smile but she was just trying to put on a brave face. "Spike's told me about Paige," she stated in a small voice. "And Hound," a tear trickled down her cheek.
I stepped closer and wiped away her tears with my thumbs, "I know, I still can't comprehend what's gone on here this evening." I brought her into a hug again, wrapping my arms around her firmly letting her know that she was safe and I was here for her.
Amy eventually stopped shaking in my arms and I stood back to hold her at arm's length.
"I want you to go home and spend some time with James." She blinked several times, confused by my statement and I quickly turned to look at the rest of the group.
I pointed at Skinner, "I want you to spend some time with Savannah," I pointed at Diesel, "You go and see Ink, Spike you go and see Angel and the kids and I'm going home to see Ash." The group stepped closer as I swirled around to look at them all.
"We've had a fucking shit evening, we've lost loved ones and that's gonna create a big void in our lives but tonight, I want you to go home and grab the people that are closest to you and hold them tightly. Hold them close to your heart and just for a couple of hours, lose yourself in the moment forgetting about everything that is affecting your life coz we only get one shot at this people. Tomorrow is another day and we'll deal with the aftermath of this horrific evening but for the rest of today, embrace it and spend it with the people you love."
I looked around the group seeing various people nodding, agreeing with what I'd just said and knew that I too wanted to go home and hold Ash tightly in my arms, to let her know just how much I loved her.
I had put things off too many times and hadn't spent enough time with her because club business had taken priority but if anything had come out of the horrific events this evening, it had proven that life is too short and we needed to grab every opportunity.
Savannah walked towards me and brought me in for a hug, "I thought you may want this." She pulled away slightly and discreetly placed a small object into my hand before placing a light kiss onto my cheek and pulling away.
I didn't have time to look at the object and quickly slid it into my jean pocket before turning to the group gain.
"We meet at 9.00am at the clubhouse," there was a flurry of activity and one by one the group filtered off leaving me standing with Diesel, my right hand man and best friend.
"Are you okay mate?" he asked, knowing deep down that I wasn't but I understood at times like these it was difficult for people to know what to say.
"I'm close to breaking point Diesel, best ask me that question in the morning." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, "Come on, let's get you home."
Chapter 9
Duke
"Good morning people and thank you for coming. I know it's a little strange even sombre but I know that Hound wouldn't want us moping around like pussies feeling sorry for ourselves."
A few members cracked a smile and I took this opportunity to look at the empty chair two places down to my right.
"I was up all night talking to the pigs and they're going to be all over us for the next couple of weeks because of the circumstances around Paige's death. They threw things around such as maybe she was involved in terrorism so at the moment they are simply clutching at straws. CID are all over this and we've once again become high profile, something that I've been trying to avoid since becoming your president."
I paused for a period and looked around the room making sure that everyone was following what I was saying.
"Now HQ stated that they may pay us a visit if we didn't keep our noses squeaky clean, I think we can safely say that our noses are thoroughly dirty."
This earned me another chuckle from some of the lads. I was trying to lighten the mood slightly, I was breaking inside as much as the next man but we couldn't let this beat us.
Hound's death was tragic, he'd been a friend and close confidant for many years and I was truly upset but more so for Maggie.
She had stayed at my house last night, some of the girls had rallied around and had taken refuge in my living room to listen to stories about Hound and Paige but Maggie was in bits which was understandable. She had gone through the upset, hurt, angry and resentful emotions all in one evening but I was pleased that she didn't lock herself away and preferred to submerge herself in the love that the club had to offer her and Chloe.
The group settled down, "Now I don't know what their plan of action will be but if they come or stay away, our goal is still the same. We need to find out who is responsible for the attacks on the club and because of last night we've had some leads."
They didn't need to know about the lighter at this stage or the name that Savannah had given me earlier this morning, these two things were the closest we had to clues and was something that we were about to pursue with the assistance of the Jones'.
Lyric raised his hand, I nodded allowing him to speak. "Are you going to share these leads with us?"
I shook my head, "No not at this time but I will in due course."
I glanced around the room, "Yes Rex."
"Is it true that Paige committed suicide?"
I nodded, "Savannah was the last person to see her and from her account of events, yes she did."
A few of the guys hung their heads not believing what they had just heard.
"Wood's, do you want to report your findings?" I asked in reference to an investigation into Paige's whereabouts before her death.
"Yeah sure," Woods sat up in his chair and leaned onto the table. "Chloe sent me the registration of a vehicle that Paige got into yesterday. Now I've done some checks on it but the plates are false." I could hear the frustration in his voice as he wanted to find answers in order to help Chloe, Maggie and the club. "But all is not lost, the vehicle in question was recorded on several CCTV cameras around the area so we will find out either where it was going or where it came from. It's just gonna take some time but I've got people working on it. As soon as I know, I'll inform the club."
I smiled knowing that he was working hard to get the answers we needed.
"Any more questions before we wrap this up?"
Justice raised his hand," I've got two questions."
"Yeah go on." I stated interested to what he had to say.
"When are the ne
w recruits arriving?"
There was an instant buzz around the room, the news of new members joining seemed to invigorate the group.
"Tugs and Grimm will be arriving shortly and the other two will be with us by Wednesday." I stated letting the club know that I meant business by securing fresh meat. We had selected four guys that we thought would be great additions to the Essex chapter and they couldn't be joining us at a better time.
"And your next question is Justice?"
"Where's Cade?"
The group went quiet and all eyes turned towards me. "I know where he is, he's safe but he needs some time to sort his head out."
"None of this is his fault though," Spike stated addressing the group.
I let out a big sigh, "You know that and I know that but he's blaming himself. He just needs some space at the moment and Angel has offered to give him some support and to be the mediator." As I glanced around the room, I saw a mixed bag of emotions, which I thought was interesting. They were probably confused regarding the support that Angel had offered but she had a very sympathetic ear and Cade had actually asked for her.
"Just one last thing regarding Cade, he has asked that we look out for Jazz and her little boy Thomas. Now I know that they are good friends and that they spent some time together in the children's home. I've said that we will look in on her from time to time, to make sure she's okay but Jazz is not going to be a priority because we've got more important things to do." A few of the guy's nodded agreeing with my response. "Harsh but it's the reality, club members and their families will always come first."
I let out a loud sigh, ready to address the group again. "Look I appreciate that you've all got your own way of dealing with things and because of that we're not trading today. Every business we own is closed today as a mark of respect and as soon as I know any funeral arrangements I will let you know." I stood from my chair, not wanting to keep the guys any longer than necessary.
A text flashed on my phone,
We're coming to see you this weekend. Arrange for 6 of us to stay.
"Hold up a second guy's," I shouted over the noise. They stopped what they were doing and turned towards me, "HQ will be here by the weekend, get to your battle stations."
Cade (Aces MC Series Book 5.5) Page 15