Trusting Nicole

by Muriel Garcia

  “Unit 13 to Unit 5.”

  “Unit 5, what’s going on?” Lewis answers.

  “Is Sanders with you?” Rienks, one of my officers asks.

  “Yes, I’m here too. What’s going on?”

  “They aren’t heading your way. They’re heading into the city.”

  “Motherfucker. How do you know?” I ask, beyond pissed.

  “They attacked someone right outside of Kenner. They must have been tipped off that we were on the lookout for them again.”

  “We’re on our way back.” Lewis says before turning the radio off. “Something is off.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s the second time they’ve been tipped off that we’re going to ambush them. We have men in Kenner and none of the Disciples have been arrested. If they were doing their job then how in the hell could they have missed them?” Lewis says driving off.

  “None of this makes any fucking sense.”

  “It’s working.” She sighs.

  “That it is.”

  We are just outside of New Orleans when we see a patrol car flank us and motion for us to pull over.

  “This can’t be good.” Lewis says as she parks the car and readies her gun. I make for mine too but the officer from the police car gets out and points his gun at me.

  “Out of the car, hands where I can see them, Sanders.” Walters demands.

  “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

  “You are the joke, Sanders. I know all about you.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Walters.”

  “I know who you are. You’re not a real cop, you work for the Russians. Did you really think you could hide it forever?” he says, provoking me.

  “How did you find out?”

  “They told me.” He keeps the gun pointed at my head.

  “Who?”

  “The Disciples.”

  “What?” I ask him, confused.

  “Who do you think tipped them off?” He smirks.

  “You work for them? I don’t even know why I’m fucking surprised. I never trusted you, but going as low as working for the scumbags you said you couldn’t stand and couldn’t wait to see dead? I’m shocked.” I say in disbelief.

  “I didn’t have a choice. They were threatening my family!” Walters exclaims, I can see he’s getting anxious and agitated.

  “You always have a choice. I could have helped you out but no, you had to go behind my back and team up with the enemy. I guess you never learned from witnessing so many families fall after teaming up with MCs.”

  “I couldn’t! They were threatening to take my wife and kid!”

  “You could have told me before hand, we could have avoided this.”

  “This?” He questions as I suddenly disarm him and point the gun at his head.

  “What did they say? What do they want?”

  “N-nothing.”

  “We can do this one of two ways, either you talk and go home unhurt or if you know anything and don’t tell me, well I’m sure you’ve read all about me, you know I won’t hesitate getting the truth out of you and it won’t be pretty. So, what will it be?” I ask and press the tip of the gun to his temple.

  “You won’t get out of this alive. They want you and Nicole to pay for what you did, they want the Last Hangman’s territory and their power.”

  I scoff. “Their plan will backfire, they are so fucking stupid.”

  “You think? They are heading to Vivian’s bar as we speak. Their plan was put together months ago, long before you took the Kings down. You think they were created for revenge for the Kings? You are so wrong. They hated the Kings. The Kings members who are with them are the original members of the Disciples. They were part of another MC and branched out. They are originally from Satan’s Brothers.”

  “Motherfuckers.” I growl.

  “You’re fucked. You won’t make it out alive. Every single cop is going to be after you after I put out an APB on you.” He chuckles.

  “Who has a gun pointed at their head?” I smirk.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  “Jase. Rienks is still in the car. We should go.” Lewis brings me back to reality.

  “You’re going to let us go and nothing will happen to you,” I tell Walters.

  “Can’t do that, Sanders. I’m sorry.” He reaches in his back and points another gun at me. “Drop the gun.”

  “Can’t do that. Sorry.” I pull the trigger without thinking, which gets Rienks’ attention, along with people who were driving by.

  “In the car. NOW!” Lewis yells at me and this time I listen. She puts the pedal to the metal and speeds down the road.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You are going to hide, I’m going to help out the Hangman.” She keeps her eyes focused on the road.

  “It’s not a good idea, Steph.”

  “Might not be, but we don’t have much of a choice. You just killed a cop, your cover is blown and I’m sure Rienks overheard everything.”

  “Fuck. This is not how things were supposed to happen.”

  “Things never happen the way you want them to.”

  She drops me off at her place so I can borrow her car and go hide somewhere.

  “Be careful, Jason.”

  “You too, Stephanie. If anything happens, tell Nicole I love her.”

  “You’ll get to tell her yourself.” She smiles and drives off.

  I drive to Sergei’s, the only safe place I know where nobody will think to look. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, I stumble upon the same prospect who dared come onto Hangman territory to threaten them. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten himself killed. I follow him and drive into his bike, making him lose control instantly. I stop the car on the side of the road and walk over to him.

  “Up.” I point the gun at him.

  “What do you want from me?” He whines as he sits up.

  “You and I are going to take a little trip together.” I smirk and motion for him to get up with the gun. He complies. When we get to the car, I handcuff his hands behind his back and throw him in the back. I don’t need him to try and hurt me as I drive.

  “I didn’t do anything!”

  “Save it.” I start the car again and drive off to Sergei’s. Thankfully it’s not too far, time is not on my side and I need answers, quickly.

  “Look, I don’t know what you are expecting from me, but I didn’t do anything, I’m not with them anymore. They showed me what they were capable of and I don’t want to be a part of that.” I groan, frustrated that he won’t shut up. I turn and hit him in the temple with the butt of my gun and he falls limply on the back seat.

  “Much better.” I speed up and soon enough I reach the mansion.

  “What happened, Son?” Sergei asks me as I walk out of the torture room.

  “Cover is blown, killed a cop, got one of the Disciples locked downstairs. They’re after me, Nicole and the Hangman. They won’t stop until we’re all dead, I’ll try and get the truth out of him as soon as he wakes up.

  “Sorry to hear about your cover. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

  “So am I.”

  “You’re worried for Nicole.” I freeze when he says her name.

  “How can I not be?”

  “She’s protected. I know you know why.” He looks at me, regrets filling his wrinkled face.

  “When all of this is over we need to talk about that. You knew I was close to her back then, I need to know why you had to make her do that kind of thing.” I growl and hear the scumbag downstairs scream for help.

  I’m about to head back downstairs when Sergei puts his arm out, stopping me.

  “The only way for men like you and me to survive in this world is to grab it by the throat and never let go. We can’t afford to get close to women. We’re a danger to them.”

  “You think I don’t know that? I love her, I need her in my life
even if that means going half way across the world with new identities.”

  “Da. She’s safe. Trust me.” He smiles which both creeps me out and reassures me at the same time.

  “I have things to do.” I look at him one last time before disappearing downstairs.

  I don’t do my usual ritual. I don’t have the luxury of time today. I have to get the truth out of him fast.

  “Are you going to talk?” I circle him, holding pliers in my hand.

  “About what?” he asks shaking.

  “I want to know everything the Disciples have planned.”

  “I don’t know anything. They wouldn’t tell me any details, I was just a prospect, now I’m nothing. I ran away from them, they are probably after me as well!” he whines.

  “Think hard, I’m sure you know a few things that could be useful.”

  “I swear I don’t know anything!” He starts to cry.

  “Alright, here’s how it’s going to go. For every question you don’t answer, I’m going to pull one of your teeth out. It’s been a while since I’ve done it so it might get messy and it will be very painful, but I’m guessing you’ve figured that out already.” I smirk when I see him pale. I enjoy this way too much.

  “I don’t have anything to say.” he says with a shuddering breath.

  “If you’re sure.” I pry his mouth open and pull out one of his front teeth. He screams in pain and blood pours into his mouth.

  “Again. Where are the Disciples hiding?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Wrong answer.” I pull out another one of his teeth. The feeling of his tooth dislodging from his gum and the grinding noise it makes is music to my ears but makes me want to throw up.

  “STOP IT PLEASE!” he screams.

  “Then speak up!” I yell at him, getting in his face.

  “They used the Kings old warehouse to hide out when I was with them but that’s all I know, they keep changing their location.” He spits blood out.

  “See, it wasn’t that hard. You could have kept your teeth had you talked sooner.” I shrug.

  For the next thirty minutes I ask him a multitude of questions and he only answers two. I’m so glad when he refuses to answer. I’ve missed this feeling of power. Taking someone’s teeth out without numbing the gums is both extremely painful and bloody, but also very satisfying for me. The noise it makes, the pain it causes, the rush of blood that pumps out after you rip the tooth from the gum is glorious. It’s the same rush that people get when they’re high or just had an orgasm. No wonder I love it so much.

  I smirk at him and grab a knife from my back pocket.

  “I’m surprised you’re still conscious and I wish I could stay longer to play with you, but I don’t have the time. I have a woman and my friends to go and save, something you never had amongst those bastards.” I throw the blade in the air a couple of times and catch it before I walk behind him and pull his head towards me, exposing his throat. “Any last words?”

  “I’m so sorry for what they are about to do to you and your friends but I doubt any of you will make it out alive.”

  “What a waste of your last words.” I slowly slide the sharp edge of the blade along his throat, cutting through the skin and thick muscles in his neck, through the arteries and his trachea. He struggles for air as blood rushes down his throat and out his mouth. I stand there, watching the life slip from him as all of his blood seeps out of him. He coughs one last time before letting out his final blood laced breath. I get lost in the scene in front of me, remembering the many times I’ve done it before. I look down at my hands and clothes and the realization of what I’ve just done hits me harder than I thought it ever would.

  I’m a fucking monster, no wonder people want me dead.

  How can Nicole want me knowing what I do and how much I enjoy doing it?

  I need to see her. I need her to see the monster I’ve become.

  I know she’d be better off without me, but unless she makes the decision that she doesn’t want me, I’ll never be strong enough to stay away from her.

  CHAPTER 17

  Nicole

  I’ve had to spend pretty much the entire day at the compound because the guys received intel that the Disciples were going to show up at Viv’s bar. Usually I don’t mind spending time here, but I hate feeling like I’m stuck here because some fucking asshole wants revenge. Never try to fuck with one of us, we might not get out unscathed, but you won’t get out of it alive.

  I keep checking my phone to see if I’ve received any messages from Jase. I know it’s only been a couple of hours, but with how things are going at the moment, I’m a fucking nervous mess. I’m not a worrier usually, but this time, I am. I have a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen. That was the only good thing about going to a college so far away, I didn’t have to worry about all the shit the guys were getting themselves into.

  I know they outnumber the Disciples by a long shot, so that’s somewhat reassuring, but I can’t help worrying that something is going to happen to one of them, even to the other two MCs that I don’t know very well. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I start pacing the bar area, going crazy after waiting for so long.

  “You’re going to make a hole in the ground, Princess,” Josie says, coming over to me.

  “I can’t help it. What if something happens to one of them?”

  “They’ll be fine. You know they always come out on top when something like this happens.” She hugs me, trying to reassure me.

  “I hope you’re right but I haven’t heard from Jase either.” I sigh, feeling like I sound pathetic. I hate sounding like a lovesick teenager. I’m not that type of girl but I can feel myself turning into one. I groan, frustrated with myself.

  “Maybe something came up or he heard about it and joined them at the bar.” She smiles softly.

  “I hope you’re right. I mean the bar is across the street. We would have seen or heard them but no one has been there. This is fucking confusing.”

  “I know, Princess.”

  I resume my pacing and stop when I hear the door open.

  “I’m going to kill those sick motherfuckers, every single one of them with my bare fucking hands.” Gabe bellows as he walks in.

  “I take it that things didn’t go well?”

  “They fucking trashed the bar in the middle of the night.”

  “What?”

  “When we heard they were heading there we decided to set up camp and wait for them, you know surprise attack and all that shit. When we walked in everything was trashed. They broke everything that could possibly be broken. Viv is fucking going mental in there, she’s devastated. This was her dream and they’ve fucking tainted it.” he yells. Usually I would have a witty comment, but I can see he’s hurting for his woman so I keep my sarcasm to a minimum.

  “We’ll all help out and clean the place and replace everything, you know that. Hell, I’ll fucking sell cookies to raise money to replace the booze if needed.” That gets me a chuckle.

  “I fucking love you, Sis.” He hugs me and kisses my head.

  “I love you too, Weirdo.” I grin and hug him back.

  “Did you hear from Jase?” He looks at me and motions for me to get behind the bar. That means a lot of the guys are going to be coming in and I’m their barmaid.

  I sigh. “No, nothing yet. Do you think something happened? If he heard they were coming here I’m sure he would have showed up.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “Yeah, can’t be worse than what Aleck put him through last night. Seriously, couldn’t you hold him back?” I glare at him as I pass him a beer.

  “Which one? They were both going at it and I was enjoying the free boxing match.” He dares to chuckle.

  “I’m spitting in your next one.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” He winks. “I did land a good one to his ribs when he elbowed my fucking face.” I can’t help but laugh.

  “Would have loved to
have seen that.” I grin as I pass beers out.

  “I bet you would’ve. But honestly, I’m sure he’s okay. Why don’t you call him to be sure?”

  “Because I don’t want to be that nagging girl who calls her man when she knows he’s on a stake out looking out for the bad guys.” I shrug.

  “Good. No man likes a whining and nagging woman,” he says before taking a long pull. “We didn’t get a chance to talk about what you’ve been through. I’m sure there’s more to it than just that one incident. It seems too simple.” He glares at me.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

  “And I really want to know. The sooner we talk, the sooner I’ll get off your case and leave you alone.” He looks like he means it.

  “Do you approve of Jase and I together?”

  “No.”

  “Great.” I sigh and open more beers.

  “I will never approve of any relationship you have. I’m your big brother. I’m here to protect you and make sure you don’t end up with a guy like me, but I see the way you two look at each other. It’s the same way Viv and I look at each other. The same way Aleck and Line look at each other. Same for Ayd and Ant. If you’re going to be with a man like me, might as well be one that I appreciate and respect now that he’s not a cop,” he mutters the last bit and renders me speechless. “Cat got your tongue?” He chuckles.

  “Never thought I’d hear those words coming from you.”

  “I’m full of surprises and even if I don’t approve of some of the things he’s done, I know he would never hurt you. If he does, he’s dead anyway.” He shrugs.

  “If we ever fight, wait for my approval to kill him, might just be one of us being stubborn and not worth the murder charge.”

  “Will try to remember that.” He grins.

  “Dickhead.”

  “Ah, you love me.”

  “You’re lucky I do.” I smile.

  “So, about that talk?”

  “And I thought you were being nice.” I sigh dramatically.

  “Go on, I’ll tend bar,” Josie says with a big grin.

  “Great, you’re against me too!”

  “No, but you two need to talk.” She winks and moves me away from the bar. I grab two beers and reluctantly follow Gabe outside. We sit on the swing set in the kids’ play area.