by Snow, Nicole
Fang snorted, shaking his head. “And then what? You think I should just let this pretty red haired thing walk out of here alive so she can tell the cops? You think it's really that easy?”
“You really think she'll talk? I still haven't. I just wanted to take my sister and get on with my life. So does she. That's not something you'll have to worry about for a long, long time.”
He laughed. It was a low, grinding, evil sound.
“Man, you're one fucked up girl. The only reason you never squawked is because your mouth is so full of rat dick you can't say shit. I'm really surprised about the kid, though.” He looked thoughtful. “Don't tell me she's sucking him off too? Seems a little young for that, but that junkie fuck never sat right with me long before he turned rat. Can't put anything past him. Fuck, what I would've given to let him burn back in Montana with the other traitors...”
Fang showed his teeth. I wasn't scared, I was too busy being pissed instead.
Rage curdled my veins. I couldn't believe what he was saying – what he was accusing Brass of being.
It took everything I could manage not to throw myself at his face and gouge out his eyeballs with my fingernails. Fang stepped back, taking a good, long, leering look at me. I barely stopped the cold shiver dancing up my spine before it took over.
“Nothing to say to that?” He asked. “Smart girl. I give you a lucky little star for doing one thing right. As for the rest of this shit, coming here and thinking I'd give you a damned thing...”
He crossed the room to the middle, stopping behind Christa. In a flash, he pulled his knife from his belt, tugging her hair while he held it to her throat.
“No! You fucking promised! Seventy-two hours aren't up. Me coming here shouldn't change that...”
He looked back at me and winked. The redhead groaned, shaking underneath his knife, her eyes spinning wildly. I could practically see her life flashing in the wide black pupils.
There was a long, tense moment where I thought he was going to do it. I thought he'd cut her throat, ruin everything I came here to do, driving me insane as a nice little bonus. I held my breath, all I could do to stop the anger from throwing me at him like a human bullet.
“You know what? Fuck it.” He stepped back, leaving Christa to fall back on her chair of misery. “It'll be a lot more fun dismembering this bitch in front of you. I'll be sure the Pussies and your old man get it all on tape. It'll be a sweet fucking preview of what's coming to you if they don't get their asses here in – what? – we must be down to about fifty hours. Okay, whore. We'll stick to the original deadline. I'm a man of my word.”
Hot, angry, stale oxygen pumped in my lungs. I watched him give me a nasty grin and then grab the door, joining his men outside.
I walked over to Christa and held her until she stopped fretting. It took a long time. Feeling her calm and soften in my arms helped me keep time, a long count of minutes and hours. It was the longest I'd ever kept count in my head, keeping it going long past what had to be midnight.
Just hold on, Christa. Hold on. You'll be free before dawn, or I'll die trying.
I felt bad for slapping her. But it was all I could do to get her up, make sure she was able to stand. I made Christa walk back and forth, wall-to-wall, several times. If they'd fucked up her legs some way, then everything would go to shit.
No, she could walk. The woman was just tired, dizzy, broken. I'd lead her out, slow and steady, as soon as I got the door open.
It was finally time. I pulled the locksmith kit out of my pocket, one of those cheap Houdini things. The thick storage door was definitely going to be tougher than the crappy little room they'd held me in, but I had to try.
It slid into the lock and sank deep. I twisted it, pressing on the handle, praying it wouldn't make too much noise and attract unwanted attention.
Christa watched behind me. Having her eyes on me was like feeling God watching, or maybe daddy eyeing me from above, desperate to see if I pulled this off.
Shit, shit. It was much harder than anything I expected. No matter how I pushed, jiggled, or swept it around in there, I couldn't seem to –
Click.
The thunk echoed loudly. I tested the handle and almost jumped up and shouted with joy when I felt it slide all the way, forcing the door to give way and creak open. There was no time for celebration.
I grabbed Christa and led her out, dragging her toward the back exit as quickly as I could. Running into one evil faced bastard could ruin us, but I'd done my part. Everything came down to luck now, and I prayed as we stepped outside, working our way around the huge garages, toward the gate.
If there was a separate exit that wasn't fenced off, I didn't know it. I had to work fast on what little I knew about this place. Christa groaned a few times when I tried to make her move faster, but she handled it better than I expected – better than a woman who'd just been damaged should.
I thought the lights on the clubhouse were motion detectors, but they never came on. Luck smiled at us in the darkness, urging us closer, straight toward the manual switch embedded in cement several feet away from the big gate. This one was more primitive than what the Devils had at their place – I'd watched men simply tap the big button on several occasions. There was no code to exit.
It was my turn to do the same. Christa stood in front of the bars, just like I told her, staring at me in the darkness as I tapped the dirty plastic key.
The gate chugged open.
She hit the pavement as soon as the gate gave her enough room. Joy pulsed through me watching her survival instinct kick in, the hellish urge to run like nothing else. I stood there stupidly for a couple seconds, and then it was my turn. I ran toward the open gate and slowed when I saw my shadow.
What the hell was it doing there in the night? Crap!
The floodlights were on. I got two steps outside before I heard boots thundering behind me. Christa was halfway across the road. She looked back and screamed, right as several men tackled me to the ground.
“Go! Don't fucking stop!” I yelled. “Keep going! Keep –“
A brute hand grabbed the back of my head and slammed me into the pavement, face first. I tasted blood and I couldn't speak. I looked up, seeing headlights. A vehicle was slowing next to Christa and I thought it was them.
But the man inside driving looked like Rabid. Someone screamed go, go, go before the gunshots exploded over my head.
The truck took off, roaring into the night. She was gone . I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or horrified, but I'd done my job. Christa escaped.
I closed my eyes and let them lay into me. I didn't bother wasting energy fighting as they held my arms and legs, carrying me inside like a sick animal. I closed my eyes just as the gate growled shut in the distance. Before I opened them, the stink of the clubhouse interior hit me again.
“You're dead now, bitch. Dead! Do you fucking understand?” A man roared in my face and pushed his cruel fingers around my chin.
It hurt. But I didn't look at him until they hurled me back inside the room. I crashed right into the chair where Christa had been, rolling over my tender new bruises until the wall stopped me.
The door slammed shut like a tomb. I felt for my wallet and the lockpick I'd shoved into my pocket on the way out with Christa. It was gone in the mess. The assholes holding me were as sloppy as they were savage. Even they wouldn't fuck up twice.
It didn't bother me that it was gone. If I still had it, they'd never leave that door unattended again. Not before somebody on one side or the other was dead.
The killer who screamed in my face was probably right. The relief I expected from helping Christa refused to relax my chest, replaced with another sadness.
I didn't care about dying if that was the price of helping her go free. But when I thought about how Jackie or Brass would react to my dead body if they saw it, the pain drove deep, a new dagger I had no way to pull out.
God! God damn it.
If only I hadn't frozen, if
I'd been a few seconds faster...
The crappy room finally felt like a prison for the first time. The realization bit harsh, bitter, and merciless, gnawing on my head and my heart.
There was no getting out of this. No peace until death. If they killed me quicker and easier than Christa – and I knew they wouldn't – Brass would burn. So would my poor sister.
Yes, I'd saved the teacher. But now I'd damned myself and everybody stupid enough to ever love me.
X: Nuclear (Brass)
Hours Earlier
“Hold him down, dammit! Just don't break his fucking wrists.”
The whole world went red the instant Shelly told me what happened over the phone. I flipped my shit at the Devils' clubhouse, hopped in my truck, and tried to plow right through their gate. The bastards caught up to me when I wouldn't tell them why I was ready to go, why I had to blow town right that fucking instant.
Missy. My Missy.
My woman, losing her fucking mind and heading to Redding alone. Scared. Determined. And definitely no match for Fang, the fuck I swore I'd kill with my own bare hands.
He was gonna die, that much was sure, long before we even headed up to Devils' territory. But now the only question was whether I'd get my hands on his fat neck before he seriously fucked up my old lady.
It took all three senior officers in their club to drag me back inside. I was about to ram my truck right through their fucking gate, but they were quick. Shot out my tires and ran to my door, ripping it open, pulling me out, throwing me to the ground.
I fought them all, kicking and screaming like a mad man. Even colossal Tank strained to hold me down, pushing me to the ground with all his might, snarling like a wolverine as he kneed me in the spine and grabbed at my hands.
Fuck. The asshole finally managed to get a strong hold on me and I couldn't move. Stinger and one-eyed Moose stepped away cautiously, leaving me face-to-face with Blaze. The Devils' Prez grabbed me by the forehead and turned my head up, forcing me to look at him.
“Saffron just spilled the fucking beans,” he growled. “My old lady got her goddamned truck jacked by yours, but you don't see me going nuclear. Damn it, boy, settle the fuck down.”
My muscles were shaking. I forced myself to relax – the only damned way I was getting out of this. Blaze looked me up and down, then nodded to Tank, who gave a reluctant grunt and released me.
I stood up, brushing the dirt off my cut. All four Devils looked like they wanted to cut my ass to pieces every time they saw my colors on their home turf. Too fucking bad, because this wasn't coming off except when I stripped down and showered, or fucked my girl senseless.
And now, because I hadn't stayed with her, I might never get to fuck her again. Fuck!
I spun and clocked Tank right in the jaw. The giant's head snapped back, and I pushed through them before any of the others could grab me, heading for my truck's open door.
“Jesus Christ!” Blaze roared. “After his stupid ass!”
I had one foot in the driver's seat before Tank caught up to me. I knew I was screwed before the giant's fist found the back of my skull.
One deafening blow and the blackness swallowed me, turning everything jagged and red to smooth, dark shadows.
“Brass.” Someone snapped his fingers next to my ear. “Wake your ass up!”
“Blaze...” A woman's voice said
I opened my eyes and saw him standing over me. At his side, some blondie in scrubs, probably the one named Emma I'd heard about. She was Tank's old lady and the club medic. Behind her, standing against the wall, there was a dark haired beauty and my sis.
They looked at me like I was a fucking ghost. I sat up, and instantly felt the straps binding my arms.
“Hey! What the fuck!?”
This was not what I needed. Shit, how many precious hours had I lost being laid out here in their infirmary? All while that sick sonofabitch had my girl at the clubhouse, doing God knows what?
“We'll let you go when we know you can be a good boy,” Tank growled behind me, out of my line of vision. “You want me to give him the medicine, boss?”
Blaze nodded. Something strong in a glass pushed its way to my lips and I fucking choked. Tank held my mouth shut like a dog, making me swallow it. I thrashed, thinking I'd been poisoned.
No, not poison. It was just Jack. Sweet, smooth, strong whiskey, something I thought I might never taste again.
“Fuck,” I grunted between my teeth.
“We're giving you a shot to calm your ass down,” Blaze said. “We're damned lucky Blackjack's a chiller dude than you. I gave him a call, and he's gonna work like hell to get your girl away from Fang. We're all on the same page, so you can stop worrying we're gonna hold you down and slit your throat. Tempting as that would be.”
“Get her away? Fuck, you need to stop her, Blaze. Tell Blackjack to sit by the highway, make her pull over before she gets into town...”
Stinger stepped up next to Blaze and grinned. “You've been out all fucking day, asshole. One of your brothers down there saw her drive in, but he couldn't do shit about it by himself. It was too late to stop her from rolling right into the bear's den.”
His harsh words almost set me off again. Almost. The whiskey definitely helped soothe the radioactive fire bristling in my blood, throbbing in my chest, ready to beat its way out of me.
Save it, you fucking fool, I told myself. Save it for the fucks who really deserve it. Not these Prairie Pussies.
“Just let me up,” I said, resisting the urge to bolt up and punch every one of those fucks in their smug jaws the instant I could.
Blondie looked at Blaze. “I think it's time. We can't keep him strapped down here forever, Blaze.”
The Devils' Prez looked down at me and nodded. Tank hovered over me, undoing the straps on my arms.
“You're a prick, but you gave as good as you got, Brass. Good hook. Hard fist. I can respect that shit.” The giant motioned to the bruise I'd left on his face.
I grunted, halfway amused. He was right there to knock me out again if I did anything stupid. I sat up, fighting to let go of the anger. I looked at Blaze.
“They've got my old lady. We need to ride tonight.”
“Already working on it. You think I've been standing here jacking off while you were dreaming?” Cocky as ever, he gave me a fierce wink. “Unfortunately, there's no chance in hell we'll have time to pick up any guys from Dakota to help us out. It's just us, plus all the men you've got playing freedom fighter in Redding.”
My heart tightened. Steep odds. Blackjack told me about a third of the local guys deserted after our mutiny, but Fang still had numbers on his side. Possibly huge fucking numbers if the charters all along the west coast decided to stay loyal and send in reinforcements.
Whatever. Shit odds were nothing new to me. Having a woman on the line was, and not just any, but the one I cared for more than anything else in this fucked up world.
I slid off the table, standing. “When do we leave?”
“A couple more hours. Just need to get a few more things ready,” Blaze said. “You'll ride with Stinger and Moose. Gotta make sure you've worked all that piss outta your system, and you're not gonna do anything stupid.”
That was fair. Didn't change the fact that they were fuckers. I nodded.
Blaze stepped out, giving Shelly a quick hug and a kiss on his way out. The other guys hung back, tucking into their old ladies. Seeing Tank press the tiny blonde into his immense frame and plant his lips on her made lava seethe in my veins.
Then I saw Stinger, his arms wrapped around the dark haired girl, whispering to her. “I promise I'll be back before you know it, baby. Stay sexy and help Saffron with the girl while we're gone. Love you, Alice.”
“You know I will,” she purred.
They kissed. Fuck. Panic burbled deep in my brain, the horrible possibility I might never see my girl again. Let alone hold her like that, suck her bottom lip, whisper all the thousands of sweet and filthy words pent
up in my head.
No. She's coming home in one piece. Same beautiful package I'd rip my fucking heart out for.
You can't fucking lose her like you've already lost your mind.
Hold on, babe. Your old man's coming.
“Brass.” Shelly grabbed me on my way out. “Bring everybody home safe, and that means you too.”
I managed a thin smile. “Thanks, sis. Uh, sorry about the truck. I hope like fuck nothing's happened to it. I'll bring it home too, if I can.”
“You know I don't give a shit about the wheels. It's just one more thing to deal with.” She rolled her eyes. “The girl was upset. Crazy. I haven't even told her little sister yet...”
“You work on that,” I said. “With any luck, I'll have her home with your ride so you don't have to tell Jackie how fucked up things are. She's been through too fucking much for a fourteen year old.”
“I know.” She looked at the ground sadly. “And I remember what it was like for us at that age. You've got to be honest to keep them from going off the rails. Mom tried to hide how bad off she was until it drove you away and locked me down.”
“Yeah.” There was nothing more to say about it. She'd forgiven me for falling in with the fucks who'd slaughtered our disabled mother. The guilt still weighed heavy on my black heart, and saying shit about the bitter past would only feed it.
“You turned yourself around, Brass,” she said, throwing her arms around me. “I'm so damned proud of you for that. I know you can fix this too. Go get the bastards who did this.”
Yes. Fuck yes. I couldn't do anything less than tear their throats out like the angry wolf I was, but this only sealed the deal.
I pressed her tight to my chest and then I was gone, following the Devils out to the garages. The guns just needed to be loaded into their rides, waiting for the battle to come.
My bones ached on the trip down, and not just from the fight. Crossing a good quarter of the continent in a week without much rest took its toll. Fuck if I was gonna let it slow me down.