Seven (Angels of Death MC)

by Hilary Storm

  “Sit your ass in that seat and don’t move a fucking muscle.” I hear Blade at my back before I can close the door and lock Ray in.

  “I’m coming with you.” Blade speaks sternly as he mounts his bike and lights up a cigarette. He wants me to argue, but I won’t. I don’t give a fuck if he comes with me, it won’t change the way it turns out.

  “Meet me at the salvage yard.” I text TJ and tell him to bring the kid to the yard as well. The smell of gasoline draws my attention to the jugs in the back and it’s in this moment that I take a deep breath and enjoy the smell. I know this will obliterate all but one of the maggots that had Piper.

  Just as I lift two of the jugs out, Tank meets me at the tailgate. “I’ll meet you back at the house as soon as I’m done here.”

  “I’ll be there when I’m done. We have to find James.” He nods as he takes the jugs and walks back inside. Blade takes off down the road before I have the chance to sit in the driver’s seat. Glancing over to Ray, I see a man wearing regret all over his soul. It’s too bad he didn’t have the guts to do something about his club holding a woman seven to one.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t stop them.” His whisper echoes through the cab right before I start the engine.

  “Me too.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Switch

  The dried blood on the chain makes me irate when I pick it up. I know it’s hers. It hasn’t been near long enough for it to be washed away. I swallow hard and let it remind me of the reason I’m here. I’ll let it fuel me and get the revenge Piper deserves.

  It’s took almost a day to find Ray’s son, but we finally managed it. It’s the leverage I know I need to get the answers from him if he has any. We’ve all tortured him and tried to make him talk, but he’s not budging with the traditional methods I promised Blade I’d try first. I held up my end of the bargain and now it’s time to do shit my way.

  I slide my hair out of my face just as I move closer to Ray. He’s trembling, but still seems to have this cocky fucking demeanor about him that tells me not to fall for his shit. I go in loud and demanding. He gets one more opportunity to make me not rip his skin from his body piece by piece while he stays coherent for all of it.

  “Tell me everything you know about James. Where would he go? My guys are flipping shit upside down until we find him.” The chain hangs heavy in my hand as I wait for a response from him. My mind is swirling with an image of Piper from that night. Her lifeless body hanging from the very chain I hold in my hands and her dried tears and blood painted all over her body continue to haunt me as I pace. This fucker literally held her tight so other men could rape her. He may as well have stuck his own dick in her as far as I’m concerned because I can’t allow him to live.

  I stop pacing and stand in front of him, looking into his eyes for one ounce of sincerity when and if he decides to talk. His father stands beside him and Blade moves in beside me. TJ has Ray’s son on standby if Ray chooses not to take me seriously, but I hope to hell that’s a card I never have to play.

  “James never talked about where he was going. Some of the guys thought he’d go on the road because he knew you’d be looking for blood.” I walk slowly again and let the chain drag on the ground behind me. Blade stands with his arms crossed and glares at Ray. In a way I’m surprised he hasn’t snapped and ripped his fucking heart out just because he’s tired of waiting. That’s how Blade would be normally.

  “Where on the road?” I pass in front of him once more, not letting my eyes leave his.

  “They never told me. I swear on everything I’d tell you if I knew.” I don’t know whether to believe him or call him out for thinking I’m stupid, but what I’m getting from him isn’t guilt or an apologetic plea. He’s far too comfortable with the way this has all gone down. Maybe he thinks because he has ratted out all of his brothers that I won’t now ruin him as well. It’s too bad he’s a stupid mother fucker.

  Another memory of Piper flashes in my mind. This time was from when she was in the hospital. She was so goddamn broken and I couldn’t fucking fix her. She needed me and the only thing I could do was leave her to find the men who did this to her. Something tells me she’s already working on her goodbye to me if I ever get the chance to see her again.

  The thought of that makes me fucking snap.

  I throw the chain around his neck and wrap it tight while I watch Ray start to struggle for air. The desperation in his eyes shows how much he wants to, but of course he can’t move with his hands bound behind his back. Tossing the chain over the ballast above his head, I pull the slack out until he begins to lift off the ground. He struggles as he coughs blood and fights for air at the same time and the sound of him fighting brings a sense of composure to my mind. He deserves to die by this chain. I see the look on Ray’s father’s face and don’t feel an ounce of guilt. He knows the end is coming for his son, what he doesn’t know is just how bad the torture can be and exactly what I’m capable of now that they’ve found my weak spot.

  “Last chance Ray, don’t make this any more painful than it’s already going to be. Tell me where James is before I make you watch both your father and your son die.”

  “Fuck you, I told you there’s nothing to tell you.” Before the words finish leaving Ray’s mouth, I trigger my switch blade and stab his father right in the throat. Blood floods from the wound as I pull the knife and look at Ray as his father gasps for air. The blood fills his lungs quickly and the sound of death is imminent as he reaches for his son.

  “His death was quick compared to what I’ll make yours if you don’t cooperate. Now the only choices you have to make is how fast you die and whether or not you watch your son die before you do.” He’s still losing his shit over seeing his father die, which is understandable, but the shift in his eyes tells me he’s finally getting the picture of what I’m willing to do to avenge what happened to Piper.

  “Fuck you! You don’t even know where he is.” He gives one last pathetic attempt at pretending he has the upper hand, but we all know who’ll have the last say in all of this.

  “Blade, dial TJ. Let’s give him his fuckin’ proof.” Blade barely shifts to pull his phone out of his pocket; his raging demeanor is still very much fueling my own. He’s just taking the quiet role this time, knowing this is something I need to handle even though he’s just as fucking irate. TJ answers quickly and Blade makes sure it’s loud enough to hear everything on speaker.

  TJ makes some noise and then we hear a young voice that for the first time since Piper’s attack makes me feel slight regret. “I wanna go home.”

  “That’s enough, take him home, just promise me you won’t hurt him.” The words almost infuriate me as he spews them from his pathetic mouth. The look I shoot back at him tells him enough to continue. I’m not sure why he thinks I should show him any loyalty when he literally held Piper in place for James and these fucking assholes to fuck her.

  “He knows where she is, hopefully I held you fuckers back long enough. You can kill me, kill us all but I’d rather be dead than suffer in your world.”

  I yank hard on the chain, pulling Ray’s feet from the ground. He kicks back and forth as his body convulses trying to free itself from the chain crushing its windpipe. The tears roll from his eyes and the sounds of his struggle come to an abrupt end.

  “Call Beast right fucking now Blade, we need to go. Fuck all of this! I’m headed to the safe house now! Goddamnit, he knows where she is. Why was I so fucking stupid to trust anyone to keep her safe? I’m done with this shit and if she’s not safe I’m walking away from this fucking club to make sure she’s never in danger again.” He stares at me as he waits for an answer.

  “There’s no fucking service. I’m sending a text to everyone to get back to the clubhouse, we’re going now.” We sprint for the bikes. My gut is killing me and I hope like fuck Beast is there to take this fucker down before he even gets close to her or I’ll kill him too. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do now to save her and
make her life normal again. I can only hope I make it in time.

  Piper

  The house is silent and the only sound I hear is the creaking of the wood floor as I tiptoe down the hall. It seems as though I’m here by myself, but I can’t imagine Beast leaving me here like that. It’s weird being in a strange and quiet house after being at the club around all the guys for months. I miss their crazy more than I thought I would. I think I slept for two days straight and only woke up when that woman brought food in.

  I walk the halls and look at the pictures of all the people I don’t recognize, wondering how Beast knows this woman. She’s been so nice to me even though she has no idea who I am. Could she really see how broken I was and she’s just showing me pity? I guess it doesn’t matter why she’s helped me, having a safe place to sleep is worth whatever guilty feelings I’ll make myself feel the next few days.

  “What’s her name?” I whisper out loud to myself, curiosity finally taking over and flooding my brain. It’s nice to be able to think about something other than my own nightmares, even if it ends up being short lived. It’s never long and I’m tortured with another constant reminder of what I’ve been through the last couple days.

  She seems so happy in all these pictures, maybe she was right about it getting better. Maybe there is hope for me. My walk down the long hall leads me to the kitchen and my eyes land on a coffee pot immediately. The taste of some good coffee becomes my only focus and I smile when I see everything out and ready for me to make a pot. She really is like some perfect house wife isn’t she?

  The smell invades my senses and for a split second makes me feel like I will actually be able to move forward. It may be a slow one step at a time process, but I’ll make it. When the coffee finishes brewing, I pour a giant cup and make my way back to my room. If the smell of coffee makes me feel like this, a shower will have me feeling like a completely new woman and that’s something I think I need desperately.

  A glimpse in the mirror solidifies just how bad I thought I looked. Holy shit I look fucking terrible and there’s no way a shower and a cup of coffee will fix this mess, but at least it’s a start. While the water is heating up, I start to pull some of the makeup and soaps from the closet she showed me. I have to shake my head at just how thorough she was when she went shopping for me. It makes me feel bad because I know I would’ve forgotten half this shit if Switch had called me on the fly like that and told me to get everything a woman would need. I hope to never need this information, but I do take a mental note of everything she stocked.

  The shower feels amazing. I adjust the water so that it’s literally raining down on me and covering my body all at once. She bought me five scented soaps and I used every single one of them, inhaling each of them as they filled the air. The warmth wraps me up and for a little while I feel clean again. That’s something I haven’t felt in days.

  I take my time getting dressed and even choose the brighter of the tank tops that’s folded in the bedroom closet. Actually running a brush through my hair still hurts, but it’s getting easier.

  Once I feel more like a complete person than I’ve felt in days, I decide to look for Beast. Maybe I can get him to take me to get a few things before he inevitably heads back to the club. Plus, we need to sit down and have a real solid talk because he needs to know I won’t be going back with him. Something tells me that will be a true struggle to manage, but I’m known for standing my ground when I’m determined.

  I walk quietly through the open house, never seeing a sign of either Beast or the girl. There’s one closed door, but I don’t try to open it. I’m sure they’ll hear me moving around and be out here soon enough. Maybe Beast likes this girl and he’s getting some pussy. Lord knows his cranky ass needs to lighten up a little.

  There’s a large window at the back of the house where I can see a large deck. Stepping outside and getting the first bit of fresh air that I’ve had for days feels great. I look around for a chair with a perfect view and sit in peace while I finish my now cold coffee. This is absolute serenity. I could easily live here, it’s just too bad it’s associated with the club and Switch so that won’t be an option.

  I decide it’s a great thing that I haven’t run into either of them and move to top off my coffee and really get some quality time back on the deck before I end up facing the girl and Beast. Sliding the glass door closed I look to the front of the house quickly because I can still feel a breeze from outside coming from that direction. They must be bringing things in or something. Making my way back down the hall, I can hear the door close and it’s not until I step into the dining room that I stop frozen in my footsteps.

  It’s him. I’ll never forget that face. His hair. Those eyes. The nightmare that’s haunted me since I first laid eyes on him. At first I can’t tell if this is real or if I’m seeing things. How could he be here? How could he have found me?

  Reality slaps me in the face as soon as he charges towards me. It takes me a split second to comprehend that this is all happening, but I manage to sprint for the kitchen. He somehow catches me and throws me head first into the cabinet. I can feel the wound on my forehead split open again and the warm blood begins to run down my face. He yanks me by the hair until I’m facing him. “Thought you could hide from me, did you?”

  His words scorch my insides as I take in the reality that I’ll never truly be safe again. He lifts me to my feet by pulling on my hair. My head is throbbing and I can hardly hear over the chaos floating through my mind. I’m terrified, but I’m mad as fuck. He can’t have this much control of me. No one controls me.

  “You little bitch, you thought you could come here and hide while this all blows over? I’ll haunt you every day of your pathetic whore life.” He grips between my legs, squeezing hard and making me gasp in pain. “This is my pussy. I’ll take it whenever I goddamn please and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me.” What happened to me? Why do I feel completely vulnerable? Where is the woman who would’ve fought this piece of shit and tried to kill him where he stands?

  Dig Piper. Fucking dig deep and find that badass bitch that doesn’t bow down to anyone. If you can’t dig for that girl, you may as well have died in that salvage yard.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Piper

  I’m staring my nightmare in the face and my mind is battling the urge to go to my safe zone or stay coherent and fight this fucker this time. There’s only one of him this time. He made the mistake of not drugging me and tying me up before he had his hands on me.

  Oh god. The familiar stench of his foul breath has me gagging on my own vomit as the memories flood back to me. It’s a mind fuck that’s trying to cripple me, but I’m fighting so hard to stay sane.

  I grit my teeth and force myself to focus because it’s really the only choice I have to save myself. My back is against the broken cabinets and I feel myself start to slide lower as his grip on my hair shifts. “Let me just remind you again exactly who the fuck I am! You think your big brother and his punk friends can do anything to stop me? Remember who has control here. This is my world and you’re just living in it because I’m allowing you to. If I want this pussy, it’s mine. If I want the all of the Angels of Death dead, then it’s done. If I want Blade’s head on a silver fucking platter, it’ll be delivered to me.”

  He starts to unbuckle his belt and my only thought is that I’ll never escape him if I let him do this to me again. He will live to torture me in every way possible and the thought of him getting to Blade or Switch drives me into an entire new level of hatred for this filth. This can’t be how this goes. This can’t be my story. The sad shell of who I used to be won’t be broken down by some vile piece of shit.

  The click of gun silences the room while my frantic eyes find Beast in the doorway holding one at this guy’s head. The air sits heavy and Beast’s presence somehow gives me the added strength I need to face this nightmare head on. Maybe it’s that he was the only one that didn’t try to change how I felt or treat me
any different. The only emotion I got from him was that he cared and that he just knew it’d get better. Almost as if he’d seen all this happen before and he knew I could do it. Maybe it’s just the fact that he’s the one who was sent to watch over me, I don’t know.

  I’ll take whatever it is that has me feeling like I can fight this monster. I can’t let Beast kill this bastard, it’s my job. He wants me to have the chance or he’d have splattered his brains all over the back wall already. I’m not an idiot when it comes to how these guys work.

  “James. I should’ve fucking cut your head off when I had the chance.” He called him James. He knows him. Of course they know him. He has a personal vendetta against them all and I became the target the second I came into the house.

  “Now you wouldn’t wanna do that and spoil all the fun, would you?”

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t. I’m more than sure the only reason I haven’t already blown your brains out is because I have a feeling Blade and Switch want to personally end you. I bet they have a special dance for you to do before you take your last breath.”

  “Is this the way you’re going to talk to your future club President?”

  “That’ll never fucking happen.” Beast’s voice is more of a roar as he responds.

  “It’s my club by blood. Blade doesn’t deserve to sit at the head of my table and act like he was a son to my father.” James releases my hair and I fall against the cabinet behind me. My head is throbbing even more now, but I make myself concentrate on what they’re saying.

  “If Blade didn’t deserve it, I wouldn’t be standing next to him every fucking day. You think blood makes you a leader? It takes fucking balls to run a club and we all know that’s something you’ve never had.” James moves further away so I take the opportunity to grab a knife from the block and lunge straight for him. Beast doesn’t hesitate before he shoots twice. He nails him in both of his knees and James drops to the ground. The shots echo in the house and scare me more than I thought they would and I jump back against the wall and hold my chest.