by K E Osborn
But as my brothers and I sit in the chapel, Zero scrubs at his face. “Are you sure, Neon? You think you’re okay. It’s only been a couple of months. You sure you’re up to this?”
I grit my teeth. “Pres, my anger has been brewing under the surface since this shit happened. I don’t care what he did to me, but what he did to Oakley…” I shake my head, “… I can’t stand for that. If you were in my shoes, you couldn’t either.”
Zero groans. “You can’t even box against the bag properly, Neon. Think about th—”
“I’ll get a few hits in, then I’ll have you guys take over.”
“We should wait a couple more month—”
“When is Rage ever out on his own like this, Zero? He’s like a fucking scared little rabbit. We have to strike. We need to strike now.
Zero lets out a long exhale. He knows I’m right. “Fine! We hit him today. But the second I see you reaching your limit, I’m pulling you the fuck out.”
“Deal.”
“We know where he’s going to be. He’ll be there in approximately five hours, so if we leave now, we can make it there in time to greet the fucker.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s ride!” I stand to walk out, and Zero huffs.
“Neon, you’re in the cage with Fox.”
I spin back around, glaring at him. “What? Why?”
“Because you’ve had major surgery, dickhead. Riding hours to Dallas, beating the shit out of Rage, then riding back isn’t something you’re capable of right now. No matter how fucking angry you are about this, you can’t do it all.”
Damn, I want to ride. I need to feel the power my beast gives me as I make my way to show Rage how insignificant that bastard really is. But deep down, I know Zero’s right. So, I simply nod my head and walk out of the chapel, with Fox gripping my shoulder.
We stride out as a club, as a brotherhood.
With one mission in mind.
To make Rage pay for what he’s done.
Zero let him free so this day could happen.
A day when I would be well enough to enact my revenge on the slimy asshole myself.
He has to know it’s coming.
Surely, he understands he wasn’t getting off Scot-free.
Oakley catches my eye as I make my way through the main room. She has no clue why we’re all leaving en masse, but the way she’s biting her bottom lip and staring at me with glistening eyes, lets me know she has some idea about what’s going on right now. I wink at her. Her breath catches as I head out the door with Fox on my tail.
“You’re not gonna tell her what’s goin’ on?”
“If I talk to her right now, she’ll try to talk me out of going. I’m doing this for her.”
I yank open the cage door, then slide in.
Fox jumps in the drivers’ side. “You think maybe she’d rather see you alive and well than have you enact a revenge in her name?”
Both our doors shut as the roar of Harleys erupts around us.
“You’d let a man off for beating and torturing Bub? For laying a hand on her? For almost raping her because she told you not to?”
Fox starts the cage and reverses it out of the park. “No fucking way, I’d gut that motherfucker like a fish, then deal with Bub hating on me later.”
“Then you understand.”
“I do. I hope you’re prepared for her fury when you return.”
I peruse over my shoulder, and Oakley stands in the doorway watching me. Tears in her eyes as Cherry comforts her. She’ll be okay because I’ll be okay. My brothers will make sure of it.
“You ready for this road trip, son?”
I turn back to Fox as he turns up ZZ Top’s “I’m bad, I’m Nationwide,” and I smirk at the old man’s taste in classic rock. “Yeah, I just need to get my game face on and my fists of steel ready.”
Fox laughs. “Fists of steel? You think you’re Rocky Balboa or some shit? Kid, you’re gonna need all the help you can get out there. It’s why we’re coming as backup.”
Shit! Maybe I am doing this too fucking soon.
My heartbeat increases with adrenaline coursing through my veins. My breathing is short and sharp as we enter the cemetery. Today is the anniversary of Rage’s grandmother’s passing. I was able to decipher from digging into his past that at 4:27 p.m. each year, he visits her gravesite. From all records, it indicates it was her exact time of death. The woman practically raised him, so when she died, he went off the rails. But that’s not for me to care about. It’s for me to take advantage of because it gives me an exact time and location where he will be without the backing of the Heathens. He will be vulnerable. Exposed. Unprotected. It’s a mistake to think that a president of an MC can be out alone when he and his club have made so many enemies. That fact alone makes him an unintelligent fool.
This simple act is what I need to give me the advantage.
Fox pulls the cage to a stop, the bikes turning off behind us as we jump out of the rig. My hunger to race across the cemetery to get to Rage is insurmountable, but I have to play this perfect, or he will get the upper hand. We have pulled up far enough away not to be overheard, the last thing we need is for him to discover we are here.
Zero strides over. “You ready to do this?”
I pull my brass knuckles out of my pockets, sliding them on each hand. “It’s long overdue.”
“We’ll be right behind you. I won’t hesitate to step in if that bastard gets the upper hand. Got it?”
“I hear you. Appreciate it, too. But I want you to remember, I need his injuries to belong to me.”
Everyone nods in acceptance as we walk as a club, as a brotherhood, united in our hatred for the rival MC president. Rage took something from us all when he stole Oakley that day two months ago. He took our pride and our belief that we had everything under control. We never want to feel like that again. So, now we’re going to show him, Houston Defiance is the top dog in Texas, and we’re not laying down without a good old-fashioned fight.
As we walk around the graves quietly, Rage is standing by his grandmother’s, his hand on her gravestone, head down, having a moment. I should feel for the guy, he’s in mourning, but honestly, it surprises me the asshole knows how to feel anything at all. The way he treated Oakley, what he did to her, makes me feel absolutely nothing for him.
So, he’s going to pay.
Right here.
Right now.
Zero gives me a curt nod.
I flex my fingers, the cool of the brass knuckles sliding against my skin as I slowly walk up behind Rage. My shadow casts over his grandmother’s gravestone.
Rage slowly looks up, his back turned to me. “I said I didn’t want to be disturbed, Hash. You know the rules on this one day.”
Rolling my hands into fists, I grin. “Good thing I’m not Hash then,” I grunt out through gritted teeth.
Rage spins around, his eyes wide. He reaches for his gun, but I bring my fist back, slamming it across his jaw before he has a second to react. The power of the hit has my knuckles aching as his face slams to the side.
Blood flies out of his mouth as he stumbles slightly with a small chuckle echoing from his chest. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.” Rage’s hand comes up wiping at his lip.
My anger flares, images of him beating Oakley race through my mind. I dart forward as he straightens, he reaches for his gun again, but I slam my knuckle duster into his forearm, hearing a snap. He grimaces in pain as his gun drops to the ground as his eyes meet mine.
“You’re gonna wish I killed you, nerd!”
I smirk. “When I’m done with you, you’re gonna want me to kill you, asshole.”
Rage lunges at me with his good arm, I block it, throwing a right hook into his ribs. He lets out a loud groan but reaches up grabbing my arm, hooking and pulling me forward at the same time. Then he brings his knee up into my stomach, winding me instantly. My eyes widen as I gasp for air.
Rage knows exactly where my weak spot
is right now.
I hunch over as he slams his arm over my back, making me almost tip over onto the ground. But I know if I fall, he’ll be able to get one over on me, so I stiffen my shoulders, run forward and ram him in his groin, picking him up with me like a football tackle, and slam him straight into his grandmother’s tombstone. He falls backward onto it, the gray stone crumbling slightly with his weight as he lets out a heavy groan. I huff and puff with the strenuous activity, my lungs screaming at me for air, but I need to keep my wits about me.
The guys stand back behind the bushes. They are inching forward, but still give me my space to get this done. I slide in over Rage, ready to land my fist into him again, but he grabs my foot, pulling it out from under me. I grit my teeth as I fall back on my ass next to him, not even able to gather myself for a second before he shifts over the top of me where his fist connects with my face. My head slams back into the grass with the heavy hit, my head becomes foggy, but I need to deal with this.
Rage pulls back again, but this time I tense, bringing my fist up to sucker punch him in the side of his temple. He didn’t even see it coming. His eyes roll around in his head as he falls to the grass beside me. I sit up, roll over the top of him, pinning him down. Slamming my fist into his face, blood splashes all over my jeans as he loses a tooth, but I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
I have lost all control.
I pull my fist back, hit him again.
And again.
And again.
His eye socket instantly turns bright purple with the force of the hits.
I smash into him again.
And again.
And again.
I think of what he could have done to Oakley if Zero hadn’t have turned up in time. All the vile things he had planned for her.
I punch him harder.
His face is fast becoming unrecognizable.
My body aches and burns in the most painful way.
Hit, after hit, after hit.
I keep going until a pair of arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off Rage’s barely conscious body. I pant, struggling to move, as Zero drags me away. “Stop. You’re gonna hurt yourself if you haven’t already.”
I fall on my ass, then flat on my back, staring up at the bright blue sky. I’m having trouble catching my breath as Zero looks down at me. “You feel better?”
“Yeah… much. Is… he… alive?” I have to stop to catch my breath as I talk.
“Ax, do we have a pulse?” Zero asks.
“It’s there but faint. We should probably call someone if we’re still going down the whole keep- him-alive path.”
“Zero… I wanna kill the fucker… more than anything. But… killing a Heathen president… will rain hell down on Defiance… and start a nationwide war… between Defiance and the Heathens. If we keep Rage alive… the beef will only be between Dallas Heathens and Houston Defiance. We… can’t be responsible… for a nationwide war, Zero. I… can’t be held responsible… for that.”
“I agree, this war is on Houston Defiance. One we will have to face when it comes, and it will, but for now, we call an ambulance and get the hell out of here. You good to get up now?”
I raise my hand for him to grab, and Zero helps me up. I stagger a little, completely out of energy, drained of much-needed oxygen. “Thanks, Zero… you don’t know how badly… I needed it.”
“I do. If Rage did to Cherry what he did to Oakley, I’d have done the exact same thing. Let’s get you back to your woman.”
My woman.
I like the sound of that.
“Yeah… let’s go home.”
I walk over to Rage, glare at him even though he’s barely conscious and squat down at his side. “You ever… I mean ever… come near Oakley again… or the Heathens think about retaliation… we will release the footage we have… from Oakley’s helmet cam. That’s a promise, Rage. Do. You. Hear. Me?” A low growl reverbs from his chest. “Good. We called an ambulance for you. I assume this will be the last we see of you.”
I drag my ass to stand with my brothers, then we walk back to the cage and bikes.
It’s time to head home, back to Houston, back to the woman I have fallen for so fucking much. I was willing to put our club in a national war, and that would have sat firmly on my shoulders. Now the war will rest on Houston. I have no doubt, even with the warning I gave Rage, this won’t be the last we see of him.
It’s merely bought us some time.
Under Zero’s arm, I hobble inside the clubhouse. My brothers are confident we won this round. Rage thought he got away with what he did to my woman, well, I showed him. Though, at this rate, it’s going to take me a couple of days to recover.
As we enter the clubhouse, Chains signals to Chills, and she rushes over. “What the hell have you been doing? You’re meant to be taking it easy, Neon.” She lifts my shirt to assess my chest as Zero slides me into a seat.
“I’ve been teaching someone not to mess with what’s mine.”
Chills scoffs. “You couldn’t wait? I don’t know, another month or two till you’re physically fit enough to do this shit? I mean, c’mon, Neon, you’ve just pushed your recovery back God only knows how many months.”
“Worth every damn second.” I smile wide thinking of Rage’s bloodied face.
Running footsteps gather my attention as Oakley steps into view. Tears gather on her long lashes as she peers down at me. “Jesus, Neon…” She hurries to my side, almost hip and shouldering Chills out of the way. Chills steps to one side to let Oakley assess me. “Why is your eye swollen? Neon, what the fuck happened?”
“You already know, Nic...”
A fat tear rolls down her face. “Why? Why did you face Rage now? You’re not ready!”
I swipe a strand of hair behind her ear. “I might not have been at full strength, but it was enough to beat the living shit out of him… for you.”
She embraces me, a searing pain surging through my chest, but I hold on. Standing from the seat, I smother myself in her. She’s the only reason I went today because everything I do from now on is for her.
I pull back staring into her eyes. Her bottom lip is trembling. “I love you, Oakley.”
She lets out a small jovial giggle. “I love you, too, you idiot. Will you please come rest now?”
Everyone laughs as she wraps her arm around me for support. Chills gives me a head bob.
I lean on Oakley a little more. “Yeah, baby, take me to bed.”
“I’m gonna come up and take a better look at you when you’re settled in, Neon,” Chills instructs.
Oakley relaxes her shoulders like she’s pleased by this news as we make our way for the stairs. I turn back to my brothers. “Thanks for having my back.”
Zero cocks his head to the side. “Always, brother. You didn’t fucking need us. Your love for Oakley is what drove it home. Now, go spend some time with her and for God’s sake, rest. I don’t want you out of your room for a week.”
“Right.” I chuckle.
“I mean it, Neon,” Zero warns.
Oakley wraps her arm around me even tighter. “I’m on it, pres. He’s not moving out of bed for nothing. I’m gonna make him recover even if it kills him in the process.”
Oakley walks me up the stairs. I might groan, but deep down, I love she’s the one taking care of me. If I’m honest, I do need rest and soon. I have no doubt as soon as Rage is fit and able, he’ll come back for vengeance. So, I need to be ready. We need to be vigilant about this.
We round the stairs, heading into the hall.
“You didn’t have to avenge me like th—”
“It’s my natural impulse to protect you, Oakley.”
“But… I am thankful you did what you did. Knowing Rage is hurting somehow makes me giddy on the inside.”
“Giddy, hey?”
She opens the door to our room. “Don’t get cocky about it or nothing. I’m just trying to thank you here, is all.” She edges me down on the b
ed, and I grab her hand.
“Then stay. Thank me by staying and showing me how appreciative you are.”
“Neon, you’ve just been in a fight. You’re injured, plus Chills is coming up any min—”
“I don’t mean like that. Just… lay with me?”
Her face shines like the stars lit by the pale moonlight and captured in the onyx sky’s background, making her brilliance so much more alluring. Time stops as I admire her. Despite everything we’ve been through, she’s here, with me, her smile still persisting. And it’s the one thing that can brighten any moment, no matter how dire the outlook or consequences.
She slides in beside me as I lay back, and Oakley’s head rests on my chest as I wrap my arm around her. This feels like the most natural thing in the world.
“I think we’re gonna be okay… you and me,” she chimes.
“Yeah, baby, we’re gonna be great.”
NEON
A Month Later
It’s been months since Koda went away to college. Honestly, I’ve been too caught up in my own shit to keep up to date with how he’s been doing, but everyone is excited because Zero and Cherry set a date. Which means, Koda’s coming home. Not for good, just a visit, but it’s going to be great to see him.
The club is in full preparation mode for the wedding tomorrow. I’ve never seen the women here so fucking happy. They all bounce around like they’re taking some kind of fucking happy juice. I guess it’s good to have something going our way for once.
I sit in the main room going over the guest list. Even I have been delegated wedding duties.
It’s not every day the president of the club gets married. Considering this is his second attempt, Zero wants everything to run smoothly this time around. He’s nervous, I can tell. The way he barks orders at everyone, and that look of apprehension in his eyes tells me everything I need to know.
His last fiancée—my sister—cheated on him the night before the wedding. So I don’t know if hearing words of encouragement from me is the right thing right now, but I am his best man, so I need to make the effort to try and calm him his ass down.