by KB Winters
A scream sounded to my left and I kicked the door in and ducked, missing a spray of bullets but returning fire, hitting a Roadkill member in the leg. “Shit!”
“Go find Jag,” I yelled to two more girls in nothing but lacy panties and panicked glances as they ran by. Max moved ahead of me, his big body blocking my view.
Another girl tried to run past, but the hall was too narrow and she paused, big blue eyes looking tired and terrified. “There are three guys in the suite at the end of the hall with two of our newbies.”
“Thanks sweetheart. Jag is waiting out front. Be careful and take any other women you see with you.” I looked down and noticed the blade clutched in her hand. “Use it on anyone who’s not a Reckless Bastard.”
“Damn straight,” she said and took off at a run with no apparent thought to her naked tits and bare feet.
Max kicked the door open and let off two shots, taking out a Killer Ace, leaving me and Cross to handle the other two. Cross sent his man to his knees with a shot in the gut while I hit a Roadkill member right through his fucking Adam’s apple.
“Well that was easy as fuck,” Max joked, winking at the scared young women.
“It’s all right ladies, go downstairs and wait for us.” I helped each one up and sent them out the door so we could clear the rest of the building.
“Yo!” Cross whistled and me and Max both went running, finding Alana with a Killer Ace wrapped around her throat. Her brown eyes were frantic, scanning the room, probably wondering if this would be the last thing she ever saw. At thirty-two, she was older than all the other girls and she did the books and bookkeeping for the club, which meant she was doubly club property.
I stepped forward. “Hey, Alana, how you doing sweetheart?”
“I’ve been b-b-b-better, Lasso.”
“I know it, but you look good,” I told her and she blushed.
“Give me the bitch I want,” the Killer Ace shouted, letting spittle fly every fucking where. “And you can have this one and all the rest.”
Cross laughed. “Look around man, what others? Our girls are safe and all your boys are dead or hurt.”
And now that wild look entered the eyes of the Killer Ace, the look of all cornered animals. The smart ones figure out how to live to fight another day, the dumb ones charge forward without thinking. Anxious to strike.
“Just let her go,” he said with some stupid kind of bravado. Did he even know it was going to get him killed?
“That’s not happening,” I told him as Cross and then Max raised their guns, aimed at his head. “Do you really want to die because Genesis can’t take rejection? Several of his stash houses have been hit. Can he even pay you to cover your medical bills if you get shot?”
“How about if you get a good ass whoopin’?” Max asked with a menacing laugh.
The fucker barked out a laugh and squeezed around Alana’s neck. “Can this bitch? You should be thinking about this hot property right here instead of the boss’s old piece of ass because he’s getting that bitch.”
This piece of shit should have been more careful because he fell right into our trap. “That sounds like bullshit from where I’m standing,” I told him.
“Sounds like somebody is writing a check his ass can’t cash,” Cross tossed out, forcing his attention to dart between us. His finger slipped from the trigger and I turned to Alana.
“Hey Alana, remember that story I told you about my old horse, Baby?” She nodded almost imperceptibly, eyes wide and alert. “Do for me what I forgot to,” I told her and when she hit the ground, I lit that motherfucker up like I was Bruce Willis in any fucking movie ever.
The room fell silent for several long moments and then Alana’s bloodcurdling scream pulled us from our thoughts. The fucker had fallen right on top of her and Max was there, tossing his big ass off Alana.
It took nearly an hour before the place was completely clear and we had the bodies of two Roadkill and three Killer Aces.
“Five got away,” Savior grumbled when we and Golden Boy returned to the group. “Through the woods.”
“I think I clipped one of ‘em,” Golden Boy said, hands on his knees as he sucked in air.
“Stitch and I are going back to the clubhouse. Someone needs to pick up Doc. A few of the girls have wounds.”
Jag had his arms wrapped around two of the girls, leading them to the Chevy with the kind of tenderness they needed.
“Roadkill and Killer Aces together. How the fuck did that happen?” I looked to Cross to see if he had any insight.
“The same way you and that girl reached out to his enemies, he went after ours. Though after what we did to those fuckers, I’m not surprised.” None of us said it, but we all knew we weren’t done with the war yet.
Once we dealt with the Killer Aces, we’d have to deal with the Roadkill motherfuckers.
Chapter 21
Rocky
If Lasso thought I’d fall back to sleep once he and Jag left to kick some ass and shoot some outlaws, he was sorely mistaken. I’d spent the whole night pacing, hoping none of the women were hurt because of me, and then the baby began to toss and turn, causing me discomfort and nausea so I sat down like a good little mama.
And I began to knit.
It wasn’t much, just a cotton rainbow thread that would become a baby beanie, but it was more than enough to keep my mind off what Lasso was doing. And why. I’d placed those other calls, giving away four more stash house locations and hoped it would force Genesis to make a mistake. He was already on the edge; that phone call earlier proved it. One more little nudge from me would be the thing that tipped him over.
I must have dozed off for a while because a knock on the door woke me and Lasso wouldn’t knock.
I grabbed the gun he’d left. I stood with my stomach facing away from the door as I peeked through a small opening. A curvy blonde stood on the other side. She looked harmless so I opened the door.
“Hi, I’m Jana, Max’s wife. I just wanted to check on you. May I come in?”
Max at least seemed sorry about not helping so I said, “Sure. Did you draw the short straw to come up here?” Lasso had been a tad overprotective lately, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he’d forced her up here.
“No, but I know what it’s like to be new around here and how intimidating it can be.”
Arm crossed defensively, I jutted my chin out. “I’m not intimidated. They don’t want me here and I don’t want to be either. I came to Lasso, not the club.”
She laughed, and the sound was soft and low. “All this comes with the territory, but it’s not so bad.” Jana did seem happy, but she was also in love and had planned and married her guy on purpose.
“Are you really all right? This has to be tough, Rocky. And you haven’t come down all week. Are you even eating?”
I sighed, trying to be nice because this woman was making an effort. “Lasso is force feeding me daily.”
“Good,” she grinned. “Max was the same, feeding me all the time, forcing water down my throat, taking bags of groceries from of my arms and forcing me to sit. It was annoying but nice.”
“Yeah well, I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“So am I,” she snorted and pointed to the scar on her face.
“It’s hardly even noticeable with how pushy you are.”
She laughed and seemed not offended in the slightest. “Thanks. Do you have a birthing plan yet?”
I shook my head and she rattled off about a dozen different things I needed to do before the baby arrived. The list was daunting, and my knitting hands stopped, taking in the gravity of my future. If there was a future.
“It seems like a lot but lucky for you, Teddy and I both have recently had babies.”
“Must be something in the water,” I grumbled, pulling another laugh from her.
“It’s those big sexy bikers and you know it.” She winked and leaned back, staring at me. “This will be easier if you make some friends, build a support sys
tem.”
“Like I said, I’m used to taking care of things myself.”
“I know, so was I. But when it comes to your kid you’ll do whatever you have to, including digging in roots. Becoming part of a community.”
That sounded nice, like all of the things I used to want for myself. Friends to do things with, like go to happy hour, share retail therapy binges, movie marathons and bitching sessions about relationships. I’d always wanted that but with every year that passed it became more apparent that I would not get it. Eventually, I stopped wishing. Then I stopped thinking about it altogether.
“I doubt I’ll be sticking around once this is all over.”
“That’s too bad. Max says you and Lasso seem like the real deal, even if you guys can’t see it yet.” The emphasis she put on ‘yet’ set me on edge but I had a feeling that was her intent.
“It’s not like that.” And even if things were like that with Lasso and me, there was no way his so-called brothers would ever accept me. “There’s too much baggage, even if it was a possibility. Which it isn’t.”
“Why isn’t it? Clearly there’s something between you, besides a baby, or Lasso wouldn’t look ready to castrate the world to keep you safe.”
That was bullshit. “You have a kid, so you already know the lengths a man will go to protect his child. The only difference is that you guys are in love so you see it differently.” I realized how bitchy that sounded and groaned. “Look, I’m not trying to be mean but there is no me and Lasso. If I hadn’t tracked him down, we would’ve never seen each other again.”
“But you did. And now you’re married and having a baby. I think you’re underestimating Lasso’s feelings.”
Maybe I was. “Still, it doesn’t matter. His brothers don’t trust me, and I don’t trust them either. When this is all over, no one will be able to forget that.” Least of all me. “I appreciate your advice but we both know when it comes to this club, nothing compares.”
It looked like Jana had finally gotten the hint. As much as I appreciated her attempt to help, my situation was unique and I would handle it myself. She gave a resigned sigh and turned her disappointed shoulders toward the door. “If you need anything or you just want to talk, give me a call.”
“Thank you, Jana. I mean it.”
She nodded and looked at me with sad green eyes. “Lasso is a really good guy and no matter what happens between the two of you, he deserves a chance to watch his kid grow up.”
“I know,” I grumbled and went back to the sofa after she left. It was the part that left me struggling too. I couldn’t deprive our child of knowing a father like Lasso and I couldn’t deny him the chance at being the father he was destined to be.
Which meant I might have to stay in Vegas. Plant roots.
Settled in.
My phone rang and I snatched it up, hoping it was Lasso to tell me everything was done and done. Over. Everyone safe. “Hello?” I should have looked at the screen.
“Rochelle. Meet me at the southwest end of the property in thirty minutes.”
“Forty,” I countered.
“Don’t make me wait a minute more. I’m not in a forgiving mood, Rochelle.” He ended the call and I took several deep breaths, calming my racing heart and emptying my mind.
Then I sprang into action.
Chapter 22
Lasso
When I got back from Bungalow Three all I wanted was Rocky and a shower, not necessarily in that order. But when I got to the apartment upstairs, it was empty. With all the shit that had already gone down, my first instinct was to panic but Genesis had already put in his harassing call for the day. Still, I turned and went back down the stairs and into the clubhouse. I checked the bedrooms in back as well as the common area, but she was nowhere to be found.
Now, I was fucking panicked.
I went back upstairs to our apartment because I knew if she’d left here of her own free will, she would have left some kind of clue.
And I hoped like hell she did.
I sagged in relief when I saw her hand-drawn plans of the whole Reckless Bastards compound. At least the parts she could see and learn about from others. It was laid out with three pennies taped to it, each one wrapped in a different color yarn. My lips quirked in a smile at the fact she’d used the same yarn from the baby beanie for whatever this map was meant to be. Since I didn’t know, I needed help.
I found Jag and Cross out in back sharing a joint. “What’s up?” Jag was my best friend and knew me better than anyone. He took one look at me and was immediately on alert.
“Rocky isn’t here. No signs of a struggle but she’s gone. Left this.” I laid out the hand drawn plans and took a step back, hoping some of it meant something to someone else.
“Where in the hell did she get such detailed plans?” Cross was angry. Tired and angry weren’t a good mix with him, but I was worried about my pregnant wife. His feelings would have to wait.
“She drew them from memory so she could be prepared if she needed to make a fast getaway.”
Jag grinned. “What a woman.”
“Yeah. See anything helpful?”
Jag looked at the plans for a few minutes, taking in every detail before he honed in on a set of numbers in one corner. “I think we got something.” He pointed again and stood with that excited look he got when a digital mystery was in front of him.
“What the fuck is that supposed to be? It’s nonsense,” Cross insisted angrily, taking a long pull off the joint and blowing the smoke toward the sky. “Maybe she decided to end this without more bloodshed.”
“That would solve all your problems wouldn’t it?” He glared at me, ready to tell me off I was sure, but Jag had left and come back with one of his laptops, started it up and plugged the numbers into some program.
“Damn.” Jag smiled at the screen then looked up at me and Cross. “She’s damn smart. Those numbers allow me to access her phone, her microphone and GPS.” His fingers flew over the keyboard as he spoke. “We can track her in real time, which means we can get to her before whatever this plan is, pans out. Got her.”
My phone rang as my gaze focused on the red dot and I absently hit the speaker button. “Rocky, what the fuck, babe?”
“I’m sorry, Lasso but I had to do it this way. I couldn’t risk anyone else getting hurt. Are the girls all right?”
She sounded small and worried and I hated that. Rocky was at her best when she was strong and vibrant and lively.
“They’re fine, Rocky. Come back here now, please.”
She sighed. “I can’t, not yet. This won’t end any other way Lasso, you know it, too. Genesis wants to meet and I’m about five minutes away from the meeting spot but knowing him it’s more like three. Did Jag get the data I left?”
“We got it, Rocky. Just keep your phone unlocked.”
“Already done. You’ll be able to hear everything. I won’t be able to hear you, so I’ll say anything else you need to know. I sketched out a quick plan on the other side of those blueprints. It’s short but if you can get into position in eight minutes it just might work.”
Jag was already flipping over the plans, but my mind was racing. “What plans? Fuck!”
“Sorry Lasso but I couldn’t let you talk me out of this. Be mad when this is over. Baby and I need you focused.” She was right dammit but that didn’t mean I had to like it, listening as she entered the fucking lion’s den on purpose. “I gotta go.” She ended the call.
I turned to Jag. “Tell me this is gonna work.”
He nodded, sketching out a few things next to Rocky’s notes. “Yeah, it’s gonna work but we need three more men. At least.”
“I’ll get’em,” Cross said easily, shocking the hell out of me.
“How about one fucker big enough for three?” Savior nudged between me and Cross, bringing with him an unexpected arrival.
“Gunnar! Man, shit! How the fuck are you?” I couldn’t hide my happiness that our VP was back. Gunnar was funny a
nd fair, a shit starter with a soft spot for damsels in distress. I was as close to him as I was to Jag but he’d been dealing with the death of his mother and some other personal things lately. Now that he was back, I couldn’t deny my pleasure at his timing.
“I could be better, brother and once we get your girl back, we can drink all about it.” He grinned and turned so we could see the chubby ball of black hair and blue eyes in his arms. “For now, say hi to Maisie. My sister.”
I blinked at his confession, but I couldn’t help but smile at the little drooling bundle. “Well, shit, I guess we do have plenty to drink about.”
“Okay guys listen up,” Jag called out. “We now have six and half minutes to get into position.” He handed out comms as he spoke. “She chose an outdoor location at the southwest side of the property where those small hangars still stand.” He rattled off all the notes Rocky had left about how many men she expected Genesis to bring with him, their types of guns and shooting ability.
Savior stepped forward with a smile at the same time Stitch came out with vests for us all. “Not that I don’t trust Rocky, but I think it’s better to go in over-armed. A lot can change in a couple years.”
He was right, then again Savior was the Sergeant at Arms and he knew his weapons. “A couple of the prospects are bringing out shit. Take what you need fast and let’s get the fuck going.”
That was Savior, short and sweet when he needed to be.
“I’ll get Rocky,” I told Savior, my eyes serious. My demeanor didn’t allow any fucking argument.
“That’s fine. I’ll kill a motherfucker who gets off on threatening pregnant chicks.”
God, I fucking loved my club.
Chapter 23
Rocky
Nerves. They were a son of a bitch, wreaking havoc with my ability to think logically or breathe normally. I could hear noise in the distance, the hum of a motor and footsteps on gravel. Genesis, the bastard. Of course he hadn’t come alone. I didn’t expect he would, which is why I took the extra time to ensure my safety as much as I could when dealing with a raging fucking lunatic.