“I have your father.” The even tone of his voice was unnerving. He seemed like he was talking about the weather. The words hung between us as Logan and I stared at one another, mouths wide open.
“What do you want?” A look of determination crossed Logan’s face as she took the phone from my hands.
“You gorgeous. It’s always been you.”
Tank
The Hellhounds were either the stupidest assholes in the world or something was wrong. That was way too easy. We pretty much busted open the doors, had a mini shoot out with three Hellhounds before the house was ours. What the fuck?
We found Baxter pretty quickly. Knox insisted on checking the rest of the house to make sure we did not get ambushed. And low and behold we found an additional captive who we took with us; a woman with reddish colored hair who had been beaten so badly she could not even open her eyes. She whimpered in pain every time Knox took a step. He cradled her gently, but she was so battered nothing but time would heal the pain. Her creamy skin was littered with bruises and cigarette burns and she held her arm to her body, which told me it was either dislocated or broken.
Knox refused to let her go even when they got into the truck. One look from him and we all backed off as he sat in the back with her on his lap. Although his body was still from holding her, his multi-colored eyes raged, his jaw ticked as whatever he was feeling boiled inside of him.
We made it to our safe house in Petersburg and as soon as we got everyone inside, Colton’s phone started ringing again and again and again.
“Answer it before it wakes her up,” growled Knox as he carried the female into one of the bedrooms.
“What?” Colton whisper shouted as Whistler and I laid Baxter down on the couch. He was beaten pretty badly but nothing compared to Knox’s girl. His eyes were swollen, his lip busted, but he kept asking about his daughters.
Colton was quiet as we heard the voice on the other end. “We have him,” replied Colton to whatever was asked of him. “No worse for the wear,” was his next response. “What?” Colton yelled. “I’m gonna kill the motherfucker. Did you stop her?” This one sided conversation was killing me. I came to stand next to Colton, trying to hear more. “Alright, alright. I am on my way.”
Just breathe motherfucker. Just breathe.
“Talk to me brother.” Colton was already pacing before he even ended the call.
“Crazy Z called Logan. He told her about having Baxter. He wants to trade Baxter for her and she agreed.”
“What the hell was she thinking?” I joined Colton in his pacing.
“Don’t let her,” groaned Baxter. “I’ll go back before I let him have her.”
“Don’t you worry,” Colton promised. “She is not getting within 100 feet of that sick bastard.”
“So tell me everything,” I demanded as I looked between Baxter and Colton.
“Z called telling Logan he wanted to trade her for her father. That nothing would happen to him if she agreed. He asked her to meet them at the safe house we were just at tonight. He said that if Logan agreed to be his, he would forget what happened with her father and let him live.”
“That fucker. He told her so that she would know Baxter was alive. Shit. He said that shit because he knew one of the two clubs was going to kill him. He just didn’t want to look like the bad guy to Logan. What the hell are we going to do Colton? Logan and Campbell were not even supposed to know we ever saw Baxter. What the fuck now?” Did we help or hurt by taking Baxter?
“Tank I swear to God if something happens to her. I . . . I will fucking lose it. Every motherfucking member of the Hellhounds will die. I . . . I can’t . . . I just can’t.” He ran his hands back and forth over his head.
I grabbed Colton’s shoulder. “I know. What do you want to do?”
“Pop wants you, me, and Whistler back ASAP. Knox, Gunner, Ax, and Trigger can stay here in case anything happens.”
“Let’s ride,” I said. “Ax give him your keys. Bikes will get us there faster.” The prospect obeyed as I walked out the door with Whistler and Colton right on my heels.
We made it back to the clubhouse in 90 minutes with Colton barely turning the bike off before he was through the front door.
“Logan. God damn it Logan. Get. Down. Here.” I had never see Colton so pissed off.
“I’m right here,” she said as she walked through the kitchen door. Logan’s back was against the wall with her legs wrapped around Colton and his tongue down her throat before anyone could say a word.
Movement at the top of the steps caught my eye as I saw Sunshine watching her sister and Colton. I took the steps by twos as I raced to her. “What were you thinking?” I hissed before my lips slammed into hers with a hard kiss.
“Cam,” Colton yelled from below. “Get down here NOW.”
“Looks like it is time to pay the piper,” Campbell said pushing on my chest. Our lips were only inches from each other that I felt her warm words brush across my face. Grunting, I grabbed her hand and dragged her down the steps to Logan and Colton.
“What the hell is going on?” Colton looked from Logan to Campbell.
“We figured we would make the deal,” started Campbell.
“And then use me as bait to get Baxter there so the Soul Reapers could end this,” Logan finished.
“Oh. So you took it upon yourself to make this happen?” Colton was pissed.
“Yes.” Campbell’s aloofness took me by surprise and evidently Colton as well because he laughed a wicked laugh.
“You have no fucking clue.” He spat out.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” yelled Logan, as she pushed Colton’s body away from hers. Logan grabbed Campbell’s hand and pulled her behind her.
“We were out rescuing your piece of shit father from the Hellhounds. When Z finds out that Baxter is gone, he is going to go ape shit crazy. And when that happens who do you think he is going to come after? YOU!” He said as he pointed to Logan. “Campbell already told us how obsessed he was with having you and now you are just a phone call away. FUCK!” Colton screamed as he kicked the kitchen door open before storming through it.
“Shit,” cried Logan as tears ran down her cheeks. “How was I supposed to know?”
“You weren’t,” answered Wesson. “That was the point.”
“What are you going to do with Baxter?” Campbell questioned as she took Logan in her arms. Logan curled into her and she cried quietly.
“That is club business.” Prez did not wait for any response as he turned and walked into his office, effectively ending the conversation.
“Oh my god,” Logan cried louder as Campbell tried to calm her. Campbell’s eyes found mine, searching for the truth but I broke our connection as I followed Colton into the kitchen.
Just breathe motherfucker. Just breathe.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Campbell
Happy fucking birthday to me! The silence of the clubhouse was unnerving as I half dragged, half carried Logan towards the room she shared with Colt. She was a hot mess, sobbing for Baxter, crying over Colton, blabbering on about what happened to us and what we could possibly lose with one word from Wesson. I felt numb. Did I want Baxter to die? No, but then again he made his bed a thousand times over and was finally caught in his lies.
I lay next to Logan, running my fingers through her hair to soothe her like she used to do to me when I was a kid. Logan eventually cried herself to sleep. I must have fallen asleep as well because some time later yelling woke me up from a dead sleep. I looked around trying to get my bearings and knew that I was in Colt’s room when I saw Logan still asleep next to me. Everything came rushing back to me and I quickly crept out of the room to see what was going on. I stayed along the wall, doing my best to stay out of eyesight as I came to rest at the top of the stairs. What I saw had my breath stalling in my lungs. All the brothers stood in a circle with Tank and his father in the middle. Both had their shirts off as they circled back and forth around one a
nother.
“You piece of shit,” yelled Whistler as he swung at Tank, who easily stepped out of the way. Whistler staggered as he brought a bottle to his lips taking a healthy swig. “I can’t fucking believe you, picking gash over brothers. You’re as fucking worthless as the day they died,” slurred Whistler. “I thought you would eventually man up but it looks like you will always be that fucking cry baby I found tied to a fucking chair. But now instead of a chair, you are tied to a fucking pussy.”
“Picking pussy over brothers and now ours hands are fucking tied because you and lover boy over there,” he slurred as he pointed to Colton, “voted with your dicks instead of doing what was right by the club. Those pussies you wear upstairs means more to you then the cut on your back.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you are talking about old man.” They circled again. Tank’s eyes were black as night.
“I don’t? Have you told your latest pussy upstairs about what a fucking cry baby you are?” Tank growled in frustration. “Have you cried to her yet about how you wailed while you watched your mother and sister being raped to death? You were worthless then and you are worthless now.” Whistler downed the rest of whatever was in the bottle before throwing it at Tank, who easily batted it away. The shattering of the bottle against the floor echoed throughout the room.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up and go the fuck to bed. Sleep this shit off,” Tank roared as he became the hunter and his old man the prey. I flinched at the emotionless expression on Tank’s face. It was as if he was devoid of any humanity. The same look he carried the first night I met him.
“Bed.” What the fuck? Could Whistler not stop? “Of course you would recommend pussy to me. Since you seem knee deep in it with that fresh gash upstairs. Maybe she will open those legs as easily for me as she did for you.” His grin was evil as he egged Tank on. “She was a fucking bitch in heat, panting after you whenever you were in the fucking room. She finally let you slip inside? Get a taste of the cream she serving?”
“Enough,” roared Tank as his fist met the side of Whistler’s face. An uppercut took Whistler to the ground as Tank jumped on him. His fist flew one after the other as he unleashed his fury onto his father. A sharp whistle sounded as Colton and Rabbit jumped in and pulled Tank off of Whistler. Tank’s chest heaved as he let them drag him away from the carnage he just wrecked. As they dragged him into the kitchen, I ducked to stay out of sight as the brothers below began to disperse. Gunner and another brother grabbed Whistler and dragged him off somewhere.
Holy shit that was intense. I cannot even imagine what Tank was going through but from the banging around in the kitchen I was guessing he was still pissed and rightly so. I did not walk, but ran to Colton’s room needing advice, help, anything Logan could offer to help bring Tank from whatever darkness he had fallen back into. Something told me I should go to him and help him through this, but I did not want to get rejected again. We had come so far in the last twenty-four hours that I did not want anything to set us back.
Tank
I punched the wooden table again, causing my knuckles to split open. The burn felt just right.
“I was thinking of throwing Cam a party tonight.”
I cracked my neck as I saw Whistler’s face in my mind’s eye as his words played over and over in my head.
What the hell did Colton just say?
“What?” I asked, turning to face him. He stood against the sink with a beer in his hand. I had not even heard him come in.
“I was thinking of throwing Cam a party tonight. It is her birthday today.”
“No shit.” I went back to slamming my fist against the table. The solid oak withstood my onslaught.
“Well, we need something to cut the tension around here, or so help me brother I am going to kill a mother fucker for just breathing.”
“Ok,” I finally conceded. All fight left me. My chin dropped to my chest. I counted to ten in my head. Damn. That party idea was actually a good one. I wished I would have thought of that. Hell, I had not even wished her a happy birthday yet today, let alone gotten her anything. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“So does Cam know about . . .” Colton trailed off. I knew he would come back to it. But like the true brother he was he gave me a minute to get my shit together before asking.
“Yes,” I answered and she did. It made me want her even more. “And she fucking gets it.”
“Sooooo . . . what’s the problem?” Colton knew me too well.
“Fucking everything. She’s doesn’t get it.” I paced back and forth some more.
“But, I thought you said . . .” The look of confusion on his face would have been funny if this was not so fucked up.
“Fuck what I said. She does not get that my heart died 12 years ago tied to that fucking chair. I lost my entire family that day.” I felt the terror of that night return.
“No you didn’t brother,” Colton assured me as he came to stand next to me. “We are still right here. Yes you lost members of your family, but not all of them.” His words crushed me. I never thought of it like that before. “And now your punk ass . . .” He elbowed me. “Has a chance at more.”
“You love her man,” said Colton as he walked towards the door. “You love her like I love Logan, with every ounce of your dead fucking heart.” I glared at Colton. Who did he think he was?
“You’re wrong,” I lied.
“I’m not,” replied Colton stubbornly.
“We’ll see,” I said defiantly.
“Just don’t do anything you’ll regret,” he warned.
“Never do brother.” The lies just kept coming tonight.
“Yeah. Alright.” Colton was not buying what I was selling. “Well it’s time for Logan to forgive me so I going to go let her do that. See you in about an hour for the party,” and with that he left the room.
I paced back and forth still filled with an angry energy. I stalked out of the kitchen and straight to the bar where a few of the brothers were already drinking. A few head nods acknowledged me as Wesson stepped behind the bar. He grabbed our good friend, Jack, and poured two shots as he made his way over to me.
“He’s out for the night,” Prez said after we finished the shot. I dipped my chin letting him know he was heard. Wesson poured another shot as he looked around the clubhouse. “Whistler is full of shit and we all know it.” I downed my shot, accepting the burn of the liquor as it warmed my gut. “He is set in the old ways of doing things and doesn’t understand why things need to be different.”
“It doesn’t matter,” was all I said as I drank down another shot, letting the warmth spread to the rest of my body. Arms circled my waist from behind as perfume so thick I tasted it invaded the air around me. I ignored the arms and the body became glued to my side as a beer was placed in front of me. It tasted like fucking water as I downed that bottle and another before I knew it.
I felt good. Loose. Relaxed. Fluid. My eyes felt heavy but in a good way. My body was slow to react but I was surrounded by brothers so I knew it was okay. I discovered a little while ago that the arms belonged to Tricia. She was still hanging off of me like a monkey, but fuck, it didn’t matter.
The party was going strong. Oh yeah. We were having a party for . . . for . . . fuck . . . it didn’t matter.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Campbell
Logan and I barely got in two sentences before Colt walked into his room. One look from him and I knew he was there to make up with Logan. I made a quick get-away back to Tank’s room with the news of a party tonight in my honor. I should be excited but instead I was just worried about Tank.
After forty-five minutes later Logan joined me looking like a sex goddess . . . a showered sex goddess. Thank God! I did not need to smell Colt on her.
I was in the process of laying out all the clothes when Logan came in carrying a wrapped present.
“Gimme. Gimme.” I chanted as I jumped up and down.
“Hold on,” Logan said, putting the pr
esent behind her back. “We need to talk about something serious first, then the fun.”
All jumping stopped. “Ok. Lay it on me.”
“So Colt, Tank, and a few other brothers did get da . . . Baxter from the Hellhounds. They also found a woman there severely beaten.”
“Oh my god.” My mouth opened in shock.
“I know. Knox is with her now. He hasn’t left her side since finding her there. She can’t even open her eyes and Colt said she is really bad off. It’s horrible. I just think about what could have happened to us and it makes me feel awful.” Logan’s eyes teared up as she shook her head back and forth. I hated Crazy Z and the Hellhounds even more for the role they continued to play in our lives.
“Ok,” sighed Logan. “Back to Baxter. So Colt said that they need justice from Baxter.” Logan air quoted justice. “I have no idea what that means and Colt won’t tell me. They had church while we were up here.” Logan’s mention of them having church made Whistler and Tank’s blow-up make sense. Tank and Colt must have voted out of line from other members of the club. “The Soul Reapers have agreed to pay off the Hellhounds.”
“I thought they already did that when they bought you.”
“Well I don’t know if they just paid for me or paid off the debt. There was too much chaos happening that night for me to remember. I have played it over and over in my head,” reasoned Logan.
“So the Soul Reapers paying off the Hellhounds is good right?” I asked.
“I have no idea. Colt doesn’t think the Hellhounds will ever let Baxter live even if the debt is paid. He thinks more extreme action is needed.”
“Like what?” None of this sounded good.
“Well . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“They are going to kill him?” I could not believe Colt or Tank could do something like that, and then I thought about Whistler and how easy it would be for him to pull the trigger.
Campbell's Reaper: Soul Reapers #2 Page 11