A great shout went up throughout the room. The men lifted their fists in agreement as they applauded.
Vinny’s booming low voice made its way over their noise, “You kill me, and you kill Benni, and then what? What about the rest of the club that stands by us?” Vinny was right to bring up the rest of the club. Only about a quarter of the men were in the room with Quimby now.
“They’ll fall in line or meet the same fate. An enemy to the new leadership is no one worth keeping around for long.” The boys laughed. They were bloodthirsty and vengeful – a perfect combination for rebellion.
Quimby held up his hand in a fist. The men stopped laughing almost immediately. “But maybe we could make a deal. You stay, work for me, make your keep, and we won’t kill you.”
“I would never work for pigs like you.” Vinny held to his values. No man, certainly not one like Quimby, would make him bow down without earning his trust first. “Instead, let me make you a deal. You let me, Gloria, and Benni walk free and I won’t kill you myself. Understood?”
Quimby’s humor drained as he pointed towards two men and directed, “He’s done. Tie him up.”
As the men walked towards him, their arms outstretched ready to force him down to the metal chair, Vinny stood slowly as well and then suddenly attacked. He ran through the men with his entire body weight. They fell back down with one’s head catching the hard tile with a crack. The other crumbled to the floor with Vinny still attached. Vinny punched at him several times over and over again until blood ran from his lips and ears.
The other men had begun to circle. One threw his arms around Vinny’s neck as he used his weight to crush him back down to the ground. Vinny let out a roar as he kicked his legs out from under him, spinning the man to the ground and allowing Vinny to straddle him instead.
Vinny and the man both reached at the same time for the man’s blade that stuck awkwardly out of its holder near his pocket. Vinny managed to make it just in time to stick the knife into the man’s arm, pinning him down to the ground in agony. His cries rang out.
Vinny had no mercy. He yanked the knife out of the man’s hand and stood again. Dark brown and red blood covered his shirt and jeans. He stood before Quimby, the man at least five inches shorter than him. He struck without warning, landing a hard hit to the face. Quimby fell backwards but caught himself on the wall. He was up within a quick second, not enough time for Vinny to recover from the sharp sting he felt in his stitches.
Quimby made the most of it, overwhelming the man as he kneed him in the stomach and gut and finally pushing him over to the ground. With a snap of his fingers, the other remaining men pounced on Vinny. He found himself fighting his way out of a pit of men both larger and smaller than himself. His knife was swinging wildly, catching bodies as he turned.
In the distance from his fight, Vinny could make out the sound of a roar of bikes. His reinforcement, he hoped. If Benni and Gloria had managed to free themselves and called backup, he may have a fighting chance.
The roar must have come as a warning for the others, as well. As quickly as they had fallen upon Vinny, the same men backed off. One by one, including Quimby, they scattered to the corners of the room or out the door.
Suddenly, there was a pop. And another. And another. The room sounded as if fireworks were going off beside them. Vinny ducked and slid under a table for protection from the bullets that flew past him.
Someone was shouting his name behind him. He turned to see Gloria hidden in a doorway in the center of the hallway. She was pointing towards the direction where the bullets were coming, but he could not make out her message.
He crawled along the floor on his stomach to her, finally reaching the wall nearest her as the madness and chaos came to a sudden stop. Vinny cautiously stood in the shot out window, just barely getting a glance of the men riding in Devils’ colors. They were circling the parking lot now, rounding up the remaining Horsemen that had attempted to flee outside.
A thought crossed Vinny’s tired mind: their war tribe had managed to strike just as Gloria had predicted. She had not lied. She had tried to warn them all, just as she had tried to warn them earlier.
Vinny turned back to where Gloria had stood, but she was no longer there. His eyes darted across the room until he saw her bulging eyes and pained look. “Vinny” she lipped wordlessly to him. Standing behind her was Quimby, the knife Vinny had won was pointed at her neck.
“Put it down, Quimby!” Benni had seen him first and was pointing a sleek black handgun at the panting, terrified man. He had gotten the supply of weapons from the lock box stowed away in his office. “Do it and you walk away alive.”
“Couldn’t even fight like a real man, eh Benni? Had to send Vinny here to do it for you the first time and now you won’t even face me hand-to-hand? You’re just like them.” Quimby used his elbow and head to gesture to the Devils riding out of the parking lot and back onto the road. Their attack had been all they could have dreamed about and more.
“Do it, Quimby! Drop the knife!” Vinny had joined Benni and was now shouting loudly at his old partner. He watched helplessly as two large tears rolled down Gloria’s eyes. Her face was blank, tired, and resolved. She was prepared for what was about to come next.
“Vinny…”
“Don’t you even start that, Gloria. Don’t you dare say it.” He wanted her to fight, to be prepared to go into battle.
“I love you.” She had to get it out. She had to say it, even if it was just one last time. He needed to know why she had come back and why she had put herself on the line. He was her reason. He was her reason for living.
Gloria suddenly slammed her foot onto Quimby’s. The heel of her black pumps cut through his toe. As he stammered back, she landed a quick hit to his balls while ducking from the knife he attempted to slice with.
Vinny was there before she could move. He slid into a tackle as he knocked the wind out of the plump man. He turned wild and savage as he beat the man senseless, showing no mercy, as he had not towards Gloria. Quimby’s body went limp under him as he continued to hit away.
Gloria crawled toward him and placed her hand on the back of his neck. The softness of his skin calmed and centered him. His fists slowed, his body began to heave in and out with the weight of his tired breath. Vinny wiped his hands upon his shirt and rose, lifting Gloria upwards with him.
He took Gloria in his arms, rustling the hair between his fingers. The two said no words between them, nor did they acknowledge the Horsemen’s leader, as they walked out the door to where Gloria’s car was parked.
Their fight was over. Their war was won.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
A heavy knock pounded on room 1149 of the Hotel Davenport. Gloria rolled over slowly, shaking out the night from her hair as she tried to remember just where she was. The pounding only grew louder. She sat up and put her feet down on the soft, red carpet, then grabbed the oversized shirt draped over the desk chair and a pair of panties from the day before. “I’m coming,” she lazily cried to the source of the noise. “Hold on!”
Through the peephole, she saw an unfamiliar man dressed in all back looking down at the shadows and light of the crack. He pressed himself up against the red wood door and said, “Gloria. It’s Riley. Benni needs to see you and Vinny now.”
Gloria’s heart raced. Since the big blowout at the Horsemen’s headquarters, Gloria had spent all of her time and money running from the men once more. And just like the Devils following her to Florida and St. Louis, the men the club sent to scout her found her here in Indianapolis.
Gloria sighed heavily as she resolved herself on what had to be done. She unhooked the lock, leaving the chain on to create a barrier and pulled it open just enough so that he could see that she was in there.
“What does Benni want from me? I helped him escape the hostile takeover. I don’t owe him anymore.” Gloria could only imagine the punishment she was in for. When she had agreed to untie Benni, it was under the condition that
she would have immunity for the rest of her life. She would be free to roam and wander as she pleased, as well as to do her business without repercussions. It was a deal worth making, even if it meant freeing the man who had vowed to kill her.
“The boss wants to see you. He says he has an offer to make you.” The man looked over her head and towards the bed. “He wants to see both of you. Now. Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes.”
Gloria swallowed hard as she shut the door and turned back towards the bedroom. Vinny was sleeping heavily in the bed, his head snuggled deep in the feather down pillows and his arms grasping toward the covers he had thrown off. She laid back down with him, taking her place under his sweaty, hot body once more.
Her motion stirred him as he rolled over, his eyes flickering to recognition. “Hey there.” He looked deep into the pools of her eyes and found only worry, “What’s going on?”
“It was a Horseman. They found us.” Gloria was matter of fact about it.
“What?” Vinny slithered up towards the top of the bed to sit. It was the first time he had even thought about the club since he walked away almost two weeks earlier. He missed the comradely, the protection, and the rides. But he found solace on the road with his lady riding behind him. “What do they want? Did they say something to you?” Vinny had stood as he traced the room looking for his backpack. He tossed on his white t-shirt and slid on a pair of jeans.
“The man said Benni wants to speak to us and that we have to meet him in the lobby in ten minutes. Do you think we should try to run?”
Vinny was already up and staring out the window. He spotted the caravan of bikes in the parking lot. Riders were still on most of their seats. They patrolled the area, including the emergency exits. They were trapped once more.
“No. We can’t. There’s no way out.” He pounded a fist to the side of his head, “I knew we should have checked in to a hotel outside the city. Dammit!”
Another knock startled both of them, causing Gloria to jump where she lay. A familiar voice called to their room, “Vinny, open the door…now.”
Benni was growing impatient and suspicious. He knew the couple would not come easily, nor would they cooperate if he gave them the choice to meet with him.
Vinny took Gloria’s hand in his as he pulled her to standing. He embraced her tightly and kissed her gently on her soft, downy lips. “I love you,” he whispered without a second thought and then headed to the door. When he looked through the peephole, he only saw Benni. No other men, no weapons. It was just the leader looking more tired and run down than ever.
Benni walked in slowly, surveying the interior with a deft eye. Vinny closed the door behind him, locking each lock quickly in hopes that it would keep whatever Benni came with on the outside.
“The fuck do you want, Benni?”
“Vinny! Relax. I’m here to, shall we say, re-recruit you.”
“‘Re-recruit’ me?” Vinny almost laughed. “The fuck? You seriously misjudged the situation. After all that shit that went down, ain’t no chance I’ll ever wanna ride with your club anymore.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, though I do have an offer you may be interested in, as well. I am talking to her.” He looked at Gloria straight in the eye as she slumped downward into a royal blue lounge chair. “We found your notebook when we cleaned up the mess at headquarters. It had some information that has turned out to be more valuable than we could have ever hoped.”
“I don’t blackmail no more. I’m out of that after everything that’s happened.” Gloria was secure in this. She had no earthly desire to put herself back in danger like this.
“Not blackmail—I want you to scout for us. Men are always more eager to talk when there’s a woman around, and I want you to be that girl for us. I know you got some mad skills in this area.”
“Why would I ever agree to this?” Gloria was repulsed by Benni but intrigued by the offer. There were no women members of the Horsemen, or any other motorcycle club she had known. Most were just old ladies, whores, or groupies. It wasn’t anything Gloria ever aspired to be.
“Money, protection—and a chance to go home.”
Gloria’s eyebrows lifted in interest. While she had loved riding backseat with Vinny at the helm, she had still missed the comforts of her home and the thrill of singing on stage for a captive audience. She had wanted all of that once more, but she wanted it with Vinny. And there was no life outside of running left for the two of them to share together.
Benni continued, “You come back, and I offer you a few men to guard you. I’ll give you the assignments, you complete them, and I’ll pay you whatever you would have made with the blackmail. That seem fair?”
“What about Vinny? I’m not going anywhere unless he’s part of the deal.” She looked to where her partner stood against the bathroom wall. He was watching Benni like a hawk, waiting to pounce.
“I have an offer for you.” Benni turned his attention to Vinny, “Despite everything that has happened, you have proven yourself more loyal than my own men. While I’d like to offer you back your old job of enforcer, I think there is a better place for you at the Horsemen. I want you to ride number two—be the Vice.”
“What? Why would I want that?” Vinny thought of how the men had rallied to mutiny under Benni’s control. If Benni were a target once, Vinny would be shortly.
“It would settle the club down. More than half the men are more loyal to you than they ever were to me. They listen to you and want you as the leader. This way, they get the best of both worlds, and you get to be sure that Gloria is safe and out of harm’s way.”
There was a long pause as Gloria and Vinny looked at one another, each searching for the other person’s answer. Vinny walked slowly over to where Gloria sat and kneeled before her. Benni watched carefully as he whispered, “What do you think?”
Gloria had never had to make a choice like this before. Her gut told her to run, to break free from all of it once more. But her heart longed to find some kind of finality with her man.
She wordlessly nodded her answer as Vinny turned to face Benni. His hand was outstretched to shake, “We’ll be home in two days. I expect you can let us alone until then.”
EPILOGUE
“I’m headin’ out!” Gloria called toward the bedroom where Vinny was resting.
“Like hell you’re leavin’ without Matthew. He’s on his way.”
“I’m already runnin’ late. The band’s waitin’ on me. Text Matthew and tell him to meet me there. Same booth as last time.” Gloria pinned the last of the two earrings in her ear and reapplied the coral colored lipstick in her bathroom mirror.
As she looked up, she caught Vinny in the reflection of her mirror. His dark features were transformed since they had arrived back in town – they were lighter, almost weightless. A playful smile danced upon his face as he leaned down to kiss her bare shoulder.
“That dress…” He played with the backless back with his cold hand. He could feel the curve of her spine through the thin red fabric.
“…is stayin’ on…” Gloria finished, “I’m already runnin’ late.” She pushed back towards him, her body catching the warmth of his naked chest. “Plus you’ve already taken this dress off once. You can wait a couple of hours to take it off again.”
“I’m not a patient man, Gloria.” He gave her a deathly serious look from the reflection in the mirror.
“And I’m not a patient woman.” She broke free as she headed out the door, “So I guess we’ll both have to suffer.”
She walked out the door of the apartment and hopped into her car. Jackman’s Tavern was only a few minutes drive from her new home, but she still loved the car ride over. It was winter now. The fields around the road were barren and gray. But the stars above her shone brighter than ever.
That Tavern also glowed in the night. The bar had been revitalized as of late, with the Horsemen and the Devils claiming it as their own. After the Horsemen had found Junior—with the help of Gloria’s i
nformation—new turf boundaries had been drawn, and a small moment of peace had been settled while each club licked their wounds.
There was just enough time for Gloria to retake her spot as the Tavern’s resident singer. She was up on that pine stage three nights a week, just like she had before—the crowd demanded it, and the influx of Horsemen only made her a hotter commodity.
The band was already on stage setting up when she walked through the door. Gerald, her drummer, lifted his hands in protest as he saw her stride through the room. “Put your hands down, Gerald,” she sassed him, “I can tell time as well as you keep it.”
The boys laughed as they finished setting up the instruments and wires. Matthew walked in soon after, acknowledging Gloria as she stood on the stage. Vinny joined him in the booth shortly after. The two men whispered low as they watched the room fill up with friendly and hostile faces.
Don’t You Dare: A Bad Boy MMA Fighter Romance Page 46