Wire: A Wings of Diablo MC Novel

by Lake, Rae B.

  It was only ten am but I had already found, six of the Tears of Chaos brothers. There were six fewer members now. I drove up to another hideout that I had on my list of places that they liked to be. I found two more there, and one of them was none other than the notorious Scotty. He was fully patched now. Good for him.

  I walked in and everyone that wasn’t a Tear took off in the opposite direction. I was covered in blood and guts. I didn’t care. I needed to know where Keeley was and nothing was going to stop me. I grabbed both of them by the neck and dragged them to the back. Locking the door and handcuffing them to poles in the walls, looked like steam pipes, nice and sturdy. They wouldn’t break free for a long time.

  Scotty was screaming; at least I thought he was. I‘d been in a numb state for hours. He was gagged as he watched me torture his club mate. He didn’t give me the information that I wanted, so I removed the skin off his face with a paring knife. It was a slow process, and he was unconscious before I’d finished, but I wanted to make sure that I had completed the job. I slit his throat when I was done, just for good measure.

  Finally, I moved on to Scotty. “Where are they keeping Keeley?” I turned on the blow torch and then pulled the gag out of his mouth.

  “She’s down by the pier,” he blurted out as soon as his mouth was able to work properly. I am pretty sure he bit his tongue, trying to get the words out. There was nothing like a cooperative mark. He already knew what I could do, and he obviously didn’t want to feel the pain I could dole out again.

  “By the pier, where?” I put the blow torch down near him, not close enough to touch him but close enough that he could still feel the heat.

  “Ah, I don’t know,” he stuttered.

  I picked up the blow torch and quickly swiped it down his midsection watching as the skin bubbled angrily. He screamed and squealed, pulling at the handcuffs, but he couldn’t get free.

  “I swear on my life, Wire. I don’t know exactly where. It has to be at the lower end, where they bring in the fish and crabs. There is a big warehouse right where they are keeping for Mermaid Fishery. You should go today. Most of the club is out at a meeting, and they won’t be back for a long while. She’ll be mostly alone. Maybe only a few guards.” He looked up at me, pleading with his eyes that this was enough information to get me to leave him alone. It was.

  I grabbed the hair at the back of his head and brought the flame close to his face.

  “If I get there and you’re wrong, I’m going to come for you, and your dick won’t be the only thing that I will cut off. I hope you value your life, and that of your family.”

  I saw him suck in a huge breath, mention a family to a mark, and they were usually willing to do anything that you ask of them.

  He nodded his head, a quick tear falling down his face. He had pissed himself and I was ready to get out of there, I hit him with the butt of my gun until he fell unconscious. I had to get my woman.

  Wire

  I walked into my club. I needed more weapons if I was going to the holding spot. Scotty said it was going to be with minimal guards, but I wasn’t about to walk in there without any protection.

  “Wire! Stop, dammit.” Clean stood right in front of me. It was the only way I could hear that he was talking to me. The words were sort of muted. I’d had to really focus to see that he was talking to me.

  “I got shit to do, Clean. Move.”

  “We’re trying to help you, brother.”

  That caught my attention. What did he mean, help me? If that was code for keeping me locked up until they thought it was a good time to go after them, then I was going to have to punch him right in the face and move on.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Prez held a meeting after you left. He agreed with you. He’s lifting the lockdown so we can get Keeley. I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

  They were going to help me? Not kick me out?

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, brother and none of the guys were going to speak out against the Prez and the new VP.” He shot me a wink and lightly punched me in the arm.

  Apparently, the word was out that I was up for VP.

  “I’m not VP yet, and from what was said earlier, I don’t think I passed my trial.”

  “Shit, you were calm for someone who just found out their woman was tied up in the enemy’s basement. No one would have acted any differently. All the other brothers want no one but you.”

  When did I get so high up on everyone's list?

  “Well, I’m about to end it now. I know where Keeley is. I only came back here to get some more heat.”

  “Ok, hold up. I know Larry, the prospects and a few others are here. Let us get our gear.” He backed away from me, making sure that I wasn’t going to leave without him.

  “You got three minutes and then I’m out.” I turned from him and made my way up the stairs.

  I grabbed everything I could carry that was in the form of a gun and all the ammo that I could ever need. It took me all of two minutes. Loaded with three semi-automatic weapons, a sawed-off shotgun and a fully automatic Uzi. I walked out to see Larry, Clean, Prez, the prospects, Ryder and Archer, and all of them were fully decked out. Clean even had a few grenades strapped to his hip. They weren’t playing games. My brothers were ready to go to war for me.

  “Where is the little lady?” Prez asked.

  “She’s supposedly by the pier near the Mermaid Fishery warehouse. He couldn’t tell me the exact location only that it’s very close to that. He also said that now would be a great time to get her since she’ll be pretty much alone for the day. Shouldn’t be too many people shooting at us.”

  “Do you believe the source?” Archer asked.

  “Yeah, it was Scotty. He was determined not to feel my wrath again.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Alright, we go in quick and quiet. Luckily there are only three places near that end of the pier that she can be in,” Prez said, taking lead of the situation immediately.

  “You got it, boss.”

  “Let’s go get your woman.” Prez clapped me on the back and we made our way to the trucks.

  * * *

  We went by the three buildings that were in the area and the first two were duds, nothing there but equipment and seagulls. The last building that we went to seemed like it was the winner. There were two guards outside, their Tears of Chaos patches easily visible.

  “Clean, you, Wire and Archer go through the front, and the rest of us will find a way to go through the back. If you can’t get in clean, hold back until we get in and we will take out these two,” Prez said.

  I watched as they ran off around the corner.

  “Archer, can you take the one on the left out?” We called him Archer because he was the best shot in the whole club, he was a sniper at one time in a past life.

  I watched as he set up his rifle, took a deep breath, and as he gently exhaled, took out the man to the left, a single shot in the center of his head. I bet the dumbass didn’t realize when he woke up this morning that guarding that girl would be the last thing he’d do.

  As soon as the guard dropped, the other guard opened fire in the direction that we were in. He was shooting far left from where we were, but one lucky bullet hit a machine, ricocheting and striking Clean right in the arm.

  “Fuck!” He yelled as the blood began to seep down his shirt.

  “Goddammit!” I ran over to him and put pressure on the wound. Clean was the last one that I wanted hurt right now. He always had my back.

  “Wire, get out of here. He isn’t guarding the door. That is your way in.”

  “Nah, I have to get you out of here first.”

  “Wire go! I got him!” Archer said over the spray of bullets as the lonely guard finally figured out where we were. Archer looked up once and fired. He was right on the mark as usual. With the last guard down, I ran into the building, looking to see if I could see her. There was nothing around but fishing equipment and ab
andoned cars.

  Prez, Max and the others moved into the building from the back. “I didn’t see anyone when we came in. I think the two at the front were the only ones here. Scotty was telling the truth.”

  “He better pray he was.” I jogged down toward the stairs, from the pictures she was in a basement of sorts.

  I took off at a sprint, not even waiting for any backup. Keeley was close; she had to be.

  I opened one of the doors, and there was nothing in there but an overturned bed, some rats and a bucket. I was about to close the door when I saw something flesh-colored in the corner behind the bed. I walked up slowly and when I noticed it was a pair of dainty feet, all the breath left my body.

  “Is that her?” I heard Prez ask from behind me, but my eyes were fixated on the unmoving feet lying on the floor. She had to be ok; I couldn’t be too late.

  “Keeley?” I said as I continued my slow stalk toward her body. She didn’t answer. Finally, I got to the bed and pushed it away from her. She was pale and curled into a ball, some cloth rolled up and wrapped around her body. She was trying to keep away the rats.

  I shook my head in disgust, how had I let this happen to her.

  I knelt down behind her and reached under to pick her up.

  “No. Don’t you fucking touch me. Don’t touch me.”

  She woke from her slumber, a fresh set of tears streaming down from her still closed eyes. She swung her fists blindly, hitting me in the face and shoulder. I could have cried from relief; she was still here with me, still alive.

  “Babe, it’s me.” She was still swinging. I cleared my throat and spoke again, “Keeley, open your eyes, baby, it’s me.”

  She opened her eyes slowly, one was slightly swollen and bloodshot, so I wasn’t sure if she could see me clearly. I rubbed my hand along her face.

  “Dillon?”

  “Yes, Princess. I’m here.”

  She reached up around my neck and squeezed with everything she had, kissing the side of my face and my eyes, everywhere she could reach. More tears were streaming down her battered face, but this time, she was smiling.

  “Oh my god, I didn’t think you would find me. I didn’t think I’d-”

  I cut her off with a soft kiss on the lips.

  “Nothing would keep me from you, Keeley. You’re mine.”

  “Yes. I am yours.”

  Finally, with my girl in my arms, I walked out of there, feeling just a bit lighter and at peace.

  Wire

  Keeley was put directly into intensive care when we got her to the hospital. Those bastards beat her, waterboarded her, and stuck her in a room with rats who were eating off little chunks of her at a time. The doctors were all worried about the infections that any of them could have transferred to her. They were also concerned about the condition of her lungs. She’d pneumonia from the water she’d inhaled. They’d had to place a breathing tube in her throat along with a feeding tube in her nose to get some nutrients into her.

  Prez put the club back in lockdown, but he and the rest of the brothers knew that there was no way that I was going to leave Keeley. They would need to pry my dead fingers from her bed if they were going to get me to leave. What would get me to leave was Keeley.

  The longer I stayed, the more I couldn’t see how she’d want to be with me. I had caused so much grief in her life. I had taken her sweet, calm life and inserted all my bullshit. There was no way for me to make it up to her. None.

  I watched her sleep, wanting to be there every time she woke up.

  Her eyes fluttered open and her face immediately fell into a frown around the tube in her throat.

  That was all the confirmation that I needed.

  “Keeley, you have every reason to hate me. I’ve done nothing but destroy your life. I am so sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you were going to be ok. I’ll leave you be.”

  She reached up to the tube that was in her mouth and tried to pull it out. I grabbed her hand just before she could.

  “Are you crazy? What the hell are you thinking? This shit is keeping you alive!”

  She glared at me and dug her nails into the skin on my hand, causing me to hiss and pull my hand away in pain. She grabbed at the tube again and began to yank, gagging as the thick tube began to come up. It was quicker than I thought it was going to be. She gagged a few times.

  I walked to the door ready to leave and get a nurse.

  “Always running,” her voice rasped.

  “What?” I turned back to see what she was talking about.

  “Always fucking running away.” This time it was clearer.

  “Fuck that! I don’t run from anything. I don’t belong with you, Keeley. I told you before that my life wasn’t for you. And here you are for a second time in the damn hospital because of me.”

  The nurses heard the commotion and made their way into the room, “Miss you can’t have that out yet,” one of the nurses reprimanded her, while the other went to go fetch the doctor so they could put it back in.

  “Really, because of you? I didn’t know you were the one who was chasing me through the lab, or the one who tied me up, or the one who beat me. Tell me which one of those people were you again? Because I’m not sure.”

  I rolled my eyes at her, of course, she had something to say.

  “No, of course, I didn’t personally do any of those things, but can you honestly say that you would have had any of those things happen to you if I hadn’t been in your life?”

  “No, but I also can’t say that anyone would’ve been around to save me from those people.”

  I shook my head; she was missing the whole point. “Keeley, I wouldn’t have had to save you-”

  “I love you, Dillon,” she looked at me, expectant.

  My brain had stopped working. No one had ever told me they loved me. At least nobody of consequence. I had had a few women scream it when I was fucking them, but I never paid any mind to that. It didn’t make me throw them out any slower. But to hear it from Keeley, even after everything I had put her through? I was in awe.

  “You love me?”

  “Of course, I do, Dillon. You’re worthy of love. Don’t you see that?” She reached a hand to me, and I walked over to her, placing my hand in hers.

  “Do you love me too?” She asked.

  “I think I do. I don’t know. I don’t know what it feels like to love someone.”

  “Well, tell me what you feel.”

  “I feel like if you were to go, I would die. I want to see you every day. I want you to be happy more than I want my next breath. I feel like my life is complete when you hold me. All I think of is you; you’re my everything.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. “Yeah, that’s love.”

  I kissed away her tears and laid down in the bed next to her as close as I could. I needed this woman more than I needed my life. I would never be without her again.

  Wire

  I stayed by Keeley’s side all night long as the nursing staff came and went giving her medication and checking her stats. Luckily the doctor was able to leave the tube out of her throat as long as she promised to keep the oxygen mask on.

  I tried to ask her what had happened when she was with the Tears, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, she would cry a bit, causing me to get more and more furious. In the end, we just decided it was best to talk about it some other time.

  It was while I was watching her sleep that Prez decided to call me.

  I hurried out of the room so that I wouldn’t wake her. After everything that she had gone through, she needed all the sleep that she could get.

  “Speak,” I answered when I was safely away from her door.

  “How is that little lady of yours doing?” Prez asked it meant a lot to me that he was concerned for her. It was a testament to his character.

  “She’s in good spirits, healing up.”

  “Good, I’m glad to hear it.” He let out a deep breath. “We still haven’t been able to locate Monte, bu
t word on the street is most of his club has disbanded. They thought he was taking this grudge a bit too far. No one wants to go one on one with you.”

  “Well, after what they did to her, I wouldn’t want to go one on one with me either.”

  “But we still have a problem. It seems he’s still trying to get people together to come after us. It would be a suicide mission, but it seems like he doesn’t care as long as he gets to us. And somehow people are being picked off.”

  “What?” That shouldn’t be possible in a lockdown.

  “I had to start letting people out, wives were calling, kids crying. So, everyone was going out on their own accord. Six brothers from our allies in New York were taken out by some kind of bomb, and Gin is MIA.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Yeah, it's getting crazy out there. That’s what I wanted to warn you about. I don’t think that they will come at you while you’re in the hospital. Too many witnesses, but watch your ass when you go out. Be suspicious of everyone.”

  “For sure, I’m not worried about it.”

  “Cut the shit! Be worried about it.”

  “You got it, Prez. I’ll be on the lookout.”

  “Ok, and I am not telling you to take any time away from your woman, but if you happen to run into Gin anywhere tell him to bring his ass in, he’s been gone for days and no one knows what’s going on with him.”

  “For sure. If I run into him, I’ll tell him.”

  “Good.”

  “Prez, did you ever think that maybe…” I stopped my thought, what I was about to say could get me in serious trouble. You never go against one of your brothers, never.

  “Speak.”

  “Nah, it's stupid. I haven’t gotten enough sleep. My brain is being paranoid.”

  “Ah, I think I know where you're going. It passed through my mind too. I pray on everything that we’re wrong.

  He hung up without any further instruction and I took my ass back to Keeley.

  “Hey, I thought you went home,” she said, having woken up while I was on the phone outside.

  “Nah, just a call I needed to take.” I took my seat next to her bed and held her hand. “How are you feeling?”