by Nicole Fox
My eyes teared up as the smolder in my stomach burst into flames. But my tour wasn’t done. I needed to see the rest. I needed to remember.
So I kept going, feeling the rage grow with every single step. I could feel it burning along my veins and seething across my bones. Every step that brought me closer to that little shop. I knew it would be closed. I knew Jessa would go back to her apartment, sleeping soundly off of the comfort of my dollar.
By the time I reached the shop, it felt like my whole body was aflame. I was ready for war, and I knew just what to do about it.
Although there was a still a part of me that wanted to argue, that wanted to stop and think it over before I committed, there was also a big part of me that just was dying to be reckless. I never knew it existed until now, seething just under the surface, waiting for its opportunity to make me do something insane.
The storefront was closed down, but a light was on somewhere in the store. Perhaps it was Jessa, keeping up the books, studying the trends of my money as it flowed into her pocket. The streets were hushed like they waited to see what I would do next. Hands in my pockets against the chilly evening, I watched the light inside. The rage inside still burned so brightly, more brightly than anything I remember feeling for the last few months. The fog of my indecision lifted, like dawn over the clouds.
Oh yes, I thought my mouth curling up into a smile I didn’t recognize. “I’m going to do the stupid thing. Then, all of this will be mine again.”
The thrill of it poured over me like a drug. I liked the feeling of doing something wrong. I couldn’t wait to see what Jessa’s face looked like when I finally came for her. I hoped to watch her world crash around her ears just like my world had crashed around mine.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a business card. Virgil had slipped it to me during Colton’s first infiltration of the Shadow Cave. It had nothing on it but a phone number. I pulled it and fifty cents out of my pocket, trying not to think about the dwindling money I had left in my clothes.
It took me a few blocks of walking to find a working payphone; there were precious few of them left in a world that was crowded with cell phones. But there was one at the 7-11 close to my old motel room. I put the quarters in, my fingers trembling with a combination of excitement and nerves.
I recognized the voice that answered the phone. “Hello, Ms. Marion.” Virgil sounded just as icy as ever, his voice empty and grave.
I swallowed, trying to wet my suddenly incredibly dry mouth. “Virgil. I want to make another deal with you.” Silence reigned for a few heartbeats, but it felt like an eternity. I twirled the nasty black cord around my fingers, gripping the receiver in white-knuckled fingers.
Finally, he answered. “I’m listening.”
“I will guarantee a meeting between you and Colton Sears.”
I could practically hear him blink in surprise. “If?” he prompted a kind of relief in his voice.
I grinned. “I just need a quick favor. Do you have a few men you can spare?”
“I might. Tell me about your plan.”
So I told him. Before the end of the conversation, Virgil was chuckling. “I believe you have yourself a deal. Good luck, Ms. Marion. I look forward to meeting with your Colton.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Colton
Marion was no longer inside the Horns’ clubhouse.
Somehow, not a single person saw her leave. Not a single person seemed to know where she could have gone. She vanished as though she had never been, and I quivered with a combination of fear and rage. Didn’t I go through all of that trouble to get her back just a few hours ago? Where could she have gone this late at night?”
Dean fidgeted, playing with a bread tie he’d picked up off of the floor somewhere. “She looked really tired, so I thought she went to go lay down. She got really tired after Cara was talking shit to her. I don’t like that lady; she looks like some kind of circus performer.”
Tank laughed. “And what do you know about the circus?”
“The TV talks about it,” Dean said, sticking his chin out in defiance.
The smile faded from Tank’s face as quickly as it had appeared. “I saw her get up, too, but she just looked unhappy, Colton. I thought she’d gone for a smoke or a walk or something. She didn’t want to be bothered, so I didn’t bother her. I didn’t think she’d bail.”
“Maybe she’s gone out for food or something?” Dean asked, trying to be helpful.
I just nodded; I didn’t want Dean to worry about Marion, so I just agreed with him. As soon as he was back to playing, his mind at ease, I sought out anyone else who might have seen her leave. One of the Horns women saw her leave but hadn’t thought she’d gone out for a cigarette. Another saw her walk around the building, but didn’t really watch her walk away.
Not a single person could think of anywhere she would have gone.
I finally found Jade; she was resting against her husband. The two of them looked worse for wear after this week. I couldn’t blame them. They were getting to the point in their careers where they would be looking to retire if they were out in the world. My eyes ran over the two them, worried at the new lines on their faces. Jade looked too pale and Peter looked strained, his face red and beaded with sweat.
If I end up pushing Lyman off of his throne, I will give them the option to retire with honors. The two of them had served loyally for decades. Although the current Heaven’s Horns charter didn’t allow for retirement (since most of us didn’t even live long enough to consider it), I would see to it that they had the option. We are a family first and foremost. Or at least we were once. When did we lose sight of that?
I put most of the blame on Lyman’s shoulders. It was his ascent to the top ranking that had made my father want to leave; I was old enough at the time to remember the man who held his position before him. I didn’t remember much about him, but I remember thinking him fair and level-headed. He wasn’t kind; anyone kind in our line of work would never make it to the top.
“Jade, Peter; have you seen Marion?” I asked.
They turned to me with tired eyes, their expressions slack. “I thought she was with Dean?” Jade said as she blinked over in that direction. “Did she wander off?”
Peter grinned at me, patting me gently on the arm. “You just changed her life completely around, boy. Give her a chance to adjust. She is probably just hiding somewhere and working out her feelings.”
I stared down at him, feeling a weight lift off of my shoulders. “Maybe you’re right. You don’t think she left the Horns, do you?”
Jade took a deep breath like she wanted to speak, but then just let the air out, her eyes uncertain.
“Is there something you know, Jade?” I asked, my voice icy.
She frowned, her gray brows furrowing. “Well, I sort of laid into her before about being weak. She seemed to be forming up some sort of plan; if she heard you and Cara insulting her for not grabbing what she wants, Marion might have left to try and prove you both wrong.” Pressing her lips into a thin line, Jade looked around the room. “I don’t think she would have gone into hiding inside of the Horns. I think she’s probably out and about, making plans if I had to guess.”
I could feel a rise of cold in my chest like my organs had somehow turned to ice in a second. “What was she planning?”
“If I had to guess? Something about that business that was taken from her. Taking it back would be an asset not only to her character but a financial asset for the Horns, too.” Pulling her grey curls back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. “Odd, though. If I were her, I would have recruited some of the boys to help.”
I swallowed hard around a sudden lump in my throat. “Unless she was aiming to kill two birds with one stone. Marion is the one who has been pushing for me to meet with Virgil and end the cartel deals.”
Peter paled. “She’s been what?”
“Quiet.” I glanced around; it didn’t look like anyone was listening in on our
conversation, but I still kept my voice low. “She might be calling Virgil in, trying to lure me into a meeting with him.”
Jade’s fingers knitted together. “Would she do that?”
“If she thought it would fix things here? Yes, absolutely yes.” I didn’t know how I was so certain, but the truth of it seemed to echo in my bones. “So where is this business of hers?”
Jade shook her head. “I never learned where it was. I know it’s over by the canal, on the west bank, but I don’t know exactly where.”
Peter seemed to find his tongue again, and his face was filled with red rage that seemed to inflate every vein in his forehead. “So you are going behind Lyman’s back and meeting with the Shadow Cave?” He seethed with anger, his eyes burning with it. “And you never thought to come to me?”
“No one else in this place would dare stand up to him. I’m going to fix what Lyman has done. If that means going behind his back, throwing out the cartel, and putting two in Lyman’s skull, I’ll do it. If I don’t comply, Virgil has promised a full-on blood war. Either way, I’m dead, Peter.” My hands curled into fists. I didn’t like not having a choice. I liked it even less when I had two choices and they were both shit. “Marion has been pushing me to fight back against Lyman for days.”
All of the anger seemed to deflate out of Lyman’s second in command. I never would have described Peter as old until I saw his face when I finished my speech. “You’re right. I should have stopped him, Colton. But he’s mad for power. Literally, he’s gone insane. I can’t reason with him anymore.”
“He’s not fit to lead,” Jade whispered. Her voice was a monotone. She wouldn’t look at me or her husband.
“I’m starting to agree with you, Jade. Are you going to stop me, Peter?”
The second looked like a deflated balloon, his face suddenly pale and incredibly sad. He was silent for a long time, his eyes losing all of their luster in seconds. It was like a vampire was slowly drinking the life from him. “No,” he answered finally, his voice low and dark. “No, I can’t stop you anymore. I’m too old to be stopping anyone anymore. I will leave this up to you.”
I nodded. “You won’t regret this.”
“I hope not, boy. I hope not.”
“Regardless of what I choose to do, though, Marion belongs to the Horns.” I frowned, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s time she learns where her boundaries are.”
“Don’t rope her in too much, Colton,” Jade said, her voice still empty and tired. “I think she will surprise you, if you give her the opportunity.”
With that weird bit of advice stuck in my mind, I left. My bike was totaled in the attack on our clubhouse, so I took someone else’s. No one said a word to me as I picked a bike off of the rack and demanded the keys. No one argued, no one tried to stop me. No one reported me to Lyman.
I think they are all secretly hoping I’ll get rid of Lyman. Starting the bike up, I sped out of the clubhouse before Lyman could demand anyone stop me. I was out on the road in a moment, the wind whipping through my hair as I rode. It wasn’t as good as my bike; I really mourned her loss. She was perfect: perfectly calibrated, perfectly put together. Perfect in every way.
But this bike still would get me where I needed to go. And it still filled me with the joy of riding. I like the way the wind felt through my hair and across my skin. Even in this cold, the ride was thrilling. I could think more clearly on the bike, the rush of colors streaming by me as I raced through the night time streets.
I’ll start with Virgil’ hideout. Perhaps they’ll be leaving to meet her and I can follow them. I headed over to the hideout trying not to think too hard about what I was about to do.
About how I was about to turn traitor and throw away everything I’d ever believed it.
As I sped closer to the hideout, the grayish color of predawn started to rise over the world, casting the city in colorless grays and blues.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Marion
My whole body was quivering by the time the sun came up completely. It was damned cold out here, and I was exhausted. I stayed out here all night, my nerves too jangled up to even think about finding a place to sleep. I planned out every detail of what I would need to get Jessa out of my business and to get me back in.
I’d managed to find an all-night print shop that let me type up the contract. I read it through a thousand times before printing off a copy, fairly sure it was as airtight as possible. I was looking forward to the look on that bitch’s face when I walked in and took her whole life away. Finally, she would know what it was like to have everything taken from her.
“What do you need us to do?” Virgil asked. He brought his most intimidating men; even though I knew they weren’t here for me, I was still intimidated by their deadpan stares and wicked smiles.
“I need you get ready to text Colton; let him know where we are. Here is the phone number for his cell.” I handed the piece of paper over. “I got it off of his son, so it should be accurate. When he comes, you will have your meeting. Did you bring me what I need?”
Virgil nodded, reaching into the back of his shirt and pulling out a very small handgun. It wasn’t the same one my dad had brought to the gun range with me as a kid, but it was close. So very close.
“You’re tall enough now to reach the guns in the house, little lady,” my dad had said as he taught me the right way to hold the gun, to reload it, aim it, and clean it. “Once you have all of this memorized and once you’ve demonstrated your respect for the gun, you can shoot it.”
He’d kept his word, too. I was only ten, so I thought he’d back out. I remember the first time I shot it, the heavy feel of the recoil and the scent of smoke filling the air. The heft of this gun was close enough to the one my father gave me that day (and many days after) that for a second, I thought I could smell the smoke and gunpowder. I thought I could hear my father’s voice, congratulating me on a good shot.
Unlike the heavy, awkward gun that we’d had the day Dean and I had been kidnapped, this one felt right in my hands. I still was pretty sure I couldn’t shoot a living thing, but I looked threatening as hell with this piece in my hands. “Thank you, Virgil.”
“Of course.” He smiled coldly as he bowed a little to me. “Now, what is the plan?”
I ran them through the details as Virgil punched the message to Colton into his phone. All of the Carrion men were silent and attentive, each one nodding along with instructions. I was a little unnerved; it felt a little like I was getting ready to lead an army into battle. I felt untested and not ready. But it was now or never. It was prove myself to Colton or nothing.
“Any questions?” Not a single one of the men moved or spoke. I gulped, trying to hide my trembling from the Shadow Cave. “Perfect. Now we wait.”
The eight of us waited in silence as time inched forward. The sun rose completely, hidden behind a thick layer of close, wintery clouds. I shivered as the first snowflakes fell to the ground, but was thankful. Not a soul was out this early on a Saturday with the snow coming on. But I knew Jessa would be there. She just had to be.
As punctual as ever, Jessa sidled up to the store. She was humming a Christmas song under her breath, pulling out her keys, and started to unlock the door. Lucky for me, she didn’t notice the odd assortment of unsavory looking men in the park, watching her storefront like hawks.
“Let’s get this over with,” I told the men. They all stood up with me, almost in sync. Are these guys robots or what? “Come on, before she sets down her stuff and relocks the door.”
They rushed the door like a bunch of trained, military SWAT team members from the movies. It was a little chilling to see their efficiency. Colton couldn’t regret having peace with Virgil if he saw this; the Shadow Cave would have slaughtered the entirety of the Heaven’s Horns with this kind of precision. I shivered to think how close we had come to destruction under Lyman’s rule. With Virgil’ help, Colton and I would destroy him. I smiled at the thought, following cl
ose on the heels of the Carrion men into the shop.
Careful of the merchandise, the six bikers stepped into the store, their eyes running over the inside of the store with trained eyes. The front room was cleared, so we progressed to the back office in near silence, walking back to the back office where Jessa would be setting her things down on her desk. My desk. It was mine.
Jessa was dressed in a tailored suit and rather expensive looking pumps. That anger that had simmered inside of me all night long sprang back to life. She’d been living the good life while I rotted out there.
No more.
No one would ever walk all over Marion Butler ever again.
When Jessa turned around, her whole body went slack with shock. She dropped the papers she’d been holding. “I-Marion?”
I smiled at her. “How has business been, partner?”