Jaxson 3: The Last Vow (Black Devils MC)

by K. J. Dahlen

  The front of the place had been boarded up with plywood, the parking lot out back was now home to fly tipped trash, stacked up crates and a single burned out car. There was nobody back here.

  I dismounted my bike and readied myself for the job at hand. To disguise myself, I had on a baseball cap and blue sports sweats like I’d seen several male visitors wearing on my last trip to the prison. Pulling my weapon from under my baggy sweater and placing under the seat of my bike, I cursed at having to leave my gun with my bike. There was mentally defective, armed and dangerous psychopath on the loose. As much as I wanted to just fucking shoot the bastard the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew I had to collect the evidence Bruno needed from him first. It wasn’t my place to end the miserable bastard’s life… that honor would be Bruno’s.

  I walked a block and a half to reach the prison. Bruno had arranged for me to visit Lorenzo, an old friend who’d been hit with six years on charges of loan sharking and extortion. The usual.

  From the security room, I could already hear the familiar cackle of Tori’s laugh through the open doorway. That meant Jumper was already inside, and that Tori was close by.

  Pulling my cap low, I entered the visiting room, and instantly spotted Tori and Jumper. The pair sat closest to door immediately to my left. I froze briefly. It was again, odd to see the woman without her disguise when she’d gone to such extremes to conceal her identity. I realized again that Jax had Viper’s green colored eyes.

  Jumper looked unstable, with his hair uncut and messy like he’d placed his hand on a live wire. And it was damn frustrating that I couldn’t grab Jumper by the throat and end him. I clenched my fists, and let out a short, harsh exhale, causing two officers who paced lightly around the room to give each other a sideways glance.

  I quickly looked around the room. My eyes met Lorenzo’s, as he sat two tables behind Tori. Fortunately, neither Jumper nor Tori noticed me pass their table. I sat down in front of the man. We’d never met before.

  His eyes were hard and a piercingly cold blue. The skin on his face now hung in folds, creating creases like a bulldog. It was well known on the streets that a man ages more rapidly in prison. Judging by Lorenzo’s face, the past five years locked up in the joint had taken effect.

  No sooner had I shuffled in my chair at the table, than Lorenzo started to talk about his family – as per Bruno’s orders. I only nodded, listening carefully over the sounds of the officer’s footsteps and the low murmured voices that filled the room.

  “Come on then, out with it. What the fuck do you want…?” Tori sneered.

  Jumper replied without hesitation, “What makes you think I want something from you, Viper?” Suddenly, he got up and passed me on the way to the vending magazine. He stopped, and looked back over his shoulder. “Suppose you want me to get something,” he called.

  Up close, his voice wasn’t just cold and hard bitten. It was chilling. My eyes locked contact with his dark eyes and my stomached tightened. He looked about 250 pounds. Big. Broad shouldered, athletic. He wore black swat trousers in the place of a biker’s usual casual blue jeans, and a black leather jacket.

  I realized in that moment that Viper had to have been telling the truth about Jax and Antonio being Bruno’s sons. It was beyond coincidence that Jumper could have such distinctive, deadly brown eyes that almost looked black, just like Bruno had.

  I again, felt the pent up animosity rise within me. I wanted to fly out of my seat to punch and kick him until he didn’t move. Instead, I was unable to fight. Unable to speak. Completely beyond my control, my fingers drummed on the table anxiously.

  Jumper turned and walked away from me toward the vending machine and I stood up.

  “Please sit down, sir,” an officer said, approaching me.

  In that moment, I wanted Jumper to turn. Despite Bruno’s orders, I wanted to take Jumper’s life myself. Now. I took off my cap and placed on the table in front of me.

  “Sir, will you please sit down,” the officer repeated.

  My eyes were locked on Jumper, facing the vending machine. All time seemed to slow around me. I wanted Jumper to turn but he didn’t.

  A violent whisper from Lorenzo broke my thoughts, “Fucking sit down unless you want to fuck this up for yourself, your club, and your fucking best friend,” Lorenzo snapped.

  Digging my nails into the palms of both hands so hard that the skin broke, I took a heavy breath and sat down. I didn’t even realize I’d been standing up.

  Lorenzo shoved my hat back over the top of my head just as Jumper headed toward his table again.

  With Jumper at his seat, Tori’s spoke. Her voice had dropped to a whisper but I could still make out what she was saying, “Why did you fucking shoot the kid in the back?” she asked directly.

  For a second, I wondered whether Tori felt something for her own son, I wondered whether part of her was in fact human. Until I heard the words that followed…

  “Stirring up shit like this could have busted my whole damn operation. The cartel would have sent you on a one way ticket to hell for that,” she hissed.

  I could hardly believe this bitch was Jax’s mother. It was a good thing for Jax, he’d inherited Bruno’s more honorable nature.

  Jumper scoffed, “The cartel can’t even take care of themselves. And, as for Jax, he’s in hell like he deserves.”

  He didn’t know that Jax was still alive.

  “Something about you is sick in the head. He’s your own blood,” she replied.

  Again, something in her manner and tone of voice told me she was angry that Jumper had shot Jax but she didn’t want to let on. It made sense, Jax was still her blood and she raised him for seventeen years, so she did love him. I was sure this would make her more determined to work with Bruno and finish Jumper.

  Jumper told Tori, “I care nothing about Jax. I put my MC Brothers above my biological family; its club law,” he spat out his name as if it were poison, “I’m king now,” he declared. His voice started to climb to an uncomfortable volume, as though he had nothing to fear. Or perhaps, nothing to lose. “I have the power, the means and the manpower, to bust you out, if you can guarantee an association with the cartel?” he declared with Antonio-like cockiness, like some of god of darkness was watching over him, keeping him safe.

  “I’m not so sure,” she said, “If you could betray your own blood so absolutely, you would do the same to me without a second god damn thought. I’m nothing to you.”

  “We could swim around in circles all day,” he grunted, “The questions is, are you in or are you out? I’m sure you’ll love rotting away in here for the rest of your days. If you refuse my offer and you do manage to get out, without us, you’ll have no protection.”

  Then I heard nothing. Nothing until Tori uttered a single word, “Ok.” Agreeing to work against her own son’s club, with the man who attempted to murder him.

  Fucking Bitch. Viper had struck more than a nerve. I drove my chair out and stormed out. If I hadn’t left when I did, I would have grabbed Jumper by the jugular and punched him over and over like a punching bag and he was nothing but a bloody puddle of mush fell. Then, I would have kicked the cocksucker until he didn’t move. I wanted to make him suffer the way he’d made Jax suffer, kicking and punching until he hand nothing left to bruise. I wanted Jumper dead and Viper to rot in jail.

  As I exited the prison, I felt my phone buzz against my thigh. A phone call…

  Chloe spoke, sounding somewhat relieved, “The doctor said the injuries will heal. None of his internal organs were hit. He will get through this. It’s ok.” I knew one thing for certain. This ordeal with Jax had changed something inside of her. A few weeks to this day, this was an entirely new world for her.

  “Thanks for telling me, Chole. I will come when I can.”

  She hung up.

  Outside, I returned to my bike. Sliding my key into the ignition and turning, my bike started up, it’s pipes rumbling over the still parking lot. I saw Jumper leave before
I did. An almost electric current radiated through me, trying to take control of my body and make me kill Jumper while I had the chance. I wanted to.

  I engaged the throttle on my bike and as I drove away, I stared over my shoulder at the foreboding place one last time before I took off.

  A half hour later, I arrived at the clubhouse.

  Bruno was waiting outside for me when I pulled in. I watched him as I slowed to a stop. He pressed his body against his bike and stood lost in thought. First, he learned news had spread that the media had now made Jax public enemy number one in town. The press never stated why, but claiming he was wanted in suspicion and for questioning. Bruno had snapped when he’d heard this. Then next, he learned that Jax was his son.

  When he spotted me, he asked how Jax was holding up, but he didn’t say a word about Jax being his son. Then that Jumper was as well. The man that had torn his club apart. He didn’t need to say anything, because I could read his thoughts. I could see on his face that he believed what Viper had told him. His eyes were darker than usual, and he was gritting his teeth so hard, his jaw vibrated with a mixture of anger, betrayal and regret on his face.

  I also knew he worried about Jax while all this was going on. “I got a call a while ago, telling me he is on the mend.’

  Bruno nodded and waited in tense silence for me to tell him the rest of what he wanted to hear.

  “I slipped Lorenzo the letter to hand to Viper on the way out,” I told him. He’ll inform us by phone of their plan, date and time. “You think she’ll go through with it?” I asked.

  Bruno scoffed, “What choice does she have? I’ve known that woman for years. I know how her mind works. She’ll go through with it, or we’ll put a bullet in her skull when she tries to escape. And she knows Jumper can’t be trusted. He’d do the same to her if he got half a chance. Besides, something tells me she cares more about Jax’s shooting than she’d like to let on. When Jumper shows and rescues her, we’ll intercept the Bloods and kill em all.”

  Several minutes later, footsteps could be heard from behind us. Marco walked toward us in the dusky light.

  Bruno’s demeanor hardened when he turned to Marco sharply as he joined us outside. “Any news of where the Bloods are hiding out? I want to be sure they’re all dead and accounted for when the time comes.”

  “Not yet, but I know we’re getting close,” Marco replied.

  I observed Bruno take a deep breath and pulled out a cigarette to calm himself. Bruno’s stoic eyes smoldered with a suppressed emotion not easy to define. He took a deep draw, and let it out slowly. His eyes narrowed on mine. “I want every member of the Bloods dead, you hear? But bring me Jumper alive.”

  “Yes,” I responded. In our club, as a rule of thumb, you saw to it that Bruno was never disappointed. But Bruno didn’t have to worry Jumper and the Bloods wouldn’t go unpunished; even if it cost me my life.

  Bruno took a slow walk toward his clubhouse. There were people who had to die…

  Marco waited until Bruno was inside the clubhouse before he spoke, “We’ve got a problem,” he said, his voice mildly frantic. “I received a call from Reaper about half an hour ago. Antonio’s alive,” he said, frankly.

  “That’s impossible!” I felt like I just got gut punched and it took my air.

  Marco gave a slow shake of his head. “I know, brother. How the fuck this happened is a goddamn mystery.”

  “Where’d you find him?”

  “A safe house that belongs to the Bloods. The boys took out two of the Bloods who were watching him when they busted the place, but that was all. I told them not to kill Antonio, but instead, to take him to our own safe house.”

  “Fuck!”

  “Reaper and Spider are watching Antonio close. I gave them orders not to give him any medical help.”

  “And to keep quiet about him still being alive?” I added.

  “I sure did. Bruno can’t know a thing about this. The man’s got enough on his mind.”

  “Yeah. He’s pissed that I’m not letting on where Jax is hiding out but I can’t risk telling him in case the information gets into the wrong hands. Bruno has enemies from all over watching his every move like he has people watching them.” I hid the other reason, being that Chole was by his side every minute.

  “And right now, Jumper is eluding us at every stage,” Marco added.

  “How did you find Antonio?”

  “Well, while our men have been looking for Jumper, they found something unexpected in a safe house the Bloods use when they checked it out. Antonio was recovering from a bullet to the belly. He’s is not doing well but the kid is still alive.”

  My eyes locked, glued on Marco. “Fucking son of a bitch,” I cursed. “Fuckers, I’ll fucking kill them all.” I sucked in a breath and held some hope that this was all a mistake. Mistaken identity or something. “Are you sure it was him?”

  Marco nodded.

  “Perhaps after our guys dumped him some stranger found and helped him,” I suggested. “I’m certain I’d know if we had a traitor in our midst. I’d feel it in my veins. We have an honorable, and loyal group. The best,” I argued. Those boys mattered to me, and I’d defend them till the end.

  “The thought of a stranger or something finding him occurred to me,” Marco agreed. “But the way we dumped him makes me think it was an inside job.”

  Ideas slipped quickly in and out of my mind. “Hmmm. I’m not sure,” I murmured.

  “Can’t trust nobody.”

  We looked at each other and stared over toward the main room of the clubhouse. We looked at the men who were hard at work fixing up Jax’s bike and generally occupying themselves with the work that Marco’s job sheet entailed.

  Do the Devils have a traitor in their club who helped Antonio escape?

  Ever since I’d known Bruno, he’d drummed it into my head that, ‘You can’t trust anybody. Not even your own blood. That’s the way of this life.’ I’d always thought this was a deeply unreasonable way to look at the world. Even after years at this club, it was only in the past few weeks that I’d learned just how right the man was.

  “If Antonio’s alive, we’ve got more than one problem. For one, he’ll want his revenge, meaning Jax and the rest of us are in danger.”

  “He won’t get a fucking chance,” Marco interjected.

  I continued, “He’ll likely have given the Bloods information about our club too.”

  “I’ve already given the men their orders,” Marco said, striking me with a slap of his palm on my shoulder in comfort.

  Angry but controlling myself, I asked, “What do you want me to do?” I had the feeling more than just a war was on the way.

  Marco shrugged. “He’s written his own death sentence. If I have to, I will deal with him without Bruno having to bother with killing his son all over again.”

  I didn’t doubt him. Nobody crossed Bruno and got away with it. Except for the fact that Jumper was his son as well and I didn’t mention this to Marco, he was in the family, being Bruno’s cousin and he was mob himself.

  Instead, I concentrated on the elusive Bloods. There was nothing, no matter the risk, that would stop me from getting vengeance on Jumper and the Bloods. I wouldn’t rest until I’d made the filthy traitor’s heart stop.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chloe

  The rumble of many of motorcycles leaving Border Patrol came through the window which had been left open a crack. Jax and I were alone. The soothing whisper of his breathing was now the only sound in the room. I hadn’t seen my father since our fight. Though I regretted much of what I’d said, it didn’t change the reality…mom was gone. And judging from personal experience, she was now in very deep danger.

  Helpless to change anything about my circumstances, I’d stood in a daze of exhaustion and fear beside Jax’s bed for almost an hour. Watching. Hoping. Praying, that at least the man I loved would pull through and make a complete recovery. For some reason, there was barely any color at all in Jax’s che
eks today. My blood turned to ice at the thought of losing him now.

  Damn Jumper for bringing this hell into our lives. The same anger again rolled through me. If I ever got my hands on him, I’d strangle him until he stopped breathing. Or maybe I would show him the hell of a bullet like he’d shown Jax. Only I wouldn’t miss, for the last few seconds of his life he would know the same pain Jax was going through.

  I felt a hand fall on my left shoulder. Alerted, my body jolted and immediately stiffened like a prey animal playing dead.

  Gripping my shoulder, the person said, “He’ll get through this,” Dino’s low, familiar voice said, “All he needs is time and rest,” he added, rummaging in his jacket pocket which I knew almost certainly meant he was looking for a cigarette.

  I let out a breath in mild frustration. “Time is something we don’t have, Dino.” I reached down to Jax’s face and swiped his long, outgrown hair from his eyes.

  “He’s safe here. And when we find your mother. And we will find her, she’ll be safe here with you too,” he told me with a sincere finality.

  I turned on my heels to face him. A cigarette hung from his lips, his face was unshaven and the hair on his head looked almost as unkempt and outgrown as Jax’s was. Though he’d never show it, I knew he was hurting inside just as much as I was.

  I focused on Dino’s eyes, and got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that something else was wrong. What could have possibly happened now? Then if I brought this to Dino’s attention, I’d see in his expression that his red flags would rise to full mast. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to be privy to that information.

  “How close are you to tracking and catching J-” my words caught in my thought. I couldn’t even say his name. “How close are you to catching the son a bitch who took her?”

  Dino flicked his lighter and ignited his cigarette. He pulled it from between his lips to talk, “We’ve got Border Patrol and the Devils out looking for him. Over two hundred men are out there hunting him down. It won’t be long until we drag him to Bruno by the scruff of his neck and Bruno shoots the bastard like the filthy vermin he is,” Dino spat out those final words like they were arsenic in his mouth.