Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology

by Lane Hart

  “You put yourself in the position to be killed at my hands?” I ask her. She looks at me, unblinking and there in those dark eyes I see it all. The pain, the hurt, the sadness. The depth pulls at me. What put all of those ugly thoughts and emotions there?

  “At first, yes. I didn’t care if you found out who I was because I just wanted it all to be over with.”

  “Why? What was so bad in your life that death was an option?”

  “My fiancé died. He was murdered by an MC.”

  “Which one?” God I don’t know if I can take it if she says mine. I don’t think my heart would ever be the same.

  “Bloody Sunday.”

  “You were supposed to bring me down why?”

  “You were an easy target. Your rat has the pull here. He can make things happen and he has. Setting you up against the BSMC was easy. You never liked them and my father said that your involvement in the illegal world would help bring them all down. I agreed to do it right when the words left his mouth. I’m sorry, Savage.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  There’s a point when time stands still and you’re left hanging in the balance. This is my time. I have a woman who I could feel something for standing in front of me telling me that she has been lying to me the whole time I’ve been with her, trying to protect her and for what? All she wanted was a death sentence that I could have passed down long before this shit ever came into play. Yet, here we are. Wrecked and ruined by secrets and pasts that always seem to haunt us in some way.

  “There’s a problem with all of this, Charlie,” I tell her solemnly, on the verge of breaking down and telling her my own fate in this mess.

  “What is it?”

  “My end, my death is too near for me to let myself feel anything for you. Even if what you say is true, you aren’t the only deceivin’ one involved in this shit.” Her eyes come to meet mine and I’m lost in her. Her sadness wraps around me like a fucking vice and doesn’t want to let go. I hate that I can see it, feel it, but I can.

  “What happens now?” she asks softly, her voice never betraying that sadness.

  “That’s just it. I don’t fuckin’ know. I know where my road leads and death is what awaits me when this is over.”

  “Why? Why does it have to be death?” she nearly pleads with me and rips my fucking black heart out of my chest. I step closer to her, needing to feel her warmth, her goodness, or whatever is left inside of her.

  “I betrayed my club, Charlie. I can’t give you details and I wouldn’t even if I could, but what I did, what I’m doin’ isn’t forgivable under our laws.” Hearing myself say those words hurts. It slams into me like a fucking lead weight because this club has been my world. Every single brother has been my family and I’m ruining all that because I wanted to protect them. Charlie’s hand comes to rest on my chest, and just like every other time she touches me, my heart leaps. I may not have pretty words for her, but our connection, our chemistry, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

  “We can always change the future, Savage. Nothing is set in stone. If anyone knows that it’s me,” she tells me. Her words ring loudly in my ears and all I can see is the hurt from her past. It amazes me that she cared so little for herself that she could throw her life away coming in here and that again makes me wonder. Was she that in love with her fiancé? Was he worth sacrificing her own life at the loss of his?

  “How long were you with him?” The need to know is almost overwhelming but I want to know. I need to know. I’ve never had someone in my life that I felt so strongly about that I’d die for them.

  “Seven years. We were supposed to get married two years ago,” she says as tears fall. “He was a good guy, a cop. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got in the middle of a shoot-out. The BSMC made it a show from what we’re told. They found him bleeding on the ground and they all took turns beating on him.”

  “Fuck, Charlie.” Pulling her into my arms, I cradle the back of her head with my hand as she cries. This woman is ripping me apart. Piece by fucking piece she is slowly pulling my boundaries down and stomping them into the ground. As much as I want to say that I don’t feel something for her, it’s a lie. I do feel it and I don’t know what that means for me.

  “He died in the hospital a few days later. My father has been focusing all his efforts into the local MCs, but not for Chris’s death.”

  “Then what for?”

  “His own gain. There are crooked cops, Savage, you know as well as I do.” Her dad is crooked? What the hell is going on here? Charlie pulls back, wiping at her eyes before she looks up at me.

  “You are Dark Savage MC, but do you know who is higher up than you? Who holds more power in this area?”

  Shaking my head, this can’t be what’s happening. No way in fuck.

  “Your fuckin’ dad is in with them?” The growl that leaves my throat scares her; I saw her jolt and flinch.

  “They aren’t trying to take down BSMC. They want to work with them, own them in a way. They want you to initiate a war and let them do the rest.” Her eyes fall and my chest tightens.

  “How the fuck do you know that? You said they killed your fiancé and that your dad went after them. You lyin’ again?” Charlie shakes her head slowly before looking back up at me.

  “That’s what I was told at first, the reason I jumped at the idea. The more I dug into things myself, the more I learned. He never wanted to avenge Chris’s death. He was never doing any of this for me or Chris; it was always about him, his power, what he wanted. He will do anything he can to have that power over this city, Savage.”

  I blink, stunned by her revelations. This is all so fucked up. I begin to pace the room again, letting all that information sink in. The more I think, the more I want blood but whose?

  They say when it rains it pours and this is going to cause a fucking flood. Tension is running high and I don’t know how to handle this. I have no clue where to start. I know what is at stake, but how do I save my club, my family? Charlie wraps her arms around my waist, her face pressed into my back. I close my eyes and place my hands over hers holding them tightly. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I don’t know where this is going to go and the more I think about it, the more unsure I become.

  “I have to go to church,” I tell her softly.

  “What’s going to happen to me, Savage?”

  “Nothin’ right now. I need to talk to the guys and figure this shit out. I need your help, Charlie.” I slowly spin in her arms and look down into her dark eyes.

  “What can I do?” That question right there tells me that she is on my side regardless of where she started. And I need all the help I can get right now.

  “I need the rat. I need to eliminate the threat, yeah?” Charlie nods her head slowly before I lean down, my lips mere inches from hers. “I need you to find the rat for me.” Charlie leans in the rest of the way, pressing her lips to mine. I kiss her roughly, letting her know that I have just as many feelings for her as she does for me regardless of how wrong it is. Everything in my life is fucked up at this point, why not add a little more shit on top of it? She can be the fucking cherry on top of this shit sandwich.

  “Can I use your computer?” she asks when I finally pull away from her.

  I nod my head, brush a piece of hair behind her ear, and leave the room needing to clear my head. I need to go into this meeting with my guys with a clear head and figure out a plan that doesn’t make Charlie look like the traitor and also without implicating myself in the process.

  Yeah…fuck.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Threats have been made, Savage. What the fuck is happenin’ around here?” Q, our Enforcer asks. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for a shit storm that’s about to come.

  “There was an incident the other night. I was out with Charlie and shit went down.” It’s time they know some shit’s running afoul. I tell them what happened while trying to remain as vague as possible. I don’t ne
ed them knowing everything, that would blow all of this shit I’ve been doing out of the water.

  “What kind of incident?” Thorn asks with a growl.

  “We got cornered by a few of the BS boys. I wasn’t in the truck when they walked up. Charlie shot two of them.” The men, my men, sit around the table as surprised gasps come from all around. I felt the same way. Shit, I didn’t expect her to do it either.

  “What the fuck were you doin’?” Q hisses shoving out of his chair and standing to his feet. His hands land on his hips and his eyes hold demands that I’m not willing to give into.

  “None of your goddamn business! The situation is just what I told you. She shot two of them. I’ll handle the blowback,” I growl looking him in the eyes.

  “We have a shipment comin’ in on Tuesday. We still good for that drop?” Thorn pulls the attention from me to him. I shoot him a side eye; I can’t thank him enough for that.

  “Willy is set to move his half right after we split it up,” Richy, our Road Captain, chimes in. I nod my head and run a hand through my hair.

  “Willy can come anytime, I trust him. As far as breakin’ the rest up for distribution, I want Weber on it. He can handle that shit.” Weber is another of our brothers I know I can trust. I glance around at the guys, noticing that Q is still on edge and with every right. He should be pissed at me. They all should be but they just don’t realize it yet.

  “If that’s it, we’re done here,” I say glancing around once more. Grabbing the gavel, I slam it on the table and watch the guys as they walk away except for Thorn. I know he wants to talk about Charlie, but I’m not really in that type of mood. When the door closes, he jumps right in.

  “What are we doin’ with her?”

  Tipping my head back, I blow out a breath before looking at him and pulling a cigarette from my pocket.

  “We use her.” Lighting up my smoke, I take a seat once more.

  “Use her for what?”

  “Whatever the fuck we need her for! You make the fuckin’ decisions around here now, Thorn?” My nerves are firing off and I can’t keep myself under control much longer.

  “No, but I’m not to be counted out either, Savage! You heard what the fuck I said out there!” he roars pointing toward the door.

  “I heard you. I heard it all, but there is a question lingerin’ in the back of my mind. How the fuck did you know who she was?” Cocking my head to the side, I glare at him, daring him to say the wrong thing right now because I will lose myself and I can’t help what I do.

  “Fuck you, Savage! I’ve been lookin’ into her,” he says, making me wonder even more.

  “That so? You been lookin’ into some bitch I’ve been fuckin’? Why is that, Thorn?” With my cigarette hanging between my lips, I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in my chair waiting for him to answer. Thorn scrubs his hand over his face before looking at me.

  “I thought she just felt off. She’s been around way too much for it to be a fuck, Savage, you have to admit that.”

  His words take me back a little. Why the fuck does he of all people have to catch onto that when I didn’t see it fucking coming?

  “Who I fuck is not your concern, and I don’t remember that bein’ part of your job description, Thorn. Since when do scan bitches?” Even as I say these words, I know there’s more to this story. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach that there’s something more happening here.

  “We don’t but clearly we need to!”

  I uncross my arms and pull the cigarette from my lips and lean my elbows onto the table. I take a long look at him and choose my words.

  “What we need is for my VP to listen for a fuckin’ change. What we need is to follow fuckin’ orders! I say she stays and we use her for what we can get. That’s the end of it.” Nodding toward the door, Thorn takes the hint and walks away. It’s a good thing too because I’m close to the edge. When the door closes, I do something that has been bothering me for a while now. I grab a pen and piece of paper and pull it in front of me. This isn’t the ideal way to do this but I figure it needs to be done.

  Q,

  This is a bitch move brother and I know it. It’s so fuckin’ cliché I can’t even believe that I’m doin’ it. You’ve been a proud member of this club for a long time and I respect you for it. You’re a valuable member and one of the best brothers we have here. This letter isn’t easy for me to write for many reasons, but I know when the time comes, I won’t be here to say the goddamn words. I betrayed this club. By now, you should already know that, but I need you to know my side of the story. I was blackmailed into my betrayal. I won’t give names, because at this point, they aren’t even important. Everything I did was for this club. It was either this or our club went down. I couldn’t let that happen, man. You guys, this club - it all means too much to me to watch it fall. The decision to handle this on my own was all on me. No one else knew about it and I made sure to cover your asses when I set out on this mission. I fucked up, Q. I fell into the wrong hands and I was forced to flip on the one thing that meant the most to me: this club. When the time comes and the truth comes out, just know that I fuckin’ did it for THIS CLUB. I want it to thrive and be better than what I’ve made it and I know you can do that. As my last order as President of the Dark Savage MC, I’m placin’ you in charge. I’m passin’ the gavel down to you, Q. Make me proud, brother.

  Marcus “Savage” Matthews

  Folding the letter up and I stand and head toward the desk, grabbing an envelope and stuffing it inside. It’s a bitch move to write a letter to Q but this is the best way possible to keep everything under control. At least he’ll have my words rather that questions after I’m gone. Heading out into the main room, I head straight to Q.

  “This is a fuckin’ order, you hear me?” Q brings his eyes to mine and gives me a nod. I pass him the envelope but he just looks confused.

  “This doesn’t get opened until you don’t hear from me for twenty-four hours, yeah?”

  “What the fuck is goin’ on, Savage?”

  “It’s a goddamn order, Q! Twenty-four hours, yeah?” Q looks down at the envelope in his hand before straightening his spine and nodding.

  “No problem, Prez.” I nod my head and before I can speak another word, I hear Charlie scream.

  “Savage!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The look in her eyes should have been enough to tell me I wasn’t going to like what I was about to hear. The guys all look at her like she’s insane but her eyes stay on mine. I notice a paper in her hands and my stomach sinks knowing this can’t be a good thing. I take slow but deliberate steps toward her before grabbing her arm and dragging her back toward my room. Once I have her inside, she’s nearly panicking.

  “What the hell is goin’ on?” I ask watching her pace this time with the paper still in hand.

  “I have a few friends, well, they were Chris’s friends, but I still know them,” she rambles.

  “Spit it the fuck out!” I roar causing her to jolt from the tone of my voice.

  “I asked them to check into some of your club members.”

  She did what? What the fuck does she think she’s doing? I start toward her with murder on my mind, but when she holds up that goddamn paper, I stop. Everything stops. Time stands still and so does my damn heart. I shake my head as I read over the words and look at the picture. How could it be? How the hell is that even possible?

  “You’re positive?” I ask my voice gravelly and low. I can’t believe it, I don’t want to, but the fucking proof is staring back at me.

  “I had them run if four times. I’m so sorry, Savage,” she says with a hitch in her voice. How? How is this my fucking life right now? What the hell has become of this club?

  “Fuckin’ traitor,” I grumble under my breath before I snap. I grab the paper from Charlie in one hand and her hand in the other. I don’t give her a second to respond before pulling her out of the room and down the hallway.

  “What are you
doing?” she squeals as I yank her roughly into the main room, whistling to get everyone’s attention. That bastard stands there stoically watching me like he has an ally in me.

  “If I give an order, you follow it, yeah? Let the show begin!” I say loudly looking around at my men, my brothers. They all nod and I hear a few verbal answers as well.

  “We have a rat in this club!” Many words are spoken now but I can see the pissed look in their eyes. “I never thought I’d see the day that there was a rat in my own club. I never imagined havin’ to put down one of my own.” I know what the repercussions are of what I’m about to do, but in the end, does it even matter? The gauntlet has already been thrown.

  “Timothy ‘Thorn’ Riland. You betrayed this fuckin’ club,” I growl loudly, my voice thundering through the room. Everyone’s head turns to face him and a look of disbelief crosses their faces. My heart pounds in my chest as I reach behind me and pull my gun from the back of my jeans.

  “Get his gun and get him on his knees,” I order my brothers. No one bats an eye, they do their jobs as Thorn looks between me and Charlie, shock written all over his face before he smirks.

  “I would typically ask you for your last words but I don’t take orders from a fuckin’ rat!” At my words, Thorn smirks and starts to speak.

  “What about her? She’s a fuckin’-”

  His sentence is never finished. I fire my gun and watch as his lifeless body falls to the floor. Charlie screams but the rest of the guys look at Thorn’s lifeless body as if it’s trash. I know what I’ve just done here. Not only did I kill a federal agent, a rat, but I killed a man who I thought was my best friend for many fucking years. That doesn’t ease the ache in my chest any either.

  “Get this shit cleaned up! We don’t let rats bleed on our turf!” The guys set about moving to clean up the mess without any questions being asked. I grab Charlie and shove her back toward my room needing a minute to gather my thoughts and figure out what the fuck I’m going to do now. As soon as we get into the room, she moves away from me, no doubt feeling the rage rolling off me.