Nash (The Skulls)

by Crescent, Sam

  “Why are you laughing?” he asked.

  “We’re stranded in the middle of nowhere. You’re tied to a chair, and I’m strapped to a table with guys we don’t know as our captors. I don’t think we’re getting out of this one easily.” She felt the tears spring to her eyes.

  “Aw, baby, don’t cry.”

  Sophia tensed as she recognized that voice. Turning her head she saw Willy and Gill standing together. Her ex-boss and tormentor looked a little too cozy for her tastes. When she saw what they were carrying fear took over every part of her body.

  “Do you know these men?” Nash asked.

  She nodded, not wanting to look away from the threat in the room. The pouch they were carrying looked scary. She’d seen movies where men had brought out similar looking pouches, and no one left the room alive or in one piece.

  “Sophia here owes us a little something,” Gill said, moving toward her. “She’s ours, but you’re here for collection. We’ll get our money then.”

  Tensing her whole body, she felt the tears spill out of her eyes as he got closer. Gill wasn’t making any sense, but she’d never understood what he had to say. His hand reached out, touching her stomach and curving up to fondle her breast. Every muscle in her body protested, and the pain sensors fired in her brain, but Sophia screamed.

  “Get your fucking hands off her.” Nash tugged on the rope. She saw him fighting to get free. She smiled at him, trying to encourage him to break out of the bonds.

  Nothing was happening.

  “Gill, leave her alone. We’re not here for that, yet. We’ve got to wait until they get here. I’m not willing to risk my ass until business is over.” Willy slapped the other man’s hand away. “We’ve got a lot more surprises up our sleeves before then.”

  “I hope to God it’s a sock puppet. They’re the only things I’m fucking afraid of,” Nash said.

  Closing her eyes, she wanted to beg him to be silent and to shut the fuck up. These men were fucking dangerous. She’d sensed it about them from the first moment she met them.

  “He’s fucking hilarious,” Willy said.

  “Don’t be fooled by him, Willy. The bastard passes a mean punch.” A third guy had joined the room. Sophia glanced over, not recognizing him. He was carrying a bag himself, and she saw Nash tense up.

  “I take it you know him,” Sophia asked.

  “Of course he does. He doesn’t know my name. I’m his supplier. The supplier he beat up. Do you remember me, Nash?”

  The whole warehouse grew tense, or at least she and Nash grew tense. Something was telling her that they were taken for something more than killing. Their day was about to get a lot harder.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lash watched as Devil stood inside The Skulls’ compound. The leader of Chaos Bleeds looked threatening as he glared around him. Tiny was stood facing the other man waiting.

  “When I got your call I was expecting some reunion of some kind. Not this fucking shit you’re bringing to me,” Devil said. This man was the opposite of Tiny. He had a lot of prison years under his belt, and his club were into all kinds of dealings. Lash couldn’t think of a single redeemable thing about the other club other than the fact they were loyal bastards. He’d rather be on Chaos Bleeds’ good side than against them.

  Over the years he’d heard how many men had lost their life by one of the club members. They were loyal, and betrayers were strung up and made to pay the piper as their statement was.

  “One of my men has been taken. My daughter is in the hospital, and she almost lost my grandbaby. Eva, my woman, is hurting. I can’t let this slide. I need you to help me, and we’ll be indebted to you, I promise.” Tiny was laying everything out on the table. The other club was not welcome to stay forever, but for the next couple of days they were welcome to the fold.

  Lash watched as one of the men whispered in Devil’s ear. The leader tensed up and nodded.

  “We’re always ready for a party, but we expect payment.”

  “I’ve got money,” Tiny said.

  “I don’t need money. The boys and I have stopped travelling, and we’ve settled down in a place of our own.” The other man dropped into a chair. Lash was surprised the wood didn’t break under his weight. Devil was not fat, but he was a large fucker and dangerous. He put his weapon on the table and a load of hundred dollar bills. “I’ve got enough money to get anything I want. I’ll help you kill these fuckers—and I mean dead in the ground—and you’ll help me out with some information.”

  “What are you wanting?” Tiny asked.

  “I’m looking for a girl, a whore. She shacked up with me over a year ago and disappeared.”

  Lash watched the proceedings knowing he’d have to wait to guarantee his brother’s safety. He’d do anything for his brother, even listen to this fucker’s love life.

  “What’s so important about the whore?” Tiny asked. There really was a difference in their world. Sweet-butts and whores were entirely different. Sweet-butts fucked bikers, and whores fucked anything for money.

  “She took off pregnant with my kid. Don’t give a fuck about the bitch, but I want my kid. She doesn’t get fuck all from me.”

  “You’re going to hurt her?” Tiny asked.

  “I’m going to make sure everyone gets the message that they don’t mess with me, Tiny. If you sent out a few more messages you wouldn’t have bastards hurting your women and taking your men.” Devil looked around the club. Angel was stood by his side, and Lash saw the other man’s eyes land on her. He didn’t like the interest in his eyes.

  “Sweet-butt or old lady?” Devil asked.

  “Pregnant old lady,” Lash said, gritting his teeth to speak.

  Devil smirked. “Get bored of him, sugar, and I’ll take care of you.”

  Lash tightened his arm around his woman and glared at Tiny.

  “Don’t poach on my land, Devil.”

  “Look, I’ll deal with my shit my way, and you deal with your shit your way. Do we have a deal?” Devil asked.

  “Deal. Tell me the name of the woman,” Tiny said.

  “Karla Howard.” The word was spat out of Devil’s mouth. Lash knew the woman was as good as dead when the other man got to her. Whatever she’d done had put him on edge.

  “Never heard of her,” Tiny said.

  “You got someone to find shit out? I’ve had no luck in that department.”

  “Whizz, run the name.” Tiny didn’t break eye contact as he let out the order. Whizz left the group and went to the nearest computer. “He’ll have the answers you need.”

  “Good. Now tell me about the bastard who has your guys. No one touches a club bitch and gets away with it. Are they as sweet as that sugar there?” Devil asked.

  Lash held her tighter, showing his claim. The sooner they found his brother and this club was on the road the happier he’d be.

  ****

  Nash stared at his old supplier. The guy’s bruises had all but disappeared from the last time he’d taken a swipe at the bastard. He shouldn’t have let up at all. What was the guy’s name? The men intent on giving him a headache left the room. Sophia was sobbing on the table.

  “What’s the matter, baby? We’ll get out of this.”

  “Gill, the one who touched me, he and his goons were the ones who beat me up. If it wasn’t for your brother I’d be in an awful state.”

  His grip on the chair tightened. He’d not known the connection the men had to his woman. Fuck, he needed to get them out of there.

  “I’ll protect you.”

  “He’s your supplier, isn’t he?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I pissed him off.”

  She chuckled. “Do you really think we’re getting out of here?” She wasn’t fighting her cuffs, and he didn’t like how desolate she looked.

  “We’re getting out of here. My brothers will be coming for both of us. They wouldn’t leave us alone. I know they wouldn’t,” Nash said. He hoped to God they’d brought Chaos Bleeds. Before he’d b
een taken he didn’t want them anywhere near Fort Wills, but now he saw the value in having the other biker club.

  “Well, we’re tired of all the sweetness going on in this room,” Willy said, entering through the back of the warehouse door.

  Nash stared at the older man, wishing he was free. He’d love to knock the smirk of the bastard’s face. Willy wasn’t even paying him any attention. The other man walked to Sophia’s side.

  “You really should have been nicer to me at work,” Willy said, caressing her face. “This would have gone a lot differently.”

  She turned her head away from him.

  Fight, Sophia. Don’t let them win.

  “Fuck off,” Sophia said.

  Willy laughed and slapped her around the face. She was already tender from the truck accident. Sophia cried out, whimpering.

  The other two men walked into the room, Gill and Nash’s supplier carrying their pouches with them. Whatever they had planned Nash knew he wasn’t going to like it.

  “So, we’ve been having a little talk with each other. Your supplier, we’ll call him John seeing as you don’t know his name, Nash, has given us a lot of information. You like your coke.”

  Gill lifted a white bag of powder.

  “I’m over that shit,” Nash said.

  “We heard.” Willy spoke up. “I’ve got a little problem, Nash. Someone hired me to get to you. The fact Sophia is part of the deal is just a bonus to me.” Willy stroked a finger down her face. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but I’m bored, and I like to hurt people.”

  Nash didn’t like where this conversation was going. Who the fuck had hired Willy and Gill along with all those goons he’d seen? There was a lot more going on than he ever realized.

  “So, we’re thinking torture you and dope Sophia up,” Gill said. “Our orders are to keep you alive and maybe weaken you a bit. They never said anything about hurting her.”

  “What the fuck is this about? Who the fuck hired you? Do you have any idea who you’re fucking dealing with? She’s innocent. What do you hope to achieve drugging her and beating the shit out of me?” Nash asked. He needed to protect Sophia. Getting her out of danger was his top priority, but he needed to know who wanted to keep him alive.

  “Fort Wills is no longer going to belong to The Skulls. You and your men have overstayed their welcome. It’s time fresh blood took over the town, and the men who hired us are the ones to do it.”

  Nash waited for more. “That it? Your diabolical plan is to get rid of The Skulls.” Who would have hired these fucking thugs, and who wanted to take on The Skulls?

  When they didn’t say anything else, Nash started laughing. “You’ve got no fucking chance of getting rid of the club. We are the fucking town.”

  Gill walked over and slammed his fist into Nash’s face. Sophia cried out. Staring up at the man who’d hurt his woman, Nash focused all his hatred toward the man in front of him. “We’re going to get everything out of you, fucker. The Skulls will not know what hit them when one of their own gives them up. I believe your future and that of your club is going to be dead in the ground.”

  Again Nash laughed. “I’m not giving you anything.”

  “No?” Gill asked.

  He stayed silent staring into the eyes of the man he was going to kill. Nash was going to tear Gill apart limb from limb, and he was going to enjoy it.

  The other man turned to his ex-supplier who was holding a syringe. The guy arranged a tourniquet around her upper arm, finding a vein. The needle was pressed into Sophia’s arm. Nash watched as his woman tensed. The drugs in the syringe were plunged into her body.

  “A little heroin can go a long way,” Gill said. “You start talking, or Sophia gets something else. I wonder how much shit she can take. Remember, Nash, our orders are only to keep you alive. We can find other whores to fuck. She was just a sweet deal.”

  Staring at his woman on the table Nash saw the high claiming her. The pain she’d been feeling moments ago was gone.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Lash, I fucking need you right now.

  He knew how powerful the drugs were. Sophia wouldn’t survive the drugs. Heroin was fucking strong, which is why he never touched the shit. Fuck, he needed to get Sophia away from them. She was going to die if he didn’t do something to stop them.

  Gritting his teeth, Nash stared at the man in front of him. He knew his club well enough to know the men were doing everything they could to get to him. Stalling them could work, but he’d need to be careful or risk hurting Sophia more.

  Think, idiot, think.

  “So why am I supposed to give you this information? The Skulls are hard assed men. What do you have that we don’t? Who wants me alive?” Nash asked.

  He stared among all three men. Willy was looking at Sophia a little too intensely. Fuck, he hoped she wasn’t allergic to any of the shit inside the drug. Today was supposed to be the best fucking day of his life, and at the moment it was turning into the fucking worst of his life.

  Blowing out a breath he returned his focus back to Gill.

  “Do you think we’re that fucking stupid? We got a call. We answered it for a price. I will tell you something though. Every single one of us are all wanted for something.”

  “Petty thieves?” Nash asked.

  Another punch landed to his jaw. When he was free he was cutting the guy’s balls off and feeding them to him.

  “Not even close,” Gill said. “Murderers, rapists, and a couple of thieves added to the mix. We want a place to settle down, and Fort Wills is it for some of us.”

  “You think you’re going to get the whole town to cooperate without ditching you fuckers to the nearest cop?” Nash asked. The Skulls succeeded because they helped the town. They were the law. These men were criminals to start off with. The town folk would turn on them in an instant once they learned the truth.

  “Sophia’s looking a little hot,” Willy said, unbuttoning the front of the dress she was wearing. Staring over Gill’s shoulder, Nash fought the restraints. He was so busy watching Sophia that he didn’t see the knife pushed through his thigh until it was there.

  He cried out from the instant hit of pain. Yeah, he was going to kill every single fucker in this room, and he was going to laugh while he did it.

  “This is going to go easy or hard,” Gill said. “It’s up to you.”

  The dress was open to the waist. He was pleased Sophia had insisted on a bra. Every dirty, hurtful thing he could think of Nash was going to do to these men.

  “She’s not even fighting me,” Willy said. “Maybe I should make him watch as I touch her?”

  “Do what you want. Remember you promised me a turn, but don’t fuck everything up. Scars wants everything clean for the pick up,” Gill said.

  “Stay the fuck away from her.” Nash yelled the words spitting in Gill’s face as he did. He earned another stab to the leg and punch across the face. With their attention focused on him they would leave his woman alone.

  I’m so sorry, Sophia.

  If he’d not gotten hooked on the drugs he wouldn’t have put her in this position. He would do everything in his power to make it right.

  No more drugs. No more fucking up.

  “You’re in no position to order anyone around.” The man torturing him walked around him in a circle. Didn’t these men know he’d been through hell and back? What they were throwing at him was nothing that The Skulls couldn’t do.

  He started laughing as he thought about the men, even the criminals outside, taking on the biker group. If Tiny had Chaos Bleeds with them, then these men would be screaming like girls within moments.

  Another hit to the face didn’t stop his laughter. Willy moved away from Sophia. Nash would keep them away from her.

  “Stop hitting him, Gill. I want to know what he finds so amusing.” Willy approached with his arms folded.

  Hanging his head, Nash made sure the men were completely on him. Now all he needed to do was keep their attent
ion and stall them. He didn’t know how long he’d been at the warehouse, but the sun was already starting to set.

  “Come on then, enlighten me,” Willy said, bending forward.

  Spitting out a mouthful of blood Nash looked up. “What I find so funny is you guys thinking you can win or even the bastards who hired thinking they could.”

  “We’ve got more than enough force to take you on.” Willy no longer looked confident. The other man kept jerking his head in the direction of the door where their force was outside standing guard.

  “You’ve got wanted men. Rapists, murderers, and a few fucking thieves to run the show. Whoever is in the background is fucking stupid. You’re pawns in a bigger fucking game.” Nash leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

  Talk slowly. Draw everything out.

  Glancing past their shoulders he saw Sophia staring at him. Tears were streaming from her eyes.

  “I love you.” He watched her mouth the words to him.

  Willy gripped his shoulders. “My men kill without thought.”

  “Your men were caught. The Skulls,” Nash stopped to laugh, “they’re murderers. My brother snapped a man’s neck for touching his woman. You wouldn’t last ten minutes with my brothers.” They also had Killer along with plenty of other men. “We’d kill you all in a heartbeat.”

  The silence was deafening. Willy looked tense while Gill looked pale. His ex-supplier was gripping his bag of tricks like it was a lifeline.

  “You said you had this in the bag. You said I’d be protected and that they guaranteed our protection,” the supplier said.

  “He’s bluffing. They’ve got nothing. I’ve been promised, and no one crosses Scars or his club.”

  ****

  Sophia was conscious of the talk, but she felt the drugs in her system. They felt heavenly. There was not a single worry in her mind. When she turned her head and watched as Nash got hit, she knew the drugs were masking the pain.

  Don’t let them take over.

  She’d heard that one hit of drugs could have you addicted. Lying on the table in danger of having far worse done to her, Sophia was determined not to get addicted to them. She’d enter any program they’d need to keep herself safe.