Acceptance (The Chicago Defiance MC Series Book 5)

by K E Osborn

  I have no idea what to do.

  Should I push him away?

  Should I let him continue?

  I don’t fucking know.

  His finger moves onto my collarbone. I flinch as he eases toward my breast. It’s like a switch triggers in him, darkness invades his onyx eyes as he rushes forward. His hand bursting upward as his fingers wrap around my throat without warning. He grips on tight, lifting upward as he squeezes. The blood thirst seeps through his veins like a demon seeking solace in a host. He’s hungry, his appetite expanding with every inch he squeezes. My hands instantly rush to his clenched fingers as my feet lift to their toes like a ballerina doing a beautiful dance. Only this isn’t a ballet, and I’m not stepping up to pointe. He tightens his grip as I begin to choke. My eyes bulge out of their sockets while I pant hard unsuccessfully trying to get air. My nails claw at his hand as his evil eyes stare into mine like I’m nothing but a worthless scrap of insignificant garbage. My toes dangle barely touching the ground as I flail about trying my hardest to find my footing.

  But nothing I do helps.

  No one in the room makes a move of any kind—not even Luc who stands with his eyes turned to the floor.

  My heart hammers in my chest so fucking painfully, I feel like it’s going to burst right through as oxygen starves itself from my body. My face feels like it’s going to explode as I gasp, my nails digging at his hands so hard I’m drawing blood from his tatty old skin, but he doesn’t budge. His eyes turn darker, and I know he’s set on making an example of me in front of his men, in front of Luc.

  My body begins to shudder. This is it, my airway is cut off now, I can’t get anything in. Everything’s starting to fade in and out. Apart from the ringing in my ears, there’s silence everywhere, and all I can think of is Ty right now. How, when he comes storming in here, he’s going to find my dead corpse. Then he’ll go crazy, lose his head, and not think rationally. He’s going to get himself killed all because of my stupidity in letting Luc out for two fucking minutes of fresh air.

  A wet, salty tear rolls down my cheek as my world spins out of control. Suddenly, it feels like the weight of the world crashes down around me as I feel a heavy thump like I’ve fallen to earth. I can’t quite put the pieces back together as a sudden sharp pain rips through to my stomach. I roll over gasping for air which seems to be making its way back into my lungs ever so slowly as I open my eyes to see Edgar’s foot leaving my stomach. From what I can gather, he’s dropped me, I’ve fallen, then he’s kicked me in the stomach. But I’m so out of it I can hardly think straight.

  “Someone, make sure she’s breathing, will you? I still have more to talk to her about,” I faintly hear.

  Luc appears in my foggy eyesight. He leans down, his eyes looking pained as he checks me over while I cough and splutter. I feel groggy. My throat hurts like a motherfucker as I roll on my back keeping my chin pulled back, so I can drag in as much air as possible. I know my throat has swollen a little, but I have to try to keep my airway loose if I can.

  “You’re okay, doc,” Luc murmurs near my ear as he rests his hand on my arm.

  I feel weak, zoning in and out, but I have enough strength to yank my arm free of Luc’s touch. I hear a snicker from the other men in the room before Edgar kneels down next to me. “You better catch your breath, dear Rebecca, because I’m nowhere near done with you.” My eyes focus as he sneers. Fear ripples through me at what the hell that could possibly mean as Luc’s sullen face is all I see before the two guards from the door walk over, grab me under each arm, and start dragging me across the floor.

  “No,” I yell. I’m weak. I feel like I have no energy, but I fight anyway as my legs kick up in the air, but it doesn’t do anything to stop them dragging me backward toward the wall. “What the hell are you doing?” I scream out, my voice is hoarse and raspy.

  “They’re prepping you, so we can have a little more fun.” Edgar’s tone drops an octave. It’s menacing. It’s daunting.

  I’m now not scared for my life. I’m scared of being alive and what the hell is to come.

  CHAINS

  Torque’s riding with me as we pull down the street toward basecamp. My stomach churns like a tornado’s wreaking havoc in my abdomen. I’m having trouble keeping my mind focused. I need to get to Bex, it’s my only aim right now.

  But my mind floods with memories.

  Whips.

  Wooden crosses.

  Torture.

  Chains.

  It’s all swarming through my brain as I try to stay fucking upright on my ride to get to my woman. Hell, I don’t even know if they brought her here. It’s the only place I can think of where they could possibly bring her. If they want to hurt her to get to me, this is the place to do it. A flash of Luc on a cross being whipped while they made me watch bursts through my mind. My eyes flicker causing me to swerve on the road, hitting a pothole. My bike skids. Dammit! I need to slow down, to take a second to figure this shit out, to take a moment to catch my breath. I haven’t been back to basecamp since I left nineteen years ago. I’ve only just started therapy to help with the torment from this place.

  I need a moment.

  Veering off to the side of the road at the edge of the compound, Torque pulls up next to me as I yank off my helmet then take in some deep breaths.

  Torque steps off his ride walking over. “You got this, brother?”

  Nausea rolls over me as I take in the hidden building behind the lush greenery, the moss colored grass of the golf course in the forefront, and the muddy pit of the marsh pond to disguise what’s hidden at the 19th hole. Taking in the scene in front of me, it looks exactly as I remember it. My body covers in a mist of sweat as Torque leans in closer to me. “Chains?”

  I snap my head around to face him. “We need to know if they have Bex. If I go in there, Torque, I don’t know if Edgar’s gonna let me back out.”

  Torque rolls his shoulders. “Then, I can’t let you go in, brother.”

  Sliding off my ride, I stand up. “If Bex is in there, you won’t be able to stop me from trying to get her out.”

  He places his hand on my cut as if to placate me. It doesn’t work. “Chains. I get it, I do. But let me have a look around. You stay here as lookout, I’ll see what I can dig up. You just keep your fuckin’ shit together in the meantime.”

  I grunt as I bob my head in some sort of acceptance. “You need to go past that greenery. There’s a spot past the tall tree where, if you pull the shrubs apart, you’ll be able to see to the gate inside.”

  Torque nods as he places his helmet on his ride, then walks off stealthily to the fences while I turn around trying to calm myself. I take in a deep breath, then exhale out. I think of anything other than what the fuck happened to me inside these godforsaken walls.

  Breathe in.

  And out.

  I let the image of Bex wash through my mind. I let her calm me. Even though I’m here for her, I need her strength right now. I’m a strong man, I’m a haunted man, and being here is harder than I thought. But I won’t fail Bex no matter the demons that run through my mind right now. Bex is my priority. My life. My everything. I won’t leave without her.

  I won’t fail another person I love.

  I won’t fail her, no matter the consequences.

  Turning my back to the marsh pond, I try to settle my swirling stomach as I glance over at Torque who walks back with a concerned look on his face, pulling his cell from his jeans pocket.

  It instantly has me on edge.

  “See something?” I ask as he steps up to me.

  His jaw wracks from side to side as he dials a number on his cell. “I’m calling for backup.”

  My muscles tense as I flare my nostrils. “What d’ya see, Pres?”

  He shakes his head, bringing his cell to his ear. “Yeah, Trax, we’re at the golf course. Get Ace to track my cell and bring everyone. We’re going in, bring supplies. Get Vibe to bring the van.”

  My eyes widen as I peer a
round him to try and see what the hell’s going on, but he grabs my cut pulling me back into position.

  Now, I know something’s up.

  He ends the call shoving his cell in his pocket as he peers into my eyes. “Chains, stop! Think about this. You go in before the others get here, we’re on our own. At least when the guys arrive, we have numbers. We have more of a shot of getting her and us out.”

  My stomach swarms with something.

  Euphoria that we’ve found her?

  Nerves she’s even in there?

  I don’t fucking know.

  All I know is Bex is in there with those fuckers, and I need to get to her before they destroy her soul like they did mine.

  “Torque, the longer she’s with them…” I shake my head. “They’ll kill her spirit,” I murmur.

  His hand is still pressing firm on my cut. “I know, brother. But trust me, the guys are already on their way. It won’t be long… we’ll be lighting this place up to get her back.”

  Turning, my hand runs through my hair as I begin to pace. The pressure of this all is too much. I just need to get to her, but I understand Torque’s call. I know I have to wait for backup. If I go in now, they’ll just kill her to spite me. I need brute force. I need to be able to grab her while the others are fighting the fuckers in there.

  I need my brothers in this, my family.

  I have to fucking wait.

  Time seems to move so damn slowly. I swear it’s going backward at one point. All I can do is pace to try and control myself until I hear the loud drawl of my brothers’ Harleys tearing down the stretch of road. My heart hammers in my chest, the roar, that fucking perfect intonation, never sounded so good as it does right now.

  Trax pulls up first, next to him Ace, Sensei, and Scratch. The rest of the crew follow on behind, Pyro and Surge at the rear. It feels fucking good to know I have my brothers at my back. Torque and I walk over to them as we all congregate in a huddle.

  “What’s the go?” Trax asks looking over toward the high fences.

  Torque wracks his jaw from side to side, his eyes glancing at me sideways. “Kline’s car is by the building, so I’m assuming she’s in there.”

  My muscles go rigid in anger knowing that’s what Torque was keeping from me—confirmation.

  “We’re going in, it’s just a matter of how we do this. We know once they see Chains, shit’ll hit the fan. What we don’t know is how. This could all be a ploy, they might want this, want Chains to come so they can do a swap. Him for Kline.”

  “I’ll do it. Whatever the cost. Just as long as she gets ou—”

  “Not an option, Chains,” Torque interrupts me with a hard glint in his eyes. “You’re both coming out of there. We’ll go in guns tight, but if we need to take out every fucker inside to get you both home with us, then I’m fine with that.”

  Everyone looks at me. “I just want her out of there, Pres. If we need to take them out to do it, I’ll be more than happy with that.”

  He exhales. “And if Luc is there?”

  A shudder runs down my spine thinking about his betrayal. Luc took Bex from me. He brought her here of all places. Brought her to the men who made my early childhood a living hell. God only knows what they’re doing to her. What they have already done to her.

  It’s unforgivable.

  “He’s disposable,” I instruct.

  Torque gives us all a head bob letting us know it’s time to act. I reach around pulling my Glock from down the back of my jeans then turn off the safety. “I’ll take you to the hidden entry point,” I announce.

  Torque signals for the others to follow as we form a single line, then they follow me. We stealthily walk toward the lush greenery as I slide through the brush shrubbery to find the access door. I find it quickly as I signal to Ace to step up. He does, he seems to already know what he’ll need. He brought with him a lock breaking tool as he shoves it into the lock, clicks it a few times, then the door clicks open.

  Sensei steps forward looking at me. “Brother, I’ll go first. If this is a trap, let’s not give you to them straight away,” he offers.

  I step back suddenly, remembering where I am. The adrenaline of getting Bex back had taken over, but now as I prepare to step inside the perimeter of basecamp—my hell—I watch my brothers filing inside the door one by one while my heart rate increases, and my breathing becomes frantic as my palms sweat profusely. My eyes close as memories flood my mind.

  My back arches as the snapping whip tears into the flesh of my back. Searing agony ripples through me while my fingers clench into tight fists. I fall to my knees begging for forgiveness, to stop the agony, to stop the terror, but it continues, crack after painful crack.

  “Chains!” Ace’s voice brings me back to the now as I open my eyes panting, heaving for breath. My knuckles are stone white as I grip onto my gun so fucking tight, I’m surprised I haven’t shot someone. “You all right, brother?” Ace continues.

  My head snaps up to look at him. His eyes show nothing but concern as he watches me falling apart. I loosen my grip on my gun, slowing my breath, the tension in my neck releasing slightly as I come back to the present. “This place… messes with me.”

  Ace reaches out squeezing my shoulder. “I get it. If you need us to get her while you stay out here, all of us will understand.”

  I turn up my lip. “Can’t do that. I can’t abandon Bex.”

  “You won’t be, but she’ll need you, brother, whether you’re inside or out here waiting for her.”

  I stand taller, it’s what I needed to hear. “Thanks, brother. I can’t think about me in this. Bex is everything. Her being here… I can’t let it happen. I have to suck up my shit. No matter my demons, I have to battle them for her. She can’t be here.”

  “Then let’s get your girl.”

  I dip my head as I duck through the door heading straight through into the main yard of basecamp. As soon as I step foot into the muddy area, everything smacks me in the face. It looks exactly the same—pools of mud, the giant building at the back, rows of barbed wire all over the ground to stop us from escaping. But it’s inside the building where the real torture happened. It had to be indoors, so no one could hear you scream.

  I glance over to the left to see the sleeping quarters for the boys. A rat runs out scurrying across in front of us as I let out a heavy breath. “Fucking place.”

  I see Sensei has already taken out the two guards who were on the door with his silencer, plus the one in the watchtower. I’m kind of shocked there’s no one patrolling the yard. It seems odd. But we make our way through the muddy yard as a group, keeping our eyes on every angle as we head for the basecamp main building—the torture chamber.

  There’s no one manning the door, and I find that strange. This all seems a little too easy as Sensei opens the access aiming his gun inside. He walks in, stops, and I tense up waiting for him to tell us to move in, but he lets out a heavy breath. “Holy shit,” he whispers.

  My entire body shudders as I race forward pulling Sensei out of the way.

  I look inside the room.

  It hits me like a ton of bricks.

  The open expanse.

  The muddy floor.

  The wooden crosses with chains wrapped around them.

  Blood adorns every single cross—there’s so many of them it makes my stomach lurch.

  I thought I was ready.

  I thought I could handle, this but my muscles clench. I swing around quickly as the others walk in to see the otherwise empty torture chamber.

  The room is vast.

  It’s cold.

  It’s dank.

  It smells of blood, urine, and defecation.

  It’s a death pit.

  A hell hole.

  “Is this the same as…” Torque asks leaving his sentence unfinished.

  I flare my nostrils without answering.

  Torque steps up slapping my back as he ushers me out of the building. “The place is empty. Is there anyw
here else they could be?”

  I glance over at the sleeping quarters. The rat-infested, pile of shit the young boys are kept in. Fear swarms over me. It envelops every inch of me like frostbite taking a victim. I shudder as I stare at the rundown building, the damn rat still running around out the front. My eyes narrow. “Over there, the sleeping quarters.”

  We edge over toward it, slowly moving, waiting for something or someone. When the doors burst open, men come running out aiming their guns at us and start shooting. The loud boom of gunfire echoes through the expanse as we all drop but aim our guns at the men wearing the Sovereigns’ telltale camo pants and olive-green bomber jackets. Mud litters my skin as I roll in it, bullets whizzing into the slippery ground beside me as I pull the trigger, my bullet slamming straight into the cheek of a Sovereign. His face explodes onto the face of the man next to him, blinding him as Ace fires a bullet into the now blind man’s neck. Blood spurts out of his jugular as he falls to his knees, his gun going off, shooting another Sovereign in the back. He falls forward face first in the mud as I shoot a round into another man’s chest. Blood oozes from his torso as he looks at me, pain in his features as he falls to his side.

  I try to slide my way up closer as the bullets keep flying at us, but we outnumber the Sovereigns, and we’re nailing them fast. I take a quick glance around to see if any of my brothers are hit, but I can’t tell. Suddenly, a whizzing sound flies past my ear as a bullet scorches my shoulder. I moan as the bullet nicks me, flying into the mud sending a splash of brown mess up onto my face. I groan as I roll onto my side facing up to get my now bleeding shoulder out of whatever the hell we’re lying in as I swipe my face with my shoulder to get rid of the mud, in turn wiping blood on my face.

  Fucking hell.

  The resounding boom of gunfire echoes through the air as I lean over firing off another round at a Sovereign who’s trying to do a runner. Even though he looks young, a teen at best, I can’t risk him going to warn the rest of them that we’re here. So, I shoot him in the back. He flies forward, face first into the sloppy mud onto a row of barbed wire, and immediately the gunfire starts to die down around me.