“This part should go pretty smoothly,” I said. “We’ll have to deal with Travis and the butler on the way out. I was expecting more men.”
“Yeah, me too,” Wreck said, “this should be a fucking cake walk.”
“Don’t get too cocky. Stay calm. Stay focused. Remember the plan.”
“I’m cool, don’t worry,” he said, his jaw twitching in anger. “I can’t wait to fucking get out of here.”
“Let’s go,” Riot said.
We downed our drinks, walked back inside and looked around. There was nobody left on the bottom floor that we could see, so we slowly walked up the winding grand staircase to the bedrooms. We pulled out our guns, walking up to one of the bedroom doors.
“Let’s go,” I growled, my blood boiling with rage. “One room at a time.”
We opened the first door, guns drawn as we burst in.
“Quiet!” I demanded, the man’s eyes so wide I thought they’d burst from his head. Wreck wrapped his hand around the girl’s mouth so she wouldn’t scream.
“Shhh!” Wreck said, whispering in her ear. “We’re here to help you.” She was shaking in fear, her eyes wide and wild as she watched me put my gun to the man’s temple.
“Fucking try me,” I sneered at him.
He was naked already and his tiny little dick shriveled up so fast I almost laughed. I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of him and then quickly hit him over the back of the head with the butt of my gun. He fell in a limp heap on the ground and Riot and I pulled him into the bathroom.
“Put your clothes on,” Wreck said to the girl, letting her go. She burst into tears and hugged him, her tiny body shivering against his. He grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped her in it.
“Listen, you have to be completely quiet, okay?” he said. “We’re going to save you all, but we still have to get the other girls away first, okay? Can you stay here?”
She nodded, her eyes full of gratitude, as she watched us lock the old asshole in the bathroom.
“Good, don’t be afraid. Everything’s going to be okay,” he said, as we shut the door. “We’ll be right back - don’t make a sound!”
We walked back into the hallway and saw that the coast was still clear. This was almost too easy, but maybe that’s because Randolph wasn’t here. Travis had let Vanessa get away from him, he was obviously not very good at his job.
We repeated the exact same scene five more times, each one going as easily and smoothly as the last. Big, old, fat bald men weren’t very good at fighting, especially when they were caught with their pants down in a compromising situation and confronted with the likes of us Gods. I knew we were a scary bunch, but this was ridiculous with how easy it was.
I wasn’t surprised. Only weak men did shit like this. They did it to make themselves feel powerful, to exercise control over young girls, because they couldn’t control anything else in their pathetic lives.
We were almost finished, but I felt like we were just warming up.
“Let’s pull the girls out, put them in one room, let them get dressed and get their shit all together while we search for Travis,” I said.
Riot went back to each bedroom, gathering the girls and bringing them out quietly. He explained what was going on and it brought tears to my eyes to see them so thankful.
“So far so good,” I wrote a quick text to Grace. She was waiting around the corner with the van that she would use to carry the girls to our safe house we’d arranged in Portland. “Stay put.”
“We’ll be right back,” I said to the girls, the looks on their faces breaking my heart. It was a mixture of disbelief, joy and pain. I closed the door softly, before turning back to the Gods. “One more asshole to go,” I said.
Together, we walked back down the stairs. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I thought it would burst right out. My hands were sweaty with anticipation and I couldn’t help but imagine how good it was going to feel to get my hands around that Travis’s neck. The only thing I wasn’t happy about was that Randolph wasn’t here.
We found the next best thing hunched over a computer in a large office, the door thrown open. Slowly, we walked up behind him and I pushed the barrel of my gun into his temple.
“Don’t move, cocksucker,” I growled.
He stiffened and tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Slowly, he raised his shaking hands in the air.
“Please don’t shoot me!” he asked, his voice quivering in fear.
“Where the fuck is Randolph?” I asked. He was the one I really wanted.
“I told you. He had a family emergency. His wife or something.”
My eyes shot over to Wreck and I saw him go pale.
“What about his wife?” I asked, digging the gun into his skin harder.
“Sh- sh- she was missing or something. I think she almost drowned, we don’t know. Royce has been looking for her and he got a call.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” I asked, my stomach sinking.
“Someone saw her, that’s all I know. Royce went to the hospital.”
“No!” Wreck screamed just as my head snapped over to him. He thundered out of the room like a bull, his eyes frantic and wild.
“Fuck!” I yelled. “Get up! On your fucking feet now, asshole!”
I put the cuffs on him and pushed him down the hallway. We’d taken two steps when the butler rounded the corner, a gun pointed straight at us.
“Drop it!” he yelled, his eyes narrowed in anger.
I shook my head slowly, pushing the gun harder into Travis’ temple.
“Nope,” I said.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” Jasper said, waving his gun at me, his voice low and seething.
Slade’s crooked-ass grin was all I saw as Jasper fell to the ground at his feet, his knocked-out body laying in a cold, crumpled heap between us.
“You gotta come check out this spa, bro,” Slade said, gesturing behind him.
I laughed, pushed Travis forward, and shook my head.
“You fucking crazy motherfucker,” I said. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem, man,” he shrugged. “I hated that little asshole anyway. Jasper! What kind of name is Jasper? He reminded me of the fucking Nutcracker at Diana’s building. Fuckin’ prick,” he said, stepping over him and bending down and picking him up, hoisting his tiny body over his shoulder. “What do you want me to do with him? Kill him?”
“Fuck, no. At least not yet anyway,” I said. “Riot, call Grace, tell her to come around. I’m pretty sure Wreck took off with our ride.”
“What about this guy?” Riot said, pointing at a very angry, very red, Travis.
“Fuck him,” I growled. “Pool?”
“Oh, hell yeah,” Slade said, smiling at Travis like I’d just handed him a steak dinner. I pushed Travis in front of him and Slade pointed his gun at his head. “Walk, motherfucker. You’d better hope you can fucking swim with broken limbs.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Doc
The guys thought I was kidding about getting laid by one of the nurses, but I wasn’t. I took a step back from the pretty blonde I had spread eagle on the empty hospital bed and zipped up my pants, running a hand through my newly cut hair.
I was like a different person without those fucking wild curls. I felt weak or some shit. Like fucking Samson, I felt like I’d been rendered powerless without them. To be honest, I hated their absence, even if it had given me a shot with this hottie that was now wigglin’ her ass back into her scrubs in front of me. She was at least forty-five, but she still had it. She was tan and toned and had a smile that would have made me fall in love with her if I had been any other old man.
But I wasn’t.
I was me. I’d been wild-eyed and bushy tailed in my younger years, but Vietnam had turned me inside out. After that, I’d never been the same. Guess that’s what happened to all of us, but I’m happy to say I turned out better than some of my Army buddies. I mean, we’d all come o
ut scathed and scarred in our own ways, but some were worse than others.
I’d had a son along the way - a result of a quick but torrid affair I’d had with a waitress - but I rarely had a chance to see him these days. He was thirty now and all wrapped up in his own life. I’d never been prouder when he’d told me that he was following in his old man’s footsteps, in the best possible way. He was well on his way to becoming a bonafide fuckin’ doctor, and he was my greatest achievement, even if I didn’t talk about him too much.
Shit. My life had passed so quickly, I couldn’t believe how fucking old I was now. The years went by so fast, it was enough to make your head spin.
At least I had a life. Yeah, maybe it was unconventional, but it worked for me. I’d been a God for so long now, I almost forgot what life was like before. Before ‘Nam, I mean, because I didn’t forget one fucking day of that freak show, no matter how hard I tried.
And boy, did I fucking try. Once I got back to the States, I found my tribe right away and I partook of all the benefits of being a God.
Blow. Booze. Pussy. Cash.
Damn, so much pussy, the other guys in the club nicknamed me the ‘American Fuck Machine’! My skills in the sack were damn near legendary in the club.
I tore through it all, cementing my reputation as one of the original outlaw hell-raisers of Chaos. Goddamn, had it felt good.
Yep, those were the fucking good days. They were long fucking gone now, though. Age sat in and my ‘fuck machine’ started running a little slower and the drugs started hurting more than they felt good. But that’s alright - at least I still had my memories.
Hell, the original founders wouldn’t even recognize the club today. They’d still be proud as they could be, though. Fuck, I was proud.
Ryder and Grace had turned the club into something with integrity and purpose. Not that I needed redeeming, but if I did, then I’d have found redemption in Solid Ground. I didn’t do much for them, and that was fine with me. I was happy to leave the dirty work to everyone else, but when I was needed, you bet your ass I was going to be right there to help out anyway I could.
Taking care of Grace after that prick almost killed her the night Ryder brought her home was another one of my proudest accomplishments. There was something about taking care of someone who truly needed it that made me feel good, you know? It was a little different than sewing up Slade’s lip after Riot had punched him a little too hard.
Besides, I’d always had a soft spot for the ladies. It felt good that our club was helping so many women out.
I never was much of a people pleaser in general, but it sure did warm my heart every time I brought pleasure to a woman - in bed or out! Just like now.
I kissed the nurse’s cheek and smacked her curvy ass affectionately as she sashayed out of the room like a goddamned ecstatic peacock. Maybe the fuck machine wasn’t so slow after all, I thought to myself as I made my way back to Vanessa’s room.
That poor girl. I felt so bad for her. She’d not woken up since she’d been brought in and the doctor I talked to said the next twenty-four hours were crucial. She could wake up and be fairly fine or she could wake up with extensive brain damage, or paralysis.
Or, she might not wake up at all.
I hated to think what that would do to young Wreck. That boy had been torn apart by this whole thing. Watching him talk to her earlier had broken my fucking heart.
When I walked back into her room, the doctor from earlier was in there removing her breathing tube.
“Her breathing has stabilized. We’re going to take her off the machines and monitor how she does for the next hour,” he said.
“That’s good news, Doc. Any other changes?” I asked.
“No, we’re still in the wait and see mode at this point,” he replied. “But she’s hanging in there. She’s doing good so far. She’s tough.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” I said, shaking his hand before he turned and walked out the door. A pretty little petite redheaded nurse was fiddling around her bed and I watched her lean over Vanessa, her tight little butt on full display. I was almost ready for round two, but I needed to catch my breath a little first.
She finally walked out, flashing me a cute smile before shutting the door. I sat down in a recliner in the corner and leaned back, closing my eyes, my head swirling with worry.
By now, Ryder and the boys should be knee-deep in Randolph’s party. I knew they’d pull through, though. No matter how hairy things got in those situations, they handled them perfectly. They were the toughest gang of bad ass men I’d ever known.
I took a deep breath, sinking into the soft cushions of the recliner. A short little nap would be nice, and then maybe I’d be up for round two.
I knew I wouldn’t hear from the Gods for a while and the nurses would be in and out checking on Vanessa.
If I was needed, they would wake me.
My brain finally slowed down, my shoulders relaxing as I drifted off to an easy, peaceful sleep.
I didn’t hear the soft footsteps.
I didn’t see the flash of the knife.
It happened so fast, I wasn’t even aware of the pain.
It was better that way.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Vanessa
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I swam through the fog in my mind, barely aware of the rocking. The rustling sounds of blankets, a warm hand on my arm, the incessant, loud beeping that had woken me up had finally stopped. Movement. And then a sudden, jerking stop.
I opened my eyes, the light burning, blinding. I blinked, over and over, until I could focus, the ambulance coming into view slowly.
I tried to move my arm, but it was stuck, strapped down. The movement started again, only going forward this time and without the beeps. We started moving fast - too fast - so fast I thought I would be sick if we didn’t slow down.
And then I turned my head.
The scream that escaped from my mouth was ragged and rough, the pain ripping through my lungs in a burning flash of hell.
I blinked again, trying to blink away the nightmare in front of me.
“Hello, darling,” Royce said, his face inches from mine. “I’ve missed you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Wreck
The hospital was on lock-down. Outside was a madhouse of police cars, news vans and groups of people standing around in hospital gowns and scrubs. I parked the SUV and ran up to the entrance, but the cops wouldn't let me in.
“What happened?” I demanded.
“Homicide,” he answered, “nobody’s going in but emergency patients.”
“But my girlfriend is in there! In ICU!”
“Sorry, man, I can’t let you in.”
“Who died?” I asked.
“What?”
“You said it was a fucking homicide, who was murdered?”
“Can’t say, man, sorry.”
“Was it a fucking man or a woman?” I growled, my heart beating so hard it threatened to rip right out of my chest. I must have looked like a crazy person, I’d driven here so fast, completely panicked.
“A man, alright?” he said. “Now get out of the fucking way!”
A sheriff’s car was pulling in, one of the cops holding up the crime scene tape so he could get through. I took a few steps back, waiting at the edge of the crowd, trying to figure out what to do. The sheriff jumped out of his car and ran up to a man wearing a suit by the entrance.
“What happened,” he asked. I strained to hear them, but I was close enough to make out the words.
“Old guy waiting in an ICU room. Someone slit his throat. He bled out before a nurse found him.”
“Shit. Any suspects?”
“Nope. They’re checking surveillance now.”
“Good,” the Sheriff said, starting to walk inside.
“That’s not all, Sheriff,” the man called. He turned and walked back to him.
“W
e got a missing person too. A patient. Vanessa Randolph. You know the Captain’s old golfing buddy, Royce? It’s his wife.”
“She’s missing?” he asked.
“Yeah, whoever killed the old guy seems to have taken her too. She was unconscious. Nearly drowned out at Hug Point this morning.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he said, shaking his head. “Has anyone called Randolph?”
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Alright,” he replied, shaking his head again. “Anything else?”
“No, sir. The Captain is with the head of hospital security right now.”
“Alright, then,” he said, gesturing to the reporters who were frantically trying to get his attention before walking away. “Keep the vultures at bay.”
By now my blood was cold with fear, my hands shaking, my stomach quivering. I’d heard every fucking word that was said and I had no idea what to do.
I turned around slowly and headed back to the club. I needed the Gods, because if I had to handle all of this on my own, I’d never make it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Ryder
We shuttled the girls and ourselves into Grace’s van, leaving all those fucking pricks tied up like a bunch of prized pigs at a livestock event. The cop’s were already on the way for them and even though Wreck had thrown a huge wrench in our plans by rushing off, I couldn’t blame him for it. I would have done the same fucking thing.
So, we shuttled the girls and Grace to their safe house, and we sped back West towards the clubhouse and the hospital. I’d tried to call Wreck and Doc along the way, but neither of them were answering. I’d finally remembered that Wreck’s phone was ruined in the ocean, but the fact that I couldn’t get ahold of Doc was pissing me off.
I wanted to warn him that Randolph was coming, so he could be extra alert. I knew how badly Randolph wanted Vanessa back, and I wouldn’t put anything past him.
“Any luck?” I asked Slade and Riot, who were trying to get ahold of him too.
WRECKED: GODS OF CHAOS MC, BOOK FOUR Page 17