Delayed Love

by Sandra Richmond

  “Get it together, Brother, we have shit to fucking do. Let’s go. We need to meet with Tech.” Eli slumps more, for just a breath and then jerks out of Prez’s hold and stands and heads to his bike.

  I look at Prez for any compassion. He has none. He has always been a man with little to lose. But seeing him working so hard to find Avery makes me wonder. He’s never met her and he has the whole Hell Hound club through all states looking for her. But, April, he met once and he doesn’t let her being gone affect him. He’s on a mission. We walk over to our bikes and let them rumble to life, we ride to a motel outside of town.

  Pulling into the little road side motel, I see Tech leaning against the van, smoking. This must really be getting to him because he quit smoking three years ago.

  We get off our bikes and walk over to Tech, first thing out of his mouth is,

  “They are in room 208.” He throws his thumb behind him pointing to the door. I nod.

  “Brother...” Eli begins and drops his head. I know he wants to ask about April. We all already know her fate. But we need the words, or more so, he does.

  “Brother.” Tech pulls Eli to him and slaps his back in a man hug and lets go.

  “Is she...April...Uh.” Eli starts but he can’t bring himself to say the words. We all watch Tech, anxious to hear the words.

  “Brother, I went to your room. She wasn’t there. I searched as we were leaving. She was not in the clubhouse.” Eli slowly looks up to Tech with hope in his eyes.

  “Prez.” Is all he gets out before Prez speaks first.

  “Let’s get this meeting done with, then let the others join us and you can go find her.”

  Eli nods with a hard look on his face. I know if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to wait to go look either, but we are at war with some sneaky motherfuckers and we need to stay focused or we all will die.

  “Eli, call Jack. Let him know what’s up and to keep an eye open. If they attacked the club, they will try and take her out as well.” Eli nods, walking away to call Jack.

  “Tech.” Prez nods to him to continue with what he needs to say.

  “Well, I checked the security cameras as I always do every morning. I saw a dark clothed figure cut through our back fence around 6 a.m. with a bag, when he left through the same hole, he didn’t have the bag. I just knew it was a bomb. I went and checked as soon as I saw where he’d gone. It was a bomb. A timer attached that had ten minutes left. I gathered up everyone and left fast as fuck.” He lets a breath out. I let mine out as well; I didn’t even know I was holding it in.

  Eli comes back from his phone call and nods to Prez. He still looks uneasy as he has to wait to look for April.

  All the others pull up to the motel and hop off their bikes and circle us, making our group way larger. Prez wastes no time speaking.

  “This explosion is good for us believe it or not; it means they are still in town. We need to reel in the search and look closer to home. They were under our noses this whole fucking time and I’ll tell you Brothers, it pisses me the fuck off.”

  They all nod in agreement some with grunts and growls as well.

  “We will search this whole fucking town, top to bottom. Colt, take a few guys and head to the all the abandon houses in town—search every house. Eli, you and Jester and Jinx go look at the club first for any sign of April then ask the closest stores. Maybe she wondered off for some air. Chevy, you and Coin are with me, searching every motel and hotel here. Ruckus and Cole, stay here and guard this room with your fucking lives. Got it?”

  He growls at all of us. We all nod in unison, understanding our tasks at hand. “Banshee, you and the rest of Yellowcreek go to the hospital and guard Melissa’s room.”

  They nod to him in agreement.

  “Tech, call off all the other charters. They are here and we will find them and kill them.”

  Tech nods, he heads off to call off all the charters.

  “Let’s ride Brothers!” He yells, circling his finger in the air.

  We all get on our bikes and head out. I wanted so badly to go check in on Harley and Caleb, but this needs ended now. I know their safe and that is what really matters. I will make it safer for them, one way or another. This ends today. I look at Prez and I can see he has the same thought. He needs to keep his brothers safe. We nod and I follow after him on the road, looking back at my life being left at the motel.

  We’ve checked every motel, hotel and bed and breakfast in Branchwood—nothing. My anger is growing inside of me to find them and make them pay for my family’s suffering. Where the fuck can they be? I know they are close. They made a mistake by planting that bomb. Making their presence known was a mistake. What was with that bomb, going off way after we’ve cleared out? Possibly thinking we wouldn’t have left before nine. Well, jokes on them fuckers. We take our hunts seriously. Thank fuck Tech caught it on camera and got my family out. Replaying the words in my head, ‘bomb, club, explosion.’ It makes my blood boil. Walking back to our bikes, Prez’s phone rings.

  “Hell fucking yea! I’m on my fucking way!” He barks with joy getting on his bike, he hollers to me and Coin.

  “We got Rufus! Caught him at the hospital trying to finish off Melissa. Let’s ride!” He barks over the sound of his ride. My gut is flipping and doing fucking cartwheels. Fuck yea! This is the break we needed. We ride as fast as we can, not giving a fuck about a red and blue. All I can think of is ripping Rufus’s throat out.

  We get to the back of the parking lot of the Hospital, and there he is, in the flesh. I can see he’s weak from his gunshot wound. It makes me want to punch him in his wound to hear his pain vocally. I go to just do that, when Prez grabs my arm.

  “Mine.” Is all he says. I know he’ll have fun and enjoy this kill more than he ever has any time before. Rufus killed Pops, Prez’s father. He deserves this, as I do with Poodle. I nod to him, knowing what he means.

  “Call Tech to get Ruckus out here with the van.” Prez says with a big smile on his face. His eyes never leaving Rufus’. Rufus has a scowl on his face.

  “Rufus, I have been asking Santa for years for this gift. Looks like my wish just came true.”

  Prez practically sings to him. Like I said, he looks as he always does with play time—like a kid on Christmas fucking morning opening his presents. I can feel the happiness coming off of him. All of my brothers are nodding and smiling to him. They all know what this kill means to Prez. It’s been a long time coming.

  “Tell me where Avery is and I’ll make it quick.” Prez tries to give Rufus an out, but he refuses by spitting in his face. Prez takes his hand and wipes away the spit and smiles at Rufus. Rufus gets anxious, I can see it in his eyes. He’s thrown off by Prez not raging in anger at his disrespect.

  “Come on, Rufus. I’m offering you an out from my play time. I’d take it if I was you.” Prez chants to him.

  “You’re going to kill me either way.” Rufus finally speaks.

  “Yes, very much so, I am. But, if you tell me where she is, I’ll put a bullet in your head instead of holding you down, and putting a hundred cuts all over your body and pouring salt into them. Then, I would break every bone in your body. Then, I would... Well let’s just say, I think you should take the bullet to the head option.” He says with a smile and a hand rubbing his chin.

  Just as Prez finishes his words, I see Jack out of the corner of my eye walking with speed straight to Rufus. Prez doesn’t see him and I neglect to tell him on purpose. Jack deserves revenge just as much as us. Since he won’t leave Melissa’s side, this will have to do. He catches the side of Rufus’s face with his fist.

  “You gonna kill my woman? You dumb fuck!” He yells as he spits in his face, Rufus is kneeling down, trying to catch his breath from the blow. Before he could look up, Jack’s boot connects with his face. He topples over, moaning in pain.

  “You fucking piece of shit! You’ve scarred her for life! Now, I’ll show you what happens when you fuck with a Hell Hound!” Jack yells
at him as he leans down to Rufus and takes his thumb and rams it into his gunshot wound. Rufus howls in pain as Jack presses and twists his thumb. The look on Jack’s face is pure anger. He’s seeping with guilt and anger—guilt for not being able to protect her and anger toward the man who caused all her pain.

  “That’s enough, Jack.” Prez says.

  “No! He deserves to die!” He says pulling his thumb out of Rufus and standing. He brings a swift kick to his back. He arches his back and howls in pain again.

  “Enough! Brother, he will suffer. I’ll make sure of it.” Prez says grabbing hold of Jack, to stop his rampage.

  “Go to her, Brother, she needs you. We’ll take care of this.”

  Jack looks to Prez and nods with pain in his eyes. I see a tiny bit of relief in him as he got to cause some pain to the man who has caused him and Melissa pain. Jack gives one last glare to Rufus as he heads back to the doors of the hospital.

  Colt and the others pull up. He hops off his bike, gunning it straight to Rufus. Before anyone can grab him, he starts punching Rufus in the face. I hear something crack, possibly his jaw or nose. Prez pulls Colt off of Rufus and tells him to get a fucking grip. He’s panting and takes a short walk to slow his mind and breathing.

  We turn to Rufus, kneeling down, who is bleeding from his nose and a cut above his eye. We all laugh at him and he spits blood at my boots. I laugh harder as I bring my boot to his ribs—damn, that felt good.

  He falls over and coughs and whimpers in pain. Wimp. Prez offers one last time.

  “Rufus, you tried to kill my entire club, you tried to kill my Little Hero, Jack’s girl. You know, I really don’t like the feeling I get when my Little Hero is in danger. It puts a nasty taste in my mouth.” Prez says to him with a seriousness in his voice, no more games. He is dead serious. His Little Hero, huh. I smile on the inside, thinking of all the love that Caleb has. If he can get such a soulless, heartless man, like Prez to have a place in his icy heart for him, I know he will be okay with his demons chasing him. Everyone will love and protect him.

  “You know, Mutt, even if Bronx was missing one hair on his head, I would hunt you down and have some real play time with you. You know why, because that dog is Little Hero’s and that would in turn, hurt him. See? I have to torture you now, talking about losing people who mean something to me is making me upset. I withdraw my offer. No quick death for you. Take him to the warehouse.”

  Ruckus pulls up with the van shortly after Prez started his speech to Rufus.

  Banshee and Coin load him into the van and take off. Prez lights a cigarette and takes a deep puff. He’s leaning on his bike. I go to stand next to him and ask.

  “Little Hero, huh?” I say with a smirk. He looks me over and shrugs.

  “Yea, what can I say, I like the kid.” With that, I see a side to my Prez I never thought even existed. Love. Flicking his cigarette, he moves to the circle of our brothers and yells.

  “Let’s ride!” he makes the circle motion with his finger again and we all follow lead.

  *******************************************

  Harley

  Sitting in this tiny run down motel room with Cole, Tech, Scamp, Caleb and Bronx, I’m getting so nervous. I know this is the calm before the storm. I just know it is, the unsettling part is thinking who will survive this storm. I heard all the bikes pulling up and within ten minutes they were gone again. I peeked out the window and saw Ford talking with the others. My heart does flips at the sight of him. I sigh in relief, knowing he is okay. I know he wants this to be over with as much as I do. We want Avery home. We want our family back together. With the explosion, my mind goes back to taking Avery and Caleb to Washington. I don’t like this feeling of fear. It hasn’t left me since I walked into the bar that night with Lissa. I don’t regret it; it has brought Caleb, Avery and Ford to me. If only Avery could be here now. I just don’t want them to keep going through this. We had her and lost her just as fast. When Ford is around, he makes all my worries for them slip away and replaces it with love and protection. I’m having another inner battle when I hear Caleb talking to Cole. I stop my thoughts from flooding my brain and listen to him.

  “Hey, Cole.” His tiny voice sings as he takes a seat at the tiny table next to him.

  Tech is messing with his laptop. He must have grabbed it from the club as I was getting dressed. Bronx is at Caleb’s feet, sleeping. Colt is standing by the window watching everything that moves outside of this room. He got back a little while ago with the others from his mission, I guess. They stand outside. I can feel his worry from here. I know he is just as worried as we are. He has a connection with Avery. I’ve seen it with the way he interacted with her. I climb off the bed and go stand next to him. He doesn’t turn to look at me.

  “Hey, we’re going to get her back.” I say, placing my hand on his arm, showing him some comfort.

  “I hope so.” Is all he says. Still staring out the window, I can feel his anger pouring from him like heat from a sunburn. I turn to step in front of him and grab both of his shoulders. He finally looks at me. I can see the pain and guilt in his eyes—it weighs heavy on him.

  “We are going to save her, do you hear me? You don’t hope, Colt. You know. I know in my gut, she will be back with us again.” His eyes soften a tad bit. I see his eyes start to get glossy and he turns to watch out the window again. I give his broad shoulders a squeeze before I retreat back to the bed. I stare at the men in the room, taking each one in.

  Colt, he is so worried for Avery and I feel that he blames himself for her being taken. I think we all feel a little to blame for it. With his six-foot-three frame and well-built body; he’s all muscle, and his shoulders are broad. He has a full sleeve on his left arm, mostly of military and Hell Hound memorials. Staring at his deep brown eyes as they glossed over earlier, he has a short military cut as most of the men do in the club. He has light brown hair. He has a five o’clock shadow with his strong jaw. He is all brute, I’ll tell ya that. I can see he has things that haunt him as well. Probably from war, being on the front lines can really do damage to your soul. I can feel he has a heart of gold though; I see it when he is with Avery.

  Ruckus is leaning against the wall. Such an odd character. I can tell something is always on his mind. He seems so distant sometimes; deep in thought. He’s so young, nineteen, I think. He’s always quick to joke, but when it comes to seriousness, it seems he tries harder than needed to be a Hell Hound. I hope he finds his feet; they let him in for a reason. He needs to see that reason for himself. He is tall and slender, still coming into his full Hound growth. Not many tats, he has a baby face. Shaggy blonde hair. Scruff on his face. His eyes say he’s older than he actually is. Bright blue eyes. He looks lost sometimes. I wonder if the others see what I do in him.

  Tech, he’s still at the desk. He hasn’t moved since we got here. I know he is helping with the search for her in his own way. His specialty is in technology, so I have no doubt he is helping. I have faith in every one of these men. Tech isn’t as tall as the others—maybe five-eight. His shoulders are just as big if not slightly more than Colt’s. He’s well built just as the rest of the men are. He always has a clean shaven face. He has no tattoos that I can see. He’s pretty clean cut for a biker, just saying. His light brown eyes are a few shades lighter than Colt’s. But his hair is a solid dark brown. He has a soft chiseled face. He’s very handsome. I can easily see him sitting at a desk job or at least being at a desk and a boxer in his spare time. His face has a softness to it. Colt’s, opposite of Tech. Has a hard look. A haunted look.

  Turning to Cole and Caleb, I see Cole is nothing like these men I’ve grown to love and trust. He has a dark past. His eyes say it all. They scream. “Don’t fuck with me.”

  His deep hazel eyes are focused on Caleb as he speaks to him. It seems as if he’s hanging on to every word that little man is saying. He’s giving him his whole attention. Cole is a shadow of sorts, very dark. Scary. Warnings shoot from his eyes. But,
Caleb sees whatever he is trying to hide behind. He sees right through it. Caleb is pulled to him. I see the connection within them. Seems they both understand each other on a level only tortured souls can. Cole has jet black hair that brings the hazel out in his eyes. It’s short, shaggy and sits just over his ears. His face is so hard—like a constant scowl unless Caleb brings out a smile in him. Seems as if only he can. I see him flash his beautiful white teeth, dimples in his cheeks. His eyes soften as he smiles at Caleb. When he sees me watching him, he drops his smile and quickly puts on his hard look again. I continue to watch as he takes his eyes from mine and back to Caleb. Cole is easily six-foot-four. All brute as well as I see his large body overtake the tiny chair he is sitting in. He has tattoos all over his body. I just know that he has them from both of his hands—yes, hands—to his neck, peeking out from his shirt under his cut. Clearly his story is in his art on his flesh. I see a human figure with a gun to its head as it splatters red blotches all over, the deep red springs out into bright red butterflies. Simple and yet has a deep meaning. He has scruff on his chin with a five o’clock shadow as well. Tech’s phone rings and cuts through my mental breakdown of each Hell Hound in the room.

  “Colt!” Tech yells for him and holds up the cell. Colt takes it and presses it too his ear. His eyes get a little wide eyed and just as quick he says. “On my way.”

  Colt turns to Cole and Tech, he says a few words tossing the phone to Tech and heads toward the door.

  “Ruckus, drive the van.” Ruckus pushes off the wall and follows Colt to the door.

  “Stay here, keep them safe with your life, Brothers.” I see Cole nod and out the door Colt runs. I’m standing in the middle of the room, looking dumbfounded. What just happened?

  Good? Bad? Avery? Ford? My mind floods with worry as I begin to pace the room.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ford

  Standing in the background with the rest of the club, we watch Prez do his thing. He has Rufus barely hanging onto reality as he’s tortured him for the past two hours. Prez has made good on his word to give him a hundred cuts—a hundred and thirty-one to be exact. Rubbing salt on each cut just as he promised; he is enjoying this as he always has.