Calming the Riot

by Karen Renee

  Vamp’s lips were tight, his shiny silver hoop-ring stark against his lips. His blue eyes leveled on Liar’s brown ones. “No way, man. For one thing, neither of us are sure where they are. For a second thing, bitches are crazy.”

  Liar’s gaze bored into him hard. “Really? You think I missed the shit that went down for Mallory or Frankie? I know ‘bitches are crazy,’ but Andi isn’t a bitch.”

  Liar had seen Vamp’s temper flare back in May when things went down for him, but this was the first time he had provoked ire from his brother.

  “Thought you were done with her regardless?”

  Liar shrugged. “Don’t mean I want to see her dead. Major says she’s hurt, and they’re somewhere in Palatka.”

  The anger left Vamp’s eyes. “Fine. Me and the prospect will ride with you. Power in numbers man.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Andrea

  Being a big believer, my mother spouted regularly, ‘Some lessons have to be learned the hard way.’ It would seem I had to learn the hard way that throwing one’s weight to the side while tied to a chair was a great way to sprain if not break one’s ankle. In order to throw my weight, I had moved both feet to the outside of the chair legs for more leverage. The problem was I forgot to move my foot before the chair leg crushed my ankle. I wasn’t sure, but there was a good chance I had sprained my shoulder. The pain was sharp, but at least I wasn’t dead. I saw Leventon shift, so he was aiming at someone behind me. Then warm, calloused fingers wrapped gently around my arm and moved inside the rope binding. Faintly, I heard the sound of the rope being cut.

  Once my arms were free, a man’s voice whispered in my ear, “Stay still, darlin’. Leventon’s a loose cannon. Gonna undo this gag, so don’t make too much noise either.”

  Getting rid of the gag was a Godsend. I stayed still and made no sounds like the man said, but I noticed Roll had fully entered the room, drawing the attention of Prank and Leventon. My heart sank because I didn’t want him to get hurt. The person who had been behind me stepped around me. I looked up and thought it was Rage at first, but then realized it was Yak because he was far and away stockier than Rage could ever be.

  “Excellent,” Leventon drawled. “The Riot MC has arrived, but as usual only one of you had the forethought to bring a gun to the gunfight.”

  Roll’s gaze never wavered from Leventon’s. “Seems your boy Prank’s not packin’ either. Plus, you don’t care if he lives or dies. I’m guessin’ he ain’t exactly feelin’ the love for you right now.”

  “Especially since you’re holdin’ his piece in order to frame his ass,” Yak added.

  There was a draft coming from behind me as though a door were open. That must have been where Roll and Yak had entered. I was out of options in terms of getting away from this stand-off at the moment. I couldn’t get to my feet without making a ruckus, and I could see the benefit of staying still like Yak advised. The less attention Leventon paid to me, the less likely I was to die. At least at the moment.

  My gaze had skittered to the other side of the breakfast nook, and I noticed a foot on the floor by the baseboard where a half-wall divided the nook from the living room. It was another motorcycle boot, and I looked up and caught a glimpse of Cal’s profile as he leaned forward from the wall.

  Looked like Leventon was mistaken, yet again. “Now, now, I didn’t say ‘frame’ exactly. You make assumptions.”

  Cal rounded the corner holding a gun aimed at Leventon. “We all know you’re a man who will whack anyone who might cause you problems. And you’re well-skilled at dodging the fallout.”

  Leventon’s eyes slid to Cal, and he smiled. “Well, I was wondering if you were ever going to confront me. I must say I’m surprised it’s taken so long, Callous.”

  It was startling and heartbreaking to hear him called Callous. Startling because it reminded me of Jackie intending to name a little boy after him, and heartbreaking because Jackie had a little girl instead. Plus it reminded me that I had yet to see, let alone meet, Jackie’s little Simone. With the way things had gone today, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see her little girl.

  My ruminations were disrupted by Cal. “You know what they say, Al. Good things come to those who wait.”

  My eyes swung back to Leventon, and the set of his jaw screamed how much he despised being called ‘Al.’ I wanted to chuckle, but the tension in the air kept me in line.

  I wasn’t that familiar with Allen Leventon, but if my instincts were good, he was starting to get rattled. He had two-armed Riot MC brothers closing in on him, and to my dismay, the unarmed Yak was edging closer to him than Roll or Cal. Yak wasn’t carrying, but his tall, bulky frame held a promise of violence I knew Leventon couldn’t withstand. His eyes darted from Yak to Roll, then to Cal and back to Yak. He wasn’t obviously nervous but given the nearly palpable menace rolling off of them, anyone with half a brain would be leery around Roll, Cal, and Yak.

  The problem with my thinking was that I wasn’t a criminal. I would have felt threatened, and I would have crumbled, but Leventon decided to take a stand. He straightened his arm toward Cal, but his actions were telegraphed such that Roll got the first shot off. Roll’s bullet went straight through Leventon’s shoulder in a gruesome fashion the most well-budgeted Tarantino film couldn’t duplicate. Cal’s gun went off seconds after Roll’s, and I was stunned to see the bloom of blood soak through Leventon’s hunter green sweater. The dark red started at the area of Leventon’s left pectoral and shimmered and deepened as more blood came to the forefront, but then the older man’s body crumpled to the floor.

  Prank tried to skirt around Roll, but the man moved with more grace than I expected. With a hand to Prank’s throat, he had him pinned against the wall of the breakfast nook. “You the asshole who followed Liar and Razor, and then fucked up his Trans-Am?”

  “He killed my brother,” Prank choked out.

  I gasped hearing that about Liar. I had no idea he’d killed a man. Before I could hear Roll or anyone else’s response, Major’s silver beard filled my sight, and his strong arms picked me up by the backs of my legs and an arm under my torso. He carried me from the stuffy trailer out to a nearby clearing.

  My mind was a-whirl with what to feel and where to focus my feelings. How bad was my Karma going to be if I failed to care that such a heinous individual had been killed? Then again, what was the worth of that individual if he was more than willing to kill me? Before I could ponder those issues, the roar of multiple motorcycles filled the air, and my body went tense.

  Major was crouched near me and noticed my body language. “It’s okay, darlin’. Just Rage, a prospect, and a certain biker who’s had his head extracted from his ass. And if not, then I assure you, me and Roll will get him squared away.”

  My body was beginning to shake, and I assumed it was shock setting in. “I don’t want to see him. No offense, but—”

  Major’s beefy hand reached out and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Don’t you worry, Andrea. You don’t have to see him, but we do have to get you taken care of. You took a nasty fall in that chair from the sound of it, and you probably sprained your ankle if the swellin’ is any sign. I’m gonna go let Rage know, I’m takin’ you to the emergency room.”

  ***

  Five hours later, I was on my futon with my shoulder wrapped and my ankle propped up. Major was right about my ankle. The doctor said my ankle was definitely sprained, and my shoulder was sprained as well. The nurse told me I was lucky I didn’t dislocate it. By the time they released me, my foot was wrapped, I had my arm in a sling and navigating on crutches was a trick and a half. That was when he decided to call his daughter, Amber.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything else I can get you, lady?” Amber asked me.

  I shook my head. “No, Amber. You’ve gone above and beyond, seriously. Besides, I heard you tell Major that your mother wasn’t too happy about pitching in at the last minute so you could help me.”

  Amber had dark
kinky-curly hair and dazzling grey eyes. She pointed a finger at me. “That’s only because she knew I was doin’ something for Dad. Anybody else, she wouldn’t have cared one iota about watchin’ my two kiddos.”

  “Well, thank you. And I was serious about what I said in the car. Name the date and time, and you’ve got a free stone massage or whatever kind of massage you want.”

  She crossed her arms under her ample bosom. “Fine. I see you’re hell-bent on doin’ that. I’ll give you a call, but in the meantime, you get better. I wish there was someone I could call to stay with you. Shit, my Dad’s brothers get into is pretty bad stuff.”

  She was quite right, but I hadn’t been able to reach Janie, and even when I did, I wasn’t sure she’d be able to help me.

  I grinned at Amber, but I knew she could see right through it. “It’s okay. Really. I’ll try my friend Janie again, but I’ll get through this.”

  And I would, because really, I didn’t have any other choice.

  Liar

  Liar stepped into the dank double-wide trailer, and then stalked over to Roll and Prank. Roll’s knuckles were cracked and bloody laying testimony to the damage he had inflicted on Prank.

  When there was a lull in the beating, Liar asked, “He touch her?”

  “Andrea, no. Your Trans-Am, yeah.”

  The relief he felt at that was palpable. Not knowing what was wrong with her, it had torn him up to watch Major carry her across the overgrown yard. He wanted to be the one taking care of her, but his mind hadn’t fully wrapped around her being a means to an end for Leventon. If ever there were words he didn’t like to say, “I was wrong” was at the top of the list.

  He felt Cal staring at him. “You wanna take over the beating? Knowing this asshole fucked with your Trans-Am?”

  Liar shook his head. “Roll’s doin’ fine. Wouldn’t mind throwin’ one punch at this asshole, but otherwise, he ain’t worth my time.”

  Prank spat blood at Liar’s feet and mumbled, “Fuck you. All of you.”

  The spit missed Liar’s boots, but it definitely pissed him off. He stepped forward, grabbed the back of Prank’s head so he could slam his knee into the man’s face. Prank’s wails of pain were so loud, that Liar didn’t hear Blood join them.

  “Christ, this shit’s messy.”

  “What’s the plan?” Cal asked.

  A sinister grin split Blood’s lips. “Seems Leventon’s men decided to get violent with Prank here, and then he remembered his gun in his waistband.” Blood was wearing a purple surgical glove and pointed the gun at Prank.

  Fear flashed across Prank’s face for a second before he covered it. “My club’ll come after every one of you fuckers.”

  Blood shook his head. “No. They’ll be searchin’ high and low for Tony Hollingfeld. Leventon’s second in command.”

  Prank didn’t seem like the brightest bulb most of the time, but apparently, he could put some shit together quick under duress. “That asshole hasn’t been around since July. Nobody’s gonna be—”

  He stopped mid-word, as the realization hit him. “You bastards offed him then, didn’t you? No way my brothers’ll believe this shit.”

  “Think they might be a little too busy with the cops wantin’ to know why one of their known associates was found dead with Leventon and a masseuse,” Cal said.

  Blood shot a look at Liar. “Jesus. You got his blood all over your leg. Get outta here. Get cleaned up and burn those fuckin’ jeans.”

  No sooner had Liar slung a leg over his bike than he heard the gunshot from the trailer.

  ***

  Liar sat in a folding chair, outside the garage of Mallory’s old house, nursing a beer when Major rode up the driveway. Even though things went to shit with Andrea in December, he had decided to move forward and agreed to rent Mallory’s house. It was good to be out of the clubhouse, but it sucked not having Andrea with him.

  Major shut down his bike and swung off. “So this is Mallory’s old place, huh?”

  “Yep,” Liar said.

  “You gonna offer me a beer?”

  “Nope.”

  Major laughed. “You are a piece of work, man.”

  “No, I’m not. You’re on your bike, it’s gettin’ dark, and I got enough on my conscious. I don’t need to add to it by givin’ you a beer, and then you get in a wreck because of it.”

  “So noted,” Major said as he crossed his arms and took a stance Liar was all too familiar with from working with the man.

  “Don’t you start with me.”

  “Oh, I’m gonna start with you, son.”

  “Don’t—,” Liar growled, but Major spoke over him.

  “That girl is in rough shape. Got herself a sprained ankle, and a sprained shoulder. You shoulda seen her bein’ all stoic hobblin’ outta my fuckin’ truck. Every damn one of us is to blame. Except Roll, though ain’t no way to get that through the big man’s thick skull.”

  Liar fought the urge to throw his beer bottle straight into the street. Major was right. Her getting tied up in any of this shit was on every one of them.

  “Amber just left her alone twenty minutes ago. This shit’s gonna fuck with her head. You need to drag your sorry ass over to her place and grovel.”

  “That isn’t happenin’,” he bit out.

  Major’s gray-haired head tipped to the left. “Why the fuck not?”

  Liar leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees he let the beer bottle dangle from the fingers of his right hand. “She’s better off without me.”

  “And what about you, brother? ‘Cause, I can tell you right now, you’re not better off without her.”

  Liar shook his head. “Yeah, but I’ll get there.”

  Major sighed. “Don’t be a dumbass. Life’s too short for that shit. Speakin’ of that, I’m gonna get outta your hair. See you at church tomorrow, brother.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Andrea

  There was a knock at my door, and I put my knee to the cushion of the knee-walker Janie had bought me. Even though it had been two weeks since the Leventon incident, and I could put weight on my ankle, I figured it was Janie at the door. She would lose her mind if she saw me hobbling around my apartment. Seeing as she spent entirely too much money on this contraption, I figured she had a right to get upset.

  I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Jackie standing at the door. I didn’t know why she was there, and as desperate as I was to find out, there was no way I could open myself up to that heartbreak again. Losing Liar the way I had resulted in two forms of heartache. While losing a man never felt good, losing a girlfriend of over seven years hurt far, far worse.

  With a deep breath, I opened the door and said, “Are you sure Volt would want you to—”

  “He’s downstairs in the parking lot. Probably puffing on that God-awful Vape of his. He wants to apologize, but he’s too damn macho to come up here with his tail between his legs if you’re going to turn him away.”

  A high-pitched sound from the ground stole my attention and my heart because at Jackie’s feet was a baby carrier holding her brand new little girl.

  I gasped. “You brought your baby.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes at me playfully. “Well, yeah! Simone wants to meet her Auntie Andi. Now, can I tell my thick-headed biker husband he can drag his ass up here?”

  I pressed my lips together and nodded at her.

  Jackie turned toward the foot of the stairs, but I heard Volt say, “I heard that, Jacqueline, and I’m not thick-headed.”

  Jackie looked at me skeptically but picked up the baby carrier and moved to come inside. I scooted myself out of the way and held the door for Volt. He came inside, saw my leg on the knee-walker and his jaw clenched.

  I started to close the door behind him, but he took it and tilted his head to the futon. “Go sit down. I got the door, Andrea.”

  I nodded and moved to the futon. As I situated myself, Jackie came to sit next to me, and she was holding her baby with a hand beh
ind Simone’s neck. I smiled at the sight of them, but it didn’t keep my tears at bay. The tears were partly happy tears because I had my friend back and she had a little girl, but they were also sad tears because it reminded me that Janie had lost her chance at this happiness.

  Jackie pulled me from my conflicted thoughts. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner, but I had to wait for the moratorium to be lifted.”

  “Jacqueline,” Volt said in a tight voice.

  Jackie’s eyes narrowed at him. “Am I wrong? No.” She turned back to me. “Besides, someone had her three-week check-up appointment today, and since it’s a full-scale production getting out of the house with her, I decided today was the day I came to see you.”

  I stroked the outside of Simone’s little fist and couldn’t believe how satiny soft her skin was. Her eyes fluttered open at me briefly, and it made my heart melt.

  Silence settled around us, but it took me a moment to realize there was tension in the room. I looked between Jackie and Volt but had no idea what the problem was.

  “I think there’s somethin’ you want to say,” Jackie said, and I foolishly thought she was speaking to me.

  “Woman. Neither one of us has had enough sleep the last few weeks—”

  “You’re right, which is why you shouldn’t waste any time.”

  Volt sighed like a beleaguered man but pointed his gaze at me. “Andrea, I’m sorry. All of the brothers in the Riot MC are sorry for what happened to you. It never should’ve gone that far, and we should’ve listened to Roll.”

  “You should’ve found out what the fuck was goin’ on,” Jackie muttered.