by Wren, Khloe
“Brother! Fuck, man, it’s good to have you back.”
Scout came right up to me, everyone between him and me clearing the way for him. I was sure that one day that man would be our president. He just had that aura about him. He was also another reason I was wondering about not re-enlisting. He’d retired two years ago, and it hadn’t been the same since he’d left. Although, since losing Donna, I was starting to think about doing one more stint.
“Hey, Scout, good to see you. Just let me chuck my stuff upstairs and we’ll have a drink.”
“Fuck that shit. Let me grab a prospect.”
I chuckled when he reached out and grabbed a younger man who’d been passing us by and ordered him to take my gear up to my room.
“Third door on the left. Thanks, man.”
He ran off to take my gear like he’d been given a reward, not a job.
“Don’t miss those days, but he seems keen.”
Scout nodded as his gaze followed the younger guy. “Arrow fits in well here, that’s for sure. Good, solid kid. He’s only got a couple months till we can vote him in. Need to make the most of being able to boss him around.” He slapped me on the back before guiding me over to the bar. “Let’s get a drink or two in you.”
With a nod, I headed over to the bar with him and had the prospect behind it pour us both a drink. Not wanting to air my shit in front of the prospect, I pointed to the bottle.
“Just give me the bottle.”
With a grin, he reached under the bar as he spoke. “Let me grab you a fresh one.”
He pulled out a full bottle of Jack and handed it over to me.
Smiling, I took it from him. “Thanks, man.”
“Welcome home.”
With a nod in thanks, I turned and followed Scout to a table in the back corner. Once we were seated and had both taken healthy swallows of the liquor, Scout cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Ace. Such a damn shame.”
Ace had joined our unit after Scout had left, so they hadn’t known each other.
We both lifted our drinks in a silent salute before downing the rest of our first drinks. The whiskey burned the whole way down my throat, and I found comfort in the familiar flare of heat. Grabbing the new bottle, I tore open the seal and cracked the lid, pouring us both another glass. We sat quietly drinking for a few minutes before he spoke up again as he gave us both another refill.
“So, brother, why you here and not with your woman?”
I downed the first half of my third drink in one gulp.
“I got no fucking clue. I went to her when I first got back. Spent most of the night inside her and in the morning, she was like she normally was. Kissing me goodbye, wishing me luck with Ace. Then the next day I woke up to find a voicemail telling me we were done and over. She hasn’t answered a single call or message since then.”
“You tell her about Ace before that voicemail came through?”
“About his death? Nope, didn’t get a chance.”
I barely resisted the urge to rub a fist over my heart as I finished off my drink and reached for the bottle. Scout sipped his drink while I refilled again and took another gulp.
“You go down there today? Try to see her?”
I shook my head and winced when the room spun for a minute. “What would be the point? Not gonna risk going into Hammers territory just to have a door slammed in my face. Fuck.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. How many drinks had I had now? I glanced at the bottle and saw it was nearly empty. Fuck.
Scout chuckled. “Yeah, brother, most of that shit is inside you. Your head is gonna hurt like a bear come morning. Go on up to bed. We’ll talk more later about how you’re gonna get your woman back.”
“She’s gone. Ain’t no getting her back.”
Ready for this night to end, I gripped his shoulder as I stood and tried to take a step. Fuck me, I could barely see straight enough to make it to the stairs, let alone up them.
“Come on, brother. I’ve got you.”
With Scout’s help, I made it up to my room and fell on the bed. He tugged off my boots before turning off the light and closing the door, leaving me with my drunken dreams of Donna. Wishing she was still in my arms, where she belonged.
Chapter Six
Monday 20 December 1993
Donna
Leaving work Monday morning for the final time had me filled with a mixed bag of feelings. I was happy to be going home, to be escaping Sledge and his brutality, but I was sad to be leaving the hospital. It was my first job after finishing college and would always hold a special place for me. I was extremely thankful they’d been so good to me about leaving on such short notice. I was grateful that Liz had told Jenny what had been going on, so I didn’t have to voice it. Everyone in this town knew you couldn’t fight and win against the Iron Hammers MC. When I’d asked Jenny if they’d still give me a recommendation to take to Bridgewater Hospital, she’d assured me they would. She’d continued on to say that Bridgewater was the safest place I could be and she was glad that was where I was heading. The Charon MC and the Iron Hammers MC had never gotten along, everyone knew that. I’d known it before Sledge barged into my life and reaffirmed the fact. I just hadn’t realized how far they’d take it.
My chest ached as I thought about Keys. I missed him desperately. I was used to going long periods without seeing him, but this was different. I knew he’d be back in Bridgewater by now, knew how close he was, but I couldn’t go to him. Maybe after a couple of weeks of hiding out at my parents’ place I’d be able to work up the courage to face him. Would he even want me now? After I’d broken up with him the way I had, and after Sledge had used me like he had.
“‘Bout fucking time, bitch.”
I nearly tripped over my own feet at hearing Sledge’s furious voice. It was daylight, in the open parking lot of the hospital. Surely, he wouldn’t rape me here? I looked up to see him leaning against my car, over the driver’s door. Blocking my escape again.
“What do you want, Sledge?”
My voice sounded as defeated as I felt, and I hated that he’d hear it and know how much he’d destroyed me. Until I managed to get out of town, Sledge could do whatever the hell he wanted to me and I couldn’t do much about it. Fucking MCs.
“You need another lesson, bitch. I don’t like being kept waitin’”
I winced and started to fiddle with the strap on my handbag as I tried to come up with something to say that would soothe his temper.
“Get over here.”
I looked around to see if there were any witnesses to what would, no doubt, be a humiliating scene for me. Sledge was wearing his cut, so I knew no one would interfere to help me and risk the wrath of his club. Grateful no one seemed to be watching us, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and stepped forward toward him. As soon as I was within reach, he wrapped his palm around the front of my throat. Before I knew what he’d planned, he reversed our positions, slamming my back against my car as he towered over me.
I wrapped my hands around his forearm, trying to pull his arm down from my neck, but he was so much stronger than me I had no hope of breaking free. I never had. I couldn’t hold in the whimper when he lowered his mouth close to my ear.
“You’ve been keeping that bitch close to try to stay safe from me, but I’m done waitin’. If you don’t make yourself available to me in the next twenty-four hours, I’m bringing my brothers so we can do both of you. Maybe she needs a lesson too.”
Terror flooded my system at the thought of them coming for Liz like that.
“She’ll be gone Wednesday. She’s moving back home, to Colorado. I wasn’t hiding.”
He pulled back to look into my eyes and his grip on my neck loosened enough for me to take a full breath. I made the most of it, sucking in as many deep breaths as I could.
“Is that right?” The devil himself was in the smirk he gave me, and it chilled my blood. “Guess you better free up your schedule
from Wednesday on. I’ll be watching for her to roll out and the second she’s gone, I’ll be there for you. Don’t you dare try to hide from me. You won’t like the consequences.”
He reached his free hand up and gripped my breast roughly through my uniform. He tightened his fingers until I whimpered then with a dark chuckle, he released me, stepping away.
“See you in two days, bitch. Be naked.”
Frozen, I watched him stride over to his bike and ride out of the parking lot. I had no idea how long I stood there before I shook free of the terror that held me and slipped inside my car. Locking the doors, I leaned my head against the steering wheel and closed my eyes, breathing slow and steady until my heart rate began to return to normal and my hands stopped shaking.
Once I felt calm enough to drive, I made my way home and rushed into the house, locking the door with the deadbolt and chain before leaning against it and closing my eyes.
“Um. Donna?”
I forced my lids open to focus on Liz. She’d obviously been bringing a box out of her room to stack with the others but had set it aside and was coming straight at me.
“What happened? What did he do?”
She pulled me away from the door and into her arms, holding me against her as I shuddered. I didn’t cry. I couldn’t anymore. The warmth of her gentle hug eased some of the chaos inside me and loosened my tongue.
“He was waiting at my car after work. I have to get out of town before he completely destroys me.”
She tightened her hold on me. “We will get you out of Galveston before I leave. I promise.”
Keys
“Time to rise and shine, brother.”
Scout’s rough voice woke me from my dreams of Donna to a throbbing head.
“Fuck off.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I bet your head is pounding like a bitch right now. But you don’t have time to wallow in it. You got company downstairs.”
That had me sitting up in a rush, which I regretted as my head spun.
“Whoa, slow it down. I do not want to have to clean your puke off my boots. Here, take these.”
Without opening my eyes, I held out my hand and Scout dropped two pills into my palm. “They’re just Advil.”
I nodded, then tossed them both in my mouth, blindly reaching for the bottle of water I’d spotted on my bedside table earlier. After downing the pills and most of the water, I rubbed my eyes before looking over at Scout.
“What time is it?”
“Monday afternoon.”
That had me wincing. I’d drank away two days? Fuck.
“And who’s here?”
A spark of something in the back of my mind had me holding my breath. Had she come? Had she heard somehow about Ace and knew I needed her?
“Donna’s old man. I’ve never seen him look this worried. For real, Keys, I don’t think Donna kicked you to the curb because she wanted to. Anyone who’s seen you two together knows she’s your forever and you hers. To cut you off like she did? I don’t believe it. Something more is going on and I think that man downstairs knows it too. Get your ass up and showered then come down. Between the three of us, let’s see if we can work out what the fuck is going on with your woman.”
Before I could respond, he strode out, leaving me to drag my ass out of bed, strip and get in the shower. The hot water helped clear the last of the cobwebs from my mind and I thought over what Scout had said. He was right. Donna cutting me off like she had made no sense. It didn’t fit with the type of woman she was. If she did want to break up with me, she’d do it in person. She believed phone calls were a last resort only to be used when face-to-face couldn’t be done. My woman was brave and strong, she’d never cop-out like that and send me a voicemail to break up.
Suddenly I was desperate to work out what was going on. And how much trouble she was in. I rushed to dress and get downstairs, where I found Scout and Paul sitting at a table with three mugs of coffee between them. As I approached, they stopped talking and looked up at me.
“Afternoon, Paul. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Scout nudged a mug toward me. “Here, drink this.”
“Thanks.”
After sitting down, I lifted the hot brew and took a deep breath of the scent before taking a sip. Nothing tasted quite as good as the first mouthful of coffee for the day. Even if the day was already more than half over. After taking a second mouthful, I set the mug down and turned toward Paul.
“So, what brings you here? Have you heard from Donna?”
He held my gaze in silence for a few moments. I stayed still, but damn, that look would have had a lesser man squirming under the scrutiny.
“Did you do something to hurt my daughter? To make her angry for any reason?”
I shook my head. “No, sir. I arrived home last Saturday, and after a quick visit with my folks, I went down to visit with Donna. The next morning when I left, she was her usual self. I’ve been up in Spokane…” I cleared my throat against the lump that formed. “I was worried about a fellow Marine. Donna encouraged me to go check on him in person, I arrived to find him…” Voicing it still gutted me. Made it all the more real each time. But if I wanted Donna back, I’d need her folks on my side. I had to be open and honest with Paul. “He’d taken his own life before I’d gotten there. Sunday morning, I woke to a voicemail message from Donna telling me we were over and to never contact her again. I hadn’t spoken to her the previous night, I’d been busy dealing with the police and everything. I’ve tried to call her a heap of times but she’s refusing to answer. I haven’t been back in town long, so haven’t heard anything. What do you know? What’s going on with my woman?”
He blew out a breath as he shook his head.
“First up, I’m sorry about your friend. Donna’s going to be devastated when she hears what you’ve been going through.” He paused to take a drink. “You know her housemate, Liz?”
“Yeah.”
I had no idea where he was going with this story, but I couldn’t see Liz ever hurting Donna. They were as close as blood sisters.
“She called me earlier.”
He shook his head and I swore I caught a sheen of tears in the older man’s eyes. Every instinct I had flared to life, making me sit forward in my seat on full alert.
“Tell me what’s going on, Paul. Right now.”
He looked into my eyes and the pain I saw in his gaze had my breath catching.
“Some man is after her. Stalking her, I guess. I suspect worse, but Liz wouldn’t confirm it. She told me she was helping Donna escape, that she needed to leave Galveston and never return before it was too late. Liz is moving back to Denver later this week. She’s going to detour her moving truck via our place to deliver Donna’s stuff. Hopefully Donna will be home with us by tomorrow night. Assuming she can get out of town, that is. Liz wouldn’t say more but I know there was a lot she wasn’t willing to tell me. And I don’t much like where my imagination is taking me.”
I didn’t much like what mine was coming up with, either.
Scout’s voice was little more than a growl, revealing his own anger.
“Someone connected to the Iron Hammers saw you last weekend with her. It’s gotta be someone from that club messing with her. Who forced her to break things off with you.”
I nodded at Scout’s assessment as guilt once more tore a chunk off my soul. First, I’d failed Ace, now I’d failed Donna. Put the woman I loved in danger because I’d been so desperate to see her that I hadn’t stopped to think about keeping her protected.
“I shouldn’t have gone to her.”
Scout shook his head. “No way is this your fault, Keys. You hadn’t seen your woman in what? A year? I would have made the same damn decision you did in your shoes. Push the guilt aside and let’s do what we can to make sure Liz’s plan works and we get her out safely.”
Chapter Seven
Keys
Before Paul left, Scout and I pulled in several of the other club brothers to help plan
how we were going to make sure my woman got out of Galveston for good. We also made plans to make sure Liz would be covered. We wanted to keep it quiet, to not give away to the Hammers that the Charons were the ones behind things. We didn’t want to start an all-out war between the clubs. Not that I wouldn’t go to war for Donna, it was just if we did, we knew a lot of innocents would be harmed in the crossfire. The Hammers had never cared about collateral damage. So, we’d spent the rest of Monday then all day today prepping for our plan.
Now that night had fallen, Scout and I were driving down to Galveston in one of the club’s cages, without our cuts. Neither of us liked that we had to leave our colors behind or that we had to take a cage, but we needed to be on the down low, which a pair of screaming-loud Harleys were not, and we also needed the storage a truck provided.
“Can’t believe we’re actually doing this.”
I smirked over to Scout. “Hell yeah, we’re doing this. They’ve had it coming for years. Just sucks we can’t claim it.”
“Yeah, but it’s not worth the fallout. We’ll just have to console ourselves with the fact it’ll drive them fucking nuts trying to figure out who attacked them and why.”
My excitement at what we were about to do overtook my worry for Donna for the moment. I couldn’t wait to blow the hell out of their chop shop. They had it in a shed that butted up against their clubhouse and we knew they’d be in church now that night had fallen, so no one, except for a prospect or two, would be hanging around in the yard. We could easily knock those fuckers out and get down to business. Blowing up their main source of income would make sure they’d all be busy over the next day or two at the very least. Which gave Donna and Liz time to get the hell out of Dodge.
We parked down the road from the side entrance to their compound and went in on foot to check the area. Not only did we find the gate wide open, but there was only one prospect out with the bikes, and he was not focused on his job. He had a club girl up against a wall and was fucking her hard.