Tank

by Trixie Brewster

  “Baby bird leave the nest. Now. Go to your Boyfriend’s club. Now.” With that, he hung up. I already knew what to do. I threw my phone in the toilet as I raced down the hall and grabbed the bag, I kept under my bed already packed. I grabbed Sampson as I ran for the front door.

  Slamming the car door closed. I reached in the small pocket of the bag and pulled the burner phone out and punched in Tank’s number. I didn’t know who had found me or who was after me. My hand shook as I put the car and reverse back out of my driveway then hauled toward his clubhouse.

  “Hello?”

  “Tank, how soon can you get to the clubhouse?” I nearly yelled at him. I was checking my rearview mirror as I took back roads to his clubhouse. My father taught me to take backroads. It was easier to speed than through a town. My heart was beating a mile a minute, and tears were starting to prick. I couldn’t do this not right now, I needed to get to somewhere safe.

  “Babe, talk to me, what is going on. Where are you?” Tank was in SAA mode and not the Tank I knew.

  “I don’t know.” Was all I could say. I didn’t know what was wrong, but whatever it was had my father scared shitless. Nothing ever scared him, nothing.

  “I am already here. But babe, you are going to have to tell me what is wrong.” Tank said in a soft voice. I nodded my head as I swallowed down my heart. Well, there was no time like the present to come clean.

  “Okay, can I tell you when I get there? I am five minutes out.” I looked back and saw a black car I didn’t know on my six. I couldn’t do this and talk at the same time. Sampson meowed from the side seat. I put Tank on speakerphone. “I have a black car following me. Tank, I need you.” The car hit my baby, and I lurched. The sound of metal on metal was evident in the cabin of the vehicle.

  “Angie, what the hell is going on?” Tank yelled. The car sped up and hit me again. I didn’t want to have this over the phone. I looked at the car, and I knew, I knew deep down in the pit of my stomach. The fucking cartel was back. I pulled the pistol out of my bag as I hit the gas and took the lake turn like a bat out of hell. I must have been a two wheels with all the dirt that I kicked up. The black car was on my bumper again.

  “Tank, my father is Evan O’Malley. He called and told me to come to you. Tank, I am certain this is the Cartel on my ass.” I could hear him barking orders to people in the background. Something about load up and take out the car. I was hit again, and this time the back window imploded from the impact, and a bullet came through. I screamed as I hit the gas.

  “Babe, was that a gunshot?” I wasn’t going to make it. I downshifted and prayed like hell that the gate was open. Another gunshot went off, and the wheel was jerked to the right. I grabbed Sampson as the car flipped. Everything was in slow motion. I saw some bikes as the car was in the air then everything went black.

  The ringing in my ears and seat belt cutting into my neck brought me to. I could hear a few gunshots going off somewhere in the distance, and I smelled fuel and cat fur. I felt something rough licking my face. I was right side up, but everything hurt as I released the seatbelt. My car was gone. That was evident. My head spun a little, and the light made my head throb. I opened my door. Sampson jumped out first as I got my feet on the ground I looked around. Three bikes were laid over. The black car was sitting there. The driver nowhere to be seen. I could see the entrance to the clubhouse up ahead. I grabbed my bag from the back seat. Still having my gun in my hand, I took to walking the rest of the way. I refused to be a sitting duck like I was last time this shit happened. Sampson walked beside me as I came to the gate. I knew I had a concussion at the least, if not some form of whiplash. I could see the man at the entrance yelling something. His mouth was moving, but I couldn’t hear him. The ringing didn’t stop; as I shook my head and stumbled a little.

  “Tank!” I was pretty sure I screamed. I wanted to see my Tank. My hearing came back slowly. “Drop the piece, lady. I don’t want to do it, but I will shoot you if I have to.” I whipped my head to him. It was the red-headed prospect from the last time I was here.

  “I am not dropping my piece. I need Tank.” The shot that rang out hit its mark, my leg. I tried not to cry when it hit. The searing pain was unbearable. I went down as I looked up at the man at the gatehouse. He was looking behind where I had come from. I turned and raised my gun and shot at the Hispanic man and missed him. Damn my luck, this was it, this is how it ends. I don’t even get to tell Tank how I feel about him or see if he wants anything to d with me. And did my dad actually call Tank my boyfriend? Holy crap, he knew.

  “Oh, the price on your head is high, How I would love to kill you.” His broken English held a heavy accent when he talked. He raised his gun at my head. I heard the shot ring out. But he slowly fell backward, and the hole in his head made me sigh. I tried to get up a couple of times; finally, I was able to get to my feet. I whipped my head back to the prospect at the gate. “Let…me…in.” I seethed at him as I got up to stand, he nodded his head and opened the gate.

  Tank was running towards me with a pistol in his hand. “Babe, babe.” He repeated over and over again as he picked me up. “Sampson, where is Sampson?” I tried to get out as everything went in and out. I heard Tank yell to someone. “Get the fucking cat.” When darkness finally took over.

  Chapter 18

  Tank

  When the gunshot went off on the other end of the line, I heard it from outside the clubhouse. I sent Blaze, Snake, and Butch out to get my woman back. When I head the name Evan O’Malley and father in the same fucking sentence, the wind was knocked out of me like I have been sucker-punched. Her big secret was that her father was the fucking Irish Mob boss. No wonder she was worried about my fucking safety. Now I had to worry if he wouldn’t indeed make me shark food as she had called it. She was so close to the fucking clubhouse. I heard the yelling at the gatehouse. “Woman, put down your fucking gun!” Red was yelling at someone. I took off towards them. “Tank!"

  I heard her sweet voice calling out. Then I listened to the gunshot go off, and everything happened in slow motion, my heart quit beating for a three count. If the prospect shot my woman, I would kill him, then revive him and let Jag have a field day with him. But what I saw made my blood run cold. The Las Moicas were back, damn the fucking luck. They were after Angela, surely not to get back at Evan. But it made sense. I didn't think when I took aim and fired. The lifeless body of the man fell backward. The gates opened. Angie hobbled towards me.

  She had been hit in her leg. The blood was soaking through her jeans. She fell into my arms, picking her up, turning to run to find Doc. All she said, “Where is Sampson?” The fucking cat, she brought the fucking cat with her.

  “Get the fucking cat,” I yelled at the nearest prospect. Rushing in the clubhouse, I spouted orders left and right. “Get Brick, Now!” I roared at the prospect. “Jag get Doc. Now.” Barking out. Jag looked at Angie. His face took on a mask of fury. Running up the stairs two at a time, I laid her unconscious body down on my bed, getting a towel from the bathroom. I pressed on her wound. All the while, my mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to put the pieces together. My phone was vibrating in my back pocket. “I don’t have time for this shit.” I ignored it, but it started to ring again. Ripping the damned thing out of my pocket, I answered. “Tank!”

  “Is my little darlin’ okay? Did she make it to ye?” I could hear the fucking Irish bastard asking me. All of the times we ever had any contact with him, he seemed relaxed and calm. Not right now, I could hear the panic of a worried parent in his voice.

  “Yeah, she made it. But not before the fucking Las Macias got to her.” I put all the sarcasm that I could in my voice. This asshole let her out in the world full of his enemies, so what so that she could be nabbed, murdered in her fucking sleep, ran off the fucking highway.

  “We had them contained in San Diego. But not good enough. They took her mother this morning.” The pain in his words cut deep in me. Marta was a good woman and a good mother. There were a f
ew times Angie talked about her mother and her father. She had nothing but love for the two of them.

  “Why? Why did you leave her alone?” Asking through gritted teeth. The long sigh on the other end of the line let me know that something big was coming.

  “I never let her out of my sight. She had a tail on her, she didn’t know. I knew about you before she ever questioned me about dating. I approve.” The slimy bastard stated like I was supposed to be happy that I had his blessing to be around his daughter.

  “Like I needed your fucking approval in the first place.”

  “That is why I approved. You wanted Angie, so you took what you wanted.” The asshole chuckled. “But in all seriousness, please do not tell her about Marta. She doesn’t need that right now. She was shot, was she not?” Shocked into silence. How the hell did he know, and where the fuck was his men at while all of this was going on.

  “Yeah. How the?”

  “Tell your men that the man that they have is mine. He won’t give any information to you that will be useful.” The line went dead with no more questions answered, only more fucking questions left open. I was going to have a personal talk to this man of his. Doc made his entrance at that moment with Brick on his heels.

  “Tank, what the fuck it is I hear that the Cartel is here?”

  “Yeah, man, the Los Mocias are here.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I level Brick with a look. “Man, Angie, here is Evan’s daughter.”

  “Fuck me, seriously. How the hell, you know I don’t even want to know.” Brick pinched the bridge of nose as he paced a few times. When I started, he stopped to glare at me.

  “There is more, the man that Blaze, Snake, and Butch have is Evan’s man that was supposed to be watching over Angie.” Brick’s eyes went cold.

  “This doesn’t look like he was doing an outstanding fucking job.”

  “Exactly, I want a word with the asshat.” Doc swatted my hand away from my woman. If I didn’t know that he was trying to help, I would have laid him out. She was my woman, my Ol’ Lady, in a moment of panic I let it slip. I knew all along that she was Ol’ Lady material. Knowing what I know now, just sealed her fate to me.

  “The bullet is still in there.” Doc gave me a sad look. He was going to have to pull it out. “The good news is that she is out. But it’s in there deep, so no numbing will help.” He pulled out his retrieving tools as I gripped her hand and moved that red locks out of her face. “Babe, I’m right here,” I spoke in her ear.

  “Hold her still, Tank, you are going to have to hold her if she wakes up.” Groaning inwardly, I got ready to hold her legs down if she came to. As Doc got the bullet out, Angie came to and yelled out. I held her leg down and held her hand. “Babe, look at me.” I was standing over her as her eyes landed on me, the tears that were forming broke something in me. These fucking assholes were going to pay.

  “Got it,” Doc yelled triumphally. “Angie, now I am going to give you a numbing shot so I can stitch you up.” She nodded her head, her eyes never leaving mine. I ran my hand over her face, and she kissed my palm, that went straight to my heart. I knew I was getting attached to her, but damn it all to hell, she was wiggling her little ass into my fucking heart.

  “Tank, church in ten.” I nodded to Brick.

  “Babe…”

  “I know you have to go. I’m sorry.” One lone tear escaped down her perfect ivory skin.

  “Nothing to be sorry for love. Nothing at all.” Wiping the tear away, I leaned down and kissed her softly. Doc was busy stitching her up. “Check her over and make sure she will be ready to ride. Gotta hunch, we are leaving at nightfall.” He nodded his head as he continued to work, never looking up at me. Kissing her one last time, I left her and went to the Chapel. I could hear the yelling and cursing from outside the room. This was something we didn’t want to come to play, not in our own backyard. The fucking cartel was here, and if our cards were not played right, they would try and fucking stay. The only MC around here that used the Las Moicas was the Sons of Grimm, so either one of two things the Grimm’s were back and this was retaliation to taking down their club by their dicks last year, or the Grimm’s weren’t back, and the Moicas were retaliating against the Irish. Either way didn’t bode well for us.

  “Fuck me, the fucking Moicas! Really didn’t this get taken care of thirteen fucking years ago?” Stink roared, the vein in his forehead bulging out.

  “Stink, sit the fuck down!” Brick roared back, standing up from his chair. This was a fucking madhouse. All the brothers were tense. I wasn’t there when the shit hit the fan all those years ago. But fuck me sideways to the moon. The shit had been hit today.

  “You, You!” Stink was pointing his finger at me. We were standing toe to toe right now. Stink might older than me, but I knew I could take him out if I needed to. I didn’t want to, but I would not stand here and take his shit. And if he threatened Angie, all bets were off. Brother or not, no one was hurting my woman.

  “What the fuck, Stink?” I tried to keep my tone calm. Stink appeared to be the only brother going off the rails.

  “You are in bed with the fucking Irish bitch, and you didn’t think to tell anyone of us. We have fucking families to think of. Mother fucker!” Stink roared and took a swing at me. I let the first one hit. I didn’t know who she was at the time, but I would have given my club that information. His punch knocked me back a step. I took the next opportunity to take one of my own. The uppercut that I gave him made him stumble back. Butch caught him before he fell. Butch didn’t let him go through. Blaze got in front of me and put a hand to my chest to keep me from advancing.

  “She ain’t a bitch Stink, and you know it. You don’t even know what the fuck happened today!” I roared back at him. I was fucking livid; he was judging her due to who her fucking father was. “She ain’t her father,” I said low as Butch let Stink go. There were no hard feelings from me. I got how shit could get he had a baby here now. Stink sat back down and leveled me with a glare. He could blame me all he wanted. Tomorrow he would feel like shit. If his Ol’ Lady got wind of what he was saying and doing, he would have to atone to her.

  “Everyone keep your shit together. We need to know the facts.” Brick held up his hand as Stink started to say something. “Everyone hold your fucking words or so help me. I will start giving out knuckle sandwiches to the first asshat that speaks.” Putting his hand down, Brick took a deep breath and looked at me and nodded his head.

  “Angie called me in a panic, said that her father, who at the time I didn’t know who he was, told her to get to the clubhouse and find me. She told me that some car was on her six, I told her I needed to know what was going on. That was when she told me who Evan was to her. She was getting hit by the car, and then there were gunshots. She survived the flip of her car and walked the rest to the gate. There she got shot by the Moicas in the leg. Doc is looking her over right now. After I got her settled, her father called me. Apparently, his wife Marta was taken this morning.” Brick stood up and started to pace.

  “So, this is a vendetta the Cartel had against the Irish.” He paced back and forth for a second.

  “Permission to talk,” Diesel asked from his seat. I didn’t like that he needed to speak on this matter. That generally meant he knew something that the rest of us didn’t know. “Talk, Diesel.” Brick barked at him as he continued to pace.

  “The Grimm’s are back. I caught four of their cuts at a stoplight today.” The ‘fucks’ went around the room. I knew it was something we were not going to be ready for. The proverbial shoe has been dropped, and the room was in an uproar again.

  “This is on you, fuck face!” Stink roared and came for me. I couldn’t even get out of my chair before the asshole was on me. He had my shirt in his hand as his fist came down on my face. Fuck it hurt. I pushed him back only to see Angie standing in the fucking doorway. What the hell was she doing in here and how she got passed the prospects?

  She screamed a blood-curdling scream, and the room stop
ped. When all eyes were on her, she opened that pretty mouth. “Look, I get that this shit is upside down and half fucking backward. I get it. I don’t know what the hell they want from me, but damn it, this is not how to get shit figured out.” She stomped her hurt leg and nearly fell before I could catch her. She pointed at Stink. He froze in place. “I get you all have families. I get that. But at least they are safe right now. I heard about my mamma. They can’t sell her, so I can only imagine what is happening to her.” Stink’s stance softened as he looked down and mumbled a sorry to her. “As for the vendetta, it is simply because my Da won’t allow those sick fucks to traffic humans and sell their dope in the streets. They got the Grimm’s to sell and traffic. When you took them out, they got pissed. I am actually surprised that they waited this long. Thirteen years ago, the Angels and Sinners got in their way then too. It is not just your association with my Da, that you’re in this mess. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was with Tank or not. This shit would still have happened to me.”

  Brick stopped pacing and looked at her. “But why you? You don’t even live with your Dad, you are a school teacher. Why?” She looked at all my brothers and then looked down at her feet for a second.

  “This wasn’t the second time they tried to get to me. I don’t know if my Da knows about the second time or not.” I hooked my finger under her chin to raise her face to mine. The pain that was evident in her face was painful to me. “What happened?” I asked the whole room got quiet. “It doesn’t matter.” She said quietly. There was something else going on, something more profound. There was a commotion at the front door. A tall red-headed man that was about my height came strolling in with a cut on.

  What the ever-loving-fuck was going on now? Before I could say a word out and ask who the hell he thought he was, Angie went down in my arms.