Satan’s Fury MC - Memphis

by Wilder, L.

  Before I could finish my sentence, she interrupted me, “Of course, you’s lost, child” She chuckled under her breath. “Pretty young white girl like yourself … Hmph. No way you’d be in this neighborhood if you wasn’t lost as a goose.” She motioned her hand over to the front steps. “Come on in here, child, and let’s get you warmed up.”

  Tears of relief filled my eyes as I started towards her. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me for doing what’s right.” She waved me forward as she fussed, “Now, come on. You’ll catch yourself a chill.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” As I walked up the old wooden steps, I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to withstand my weight, but thankfully they held up until I reached the top step. When I got closer, I could finally see she was older than I realized. Her hair was short and completely gray, and she had these kind dark eyes and a welcoming smile that immediately put me at ease. I smiled as I introduced myself, “I’m Riley Nichols.”

  “It’s good to meet you, Riley. I’m Claudine Brown.” She opened her front door and placed her hand on the small of my back as she led me inside. “Make yourself at home.”

  As soon as stepped inside, I was engulfed in a feeling of warmth and comfort like I’d never felt before. I thought it had something to do with the house, but as I looked around, I had my doubts. There was an old tan sofa sitting under the front window and a small, round coffee table, with various magazines stacked neatly on the edge, positioned in front of it. A leather recliner was nestled close to a potbelly stove, and her oversized Bible was laying wide open on the small TV tray next to it. As I stood there looking around the small, quaint living room, I quickly realized that that feeling of comfort had little to do with the actual house or the furnishings inside. The feeling was all her. It was her kindness, her compassion and faith that loomed in the air, and you could tell that she was a special lady simply by the way she took care of her little house. While her belongings were far from new, most of them were very worn, it was impeccably clean and everything was carefully put in its place. I was standing there, soaking it all in when Ms. Claudine came up beside me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”

  I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. That would be wonderful.”

  “I have some sweet tea”—she padded towards the kitchen with another offer—“or would you like something warmer like coffee?”

  “Tea would be fine.”

  When she returned with a glass of iced tea, she asked, “You look like you’ve had quite a night. Are you in trouble or something?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I took a sip of my tea before I continued, “I had some bad men chasing me, but I’m pretty sure I lost them.”

  “Bless your heart. You’re lucky you were able to get away from them.” Concern filled her eyes as she asked, “Should we call the police or something?”

  Knowing I could never tell the police the real reason why Devon and his gang were after me, I quickly answered, “No. That’s not necessary, but it would be great if I could call my father.”

  “Of course.” She pointed to the wall by the kitchen as she said, “The phone is right over there.”

  “Thank you so much.” I rushed over and lifted the receiver. I couldn’t remember Dad’s cell phone number, so I called the home line. It rang over and over, and I was beginning to think no one was going to answer when I heard my father’s voice say, “Hello? Nichols residence.”

  “Daddy?”

  “Riley!” His voice cracked with emotion as he asked, “Is that you?”

  “Yes, Dad. It’s me.”

  “Thank God,” he gasped. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m fine, but I need you to come get me.”

  “Of course. Just tell me where you are.”

  I turned to Claudine and asked, “What’s your address?”

  “Oh, goodness, child.” Her eyes were wide with worry as she stood there staring at my hip. “Did you know that you’re bleeding?”

  I glanced down at my side and grimaced when I saw the blood stains on my hoodie. With the excitement of getting off the streets, I’d all but forgotten about it. I studied the hole where the bullet had ripped the fabric, but I was too scared to look at my actual wound. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s bad. It’s not hurting like it was.”

  “You sure ’bout that?” She stepped towards me, trying to get a better look, and then gasped, “Oh, sweet Lord. It looks like you’ve been shot.”

  “Wait … Did she just say that you’ve been shot?” my father shouted through the phone.

  “I’m fine, Daddy. Really.” I looked at Claudine and asked her again, “I need your address.”

  Without seeking my permission, she lifted my shirt so she could get a better look, and as she inspected my wound, she answered, “It’s 1329 South Park Street. Tell him it’s the fourth house on the left.”

  I repeated what she’d told me to my father, and just before I hung up the phone, he asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can, sweetheart.”

  As I hung up the phone, Ms. Claudine asked, “Did those men do this to you?”

  “Yes, ma’am. They did.”

  “Well, it looks like you got lucky. It looks like it just grazed you.” When she started down the hall, I got curious and lifted my hoodie. I was relieved to see that she was right. The graze was two to three inches long, and with its dark edges, it looked more like a burn that an actual bullet wound. I was still studying it when she came back into the room with her hands full of Band-Aids, gauze, and hydrogen peroxide. She motioned me into the kitchen as she said, “Come on over here and let’s get that cleaned up.”

  I walked over and watched as she laid everything out on the table. When she was ready, I lifted my shirt and said, “Thank you, Claudine.”

  “What did I tell you about thanking me, child.” She poured some hydrogen peroxide on a rag. Before she pressed it against my skin, she said, “This is going to sting a little.”

  Boy did it ever—and I gasped. “Dang. That hurts worse than I thought.”

  “Why don’t you tell me how this happened?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I got nothing but time, dear.”

  I didn’t go into exact detail, but as she went back to cleaning my wound, I told her about Devon and his friends kidnapping me. I told her how we’d stopped at the gas station and the men who appeared shortly after. She seemed surprised that they hadn’t succumbed to shooting each other, but didn’t interrupt as I told her about my escape. When I started telling her about how I’d hidden from them, I found myself thinking how odd it was that I used to love playing hide and seek when I was a kid. When I was hiding from Devon, I couldn’t have been more terrified, but when I was younger, it wasn’t like that. I used to love that tingly feeling you’d get whenever you were waiting for someone to find you, and the way your breath would catch whenever they were drawing near.

  As I told her about all the different places I’d hidden and the moment when I thought they were going to find me. I’d done just like I had when Hunter and I were kids. Whenever he got close, I would remain perfectly still and hold my breath. I didn’t care how long it took. I wouldn’t budge until he’d admitted defeat. I’d done the exact same thing with Devon, and it actually worked. They eventually left the alley, and I was finally able to get out of the dumpster. By the time I got to the part where I showed up in her backyard, she had finished cleaning my wound. As she put on the last Band-Aid, she said, “It sounds like you gave those boys a run for their money.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I did.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did.” She looked down at my blood-stained hoodie and said, “Let me see if I’ve got something else you can put on.”

  “That would be great.”

  She went back down the hall, and moments later, she returned with a heather-gray sweatshirt. As she offered it to me, she said
, “I think this should fit you.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” I slipped it over my head and smiled when I saw the Memphis Tigers logo. “Are you a fan?”

  “Not really. I have a hard time keeping up with all the teams. My grandson left this the last time he was here.”

  “Well, thank you for letting me borrow it.”

  After I helped her clean up, I followed her back into the living room. We were just about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. Claudine looked over to me and said, “I imagine that’s your father, but just to be safe, you stay put.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  She made her way over to the door, and when she opened it, I heard her ask, “Who are you?”

  “I’m a friend of Riley Nichols. Is she here?”

  At the sound of his voice, I eased over to the door. Lincoln and one of his brothers were standing on the front porch, and I rushed towards him. “Lincoln! What are you doing here?”

  “Your father called.” He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly as he asked, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Your father was worried that you had been shot or something.”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t bad … just a scratch. Claudine bandaged me up.”

  With a look of apprehension, he replied, “Okay, but you’re going to need to see a doctor to be sure.”

  “I’m really okay. I promise. Right now, I just want to go home.”

  He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me briefly before he looked down and said, “Then, let’s get you home.”

  I gave him one more quick squeeze before I turned back to Claudine and said, “Thank you for everything, Ms. Claudine. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t helped me like you did.”

  “You are welcome, sweet child.” Concern filled her voice as she warned, “Now, get on home and get you some rest.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I will.”

  Before we left, Murphy handed her a slip of paper and said, “Thank you for taking care of her like you did. If you ever need anything, help is just a phone call away.”

  “I know there’s more to the story I heard, but a sweet girl like her has no business running around these streets.” She took the paper from Murphy’s hand and slipped it in her pocket, then she said, “I sure hope you’ll see that it doesn’t happen again.”

  “It won’t happen again. You have my word on that.”

  Lincoln reached for my hand and led me outside. As soon as we reached the truck his friend got in the backseat, and when he closed the door behind him, Lincoln pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me once more. He didn’t say a word as he buried his head in the side of my neck. He just stood there and held me close, and with every second that passed, I could feel the weight of my fear and heartache starting to fade. That’s when it hit me. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t realized it sooner. The signs were all there, but I hadn’t let myself see them. Maybe I was just too scared to believe it, but as I stood there in his arms, I could feel it with every beat of my heart. I was in love with Lincoln, and in his arms was exactly where I was meant to be.

  CHAPTER 19

  Murphy

  I never would’ve dreamed that the sound of someone’s voice could get to me the way hers did. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to have that kind of power over me, but the second I heard my name from her lips, everything around me came to a screeching halt. The panic, the anger, and the fear that had been raging inside of me stopped all at once, and I was finally able to breathe again. There was no one else on the planet that could make me feel the way she did, and I was going to do whatever it took to protect her. When we started driving towards the clubhouse, Riley looked over to me and asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To the clubhouse.” I looked over to her and added, “You’ll be safe there.”

  “What about my dad and Hunter?”

  “You can call them when we get there.” As I looked back towards the road, I told her, “But you might want to prepare yourself. He isn’t going to be happy that I didn’t bring you home.”

  “Honestly, I don’t really care if he’s mad. None of this would’ve happened if … It doesn’t matter.”

  “I know you’re upset with him and you have good reason, but he was really worried about you tonight. There’s no doubt that he loves you.”

  “I know he loves me, and I love him, that doesn’t change anything. I still don’t want to go back there, at least not yet.” She turned and looked out the side window as she said, “It’s never going to be the same … not after what they did to Anna Belle.”

  Before I could respond, Blaze said, “It’ll take some time, but eventually it’ll get better.”

  When Riley turned to face him, I said, “I don’t believe you’ve met Blaze.”

  “No, I haven’t … at least, not officially. I remember seeing you on the day you came out to the farm to see my father.”

  “I remember that day all too well.” He chuckled as he told her, “You left quite an impression on my brother that morning.”

  “He left one on me too.” She looked over to me and smiled. “And it wasn’t necessarily a good one.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure I redeemed myself.”

  “That, you did.” When we finally pulled up to the gate with one of our prospects keeping guard, she asked, “Is this your clubhouse?”

  “It is.”

  She leaned forward to get a better look while she mumbled, “Man, it’s really something.”

  Riley’s eyes were wide with wonder as we got out of the truck and started inside, making me wish I’d brought her by sooner. I knew meeting the guys and seeing how we lived would be a lot for her to take in, especially considering everything she’d been through, but I didn’t have a choice. Under the circumstances, it was the safest place for her to be, and it would give me a chance to speak with Gus. She was silently checking everything out as we walked down the hall towards his office. It was late, but I’d texted him when we left Claudine’s to let him know we were on our way. When we walked in, he was at his desk with Moose, our VP, sitting across the room on the leather sofa. He stood up and smiled then said, “So, this is her?”

  “Yes, sir. This is Riley.” I looked over to her as I explained, “This is our club president, Gus.”

  Gus extended his hand as he told her, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Riley. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” As she shook his hand, she told him, “I wanted to apologize for that night I called your cell. I wasn’t thinking very clearly that night.”

  “Yeah, I might’ve heard about that.” He chuckled. “From what I hear, you had another rough night tonight.”

  “I’ve definitely had better,” she scoffed. She looked down at her dirty, tattered clothes and said, “I’m kind of a mess.”

  “Don’t give that a second thought. We’re just glad to see that you’re okay, especially Murphy.” Then, Gus turned to Blaze. “Why don’t you take her out into the hall so I can have a minute with Murphy?”

  “You got it.”

  As they started toward the door, Gus told Riley, “If you need anything, anything at all, you just let one of us know.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  Once they were outside, I closed the door behind them and said, “I know I fucked up. As soon as that asshole opened his mouth, I just lost it.”

  “I heard.”

  “I’ve got no excuse for letting that asshole get in my head like that. I was just wound up and he said the wrong-fucking-thing at the wrong-fucking-time.” I shook my head in disgust as I told him, “I let you down, I let the club down, and I let myself down.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself. The guy had it coming, Murphy.” His brows furrowed as he threw his hands up in the air. “There’s not a brother in this club who wouldn’t have done the same thing if they were in your shoes.�
��

  “Maybe so, but that doesn’t change the fact that I put the club in a bind.” I ran my hands through my hair as I continued, “To make matters worse, Shadow’s out there cleaning up the mess I made! And we all know, I left one hell of a mess.”

  “We’ve talked to Shadow. He’s handling it, Murphy,” Moose interjected.

  “But, he …”

  “You need to take a breath, son, and remember what this club is all about,” Moose interrupted. “Shadow isn’t doing anything you wouldn’t have done for him.”

  “Moose is right.” He looked me in the eye as he said, “This isn’t a one-way street, Murphy. Your brothers have your back, just like you’ve always had theirs.”

  Knowing they were right, I nodded as I told them, “Understood.”

  “Good. Now, go tend to your girl,” he ordered. “She’s going to need you after what she’s been through.”

  “I know, but what are we going to do about her father and …”

  “We’ll go over everything in the morning when we meet for church,” he answered.

  “Okay. I’ll see you both then.”

  I walked out of the office, and when I got into the hall, I found Blaze and Riley standing there waiting for me. Riley had a concerned look on her face as she asked, “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

  Blaze looked over to me as he said, “She called her father to let him know she was okay.”

  “Good. How did that go?”

  “You were right about him not being happy that I wasn’t coming home.” She shrugged. “But overall, I think he understood my reasons for not wanting to be there.”

  Blaze put his hand on my shoulder and said, “If we’re good, I’m going to head out.”

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  “Good deal.” As he started for the door, he said, “I’ll see you two in the morning.”

  Once he was gone, I took Riley’s hand in mine and led her down the hall. We hadn’t gotten far when she asked, “Where are you taking me?”

  “To my room.”

  Surprised, she asked, “You have a room here?”