by Wilder, L.
He grumbled and gargled, but couldn’t manage a clear answer. “It doesn’t! It makes you nothing. You’re worse than fucking nothing, you piece of shit!”
I kept pounding into him until I struck the side of his face just right, and a shooting pain radiated through my hand. I knew right away I’d broken at least one knuckle, if not two. Pissed that I couldn’t keep going, I wrapped the fingers of my good hand around his throat, and as I tightened them, I growled, “You lay one finger on those kids or your wife again, and I’ll be back to finish you off. You got that?”
When he didn’t answer, I tightened my grip and shouted, “You got that?”
With his eyes almost swollen shut and blood covering his face, he managed to nod. I was still choking him when I ordered, “If you have any sense at all, you’ll pack up your shit and get the fuck out of town.”
With that, I stood up and got back in the truck. Duchess quickly made her way over to me, licking my face and wagging her tail. It was clear that she was pleased to have me back safe and sound. I gave her a quick rub across the head, then ordered, “All right. I’m fine. Get back in your spot.”
Like always, she quickly followed my command. As soon as she was settled, I put the truck in gear and backed out of the parking lot. I had every intention of heading straight to the garage, but then my hand started throbbing. I studied the swelling and bruising around my knuckles and knew I needed to get it checked out. Hoping that Mack would be able to do something with it, I changed direction and drove back to the clubhouse. I tried to make a fist with my aching hand but couldn’t, leaving no doubt that I’d broken something. I silently cursed myself for getting carried away. While I might’ve taken things too far with Strayhorn, I had no doubt that our encounter wouldn’t be something he’d soon forget.
When I pulled through the gate, it was after ten, so I was surprised to see that so many of the guys were at the clubhouse instead of the garage. Curious if something was up, I quickly parked, then Duchess and I rushed inside. The guys were gathered in the bar, watching the news and talking amongst themselves, and for some reason, I had an uneasy feeling as I made my way over to Rider. His brows furrowed as he looked at the cuts and scratches on my face and hands. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“Nothing. Just had a little conversation with Strayhorn.” Before he could respond, I glanced around the room and asked, “What’s going on?”
“You get that Amber alert on your phone?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t really have a chance to look at it, why?”
He cocked his eyebrow as he suggested, “Best look at it again.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I did a quick search, and once I spotted the Amber alert, I opened it. Seconds later, a girl’s face popped up on my screen. There was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t place her. I quickly scanned the page, and when I saw the picture of her father, it hit me. We’d seen them both the night before when we’d hacked into Landry’s files. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, it’s fucked up.” Rider shook his head. “You reckon he was the one who broke in Landry’s apartment?”
“What makes you ask that?”
“It makes sense.” Rider shrugged. “If he’d gone through her files, I bet he would’ve been able to find the address of where she was staying.”
“Damn.” I took a quick glance around the room, and when I didn’t see her, I asked, “Where’s Landry?”
“About that …” He grimaced. “You’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell ya.”
I stood there, listening in utter disbelief as he told me about Darcy’s brothers coming to the club and proposing that Coburn might’ve taken his daughter to a local MC clubhouse. That disbelief quickly turned into horror when he explained that Landry had gone there with her cop friend to see if they were right about their suspicions. A mix of anger and concern washed over me as I growled, “Who the fuck are the Fallen Rebels?”
“An older MC. They’re a smaller club … been around for decades, but never hear much about them.”
“So, are these guys dangerous?”
“I guess they could be.” He gave me a slight shrug. “It’d depend on the situation. Regardless, Landry has the cop with her. She should be fine.”
“Yeah, like that fucking cop is gonna be any help at all.” I let out a frustrated breath. “You and I both know he won’t be able to do shit if those guys decide to take matters into their own hands.”
“I tried to talk her out of it, but Landry had her mind set on going over there.”
I wanted to give him hell, tell him that he should’ve tried fucking harder to talk Landry out of it, but I was in no position to lose my temper with Rider, or any of the brothers for that matter. I was just a fucking prospect, and if I didn’t want to lose my chance at earning my patch, I had to bite my tongue. Unfortunately, that only made it harder to keep from completely losing my shit. My mind started racing, and with everything that had went down that morning with Strayhorn, I was hanging by a thread. As I tapped in her number, I asked, “How long has she been gone?”
“An hour … maybe two.”
“Fuck!”
The phone rang and rang, but Landry never answered. I sent her a slew of texts and tried calling several more times, but no response. As I stared down at the unanswered messages, I completely lost it. “She’s not answering. It’s not like her not to answer!”
Consumed with anger and concern, I lifted my already wounded hand and slammed it into the brick wall. An intense pain shot through me like a dagger, and I immediately regretted my impulsive reaction. A stream of curses flew from my mouth as I looked down at my bleeding hand. Rider shook his head and said, “What the fuck, Clay? Breaking your fucking hand isn’t gonna help a goddamn thing!”
“Don’t you get it? Something’s wrong. I can feel it in my gut.”
The words had barely left my mouth when Gus came up behind me and said, “Easy there, Hyde. Rein it in.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I let out a breath and tried to pull it together. “It’s been over an hour since she headed over there, and now she’s not answering her phone!”
“First of all, we don’t even know if she’s still there. For all we know, she’s back at her office or down at the station with the cop.”
“And if she isn’t?” I pushed. “What if they’ve done something to her? What if that Coburn asshole hurt her?”
“No sense jumping to conclusions, Hyde. Let’s gather the facts, and then we’ll see where we stand.” Gus turned to Riggs. “Gonna need you to track Landry’s phone and get me her location.”
“You got it.” I watched as Riggs rushed out of the room, only to return moments later with his laptop. He placed it down on the counter. We all gathered around and watched him work his magic. After just a few seconds, he looked over to Gus with a blank expression. “Looks like she’s still there.”
“Dammit.”
The room fell silent, and I knew the brothers were thinking the same thing I was. Something wasn’t right. I turned to Gus, waiting for his next move. He ran his hand over his thick beard as he turned to speak to Moose, the club’s VP. They spoke quietly amongst themselves for a moment, then Gus reached into his pocket and took out his burner cell. After tapping in a number, he put the call on speaker where we could all listen to it ring. When a man finally answered, Gus said, “Buck … This is Gus.”
“Hey, brother. It’s been a while.”
“It has.” Gus paused for a moment, then continued, “We’ve got a problem, and I was hoping you might be able to help me out.”
“All right.” There was no missing the concern in his voice when he asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Your brother, Chris. He there with you?”
“Yeah. Got here last night.”
“He got the kid with him?”
“As a matter of fact, he does.” Buck’s previously friendly tone changed inquisitive as he asked, “What conce
rn you got with him and his kid?”
“Besides the fact that he kidnapped her … I got a problem that the woman who came to your club looking for her this morning is one of ours.”
“The lady with the cop?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“That’d be her.”
“Fuck, man. I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t figure you did. Is she still there?”
“Yeah, they both are.” After a brief pause, Buck continued, “Got ’em locked up out back.”
Gus wasted no time getting to the point. “Well, if you don’t want to go toe to toe with Satan’s Fury, I’d strongly suggest you let ’em go.”
“You know I don’t want that shit, brother. Never had no qualms with you boys, and I certainly don’t wanna start nothing now, especially over my goddamn brother. The guy’s a fuckup. Always has been. Not gonna let his shit blowback on my club, so come on and get ’em … all of ’em, including my piece-of-shit brother.”
“We’re on our way.”
After Gus hung up the phone, he turned and looked at me with one of those expressions that could only come from Gus. I knew exactly what was on his mind as he sat there … silently studying me. He wanted me to see that it doesn’t always take a fist or a gun to solve problems in our world. He’d kept a level head, hadn’t even raised his fucking voice and still managed to solve the problem without going to war. But then again, that was Gus—cool, calm, and collected. He reached over and gave my shoulder a pat as he told me, “All right, Hyde. Go get some ice for that hand, then let’s go get your girl.”
Minutes later, I was sitting in the truck with a bag of ice on my hand, and Rider and I were following the others over to the Fallen Rebels’ clubhouse. We hadn’t been riding long when Rider started mumbling to himself. “Hmm … Hyde. I would’ve never thought of it, but yeah, I’d say it fits.”
“What?”
“Your road name,” he answered like it was no big deal. “I’m guessing it has something to do with Jekyll and Hyde, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Gus used the reference once or twice.”
“Well, there ya have it,” Rider announced proudly. “You’ve got yourself an official road name which makes you one step closer to earning your Fury patch.”
Any other time, those words would’ve meant the world to me, but at that moment, I was too focused on Landry to let it sink in. I needed to get to her, to see that she was really okay, and then, and only then, could I appreciate the fact that I’d finally earned my very own road name. When we pulled up to the Fallen Rebels’ clubhouse, I spotted Landry’s car parked across the street next to a squad car. We all pulled in next to them, and as we got out and walked across the street, I was surprised to see that their clubhouse was just a rundown old bar. Seeing the state of the place made it easier to understand why the president of the club hadn’t wanted to throw down with Satan’s Fury. It wouldn’t have taken much to wipe the entire place out.
We all followed Gus and Moose to the door, and when we all walked in, the Rebels were all sitting there waiting for us. The Rebels were all older, at least in their sixties, and the years hadn’t done any of them much kindness. One of the bigger men of the group made his way over to Gus and extended his hand. “Good to see ya, Gus… Moose. Wish it was under better circumstances.”
Gus nodded as he shook his hand. “Looks like you and the boys have been doing well.”
“We’re making it all right.” He shook his head as he looked to the ground. “Sure am sorry about all this, Gus. I knew it was bad news when he showed up here with Katie. Probably would’ve sent him away from the start, but I got a soft spot for the girl.”
“I understand, Buck. You were looking out for your family.”
“Yeah … Looks like I saved his sorry ass one time too many.” Buck turned to one of the others. “It’s time to bring him in.”
The guy nodded, then walked out of the room, only to return seconds later with Buck’s brother, Chris. The blood drained from Chris’s face, leaving him looking like he’d seen a fucking ghost when he said, “What the fuck do you motherfuckers want?”
A spark flashed through Gus’s eyes, but he didn’t move. Instead, he remained completely calm as he said, “Where’s the woman and the cop?”
“Like I’d fucking tell you.” He turned back and looked at his brother, then spat out, “You gonna tell them to get the fuck out of here or what?”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Buck answered. “Not gonna have your back on this one.”
“What? You’re actually gonna turn your back on your own flesh and blood?”
“You heard me. I’m out on this. We all are.” Buck crossed his arms as he said, “You gone too far this time, brother. Katie deserves better than this shit.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth!” He reached into his back pocket and took out his gun, pointing it at his brother as he shouted, “You don’t know shit!”
“Put the gun down, Chris,” Buck warned, but Chris didn’t listen. Instead, he kept it aimed directly at his brother’s head. “Don’t make this thing worse than it already is.”
“You’re so full of shit. Always have been. Acting like you’re some big deal because you run this club full of losers, and now—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Shadow charged towards Chris, grabbing him from behind. He pinned his arms tightly against Chris’s chest, and with firm jolt, the gun fell from his hand. Chris tried to break free, but Shadow was simply too strong. Buck stepped towards his brother and shook his head as he said, “We’re done here, little brother.”
“You’re gonna regret this!”
“Doubt it.” Buck looked to Shadow as he said, “Just get him the hell out of here.”
Shadow nodded, then pulled out a zip-tie from his pocket and bound Chris’s hands behind his back. After he had him secured, he and Gauge led him out of the bar. The door had barely closed behind them when Gus asked, “So, where’s the girl … and the cop?”
Buck motioned us to follow as he led us out of the bar and down a short hallway. When we reached a door, he quickly opened it and revealed an old, dingy supply closet filled with dirty mops and brooms, as well as a dazed and confused looking Landry and Danny, sitting on the floor next to Katie. As soon as she spotted me, Landry quickly stood up and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I knew you’d come. I just knew it.”
“Of course, I would. Nothing could’ve kept me away.” I held her close as I whispered, “Are you okay?”
“I’ve got a little bit of headache, but yeah, I’m fine.” She leaned back to get a better look at me, and when she noticed the cuts and bruises on my face, she asked, “What about you? Are you okay?”
“Yes, beautiful. I’m fine.”
“Good.” She clung to me once again, then asked, “Where’s Coburn?”
“We got him. Don’t worry,” I assured her.
“And the others? His brother …” her voice trailed off when she spotted Buck standing in the doorway. She took a step back, standing protectively in front of Katie as she asked, “What’s going on?”
“It’s over, Landry. You’re safe.”
She glared at Buck with apprehension, and clearly unsure if she could trust him, she reached for Katie’s hand, helping the girl to her feet. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you out of here.”
Without saying a word, Katie took a hold of Landry’s hand and looked completely terrified as Landry and I led her out of the small storage room. When we returned to the front of the bar, they both watched silently as Gus and Moose took a moment to thank Buck. Neither Landry nor Danny seemed to understand what was going on. I couldn’t blame them for being confused by the exchange, especially after they’d found themselves locked in a fucking storage closet for hours. As soon as the pleasantries were over, we headed outside and across the street. Danny looked surprised when he found Shadow standing by his squad car with Chris. He glanced over at Gus and said, “Damn, you guys don’t mess
around, do you?”
“Can’t say that we do,” Gus answered with a chuckle. “I trust that you’ll take care of him?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely.”
“And I also trust that you’ll keep Satan’s Fury out of all this.”
Danny nodded. “You have my word.”
We all watched as Danny opened the back door of his squad car and helped Shadow get Coburn settled in the back seat. Once he’d closed the door, Danny turned his attention back to Landry and Katie. They were both standing by my side as they stared over at the Rebels’ clubhouse. Their facial expressions left no doubt that they’d both been rattled by what had transpired there. Danny grimaced as he stepped towards me and said, “I hate to rush you off, but you guys should probably get going. As soon as I put a call into the station to let them know we found Katie, cops will be swarming the place.”
Gus nodded, and the guys started making their way back to their bikes, while Landry led Katie over to her car. Landry took a moment to warn Katie about what would occur over the next couple of hours, then closed the door and walked back in my direction. Tears filled her eyes as she reached up and wound her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I knew she needed the moment to collect herself, and to be honest, I needed it just as much as she did. I’d never felt more relieved than I did the second I saw her sitting in that fucking storage room alive and well. It was like I’d been given a second chance, and there was no way in hell I was going to fuck it up. After several long moments, Landry looked up at me and said, “I love you, Clay. I really do.”