Core shook his head. “I don’t even know what I need to do, darlin’. Quinn still doesn’t trust me and hasn’t told me much of what he has planned.”
“I’m sure he’s not going to hurt you, Core.” I had grown fond of the guy. He was, after all, the only one here who had tried to help me.
He grabbed the empty plates and moved to the door. “Make sure you take the bulb out once you’re done eating. Don’t worry about me. Just know when shit starts going down, do everything you can to get out of here.”
He slipped out the door and relocked it.
“We’re getting out of here?” Petra whispered from the corner.
She hadn’t even been in here two days, but I could tell she was more terrified than I had ever been. At least I knew somewhat what the culture of the club life was. Petra had no idea what had happened to her or why she was dragged off the street. “Yeah. Hopefully by tonight, we’ll be free.”
She whimpered and slowly crawled toward me on her knees. She grabbed one of the sandwiches and nibbled on it. “How long have you been here?”
“Uh, I think it’s going on a seven days, but it feels more like fifty.” I grabbed the other sandwich and grimaced. “I can tell you right now, once I get out of here, I will never in my life eat peanut butter ever again.” I kept eating it because I needed it to keep up my strength but it was a struggle to choke it down.
“I just don’t understand what's going on,” she mumbled. Her voice was flat and I knew the longer we were in here the more defeated she would get.
“One thing happened that just set off a crazy chain of events that you and I got sucked into.”
“So, it’s your boyfriend coming?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He’s part of all of this.”
“He’s part of this club?” she asked, shock clouding her eyes.
“Used to be.” I’m sure if Quinn could go back to that night, he would have done things differently, but then again, if he hadn’t fought back against Major, things might be a hell of a lot worse for me. Major had been testing Quinn and who knows how far Major would have gone.
Petra sat back on her butt and cringed. “I’m so sore,” she complained.
“You think you need to go to the hospital?”
She shook her head. “No. Just sore and bruised. Besides, if I went to the hospital, they’re going to ask questions I’m not going to want to answer.”
I figured she was talking about having to tell them about being grabbed off the street, but something told me there was more. “You don’t have anyone at home waiting for you? They might have already called the police when you didn’t come home.”
She shook her head. “The only thing waiting for me at home is my cat, and he’s got one of those big feeders so he really won’t start missing me ‘til about a week from now.”
Quinn would be thankful for that. I knew involving the police was the last thing any of these club guys wanted. “What’s his name?”
“Oscar. He’s a big ball of fickle fur but he’s a little lover.”
We finished our sandwiches in silence and then I handed her the glass of water. “They only let Core bring in one glass. We have to share,” I explained. I had the strong need to protect this girl and I barely knew her. There was something about her that seemed broken but she also seemed tough as nails.
I pulled the light bulb out and tucked it under the mattress.
We may be getting out of here today, but I didn’t want to piss off the Rolling Devils until that happened.
I grabbed the flashlight and kept it on until Petra settled on one end of the mattress, and I sat on the other end.
I clicked off the flashlight and took a deep breath.
“What happens now?” Petra whispered into the dark.
“We wait for hell to rain down on this godforsaken place.”
*
Chapter Twenty
Quinn
Showtime...
“Two guys out in the shed, and one on the porch.”
“No one else outside?”
The walkie-talkie crackled. “I’ve been watching the front door for two hours. Those are the only guys that have come out.”
“Thanks, Sledge.” I released the button and looked over at Dyno.
“Point is on the back door,” he said.
“Point, Point. Looking for an update on the back door,” I said in the walkie-talkie.
“All clear, prez. No one in or out.” Points voice crackled over the static.
“Can I get a check on both sides.” Dyno and I were sitting in his truck a block away from the Rolling Devils’ clubhouse waiting.
“No movement over here. I’ve only got two windows, and they both appear to be blacked out,” Rhino replied.
“I’ve got movement inside the clubhouse, but nothing outside. I’ve got nine windows,” Zephyr reported.
“You sure about this, Quinn? The front, back, and left side can be covered by one guy, but how do we expect Zephyr to barricade everyone in on that side when there are nine windows?” Dyno asked.
“Whack-a-mole with gunfire?” I chuckled. “10-4, Zephyr. When we move, I’ll send Sledge over to your side.”
“Thank fucking Christ,” Zephyr laughed. “I was gonna put a gun in each hand and just let bullets fly at anyone who jumped out.”
“Seems like a good plan,” Dyno laughed. He started the truck and slowly drove toward the clubhouse.
“Dyno and I are headed to you, Sledge. You help us get in the front and then you move to the side.”
“10-4,” Sledge called.
I tossed the walkie-talkie onto the seat and pulled out my phone.
“You really gonna give him warning?” Dyno asked.
I pulled up Core’s name and looked at Dyno. “I’m so fucking tore on this shit, man. He’s a part of the Rolling Devils, but he’s also kept Kimber safe the past week. He’s done what I can’t do right now.”
“But we still don’t know if the club is putting him up to all this shit and we’re about to walk into an ambush.”
My greatest fear spoken out loud. I was the president of the Kings of Vengeance and I very might well be leading them all into their own deaths right now. “My gut tells me he’s on our side.”
“Then go with your gut, brother. Sometimes that’s better than following your head.”
I just hoped this was one of those times.
Yo.
What’s up mom? Thought you were calling at three.
My finger hover over the keyboard. “You’re in this no matter what, right, Dyno?”
“Follow you to hell and back, brother.”
Thought I would come over for a bit. Hopefully Core would get the hint that we were coming in now.
K. Just playing cards with the guys in the main room. I’ll grab my bag from the third room on the left.
See you soon.
“We good?”
I tossed my phone on the dash and nodded my head. “She’s in the third bedroom on the left.”
“Rhino said there was only two windows on that side.”
The clubhouse came into view. “But I know for a fact there is at least five doors on that side of the hallway which means not all of the rooms have windows. Kimber is in one with no window.”
“So there ain’t no throwing her out the window,” Dyno muttered.
I shook my head. “No. We gotta take her from the inside and out the front door.” I didn’t want to have to drag her through the whole building to get her out, but that seemed to be what we were going to do. “Or the back door.” There were so many fucking variables. We had a plan, but if things were fucking crazy inside, or if the Devils were better prepared than we thought they were going to be, then we were going to be fucked.
“Slow down. Sledge needs to climb in.”
Dyno slowed fifty feet from the driveway to the clubhouse, and I motioned for Sledge to get in the back. He flung himself over the side of the truck and laid down. I pounded on the box of the
truck, and Dyno started moving again.
I picked up the walkie-talkie. “Eyes open, brothers. We are pulling in the driveway. See you inside.” That would be the last time I talked to Point, Rhino, and Zephyr ‘til we entered the building.
“Guy at two o’clock, one moving at the door,” Dyno whispered.
“Sledge said there was three outside.” I scanned the yard but didn’t see anyone else.
Dyno whistled and pointed over by the shed at the edge of the property. He slowly pulled into the driveway, and I tugged my hood over my head. As soon as one of these guys realized who I was, they were going to try to sound the alarm to everyone in the clubhouse.
“Time to get the show on the road.” Dyno pushed open his door and hollered to the guy on the porch. “Yo, buddy.”
“What the hell do you want, man? This is private property.” It was Marco. He was one of the members I never really talked to, but he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder.
“Just trying to get to my buddy’s place and I got turned around. Was wondering if you could tell me how to get back on the interstate?” Dyno was laying it on thick.
My initial idea was just to jump out of the truck with guns blazing, but after I thought about it for a bit, I knew we needed to fool the guys for a second so we could assess the situation. The guy by the shed moved toward the truck, and the one who had been to the right slowly ambled over as he listened to Dyno spin his tale of getting lost.
“Got my brother in the truck who’s a bit slow.” Dyno put his finger to his ear and twirled it. “Actually, dumb as a box of rocks.”
That was gonna get Dyno an ass-kicking later.
The three guys looked through the windshield at me. The AR was in my lap, and my head was bowed. There was no way they were going to be able to know who I was ‘til I wanted them to know.
“Go back the way you came and don’t stop ‘til you hit the interstate,” the guy by the shed said. I didn’t know who he was. He turned his back to me and realization dawned. He was wearing my old cut.
The guy was my replacement.
Too bad he had made the shitty decision to join the Rolling Devils.
Fucker was going to die right alongside his brothers.
The other guy I had seen before but had never talked to. The Rolling Devils really took to heart treating prospects like shit. The guy ignored the prospect just like they had me before and talked to Dyno. “You really lost?” he asked.
Dyno looked back at the truck and shrugged. “Just trying to get to my buddy’s.”
“Well get the fuck off the Rolling Devils’ property and don’t ever fucking come back,” the guy spat at Dyno.
I was going to put a bullet right between this guy’s eyes. He deserved to die.
Dyno raised his hands. “Sorry, man, I didn’t know you guys were a roller skating troupe. I was good on blades when I was younger.” Dyno motioned to the truck. “Can my brother at least get out and use the bathroom? He’s been holding it since we got out of Miller.”
I clipped the walkie-talkie to my pocket then put my hand on the door handle. This was it. I got out of the truck and stayed behind the door. My head was down, but I could still see Dyno in front of the door with the three guys.
“Get your fucking asses back in the truck,” Marco yelled.
This wasn’t going to do. If they yelled too much, they were going to tip off the guys inside.
“Now,” I said loudly.
Sledge jumped up from the back of the truck, Dyno reached into the back of his waistband, and I moved in front of my door. My gun was trained on the guy who treated me like a piece of shit.
“What the fuck is this?” he shouted.
“Keep your fucking mouth shut,” Dyno told him. “The next one of you who so much as opens their mouth to breathe is going to get bullet in their chest.”
I kept my gun trained on the guys but reached up to pull my hood down. “It’s fucking vengeance, asshole.”
“Holy fuck,” Marco gasped.
“Fucking told Hog we should have killed you when we had the chance,” the asshole said.
A slow smile spread across my lips. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“None of your fucking business, prospect,” he spat.
Even with a gun pointed at his head, this guy still thought he was better than me. “What’s your name?” I growled.
“What the fuck does my name have to—”
I didn’t let him finish. There was only one thing this guy needed.
To die.
I put a bullet perfectly between his eyes, and he dropped into a pile on the dirty steps of the clubhouse.
“Holy fuck,” the prospect yelled. He stumbled backward and fell back onto his ass.
“Don’t fucking move,” Dyno growled at him.
My gun was now trained on Marco, who from the pale color of his skin and the sweat dripping from his forehead now understood what was about to go on. “Hello, Marco,” I said quietly. I moved closer to the front door, and Sledge hopped out from the back of the truck.
I glanced over at him. “Head to the side.”
He nodded and jogged around the side of the building.
“I got the prospect.” Dyno moved around me to get closer to him.
Marco had his hands up in the air. “Look, man. I ain’t got nothing to do with your girl being here. That’s all Major and Hog.”
“Is that so?”
He nodded. “Yeah, man. None of us understood why they kept her.”
“I fucking hate a liar,” I said to Dyno.
“Me too, man. Can’t trust a guy who lies straight to your face.” Dyno kicked the foot of the prospect and motioned for him to get up. “Against the fucking wall,” he ordered.
“I’m not lying, man,” Marco insisted.
If this guy called me “man” one more time, I was gonna punch him in the face. “What’s my name?”
“What?” he asked.
“What. Is. My. Name?”
His eyes darted between Dyno and me. “I...uh...”
“Are you so much better than me that you didn’t even need to know my name?”
“Look, man. I don’t know any prospects’ names. I don’t even know that guy’s name.”
That wasn’t going to fucking cut it for me. “Say goodbye, Marco.”
He yelled but only a small sound fell from his lips before I fired and he dropped next to the asshole.
“Fuck, brother. You’re taking all of the fun,” Dyno laughed.
I moved over to Marco and kicked his foot. “Wish I would have known that other guy’s name,” I mumbled.
“You on a name kick for some reason?” Dyno asked.
I looked up at him. “Respect, Dyno. Neither of these assholes respected me.”
“Chain,” the prospect croaked. “He was Chain, and I’m Dylan.”
I moved closer to Dyno and stood in front of Dylan. Dyno moved to the side and kept his gun pointed at Dylan. “You know who I am?”
He shook his head. “I...I just...I just became a prospect three days ago,” he stuttered.
This guy didn’t look like he belonged here at all. He was tall and lanky, and looked like he needed to eat a fucking sandwich. He wasn’t normal Rolling Devils material. “How the fuck did you become a prospect?”
He gulped and shook his head. “It seemed like a cool thing.”
Dyno laughed. “Bet he watched Sons of Anarchy and wanted to be like that blond hair pussy on the show.”
“Three days,” I said quietly.
“You thinking what I am?” Dyno asked.
I moved closer to Dylan and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. “I want you to fucking run as far away from this place as you can and never tell anyone what you saw today. If I so much as hear a whisper of what you saw, I will personally hunt you down, rip your fucking tongue out, and shit down your throat. You get me?”
Dylan shook his head. “Yes, yes,” he repeated. “I’ll never tell anyone what happen
ed. Please just let me go. I didn’t sign up for this.”
“Neither did I, kid, but you got a fucking chance to get out before you do shit you can’t take back.” I pulled him away from the wall and tossed him in the dirt. “You speak, and I will kill you.”
He scrambled off the ground and nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” he stuttered. He took off down the driveway and across the road running like the devil was chasing him.
“You think that was wise?” Dyno asked.
I wiped my hands on my jeans. “We were all that kid before, Dyno. The difference between him and us is he has a chance to make the right decisions before they’re all gone.”
Dyno nodded. “You’re right. But since we made the wrong decisions, I get to kill the next motherfucker, all right?”
I chuckled and nodded. “They’re all yours except for Major. That asshole is mine.”
“Shall we, then?” He swung out his arm toward the door and bowed slightly.
“You’re a fucking dumbass,” I muttered.
“That’s Vice President Dumbass to you.”
I looked over at him. “That so?” We had come to the decision that I was the prez of the Kings of Vengeance, but none of the other titles had been decided.
He shrugged. “Figured it was kind of inevitable.”
“You think maybe we can get Kimber and blow this place up then talk about this shit?”
“Suppose so,” he muttered.
I grabbed the walkie-talkie and pressed the button. “Making entry.”
Dyno's demeanor changed, and he knew it was time to get down to business. I put my hand on the door handle and nodded to him.
He stood on the other side of the door, his gun ready.
I turned the handle and pushed it open.
“What the fuck?” I heard someone call.
Dyno stepped into the doorway and walked into the clubhouse.
“What the fuck is this?” someone shouted.
I walked in behind Dyno with my gun at my side. Hog and Major sitting at one of the tables was the first thing I saw.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked.
They were at the table with three other Devils playing cards while four other guys were on the couch watching TV. Music was playing in the background, and it smelt like stale beer and piss. Apparently, the new prospect wasn’t doing as good of cleaning as I had been.
Drop a Gear and Disappear (Kings of Vengeance, #1) Page 9