Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
ATOM
J et storms into the Darkside and Razor calls out, “Atom, we’ve got a situation.”
I push the girl on my lap away and stand to face him. “What’s up, Reaper?”
“Where’s Tanya?”
Fuck. I might have guessed she’d have something to do with this. “What’s the bitch done?”
“Where the fuck is she?”
I turn to Razor and growl, “Find her and bring her to the meeting room.”
It feels like an eternity before he races back, saying, “She’s gone.”Causing me to punch the wall and roar, “What do you mean, she’s gone? We’re on fucking lockdown.”
I face my club. “Who saw her leave?”
There’s silence as the whole club looks anywhere but at me and I kick a table over and bellow, “Let’s ride!”
I growl, “Follow me, Reaper, we’ll tear this town apart.”
He shakes his head. “Racing off blindly won’t get us results. We need to think about this rationally.”
“Ok, what do you wanna know?”
“Tell me why you hate your sister.”
Razor shouts, “Leave us. Wait in the yard for instructions and nobody leaves. If you try, you die.”
The sound of people scrambling to leave fills the room, and then there’s silence. Just Razor, Jet and me staring at one another menacingly.
With a deep sigh, I fall into a nearby chair and say bitterly. “Tanya’s always had dreams bigger than this town. As soon as she could, she left to work at one of Michael’s bars as a cocktail waitress. She did everything to advance her career and targeted only the rich and powerful. She got in deep with a man dealing drugs and suffered because of it. She became addicted to him and the cocaine he shot in her veins. When we found her, she was barely alive. I locked her up in the club and made her go cold turkey. We did it the hard way, and she’s never forgiven me. Since then, I’ve watched her every move, but she’s a slippery one and got out several times. I soon stopped caring. I mean, blood counts for everything, but when it turns bad, it’s like a cancer destroying you inside. I keep her here out of loyalty, but wouldn’t care if she died in a pool of her own vomit.”
I clench my fist and say angrily, “She’s been seeing someone. She sneaks out, and it’s impossible to watch her 24/7. I heard he’s some big executive in the city and, for the most part, I stay out of it. She seems clean and returns here with nothing but her sass and evil tongue. Like I said, I stopped caring, so have slackened off on her.”
I stare at Jet. “Do you think she knows where the girl is?”
He nods. “I’ve had word she handed Lucy over to a guy. A white van picked her up and left. Do you have any idea who that could be?”
I shake my head as his phone rings and he answers with a short, “What you got?”
He listens intently and after a short conversation on the other end, he cuts the call and says grimly, “I know where she is.”
I stand. “Then you may need backup. My club is at your disposal.”
He is walking as he says over his shoulder. “They’re at the airfield. We don’t have long.”
As we follow him outside, my heart is beating wildly because if Tanya is somehow connected to Lucy’s disappearance, I doubt I can save her this time.
We waste no time and head over to the airfield. It’s unusual to ride at night as a pack. It attracts unwanted attention and so most nights we are drunk and balls deep in willing women after a hard day’s work. But Tanya has brought heat on the club and will pay the price.
I wasn’t lying when I told Jet our relationship soured many years ago. If I had to pinpoint a time, it was around the time I discovered that women had venom in their hearts that packed a lethal bite. Clara changed everything for me. I became a different man and Tanya’s shit was like pouring acid on an open wound.
She got in heavy with the man who stole everything from me. My woman and my sister. Somehow, he moved over this town like a deadly virus. Smoke edging toward unsuspecting victims as they lie in bed at night, waking to find they inhaled the most deadly fumes.
Michael and his henchman Emilio run this town with fear, extortion and deadly promises. Somehow, we are spared paying his protection money, and he mainly leaves us to go about our business.
Many believe we must be working with him because of it and we are distrusted by many. It kind of goes with the territory when you move as a pack, and that’s fine by me. I can live with notoriety and trained myself to live without her.
We pull into the airfield and I notice the silver jet standing on the runway, the headlights revealing the activity surrounding it. There is a black car at the foot of the steps and many crates are being loaded into the hold.
We don’t bother to disguise our approach and soon surround the aircraft with a ring of steel and my heart twists when I observe Tanya along with Dominic Riley dragging Jet’s girl Lucy up the steps of the plane.
There is a lot of shouting when the men see us coming and then panic sets in as the engines start and the men start throwing the crates on without care. Tanya runs to the steps and Dominic picks Lucy up and runs as fast as he can as she kicks out on his shoulder. The noise is deafening as a shot rings out and Jet yells, “Give it up, Dominic.”
I watch Dominic hold Lucy in front of him like a shield as he pulls a knife and holds it to her throat and screams, “Back off, otherwise she’s dead.”
I never realized before how crazy this guy really is as he faces us with the eyes of a madman and Jet says with a distinct threat delivered on his words, “We only want the girl. You can leave and no one gets hurt, but we want Lucy.”
Dominic laughs. “Do you think I believe a word you say?”
Jet replies slowly, “Tell us what to do and we’ll do it. Just let Lucy go.”
The crazed eyes of a madman stare back at me, as he realizes the power is now in his hands.
He laughs softly. “She’s not that good a fuck, biker.”
Jet says calmly, “Let Lucy go and you can leave.”
Tanya looks past him to me and says angrily, “Fuck off, Atom. I don’t need you or your club. You don’t own me and if you think I’m ever coming near you again, you’re more stupid than you look.”
My blood runs cold. “I wasn’t asking. You can rot in hell for all I care. You’re no sister of mine anymore.”
She is taken aback and if looks could kill, I would be a dead man.
“That’s fine with me, asshole. Now, back off and take this joke with you. Some super-biker he turned out to be. I fooled him easier than most.”
She spits on the ground. “You’re all a joke, so fuck off and leave us alone.”
Jet’s voice grows more sinister, if possible. “As soon as we have Lucy. She’s the only reason we came. We’re not interested in you or your business.”
Dominic laughs softly. “We can’t do that, biker, because she’s our insurance policy. So, you see, you’ve had a wasted journey.”
Jet hisses. “If I tell the guys to go, it’ll just be us. I won’t stand in your way and you can leave with no trouble. If you don’t, you’ll never leave here alive.”
He nods. “Tell them to go.”
I waste no time and bark my orders. “Back to the club.”
One by one, my men fall out and the noise is deafening as they rev their bikes and tear up the tarmac. As soon as they leave, I yell, “I’m staying because I want to make sure that bitch I once called a sister leaves town.”
Dominic laughs and turns to Tanya. “Say goodbye to your brother, honey. You’re free of the bastard at last.”
Tanya stares at me and I watch her eyes narrow. “Fuck you, Atom. I can’t get away from you fast enough. You’re no brother of mine.”
Lucy, to her credit, stands as still as a statue and stares at Jet as if frozen to the spot and he says carefully, “We’ve done as you say. Now let Lucy go.”
Dominic laughs darkly, “All in good time, biker.”
He shouts to the men on the ground. “Are we done?”
One of them yells, “Ready.”
Dominic backs up the steps and when he reaches the top, calls inside the plane, “You ready, Tom?”
He obviously gets the answer he needs because he smiles triumphantly. “Well, it’s been emotional guys, but it’s time to say our goodbyes. Don’t wait up because we’ll be rather a long time.”
He steps backward and attempts to take Lucy with him, but she has other ideas and bites down hard on the hand he has around her mouth and the knife falls down the steps. His cry stirs Tanya into action as she reaches to grab Lucy, who shoves him backward and makes for the steps. Tanya grabs hold of her hair and I don’t hesitate as I raise my gun and with the cold fingers of betrayal at my disposal, I fire the gun and watch as she screams in agony and falls to one knee.
Lucy wastes no time and runs toward us, and Jet yells for me to cover them as he races to her as fast as he can. I surround them in a hail of bullets, hoping like hell there is enough ammunition to buy him the time he needs.
They meet in the middle and he forces her to the ground as the men retaliate. Somehow through the madness they crawl for shelter before the door slams and the plane’s engines squeal and as it taxis away, Jet yells, “Hold your fire!”
The noise is deafening and as the engines scream and the aircraft starts taxiing to the runway, Jet and Lucy make a dash for the bike and as soon as they reach it, Jet grabs his gun, saying darkly, “Cover your ears and keep down.”
I waste no time and pull Lucy to the ground and lie on top of her as I hear Jet fire a round of shots before yelling, “Stay down!”
He flings his body over the two of us as an explosion rocks the night sky and by the time we look up, all that’s left is the memory.
I stare in disbelief at the fireball lighting the night sky, my sister raining as ash into the night sky. For a second, our life together flashes before my eyes as I remember a time when we were innocent of the horrors that life was about to throw at us. She looked up to me and I liked it. I would have done anything to protect her. To keep her safe and yet somewhere between childhood and now, that all changed.
I failed her, me, my grandparents and mom and dad. My sister was lost a long time ago, and I prayed that one day I would find her again.
There is a sickness clawing at my frozen heart as I come to terms with my part in this and I blink the tears of the damned away and take a deep breath, muttering my silent farewell to the fallen angel who never got to catch her star.
Jet’s voice reminds me I’m not alone as he whispers to Lucy, “Are you ok, darlin’?”
Once again, my heart twists in pain when I hear the emotion in his voice, reminding me what it’s like to love. To feel anything. Not bitterness and hatred for people who should have been my world.
“I’m heading back.” I say gruffly. “I’ll meet you at the clubhouse.”
It’s as if I lost part of me in that explosion and as I ride home to the Darkside, I try to come to terms with what just happened. Tanya always made me weaker and now she has the final laugh because I will never have the chance to save her. I failed. I always fail because, for some reason, the people I love choose to pull away from me rather than let me care for them. I am not good enough. I will never be good enough and as the wind whips away my tears, I resign myself to a life alone.
When Jet and Lucy return, it’s as if Lucy has fought a war single-handedly from the look of her.
Candy, Diesel’s girl, rushes over with concern and Jet tightens his hold on his woman and says darkly, “She’s going nowhere. This time, she stays close to me.”
Candy puts her hands on her hips and glares at him. “Then you’ll have to come too, because this poor girl needs tending to.”
I can tell we’re getting nowhere with this and Candy is right. Lucy looks fucked.
“We’ll go to the meeting room. You can sort Lucy out there while we talk.”
Candy’s eyes widen and she says incredulously, “You sure, Atom? I didn’t think you liked the women in your meetings.”
I growl, “I don’t, but I’d be the same if my girl had been through what she has as a result of our hospitality. Sometimes you have to peer past normality and make an exception.”
Candy appears a little stunned but takes Lucy’s hand and says gently, “It’s ok, honey. I’ll soon have you feeling like your old self.”
As they follow me to the meeting room, they’ll soon realize why women aren’t invited. It’s a large room with no frills. Just a wooden table and a few chairs around the walls. A single bulb hangs from the ceiling, illuminating the blood stains on the floor.
One glance at the room causes Jet to say hastily, “Candy, take Lucy somewhere more comfortable and if anything happens to her, you’ll pay the price.”
Lucy obviously notes the worry in Candy’s eyes and says with a smile. “Don’t worry, his bark’s worse than his bite. Let’s get out of here.”
They leave and as Razor kicks out a chair and I do the same, I shake my head. “Things got a little heavy back there.”
Jet says with concern. “Are you ok, man? That must have hurt shootin’ your sister.”
Razor looks up, startled, and I growl, “Fucking bitch was no longer any sister of mine. She deserved everything she got. I shot out her kneecap for pleasure because if she got away, I wanted a permanent reminder of what she left behind.”
Razor says with concern. “What happened?”
“Well, let’s just say she headed out on a one-way ticket to hell, thanks to the Reaper. What I don’t understand is what the hell she was doing there in the first place?”
We are interrupted as one of the members knocks and brings some beers in. He says in a hard voice, “Sunny sent these. She thought you could use them.”
I throw one at each of the guys and nod. “She’s right, as always. Tell her I need her later and to wait up.”
If I need anything other than this beer right now, it’s the soft scent of a woman reminding me that there is some good in the world.
Jet takes a swig and groans his appreciation. “Man, this is good. Sunny must be an angel.”
Razor grins. “Just one of her many talents.”
I add, “Which is why I want to wrap this up, and I’m pretty sure your mind is somewhere else.”
He shrugs. “So, one problem sorted, one to go.”
It reminds me I still have a big problem to deal with. “Do you think Michael was involved with whatever that was back there?”
Razor interrupts. “What was that back there? I still don’t know why Tanya was there in the first place.”
That had crossed my mind and I turn to Jet for answers.
“I got word that Tanya was involved with an arms deal going down. She met some guy through one of Michael’s clubs and started a mutually profitable relationship with him, cutting Santobello out of the deal. When Michael heard it drove him nuts, which is why I guess she left his employment and came back to live here. Even though she obviously hated you, she knew he would never start a war with the Angels. Tanya wasn’t one to back down and turned her attentions to Riley, who she also met through the club. She cut him in on the deal because she needed someone to play organizer. Things were all set, and they were due to deliver a shipment this evening in exchange for millions of dollars. The crates you observed at the airfield were guns they acquired for the drugs cartel in Columbia. The plane was bound for Columbia, but word got out and made the drug’s lord jittery. He wanted to pull out, but Riley talked him round and told him they’d bring Lucy to answer their questions personally. They could find out who she told and then dispose of her. Any future dealings were put on hold until the leak was dealt with and Lucy was their insurance policy.”
I exhale sharply, “Man, that’s some serious shit. I knew Tanya was a bad apple, but even I didn’t know how rotten she became.”
Razor asks. “So, what happens now?”
“Nothing. The plane exploded with all the ammunition on board and any subsequent investigation will show an arms deal gone wrong. The drugs lord will find another way in and no roads lead back here.”
Razor glances at me with concern. “But Tanya, man. She’s your sister.”
I hiss. “She stopped being my sister when she turned against the club. She brought trouble here and turned against me by handing Lucy over to Riley when she knew we were offering protection. You don’t go against family, Razor you know that, and I wish I could have made her suffer more than just a shot-up knee cap. She can count herself lucky she went down with her deal because if I ever saw her again, I’d shoot the bitch like a dog.”
I regard Jet and say darkly, “You say we still have a problem to deal with. I’m guessing that involves Michael and his mob. What’s the plan?”
“He still has a hold on Lucy and Sydney’s dance studio. I’m gonna make him understand it’s in his best interests to keep his distance.”
“Do you need back up?”
“Just be there if it all kicks off. I came here for Lucy and I’m gonna make sure she’s protected. But not tonight. I think we’ve all had as much excitement as we can stand today. It’s time to leave you to your evening and take that little lady home.”
It’s obvious we’re finished up here and my mind has shifted to a more attractive proposition waiting for me with a comforting set of skills I could sure use right now. I need to forget because if I allowed the madness into my already corrupted soul, I may as well have blown myself up with my sister and be done with it.