Chapter Seven.
Calamity.
Falcon and I made our way down the street towards the barriers that kept us apart from the local community.
The moon was out, which was reassuring as we didn’t have any streetlights here yet.
That was something I’d have to discuss with Apache.
Then again, it benefited us, as whoever was at the gate, if they still hung around, didn’t know we were coming.
My thoughts were whirling. What exactly was happening here?
We reached our destination, and I held a hand out as Falcon and I hid in the shadows.
I wanted to see if anybody was lingering.
After a few minutes, I nodded, and we slipped through the gate and checked the area.
Not seeing anyone, I picked up the box that had been left, and Falcon and I walked back onto our land, closing the gates.
“What is it?” Falcon asked.
“Give me a moment,” I replied, rolling my eyes. Damn impatient asshole. I pulled my knife, cut the tape, and stepped away as the smell wafted out. I placed it on the floor and, using the blade, flicked the flaps open.
“Is that?” Falcon broke off as I stared in horror at a black glossy crow with a dagger stabbed through it.
I took off running towards my house. My bad leg slowed me down, but I was giving it everything I could.
“Calamity?” Falcon asked as he caught up.
“The women! That was Peter!” I gasped, and Falcon raced off. I yanked my phone as I ran and hit Texas’s number.
“Yo.”
“Get the brothers up and lock the clubhouse down, now,” I ordered and cut the line. Texas wouldn’t hang about and would do as commanded.
A glow lit up the darkness in the distance, and I knew they were my house lights. I kept hurrying towards them, running as fast as I could with my limp. I burst into the foyer of my home, and Rosie threw herself into my arms. Chest heaving, I hauled her close.
“The old ladies are still asleep. Keep the noise down,” Rosie whispered.
“Okay.” I spotted Falcon appear over her shoulder.
“The house is secure,” he stated.
“What’s going on?” Rosie asked, and my pounding heart calmed as I saw her safe and unharmed. A pang of grief shot through me.
“Babe.” I broke off, unsure how to tell her Peter had been murdered.
“Calam?” Rosie looked scared.
“Peter, someone killed him,” I murmured gently, and Rosie shook her head.
“They can’t have done. The fur babies are below. If they got Peter, then they came through our house,” she whispered and paled.
I headed for the basement door and opened it.
Rosie flipped the light on, and I caught sight of the pets.
Layla and Henrik stood at attention on seeing me.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw Empress curled up with Merlin and Arthur.
Wolfie popped his head up from where he was sleeping with Jester, who daintily yawned.
Harold and Terence were in a corner, looking disgruntled at being disturbed.
Terence even poked his head out of his shell and hissed at me.
Dawn and Fanny were also in a puffy bed and curled up together.
My heart began pounding as I scanned the area and didn’t see either Precious or Peter.
No, not both of them! Rosie would be devastated.
“Turn that damn light off!” Peter cackled from behind me, and I jumped. There, under the stairs, shining like a ghost, was Precious, and judging by the glowing eyes, Peter was with her.
“Thank fuck!” I gasped.
“See, they’re safe,” Rosie said as Precious flapped her wings and floated to Rosie’s shoulder.
“Mom,” Precious stated, rubbing her beak against Rosie’s cheek.
“Sweet girl,” Rosie murmured, giving her a scratch.
“Bed!” Peter screeched, and Precious left Rosie and flew back under the stairs, where she began scolding Peter.
Rosie and I headed upstairs and rejoined Falcon in the kitchen. “It wasn’t Peter.”
“Good,” he responded. “That means the house is secure, but I’ve checked all windows and doors. Everything is locked up. I couldn’t see signs of a breach or anyone attempting one.”
“Can’t believe we need to install security on the houses; this was a new start for us,” I growled out.
“Calam, what is going on?” Rosie demanded.
“Somebody delivered a parcel at the gate. Inside was a dead raven with a knife stabbed through it. I thought it was Peter,” I admitted.
Rosie stared, horrified. “Someone really wants us gone, don’t they?”
I couldn’t answer that because I’d been open and honest with everybody.
There’d been various acts of sabotage since the fire.
It had hounded the entire build of the clubhouse and the three houses Apache had completed so far.
I made sure everyone knew because I didn’t want to put anyone, including the old ladies, in danger.
Whoever this was had taken this one step further. They were letting me know they’d seen our pets and were sending a warning. This was personal.
“Just because one person doesn’t like us, Rosie, it doesn’t mean the town feels the same. People have loved having you and Klutz help, and there’s a lot of excitement around having you both here full time,” I said, rubbing her shoulders.
“Oh, I know that, Calam. I didn’t want our new beginning to start on a sour note.”
“Then let us handle this and concentrate on hiring staff for your clinic and the sanctuary. Go back to bed, I’m going to check on the kids,” I replied. I bent my head and kissed her. “We’ll get two of the brothers here to guard this tonight.”
Rosie nodded, and Falcon and I left, and we heard her lock up.
“That was a warning aimed straight at you. Someone’s spying on us. They must have seen Peter,” he said.
“Already figured that out. Get the motion sensor cameras checked in the morning and the alarms. Somehow, someone is getting onto this peninsula, and I want them stopped. Let’s get two brothers here for the rest of the night,” I replied.
Slowly, I limped back to the clubhouse. The feeling of eyes watching me burned into my back, and I knew I was being overreactive. But even so, I couldn’t stop the feeling of being watched.
Watcher
Fucking gimp. Look at him. That’s the wimp leading this group of assholes?
He was going to be easy to chase away. A strong wind would blow him down.
These fuckers needed to be gone, and sooner rather than later.
They’d marched in here, my home, like they owned the damn place.
Ross had bent over and bared his ass to them, and as for Cates, well, she was clearly already taking their bribes.
They were going to ruin everything, and I didn’t care if they were the nation’s heroes or darlings or whatever the fuck they were.
They could set up elsewhere. These Rage MC idiots strutted around town like they were God’s gifts.
Their women were no better—whores, all of them.
Who knows what their heathen kids were being taught?
I caught a glint of light and moved my telescope.
I’d seen the figure who’d placed the box at the gate.
He didn’t want Rage MC here either. The mysterious guy had raced away, but I’d tracked him and watched him get into a car with someone else as the driver.
There were at least two more people who hated Rage MC.
There was also the fact that I’d committed some sabotage, but not all of it.
I wondered who they were, and it infuriated me that I didn’t know.
Their faces were covered. If I could have identified them, then we could have worked together.
Instead, we shared the same goal and would work alone.
I already had a plan in motion for my next fuck-off to them.
Rage MC would soon be gone, especially with two parties working to get rid of them.
Calamity
I was blearily eyed the next morning, which none of the kids seemed to give a shit about.
While the brothers and I were trying to figure out what to feed them, the old ladies appeared.
A couple looked hungover, but none appeared too upset.
Luckily, we only had to unpack Hunter and Falcon’s moving vans today.
I’d paid the drivers extra to stay overnight.
“Order food and get someone on the gate,” Penny said to Texas, who growled.
“If the breakfast comes, and the gate is shut with nobody on it, then they’ll take it away. If that happens, the old ladies and I will go into town and leave you to deal with the Mayhem Menaces,” Rosie declared.
“The what?” I asked, rubbing my brows, as Erin let out a high-pitched scream.
“Well, we can’t call them Hellions now, those are the Rapid City kids, and Hellfire nailed Holy Terrors, we’ve got the Mayhem Menaces. I considered Mayhem Makers, which is apt, but our brats are menaces, so I chose that,” Rosie replied.
“Sit down, or there’ll be no breakfast!” I thundered as Hunter’s twin girls, Gracie and Darcie, screamed, and Erin joined in alongside Harley’s Georga and Klutz’s Marina.
The Mayhem Makers—that sounded better than Mayhem Menaces—all froze and looked at me.
“Sit your asses down, and I mean it!” I ordered. “Menace Makers.” I was unsure of which version I liked better.
“That sounds better than Mayhem Menaces,” Penny said.
“Aye, it does. Guess we’re going with Mayhem Makers.” Oakley agreed.
“I prefer Diabolical Terrorists,” Nova said, and the old ladies turned to her.
“Oh, that’s good! The DT’s for short!” Rosie breathed.
“No need to vote, I like the DTs!” Demi announced.
“I’m ordering,” Ghost announced from the corner.
“I need to go shopping today and start advertising for cooks,” Penny said.
“We’ve also got Hunter and Mina’s van to unload, Klutz and Aurora’s, and Falcon’s,” Oakley aired my earlier thoughts. Shit, we didn’t even have coffee yet.
“Order caffeine,” I ordered Ghost, who nodded.
“Lots of it,” Amberlea groaned. She was definitely hungover.
“I’m ordering a vat,” Ghost replied.
“Good,” Carmelle moaned, and Ghost looked amused.
“Okay, I’m heading into the kitchen. Did you buy any equipment?” Penny asked.