4. Chapter 3
Thunder – One Week Later
I tilt my head as Jimmy glares at Axel, trying his hardest to look hard but failing fucking miserably, his fingers trembling, giving his fear away.
The fucker is chained to a chair, wearing nothing but his boxers.
A week I’ve been following him without him realizing, and within that week I noticed his obsession with an oblivious Sophie.
I finally managed to grab him this morning after catching him recording Sophie undressing at hers and Ink's home while he took the kids out. The woman was none the wiser, fuck, she even messaged him to see if he wanted to grab some food later. That shit ain’t happening because I knocked the fucker out before Sophie could see we were in her home.
“I swear, Ink, it isn’t normal the way Sophie clung to this fucker,” I hear Gunner growl under his breath, “He gave her a sob story close to hers, and she fell for it, hook, line and fucking sinker just like she did with Clitter. This time though, it was more dangerous, yet she wouldn’t listen to anyone.
She needs to seek medical fucking help I swear! ”
“She threatened our fucking marriage if we didn’t give the fucker a chance,” Ink snaps back, and you can hear the frustration in his tone, “She swore he needed our help, and since she lost her mama, she’s been different. She wants to help people, but this, fuck, I can’t condone this shit.”
He loves his wife, his kids, but even I can see that she’s making their marriage harder by believing she’s always right.
“It’s shit like this that ensured Leah won’t let her all the way in again,” Flame grunts just as Axel steps closer to the fucker chained up.
“Recording an old lady who put her trust in you, having feds raid our decoy warehouses, tipping the feds off on our runs. Not very smart of you, huh, Jimmy,” Axel goads, and Jimmy's jaw visibly tics, but his eyes, instead of being on Axel, are on the blade in his hand.
This is going to be fun.
“How in the fuck have you not beat the shit outta him yet?” I ask Ink quietly, and he grunts, “He latched onto Sophie for a reason, we just need to know that reason,” just as my phone vibrates and I check the ID before quickly answering, “Dad, is this important?”
“Well, my son is refusing to come home, so yeah, it is important,” he snaps, and Axel side-eyes me with a smirk like a fucker while Jimmy frowns with confusion.
Guess a brother answering their phone in the middle of a torture session is unorthodox.
“Dad, I’m currently in the torture chamber with the Untamed. Some fucker took a shine to Ink's old lady. Can we not do this right now?” I sigh and fuck, even Ink snorts at my frustration.
I hadn’t heard from him all week, so I thought maybe he was calling about an emergency, but I guess I was wrong.
“So, if you’ve caught the traitor, does that mean you are finally coming home?” he confirms, and I wince as I look at Axel, who gives me a nod to explain my plans despite having that fucker chained before him.
I haven’t had my medical check done yet, and until I figure out what the fuck is wrong with my shoulder and knee, I can’t return home.
As much as I love my sister, I can’t have her taking over my medical care, demanding Doc to do what is needed without my say-so and to take over from Dr. Thomas, Hawks dad.
I sigh and admit, “No, I'm not, not yet anyway,” and Dad growls, but I continue, “I’m just not ready yet.”
“What is really going on, Bradley?!” he demands just as Jimmy growls, “Can you hurry that fucking call along? Sophie and I have plans, and she’ll fucking flip knowing you have me chained up!”
Ink growls loudly, and I notice Gunner holding him back while I raise a brow as Dad mentions, “Sounds like the man has a thing for Ink's old lady.”
And that is exactly what I thought.
The fucker is trying his hardest to bring down the club while keeping Sophie close.
I hum in agreement and mention, “I’ll call you back, Dad,” and he retorts, “You better, or I’m coming after you,” before hanging up, and as I put my phone back into my cut, I ask Jimmy, “How long have you had a thing for Sophie?!”
Ink looks my way sharply, but I don’t take my eyes off the fucker who is now glaring my way.
“Since middle school, but the bitch didn’t recognize me when I joined the club a few months ago.
My plan was to get Ink locked up so she’d finally realize I was hers and that the brats were better off at boarding school.
Then you fucking came into town and ruined everything,” he sneers like an idiot, completely forgetting his predicament and Axel growls before his anger takes over.
He stabs his knife into the fucker’s hand, who looks at it in shock, the pain not yet registering, and I smirk as the men around me chuckle.
Guess the idiot thought the Untamed were all talk. I mean, why else would the fucker basically stalk and befriend an old lady and believe said old lady had sway to get him out of this room?
“I fucking love it when they don’t register the pain straight away,” I hear Hawk mutter, and I nod in agreement just as the idiot's screams echo in the room.
“Y-You stabbed me, you –”
His terrified scream is cut off with a shocked gasp as Axel pulls his knife out of the idiot's hand before stabbing it into his gut.
“I thought we just had clubwhores to worry about,” Dagger sighs, and I admit, “Some men think they are God's gift to women, and as soon as a woman refuses, they turn nasty.”
“You sound like you’ve seen this before,” Ink grunts, and I nod.
“More times than I can count,” I reply, Anchor and Summer’s situation hitting me, the way her mama wanted her inheritance and forced her with some fucker who helped her be kidnapped and held for months.
Her ex tried to beg his boss to allow him to rape her instead of the clients, nearly killing her.
Their son Kai was a product of rape, and throughout her pregnancy, Summer was adamant about giving him up for adoption. Anchor fell in love with the boy like he was his own before Summer even gave birth.
The kid is now three and the spitting image of his mama, who, I will admit, sometimes struggles.
I’ll notice her looking at the boy as he grins, trying to see if he has any resemblance to one of her rapists, and she will sometimes struggle to be near him. You can see the love she holds for him as well, along with the guilt when she distances herself from him.
“Ink, come finish the fucker off, he’s your kill,” Axel growls and Ink replies, “Fucking gladly,” as he stalks over to the fucker who pleads, “No, please, look, I’m sorry okay, but she was mine first, she –”
His words cut off with a scream as Ink takes the knife from Axel and stabs it into his cheek, and fuck, even I wince.
I think things are about to get fucking bloody.
***
“Fuck, Ink, that was gruesome,” I shudder as we walk into the common room an hour later, and Ink grunts, his frustration and anger still following from him. I wince knowing Sophie is fucked if she tries to speak to him.
He hasn’t stayed at home in weeks for fucks sake, and a few days ago, she accused him of fucking the clubwhores. Even knowing she is the reason for their distance with how she had clung to Jimmy.
I think the brother is at the end of his rope.
“Brother, don’t make me purposely hurt myself to get you to smile,” I grunt, and the fucker’s lips twitch at the thought, as Axel snaps, “No more hurting yourself, your shoulder and knee are already fucked up.”
Ink finally chuckles, but a scowl soon takes place when we hear, “Jackson, have you seen Jimmy? He was going to come help me at the vet office today after we got some coffee,” and I wince again.
Fuck.
I watch as his beautiful girl walks over in some scrubs, looking fucking innocent, a small smile in place, but her face soon pales when Ink demands, “Did you know he recorded you getting undressed this morning?”
“What are you talking about?” she asks with a slight tremor and Hawk mutters, “Fuck,” as Ink gets in his wife’s face and growls, “Did you know Jimmy was recording you getting undressed?” he leans down, “Did you know he went to middle school with you and was obsessed with you?” her eyes tear up, “Did you fucking know that his goal was to bring down our club just so he could ship our kids away and have you all to himself?”
“No, he wouldn’t do that, he’s my friend,” Sophie tries, and I blink because fuck, she’s in instant denial even when her own husband is telling her what is what.
“Dammit, Sophie,” I hear Leah mutter as Ink snaps, “Thunder caught him red-handed, the fucker admitted to his plan, believing we were fucking puppies and he was safe!” Shaking his head at her, he takes a step back and demands, “When are you going to fucking think about the family. Think about me, instead of what you always want? When are you going to stop being selfish?”
“That isn’t fair!” she chokes, “I thought he was my friend.”
“You mean like Clitter?!” Ink shouts, “You are always putting other people in danger because you seem to think what you believe is best!”
Sophie flinches, and she whispers, “I’m sorry…”
“Well, this time sorry isn’t good enough,” he grunts, and her eyes widen.
“What is that supposed to mean?” she asks, shocked, while we all watch on like their lives are some kind of soap opera.
I must admit, this is literally the first time I’ve seen a brother so disappointed in his old lady that he knows he loves to death.
“It means you either get yourself some fucking help and quick, or me and you are done,” Ink threatens, and Sophie’s tears fall before she spins on her heels and rushes out of the clubhouse, and I blink.
“Did she really just run outta here instead of apologizing when she not only threatened the club but also her marriage?” I ask, perplexed, and Ink snorts.
“Sophie always thinks she’s right,” Leah admits, “She was the same when we were kids, and she hates it when she’s proven wrong.”
“My wife is still very much immature and likes to blame it on the death of her mother. Don’t get me wrong, that was fucking hard and could traumatize anyone, but she’s been using it as an excuse way too fucking much lately, and it’s every time she messes up,” Ink grunts and Hawk adds, “It’s Sophie’s way or the highway and honestly, she needed the reality check.
That fucker that she begged to be kept as a part of the club all because she thought he was innocent despite the proof we had, could have killed her if she wasn’t careful. ”
I nod and mumble, “I used to feel jealous of all you brothers settling down and having kids, but I’m starting to think maybe being single is the best fucking route.”
The brothers chuckle, but laughter soon rings out when Axel says, “You say that now, but just you wait, brother. Now get your ass outside, let's go see Doc,” and I groan as he shoves me towards the door and fuck, even Ink’s lips twitch the fucker.
***
I tilt my head at the screen before me while Axel shakes his head at my stupidity and Dr. Thomas, as I’ve been told to call him while inside these walls, which makes shit easier for me, sighs as he looks at his screen.
“So, I need surgery?” I confirm, and the man nods.
Fuck.
“See this here,” he says, pointing to a weird line on the screen that looks squished, and I nod.
“That nerve is trapped in scar tissue, and normally therapy could help dislodge it, but because you’ve gone so long without any treatment, the only option right now is for me to intervene surgically.
Now, as for your knee,” he shakes his head at me, giving me that disappointed dad look, “It needs a nerve graft which can take up to a year to recover, though luckily, you’ll still be able to ride after a few months recovery. ”
Fuck me…
“Doc is going to kill me,” I grunt, and Axel snorts just as a knock sounds on the door.
Dr. Thomas presses a few buttons on his computer, causing the screen to sleep before he announces, “Come in.”
The door opens, but I don’t look, instead, I keep my eyes on the black screen.
Surgery? Fucking surgery?
“Dr. Aimes, what can I do for you?” Dr. Thomas asks gently, and a voice replies, “Your wife is in the waiting room- something about not allowing you to miss lunch again?” and I tense as the voice vibrates right through me, my heart rate picking up.
Dr. Thomas chuckles while Axel side-eyes me as I spin in my seat and lock eyes with the most beautiful dark blue eyes I have ever seen, and fuck me…
“Dr. Aimes, I’d like for you to meet Th–”
I cut Dr. Thomas off and say, “Bradley,” and Axel coughs to cover his snort while Dr. Thomas openly chuckles.
“It’s uh, I mean, um, uh, it’s nice to meet you,” Treasure stutters, her voice soft, and I swallow hard.
Fuck, is this what all my brothers felt? The need to hold and protect the women they fell for? To fucking tie them up and never let them out of your sight? Because if it is, it is one hell of a scary feeling.
“Told you so,” Axel mutters under his breath, but I don’t look away from the beauty before me, her dark brown hair up in a messy bun, her face free of any makeup.
She’s mine, I know she is, and I know I’ll do anything to ensure she sees I’m hers too.
Shit, looks like I’m not heading home anytime soon and my club is going to be pissed…