Chapter 16
Corvus King
Panic flooded my veins as I scrambled to leave the house, gun tucked tightly into the back of my pants. My heart pounded like a freight train as I raced through the front door, phone pressed against my ear.
”Killer,” I barked into the phone when he answered on the second ring.
”VP,” he replied, his voice tense and alert.
”Guard my house now,” I ordered, barely able to contain the urgency in my voice. ”Trey just rang. Lisa”s shooting up his place.”
”Leaving now, boss,” Killer said, and I could hear him fumbling around in the background.
”Call Ben, get him here to help,” I continued. ”You”re not allowed inside. Tempest is in the house; no one goes in or out, got it?”
”Sure, VP,” Killer replied with a hint of unease. ”I got it.” I hung up the phone, my mind racing a mile a minute.
What the fuck is going on? Why is Lisa targeting Trey? Questions swirled in my head like a tornado.
With a deep breath, I threw my leg over the motorcycle, feeling its familiar weight beneath me. I backed it out of its spot, manoeuvring carefully around Tempest”s car parked haphazardly behind me. My heart hammered in my chest like a wild animal trying to escape its cage, but I couldn”t afford to let fear take control.
I took off like a bat out of hell, tearing up the road toward Trey”s place.
As I rode through the city streets, a practised ease guided my every move, even as I pushed the bike much faster than I should have. The wind whipped past me, stinging my face and tugging at my clothes.
The air crackled with tension as I pulled up to Trey”s place; the sound of gunshots and Lisa”s enraged screams pierced the night. My heart hammered in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins like liquid fire.
”Lisa!” I roared, my voice a thunderous demand that carried over the chaos. ”Put it down now!”
She stood there, wild-eyed and furious, her arms shaking as she fired round after round into Trey”s house. Her words were a venomous tirade – a desperate plea for validation and love. ”I”m done with this shit! All the shit I do for you, and I”m not old lady material?!”
Jumping off my bike, I grabbed my gun from the waistband of my jeans, my movements swift and decisive. I aimed it at her, my finger on the trigger. This ends now.
”Lisa,” I repeated, my tone equal parts command and warning. ”Drop the fucking gun.”
Her eyes met mine, a storm of hurt and betrayal swirling in their depths. For a moment, I glimpsed the woman I”d once known. But then something inside her snapped, and she raised her weapon to face me head-on.
”You gonna shoot me too, Corvus?” she spat, her voice dripping with venom. ”You think you”re so much better than me?”
Time seemed to slow as the air thickened with tension. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, drowning out all other sounds. It was then that Hammer stepped out of the shadows like a spectre of death. His gun raised, and he fired a single shot without hesitation.
Blood and brain matter sprayed through the air as Lisa”s body crumpled to the grass. The echo of the gunshot rang in my ears, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. Trey emerged from the house, clutching his one-year-old son tight to his chest. His eyes met Hammer”s as he murmured, ”Thanks, mate.”
I gave him a curt nod before yanking my phone from my pocket and dialling our police contact on speed dial. As it rang, I couldn”t help but glance at Lisa”s lifeless form. She was one of us… It felt wrong, but what choice did we have?
”Officer,” I said when the call connected. ”We need you here now. Club business.” I rattled off the address, the urgency clear in my voice.
”Understood, VP. I”ll be there as soon as possible,” came the reply, crisp and professional. I hung up, knowing our man would take care of the situation. He always did.
”Talk to me, Trey,” I demanded, my voice low and controlled. ”What the fuck happened?”
”Man, I don”t know,” he replied, cradling his son protectively. ”She showed up an hour ago, screaming like a banshee about being banned from the clubhouse and not being good enough to be my old lady. Kept asking what she needed to do to get my cut.”
”Your cut?” I frowned, trying to make sense of her erratic behaviour.
”Yeah, like it was some kind of fucking prize.” He shook his head, disgust etched on his face. ”I told her she”d never be my old lady, and that I wish she hadn”t trapped me into having this kid. She”s just a whore, Corvus.”
His words hung in the air, thick with tension. No wonder she snapped, I thought, my jaw clenching.
”Then what?” My voice was sharp, demanding answers.
”She pulled out a gun and started shooting at the door while I barricaded myself inside.” Trey”s eyes were haunted, the weight of the situation bearing down on him. ”That”s when I called you.”
”Jesus Christ,” I muttered, looking around at the destruction.
”Thanks for coming, Corvus,” Trey said quietly, his voice cracking with emotion.
I took the crying baby from Trey, his tiny hands clutching at my cut as if he knew something terrible had happened. Walking inside, I held him close and started patting his back gently, trying to soothe him.
”Shh, it”s okay now, buddy,” I whispered to him, feeling a strange mix of anger and sadness wash over me. Damn, I hated this life sometimes.
As we entered the living room, I took a seat on the lounge, still cradling the child. My eyes scanned the bullet-riddled walls, doors, and even a shattered picture frame. What a fucking nightmare.
”Fuck me,” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head at the destruction. Lisa”s crazed antics had turned Trey”s home into a war zone.
Still patting the baby”s back, I felt his cries start to subside. He was finally calming down. That”s when Trey handed me a bottle with a smirk plastered across his face. ”You”re pretty good at that, VP.”
”Fuck off,” I shot back, glaring at him.
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The engine”s roar died as I killed the ignition, leaving me in the cold silence of the night. 2 AM and my bones ached from the day”s events – dealing with cops, giving statements, just a complete clusterfuck.
”About time you showed up, Corvus,” Killer called out, smirking with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Ben sat beside him on the porch, both waiting for my return like a pair of vigilant guard dogs.
”Fuck off,” I muttered, dismounting my bike. My boots crunched on the gravel driveway as I approached them, feeling the weight of the night bearing down on me.
I sank onto the porch steps next to Killer and Ben, my head hung low, exhaustion gnawing at my bones. The night felt heavy, like a suffocating blanket.
”Everything alright, VP?” Killer asked, his voice gruff but concerned.
”Fuck no,” I spat, clenching my fists. ”Lisa”s dead. Hammer shot her in the back of the head. Stupid fuck aimed a gun at me.” I shook my head, disbelieving how quickly things had spiralled out of control.
”Shit,” Killer muttered, taking a deep drag from his cigarette. He looked away for a moment, then turned back to face me. ”How”s Trey?”
I shrugged, rubbing my tired eyes. ”He”s okay. Lisa went off the rails ”cause he told her she was just a whore, and he wished he hadn”t had a kid with her. Refused to make her his old lady.”
”Shit,” he said, running a hand through his hair. ”This is why you find a good one and lock ”em down straight away. No issues when you got a wife at home.”
Killer laughed, shaking his head. ”Just because you hit the jackpot at 22, mate doesn”t mean we all did. I”m still young and full of cum.”
The tension broke, and we shared a brief moment of laughter before I pushed myself upright. ”Alright, fuckers, fuck off. I”m going to bed.”
Killer and Ben nodded, walking back to their bikes. The roar of the engines filled the night as they took off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I made my way inside, the house as dark and silent as a crypt. My room was a shadowy sanctuary, but I couldn”t escape the weight on my chest. There, curled up in my bed like a lost kitten, was Tempest.
Stripping down to my boxers, I slid into bed behind her, careful not to wake her. My hand reached out slowly, brushing her arm just enough to let her know I was there. Her eyes fluttered open, tired and confused.
”Hey,” I whispered, my voice low and soothing. ”It”s just me.”
Her smile was a faint glimmer in the darkness, as she snuggled into my chest. My arms wrapped around her, holding her close as if shielding her from the world outside. Her breathing slowed, and she drifted off to sleep once more.
The steady rise and fall of her chest against mine felt like a lifeline, keeping me grounded in this moment. But it wouldn”t last. Today, she”d get the keys to her house, and I”d be left alone in this bed once more. The thought gnawed at me, making sleep seem impossible.
”Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
I stared up at the ceiling, the shadows dancing across its surface like ghosts. My thoughts wandered, and my heart clenched. Was it possible? Was I falling for Tempest?
”Shit,” I said, the realisation hitting me like a freight train. ”This is fucked.”
For years, I had avoided getting attached to anyone, let alone wanting them as my old lady. But there she was, nestled in my embrace, and suddenly the sixteen-year age difference didn”t matter anymore. All I wanted was to keep her by my side, safe and protected.
”Corvus?” she mumbled sleepily, her voice barely audible.
”Go back to sleep, darlin”,” I whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
She sighed contentedly, nuzzling closer to me. And as I lay there, holding her tight, I knew there was no turning back. I was in love with this Australian woman, and I was ready to face whatever storms came our way.