5. Havoc
Havoc
Aimee stirs in my veins like an infection that’s been dormant for the past decade. While the occasional reminders of her would come to the surface over the years, I managed to keep most thoughts of her at bay.
At least, that’s what I wanted to think.
Like the hourglass tattooed on the back of my ring finger, her walking back into my life is proof I’ve been lying to myself. She’s the phantom that’s haunted my every decision. The reason I’ve never entertained a real relationship.
She’s the girl who broke me for all others, and now she’s back in the flesh.
Beautiful, scarred flesh at that.
It’s been two days since our conversation at the safe house, and I can’t get that rugged scar off my mind.
While I was in LA, I was able to put just enough distance between us that I didn’t have to think about why she might have disappeared when I enlisted.
Or why, when I found her again, she was being held in a cage by the Iron Sinners.
But now that I’m back in Vegas, all I can think about is where she’s been all these years and what came of it.
That slash on her stomach. The cut through her eyebrow. The shadows in her eyes.
She’s the girl I remember. But also, not .
And she’s refusing to tell anyone a damn thing about what happened to her, which is frustrating as hell.
I cut through the clubhouse and brush my hair back out of habit. At times like this, I wish I hadn’t chopped most of it off in LA. Messing with my hair when I’m stressed helped me focus. Now I’m left with barely enough on top to reach my cheek.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
I’m thinking about haircuts when I should be focusing on what to report to Steel tonight at church. Aimee is a distraction.
She’s the vision on the back of my eyelids. She’s the girl sitting in every damn corner of my mind.
The girl who walked away.
The girl I let go.
It was easy to blame her when I thought I’d never see her again. Now I just need one answer: why?
Church is already filling by the time I take my seat on Legacy’s left.
He’s smiling as he types out a text, so damn happy now that he’s settled down.
Glancing around the table, I take note of the mood.
How much lighter the weight is on Ghost’s shoulders.
How Steel scowls less than he used to. How Legacy can’t stop fucking grinning.
Half the damn room has happily fallen in love, and I’m stuck in purgatory.
A month ago, that didn’t bother me one bit. I was fine fucking and drinking my way through my problems. I’d accepted that the only girl I’d offered my heart to had handed it back.
A month ago, Aimee was just some girl I’d never get over, so I buried her deep enough that I didn’t care how lonely that fact made me.
Now, I’m just fucking lonely.
I catch Reina walking past the window behind Ghost. She narrows her eyes and offers me a scowl.
Her blonde hair falls just past her shoulders, brushing the large swell of her tits.
That used to be enough for me to drag her to my room and release a little tension.
But all it does now is carve into this festering, invisible wound.
Aimee couldn’t care less about me, and here I am, feeling guilty for every second I’ve spent without her for the past fourteen years.
Reina paws at Soul as he finally heads to church, and he gives her a wink. She’s one of the few patch bunnies he hasn’t fucked, but they’ve always been friendly with each other.
“Finally decided to grace us with your presence?” Steel shoves his phone aside as Soul closes the door behind him.
“You’re welcome.” Soul grins, dropping into his chair at Steel’s left .
Steel shakes his head, leaning back in his chair. “Catch me up. I see you didn’t burn the club down while I was at the Grand Canyon with the family this weekend.”
“Because this asshole only got back a few days ago and hasn’t had the chance.” Chaos grins, jutting a thumb at Soul. “Things have been quiet. No movement at the Iron Sinners compound, and Zane seems to be keeping his distance after we burned down the trafficking house.”
“Convenient.” Steel arches an eyebrow.
Rick Zane owns half the casinos in Vegas, and the Iron Sinners do his dirty work.
But since we took down their trafficking ring, he backed away to avoid the fallout, putting him farther out of our reach.
We’ve had a target on his back for a while, but he has something the Iron Sinners don’t—power and a public name.
Too many people would notice if we took a shot at him without thinking our plan all the way through.
Steel turns to me. “Do you think Zane is done with Titan’s bullshit? Or is he just keeping his distance to protect his interests while the dust settles?”
“I think it would be too easy to assume Zane is out of the mix. Without the Iron Sinners, Zane would have to find someone else to do his dirty work. He might not like Titan, but he trusts him to get the job done.” I shrug.
“Besides, there’s no indication of anyone else stepping in.
Soul and I met with a few chapters while we were in LA, and there’s been no movement on the West Coast from any of our rivals.
The Iron Sinners still hold the other side of Vegas, which means Zane doesn’t have any other options because we sure as fuck won’t help him. ”
Steel nods, his jaw tightening. “How did it go with the other chapters anyway?”
“We have their full support if needed.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
I nod, but under the table, my fists clench. The whole reason I went to LA with Soul was to trade our support for theirs if we end up in an all-out war with Titan over these increasing trafficking rings. And I’m itching for a fight right now.
Hungry for blood.
I’m ready to paint this city red if it means finally putting the Iron Sinners in their graves.
“And their finances?” Steel’s question is for Legacy this time since he’s the club’s treasurer.
“Titan’s club took a big hit when we took down the trafficking house.” Legacy leans forward. “They closed their strip club temporarily, and the accounts we’ve been monitoring are stagnant. They have the reserves to survive—”
“But they’ll need cash soon,” Steel finishes Legacy’s thought, and Legacy nods. “Has Reyes given any indication as to what their next move might be?”
Ghost shakes his head. “I’ll work on him again in a few days. Patch said he needs a break.”
The smirk that climbs up in the corner of Ghost’s mouth is terrifying. While no one at this table is innocent, Ghost’s affinity for torture is downright disturbing. I’d feel bad for Reyes if he didn’t deserve it.
There was a time Titan’s nephew pretended to be one of us. He prospected for the club and then kidnapped Steel’s old lady and her little brother. We managed to rescue them, but Reyes slipped through our fingers.
It wasn’t until he helped kidnap Reagan that we finally got our hands on him. And now that he’s locked in the Shack, responsible for keeping Aimee in a cell, I’m going to enjoy making him scream.
Aimee can hate me, and she can avoid me, but my blood sings for the chance to get revenge for that girl.
“Keep working on Reyes,” Steel says to Ghost. “I’m tired of the Iron Sinners always being one step ahead just because they’ve got Zane funding them. It’s time we put Titan down once and for all. If we can figure out what they’re planning, we can neutralize them.”
No one argues with that. But when Steel opens his mouth to continue, a knock at the door interrupts him.
Members and patch bunnies know better than to interrupt church, especially when the ranked members are meeting, which means something’s not right. A second knock strikes the door just as Ghost’s phone starts chiming.
“Sorry, Prez.” Venom swings the door open. “We have a problem.”
Ghost pulls his phone out, already standing. “Fuck.”
“There’s movement at the safe house.” Venom steps into the room.
“How much movement?” I’m on my feet now, staring at Ghost, who probably already has the video feeds pulled up on his phone.
“There’s a van parked out front and three bikes a few houses down.” Ghost’s eyes meet mine, and my blood runs cold. “Four Iron Sinners went in through the front and three through the back.”
“When?”
“Now.”
“Fuck.” I storm out of the room, narrowly missing Venom as I shove past. He meets my pace, while the rest of my brothers follow.
“Bikes, now,” Steel yells for the members lingering around the clubhouse.
But I don’t wait for them to catch up as I rush outside to my bike. The other girls who were living in the safe house moved out a few days ago, which means Aimee is alone.
“The alarm went off for fifteen seconds before the Iron Sinners managed to bypass it.” Ghost swings his leg over his bike beside me. “Long enough to warn Aimee that someone was in the house.”
If she wasn’t in the shower.
Or watching a loud movie.
My mind runs in circles.
Even if Aimee heard the alarm, Iron Sinners went through the front and back, surrounding her. She’s trapped.
“She’s tough, Havoc. She’ll figure it out until we get there.” Ghost’s reassurance does little to calm my nerves.
“She fucking better.” I grit my teeth and peel forward on my bike.
Aimee needs to survive. I refuse to accept any other outcome. And when she does, she’s going to tell me why the Iron Sinners are going through so much damn trouble to get her.
Even if it’s trouble I understand.