Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Red
N ight has settled as I pull into the old warehouse district in downtown L.A. Tiny, Dagger and Torch follow close behind. We slowly roll through the throng of people waiting for the race. Women dressed in skimpy outfits with their tits and ass threatening to spill out doesn’t shock me and I know the brothers behind me are enjoying the view. Our bikes growl and draw all eyes to us. It’s rare to see a bike at a street race, but unheard of to see the Royal Bastards at a race. We’re whispered about in the circuit but never confirmed. We’re feared and respected for how we race and what we do.
The crowd parts in silence as we stop in front of a dark blue Toyota Supra GR. Krimson’s long blond hair falls over her shoulders. She’s wearing a pair of fitted ripped jeans, a black tank top, a flannel over that and racing boots. She’s badass and smoking hot leaning against the hood, her brown eyes are watching me, assessing my moves. If I were a lesser man, my balls would have shriveled up and scurried away. But fear is not something I know. Not until Nadia.
I rev up my bike before turning it off, making it growl. Setting the kickstand down, I remain seated on my bike. I remove my brain bucket and run my fingers through my hair.
“Where’s Nolan?” I ask, agitation filling my voice.
Krimson’s spine stiffens and she crosses her arms over her ample chest. I thought her crew was good with my club but that’s not the vibe I’m getting. “Why the fuck do you want to know?” She questions.
“I have business with him.” Krimson snorts and that pisses me off. Does she think I’m not good enough for their business? I’ll show her who’s in charge. I dismount my bike and my brothers do the same. Anger is radiating through my body. Step by step, I get closer to Krimson, until I’m standing a few feet away from her, raising myself to my full six-foot-two height. I snarl and clench my fists. I know if I get close enough, Nolan will come to Krimson’s side. She can hold her own but he won’t let her.
I’m less than a step away when Nolan appears out of the shadows with a gun aimed at my head. “Step the fuck back, Bastard, before I put a bullet through your skull.” He stands next to Krimson, not lowering his weapon.
My eyes whip to his, a sinister smile on my face. “It’s about time you show up. What’s the problem, Nolan-fucking-Ryan? You got to have your Ol’ Lady do your dirty work now?”
“Oh fuck no.” Nolan lowers his gun and steps to me. We’re close to the same height but he has about thirty pounds more muscle. “You got a problem, Bastard?” Nolan snarls.
Anger thrums through my veins. Red blurs my vision as I step closer, my breathing harsh and my heart beating rapidly in my chest. “The fuck you say to me?”
Tiny and Torch reach us and pulls me back before I can deck Nolan-fucking-Ryan square in his smirking jaw, which is similar to his sister’s.
“C’mon man, he won’t help,” Tiny says pulling me toward my bike.
“What’s the problem, Bastard? Have to have your brothers fight for you?” Nolan argues.
I stop dead in my tracks and spin my body to face Nolan. His whiskey-colored eyes, just like his sister’s, pin me thinking he knows me and how my club works. “At least I don’t let my family get kidnapped and sold into a sex trafficking ring.” I reach inside my cut, pull out the picture I have of Nadia and their father and fling it at Nolan’s feet.
“Fuck this, I’ll find her myself.” I stomp off as Nolan reaches for the picture. I straddle my bike and strap on my helmet. Before I have a chance to fire her up, Nolan is on me. His big fist lands directly on my jaw and my head snaps back.
“Fucker wants to tango. Let’s do it.” Tossing off my helmet, I dismount my bike and head right for Nolan.
He’s crouched, waiting for me. I tackle him around the waist, pushing him against the hood of the car. He hits it with a thud and punches me in the kidneys. I loosen my grip around his waist and he slips out of my grasp. Swinging around, Nolan lands an uppercut to the side of my face. I hit him back with a cross-jab. We go at it blow for blow. I can feel blood trickle down the side of my face and my nose. I split Nolan’s eye open and his lip is swelling.
“That’s enough!” Krimson shouts. Rush and Redline hold him back, Tiny and Dagger are holding me back. A huge crowd is surrounding us, cheering and whistling. Crazy fuckers. Now that we’re separated, I see that I did get a few good hits in. A cut above Nolan’s left eye is bleeding down the side of his face, his nose is swollen and his right cheek is red and bruising. His eyes are wild with rage, his chest is rapidly rising and falling and if they let him go, he will try and kill me. The thing about it is, that I’m not afraid to die. After everything I’ve been through, death is the least of my worries. Krimson approaches Nolan with her hands up. I can’t hear what she is saying because my ears are ringing where the fucker caught me in the side of the head.
I shake off Tiny and Dagger. I’m sure I look just as bad as Nolan-fucking-Ryan does, but with the adrenaline running through my veins, I can’t feel shit. I’m sure that’ll change once I come back down. I pace back and forth across the street, my chest heaving with every breath I take. I shake my hands and roll my shoulders back, staying loose in case he wants another crack at me.
The more Krimson talks to him, the more the rage in his eyes settles. She cups his face in her small hand and he closes his eyes. What the actual fuck is happening here?
Nolan breathes deeply and opens his eyes. They land on me but the aggression he showed earlier is gone. His jaw relaxes and I can see the moment Nolan is back in control. I’ve never seen anyone lose control like that and have some tiny woman bring them back from the dark hole they spiraled down. It’s kind of amazing. Nolan’s body visibly relaxes and I find myself relaxing too.
Krimson leaves him and approaches me with determination in her stride. The photo of Nadia I flung at Nolan in her tight grip. “Where did you get this?”
Rubbing my sore jaw, I shrug, not taking my eyes off Nolan. “Found it.”
“Where?” She’s persistent.
“The file I have on her,” I answer. Nolan approaches us, his body ridged but not in killer mode like earlier. He doesn’t release my stare. Fuck it, I’m done with games.
Clenching my teeth, I don’t back down. “She is missing. You can either help us or not. I really don’t give a shit anymore. I figured since she’s your sister,” I pin my glare on Nolan, “you’d actually give a fuck, but must be the apple doesn’t fall far from the rotten tree. Like father, like son?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Why should I believe you?” Nolan spits out.
“You don’t have to. The choice is up to you.” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m done here, let’s go,” I say to Torch, Dagger and Tiny. We turn and walk toward our bikes. Once we’re mounted and ready to roll out, I look Nolan-fucking-Ryan dead in the eyes. “We’re getting your sister back one way or another. You can either join us or hide, the choice is yours. We’ll be at the Clubhouse until two a.m. tomorrow morning.” I fire up my bike and we take off. The crowd parts for us like the Red Sea and we head back to the Clubhouse to see how Capone’s plan is coming together.
Whether Nolan-fucking-Ryan joins us isn’t my problem anymore. Getting Nadia back is my top priority and I can’t let her down. Not this time.
I refuse to let this emotion go I haven’t felt it in years and getting Nadia back will amplify these feelings. She’s it for me. Something I never thought I’d have again. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time, but I’m not fighting it anymore.