Chapter 7 #2
“Who the fuck do you know that’s not at this compound?” I ask, watching as he limps to his motorcycle.
“I don’t have to tell you shit!” Toad yells. Ugh, I fucking hate shitheads. He’s also Devon’s second in command, and seems to think he can do whatever the fuck he wants.
“If you leave, you’ll be unable to return until I’m back,” Devon warns, turning to watch as Toad grumbles and leaves anyway.
Walking over to Devon, I shake my head in disgust. “You know he’s a problem,” I mutter.
“I do, but if I kill him, it’ll cause issues. I just need a little time to figure this out. I’m working with someone to help,” he says cryptically.
“Like who?” I ask, confused. “We don’t trust people with things outside of the club.”
“Sometimes, it’s best to do things outside of the norm,” he says, shrugging. “Look, I got it handled. Let him go.”
I don’t like his decision, but this isn’t my fight.
If he’s trying to avoid a shoot out since there are so many innocents here, some of them children, then I can understand his reasoning.
Marie was surprised when we first arrived that some of the club members have children who live in the houses behind the clubhouse.
Devon didn’t have a very safe childhood, and Lore told me this is his legacy. This is why he insists on doing things differently, and I need to respect that.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I run inside with Ransom and Storm to talk to Marie. I find her pale and withdrawn sitting outside in a porch swing, and I squat beside her in worry.
“I’m not pregnant,” she says almost sadly. “I thought maybe my meds aren’t working well, and for a second…”
“Kitty,” Storm whispers.
“It’s so dumb,” she says, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Marie curls her body up tighter in the swing, sadness practically swirling around her.
“One of the girls suggested I take a pregnancy test, and I hoped for three whole minutes that I could be pregnant with Lore’s baby.
The timelines just don’t match up either way because of my birth control, but… ”
“It’s a normal reaction,” I say gently. My eyes hurt as my body threatens to react to her tears. I’ve cried so much in private, I don’t know if I have any more tears inside of me to give. “It’s not up to you to carry on his legacy, especially not by having his baby. Don’t put that on yourself.”
“You have to go, don’t you?” Marie asks, changing the subject abruptly.
Fuck, shit, motherfucker in a bathtub with a goddamned toaster!
Storm squeezes the back of my neck to help ground me before my head pops off, his gaze on Marie.
“He does, but that means I’m with you until he and Ransom are back,” he says.
“If Wilder didn’t need someone to watch his back, I wouldn’t be going,” Ransom grumbles.
“I am not feeling the love right now,” I say, pretending to pout.
Marie manages a small smile, dragging her fingers through my hair.
“I brushed my teeth and used mouthwash, but—”
“I don’t fucking care, I want my goddamned kiss, Little Omega,” I growl, leaning toward her to slant my lips over hers.
Marie’s fingers clench at my hair, and she moans as I kiss her until her body relaxes completely.
“Did you just kiss the sad out of her?” Ransom whispers.
“If I didn’t, I sure as hell tried, huh?” I rasp, rubbing my nose against Marie’s. “I adore you. Please don’t take on things outside of your control. If you want a baby, I’ll give you one. Whatever you want is yours.”
“Big promises for an alpha about to ride away,” she teases.
“Ugh, I suck,” I sigh. “I know. I promise to go straight there, kill whoever needs it, and then—”
“Don’t,” she gasps. “No promises. Just come back.”
Lore, you son of a bitch. I think you traumatized her.
“Okay.”
Kissing her forehead, I stand up and give Ransom some room to say goodbye.
“You and I are going to have some time when I get back. I don’t fucking care if it’s a damn rom com,” he complains. “I want to know what makes my fucking soulmate tick.”
Marie’s eyes grow large, and I realize there hasn’t been much time for them to talk. Despite being here for a week, there’s always church happening or people around. It’s hard to ask your girl what her favorite color is when we spend a lot of time here at the clubhouse.
Devon brought us here to experience club life, he isn’t letting her hide away in one of the cabins. However, she needs rest, and everyone can see it. No one is going to force her to socialize right now, much less me or Devon.
“I know you can walk, I just don’t want you to,” Storm grunts, scooping her into his arms. Her eyes are heavy with the expenditure of emotions, and I bet she’ll be asleep before they get back to our guesthouse. Her body is stressed the fuck out.
“Be good,” I say softly, walking back into the clubhouse before I cave and tell Devon to fuck himself.
This is club business that could potentially blow back on my pack. I’ll never forgive myself if Chester lied to us and his president did know about his betrayal. My steps feel heavy as I cross the yard to my motorcycle, pull my face covering over my face, and strap on my helmet.
“Let’s fucking roll,” Devon grunts, driving through the gates.
The cool wind helps to ground me as I follow him out, and I glance to my right as we drive past the Reaping Marauder's clubhouse. My lips turn down as I catch Toad making out with a woman in the yard.
“Who the fuck is that?” I ask Devon. Our helmets are linked so we can talk to each other and he glances over before we pass the gate.
“That’s the president’s daughter,” he replies. “I had a feeling he’d scurry over here. This is why I’m in conversations with a hitwoman I employ for dicey situations I need a little help for. She’s got her own code, and she’s one of the scariest women I know.”
“I’ll let you handle that,” I sigh. “This is too close to your home base.”
“Don’t I know it.”
We gain speed as we leave the RM’s clubhouse behind, and the miles fade as we race across them. The ride gives me a chance to think about how hard Marie is struggling. I want her to take more time off before she returns to the hospital where Lore died.
I know that working helps, I mean hell, here I am doing just that.
The problem is I’m afraid of losing Marie to the hospital.
She’ll tell herself she needs the hours for whatever reason, until she buries her pain so far down, she won’t recognize herself.
I’ll save my omega from herself even if it’s the last damn thing I do.
Knock on wood that it’s not. My omega needs her alphas.
“Look alive, people,” Martyr says, his eyes on the building in front of us.
The town has been very quiet. No one looked at us as we rode through the streets, and it feels just as much of a ghost town as the last time I was here.
The gates are locked, but Ransom pulls out a pair of bolt cutters from his saddlebag and handles the padlock without fanfare. Pushing open the gates, he pulls his gun from its holster as he keeps his head on a swivel.
“Still pissed you’re taking him,” Devon grumbles. “He’s a good alpha to have in your corner. The only reason I’m less pissed about it now is because I can see Marie needs him more than the club does.”
Nodding, I get off my bike, making sure it’s in the way of any possible exit. The ten people all do the same, and we begin to clear the yard. While it’s possible someone would try to ram the motorcycles to get out of here, most would hesitate at the very expensive exit.
Still, no one comes out to see who is here, not even a prospect.
“Spread out,” I growl. “This doesn’t sit right.”
Stalking up the stairs, I open the door and step directly into a puddle of blood. Fuck.
“Stop,” I say, raising my hand. I’ve been Lore’s right hand for long enough that I can take control fairly easily. Devon simply falls into line, because now isn’t the time to worry about whose command to follow. “Walk carefully and look for signs of life. Someone beat us here, boys.”
Since my boot already has blood on it, I slip them off with my socks and leave them at the front door before stepping only in the clean spots. There are men laying all over the ground in the main living room area, and I scour my brain to remember Lyker’s club situation.
Since he’s located in a small town that the MC pretty much runs, the clubhouse is a place to crash and work out of. Knowing children are rarely here helps me relax slightly as I check for a pulse on each body as I walk through the room.
The front area is a fucking massacre. Someone came in and began shooting. I’m not sure what their beef is, but it’s pretty obvious they managed to get their pound of flesh.
“You said Chester told you he was having money trouble?” Devon confirms softly.
By this point, he has the full rundown of that night so I nod.
“This was a message,” I mutter.
“Prez!” Martyr yells, getting our attention. As one, Devon and I walk over to him, though I’m a bit slower due to my bare feet. “I found one alive.”
Looking down at the poor bastard staked out on the floor, I find his face is barely recognizable.
“Lyker, just the alpha we’re looking for. Whose knot did you step on?” I ask, crouching beside him. “Are you responsible for the ambush set against my alpha? That was pretty shitty.”
“The only person I’ll be answering to is the man in the sky or the devil,” he rasps, his voice hoarse from screaming.
I bet he was the last one to be dealt with. Interesting tactic.
“Since when do you believe in heaven and hell?” Devon snorts. “You’ve been skirting and stomping on the law since you set up shop in this town.”
“It’s obvious you own the cops,” I mutter.
“That’s just business,” Lyker growls, his hand trying to make a fist. He’s unable to because of the nails driven through his palms into the ground. There’s a hammer left beside it as if to taunt him, and I find myself staring at it for too long.
“Hmmm. So why the decision to hold your peace?” I ask.