Nineteen
W ith no chance to finish our conversation, Micro sprung into action, dragging me through the house to the back, his laptop closed and under his arm, and as we stopped outside, he handed it to me.
“Keep this with you, babe. Do you have somewhere to hide out, where they won’t get to you?” I nodded, and he kissed my forehead.
“Go there now, and do NOT come out unless you hear me telling you it’s safe. Go. Now.”
“What about you?” He grinned, and that alone scared the hell out of me.
“I got this.” He waved my van keys at me and turned to run. For a moment, I honestly wondered if he was running to save himself and leave me to face the club, but I had to trust that the man I’d been getting to know wouldn’t do that to me.
I turned and ran for the old barn, and the hidden storage space beneath it. It occurred to me that we could have hidden together, but then I released why he had run. He was going to lead them away. He was going to distract them, or run interference to keep me safe. I had to believe that was his plan.
Getting to the storage space took way too long, and was so hard with only one fully usable arm, and a laptop to protect, but I finally managed to crawl down into the cramped area underground, and pulled the trapdoor closed overhead. It was almost impossible to differentiate the door from the other floor panels that had been laid out by my predecessor, so I had to hope it would be enough.
A ding sounded from the laptop, which surprised me, because I’d assumed we were too far from my internet router to get a signal. I eased it open, and it lit up, coming back to life from sleep mode, and I could see a message on the screen from that other biker.
Ice : Spying on me was a dick move, you greasy mafia bastard, but message received. We’ve picked up a few bikes cruising past lately, but not to a point where we could work out if they were from another club. Thanks.
I stared at the screen for long moments, wondering if they would have listened if they knew the message, and warning, came from Micro. There was a button to make a call to the person who sent the message, and before I could rethink it, I hit the button. We needed help, and surely his attempts to help them would make a difference to them, right? Was I fooling myself? Hadn’t I seen firsthand how violent and cruel biker clubs were? Everything I’d heard so far about Phoenix hinted at something else though. Less cruelty and more brotherhood.
“Didn’t mean I wanted to hear your voice, Tesio,” a man’s voice filled the silence, and I gasped. He’d actually answered my call.
“Tell me you’re not jerking off to your memories of me,” he said next, and I whispered ‘oh my god’ in response, wondering how the hell to talk to this man. This stranger.
“You’re not Tesio. He wouldn’t whisper like that. Who’s this? How’d you get access to his shit? Torch, get the Pres back here .”
My breathing became ragged, as I realised that the damage was already done, because even if I cut off the call, and ignored any returns, if that was even possible, they would now know it wasn’t their trusted friend who’d warned them, and they still needed to understand that the threat was real.
“Talk to me, darlin’. I can tell you’re scared. Are you in danger from the Rogues too?” His tone was gentle, and had me relaxing the tiniest bit. I wished Micro would come back though, because only he could make me feel safe right now.
“I… yes…” I finally choked out, and the screen suddenly cleared, in that little box where the webcam had been covered up. The biker Micro had messaged offered me a small smile, and a wave.
“I’m Ice. You got a name, love?” I relaxed a tiny bit more.
“Yes… Sophie… I’m sorry. The threat is genuine, I promise. We… he heard the threats they made. They really are coming for you. He wanted to help you-” Ice held up a hand suddenly, and I waited for him to speak, but I think he was keeping others from stepping in front of the camera.
“He who, love? Are you in danger from him too?”
Oh my god. “No, god no! He saved me. He protects me, but… but he’s out there alone against them right now, and they’ll kill him. I… I’m so scared, I can’t lose him, please!” A muffled bang sounded somewhere outside, and I made a panicked squeak, as Ice cursed on screen.
“Was that a fucking gunshot, Sophie?”
“Oh god… was it? They’re pissed at him. He killed one of theirs!”
“Give us your fucking address,” another voice barked offscreen, full of authority, and I shuddered.
“There’s no point. You’re too far away to come here. You’re in Wiltshire.”
The other voice sounded again, as a large man with a beard appeared in front of the screen, and Ice cursed again.
“We have guys on their way to Rogue territory right now to scope it out. They left after the first messages. They’re closer than we are. Your. Address. Now.” I opened my mouth, and out came the words that might get us both killed, maybe all of us. My address.
Micro
D id I enjoy the thrill of being hunted, and turning it on them? Maybe, but did I want to risk the possibility of them getting to Sophie and hurting her? Fuck no. If it came down to it, I’d let them kill me, if it meant she’d be safe. Maybe my own death is the only way I can atone for my shit, and I’m ready for it. Maybe that was why I felt no fear, as I ran around the front, letting those fuckers see me getting into the van, yelling to Soph to stay down. I wanted them to think I was taking her with me, so they’d leave the farm. Maybe it wasn’t my smartest moment, but I’d had mere seconds to plan. All I had to do was get them following me, and she’d be safe.
We should have realised they’d come straight for us, what with me killing their fucking pet psycho, but I guess I thought they’d regroup first. That was my stupid mistake, and I wouldn’t let it cost Soph her fucking life.
I drove out of there like a bat out of hell, but only two of the bikes gave chase, and that left four there. I couldn’t leave her at their mercy, so I waited until the two bikes had gained on me enough, and I slammed the brakes on, the van fishtailing briefly before it came to a stop, but I definitely felt someone crash into me, so that at least halved the numbers coming for me.
I checked the mirrors, and definitely saw one of their bikes down on the road. Pity too, since it was a pretty sweet ride.
I slid out of the van, leaving the door cracked open, and edged around the side of it, seeing one fucker out cold on the road, with his arm twisted behind him, and his leg trapped under his bike. He wasn’t going to be a problem, but the other fucker had clearly had time to stop, rest his bike, and come for me. I caught him just as he wrenched open the passenger door, and realised there was no woman there to terrorise. There was no time to fuck around, so I grabbed his head in a tight grip, twisted hard as I pulled back on it, and heard his neck snap. I dropped his limp body on the road, and got back in the van. This was no time for remorse, not that they deserved it. I needed to get back to Sophie, before they found her. I didn’t even know where she’d hidden, but that was good, because I couldn’t tell them what I didn’t know. Not that I’d speak, no matter what they did to me.
I turned the van around in the lane, and headed back to the farm, praying I wouldn’t find her already in their clutches. I’d tear them apart if they’d touched her. I was dimly aware that I was almost growling as I drove toward the farm, but it didn’t break my focus. Find Sophie. Kill everyone else. Those were my priorities. There were four bikes resting comfortably on their stands outside the farmhouse, and no sign of the leather clad fuckers who rode them here. I needed them focused on me, and not looking for her, so I turned and kicked over the nearest bike, sending it crashing into the one beside it with a sound no biker wants to hear, as metal and artwork collided, and serious damage was caused.
“Oops! Did I do that?!” I yelled out, wanting to bring them back out where I could see them. I walked to the third bike, a gorgeous Chop, and their president’s ride, lucky bastard. I hated to trash a thing of beauty like this, but it had to be done.
I rested my boot against it and pushed hard, wincing when it crashed down on its side with a dull thud, and a crunch of protest.
“Fucker!” Someone leapt at me from behind, and that’s on me, I shoulda watched my back better, but I’d been focused on finding my old lady, hadn’t I?
We struggled with each other, fists flying as we both tried to gain the upper hand, crashing to the dusty ground, and rolling around as we fought.
I tried to choke the fucker with his cut, which eventually got dragged off his back and left in the dirt, as we each tried to beat the fuck out of the other, but we were scarily evenly matched, and feeling murderous, so we were getting nowhere fast. A loud gunshot from way too close had us both freezing, and I lifted my head to see their club president standing there, with a gun aimed in our direction. If that wasn’t bad enough, a split second later, there was a shrill scream, and I knew they’d found Sophie. Fuck .
“Let her go and kill me. I’m the one who killed your men.”
“Men? Where the fuck are Talon and Keys, for fuck’s sake?”
I grinned at him as I shook the bastard off me, and we both stood up, him with a firm grip on my shoulder.
“Well, one of them’s definitely dead, but the other might still be alive. I mean, unless he broke his own neck.” A fist slammed into the back of my head, and I staggered forward, before I caught my balance again.
One of the other bikers, Nash, appeared, and behind him was a prospect, with the silent form of my Sophie over his shoulder. I tried to move in their direction, but I was grabbed again, and Crusher aimed the gun at me, with a smirk on his face.
“You think you’re going anywhere? Think you’re getting out of this? You’re still outnumbered, Micro, and out of time. Out of luck, or whatever else let you get the upper hand here. Dump her on the ground.” He gestured to the prospect, who dropped Sophie unceremoniously on the ground, and I clenched my fists as I cast my eyes over her unconscious form, praying she was alive and unharmed. Please be alive, babe.
“I’m the one who killed your guys, and she supplied what you ordered. She’s done nothing wrong here. Punish me, but let her go.”
“Strange how you think you get to make demands, when you’re the one looking at the business end of my gun. Maybe you think you can outrun a bullet.”
I barely had a second to think as that gun went off, and I scrambled to get out of the firing line, throwing the other bastard out of my way, but the second bullet? Yeah, I felt that fucker for sure, and searing pain short-circuited my brain for valuable seconds, and then something hitting my skull put the lights out.