Cheyenne Chapter 20
I was excited and nervous to finally be learning how to handle a gun more expertly. Being around them had been a given growing up; however, the women hadn’t been allowed to learn to use them. Probably because they were worried one of us might shoot the bastards in the club. Not to say a few didn’t know how, but if one had been found with a gun, they’d have been beaten for it. My aunt had shown me enough when I went to live with her that I knew what to do with one, but I was far from an expert. I carried one, but it still made me nervous.
The guys took me and Alisse to a remote area of the compound. Out there, they had targets set up at various distances, as well as an outdoor shelter built to shoot from. It wasn’t enclosed on the sides, but it would keep the rain off your head. Several of them were carrying a variety of cases. Reaper was one of those.
When we got to the counters they had erected in the shelter, Reaper opened his cases. Inside the smallest one, he had a couple of handguns. He took one out. I noticed Ink was doing the same with Alisse, although she had brought her handgun with her like I had. The first half hour or so was safety instructions and then stances. Once they felt we had those down, or I should say me, we got set to shoot.
Alisse went first. I was slower since Reaper was standing behind me and helping me with my grip and how to place my feet. I kept wanting to lean back, but he told me to lean forward. The first several magazines weren’t the best. I kept jerking the trigger rather than squeezing it, which I had to admit made no sense until he showed me how he fired the gun. Of course, he hit it in the center every time.
We shot on and off for an hour with the handguns before we moved on to using a rifle and shotgun. Here, Alisse was almost at as much of a disadvantage as me. She hadn’t handled those as much. Reaper told me he wouldn’t have me shoot the shotgun, since it kicked a lot and he didn’t want me to be knocked around. I knew it was because of the baby.
I watched as Ink took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Alisse as she worked on using the rifle. I was happy to see her let him. He seemed to be whispering things in her ear. Once or twice, I swore I saw her blush. Once we’d gotten done shooting, the guys got in some practice. They made me so jealous with how good they were with all the guns. At the end, Reaper had gifted me with another handgun. He told me he’d ordered me a holster and an insert, so I could carry it in my purse. As we made our way back to the clubhouse, Alisse told me about a website where you could buy a concealed carry purse. That was my next step, after taking the course so I could carry my gun legally.
I needed a nap by the time we got back. Reaper hustled me to the house as soon as he saw me yawn. I hadn’t had any pregnancy symptoms yet, other than to be a little more tired than usual. After a long nap, we ordered in food and watched a couple of movies. Alisse joined us, and to my surprise, so did Ink. I was in bed by eleven, though not before I’d been thoroughly made love to by my man. I swear he melted my brain cells when he touched me.
The next morning, I saw him off to work with a heavy heart. I wanted to be doing more than I was. The house was immaculate and the wedding stuff was well underway. I didn’t know what else to do. Alisse and I were sitting at the house, going over the list to be sure nothing else was needed for the party this weekend. Reaper had told us it was to welcome two new prospects and to secretly patch in Braxton and Carter. I was happy to see they would be getting their colors.
I was about to put in a movie when my phone rang. I answered it, wondering who it could be. I didn’t recognize the number though it was local. To my surprise, it was Officer Long, the cop who’d questioned me at the hospital weeks ago after that kid had hit me with the car.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Ms. Collins, this is Officer Long. I needed to stop by and talk to you today. It appears when I took your statement, I overlooked several things. Also, I’m required to do a follow-up. Would it be possible for me to stop by in a half hour?”
I didn’t know what to say. I had no idea what he could have forgotten to ask me, but I didn’t see any problem with having him come do it. To be sure, I texted Reaper. As I waited for his response, I stalled.
“Well, Officer Long, I have no idea what you could have forgotten to ask. I told you all I can remember. As for stopping by today, I have to check my schedule.”
“It’s important I finish this today. It won’t take long, maybe fifteen minutes or so. I’m headed that way now,”
he told me with a touch of impatience in his voice. I had him on speaker. Alisse rolled her eyes at me. My phone dinged letting me know I had a text. I looked at it. It was Reaper. He said to tell him it was fine, but to wait until he got here. He’d be here in an hour. I let the officer know. He didn’t seem thrilled with the delay. I hung up as soon as he said he’d see me soon.
It wasn’t more than fifteen minutes later that I got a call from Braxton telling me Officer Long was here. I swore and sent off another text to Reaper. I knew they hadn’t gotten along the first time. I bet he wanted to avoid seeing Reaper again. I got Reaper’s response back almost immediately. He said to keep him at the gate and not to allow him into the clubhouse or to roam around the property. Not that they had anything to hide, but you didn’t just let cops walk on your property.
Alisse and I walked down to the gate. Braxton was waiting. “He’s not happy I won’t let him inside, but I know the drill. He can step inside and talk to you here.”
“I agree. Let’s get this over with.”
He opened the gate and Officer Long came striding inside like he owned the place. He pissed me off. I stepped in front of him.
“Officer Long, you’re early. I told you not until three. However, since you’re here, ask me what you need to ask and then you can leave.”
“Let’s go to the clubhouse, shall we?”
he asked, but it was really a demand.
I shook my head. “There’s no need. It won’t take long. You can talk to me here.”
As I said that, Carter came walking up. Long eyed him and Braxton with a curl of his lip.
“Is there a reason you don’t want me inside? Something you’re hiding?”
he asked with interest.
I laughed. “No, just the fact I don’t like you or appreciate your inability to follow directions. My fiancé is on his way. He wanted to be here in case you had any questions for him,” I lied.
“Fiancé? You’re engaged to the Punisher I met at the hospital?”
“Yes, I am. Now, what were your questions?”
Abruptly, he grabbed me and swung me around in front of him. He gripped my throat with one hand and pulled his gun with the other. I felt it touch the side of my head. I froze in shock. Alisse cried out, and the prospects shouted.
“Stay where you are, or I’ll shoot her. Open the gate and then step back over there.”
He waved his gun toward the equipment building beside the gate. The guys liked to call it the guard shack. Alisse did as he said since he’d been talking to her. He looked at the prospects.
“You two, move over there now.”
They did as he asked. I could see the rage in their eyes.
“Why are you doing this? You’re a cop!”
I cried out. He shook me.
“Why? Because being a cop doesn’t pay shit. I had a better offer.”
As he said that, I heard the roar of bikes. My heart sped up. It was the guys, thank God! Only when they came into view, I realized it wasn’t them. It was Serpent and his three buddies. My heart sank. Serpent had found a way to get me after all. I was as good as dead if he took me out of here.
I looked over at the guys and Alisse. They were staring back at me. I gave them a tiny nod. They barely shook their heads. I nodded again. Alisse stepped into Carter and buried her face in his chest. He looked shocked as she started to cry. Officer Long looked at her and then back toward the fast-approaching bikes. I saw Alisse swing around fast. In her hand was Carter’s gun. I sank my nails in the hand around my throat. As he swore and loosened his hold, I dropped down then rammed my elbow back into his crotch. Two shots rang out one right after the other.
He fell beside me. Carter ran to the button and hit it to shut the gate. As he did that, Brax and Alisse ran over to me. She still had her gun out and he had pulled his. That’s when I realized she’d shot the cop. Brax quickly took Long’s gun away and frisked him. Long just lay there swearing and bleeding on the ground. As he did, Brax tore off his belt and secured his hands with it.
I breathed a sigh of relief when the gate shut. It was just in time too. Serpent and his guys skidded to a halt. He got off his bike and slammed his hands on the metal. I could see his red face in the windows. “Open the fucking gate, Cheyenne! Don’t make me have to come in there.”
I laughed. “As if you could. You had to use this pathetic shit to get inside, and it still didn’t work. You might want to reconsider your line of work, Serpent. You suck at it,”
I taunted him. I was trying to stall in the hopes the guys would come and catch them. They’d been trying to find him for weeks. Alisse gave Carter back his gun. She had her phone out. I assumed she was texting the guys to tell them what was happening.
I heard Serpent swear when he saw her. He jumped back on his bike. “I’ll be back.”
They tore off and headed further out of town. As soon as they did, I sank to my knees. I was shaking so hard it was difficult to stand up. Alisse wrapped her arms around me. The guys crouched down beside me.
“Are you okay, Cheyenne? Do you need a doctor?”
Carter asked. He looked like he was about to panic.
“No, I’m fine, just scared. That was so damn close,”
I whispered to him.
Long moaned and cried out, “Help me, I’m bleeding.”
Carter went over and kicked him in the gut. “Shut the fuck up, asshole! You tried to take my president’s old lady. Not only his old lady, but his pregnant fiancée. I can promise you, what he’s gonna do to you is way worse than that hole Alisse put in you. You’ll wish she’d killed you.”
He spat the words at him.
Braxton picked me up and headed toward the clubhouse. “Brax, I can walk. We need to take care of him and get the guys here,”
I protested. He ignored me. Alisse followed us. We made it inside and he laid me down on the couch.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
he asked me.
“I’m sure. Go help Carter with that asshole.”
He gave me one more look then he left. Alisse went behind the bar and grabbed me a soda.
“Drink this. The sugar will help. God, Reaper is going to lose his mind.”
As she said that, I heard the roar of several bikes. That had to be them. I went to get up, but she wouldn’t let me. “Stay. He’ll be here in a minute. Jesus, Chey, I thought I was going to have a heart attack when that cop grabbed you! I never thought he’d work for someone like Serpent.”
“I know, me too. Thank goodness you thought to get Carter’s gun.”
I quieted as the sound of bikes stopped outside. I swung my feet to the floor. Before I could stand up, the door was torn open and Reaper came barreling inside. His eyes homed in on me immediately and he raced over to me, shoving tables and chairs out of his way. I held up my arms as he leaned down and swept me up in his arms. He crushed me to him and buried his face in my neck.
“Thank God, thank God,”
is all he kept muttering. Then he was kissing me and he made sure I felt it to my toes. When he let me breathe, the rest of the guys were crowded around me and Alisse, asking if we were alright. I saw Ink had Alisse in his arms. I didn’t see the prospects. They must be outside with Long.
“I’m okay, honey,”
I told him. He was shaking his head.
“Alisse’s text said that Long tried to take you and that Serpent and his guys were here. What the hell happened?”
I quickly brought him up to date with help from Alisse. The rage on his face was frightening. He sat down with me on his lap.
“Do you need to go to the ER?”
“No, I’m fine. Alisse saved me or I guess all of us. He didn’t think a crying woman was a threat. Speaking of Long, where is he?”
“The prospects and a few of the others took him out back. Don’t worry, he won’t be bothering you again. Baby, I hate to do this, but I need to go talk to him. We need to find Serpent before he and his guys get a chance to run too far. If you’re sure you’re alright, I need you to stay here. Several of the guys will stay to be sure you’re safe. The rest are going to come with me. Is that okay?”
“You go do what you need to do. I’ll be fine. I think I might go lie down for a while. If I’m not here when you get back, that’s where I’ll be.”
He spent a few more minutes making sure I was okay then he left me there with Alisse and half the guys from the other clubs. Several went outside to stand guard, though I didn’t know how they thought anyone was going to get inside. After they left, I sank back and closed my eyes. I need to rest and get my equilibrium back.
***
Reaper:
The anger flowing through me was about to erupt. When it did, God help those in my path. They’d tried to take my woman. I’d expected it from Serpent and his men. I hadn’t thought a cop would do it. I rode back to the below ground bunker we had in the back part of the compound. We had Army installations all around Virginia and at one time, they’d had one on what was now our land. We’d found an old, abandoned bunker. The concrete pad that led down to it had a steel door. It came in handy for things like this.
When I got inside and walked over to where Long was lying on the floor curled up in a ball, I was ready to inflict some pain. It didn’t matter that the women hadn’t been hurt. It was the idea that he’d help dirtbags like Serpent. I could see he was bleeding from a gunshot to his left side. Another wound was in his left shoulder. Alisse had done a great job. I’d have to buy that woman a big gift.
“Get his ass up and on the table,”
I barked. Crusher and Mayhem jerked him up to his feet. He cried out in pain.
“Shut the fuck up! You don’t get to cry. All you get to do is bleed and suffer then die. If you’re lucky, it’ll be quick.”
I took out my MK3 knife. It was what they issued to SEALs. It had a nice six-inch blade that could cut through almost anything. I held it up to the light. “Do you know what this is?”
I asked him. He shook his head.
“It’s the knife issued to Navy SEALs. I’ve had it since I finished BUD/S training. It’s like another limb to me. This baby cuts through shit like butter. You can carve a man up and never even break a sweat.”
His eyes got round, and he began to shake. I wanted to sigh. He wasn’t going to be much of a challenge. He was going to cave before I could have any fun.
“So, Officer Long, you’re gonna tell me what I want to know. And if you do, you might not get to feel how this cuts. If you don’t, well then, you’ll for sure feel it and it’ll be a long-drawn-out process.”
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”
he half-shouted as I slid the blade down his arm. I hardly drew blood.
“Tell me who else is on the Soldiers of Corruption’s payroll in your department.”
“No one.”
I sliced his arm. He swore. “I swear, no one.”
“How did they get you?”
“I have a buddy who lives up north. He told me about them.”
“Where up north?”
“In Cleveland, Ohio.”
I looked at the guys. “What’s the name of that club?”
He hesitated, so I sliced again.
“Okay! It’s the Legion of Renegades. He told them to look me up. We’d been trying to wait for you to leave her unattended but you kept her locked up here or surrounded by an army. It was supposed to be an easy grab and run. I knew you were all gone today.”
“So, you’ve been watching us. Tell me, where can I find Serpent and his friends? We know they’re around here somewhere.”
He shook his head but as soon as I raised my knife again, he caved. “They’ve got a place off Highway 633 by the cemetery. It’s an old hunter’s cabin. If they’re not there, then they’ll be at Loco’s place.”
I smiled to find out our guess had been right.
“Good, we knew about Loco. This just saves us time. Now, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to leave a few of my guys here to keep you company. The rest will go find Serpent. But don’t worry, we’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring you some company.”
He winced. I showed him my teeth. I looked at the guys. “Ratchet, Venom, and Dragon, I want you to stay here with him. I don’t care what you do as long as he’s still alive when I get back.”
All three gave evil chuckles. I swear I heard Long whimper.
“The rest of you come with me. We’ll get with the ones at the compound and decide who stays behind to guard the women. Then we’re gonna go find some more toys to play with. I feel in the mood to reap tonight.”
All the guys cheered. I left the bunker without giving the prisoner another thought. His time would come. Right now, I have better things to do.