15. ‘Rebel’
FIFTEEN
‘REBEL’
MYA
Seeing everyone pulling into an open area, I follow and immediately Atlas is yelling for me to keep going. After I put the car in park, I turn to him, totally understanding what he’s feeling. I’ve felt it for just about every one of my sisters like Tink, Shadow, Vixen, Wildcat, Raven, and especially Taz. Taking a minute, I try to find the words.
“Atlas, I need you to calm down, please. I can’t help locate your parents if you are out of control. Remember what the Devil’s Handmaidens have dedicated our lives and club to. The Intruders have been on both the right and wrong side of the law. For God’s sake, Yoggie is a sheriff’s deputy. Ollie and his folks are ex-military, so obviously they know how to work a mission. You, handsome, are the wild card. So it’s up to you, how do you want to move forward? I will tell you, as much as you want to be in charge, you don’t have the skills. They lie in another direction. Remember this is about your parents not you. Please let us do what we do best.”
As he’s thinking, I almost shit myself when someone pounds on my window. When I turn, it’s Shadow and Squirt with impatient looks on their faces. Well, fuck, can’t catch a break. Rolling the window down, I give them a look and Squirt takes a step back though Shadow just stands there, hands on her hips.
“We need a minute or two. Please try to be human today, Shadow, and give me a motherfuckin’ minute.”
The shock on my club sisters’ faces tells me I may have been a bit brutal, but we don’t have time for pleasantries. Shadow nods her head then steps back as she and Squirt walk about a half a city block from the vehicle. I turn back to Atlas to see he’s watching me with wet eyes. Fuck, I don’t have words to make him feel better. Actually, our club usually isn’t on this end, having to deal with a victim’s anguish before we even start a mission. That happens when we bring back the survivors and search for family members. Grabbing Atlas’s hand, pulling it to my lips, I place kisses all over his knuckles. We sit quietly for I don’t know how long, while everyone gives us space. When I hear a familiar sound, both Atlas and I look up and see a drone. Knowing it’s Freak’s, I squeeze his hand.
“Atlas, that drone is Freak’s, which means he and Raven must have found something, and he plans to use it to scope out the area. If you don’t want all of these people to help you, tell me now so I can stop him from going in. If we aren’t going to try and save your parents, I don’t want him flying that over the area to give the kidnappers a reason to hurt or do something worse…to your folks. What’s it going to be, Atlas?”
He drops his head while his shoulders start to tremble. I don’t do a thing as this has to be his decision. When he raises his head, I see the answer in his eyes but wait for him to give me his words.
“Rebel, I want to handle this myself so bad, but I realize my skills aren’t for this kind of stuff. Promise me you all will go in with the intention to save my mom and dad. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t care what you have to do, find my parents and bring them home to me and my boys.”
Releasing his hand, I lean over and place a kiss on his lips. Then I open the driver’s door and get out, moving quickly to Shadow and Squirt. Knowing what I have to do, I clear my throat, getting their attention.
“First, I’m sorry for before.”
Shadow puts up a hand, shaking her head. Squirt is mimicking Shadow, moving her head back and forth.
“Rebel, no need to apologize. As I was explaining to Squirt, emotions can get high so we’re good. Now what’s the plan? Is your ol’ man good with us going in?”
As I try to explain Atlas’s dilemma, my sisters both listen. When I’m done, Shadow pulls out her phone, hitting a few buttons. I hear her tell whomever she’s talking with that it’s a go. It’s like a colony of ants when I see them all exit their vehicles and start to form groups. Feeling him behind me, I wait for it. When his arms wrap around me, pulling me close, I put my hands on top of his. He leans his head on my shoulder, not saying a word. We watch as Tink, Tank, Ollie, and Enforcer make their way to us. Tink looks at how Atlas is wrapped around me and gives me a sad little smile. Something is up with our prez, she doesn’t look like her usual happy person. That thought is gonna have to wait for now.
“Raven found that about a mile or so up are some kind of pop-up buildings. Maybe some kind of hunting cabins or a few small secondary buildings that were placed there recently. From what she found out, there was a home back there but it burned down a few years ago. A few members of the family died in there. Are we flying the drone to get an idea of what we are going to face up there?”
It’s Atlas that tells her yes. Tink drops her head for a second then looks at him and gives him some history.
“Atlas, I truly know how hard that decision was for you. Just know it’s the right one because if we don’t make an attempt to rescue your parents, you might lose them forever. Freak said that mainly those who use those kinds of off-the-grid cabins are either drug addicts, ex-cons who have nowhere else to go, or worse, the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood have been known to use the cabins when waiting for a pickup. Before you ask, they have connections and are all over the country. They kidnap and sell people for money to support their cause. Don’t go there, with the degenerates out there in the world, some do request older men and women. Don’t ask, Atlas, you do not want to know. I promise, we will do everything we can to bring your parents back to you. I have one question for you. When we go up and if your parents are there and we rescue them, what do you want us to do with the kidnappers? I will tell you honestly, when we break up a circuit, generally most are taken care of so they can’t ever hurt another person. Saying that, this is your decision, they are your parents so that’s why I’m asking you.”
I can tell he’s shocked because Atlas is a doctor. He’s dedicated his life to saving lives, he doesn’t take them. Turning, I look up at his face, seeing the devastation. He moves back and I can tell he’s not sure what to do. Knowing it’s not my decision, I also know he needs some help and clarity.
“Atlas, if you want to wait until we get up there and see the situation, that’s okay. That gives you time to try and make the best decision you can live with. Just remember, these people don’t deserve a second chance. They’ve probably had numerous chances and blew each one. Tink, is it okay if Atlas waits and sees what is going on before he makes that decision?”
She nods then turns and walks to Shadow, whispering something to her. I notice that Squirt stepped away so it must have to do with Shadow being our enforcer. Son of a bitch, why can’t we catch a break? I was so thankful, since I met Atlas, we’ve not had the usual drama of a Devil’s Handmaiden sister finding love. As everyone starts to gather around us, I wait to see who’s in charge. Should have known when Enforcer moves to the middle of the crowd. He looks to Atlas with an intense look on his face. Then without hesitation, Enforcer starts to tell everyone the plans. The main objective is to retrieve Apollo and Athena, first and foremost. Raven has been on the black web and, at the moment, hasn’t seen any orders for an older couple or a single older male or female that leans toward retirement age. When Tink tells Enforcer it’s a go, I hear Enforcer scream for Freak, who turns and, moving quickly, makes his way to the crowd. Enforcer gives him the green flag, so the Intruders’ IT guy literally runs to his drone and gets busy. Enforcer turns and gives everyone the plan.
“Right now we are on pause until Freak or Raven can get more information to us. Once we have confirmation that the senior Giannopoulos’s are up there, then we will break into teams and make our approach. At no time do I want anyone to shoot, unless it is a life or death situation. Remember, we are here to get Atlas’s parents, first and foremost. Ollie, your snipers need to make sure they are up high enough and can have everyone’s backs. They need to be our eyes, as we’re walking into this situation blind. Tell them not to shoot unless, like I said before, a situation comes up and they need to save one of our lives or Apollo or Athena’s lives. Anyone have any questions? Okay, we now wait until Freak tells us what he’s found. Try to relax, we have no idea how long this is going to take.”
I turn with the intention to comfort Atlas, but by the time I turn we are surrounded by some of the Devil’s Handmaidens, along with the Intruders. Standing around Atlas are Panther, Noodles, Ironside, Malcolm, and finally Avalanche. As I walk closer, I hear Panther saying that Dallas, Chicago, and Jersey are working remotely, looking into anyone who could be responsible. They have already disregarded Atlas’s parents being in any kind of trouble. Panther explains to Atlas and me that sometimes people in the dark world see a professional individual and see dollar signs. That is an incentive to try and work a scam to demand money for whatever they have of that person. In Atlas’s case, it’s his parents. It could have been the boys or maybe even me, Panther states. Or it could be someone who feels like Atlas offended them or let one of their family members die. Now with Atlas being an OB/GYN he speaks up, saying he has the highest survival rate in this part of Montana. Has he lost patients, of course, but they’re few and far between. That doesn’t help us, it just shows how good Atlas is at what he does. It also gives insight to his limits and what he manages to keep tight and in his corner. I listen as he goes through patients he could focus on that had some kind of problems with the births of their children, or if anyone lost a child and he was their doctor.
When Shadow slowly approaches both Panther and Atlas, I take in a deep breath. I pray she’s not going to try and persuade my man to make a decision he’s not ready to. She reaches out, very uncomfortably putting her hand on his shoulder, and what she says has everyone within earshot stop dead in their tracks.
“Atlas, this is probably going to be one of the hardest things you ever have to do in your life. First, your boys are safe, those guarding them would die to protect them. Now listen to me very carefully. Our club has gone through quite a few of these kinds of missions and, generally, we know how it’s gonna end before we rush in. Look at me, Atlas, I don’t lie or talk bullshit so I mean this. You’re a healer, so I get why it’s so hard for you to even try to comprehend making that final decision of taking others’ lives. I’m gonna be honest and if you look at me differently, so be it. I like your boys and you make my sister Rebel happy, so I’m gonna give ya an out. If after we rescue your parents, you see anything that leads you to a decision you can’t stomach, reach out to me and give me a look. That’s all I need to move forward. Atlas, I don’t have a sensitive heart anymore, lost it many years ago. Now I’m trying to make amends by helping my family and sisters. Don’t feel bad because those who can do what those kinds of people can do aren’t even normal or human. So find me and believe I’ll make them suffer like they never have before. By the time I’m done with them, they will be begging me to let them die. And that’s exactly what they are going to do, but not until they’ve experienced immense pain, which I’m very good at providing. That’s all I wanted to say. Just trying to give you some peace of mind as you have a healer’s soul.”
Shadow doesn’t look at me, just turns and with Panther grabbing her hand, they start to walk away. I know how hard that was for our club enforcer. Since she got together with Panther, she’s been trying really hard to be more than what she’s been, a badass, no emotion, soulless enforcer who could and will kill without thought. I’ve seen how far she’s come. When Avalanche reaches out for her, she actually lets him. The two men are her sentinels against everything out in the world that looks down on her. Knowing what I have to do, I give Atlas a squeeze then quickly make my way to her.
Literally pushing under Avalanche’s arm, I grab my sister close and squeeze her tight. When I feel her arms hesitantly wrap around my body, without words I let her know how much what she just did means to me. I can feel eyes on us, but thank God for Avalanche and Panther, as they form a barrier around us from prying eyes. We stay close until I hear Freak and Raven screaming they have something.
Shadow lifts her head, looking at me with those arctic-blue eyes and what I see in them is the fine line she walks every single day of her life. I nod and together we make our way to find out what we have to do next.