Chapter 4
Ace
When Cash and Gage returned home looking guilty as all hell, I knew that something had gone bad at the auction.
As they stepped aside to reveal the woman hiding behind them, I knew trouble had arrived on our doorstep.
She’s beautiful in a non-conventional way.
Short hair streaked with color, long limbs covered with a patchwork of intricate tattoos, and arresting blue eyes, so pale they’re almost gray or violet.
She looked at me with fear, but showed none when she spoke.
This small woman had the guts to ask me for favors and to square up to me.
If she wanted me to play the role of the ogre, then so be it.
I tried to ignore the hurt, angry look that flashed across her face as I told Gage to lock her upstairs.
While Gage did as he was instructed—for the first time tonight, it would seem—I rounded on Cash once we were alone.
“What the fuck, Cash? I expect this sort of thing from Gage. All it takes is a pretty face to ask for help, for him to turn into a fucking white knight, but I expect better from you.”
Cash has the good grace to look embarrassed.
“Sorry, Prez, but what was I supposed to do? Before I realized it, the idiot had his hand in the air, and we’d won.
If we backed out, that would have started a war there and then.
Besides, you can’t really think that we should have left her for the Rusted Scythes to auction off to some asshole who’d rape her and do god knows what else. ”
He’s got me there. As pissed as I am about losing the guns, if I were there tonight, I’d have done the same thing. I let out a resigned sigh. “No. I understand why you did it. But it doesn’t mean I have to be fucking happy about it,” I grumble.
They’ve dragged us into the very thing we were trying to avoid. There’s no way we’ll return the girl to her fate, which means in less than twenty-four hours, we will have officially declared war on the Rusted Scythes. I walk over to the liquor cabinet and pour us both a generous measure of whiskey.
Cash accepts the peace offering and takes a swig before speaking. “Eli and Naomi Moore… do you think they’re Mac’s kids?”
At that moment, Gage returns, chiming in with his opinion. “I think they must be, it’s too much of a coincidence, surely. All the more reason to protect Naomi and help find her brother. They’re family,” he insists.
Mac Moore was a member of the Road Renegades before our time.
He fell in love with the daughter of the Rusted Scythes’ Prez and left our ranks to join theirs.
The Rusted Scythes never knew of his connection with our club; if they had, they’d never have let him marry one of theirs or patch in.
When we heard of his and his wife’s deaths almost seven years ago, we always wondered if it was truly a robbery gone wrong, like the press believed, or if the Rusted Scythes were behind it.
“Whoever she is, she’s our responsibility now thanks to your impulsivity,” I snarl.
I can’t resist giving Gage a dressing down for disobeying a direct order and bringing war on us.
“I sent you to buy weapons, and you return with a woman, not even the brother, who, by the sounds of it, would have at least been able to offer us some intel or something useful. What the fuck were you thinking?”
Gage’s eyes flash with fury. “I was thinking that saving an innocent person was more important than buying guns. I thought my Prez would understand. If your head wasn’t so far up your own damn asshole, you’d see that we did the only thing we could do in the circumstances, the right thing.
There’s no way we’re taking her back to them tomorrow, Ace, if you want to, you’re going to have to go through me. ” Christ, the man’s lovesick already.
I don’t care if he’s right. I’m frustrated by the whole hopeless situation.
“I’ve half a mind to do just that. For all we know, she could be a plant, deliberately put there by the Rusted Scythes as a spy.
” I don’t really believe that myself, but I’m so pissed that I need a way to justify my rage.
I’m frustrated because, of course, if I had been there, I would have made the same call, but I don’t like it one bit.
Cash and Gage blink at me, probably wondering if I’ve finally lost it.
“It’s not outside the realm of possibility,” I snap.
Cash holds up his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t say a word.”
“Look, Ace, I know the situation ain’t ideal,” Gage says, “but Naomi is our responsibility now, whether you like it or not.”
“You’re right. I don’t have to like it. But I don’t have to like her, either,” I growl.
“Just keep her out of my way while I try to sort out the mess you’ve landed us in.
And you two better figure out a way to get those weapons and fix this situation,” I add.
I don’t wait for a response as I stalk upstairs to my room.
I don’t know what it is about this woman that’s gotten me so riled up. Perhaps the same thing that’s bewitched my brothers. When I emerge again a short while later, I ignore their questions about where I’m going. I don’t answer to anybody.
***
Tracking down which hospital the Rusted Scythes had dumped Eli Moore in was easy.
Gaining access to his room was harder. But, after sneaking past the Rusted Scythes’ men who were watching the building, sweet-talking a couple of nurses, and bribing a nightguard, I finally made it into his room.
Eli is unconscious. If I’ve met him before, I wouldn’t be able to recognize him now.
The beating he received left his face swollen and distorted.
The nurse told me it looks worse than it is, though they’re monitoring him for his concussion.
Other than bruises, a broken leg, and some broken ribs, he’s gonna be fine.
It doesn’t particularly redeem him in my eyes.
The man sold out his own sister to save his skin.
Even if it were life or death, I wouldn’t do the same, and this coward is nowhere near death.
I settle into the chair to wait for him to wake up, watching him as he sleeps.
His hair is so blonde it’s almost white, which makes me realize now that his sister’s ice-blonde streaks are most likely natural, with only the vivid colors added.
He’s small like his sister, too. I rack my brain trying to remember whether I ever saw photos of their dad, whether Mac was also slight, or whether it was something they got from their mom.
I resolve to speak to Wrench, the former president before me, who retired to Florida, to see what he remembers about Mac Moore and his family.
I only vaguely remember hearing about him after the murders.
Around the same time, relations between the Rusted Scythes and us deteriorated, and Wrench decided to step down as a result, saying he was too old for that shit.
Since then, we’ve been on the edge of war.
I suppose it was inevitable, but I’d like to know more about the woman and her brother, who we’re about to jump off the cliff for.
Eli comes around gradually. I don’t say anything, allowing him a moment to wake fully. His gaze drifts around the room as he works out where he is. When his focus lands on me, he startles, the heart rate monitor beeps loudly, betraying his fear. “Who are you?” he asks shakily.
I lean forward in my seat, elbows on my knees, hands clasped in front as I look him square in the eye. “Someone you need to think very carefully about what you choose to say to me. I have your sister.”
At this, he startles, struggling to try to sit up. “Where is she? If you’ve hurt her, I swear I’ll—”
I hold up a hand to silence him. “She’s safe—no thanks to you.”
He has the decency to look ashamed. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“My name is Ace, I’m the Prez of the Road Renegades.
” A look of recognition and fear crosses his face.
Good, he’s heard of me. He knows what I’m capable of.
“I want to know who you are and what your connection to the Rusted Scythes is.” I want to know what kind of man would sell out his own family, but I don’t say that.
He studies me for a moment. “Didn’t Naomi tell you?”
“I want to hear it from you,” I say calmly. I want to see if their stories line up. “I also reckon there’s some things you didn’t share with your baby sister.”
Eli nods, confirming this. “I never meant for her to get messed up in all this. Could you call the nurse? I’m in a lot of pain,” he says.
Addicts often say that, but it doesn’t stop them from hurting those close to them, I think. Out loud, I tell him, “No, I need you clear-headed for this. Naomi told me you have a prescription drug addiction.”
He seems disappointed but doesn’t push the matter. “I don’t know where to start,” he says.
“From the beginning. Naomi told my men you’re some sort of tech genius. I wanna know how you ended up working for the Rusted Scythes if that’s the case.” I lean back in my chair, steepling my fingers as I wait patiently.
He hesitates.
“I’ve got all night. Your sister, however, doesn’t have much time left. The Rusted Scythes have demanded her return in…” I check my watch. “Nineteen hours. I suggest you start talking if you want me to decide to help you both. Because trust me, you don’t want her back there.”
That does the trick, and he starts to talk.
He explains that he has always had an aptitude for technology and got a scholarship to MIT.
He was at college when his parents were murdered in a burglary gone wrong.
“Naomi was the one who found them when she came home from school,” he says sadly.
“After our parents’ murder, I dropped out and returned home to look after Naomi.
The only other living family member we had was an uncle who had tried to put his hand up her skirt when she was twelve. ”
“So you weren’t always a shit brother,” I remark casually.
He looks wounded, as if he is going to defend himself, before slumping in defeat. “You’re right. I failed her.”
“So how did you end up becoming involved with the Rusted Scythes?” I ask, bringing him back on track, the last thing I want is for him to fall into self-pity.
“Growing up, our dad loved his bikes, and we both loved working on them with him or going for rides on them. As soon as we were old enough he started teaching us to ride. I knew he’d been a member of an MC in the past, but he never spoke much about it.
With my parents gone I wanted the kind of bond I heard belonging to a club could offer.
I guess I felt like I was missing something. ”
I nod in understanding, thinking that perhaps if things had been different, Eli might have joined our club instead, had he known the truth. Possibly his life would have followed a different path then.
“The Rusted Scythes accepted me, and for a while, it was good. But then they started getting me to do more and more illegal shit for them, hacking into bank accounts and stuff. I told them I wanted out, but not long after that, I got into a nasty bike accident. I needed money to pay for my medical debt, and I grew dependent on the painkillers the hospital prescribed me. The Rusted Scythes were there for me; they welcomed me back and gave me a loan.”
I’ll bet they did, I think, it’s how those bastards operate. Poor kid never stood a chance.
Eli continues, the words flowing freely like a dam that’s burst. “Only now I was in deep with them, the debts kept racking up, and they wanted more and more from me. I was in over my head, and I didn’t know how to get out. I made a stupid decision.”
I think I know what he did before he confirms it.
“I stole from them. I figured that they wouldn’t notice if I skimmed a bit here or there, and, after all, I was paying it back to them anyway, so it didn’t even feel like I was stealing, just wiping my debt.
But they found out. They beat me and they tricked me into handing over my own sister.
I tried calling Naomi to warn her, but they caught me before I could tell her everything.
She came looking for me.” A tear escapes from his good eye, running down his cheek. “Is she okay?”
I nod. “She’s safe. Shaken and afraid but unharmed.” I want to add, no thanks to you, but I hold my tongue.
“Will you protect her? Please, I’ll do anything,” he begs.
“I will,” I agree. “But only if you do something for me.” I lie, I was going to help regardless, but a man like Eli could prove helpful in the upcoming war.
“Anything, just keep Naomi safe.”
With that, the agreement is made, and Naomi Moore officially becomes mine to protect. It’s a pledge I don’t take lightly.