Chapter Four. #2
It turned my stomach when Phoe and the others described how I’d been acting.
A lot of it was foggy in my mind. Judas had twisted and shrouded everything, and I’d been his obedient little lapdog.
Fury raced through me. My wife and children had been forced to watch me decline and had felt helpless and useless.
They’d not been able to reach me and hadn’t known why. Judas had attacked them as well as me.
Let him come for me; now that I was aware of him. Judas wouldn’t take me so easily this time.
I got to my feet and paced to the window.
Waiting around was killing me. I was an action kind of guy.
Kicking my heels and waiting for an attack wasn’t something I did.
Even while waiting for Fury, plans had been in constant motion.
This—idleness—was a killer. That was why I was forcing Judas’s hand.
Let him come for me. If he thought I was enjoying life, it would tip Judas over the edge, which was what I wanted.
I was the President of Rage MC. I’d survived a lot of things, but I was unsure if I’d survive this. Still, I’d end it one way or another.
Stitch
“Those kids are fuckin lunatics,” I hissed as we watched Eddie take Dante down and tie him up. She buried him under a pile of snow, stuck a straw in his mouth to breathe, and walked away. Holy crap. These children were lethal.
“Yeah. Makes me feel all warm and tingly.” Poker grinned.
“Should we rescue the kid?” Belladonna asked, and Nun shook her head.
“I get the feeling if we get involved, we’ll be on the receiving end.”
“Dante might freeze,” I argued.
“It’s okay, we’ve got you, you can heal him,” Nun retorted.
“Dante!” Phoe shrieked. “You little shit!”
“Oh, maybe we ought to leave him there, Phoe sounds murderous,” Belladonna said.
Phoe stormed out, and we gaped. Her skin was glowing an orangey colour, like a cheese puff. Holy crap! She wore a scowl that promised murder.
“Have you seen Dante?” she hissed.
“What happened?” I asked, deciding to learn the facts first, although Poker was having a hard time not laughing.
“The little bastard swapped Eddie’s shower gel out for fake tan, and I borrowed it! Look at me!”
“Wow,” Belladonna muttered.
“I’m going to kick his damn ass,” Phoe threatened. The pile of snow that had been moving suddenly stilled.
“Eddie might know where he is,” I suggested.
“Eddie’s probably locked him in a trunk right now. Dante is a shithead!” Phoe cursed and stomped off.
My sisters and I exchanged looks. “Yeah, leave the little fucker where he is. Dante’s safer there.”
“Holy crap!” a woman gasped and began laughing at Phoe. “What the hell happened?” she demanded as we entered the Rage MC clubhouse.
“Fuckin’ Dante!” Phoe swore. She laughed, drawing the attention of others who gaped in horror.
“Don’t those kids learn not to play with fuckin’ dye?” A man growled and rubbed his hair.
“Oh, he will. Dante has to clear the snow in the gardens with a hairdryer, and isn’t allowed video games, his clubs, or anything fun.” Phoe smirked. “Not until it’s all gone,” Phoe added.
I laughed; that was an original punishment.
“I heard it’s snowing tonight, hon,” the woman called Lindsey said.
Phoe grinned at her. “Yeah. He’s just cleared the small side garden, and it’s going to dump a load of snow there.”
“Oh, you’re evil,” Lindsey replied.
“These are from the Royal Harlots MC from the Portsmouth chapter. They’re staying with Drake and me for a week or so,” Phoe introduced. The group of old ladies turned and gazed at us, most of them offering nods or a greeting, but they were all wary.
As they should be. We were outsiders in their clubhouse and strangers.
A woman walked slowly over, and I sensed pain coming from her. Her cut said Sylvie, and she was Apache’s old lady. I was surprised not to see a property patch.
“Yeah, Phoe, being a sister in Hellfire MC refused to wear a property patch; we wrangled old lady patches instead. It’s one of the few progressive things they’ve done, the bunch of Neanderthals,” Silvie explained.
“Typical male bikers then,” I replied, and Silvie nodded. I reached out as her pain worsened and took it from her.
Silvie gaped at me. “What did you do?” she whispered, and I realised I’d done it without thinking.
Phoe stepped instantly to Silvie’s side. “What?” she demanded as the women crowded her.
My sisters reacted and backed me up.
“The pain’s gone. It’s been a bitch all day, and she touched my arm, and poof. What did you do?”
“Do you want it back?” I asked.
Silvie backed away speedily. “Nope, you can keep it. This is the first time I’ve been pain-free without painkillers for years.”
“What’s wrong with you?” I inquired.
“I had SPD.”
“What’s that?” Nun asked, sucking on a sucker.
“Symphysis pubis dysfunction. I’ve used a wheelchair for years. They did an operation so I could walk, but I still get flare-ups.”
“Could you heal her?” Phoe queried, turning to me with hope. “If I pay you?”
“What do you mean?” Silvie demanded.
“I’m a healer. And sure. I’ve dealt with SPD before,” I replied.
“A woowoo healer? She’s like Aurora-Victoria?” Lindsey spoke up, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Woowoo?” Belladonna repeated, amused.
“It’s what Axel called Aurora-Victoria’s powers. She’s here somewhere,” Phoe said, craning her neck.
“The Aurora-Victoria? The prophet?” Nun looked around too.
“I don’t think Aurora-Victoria thinks of herself as a prophet, but yeah, most of her visions have come true. There’s Klutz over there; Aurora-Victoria won’t be far from him.”
“Have you witnessed her having a vision?” Poker asked curiously.
“Yes, and they’re extreme. Sometimes Aurora-Victoria gets flashes, other times she gets seriously detailed ones,” Silvie explained.
“Yeah, I do. Hey guys, what’s up?” A beautiful woman approached. She gazed at us, lingering on me, Belladonna, and Poker.
“Like recognises like,” Poker muttered, and Aurora-Victoria grinned.
“Nice to put names to faces. The Harlots are in for one hell of a ride. Has anyone seen Casey or Mac? I’ve got something for Blue,” Aurora-Victoria said.
“Yeah, Mac’s by the bar. Casey isn’t here yet,” Silvie replied.
“Thanks. Catch you in a bit.” Aurora-Victoria waggled her fingers and began walking off.
“Hey, wait. What did you mean?” Poker called.
Aurora-Victoria turned and grinned. “The future is always in motion, but sometimes outcomes are set in stone. The Royal Harlots can expect a lot of excitement. And no spoilers either!”
With that, she disappeared into the crowd.
“Annoying, isn’t she?” Phoe complained, but there was fondness in her voice.
“Yeah,” Nun agreed and glanced around. “Anyone single here?”
“Not from Rage but those guys…” Phoe pointed to a group of bikers. When I looked closer, I saw they wore different cuts. “They’re from Hellfire MC. Several of the prospects are single.”
Nun smirked and stalked away, sashaying her hips as she got close. Some of the Hellfire prospects grinned in welcome.
“She’s such a slut,” Poker muttered, and I couldn’t agree more.
Drake
I felt it, eyes watching us as we drank, ate and had fun.
The club seemed relieved to see me back and acting as president.
I’d briefed them when we returned from Portsmouth, although there’d been a great deal of disbelief, they’d accepted the explanation.
We’d all witnessed Aurora-Victoria’s visions and knew powers existed.
Everyone was alert, but nobody had any clue who the culprit was. We’d tossed ideas around, but who was behind this remained out of reach.
A wave of anger rushed over me, and I ground my teeth. That didn’t belong to me, and I pushed it back. A hand rested on my shoulder, and Belladonna nodded at me as she cut Judas off at the knees.
“He’s going to make a rash move. Judas is furious,” she murmured.
I agreed. That was the result we wanted. Something that would trip this little fucker up. Then he’d pay for everything he’d done.