Chapter 24
SOREN
The Eastern Outlaws bar looks as terrible as they normally do. No sense of pride or care is put into this bar and you can tell from the ragged, nearly falling off sign on the front of the building.
The inside is just as bad. The seats are all over the place, no rhyme or reason. No booths, some tables missing chairs even. The chairs there have rips and stains I can see from the front door. And god fucking damn, the smell. It smells like a horrid mix of B.O. and wet grime in here.
Prez leads us inside. Thunder and Bear follow him on the right and left. Neven, Asher, Reed, and I are behind them. Prez didn’t want to bring too many folks, didn’t want a fight to break out if it didn’t have to, and showing up with too many bikers would definitely set a war off.
“Come to apologize?” their leader, Axe, says. He sits on the bar, his feet propped against chairs with my brothers flocking him with busted lips and black eyes. Even then smirking at us like they’ve already won something.
“For fucking what?” Reed snips. Prez sends him a sharp look but remains quiet.
“For beating my guys on neutral territory—”
“Coal’s is not neutral,” Prez says with an admirable calm.
“Well, when two MCs have a truce…” Axe leaves the sentence hanging as he shrugs his shoulders.
“We know about the drugs. Your drugs on our corners, Axe,” Prez says, and Axe doesn’t look the slightest bit surprised.
Of course he’s not. Because he wanted us to find out.
We’d set up a fake buyer a few days ago. Brought the product to Cobra, Asher’s boss, and he confirmed the product wasn’t ours and even worse, it was cut with something deadlier.
A substance with a risk of death and the reward of addiction.
Midnight Wolves endorse and enforce safe drug use. Our top priority is keeping our community safe, and the Eastern Outlaws have been making that difficult.
It’s time to cut them loose.
Prez knows this. And yet…
“Since the truce is gone, there really isn’t a reason to stay off your corners now, is there?” Lightning asks, my brother’s snake-like eyes landing on mine. My mind instantly jumps to Esper.
Chills run over my skin, but I don’t move a single muscle to show it.
“No need to play nice anymore,” Rocker says, dragging my attention from Lightning. Their sly smiles and narrowed eyes tell me exactly what they mean. The message underlying their words.
Esper is in danger.
My gaze darts to Neven’s, who’s already staring at me.
I nod, a quick sign to confirm what he must be thinking.
They are coming for our omega.
Maybe… omegas. I let my eyes drift to Red. But I quickly avert.
He can’t know he’s at risk. He’d flip his fucking script on a moment’s notice.
Axe slides off the bar, all nonchalance. “We could come up with a new truce, though. We have a few things we need…”
“Maybe we could take over the weed business, and the coke—”
“No.” Prez’s tone brooks no argument. But he’s still listening, surprisingly. I watch as Rocker crosses his arms. Lightning takes a single step closer.
I raise my sleeves.
“That’s fine, I guess. What about omegas then? I know you have a few. Enough to make the loss worthwhile.”
Bear scoffs, and I could nearly laugh out loud. These assholes are so predictable.
“This conversation is over.” Ace is quick, turning on his heel and towards the door. We follow without a word.
We may want peace, but not at the price they are asking. That’s something this MC is firm on. We protect our own.
“Well, maybe you can keep your son. What about that pretty bartender you’ve got? Or better yet, keep them all and give us one… what was her name again?” Axe talks away. “Who was it, Lightning? How’d you describe her again? A small thing. Brown hair. Round ass?”
Lightning sneers. “Oh yeah, her name was Esper.”
“Esper.” Her name rattles off Axe’s tongue, and I turn despite my better judgment, Lightning stands toe to toe with me. His rank smell and slight height advantage make me gag.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I spit. All three of them cackle.
“Why? Scared she’ll pick us alphas over your misfit Pack? I think she’ll fit just right on my—”
My fist flies, cracking him across the jaw. He’s ready though, taking the hit and delivering one of his own.
Chaos ensues. I wasn’t the only one throwing a punch now. I focus on Lightning, my damned wretched brother who all but smirks at me as I tackle him to the ground.
Red lands a punch on Rocker in my peripheral vision. Neven and Asher are off fighting who the fuck knows. Our Seniors stand back, including Ace, who watches the brawl with a glimmer of happiness.
That man is fucking crazy.
But they threatened my omega. That takes it too fucking far.
Something gleams in Lightning’s hand, then there’s a searing pain across my face.
He just fucking sliced me with a knife! Thankfully not deep, but what the fuck? I lean away from him and he takes that moment to flip us over and he punches me again.
“You’ve always forgotten your place, baby bro.” He hits again, but this time I block. Being the baby brother means learning to fight. Being a beta means knowing how to fight smart.
I jab his side and follow up with a knock to the side of his head with enough force for him to roll off of me. Blood drips down my face as I climb to my feet, seething.
My eyes catch Prez’s. A momentary shock is all he lets loose before he schools his features.
“That’s enough,” he calls out. Maybe because of the blood dripping from my face.
Maybe because I am ready to kill my brother, actually and literally.
It’s the absolute least he deserves. “Weapons in a bar fight? Axe, I thought you’d have more pride than that. ”
“Thought wrong,” The other MC president shrugs as he waves his guys to back off.
“Let’s go.” Ace doesn’t stop this time as he walks out of the bar. We follow suit. All of us roughed up from the fight.
“Fox, your face—” Red’s head tilts and his brows furrow. Neven is quick, grabbing the back of Red’s shirt and keeps him facing and moving forward. “We’ll get our lick back later. Follow Prez’s order.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t see him get up from that last blow,” Asher says.
We get on our bikes. The loud rumble between my legs brings a wave of comfort I very much needed.
Neven slides on his helmet. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Well, there is really only one place I wanna go,” I say, taking off to the one place that I know will accept us with open arms. Blood, bruises, and all.