Chapter 19 #2
“We can and will,” Reaper snarls, kicking Ronald in the back, sending him to the ground. “You fucked with the wrong family.”
“Pratt won’t like this,” Atkins shouts. “He will come after both girls.”
“He won’t do shit when he can’t find either of you,” Scythe sneers.
I chuckle darkly, stepping closer to Atkins, getting right in his face. “Pratt? That supposed to scare me? Let me tell you something about your boss. He’s smart enough to know when to cut his losses. Unlike you two dumb fucks.”
I look back at Hope in my truck, still pressing the towel to her neck. My heart clenches at the sight of her blood, fueling the rage inside me. I turn back to Ronald, who’s still on the ground where Reaper put him.
“You put a knife to my woman’s throat,” I say, my voice deadly calm. “You threatened my family. There’s no coming back from that.”
I squat down and grab dear old Ron by the throat.
“You’re a sick fuck. Going for little boys to get your fix.
Using your own fuckin’ nieces to get what you want.
Do you have a clue as to what we do to men like you?
What we do to those who hurt the women in my club? What I do to protect what’s mine?”
Ronald’s eyes are feral as he spits. “You won’t do shit.”
“Oh, but I will,” I growl, tightening my grip, cutting off all blood supply to his brain.
“Just not here. Not yet. Do you know why my brothers named me Styxx? Why my brother is named Scythe? Because of the hatred and loathing that flows through our veins for men like you. Where I’m named after the river, my brother is named for the Reaper’s weapon. Like I said, you’re fucked.”
I release him with a shove, watching him gasp for air. My brothers are already moving, securing both men with zip ties.
“Styxx,” Reaper calls, nodding toward the truck. “Get Hope to Stella. We’ll handle these two.”
I look between the men on the ground and my woman in the truck. As much as I want to be the one to make these fuckers pay, Hope needs me more right now.
“Don’t start without me,” I warn, meeting each of my brothers’ eyes.
“You know we won’t,” Scythe’s voice is terse and dark. I know he’d like nothing more than to kill these two right here and now.
I nod and head to my truck. I’ll figure out how to get my bike to the clubhouse later. Right now, I need to see to my woman.
Hopping in behind the wheel, I barely get the truck in reverse before Hope speaks.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Hope.”
“I am. I’m so, so sorry. I got the call, and I freaked out. All I thought about was that he had my sister. I didn’t think. I just reacted.”
Putting the truck in drive, I turn the wheel and glance in her direction, seeing the pain in her eyes—the anguish.
“Mo chathú,” I say, reaching out to touch her. “I get what you did and why. I know when it comes to your little sister, you would do anything for her, and you have. But from now on, you’ve got to trust that I’ve got things. No more going Rambo in an attempt to protect her.”
“She’s the only one that’s mattered for so long.” Tears stream down Hope’s cheeks.
“She’s not the only one who matters. You matter, baby.
More than you know. I could spank your ass right here and now for telling me you love me in a damn voice text.
And I will, but it’s got to wait. I’m not going to punish you when you’re hurting.
Right now, we’re going to the clubhouse, Stella’s gonna fix you up, then we’re gonna have a long talk about your actions and that you won’t be doing anything like that again. ”
“Promise?”
“She’s at the clubhouse, safe and sound.” I won’t go into the details about Ron showing up at her school again. It’s not needed. No one was going to threaten my woman or girl again. I’d see to it.
Once Atkins and Ronald Hall are dealt with, I’ll personally reach out to Pratt and inform him that his dealings with Ron were done. He wouldn’t be getting his hands on Promise or my woman.
The rest of the drive to the clubhouse was in silence. I didn’t need words, and I knew my woman didn’t either.
Stella was already waiting for Hope when we walked into the clubhouse. She quickly took my woman, with me right behind them, to the room we use as a small medical clinic. It was big enough to supply the doctor with anything and everything she would need for more than the basics.
While Stella worked to patch Hope up, Promise stayed right by her side. Tears stream down her face while Hope did her best to reassure her sister that she was fine.
I hung back out of the way, giving Stella room to work, but kept my eyes on both woman and girl. Promise’s eyes meet mine as she gives me a teary-eyed look with a small smile.
“You did as you said you would.”
I jerk my chin at her words. “Told you I would. Meant it. Always will, sweetheart.”
Both Hope and Promise have been through enough over the years. Watching the two of them now, closer than I have in the past, I can see more now why Hope is so protective of her sister. That fierce love isn’t something you can teach—it’s born from something deep inside.
Angel approaches, stepping just inside the room. “We’re ready when you are.”
“Give me a minute, VP,” I tell him, then walk over to where Hope sits.
I step directly in front of her, curling my hands in her hair on either side of her face. “I’ll be back in a bit. You don’t leave this clubhouse.”
“I won’t leave,” she whispers, licking her lips nervously. “I just want to change out of these clothes and sleep.”
I nod and lean in, kissing her softly. “Love you, Hope. I’ll join you soon as we finish.”
“I love you too,” Hope says, her eyes full of emotion. The bandage on her neck is stark white against her skin. “Be careful.”
I give her one more kiss before nodding to Promise, who’s still standing protectively by her sister. “Look after her for me.”
Promise nods, her eyes still wet but determined. “I will. Always.”
I glance at Angel in time to see him give Stella one hell of a kiss before following him out of the room.
“You good, brother?” Angel asks when we step outside and start for the woods.
“Yeah, this will be over for both of them soon enough. Neither of them will have to deal with the stress of being torn apart again.” I’d see to it.
“Hope is one hell of a woman. Brave what she did. Stupid, but I give her props for how much she loves that girl.”
“She’d die for her sister,” I tell him, nodding.
“She proved that today,” Angel grunts. “But she was smart enough to let you know, even if it was after she was already on her way to meet him. She was smart about it. Told you exactly where without lying to him. She knew you’d have her back.”
I always will.
We make it to the clearing where we have created the motocross course for the women and stop in the middle. Tombstone is perched up in the seat of the excavator, a hole already dug deep into the earth.
The two men are on their knees in front of us, hands bound behind their backs. The rest of my brothers are standing around them in a circle, faces grim with anticipation. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to handle something like this, and it won’t be the last.
Ronald’s face is pale from blood loss, but his eyes still hold defiance. Atkins looks like he’s about to shit himself, which gives me a small measure of satisfaction.
“You have no idea what you’re doing,” Ronald spits out, blood dribbling from his split lip. “You think this ends with me? Pratt will—”
I cut him off with a swift kick to the chest that sends him sprawling backward. “I’m really fucking tired of hearing about Pratt,” I snarl, standing over him. “Let me make something clear to both of you. After tonight, Pratt will not give either of you another thought.”
I draw my gun and point it at Ronald’s head. “You know, I’ve been thinking about this moment ever since I found out what kind of man you really are. The kind who’d sell his own niece. The kind who’d put a knife to my woman’s throat.”
Ronald’s eyes widen, fear finally breaking through his defiance. “Wait—”
“No more waiting,” I cut him off, my voice deadly calm. “No more chances. You had plenty of those.”
I glance at Reaper, who gives me a nod. This is my call, and everyone here knows it. These men threatened what’s mine. They made Hope bleed. They tried to take Promise.
“Please,” Atkins suddenly sobs, breaking his silence. “I was just following orders. I didn’t know—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Scythe growls, kicking him in the back, sending him forward in the dirt.
I don’t wait for Atkins to finish whatever pathetic plea he was about to make.
“You know what your biggest mistake was?” I ask, my voice eerily calm even to my own ears. “You thought you could take what’s mine and live to tell about it. Thought you could kill my woman and I wouldn’t come for her.”
“Please,” Ronald whimpers, all his bravado gone now. “I’m family. I’m her uncle—”
“Family?” I bark out a laugh that holds no humor. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. Family protects. Family loves. You’re nothing but a predator who happens to share some DNA. That’s it.”
I step closer, pressing the barrel of my gun against his forehead. “Hope and Promise are my family now. Mine and this club’s. And unlike you, I protect what’s mine.”
I pull the trigger, watching as the back of his head rips open and he falls at my feet.
Atkins starts to scream, but Reaper slams the butt of his gun into his jaw, silencing him.
“Your turn, asshole,” I say, turning my full attention to the man who was just as much responsible for today’s events. “You think you’re getting out of this because you were ‘just following orders’?”
“I didn’t touch her,” Atkins pleads, his words slurring through what’s clearly a broken jaw. “It was all him. I swear to you.”
“Save it for whoever you meet on the other side,” I tell him coldly. “You stood by while he put a knife to her throat. That’s all I need to know.”
I pull the trigger again, watching his body collapse next to Ronald’s.
The shot echoes through the clearing, and Atkins slumps forward, joining Ronald in the dirt. Blood pools beneath both men, soaking into the earth.
“Get them in the hole,” Reaper orders. “Make sure it’s deep enough that no one finds them.”
Tombstone nods from his seat in the excavator. “Already got that part done, Prez. Lyme is poured and ready for the bodies.”
I watch as my brothers drag the bodies toward the waiting grave. The rage that’s been burning inside me since I heard Hope’s voice text is finally starting to cool, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion.
Reaper clasps a hand on my shoulder, his expression grim but satisfied. “You good, Styxx?”
“Yeah, it’s over, and my woman is safe. Her sister is safe. We can move on now,” I answer and sigh heavily.
“Good.” Reaper nods.
“Why don’t you head back up to the clubhouse?” Scythe suggests. “Be with your woman. Your girls. We’ve got this.”
I nod. “Yeah, I think that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
I needed Hope. My girls. My daughters.
Promise might not be mine by blood, however, she was mine in every way that counts. Doesn’t matter that she’s Hope’s sister. The way my woman raises her, she’s doing it right, as if she were raising a daughter. Giving her all to what she needs most. Just as a parent would do for their child.