3. Wrath
WRATH
“The whole thing was fucking bullshit,” Savage grumbled. “After everything he pulled, he’s gotta lot of fucking nerve asking us to go into business with him.”
“He’s got balls. I’ll give him that.”
“You can say that again.” The vein in Torch’s neck pulsed as he roared, “The asshole’s lucky I didn’t put a bullet in his fucking head.”
“The guy’s a goddamn lunatic,” Savage snarled. “We should’ve never let you and Bones go over there.”
Savage was right.
Bruton was a fucking lunatic.
Just twenty-four hours earlier, he’d sent drones over to the compound and dropped incineration devices that caused multiple fires on our grounds.
It was a warning to release his grandson, and it was a message—one we heard loud and fucking clear.
As much as we wanted to tell him to fuck off, we couldn’t.
Cotton had called lockdown, so all the women and children would’ve been at risk.
Once we’d released his grandson Ben, Bruton messaged Bones and requested a meet with him and Cotton. Again, we wanted to tell him to fuck off, but it was time to find out what the guy wanted and put an end to the nonsense once and for all.
Cotton could see that the guys were getting riled up, so he held up his hand, signaling everyone to pipe down. Once the room fell silent, he told us, “I get why you’re all mad. Hell, I’m not exactly happy here, but the guy had a compelling proposal. I think it’s something that’s worth discussing.”
A low rumble of disapproval filled the room, causing Cotton to shake his head. “I get it. We’ve had a rough couple of weeks because of this guy, but like Bones said... up until the drones, he hasn’t done anything to us that we didn’t do to him.”
“We wouldn’t have even known who the guy was if he hadn’t had his boys get after Q and Rooster.”
“He brought that up in the meet.” Cotton looked over to Q as he said, “Bruton said it wasn’t supposed to play out like that, and the men behind it had been dealt with.”
“And you believe him?”
“I have no reason not to.” Cotton shrugged. “The way I see it, hurting them wasn’t to his advantage. It only made it harder for him to pull all this off.”
“So, what exactly does he want from us?”
“He wants us to be his supplier. We get him the goods, and he delivers them.”
“And what about Bones?” Stitch growled. “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna let him have my son.”
“He wants him to be available. Bones won’t even have to leave the clubhouse to do what he wants him to do.” Cotton kept his tone steady as he continued, “Let me be clear. If we do this thing, it would be on our terms and our terms alone. We’re not taking directives from him or anyone else.”
“What would our terms be?”
“I’m not exactly sure. That’s something we would have to discuss.”
“We have time to figure out the terms,” Bones interjected. “He’s given us thirty days to make our decision.”
“Yes, and I think we need to take every minute of it.” Cotton’s tone was firm and fatherly as he said, “Look, I get you are concerned about this. I am, too. But we’re gonna talk this whole thing through, and we won’t make a final decision until we come up with something everyone can agree on.”
Cotton let his words sink in before adding, “But for now, we need to take a moment and catch our breaths.”
“And the lockdown?” Savage asked.
“I’m lifting it.” Cotton’s tone was stern as he said, “I still want you to remain on high alert. Don’t take any unnecessary risks but go home. Get some rest, and we will pick up here later in the week.”
Without saying anything more, Cotton dismissed church, and we all dispersed.
Some went to the bar for a beer, while others went straight to their rooms to start gathering their things.
I didn’t have anything in my room that I couldn’t live without, so I skipped going by my room and headed straight to the parking lot.
We’d been in close quarters for days, and after another long one, I was eager to get the hell out of there.
Rooster and a couple of the other brothers were standing around talking, but I didn’t stop to speak.
Instead, I gave them a quick nod, then got on my bike and started the engine.
As soon as I had my helmet on, I eased out of the gate and started home.
It was the perfect night for a ride. The sun had already set, casting a beautiful orange and pink glow over the horizon.
I was completely surrounded by trees as high as the eye could see, and all I could hear was the sound of my engine and the loud rush of wind as it whipped past me.
It was just what I needed to put this long day behind me.
The road ahead was full of twists and turns—just the way I liked it. As I made my way around the first bend, I could already feel the tension in my shoulders starting to subside. It was the moment I’d been waiting for. After days of stress and hard work, I was finally able to let go and breathe.
I eased back on the throttle and coasted around the next big curve. I was in no hurry. I needed a moment to clear my head, so I took my time as I continued down the deserted road. Moments later, I pulled up my driveway and parked next to the front steps.
I owned an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town.
I’d been working on it for years, and while there was still lots to be done, I really liked the place.
It was set back from the road and surrounded by lush green fields and thick woods.
It had three bedrooms, a wrap-around front porch, and a large barn in the backyard.
I took off my helmet and headed up to the front porch. I’d just made it up to the front door when I heard, “Hey there, stranger.”
“Hey, Rosa.” I turned to face my beautiful, but intrusive neighbor as I asked, “How’s it going?”
“It’s going well. I’ve been busy at work, but it’s been good.” She gave me a half-hearted shrug. “I haven’t seen much of you lately. I was beginning to think something happened to you until I saw you pull up.”
“Been busy.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.” She took a strand of her long, blonde hair and twirled it around her finger. “I was just hoping we might get a chance to hang out again sometime soon.”
We’d hooked up a couple of times, and it was alright. She was a great lay, but I’d had a hell of a day and wasn’t interested in a hookup. “Sorry, babe. I’ve had a long one.”
“Are you sure? We could watch a movie or…”
“Maybe some other time. Tonight, I just wanna shower and hit the sack.”
There was no missing the sound of disappointment in her voice as she muttered, “Oh... O-kay. Well, I hope you sleep well.”
“I’m sure I will.” I grabbed the mail from the mailbox and stepped inside. Before I closed the door, I told her, “Night, Rosa. Have a good one.”
I tossed my keys and mail on the table, then closed the door behind me. I took a quick look around, and just as I expected, everything was exactly as I’d left it. There were a few dirty dishes in the sink and a full basket of clean laundry on the kitchen table.
I ignored both and headed straight to the fridge.
Since I didn’t see anything that looked appealing to eat, I grabbed a beer and headed to the bedroom.
After a long, hot shower, I changed into some fresh boxers, then headed into the living room.
I sat down in my recliner, then grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
I’d just started flipping through the channels when my cell phone started to ring.
I grabbed it from the table, then glanced down at the screen.
When I saw it was Torch calling, I answered, “Yeah.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just got home. Why?”
“Savage and I are about to head over and watch the game at Bones’. Thought you might wanna join us.”
“Thanks, but I’m in for the night.”
“You sure? We got pizza and wings, and there’s plenty of beer to go around.”
“Sounds tempting, but I’m beat. I’m gonna finish off this beer and hit the sack.”
“Suit yourself.” Before he hung up, he said, “Get your rest, and we’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
As soon as he ended the call, I tossed my phone back on the table and turned my focus back to the TV.
I found the game, then settled back in my chair.
It wasn’t long before my exhaustion got the best of me, and I started to doze off.
When I could barely keep my eyes open, I got up and made my way down the hall to my bedroom.
I collapsed onto my bed, and in a blink, I was out.
I had no idea how long I’d been sleeping when I felt myself being pulled into the darkness. I knew what was coming. The nightmares were always the same.
No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I would either be in that Humvee with my platoon, driving through the busy streets of Afghanistan when we ran over that underground mine, or in my childhood home the night my parents were killed.
Both were horrific. Both left me a shell of the person I once was...
But on this particular night, it was the memory of my parents’ murder that had me tossing and turning in my bed.
I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as the nightmare took hold.
It started with flashing moments, first of my mother standing at the stove going on and on about her day while my father sat back in his recliner, pretending to listen to every word.
I could almost smell the flowers she’d have sitting on the kitchen table, and I just couldn’t fathom anything bad ever happening to her.
In a blink, I could see Pearl, our big white Boxer, peering in through the front door window, pleading for someone to let her in.
I was in my house, a place I once loved and felt safe in, but in a flash, it turned dark and my entire body turned ice-cold.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t move.
Then, the next instant, unwanted images bombarded my thoughts.
The sounds of gunshots exploding through the house, small clouds of smoke drifting down the long hallway to my parents’ bedroom.
A flash later, I was standing in the doorway, looking down at my mother and father lying in their bed in blood-soaked pajamas.
Endless horrific visions kept pounding through my mind until the sound of my phone ringing finally pulled me from my seemingly never-ending nightmare. I figured it was Torch calling again, so I didn’t bother opening my eyes as I reached over and grabbed my phone. “Yeah.”
I was still half asleep when I heard Stitch order, “Meet me in the playroom in half an hour.”
“On my way.”
Stitch wasn’t a man to be kept waiting, so I tossed my covers back and got out of bed. I was feeling a bit groggy as I pulled on my jeans and boots, but it wasn’t anything a cup of coffee and an early morning bike ride wouldn’t fix—or so I hoped because it appeared I was in for another long day.