Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hannibal
I shake hands with Hazzard as I stand to leave, knowing this could have all turned out differently if he wasn’t quite so level-headed.
“He’s a dead man. You know that, right?”
“With three club presidents gunning for him, I think a coma is the least of his worries.”
“I can guarantee the fucker will die in a world of pain if we get to him first. Knowing he’s responsible for Freya’s disappearance, Colt will want his pound of flesh. Hell, he ate at their fucking table. Even if that girl turns out to be Freya and we bring her home, she won’t be the same girl we lost.”
Gritting his teeth, he takes a second to get himself together.
Colt may be Freya’s father, but he’s not the only one who cares about her.
“It will only take one of you to bring her back here.” I tap the side of my head.
“Could be her dad, could be you as the president. Hell, it might be a prospect as they’ll seem the most non-threatening. Who knows? But it only takes one person to hold on to her while she figures everything out. That way she knows she’s not alone.”
He runs his hand through his hair and sighs.
“I know how to lead, Hannibal. I’m the president that has an answer for everything, but not this. I have no fucking clue how to make this right.”
I huff, remembering having the same thoughts.
“You don’t. You can’t. But you can make her feel safe and protected. After that, when she’s no longer in survival mode, she’ll start to heal. It just takes time.”
“You talking from experience?”
I run my tongue over my teeth.
“My old lady used to be Driller’s old lady.”
His eyes widen at that before his expression hardens.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“She was Havoc’s old lady before he went down for his brother’s crime. She didn’t even know he wasn’t coming home until Driller turned up and told her. Havoc had no idea she was pregnant with his kid. A kid Driller beat out of her the first time he raped her. He blackmailed her into a relationship and then beat and raped her the whole time they were together.”
“Holy fuck.” He stands up and walks to the bar behind him, grabbing a bottle of whiskey.
He twists off the top and takes a deep pull before offering it to me.
“You want to know something? I never liked the guy. Thought he was a cocky asshole, but Colt vouched for him.” He shakes his head.
“It’s the angle he played. When we looked into shit, we found nothing on Driller initially, just Khan. I’m starting to think it was all an act, and Khan was the weak link.”
He stares at the wall, lost in thought.
“All this time…how did you even find this all out? He was passing shit through our club and we were oblivious.”
“Pure luck. I had Byte looking into the doc Driller used to patch Lola up. The doc Driller paid to treat Lola's the same one Khan paid to remove the organs. He had photos and x-rays of the shit done to Lola, and then when Byte kept digging, he got info about all the rest.”
“The fucker probably planned to blackmail them at some point.”
“That was my guess, too.”
“Where the fuck is this asshole now?”
“Dead. The report says he had his throat slit and someone cut out his heart.”
“Poetic justice?”
“Guy’s been dead for weeks. My money’s on Driller. He was the only one left who could finger him in this.”
“Figures.”
I walk to the door. “Scrap the deal. Get rid of anything that might incriminate your club. We’ve served ties with Driller, and Khan’s dead. I want to remain allies with you, Hazzard, but on our own terms.”
“I’ll take it to the table, but with things being like they are right now, it could go either way.”
“It’s to be expected. You have my number if things change. Sorry I had to meet you under such shitty circumstances.”
“Heavy lay the fucking crown,” he mumbles.
I yank the door open and turn when he calls my name, taking in his tired expression.
“Your old lady, is she doing okay now?”
I smile, a genuine one. “Yeah, she’s good. And every day, she’s better than the last.”
He nods at that, so I pull the door open and step out.
It’s quiet in the corridor, but I can hear music coming from the main part of the clubhouse. I head that way so I can track down Mud and Meek.
I find them sitting at the bar. Mud sees me enter and nudges Meek. Both of them head my way.
“Saw the others tear out of here, so I can only guess how well that conversation went,” Germ says, looking over his shoulder at the few remaining faces. They all look concerned and distracted.
“No easy way to tell them that their princess was taken for spare parts.” I turn and head outside with them flanking me.
“I was half expecting a lynch mob,” Meek admits.
“At the moment, Freya is their concern. They know the blame lies with Khan and Driller, but that doesn’t mean they won’t hold some ill will toward us in the future. It’s easier to have living targets to blame than dead ones.”
“Driller’s not dead yet,” Mud grunts.
“It’s only a matter of time.”
“Any idea how long it will take him to wake up?” Meek questions.
I shake my head as I climb onto my bike and slide my helmet on. “At the moment, it’s an if, not a when.”
“Who knows, maybe we’ll catch a lucky break and the fucker will have a heart attack or something,” Mud grunts.
“Oh, now you’re just turning me on.” I grin, pulling out my phone. “Fuck, it’s dead.”
Mud laughs. “You can borrow mine if you want.”
I check the time. It’s a little after one a.m. Not wanting to disturb Lola or the kids, I don’t call home. Instead, I call the club to make sure there haven’t been any issues.
When the phone behind the bar rings out, I sigh. Nobody will hear the damn thing over the music, so I don’t know why I even try.
I tap in Byte’s number and wait while it rings. I’m just about to hang up when he answers. “What’s up, Mud? Hannibal, okay?”
“I’m touched you care, Byte.”
He chuckles. “What can I say? You’ve grown on me like a fungus or something.”
“Smart ass. Anyway, my phone is dead, and I don’t want to stick around long enough to charge it. Any issues while I’ve been gone?”
“Nothing interesting to report if you don’t count two club girls getting in a catfight, Redox’s girl going into labor and one of the hangarounds going to the ER after getting his dick caught in his zipper.”
I wince. “No, I don’t count that at all, but I’m glad he did it while I was here. Like fuck did I want to have to deal with that.”
“Can’t say I blame you. How did it go up there?”
“It was brutal, but they handled it better than I would've. Most of the club has headed out with the intel we gave them to do their own recon.”
“Smart. We’d do the same.”
“Indeed. We’re heading back now, but I’ll fill you in on the rest tomorrow. I want to get home to Lola.”
“I checked in on her early, took them some pizza so she didn’t have to cook, but they’d already eaten.”
“I’ll eat it cold when I get in. I’m fucking starving. Appreciate you checking in on them, Byte.”
“Something I should have been doing all along. I have a lot to make up for.”
I don’t argue with him because he’s right. He and most of the brothers have years of damage control to contend with.
“If you need me, call Mud’s cell. And tell the assholes in the clubhouse to keep it down. I tried calling the landline, and nobody picked up when I know damn fine Manny is working the bar tonight.”
“You got it. Ride steady.”
I hang up and hand the cell phone back to Mud. “Let’s go. I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready for my fucking bed.”
“Easy for you to say, boss. You have Lola to go home to. My girl is still pissed at me for something, so I’m sofa bound.”
“Aw, is the big tough biker man scared of a girl?” Meek jokes.
“Damn fucking straight. This is June we’re talking about. The same woman that tried to chop my dick off with a cleaver the one and only time I touched a club girl.”
“Good point. I’d rather face Prez than June,” Meek mutters before he looks at me. Whatever he sees in my expression makes him swallow. “Or not.”
With a grin, I slam my visor closed before starting up my bike and slowly idling down to the gate. I nod to the prospect who opens it, then pull out with Mud and Meek in pursuit. It isn’t long before Mud overtakes me. Though it galls me a little, I know they’re just protecting their president, so I suck it up.
The ride home is a long one. By the time I pull up outside the back gate, I’m ready to crash. I wait for the prospect to let us in, but when nobody comes forward, I stop the engine and climb off before I stalk over to the gates.
“Where the fuck is everyone?” I growl as Mud walks up to me with his cell phone out.
“Nobody on the back gate, Byte.” He nods at whatever is being said before hanging up. “Byte’s on his way down.”
I kick the gate and walk back to my bike. When Byte walks out with Snoopy, Germ, and Sever, I’m pissed way the fuck off. Once it’s opened, I climb back on my bike and ride past the houses to the clubhouse before getting off and yanking my helmet off.
“So much for going straight home,” I curse as I walk over to Byte. “Who was supposed to be on the gate tonight?”
It’s Sever that answers. “It should have been Redox, but he switched with Pan. Redox’s girlfriend went into early labor. Manny stepped in to watch the front gate with the new kid, Petal.”
“So, who the fuck was working the bar? You know what? It doesn’t matter. Find Manny and the prospects. And the longer it takes, the worse their punishment will be.”
Meek nods and indicates that Mud should follow him.
“I swear to fuck, I’ve been gone for a few hours and everything turns to shit,” I grumble.
“Sorry, Dad, but hey, at least we didn’t burn the clubhouse down,” Byte jokes.
I groan. “Fine, I’m being a little bitch. But despite how pretty you are, I’d rather be home with Lola than dealing with this shit.”
Byte chuckles as he turns and heads inside. “Come on, I’ll grab you a coffee. Don’t say I don’t do shit for you.”
I shake my head and look at Snoopy and Germ.
“Is he serious? I could have Lola wrapped around me and he wants to make me coffee?”
The assholes laugh and head inside. Grumbling, I follow them in.
I’m not surprised to find the room relatively full. We might not party every night like people assume, but bikers are nocturnal by nature. We don’t need a party to gather and shoot the shit.
I head to my office and put my cell phone on charge before stomping back out to the bar. The last place I want to be after today is here, yet here I fucking am. I grumble as I walk to the table in the corner that I tend to favor and sit with my back against the wall, taking in the scene.
A couple of brothers are playing pool, with another couple waiting for them to be done with the table. Repo is laughing at something Ferris is saying a few tables over, while Elmo's getting a lap dance from May. There’s a group of brothers in the back of the room, running a train on a couple of girls, but I have no interest in watching. I can’t say I haven’t had my fair share of sex over the years. You name it, I’ve done it. But much like with anything else, I got bored.
Leaning back, I kick my feet up onto the chair next to mine and cross my ankles. I think back to how things went with Hazzard. Telling him that Driller was responsible for Freya’s disappearance, and why, was a gamble. I knew it could cause bad blood between the clubs, and it would be justified. Driller was one of the few outsiders they trusted, not knowing he was the reason they had trust issues in the first place. Part of me wonders if it would've been smarter to take the information I gave them and use it to find her myself. That way, if it turned out to be a dead end, they‘d be none the wiser. But then I think about Millie and I know I’d want to know. And no matter if I was bringing home a broken girl in my arms or a body in a bag, I’d want revenge on every fucker who had a hand in her kidnapping. Only time will tell how relations end up between our club and theirs.
“There you go.” I snap out of my thoughts when Byte slides a mug of coffee toward me.
I move my feet back to the floor and take a sip of my drink as Byte takes the chair my feet were just on.
I scan the bar and see a club girl behind it, pouring a beer for Sev.
“If I find out Pan bailed to fuck a bunny I’ll?—”
“Fuck.” Byte jumps to his feet, his eyes on the door. I turn to see Mud and Meek carrying Pan.
“Someone grab the first aid kit from my office,” I yell as somebody shuts the music off. I follow Byte to them as they lay Pan down on the floor. His eyes are open and fixed and blood is pooling under his head.
“Shit.” I slide my fingers to his throat, searching for a beat. Finding nothing, I look up at Byte and shake my head. “He’s dead.”
Someone in the crowd cries out at my statement. I get to my feet and turn to Mud. “Where did you find him?”
“In the bushes near the fence line. Missed him the first time we passed him. Only spotted him the second time when the flashlight caught the buckle of his boot.” The anger in Mud’s voice has me trying to rein mine in. They need me level-headed right now. We can’t all go off half-cocked.
“Manny and the new kid?”
“No sign of either, Pres,” Meek answers.
“Manny drove his car in tonight. You notice if it was still there?” Snoopy asks. Meek shakes his head. “I’m on it.” Snoopy heads out as Elmo and Gunther make their way over.
I get to my feet. “Lock this place down. I want them found.”
“Any idea what happened to Pan?” Elmo asks.
I squat down and turn his head. “Blunt force trauma to the head. My guess is with a bat or a crowbar. Does he have any beef with anyone?”
“No, Pan gets on with everyone,” Meek answers.
“Well, someone had an issue with him. Pan’s dead and?—
“The newbie is dead too. Found him in the trunk of Manny’s car. No Manny, though.” Snoopy interrupts.
“Jesus.” Elmo runs his hands through his hair. “What the fuck is going on? None of this makes sense. I know Manny, he can be a dick, He and Driller were friends. I think he felt more betrayed than most when he fucked us all over, but murdering a couple of brothers in cold blood?”
“That’s just it, though,” Mud jumps in. “Manny didn’t see prospects as brothers. He was a fucking snob when it came to that shit. It didn’t matter to him that he was once a prospect too because he thought he was different.”
“Why? A prospect is a fucking prospect. We all get shit duties, and we’ll all prospect for the same length of time except in extreme cases.”
“Manny thinks he’s better because he’s a legacy. His father was a brother, and his grandfather was one of the founding members.”
I shrug. “And? It pisses me off that people don’t want to be tarred with their parent’s failures but then want all the recognition for their accolades. His grandfather and father worked hard for their places here. They earned them. But that doesn’t give Manny a free ride, and it sure as shit shouldn’t have guaranteed him entry. That’s not how the Ravens roll.”
“That’s not how Blade rolled. Khan and he had very different approaches to being president, apparently.” Byte sighs before turning to Mud and Meek.
“Take him to the boom room that used to be the med bay—” My words are cut off as Jessie runs toward me with my med kit in her hands and my cell phone in the other. I bite my tongue from snapping at her. If Pan had been alive, he’d have died in the time it took her to grab the kit.
She flushes as if she knows what I’m thinking. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find it. Here, I brought your phone too because it keeps ringing.”
I take the phone, ignoring the med kit in her outstretched hand—now it’s not needed. I open the phone to check out the missed calls and feel myself still when it rings again, Millie’s name flashing on the screen.
“What the fuck?” I answer without hesitation. “Millie?”
“Someone is in the house. I’m in the tunnels with Evan. Please, you have to hurry,” she sobs.
I take off, running to the back door and shoving my way through the throngs of people. “Where’s Lola?” I yell as I shove the door and jump down the steps, landing on the damp grass.
“She’s still in the house.”