Tate backed away for a moment then found himself looking through the open doorway. It was the first time in six very long years he could leave this place.
“How the fuck did you end up here?” Bullet demanded to know. Looking around the hovel, Tate had called home for so long, he turned his nose up in disgust.
Tate shrugged. “For a long time I didn’t know where here was. Hell, I didn’t know my own name after I woke up. I was in so much pain I couldn’t think straight.”
Bullet nodded. “When Bandit came back that day he announced you were dead. He said he buried your body in the desert. He said he found your wrecked bike along the road and that you died in his arms. He said you named him as new President before you died. He did bring back your cut, man, it was shredded and bloody.”
Tate scoffed. “There was no accident. That bastard along with Snake and a couple of other guys met me on the road. It was almost dark and they flagged me down. Bandit asked me again if I was going to let him set up a drug route north and when I said no for the fiftieth time, he just lost it. Called me all kinds of a fool. He told me he could bring in so much more money into the club, then he sprouted off about how he would be a better President than I could ever be and all that shit. I have to admit I lost it. I told him I was very close to proving he set up Creed for murder and how we didn’t want that sort of biker in our club. He turned on me and that’s when the beating began. Four men against one. They damn near beat me to death. I woke up I think three days later in so much pain I thought I would die. But what scared me the most was I didn’t know my own fucking name.” He looked around the small cavern. “For the longest time, I didn’t know where I was or who I was. I got a visit once a week, two guys brought me food and water. One would dress my wounds but he never talked to me, would never answer my questions. The other one would watch but he never said too much either I was going insane but I never knew why. Then when they came to see me, they got to talking and I listened to what they were saying. Then I understood what their cuts represented. The muddle of my mind was finally clearing.” Shrugging his shoulders he told the other man, “I didn’t know who the Sinner’s were but I knew they were a club.”
“When was that?” Bullet asked.
“About four years ago. I listened and learned from what they were saying and then one day, one of them mentioned Bandit, and it was if my fog was gone. I knew exactly who and what they were. I let them believe I didn’t remember anything but I worked out every day and got my strength back.” He looked at his friend again. “My family? Did he hurt them too?”
Bullet shook his head as a look came into his eyes. A look that promised revenge would be his. “He ambushed your dad on the road between Killeen and Temple and beat the shit out of him then left him there to die. Kimber found him and took him home to recover. He ran Daniel, Harry and Jack out of town and they scattered. Bandit hasn’t been able to find them, so they’re safe for now.” Bullet kicked the floor but couldn’t look at the other man for a moment.
“What aren’t you saying?” Tate demanded.
Bullet raised his head and stared at his friend. “About two years ago, Snake ran into Kimber in town. She grew up and he liked what he saw. He told her he was coming for her, to bring her back to the club. She told him she wanted nothing to do with the Sinners but Snake just laughed at her. He told her she would come back to the club but as nothing more than a club whore and when he got done breaking her in, he would share her with every single brother there.”
Tate could feel the rage inside him growing to another dimension. “The fuck he did.”
“When he went out to your dad’s ranch to pick her up, she wasn’t there. Or at least that’s what Silas told them. He had a shotgun in his hand so they didn’t bother him much but Snake set his barn on fire and wouldn’t let him get too close until it was too late to save his animals. Bear called us in to watch over the ranch. Then Silas and Kimber went under cover. Snake is still looking for her, determined to bring her back to the club.” Bullet stood tall and looked the other man in the eyes. “Creed got out of prison a few days ago. Bandit, Snake and a couple others were there when he walked out. Bandit demanded his colors and he threw them down on the ground. When Snake picked them up, you could see the entire vest had been shred. Bandit couldn’t do anything else other than warn him to stay away from Killeen.”
“Those fucking bastards.” Tate growled deep in his chest. He glared at Bullet and asked, “Where is Creed now?”
Bullet shrugged. “That’s just it. We don’t know. Silas and Kimber showed up right after Bandit and his posse left and they took off.”
“And you have no idea where they would go?” Tate frowned.
Bullet smiled slightly. “Oh, I have an idea. Silas would go to reunite Creed and his brothers. Bear has been the go between Silas and the rest of us. When Bandit took over the Sinners about fourteen of us didn’t like how things went down, so we left. We left the club but we didn’t leave the area. We’ve been watching what Bandit and Snake have been up to. And it ain’t good. He established a drug route and a delivery route for guns and other illegal shit. He’s been making money hand over shit but he’s also bringing heat down on the club. He’s pissing off the wrong sort of people.”
“Where are my boys?” Tate wanted to know.
“Jack is over in Beaumont. He’s got himself a woman and a kid. Harry is up in Tyler.” Bullet smiled. “He’s got a woman and a dog. Then there’s Daniel…” Bullet shook his head.
“What does that mean, then there’s Daniel?” Tate cocked his head to one side.
“Boss, that boy,” Bullet shook his head.
“What about Daniel?” Tate grabbed Bullet and pushed him into the wall. He hoisted the other man up on his tiptoes and wouldn’t let him go.
“He’s up in Wichita Falls working in an underground fight club! Now let me down, man!”
Tate lowered him back down to the floor. “Tell me.”
“Well, where he’s at is a dangerous place because the Russian Bratva own and operate the place. That could be dangerous on its own, but word is Bandit has been stiffing them over the gun runs he makes.” Bullet shrugged. “We’ve been watching out for him and his brothers but there’s only so much we can do. Daniel knows what he’s doing but he doesn’t know Bandit has been dealing with his bosses for the last three years. Rumor is the Bratva is not happy with Bandit and we don’t know what they plan to do about it.”
Tate curled his lip. “Don’t you worry about Daniel. He knows how to protect himself. They all do. Now that Creed is a free man, he’ll get them back together and come looking for payback.”
Bullet reached up and began scratching his ear. “Yeah, about that…”
“What?” Tate glared.
“Bandit’s been increasing his numbers in the club. He’s taking on anyone that can fight. The new men are mostly mercenaries. He knew when Creed got out, there would be a showdown and he wanted to make sure he would win against the Young family.”
Tate looked over at the other man. “If you left the club six years ago, how do you know all this inside information?”
Bullet looked him in the eyes and stated, “We all didn’t leave. Two stayed behind to keep an eye on Bandit. Reno and Kid stayed behind and have been keeping us informed of the activities.”
“Bandit and Snake will slit their throats if he finds them out. You know that right?”
Bullet nodded. “They know that. Hell, we all do but they wanted to do this in your memory.”
Tate rolled his eyes. “I ain’t dead yet, son.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t know that until now.”
“So first things first, we need to get in touch with my boys. Let them know I’m still alive and ready to fight for the MC.” Tate’s hands curled into fists. “I’m taking back what that bastard took away from me.”
Bullet shook his head. “I can’t believe he kept you a prisoner for six fucking years. That’s stone cold, man.”
“I heard his men talking when they thought I didn’t know anything. He was keeping me alive to use me against Creed if he came looking for a battle. If he won the battle he was going to execute the whole fucking family in front of the club to make a statement.”
“Then it was a good thing I’ve been following him huh?” Bullet quipped with a smile.
Tate grinned and held out his hand. “He doesn’t know it yet but I’ve still got some cards up my sleeve. That old clubhouse has many secrets if you know what they are.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Bullet frowned.
“It means when my dad and I built the clubhouse we put in some secret tunnels and hidden rooms. We also put in a tunnel in case shit went down and we had to get out of there in a hurry. The thing is no one else knows about them and I don’t think Bandit took the time to look for them either. He’s been too busy setting up his fucking betrayal.”
“Lets get the hell out of here and figure this out.” Bullet walked to the front door and looked outside. He wasn’t ready to get ambushed right now. He and Tate had to get out of here. When the coast was clear he led Tate to where his bike was hidden and they got out of there.
Tate breathed in the fresh air. It all seemed surreal after being locked in that cave for all these years. A breath of freedom and a taste for vengeance was all he knew in this moment.
~*~
Creed opened the bedroom door and at first, he thought the room was empty. Then he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw her sitting in the corner of the room. Her knees were drawn up and she rested her chin on them. He walked over to her and squatted down in front of her. “Are you okay sweetness?” he asked her quietly.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “The last few days have been a ride I never thought I’d be on, that’s for sure.” She looked up at him and asked, “What am I supposed to do now?”
“Trust us to keep you safe,” he told her simply.
She shook her head. “That’s harder than you know. All my life the only person who ever wanted me was my mom.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “We moved away and she had nothing to do with her mom for four years. I think she found out Cobra was close to finding her and her mom was the only person she trusted to take care of me.” She wiped the tears away. “Her mother promised her to keep me safe until she could get back. She promised!” She hung her head. “I’m glad now that my mom never came back. I think it would have killed her to find out what her own mother did to the both of us. I still would have ended up in the system.” She shook her head then turned to stare at the door. “He took away the only person who loved me and now he thinks he can come back into my life and fix things. What a joke.”
“Honey, he didn’t know your mom was telling the truth about you.” Creed tried to smooth things over.
She turned to stare at him. “What I remember of my mom was the fact that she was a sweet woman. She never lied and she never would take anything that didn’t belong to her. I remember her smile and the look in her eyes when she would watch over me. Do you know why I remember those things?”
Creed shook his head.
“It was all I had left of her. No one else ever gave a damn about me, not my grandmother, not the families I lived with, not my father who I never knew until today. He said he didn’t believe my mom when she told him about me. I grew up and made my own way in life. Some of the choices I made may not have been ones but I made them anyway. Now my life is pretty much over because of a lie someone told about me.” She paused and shuddered. “You know something? I really don’t want to die. There’s so much out there to live for.” She caught her lower lip with her teeth. “I think I met you for a reason. I’m not sure what that reason was but I think fate threw us together for something.” She hung her head again. “I’m so tired of fighting against the odds. Maybe you are here to save me, I don’t know.”
Creed slid to the floor beside her and pulled her into his arms. She leaned against his chest and they sat there is silence for a while. Then Lola turned her head to his. Creed looked down at her and saw something in her eyes that made his heart beat a little faster.
She sat up and twisted her body around so she straddled his hips. Licking her lips, she leaned toward him and brushed his lips with her own. Her touch was so gentle he almost didn’t feel it the first time. Then she did it again, this time pressing his lips a bit harder.
Creed’s hands came up to either side of her head and he groaned as he crushed her lips to his. She gasped and he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth. One of his hands slipped down to her hip and the other one slipped behind her head.
His hand at her hips held her in place as he grounded her core against his growing cock. Only their clothes prevented his taking her right here and there.
Lola broke the kiss breathing heavy. Her lips were red and swollen and her eyes were glazed when she met his. “I want you. I need to feel heaven one more time. Can you give me that?”
“Little girl, I can give you whatever you want. I’ll give you heaven every time we come together. For the rest of our lives.” He promised her as his hands slipped down inside her pants toward her core.
“Shhh…” She put her finger over his lips. “Don’t speak right now, just give me something to remember. Give me a piece of heaven in your arms.”
Creed growled and began tearing at her clothes. Soon she was naked in his arms and she reached for his clothes. She got his t shirt off but when she reached for his pants Creed shook his head. He unbuckled his own belt and pulled his pant and boxers down to his thighs before he brought her back to him. He crushed her lips as he impaled her with his cock.
Lola hissed at his invasion but she ground herself against his pelvis, sending him deeper inside her than before. Creed groaned as he lifted and slammed her down. He couldn’t get enough of being inside her. His fingers tightened on her hips and his lips slipped down to her neck as he nibbled and sucked on her skin. Her scent hit him hard, her taste overwhelmed his own senses and his control was gone as he just kept thrusting into her. They both forgot where they were as they sought out the pleasure of their union.
When Lola felt her body explode, she screamed out her pleasure but Creed covered her mouth with his own, swallowing her cries of intense ecstasy. Her pleasure triggered his own and as he shot off inside her so hard, he almost lost consciousness.
When his head cleared, he found she had collapsed in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He made up his mind that he would keep this small woman for the rest of his natural life. He’d decided that already but this just confirmed his decision. He’d be damned if he would risk losing her now.
She snuggled in closer and sighed hard as she listened to his heart pounding in his chest. “Your heart is pounding so hard.”
“My heart is beating for you,” he whispered. “You belong to me, no matter what garbage you said before, you do belong to me. I’m not letting you go.”
She looked up at him and stared for a long time before she whispered, “Do you promise?”
“Yeah baby, I promise,” he murmured back.
She slowly closed her eyes. “I’m going to hold you to that. You’re the first person who ever wanted to keep me. I think I’ll keep you too.” Her eyes snapped open and she glared at him. “I know you’re a biker and all of that but I don’t share. What’s mine is mine. I will not share you with another woman. If you do that to me, I’m gone.”
Creed chuckled. “Honey, you do things to me I’ve never known before. Why in hell would I risk losing you for any other woman?”
“Just saying…” She laid her head back on his chest for a moment before she asked softly, “I suppose I need to go back out there don’t I?”
“Yeah baby, I think you do. Cobra wants to see you, talk to you. I don’t think he’s leaving anytime soon.”
“You think he’s really my dad don’t you?”
“Yeah baby and what’s more he thinks he’s your dad.”
“I still don’t like him,” she stubbornly admitted. “I don’t like what he did to my mom and I don’t like that he didn’t believe her when she told him about me.”
Baby,” Creed told her closing his eyes against the pain in her words.
She sat up and looked at him. She placed her fingers over his mouth. “Shhh, don’t say anything instead just listen for a moment. The way I grew up I saw a lot of things not every kids sees. I saw some good relationships and I saw some really bad relationships. From the time I was old enough to know my own mind, I knew what I wanted. My mom, she loved that man out there at some point. She believed in him and everything he stood for. That meant something to me. She wanted to stay and fight for him but after what Westerly did, she knew she couldn’t. She knew he would never believe her and that alone about killed her. I always told myself that when I found my man, he would be the type that would love me, he would take care of me, protect me and most of all believe in me. He would know in his heart I would never betray him, never do anything to hurt him and I would never lie to him or put him in danger.” She hung her head and her tears dripped down to his chest. “I know we haven’t fallen in love and probably never will but I plan to keep my end of the bargain, I just hope you can keep your end.”
Creed gathered her in his arms and held her for a moment. His heart was sore for her. He would protect her and he would stand beside her in every situation, but she was right about one thing, he didn’t love her like she wanted. He didn’t know if he could ever love her or anyone else like that, but for now he wanted her and for him that was good enough.
She slipped off his lap and got dressed. He watched her with narrow eyes and when she was ready, he got to his feet and pulled his own clothes on.
Together, they joined the others.
Cobra wasn’t the only one to study her face when they came out. Silas was staring at her too. They both saw the wet lashes and pale color on her cheeks.
Creed sat down on a chair and hauled her into his lap.
She didn’t object but she didn’t settle either. She wouldn’t look at Cobra, instead she looked over at Annie. “Did you see the video?”
Annie nodded. “We all saw it.”
“Did you send it to Hector?”
“I sent it to Hector, Lonnie and Hector’s father,” Annie told her quietly. “I don’t think it will be very long before that situation explodes in their faces. I don’t know what kind of man Lonnie is but I think that might just piss him the hell off.”
“At least I didn’t lie.” Lola looked over at her dad.
Cobra glared right back at her.
Bear came into the kitchen and announced, “I just got a text from Bullet. He’s gathering the others and said he’ll met us tomorrow around noon on the other side of Fort Worth in a little town called Bowie. He claims its almost to Wichita Falls but that he wants us to go in all together. Said he would be at the Black Angus motel. It’s off the highway and he’ll see us coming.”
Silas nodded. “That’s doable. Tell him we’ll be there.”
“That’ll give us time to get packed up,” Harry stated as he looked over at Annie.
Annie nodded.
Lola slowly turned her head to look at Creed. She didn’t say anything, instead she laid her head on his chest with her ear pressed to a place where she could hear his heart pounding. That sound to her was safety. That sound calmed her fears.
~*~
Cobra watched her for a moment then cursed the day he thought Nora betrayed him. He should have known better than to believe the lies Wyatt Westerly told the club. He should have believed his woman over that piece of trash. But the pain of losing his brother King had been too raw.
Westerly would pay the full measure of his betrayal, he would make sure of that. That man would die a traitor’s death even behind the cement walls of his prison. He would pay. But before he could make that happen, he had another debt to make sure got paid. There was a certain old lady that put his daughter in danger. She’d risked Lolannie’s life several times and for what? Fucking nothing.
He got up from his chair and walked into the other room dragging Jett with him. Walking outside, he pulled the other man off to one side. “I need you to do something for me.”
Jett nodded but didn’t say anything.
“I need you to go back to Linnet’s house and send her a message from me.”
Jett grinned. “Gladly boss.”
“I want you to find a room with no windows, then I want her tied up and gagged so she can’t call out to any neighbors. I don’t want her roughed up or anything. I just want her put in that room with no means of escape. Make sure you turn off the lights before you leave and make sure you lock the door from the outside. I want her to spend her last days going insane. I want her to know the pain and the loneliness she made Lolannie go through. She won’t have to suffer for twenty years but she’ll suffer all the same. That will be my revenge. I won’t kill her but she’ll know all the same before she dies.”
“I can do that,” Jett vowed. “That’s more humane then what we did to Nora. God, how could we all be so wrong about her?”
Cobra shook his head. “We were all in pain from King’s death and the betrayal Westerly was responsible for. Don’t worry, he’ll get his too. But that old lady deserves something. Then I need you to find that grave where Nora hid the money. Gavin Stone. I need to find that grave and retrieve what’s left of the money.”
“We gonna do this then?” Jett asked. “Help another club we don’t have ties with to regain what they lost?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna do this.” Cobra nodded. “My daughter has ties to this club and I’m gonna see her safe.” Shaking his head he noted, “I haven’t been there her whole life and that’s on me, but now I have the chance to know her and I want that. If I have to put up with the rest of them then that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m not walking away without her again.”
“I don’t blame you boss, she’s a spitfire woman, despite her upbringing. She’ll survive this just fine.”
Cobra snapped his head and glared at the other man. “She’s my daughter and off limits to the club, remember that.”
“Of course boss.” Jett nodded. “I’ll just go and take care of that business we talked about.”
“We’re going to Bowie tomorrow.” Cobra groaned. “I hope these guys got some kind of a plan.”
Jett stared at his prez. “These guys ain’t no dummies boss. They know what’s at stake here. They are definitely playing to win.”
“I know that, but this Bandit bastard is also playing to win and he has to cheat, steal and lie to do it. Men like that have no honor and that makes him a dangerous man. He figures he’s got nothing left to lose.”
“Then let’s hope the stars align in the right way and give these guys a helping hand. You don’t want to mess with karma, she’s a hateful bitch for sure.”
“That’s the plan.” Cobra nodded. “We’re just giving the fickle bitch a helping hand, that’s all.”
“Ok, I’ll go set your plan in motion. That, my friend will be my pleasure.” Jett left to carry out his orders.
Cobra looked out through the front door.
Jett threw his leg over his machine and glanced back to Cobra. “By the way old man… happy freaking birthday to you.”
Cobra smiled widely then flipped him the bird.
Jett threw his head back and laughed out loud. Then whatever he said was lost as he revved his engine and took off.
Cobra stared at his leaving for a moment then reached inside his cut. There in a small pocket he lifted out the necklace that had been there for twenty years. He looked at the charm and remembered the matching one Nora always wore around her neck.
When he’d last seen her, she told him she’d left it for their daughter, as something to remember her by. Cobra wondered if she’d given the matching necklace to Lolannie. If she did, then Lolannie would know what this one represented. He could only hope she did.
Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked to the front door. It was time to face her again. And he would keep doing that until he had her in his life, like it should’ve been for all these years.
