Captivate Me (22 page)

“Met Vipers Creed at a rally in Kentucky. We met, shot the shit, and ended up at the same bar later that night.”

Rhys chuckles, and he would.

“Rhys got himself into some trouble chasin’ tail that wasn’t his to chase. Ended up in a brawl, and the Vipers had our backs. Their territory is Dyersburg, Tennessee, right where Ransom is.” With that, I clear my throat, grab the phone, and dial.

It rings once, and then I hear, “Yeah,” said impatiently in my ear.

“Pops from the Ravage MC. Spook?”

A moment passes. “Yeah, this is.”

“We have a situation there in Dyersburg.”

“And that is …?”

“Ransom,” I reply.

“I’m listening.” That must be his way of telling me to go on.

“Bottom line is, he’s fuckin’ with us, and I need to take him out.”

Spook clicks his tongue. “And, what? You think I’m gonna help you take out some asshole when you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on and what shit you’re bringing up here?”

“Fuck,” I groan. “Alright. Ransom has been planning to take down the Ravage MC for some time. First, he tried to kill my daughter and grandson. Then, he had Angel, my son’s ol’ lady, and Shaina, our former president’s daughter, kidnapped and hurt pretty fuckin’ badly. Then the cops raided the place and shit hit the fan. Not to mention, the planted cop he had here. Now he’s tryin’ to kill us all, and I refuse to let him hurt my family anymore.” I leave out some of the shit, not wanting to tell him my whole fucking life story. The only reason he’s getting this shit is so he’ll help set this in motion.

“At least that’s a better answer than before.” He coughs. “You comin’ in my backyard no matter what I say?”

“Yep, but giving you the respect of telling you what I’m doing.”

“And askin’ for me and my boys help?” he replies.

“Yeah, we need to take them all out at once, wipe the slate clean, and I can’t be here in Sumner and up there in Dyersburg at the same time.”

“What’s the blowback on us?”

“You, nothing. We’re wiping them out completely.”

The room is silent as everyone’s attention is on me except for Buzz and the clicking of his computer.

“Markers?” he asks, now in negotiation mode. “And just so we’re clear here, the only reason I’m even considering helping you is because this shithead is in my territory.”

“Understood. Yes, markers.”

“Two of them,” Spook returns. I’ve gotta admit the kid is good.

“Agreed.”

“What exactly do you need?”

“We have two locations and three men who need to be gone. Need the Vipers to hit up the worker bees at one location while we Ravage take out the other.”

The men in the room look around at each other. Sure, pawning off our shit on another club wasn’t my first choice, but I can only be in one place at a time, and I need to make sure the men are disposed of. Once I find out which place Ransom is at, Ravage will take that spot.

“I’ll talk to the guys. Later.” Spook hangs up.

“Fucker,” I mumble. “Alright. Let’s get the four buildings here ironed out. Spook’ll be callin’ back here soon.”

Boom, boom, boom … It all needs to blow.

Bombs. Yes, S, plural! And they struck when we were sleeping. Sure, they say they didn’t do any damage, but still, what if they did? Moreover, Buzz gave me a gun and told me to put it in the back of my jeans. I have only ever held a gun. I have never shot one.

Angel’s talks about this life are smacking me in the face hard. The realization that, at any moment, Buzz or someone else we care about could get hurt is unnerving. I don’t know if I’m cut out for this. The moment of life and death being on the edge of every thought is exhausting.

“We ride free,”
Buzz said, and I need to hang on to that. He’s been in this life. Angel can hack it. Hell, Princess is practically one of the guys. I can do this. I will do this because the thought of not being with Buzz sends a knife to my heart, shredding me.

“Hey, you okay?” Tanner asks, bringing her mushrooms next to my cheese as we slice. Tanner’s pretty in her own right and young. So much younger than Rhys, who is scary as hell.

“Just processing everything.”
Isn’t that the truth?

“It’s a lot to take in. When I showed up, I was completely overwhelmed at first. One, because I learned Dagger was my father. Two, my mother was beaten to shit. And three, Rhys wouldn’t leave me the hell alone.” A soft smile plays on her lips at the last one. “Anyway, what I’ve learned is, you have to roll with it. The guys will do what they have to in order to keep us safe. And you need to trust your man to do that.”

“I do trust Buzz, more than anyone. My biggest problem is I never learned to really protect myself. I think that, if I did, I would feel differently about the fact that I have a gun in the back of my jeans.”

Tanner turns around, lifting her shirt, and sure as shit, she has a small holster with hers.

“It becomes part of life. Call it your new normal. If you want to learn, we’ll show ya. Princess is kickass at hand to hand, and Angel, Blaze, and I can take you to practice shooting. It isn’t going to happen overnight, but it’ll help.”

“I’d like that.” A small bit of pressure lifts from my shoulders. I’m happy that I’ll learn.

“Holy shit!” I yell when I didn’t mean to, but the headphones on my ears make it so I can’t hear the volume.

“Has a kickback,” Blaze says, and it’s completely muffled.

I rip my headphones off, and she repeats herself.

“Sure does. Damn, my arms are still vibrating.”

Blaze laughs. “Yeah, it’ll take a bit to get used to it, but you’ll get it.”

The weight of the gun feels heavy in my hand, and the power just oozes from it. I respect it more than I fear it now, and that is the main goal of me learning this. I won’t feel afraid if I need to pull it out.

For two days, Buzz has been extremely busy. I lie in bed at night, trying to stay awake for when he comes to bed, but I’m usually out like a light. All the prep for meals and keeping the place cleaned up takes a village of people, and I’m thankful for each and every one of them. Working has also kept my mind off not seeing Buzz, only feeling him for a brief time in the night. I got my grades and passed all my classes, so at least that’s off my plate.

I was lucky this morning and woke up with him next to me, but he couldn’t stay long. With a small kiss on my lips, he was gone. I don’t like that I can’t see him, but I’m also not going to whine and bitch about it, either. I know he’s doing what he has to do. And I hope that whatever this is will be done and over with soon.

Lying in bed, I inhale Buzz’s pillow, savoring his scent. Buzz is so different than any other man I’ve been with. Never once did I want to smell a pillow just to get a man’s scent. Never once did I yearn for a man. Never once have I felt so empty without a man nearby. I guess this is what love feels like. The strings of someone attached to another that bend and stretch until they see each other again so they can relax.

I hug the pillow, wishing it were my man. It still seems strange to say that, but I like it. I like that I can count on someone, depend on them, and they can do the same for me.

My eyes drift shut as calmness hits me, and I’m teetering between awake and asleep when I hear the door quietly open. They shoot open as Buzz comes into the room, his eyes coming directly to me.

“Hey,” I greet, sitting up in the bed and pulling the sheet around me.

“Hey, baby.” He sounds so damn tired.

I reach over and turn on the bedside light. In this light, he looks as bad as he sounds.

He strips his cut off and places it on the dresser. Then he removes his shirt. My body thrums at the sight, but I will it to slow down. Buzz is way too tired.

He sits on the edge of the bed, pulls off his boots and clothes, and then climbs into bed. I look at the clock to see it’s one thirty-seven in the morning. He woke and left at seven.

He pulls me in close after I reach over and turn off the light. His warmth surrounds me, filling up those holes I have been feeling lately.

“Gotta leave early in the mornin’ and won’t be back for a few days. Can’t fuck you now, but I’m wakin’ you up early, so be ready.”

A thrill hits then immediately fizzes out. He’ll be gone. Gone. Like, not even here.

I want to ask where he’s going and what he’s doing, but I refrain, knowing I won’t get anything from him. It’s for the best.

“Just be safe,” I tell him, snuggling my ass into his hips and falling fast asleep, wrapped up in my man.

Surprisingly, I wake up pretty energized for as much sleep as I have gotten over the past few days. Crazy and insane are not words strong enough to explain what we are going to do tomorrow. On the bright side, this shit should be over in the next few days. Finally.

Bella sleeps soundly on my shoulder, her chest thumping against mine with each rise and fall. I reach down and kiss the top of her head, thinking about the next couple of days.

Two days ago, we gathered the equipment to take out the four buildings here in Sumner. Some of the guys from the Clayton chapter will set everything up and blow the buildings while we’re in Tennessee.