Forever - Book 3 (Star Crossed MC Lovers) (11 page)

Chapter 16

Selene

I tried to scream as Elec shoved me into the trunk of his car, but the metallic masking tape prevented me from forming any comprehensible words. A minute after my father had lost his shit in the middle of the road, the sound of motorcycles filled up the night. The Stone Wolves were headed our way, and with them had to be my man. I’d tried like hell to get free from Elec, but all that earned me was painfully tight tape around my hands and my mouth.

A muffled scream ripped from my throat. It only served to piss off my cousin further, but I couldn’t help it. Being thrown in a damn trunk was terrifying. I had never been a victim, but tonight it looked like I’d be playing the part more than once.

“Shut up!” Elec screamed as he slapped me clear across the face. The men in my family had little to no class. I’d never really witnessed them hitting a woman that they cared about, but it seemed to be the go-to punishment when they were upset. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times my mother had endured my father hitting her. The thought crushed me.

Tears streamed from my eyes as I glared up at my cousin. Elec. I’d had always loved him more than any of the others. I knew he was crazy, and troubled, but despite all of that, he was family and a bit of an outcast. His father had been so bad to him that it was a wonder that the man could even walk or speak, but he did both with efficiency.

Having been nothing but kind to him, his brutal treatment toward me tore my heart in two. I expected most of the others to be assholes, but Elec had helped raise me. He was mean most days of the week, but protective, often acting like a second father figure to me.

“Stop looking at me like that.” He brushed his fingers down the side of my cheek. “You’re making me feel like shit. You know I love you, Sel. You’re like a fucking sister to me, but this club is everything. These guys are my brothers. And you betrayed us. You fucking gave yourself up to a Stone Wolf. And you were caught wearing a wire. Why? You were raised better than that. I know you were. I was there helping do it.” He shook his head and let out a long breath as he pushed at my chest, forcing me back down..

A rumble from outside the garage quickened my heart, but seemed to only put Elec further on edge. Whatever kindness I’d seen in his face a few minutes before was all but gone. A darkness took its place and a dull emotionless expression moved across his face. One that I recognized all too well. As I stared up at my cousin, fear ripped through me.

The only thing I could do was watch him go through with closing me in the back of the car. Weariness rolled over me, and I laid back and cried out again.

Smacking his teeth together as he spoke, Elec spoke softly, “It’s nothing personal, Sel… It’s business. You’re a pawn in a dangerous game. We told you to stay out of it. Don’t play with the fire, because you will get burned. We tried to protect you. You chose a dangerous man. You brought this all on yourself, Selene. You should be ashamed. We’ve known… We’ve known for a long time, Selene, about you and Lucky. You’re a pawn, Selene… We needed you to get to him.”

There was no remorse in Elec’s gaze. There was no kindness in that moment. In the dark of the garage, Elec bent down. He lowered himself closer to my ear and whispered roughly, “And trust me Sel… we’re gonna get him.”

I shook as Elec’s breath grazed my neck. The thought that my family would take Lucky away from me for good was absolutely horrifying, and yet I knew it was going to happen some way, somehow. Things as great as me and Lucky didn’t last. My life had proven that time and time again. I needed to warn him, to tell him to just leave me be and not fall into the trap they were setting. He’d never listen, but I needed to try. I’d forced him out of my life just after we first met, and for one miserable year it had worked, but just as lovers are supposed to do, we came back together, stronger and more passionate than ever.

“Hey… don’t bother screaming. Ain’t nobody going to hear you back there anyway.” He smirked coolly at me, his lips curling up in a taunting manner.

I wanted to smack the smug look clear off of his face as rage burst through the center of me, inciting energy that I didn’t think I had. I began to twist and turn, only to get a strong push to the chest once more. Elec placed his hand on the door, and in one swift movement, slammed it shut with a bang.

Before I could get out another scream, my whole world went dark.

Chapter 17

Lucky

“What the fuck do you mean she’s in the back of Elec’s car?” I pushed at my friend’s chest as I started to lose my grip on reality. I was done sitting around. “I’m out of here, Dane. I have to find her.”

              I was murderous. I could taste the blood of the Black Hearts on my tongue, and I hadn’t even drawn my weapon yet. I opened the door to the van to find six DEA agents and four ATF officers. They were arguing among themselves as I crawled out and crossed my arms over my chest.

“What cars have left this place?” I yelled above the roar of their conversation.

“Just Mateo’s. We think Elec has Selene, but his car’s still here.” An older blond woman answered quickly. The authority in her voice left me feeling a tad bit better about the fact that Selene was still within reach.

I had no clue what shape I would find her in, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting her to safety. I would figure out the rest when I knew what the fuck I was truly facing.

“I’m going to get her.” I pulled my pistol from the back of my jeans and moved toward the house, only to be pulled back.

“No. We need to stick to the plan. She’s still here, and you barging in there is just going to mess up everything we’ve been working so hard for, Luck.” Dane tugged on my arm for good measure, but I pulled from his grasp.

“Alright. I’m listening. What’s the plan now?”

Silence took over as they all stared at me with wide eyes.

“What are you all looking at me for? Don’t you have a plan?!” I barked as irritation pumped through me. We should be in the damn garage getting my woman free, but instead we were all standing in a circle as if waiting for brilliance to strike.

“Well…” Dane said reluctantly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t continue his statement when I gave him a nasty glare.

“Yeah? I’m waiting…” I said impatiently.

“Our plan involves you pretty heavily…” Dane responded, casting me a nervous look just before his eyes averted toward the ground. “Our plan relies on your full cooperation.”

“Does Selene know anything about this plan?” I asked.

“It was a Plan X, so to speak. If everything went to shit… This was our plan. But no, she doesn’t know about it, and obviously you don’t, either. We really didn’t think it would come to this.” Dane glanced around, and I couldn’t help but almost feel sorry for him. These other agents, who were much more seasoned than him, were letting him take the lead.

I was ready to slash my way through a horde of bodies to get my woman back, and yet, they were right about one thing. Selene was safe for the minute. Terrified most likely, but safe. Still, I was done with the bullshit.

“Spill the shit now, Dane. My life is in that car right now.” I growled for good measure.

Every second they wasted was a moment they could be fighting to get her back. Where I understood the need to rally, these people acted like they needed a fucking platform to speak from to actually choke out what the plan was.

“We had taken into consideration the fact that her family might turn on her eventually…” Rhonda Lacey (or so her badge on her jacket labeled her), one of the ATF officers, finally spoke up. “We just didn’t think it would be this soon. It definitely throws a wrench into our operation here, but I am certain we have enough to bring federal charges on at least forty-seven members of the MC.”

“So this is your last ditch attempt,” I said in a lethal tone of voice.

“Not quite. We still have some tricks we can pull. But this plan will work. I know it,” Rhonda insisted.

“Let’s hear it then.” I said. I waited with baited breath. I couldn’t even imagine what ridiculous scenario the Feds were about to put me in, in order to save my lady love, but one thing was for sure. I’d do anything for Selene, and they all knew it. I’d do anything, including killing her father.

I had a sick feeling that I was going to be rushing in wherever it was that the Black Hearts escaped to, guns blazing, taking out as many of them as possible. As long as the boys in blue were behind me, I was good. Killing in front of the authorities only to end up behind bars for the rest of my life wasn’t going to happen-- unless it saved Selene’s life. Then, anything was game.

Rhonda continued to take the lead. “We think they’re going to take her to Saint Monica’s Catholic Church on the outskirts of town.”

“St. Monica’s? Why?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. What an unlikely place for Raphael to haunt. He wasn’t at all a religious man. Hell, we’d all made jokes that the bastard had sold his soul to the devil years ago. I might not have to kill him. God might strike him down dead for darkening the pretty white steps of the old church.

“Sacred ground. We’ve been doing surveillance at the church and the Delgados are present on the site every day. A nun at the parish reported that they saw Raphael Delgado lift a tile in the floor, and inside there was a locked bank box,” Another DEA officer, Joseph Dooney, stated.

“Oh, really?” I asked. “What’s in the box?”

“We think it’s where Delgado keeps his stash,” Rhonda admitted.

“It’s why our previous raids on the club house have never been successful. That club house is as clean as a baby’s ass,” Dooney said as he lit up a cigarette. Bringing the Marlboro Light to his mouth, he set the tip ablaze and watched me a little too closely.

“Cunning snake,” I said as I shook my head. “He’s keeping cocaine, meth, heroine and pot in a locked box, in the floor of a church…”

“The very church where he was baptized. Where his mother was married. Where his grandmother was married.” Dooney shrugged. “He’s incorrigible.”

“That man has no fucking soul,” I responded bluntly. “There is nothing sacred to him.”

“Well, no shit,” Rhonda said. “He’s using his own daughter as a pawn in his sick game. We put nothing past him. The only hide he will save in the end is his own.”

“What do you plan to do about his minions? The trolls that terrorize this town? They aren’t exactly a bunch of boy scouts. I should know, I’ve spent my life protecting Selene from them. And I’ve got the scars to prove it.” I glanced behind me, worried about who might be in the house if I decided to play hero and just attack.

“Well…” Jack Thompson said, Chief detective for the Pennsylvania State Police. “You’re gonna wear one of these…” Jack said as he held up a bullet proof vest.

“You will also be well-armed,” Rhonda said. “I think a pair of these should do the trick.”

Rhonda whipped out a pair of Glocks from a silver case that sat on the control desk.  “Here, try these on for size.”

Rhonda passed the guns to me and I raised my eyebrow at her. I was beyond impressed. “Now this is some serious artillery… Got ammo?”

Jack held up some magazines. “We’ve got two dozen mags for you. There’s a fresh one in each. That should get you through.”

“Hmmm… I don’t know,” I said with a shit eating grin on my face. “How many rounds does each mag hold?”

“Fifteen or sixteen usually…”

“So if my math is correct, and we go on the low side of your calculations, that’s three hundred and sixty bullets…”

“Plus the thirty already loaded,” Rhonda reminded him.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I said and slid the guns into my leg holsters. I slipped my own Glock back to rest against the small of my back and rolled my shoulders. I hated the reasons behind all we were about to do, but I sure loved a good gun fight more than I should.

“These are unmarked, unregistered guns. They are service pistols and belong to the Drug Enforcement Agency. If you get caught, you didn’t get them from us,” Joe said sternly.

“So what’s the plan other than the beautiful artillery?” I asked, anxious to get this mission started with.

“We know that Elec has Selene in the trunk of his car. He is still on the premises. We wait for him to leave. You trail him,” Rhonda ordered in a stern tone of voice.

“Betcha a grand he leads you right to Saint Monica’s Church…” Joe said.

“Don’t expect Selene to stay in that trunk. You know she knows her way around a car,” Rhonda went on to say.

“I hope you’re right…” I said anxiously.

“I am. We’ll have back up for you once you get to the church.”

“You’re pretty sure about this church thing…” I said as I tried to think through why the hell Raphael would think that using the beautiful old church was a good idea.

“Yeah. We are,” Rhonda said firmly. “Now off you go,” Rhonda said as she extended a hand. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“Thanks for the Glocks… and the vote of confidence,” I responded with a smirk, and firmly shook the officer’s hand.

“Bring her home safe, man,” Dane said as he slapped hands with me and pulled me into a tight hug. “And be safe yourself, please.”

“You know I will,” I replied.

With a final glance back, I turned on my heel, and moved around from the back of the surveillance van, ready to handle the business at hand.

***

Darkness had settled over Pleasant Valley as night  officially set in. I sat on my hog in the shadow of the Black Hearts Motorcycle Club, waiting with baited breath. It took almost thirty excruciating minutes, but finally, Elec Delgado’s car ripped from the driveway.

He stopped in the middle of the road in front of me and revved his engine.

“What the fuck are you doing, douche bag?” I mumbled under my breath as I watched the crazy bastard closely.

He was taunting me. Baiting me out of the darkness. And lucky for him, his game worked.

I pushed my bike out into the street and tilted my head to the side as I lifted my Glock and pointed it right at his ugly mug.

As I did, Elec smiled and slammed his feet on the gas pedal as his engine made a guttural sound. I got off two shots toward the car. Only one of them hit as Elec zoomed down the road. The glass in the back window exploded, but it wasn’t enough to stop the car.

I watched as the right taillight popped out of the car, my hungry eyes full of anticipation. From what I could tell, a dark high-heeled boot was kicking furiously at the tail light from inside  the trunk. A smile touched my mouth, and I tucked my gun away and took off after them.

“Selene…”

To hear that they had taken Selene and locked her in the trunk of a car was one thing. It was a whole different matter to actually see her trying to escape. My stomach hardened as the truth of the situation kicked in.

As the car sped down the road ahead of me, I pressed the gas harder, screaming as loud as I could, “Mother fucker! Hold on, baby! Hold on Selene, I’m coming. Delgado, count your minutes, they’ll be your fucking last!” No one could hear me, but it didn’t matter. I was a madman--on a mission to get my woman back.

The remaining tail light of Elec’s car grew smaller as the car sped away, far down the mountain road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. I was pushing the bike as hard as I could and it wasn’t enough. I’d catch up to him eventually, but I hated the fact that I hadn’t just gone into the garage and pried the fucking trunk open when I had the chance.

I sure as hell opened the Feds knew what they were doing. They didn’t seem too sure of themselves. I let my thoughts go and bent down a little, pressing my chest closer to the base of the bike. Needing to keep my head in the game, I focused on my hatred of the Black Hearts.

It was one thing to assault the safety of the town. It was another completely to cause harm to Selene. Without a doubt I would make Raphael Delgado’s daughter my bride. She would be the mother of my children, and I would do all this whether the MC liked it or not.

Selene was a woman who had made her choices. The Delgados could no longer play God with the lives of the Pleasant Valley residents. If Selene was hurt, I would break every bone in Elec Delgado’s body. If she were killed, I would bring down all of them. I would make the Black Hearts Motorcycle club nothing more than a distant memory. In that moment, I would be the one that put all one hundred members of the Black Hearts Motorcycle Club on the endangered species list.

My knuckles turned white as I jumped on the accelerator again, causing my vintage Harley to purr as I ripped down the road after Elec’s car. I could still see Elec’s left tail light in the distance, but I had to make it through the melee that was occurring in the middle of Poinsettia road.

Biker against biker.

Cousin against cousin.

Friend against friend.

When you join an MC, all allegiances take second place to the patch. You uphold the honor and the interests of the club to which you belong . It didn’t matter who you loved. It didn’t matter what your status was in life. You did the club’s bidding or you found yourself with a one way ticket to hell.

Slowly, I approached the madness that was playing out before me. Elec had slowed down just a little too, but not enough. The bastard definitely got the jump on me. I eyed the bikers with a cautious look on my face as I passed. Some were brothers in arms, others were mortal enemies… All had lost their ever loving minds. My heart raced as I turned my attention back to Elec’s car to see the tail lights grow smaller and smaller in the distance.