Locke (Aces MC Series Book 4)
Read Locke (Aces MC Series Book 4) Online
Authors: Aimee-Louise Foster
Locke
Book 4 - Aces MC
Series
By Aimee-Louise
Foster
Text copyright © 2015 Aimee-Louise Foster
All Rights
Reserved
This book is
dedicated to all the brothers that are gone but not forgotten.
Declan
O'Flaherty...some man!
Aces Club Members
Mitchell 'Duke' Groves - President
Ethan 'Diesel' Stokes - Vice President
Andy 'Bear' Harper - Sergeant at Arms
Daryl 'Justice' Hayes - Treasurer
Frank 'Hound' Watson - Secretary
Mark 'Woods' Davies - Road Captain
Connor 'Spike' Stokes
Jake 'Locke' Dixon
Caleb 'CJ' Jones
Paul 'Rex' Regus
Charlie 'Stoney' Henderson
Jacob 'Skinner' Burns
Tyler 'Whip' Watson
Blake 'Recon' Washington
Elijah 'Lyric' Grey
Prospects
Buster
Ramsey
Associates
Amy Stokes - Diesel's sister
Harlow 'Ink' Webb - Diesel's old lady
Taylor 'Ash' Miller - Duke's old lady
Louise 'Angel' Walker - Spike's old lady
Maggie Watson - Hound's old lady
Chloe Watson - Hound's daughter
Satan's Wrath Club Members
Onyx - President
Polar - Vice President
Hustler - Sergeant at Arms
Slick- Treasurer
Fix - Secretary
Priest - Road Captain
Sketch
Poet
Saviour (Locke)
Prospects
Joe
Wes
Locke
Twenty years earlier
"Have you got everything you need for school
Jake?" Mum asked as she placed the breakfast dishes into the sink full of
soapy water.
"Yeah I think so," I replied sleepily zipping up my coat and securing
my rucksack on my back.
Mum twirled round quickly and raised her brows, I knew that look she obviously
wanted me to check. I huffed as I reluctantly pulled my arms through the straps
of my rucksack and unzipped it to show her that I had my pencil case and books needed
for today's lessons.
"Debbie get me a cup of tea, I'm parched!" Dad
shouted from the bedroom.
That was my cue to leave for school. Mum should've left that piece of shit years
ago, he was a womanising drunk and a total waste of space. He'd come home late
again last night stumbling around the flat drunk with no regards to the fact
that I had school this morning. They'd had a row that carried on to the early
hours and from what I heard Mum's suspicions were confirmed as Dad admitted he
was having an affair.
Mum was your typical housewife, she cooked, cleaned and
looked after me and my baby brother Zach. Dad's work was hit and miss so
sometimes we lived like kings and other days like paupers. Over the years mum
had to put up with more shit than most but she was loyal and stayed because of
me and Zach although I'd told her to leave him on numerous occasions. She
deserved better than this, better than him.
I quickly fastened my rucksack again, "I'll see you
tonight Mum." I ruffled Zach's hair as I passed him, he was oblivious to
the interaction and continued to eat his breakfast as I made my way to the
front door.
"Jake, remember that the back doors broken so you'll have to go around the
front." I nodded as I walked into the communal corridor and smiled to
myself, she was always worrying. The door wasn't broken the lock just needed oiling
but I knew how to jimmy it to get it open.
I'd found out from a young age that I was good with my hands, we didn't usually
have the money to purchase new things so over the years I took it upon myself
to take things apart and learn how to mend them. This process was a challenge but
it managed to hold my attention more than anything else as I enjoyed solving
problems. It inspired me to want to become an engineer when I was older and
that's why I was knuckling down at school because I needed good grades to be
able to get an apprenticeship.
I exited the building through the back door and into the
alley that ran adjacent to the reservoir. I heard an engine running in a
stationary vehicle and turned to see a black Ford Transit that caught my attention
because of its age and condition. This was a shit part of the neighbourhood and
it wasn't known for being affluent, I couldn't see if anyone was in the vehicle
but if they weren't it wouldn't be there for long. I sniggered to myself as I strolled
down the alley and thought about the day I had ahead. I'd be home late tonight
because I had extra tuition for Maths but I was grateful because I knew the
atmosphere at home would be horrible.
"Shit!" I realised that I had P.E today and knew
that I'd forgotten my kit. I groaned at the thought of getting another
detention from Mr Bates and quickly turned heading back in the direction of home.
Mr Bates was an arsehole and took great pleasure in lending P.E kits to the
kids that had forgotten them, they were always tight and hugged the body well.
I hadn't decided if he was a paedophile or just got kicks out of upsetting
children yet.
I was already late for school so I didn't rush. I dragged my
feet along the uneven ground and managed to dislodge a large stone so that I
could have a kick around pretending to be Ian Wright, my favourite Arsenal
player.
"He shoots, he scores!" I kicked the stone at the communal bins and noticed
immediately that they'd been moved against the wall blocking the rear fire
exit. As I observed from afar something caught my eye, I noticed a flash of
amber light illuminating our apartment on the second floor.
"Mum!" I screamed not even recognising my own
voice as it was high pitched and laced with fear, I needed to find her and Zack
and get them out.
I turned to the sound of coughing, "Jake!" I looked around
frantically trying to find who the voice belonged to and that's when I saw her.
Mum banged helplessly on the window of the back door screaming for help and coughing
as she inhaled the smoke from the fire. I saw the handle moving frantically but
she couldn't get it to open, even if she could the bins were obstructing her
exit. I ran over to the huge bins and tried to move them but they were far too
heavy for me to move on my own. I could still hear her banging against the door
but they were getting less frequent as I pushed on the bins, willing them to
move. I became aware of a noise behind me and was hopeful that it was someone
who'd come to help.
"Well, look what we have here!" Before I realised
what was happening one of the guys had grabbed me from behind and held my arms
to restrain me although I struggled with all I had.
The men laughed, "It's a shame your father didn't have this fighting
spirit, he made all of this way too fucking easy!" The man with the
moustache said waving his hand in the direction of the block of flats that were
now fully ablaze.
I stopped struggling and looked at them confused, "I had to do it son,
you'll understand one day!" He said calmly.
I stared at the two men standing before me especially the man who'd just
spoken. The greasy looking mother fucker with the slick backed hair was
obviously the one responsible for the death of my family.
I could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance and knew that help would
soon be here, which encouraged me to be brave. My arms were still being held by
the third man in the group although he had loosened his grip slightly, I
quickly stomped on his boot freeing myself from his hold and made a run for it
but my freedom was short lived as the man with the moustache grabbed my arm and
swung me around until I was directly in front of him. Removing his blade from
its holster he slashed me across the face and let go of my arm so that I fell
to the ground. I put out my hands to try and lessen the impact but I wasn't
quick enough and skidded across the gravel.
He crouched beside me staring deeply into my eyes, "Let that be a lesson
to you!" He stated filling the air with his stale cigar breath.
The sirens were now closer which I think may have just saved
my life, he stood and nodded at the two men indicating that it was time for
them to leave. As they walked away I noticed identical logo's on the back of
their leather jackets stating 'Satan's Wrath'.
I fought back the tears trying to be brave until they got into the parked
Transit and drove in the opposite direction to the sirens.
Who the hell were these men and why did they want my family dead?
I
didn't have the answers now but I planned on finding out, even if it was the
last thing I ever did.
Locke
Seven years earlier
"Hi Nick, do you want the usual?"
I smiled at Lucy as I sat at the counter. I'd been coming to this cafe for the
past three months, observing the Satan's Wrath members from afar picking up
snippets of information and trying to find a way to infiltrate the club.
I always made sure that I sat close enough to their usual table to hear their
conversations but far enough away so that they didn't become suspicious. Some
of the guys now recognised me and would nod their heads in recognition but I
was far from becoming associated with the club. They were a tight group and
during the time I'd been coming here, I had only seen the same five members
come to the cafe to eat, like it was a special group among the club.
"Please Lucy." She smiled and went about her work to make me a bacon
sandwich as I pretended to read my newspaper.
I glanced in the direction of the door as I heard the sound
of laughter fill the room. My heart pumped heavily and I steadily felt the
tightening of my stomach as I witnessed the men that killed my family saunter
into the cafe without a care in the world.
Lucy placed a mug of piping hot coffee onto the counter
before making her way over to the table that the club members had just sat around.
This gave me the opportunity to check the group out further and listen to their
conversation as they ordered their breakfast. Although they were a tight group,
they didn't keep the noise down when discussing club business and I was able to
piece together some important information.
They were heavily into drugs and offered protection for
certain businesses around the area, and that's how they generated the majority
of their money. Onyx was the President of the club, and hadn't changed much since
our first encounter thirteen years ago apart from the greying of his hair and a
few extra pounds around his middle.
"Polar, I've told you I have a boyfriend."
I glanced from my newspaper to see the clubs VP grab Lucy around the waist and
pull her towards his lap as she tried to wiggle from his grasp. She smiled sweetly
although looked uncomfortable as his big hands roamed her body to the jeers
from the rest of the group. I had identified Polar as the second man involved
in that frightful evening, he'd now turned from a boy into a man but his
psychotic tendencies had only gotten worse.
Movement caught my eye, I turned quickly to see an unkempt
man in his early twenties brandishing a small blade making his way further into
the cafe towards the group. I could see that they were preoccupied with Lucy
and the man made head way without being detected. The notion of protecting the
President of this club and the rewards that may come with that outweighed my
desire to see what may happen.
I acted quickly and stuck my boot out, watching as the man lost his balance and
stumbled forward before I jumped from my stool. Grabbing him by the scruff of his
neck, I yanked him backwards and banged his wrist with my fist making him
release the blade.
The sound of the metal skidding across the floor alerted the group to the
danger behind them and they turned in unison.
As the group stood, I let go of the man knowing that I at
least needed to give him a head start as the group would kill him for trying to
injure a club member, especially the President. I saw the realisation on his
face, his eyes widen as he noticed the group surge towards him and turned
quickly to bolt through the door and into the street.
I watched as Priest, Slick and Fix gave chase running
through the cafe after him.
"Well stranger I think I owe you some gratitude, join us." I turned
to see Onyx gesturing with his hand towards his table.
"You don't owe me shit, I'm sure you would've done exactly the same if it
was happening to me." I smiled and strolled towards the counter where my
bacon sandwich had just been placed. I wanted to infiltrate the group but I
didn't want them to think that I was too keen as this may raise suspicion.
Onyx sniggered, "That's where your wrong my friend, I wouldn't have done
the same and it wasn't a request for you to join us, it was an order."
His eyes became darker widening with excitement as to what my next move may be.
I glanced across the table at Polar as he sat forward grasping his hands as he
leaned on the table, assessing the scene between the two of us.
Letting out a loud sigh I slowly folded my newspaper and picked up my plate and
mug to carry them across the cafe to the seating area in the far corner.
Onyx smirked and pulled out the chair directly beside him so I could take a
seat.
"So what do they call you stranger?" Onyx asked as he rubbed his chin
thoughtfully.
"Nick." I answered as I placed my plate and mug onto the table and
got comfortable in the chair beside Onyx. I'd rehearsed every scenario over the
years so I was prepared for what may lie ahead.
"And what do you do for a living Nick?" Onyx asked and I saw his
frustration by my lack of willingness to talk.
"I'm a locksmith." I took a sip of my coffee to give me some time to
analyse the situation and see if he wanted me to continue talking. I didn't
want to give more information than was necessary, I needed to play it cool.
"A locksmith, well that would come in handy." Onyx raised his brows
and glanced at Polar before turning his attention back towards me.
"So are you associated with a club? I've seen your Harley parked outside and
you know how to handle yourself."
I took a bite of my sandwich to bide myself some time, "I've thought about
it over the years but it would have to be a special kind of club for me to put
all of my time and effort into." I didn't make eye contact but I could
feel his eyes bore into my skin.
"Well maybe you should swing by the clubhouse tomorrow. Hustler is
returning so we're throwing him a welcome home party, come by the club and join
in the celebrations."
As I turned towards Onyx, I noticed the glare from Polar. "Prez, we don't
even know him." He stated raising his voice slightly.
"Well he fucking saved me from being stabbed in the back which is a lot
more than I can say for you," he snapped putting Polar firmly in his place.
"Well as long as you're sure," I said calmly trying to hide the
excitement building inside.
We all turned to the sound of the three guys walking back into
the cafe.
"Did you catch up with him?" Polar asked as he stood sliding his
chair across the tiled floor.
Priest shook his head, "Nah he got away."
"Well, we know where he lives. I want the three of you to go and pay him a
visit. Ask the Prospect to follow you with the van and I want him brought back
to the clubhouse tonight." Polar stated as he folded his arms across his
chest.
Lucy weaved herself around the guys and placed the plates of
food onto the table, "Here you go guys."
"Sorry love, we need to make a move." Onyx stood and dug deep into
his pocket before pulling out some notes and throwing them onto the table. He
turned towards me, "Be outside here at 7.00pm tomorrow and you can follow
someone to the clubhouse."
I nodded my head and tried to hide the fact that I wanted to jump in the air
and cheer at the fact that I'd been accepted.
"See you tomorrow Saviour," Onyx stated before he turned and paced
out of the cafe followed by the rest of the guys.
"Are you sure you know what you're letting yourself in
for?" Lucy asked joining me at the table.
I smiled, "Are you worried about me babe?" I asked with humour in my
voice.
She sniggered, "I'm assuming you know who they are and what they do."
"Don't worry about me, I know exactly what I'm getting myself into."
I pushed my empty plate across the table and took a large swig of my coffee,
"Do you want a hand moving all this stuff?" I gestured towards the
five plates of wasted food that were on the table.
Lucy raised her brows and stared at me, like I was a puzzle waiting to be
solved. "You're not like other men Nick or should I now call you
Saviour?" she asked taking the piss out of the name Onyx had just called
me.
"Not like other men hey! Should I take that as a compliment?" I asked
winking at her.
"Yes you should." Lucy stood and took two plates from the table over
to the counter.
I smiled at her kind words. Lucy was a sweetheart, she was holding down this
job to support herself and her four small children. Things were tough for her
and the low life bloke that she'd recently shacked up with wasn't making things
any easier on her. I'd built a good friendship with her over recent weeks as I
came here most mornings which gave us time to chat when it was quiet. The
manager was good to her and although paid the minimum wage he allowed her to
take dinner home each evening for her and the kids.
"Right if you don't need my help I'll be off, I'll see you soon."
Lucy smiled as I made my way through the cafe and out into the street.
Mounting my motorcycle I fastened my helmet and looked around
the industrial estate. The Satan's Wrath members used this cafe because it
offered them the privacy they wanted but it showed that they didn't have the
business acumen like the Aces as this place was a little gold mine like Amy's
cafe back home.
I took a deep breath before I set off home smiling to myself that I'd finally
made contact with the Satan's and could now start to put my plan into place.
Fifteen minutes later I arrived at my bedsit on the
outskirts of town. It was small and not much to look at but it served its purpose
and the rent was cheap. I still had my flat back in Waltham Abbey but I was
spending a lot of time here now trying to infiltrate the group. Money was tight
keeping the two places going but I couldn't allow the Aces to become suspicious
of my attentions, and I also didn't want the Satan's members to become aware of
my association with another club.
I threw my keys on the coffee table and flung myself onto
the sofa. The realisation had now hit me as my heart rate sped with adrenaline
and fear at the thought of being invited to the clubhouse tomorrow. I would
need to scout the place as much as possible in case this was the one and only
time I was invited. I knew I wouldn't be able to complete my plan immediately,
I was most certainly in this for the long haul but I knew that I was now one
step closer.
I pulled up the cushion beside me and removed my spiral bound
note pad from the sofa. I'd been documenting all of my findings so I had a port
of reference to refer to. I now knew the names and roles of not only the outer but
also the inner circle of the group. I'd observed from a far and had seen the
interaction between the top five and the alliances among them. It was obvious
that Polar who was the clubs VP was good mates with Priest but I'd also seen
the looks of discontent from Polar and Priest towards Onyx, indicating animosity
within the group which I could possibly use to my advantage. I'd also shadowed
the club over recent weeks and was aware of the comings and goings including
what establishments they offered protection to, and the imminent release of
Hustler could also pose a threat if the stories I'd heard were true.
Polar was the member I needed to fear most. He was
suspicious of everyone and everything and didn't welcome strangers kindly into
the group. I had seen him take his anger out on a hang around and a prospect in
the time I'd been following the group, and his road name suited him well
because of his bipolar tendencies. He wasn't afraid to challenge Onyx either,
which any good VP should be able to do but their relationship clearly wasn't as
strong as Viper's and Duke's.
When Onyx had invited me to the clubhouse Polar tried to warn him to the fact
that they hardly knew me but Onyx wouldn't listen, the stubborn old fool. I saw
the way Polar glared at me across the table and it looked like I'd created an
enemy before I'd even started.
I arrived outside the cafe at 6.50pm in readiness for the
prospect to arrive. This gave me the opportunity to take stock of the whole
situation and try to keep my emotions in check, I hadn't lost sight of what the
final outcome was but I was becoming anxious knowing that I was heading into
the lion's den.
I didn't expect the prospect to turn up on time but was surprised when I heard the
familiar rumble at 7.00pm.
A young man pulled up beside me and turned off his ignition so that he could
talk to me, "Are you Saviour?"
I sniggered, "My name's Nick but that's what Onyx called me yesterday."
I held out my hand and the prospect took it.
"I'm Lucas, nice to meet you. Onyx has taken a shine to you, he's telling
everyone back at the clubhouse how you saved his life." Lucas smiled and
pulled back his hand to start his ignition. "Follow me."
I nodded and quickly fastened my helmet so I could follow him although I knew
exactly where the clubhouse was. It was unlike the Aces set up as their
clubhouse was in the middle of nowhere hidden well behind numerous nurseries
holding an array of different plants. No vehicle could infiltrate the boundary
unless it was authorised and reinforced steel gates secured the entrances that
were also manned by club members twenty-four seven for extra protection.
Once I'd found out where the clubhouse was, it had taken me three weeks to find
a way in and this was only made possible because of a low lying branch that
hung into the grounds. If this was eventually cut down, I didn't know how I was
getting in but hopefully after tonight I would now be invited.
I followed Lucas to the entrance of the grounds and stopped
behind him when he slowed so the guy on the gate recognised him.
"Who's the geezer with you?" The tall thin guy asked as he peered
from the hatch of a shed positioned behind the gate.
"Saviour. Onyx asked me to bring him here this evening." Lucas
shouted over the noise of our engines.
The bloke glared in my direction sizing me up before he nodded and opened the
gate just wide enough for us to ride through.
Lucas rode ahead and I followed closely, nodding my head in the direction of
the guy manning the gate as he glared at me through hooded eyes.
