Rage (8 page)

Cullen

Five o’clock didn’t come soon enough. 

After I argued with Mrs.  O’Leary, I sent her on her way with nothing but an extra bill for work that we’d done and she’d refused to pay for.  It was annoying, but we had gone through this drill before.  In a few days she’d come back and apologize.  Then she’d pay.  She’d even leave a little tip.

I wasn’t too worried.  It was just irritating.

I had a full roster of cars to work on, but that didn’t keep me from thinking about that kiss.  Layla was confusing as hell right now.  She would complicate everything if I gave into my want for her now.  She’d cloud my judgment. 

But really, that was what I liked about her.  From those gorgeous blue eyes to the way her lip quirked when she was pissed at me.  She made it hard to think clearly, made me want her instead.  She came around and I had to kiss her.  Needed to feel the warmth of her skin against my palms.  To touch and taste her.  Bend her body back and remind her why she was mine.

It was so much better than I’d remembered.

And it was worth it, even if it couldn’t happen.

I swore as I lost hold of the bolt I was tightening up and smacked my knuckles against it.  It wasn’t the first time I’d bruised them thinking about her, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

Fuck, I needed a drink, a lay, a smoke. I needed to hurry up and kill the motherfucker who’d killed her brother.  Instead I put away my tools and slammed the garage door, the last one out.

Time was ticking away, but I wasn’t late.  I knew that I would probably be one of the last in, but that was by design.

I had to look like I was cleaning up around us, corralling the boys.

I had to be in total control.  I had to be in charge.  They called me Rage for a reason—they had named me for my weakness.  Most of the time I was cold, calculating, my logic and reason prevailing.  But there were times when my emotions got the best of me, and when they did, it was brutal.  I wasn’t afraid to do what was necessary.  Hell, I even liked it.  Letting it all out.  The rush of it.  When I raged, nothing could stop me.  No one could beat me.

Now I needed to steer that fury against the man who’d killed my friend.  I intended to string him up and carve Sean’s name into the son of a bitch’s flesh.  Maybe the fucker’s screams would drive the ache out of my chest.  Maybe then Sean would rest in peace.

I pushed through the clubhouse doors and walked down the hall to the bar area, then back down another hall until I was at the door of the club room.  I slipped in and took my place next to Bones at a wooden table.  The table had the names of all the members carved into it.  Bones was looking through his phone.  Only the Prez could have one on him.

When he was done, he looked around the table and nodded.  “Everyone is here.  On time.  Great.” The only person who was missing was Mick. 

As for the rest? The prospects didn’t get to come into the room.  Not unless something directly affected their lives.  Those were the rules.  They didn’t get a say until they got patched in. 
If
they got patched in.

“I got word from a couple of guys over at the River Serpents MC that they’re interested in taking over some of Hound’s Breath’s territory, just like we talked about.  Looking at the suppliers to soak them up.”

Thrash was the first to speak, leaning his arms right on the table and staring down Bones.  “We don’t deal in drugs.”

The two of them weren’t the closest, and Thrash wasn’t afraid to challenge him, but he always did it fairly.

Bones nodded.  “No, we don’t.  And we won’t be dealing in the future either.  That’s one of the core tenants of the club.  We’ll just be… helping.  No contact with the merchandise.  But there’s some money to made as muscle.  The River Serpent’s handle the dirt, we’ll provide the protection.  Just like usual.”

Thrash nodded, satisfied. 

“This is going to be pretty dangerous,” Bones added, “but we need to keep from being reckless.  If we do this, and we have the extra forces from the River Serpents, we can handle the upstarts.  That’s what we want: a total, slow, systematic takeover of those motherfuckers.”

“What about their OG leaders?” I asked cautiously, the oldest and most ruthless leaders would be the real threat. 

“They have a long reach, that’s for sure.  But with the added support, I don’t think they’ll be able to justify backing up their little upstart here.” It was like Bones to think of everything.  The plan was seamless.

“I still don’t like the idea of killing all those damn kids,” Crow said.  “But an eye for an eye.” If he had any real reservations, they didn’t keep him from nodding his consent.

“It looks like we have enough to take a vote.” Bones looked us over.

“All in favor, say aye.”

One of our brothers had been slaughtered in cold blood.  He didn’t have to ask us twice.  There were ayes all around.

“Good.  We need to be united.  This is the start of something we can’t come back from.  This isn’t about getting one person, about killing just one man for Sean.  Sean was our sergeant-at-arms.  He was the son of the last President.  He was important.  They pissed on our entire organization.  No.  This is about the systematic destruction of that entire faction.  We won’t stop until they are completely wiped from the city.  Understood?”

I nodded.  I understood.  I wanted the destruction as badly as Bones did.  I needed it.

“Our first run with the River Serpents is tomorrow morning.  We’ll be working labor on their timber crew.” It was a shit job, but it was just a cover.  Still, it was worth it for the advantage we would get, and for the final result.

For the release it would bring.

The reach of this particular gang was still an issue.  What if they sent in reinforcements?

I didn’t let it worry me.  Bones would have thought of that too.

How bad could it get?

Layla

I sighed as I pulled the door to the shop closed behind me and sifted through my keys to lock up.  The night was already dark and the chill of the air crept up around me like a ghost, reminding me of how alone I really was.  This was all so new to me, this entire life.  Even though I’d lived it before, it felt alien now.

The heavy wad of keys was surreal.  It was like I was living in a world that wasn’t even mine.  A house, a job, neither of which I had earned.  I got it all through the club.  Gift with a cost.  Loyalty. 

It was all so clinical, it sent chills down my spine.  Loyalty for a gift? What kind of loyalty was that? What kind of gift?

A voice suddenly broke my thoughts, startling me.  “What are you doing here so late?” It was Cullen.

I forced myself to look him in the eye as I explained, “I was putting a system in place.” I fumbled a bit with the keys.  That kiss had happened hours ago, and here I was, as shaky and shy as a girl with a crush.  I fought to regain control of the situation.  “You know, I might have been handed this job, but I do intend to take it seriously.  I’ve set up an entire filing system with my time today.  It should be a lot easier to find incoming and outgoing invoices from now on.”

I had a college degree in accounting.  The least I could do was put it to good use.  It wasn’t like I was just some temporary employee.  If I was going to be held captive with the club, I was at least going to do what I wanted and do my job right.  Hard work.  It mattered.

I didn’t tell him that I’d found some things written in my brother’s hand.  I was just work things, but I had taken them for myself.  His fingerprint was on one of those little pieces of paper, the motor oil leaving a little impression that could never be made again.  I wanted it for myself.  Another memory. 

Cullen was looking out over the lot.  “Makes sense, but you don’t need to work that hard.” Whatever his real thoughts were, he was keeping them to himself.

“I want to.  Work this hard.” I insisted, blushing as his attention shifted back to me.  “It helps.” It was more effective than bashing someone’s skull in anyhow. 

Cullen just shrugged and changed the subject.  “How are you getting home?”

“I figured I’d take the bus and then walk.  Sean's truck is in the shop.”

“I know, I saw Thrash take it in.  What’s wrong with it?”

“When I parked it, I had a hard time getting into neutral.” It was a stick shift.  There was probably something wrong with the differential.

“Can you drive a motorcycle?” We both knew I could ride, but I was surprised to realize that he didn’t know whether I could handle one on my own.  I had thought he knew everything about me.

“Yeah,” I replied.  “Donna’s old man taught me, but it’s been a while.  She said the daughter of an MC President had to learn.”

“Tomorrow, take Sean’s bike.  It’s in the garage.  I’ll take you home tonight.”

I hesitated.  That meant that I had to put my arms around him again, and that was something I wasn’t sure I wanted to do.  I didn’t think I could handle the consequences of his touch.  Not again, not for him just to push me away.

“I’d rather take the bus.”

“In Braddock? That isn’t safe, and you know it.  You walk to the bus stop and get mugged, and it’ll be on me.  Besides, my house is quite a hike from the bus stop down there in Turtlecreek.”

“I can walk.  I don’t think anyone will bother me.”

“You’d be surprised.  Those assholes who killed your brother are still out there, and I won’t take any chances.  Come on, you know it’s the safest option.”

I knew at that point that it was hopeless to fight, unless I wanted the entire MC pissed at me if something were to happen.

“Fine.  I’ll ride with you.” My pulsed raced at the thought of holding him close again.  The idea that I’d be touching him, my body up against his.  I hoped he would mistake my shaking hands for shivers.  Better cold than ridiculous.

“Don’t sound so excited,” he said as I followed him over to his bike.  Was that a smile I heard in his tone?

“You staying in tonight?” Part of me hoped he was.

“What? No.  I have rounds.  Going out with Thrash.  Gotta keep an eye on our territory.  Oh, and tomorrow, you’re going to be a little short-staffed.  A few of us got really good paying gigs with Homestead Timber Removal.  You may need to postpone a couple of jobs until Wednesday.”

“Got it.” I hesitated.  “Cullen?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want me here?” I asked.  A crazy question, out of the blue, but we were always either arguing or talking about Sean.  That kiss had been amazing, but I wondered if there was anything else left.  Did he actually want
me
here?

“Yeah,” he said.  “Yeah, I do.”

Warmth flooded my entire body.

He handed me a helmet and I crawled on the back of the bike behind him, straddling that seat as I put my arms around his muscled torso.  Sitting behind him was a pleasure.  He smelled so good.  Like home, but with a twist.  Leather and motor oil and the salty sweet scent of sweat long-dried.  I couldn’t help but gravitate to it.  Almost every memory I had was surrounded by these smells.

Even the memory of this morning, when he’d thrown that poor girl out on her ass.  I winced as he revved the motor up.  She was drunk and high, but she didn’t deserve that.  And she didn’t deserve the way they all laughed at her, either.

It just reminded me of exactly who these men were.

They weren’t just my family.  They weren’t just men who got together to ride bikes.

They were the MC.

They were rebels, animals, men who had no sense of chivalry or respect.  In my eyes they behaved more like wolves than men.  Or was it true? Was that what men were like when they were honest with themselves? I didn’t want to believe it.  I wanted to believe they were better than that.  That Cullen was better. 

I could tell from the look in all of their eyes that they cared about one thing, and one thing only.

They were out for blood. 

Chapter 6

Cullen

“Did we really have to ride all this damn way in a cage?” Troy grumbled, as I pulled into the makeshift parking lot of the job site.

I smacked him right in the back of the head.  I was tired of listening to his shit. 

This wasn’t anywhere near my idea of a good time, either, but it was what it was.  The plan. 

No bikes.  That was the rule. 

So we followed Bones in a truck, just the six of us, wearing jeans and flannel instead of our normal leather cuts.  It was odd, uncomfortable.  Like I’d been weakened somehow.  I had worn that cut every day since I became a prospect.  Without it, I felt vulnerable. 

But it was worth it if it meant that we were going to find the ones who’d killed Sean.

I’d tough it out.

Troy was harder to put up with.  He kept grumbling as we parked.

“Shut the fuck up and get out of the car,” I growled.  We have shit to do, and you’re the only prospect we trust.  Feel lucky, you dumb son of a bitch.” He was pissing me the fuck off.  It wasn’t enough that I’d had to try to sleep while Layla slept in her room all night, just a few feet away from me.  Now I had to put up with a recruit’s shit. 

“How long is this goin’ to take, anyways?” Thrash asked as we hopped out of the car.

“All day,” Bones snapped impatiently, climbing down from an SUV.  The damned thing was a block of metal.  When Troy made a face at him, his lip curled.  “We’re working a job, you morons.  What did you think that meant?

I almost laughed at the kid’s horror.  Almost.

We’d gotten the details this morning, but the guys were either too tired or too pissed at the prospect of working with someone they barely knew.  We were all working on Mick’s word alone, and tensions were high.  But hell, some of them were more pissed about riding in a cage all day.

“Shit.” I walked over toward what I assumed was the crew boss, calling over my shoulder, “Just get this shit done and let’s go.  This is part of the deal.”

By the time we were done, we were sweaty, tired, and angry.  Mechanics’ work hard, but it wasn’t physically exhausting the same way that cutting and moving timber was.  At the end of our shift, our joints ached and our muscles burned with the sharp poison of a different sort of breakdown.  We felt like we’d been in a huge fight, and we all needed recovery.

“Boss’ll see you in the construction trailer,” the foreman let us know at the end of our shift.

I wiped the sweat from my head, following him and Bones to the construction office.

“I still don’t understand why you agreed to have us work.” I didn’t want to betray my opinions to the other men, but with Bones alone, I could finally say what I’d been thinking.  Hell, what the entire MC was thinking.

“We owe the River Serpents for this.  We’re helpin’ them, but they want to see that we’re loyal.  And by working for them, we look like nothing more than other crew members.  Just in case any feds happen to be sniffing around.”

The feds.  When Sean died I thought they’d be around, but they hadn’t so much as sent a love note.  I snorted.  “Makes sense.”

Didn’t mean I had to like it.  I just had to accept it.

“How’s it feel to actually do a day’s hard work?” Joe Redbow, better known as Snake, said with a grin.  A cigarette dangled from his fingers dribbling ash into a tray as he looked us over. 

He was a hard looking man, in his late fifties with tanned skin that made him look older than Bones.  He’d been in the game a long time.  Injun Joe, they called him.  Like in of one of those old Westerns But not to his face or he’d break theirs.

Bones chuckled.  “I told you we’re capable.”

Old Joe laughed.  “That’s the truth.  So! Take a seat.” It wasn’t a question.  River Serpents was a big-ass organization, which meant that they were the muscle in this part of town.  Normally we co-existed with them and kept out of their way.  They carved out a path for us, we acted as a buffer from the mob, and both parties left each other’s territories alone.

But now we were asking them for help.  We were admitting that they were the superior force.  And if there was one thing I knew about Snake, it was that he liked to watch the men around him submit. 

Bones and I sunk into the steel and fabric chairs in front of the big steel desk, waiting for Snake to speak.

He sat back and got to it.  “You know I’m looking for suppliers.  You know I want Hound’s Breath out of the picture.  But what exactly is your angle? I heard rumors, but I want to hear it straight from your mouth.” Those dark eyes looked directly at Bones.

“They killed one of ours.” I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but it slipped out.

Bones glared at me, but the damage was already done.

Snake’s eyes were inscrutable, watching us for a long moment.  Then he leaned forward and ground out his cigarette.  He folded his hands together carefully.  Those hands were huge.  Capable and dangerous.  And a warning in a way.  Snake was not a man to mess with.

“Are you sure?” Snake asked Bones, eyeing me.

“Took credit for the kill,” our President said.  His voice was rough.  Hard.  He was asserting his leadership.  He had to now.  It wasn’t something up for discussion.

Snake didn’t like being spoken to that way, but he said nothing about it.  In a way, his silence made me more uneasy than if he’d wanted a fight.  Instead, he stuck to business, unfazed by Bones.

“Why ask me? You know this will work very well for my club, but what do you need me for?”

“It benefits us both,” Bones admitted.  “I know you want a bigger slice of the drug trade.  I want them out.  They need to pay.”

Snake nodded.

“Why drugs? Thought you were straight up,” I asked.

“I will collect it only to keep it out of my territory.”

“Then why you want to buy up the suppliers?”

“Hound’s Breath is bringing that shit into my neighborhood.  Sure, the stuff will come in in any way it can.  If it isn’t them, some other bunch of punks will bring ‘em in.  But if I got a way to redirect it? Why not? I can buy them off, send them over to McKeesport and Duquesne.  We all win.”

I was skeptical.  “You sure that’s the only reason?”

“You callin’ me a liar?” He was so still, but I swore I saw the vein on his neck start to throb. 

“No.  Just curious.”

“Good.  I promised my ol’ lady I wouldn’t kill anyone today, but you know the old saying: it’s better to ask for forgiveness.”

He was a smart man.  A man I respected.  But I didn’t want to be on his bad side.  The man was dangerous.  At the same time, I wasn’t going to bow down for him.  There was a fine line between respect and submission.  I was the MC’s Vice President now.  I had to show Snake the kind of man I was.

“I want Hound’s Breath to hurt,” Bones said.  “You want them out of the neighborhood.  We work together, we both get what we want.”

“I agree,” Snake nodded. 

He was the kind of man who acted on instinct.  And acted quickly.

Entering into a deal with him was almost as dangerous as going to war.

We meant business.