ROUGHNECK: A DARK MOTORCYCLE CLUB ROMANCE (15 page)

I slipped out of the cupboard on to the hard tile floor of the kitchen.

“What the fuck do you mean, nobody came out here?” barked Dirty.

I started back the way I came, hopping through the door frame and scooting just out of sight as they re-entered the kitchen. This time I could tell they had more searchers with them.

“Tear this place apart. The bitch isn’t a ghost. She has to be here somewhere.”

Up the stairs it would be. How ironic, considering I was the first person to yell at every movie when the unwitting, half-nude girl ran upstairs to get away from the killer.

I took them softly, but two at a time. I figured on just enough time to get to the top before they decided I wasn’t hiding in the Kitchen.

“Are you sure she didn’t get outside?”

The voices were growing faint as I put more and more distance between me and them.

“She couldn’t have.”

“Well… are you sure? Get your ass out there and check. She’s got no damn shoes on so she won’t make it far if she is out there.”

The landing at the top of the stairs was just as uninviting as the rest of the place. Old, framed paintings adorned the walls. I had to believe that they came with the building when the club moved in. It looked like a standard setup. Two doors on each side of the hall, with one more at the end. I assumed that one was a bathroom, so I could check it off the list. Bathrooms had notoriously small windows, and if I was going to have to squeeze my way through a window, I didn’t want it to be one of those.

Might as well start with the first one.

Thankfully, it wasn’t latched. I could get a look inside without making too much noise. I sucked in a breath and chanced a look around the corner. Empty. There was a small twin bed parked in the corner, just like the room downstairs but not much else. There wasn’t even a closet to hide in.

Next.

I crept down the hall while keeping a keen ear on the floor below. If I had to step into one of these rooms, I’d do it, but I wanted to use the time that I had to find the best option.

A long, thick rug ran the length of the room. I’d never been so thankful for a tackily misplaced decoration. It worked to muffle any creaks caused by my bodyweight. To me, that made it worth its weight in gold.

I stepped carefully to the next door. This one was closed, tightly. I debated whether or not I should open it.

What if it was closed for a reason?

I decided not to chance it. The other side of the hall had two cracked doors, so if those didn’t pan out, maybe I’d rethink things.

I started with the one closest to the bathroom. A light showed through the gap below the hinges. I pressed myself against the wall and listened carefully. If there was anyone inside, they were either quiet as a church mouse or dead.

This door drifted open easily and silently. Again, I poked my head inside. Again, it was empty. This one, however, had a large open window that faced the same direction as the door that led outside from the kitchen.

I stepped carefully across the room to see if I could get a look at my surrounding. Any little bit of information would help at this point.

There was a full moon out. Under any other circumstances I would have sat and watched it for a while. Tonight, I wouldn’t dwell on its beauty, instead just thankful that it lit the trees.

Heavy boots thundered on the stairs.

Someone was running.

Had I been spotted? Did they see me through the window?

Inside or outside, which way do I go?

There were no good hiding places in these rooms. If I went out the window it would be suspicious. Maybe the person checking would know that the window had already been open. Maybe not. Maybe they’d call for backup and say they knew where I went. If jumped in the closet, it would be the most obvious place to check.

I stumbled and tripped around the room like a scared cat. My feet took me back into the hallway.

Do something!

My eyes stayed glued to the top of the stairs. The footfalls thundered in my head.

As if controlled by some outside force, I moved to the closed door. I yanked it open, twirled inside, and pulled it shut as quietly as I possibly could.

I took in a deep breath to collect myself.

“Hi!”

That simple, sweet word almost made me drop from a heart attack.

My eyes snapped into focus on the source. A tiny head peeked from beneath the pink blankets on the bed.

It was a little girl.

“H… Hi!” I stuttered.

Whoever was coming for me had made the top of the steps.

“What’s your name?” asked the little girl.

“I’m… uh…”

There was a loud crash outside the room. They were searching the place from top to bottom, and I had no guarantee that this one would be last on their list.

Don’t shut down, Addy!

“I’m Adeline,” I said, thinking quickly. “Do you want to play a game with me?”

“Yeah,” she said, excitedly. “I’m Sarah.”

She couldn’t have been more than four or five.

“Okay. It’s called hide-and-seek. Ever heard of it?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”

She fell back in her sheets in a cackling laugh.

“Do you want to play?”

“Sure!”

It sounded like he had just made his way through the last of the rooms. If I was right, he would check here next.

“Okay, Sarah! There’s a man looking for me right now. Do you hear him?”

She turned her ear to the door and listened.

“I hear him!”

“Good! Now, he’s about to come in here looking for me. Will you help me hide?”

By the time she agreed, I was already half way to her bed. I made a swan dive over it that sent me crashing into the wall.

“Remember… you haven’t seen me.”

She nodded, taking her responsibility seriously. I couldn’t believe my life was potentially resting on the poker face of a five-year-old.

I pulled my knees to my chest just as someone barged in.

“Little girl, did a woman come in here?”

“No.” she said, simply.

“Are you sure? I thought I heard a noise.”

“I’m sure. I was reading my book. I would have seen if a woman came in here.”

Damn. She was a good liar.

“Uh… okay,” he said, hesitantly. “Where is your mother?”

“She’s downstairs with daddy.”

“Okay. We’ll, get your stuff together. I’m gonna have her come get you so you guys can go home.”

With that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him. I stayed completely still until I heard his steps retreat and go back down the stairs.

“Did I do good?” she asked.

“You did great. Now, I want you to go to sleep, okay? The game is over.”

She blew an annoyed little breath from her lungs, clearly disappointed she wouldn’t get a chance to hide.

“Fine,” she said as she turned over and yanked the blanket to her nose.

I couldn’t have asked for a better accomplice.

Back on my feet, I tried to decide my next move. If I had nine lives, I’d already used eight, so I would have to think of something better than running around this house. I was outnumbered and the dice were eventually going to come up craps.

The window was the only real option. If I could get on to the roof, maybe I could find a way down to the ground. It would be too far to jump, but maybe there would be a ladder, or something else I could climb.

I checked over my shoulder to see if the kid was watching. Amazingly, it looked like she had fallen asleep in the short time that I used to make my choice. I took a second to envy the ability that kids had to do that. If I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, I’d love it.

At first, I thought it was painted shut. But upon closer inspection, there looked to be a thin gap. I pushed lightly, hoping it would come up without too much sound.

It groaned under the pressure. While not painted shut, it looked like it had been years since it was last opened. The single-paned glass bowed under the force. Finally, something gave in the track and it went up.

I tossed one leg over the window sill, and then the other. My feet landed on rough roof shingles. There was a bit of a decline, but not enough of one that it had me worried about my footing.

The window went down much easier than it went up. I let it settle and inch or two from the bottom to save the noise of it closing. That small of a gap wouldn’t be noticeable to even the most discerning eye.

On top of the house was the first time I felt I could let my guard down. The constant fear and tension had wreaked havoc on my nerves. I stepped out of view of the glass and took a seat. The shingles felt like sandpaper on my butt.

I knew I didn’t have time to waste, but I needed the moment to collect myself. It was the first chance I’d had to think since I dropped Dirty with that kick.

That reminded me…

That big biker… when he came in to the room, he said…
something.

They’re here?

Was that it?

If it was, then who?

My heart jumped at the notion that it might be Hale.

They’re here.

Hale
and
Jared?

I hoped not. Hale could handle things. Jared couldn’t.

It was time to get moving again. I stood and stretched. The yells and agitated conversations from the men chasing me had disappeared. Or if they hadn’t, I was far enough away that I couldn’t hear them.

I stepped cautiously. The last thing I needed was to catch my foot on a loose nail and fall off the house. The drop was further than I’d anticipated. Maybe twenty-five feet, and that was in the few spots where I didn’t have to deal with a peak.

C’mon. Just give me something to work with.

I spotted a low point and made my way to the edge. It was still a long way down, but what choice did I have? I lowered myself over the edge, hanging from the tips of my fingers. This was going to hurt, but my time in gymnastics had taught me a thing or two about falling.

I let go, my body falling fast. I let my legs collapse on impact. My whole body rolled into the fall, arms tucking over my head as my feet took to the air behind me. I sprang up in momentary disbelief that I’d pulled it off, but I knew there was no time for celebration. Ignoring the pain blooming from one of my ankles, I hit the ground running… in the most literal sense. I’d care for my feet later. The jagged gravel wouldn’t slow me down. All I’d have to do is make my way past the driveway that led up to the dirt lot and I’d be home free. A muffled pop broke the silence. And then another. Then all hell broke out behind me. Explosions, gunfire, I didn’t care. I was almost out.

I made it.

I beat them.

Maybe I should have been paying attention instead of celebrating.

The collision knocked me right on my ass.

I was pretty sure it was a body that I hit, but it could have been a brick wall. When I gathered myself, I looked up to see the silhouette of a man.

He stepped into the moonlight. It was my baby brother. And he looked terrified.

T
he blade was slowed
by my leather, but it still caught a good amount of flesh. The bastard stuck me and I wasn’t even ready for it. I should have seen it coming. Sly knew I wouldn’t let him live after what he’d done.

I dropped to my knees, much the way Clancy did just a few days earlier. But my face wasn’t painted with shock… it was filled with rage.

And that’s when World War III started.

From somewhere outside the room, an explosion went off, followed by three more in rapid succession. Somebody shouted “PIGS” and all hell broke loose. I could hear one of the bikers firing his gun out one of the doors, and the reply was all hell breaking loose as bullets ripped through the clubhouse. Sly dove away as holes opened up in the wall behind him. I stayed low for cover, pulling the knife free from my side and pulling the Glock out from the waistband of my jeans. The pain of my injury faded to a dull roar. The hellfire opening up around me wasn’t going to draw my mind from its singular mission. I was going to get my Addy back, and I was going to do it by force.

“Roughneck! You alright?” It was Crazy. He was holed up beneath the pool table.

“Yeah! I’m okay. I don’t think it went too deep.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Crazy asked.

The was a loud pop and a shower of glass rained down on my legs. I had gotten as far as I could under the bar, so the glass must’ve been from a bottle.

“I don’t know! I think it’s the cops! Some kind of fucking raid. What happened to the kid?”

“He ran outside. I think he’s going for the shotgun.”

We’d stashed it around the corner before we came in, and I was glad we did.

I tried to edge around the end of the bar to see what was going on. I barely pulled back before the little cover I had exploded into a mess of splinters.

There was another assault on my position but I rode it out. After the last bullet was fired, I swung my Glock over the bar top and unloaded.

I was firing randomly to back them off, but the cry of pain that followed my last trigger pull told me I’d dropped somebody.

Across the room, Stitch was crouched behind an overturned table. When two more ran through the open, he popped up and put them down.

We may have been outnumbered, but we had the skill and experience. Most of the guys Sly and Dirty brought into the fold were nothing more than small-time crooks looking to get in on something big.

“What happened to Sly?”

Crazy was the only one close enough to talk to.

“I think he went outside, man. I dunno. James is down!”

Shit!

We couldn’t afford to lose anybody.

“Can you hold it down? I’m going after him!” I yelled.

“Yeah. On three. I’ll cover you!”

He made the signal with his hand. On three, he jumped up to lay down cover as I sprinted for the door. It was the first time I really felt the gash in my side. There was a lot of blood, but not enough yet to worry. If I started to feel lightheaded, I knew the reaper would be on the doorstep.

It took a minute for my eyes to adjust back to the darkness. There wasn’t a sound. Too quiet.

He tackled me from behind. With a running start, Dirty caught me off balance and sent us both flying off the front porch. Our combined weight came down right on my injury.

Blinding pain ripped through me. My body felt like giving out. It wanted to shut down to avoid the pain. But my mind was strong… in fact, it was amped. Because, I finally had my hands on the wormy little bastard who started all of this.

We rolled in the dirt, first him on top, and then me. He clutched at my neck as I rained down punches toward his head. He moved from side-to-side and rolled his shoulders to avoid my shots. And for the most part he did.

I wrapped my hand around his throat and leaned on it with everything I had. He flailed at my face, and if his thumb hadn’t raked my eye, I would have held the choke until he went out.

I had to release him to swat his hand away. Dirty pushed off with both knees against my chest, rolling me away of him. We both stood and squared our shoulders to each other. I avoided touching my side so he wouldn’t notice the debility.

“Woooo,” he screeched. “I’ve been waitin’ to fuck you up for a long time, boy. Just like I fucked your girl earlier tonight.”

I dug my feet into the ground and got ready to attack.

“What do you think about that, motherfucker?” he yelled.

“You have a tell,” I growled.

We were circling each other.

“What the fuck is the supposed to mean?”

“It means the corner of your eye twitches when you lie.”

I grinned and he charged.

I swung the punch in time with the pace of his footsteps. Everything I had went behind my fist. It connected just beneath his jawline. I knew he was out before he hit the ground.

Dirty sprawled at my feet, a broken and battered man. If there wasn’t a woman I wanted to keep in my life, I would have put two in the back of his head and been done with him forever. But killing a defenseless man, no matter how low he was, did something to you. I didn’t want that to creep up in our future together.

Two shots rang out.

Those definitely came from outside.

Jared was out there somewhere, and Sly was hunting him.

I followed the sound around the corner of the building, thankful of the shadows as I glanced over my shoulder and saw the SWAT team pouring into the main doors. Lights came on from half a dozen vehicles, the flashing red and blue illuminating the parking lot and blazing against the tree line. We were all in some deep shit here…

Turning away from the cops, I pushed myself into a full sprint… But what I saw next sent a shiver down my spine.

Jared and Adeline were backed up against the shed and Sly had his pistol leveled right at them.