Underworld Champions (The MC Outlaw Series) (14 page)

With my boots in my hands, and my bag over my shoulder, I let my eyes take one last look at Cole. I drink him in as he lays there, his features soft with sleep. He looks so peaceful
, so stunning to my eyes that I have to force myself to look away so I can leave.

Creeping down the hallway, the compound is entirely quiet, although I’m sure that there is still somebody awake.
When I make it to the door for the outside, I open it carefully, not wanting it to creak. As soon as the gap is wide enough, I slide out, letting it close gently behind me.

Sticking to the shadows, I slide my boots on my feet and head for the garage, hoping that because it’s within the compound, that they don’t lock it at night. Thankfully, they don’t, the door opens when I push against it. The only problem I have now, is finding the entrance to the tunnel.

Using the light from my phone, I look around, wondering if there is a room, or a door that I didn’t notice when I was in here with my father. But there’s nothing.

I run my fingers through my hair, cursing that this is taking so long. If Cole wakes up and finds me gone, he’ll come looking and he’ll find me. Then I’ll have no chance at saving them.
I spin in a circle again, wondering if maybe Cora was wrong. Maybe there isn’t a tunnel at all. But then I see it, a metal cabinet on wheels. A cabinet that is easily big enough to conceal a door.

Moving over to it, I curl my fingers around the back of it and pull
, sighing with relief when I find it. A brown metal door. On the back of the cabinet is a handle, and as I step through the door, I pull the cabinet back into place, then lay my hands against it, as I say a quiet goodbye to the best life I ever had. I press my lips against my finger tips and touch it to the cool metal. Then I use my phone to light my way, and I run.

Holy shit. This is the longest fucking tunnel I’ve ever travelled
through. I stopped running about twenty minutes ago when the tunnel split into two. The problem is, the ‘tunnel’ is a set of old mining shafts. If I’m not careful, I could get lost down here for days.

When I came to the first fork in the road, I panicked
for a moment, then I used my phone to inspect the beams around each new tunnel. Carved in the wood were a set of wings on one, and a skull on the other. I almost went down the one with the wings, thinking that they probably stood for freedom. But then my tattoo caught my eye, and I realised the skull was probably more likely.

Eight times I had to find the marks, and each time I chose, I felt a sickness weigh heavy in my stomach. What if I was wrong? What if I never got out and died down here?

I check the battery level on my phone. It’s at fifty percent. I’m concerned that it will run out before I reach the surface and then I’ll be stuck in the middle of the bush with nothing to guide me out.

As I round a corner
, my chest swells with relief. I can see moonlight filtering in around the outline of a door. I break into a run and reach for the handle, reefing down on it, expecting it to turn. But it’s locked.

“Shit,” I hiss, once again using the light from my phone to search the area around the door. Surely the key is here
somewhere. It makes no sense to have an evacuation tunnel without a key. I mean, you can’t be guaranteed that the people with the keys would make it down here. Could you?

“Aha!” I say, as my hand lands on metal and I hold the key in front of me, preparing to insert it in the lock.

But I don’t get a chance, the handle turns from the other side, and a giant sized man with a dark beard and a bandana wrapped around his head stands there, his gun aimed and ready.

“
Did you really think we wouldn’t have fuckin’ motion detectors down there?” he rumbles. “What the fuck are you doing sneakin’ around?”

I freeze. My eyes wide as I stare up at him, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water.
“I… I…” I stammer.

Another man appears just behind the big
dude with the gun. It’s Banger. I’m so busted.

“
Towball, put the gun down. That’s Prez’s daughter, Maddie. She’s Cole’s Old Lady. What are you trying to do, Maddie?” he asks. I glance at him momentarily, but my eyes move back to Towball. I feel like I can’t move. He hasn’t lowered his gun.

“
I fuckin’ know who she is. But, how do we know she isn’t one of them? What if she’s here to let the fuckin’ Demon Brothers in? Wouldn’t be the first time a woman tried to bring us down.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m not. I’m trying to keep them away.
I promise you that. I’d never do anything to hurt you all.”

“Call Cole. Get him out here to deal with his woman,” Towball says to Banger as he reaches out and grabs me by the arm, dragging me out of the tunnel, and over the uneven ground of the bush.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask, as I scramble after him, stumbling and tripping over the rocks and sticks.

He doesn’t even look at me
. He just keeps dragging me along until we reach what looks like some sort of bunker. It’s mostly hidden from view, but when you’re close up, you can see the door.

The door opens
with a creak and he drags me past him, pushing me ahead and into the small room. Before forcing me to sit on a chair, he grabs my bag off my shoulder and starts to rifle through it. Looking for what, I don’t know.

I take a moment to observe my surroundings. The room is lit with a single bulb, hanging over an old, beaten up table
that holds a small television and some computer equipment. Around it, are equally old chairs that look almost ready to break apart. Off to the side is a torn up couch, covered with a dusty looking blanket and another table that houses a microwave and some tea and coffee making supplies. Under the table is a small bar fridge, and to the right is a small ceramic sink with exposed piping.

To one side of the bunker
are boxes stacked on boxes. Nothing is marked, so I don’t know what it is. Although, I don’t think I want to know what any of it is. If it’s stored out here, it can’t be legal.

“I don’t have anything in there,” I say to Towball as he decides to upend my bag on the table. “I was just leaving.”

“Why didn’t you just leave like everyone else does? Out the front gate?”

“Do you really think Cole or my father would have let me go?”

He shrugs. “Would depend on your reasons.”

“My reasons are good Towball. Please let me go. If I don’t leave before Cole and Dad get here, then the
Demon Brothers will come. Please, I’m the only one that can stop this war from happening.”

“And how exactly are you going to do that?”

“If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“Depends on how good your story is.”

The door opens and closes with a thump as Banger enters. “They’re on their way.”

“Shit! You have to let me go. I can stop this.”

“How?”

I take a deep breath, and expl
ain how my uncle had a drug problem and handed me over to Liam as payment. That when Toby died, I ran and Liam came looking for me and threatened to start a war if I didn’t return to him.

“So that’s what I’m trying to
do.”

“Why didn’t you just tell Prez or Cole. We could have done something.”

“Because I don’t want anyone dying because of me. I knew when I ran that he’d come after me. I knew he wouldn’t let me go. I’m the one that brought the danger here. I’m the one that needs to fix it. So
please,
let me go.” I’m crying now. Big, fat, frustrated tears are pouring down my face. Every second I spend sitting here is another second that Cole and my father get closer. I need to leave.

Standing up, I grip Towball’s arm and look at him, pleading with my eyes. “
Please,
” I beg.

“This is out of my hands, Maddie. They’re on their way.”

I drop back into the chair and cover my face with my hands, my shoulders bouncing as I cry into my hands. I failed. I fucking failed. I never should have come here. I should have just been tough enough to accept that my life wasn’t mine, and stayed with Liam until ultimately, I ended up broken and foaming at the mouth. Dead.

Banger and Towball slip out of the bunker quietly. They leave the door open
and I can see them through it, standing together as they light up a cigarette and talk quietly. Not even ten minutes pass before I hear the rumble of Harley’s approaching.

Shit.

“Where the fuck is she?” I hear Cole roar. I jump at the pain in his voice. He feels betrayed by me. I don’t blame him.

There’s a bunch of shouting outside as all men try to be heard
. Eventually a quiet falls over them as they listen to Towball speak. He tells them what I told him. I stand in the doorway, too afraid to go out there and face the men I’ve been lying to. But I watch them as they glance toward me.

My father shakes his head and turns away.
Cole follows him and they talk together quietly. Cole nods and runs his hand over his hair before turning and walking toward the bunker. I hold my breath as I wait for him to speak.

It seems to take forever
as I watch him close and lock the door behind him.

“I should have known you were sayin’ goodbye tonight
,” he says softly. “You weren’t actin’ normal. I should have fuckin’ known.” He shakes his head, and I step toward him, reaching out. Feeling the need to comfort him. He holds his hand up. “Don’t. Just sit.”

I do as he says, slowly lowering myself to the chair, keeping my eyes on him the whole time as my chest aches. This is exactly why I didn’t want to say goodbye.

“Why did you lie, Maddie? Why did you tell us that you cut a deal?” he asks.

“I didn’t lie. I did cut a deal.”

“You told us you paid him,” he roars. “You fuckin’ lied.”

“I said I had to give him everything I had. And that was the truth. All I had was my life, my hope and my love for you
. Going with him means I give that all up.”

He places his hands
on either side of his head. “Why? Why the fuck would you agree to goin’ back with him?”

“To protect you. To protect everyone. If I don’t go, people will die Cole. He’ll fucking have them all killed.”

“You are
my
woman.
I
protect you. NOT the other way around. I FUCKIN’ PROTECT YOU!” he booms. “You don’t keep secrets. You don’t run away. I fuckin’ love you. I can’t let you go. I’ll give
everything
, baby, fuckin’ everything to protect you. And the Outlaw Riders, they’re you’re family. We stand together. We don’t back down. You’re one of us, and we will fight to the grave. Do you understand that? Fuckin’ Burke and the Demon Brothers, they don’t get to come into our territory and make fuckin’ demands. If they want a war, they’ll get a war, and I’ll fuckin’ throttle every single one of them. Especially Burke, that fuckhead is going to get what’s coming to him.”

I stand and step toward him, his eyes are dark and angry and his body shakes with fury. I reach my hand up and gently touch his face. “
This war that’s about to happen. It’s my fault Cole. If I hadn’t have run, you’d be safe. We never would have met and you’d still be banging whores for fun, completely oblivious to this thing we share. I was selfish. I came here, knowing he’d chase me, knowing that if he found me I’d have to go back. But I met you, and I wanted you. You made me whole Cole. When I got here, I was broken but you made me whole. You made me strong. Now please, just let me go. Let me fix this. I can save everyone.”

We stare at each other for the longest moment, both of our eyes shining with emotion
. His hands move up to either side of my face, gripping me exactly how I’m holding him as he presses his forehead against mine.

“No,” he whispers
. “I won’t give you up.” He brings his mouth to mine, a fierceness to his kiss as he forces his tongue into my mouth and pulls me against him. Reaching down, he pulls open my jeans and shoves them down my legs, reefing off one of my boots so I’m free to wrap my legs around his waist as he walks us into the wall and takes out his cock, pushing it inside me as he fucks me against the wall.

“I’m sorry,” I cry, tears streaming down my face as he pushes into me, over and over, with long powerful thrusts.

“Don’t be sorry baby. Just stay. Fuckin’ love me,” he grunts.

“I do love you. I do,” I cry, as my insides clench
and I convulse, cumming around him, wrapping my legs even tighter around his body.

He cums, shuddering against me and moaning into my neck. “No runnin’
baby. Let me protect you.”

He pulls back to meet my eyes, his own pleading with me to give in to him.
“I’m scared, Cole. I don’t want to lose you.”

“And you think I could lose you? We do this together, or die tryin’.”

“Ok,” I whisper, wrapping my arms tighter around him and burying my face in his neck. In my stomach is a pile of lead. It’s the guilt over what I’ve done, and what I’ve brought to these people.

Eventually, we get ourselves cleaned up and we go out to meet up with my father, who’s standing with Towball and Banger as they chain smoke, waiting for Cole and I to come out of the bunker.

“Jesus Christ Maddie,” my father says as I walk toward him. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

It’s the same questions they all had, and I answer them the same way. Their sense of family has them willing to fiercely protect me from Liam. I feel so undeserving. Even though I was born into this club, I haven’t been a part of it for very long
. When I came here, I knew I needed protection. I thought I could hide here until it was safe to move on and start a life of my own, free from the shackles of my past. I never dreamed that Liam would be willing to start a war to get me back.

As we mount the bikes and return to the compound, I hold
on tight to Cole, my eyes closed tight as I try to get a hold on my emotions. I have done a lot of bad things in my life. But making these men care about me was probably my biggest sin of all. My selfishness has killed them.