I grip the handle to the door that is second on the left, like Addison said. I knock, but no one answers, so with a shrug, I open it. What I see has me reeling back into the hall, screaming at the top of my lungs.
Jackson, one of his MC members, and a pretty blonde girl. Fucking. I mean...hardcore, fucking. I scrub at my eyes and swing my head from side to side, mumbling ‘No, no, no, no, no,’ over and over. Jackson calls out my name, but I can’t scrub the image from my mind. Jackson, my father-like figure, my kind, sweet Jackson...was going at it with another man and one woman. He was having a ménage. Jackson...JACKSON. Oh god, it burns.
I can’t erase the images no matter how hard I try. Jackson skids out of the room, jeans up but unbuttoned, bulge...well...bulging. I squeal, and cover my eyes.
“Jackson, oh my GOD!”
“Ciara, shit, fuck, sorry...I didn’t lock the door...”
“Oh god, my eyes, they burn. Oh my god!”
“What’s goin’ on?”
That’s Spike.
“Ciara, um, walked in on me and...”
“Oh god!” I cry again, turning and rushing down the hall.
“Sorry!” Jackson yells.
I tear out into the bar, and Addi calls my name. “Ciara, hey, what’s wrong?”
I look up at her, my eyes wide and no doubt freaked out. “Um, um...”
She walks around the bar, looking concerned. “What’s wrong, are you okay?”
“Um, ah...”
“Ciara...”
“Tom Cat!” Spike calls, walking out into the bar, smirking.
“Don’t you even laugh!”
Addison looks confused. “What’s going on?”
Spike walks over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Precious, trust me when I say you don’t wanna know.”
“Tell me!” she cries, stomping her foot with frustration.
Spike squeezes her harder. “Seriously, you don’t wanna know.”
“Ciara, hey!”
I turn and see Jackson walking out, still without a shirt. My eyes widen, and I throw up my hands. “No, it’s fine. It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry, I feel like a fucking dog...”
“What happened?!” Addi cries loudly.
“Ciara walked in on me...ummm...” As if just realizing what he was about to say to his daughter, he stops talking. “Errr...”
“Oh my God, did Ciara catch you fucking?” Addison bellows.
Trust her to put it so...bluntly.
“She caught him with more than one person,” Spike chuckles.
I slap Spike’s shoulder and he grunts, but flashes me an amused grin, that smart-ass. Addison squeals loudly, and begins gagging, fake of course.
“Oh my God! Father! You are so gross! You’re like...a whore!”
“It’s not...” Jackson begins.
“Hey, the man likes two at once, nothin’ wrong with that,” Spike says.
I slap his arm again. “Spike!”
“Father,” Addison cries, covering her eyes. “That’s so wrong! I thought you were nice.”
Jackson snorts. “Yeah, I fuckin’ know.”
“Jackson, good on you buddy!” Spike laughs.
Addison and I both shoot him a glare now. Jackson runs a hand through his hair again, and sighs loudly. “Fuck it, I’m goin’ back in!”
Addison and I both squeal loudly, and then we’re all laughing. Jackson disappears off down the hall, and we continue on with our laughing.
Well that was a way to end the day.
Dammit.
~*~*~*~
PRESENT – SPIKE
“We ride in a hour, have everything ready,” I bark down the phone, and snap it closed.
I glance over my shoulder. Ciara is still in the bedroom, thank fuck. If she found out what we were planning, she would have a fit. She thinks we’re going on an annual ride, and she’s totally okay with that. I hate lying to her, but if she knew what I was going to do, she wouldn’t make it easy on me.
I know she won’t understand, I don’t expect her to, but I have to do this for Cheyenne. She deserves that much. I need closure, and making him pay will give that to me.
The plan is set in place. It’s taken a few weeks, but it’s finally ready to go. Our boy is going to drive the car in the compound to get the deal, then he’s going to walk off as though he’s double-checking on the phone and we’re going to blow the entire place. We’ve made sure to follow Hogan’s every move, so we know he’ll be on the inside.
I turn, taking my pack from the ground, and then I walk into the bedroom. Ciara is sitting by the window, smiling out at something. God knows what, the girl is always sunshine, even if she can’t see it.
She turns when she hears me, and she beams. Fuck, I love her. I love her with every beat of my broken fuckin’ heart. I walk over, cupping her face in my hands. I bring my lips down to hers and I kiss her, hard. She tastes like some fuckin’ sweet strawberry lip stuff. It’s nice, whatever it is. She opens her lips and takes my tongue, and fuck, my cock aches. She gets it going every time.
“I don’t want you to go,” she rasps when I pull back.
“I know baby, but I gotta. I’ll only be a day or two.”
She smiles. “I guess it’s me and my hand then.”
I growl at her, and she giggles.
“Don’t you touch that sweet pussy until I’m home, you hear me?”
She grins up at me. “Yes boss.”
“Behave. I’ll call you when I get there yeah?”
“Yeah,” she whispers.
I kiss her again, and when I pull back, my heart is pounding. Fuck, I hate this. I fuckin’ hate it. If it goes wrong...no, I can’t fuckin’ think like that. I will come home to her, and everything will be fine.
I open my mouth and my voice comes out far scratchier than I would usually like. “I love you, Tom Cat. Yeah?”
She beams at me. “Yeah, right back at you, hot stuff.”
I grin, and plant another kiss on her lips.
“Later, Tom Cat.”
She gives me a weak wave, and I turn and walk out. Fuck, I hope this goes to plan, because if it doesn’t, we’re fucked. Royally.
~*~*~*~
PRESENT – CIARA
“Hey Addi, you want to come over for pizza tonight?” I say, skipping into the bar a few hours after Spike left.
That’s when I see Addi. She’s sitting behind the bar, her face a mass of emotions, and she’s twiddling her fingers together so quickly she looks like a mad woman. I rush over, concerned, and stop in front of her. “Hey, are you okay?”
She looks up at me, her eyes glassy. “What? Yeah, sorry.”
“Addi, what’s wrong?”
She bursts out crying, and I know right away that something bad is going down. Addi doesn’t just cry for no reason. She’s not the crying type. I rush around the bar and kneel in front of her, feeling my heart beginning to thump. I take her hands, and I try to soothe her as much as possible. Maybe her and Cade had a fight right before he left, or perhaps Jackson.
“Tell me what’s wrong?” I say gently.
“I’m not supposed to.”
She’s sobbing heavily now, and my heart begins to thump so fast I can hardly hear myself think. I know what’s coming, somewhere deep down, I know what’s coming but I ask anyway. “Is it Spike?”
She nods, and looks up, finally cracking. “The ride they went on. It isn’t an annual run, it’s to kill Hogan.”
I stumble backwards, her words hitting me like a blow to the head. I land on my ass, and my world spins. Spike has gone to kill Hogan. Oh god, Spike has gone to kill Hogan. I tremble violently, and my stomach lurches. No, this can’t be happening, Spike can’t do this. Not now. Not ever. My fear turns into frenzy, and I leap to my feet.
“Where are they? I can stop him.”
“It’s too late,” Addi croaks. “They’re gone.”
“There has to be a way!” I scream at her. “Addison, they will get kille
d.”
She starts to cry again, and I curse loudly. Keep calm, Ciara. Keep calm. I kneel in front of her again, trying to steady my panting. “Addi, honey, please...tell me there is a way for us to find them?”
She lifts her eyes, and peers out the front door. “Two of the boys were following late, and they’re still here. They’re about to ride.”
I get to my feet quickly and I turn, skidding around the bar. Addison calls my name, and I spin around, trembling “Addi, don’t try and stop me. Nothing you can say right now will stop me from following them. I need to stop those guys, I don’t care what I have to do.”
She nods, understanding, then she reaches under the bar and pulls out a gun. She stretches her hand out, and I walk over, taking it from her. We stare at each other a long moment, then she pulls me into her arms.
“I know I can’t stop you, Ciara, but please...think before you act.”
“I promise,” I whisper, pulling back and tucking the gun into my pants. “Thank you.”
I turn and rush out the front door, and over to my car. I peer around the compound, until I see the two guys just starting up their bikes. God, I was just in time. A minute or two later, and I’d be done for.
I slide into my car and I turn it on. I don’t have a second to think about what I’m doing—I just do.
When the bikes pull out of the compound I follow them. I really hope I don’t lose them, or worse, that they realize they are being followed. I have to get to Spike before he gets to Hogan, there’s just no other option. I can’t let anything happen to him.
If he dies, I’ll never recover.
I have to get there.
CHAPTER 20
PRESENT – CIARA
Hogan’s compound is huge, and when I say huge, I mean it. There are six large sheds, two houses, a large building and a mass amount of Harley-Davidsons lined up. God, Spike is putting himself into a death trap.
I spent the entire day following the two bikers, and when they caught up to Spike’s group, I followed them to a long, empty dirt road that has a perfect view of Hogan’s compound without them being seen or heard easily.
I parked my car far down the road after they went down it, so they wouldn’t see it. Then I got out and I walked the rest of the way. Now I’m crouched behind a mass of trees, peering over at the compound. Spike, Cade, Jackson and Granger are all huddled together in a group, talking frantically amongst themselves.
There’s also a man in a car. He’s only young, but he’s wearing Jackson’s colors, so I guess he’s one of Jackson’s guys. He’s on the phone, talking quickly. I watch as Spike turns, and waves at the man in the car. He gets out, and joins the group. I can’t hear what they’re saying, and if I move closer, they’ll see me. I have to pick the right moment to show myself - if I don’t, I could get us all killed.
My heart is thumping, and sweat is running down my face. I’m so terrified, my entire body tingles with fear. I wipe my hand over my face as I watch them talking to the strange man, and pointing to the compound and the car. The man nods, listening, and then he turns and gets back into the vehicle.
Then the car moves. I get out of my crouching position to see where it’s going. I realize when it pulls out onto the road, and then turns, that it’s going to Hogan’s lot. Oh. My. God. They’re sending someone in? That’s so dangerous, so incredibly dangerous. I get on my tiptoes, trying to see more, and I end up falling backwards. I land with a loud crash into a bush behind me. I curse and squirm, trying to get up. It takes me a few minutes, and when I look up, I see four bikers standing and pointing guns down at me. I squeal, and suddenly I’m being hurled up and Spike’s hand is clamped over my mouth.
“What the motherfuck are you doing here?” he snarls into my ear.
He lets my hand go, and I shove at his chest. “You lied to me!”
“You fuckin’ followed me. Ciara, what the fuck? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”
“You could be killed! You didn’t think that would matter to me?”
“You fuckin’ stupid girl,” he growls, his body heaving. “You don’t fuckin’ mess with a bikers business. You need to get the fuck out of here, right now.”
“No,” I cry.
“Prez, she needs to fuckin’ leave, now,” Granger hisses. “Fuck, she’s goin’ to get us killed.”
“Fuckin’ right she does,” Cade adds. “Ciara, what the fuck were you thinkin’? Biker business is just that, and it ain’t none of yours...you need to go.”
“You guys can’t do this, you can’t...”
I’m cut off, because I hear a mass amount of bullets being fired. I yelp, and Spike spins around. All four of them begin running toward their viewing point, and I follow. When I look down, I see a very dead man on the ground. It takes me a moment to realize who that man is. It’s the guy they just sent in. Suddenly, the bikers around him look up to where we are standing. Spike pulls everyone back, cursing and swearing. He drives his fist into a nearby tree, then he spins to the group. “He fuckin’ knows. He didn’t even get in. That fucker knew!”
“We gotta go, Prez. Like now,” Granger says, his voice full of panic.
“Get fuckin’ Ciara outta here, now!” Spike growls, pulling out his keys.
Granger takes hold of me, and begins pulling me backwards. I struggle in his grip, but my protest is cut off when an almighty boom rocks us. I scream, but no one can hear it, because the sound is deafening. Little bits of god knows what are flying everywhere, and I’m on the ground before I know what’s happening. I feel blood trickling down my head, and panic rises in my chest. Oh god, Spike!
Granger releases his hold on me for a second to try and roll, and I scramble out of his arms, crawling toward the bikes. I see Spike, Cade and Jackson on the ground, but all of them are okay. They’re bleeding a little from bits that were flying round, but they’re ok.
I’m about to call out to Spike, when I see what’s happened. Half of Hogan’s compound is in a heap - I mean, it’s literally in a heap. What was once buildings, is now burning masses that are crumbling to the ground. The car that Cade’s guy drove in with just blew up. It’s now sitting there, nothing more than a crispy shell.
People are running around frantically, Harleys are roaring to life, and women are screaming. I feel my heart leap into my throat, and I feel sick. Oh god, they blew up the compound. That was the plan all along?
“Was he in there?” Spike hisses to Cade.
“Yeah, he was, we fuckin’ checked.”
“Good, let’s fuckin’ ride.”
Spike spins around to see me, and his eyes flare. “Ciara, fuck, what the hell!”
“Y-y-y-y-you...you...you...”
“She’s in shock, fuck. Where’s Granger?” Jackson barks.
“We got no time to fuck around, we gotta go,” Cade says.
“You two go, find Granger. I’ll get Ciara on the bike. We’re outta here.”
Spike takes my hand and tugs, and the other two disappear through the fine cloud of smoke that is slowly filling the spaces between the trees. I can still hear screaming, and god, it’s a sound I’ll never forget. Spike wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly, as he hurries us toward his bike.
Then everything changes. It’s funny how quickly something can go from bad to worse. It happens so fast you barely get a chance to blink, let alone think.
I didn’t get a chance to think, I didn’t even get a chance to say I was sorry—nothing could be done about what happened next. Spike is moving me, and then suddenly bullets are being fired. It takes me a moment, a stupid moment, to realize what those bullets are hitting.
Spike’s body jerks with each bullet, almost like he’s having a fit. He manages to spin himself, and shield me. He finds a moment to protect me, yet I couldn’t find a moment to do the same. His entire body jerks, and jerks, and jerks, as bullets are fired into his torso. His eyes roll back, his mouth is suddenly open and he’s making a gagging, strangled sound. I know I’m screaming; yet
everything seems to happen in slow motion.
Spike’s body slides down mine, and drops to the floor. Blood is pouring from the wounds, and it’s covering his entire body. I look up, my eyes hazy, to see a man standing about fifty meters away, loading his gun.
I do the only thing I can think of. I pull the gun from my pants and I aim it at him. I pull the trigger.
Blood splatters fill the air for a second, and then he slumps to the ground. I just killed someone, and yet it doesn’t even register. The only thing that registers is the bleeding form in front of me. I drop to my knees, and I crawl over, strangled, broken sounds sliding from my throat.
I don’t know how I move from one thing to the next, I just know that by the time Cade and Jackson come back, I am pumping Spike’s chest over and over. I’m covered in blood, from head to toe. Spike is gurgling, blood bubbling from his mouth. I’m pumping and pumping, begging, pleading, screaming, choking.
“Fuck, fuck.” I hear, but I don’t know who says it. “Get her outta here, now.”
Someone tries to touch me, but I slap their hand away. I can’t let him go. If I let him go, he’ll die. There’s so much blood. God, it’s everywhere. He’s making strange sounds, his eyes are open, but he’s not focused on anything. If I stop, I lose him. I can’t stop. I have to help him. I have to save him. Spike, oh god, please wake up.
“Spike, please,” I hear myself rasp. “Baby please, you’re going to be okay. Spike, wake up. Spike, please don’t close your eyes.”
“We gotta get out, now. Get Spike.”
“Ciara.” I think that’s Jackson. “You gotta move.”
“Spike,” I wail, as his body begins jerking, like he’s having a fit. Blood begins to splutter from his mouth as he coughs and chokes, and his eyes continue rolling. It’s without a doubt the scariest thing I have ever encountered in my entire life. I start screaming again, loudly, desperately, and my hands begin pumping harder and harder on his chest. “SPIKE!”
“Ciara, we gotta move!”
Frantic voices. Screaming. Gun shots. Bikes. I can’t pinpoint one noise, they’re all haunting my mind. I clutch Spike’s shirt and I keep pumping, my fingers curled in the blood-soaked cotton, his blood pooling and flowing like a tap.