Chaos Conquers All (14 page)

“Is he dead?” her voice was now several octaves higher than normal.

“I don’t know. When I finally got through to where he’d been he was gone. They took him Nikki. Black took him.”

Nikki’s mind exploded at Tex’s words. He took Trace. He fucking took Trace. He took him while she slept. While Tex let her sleep. She’d told Tex they needed to go after that bastard. She’d told him to wake her. She’d told him to watch Trace. Anger roared in, thick and fast, mixing with despair to create a volatile cocktail.

She knew what was happening inside her but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her fist came up and with one punch she knocked Tex on his ass. She pounced on top of him before anyone could react.

“I told you to watch him! I fucking told you!” she screamed at him as she hit him.

Tex just lay under her taking the blows.

“Why the fuck weren’t you watching him?! You should’ve been watching him!” The tears began to fall as she screamed at him.

The anger died off as quickly as it came. The monster having been satisfied by Tex’s firm hand earlier. Despair won out and she collapsed against Tex’s chest under the weight of it.

“I should’ve been watching him,” she sobbed as she felt his arms go round her and hold her tightly to him.

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The only sound in the room was Nikki’s sobbing. All the men stood by like a silent guard as Nikki worked her way through the shit. Tex’s heart broke as he listened to her crying. She’d been right the first time. He should’ve been keeping a better eye on Trace. Instead he’d let his bullheadedness get in the way. He’d let Trace’s words affect him too much so, instead of being right by his brother’s side, he’d tasked Case to look after him.

As if he’d heard Tex’s thoughts Case spoke up, “It wasn’t Tex’s fault, Ace. It was mine. I was supposed to be watching Trace’s back.”

“He could be fine. Tex only saw him go down. That doesn’t mean he’s dead. He might’ve taken a shot. He might’ve tripped and fallen. Why would they take him if he was dead?” Rock tried to offer some comfort.

Tex felt Nikki take a few steadying breaths before lifting her head.

“It is not your fault, Case. It is no one’s fault but Bridges. Rock is right. They wouldn’t have taken Trace unless he was alive. He’s no good to Black or Bridges if he’s dead. We need to find out where they took him and then we need to get him back but first there’s some stuff you need to know,” Nikki announced.

Tex stared at her wide eyed. She couldn’t tell them about Bridges and the prospects. They weren’t ready to hear it. He wasn’t ready for them to hear it. He hadn’t figured out a way to spin that shit. He shook his head subtly at her.

“They need to know what they’re walking into Tex. They should’ve known long before now,” she told him as she rose to her feet and held out her hand to help him to his feet.

He did not think this was a good idea but if she was gonna do it, then he was gonna have her back.

Then his dad spoke, “They don’t need to know Darlin’. They would all go to bat for you regardless of the circumstances.”

He glanced around at the men in the room and witnessed the subtle nods and chin lifts. Yeah they would all go to bat for her regardless of the circumstances because that’s what family did for each other. That’s what they were, family. One weird, twisted and fucked up family but a family none the less.

“I’ll tell them,” his father stated.

Tex looked at King in surprise. Had Nikki told him everything while they’d been escorting the shipment? His gaze went back to Nikki and even she looked confused. What the hell did King think he was telling them?

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Nikki frowned at King in confusion. What exactly did he think she was talking about?

“This shit started long before most of you were patched in. Back before you lot were born,” King explained gesturing to Nikki and Tex, “Reaper was seeing this woman. He was totally in love with her but she didn’t see a future for herself with him. So she left him for some rich suit. A few years later, round the time Sheila was pregnant, she came crawling back to him. Tried to tell him that the man she’d married was a monster. By then he was already tainted by this life and he had no room for forgiveness for her. She’d made her choice, even had a kid with this guy. So Reaper turned her away.”

Nikki knew this part of the story.

“He didn’t hear from her again until about twelve years later when she came warning us about her husband’s plan to take the club’s business and destroy the club. Apparently the man wanted to expand his repertoire from drug trafficking to drug and gun trafficking. We suddenly became his number one target. The war got bloody and we lost a few brothers,” King paused at the mention of the dead men.

Nikki remembered going to the funerals of the fallen men and the anger and grief that spread through their family.

King continued, “He started threatening our families so we threatened his. He didn’t take the threat seriously. Forced us to follow through. Southern River backed us and we made a play that would put him down permanently. We needed every man we had to take down his operators so we outsourced the job on his wife. These guys were just supposed to kidnap her bring her to us so we could use her to leverage him out of hiding. Something went wrong and the wife ended up dead. I never understood how it happened. The guys we hired were long time pro’s. They’d never fucked up a job.”

King stopped and shook his head, “Turns out they hadn’t fucked up the job. They just weren’t working for us anymore. Bridges tripled their payment to kill his wife and leave a trail that linked back to us. The woman had betrayed him so it was no loss to him but he couldn’t let his people or his family find that out. He was going to use it to motivate them to seek revenge. It was too late by then. We’d already wiped out his entire crew. We never tracked down Bridges or his right hand man. The guy disappeared off the face of the earth. Then he turned up dead about nine years ago and we thought we’d heard the last of him.”

Until Cole decided to embark on his own little journey of revenge.

“Now his son is in charge of the family fortune and it would seem the family revenge too. He made a play for Ace before she or any of us knew who he was.”

“King,” Tex warned him.

Nikki placed a hand on his arm quieting Tex’s protest. She lifted her chin at King gesturing for him to go on.

“When she tried to get out he took her captive and whipped her till she bled. It wasn’t some random mugging. It was him,” King paused as anger rumbled through the group, “When he couldn’t manipulate her, he got Reaper to manipulate her instead. Reaper used her.”

“Dad,” Tex growled at King and tucked her behind him as he glared at his father.

“They need to know whatever the consequences,” she said as she stepped out from behind him.

She had no idea how King knew all this but it was time she came clean to all of them.

“I was there when they met with the Niners. I was on the rooftop across the road from the house with Reaper. He told me they were traitors and he had orders from King to put them down. They were all in there shaking hands with Malakai and exchanging cash. Reaper’s hands were shaking bad. He couldn’t take the shot, so I did. I killed the prospects,” She looked at all of them as she spoke.

She knew what this meant. She’d killed two club members. Still, she felt lighter in telling them the truth.

“He played her. She had no way of knowing he was a traitor. She thought she was doling out justice and based on the information she had that’s exactly what she did,” Tex came to her defence stepping up behind her.

She could feel him challenging each of the men with his gaze.

“I say we vote this shit now,” Rock said with a growl, “We vote this shit then we go get our brother back.”

Nikki would take whatever punishment they doled out but first she needed to know that Trace was safe.

“I know I don’t deserve it but I have a request,” she stated looking at King.

King gestured with his hand for her to put it out there.

“I want to help get Trace back before whatever happens, happens,” she told them.

“Agreed,” King said, “Everyone in the boardroom now.”

Nikki turned and left the building. She didn’t need to hover around trying to gauge her fate. Instead she needed to think of a way to get Trace back. She had a phone call to make.

Trace sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes flew open. He was surrounded in a pool of light from a bulb hanging overhead. Outside of that pool of light was pure darkness. He peered into the curtain of black beyond him, willing his sluggish mind to wake up and start processing his surroundings. He couldn’t make out anything beyond the circle of light to tell him where he was. He concentrated on what he could see. He looked at the surface beneath. The floor was made of concrete and covered in dust. That, coupled with the lack of natural light, told him he was in a factory of some sort. He sniffed the air. It was damp and musty with a faint smell of……… sawdust. The old mill?

He racked his brain trying to remember what happened. They were travelling with the shipment and that sedan came flying out of nowhere. He’d taken evasive action. A second car appeared cutting off his retreat to the truck. He’d turned away from the convoy detouring around a shed. Then the shooting started. They took out his bike tires and he’d dropped the damn thing ducking around the corner of the building to take cover. He remembered hearing Black’s voice and squeezing between the cherry picker and the shed to get a better look. He’d been cut off from the rest of the group and when he’d tried to make a run for it those bastards shot him. Which would explain the pain he was feeling now.

His back burned like someone had taken hot wax and poured it on his skin. With every intake of breath a sharp pain spread through his chest. He knew that meant broken ribs and more than a few. He couldn’t see any blood on the floor below him although his shirt was damp. Either he hadn’t been here too long or the bleeding wasn’t that significant. The left side of his face was throbbing with pain and it was difficult to see out of his left eye. He could feel his top lip was swollen and his brain had started up a steady pounding. He’d taken a beating when he’d struggled with Black’s goons in the car. If it hadn’t been for the confined space, he might’ve broken free from them.

His hands were tied behind him around a wooden pole of some sort. He tested his bindings. The rope was loose enough not to cut off circulation to his hands but tight enough that there was no way he was sliding his hands free. Maybe if he worked it against the pole the friction might be enough to eat away at the rope.

“Well Deveraux, it would appear the tables have turned,” Black’s slightly muffled words slid through the dark toward him.

“I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one Black,” he replied.

Black laughed, “Your unwavering confidence is astounding.”

The man stepped into the light and it was the first time Trace had seen his face since Daisy’s apartment. He almost smiled when he looked at the aftermath of the beating he’d given the man. Most of his face was swollen. His eyes were both purplish black one of them nearly closed up from the swelling. He had a nasty cut and yet more swelling on his lip which would explain his speech sounding muffled.

“What the fuck do you want, asshole?” he asked Black.

“What do I want?” Black paused tapping his finger on his chin, “What I want is to bring that piece of shit club of yours to its knees. What I want is to make you pay for kidnapping my girl and doing who knows what with her. What I want is for that stupid little whore of yours to watch every single one of her family and friends die before I take her apart piece by tiny little fucking piece.”

The thought of Black getting his hands on Nikki turned his stomach.

“I already told you Black, neither you or your sick twisted boss will ever touch her,” he growled the words.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Deveraux. You see, your little bitch has been sleeping with my sick twisted boss this whole time. She’s played you. She’s played all of you. Pretending to be the victim. She has never been a victim,” Black told him.

He couldn’t believe his ears. Did this lying sack of shit actually think he would buy into this bull?

“Does your ass ever get jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth?” he quipped.

Black snorted, “You think I’m lying? She was there only the other night. Right before you pricks snatched Daisy.”

That got Trace’s attention. She’d been missing for nearly half a day and not once had she mentioned where she’d been. He refused to believe that she’d go back to that piece of shit.

“She really has you all wrapped around her little finger. None of you can see past those pretty grey eyes and that tight little body. That’s fine, you don’t have to take my word for it I can prove it,” Black stated as he held up a little black memory stick.

Trace stayed silent, He was not about to give Black the satisfaction of seeing the doubt and fear creeping into his mind. Somewhere in the back of his brain an idea of what was on that memory stick had begun to form. He wasn’t ready to acknowledge that shit. He wanted to cling to the idea that Black was lying just to rile him up.

Black disappeared momentarily then reappeared with a small laptop. The usb was jammed in the side and Black clicked a few buttons then placed the laptop on the ground next to him. He reached down his finger hovering over the play button for dramatic effect.

“Enjoy,” Black told him with a joyous lilt.

Trace was going to enjoy. He was going to enjoy killing that prick as soon as he got out of his bindings. Black retreated into the darkness and he heard the slide and clang of a metal door.

The little screen buzzed at him as he worked the ropes against the rough wooden pole he was secured to. The screen flickered and he heard Nikki’s voice.

“Yes Sir,” the husky tone of her voice was one he’d heard before.

He couldn’t stop his gaze from shifting to the screen next to him. Nikki stripped the clothes from her body. He couldn’t help but think she was sexy as hell. The sight of her naked form set his blood pumping. Then that sick prick entered the shot and his blood boiled. That prick grabbed a handful of her hair and proceeded to assault her mouth with his. The minute Bridges touched her skin he felt sick to the stomach. He had never in his life wanted to hurt someone as much as he wanted to hurt that man. Bridges ushered her toward some contraption on the wall. As she turned, Trace saw the irrefutable evidence that this meeting had taken place recently. The scars from the whipping Bridges had given her were clearly visible on her back.

His chest felt like it would cave in on itself as the pain spread through him. Betrayal stung like a bitch. In spite of that he couldn’t turn away. He watched as she was strapped to the cross. He saw the naked lust on her face as he showed her the whip. He heard the sharp intake of breath as that thing flicked at her skin. Then she made that desperate plea and he knew Black wouldn’t have to come back and finish him off. He would die right here from the pain of his heart cracking open inside his chest.

“I need you Cole, I need you to make me hurt.”

He couldn’t watch it anymore. He couldn’t listen to her beg to be punished. He screwed his eyes shut tight and rubbed his bindings furiously against the pole. But it didn’t matter what he did. He couldn’t escape the sound of her gasps and whimpers as the whip flicked across her skin. His body was hard wired to respond to her and as her whimpers turned into moans his blood raced straight to the one place he really didn’t need it to. Then she came and he couldn’t ignore it any longer. His eyes flicked to the screen to watch her in the throes of her orgasm. Her head was tipped back, her lips were parted and her eyes were screwed shut. For some reason, the part of his brain that was still operating properly clung to that fact.

Then that bastard grabbed her and started fucking her. Even that was too nice a word for the way he was with her. In spite of her restraints her body still shifted with every stroke. The blood immediately stopped pumping to his groin and did an abrupt one eighty back to his heart. That bastard was brutal and he wanted to fucking kill him for it.

He watched as her eyes flew open and a small yelp exited between her gritted teeth. He heard that prick’s demand for her to tell him. Something flickered in her eyes. Something reminiscent of guilt before they glazed over and she cried out. The words ‘you own all of me’ left her mouth but her eyes, they didn’t show an ounce of emotion. It was like she was gone from herself and there was someone or something else operating her body. Tex’s words popped into his head.

“What you’re feeling right now, the need to hurt and be hurt? That’s exactly what she feels.”

She was using that piece of shit to disconnect from the storm going on inside her. He knew that all too well. He’d been down that road before.

His understanding didn’t lessen the hurt any. She’d gone back to that prick after they’d all made a pact to make this thing between them work. She’d let that bastard touch her knowing who he was and what he’d done. He couldn’t believe she would do that. He didn’t want to believe it. He also couldn’t deny the evidence in front of him. The screen went black and he breathed a sigh of relief. The reprieve didn’t last long though.

The screen flickered and Nikki appeared. She was naked with her wrists chained above her head. The camera showed the front of her naked body. She demanded that Bridges, or Cole as she called him, let her go. The man refused to let her out of her bindings. He said something about being in the warehouse and knowing what he saw and heard. Trace wondered what warehouse he was talking about. The next sentence out of Bridges mouth caught him off guard.

“So, you don’t remember breaking down and confessing your undying love to Deveraux?”

She confessed her undying love to him? Trace tried to remember any time where that had happened. Not just that but when it had happened in a warehouse?

Then Nikki answered Bridges, “We’re close and I thought he was dying.”

He was dying? The warehouse where Lenny held her hostage. She’d sat next to him and she’d told him she loved and needed him. As he’d begun to fade out he remembered holding on to those words. But how did Bridges know about that?

He didn’t have more than thirty seconds to contemplate the how before Bridges yell shocked him out of his wonderings. He watched as Bridges followed up with a smack across Nikki’s face. Unconsciously he growled and lurched toward the screen. That bastard was going to die an excruciating death. Bridges made that same demand he had in the first lot of footage. Only this time Nikki refused to answer. Then the bullwhip came out and Trace knew exactly what this was. He slid, bumped, shimmied and stretched trying to reach that damn computer. He needed to turn it off now. All he managed to do was bump it further away from him.

The first crack of the whip sounded and Nikki made a noise like an animal dying. The sound ripped through his chest and strangled his heart. Her eyes filled with fear. Another demand. This time she responded and that bastard whipped her anyway. The next two cracks drew an agonizing cry from Nikki. Her face twisted into a heart wrenching grimace. His chest hurt like it was being squeezed in a vice and was seconds from explosion. Bridges made another demand for her to say what he wanted to hear. Trace silently begged her to say it. He didn’t want to hear her howls of pain anymore. She didn’t say it. Instead she fired off a stream of hate filled words and Trace knew more blows were coming.

He watched Bridges whip her over and over. Her screams and cries gripped every inch of him and ripped him apart from the inside. They tormented him. He wanted to jump into the screen and save her but he couldn’t. Instead he sat slumped against the pole, his eyes glued to her face as he endured the sight and sounds of the only woman he ever loved being brutally whipped.

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Nikki ended her phone call. She knew she was playing with fire but she had very little options available to her and she’d happily get burned if it meant saving Trace’s life. She looked up at the tilt tray she stood next to. She’d spotted Trace’s bike on the back of it as soon as she stepped out of the clubhouse. The back tire was flat and the custom paint job was all scratched up down one side. He’d obviously dropped his bike in the gravel at some point during the fight. She knew Rock was right about him being alive. She felt it in every bone of her body. That didn’t mean he wasn’t in danger though. If Black had harmed a hair on his head she’d gut him like the pig he was. 

Footsteps jogging up behind her interrupted her thoughts. She glanced over her shoulder to find Mace coming to a stop behind her. The other Southern River guys were sitting at the picnic table trying their best not to stare at her.

“Were you there?” she asked him as she turned back to Trace’s bike.

“Yeah. We were coming through and King told us about the shipment. Figured we’d roll in and keep our brothers company. Didn’t realise we’d be rolling up on a fire fight,” he explained.

“And Trace?” she reached up and ran her fingers over the gouges in the paint.

“Saw him go down. He was moving. A black sedan snatched him up before we got there. We couldn’t leave the shipment. Don’t think they were there for the shipment anyway,” Mace said as she felt his eyes on her back.