Master (Chaos Bleeds Book 8) (13 page)

“Why don’t you go and get some coffee?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She watched him walk away before heading into the room. Daisy was reading to the room. She was sitting on Ned’s knee, and Sally was smiling. She looked pale, and a little withdrawn.

They stopped as she entered.

“Please, don’t stop for me. I’ve just come to spend some time. That’s all.”

Taking a seat, she listened to Daisy’s reading. As she stared at the little girl, Sandy started to wonder if she wanted kids.

Kids had always seemed like a foreign concept to her. They were adorable, but you had to devote all of your life to them. She didn’t know if she was ready for that or not. It was a great deal of commitment.

“I’m going to get some coffee, and food. Do you want anything?” Lacey asked.

“I’ll take a piece of chocolate cake,” Sally said. Daisy agreed, as did Ned.

“Take a break, Lacey. I’ve got this.”

Getting to her feet, Sandy followed her out. “I’ll come with you.”

“Thanks. It has been a long day.”

“Have you heard what is going on?”

“Whizz told me. He told me shit was going to hit the fan in a big way.” Lacey groaned, gripping the back of her neck, and stretching. “I hope they find him, and kill him.”

“I’m a doctor, and I hope they find a way to torture him, and feed him his own dick,” Sandy said. She pushed her hands into her white jacket. Her hands were so cold. She smiled at the passing people, and blew out a breath.

“Do you ever wonder what the hell we’re doing wrong?” Lacey asked.

“With all the drama?”

“Yeah. I mean, come on. There’s no way a club has this much drama for fun. It’s exhausting.”

“That I do agree. It sucks.”

“Congratulations by the way. Was it a nice wedding?” Lacey asked.

“It wasn’t like yours. Whizz planning for everything with the club around you. It was good. I liked it. When all of this crap is over, we’re going to have another ceremony with the club.”

“It makes sense. I’d love to be there, and I’d make one hell of a bridesmaid.”

“I’ll remember that.”

They got to the hospital café, and they took their own orders first. Lacey ordered for Sally, Ned, and Daisy so that she could pick it up on the way out of the café.

Taking a seat, Sandy opened up her bagel and took a bite. It was nice, but not as good as Angel made them. That woman could make anything taste a great deal better.

“So, the white jacket, the wedding, are you going back to being a doctor?”

“Yeah. I’m talking to Berman about taking my position again. I love being a doctor. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” She took another bite before sipping at her coffee.

“Do you think it’s possible for us to go one year without any of us being here?” Lacey asked. “The food is actually starting to taste good.”

“That’s because your food is awful.”

“Sally has taken over from cooking. I’m so awful they think it will be safe if I don’t have anything to do with that.”

Sandy laughed. “Now that I could see.”

“Some have talent in the kitchen, others don’t.”

“Stink is talented.”

“He can’t smell.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s such a shame really. He’d make one hell of a chef.” Sandy finished off her bagel and the last of her coffee. Lacey was moving around a salad on her plate. “How is it going with Sally?”

“Until Ned came, it was hard. She was crying, and she wouldn’t talk to anyone but Daisy. I’ve been through a lot of awful shit to get to this moment, but seeing Sally like that, I was petrified.” Lacey licked her lips, putting her fork down. “I, um, what do you say? What do you do? I’ve lost my ability to have kids, but I’ve never lost anything.” She shoved her cardigan up her arms, showing off the tats. “I dye my hair, I ink my body. I don’t know how to handle this.”

“You haven’t run away, nor have you dumped her back in foster care. That’s a good thing.”

“I’d never do that. Dumping her in foster care never entered my head. She may not be my blood, but she’s my girl.” Tears filled Lacey’s eyes, and she took a breath, staring down at her plate.

Sandy paused. Out of all of the women in the clubhouse she’d never seen Lacey cry. Lacey covered her face and shook her head. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry, that I’d never cry again.”

“That’s silly to say.” Out of all of the words she could use, silly?

“I’m really sorry. Sally will get there, and all of this will be a faded memory.”

Lacey nodded. “I get it, I do. It’s just, I want to hurt him for hurting my daughter. I could have lost Sally, and I love her. I don’t care what others say. I love her. She’s mine, and I love and care about her. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

Getting up from her chair, Sandy gave Lacey a hug. It started out tense at first, but slowly, the other woman accepted the hug. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and that was all that counted.

****

Paris coughed.

She saw the ceiling of her cage and wondered if she would ever get out. Andrew had gone into a fit of rage, and her arms were broken. She couldn’t move. The door to the basement opened, and she didn’t even have the energy to see who it was.

Whimpering, followed by a string of curses. Paris heard Russell open one of the cages and throw Lola inside.

With the pain she was in, she couldn’t even roll over, which was pitiful.

The sound of retreating footsteps allowed Paris to sigh. He was going, and maybe she’d be lucky enough to die tonight, and she’d never have to look at his big face again. When Spider got a hold of him, she hoped he’d tear his cock off with a blunt knife, fry it, and feed it to him.

That was a wish, and sometimes it gave her hope that one day soon, she was going to get out of here.

“Did you send the message?” Paris asked. It hurt to talk. Her lip was cut, but she needed to know the answer.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“If they know who it’s from, they’ll be able to track it as well.”

“Huh?”

“Every computer has an IP address. If you’re smart, you can make sure not to leave a trace of yourself. I decided to play dumb. If one of them is computer smart, they’ll know where to find us, and they’ll also discover that I infiltrated the security codes. Soon, this place is going to be more open than a whore’s thighs.”

Even though it wasn’t supposed to be funny, Paris couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you, Lola.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s hope your friends come otherwise we’ll be dead soon.”

It was a sobering thought yet a hopeful one.

Spider had promised to take care of her, to protect her. He hadn’t seen this coming, and ever after everything she’d been through, she still believed he was coming to get her. He didn’t give her a reason to doubt him.

Chapter Ten

“You can’t do this without me, Devil. That’s my girl in there,” Spider said.

They had all ridden back to the clubhouse to get their supplies. Spider had ridden at Devil’s back, much to his annoyance. “Spider, man, we’re going to go and get her for you. I don’t know how many times I need to make this clear to you.”

“I’m capable of riding.”

Devil pressed his foot against the wound in Spider’s leg. Spider grunted and went down, the crutches falling to the ground as he gasped at the pain. “I’ve barely touched you, and you’re down. You’re a liability. We don’t know what we’re going in to, and if you think I’m going to risk any of my men, you’re wrong!”

“She’s mine. I have a right to be there for her.” Spider didn’t want to let it go. Paris was his. She belonged to him, and he wasn’t about to let her go. Staring at his leader, Spider took several deep breaths.

“You really want to come?” Devil asked.

“Yes.”

Everything went dark.

****

“You hit him?” Lash asked. “That’s how you solve that problem?”

“Any of us in his situation would be exactly like him. We’ve got loved ones to protect. Right now, I can’t have him coming with us. He’s not up to his full health, and I’m not willing to risk it because he wants to come,” Devil said, tucking a gun into his jeans pocket.

Stink shook his head. “Still seemed a bit harsh.”

“When he wakes up, he’ll get it.”

“What am I supposed to do with him until he wakes up?” Jessica asked. “I’ve only got one arm.”

“I’m going to chain him to the bed. I hit him pretty hard. He should be out cold for a few hours,” Devil said. “Come on, someone help me lift him.”

Sinner grabbed Spider’s legs, and they carried him upstairs to a room.

“Is it bad that we have cuffs?” Dick asked.

Stink laughed. Even though they were about to go into something that was uncertain, Chaos Bleeds were still cracking jokes.

“If any of you for a second think knocking me out will be okay—” Lash said.

“Come on, brother, everyone knows I throw people around like a rag doll,” Killer said.

Stink shook his head. This was why he loved The Skulls. They were a family to the core. It was what built them up.

Tiny came into the room. They were all wearing their leather cuts, each one of them about to meet their maker if they had to. Prior to getting married to Sandy, Stink had made sure to have a will that meant Sandy was taken care of. She was his number one priority outside of the club. The Skulls would look after her, keep her safe.

When Devil returned Lash stood in front of the group. “We hit hard, and we hit fast. We have a small window here. Whizz has shut down Andrew’s funds, but we don’t know where loyalties lie. We get in, we get shit solved, we get the girl.”

“Hey, if luck is on our side, we get Andrew tonight, and party by the weekend,” Whizz said.

They all cheered, and even Stink held his hand up going along with it. It would be a mighty end to a fucking horrible week.

“Do you have any questions?” Lash asked.

No one raised their hands.

“Let’s ride, boys.”

****

Angel stood at her bedroom window and took a deep breath. The men filed out of the clubhouse, all of them ready to do war. Holding little Chloe against her chest, she held in the tears. Lash paused at his bike, and he turned toward her. He placed his fingers to his lips, and held them out to her.

“I love you.”

He mouthed the words, but she didn’t need to hear them out loud. “Come back to me.”

She spoke them aloud even though he couldn’t hear.

One simple nod was all she got.

Her heart started to race, and she let out a breath, looking at her little darling.

“Hey, Mommy,” Anthony said, surprising her.

“What are you doing up, sweetheart? You should be in bed.” She turned from the window to move toward her son.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Anthony was advanced for his years.

“What’s bothering you?” she asked.

“Everything. I don’t want to go to school when bad stuff is happening.”

“Would you like some hot chocolate?” Angel asked.

“Please.”

“Come on.” When she held out her hand, Anthony took it, and she walked down the stairs of the clubhouse toward the kitchen. In the days she was first taken by The Skulls for her father’s debt, she’d been scared of this clubhouse. Now, it was a safe haven for her. She relished the days of big cookouts, barbeques, and fun. The Skulls had taken her in, become her family, and she had devoted her life to them.

She found Jessica, Brianna, Kelsey, Prue, Emily, Rose, and Martha at the table. They were all nursing drinks. Some of them looked like whiskey, others coffee.

“Take a seat, darling.”

Kelsey held her hands out, and Angel placed Chloe in her arms. “She’s so beautiful.”

“Yeah, she really is.” Heading to the fridge, Angel pulled out some milk, and headed toward the stove. “Does anyone want some hot chocolate? I know it’s late, and you’re all stressed.”

“I’ll take hot chocolate,” Brianna said.

The rest of the girls murmured their agreement.

“Fuck, don’t forget about me,” Adam said.

Angel screamed, gripping her chest. She hadn’t seen Adam sitting in the corner. “Jeez, you don’t have to go around scaring people.”

“It seems I do to get noticed. I can’t even fucking repay the bastard for taking out my friend. I’ve got to settle for sitting out of it.”

“Weren’t you in the Nomad chapter? Don’t you like not get involved in any of this?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, I was in Nomad, but I came back to see if this settling down business is all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Settling down business?” Brianna asked.

Out of all of the women, she was the shy one.

“Yeah, testing it out.”

Angel frowned as she looked toward Adam. “Why are you testing it out?”

“A woman,” Rose said. They all turned toward her. “I’m right, aren’t I? Every guy’s weakness is another woman, unless of course it’s a man.”

Adam sighed. “Fuck me.”

“Hey, language,” Angel said. “My son is there.”

“Dad says worse, Mom.”

“Not in front of me he doesn’t.” Angel smiled at her son. Lash did have a problem with his language. All he seemed to know was cussing words, and he knew it drove her crazy when he used them in front of their son. Anyway, that was a problem for another day.

“Your mom’s right. Curse when she’s not in hearing distance.”

“Adam!”

Anthony chuckled. “Good one.”

“So, this woman, who is she?” Angel asked.

“She’s a woman I’ve met on the road. Well, I passed through this town several times, and she works at a mechanic’s shop. She’s handled several repairs to my bike.”

“Wow, Adam has the hots for a woman,” Rose said. “Why didn’t you say anything? We’d have invited her around. Believe it or not, us women can be very inviting.”

Angel chuckled. Baker had tried to get them to help. Millie was proving difficult though, but Angel didn’t blame her. Baker hadn’t exactly made it easy for her to fall in love with him.

Adding some chocolate chips to the bowl, she splashed in some vanilla. When the milk was scalding, she poured it over the chocolate, and waited a second.

“What would be the point? She’s settled, and I’m not. It doesn’t exactly bode well.”

“So all of this time you’ve been experimenting?” Kelsey asked.

“You got it.”

“I feel used,” Prue said.

Angel whisked the chocolate and milk, and then when it was smooth and lovely, she poured it into cups, before carrying them toward the table. “I think it’s sweet what you’re doing.” She handed him a cup and went back for more. When everyone had a cup, she stood, facing the table, sipping on her hot chocolate. “I don’t think it would be fair for you to pursue a woman that you wouldn’t know if you were going to be with from one day to the next. I get it.”

“Thank you.”

Movement outside of the kitchen caught her eye, and she saw Millie. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Pouring some hot chocolate into a cup, Angel made her way outside.

Millie was sitting on the swing staring up at the night’s sky.

“It’s dangerous to be out here on your own.”

“I know, but it helps me to think. I’m not used to being kept under lock and key.”

“It does take some getting used to.” Taking a seat beside her, Angel sighed. “It really is beautiful out.”

“Yeah, it is. Baker’s gone.”

“He’s gone to try to get rid of the threat. Let’s hope you can open your shop soon.”

“I hope so.” Millie took a sip of her hot chocolate.

“Can I ask you a question?” Angel asked.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you want to be with Baker? He’s a sweet guy, and loving.”

Millie sighed. “Every time I look at him I feel like a bad person. I know he’s sweet, and he’s loving.” Millie stopped, licking her lips. “I am an awful person.”

“No, you’re not.”

“He lost his wife and his kid. The blow hit him so hard that he stopped baking, stopped with his own business, and became part of an MC. Baker hasn’t accepted what happened to him. He’s not gotten over what happened. How can I love a man who is always going to be in love with his former wife?”

“You don’t know that.” Angel’s throat felt thick with tears.

“Yeah, I’m probably wrong.” Millie sighed. “I’ll just have to wait and see.”

****

Paris jumped as alarms started to blaze. There had only been silence since Lola had returned.

“They’ve come,” Lola said.

“What?”

“Your friends. The ones that you said would help. They have come.”

Staring up at the ceiling, Paris smiled as best she could. They had come for her.

****

The house was clear. Stink walked from room to room, looking for any sign of Andrew. Entering a room toward the back, he saw a bunch of computers. The screens showed the security footage of the hospital. They were connected in.

“Score,” Whizz said, coming into the room. He did some typing, and he chuckled. “Oh, he found out what I did, all right. There’s no way this man is leaving the country.”

“How do you figure?” Stink asked.

He saw the droplets of blood on the floor. There wasn’t a lot, and it was smeared. Pulling out his torch, which happened to be a gift one year from Sandy, he followed the direction of the smears.

“I sent customs the relevant documents. His face is going to be everywhere.”

“Why didn’t we do this before?” Stink asked.

“We didn’t know who he was, and I didn’t have an updated picture. Andrew is a connection to Gonzalez.”

“Yeah, and if the authorities get him, it’s prison. He can make friends with people in prison. We need this fucker dead, Whizz,” Stink said.

He stormed out of the room, following the blood, and came to a door. Gritting his teeth, he opened the door, and pointed his flashlight into the darkness. He didn’t see any signs of anyone. Reaching around, he found the light switch, and flicked it on.

“Help!” It was a single feminine cry.

“Someone’s here,” Stink said, calling out.

He made his way downstairs to the basement, to find the dungeon. There, in two cages, he saw two women. One was curled up in a ball, the other on the floor. Both were naked.

“Paris, which one is Paris?” Stink asked.

“She is. She stopped talking. I think she lost a lot of blood.”

“Who are you?” Stink glanced toward her.

“Lola. I sent the message.”

The cages were locked. Several men made their way downstairs, including Whizz, Lash, Devil, and Sinner.

“Paris is unconscious.”

“This is a job for me,” Sinner said, going to his knees. He pulled out some wire and set to breaking the locks.

“Where did Andrew go?” Lash asked.

“Don’t know. He dumped us in these cages, and we haven’t heard anything.”

“Did you hear them leave?” Devil asked.

“No.”

“Call Ned. Warn him that Andrew got away.”

“He has a sidekick as well, Russell.”

“Spider did mention a ‘Sir’.”

Stink kept his gun aimed at the door, and something glinted, catching his eye.

“We’re in,” Sinner said. Two men went in, helping Paris. The woman was completely unconscious.

“Sinner,” Stink said.

“What?”

“Hurry up.”

“I’m working fast.”

“Yeah well, so did Andrew. He’s rigged the house with explosives. We’ve got to get out of here.”