...or something: Ronacks Motorcycle Club (24 page)

"From which direction?" Battery released Bree and stepped forward.

"Northeast, right down the God damn road," said Mel, wiping the sweat off his face.

Battery turned to his vice president. "That doesn't make sense."

"Set up?" asked Rod.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to chance being wrong." Battery removed his pistol. "LeWorth put a text out to everyone. Tell them not to move or show themselves."

"On it," said LeWorth.

Battery turned to Bree. "Go upstairs."

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

He strode back to her and hooked her neck. "I'm not going outside until whoever is coming here gets up to the house. If this is Boykov, I want him close enough to shoot."

"Let me stay down here." She held onto his vest, unwilling to be too far away from him. "Please."

He kissed her hard. "Back of the room. Sit on the Couch. If you hear any gunshots, I want you on the floor and don't move. Understand?"

She nodded. "I love you."

"Always, carny-girl. Don't you forget." He stepped backward.

Her hand fell away from his vest as he pulled out of her grasp. She hugged her middle, wanting to rush and stop him. He shook his head, warning her away. She lifted her chin, giving him the bravest and probably the most pathetic show of support while screaming her outrage silently in her head.

She wouldn't forget his promise to do whatever he could to make it back to her.

Battery turned around. "Mel, get Bree a pistol and keep her on the other side of the room."

"On it." Mel headed Bree's way.

"Mel!" Battery stopped and waited for Mel to turn around from running toward Bree. "That's my woman, and you protect her like she was your woman. Hear me, boy?"

"Yes, Prez." Mel's jaw tightened, and he looked straight at Battery. "With my life, I'll protect her."

Battery nodded, took a long gaze at Bree, and turned his attention to the door.

She walked on her own to the couch. Battery needed his full concentration on Boykov. The surprise visit brought her some relief. At least at the house, Boykov and his men would face every Ronacks Motorcycle Club member. Battery would have others watching his back. As president, each member would protect him.

As soon as the thought entered her head, it left. Ronacks was her family. Each one important and loved.

"Heads up, everyone. I've got a man in sight," shouted Sander, holding a rifle scope to his eye at the window.

Rod motioned over his head. "Arm up. LeWorth, you'll go out after me, then Battery will follow."

"Wait." Battery moved closer to the window and turned to Rod.

Bree sat on the edge of the couch, straining to hear what was being said. Her leg bounced with a nervous tic, and she looked at Mel to see what was happening. The urge to stop everything, hide, and keep Battery from going outside crippled her. She covered her mouth to keep from shouting his name.

Mel shook his head. His penetrating gaze shared her fear. As a prospect, he could only jump into club business when invited. There was nothing he could to do stop or protect the men he thought of as family.

"The safety is off on the pistol." Mel handed her the gun. "Be careful."

Her hand shook, and she gripped the handle tighter. Every lesson, every practice, every instruction Battery drilled into her head escaped her. The weapon was heavy and awkward in her grasp.

"Bree?" Mel leaned closer to her. "You'll be all right. I won't let anything happen to you."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. They were all in together. What would come to the club would affect them all.

"Mother fucker," said Battery on a growl at the same time he pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. "Yeah?"

Battery looked outside, blocking her view of his face. She dug her nails into the couch cushion and let her other hand with the pistol rest on her thigh. Her pulse deafened her to the uneasy mumbles in the room.

Battery turned and shoved his phone in his pocket. "Everyone but Rod stays inside. You hear any gunshots; I want everybody outside with guns shooting. Do not stop until every fucking one of them is taken out."

"Bree?" Battery turned to her, and his eyes retained their hardness.

He simply stared, saying a million things without opening his mouth. She pressed her hand to her heart and gave up on the tears she'd held back. He was saying goodbye. One last look. One last moment, before he left her.

"I won't say it," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her. "You're coming back to me."

He turned around, opened the door, and walked out with his vice president. She stood before Mel could pull her back down.

"You can't go out." Mel forced her to sit.

"What happened?" she asked, her jaw quivering. "Who called him?"

Mel shook his head. "I don't know."

"He can't leave me," she whispered, looking up at the ceiling, begging, promising, pleading for him to come back. "He promised me. He promised..."

Her chest ached, squeezing the air out of her. She rocked on the edge of the couch, holding her heart in her chest.

R
ichard Murphy limped to a stop twenty feet in front of Battery and stared at the house. Battery took in the blood-soaked jeans and the way Bree's father leaned heavily on his uninjured leg in one glance. His attention was drawn more to the black Escalade rolling to a stop one hundred yards behind Richard.

Battery recognized the driver with short, gray hair, black suit, and angled face who stepped out of the car, along with three other men who stood outside the vehicle. Boykov and the Russians presence more of a threat than one injured man.

Rage filled Battery at the sight of all parties converging again after so many years. He itched to pull the trigger on his pistol. As the only one who stood between a threat to Bree and Bree herself, he wanted to annihilate everyone who had caused her pain.

"I should kill you now for bringing them to your daughter," said Battery. "What the fuck are you thinking?"

"I walked off the mountain and agreed to hand myself over to Boykov on one condition. He lets me see Bree and my death ends his revenge on my family. It's always been me they were after. Bree was only the bait they wanted to use to get me to come out of hiding and they would've killed my daughter once they had me." Richard swayed and caught himself. "They've shot me in an artery to guarantee I can't walk away or run. I'm bleeding out. It was the only way they'd allow me to see my daughter. I don't have much time, Battery. Boykov will get his revenge, and all of this will finally be over. Bree will be safe."

"You can't know that," said Battery, watching the Russians stand at attention.

"They've given me their word."

"You're fucking crazy." Battery glanced at Richard. "Their word? They've been hunting you for nineteen years."

"I'm a dead man. They'll get what they want from me. I need to see Bree with my own eyes. It's over. They're not going to bother her anymore now that they have me. It's the last thing I'm...doing for her."

"I'm not allowing her outside around Boykov and his men," he said.

Richard shook his head, his dirty red hair sticking to his sweating face. "They won't let me out of their sight. I don't have that much time, Battery. I'm losing my vision. Everything is going in and out, and I'm fucking weak. Please, let me see Bree and tell her I'm sorry."

"What if they try to take her out?"

"They won't."

"Fuck you. You walked right to them. We had a plan, Murphy. A plan to protect Bree." Battery kept his gaze on Boykov in the distance.

"The plan changed when she got old enough to love you," said Richard, wheezing. "I saw the truth in your face, my friend. I'm giving you a chance at a future with my daughter. Bree needs the life that she was meant for."

"Fuck," muttered Battery.

Richard's eyes closed longer than normal. "We need to hurry, man."

"I want one of my men on them to secure her safety, and then I'll bring Bree out, and you can say your goodbye," said Battery, knowing if he had a chance, a future with Bree, she needed to see her father one last time.

Richard hung his head, almost lost his balance, and shouted, "Boykov— he wants a guard on you while I talk to my daughter."

Battery looked at Rod, motioned for him to move forward, and when his V.P. walked by him, he said, "They make one move, or you see a gun, shoot the motherfuckers."

"You got it." Rod continued walking toward the car, skirting the grass in the yard.

Once everyone was in position, Battery said, "LeWorth, bring Bree out. Put your body in front of hers until you hand her over to me. Whatever you do, do not let her move away from you."

The door behind him opened and closed. Battery looked back at Richard. He hadn't much time. Bree's father weaved on his feet, and the blood pooled under his boot.

B
ree shot to her feet when LeWorth came in the house without Battery. "There were no shots. He's not dead. He's not—"

"No, sweetheart. Battery is fine. President wants you outside." LeWorth motioned for her to come forward. "We're going to walk outside, and I want you to stay behind me and hold on to the back of my vest. Don't let go. If you let go, you'll endanger Battery's life."

She nodded frantically, adrenaline and relief at hearing Battery's names uttered from LeWorth fueled her forward. She gave no thought to walking away from the security of the house to reach Battery.

"Ready?" asked LeWorth.

"Y-yes." She stayed right behind him, dogging his steps, afraid to look around him.

When he stopped, she ran into the back of him. Her head came up, and Battery was beside her. She reached for him, and he placed his hand on her lower back, steadying her.

"I need you to stand right here beside me, carney-girl. Whatever is said or whatever you see, you can't move away from me." Battery's worried eyes studied her.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

Battery glanced ahead of him. Her gaze followed his and she frowned at finding a stranger a few yards ahead of her and a big car at the end of the driveway with men wearing all black. She gasped at the realization she was looking at the Russian men who were after her and shifted closer to Battery. The second she understood the situation, she jerked her gaze back to the man standing closer in front of her, and every muscle in her body constricted.

She stared, taking in the eyes looking at her, the interest and familiarity in his gaze.

Her father.

She blinked to keep the tears from clouding her vision and reached up to her hair and took in the same color in her dad's hair. Lightheaded at seeing her dad for the first time since before she could remember him, she stepped forward, and Battery grabbed her wrist.

"No." Battery softened his voice. "You can't go to him, Bree. He's wounded, and Boykov won't allow him to come any closer."

"He's hurt?" That's when she observed the blood soaking his jeans and puddling at her dad's feet, the unbalanced stance, the favoring of his leg, and the trembling of his hands. "We have to help him," she mumbled, feeling sick.

"Richard, let's get this meeting going. I don't want her out here any longer than she needs to be," said Battery.

Richard lifted his hand, and it flopped back down to his side useless. "You look like your mother."

She covered her mouth, holding in her cry. "Dad?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm your dad." Richard's voice shook. "I know it's a hell of a way to see you after all these years..."

She pressed her hand to her stomach, trying hard not to look away from his face to the blood everywhere. "I understand."

"No." Richard shook his head. "I made a lot of mistakes."

"It's over now. You're here." She looked to Battery and back to her dad, needing to get closer, to help him, to see his eyes.

"I want you to know I never stopped thinking about you." Richard's knee gave out, and he caught himself before he fell to the ground.

She gasped, lunging forward, but Battery held her wrist. "Please. Don't move. You're only making yourself bleed more."

"Caring, just like your momma." Richard straightened from his bent position. "I love you, Bree Ann. I never stopped loving you."

"I love you, too," she whispered, her voice breaking. "It'll be okay now, right? You can stay with Battery and me. There's a doctor in town or Swiss can help you or something."

"I need to leave, Bree, and I won't be back." Richard shuffled his good leg and kept his balance, and when he continued, his voice was stronger. "You've got a good man beside you. The best. He's taken care of you when I couldn't, and you can trust him."

She nodded, tears running down her face. Unable to stop crying, she wiped her hands across her eyes so as not to lose sight of her father. "I know."

"Forgive me, Bree Ann. I failed to protect you and your mom." Richard exhaled loudly and coughed harshly.

"Can't I do something for him?" she whispered to Battery. "Can't you bring him inside? Please, he's going to die."

Battery slipped his hand underneath her hair and palmed her neck. "If you've got something to say to him, Carny-girl, you need to tell him now and then let him go. Let him have his dignity and finish the nightmare that he's been living. You need to do this for him, Bree."

"I can't," she said.

"You can."

She sobbed and covered her mouth. She wasn't strong enough. He'd only came back to leave her again. She couldn't understand what was happening and why he couldn't stay.

"I forgive you and understand." She rubbed away the salty tears running into her mouth. "I had a good life," she lied.

"You did?" said Richard, sniffing loudly.

She nodded, muffling her sob. "I love Battery. It took a while for me to convince him, but I love him with my whole heart. He's my life."

"That's good." Richard's smile was full of pain. "Real good, baby."

Her chest burned, and her nose ran, her throat closed up, and she squeakily said, "I don't want you to go, Daddy. Don't leave me."