Soldiers of Chaos- Chaos Abounds: Book 1 in the Soldiers of Chaos series (26 page)

Nikki locked the door behind Trace and sat on the bed cradling his Glock. She listened to the sounds of the fight raging outside and felt useless. She should be out there. She should be helping her brothers, her family. She stared at the four walls around her and felt the unwelcome crush as they seemed to close in on her. Her lungs began to squeeze depriving her of much needed oxygen and a sheen of sweat broke out all over her body. Her breaths came short and shallow and anger rose from deep within her gut. She couldn't sit here any longer she needed to get out there, she needed to. She stood up sweeping the lamp off her bedside table and roared with fury. She grabbed her own Glock from the dresser sliding it into her waistband then discarded Trace’s on the bed. She grabbed her switchblade and slid it into her boot. She picked up her phone then she went straight for the window. The popping of gun fire was so much louder now the window was open. God she hoped none of the brothers got hurt because of her. She peered out checking the area. There was no one at the back of the building all the focus being on the gunplay at the front. She slipped out of the window and flattened herself against the wall sliding along the length of the building in the darkness. She stopped at the corner of the building and peered out into the yard. She could see a couple of brothers further up the yard firing on the Lenny's guys. Lenny's guys were gaining purchase on the MC's forecourt moving closer to the clubhouse.

She watched as one broke free from the left and headed straight for a car which one of the brothers, she couldn't tell who, was hunkered down behind. Time seemed to slow in that moment the brother was shooting over the hood of the car his attention focused on the two guys in front of him. Shit. He wasn't gonna notice the guy bearing down on him. Nikki stepped out of her cover raised her Glock and pumped two bullets into the guy's chest. His falling body skidded to a stop just behind the car and the brother who she'd just saved whipped his head around to the dead body then to her. As the light fell across his face she realised it was Reaper. He regarded her with a seriously intense gaze that sent a chill through her. Then he just lifted his chin at her and turned his attention back to the fight. She dashed across the rest of the open space to the small sheds on the edge of the yard. She searched the yard for Lenny. The only way to end this shit was to take that bastard out. She spotted him at the back of the fray hiding behind the F-truck they'd driven through the gate. She couldn't get a shot from here she'd have to get on the other side of him somehow. She looked behind her. The sheds were tall enough to give her cover and she would be able to get over the fence using the bin but the drop on the other side was a good eight feet. She might not break anything but it wasn't gonna be a gentle landing. She took one last glance around the corner of the shed and locked eyes with Lenny her anger spiking. Let him see her go over the top it would draw him away from the fight.

Nikki hauled herself up onto the bin then to the top of the fence. She pushed off from her sitting position on the top of the fence jarring her legs when she landed. Her phone bounced out of her pocket and landed on the grassy verge below. She scooped it up and it began vibrating in her palm. Cole. He had shit timing. She ignored the call and slid the phone back into her pocket.  She limped slowly down the verge her eyes on the corner gun drawn. "I think you should stop right there Miss Jones." A voice from behind her had her whirling around with her finger on the trigger. "Roger Jesus Christ I nearly shot you. What the hell are doing here?" "Mister Cole has been monitoring Lenny's phone and when he called we came straight here." Wait did he just say we? "We?" "Yes Mister Cole is in the car waiting if you'll just come with me." He pointed to a heavily tinted black Range Rover parked in the alleyway. Cole was here? He wanted her to come with him. There was no way in hell she was leaving her brothers to deal with the mess she created. "Sorry Roger I'm not gonna leave them to clean up my mess while I luxuriate in the penthouse with Cole." She turned away from him and took a couple steps towards the corner. Where the hell was Lenny? He'd seen her climb the fence. "I really must insist Miss Jones you'll be safe with Mister Cole." She kept creeping forward in small steps gun pointed toward the edge of the fence. "Not happening Roger."

"Angel" Cole's growling demand for attention had her freezing to the spot. “You need to come with me now.” That commanding tone had her wanting to do as he said but she couldn’t leave not when the end was just around the corner "Get back in the car Cole you don't need to get involved in this." "I do and I will. I'm trying to keep you safe and I will take you by force if I have to." The ugly dark inside her perked its head up at that comment. He wanted to take her by force that's exactly what he would have to do. She got her body unstuck and whirled around on him. As she turned she saw Roger raise his gun over her shoulder. She knew who he was aiming at. Cole launched himself at her as Roger fired. Nikki hit the ground with Cole on top of her shielding her. Then they were up and moving across the road to the alleyway opposite. Roger ran with them providing a constant barrage of covering fire. A couple of cars came screaming down the road behind them as they hit the corner of the alleyway. Cole shoved her into the back seat of the Range Rover and climbed in beside her. Before he even had the door closed they were tearing out of the alleyway and down the road away from the compound. Cole removed the Glock from her grip then his hands were all over her “Are you ok? Did he hit you?” Nikki watched out the back window as Lenny and several other guys dived into the cars and took off in the opposite direction.

Fuck. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck “FUCK!” Nikki screamed in frustration. She struggled against Cole’s hands hitting out at them then at him. “I could’ve ended it. He was a fucking dead man. You had to fuck it up. You asshole.” They wrestled until he had her lying down pinned to the seat with his body weight her arms trapped at her sides. “Stop it now” he growled at her then waited while her breathing slowed and she had herself a little more in control. He leaned down to her ear “You wanna fight with me wait until we get back to the penthouse then we can fight as much as you like. But right now you need to get a lid on that shit this is not the time or place.” Oh she wanted to fight him; she wanted to punish him for screwing with her plans, for fucking up her already too complicated life with his dark and devilish ways. She could wait till they got to the penthouse. Wait, the penthouse? Oh hell no if the brothers found her missing all hell would break loose. “I can’t go to your place. If they find me missing the shit is gonna hit the fan. You need to take me back now.” Cole shook his head “Not gonna happen Angel. Lenny managed to break into the compound and lure you out for the kill. You are clearly not safe there and I am over leaving this in the club’s hands.” Nikki stared into his eyes. He was serious, deadly serious. Fuck. “How the hell do I explain my whereabouts to the club?” “Not my fucking problem.” Not his problem, not his fucking problem. Oh it was gonna become his problem when they came storming into his hotel demanding to see her. Shit. She had to come up with something and fast.

More bursts of gunfire pummelled the wood and bricks above his head as Trace repositioned himself under the window next to Tex. He shot a worried glance back down the hall to Nikki's room. He didn't know how any of this shit was gonna play out but that girl was the only thing he worried about. He popped up at the window and the guy sprayed their position. There was a short pause then another burst of fire followed by a longer pause and another burst. The pattern suggested the guy was either getting ready to move or trying to trick Trace into popping his head up at the wrong moment. He was going with choice number one. He waited as it began to slow. The next pause he popped up just as the guy went to move from behind the bin. Talk about luck. The guy went down in a quick spray of bullets. Fuck yeah! He surveyed the yard in front of them again. There was nothing more he could do from here they needed to get out in the yard and get a better position. He nudged Tex "Let's move I can't get a shot on anything from here." Tex glanced down the hallway "Relax she's safely locked inside and she's armed. Under normal circumstances she'd be out here right alongside us and you know that." Tex nodded at him and after a quick glance out the clubhouse door they slid out into the yard going right. Bullets whizzed past them as they dove behind a car. He peered up over the hood while Tex went to his stomach searching underneath the car. Three guys that he could see a few more he couldn't get a bead on judging from the movement and yelling of the others.

Tex fired under the car and one of the guys moved back as the dude next to him wailed. Big mistake. Trace lit the guy up. He jerked around as the bullets hit him. Trace released the trigger and the guy fell against the car behind him sliding to the ground. Tex stopped firing and the wailing had stopped. He was watching the other guy's position when they started yelling and throwing signals. What the hell? He watched on as they suddenly began to withdraw dragging their wounded mates with them. This was some fucked up shit and they were not getting away that easy. Some of the brothers were already moving forward shooting at these crazy assholes as they turned tail and ran. The sound of v8 engines roaring down one of the streets could be heard between burst of gunfire. Trace pushed forward alongside Tex ducking and weaving in and out of the cover of cars and bikes. Bullets were flying in both directions. A last minute barrage of fire had all the brothers held down while the bastards exited through the gate. As soon as they cleared the gate the brothers were up and after them. Trace dashed out from behind his cover and ran full pelt at the gate. He glimpsed Lenny diving into the car just as he pulled the trigger showering it with bullets. It roared off down the street. He could hear police sirens heading their way. Shit! He ran back into the compound.

King called out to him as he passed. "Where's Nikki?" "Inside." "You and Tex stay with her. I'll sort this shit." Trace nodded his ascent. He called Brodie over and set him to work organising the other prospects "First priority get that gate up and closed." Hopefully by the time the cops got here the thing would be up and shit would be hidden from view. He found Tex checking over bodies "This makes no fucking sense. These guys are sporting niner's tats. Nearest niner’s stronghold is miles away. Why the fuck would they be messing in Lenny's shit?" "I don't know man. King told us to stay on Nikki, the brothers will clean up this shit let's go check on our girl." Trace headed inside with Tex on his heels. "Open the door Nikki it's us." He waited but there was no answer. He knocked on the door loudly and raised his voice "Nikki it's us open the door." Still no answer. Dread filled his gut. He bashed on the door and yelled, "Open the fucking door Nikki." Still no response from inside. Fuck! He stood back and popped a few rounds into the door frame around the lock then put his boot into it. The door busted open to reveal an empty room. Tex headed straight for the bathroom but Trace had already seen the open window. "Tex! The window." He was gonna kill her, if she was still alive when they found her that is.

They raced back out and searched the compound while the MC worked fast to get the gate up and all the illegal weapons disappeared before the cops hit the front of the building. Lucky for them Alex and Rachael arrived before the uniforms did. They dealt with the uniforms and sent them packing. Something about a false alarm kids with fire crackers or some shit. How the fuck they got away with that crap he'd never know but then what uniform was gonna argue with two detectives. He and Tex called her phone a dozen times each and it kept going straight to message bank “Shit. I’m going to kick her ass when I get my hands on her.” “What’s she done now?” King was glaring at them both. “She’s gone. Skipped out the window.” Several heads turned in their direction with that revelation. "Could they have got her in the car somehow?" Alex's fists clenched at his sides. Trace shook his head "No way in hell. We were on them the whole time, we would've seen her." "Any way they could've taken her out through the back?" "And what dragged her out of the clubhouse window and over a fucking eight foot high fence with her armed and nobody fucking noticing." Alex looked ready to clock him one. Well he could go right ahead Trace couldn't think of anything he'd enjoy more than kicking someone's ass.

“No one dragged her over the fence” Reaper approached them slowly. “She jumped over but she made sure Lenny saw her first. She was trying to lure him out of the fight so she could end this bullshit.” He watched Rachael's face change "Lenny as in Lenny Washington?" Trace nodded. "This was him. Why?” "The guy’s trying to kill her." Rachael's face went white. His gut twisted "What?" "I’ve been working this niner’s case. Lenny’s brother Jake is in jail. He got a visit about a week ago from this suit, creepy eyes.” Trace’s blood began to boil. “Jason Black” Alex mused quietly. “Yeah. I didn’t know who he was at the time I couldn’t figure out why he would be showing up there. I mean Jake’s a niner’s member so I was thinking maybe some link to the guys still running shit from inside the prison.” The fury just kept on rising. “Explains why the guy’s in there are sporting niner’s tats” Tex offered from somewhere to his left. Trace thought this through. Lenny’s brother was a niner why hadn’t that been in the file? His brother had been visited by Jason Black and Lenny had been holed up in Roach’s house. What the fuck was going on here? "Fuck and you never thought to mention it, not even to me." Alex looked furious but not as furious as Trace was. "Nikki called me two days ago she wanted info on Black. I had a tracker installed on the car. He made a stop after he left the meet with the Crows one she was particularly interested in. A house on Carmen Street." "Roach's place. Lenny was holed up there" the disbelief in Tex's voice was obvious. If Nikki had told them that, if Rachael had said something about Jake and Jason Black. His anger ratcheted up a notch. "Jesus fucking Christ. Why the fuck didn't you say anything?" Alex turned his anger on Rachael.