Stitch: Satan's Fury MC (6 page)

With a quick nod, they all loaded up, following me one-by-one, out to the docks. After a thirty mile drive to Angeles, we pulled up to a secluded warehouse, located just a few yards off of the main road. The lot was overgrown with weeds and cluttered with litter. The building looked deserted; it was dark and uncomfortably quiet. We dismounted from our bikes and headed towards the rear entrance. As we approached, I couldn’t help but notice that the side door was bolted shut. After using my bolt cutters to remove the lock, I lifted the rolling, overhead door. I was the first one into the building, the others following right on my heels. I quickly searched the area as my brothers got into position. Two Bit stumbled across an old anchor line and slammed his shoulder into the wall, causing a loud crash to echo throughout the warehouse.

“Fuck,” Maverick growled. “Get the hell back, dumbass.” Embarrassment flashed over Two Bit’s face as he stepped behind Guardrail.

“Gotta move,” Guardrail grumbled, aiming the tip of his gun towards the back of the warehouse.

Steering the prospects into the shadows, Guardrail headed towards the rear of the building. Maverick followed as I searched for the stairs Victor had described that led up to the main office. Knowing what was on that laptop, I was determined to find it – I didn’t care how long it took, what I had to do or how many motherfuckers I had to kill to get it. I wasn’t leaving that fucking warehouse without it. Silence encased us as we made our way through the darkness, making my heart beat excitedly. It is what I lived for—the thrill of the hunt. Anticipation coursed through me as we headed towards the small metal staircase, causing all of my senses to sharpen and snap into high alert. We’d only taken a few steps when the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall, letting me know we weren’t alone. I had no doubt that someone was watching our every move. I could feel their eyes on me, and it was only a matter of time before all hell would break loose. I looked forward to it, burned for it. Being in the heat of the battle gave me a release unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

The old steel steps moaned with our movements, making it impossible to hide our location. We’d almost made it to the top when the office door flew open, and we were greeted with the end of a double-barreled shotgun. I didn’t stop, I didn’t think. Adrenaline was now pumping through my veins as my instincts took over. I reached out, grabbing the end of the gun with my hand ramming it into the guy’s chest. The force of the hit threw him off balance causing him to fall back against the door, giving me the opportunity to take my shot. Seconds later, his body dropped to the ground, blood rushing from his wound. With one hard shove, I kicked him out of my way, watching the lifeless figure drop to the ground beneath the stairs.

Commotion stirred inside the office, letting me know there were more guys inside. Without stopping to seek shelter, I advanced towards the door. Maverick called out to me, trying to stop me, but my mind blocked out everything – everything except what was waiting for me on the other side of that door. As I reached into my back holster for my second gun, I struck the middle of the door with my boot, splintering it on its hinges. Gunfire instantly exploded through the room; bullets whipped past me at every angle. Without budging from my spot, I squeezed my trigger and released several rounds, instantly killing the two men that cowered down in the corner of the room. Satisfaction washed over me as I watched their dead bodies slump to the floor.

“Goddamn it, Stitch,” Maverick shouted. “You’re gonna get yourself killed doing shit like that.”

“Still standing, ain’t I?” I mocked.

“Seriously, brother. That was fucking insane,” he said.

I surveyed the room and found the laptop on a small desk. I picked it up and said, “Got it.”

“Thank, fuck.” Maverick walked over and grabbed the laptop, then turned to me and grumbled, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Guardrail was waiting for us with the prospects. I turned to him and asked, “You find the fourth?”

“Two Bit got him,” Guardrail announced grinning.

“Redemption,” Maverick gloated. He gave him a quick slap on the back and said, “We’re heading back. You and Q’ get this shit cleaned up, and make it fast. You have a half an hour before daylight.”

“On it,” Two Bit answered as he grabbed the two gas cans.

I trusted the prospects, so I got on my bike and said, “Heading back to the club house.”

Maverick and Guardrail followed me, but went their separate ways once we hit town. As soon as I got back to the clubhouse, I went straight to Big Mike’s room to drop off the laptop. He was already waiting for me when I walked into his room.

“This it?” he asked as I handed him the laptop.

“One and only.”

“I’ll start on it now, and hey… I got something for you,” he said, handing me a thick yellow envelope. “That’s what I’ve gathered so far on the info you gave me. I’ll let you know if I come across anything else.”

“Thanks, brother,” I told him, shoving the envelope in the side pocket of my cut as I turned to leave.

I was still buzzing from my adrenaline high, and I needed something to settle me down. Tristen was just the girl to give me what I needed. When she’d fallen upon hard times, Cotton had given her access to one of the empty rooms until she got back on her feet. After knocking on the door, I walked in. She sat up in her bed, quickly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. A coy smile of understanding spread across her face as she pulled the covers back and lowered herself to the floor. Her eyes sparkled with lust as she reached out to release me from my zipper. As I looked down at her, the realization that my cock wasn’t even half-mast made it clear that I wasn’t going to get the relief that I needed from her. The second she touched me I pulled back… Something was gnawing at me – my mind was in a cluster fuck. A daunting feeling that something big was about to go down, something that could change everything, it consumed me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the safety of my brothers and that boy from the diner and his mom. I had to know what was in that folder. I backed up, looked down at Tristen. “Never mind, darlin’. Go back on back to bed and get some sleep.”

Wren

‡

“I
’m so sorry,
Wren. I went over everything with the judge, but he just wouldn’t listen,” Mrs. Daniels explained. She’d called me right after she left the courthouse to let me know what the judge had decided about suspending Michael’s visitation with Wyatt.

“So that’s it?” I asked.

“No. We still have a chance to clear this up. The judge said he would make his final decision at the hearing next month,” Mrs. Daniels explained.

“I just don’t see how he could believe him! The judge saw the pictures, and he knows Michael’s history. It doesn’t make any sense for him to take his side, now,” I cried. I never dreamed that things would turn out the way they had. I felt so defeated, and my heart ached as I listened to Mrs. Daniels tell me everything that happened during their meeting.

“You know better than anyone how good Michael is at turning the blame around. He’s never admitted that he was at fault for anything he’s done. Why would he start now?”

“The whole thing is absurd. How could he blame me, especially with those bruises on Wyatt’s arm?” I snapped.

“His lawyer is really good. He twisted everything around and told the judge that Michael was trying to protect him when he grabbed Wyatt. He said that he was trying to stop him from running out the door.”

“That’s bullshit. Michael didn’t even care that Wyatt had ran away.”

“I told him all that, but his lawyer told the judge that you taught Wyatt to leave. He convinced him that you
encouraged
Wyatt to run away from him,” she continued.

“I did, but it was only for emergencies. I told him only to leave if something went wrong,” I explained.

“I know that, dear. It’s just that Michael’s trying to make it out like you’ve been trying to turn Wyatt against him, using his Asperger’s to your advantage,” she explained softly. I knew it was difficult for her to break the news to me, and she hated that she couldn’t help me. “Wren, I know this is hard, but we’ll get this all sorted.”

“I hate him,” I confessed.

“Don’t blame yourself, dear. No one would.”

“What now?” I asked.

“Talk to your lawyer and make sure she knows what is going on. Has Jenny made any leeway with Wyatt?”

“She’s tried everything during their sessions, but he hasn’t told her anything.” I felt my frustration building to an all-time high as I told her, “I don’t know what else to do.”

“It will be several weeks before the hearing. Hopefully, she will be able to get through to him before then.”

“God willing. Thank you for letting me know what happened. I appreciate all of your hard work. Please call if you hear anything else,” I told her.

“You know I will. We’ll get through this,” she promised.

When I hung up the phone, I was tempted to call Rachel to cancel our plans to go to the movies. With everything that had happened, I wasn’t in the mood for company, but Wyatt had been looking forward to going for days.

Just as I was reaching for my purse, Wyatt came to my doorway smiling and said, “It’s 11:11, Momma. Are we going to do this thing or what?”

“Yeah, buddy. Let’s roll,” I answered as I grabbed my keys. “We’ll get there in time to grab some popcorn before the movie starts.”

“With butter?” he asked with a pleading look.

“Yeah, with butter.”

“Awesome,” he answered as he bolted towards the door. “I want a soda with mine, too!”

When we got in the car, I motioned to Wyatt to fasten his seatbelt. As soon as it locked into place, Wyatt turned to me and said, “Did you know when Charles Schulz was a kid, he had a terrier named Spike? The dog understood over fifty words, and that’s how he got his idea for Snoopy.”

“Fifty words? That’s pretty incredible,” I laughed. “I’d like to have a dog like that someday.”

Wyatt continued to tell me one fact after the other about the Peanut’s characters, only stopping when we pulled up into the movie theater’s parking lot. Rachel and Annalise, dressed in their most fashionable fall outfits, were already waiting for us at the front door. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed that they were wearing matching boots. Rachel always made the effort to look her best, even when she was just going to a kid’s movie, and she made sure that her daughter did the same. They both started waving when they saw us park the car. As I turned off the engine and started to gather my things, Rachel pointed to her watch and motioned for us to hurry.

When we finally reached them, Annalise greeted Wyatt with a big smile and said, “I’m gonna get chocolate covered peanuts!” She was a year younger than Wyatt, but acted so much older. Her wavy blonde hair was twisted into a loose bun that bobbed back and forth when she spoke.

Wyatt instantly turned to me and asked, “Can I get some, too?”

“Sure, now let’s get moving,” I told them as I nudged Wyatt towards the ticket counter. After we got our tickets and snacks, Wyatt and Annalise raced to the theatre. They fussed back and forth until they found the perfect spot to sit. Rachel and I trailed closely behind and managed to find two seats directly behind our two little chatterboxes.

Once the kids were settled, Rachel turned to me and said, “So, what’s with the look?”

“What look?” I asked, feigning my most sincere smile.

“The look that makes me wonder if I have enough money in the bank to bail you out of jail. What’s going on?” Rachel asked.

There wasn’t any point in trying to avoid her questions. She wouldn’t let it go until I told her everything, so I confessed, “Michael managed to convince the judge that everything that happened with Wyatt the other night was just a misunderstanding.”

“No way! You mean he actually believed that asshole?” Rachel whispered.

“Yeah, he did. And to top it all off, I’m worried that the judge might actually believe that I’ve been manipulating Wyatt by trying to turn him against Michael,” I explained.

“Well, that’s ridiculous. You would never do that. Besides, Wyatt is old enough now to decide that sort of thing for himself,” Rachel snickered.

“I haven’t had the heart to tell Wyatt that he has to go back over there this week. I’d hoped that the visitation would be suspended or something.”

“Michael needs his ass kicked. Plain and simple,” Rachel huffed. She turned to me, with her eyebrow perched high and said, “You know… I
know
people.”

“No you don’t, and as tempting as that may be, I think I’ll have to pass on taking out a hit on my ex-husband,” I laughed.

“Just know that you have options,” Rachel giggled.

The credits were still rolling when we got up to leave, and Wyatt started to tell Annalise some of the things he’d learned about all the Peanut characters. She quickly became bored with all of his miscellaneous facts and asked to go to the restroom. When she was finished, we all headed out to the parking lot. As soon as I opened the door, Wyatt bolted towards the car. I was about to call out to him, but the words got stuck in my throat when I saw Griffin, the biker from the diner in the parking lot. Wyatt, my normally reserved child, raced over to the burly man on a motorcycle like he was a long lost friend.