I Dare You To Meet Me
Chapter 31

A dry chuckle escapes me as I hear the biker’s voice on the other end of the line.

-It took me four tries to dial your number correctly Hunter so you better shut your mouth and listen to me carefully I’m…” But someone comes running up to my cell and I curse as I hang up the call, only managing to erase the call log and any trace of what I did before the barred door opens and my hard earned mobile phone is snatched from me and thrown against the wall.

-Stupid, did you really think I wouldn’t notice my mobile disappearing? The f*****g scumbag says to me as he punches me in the face until I fall down.

-Well, I admit you took less time than I thought, but that didn’t stop me from stealing it, did it? I replied as I spat b***d and earned a bloody kick that knocked the wind out of me.

-Be thankful the boss still doesn’t want you dead bitch. The guy spat hatefully.

-Thank you, whenever we meet I’m not in my right mind you idiot.

Another kick that made me scream in pain. I had at least one cracked rib and the burning in my legs let me know that I had been reopened by the damn stitches I had been given.

-Silence!

And I kept quiet just so I wouldn’t bleed out, because the less I spoke the quicker the biker would leave and the quicker he would tend to my wounds.

-Memphis, the Prez says leave the prisoners alone once and for all and get to work. MC’s ain’t going down on their own.

-This f*****g bitch deserves it, she’s always trying to get smart. Spit out the Memphis bouncer, the other biker who as far as he knew was called Zazu just shrugged his shoulders.

-I don’t give a f**k, the Prez orders and we obey, full stop. Move it.

Memphis moves away from my cell, making sure that this time it’s properly locked, and then he leaves with the other biker, swearing under his breath.

Only when they were out of sight did I dare to crawl out of the place on the floor where I was, I walked over to the nearest wall and leaned against it. Snorting loudly I tore the blouse I was wearing, (which was dirty, torn and full of b***d), and used the pieces of cloth to make a tourniquet.

-Damn it! I grunted as I tightened the cloth around the wounds.

-You should stop provoking them. A soft voice replied and my head snapped up.

My green eyes locked onto Marguerite’s honey ones. A beautiful fifteen year old teenager who had also been kidnapped and was being held in the cell opposite mine.

-I can’t just sit there and accept my death. I told her in a stern tone. I had nothing against the girl, but her submissive attitude made my hair stand on end.

I wanted to live at least long enough to end the lives of my kidnappers.

-Did you manage to say anything to her? He asked me with hope shining in his innocent eyes, I shook my head and grimaced.

The gleam in the honey eyes disappeared as quickly as it came.

I activated the GPS while trying to dial the right number, and hoped that would be enough to emit a traceable signal, although I doubted it due to the brevity of the call. So I avoided telling him that little detail.

-They’re going to kill us like that boy, aren’t they? He asked me and from the trembling in his voice I knew he was about to cry.

I took a deep breath as I felt weaker and weaker because of the b***d loss, and because my wounds weren’t healing as well as they would later because I kept opening them.

-I don’t know, it’s been several weeks and despite all the headaches I’ve caused them I’m still alive. That guy must have done something really stupid to earn a lead shot. I say as best I can.

When I had woken up in this cell the last thing I remembered was having an accident on my motorbike and then the feeling of being carried in a man’s arms. My body ached, (or rather ached), like hell ever since, there wasn’t a part of my skin that wasn’t purple, green or red. I remember feeling like I was dying of thirst and pain.

Trying to sit up, a chorus of voices had stopped me, claiming that I had been unconscious for several days and that it was best to take it easy. I had listened to them more because the pain clouded my mind than because I wanted to heed their warnings. A few days later, when I was able to sit up, I was unpleasantly surprised to replace that I was being held hostage with a brown-haired girl with big honey eyes and a guy in his thirties with dark green eyes and black hair.

Both were dressed as civilians, but while the teenager only had marks on her wrists, the man was beaten to a pulp.

Not to the extent of being as badly beaten as I was, but enough to worry about.

Talking to them I got to know them and learned that their brothers were Presidents of MC friends of the Black Ravens. I was a bit surprised when the girl, (whose name was Margarita), told me that her brother was Venom, the same guy who had knocked her men unconscious and whom I had met days before.

Our days as hostages were not very interesting, it was really as if they didn’t remember our existence, they took us to the bathroom twice a day and fed us only once. Because of my accident I had to tread lightly at first, but that all changed when one night Maggie and I were woken up by screams, Rex wasn’t there and that worried me.

Minutes later, apart from screams, we heard gunshots and then silence. The girl cried silently while I raised a prayer for the guy. We both shared a look and although we didn’t say anything we knew what it all meant.

Rex was never coming back to the cell with us.

After that long night I put all my efforts into figuring out a way to escape.

Unfortunately there were two factors that had prevented me from doing so, firstly I was in no physical condition to overexert myself and secondly I couldn’t and wouldn’t leave the girl alone in this filthy place so I couldn’t just risk it with a suicidal plan.

In between attempts I had earned a couple of beatings from my kidnappers, more from Memphis. A nasty guy who watched me with l**t and satisfaction every time I g*****d in pain from his blows.

But finally, an hour ago I had managed to get his mobile phone away from him without him noticing when they took me to the bathroom, when they returned me to the cell I had wasted no time in calling someone.

But there too I ran into another problem, I didn’t know anyone’s number by heart. I only saw them when I registered them for the first time and that was it. Hunter’s number being the last one I saved, I burned all my brain cells to remember it, failing twice before I heard his voice.

And f**k I almost fainted from relief when he answered me, in those small seconds where he only said my name in my chest had grown the hope that maybe and only maybe they would replace us in time. I would settle my business with them later, the essential thing was to survive so I could decide what the hell to do with the bikers that were in my life.

-Tasha? The sweet voice sounded distant and I grunted a response as I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. I asked in a whisper, even though my body was begging me to rest I forced myself to open my eyes and lock them on hers.

She looked smaller than she was in ripped, dirty blue jeans and a pink sweatshirt at least three sizes too big that covered all of her arms to mid-thigh. His short shoulder-length hair was tousled and greasy, and his big honey eyes were full of innocence, tears and fear.

-I’ll kill anyone who tries to lay a hand on you Maggie,” I said with a serious frown. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, not while she was still breathing.

The brunette gave me a slight smile as tears slid down her eyes, and not for the first time I wished I was close enough to be able to hug her and give her some comfort.

-You should get some sleep, you didn’t last night. She whispered and I nodded as I sighed, I really was tired, despite being kidnapped my nightmares wouldn’t leave me, they were, it seemed, the only constant in my life.

So prompted by his words I closed my eyes as I sought a more comfortable position and let sleep take me.

I don’t know how long I slept, but it was too little. Especially when footsteps, lots of footsteps, and a door creaking open were the reason I opened my eyes.

Maggie started crying in her cell as she curled into a ball in a far corner, I got to my feet as best I could and greeted with the coldest stare I could at the bikers that approached us.

I recognised Memphis and Zazu, but besides them two other men in leather waistcoats approached us. My emerald eyes were fixed on the biker in the centre, he was as tall as Hades, his hair was ash blond and his eyes were brown. His body was strong and muscular though not quite Hell’s build, he wasn’t ugly but not attractive either, his features were too coarse but symmetrical, his lips were normal and a healthy shade of pink. But what made my eyes never leave his person was the clear leadership he gave off with every step he took.

Apart from the dragon tattoo that started from his right wrist and went up to his shoulder in black ink. Also the fact that from where he stood I could read a patch on the front of his waistcoat that said Prez.

The ball of men stopped in the middle of our cells, I mentally counted to ten as I tried to hide my nervousness with a cynical smile, a smile that the blond returned to me with no problem causing my stomach to churn threatening to return my poor breakfast.

Damn this wasn’t going to end well….

Hunter Hell POV

-NOOOO-. But it’s no use, the Russian’s voice disappears and instead the annoying beep announcing the end of the call thunders in my ear. -DAMN IT. I squeeze the device so hard that the screen creaks under my fingers.

Controlling myself not to destroy it, I put it back in my pocket and start the bike, it’s only a few streets but I drive like crazy. A fifteen or twenty minute ride turns into only five minutes.

When I get to the clubhouse I don’t bother to park my bike properly, I just leave it carefully and run inside, pushing all my brothers and mumbling a few apologies between my teeth. I head to Hades’ office and without knocking I open the door.

Inside are my Prez with Demon, Venom with his VP, and King with a guy who by his patch is his Sergeant at Arms.

-What are you doing here Hell, I told you to patrol the streets. Hades says and looks at me very seriously.

-Tasha marked me. I blurt out and everyone in the room holds their breath. “A few minutes ago, a call came in from an unknown number, it was only for a few seconds, he couldn’t tell me anything but we could triangulate the call to replace his address, right?

When I finish my explanation, all eyes turn to our Intelligence Officer who extends his hand to me and I hand him the mobile phone without hesitation.

-I don’t know, it usually takes a minimum time to trace a call, but it all depends. I’ll do my best to try.

-Do your best. Hades’ voice is hoarse and I know he’s controlling himself not to explode with emotion.

-You got it, Prez. Demon leaves the room, leaving a wave of expectation and hope among those of us who remain.

-If Demon does manage to replace the address we must be prepared, the Dragons have been planning this for years, we can’t surprise them so we must hit them where it hurts and hit them hard. Poison speaks and we all nod.

My body tenses with anticipation and I crack my knuckles to lessen the trembling in my hands. F**k my fingers feel cold.

-I’ll burn what’s left of that f*****g Club to the ground. There won’t be any f*****g survivors after this. King says and although I agree a little voice in my head, (which sounds a lot like a Russian I know), tells me that we have no idea who’s really behind all this and that it could hurt innocents.

-The President of these useless people is mine, it will be my hands that will put an end to their miserable existence. The Prez mutters as he crosses his arms and looks at everyone menacingly.

-We all have unfinished business with him Hades, the guy belongs to whoever replaces him first. Venom retorts and there is a staring battle between them until the Prez clicks his jaw and nods.

-All right. Let’s start planning the attack, I don’t want any surprises or f*****g police involved, let alone any civilians or witnesses. Let’s call our contacts and tell our guys. We have a numerical advantage, let’s take advantage of it. Everyone mutters their approval under their breath.

-Do you have enough guns for all your guys? King questions, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Hades’ lopsided grin cuts deeper than a razor.

-I’ve got enough weapons to start a goddamn world war if I f*****g feel like it. He says darkly, and the two bikers accompanying their Presidents hide the shiver running down their backs.

-I guess old habits die hard. Poison says as he pats Hades’ shoulder with approval and reproach in his tone.

Hades just shrugs his shoulders without comment. And so we spend the next few hours organising amongst ourselves to launch a massive attack on another MC while protecting our own. We also make contingency plans in case things go wrong. Our priority is to get the three kidnapped people out of the place. King’s older brother Rex, Venom’s younger sister Maggie and Tasha while killing anyone who gets in our way.

After we got them out we were going to burn the place to the ground making it a hell on earth.

As each MC had many properties to guard, (because in the past few weeks not only had family members of the Presidents of each club been taken, but the Dragons had also been wreaking havoc on the businesses of the three MCs), as well as the Old Ladies of each club, children and family had to be protected. Each club was to take ten men on the assault.

Thirty bloodthirsty bikers against the vague memory of what was once a mighty MC.

The Golden Dragons must have remained forgotten, for now they will become living myths. Because we are going to exterminate them.

And then I’m going to get Tasha to forgive me.

I was in the middle of an argument with Venom’s VP when the door opens again impatiently. Demon enters the office with a laptop in his hands and a crazed look on his face. His eyes are redder than anyone else’s, and it’s no surprise because if the rest of us haven’t had any rest, he’s definitely a vampire. He hasn’t left the device since the Russian disappeared trying to replace her.

-Got it! That girl’s a f*****g genius! I couldn’t replace her address from the call but I did trace the number to a specific area and then I narrowed it down. I went online and used the number to hack into the mobile phone, which was easy because someone opened the GPS on the device and left it unlocked. He exclaims excitedly and everyone starts moving to get ready, including me.

-That’s my daughter. Where are they? The Prez says as he moves, tearing the wallpaper off the wall behind his desk. Revealing a square large enough to hide a 2×2 meter safe made of a material that I can tell is not very sturdy.

Hades lets his fist fly and smashes it, then rips off the pieces of the false wall to reveal, effectively, a safe that he opens with a combination that no one can see because he covers himself with his body.

When it is opened it reveals a staggering number of weapons of all shapes and sizes. Pistols, shotguns, hand grenades, C-4, short and long range rifles, M16, AK-47, submachine guns, rifles, carbines, sights, cartridges, ammunition, bullet belts.

I think all of us in the room need our mouths to be shut or slapped shut in order to react.

How long had that been hidden in there. Damn that was a fortune in weapons. A f*****g gold mine and definitely just what we need.

-By the Devil’s balls, you could really start a war if you wanted to, or at the very least a coup d’état. The black-haired Prez speaks and I swear as his eyes look at Hades with a new kind of respect.

-We weren’t the best for nothing King. Come on, they are all clean and unregistered, take what you need but after today they will disappear, you know the procedure,” Hades replies without looking at him as he takes several pistols and checks them and puts several cartridges in the pockets of his military style trousers, “The location Demon, now. Demonio tells him, but he tells him anyway that he already sent it to his mobile phone.

-Good. We leave in fifteen, Hell, replace Toro, Diablo tell them they’ll go with us, you pick the other seven brothers we’re missing. The others stay, Bullet and Demon will guard the clubhouse and Bloody will keep an eye on our business, I don’t mind losing them if I have to, the insurance covers them anyway.

-What about Bruno? I ask as I nod, Tasha’s stepbrother had been looking for her with us while he distracted his little brother from asking about her. They along with Isadora came back to live here when the Russian was kidnapped and we had them watched 24/7.

-Tie my son to a f*****g chair if you must, but I’ve got enough on my mind rescuing one to worry about another. His a*s stays here, full stop. Hades points his finger at me and even though he doesn’t say it I know he’s holding me responsible for whatever happens to him.

It’s not fair but I’m not complaining, I’m his f*****g VP and Bruno’s a prospect, if the kid wants to earn his patch he’s going to have to learn to follow orders regardless of whether he likes them or not.

I walk out of the office while everyone is arming themselves to the teeth and follow my Prez’s orders.

I shout out my own orders and call Toro and Diablo who are soon on their way to the office. I choose six of my most trusted and experienced brothers. I also have a nasty argument with the other green-eye who ends with me punching him in the stomach and threatening to take his patch if he doesn’t obey.

When I return and everyone is ready, I hurry up and grab two pistols that I keep in the waistband of my trousers. He also slipped an ammunition belt over my shirt and waistcoat and took a shotgun. I hide a small knife in my left thigh just in case. And now I too am ready for the hunt.

A lot of b***d would be shed tonight.

(…)

The motorbike ride took almost two hours. The dragons were kept in an old building in an old remote area in the city of Santa Barbara. An area that had been abandoned because it was surrounded by factories that went bankrupt and now remained there closed without any use. A place where no one would stop and ask questions if they heard strange noises. A place where the nearest neighbours were half an hour or more away by car.

Perfect.

We had to be careful how we got here, as it would look very strange if thirty bikers crossed the roads in the middle of the afternoon to an inhospitable place with a bad face. Plus the noise would alert the Dragons and we didn’t want that.

We parked the bikes at a safe distance and approached on foot trying to make as little noise as possible. On my side I had a brother named Religion and on the other a Skull Hunter. Hades was a few meters to my right and Toro a few meters to my left. Diablo was out of sight.

We were all full of adrenaline and with our muscles tensed and ready to jump at the slightest threat.

It took us a few minutes to see their safety and decide on a strategy. The idiots had no one guarding the perimeter despite having several guards posted outside the building. With machine guns in their hands. I thankfully grabbed my shotgun and took up an attack position waiting for Hades’ signal.

He along with Venom and King would be the ones to give the signal to unleash hell.

The three Presidents got as close as they could to the building without being seen while the rest of us had the dragons in our sights. When they could go no further without risking being seen, they raised their fist and swung it. They didn’t have to do it twice before my finger pulled the trigger. The dragon I was aiming at fell with a hole in his chest.

A volley of bullets took out the eight bikers guarding the building in seconds. But to the credit of the bastards, it didn’t take long for them to get their act together and answer us from inside, bursting the windows with bullets, we dropped to the ground and took cover from the trees and all the rubbish around us.

My back pressed against a log as I avoided being hit. A scream of pain made me risk sticking my head out and I could see King helping Venom who had a b***d stain spreading on one of his legs as Hades covered them.

-Damn it. I mumbled as I watched my President expose himself, “Religion, come with me, you, cover us. I shouted over the din as I pointed at the raven and the Skull Hunter.

They both nodded and on the count of three Religion and I ran off towards the three bikers as I heard the other man shout to the others to protect us. We arrived in time to help Hades shoot.

-Get him out of here! King shouted to Religion and he nodded after I confirmed it with a look.

Within seconds they were both on their feet. Poison was being helped to walk by Religion as they ran as best they could back through the mess.

-Damn it, cover me for two seconds! Hades shouted, King and I didn’t hesitate to start shooting at anything that moved on the other side. -Let’s see if this helps them see better. I mumble through my teeth and out of the corner of my eye I see him throw something, “Get down! We hit the ground and seconds later an explosion followed by a lot of screaming.

I cover my head and feel pebbles hit my arms and head.

-Now, NOW, NOW, NOW!

We all run, but only King, Hades and I make it into the damn building, the rest stay close behind as they try to keep coming. But the Dragons keep firing mercilessly. I hear screams and m***s of pain and I just pray that they are not our own.

Inside the place, everything is in a bloody chaos that has no head or tail. It takes precious seconds for the dragons to realise that they have enemies inside, seconds that we use to take cover while we fire.

I’m watching Hades’ back as I see a biker ride up to King’s side without him noticing. I raise my shotgun and fire my last round, I don’t kill him but the bullet hits his shoulder forcing him down.

I drop the shotgun and pull out one of my pistols, I carefully move and approach the dragon that was on the ground. He writhes in pain as he g****s but that doesn’t stop me from grabbing him by the legs and dragging him behind King who turns to me and nods as he tells me he has my back.

My gun is pointed at the man’s head and his eyes widen in terror as he sees me.

-Where are the hostages! I shout as I press the barrel against his forehead.

-I don’t know! He answers and my other hand goes to his shoulder. My fingers dig into his wound making him cry out, tears welling up in his eyes.

-Where have they got them! I ask again.

-Get the f**k out of here! He screams as his gaze changes to an enraged one.

I growl like an animal as I dig deeper into his wound, the guy screams and squirms, he tries to move away but I don’t let him. I change my technique, my gun stops pointing at his head and now I lower it to his balls, I don’t notice anything before I pull the trigger twice.

The dragon screams loudly, sobs come out of his mouth and with his healthy arm he tries to hit me, I stop playing with his wound and immobilize him. My gun goes back to his head.

-The hostages, now. I say in a hoarse voice and this time the guy doesn’t hesitate when he tells me they’re in the basement, then I ask him for directions, he tells me how the stairs are behind the only door on this floor. I mumble and pull the trigger again, his b***d splattering my face.

My head rises and I locate the door on the other side of where we were.

-Behind the door! The basement! I shout over the bullets as I stand next to King and help him shoot. He thanks me and takes the opportunity to remove his belt and put a tourniquet on his bleeding arm.

-I can see that, how many of them are left, they look like f*****g cockroaches! He shouts angrily and growls.

I shoot and take cover.

-I have no idea, I can’t see where they’re coming from! King shouts and at that moment I feel a burning in my leg that makes me stagger.

Sons of bitches, I shoot and kill the dragon that wounded me. But the damage is done, I feel the b***d gushing from the wound and although it’s not serious, it will be if I don’t treat it. This is taking too long, and we still haven’t seen the President of these imbeciles.

A female scream rings through the place and we freeze for a second. Hades mumbles something as he pulls out another bloody grenade and throws it.

King and I barely have time to run back out and dive before the damn thing explodes.

We lay on the ground for a few seconds recovering from the whistling of our hates and the impact. I grunt an endless stream of bad words as I move around making sure my whole body was still whole.

Well, scrapes, bruises, a bullet wound, mine and the dragon’s b***d. Nothing to worry about, for now.

-Next time, you f*****g bastard, you almost blew our heads off,” King exclaims angrily and I look around for my Prez, “Where’s Hades?” he asks when he can’t replace him either, his green eyes meet mine black ones and we both answer his question at the same time, “Goddamn it,” we stand up as best we can.

We get to our feet as best we can and return to the building.

Now there is no one to stop us, many dragons are on the floor dead, or wounded. I hear footsteps behind us and I know it’s our people who finally make it. We fly through the place and through the door. I go down the stairs first with King glued to my back, stumble and almost fall but miraculously make it all the way to the basement without rolling down the stairs.

My eyes scan everything in seconds. Hades was pointing a gun at a blond guy holding a gun to the head of a very battered Tasha who was on her knees while being held by each arm by a biker. Next to them a little brown-haired girl in civilian clothes was twisting in the arms of another biker who also had a gun to her head as she cried.

-Put the gun down if you don’t want me to kill your daughter Hade. Said the blond and that was our cue for both King and I to approach.

I aimed at one of the idiots holding my doll while King aimed at the one holding the girl.

-You are surrounded idiot, if you put the gun down I promise to give you a quick death. The Prez answered and my eyes met emerald ones. Tasha gave me a small smile but my attention went back to the idiot who twisted her arm making her scream.

I clenched my jaw, the fucker did it on purpose. He gave me a mocking look and I growled. The blond let out a laugh and brought the gun closer to the redhead’s head.

-I’d rather take her with me to hell anyway. He answered confidently and I swallowed nervously at the tone of his voice.

I hadn’t come this far for this bastard to take her away from me. I let Hades continue arguing with the blond who is clearly the leader and my left hand moves very slowly.

I take the handle of my small knife between my fingers and pull it out carefully while still aiming it at the biker. I place the knife in position between my fingers and prepare to throw it, my head shuffling through all the possibilities as I alternate my gaze between the guy and Tasha. Unlike everyone else, the Russian is looking directly at me and I see her lips part and she lets out a slight sigh as she guesses my intentions.

Her beautiful green eyes look into mine and she nods imperceptibly. She trusts me, and for her sake I will not fail.

-Be careful! One of the men exclaims and stops aiming at the girl to aim at me.

But it’s too late, the blond is distracted by the scream and doesn’t have time for anything when my knife hits him in the hand making him drop the gun and retreat.

At the same time a shot rings out and the biker frees the teenager with a hole between his eyebrows as King kills him.

Hades doesn’t wait and lunges at the bikers holding the doll, he knocks one to the ground with a punch and the other runs off, but King stops him as he punches him. I see my Russian go face first as the pressure is off his arms.

Hades stops hitting the biker and just shoots him and approaches his daughter, puts the gun aside on the ground and gently moves it.

I can see how the blond intends to grab the gun but I don’t let him, because just when his body reacts my reflexes do too and I unload my entire cartridge, filling it with lead.

I know that the three Presidents won’t like the fact that I killed him, but I don’t regret anything, in life opportunities belong to those who take them.

-Tasha, daughter, you’re safe, I’ve got you. Hades whispered, and I’ve never heard him so…

Vulnerable.

I watch as the huge Prez turns his little female copy as he snuggles her in his arms like a little girl.

-Hi Hades, I’m happy to see you alive too. The red-haired woman whispers but from one second to the next she starts coughing like crazy, b***d trickles down her lips. Which makes both the Prez and I worry.

-Where is my brother? King asks and I turn to look at him. The biker he was fighting with is now on the ground, I don’t know if he’s dead or just unconscious. -Where’s my brother! I shout now with a desperate undertone.

-They…They took him away…Days ago…Shots…I don’t know…I don’t know…Tasha said before having another coughing fit.

-Shhhh, don’t say anything, we’re going to a damn hospital right now. Hades said as he stood up and carried her princess style.

My brow furrowed and I was immediately annoyed.

I wanted to be the one to carry her in his arms.

Damn you idiot, IT’S HER FATHER FIGHT BACK.

-Wait, what did you say, what happened to my brother! King asked or rather demanded as he approached the Prez and Tasha, by mere instinct I stepped in the way to cut him off – Get out of the way Hell.

-She’s in no condition for a f*****g interrogation. I grunted and the Demon Angels’ Prez pushed me but I didn’t move, even though my leg itched like hell.

-Don’t start a fight when we just got out of a butcher’s shop alive, you idiots.

Hades exclaimed but I guessed from his tone that he was asking me to defend him and Tasha if necessary because he couldn’t do it by himself in this condition.

I prepared myself for a fight, man to man, biker to biker. Black Ravens versus Demon Angels. But saved by the bell the sobs of another person broke the tense silence of the place.

The heads of the three went to the forgotten teenage girl who lay beside the body of the dragon that held her captive. She was in a fetal position as she cried loudly covered in b***d that I prayed was not hers.

I mentally kicked myself for being an idiot. Us behaving like cavemen and that girl suffering from the trauma this is sure to leave her with.

-We are going to replace your brother but now we have to take care of them right away, don’t be such a son of a bitch as to not give them time to recover, when they can they will answer all your questions with pleasure. I said as I pushed him back a little and turned my back on him.

I heard him grunt but he didn’t say anything. I walked over to the girl and knelt down next to her.

-Hello little girl. I said softly and saw her shudder, it broke my heart a little and I was filled with rage again. I wished I hadn’t killed the blond so fast so I could make him suffer.

-Hell… Hades spoke to me and I stopped looking at the girl. We communicated with our eyes and I nodded, catching his silent command.

He came out with the Russian in his arms surrounding an annoyed King who was now dragging the body of the guy he was fighting with, a m**n from him let me know that he didn’t kill him, he was just passed out.

Poor bastard, he doesn’t know what he’s in for. King is going to beat the fate of his brother out of him.

I shake my head because that’s none of my business anymore. I return my eyes to the little body that is trembling as it hiccups uncontrollably.

-No one is going to be able to hurt you now pretty girl, you’re safe with me,” I tell her in the softest voice I have but it doesn’t stop her crying, I sniffle a little. This comforting thing is really shitty -Your brother is waiting for you, I don’t think you want him to see how you cry. He’s really scared for you, and he’s going to want you to be strong. Can you do that for him? I try again.

And after a few seconds he stops sobbing, still shaking, but slowly his head lifts, and I swallow as I give him a confident smile. Her honey eyes are red and covered with tears while her nose runs.

-Bruce is here? He asks quietly and it takes me a while to connect the name with the nickname Poison in my head.

-He’s outside, he’s fine but he got hurt when he was trying to get to you. Do you want me to take you to see him? I ask and the girl nods, “Okay, can you stand up,” she nods again.

I stand up carefully and offer her a hand, she extends hers and her fingers feel cold and extremely fragile between mine, I help her to stand up slowly.

I see how her legs tremble and that’s why I don’t let go of her hand, I don’t know if she’s hurt or if it’s because of the emotional shock but I don’t think she’s able to walk on her own. My suspicions are confirmed when she takes a step and her knees fail to support her. I don’t let her fall, I hold her and carry her the same way Hades did with Tasha.

-I’m sorry. She whispered as her cheeks turned a tender red.

Ha, a blush, Tasha would never blush like that. The Russian is too tough to look so delicate.

A lopsided smile broke out at that thought, a smile I wiped off the second the image of her beaten body coughing up b***d came back to my mind.

-It’s okay. I replied and left the basement leaving behind King and the dragon that had the misfortune of surviving to now suffer at the hands of a very angry Prez -Close your eyes-.

I asked the brunette and she looked me straight in the eyes for a second before looking away and hiding her face in my chest. I almost growled again, as always, only the Russian did not back away from my black eyes.

I walked past the bodies of the dragons and the rubble. There was a lot of b***d everywhere and images I didn’t want this girl to see. The abduction was enough to add to the poor thing’s trauma.

I hurried outside in case her curiosity got the better of her and she raised her face. The cool air hit us along with the last rays of dusk.

I swallowed hard and my jaw clenched as I saw several bodies on the ground wearing Demon Angels, Skull Hunters, and Black Ravens waistcoats.

I controlled the wave of feelings that hit me and looked around for the girl’s brother to hand her over so I could take care of my brothers properly. But apparently he found us first.

Because while I was walking carefully not to trip over something, a huge body approached me snatching the girl from my arms. I almost hit the idiot but I stopped the second I saw Poison, or rather Bruce, crying as he hugged the girl, kissed her head several times and whispered several things I didn’t hear.

The brunette began to tremble again and I knew she was crying again. Feeling like an intruder in that familiar scene, I quietly walked away. I walked to where I could sit down, as my leg was too weak for me.

I used a piece of my torn palyera to put pressure on it. I checked that I had no more wounds that needed immediate help and when I found none I stood up again. As I did so I saw a Bull full of dirt and b***d but with no wounds in sight approaching me.

-You look like shit, Hell. He said seriously but something told me he was joking.

-I feel like shit Bull, and I love it. I love being alive, f*****g dragons can’t say the same. I say and I’m sincere, a lump in my throat when I remember the raven waistcoats.

How many brothers had we lost, how many crows wouldn’t come home tonight?

-Where is the Prez? I asked and looked around for him.

Toro shook his head as he folded his arms.

-I didn’t wait for the guys to arrive with the van. Tasha passed out on her way out of the building and lost her f*****g mind. She was taken to the nearest hospital with two brothers escorting them, one of whom was Diablo.

A sigh of relief left my lips when he said that. Both for the name of my friend who was still alive and the fact that Tasha was going to get the help she needed.

Fear and worry swept over me and I had an almost irrepressible urge to run out to my bike and follow them.

-How many of our people did we lose? I asked and Toro’s serious expression hardened.

-Two brothers, the Skull Hunters lost four and the Demon Angels only one, but they have more wounded to take care of.

-What about our wounded?

-Nothing serious, we’re just cleaning up the trash while the truck arrives to take the bodies away. Then we’ll burn this.

-Good. I said and opened my mouth but I bit my tongue and closed it again. Then you don’t need me here. It was going to come out through my lips but I controlled it.

I wanted and needed to check on Tasha but I had a responsibility to my dead brothers. The least I could do was to take care of their bodies while we returned them.

On the other hand, though, the woman I had risked my life for was either on her way or in a hospital being treated after three weeks of kidnapping and a motorbike accident.

And maybe she wouldn’t need me there.

But damn me to hell, I needed to do it. I needed to make sure that she really was alive, that she was going to be okay, that she wouldn’t be permanently damaged. I needed to feel her in my arms, I needed to show her how much I cared and how much of an idiot I’d been, how much I regretted it.

…I’m done, fed up, tired, I’m just quitting, this club is your life and it comes first, you made that clear yesterday when you abandoned me when I needed it most…

Tasha’s words come to my mind and I clench my fists, Toro says something to me but I don’t pay attention to him, my head is spinning with different thoughts.

Chances belong to those who take them.

My subconscious reminds me and the green eyes of the Russian doll burn in my memory, the confident look she gave me just before she threw that knife. She trusted me, even after everything. She did.

And I wasn’t going to let her down again.

-Toro. I interrupted him. “I need you to do me a favour and stay and supervise that everything ends well around here. I tell him as I start walking in the direction of the bikes with him following me.

-Where the hell are you going, the Prez said to stay here until everything is destroyed.

-I need to go somewhere. I answer him, picking up my pace, almost jogging, ignoring the throbbing pain in my leg.

-The Prez is not going to like this. He warns me and I stop and turn to face him, he’s taller but I’m the Vice President for a f*****g reason and I remind him of it as I lock my black eyes on him.

-I won’t trip over the same stone twice, can you do what I ask or is the task too much for you to handle? I mumble and he looks angry but understanding flashes through his eyes.

-Go away. He answers at last and I turn to go on my way.

-Thank you. I mumble and now I’m off and running.

I never thought I could start the bike so fast, I looked up the nearest hospital on my mobile phone and dialed Diablo to confirm it. As soon as he did, I sped off the way we had come.

Straight to the green-eyed girl who stole my heart.

Things were going to be different from now on. My priorities were going to be changed.

I just prayed it wasn’t too late.

I roared the bike and accelerated, the darkness enveloped me when the night came. And the moon lit my way guiding me on the road.

Ready or not, here I come.