CJ

"Good morning, do you want one of these?" I held up my mug.
Charity shook her head, "Nah I'm good thanks, I think I'll hit the shower quickly if that's okay?" She slithered from the covers and headed to the bathroom and I was appreciative of a couple of minutes alone, not that she'd been a problem. I removed the teabag from the mug and gave it a stir, there was nothing that beat the first cup of tea of the day. I sniggered at the thought, well there was but that was off the agenda for a while. I shoved my hand inside my jeans and rearranged myself as I got a semi thinking about it. My phone vibrated from my pocket, I quickly removed my hand from inside my jeans and grabbed my phone hoping that it was Keira but sighed as I read the screen.
I pressed accept and rested it against my ear, "Finn how can I help you mate?" I asked sitting myself into the chair positioned in front of the desk.
"Are you at work yet?" he asked with too much energy to his voice for my liking.
"Nah mate I'm still getting ready." I didn't want to inform him of last night's encounter as he'd twist things and make more of it than it was.
"Oh okay, we're just on our way to yours."
"I thought Eli and Twizz were coming?" I asked confused by the change not that I was complaining.
 "Nah just me and Fallon, I'm letting her drive."
"Fucking hell you're brave."
He sniggered, "I know but at least a three hour journey only takes one."
"Oi I am here you know!" Fallon could be heard moaning as the phone was on loudspeaker.
"You were meant to and what the fuck, stop the stretching I'm sitting next to you!"
I shook my head at their banter and was surprised that he'd allowed her to drive. Fallon wasn't known for her driving skills, well she was but not in a good light.
"So what's your ETA?" I asked trying to work out how long I had to get ready.
Finn laughed, "Like I say it should be an hour but with Michael Schumacher here it will probably be 5 minutes....Ouch!"
I heard a slap then a girly giggle and knew that Fallon was getting her own back.
"Can you two pack it up you'll have an accident."
"Well tell him to stop being horrible about my driving." I couldn't see her but knew that she'd be pouting right about now.
"Well I'm gonna leave mine in about fifteen minutes and then I'll be in the foreman's office when you arrive."
"Sounds like a plan buddy, make sure they have coffee."
"Will do, drive carefully!"
I heard Finn snigger before the call ended. I smiled thinking about our interaction, that's one thing for our family it didn't matter what had gone on during the day we were always able to leave the shit behind and knew that happiness was the most important thing.
My phone bleeped indicating that I'd received a message and I thought it may be Finn carrying on the joke but I was pleasantly surprised to see Keira's name.

All is well my end

Her text seemed a little strange considering what I had asked her last night but I shook the thought blaming it on her hormones.

Pleased to hear it babe. Are you taking it easy?

I wanted to know that she was feeling okay physically because that would then put my mind at risk.

Yeah

She wasn't one for one word answers but I knew there was a little friction still because of the incident in the park.

Ok babe, do you need anything?

No, I'll be in touch soon.

Again, her reply surprised me but I wasn't going to make a big issue of it. She had enough going on without me adding to the situation.

Okay sweetness, speak soon.

"Is that your girlfriend?" I turned to see Charity standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a smile on her face. I looked at her confused by what she was getting at and she nodded towards my phone, "You were smiling at your phone so I assumed it was your girlfriend."
I smirked and placed my mobile into my pocket, "No she's not my girlfriend."
"But you'd like her to be?"
I sighed, "It's complicated."
"Isn't it always?"
I smiled, "Are you sure you're only sixteen?"
"Sure am!" Charity giggled as she answered.
"Fuck! That meant it was your birthday yesterday."
"It was indeed."
"And now I feel bad for not remembering sorry babe."
Charity shrugged, "It doesn't matter CJ. If anything it was a great birthday coz I got to eat loads of chocolate."
"Chocolate? Don't you get to eat it usually then?" I asked bemused.
She shook her head, "I'm not allowed."
"Is the rein kept that tight?"
"It is but hopefully you'll be able to give me hope of a better life where I can eat chocolate." Her eyes widened excitedly.
"I'm sure we can babe." I glanced at my watch, "Right we need to be making a move. Should I drop you at home?"
"Yes please, Poppy will be expecting me."
I slowly nodded but noticed that her demeanour had changed. She didn't want to go home but it was currently out of my hands.
"Give me your bag." I reached out and took her bag from her, she was reluctant but eventually let go and followed me from the hotel room. We took a slow walk through the corridor and out into the lobby and I noticed two members of the Satan's Wrath sitting in a 4x4 directly in front of the hotel.
As I exited the building Slick opened his window, "Well I hope you had an enjoyable evening."
"Worth every penny," I glanced in Charity's direction and gave her a cheeky wink to which she smiled.
"Pleased to hear it but don't forget Onyx wants payment today."
"And he'll get it, I just need to go to the bank as I don't carry that kind of cash around." I stated patting my pockets.
"Yeah we thought as much, we'll come to your work around midday to collect it."
I nodded my head, "That's fine, that will give me enough time to sort it out this morning."
"Good, well I hope you have a good day." Hustler smirked from the passenger seat of the Jeep but his smile didn't reach his eyes. He quickly turned his attention to Charity, "Get in the jeep babe Onyx wants to see you."
Charity's scared expression pulled on my heart strings and I couldn't help but wrap my arm around her waist and pull her in tight to my chest. "Trust me," I whispered earning myself a small smile.
"Come on love birds, break this up as I haven't got all day." Slick banged on the side of the Jeep as his arm hung out of the opened window.
I stood back happy that she looked reassured now that I'd spoken to her and watched as she made her way to the rear of the vehicle and open the door. That was my cue to leave, I didn't want to be making idle chit chat with the guys if I could help it. The only thing I wanted to do was to smash Hustlers fucking face in and watch him die a slow painful death and I only hoped it wouldn't take too long for me to achieve this. I nodded towards the vehicle and made my way towards my car that was parked on the other side of the car park. I noted that there was a secondary vehicle belonging to the Satan's parked on the road and knew that my every move was being watched. This would mean that laying my hands on the money would be more difficult as I would now have to go to the bank and pretend. I groaned at the thought as everything was becoming more difficult and taking me away from the real task at hand. I was now not only worried about Charity's safety but I was concerned about Keira and how she was still acting, the last thing I wanted to do was to piss her off but all this drama was distracting me from the real reason I was here. I was running out of time and I needed to remain focussed and was pleased that I could spend some time with my family albeit only for a couple of hours.

I took a steady drive to a small shopping area at the edge of town. I knew that there was a bank situated among the shops but it didn't matter which one it was as I only needed to go in there and make it look like I was withdrawing a large sum of cash. I pulled up outside and took my time gathering my thoughts and thinking of how I was going to make this look realistic. As I exited the vehicle, I noticed the car pull up further down the road and sniggered at their lack of discretion. Not that I thought that they weren't trying to conceal the fact that they were following me, they were obviously just no good at it.
I entered the bank and queued waiting for the next available cashier, this seemed like a tedious task but I knew that I needed to make this transaction seem a little realistic.
I watched as the number five flashed indicating that the cashier was available and strolled in the direction of a very attractive red haired woman. She glanced in my direction and did a double take before she smiled welcoming me.
"Good morning and what can I do for you?" she asked sucking on her pen seductively.
I smiled, "I'd like to speak to someone about a credit card."
"Oh okay Mr..."
"Jones," I answered politely.
"Will Mrs Jones be needing a card also?" she asked as she continued to suck on her pen. I smiled thinking of how amusing it would be if the ink were to come out but that just showed how my warped mind worked.
"No there's no Mrs Jones," I gave her a cheeky wink and she placed her pen onto the counter as a flush covered her cheeks.
"Well okay Mr Jones, if you'd like to take a seat over there I'll get one of my colleagues to come and speak to you."
"Thank you," I looked at her nametag attached to the blouse. "Megan, it was lovely talking to you."
I smiled and walked to where she had pointed to waiting for someone to join me.
I glanced around the bank and noticed a few of the cashiers looking in my direction and was pleased that I hadn't brought Recon along for the ride also otherwise the bank would probably have to shut. I sniggered at the thought and was pulled from my daydream as a young man approached with his hand held out.
"Mr Jones?" he asked politely.
"Sure is," I accepted his hand and shook it.
"Please will you follow me into this room," he pointed to one of the small booths and I strolled towards it with him following eagerly behind.
As he entered he shut the door behind us, "Please take a seat. I just need to go out the back to get a couple of forms."
I nodded as he briskly walked through an archway at the back of the room giving me enough time to case the joint.
I removed my carrier bag from my pocket and rummaged for anything that would look like stacks of notes. A cabinet in the far corner caught my eye and I made my way across the room so that I could take a closer look. I pulled on the door but it was locked so I gave it a harder tug and the basic catch on the cabinet broke. I opened the doors and inside was an array of stationary that could possibly be used. I flicked through the shelves I found some note pads that would do the trick. I took several bundles and quickly placed them into my carrier bag and closed the door making it look like it was never tampered with.
I stood and grabbed the carrier bag firmly before leaving the room.
"Oh Mr Jones, do you not want to go over the information regarding the credit card deals we have on offer?"
I turned to glance over my shoulder, "Sorry mate I'm far too busy." I eagerly left the bank and strolled towards my car knowing that part of the task had been completed. As I entered my vehicle, I let out a sigh and gathered my thoughts before driving over to the construction yard.

"Well good morning Romeo!"
I rolled my eyes as I flung myself into the closest chair, "What the fuck am I doing?" I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "I couldn't just leave it alone."
"Here you go," Fallon placed a mug of tea onto the table in front of me and sat beside me.
"Thank you, I could do with this after the morning I've had already."
"Why what's up?"
"Fallon hold on a minute babe, Recon's just told you that he won a virgin in an auction and you ask him what's up like it's the most natural thing in the world." Finn laughed uncontrollably as he slid his chair back across the floor and extended his legs to rest them onto the table. The foreman of the yard looked at Finn briefly but he raised his brows almost questioning him silently making the bloke scarper from the cabin.
I sniggered at his reaction Finn extended his arms out to his side, "Well he wasn't going to argue with me was he."
Fallon shook her head, "Stop being an arse and get on with it."
He winked and placed his hands on his lap, "Duke asked me to give you that bag, there's £8,000 in there. He also asked whether it was going to a good cause and whether he'd see it again?"
"Well I'd like to say it paid for a night of passion but it didn't." I rubbed my chin thinking of Charity and what she was possibly up to right now. I only hoped that the club didn't now make an example of her or ship her out somewhere before I had a chance to speak to Duke about the situation.
"So it really cost you £8,000 to win her in that auction?"
"No it cost me £5,000 but I'm going to offer him the other £3,000 and ask if she can stay with me for the rest of the week."
Recon let out a low whistle, "CJ you're getting involved with things mate that don't concern you."
"Yeah I know but now I've invested."
"I get that but you need to remember why you're here. You didn't want anyone else taking the lead on this operation because you said that you were focussed and up for the job and now you've had your head turned by not just one girl but two." I looked at him confused, "Don't give me all that innocent crap, I know you hold a torch for Keira."
"I fucking don't." I replied angrily.
"Pfft, whatever mate. At the end of the day I don't blame you because she's fit and to be honest I don't even think Locke would mind."
"Don't mention his name and don't talk about her like that," I stated aggressively.
"Oh has he touched a nerve?" I turned towards Finn and was surprised he was joining in.
"You're speculating and I'd rather just drop the subject please."
I saw the glances between the three of them but they listened to what I had to say and didn't push the situation any further.
"Okay changing the subject then, how did it actually go last night?" I smiled at the thought of them all trying to dig for information and that they didn't want to just come out and ask whether I shagged her or not.
"She's a good girl. She's young but her head's screwed on plus she helped us out the other day regarding the memory stick and the diary." I turned my attention to Finn, "Speaking of them, has any further information to come out of them yet?"
"Not to my knowledge but that's nothing to do with us." Finn replied.
I nodded understanding what he meant, at the end of the day it was club business and had nothing to do with my family although I had told Duke that I wanted them involved on this job.
"So the girl?" Fallon prompted me to continue talking about Charity.
"She's a brave girl and has been through a lot since she's been here but it was the fact that she got to meet Locke that has held something deep in here." I clenched my fist and pumped my chest just above my heart. "She referred to him as Locke and that totally threw me, she also described him well stating that he looked out for the girls which I know would be a 100% correct because that was the type of guy he was." I looked up at the group to see them smiling at me, they knew that Locke was very dear to my heart and that hearing positive things about him would only make me happy. I had so many missed opportunities with him because of the time he chose to spend here in the Midlands and that pissed me off because I know that if he would've informed the club about the situation then he wouldn't be dead and that will haunt me for the rest of my days. When I caught Fallon's eye again she simply raised her brows waiting for a response.
"No I didn't shag her, if that's what you're asking?"
 Recon sniggered, "Of course I want to know the details, this shit only happens in dreams."
I rolled my eyes again at his crude comment and took a deep breath before I answered, "I want this noted that for the record I did not kiss or fuck Charity, at the end of the day she is sixteen and I'm not into fucking kids."
"I'm fucking pleased to hear it because that is wrong on so many levels," Finn stated loudly.
I glanced at Recon to see him shrug, "You're a sick man."
"What? I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to mate it was written all over your face," Recon made me laugh.
"Well I think that we've now established that CJ hasn't shagged anyone that is under the age of consent, is that correct?" Fallon was trying to resolve the situation as it could've got quite easily out of hand although I wouldn't have carried it on.
"But she wants help to get out of here and I think that's the least I can do considering the help she's given us."
Recon rolled his eyes and Fallon gave him a light tap on his arm, "What was that for?" he asked rubbing the spot she'd slapped faking injury.
"Stop being an arse, he's being nice to a girl that clearly needs help and direction in life."
"The world's going soft!" Recon folded his arms and stuck out his bottom lip pretending that he was sulking.
"No the world's a bad place and it needs people like that to make it a happier one," Fallon pointed at me as she shot him down.
I smirked at Recon and again he rolled his eyes at being told off by Fallon.
"So will she get in the way of your plans?"
I shook my head, "Not at all Finn, if anything she's given me more insight."
"Okay well that's good but if she compromises the operation CJ she needs to go."
"I know that Recon, getting revenge on the club is my priority and I mean that."
"Good because you can't lose focus now mate, it all kicks off in a couple of days."
"And I've said that I'm good to go, don't keep pushing Recon as you're starting to fuck me off." I took a sip of my tea trying to gain a little composure.
"What the fuck is going on with you?"
"Nothing I'm good but I don't want anyone thinking that I'm not prepared for this."
Fallon placed her hand on top of mine and squeezed it lightly, "No one thinks that CJ, we're just making sure you're okay."
I smiled and placed my free hand on top of hers cupping it gently, "And I am."
"So have you got any more news for me to report back or is everything going like clockwork?" Finn picked up his mug and took a sip as he assessed Recon and myself. It wasn't his place to question, in fact, it really wasn't the norm for him to know any club business but me being here was bigger than the club was. My best friend had been murdered and I wanted my family to be involved and support me through this where possible. Duke had also asked for my visitors whoever it may be to report back to the club because it was better to talk like this than over the phone as we didn't know who'd be listening.
"It all seems to be going according to plan which is worrying in itself."
"Why you say that?" Finn asked drawing his brows.
I sniggered, "In my experience, things don't usually run this smoothly."
"That's true but maybe you've just been meticulous in your planning and it's all now just paying off."
"Well it could be and I'm hoping that's the answer." I needed that to be right and I was going to continue with my plan albeit knowing that the operation was probably compromised because of Damian.
"So what is the plan? Talk me through it."
I glanced at Recon prompting him to take over as he'd sorted out most of the details. "The meet takes place at 6.00pm so we need everyone in position before that. We know that the Satan's will use the exit on Chapel Street but we'll also have Manor Road covered leaving nothing to chance. I don't want to be caught by surprise as we're only going to have one crack of the whip."
"Okay so do you need my brothers and I to help out in any way?"
"Thank you for the offer but not at the moment, we have the guys coming up so we'll be here in force although we don't want to leave ourselves short back home."
"Okay well we've decided to all be up here anyway but will keep a low profile. You then have that option should you need it."
"I appreciate that Finn, thanks bruv."
He smiled, "That's what families are for."
"While we have your attention, I want to show you this." Fallon dug into her bag, pulled out a handful of files and placed them onto the table. "We've been doing some digging into the club and they are up to their eyeballs in shit and don't hide it all too well." Fallon slid the files across the table making sure that myself, Recon and Finn all had a copy. "They are into trafficking of people, drugs and weapons."
I nodded, "I know that so what's your point?"
"My point is that I've, no sorry we've put a file together on the big players such as Onyx, Hustler, Slick and Fix and as a club as a whole would have enough information to put all of them away."
"And?" I asked confused as to where she was going with this.
"So why haven't the police done it yet?" I shrugged, she'd made a good point and I couldn't give her an answer. "I just think it's a little strange that I can find out all this by doing some digging and they are all free to walk around continuing to wreck lives."
"They've been doing it for years though Twizz." I knew this for a fact as I'd seen it with my own eyes. I turned my attention to Recon, "Do you remember a couple of years back when we went to Tottenham?"
"Fucking hell that was a mad one." Recon raised his brows remembering that night as it had been one of the bloodiest fights we'd had.
"We were on a ride out and some of the brothers from the Norfolk chapter got separated from the main group and ambushed. The fight kicked off outside the fucking police station and the pigs came out and simply watched."
"What the fuck!" Finn couldn't believe what we were saying.
"Really?" Fallon asked not believing my words either.
"It's true babe, by the time we got there it had calmed down but Bugsy got stabbed up real bad and the pigs did nothing about it."
Fallon looked perplexed, "And what would be their reasoning?"
"They don't want it in the press babe. The whole idea of biker culture is very American and the authorities want to keep it that way. If they admit that there are MC's and rivalry within those clubs then the general public become scared, if nothing is documented or commented on then no one knows and everyone can continue as normal."
"Surely not!"
"It's true babe, it's easier for them to just let us fight and kill each other rather than worry about what's going on. Don't get me wrong they know exactly what's going on, you only have to look at O'Neil back home to know that some pigs just can't let things go but on the whole they will leave us to our own devices."
"Well I never thought about it like that."
"Yeah but the pigs I know are all bent anyway," Recon stated chuckling. "Everyone has a price."
"And that's true also, we have a few coppers in our pockets but it works and we all have an understanding."
"The world's gone mad." Fallon's life was very fluffy in comparison to ours and we liked to keep it that way.
"Ain't that the truth," I placed my hand on top of hers and gave it a squeeze.
"So what about the finer details regarding picking off certain individuals?" Finn asked leaning on the table.
"You don't need to worry about that. All you need to know is that Recon has Hustler covered and Onyx is all mine."

The door to the cabin opened and we turned to see the foreman step into the room a little out of breath. "It's them, they've come to see you," he stated addressing me.
I slowly nodded and stood grabbing the bag from the table in the process. "Okay its show time." I gave a quick wink to the group and slowly made my way from the cabin and across the yard to the main gate where three motorcycles were parked. As I neared I smelt the tell tale sign that Onyx was in the vicinity and had to take deep breaths in order to keep my cool.
"You got the money?"
"Well hello boys I hope you're all okay," I said sarcastically.
"Fuck the pleasantries." Hustler stepped closer to the gate and I smirked at his audacity. I wanted to rip his head from his shoulders and I was so doing my best to keep my temper under control. I was pissed that I was allowing Recon to have fun with him as I would've enjoyed watching him squeal like a pig.
"Sorry I need to speak to the organ grinder and not the monkey," I winked at Hustler trying to wind him up further and loving every minute as it was so easy. Onyx held his arm out to his side to stop Hustler coming after me and I was a little disappointed as it would've given me the perfect excuse to smash him in the mouth.
"So what do you want to speak to me about?" Onyx took a drag on his cigar and blew it in my direction.
"I won't go into detail but I had a very pleasant evening."
"Worth the £5,000?" he asked in a monotone voice.
"Very much so but that's what I want to talk to you about."
"You have my attention, go on!"
"Well I'm here until Friday, I've got another £3,000 and I was wondering if I could have Charity stay with me until then."
Onyx took another drag on his cigar contemplating what I'd just said. "What the fuck, that's two nights surely that's gotta be £10,000."
Onyx held up his hand indicating for Slick to be quiet and I saw the frustration on his face which only made me happier. Onyx rubbed his chin slowly assessing my reaction to his scrutiny but I wasn't letting him think he intimidated me, I relished such pressure and couldn't wait until the shoe was on the other foot.
"So you'll be gone on Friday."
"Yeah, me and a couple of the guys have been moved to another site down in Kent. We leave on Friday morning."
"Well okay then she's yours but only for the nights. Someone will drop her off and then collect her in the morning so she can go about her chores during the day while you're at work."
"No I want her full time," I said louder than intended. If I allowed her to stay, there was no guarantee of her safety. "Drop her off tonight and you can have her back Friday morning for another £3,000, I think that's more than fair."
Onyx smiled, "Deal." I heard both Hustler and Slick disapprove in the background and I was pleased that I was annoying them.
I slid the metal bolt back to unfasten the gate and pulled it open just enough to squeeze the bag through. "It's all there, £8,000."
"I trust you but if it's not I know where you are."
"Indeed, well I don't mean to be rude but I need to get back to work," I pointed towards the yard behind me.
"Knock yourself out, I'll bring her round to you at 8.00pm."
"See you then." I gave him a nod before I turned and stomped in the direction of the cabin, I needed to make it look like I actually fucking worked here. I heard the rumble of motorcycles as I entered the cabin and felt relieved that they'd fucked off, I didn't want them hanging around otherwise I may have to do some actual work.
"What's up?" Recon asked standing up as soon as I entered the room.
"Nothing just my stupid sense of humour."
"Did you sort everything?" Fallon asked eagerly.
"Yea I fucking did, another puzzle piece is in place and there ain't many more to go."

Charity

Since I'd been home, there had been a barrage of questions from Poppy. She wanted to know the ins and outs of the evening and I tried to be as brief as possible through fear of slipping up but this made her push further.
She was currently having a soak in the bath which was great as it gave me an hour of peace and quiet.
She'd demanded a roast dinner this evening and had taken me out to the supermarket earlier to buy all that was needed. She wanted to celebrate the fact that I wasn't a virgin anymore and I couldn't understand why apart from the fact that she was a sick fucked up individual. The fact that I was still a virgin amused me as I was able to have one up on them without them even realising.

I continued to peel the potatoes as I grooved to my tunes pumping loudly from my earphones, unaware of anyone entering the house.
He wrapped his arms around my waist quickly taking me by surprise and pulling me against his cold leathers. I wasn't sure whether I'd let out a scream or not as the music was still playing loudly in my ears but if I did Poppy would've been sure to have heard it.
He held me close and my heart rate increased at the close proximity and dread filled my body. I was worried that this may happen now that he thought I wasn't an innocent and I stood motionless becoming rigid under his touch.
Onyx moved his head closer to my neck and I instantly felt his breath on my skin. I closed my eyes and listened to the music playing in my ears as Onyx laid a small tender kiss in the crease of my neck. I couldn't believe this was going to happen, I'd been here just over a year and apart from the odd grope and cheeky slap of the arse I'd been kept pretty safe.
Onyx pulled my hair jutting my head to the side to give him easy access to my neck, this was like a green light for him to sink his teeth into me. My eyes flung open and my hands went directly to his head as I clawed as best I could at his face. I managed to grab his ear and I pulled and twisted the floppy skin hoping to cause him enough pain to let go. One of my earphones fell out and it was only then that I heard the noises I was making as the pain ripped through my body.

"What the fucking hell is going on?" Onyx released his tight grip around my waist and I fell forward and held onto the sink to steady myself before placing my hand on my neck. The pain was intense, I knew he hadn't removed any flesh but even so he'd pierced the skin as it was pissing out blood everywhere.
"Really Onyx, what the fuck?" Poppy screamed walking further into the room.
"This doesn't concern you so shut your fucking mouth," he ordered.
"When you're biting the hired help it does fucking concern me. Who's the cunt that has to look at her mopey face around here all day hmmm? Well it ain't fucking you that's for sure and now I have to look at it but it includes a dirty fucking bite mark that my boyfriend decided to leave on her neck." She flapped her arms around in annoyance, as if I was an inconvenience to have around the house although thanks to me she didn't have to lift a finger to cook or clean.
The pain was excruciating and I wanted to cry, god did I want to cry but I wasn't giving him the satisfaction. I knew that he'd get what was coming to him and only hoped that CJ would make it as painful as possible. I turned the cold tap on and left it running as I grabbed the tea towel from the worktop. Moving back over to the sink, I placed the material under the water until it was soden and turned the tap off before ringing the material. "Shit!" I placed the tea towel onto the wound and flinched at the pain but I knew I needed to apply some pressure to try to relieve some of the pain.
I could hear the two of them screaming at each other in the background but it wasn't making any sense as I was thinking about my neck and needed to take a look in the mirror to see what possible treatment I'd need.
I pushed from the worktop and slowly made my way through the open plan living area in the opposite direction to the screaming match taking place behind me and knew that it would soon get violent.

"Where the fuck are you going?"
I drew my brows, what a fucking stupid question to ask as he'd just bit my neck. "To fucking sort this out," I screamed back at him as I pointed to my neck although it was still covered with the cloth.
"Well get a bag packed for the next couple of nights, you're going back to the hotel."
I must've looked even more confused or even like I'd caught flies but I didn't understand what he was trying to say, why was I going back?
I chose not to respond and slowly made my way into my bedroom. It wasn't much but it was my own space which I was grateful for as there were so many less fortunate than I. As I entered the room, I quickly shut the door behind me and lay my back against the door as I assessed the recent events. Why the hell would Onyx bite me? It wasn't as if he was acting in the heat of the moment, he'd purposely bit me but with the intention of doing what? Possibly brand me in his own sick way! He was a psycho in every sense of the word and I was hoping that CJ was able to release me as I knew things would only start to get worse. I took a deep sigh and pushed from the door in search of my holdall. I'd need something slightly bigger if I were staying for a couple of days and knew that I wouldn't have to pack anything too fancy but would in case they ransacked my room while I wasn't here. I got down on my knees, swiped my hand under the bed and was pleased when I made contact with my holdall. I pulled the strap to retrieve it and rubbed my hand over the top of the material to remove some of the dust, I hadn't used this in a while in fact I hadn't used it since I came to stay here over a year ago. I leaned on the bed which helped me to get up off the floor and threw the holdall onto the bed, before glancing around the room to see what I may need for my stay.
"Hurry up Charity I wanna leave in five," Onyx's words rumbled down the corridor towards my bedroom. I knew he wasn't in any mood to piss off further so I needed to get my arse in gear before he kicked off again. I hurried over to my chest of drawers and rummaged around trying to find appropriate underwear for my stay. Grabbing a couple of sets, I closed the drawer and opened the second, and pulled out two t-shirts that I could wear over the coming days.
"Charity!"
I stepped back and turned quickly to stuff the items inside the holdall before making my way to my basket containing my ironing pile. I didn't have time to sort this out but I had a pair of jeans that I could quite easily wear as they weren't too creased.
I turned to the sound of the door being yanked open, "Speed it up I wanna go."
"Okay, I'm nearly done Onyx. I won't keep you waiting for much longer." I smiled sweetly then continued to pack my bag by throwing toiletries and other items that I'd need for my stay.
"I'll wait outside for you," he turned on his heels and I let out a sigh I hadn't realised I'd been holding as he walked further down the corridor.
I walked over to my desk and sat on the stool, I immediately moved my hair to see the damage he'd left. The wound was bleeding still and I hadn't realised at first but the blood had trickled down my chest and had soaked into my t-shirt. Grabbing a handful of cotton wool pads, I lightly sprayed them with an antiseptic solution and pressed them onto my skin. It stung at first contact but I knew I needed to do this to stop the wound from getting infected. There was no way that I could go to the doctors as they'd find out who I was and report me. I just needed to treat it the best I could but I had limited supplies. Once I was satisfied that the wounds had stopped bleeding I used a length of sellotape to hold a fresh cotton wool pad over the bite mark. I felt better that it was covered although it didn't hide much if I were honest. I stood and took a deep breath before turning and grabbing my holdall from on top of the mattress as I left the room. I hadn't realised but I was actually looking forward to seeing CJ again, he had an almost protective demeanour about him and I was grateful for what he'd done. I knew that he didn't have to and this showed a lot about his character. I held the bag firmly as I made my way up the corridor and as I turned the corner to enter the kitchen I looked up and my eyes met Poppy's.

"How's your neck?"
I was surprised by her concern but kept my cool as I continued on my way to leave the house.
"I said how's your neck?" she asked again but this time a bit more forceful.
I stopped in my tracks and thought about what she'd just asked. "Why you asking?" I turned so I could face her and my mannerisms obviously surprised her.
"Despite what's gone on, I don't want him doing that to you." She pointed to my neck and grimaced. Her face already held the marks from her most recent hiding and I'd also seen tell tale signs of months of abuse over her body so why was she concerned for my welfare.
I sniggered, "There's not much that surprises me these days Poppy but your statement has just blown me away."
Her face lit up, "I'm pleased, I now appreciate that you don't want Onyx like that and I'm prepared to let bygones be bygones."
I placed the holdall over my shoulder and stood in the middle of the living room with a grin on my face but the longer I stood there the bigger it got. "Do you know what Poppy that's very gracious of you."
She smiled obviously thinking that I was sincere but I couldn't be much further from the truth. I stepped closer and could see her smile drop slowly as she wasn't expecting this but neither was I, I couldn't believe just how brash I was being.
"But I also don't give a shit."
Her facial expression was a picture but I was past caring. I was working my arse off and had been whipped most days by her for not doing things correctly or in the way she wanted them but what it really came down to was that she was abusing her power. Being Onyx's old lady came with a certain amount of power that she felt that she could lord over everyone around her. At the end of the day she wasn't much older than me, at twenty-five, she had a few years but she certainly wasn't mature. She'd chosen this life for herself, the uncertainty, the beatings and even the infidelity of her old man were already a part of her sad existence and I didn't want to play a part. I smirked in her face looking her up and down as if she were a piece of shit before I turned on my heels to saunter from the room.
She suddenly regained her composure. "You'll regret that madam," she shouted after me but I didn't care. I raised my right hand and stuck up my middle finger as I left the room. Yeah she'd probably beat me on my return but for the first time in over a year, I may just have built the courage to fight back.

"What took you so fucking long?" Onyx shoved the helmet into my chest and the force made me step back.
"You obviously need a tighter chain on your bitch." His eyes widened at my remark and I cowed a little as he surged forward grabbing at my neck. I winced at the pain as he pressed tightly and caught the bite mark he'd left earlier.
"You need to remember your place and quickly, after Friday things are gonna change around here." Onyx placed a chaste kiss on my forehead and immediately released me, I breathed heavily and placed my hand around my neck trying to massage it a little as I watched him step back and mount his motorcycle. What did he mean about things changing around here? His comment had confused me and I stood motionless on the pavement trying to figure out exactly what he meant.
"I ain't got all day Charity," he glanced in my direction with his dark eyes looking even more emotionless than normal.
I nodded franticly as I placed the helmet onto my head and secured the strap under my chin. I hated riding with Onyx, the close proximity made my stomach lurch and I'm sure he got more out of it. I placed my hands onto his shoulders as I swung my leg around to sit on the bitch pad behind him.
Placing my feet onto the foot pegs, I patted his shoulder indicating that I was comfortable and placed my hands onto the side of the seat rather than hold onto his shoulders or wrap my arms around his waist although he usually drove fast which made me change tact to feel safer.

We took a steady drive through the town and eventually pulled up outside the hotel that CJ was staying at. As the motorcycle became stationary, I quickly cocked my leg and got off faking that I had cramp but I couldn't bear to be in such close proximity. Onyx turned off the ignition and got off the motorcycle to join me on the pavement. "Keep the helmet, I'll pick you up sometime Friday."
I looked at him confused, "Won't Poppy want me back during the day so I can do my chores?"
He shook his head, "She'll be too busy packing."
"Packing? Why is she going away?"
He sniggered, "Yeah you could say that."
My train of thoughts were broken as someone joined us on the pavement outside the hotel, I glanced to my left and smiled as I saw CJ.
"Here, give me that." CJ held out his arm pointing to the holdall on my back.
I wriggled out of the straps and handed it to him, "Thank you."
"No worries," he took the bag from me and flung it over his shoulder before returning his attention to Onyx. CJ was huge in comparison to Onyx but give him his dues he didn't seem intimidated by his stature. "So what's the deal? When should I bring her back?"
Onyx looked between us slowly, "We have some important business to attend to on Friday so I'll pick her up in the morning."
"That's cool coz I'm leaving Friday around midday."
Onyx nodded slowly, "Okay well have fun you two." I didn't like his facial expression, he was annoyed but trying to hide it. I'd lived with him long enough that I was able to work out his moods and that was Onyx at his worst but he wasn't acting on how he was feeling. I needed to make CJ aware that all wasn't right but I'd choose my moment wisely as I was still a little unsure of what made him tick.
Onyx mounted his Harley and rode through the car park not even giving us a second glance as he exited onto the main street.
"So how you doing?" CJ asked tugging on my elbow to follow him into the hotel.
I sighed, "Yeah not bad." I unclasped the helmet and removed it from my head.
"You hungry?"
"Famished."
"Good coz I could eat a scabby horse so we'll order room service and have a chat while we're waiting."
"About anything in particular?" I asked worried what he may want to talk about.
"Life babe," he sniggered as he directed me through the main doors. "We could be here a while though," CJ smiled to himself and I wondered where his thoughts were going. I didn't think that he particularly wanted to talk to me, I just think that he wanted to chat and I was that friendly ear to listen.

An hour later and I was stuffed. CJ had ordered a variety of different things and I'd just polished off the last of the ice cream.
"You have an appetite like me," CJ sniggered as he placed his can of drink onto the table.
I smiled, "I'm not allowed to eat all this so it was nice to indulge." I waved my hands over the remains of what was a delectable feast.
"Not allowed?"
I shook my head, "No Onyx likes his women tiny so he limits what Poppy can eat but her coke habit helps that."
"So where do you fit into this though? You're not his old lady."
"I know but I suppose...oh hold on a minute I've just had a thought!" I held up my finger indicating for CJ to stop talking as a million thoughts burst into my brain.
"What is it Charity, you look worried?"
I hung my head and supported it on the palm of my hand, "Oh my fucking god it's just come to me."
"What babe? What the fuck you talking about?"
"It all fits into place now. Onyx said that things are changing around here on Friday."
"Well yeah things will change dramatically on Friday." CJ smiled which made me snigger. I didn't know exactly what he had planned but I knew it would be life changing for the Satan's.
"He also said that Poppy was packing her bags," I glanced at CJ to see that his expression had changed.
"So you think that he's trading her in for a younger model?"
I slowly nodded, "Yeah I do." I pushed the chair back and stood, feeling agitated as I walked around the room placing my hands on my hips as I contemplated what this meant. I didn't want to be his old lady, he was fucking ancient for a start and made my skin crawl. I let out a moan and stopped in my tracks to look at CJ, "You gotta help me. I can't possibly live like this anymore."
CJ stood and made his way across the room towards me, "Charity calm it down babe. You have my word that everything will be sorted on Friday and if anything you'll have options."
I looked at him confused, "Options?"
"Yes, now don't ask me anymore questions because you know that I can't answer but you need to trust me sweetness."
I nodded my head so he knew that I was listening, "I do CJ, I do trust you."
"Good because everything is going to be fine."
I smiled, "Okay well let's get all this cleared up."
"Fuck that shit, that can wait until later." CJ dismissed the plates and left over food on the table and plonked himself on the bed with the remote in hand. "Anything in particular you want to watch?" he asked flicking through the TV channels.
"Nah, I don't watch a lot of telly if I'm honest. The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones is about all I have time for."
"Good choices little lady, they are two of my favourites."
I kicked off my shoes and sat down beside CJ on the bed. It was only then that I realised just how comfortable I felt in his presence. He was so easy to get on with unlike the members of the Satan's, I'd seen a moody side to him but on the whole he was a breath of fresh air and I enjoyed spending time with him.
His phone vibrated and he removed it from his pocket, CJ drew his brows as he read the text and quickly wrote a response.
"Is there any issue?" I asked concerned why his mood had suddenly changed.
"Erm, I'm hoping not but I just want someone to clarify something for me."
It wasn't long before his mobile vibrated again and he picked up his phone to read the message. "What the fuck!" He pressed the phone and quickly held it to his ear to speak to someone.

"Dec, what do you mean buddy?...So she wasn't there when you returned....No note or message?...And how long ago was that?...Yeah I have but shitty, you know one word answers most of the time...Well you know what your sister's like...Yeah I know it's out of character and I don't like it one bit...I'll get my brothers on it...yeah let me know if she gets in touch." CJ hung up and threw his mobile onto the bed, he sat forward and massaged the front of his head using his thumb and forefinger.
"What's up CJ?" I asked concerned.
"Keira's gone missing."
"Missing?"
"Well we don't know for sure but she hasn't been seen since yesterday and no note has been left to explain where she's gone." I could see the turmoil on his face although he wouldn't admit to having feelings for her.
"Is that out of character?"
"Yes very much so, she doesn't usually go anywhere without Declan and he's none the wiser."
"Well how old is she? Can't she look after herself?"
"She's Locke's girlfriend!" Those words hung in the air as I took them in. "She's also carrying his baby so I need to find her and keep her safe."
"From what?"
He drew his brows, "She was there the night of the fire that killed Locke. I need to know that she's okay before I jump to conclusions."
The penny dropped and I finally understood what he was talking about, I also knew the implications because if she had been taken all hell was about to be let loose on the town.
CJ picked up his phone again and pressed a couple of buttons, I could see the panic rise as his breathing became iritic.
"Eli, I need a favour...Keira's slipped off the radar again but this time she's not with Declan. Is there any possible way that you can do some digging and see what you can come up with?" CJ stopped talking and listened to the person on the other end of the line, "Yeah see if you can look down there and up here. I doubt she'd come and see me after what happened the other day but you never know." He almost looked pained by his words and I knew that his feelings for her were stronger than he was letting on. "Thanks bruv, if you find out anything though could you please let me know, no matter how trivial you think it may be?...yeah me too...speak soon."
He let out a sigh as he turned off his phone and threw it onto the mattress. "All sorted?" I asked not knowing what to say but wanting to help.
"Well my brother has some contacts capable of doing a few checks to see if we can hunt her down."
"And in the mean time?"
"I can only hope and pray that she is safe and well. "
I leaned over and placed my hand on top of his and gave it a light squeeze, "I'm sure she'll be fine. She probably just needs some time to chillax and just take some time for herself."
"I hope you're right Charity, I really do."
"Well this is getting a little heavy so we need to change the subject," CJ sniggered at my change in direction.
"You can be a little random at times babe," he folded his arms across his chest and smiled.
"Good, I'll take that as a compliment." I folded my arms across my chest also mimicking his gesture, "Life's too short for too much seriousness."
"I couldn't have explained it better myself."
"Ah it's just come to me that the time of the meet has changed to 2.00pm."
CJ's eyes widened slightly, "Right thanks for that, I'll let the relevant people know. What about the location is that still the same?"
"Yep that's still the same. The problem I have now though is that I'm not at the house to catch up on the plans over the next couple of days."
"Not to worry I'm sure it'll all be fine."
"I could possibly make excuses and go back if you want?"
CJ shook his head, "No, after what you said earlier it's probably best that you stay out of the way. Onyx has plans for you obviously from Friday and we don't want him changing his mind and making it any earlier."
I shivered at the thought, I didn't want him or his wandering hands anywhere near me if I could help it.
"Okay I'll stay here with you until Friday then." I wanted to ask him whether he'd had a chance to speak to Duke but I was a little afraid of what the answer would be.
"What's on your mind sweetness?" I looked at him shocked that he knew I was thinking about something. "When you're thinking you wrinkle your nose so stop over analysing and spill."
I sniggered at his comment and decide honesty was the best policy. "Have you had a chance to speak to Duke about me coming back with you?"
"I have yes," CJ wasn't giving anything away.
I rolled my eyes at his lack of cooperation, "And the answer is..."
"He is happy for you to come back with me. We don't know where we are going to put you up yet but he said he'll work something out and speak to you about earning your keep."
My face lit up and I could feel my heart swell, this was the one chance I needed to prove myself to the world. I knew that the Aces MC couldn't be all that bad and that it would be an upgrade from the Satan's as they obviously knew how to treat their women. I'd also make sure that I pulled my weight so that I didn't owe them anything.
"Thank you so much," it was hard to keep the excitement from my voice.
He smirked, "Easy tiger, you may not like it there but at least you'll have options unlike here."
CJ's phone bleeped indicating that he'd received a text, he glanced in my direction before he picked up his phone from the mattress. "Don't mind me," I grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels, there had to be something on worth watching. I saw out of the corner of my eye that CJ was having a hard time with the person he was messaging or the subject matter but I didn't want to ask as it was none of my business. Instead I continued to channel hop trying to find something that may hold my interest but could feel my eyes getting tired, it had been an eventful day for sure and certainly had taken its toll on my body and mind.

CJ

"What the fuck is that?"
Charity's eyes flew open and she scrambled around the bed trying to figure out what the hell was going on but I didn't have time for that shit, I'd just simply reacted to what I'd seen.
She squinted and placed her hand over her eyes as the sun shone through the window directly onto the bed where she was now sitting.
"CJ what you going on about?"
I threw the cotton wool pad at her and her eyes enlarged as it fell into her lap. "Erm...I don't know what you want to hear?"
"The fucking truth, I've seen it Charity who did it...Onyx?"
She slowly nodded and picked up the cotton wool pad from her lap and started to fold it to conceal the blood. "It's just one of those things, it happened last night before I came here."
"Marking his territory was he?" I spat.
She shrugged, "God knows. All I know is that it freaking hurt and I'm grateful that's all he did."
"Has he fucked you?" I could've chosen my words carefully but I wanted to get to the point.
She shook her head vigorously, "No, he started to touch and kiss me tenderly before he thought of me as his next meal." She sniggered nervously trying to make light of the situation that only made my blood boil more. I had one more day to make sure everything was in place and then I'd be free of that mother fucker and he couldn't hurt anyone else.
"There's no point getting the hump about it CJ, what's done is done."
She was right but that would probably end up scaring and that didn't sit comfortably with me. I was all for rough sex and marking, that sort of brought an edge to it pushing boundaries to see what you could get away with but it had to be consensual, you couldn't go around marking people for the sake of it or to put some type of claim on your woman.
"So what are your plans today?" she asked digging around into her bag.
I watched in wonder to see what she was after until I saw a new cotton wool pad in her hand. "They're going to watch me like a hawk today so I need to go to work but that leaves you on your own. What do you want to do?"
Charity shrugged before using her teeth to break the length of sellotape she'd just pulled from the reel. "I could just hang around here catching up on some well deserved sleep or come with you."
"Come with me?"
"Yeah, why not? I don't know much about construction but I could help in the office with paperwork or even make the tea."
She almost seemed excited at the prospect of coming to work with me, not that Recon and I did much if I were honest. It was just a smoke screen as we knew we'd be watched by the Satan's. I knew that having her by my side would open a can of worms and I was right but I only had one day more and everything would be sorted.
"Okay, why not but you'll have to amuse yourself for the day and keep out of trouble because I'll have meetings and stuff."
She held up three fingers and saluted, "Scouts honour." I sniggered at her reaction, she was a breath of fresh air to have around and sometimes I forgot just how young she was.
"I forgot to ask last night, well actually I fell asleep before I got to say anything."
"Yeah you did actually, when I got off the phone you were snoring quite heavily."
Charity slapped my arm playfully, "I do not snore!"
"How do you know you're asleep at the time."
"I'd just know if I did."
I sniggered at the uncertainty on her face, "You're right you don't snore but you make these cute little noises and sighs, it's most entertaining." Charity rolled her eyes before she turned and pushed from the bed. "So where were you going with this?"
She sniggered, "Oh yeah, see random! I was going to ask if everything was okay last night."
"Regarding?"
"The messaging. You looked a little upset and I was going to ask if you were okay but I fell asleep before I got the chance."
There were some things that I didn't want to discuss. Charity knew too much already and because of that, it made her vulnerable. I didn't want to give her anymore information that may put her at more risk. "Everything's fine sweetheart."
I could see by her expression that she didn't believe me but she wasn't going to challenge, "Okay, well have I got time to take a quick shower?" she pointed to the bathroom and I could see that she was longing to get in there. If this was a proper job I'd be late and most certainly sacked but we didn't have to rush.
"Of course you have."
She smiled sweetly and skipped to the bathroom clutching her holdall.

I sat back on the bed and held my mobile wishing that Keira would make contact. Last night we'd discovered that she went AWOL two days ago and although I'd received a couple of messages from her they were very short and somewhat coded. I had a horrible feeling about this and couldn't shake it no matter how I looked at the situation. I was only hoping that she'd taken off for a few days to get her head together and that she'd come back all refreshed for the rest of her pregnancy but with the lack of contact and the fact that we had nothing to go on I was losing hope and focus from the job at hand.
My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts but the disappointment hit me when I saw who it was, "Recon, how you doing mate."
"All good, are you coming to work today?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yeah I'm just waiting on Charity to finish in the shower." As soon as the words left me mouth, I instantly regretted it especially as I was on loud speaker.
I heard the sniggers and cackling and simply waited for it to stop before I replied, "So I should be with you in about twenty minutes, make sure the kettle's on." I smirked as I ended the call, they were relentless in their pursuit to embarrass me about the situation with Charity but I knew that I didn't have any other option. I needed to take her with us, I couldn't just leave her here for the wolves and devastation left behind after we parted.
I heard the click of the door and turned to see her leave the bathroom with a cloud of steam behind her, "Like your showers hot?" I asked making reference to the plume behind her.
"By the time I get a shower at home the water's always cold so yeah I'm making the most of it."
I smiled as I grabbed my keys from the desk, "Come on you, there's a few people at work that are a little excited to meet you."
"Meet me?"
"Yes little old you."
She looked confused but happily grabbed her coat from the back of the chair and followed me to the door.

Surprisingly there was no one waiting for us in the hotel car park and to my knowledge, no one had followed us to work either. In saying that I wouldn't be surprised if any of them paid me a visit today or wanted to speak to Charity to get the low down but I had already briefed her should that happen.
"Here he is, I'm starting to forget what you look like." Recon walked over to me with his arms open wide to give me a manly hug and patted me on the back to show his affection.
I pulled from his embrace and stepped back as Charity stood nervously by the door. "Everyone this is Charity, she's been very helpful this past week and we have a lot to thank her for."
She gave a little wave and looked at the group congregated around the table. "She's also coming back with me tomorrow." I glanced at Duke and smiled, "She is going to be welcomed to the Aces family." Charity beamed as she stepped forward to stand beside me and I knew that I'd have loyalty from her forever.
"Well welcome to the family little lady," Duke said from across the table.
Charity blushed from all the attention she was getting but she held her own, "Let me say thank you by making you all a drink." She made her way over to the small kitchenette in the corner of the room and lifted the kettle over to the sink to fill it up.
"I like her already," Diesel stated to the roar of laughter from the group.
I sat in the nearest available chair and glanced around the table. They were all here in force today, Eli, Rian and Finn sat to my left and Duke, Diesel and Recon to my right looking like a force to be reckoned with. It was amusing to see my club brothers dressed as construction workers, a disguise they used to not draw attention to themselves but it was funny to see that they blended in with the 'normal' people as well.
"I just wanted us to meet to go over the finer details but Recon says that you've got it all under control," Duke sat back in his chair waiting for my response.
"Yeah, they're meeting at the same place but Charity informed me last night that they've brought the meet forward to 2.00pm."
Diesel glanced at Charity happily making the drinks in the kitchenette unaware that we were talking about her. "Can she be trusted?"
I shrugged, "She hasn't given me any reason not to and she could've fucked us all over before now."
Duke nodded, "I think she's kosher. We've done some background checks on her and it all seems to add up but that all depends whether she has a hidden agenda."
"And I can assure you I haven't." The group fell silent as Charity placed the tray onto the table.
"Sorry babe but you can see where I'm coming from, can't ya." Duke maintained eye contact with her and I was surprised that she didn't recoil.
"Totally and that's why I need to prove to you that I have no hidden agenda."
"But that's going to take time, probably time that we don't have if you plan to shaft us." I glared at Diesel as his statement was uncalled for.
"I knew about Locke a year ago," the room fell silent at the use of his name. "Not Saviour as the rest of the group knew him as but Locke the real man behind the disguise."
"Well now you have our attention," Duke leaned on the table and rested his chin on his steepled fingers.
"Many people listen but they do not hear, that's a quality that needs to be mastered by most. I hear things and see things, they may be meaningless to most but if you piece all of the little things together you get a bigger picture and that picture reveals a lot." Charity took the mugs from the tray and placed them in front of everyone as she continued to speak, "He was very sad but also full of rage. His ultimate goal was his downfall because he couldn't see the chess pieces moving into position around him."
Her words stung I closed my eyes trying to conceal the anger building inside me, not at her but how stupid Locke was, he should've told us and we could've sorted it as a family.
"Sorry babe but if you proclaim to know so much and be so wise, why didn't you try to put a stop to it?" Finn went straight for the jugular to shoot her down as she sounded off about how much she knew.
"I did," she stated boldly.
"What do you mean you did?" I asked confused as to what she was implying.
"I called the clubhouse on the night of the fire."
I glanced to my right, looking at the guys to see if they knew anything but their faces were as confused as mine.
"On your website you have a number, I called that and left a message." She was quite convincing for a sixteen year old. I turned to see Diesel hold his head in his hands and a concerned look on Duke's face.
"What's going on?" I asked as they obviously knew something that I didn't.
"We don't tend to check the messages left on that. As you can imagine we get a lot of random calls to the clubhouse especially from women so we just choose to ignore."
I rested my head onto the table and brought my hands up to cup my head, I was a wash of emotion and I was having a hard time dealing with it. I felt a hand placed on my back and I couldn't help but feel the pain that I felt when I realised he had been murdered. I lifted my head and Eli wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as I sobbed in his embrace. I wasn't one for public displays of emotion but there were somethings even men with my military background and training couldn't control and it only proved that I was human.
I didn't know how long had passed but it had got to the stage where I couldn't cry anymore and the hatred had now come back and filled my body. I needed that, I needed to have that release as I had only cried once since his passing but CJ was now back with a vengeance and there was no way that Onyx was coming out of this alive that was for sure.
There was no point trying to point fingers of who was to blame, at the end of the day it was Locke's doing. He knew the dangers and he paid the ultimate price in trying to seek his revenge. I also knew of the consequences of tomorrow's events but I was still prepared to do whatever I had to so that made me just as bad.

I stood, "Right sorry about that people, it won't happen again."
"You've nothing to apologise mate, if anything I can now see that you're human."
I rolled my eyes at Finn's comment and knew that he'd throw this back in my face at some stage but was thankful that he wasn't being an arse right now.
"So we all know what's taking place tomorrow we just need to shift everything forward and if the plans change I'll be in touch straight away."
I needed some air, with Charity's revelation about leaving a message that could have possibly saved Locke's life I wasn't in any mood to be sociable, I just wanted some time to contemplate.
As I walked to the door, my phone bleeped indicating that I had received a message. I pulled it from my pocket and smiled when I saw that it was from Keira. She'd sent me a photo that I was intrigued to see and hoped it was of the scan. I pressed on the message and opened the image to see Keira bounded and gagged with a hand written sign in front of her that read 'reassurance'. I fell to my knees and just held my head in my hands as my mobile skidded across the floor.
"What the fuck CJ, what's gone on," Eli was by my side again wrapping me in his arms. I couldn't find the words to explain what I'd just received. I'd lost Locke there was no way I was losing Keira as well, it felt as if my whole world was falling apart around me and there was nothing that I could do.
I saw Duke bend down to retrieve my phone, Diesel and Recon watched over his shoulder as he opened the image before they all glanced in my direction.
"Well you know what this is now?" Duke asked the group to our bemused faces, "War."