Chapter 19
Dash
Harley was carrying Amanda in her arms and I held her hand when we walked into T-Bone. Even though Harley was trying to be as brave as she could, I could sense a certain discomfort in her. It wasn’t her fault. Eight years of being mistreated by a bunch of rowdy thugs would do that to you.
But I wanted her to see we were not like that.
They were all waiting for us when we stepped through the door and a huge roar broke out. There were claps and cheers all around us. Everyone wanted to hug me and thump my back, congratulate me for getting out of there alive and without any help.
Oz, Abe, Girth and Rodeo surrounded us, leading the way up to Lewis who was waiting for us on his high chair. He had a wide smile on his face too.
“Good to have you back, Dash!” he said, extending his hand to me and we shook. Then he looked at Harley and Amanda.
“Couldn’t have done it without her,” I said and Harley blushed and looked down at her feet.
“And for that, you and your daughter will have the full protection of the club,” Lewis announced. I looked at Harley and she was smiling now too, while Amanda looked about her with amazement. She was a brave little girl. Even though all this must have looked very new and different to her, she was taking it in her stride. She was curious, and not afraid at all.
Abe and Oz stepped up to shake Harley’s hand, just as there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see it was Kaya.
“Dash! You’re okay!” she exclaimed and we hugged.
“How is…” I looked down at her belly.
“I am fine, I went to the doctor and everything is fine. Melody is doing okay too. She’s made a full recovery.”
I was so relieved to hear that. She was my responsibility, and all this time I felt like I hadn’t been able to do it.
Behind Kaya, the other women were there too. Lila, Jordan and Alexis were beaming at Harley. They had sensed the vibe between us clearly—that she was the newest addition to the group.
“You have to tell us everything!” Jordan squealed with excitement, grabbing Harley’s hand. She looked at me and had a twinkle in her eye. She was sure now that she and Amanda were safe. I wasn’t lying when I said things were different at our MC. Nothing was going to happen to her.
“We’re going to whisk her away for a bit while you men talk,” Lila said, placing a hand on Harley’s shoulder.
“Hello cutie! You look like you could do with some candy for breakfast?” Alexis said to Amanda who was even more excited now.
I winked at Harley as she and Amanda walked away with the other women. She wasn’t frightened anymore and it made me glad.
***
We sat around the bar as we always did for Church. After some time of congratulating and guzzling celebratory beer down my throat, the guys had finally started to calm down.
Now it was time to get serious. We weren’t exactly in a position to celebrate for very long.
“Where were they holding you?” Lewis asked.
“In their clubhouse,” I told him and some of them exchanged looks.
“Was it just the Hell’s Drifters there?” Girth asked and I shook my head.
“The remaining assholes from the Dark Legion were there too. Waiting to get patched in.”
“Into the Hell’s Drifters?” Abe asked and I nodded.
“Not all of them have been patched in yet, but it’s going to happen soon. They are on a mission to prove themselves to the Hell’s Drifters first,” I replied.
“What the fuck is this shit?” Rodeo growled.
“They’re trying to broaden their forces of course,” Oz said and Lewis grunted angrily.
“We need to get to them before they grow in strength.”
“They’re definitely pissing bullets already—seeing that Dash has escaped.”
“And Harley,” I added. They turned to me and I ran a hand through my hair.
“They’ve treated Harley badly for the past eight years. She’s been abused and beaten up by them. Specifically, a guy called Caesar from the Hell’s Drifters. He is the kid’s father but he’s never taken responsibility for her,” I explained.
Lewis had his brows crossed. I could see the rage in his eyes.
“They abuse her?”
“They beat her up. Every day I saw her in there, she had a new bruise. They threaten her with hurting the kid so she’s been tied to them for seven years,” I continued.
There was a rumble in the bar now. This kind of shit never went down well at the Marked Skulls. Mistreating innocent women and children went strongly against our moral code.
“They need to be fucking destroyed!” Lewis growled.
“Caesar first. That asshole has made her life miserable. He’s no father,” I added and the others were nodding in agreement.
“What is the plan? How do we attack?” Abe asked.
“We attack the clubhouse,” Oz suggested.
“The Hell’s Drifters clubhouse? Nobody knows where that is. They’ve been very secretive about its location all these years,” Rodeo chimed in. Lewis looked at me.
“You were being held there. Do you think you’ll be able to find your way back there?” he asked.
“I might not,” I said and raised my bottle of beer to my lips. “But Harley will.”
Lewis was smiling now, Oz was grinning too.
I knew Harley was going to play a role in this. She was going to earn her retribution, and I was going to make sure I was there with her the whole time. This was where it ended. She and Amanda were going to be free of Caesar forever.