Chapter 19

Storm strode into the Skull and Bones Bar, fury heating his face. Someone had ordered church without his permission. No one had called or ridden over to get him. He would’ve never known if he hadn’t planned to come to the bar anyway. When he drove up, he’d been amazed by the number of Mayhem Brothers standing around. A couple had shouted out how glad they were to see him finally show up.

“Who the fuck do you think you are calling church?” Storm loomed over his old man sitting at one of the back tables. A blonde half his age perched on his lap. With a jerk of his head, the woman paled and scrambled away.

Easy laughed. “Don’t be in a rush, mama. You need to wiggle on my lap some more.” He acted unconcerned about Storm’s glare.

“I asked you a question, old man.”

Easy turned his grizzly wrinkled face toward him. His pretend look of total boredom was betrayed by the shining hatred in his bloodshot eyes.

“We received a message from the Thirty-Second. They’ve declared war on the Brothers of Mayhem. I spoke to Speed, and he said to call church. He would be here by the time everyone showed up. What with you being busy with your…girlfriend and business.” The smirk on his face told Storm he was enjoying himself.

“They already declared war. If you hadn’t been late to church that day, you would’ve known that. Speed knows and he wouldn’t fucking call church without consulting me! This is my chapter.” He slapped his chest. “I’ll take care of my Brothers. That’s why Speed backed me for president.”

“It appears he’s changed his mind.”

“I’ll beat your ass before I let that happen.” Storm felt his world falling apart around him. All his life the club had been home. He’d gone to jail protecting the club. He needed to talk with Speed, get everything straightened out.

“We can arrange for you to try,” Easy said, his tone taunting.

“Bring it on, old man.” Storm leaned down, hands flat on the table, and glared.

Easy stood, and at that moment, a loud popping sound came from the parking lot. Screams and shouting followed by running feet brought Storm around as he headed for the front door. Then the glass door shattered. Storm ducked.

The sound of tires squealing echoed into the barroom. Storm ran behind the bar and pulled out the shotgun the bartender stashed there. Running for the door, he stepped through the frame, minus glass, and looked around for the threat. Total chaos greeted Storm. Motorcycles were on their sides and strewn about like toys.

For the next hour, Storm lived in hell as he directed Brothers to cover other Brothers. Two more sedans passed by, firing into the parking lot and building. Each car pulled a stream of Brothers giving chase.

“What the hell are you doing just standing there?”

Storm ignored his old man as he checked his phone. The text he’d received from Cutter warned the cops were out in full force, and they had to duck into an alley to avoid being pulled over. Having been in the batch of Mayhem Brothers to give chase after the first sedan, Cutter was on the way back. The cops had interfered with the pursuit. So the Thirty-Second sedan lost their tail. The other two sedans had caught Mayhem MC off guard. The gang normally shot at them one time and headed for the dark streets of their neighborhood, losing them by hiding in a friend’s garage.

“Did you hear me, boy? Are you a coward? Letting your Brothers do your dirty work!” Easy slapped the cellphone out of Storm’s hand.

Without thought, Storm swung and his fist snapped the old man’s head to the side. Easy reached out to regain his balance by grabbing Storm’s shirt. The old man pulled Storm in and landed an uppercut. The hit jarred his brains. Storm staggered, recovered, and jumped on Easy, slamming a fist straight onto the asshole’s nose. The crack followed by blood pouring over his upper lip signaled that the old man would be sporting a broken nose and one or two black eyes.

Easy scrambled from underneath Storm and stood, hands balled up and ready to fight again.

“You little bastard. I should have stabbed you and your whiney sister when I killed your whore of a mother.” Blood and spit sprayed Storm’s face as Easy continued to rant. “You don’t deserve this club. I knew what Speed had planned for you. It was so simple to set it up. Hell, I heard that you got a hard-on a couple times when they fucked you. That you were beginning to like it. No man deserves to be president of the Brothers of Mayhem MC, no less the Sand County chapter, the fucking mother chapter, and enjoy cock.” Easy rammed a fist into Storm’s gut.

The hit pushed Storm a couple steps back but not down. There was a reason he did all of those stomach crunches. In seconds, he charged headfirst into the old man’s soft stomach. The asshole went down. They crashed into a bike, legs and arms flailing as they tumbled together. Shouting warned that the owner wasn’t happy.

Hands grabbed them from all directions, pulling them to their feet but keeping them apart.

“It’s a shame you didn’t get a chance to ask your inside contact what happened to your good friend.” Storm stared with pure hatred at the man who contributed sperm to his creation. “They could’ve told you how they found him with his cock cut off and stuck down his throat. Do you get it, old man? The motherfucker deserved it!” Storm wiped his face. He was aware how evil his grin probably looked. “You better get away from me or it will be my immense pleasure to do the same to you. Anyone can tell you, I would be justified in slicing open your guts and feeding them to you.” Storm felt the darkness overtaking him with each word.

He’d been in Holman a year when he finally got the asshole in a private area. It was one of the many unsolved deaths in prison.

“You’re a danger to the club. A good reason for Speed to kick you out and replace you.” Satisfaction spread across the old man’s face. “Isn’t that right, Speed?”

Storm turned to face the man who had stood by him when he returned more animal than human. Speed stood nearby with disappointment aging his countenance.

Instead of agreeing with Easy, Speed merely said, “I’ve been told the cops are on their way. Let’s get this place cleaned up. We don’t need any of our Brothers going to jail today.”

There was no doubt Speed had heard it all. Then a shadow behind Speed moved into the light.

Mary Jane.

Had she heard it too? The anguish and pity in her eyes spoke volumes. She knew the last thread of his hell in prison. His own dad had arranged for him to be raped, and Storm had killed a man.

Fuck them all! He wouldn’t let anyone feel sorry for him.

He strode over to her and snatched up her arm, squeezing, knowing he was hurting her. She had to understand the danger she was in. Better a bruised arm than a bullet in her back.

Storm leaned down eye-to-eye. “Go home. I’ll come and talk with you tomorrow.”

“I can’t. I came with Speed.” Her face gave away how much she wanted to talk about what she’d overheard.

“Where’s Twofer?” he asked.

“He came with us.”

“Twofer!” Storm was determined to get her out of his sight. He didn’t want anyone’s pity. “Shit for brains! Get your ass over here.”

“You’re mad at me for being here. So don’t take it out on Twofer. Speed showed up and insisted that I come here.” Her fingers pulled on his, trying to loosen his grip.

She was right. He shouldn’t be angry at Twofer. If she’d explained to Speed that he’d ordered her to stay put, she would still be at her home, safe and sound.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re going back.”

“No. Unless you take me, I’m staying here.”

What the fuck was she up to?

“Why is it so important for you to be here?”

“Because you’re in the middle of a war that you and I know no one can win. When you realize that, I want to be here to help you feel better.”

Damn. With those simple words, he felt the anger and resentment of everything going wrong around him trickle out.

“So you want to comfort me?” he asked, still not certain how to react.

She smiled and leaned forward. “Yes. I want to fuck you,” she said low enough just for him.

Nothing in her gaze said her offer had anything to do with pity. He tried his best not to let his mouth twitch in amusement. She was fucking amazing.

How did she do it? How did she know how to defuse his temper? How did she hear the crap that was his life and not let it interfere with how she treated him?

“Actually, I think it would be the opposite way. Me fucking you.” He didn’t give a damn who heard him.

“What does it matter as long we do it together? With each other.” Her smile widened, her flushed face giving away that their conversation turned her on.

“Okay. But you better do what I tell you this time.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I like the sound of that.” He led her, gentling his hold on her arm, into the bar and through to the office. “Sit here and I’ll be back. Deputy Jameson will be here soon, and I don’t want him seeing you again.”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

He sighed. She was teasing him, but he didn’t have time to teach her proper respect.

“You’re my old lady and everyone knows it. So does that answer your question?”

The twinkle in her eyes brought a tightness in his chest. Hell, he wanted to grab her up and hold her tight.

“Everyone knows?”

“Those who matter, and those who don’t better keep their hands to themselves.”

He pushed her into the office and hesitated.

“Fuck it,” he muttered.

He yanked her into his arms and kissed her. Stroking his tongue alongside hers and inhaling as much of her as he could. He needed the kiss to get through the rest of the night. Breaking off, he held her away from him and looked, shaking his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about how she was something special.

“You’re hurting my arm again.”

Damn. Releasing his hold, he looked down at the blueish ring on her upper arm. It darkened by the second. He leaned down and kissed the tender skin.

“Sorry. I worry about you and get carried away.”

“I know.” She raised a hand and gently caressed his face. “I think I hear Speed shouting for you.”

He wanted to remember the look she gave him. It was as if she thought he was someone special. She was to him. He wanted her to live a long and happy life. How in the hell would he manage that? One day, they’d find his body on the side of the road with his brains blown out.

He staring at her for a moment more then walked away.

By the time the cops showed up, most of the Brothers were gone, leaving behind only those being bandaged. Thankfully, none of the bullet wounds were fatal, but Storm knew it was only a matter of time before someone would be killed, and chances were it would be him.

Mary Jane had stayed in the office for about fifteen minutes before she realized she would go insane if she stayed any longer. She entered the barroom and climbed on a bar stool at the opposite end of the door. Jameson never came into the bar, but a couple other deputies she hadn’t seen before did. After interrogating everyone, they had returned to the parking lot and the chaos out there.

A handful of the Brothers rigged a temporary door, while others with the help of their old ladies cleaned up the glass and the other damage created by people overturning tables to create barriers in case the Thirty-Second bullets made their way inside.

Unable to stand around while others were working, she moved behind the bar to serve drinks. The coordinated effort was so similar to the commune. She found it surprising. She expected the men to be ordering the women around while they sat on their keisters drinking beer.

Storm walked in and glanced her way, checking her out from head to toes. She liked that he’d been concerned about her well-being. But he didn’t fuss about her being out of the office.

Seconds later, Cutter followed along with a few more Brothers. She’d expected Wolf to be in the crowd, but she hadn’t seen the second in command all night and that made her curious. For the VP to not be around during a crisis meant something was wrong. Loud laughter brought Mary Jane’s head up from pouring what seemed like the hundredth mug of brew. Speed stomped in with Easy on his tail. Storm’s old man glanced around, spotting his son sitting at the other end of the bar in deep conversation with Cutter and Twofer. Surely, the old man knew he was standing there on borrowed time.

Then Easy released a big belly laugh.

Storm needed to keep a close eye on that scheming bastard.

Her attention returned to Storm. To think of it, she was on borrowed time too. There had been something about the way Speed talked to and looked at her before he suggested, with a strong hint of demand, that she go to the Skull and Bones Bar with him. She sensed that he didn’t like how Storm had changed since meeting her, and he was trying to figure her out.

Even she had noticed how calm Storm had become after leaving the mountains. Except for the fights with his father, he’d been most reasonable. The relaxed life he’d experienced at the commune had overtaken the one of violence that he’d grown up believing was his destiny. He’d loved the short time they had spent at her parents’ home. Storm had opened up to her, not so much about the club, but about his past, though he hadn’t mentioned one word about his father being the one who set up his rapes. She couldn’t even begin to imagine a parent being so evil and sick.

Storm had so much to deal with, and his past kept coming back at him.

Mary Jane glanced over at Storm as he talked with Cutter.

She wondered if he’d told Speed about seeing his sister in the mountains. Speed had been his and Cassidy’s foster father after their dad had gone to prison.

Had he also told Speed about seeing Thorn? From her files, the Skull had served time in prison too. He just hadn’t been in as long as Storm. She figured Storm hadn’t said anything about Thorn out of love for his sister. Otherwise, his brother-in-law’s body would have been found on the side of road by then.

Shaking her head, she pulled another beer for one of the Brothers and handed it over. She needed to quit thinking about the past. They needed to look ahead. Otherwise, they all would go crazy.

One thing was for sure: Their visit to the mountains had reminded her how much she missed it. As she had promised herself, she planned to return for small stretches. She felt the trips would help her regain a sense of peace. Truthfully, she was beginning to understand why Storm said she didn’t belong in the MC life.

Lately, she wanted a man who wouldn’t leave her at the drop of a hat to chase after club business. She wanted to be number one in his life. For Storm, the club was top priority.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Easy change directions and head her way.

“How you doing, pretty lady? Every time I see you, you brighten up my day.” He leaned against the bar and eyed her in a way that caused her to shrink back. Not in fear so much as disgust. She could tell by his dilated eyes and twitchy manner, he was high.

“Thank you.” She gave him a half smile and walked to the other end of the bar. Thank goodness someone asked for a refill. Storm was talking with Speed and eyeing Easy with irritation. She needed to keep her distance from the crazy old man.