Chapter eight
Nicole
Nicole woke up feeling drowsy but so comfy and warm. She snuggled her face into the heat below her and took a slow, deep breath in through her nose. Duke. His unique scent filled her lungs, she felt at home. She tried to open her eyes, she needed to see his face, make sure all this was real. Her left eye began to open, the right didn't move at all. It was too difficult and too much effort to keep trying. Weariness and sorrow flowed through her as the aches and pains of her her body started making themselves known. Flashes of the attack spun through her brain. Every punch, kick and vile word played on fast forward in her mind. She started to panic and couldn't stop. Her lungs were seizing, her head was banging and the memories wouldn't leave her alone. She tried to shift but pain so sharp flashed over her entire body and she started to sob.
"Nicole! Baby, don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm right here. You're safe now. You're safe."
She clung on to Duke's words he whispered gruffly into her ear as he smoothed his hand down her arm and gently stroked her hair. Her panic started to ease as he kept repeating those words to her over and over until the strangling sensation untangled itself from around her throat. She was trying to force her brain to recognise that was no danger, but it was hard. Every one of her senses recognised that she was safe now, yet her rapidly beating heart wasn't paying attention. She wanted to be wrapped up tight in Duke’s embrace and never let go. She fought to open her eyes again. The left opened, leaving her a slit to look through. It felt far too heavy to open fully.
There he was. Her Fallen angel. She let go of his hand and slowly slid hers up his chest to his stubbled cheek. Loving the scratchy feel on her palm. She swiped her thumb slowly back and forth over his lips. He was real. He'd saved her. He reached for her hand and moved it to press soft kisses all over it.
"Here baby, drink some of this." He pushed a straw past her lips.
She sucked and a sugary sports drink washed over her tongue and soothed her dry throat. It was bliss. After a couple of huge gulps she pushed the straw from her mouth with her tongue.
"You done?"
"Yes, thank you."
Thank god she could talk, or whisper at least. It was a struggle but it was worth it to talk to him. The smile that graced Duke's face was dazzling.
"I've been waiting to hear that voice for a week." He sighed and caressed her cheek. Fury flashed in his eyes before he hid it. "You're pretty banged up, baby. Slam should be here soon to give you some more meds."
"No. No."
She didn't want any meds. She didn't want to go back into the darkness of her mind. She could deal with the pain if it meant she could keep looking at him.
"Don't start that fucking shit, Nicole. I can see you wince every time you breathe. I'm not gonna let you be in pain, baby. You don't get a choice here. You need rest and to heal, and I need you to lay here in our bed - safe - while I sort those bitches."
His face was anything but serene, she'd never seen him so angry and upset. She finally thought of what she must look like to him. She knew from every pain that she would be a mess. All week she'd imagined being reunited with Duke and this was the opposite of every scenario she'd thought of.
Tears slipped from her eyes. Duke swept them away. "They're the only tears those fucking sluts get from you. Don't waste anymore on those pathetic whores."
He was wrong. She wasn't crying over Helen and the others. If there was one thing she woke certain of was that Duke would make them bitches pay for what they did to her. No, he was wrong. She was playing his words through her head. He'd said.....our bed.
"Okay."
She tried to smile at him and he grimaced when she did. There was her definitive proof that she wasn't looking good, but Duke never turned away or moved his eyes from hers. He kept a steady stare, infusing her with his strength and something deeper, heartfelt.
There was a hard rap on the door. Duke shouted for whoever it was to come in. She wanted to yell out to keep away. She just wanted to lie here with Duke, no interruptions. She braced herself for Duke to shift her off his chest but he didn't. If anything, his grip on her hand grew tighter. Prez, Shel, Hollywood, Razor and Slam all walked into the bedroom.
"Hey darlin'. How you feeling?" Slam was always so sweet to her.
"I'm okay..." she started about to boldly lie about her pain level to avoid more meds when Duke spoke up.
"Like fuck she is!" Duke interrupted. "She's in a lot of pain, brother. You need to give her some more of that shit to knock it off."
Nicole smoothed her hand over his chest to calm him down. She hated seeing him this tense, especially when she was in no position to help calm him at the moment. She looked towards Slam again and saw him snarl.
"Fuck you, Duke. You know I'd never leave her to suffer.” His voice softened as he addressed her. “Nic, I'm gonna give you some more painkillers, but Prez needs you to tell him what happened first. I'll give you the drugs straight away after, then you'll be able rest."
She could see Slam was trying to be a calming influence in a room full of seriously pissed brothers. She saw that his eyes kept wandering to her exposed back and legs. The devastation and guilt she saw in them broke her heart.
"It's not your fault, Slam." She said with as much conviction as she could muster.
"It fucking is! If I hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened!"
So much for being a calming influence. She'd never heard him shout before. Prez took hold of his shoulders as everyone was trying to reassure him that he wasn't to blame, even Duke made the effort to reassure him. Prez spoke loudly above them all.
"Look, all this blaming shit is pointless. It's happened, now we deal with it like we would do anything else. Okay?"
There were a few heavy sighs and grunts but after a few seconds everyone nodded and stayed silent. He grabbed a chair from the corner of the room and straddled it by the side of the bed. His focus unwavering from Nicole. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face was blank and she didn't know him well enough to guess.
"Now, Nicole. Helen has said she caught you with a burner cell phone talking to someone. Is that true?" Duke growled underneath her. Her whole body jerked. What was he accusing her of?
"No, absolutely not. I haven't touched a phone since I got here. Who would I call anyway? I don't understand." She started to mumble, thinking out loud.
Now more than ever she wanted to stand and defend herself but she couldn't and frustration filled her to her limit. She could feel the tears building behind her eyes and her body trembling. Duke grabbed her hand again and squeezed while tenderly running his hand gingerly down her back.
Still all business, Prez continued, "Apparently you were heard talking to Wrath."
"I promise I didn't have a phone. I haven't spoken to anyone. I would never contact Wrath. What did she say I was saying?” She blurted out. She turned her head to look directly at Duke, gritting her teeth against the pain in her neck. “Please Duke, I swear I'd never do that to you or the club."
She rambled her plea to him, praying he would believe her. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought that after all this, he would leave her if he didn't. He kissed her forehead and his warm breath on her face soothed her rising panic.
"I didn't believe that slut for a second, baby."
The air rushed from her lungs in relief. She clung to him, her nails digging into his skin and closed her eyes. She wanted to block everything out. She was starting to feel exhausted again.
Prez cleared his throat. "Nicole, no one wanted to believe you'd do this and no one in this room thinks you did. But you have a right to know what you've been accused of and tell your side. You need to tell us what went on so when we face those bitches when we’re done here, we go in knowing the truth. So, what happened?"
She recounted the events to them, right down to every bitchy word she'd spewed before the attack. There was no point sugar coating her story, anything she did that instigated their actions she'd more than suffered for already. Nicole watched as fists were clenched, eyes squeezed shut and chests rumbled. She had to remove her hand from Duke’s, he was squeezing it too hard now. A few more of her tears escaped before she was through. Shel came and knelt by the bed and stroked her hair.
"I'm sorry this happened to you, Nic. Just so you know, I think your tattoo is awesome, might have get one myself - maybe in purple." Shel’s face lit up with a big grin. Nicole couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up. She felt a weight lift from her that she hadn't lost her friend.
"Darlin', I'm all for that if it means you're gonna keep that pussy waxed bare for me." Prez smiled like he'd won the lottery. Nicole couldn't help but be embarrassed as she realised a fair few people had now seen her tattoo.
"Good point. Although, I told you, honey - I'll wax if you do. You think I like flossing my fucking teeth every time I give you a blow job?"
Nicole’s giggling turned to an all out laugh. It hurt, but was totally worth it. Shel had managed to break the tension in the room and everyone was enjoying a couple of minutes of normality. Prez looked kind of cute when he blushed.
"All right, baby, you need to rest and I'm gonna get this shit started. I'll be back before you know it."
Duke kissed her head and arms several times and pressed a very light one on her lips. Peace and relief took more tension from her body and she found herself relaxing completely under his attention. He slowly slid out from under her and propped her up with pillows as he moved. Duke pulled on his clothes while Slam gave her an injection. She kept her eyes on Duke until the lead weights forming on her eyelids won out. Just a second later, she was asleep.
Duke
Duke cast one long look back at Nicole before following the others down the stairs. The vision of the purple hue on her once flawless creamy skin fuelled his fury. He forced his mind to focus on what he was heading into. He'd get justice for Nicole. He missed having her in his arms already, but he was so worked up to get this started and he couldn't let another minute pass without some action. He walked into the bar and everyone stopped. Duke didn't understand.
"What we doing in here? I thought you said those cunts were in the outhouses." Any delays were just serving to piss him off further.
Prez stood before him and folded his arms over his chest. "You're not thinking like my VP right now, Duke. I understand that, but if you can't hold it together you won't be coming in with us."
Duke's fists balled even tighter and he was sure his teeth would crack with how tight his jaw was clenched. He hated this fucked up situation. He'd never disrespect Reaper and part of him recognised that he was right.
"Don't think I'm fucking with you, Duke. The only reason this has been held off is 'cause I knew you'd wanna be there. Don't make me regret that decision. The same goes for Razor and Slam. Remember, she ain't your old lady in this, she's the club’s collateral. Those bitches have to answer to the club, not just you." Prez stated.
Duke had to hold in his need to shout that she was his old lady. Arguing would get him nowhere.
"He's right, Duke. There could be more going on here, we have to be smart. Jewel and Shel have been around these bitches a lot longer than Nicole and have told us what they can about each. Ain't much but we'll use it if the situation calls for it. Don't think you're the only one who's pissed here. I've had to stop Jewel from stomping all over them cunts since the second she saw Nic come out on that fucking stretcher. Me and Prez got it worked out. We go through each of the posse first, then end with Helen. We all know she's the ring leader in this shit." Hollywood was wringing his hands as he spoke.
He appeared nearly as agitated as Duke. Duke knew a lot of that would come from seeing his old lady upset. Hollywood never handled that well. Duke hadn't understood how some of the brothers could get so fired up over their old ladies. He got it now. The fire running through his blood was all for Nicole, not the club.
Duke gave one sharp nod and with a tilt of Prez's chin they made their way to the first outhouse. They had thirteen dotted around the compound. Most were used for storage but six were kept empty. Those outhouses had large drains in the floor and it's where they did their 'wet' interrogations. He knew there would still be splatters of blood on the walls and traces of nearly every kind of bodily fluid; they never managed to clean it all.
Prez unlocked the first door and they all went inside the dank space. Duke, Razor and Slam stood by the back wall as Hollywood and Prez towered over the redhead huddled in the corner. Razor pulled out his phone and started video recording. Duke gave him a questioning look. They never recorded any of this shit, what the fuck was Razor doing? His younger brother met his eyes and said the only two words he needed to hear. "For Nic." Slam nodded his head and Duke couldn't keep the smirk from his face. He couldn't have asked for a better little brother.
"So, Lisa, anything to say or add to what was said earlier in the office? Now's your chance." Hollywood cut straight to the point.
Hollywood was the nicest mother fucker you could meet. He'd do anything to protect his brothers, no questions asked. He could also turn into a raging bull when provoked, his enormous frame seemed to grow with his anger and it was fucking scary and awe inspiring to witness. He'd grown up with an abusive Mom who beat the shit out of him, his dad and sister. He hated that his dad had never fought back, until one night he came home to find his dad crouched over his beaten sister, trying fend off his wife from finishing the job. Hollywood always said he never remembered what happened next, he just snapped and killed his own mother. Now he knew what he was capable of and it made him one terrifying bastard to deal with if you were on his bad side. Intimidation was his speciality, he was the perfect brother to question these whores.
"We...we...we caught Nicole with the phone and tried to get it from her. She fought us. We just did what we did to protect the club." Tears were streaming down her face. Her chest was heaving and she kept her head bowed, looking at the floor. It was easy to hear that her words were rehearsed.
"We appreciate your loyalty. Just one question and then we can all get out of here.”
Lisa looked up, her face clearing of tears and relief shining in her eyes. She thought she'd pulled it off, had actually managed to trick them. Pathetic. "Yes?"
Hollywood bent to her level and kept her gaze. "Where's the phone?"
Dukes body jerked. The phone. He'd never given a thought to the phone. Nicole never had one in the first place, he knew that. And one hadn't been found in the outhouse with her or in the kitchen where she was meant to have been 'overheard'. They never planted a fucking phone on her. Dumb bitches. They probably thought Nicole had one on her to contact him but never checked. Fuck, he was glad his brothers were on top of this shit.
"What? I don't understand."
"Well, it's simple really. You beat the shit out of Nicole to get the phone from her. Five against one, we know you'd have easily taken it away from her. We wanna see it, so.... Where is the phone?"
"I....I...." She looked confused and panicky. She looked at them all as if they held the answer for her.
"There's something else you may wanna take into account while you're thinking about it. We have cameras in every room of the compound." They didn't, but this dumb bitch would believe him.
Lisa looked horrified. Her body shook as she slumped to the floor. Crying so hard she could hardly catch her breath.
"You may wanna cut the shit while you can still stand on two legs. Tell us the fucking truth!" Lisa was foetal on the floor now. "Pull yourself together or I start breaking bones." Hollywood wasn't messing around.
Lisa wailed. "Helen made me do it. She said we had to get rid of that slut or we'd be tossed out of the club. I've got nowhere to go. She said she was turning the brothers against us and that she'd overheard Duke talking about her once being with Riot. She said Nicole was manipulating and using Duke to get information to share with Riot, that she'd caught Nicole on the phone passing it on. So, she said we should help, force Nicole to confess everything she knew about Riot by saying we heard her talking to one of them on the phone. Helen promised that you'd all be so grateful we caught her, we'd be taken as old ladies."
Dukes fists were so tight, his knuckles were white. He held his rage as he promised, but fuck, he really wanted to lay this bitch out. Who in their right fucking mind goes along with a plan like that? Hollywood snarled and grabbed her throat, pulling her up and pinning her to the wall.
"You thought you could play the brothers like that? You're in this compound to work your cunt for the brothers - the brothers don't work for you. Your fucking skanky ass would be cold and buried in minutes if I had my way, but it seems my old lady and the others wanna pay you a visit tomorrow. If you can walk away after, which I doubt knowing my Jewel, keep your lying ass away from Fallen. And before you go sounding any alarms, you need to know we've got the video of your attack and your fucked up confession, so think carefully before you do anything later."
Hollywood released his hold on her and she crumpled to the floor with heaving sobs. They all turned and walked out the door listening to the wails pouring out of Lisa. The same happened with the other three bitches. Duke knew that Helen would be a different story. She thought she was smart and cunning but she was delusional and clearly still had a lot to learn about not messing with the brothers.
He knew Helen would have orchestrated this without the other sluts confirming it. He also knew he wasn't gonna leave this be without leaving his mark on her first. The thought of Nicole's beautiful body battered and bruised lying in his bed made every hair on his body stand on end. The need for retribution left a bitter taste in his mouth as his adrenaline surged.
Walking in the outhouse furthest from the others, they found Helen leaning against the wall, arms crossed and seething. Straight away she charged towards them, demanding to know why she'd been locked up and why she was on her own. Hollywood took point again.
"Calm down, darlin'. You know the club would have to clear this up first before anyone'd be allowed back in. We'll let you out in a minute, just got to clear a few things up first."
"Like what? That fat bitch was betraying you and we weren't gonna stand around and let it happen! That bitch should be dead and buried for what she did! Now let me the fuck out!" Her voice screeched like nails on a chalkboard.
"You think you can shout your mouth off at us? Time to be very careful darlin'."
Hollywood shifted so she could see them all. Her face calmed as she laid her eyes on them, especially Prez and Duke. Did she think he and Prez were on her side or something? This bitch was seriously fucked in the head. She was stupid but she'd spent enough time with the club to know when to stop pushing back.
"I'm sorry, I'm just pissed with being in this shit hole for hours." She held Dukes gaze. She mustn't have seen the hatred in his eyes or his muscles hardened with tension. "I'm sorry your bitch turned out to be a traitor, honey. I tried to warn you, I'm still here for you, Duke."
Her voice sounded soft and consoling, but he could see a small smirk pull at her lips as she thought she'd won. Something inside his chest ripped open with a ferocity he'd never experienced before. Duke pushed himself from the wall, a battle cry escaping from deep in his chest. He saw nothing but Helen in a haze of red and every fibre of his being was centred on ripping her throat out. He charged forward, only getting a few steps before he was brought to a crushing halt. It took Prez, Razor and Slam to hold him back.
"You'd better get your shit together real quick, Duke or I'll be throwing your ass out. I gave you an order!" Prez spat out as quietly as he could manage in his ear.
Duke shook his head trying to clear his tunnel vision. He took a deep breath and pictured Nicole unharmed and lying beneath him, smiling that perfect smile of hers straight at him. His body relaxed. He had to hold it together. Prez was right. He needed to see this bitch break. Hands slowly released him and he nodded at his brothers letting them know his control was back.
"What the fuck, Duke? You can't be mad at me! That bitch betrayed you and if it weren't for me you'd still be clueless.” Her ugly smug face needed rearranging by his fists. “If you're upset she can't fuck you anymore, I'm happy to remind you how she ain't got nothin' on me." She winked. No one could believe what they were seeing. Was she really trying to seduce Duke after what had just happened?
Hollywood grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back against the wall. His patience now none existent, along with everyone else's in the room. They were done listening to her shit. "Shut the fuck up! We got questions that need answering before you go oiling up that slit between your legs!"
Helen looked furious but quickly schooled her face to look contrite. "Okay. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just upset that she used Duke the way she did and then to bring Riot into this.... I just can't believe anyone would do that to you guys." A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she sniffled.
"Enough of your fucking games, Helen. You gonna cry at least make it believable. Fuck! Where is the phone?" Hollywood spat out.
They could all see she was confused by the question. Did she honestly think they wouldn't want to look at it and get information from it? Or did she think they’d just blindly accept was she was telling them without any questions? No wonder she was trying to snag a brother to look after her, the slut wouldn't survive a day if she only had herself to rely on.
"Where is the phone you supposedly took from Nicole in this fight?" Hollywood said slowly, drawing it out, each word dripping with condescension.
They watched as her face drained of colour.
"I...I...I left it on the side in the kitchen when w...we took her to the outhouse."
"It ain't there now and everywhere has been searched. You wanna try that again?"
"I left in on the side, I promise. Someone must have taken it."
"Why didn't you go back for it when you locked up Nicole?"
"Well we were all pretty beat up and had to get everything sorted. After, we went to clean up and get a drink."
"Okay. If that's how you're gonna play it, let us see the marks."
"What are you talking about? Why are you interrogating me? I saved this club!" Panic was starting to take over her.
"It's been nearly a day since this happened. If you were all 'pretty beat up' you'd have marks. Unless of course, Nicole never touched you, you all just attacked her while she was alone in the kitchen and everything you've said is utter bullshit."
"I haven't got any marks. I'm not some limp wrist bitch who can't throw a punch. I know how to fight. That bitch couldn't get near me." She sounded as if she thought they'd be impressed.
"Funny, don't you think that at least one of you sluts would have got a mark on you? But you don't, not even a scratch."
"You've been to see the other girls first?" She was faltering. "That bitch couldn't fight for shit! We can hold our own." Her eyes flicked frantically over each one of them, probably to see if they were buying this crap.
"Yeah, I'm sure you can. Especially when it's five against one. Yeah, you're real tough bitches." The sarcasm rolled from Hollywood's mouth.
"We did what we had to to save this club!"
"From what? The other sluts seem to think it was because you wanted Nicole gone and it had nothing to do with the club. In fact, they didn't even see Nicole taking a call or the cell phone she was meant to be using."
"They're lying to you." Her face and chest were flushed and she was pressing her body into the wall as if it could save her from what she knew was coming.
"Really? They said that even before we showed them the video."
"What video?"
"The video of you beating the shit out of Nicole while she was huddled on the floor. The video that shows you're a lying, conniving cunt!"
"There's no video! I know there's no cameras in that kitchen!"
"Why would you need to check for cameras if this wasn't planned?"
Helen broke, what little sanity she had deserting her. She let out a scream and buried her hands into her hair, pulling it. Her wild eyes locked on Duke.
"This is all your fault! Why couldn't you just leave that bitch alone? You just left me, after I knew you were gonna make me your old lady. You've fucked me for weeks without going to anyone else. You were mine! Then that ugly fucking bitch shows up and you turn your back on what we had! She should be gone by now. That bitch should be dead. If you hadn't got back early she would be DEAD! You should of chosen me!"
No one held him back this time. He stormed towards her and fisted his hand in the back of her hair, wrenching her head back. His other hands held her wrists, crushing them tightly together, causing her to cry out. He put his face close to hers and spat out his words.
"You listen to me, I never fucking wanted you. You were just a hole to be filled. Your used up pussy did its job, it was never you I was fucking. Could have been any one of you sluts I filled, you were just always closest. You're gonna pay for what you did to Nicole. She's gonna be fine. She's gonna be my old lady. I'm gonna bury myself deep and raw in her tight, wet pussy and forget you ever existed." He pushed her into the wall and swung his fist hard into her gut. She fell to the floor, retching, fighting to take a breath. "That's for Nicole. You deserve a lot more, but I don't wanna touch you ever again."
Realisation of what she'd done and the situation she was in showed on her face. Her eyes were wide with fear and her body visibly trembled. Helen pulled herself to sit up straight and wept.
"Please, just let me go. I'll never come back, never show my face here again. I promise."
Prez stepped forward. Helen shrank into the corner trying to make herself as small as possible. "Here's the thing. You're not getting off that easy. You used the brothers against our own property, property we’re honor-bound to protect. Also, you could have started a war with Riot. If you weren't such a dumb fuck you might have pulled it off. You've gotta pay. Nicole's gonna be an old lady in this club, we protect our own, and even if she wasn't, you would have let my brothers fight in a war you started. One that could have cost them their lives. So, here's what gonna happen to you, you traitorous slut. Every brother and old lady who wants to, gets one shot at you. After that Nicole gets to decide what happens to you. I'd get comfy, after church is when your visitors are gonna start arriving."
Prez turned his back and started to walk away. Helen sprung forward and grabbed onto his cut pleading to be let go. Prez whipped around, breaking her hold and threw a punch into her jaw. Helen collapsed to the floor gripping her face.
"Don't fucking touch me! That was my shot for Nicole."
They locked the door as they left. Duke knew Prez took it easy on her or she would be unconscious. He had a mean right hook. Duke felt slightly better, but he doubted anything would ever be enough to right this wrong. It would be interesting to see who took up the offer of one shot at Helen. It wasn't in their nature to hit women but Prez was right, he could of lost some of his brothers if her plan had succeeded. Most of all, he wouldn't have Nicole and that shit burned deep. He needed to get back to her, check she was ok.
"Church in thirty minutes." Prez announced as they entered the bar. Every brother, old lady and prospect sat waiting for news.
The brothers knew they would get the information on what had gone down at the meeting, so they gave them all a wide berth for now. Duke jogged up the stairs to his apartment. Nicole was lying exactly where he'd left her. Her face was peaceful and with the sheet hiding her body she looked untouched, perfect. The thin sheet draped over her body did nothing to hide her mouth watering curves. Even beaten black and blue his bitch was gorgeous. His dick twitched thinking about fucking her when she'd healed enough. He prayed she was a quick healer. He wanted their connection back. He needed to reclaim her. He never felt more at home than when he was buried deep in Nicole.
Movement at the side of the room caught his eye and he spun around to see the Musketeers sitting with their backs against the wall. Duke hadn't noticed them, he'd been totally focused on Nicole. He sent them a questioning glance. They started to stand as King explained.
"Didn't mean to intrude brother, just wanted to visit Nic. We knew you'd be busy with those fucking bitches, so we've just sat here quietly. We didn't want her to wake up and have no one around."
Duke gave each of his brothers a brief one armed hug to show his gratitude. They all loved Nicole and he'd never been more thankful for the club.
"Here's some cream to help her bruises. We use it after we get a bit rough. Works a treat."
Bones handed him the a large tub of cream and shot him a mischievous grin. Duke tried to ignore the 'rough' comment. He'd witnessed their rough sex on an ill-timed visit to their room. If it weren't for the hard dicks he could see, he would have been sure they were fighting.
He sat beside Nicole on the bed and stroked the hair back from her face. She hummed a contented sound that stirred his heart and a small serene smile graced her face. He sat drinking her in until they headed downstairs for church.