Chapter Five
Dallas
After we’d left Melissa’s house, I couldn’t sleep. We went back to the hotel and I filled my brothers in on everything she’d told me. I fuckin’ hated leaving her there. Hated it right down to my core. What I wanted was to rush to the motherfucker’s room and take him out. I guess it was luck, and my woman’s words, that got me to leave because Knife told me later that ten men arrived at the house. We weren’t sure why they’d come. I was furious they’d showed. Spitting mad and stressed as fuck they’d hurt Melissa, I wanted to rush over and pull her out regardless of the fuckin’ consequences, but my brothers held me back. It was only Knife’s reassurance that she was fine that allowed me to grasp on our need to make plans.
“What’s the plan?” Knife asked as soon as I’d finished explaining everything that Melissa had told me.
“Gonna call in more brothers. This fucker needs a lesson, and we’re gonna teach him. Then, since I know Tiny won’t leave until this other chick, Della, is safe, we do our own research, and goddamn quickly, to get her out. Then we get Tiny out.”
Knife handled the call to Dodge, while I rang around to the strip clubs looking for a Della.
Five of them said there was no Della. Only one said they had one, but she no longer worked there. Which set off alarms inside of me.
“Beast,” I called. “Get on the computer, find out all you can on this dickhead Jimmy Vanclove.”
Beast gave me a chin lift, went to the table, and got down to work.
“Sick fucker likes little girls,” I mumbled to myself.
“He needs to pay slow-like,” Knife said.
Glancing at him, I saw he was off the phone. “We can do slow.”
“Fuck yeah we can.” He smiled. “You gonna be cool waiting for shit while your woman is under the same roof as him?”
“Yep.”
Knife snorted. “She didn’t give you a choice, did she?”
Glaring, I said, “No.” And I fuckin’ hated it, but Tiny, my Melissa, was right about one thing. The cocksucker needed to be taken down. Then, once it was all over, I’d have her in my arms, in my bed, and under me.
“Should we get some shuteye before the brothers arrive?” Knife asked.
“Can’t. Need you at that strip club. They run 24/7. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. Any word about the Della chick, I want to know.”
He sent me a wave, got up from the bed, and started for the door. Before he was out it, I called his name. Once I had his eyes, I asked, “Who’s coming?”
“Dodge, Handle, Dive, Pick, and Billy.”
The ache in my chest eased a little. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the three of us to get the job done, but having more brothers at our backs would make sure we all came out of the situation alive.
It was over two hours later, around 4:00 a.m., when my phone rang. I was grateful for the break because Beast and I had been going over shit we’d found on Jimmy Vanclove. The cunt was a billionaire, and he thought he was untouchable. There’d been several cases on him about child porn and kidnapping; all got cleared though. He had many in his back pockets. But I didn’t give a flying fuck. He’d soon find out when Hawks had their sights set on something, nothing got in our way. We always dealt with shit any way we wanted.
Looking at the caller ID, Knife’s name flashed up. “Yo?” I answered.
“Heading back to the hotel. Heard some shit, man, and saw many men shuffling to the back rooms for some reason. I think the woman you’re after just caused some shit and she’s off to see the bossman in the morning about it. ’Round nine thirty.”
“Right, we’ll get ready to head here. Won’t have the brothers by that time, so the three of us are gonna have our hands full until then. See you when you get back.”
After hanging up, I threw my phone on the bed and turned to Beast. “You ready to kick some arse if it comes down to it?” His smile was big.
Yeah, after knowing what the fuckhead liked to do with little girls, we were ready to take Vanclove down a peg in any way we could.
Beast picked up his gun and waved it around. Nodding, I said, “Yeah, man. We’re going in fully loaded.”
* * * *
As soon as Knife showed to the hotel, we took off to check the surrounding area around his office building. After some time, Knife and I were sitting in a coffee shop across from the high-rise block while Beast was out on the street keeping an eye on his own area. It was 9:00 a.m. when a limousine pulled up out the front. The driver got out and walked around to the back door to open it.
My heart jumped when my eyes landed on Tiny getting out of the car. Her face was caked in make-up, covering her bruising, but I knew what lay beneath, and it fucking burned low in my gut. She stood, with a mask of composure on her face, beside the car and waited for fuckface. When he got out, my eyes flashed to Knife’s; he was already smiling.
“That’s the cunt?” he questioned. I nodded and knew exactly what he was thinking. The guy was a pissant, small in height and skinny as fuck. He might have a pricey suit on, but he still looked like a little dweeb. Still, he had armed men around him, all huge fuckers willing to protect him.
Christ, did they know what he liked?
Money probably talked enough for those fuckers.
The dick walked to Melissa’s side and placed his hand on her back, leading her into the office. I clenched my jaw and fists.
“Hey. We’re gonna get this girl for your girl, and then we can get her out,” Knife reassured me.
“He has to go down.”
“He will.” Knife nodded.
“No cops, he dies.”
“Done.”
“By my hands,” I added.
“Agreed.”
They entered the building. My legs bounced up and down under the window table. I had to fight myself from jumping up and racing over there to take her. She was made to be at my side and no one else’s. Fuck, no woman drove me insane like she had.
It was like she’d switched a light on in my head and heart about wanting more than just a quick lay. Never thought much of women, until her.
She pushed.
She taunted.
She snuck her way inside of me, and I couldn’t let her go.
Never in my whole fuckin’ life did I think I’d succumb to wanting a relationship.
Christ, I wanted to gag on that word.
R-relationship.
But she had, which was why I was there. Since she was the first to open my eyes, to want more than just a bed partner, I had to see if things would be as good as I thought they could be between us.
I wasn’t stupid though. I knew she’d piss me the fuck off. I knew she’d get on my nerves, but I was willing to try.
For her, I would try.
Fuck me. That was what relationships were about.
“You all right?” Knife asked.
Clearing my throat, I nodded. I hadn’t realised I’d actually been flinching over that word.
I flicked my eyes to the alleyway beside the building. A van had just pulled in. “Text Beast. I think it’s time to party.”
Tensing, I saw two men get outta the van. One reached back in and dragged a woman roughly out. She stumbled over to the side door of the building. They tapped in a code and it opened.
“We’re gonna catch them on the way out. Don’t want to grab the attention of the guards in the lobby. We do this silent. Call Beast, tell him if there’re cameras in the alleyway, he needs to cut their feed, but he needs to do it right before we take the woman off their hands so it doesn’t draw more attention.”
“On it.” Knife nodded and then stood from the table, walking out the front.
It wouldn’t be long until we put a dent in the motherfucker’s life, and soon the dent would turn into a tear. Then I’d rip it wide fuckin’ open.
Smiling, I stood and went to get into position.
My hands twitched at my sides as I waited at the front end of the alley, leaning against the wall and pretending to play on my phone. Beast was down the other end and Knife, after Beast had cut the feed, was in position on the other side of the van. We knew, if they were like Hawks, the meeting wouldn’t go long. He’d say what he needed to the woman and then get her the fuck outta there.
I heard the side door open and stood tall, slipping my phone into my pocket. I then entered the alley as the side door closed behind them. The woman was passed out or knocked out bridal style in one man’s arms. I had to chuckle. The boss dickhead still only had two men with her. Was he fuckin’ stupid?
“Morning, fellas,” Knife announced as he stepped around the van. He cocked the free one in the head. The other went to shout and drop the woman, but Beast was there taking her from him while I came sprinting down and taking him to the ground.
With my hand around his neck, I clipped, “Keys.”
His eyes flicked to the other man on the ground. Knife rolled him over, grabbed the keys from his pocket, and stood smiling.
“These fools make things too easy.”
“Dumb fucks is what they are,” I noted, and then punched the guy I straddled in the face. He went lights out. “I’m driving. Beast, you’re keeping her while Knife gets in the back with one of these idiots. Leave the other one to call in, letting bossman know his world’s about to crumble around him.”
Knife easily picked up the one he’d knocked out, while I climbed to my feet and unlocked the van. Once I had the side door open, Knife threw the guy in the back.
“He’s gonna have one hell’va headache.” Knife chuckled.
Beast carefully climbed into the back, cradling the woman to him. Fuck, she looked like shit, as if she hadn’t eaten in days, and her body held splatters of bruises and cuts in places that made my fury rise.
After Knife got in, I slammed the door closed, kicked the fucker on the ground, and walked around to the driver’s side.
Soon I’d have my woman.
And soon I’d have more blood on my hands. Only I didn’t give one fuck about it.
While Knife was securing the guy in my hotel room to a chair, I helped Beast into their room with the woman. He’d just laid her on the bed when she gasped awake, sucking in gulps of air hard, causing her whole body to jerk.
She sat quickly, her arms and legs flailing while she gained control over herself. She scooted back on the bed until her back hit the headboard.
“Yo, it’s cool. We’re good. Calm the fuck down,” I tried.
Beast rolled his eyes and shoved me to the side. He sat on the end of the bed, and his hand pressed down on thin air in front of her. She watched him closely, her brows drawn down.
“That’s Beast. He don’t talk.” Her fearful eyes came to me. “I’m Dallas. We know Tiny, ah fuck, Melissa.” I ran a hand over my head. I was no good at calmin’ a woman down. I was used to riling them up and pissin’ them off. Scared women freaked the fuck outta me. “Look,” I snapped. “We ain’t gonna hurt you. We got you away from those fuckers. Relax, woman.”
She licked her dry, cracked lips and narrowed her gaze. The woman had balls.
“You got me away for Melissa or for yourselves?”
Screwin’ up my nose, I said, “I don’t fuckin’ want you. I got one woman to deal with already.” Her gaze went to Beast. I added, “He won’t want you either. Now you need to tell us what in the hell went down so we can plan on getting Melissa out.”
She studied us for a while and then, fuck, her whole body sagged with relief. “I’m really out?”
Beast nodded. I said, “Yeah.”
She sniffed. Ah fuck, was she gonna cry? If she did, I was outta that room like my jocks were on fire.
“Hey,” I called. “We need to know everything you do. That Vanclove guy is gonna be pissed you’re taken, but at least he ain’t holding you over Melis—”
She bounded up to her knees, her hands out. “Wait. They know about her mum. He’ll go for her to stop Melissa from leaving. He said as much to me in the office. His men… they were supposed to kill me. Jimmy knew he’d need a backup plan, someone to hang over her head for Melissa to comply with whatever he demanded. You have to save her mum.”
“Fuck,” I bit out. “You know where she is? Her name?”
She deflated and shook her head. “No, Melissa never really spoke about her mum.”
“Shit. Beast, text Julian, see if he knows. If not, get a brother on it at home. We’ll take care of it.” There was a knock at the door. Beast got up to answer.
When the door swung open, a voice boomed, “Who’s ready to party?” Grinning, I walked over to greet Dive who’d entered first.
Then Pick, Billy, Dodge, and Handle. “Fuck, it’s good to have you all here.”
“Good to be here to help,” Dodge said.
“We got a plan yet?” Pick asked.
With a shake of my head, I said, “Not yet.” I gestured my head towards Della. “Just about to talk to Tiny’s woman.”
“You already got her. What fun are we gonna have?” Billy asked.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty more to come.”
“Y-you’re all going after Jimmy?” Della’s voice quivered. Wasn’t sure why her voice shook; wondered if it was because she wasn’t feeling safe any longer with a room full of bikers. That, or if she was surprised we’d do such a thing by wading into Tiny’s problem.
“Yeah, we are.”
“Why?”
“Melissa belongs to me, means she’s a part of Hawks. No one fucks with Hawks.”
Her body stiffened, her chin jutting up and out. Her eyes went hard before she demanded, “I want to come.”
“This ain’t women’s business.”
“Don’t let Melissa hear you say that shit,” Dodge said with a laugh.
Fuck. He was right. My Tiny would have my balls. Not that I’d mind her handling my balls, but she’d be pissed if I didn’t let her friend have her two bob on the situation.
Running a frustrated hand over my face, I said, “Look. The situation ain’t gonna be a good one. People will die, things will be dangerous. You just got out of a bad situation. You shouldn’t want to jump into another one and risk your life.”
Her jaw clenched before she hissed out, “My life is mine to do with what I want. For too long I’ve had my choices taken from me. I’ve been beaten, raped, and told what to do. I want to come. I have to see that bastard’s life end. He took my sister away from me, took her life. I need to see his end.”
I glanced around to the brothers. They were on board if I was.
Shit. Even though I hated the idea, I found myself surprised by the respect I’d felt for her sticking up for herself in front of us all.
“Fine. Handle,” I called. He stepped up. Looking at Della, I ordered, “You stay close to him.”
“I will.”
Sighing, I said, “Someone find her some proper clothes.” My phone chimed with a text from Beast. I smiled. “Looks like the fucker was pissed enough to leave work. Bet he’s goin’ home and Melissa is with him. The sooner we move out, the sooner we can end this and get the fuck home.”
With Tiny with us.