All In: ALL IN KNIGHTS OF MAYHEM (28 page)

Avery

When we reach the clubh
ouse I am ushered to Leo’s room. I turn to Beeker, ‘let me guess you are going to fucking lock me in too?” I stand with my hands on my hips. Kayla has a remorseful expression on her face as she stands behind Beeker. He turns and takes my things from her and hands them to me silently, ‘damn it Beeker talk to me please?”

He sighs heavily, ‘Avery please don’t ask questio
n I am not at liberty to answer. I told you Leo with tell you what he can when he gets here.” He turns closing the door and of course locks it behind him.

My temper flares out in epic proportions, I begin trashing the room. I sling my arms around like a mad woman
, ripping things from the walls. Raking my hand across the dresser and night stands I throw everything to the floor. I take the lamp and rip the cords free from the wall and slam it over the newly cleared side table. I tear the sheets from the bed, turning over the mattresses and kicking the bed frame. Next I cross over to the closet and begin flinging his cloths out into the floor, wishing I had a lighter so I could burn the fucking place down. Instead I reach for the knife I had knocked into the floor and went for the pillows slicing them open making stuffing fly through the air.

Jerking the drawers from the dresser
, I dump the contents out and then I head for the chest and did the same. I kick the piles of discarded clothing, scattering them all over the room. I bend and take up one of Leo’s tee shirts ripping it from the neck to the bottom hem, feeling better I do this to all the others I can find.

I stand in the middle of my carnage when there is nothing left to destro
y. My chest is heaving as mad tears stream down my cheeks. I slump down into the floor holding my head in my hands when there is a knock at the door.

“What?!” I scream at it.
When

“Avery?” It is Piper, ‘you okay in there?”
When did Piper get here? Kayla must have called her or she was here from the get go.

“What the fuck do you think Piper?” It was a little harsher than I had expected.

“If I unlock the door and come in are you going to beat the shit out of me?” For once she sounds sheepish.

“Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on.” My breathing is still not under control.

She is silent for a minute, ‘no.”

“Then I suggest you just walk away and leave me alone for awhile.” I turn and face the now shattered window, but that offers no help either because of the bars
on the outside.

“Avery,’ she pauses
.

“Just go Piper!”

The hall outside the door falls silent, I don’t care I have just hurt the feelings of my best friend. She was only coming to me to help and I had sent her away with my pissy attitude.

****

I had flipped the mattress back over onto the frame and covered with the ripped sheet. I had fallen asleep around one and didn’t stir until I heard Leo cussing, as he tried to navigate the minefield I had turned our room into. Reaching I flipped on the broken lamp laying beside the bed.

“Shit
Avery, what the fuck?” He was standing, with his hands on his hips, surveying the damage I had caused.

I sit on the bed
rubbing the sleep from my eyes, ‘oh it was worse until I straightened up a little.” I smirk.

“Really?” He is still eyeballing the
carnage which had once been his room.

“
Yeah, I flipped the mattress back over so I could sleep.” I fling myself back onto the shredded pillow and cover my eyes with my forearm.

“Avery!”
he shouts.

“What!” I retort sitting back up in the bed.

“I asked what the fuck happened to our room?” He is standing in the middle of every item in his dressers I had dumped into the floor. He turns in a full circle looking down all around him.

“I happened, lock me in here again asshole.” I lay back again covering my eyes but this time I am hauled out of the bed and placed on my feet. I put my hands on my hips and stare into two seething onyx pools.

His teeth are clenched, ‘Avery, I am trying to understand your side of this matter, but this,’ he makes a sweeping motion with his arms, ‘is uncalled for.”

“I don’t think so
, I felt rather sated when I was finished, ya know calm and collected. There is something to be said about the calming affect the sound of something shattering has on a person.” My flippant reply is not well received.

He runs his fist through the drywall at the left of my head, I duck, ‘fuck Leo what the hell are you doing?”

I can see his chest rising and falling under his tee shirt as he retracts his arm, ‘trying to feel sated and calm, but seeing how there is nothing left to shatter. I thought maybe a few holes in the walls would accent your redecoration efforts.” He grits out through his clenched teeth. He is rabid with anger as I had been earlier.

“
Are you pissed?’ I am goading him on.

He
forcefully closes his eyes, ‘beyond belief.”

I poke him in the chest, ‘good
, now you know how I feel on a daily basis being around you.”

He takes my pointer finger and gently removes it from his peck
muscle I had been digging it into, ‘Avery have you ever heard the saying don’t prod the bull?”

I have but I am not finished, ‘oh look the door is still hanging from its hinges.” I point to the pristine door
looking out of place in the complete mess of the room.

Leo turns as a growl escapes his throat
, then he promptly removes the door from its frame. I stand and watch in utter amazement at his strength. His muscles contort and roll as he rips the door down garnering the attention of Beeker and Kayla. They step warily through the opening. Surveying the room and its mess, ‘what the fuck happened?” Beeker asks in shock in time with Kayla’s gasps.

Leo doesn’t turn in my direction, ‘Avery.”
He throws his thumb over his shoulder at me.

I point
an accusatory finger in his direction, ‘Leo.”

“Okay.” Beeker hustles Kayla back out of the door and down the hall to the bar
,as if the destruction of a room is an everyday occurrence. Leo turns to me and puts his hands on his hips.

Lowering and shaking his head, ‘are you done?”

“Are you?” I haven’t moved since his last outburst.

“Yes.” He takes my hand and
pulls me down the hall behind him.

“
Beeker you and Kayla go on, Avery and I are going home to get some shut eye. We will meet here in the morning and discuss today.” He orders as he drags me through the clubhouse. I tug on my hand to free it, ‘what now?” He stops and sighs.

“I am just getting tired of feeling like I am being lead around on a leash.” My stubbornness is out in full force tonight.

“Fine.” He caveman’s me over his shoulder and carries me the rest of the way to the front door.

“Because this is so much better.” I snap as he crosses the threshold out into the yard.

A swift swat to my ass has me smiling and feeling better about the situation, ‘shut it Avery.” I can hear a slight smile in his words as he walks towards his SUV.

“
Leo, my man.” The rough gravelly voice is tweaked with a slight accent brings Leo up short. He stands stock still as I twist on his shoulder to see who it is. I watch as men surround us, they bleed out of the darkened shadows engulfing the shop.

Leo slowly lowers me to my feet taking his hand
, he ushers me around to his back by my hip. I bunch my hands in his tee shirt at his waist and look around at the paramilitary type men. They all have guns and their faces covered except for the one doing the talking.

“
It is time and you know it.” He spits again with his disgusting voice at Leo. I hear the faint sound of a growl leave Leo’s throat.

“
Let Avery go, she has doesn’t have anything to do with this.” Leo is somber and his body is rigid.

“Oh no, now we can't do that
, now can we?” I peer around Leo’s arm to see a man that is dressed in tattered fatigues, a semi automatic gun slung around his shoulder. He has a beret sitting on his head slightly hanging to the side, and a black scarf tied around his neck.

Leo turns his head to me, ‘
Avery go inside and lock the doors.” His hushed tone sends prickles of goose flesh over me.

“No
Leo, I want leave you.” My knuckles have gone white as I grip his shirt in my hands.

“
Avery, for once, please do as I ask.” He grits out of his clenched jaw.

I don’t get the chance to move an inch before there is something cold pressed to my temple, ‘I told you
Leo, she is part of the deal now.” The leader laughs.

I feel as I am jerked backwards
, nearly ripping Leo’s shirt from his body. I try to balance on my heels but the vice grip that is jerking me back is attached to a hard chest that my shoulder backs up against. Once again I find my feet and then I am greeted by hot breath on my neck.

I hear a scream and turn to the door to see Beeker and K
ayla being drug out of the shop. Beeker has a gun to his back and the man has a hand full of Kayla’s hair. She is putting up quit a fight but to no avail she is thrust down into the gravel on her bare knees, the crunching sound rolls my stomach.

The leader has closed the distance
to Leo and is in his face, ‘we have been on to you and your men for awhile now. We have just been waiting until you were alone to make a move.” He raises his gun and crashes the butt of it into Leo’s jaw. His big body crumples to the ground with the soundtrack of me screaming.

Leo’s limp body is hauled aw
ay to a waiting blacked out SUV. I try to run to him but the man’s death grip on me prevents it, ‘where are you taking him?”

His sickly sweet breath is at my ear, ‘not for you to worry
about,’ he wrenches me to the second SUV. Throwing me into the back seat he leans up to the driver, ‘follow them.” He instructs pointing in the direction of the SUV containing Leo. As we pull away I look back and watch in horror as Beeker and Kayla are hauled away behind the shop.

I feel the sting of tears rolling down my cheek, ‘what are they going to do to them?” I nervously inquire about my two friends.

He throws his arm around me tugging me in close, ‘that is none of your concern sweetie.” I throw my shoulder back trying to get out of his grasp, ‘now Avery, what is this?” His face looks shocked that I don’t want him touching me.

“Keep your fucking hands off me.” My face is screwed up with anger.

“You are not in any position to be giving orders little girl.” He has taken my checks into his fingers and is mussing up my lips to a pucker. I fear for a second he is going to try and kiss me, pulling at his wrist to let my face go he continues, ‘your boy Leo is in a whole shit storm of trouble. I thought Max was going to shit when he found out he and his boys were undercover DEA.”

My face must have been awash of distress, ‘what? Oh you didn’t know?” He sits back into the seat hauling me into him, ‘interesting, just think this whole time you have been fucking him
while he has lied to your face about what he truly is.” His laughter fills the cabin, ‘this is a nice turn of events,’ I feel a slight pressure to my exposed neck, ‘but right now you go to sleep.”

I fight hard to keep my lids from falling shut, as my eyes blur bu
t before they completely shut. I watch as the man discards a hypodermic needle out the window of the SUV.

I try to swallow but my mouth is so dry I
end up chocking myself. I cough in hopes to help catch my breath. My head lulls forward, my neck unable to support its weight. I go to rub my eyes but my arms will not move, forcing my lids open I see I am sitting in an armed wooden chair. My hands and feet are ducked taped snug to the chair’s appendages.

I force air out of my throat trying to clear the cobwebs from my head
, giving it a good shake only making the throbbing gain power. Glancing around, I am sitting in an empty room illuminated by one lone hanging light bulb drifting slightly back and forth casting shadows and then giving light to the dark corners.

I hear shuffling and then his voice ag
ain, ‘look boys, she is awake,’ his voice fades as if he has turned away from me, ‘I was a little afraid there for awhile I had given her too much.” The others grumble in agreement.

He crosses over
until the toes of his black military boots invade my down turned vision. Taking up a hand full of my matted hair, he hauls my head back to give my face a once over. The pain of the pulled hair only exacerbates the steady thumps assaulting my head.

It is then my mouth is flooded with saliva
, I immediately hurl at him hitting him square in the eye. I am reprimanded by a swift back hand to the right side of my face, making my eye socket explode with a new whole other kind of pain.

“Damnit.” He backs away clearing his eye of the mucus.

“Where’s Leo?” My voice is unrecognizable, coarse and dark.

He tangles hi
s hand in my hair again, ‘don’t worry about him,’ he smirks as his free hand finds purchase on my breast, ‘you should not worry about him at all.” Struggling against my restraints I try to free myself.

“Get your fuckin
g hands off of me.” I bite out trying to kick at him with my bound foot.

A door slamming takes my attention momentarily from
my tormenter to the leader, ‘not yet Malachi, you will have you chance soon.” He saunters over to me taking my now free face in his hands, rocking my head back and forth, ‘do not hit her again,’ he turns to a now sheepish Malachi, ‘understand?”

Malachi
nods his head in agreement, the man slumps down and rest his weight on his toes and calves, ‘you need water, yes?” He asks as he offers me a dirty ladle full germ infested water.

I sha
ke my head refusing his offering, I clench my lips together as he pours the rancid liquid down my face, ‘that’s fine little lady, ‘ he stands tossing the ladle to Malachi, ‘you will be begging for it later.” He turns to leave but pulls up short in front of Malachi, ‘does she know anything?”

“I hadn’t gotten a chance to ask her yet
, I was getting to it when you came in.” Malachi is nervous in this other man’s presence, he shifts from one foot to the other with his hands run deep into his jeans pockets.

Volunteering the information, ‘I don’t know anything.” The ache from my head has started to travel down into my bound wrists and ankles.
My hands have started to turn purple from the lack of circulation.

The older man turns to me, ‘they all say that at first but
Malachi here,‘ he places a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, ‘has a way of making them sing.” He drops his hand and walks back out the door. Malachi turns his evil gaze on me.

“So
Avery, you say you don’t know anything? For some reason I find it hard to believe,‘ he kneels down in front of me, ‘you lived in the same house with a top agent and hung around with the rest of them on a daily basis.” He tilts my head back by my shin, ‘I am going to tell you how this works, I ask a question and you give me an honest answer, okay?”

“I have already told you I don’t know anything
about any agents.” My voice is laced with panic.

Malachi
stands clasping his hands behind his back, he paces the small space in front of me back and forth, ‘how much do they know”?

“They who?”

“The DEA?”

“I told you already
, I don’t know what the hell you are talking about,’ a small sob leaks from my lips, ‘I don’t know.” My chin rests on my heaving chest. And then it clicks, the conversation Leo and I had had weeks ago, the less I know the better off I will be.

“
Humm!” he growls as he runs his hands over my head and with a quick jerk he is back in my face, ‘you know something and I will find out eventually.”

He turns to a table then addresses the other two men in the room, ‘
Time for some fun boys.” He closes the distance between us, I notice in his hand he is holding another syringe. He sees me eyeing it, ‘oh don’t worry Avery, this isn’t as much as I gave you before, just enough to make you pliable for me.” The sharp prick of the needle in my neck is accompanied with a small tear rolling down my cheek, then it is all black again.

****