Chaos Conquers All (7 page)

“Mister Cole we’re running short on time,” Roger said through the closed door.

“For fuck’s sake,” he yelled at the closed door. “Wait here Angel. When I come back we’ll discuss your answer,” his command was soft but a command nonetheless.

Cole turned and left the room, leaving Nikki to collect her thoughts. She took a deep breath and slumped against the wall. She needed to get a grip on herself. Cole had this way of toying with her body and mind until she began to confuse her physical responses with her emotional ones. 

As she breathed deep, she listened to Cole’s gravelly voice mix with Black’s smooth tone and Rez’s rough one. Right down the hall from her were the club’s biggest enemies and if she had her gun she could take them all out and be done with it. She didn’t have her gun though. She didn’t even have her knife thanks to Roger. She glanced toward the play room door. The door was open a crack and despite Cole’s order she moved towards it.

She listened as the voices of the men moved further away. Peering through the open doorway she watched as Rez and Cole moved upstairs to Cole’s office. She wondered what information that traitorous dog could be giving Cole. They hadn’t seen or heard from him since the house. He’d gone after Jimmy, the man Bull had planted in the midst of Reaper and Alvarez’s deal with the enemy. Nikki hoped Jimmy had made it back to the safety of his club without knowing about her killing the prospects. The less people who knew about that the better.

Cole paused half way up the stairs.

“Whatever you’re thinking Angel. Forget it,” his gruff command travelled down the staircase toward her.

How the hell did he always know?

“Watch her. She is not to leave that room,” Cole demanded his gaze on Black.

“With pleasure Sir,” that creepy dead tone made her skin crawl.

Black looked her way and the evil smirk on his face matched the one his brother wore when he thought he’d had Nikki right where he wanted her.

“You touch her Black,” Cole didn’t need to finish the warning, the menace in his tone was enough to set any man shaking in his boots.,

“I won’t lay a finger on her,” he promised but the smirk didn’t disappear.

Nikki backed away from the door. She needed a weapon and quick. She knew there was bound to be something in the cupboards. Her hand closed around the handle just as Black opened the door and entered the room.

“What are you going to do girl? Whip me to death?” he quipped.

“The thought is quite a pleasant one,” she returned as she faced him leaning back against the cupboard door.

“And here I thought you were the one that liked to be on the receiving end,” he replied as he moved around the space giving her a wide berth.

The man obviously wasn’t stupid. He knew well enough not to get too close to her. He positioned himself in the wing back chair to her left. He examined her carefully his head tilted on a slight angle as they sat in silence and waited.

Trace leant against the side of a building playing with his phone as he waited. Last night had left him completely wired and he knew he wasn’t the only one. With the clubhouse packed and beds being limited, he had found his room taken over. Standing in the hallway Tex had been in much the same boat. They had both made a beeline for Nikki’s room. Trace initial thoughts had been that maybe they could pick up where they left off before the shooting and his dick had certainly agreed with him on that one.

They found the room empty and Tex had promptly plonked himself on the couch while Trace sat on the edge of Nikki’s bed and waited. Obviously the lack of sleep caught up with them because the next thing he knew he was waking up in the early afternoon lying in Nikki’s bed. His boots were gone and the blankets were pulled up over him but there had been no Nikki in the bed next to him. He’d sat up and noticed Tex on the couch in much the same position with his boots gone and a blanket chucked over him.

He had no idea where or if Nikki had slept but she’d obviously come in and put them both to bed. That was the Nikki he remembered. That was his Baby Girl. That’s when he’d noticed the letter taped to the dresser mirror. His heart had filled with dread as he slowly got out of bed. He’d opened the note and his fear solidified. She was gone. He and Tex had searched the compound as quietly as they could. Once again she’d disobeyed orders and they hadn’t wanted to alert the others to this fact. They didn’t find her.

Trace asked himself why she hadn’t woken them and asked for help. He worried about where she was and what she was doing. He had a few theories regarding that question. His first thought was she was running away from the situation between the three of them yet again. Although he swept that aside when he considered that she’d ducked an order by leaving the compound. So the only other option was she was going after Bridges. He didn’t know how she thought she’d do that on her own. She had no more idea of who Bridges was than they did. They suspected it was this Marcus Cole guy but they were yet to confirm it. That’s why they were here now.

The van was idling in the mouth of the laneway blocking the footpath. On the other side, Tex had placed a sign directing pedestrians to the footpath across the road. Brodie and Jay had the delivery truck in position and were getting ready to block the path with their rather large awkward package. The timing had to be perfect or they'd risk alerting bystanders and that was the last thing they wanted. Luckily for them, the foot traffic was light and, as was common in this day and age, most people were so intently focused on themselves that they didn't even seem to notice the little set up.

He watched her exit the store with her paper bags for her date with Black. Deep down, Trace felt sorry for Daisy. He was sure Black kept the innocent little blonde separate from all the darkness in their world and she was about to get the induction of a lifetime. If she survived the experience mentally she would never be the same again. It was almost too much of a shame to taint such innocence with the depravity of their world but sometimes collateral damage was a necessary evil if they wanted to keep themselves and the club alive.

Daisy passed the truck and the delivery men completely oblivious to the fact that she was about to be boxed in. Brodie and Jay moved the trolley with the gigantic cardboard box into place behind her, blocking off her exit and shielding them from view of any other pedestrians. Trace quickly stepped into Daisy's path once again bumping the petite blonde.

"I'm so sorry," she began apologising to him in a fluster.

The girl was so sweet and genuine that he almost didn’t have the heart to go through with the next bit. Then he heard the sliding door on the van.

"Sorry Daisy," he said quietly as he swiftly twisted her around.

He could feel the hesitation and confusion in her body as she tried to reconcile the familiar voice with the strange actions. He wrapped his arm around her neck and brought the other arm up over his shoulder. It was in that moment that she realised she was in trouble. Trace squeezed putting pressure on both sides of her neck. The hold compressed her carotid arteries cutting off blood flow to her brain. Doc stepped from the van grabbing the brown paper bags from Daisy’s hold as she struggled momentarily. Then her body went limp as she passed out cold.

Doc quickly jumped back in the van while Trace scooped Daisy into his arms and followed. Doc slid the door shut behind them and quickly reached for the tourniquet and needle lying in the pack next to her. Trace watched Doc insert the IV into the vein in Daisy's inner elbow and attach the syringe full of Diprivan. His steady hands made quick work of the IV. He hoped to god that shit worked the way Doc said it would. They did not need the woman dying on them before they got any info out of Black.

He located Daisy's phone and the keys to the apartment before tossing her purse into the corner of the van along with her groceries. As he exited the van he took one last look at Doc as he set about gagging and tying up Daisy. What a fucked up world they lived in. He slid the door shut and as the van pulled out he continued down the street towards Daisy's apartment building.

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  “So what did he offer you in exchange for your fealty?” Black asked her, rousing her from her light dozing.

At some point the fatigue had begun to plague Nikki and despite not wanting to show Black any weakness, she’d had to sit down. She had spent what felt like hours going over her options. Every alternative to Cole’s deal seemed to involve more deaths on her side of the fence and she couldn’t deal with that. She realised she had little option but to make the deal. Once she’d given up wrestling with that idea, it had only been a matter of time before her eyelids began to drift shut. She’d tried to stay alert but she knew now at some point she’d drifted off to sleep although she had no idea how long for.

“Did he offer to keep your secrets from the club?” Black asked.

She blinked at him rapidly while waiting for her brain to catch up with his words.

“Did he tell you he’d ensure the club lived on? That Bridges would not pursue your family?” Black said.

What the hell was going on here? Now he too was referring to Bridges as a separate person to Cole. Clearly she hadn’t heard him right that night.

“Who the fuck is Bridges?” she asked him.

His eyes narrowed at her, “Someone who has a major beef with your club and he’s not the only one.”

Black stood up from the chair and approached her, his face slowly darkening with anger. Nikki rose to her feet steadily. She was not going to give Black any perceived physical advantage against her.

“I know your precious club killed my brother,” he stated as he closed the distance between them. “Mister Bridges might be willing to give up his revenge but I’m not,” he told her as he leaned in close to her ear, “While you’re off having your ass whipped and your pussy pounded, I will be busy wiping every last trace of the Soldiers of Chaos from the face of this earth.”

Her heart pounded with fear and anger. Would there ever be an end to the retaliation for her actions? Yet another mess that the club would have to deal with because of her. She couldn’t let them take the blame.

“The club didn’t kill your brother,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “I did.”

Black didn’t even blink an eye at her admission. One hand came down from the wall beside her head and he stroked his finger along the scar on her shoulder.

“Well, that’ll make killing your brothers all the more enjoyable but don’t worry, unlike Cole I’ll leave Deveraux till last. That way you can watch me take him apart piece by piece,” he whispered back to her in an almost seductive voice.

Nikki couldn’t hide her rising fury as Black stepped away from her an evil grin on his face.

“What’s going on here?” Cole’s voice filled the space.

Black didn’t even flinch at the sound of Cole’s voice. He didn’t acknowledge the man at all despite Cole’s seeming superiority in both rank and physicality. He continued to look at Nikki as if he was the big bad wolf and she was little red riding hood. Clearly Black did not fear or even respect Cole. In that moment Nikki knew, Bridges or not, Cole would not be able to control this man. She knew there would not be an end to Black’s retribution if she did not end it herself.

“Nothing,” she said struggling to keep her tone even, “Mister Black and I were just having a little chat.”

Black’s mask of indifference slid back into place.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be Mister Black?” Cole asked his eyes never leaving her.

Black’s gaze dipped to his watch and his face softened slightly. Nikki knew that look all too well. Love. Daisy.

Her mind ran a million miles an hour as she realised that right now the boys could be putting into place their plans to kidnap Daisy and get their hands on Black. How long had they been sitting in this room waiting for Cole to return?

“Yes Sir I do,” he replied.

“Make sure that Mister Alvarez gets where he needs to go before you go anywhere else,” the underlying threat in Cole’s voice was clear.

“Will do Sir,” Black stated and sauntered towards the door with a confident swagger.

He paused in the doorway out of Cole’s line of sight and drew his finger across his throat in a slicing motion. The thought of hurting Daisy to get at Black suddenly became far more palatable. If she could get out of here and get to the boys in time perhaps she could turn this situation in her favour.

“Well Angel, I think you’ve had long enough to think about my offer. What is your answer?” Cole demanded.

“I will go with you,” she answered.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Cole advanced on her with that dark look in his eyes.

“Wait!” She commanded as her hand hit his chest in an attempt to stop his advance.

She needed to get through this conversation before his presence began to cloud her judgement.

“I have a condition,” she stated.

Cole’s victorious gaze turned exasperated in a matter of seconds, “I don’t recall opening my offer up to negotiation.”

“I want twenty four hours,” she stated ignoring his comment, “You give me twenty four hours to say my goodbyes and tie up some loose ends and I will give you what you want.”

Cole’s face did not hold the victorious expression she expected instead he eyed her warily. Her previous deception had obviously not left him untouched.

“If I just keep you here, I get what I want Angel so why would I let you go?” he asked her

There was only one reason that might appeal to him. She stepped into him bringing their bodies together. Their combined warmth coupled with the heat in the room brought a slight sheen to Cole’s brow. His turn up the heat tactic now seemed to be working more in her favour than his.

“Because if you keep me here now, you do so against my will, and I don’t think that’s what you want,” she paused to let him reflect on her statement, “You let me go and I return I am doing so by my own choice. Wouldn’t you rather that?”

She looked him straight in the eye and she let the darkness inside her filter into her gaze. She allowed it the freedom to seduce him, to give him a taste of what it was he was chasing. She knew she had him when his fingers wound their way up into her hair and gripped tightly. He pulled her head back harshly and she waited for that bruising kiss.

“Fine Angel, twenty four hours and not one minute more. But I’m warning you now, if you don’t return I will rain hellfire down on that club like you have never seen and the first body to fall will be Deveraux’s,” he growled before he took her mouth the only way he knew how.

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Tex climbed into the driver’s seat and glanced over at Doc. He was just finishing up tying and gagging the petite blonde.

"All good?" Tex asked.

Doc looked up at him, “We’re ready to move.”

He glanced out the window of the van and caught a glimpse of Trace through the glass. He walked with his head high and a determined step but he knew inside a war was raging. He'd seen the look in Trace’s eyes as he'd placed Daisy on the floor of the van. Tex knew that feeling. He didn’t like what they were about to do but it was a necessary evil if they wanted the truth about Bridges and if they wanted their club to survive.

His gaze then went to the empty seat next to him. Nikki should’ve been there with them. Her absence weighed on his mind heavily at a time when he really needed to have his wits about him. From what they could figure out she disappeared just before dawn. No one had seen her leave and no one knew where the hell she’d gone. They’d checked the compound’s security footage and seen her scale the fence then disappear into the darkness. He was getting sick of her running off on her own, her head full of self-sacrificing plans to fix things without involving them.