Revenge (12 page)
She asked, “Are we going to stay here forever?”
“There’s a thought,” he mused. “A very good thought. But no, there’s work to do.
Tank is gone and Black Ice Motorcycle Club is floundering.
I’m not running anymore.
I’m going back to it, going to rescue it.
Make it great again. And you are definitely coming along for the ride.”
Now that you’ve finished with this exciting first chapter of the Black Ice MC, part two is just a click away…
T
he sun was setting behind a forest of pine trees. Danni held on to Mercer tight as he took the corners fast. She loved the sensation of speeding around the curves. She felt alive and scared at the same time. The smell of his leather jacket and the glow of the sun through brightly colored trees made her think this was more dream than real life. Mercer sped around another corner and Danni’s stomach leapt into her chest. She laughed, then put her lips next to his ear and said over the rumble of the engine, “I’m hungry.” Mercer nodded and sped up even more. A few miles down the road they found a diner attached to a small motel. It had green trim on dirty white walls and big neon sign out front told them it was called the Sleep ‘N” Eat.
Sipping coffee and looking over the menu Danni asked, “How much farther until we get to Rawlins?”
“Just about four hours,” answered Mercer without looking up from his menu.
“You excited to get back?”
He put down his menu. “Excited isn’t right. I need to get back. There’s a lot of work to do. Me and Doc, we’ve got to rebuild Black Ice. Make it something I can be proud of again.”
The waitress came by and asked what they wanted to eat. Mercer got a hamburger but Danni wanted French toast, even though it was late evening. After the waitress walked away Mercer didn’t finish his thought. He just stared out the window. He had been doing that sort of thing a lot lately.
Physically they were closer than ever. After wanting each other since high school they were finally together. Their time together had been spent exploring each other. Danni and Mercer agreed that nothing was off limits, no matter how dark the desire. They would try anything once without fear of judgement.
But there was still moments when Mercer would become withdrawn and quiet. She asked him to talk about it and he did–somewhat. Late at night in a little hotel room somewhere in Illinois after a night of vigorous lovemaking he told her that while fighting the men sent to kill them, one of them said something he couldn’t shake. A man named Bingo had called Mercer a coward. He said Mercer didn’t like the direction the club was going so he stole a bunch of money and ran away. The problem was Bingo was right. He had ran away. just like all those years ago after his best friend – and Danni’s boyfriend – Specs had died. He had been running his entire life. Mercer knew it was time to stick around and build something for himself. It was time to stop running.
After dinner they were both full and the sun was too far behind the trees to travel anymore so they got a room in the attached hotel. It was a small room with a small bed and dirty tile floor. Despite being no more than sixty-five degrees outside the air conditioner still blew and neither of them could find a way to shut it off.
After taking turns in the shower they got under the blankets and wordless found each other in the dark. Danni’s lips met Mercer’s and his hands ran over her body, paying special attention to her breasts. He loved fondling her breasts and she love him doing it. She loved anything he did to her. After years of dating timid men too afraid to ask for what was on their mind, Danni knew Mercer took what he wanted.
He looked her square in the eyes, grabbed her wrists roughly and pulled them over her head.
She whispered, “Do it.”
After they had satiated each other for another night, they laid quietly in the dark. His arm around her, and her head against his muscular chest. Her hand ran up his tight stomach and like every other night her fingers found the long scar that ran from his waist around his side, stopping just short of his arm pit. She knew his past had been violent, and he had brought violence to her when Tank, the former Black Ice president, followed Mercer back to Tennessee. Danni wondered how much more violence there would be for them.
“Make me a promise,” she said.
“What’s that?” asked Mercer, sleepily.
“I know you’re going to have a lot of work to do when we get to Rawlins, but let’s keep some time for us. We’re just getting started together. I want to keep up the momentum we’ve built.”
“Absolutely. I can’t wait to show you around. You’re going to love it there.”
Mercer kissed her and tightened his arm around her. He fell asleep a few minutes later, but Danni took much longer. She looked into the dark room, hoping what he said was true.
D
anni let out an enthusiastic whoop as they rode past a sign letting them know they had now entered Rawlins, Montana. It had been a long ride with the air getting colder around them as they made their way north. She marveled at the snow capped mountains and the expansive forest around them. Their hometown was a small place in a rural setting, but it was nothing like this new place. The sun broke through the clouds and some of Danni’s worries burned away.
All of Rawlings looked like it was made of pine. As they got further into town more houses lined the road and they gave way to little shops. They rode through the center of town, past a large courthouse and police station. A older man in uniform peered at them behind mirrored sunglasses. Mercer waved to him, but the man stood stoney faced and motionless.
A few minutes later Mercer made a few turns. At a stoplight he turned back to Danni. “Clubhouse is just around this corner.”
They waited for the greenlight and when they turned the corner Danni was shocked at what she saw. There was a large building, split into a couple sections. The front end was looked similar to a log cabin. Made of pine with large windows in the font, each one smashed. The door had been busted off the hinges and was laying just inside the clubhouse. Attached to the rear was a larger structure, like a giant garage. It had no windows but if the front clubhouse section was any indication, it was just as busted up.
They parked the bike and got inside. The external damage was just the tip of the iceberg. Inside the tables had been smashed, glass was all over the floor, and the TV and stereo in the corner had actual bullet holes in it.
The glass crunched under their boots as they walked in. Mercer held his hand up, telling Danni not to go too far inside the clubhouse in case anyone dangerous was still around. Mercer hadn’t picked up another gun since leaving Calumet and was regretting it.
“Damn shame, isn’t it?”
The turned towards the voice. Standing in the doorway was an thin man in his fifties. He had long gray hair with salt and pepper stubble. He wore a leather jacket that had been beat to Hell and back. He reminded Danni of a cowboy. Not in the way he dressed, but purely in attitude and swagger.
“Doc!” Mercer cried out. He rushed over and gave the man a big hug. They clapped each other on the back hard. “Come here, I need you to meet someone.”
They walked over to Danni and the older man stuck out his hand. “Hiya, Darlin’. My names Doc. Pleased to meet you.”
Danni shook his hand. “I’m Danni. Mercer’s said a lot about you. Good to see you here.”
“Doc, what the hell happened here?” asked Mercer.
“You were away too long, kid. Once you killed Tank and the others in Tennessee everyone took off for greener pastures. There was a bunch of assholes really and I was glad to be rid of most of ‘em, but without a club to protect our territory the Rattlers just rolled into town and took over.”
“The Rattlers? They’re nothing but a bunch of punks,” said Mercer.
“Yeah well, a bunch of punks is still more than I can fight off by myself.”
“The great Doc can’t handle a few teenagers on bikes?” Mercer joked with the man.
Doc knew Mecer was joking with him, but didn’t return the smile. “Don’t underestimate these fuckers. They got muscle now and somehow they got a big hookup for weapons. Getting them up from Mexico somehow. But I ain’t worried. You’re back.”
“Damn straight I am. We’ll get out club and our town back.”
“Where do we start?” I asked.
Mercer looked around at the damage to the clubhouse. “Right here.”
Danni swept the glass from the floor while Mercer and Doc hauled the busted tables and door out back. The TV and stereo were next while
Danni carefully collected every busted bottle from behind the bar. Then she mopped up the sticky, dried liquor while Mercer and Doc hammered boards over the busted windows.
At first they thought the power had been shut off or maybe even the lines cut, but Doc went into the basement and found the breaker had been tripped. Danni flipped the switch for the lights and several bulbs popped, but half the lights came on, giving them just enough light in the dark room.
They had been working so hard Danni didn’t even realize how hungry she was until Mercer came back in with a pizza and a twelve pack of beer. She scarfed down three slices in record time then popped a can and drained half of it.
“Got a hell of an appetite on you, Darlin’,” said Doc.
“We been riding a long time. I’m just glad to eat something other than diner food.”
“I’ll bet.”
Mercer said to Doc, “Tell me straight. What are we up against?”
Doc finished his bite and took a drink of beer. “The Rattlers have gained a lot of power since Black Ice fell apart. They’ve got twelve guys in their club and a direct pipeline to all the guns they need. They run firearms and drugs all the way from Mexico into Canada and make a hell of a lot of money doing it.”
“Great,” said Mercer.
“I’m not done yet. Before Tank took over, Black Ice more or less had a truce with the police, but that went away when Henry died. The cops don’t want us coming back.”