Taken by Sadistic: Rage Ryders MC (6 page)

Chapter 12             

~Kori

As we watched the guys ride away, I had this deep dread feeling. Something was wrong, I just couldn’t place my finger on it. Riley and Skylar must have felt it too, we all look at each other and feel the air shifting on us as we stand there.

“Is it me, or does something feel really off about today?”

“Thank goodness you said something. I thought it was just me, Skylar are you feeling it too?” Riley asked.

“Yeah, I feel it. It feels as if nothing will ever be the same. Are you thinking it might have something to do with your dad, Kori? I’m just not really sure where this deep gut wrenching feeling is coming from.” Skylar looks at me as if I should have all the answers. I don’t.

“It could be my dad, but hell, it could be the look on my man’s face also. It’s as if he’s expecting something to happen, if not today then soon. And that feeling is yes, he’s expecting something with my father. But this feeling I’m having—call it déjà vu, a premonition, whatever you want to call it. Something’s in the air. God! I hope it’s not my dad…I couldn’t live with myself. I wish when Tic kissed me bye on his way out the door he would’ve given me some kind of message or at least told me they were going somewhere safe today. Then I could put my unease to rest.”

Please, please, please don’t let anything happen to them. Keep them safe and bring them back to us in one piece.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Lila Rose (Lil’ Bit)

“Okay God you better take care of my Daddy. He thinks I don’t know about the trouble that’s comin’—but I do. I’m scared God, and I’ll be real mad at you if you let something happen to my Daddy.”

Everywody thinks I don’t see and hear what happens. I do, my Papaw is mean to my Momma. He hates me too. Tolda’ me I should not be here. I shoulda never exist. Momma should never hada me. I looksa like my Daddy. I’m a happy cause I looks like him though. I’m happy Daddy’s able to see me now—he couldn’t before. I always wantad my Daddy here.

Momma smiles and laughs…she didn’t do that before. She tried, she pretendad, but I always knew Momma pretendad for me.

“God, keep my Papaw gone. He scares me.”

“Amens”

Chapter 13

~
Tic

We pull up to the seedier parts of Dallas, otherwise known as the ‘West End’. As we pull up to where King’s contact is, we dismount our bikes. Something feels off, I can’t place my finger on it, but it’s there. I’ve always trusted my gut when it’s tellin’ me to be on the lookout. Therefore, I’m on high alert, been awhile since the feelin’ of dread has washed over me. Can’t place my finger on it but it’s as though someone is targetin’ us. I scan our area as thoroughly as I can. Training kickin’ in. I see all of the rusted-out cars litterin’ the streets of our informant’s humble abode. Every house on this block looks as if it should’ve hit its grave years ago. Why the city hasn’t condemned this entire neighborhood dumbfounds me.

I will my body to follow my Prez into this shit hole. Every instinct I have is tellin’ me to grab my brothers and get the hell outta dodge. Instead of headin’ for the hills, or home whichever, I grab ahold of Kid and Wasp’s attention.

“Be on your guard, somethin’ isn’t settin’ right with me. Not sure what it is, but my gut tells me we’re not secured. Dammit, we shoulda sent someone ahead to check things out. Not sure why Prez wanted to come immediately.”

They both nod their heads and start inconspicuously scannin’ everythin’ around us. This is where our survival instincts kick in. We now need to watch Prez’s and each other’s six. Nothin’ is standin’ out with
DANGER
written on it. It would make my life a whole lot easier if someone put up a sign warnin’ me of all the dangers ahead. Since King decided we didn’t need a prospect with us, and only wanted us at his back, the bikes are left without the usual keeper. Instead, we have to try and watch them and us. Not always an easy task, but hey, I love a good challenge. It’s what drives me and keeps me on my game. What can I say, it is what it is? King is the Prez and we follow his orders without questions or any say so. All we can do is make the best out of a possible bad situation. Kinda feels like when your parents use to say, ‘It’s my way or the highway’. King is a stubborn fool and never listens to reason. I’m not sure if that makes him a good leader or an unintentional idiot. Ghost, Justice and I have given up on tryin’ to talk sense into the man, we just follow like good lil’ soldiers now.

“Tic, I want you at my side at all times,” King says to me. I give him a chin lift lettin’ him know I’ve got him. I was, after all, the only enforcer he’s brought with him today. Which may be our biggest mistake. Sometimes I wonder if we ever learned anythin’ from the situation with Riley, Sadie, and Skylar. We weren’t vigilant then and look how that turned out for us. But just like I always do, I keep my eyes alert and one foot in front of the other, and guard my Prez to the best of my ability.

We finally are graced with the presence of our informant. Joey Stockdone is the biggest game in town. And luckily for us, his dad was close to King and Sniper. They saved his life once upon a time. He has ears to the ground and knows all.

“I will speak to you, King, and you alone. No offense Tic, but this is for his ears only. Whatever he decides to share with you is on his head and not mine. I owe my loyalty to him and Sniper, it’s not meant as disrespect to you or the others.”

I look at my Prez and try to urge him with my eyes to not go into another room without one of us there with him. He told me to have his six at all times and I won’t let him go on his own, that would be me not followin’ orders. I am after all his bodyguard, I’m responsible for him when he’s put in my care. I won’t let him down by listenin’ to some punk tell me not to enter a room. Fuck that.

“Joey, I get where you’re comin’ from son, but it would be bad business for me to enter a room alone. If you don’t want my enforcer with us, I will be takin’ my VP in there. And Joey, don’t even think of denyin’ me this information. Your father would hate to have a visit from me where I tell him you’ve been uncooperative.” King says to Joey, makin’ sure to express his feelins through his eyes. He’s not in the mood to be fucked with.

“Fine King, I’ll let you make this call. I just don’t know how much information you wish to share. Sniper’s cool with me. Known you both my entire life, and I don’t fear that one of you’d put me in danger with what I’ve found out. If it gets out any way at all, it won’t just be me losin’ my life. That fucker is crazy enough to make me watch while he tortured every person I love and then play with me as well before he gives me the mercy of death.”

King turns to us, “Wasp, take Kid out and check the perimeter and keep an eye on the bikes. Tic, stay here where you have eyes on both doors.”

Then I watch as my Prez and VP follow Joey into what I am assumin’ is an office. Fuck, I’m not at ease not havin’ one of us go in there and check to make sure our leaders aren’t walkin’ into a trap. I pull my Ruger 9mil which was a present from Kori back when we first started datin’. This is my baby, my go to. The guys give me a hard time about havin’ a pussy gun, but this gun has never left my side and has always takin’ care of me and them. I don’t give a rat’s ass if they think it’s a pussy gun, its saved all of our asses at one time or another.

I stand guard at the post I was given but I still check out my surroundin’s. Comin’ up to the house were currently in, you’d think it’s a complete shithole. Vinyl sidin’ fallin’ apart, paint chippin’ and lord forbid they had to do any mowin’. It looks as if a jungle is tryin’ to grow. You know what they say though, about judgin’ a book by its cover and all that shit. This would be a prime example of that statement. You walk inside and there are pages inside the binder fallin’ to pieces. Beautiful cherry hardwood floors throughout the entire home. Looks as if it was painted just yesterday, that’s how well maintained they’ve been kept. Furniture looks new, like it’s just been delivered from a catalog.

We know Joey’s got an old lady who apparently knows how to make the inside a home worth livin’ in. But none of us have had the privilege of meetin her. He keeps his family in the dark to his world. It sounds good on paper, but that’s what Wasp did with Ashton, and to hear him tell it that was one of the biggest mistakes he’s ever made. If she’d been immersed into the club she may have been safe. It’s a guessin’ game for him—the coulda, woulda, shoulda shit. If you ask me life is full of the guessin’ game. You can only take life one day at a time and make the best decisions for yourself with the information you have to work with.

As I’m doin’ a check again on my surroundin’s I hear a very loud, boisterous voice scream. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” I know that voice, it’s the pissed off thunder of my VP. This instantly puts me on edge. What is it exactly Joey’s tellin’ them that’s got my VP growlin’? I want to abandon my post and go listen at the door like I used to when my parents were fightin’. Of course I had to, needed to know my Ma and brothers were gonna survive my father’s rage.

Before I have a chance to contemplate my next move, the door flies open and Prez gives me a look that says ‘don’t fuckin’ ask’, follow me and let’s ride. So once again like the dutiful soldier I am, I follow close behind on their heels. Lord forbid they let me do my job and go ahead of them. I swear they do this shit just to get us pissed. Our job is to protect them at all costs, includin’ our own lives. Unfortunately, they see it differently, they see it as if they’re the leaders of the club and it’s their duty to keep us safe. Fools don’t realize we need them, all of us. Their blood family and their made family. They are us. We wouldn’t be the club we are today if they’d not formed the Rage Ryders and took in all of us wayward boys. Troubled and tortured, they took us all in and gave us the meanin’ of family. Somethin’ my folks never did for me and my brothers.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Chapter 14

             
~
Joey             

I hope I’ve done the right thing telling them what they’d asked for. Going up against the man is not only dangerous—it’s a damn death sentence. It’s bad enough their enforcer Tic is on the radar. He despises Tic for claiming Kori and him not being able to use her as a bargaining chip for his debt to the Columbian mob. See, everyone thinks he’s untouchable. He’s not, there’s going to be a bloodbath soon. It’s going to soak our town in red, blood red. Unfortunately for my friends, men I’ve known my whole life. They’re fixing to find themselves deep in the middle of a shit storm. One I pray every single one of them makes it out alive for at the end of the day.

But with Kori no longer an option for settling this debt, the club having Tic’s back, means they’re all in more danger than even I can understand. I didn’t want to keep them in the dark, I just wanted to make sure everything I’ve heard is correct. I hope to God they go on the offense and don’t wait to be on the defensive end of this. I’ve tried getting in touch with my contact in the Columbian mob, I finally spoke to her right before the guys showed up. She’s going to see if she can whisper in her lover’s ear that they should back the guys. See, Kendra is the mistress of the head honcho. He’s either deeply in love with her or just plain out obsessed with her. Mancito’s family forced him into a marriage to bind the two biggest families into an unbreakable ally. Mancito married who his family forced him to. But he kept his lifelong sweetheart right there in the same home. Sharing a bed with her more than with his own wife.

Which from what I understand is perfectly fine with his wife Valentina. She too has her own lover in the home. They put on a good face for the organization, they’ve even become the best of friends. Neither of them being in love with the other, they came to an understanding. Neither willing to cheat on their side pieces, they’ve done in-vitro for the three children they share. I know, to the outside word that’s one fucked up situation but it works for them and keeps them both happy. You don’t want to get on the bad side of either one of them. They are both ruthless people when you get on their bad side or fuck with their children, or hell, even each other.

Kendra and I spent a lot of summers together when she’d come visit her grandparents and Aunts. I knew all about Mancito and Valentina’s arrangements, from her mouth to my ears. I’ve always kept my ears open, never knowing what I could hear that would keep me safe as well as those around me who I care for. I’ve also met Mancito, we hit it off, thank God. But I don’t have the kind of relationship with him that could keep King and his boys safe. Therefore, I have to rely on Kendra to whisper ideas into his head.

I pray for my friends that he listens to her and decides they’re the better option. He doesn’t want Kori for himself. He’d only take her to have a one up. Unfortunately, Kori’s father could care less whatever he would decide to do with her. There is no type of good in him, he’s pure evil—the spawn of the Devil himself. Hell, he’s probably more lethal and dangerous than Lucifer himself could ever fathom. I pray that my friends will somehow pull out of this situation and get rid of the man who’d do anything in his power to ruin them.

God speed my friends, my thoughts and prayers are with you.