Wild Heart (22 page)

She walked to the window of the cabin as the familiar rumble came vibrating through the cracked window. Smiling, she pulled the curtain to the side and looked down, questioning why she saw Rage’s bike pull up first. Jameson, Charon, Repo, and Doc pulled up behind him, parking quickly before jumping off their bikes and sprinting toward the door. Ani’s stomach dropped, something was wrong. She turned and rushed downstairs to find the men in a fury. Kate stood amongst them in the living room attempting to calm them enough to get an idea of what was going on.

Ani watched as Rage went running into his room, Kate dragging behind him as she clung to his arm. Doc, an older man in his fifties leaned against the counter out of breath. She could see the red stain of blood splattered across the belly of his white shirt. The room was a chaotic mess and she couldn’t get a clear grasp from the scattered voices speaking over the other. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bringing her hand to her mouth and letting out a whistle loud enough to quiet the room.

She looked down at the four men, who were now staring at her with concern, “What happened?”

“We need to get you girls to the clubhouse, Darlin’,” Doc said panting for breath.

“Doc, what happened?” She walked down to him, checking him over, “Where did this blood come from?”

“We need to get you to the clubhouse,” Rage said as he drug Kate back out of the room. “Darlin’ I will buy you all the clothes you need. But we need to go. Now.” He placed a light kiss on Kate’s lips and then turned back toward Ani, “We need to go and don’t stop until we’re at the clubhouse.” Rage glanced around at each of the guys who nodded back in understanding.

Ani watched as Rage tossed a handgun to Charon who stuck it in the back of his pants and made his way toward where Ani stood, frozen with fear. “Charon, please tell me what’s going on.”

“We need to go, Darlin’. We’ll talk about it at the club. You ride with me.” He protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the group headed toward their bikes.

Before she could protest Charon was taking off toward the clubhouse. She could tell he was uneasy, nervous, as he scanned the roads that jutted out from the main road they found themselves flying down. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable being on the back of his bike. Why wouldn’t anyone tell her where Knox was at or what had happened? She tried to push the negative thoughts out of her mind. Knox would be ok, he had to be ok.

As they turned onto a paved road, shaded by the trees Ani heard Jameson’s voice yelling behind them to go faster. Ani gripped onto Charon as he took off down the road. She chanced a glance behind them to see a large black van following closely behind them. She gripped onto Charon as a scream escaped her throat and a bullet shattered into a tree a few feet away from them. One sounded close, as Charon swerved and tensed. She could hear shots ringing out in every direction, both from the van and Repo and Jameson as the tires of the van came to a screeching stop and swerved off the road and into a deep ravine. The group took off and before she knew it they were pulling into the yard of the clubhouse. She felt a light tap on her hand as she removed her face from where it had been implanted in Charon’s back.

“It’s ok, Ani. We’re here,” Charon tried to calm her.

She peered up at him as she took in the blood dripping down from his shoulder, a few inches from where her head had been pressed into his back. She jumped off the back of his bike as Jameson and Repo rushed over and caught him, just before his lifeless body slumped off the side of his motorcycle and onto the ground; he’d taken a bullet for her. But how had he known they were trying to shoot at her too? They carried him toward the clubhouse as Rage yelled for Doc. Ani stood frozen in place, who were those people and why were they shooting at them?

“We need to get inside, Ani. It’s not safe out here,” Lulu said as she grabbed Ani’s hand and pulled her toward the clubhouse.

Lulu was a lay, she wasn’t anyone’s old lady. She had been hanging around the clubhouse over the past few months. She was young, maybe twenty-one, and a quiet girl. She had shown up at one of the club parties and never left. She and Ani hit it off the first night they met and Ani now looked at her like a little sister. Lulu had her eyes on Charon from the moment she’d walked in the door, but he’d seemed almost clueless to her advances. She’d been a part of the M.C. life since she was a kid and knew what was expected of her since she wasn’t anyone’s old lady, only complicating things further in her pursuit of Charon. No one wants to be with an old lady that had been passed around the club a few times.

Ani stopped as they walked through the door and pulled Lulu into a tight hug. She felt her arms tighten around Ani’s waist as the flood of tears came out. Ani’s heart ached for her, she was scared for Knox just like Lulu was scared for Charon. She saw Rage come out from behind the elaborately carved doors, Charon’s lifeless body lay atop the large wooden table as Doc shot a needle of medication into his arm.

Doc was the resident club doctor, he’d earned his name from the many years he had practiced back in Ireland, losing his license after treating club patients off the books. He had come to the States with the rest of the M.C. in an effort to keep an eye on them. He was one of the original founding members and often reminded Ani of her dad with his warm demeanor and storytelling. Ani gently brushed Lulu’s hair trying to comfort her as Rage came toward them.

“Ani, I need you,” he said, his eyes filled with anxiety.

“Lulu, Charon will be ok. Why don’t you go in there and be with him while Doc gets him fixed up,” she flashed her eyes at Rage who nodded in approval.

“Ok,” Lulu’s voice was timid as she made her way toward the chapel.

“Rage, what’s going on?” Ani did her best to keep her voice composed.

“We got ambushed. Fucking group of Renegades caught us on our run back.” He brushed his hands through his short black hair.

“Where is Knox?” Ani’s voice was a whisper as she asked, immediately praying that he was alright.

“He’s ok. He and a few of the other guys are held up in our warehouse. Can’t leave. There’s no getting into that building. You’d have to blow it up to get into it.” Ani’s eyes flashed with concern as Rage answered her unspoken thought, “They might have connections, but they don’t have connections like that.”

“Those guys in the van?”

“Renegades. Charon had a gut feeling that they were going to try and go to the cabin. We knew you girls were there alone. God only knows what would have happened if they’d gotten there before us.” He bent over letting out a gut wrenching sound as the scenario played out in his mind. She could see that the worry of something happening to her or Kate was ripping him apart.

“Hey, Rage, we’re ok. You got there first,” Ani leaned down as she rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. Charon had known that they might come after Ani and Kate when he put her on the back of his bike. It was his way of protecting her when Knox couldn’t be there. And, now he lay on a make shift operating table as Doc dug a bullet out of his shoulder. “So what’s next?” Ani asked, she knew she needed to be brave for Knox and the rest of the M.C. and step up.

“Jameson is calling the rest of the members. We go on lockdown. Is there any way you can get ahold of your pops? See if he can come in?” Rage asked as Kate came up and hugged him. She could see that Kate’s normal brave façade had faded, she was scared.

“He can’t drive. I would need to go get him.”

“Call him and tell him that two nasty looking bastards named Riley and Odessa will be picking him up. I’ll call them now and tell them to go get him before they get here. He does not, under any circumstances, leave with anyone else.” Rage kissed the top of Kate’s head before turning to head up the stairs.

“Ani, I’m scared,” Kate hugged her as she pulled her phone from her pocket.

“We’ll be ok,” Ani wrapped her free arm around Kate and waited for her dad to pick up.

“Hello?” his voice was cheery as he picked up the phone. Ani wondered briefly how much of a fight he would put up.

“Hey, Daddy. Listen, there is something going on and we need you to come to the clubhouse. Do you think you could grab a bag of clothes and come over and hang out with us for a bit?” She silently prayed when he didn’t immediately respond.

“Been waiting for months for you to bring me over to play with motorcycles. You coming to get me?” She smiled as he responded brightly.

“No, two guys will be coming; Riley and Odessa. Daddy, I need you to make sure they are who they say they are before you leave with them ok?” she said sternly.

“Aye, Captain,” he chucked, “See you in a bit kiddo. Love you.”

“Love you too, daddy.” She ended the call as a group of club members, women, men, and children, came in through the door next to her and Kate.

“Ani, just talked to Odessa. They are pulling up now,” Rage called out down the hallway. She smiled before giving him a thumbs up and reaching down and holding Kate out at arm’s length.

“Kate, it’s gonna be ok,” Ani smiled down at her, “We knew shit was gonna be scary at times, but it’s time for us to step up. We gotta be strong for them,” she eyed down at the chaos going on in the main room.

Kate took a deep breath and exhaled, when she looked up at Ani there was a brighter fierceness in her eyes. “You’re right. We gotta be brave. So what did Rage say was going on?”

“Said the guys were at the warehouse. They are surrounded by Renegades that they apparently ran into on the way back from the run.” Ani wiped her hand across her head.

“What were they doing on a run through Gatlinburg?” Kate huffed.

“Not sure,” Ani patted Kate’s shoulder before her making her way toward the open room that had now filled more than halfway with club and family members. This was her family now and she had to do whatever she could to protect them.

She made her way over to the bar area where Johanna, Odessa’s old lady, stood taking inventory. “Johanna, can I help you with anything?”

“No, Babe,” the heavily tattooed older woman said smiling over at her. “How bout’ you relax for a minute and let me get you a drink.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Ani smiled warmly.

“You’re the Prez’ old lady. Let me take care of you, Babe.” Johanna leaned against the counter, waiting.

“Coffee please.” Ani turned as a hand grasped her shoulder, half expecting to turn and see Knox, she turned to find the warm smile of her dad. “Daddy, you made it. Everything go ok?” She wrapped her arms around him, stopping as she felt the hard steel under each arm of his jacket. She stepped back looking at him questioningly before smiling. “Daddy, you packin’?”

“Figured it had to be something bad if they wouldn’t let you come and get me,” he answered, taking off his jacket to reveal the two Beretta M9’s holstered under each arm.

“Bloody hell, Ani. We should have called your pops earlier,” Rage said as he came up, shaking her dad’s hand.

“I have a duffle bag in the back of Riley’s truck with plenty of artillery if you need it. No serials, untraceable.”

Ani plugged her ears, “I don’t want to hear this.”

“Oh, Dear, you didn’t realize your old man was an outlaw once did you?” he chuckled as he took a seat at the end of the bar.

Ani heard a loud whistle, turning she saw Rage and Jameson standing at the opening of the hallway. Rage took a second, cleared his throat and then spoke loudly to the group. “Tonight we’ve had a few issues. Got some things going on that might put some of you in harm. We’ve already had a close call tonight,” his eyes wondering to Ani first and then toward the wooden doors that Charon still lay behind. “I want everyone on lockdown until we can get control of what’s going on. If you need food or something to set up a bed for your wee ones, let Ani or Starla know. If you have a concern about safety talk to Doc.”

The room that was silent only a moment ago suddenly erupted into loud and chaotic chatter. Ani tried to focus on the fact that everything was going to be ok. She tried her best to be brave, even if for the moment it was nothing more than a cover. She turned to Johanna who was sliding a cup of coffee across to her, along with a shot of whiskey.

“It will make you feel better. Just knock it back,” Johanna smiled as she made her way down to Ani’s dad.

Ani spun the shot glass with her finger as Rage came up to her, “Might need a few more of those to make it through tonight,” he attempted a smile, “We are leaving. Don’t know how long this will take.”

“Get Knox back here safe, Rage. Whatever you have to do,” she lowered her voice before she continued, “Whoever you have to run over to get to him. Get. Him. Back.” She turned the shot glass back letting the warmth of the whiskey linger before taking a sip of her coffee.

“I promise I will. Might need you to do me a favor. You think you can call in your sheriff?” Rage looked over at her questioningly.

“I don’t know how Cash would feel about that. He’s pretty straightforward about his job. I know that you have a few cops in this town that look the other way, but I don’t know if he can.” She followed him toward the door, taking Kate’s hand as they made their way out into the yard.

“If we aren’t back by morning call him. Give him this address,” he handed her a slip of paper, “Tell him to come get us.”

A shiver went up Ani’s spine as she thought about the weight of that sentence. She knew that no King would willing go with a cop. It would have to be over their dead body. “Ok, I will.” She let Kate’s hand go, watching as she became engulfed in Rage’s arms.