Page 4

“What the fuck are you talking about, fucknuts?”

My head was about to explode if someone didn’t start fucking spewing the truth soon. I was at my limit with all the who fucked who. As far as I was concerned, when this shit was over with, everyone was getting a fucking vasectomy, even if I had to cut their balls off myself!

Ignoring me, Montana glared at Val.

“Tell him I’m wrong. I dare you.”

“You’re a fucking dick.” Valhalla shot up from her seat. “You know that?”

“But a truthful dick.”

“ENOUGH!” I roared, reaching for my blades, slamming them down on the table. Taking a deep breath and as calmly as I could, I said, “I swear to fucking God. One of you better start making sense fast before I gut the lot of you.”

“Now you did it, Mere.” Montana chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You just pissed off the deadliest man in this fucking room.”

Reaching for her chair, Valhalla plopped her ass back down. Slumping forward, she placed her arms on her thighs and hung her head while she spoke. “I had a good life, loving parents and friends. Then one day I didn’t.”

“What happened?” Ace asked, taking a seat as everyone soon found a comfortable place, knowing that Valhalla was about to tell her story.

“We all grew up in the same neighborhood. I grew up two houses down from August and that fucking idiot lived across the street from me.” She smirked, thumbing her finger toward Montana. “Because of who our parents were, we had every advantage life could afford us, and we knew it. Back then, our parents pretty much left us alone. That’s probably why Montana grew into the pompous dick he is today.”

A few of the brothers chuckled, while Montana flipped Valhalla the one finger bird as she smirked and continued.

“I knew from the first time August kissed me I would spend the rest of my life with him. I think on some level he knew, too. We didn’t hide how we felt for each other, even though his parents wanted him to keep his options open. I could understand that, but what I couldn’t comprehend was why Montana’s father was against the match. It made no sense, but when my parents changed their tune a few months later, I knew George Stone said something to them. At first, I thought it was something I did, but then I found my adoption paperwork. My parents were not my biological parents.”

“How the fuck could my dad know you were adopted?” Montana asked.

“Because he facilitated my fucking adoption, you dickwad.” Val glared at the fucker. “Your fucking piece of shit dad has been playing the long game since before any of us were born. Only all of us were too fucking young to see it. When I learned I was adopted, I told August, and he helped me research my actual parents. He made a game out of it. He even researched his family, too. What we learned changed everything we thought we knew about the Soulless Sinners, the Golden Skulls, everyone. Then, the night my parents died, George found me with August. He fucking lost it. The next thing I knew, I woke up at the Trick Pony and I never saw August again.”

Leaning forward, Montana asked, “Are you fucking telling me Bane knew all along that my dad was a sick, twisted son of a bitch?”

“Yes.” She nodded, while Montana lost his shit. Jumping from his seat, he picked up the chair and threw it across the room as he yelled. Mercy got to his feet and watched the volatile fucker as Val ignored him and continued, “When I realized where I was, I knew I wasn’t leaving the place alive. George ensured that when he ordered Devlin Scott to kill me. The only thing that saved me was Scott found out that I was pregnant. August and I had only been together a few times, and we weren’t exactly careful. So, for the next seven and a half months, Devlin Scott kept me hidden within the walls of the Trick Pony and ordered a woman named Veronica Meeks to watch over me.”

Malice cursed, got up, and stormed out of the room.

“Veronica was a striking woman. Blonde hair and the bluest eyes that could enthrall anyone she was around. To the blind eye, she looked sweet and kind, almost angel like, but like most things, looks could be deceiving. The fact was that bitch was pure fucking evil and just as sadistic as Devlin Scott, maybe worse. She made my life a living fucking hell, but she never touched me. She knew Scott would kill her if she did, so instead, she liked to torment me with her plans after I delivered my baby. The woman seriously had a screw loose. In the end, she never got a chance, because I went into labor early. When I woke up from my emergency C-section, I wasn’t well. I contracted an infection that left me bed-ridden for weeks. I didn’t know what happened to my daughter, but when I was able to stand, I went to look for her. That’s when Sinclair showed up and dragged me away.”

“Hang on.” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “You left something out. Something big. What is it?”

Val looked up at Popeye, who nodded. “Tell them, sweetheart.”

Taking a deep breath, she added, “I gave birth to twins. A boy and girl. Only I didn’t know it until Sypher told me before I came here. I didn’t know when I left the Trick Pony the first time that I had left with my son. Like I said, after I gave birth, I was weak. I could barely stand, but I was determined to find my baby. Somehow, I stumbled into the nursery. There were five babies in there. Four girls and one little boy. He was crying so loudly, I couldn’t stand hearing him cry, so I picked him up. He was so tiny, so small. He looked like a doll. I was soothing him when the alarms started going off. The next thing I knew, Sinclair was there, dragging me from the club.”

“When George learned Meredith escaped, he lost his shit,” Popeye added, taking a seat. Reaching for Val’s hand, he continued, “George was in deep with Devlin Scott and the Society . Both of them were conspiring to get rid of the Craven sisters. George fucking hated Sienna Mitchell and the hold she had on everyone. George wanted that power for himself. But Devlin Scott had it worse, because he had to fucking deal with Jane. Now, that bitch is fucking scary as hell. She was the sadistic mastermind behind all the blood mixing. Fucking cunt believed that if she mixed enough blood, everyone would just kill each other. She almost succeeded, too.”

“Bullshit,” Montana sneered. “Dad wouldn’t care about that shit. If it made the Soulless Sinners stronger, he’d make a fucking deal with the Devil himself.”

“You’re wrong, Montana.” Popeye sighed. “Your dad fucking flat out refused to have Golden blood in his club. Back then, he hated the Golden Skulls. Wanted them wiped off the fucking map, but could never get close enough to eradicate them. But when Sienna tasked me to find Meredith and return her to the Trick Pony, your dad had another plan. He wanted me to find Meredith because he was going to force you to marry her. He figured the only way to get rid of the Golden Skulls was to send in his own fucking blood. But it was too late.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Montana muttered, shaking his head.

“What do you mean, it was too late?” I asked, sitting forward.

“When George learned Montana had gotten Bella pregnant, he knew the Society would use his own blood against him to bring him to heel. So he whisked Bella and her parents away, and when she delivered, he insisted Bella sign away her rights. When the girl refused, George killed her parents. Bella signed the papers, and I never knew what he did with the baby.”

“Bullshit,” Montana sneered. “You always knew what Dad was up to. Don’t start fucking lying to me now, Popeye.”

“I’m not,” the older man groaned. “I really don’t know how your daughter ended up in the hands of the Society .”

“Yes, you do,” I seethed, looking at the man. “You know exactly how.”

Montana looked at me then at Popeye before closing his eyes. “Motherfucker gave them my daughter. He fucking got rid of her like a discarded piece of trash.”

Growling, Ace sneered, “Not gonna ask again. What does all that shit have to do with my brother?”

“Everything,” I groaned, rubbing my hands down my face. “Sypher knew it all. He’s always known. From the moment Moonshine and I asked him to search Ravage’s past, the kid has known all the players. Since then, he’s been watching, gathering information on everyone. Watching to see what they will do and who they will align themselves with.”

“Still doesn’t explain why my brother is willing to risk everything for Dante. I get he loves Dante, but I need more than that. Because from where I’m standing, all of you can get fucked. All I care about is my baby brother.”

“August Brian Lansing is the son of Albert William Lansing and Julia Diana Craven, the daughter of Fredrick Craven and Abigail

Baudelaire.”

The second she said the name, everyone stiffened, and I looked at Montana, who stared blankly at Valhalla.

“You wanted to know why Sypher is willing to die to protect my son. There is your answer. My son is the great-grandson of the Baudelaire Family. He’s also the great-grandson of the very family who is trying to take down the Biker Federation, and when the world learns he exists, everyone will want him dead.”

This wasn’t happening.

There was no fucking way I had two descendants of that fucking family in my club. Not that I gave a shit, but protecting one was hard enough. There was no fucking way I could protect the two of them without Sypher.

Looking over at Montana, the fucker hadn’t said shit since Valhalla revealed her secret. As secrets went, the woman won hands down because nothing else mattered now. There was no fucking way I was throwing Ravage or Dante under the bus, not while Sypher was willing to die to protect them.

“We have to call him.”

“The fuck we do!”

“Montana, it’s the only way.”

“There is a reason the Biker Federation avoids them. They don’t give a fuck about anything or anyone. They do what they want, Reaper. They make our clubs look like a fucking daycare. I wouldn’t trust a single fucking one of them with a toothpick, let alone this information. No. We are not calling him.”

“I don’t think you are comprehending the severity of what is going on. The Brotherhood of Bastards is not the fucking club you want to cross. You know that and so do I. There is a reason the Biker Federation gives that club a wide berth. They will not think twice before coming after us if anything happens to Dante. Especially Morpheus.”

“Kid is just an intern. As soon as this shit is over, I’m kicking him to the curb. You can deal with him. And I’m ripping Bane’s brand off his back with my bare hands. No fucking way is that drunk motherfucker staying in my house.”

Valhalla chuckled, shaking her head. “You are a fucking pussy, you know that, Montana? You talk a good game, but when your back is against the wall, you still fucking grab your dick and run. Just like your fucking father.”

“Fuck you, Mere,” Montana scoffed. “None of this shit would have happened if you had kept your fucking legs closed.”

“Watch it, boy,” Popeye growled.

Jumping to his feet, Montana snarled, “Fuck you, Popeye. You went along with this shit. You did nothing to stop it. None of you did. Now look what I have to clean up. You and fucking Snoopy are out, too.”

“Montana,” Mercy groaned, shaking his head.

“Shut it, Mercy. I don’t want to hear shit out of you unless it’s a way out of this mess.”

“There is only one way out and you fucking know it,” I calmly said. “You want this shit contained, then we need to find Sypher. He is the only one who can make this shit disappear. But let me be very fucking crystal clear here, asshole. If you so much as harm one hair on Dante’s head, the Golden Skulls will retaliate in force. Sypher claimed him. That makes him ours. So get your fucking head out of your ass and stop making shit worse.”

Sitting back down, Montana muttered, “Intern’s still out. He’s your problem now.”

“Whatever,” I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. Turning to Ace, I asked, “Is there any way you can track Sypher? I know he bought Harbor Security and helped you get into that military facility. There has to be a way, Ace.”

“No,” Ace sighed, shaking his head, when Shane West piped up, “What about the camera?”

“What?” Matthew Law asked.

Shane West frowned. “Before Danny went into the facility. Remember, Ace. It’s how we got the pictures of inside the facility. The camera Danny created.”

“Shit!” Ace gasped, reaching for his computer. “If he still has it in, then we would see everything he was seeing.”

“English, asshole?” Trout growled, glaring at his older brother.

“Before Danny and the others were arrested, Danny and I were working on a new tech. A contact lens camera, that wouldn’t be detected. Danny was wearing the lens when the FEDs arrested him. It allowed us to see inside the facility.”

“And you think the kid is still wearing the contact?” Payne asked.

“If he is, then we can locate him,” Ace muttered, typing into his computer. Getting up, I walked over to where Ace was sitting and Montana walked over to stand next to me.

“Holy mother of God,” Ace whispered. “He’s still wearing it. There are days of information stored before the camera turned off.”

“Skip to the end, Ace,” Chipper ordered.

There on the screen, we all watched as Sypher left a house.

“That’s Sinclair’s house,” Malice informed as the camera went dark.

“Hang on,” Ace muttered. “I just need to download the data then I should be able to boot up the camera again.

As Ace did his thing, I looked at Montana and whispered, “You really going to kick your best friend from the club?”

“Fuck no.”

Shaking my head, I smirked. “You really are all talk, aren’t you?”

“Shut up, asshole.”

I chuckled as Ace spoke up, pointing at the computer screen, “There.”

Several bodies leaned forward when Montana asked, “Where the fuck is that?”

“The Harbor Security Building,” Matthew Law growled, reaching for his gun, as did all the rest of the Alpha team members when I felt my phone vibrating.

“That fucking bitch breached our building!” Jonathan Savage roared.

Reaching into my cut, I removed my phone and looked at the caller ID.

“Montana.”

“What?”

When I said nothing, the man looked down at my hand and whistled loudly, halting everyone and silencing the room. Hitting the connect button, I placed the call on speaker so everyone could hear.

“Good evening, everyone,” the bitch said sweetly as her voice resonated through the speaker. “I will assume that you all remembered the camera and can see me now. Is that right, Mr. Franks?”

Looking at Ace’s computer screen, we all watched as the woman smiled, waving her hand in front of Sypher’s face.

“I’ll take your silence as conformation. Now, gentlemen. I know you want him back and I am more than happy to oblige. The young man has been unwilling to acquiesce to my demands, and I am sorry to say that Mr. Greer did get a little carried away. Now, before you all get your panties in a wad, I am willing to exchange him for Jackson.”

Montana was about to utter something when I sneered at him to shut the fuck up. Placing the speaker of my phone close to my mouth, I clearly said, “I’m gonna fucking gut you from fuck hole to pie hole, bitch.”

She sighed. “I figured you would say that, Mr. Doherty. You have three minutes, gentlemen, and then the kid will go boom. I believe that needs no explanation. Oh, please tell my dearest Jackson, I look forward to seeing him soon.”

Not even a second later, I received an incoming text message. Opening it, I dropped my phone and ran from the clubhouse.

The air was thick with tension as I ran like my life depended on it and in a way it did, because if anything happened to that kid, we were fucking screwed.

I knew it and so did Montana.

Never in this fucked-up mess did I ever think Sypher would be so fucking stupid as to use himself as bait. It was bad enough that I involved him in this crazy fucking scheme, but if anything happened to him, the repercussions would be severe and deadly. And that was just what the table would do. I really didn’t want to think what his brothers would do.

Quickly looking at my watch, I noted the time as very second felt like a thunderous beat in my ears while I raced toward the Harbor on 5 th building. Bathed in the unsettling glow of the setting sun, the structure stood like a menacing silhouette against the darkening sky, concealing within its walls the one man whose life hung precariously in the balance.

It had been mere moments ago when that fucking cunt called, laughing as she demanded Jackson before sending a picture of Sypher chained to a pipe, beaten black and blue. The bitch had tortured him, and I vowed to gut that bitch like a fucking fish when I got my hands on her. Her parting words were ominous, but I would worry about that later.

She gave us three minutes.

Three motherfucking minutes to save Sypher or he would go boom. I didn’t need a magic eight-ball to fucking tell me what she meant by that. All I cared about was getting that kid out of that fucking building before it blew.

I never hesitated. The second I saw his face, I ran as if the hounds of Hell nipped at my feet. There was no other option. I had to get him out before she killed him. She fucking knew with Sypher dead, no one would be able to stop her, and she was right.

Every second wasted was a step closer to an unimaginable tragedy.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I rushed from the clubhouse and sprinted toward the looming building, not more than a city block away from the pier. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, my breaths urgent, pressing hard against my chest as I ignored the burn in my lungs. The weight of the situation weighed heavily on my shoulders.

I had to save him.

Failure was no longer an option.

The ground beneath my feet seemed to tremble with the impending doom, each footfall echoed like a death knell when I heard emergency service sirens blaring off in the distance.

Fuck!

The cunt called the police and first responders.

The entrance to the building was in sight. I had to get inside that building before the police showed up and quickly blockaded off the entire area.

Still, I pressed on, my determination unwavering when I heard the roar of the motorcycle engines echoing from behind me as a horde of bikers raced against time, shooting past me. I could see the adrenaline pulse through their veins, driven by the singular goal of saving the young boy trapped inside the building. The fading sunlight glinted off their helmets, reflecting the intensity of their mission.

When I approached the building, its facade loomed ominously, the air thick with an unspoken tension as brothers didn’t waste time and laid down their bikes, running for the building. With every step toward the entrance, my heart pounded louder, my breaths coming in short, urgent gasps.

“Sypher!” Their voices broke through the chaos, their pleas mingled with the futility of the situation. I was close, so very close. With every passing second, I prayed for just a little more time, just a few more moments to bridge the gap between hope and despair.

But as fate would have it, time was not on my side.

I don’t know what made me stop, but when I did, I looked up to find Danny staring down at me from the seventh floor. A look of peace on his face right before a deafening blast shattered the air. A fiery explosion engulfed the building, sending debris and flames spiraling into the sky. The sheer force of the blast flung the club brothers into the air and me off my feet, throwing me backward with a violent intensity.

The world spun in a cacophony of sound and blinding light. I felt the ground rush up to meet me. The impact jarring every bone in my body. The acrid smell of smoke filled my nostrils as I struggled to regain my bearings, my ears ringing.

I absently rolled onto my side, coughing as I wiped my nose with the back of my hand, seeing blood smeared along my skin. Shaking the fog from my brain, I slowly turned to see the Harbor on 5 th , gone. Only a pile of rubble where an eight-story building once stood. Staggering to my feet, I walked forward, when someone tried to stop me. Yanking my arm free, I continued forward, determined to find him. He was in there, somewhere under the rubble. I knew he was. I had to find him.

Someone stepped in front of me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. All I cared about was getting to Sypher. Trying to get away from the man, I walked around him and took another step to find Montana in my path. The grim look on his face told me what I already knew, but I refused to believe it.

He wasn’t dead.

He was alive and I was going to prove it.

I just needed to find him.

“Reaper,” I vaguely heard through the ringing in my ears as Montana gripped my arms tight.

“Shit! I don’t think he can hear. He’s bleeding from his ears.”

“The cops will be here shortly. Your call, Montana. What do you want to do?”

“No way I can cover this shit up. We stay and help dig. If he’s alive, then we need to know.”

“Your heard him!” Mercy roared. “Start fucking digging!”

Brothers rushed past me while Montana held me firm, refusing to let me take another step.

Shaking me, he got my attention. I tried to focus on him, but my eyes kept darting back to the pile of rubble. Snapping his fingers in front of my face, Montana shouted, “MAXWELL!”

Blinking, I looked back at him, my eyes stinging with unshed tears as I stared into his eyes, unable to swallow the gut-wrenching guttural sob that finally broke free from deep within my soul as I screamed, “DANNY!”

Montana gathered me in his arms, holding me tight as my world crumbled down around me.