Page 8 of Unhinged

Gears is our President and my best friend. His dad was President until he died and Gears took his place, and his little brother, Arrow, is the VP. We’ve been friends since we were kids, so while I respect Gears as our leader, when we’re alone like this, we’re just best friends.

Quickly plugging the USB into the port on my laptop, I begin clicking like a madman.

“Alright, here’s the night of Kenny’s murder.” Arrow leans in, his eyes glued to the screen, and I can’t help but lean closer too. Gears comes around to stand behind us. His presence is heavy as we all watch the footage.

The video is grainy, but clear enough to make out someone in Kenny’s backyard, obviously picking his lock.

The door opens, and the figureheads inside.

They’re not very tall, but that doesn’t mean much.

Kenny was killed in his bed, probably sound asleep when this person came for him.

An hour later, you see one of the prospects checking the perimeter; so this is when we first arrived.

The footage shows nothing for a good few minutes until in the far right of the screen, a shadow comes into view.

You can see someone come to the side of the house and fuck around in the bushes.

They stand up and have something in their hand but I can’t make out what it is.

The item is shoved under their clothing and then we get a glimpse of their face when they look around, checking their surroundings.

“What the fuck?” Arrow murmurs, disbelief etched across his face.

“That lying bitch,” I snarl, fury boiling in my gut. She played us all like fools.

“I want to know everything about that woman. I want her in the basement by the end of the day tomorrow, so we can question her. She knows way more than she let on last night.” Gears storms from the room, hollering for Nitro and Suave.

“You almost fucked the enemy.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “Your brother is going to shit when he finds out now.”

“Fuck off. At least we know where she works,” he snaps back. “Thankfully, I only felt her up a little. Didn’t even get to dip a finger in her cunt. It’s a small consolation, but it’s enough to keep me from losing my shit completely.”

“We’re gonna need a drink to deal with this shit. Let’s go back to the bar,” I suggest. In sync, we stand and trudge out to the bar, taking our seats and getting to work on our plan.

“We know she works at Ruby’s thanks to dick for-brains here, and you found her address, but that’s all we got?” Gears asks as we sit at the bar, sharing a bottle of VO.

“Nothin’. She’s like a ghost. Whoever she has taking care of her online footprint is good. Real fucking good.” I throw back the shot glass of whiskey and slam it down on the bar. The burn is welcome, grounding me in the moment, but it doesn’t do shit for the gnawing feeling in my gut.

“In the morning, we send Suave and Nitro to her house to check it out. The three of us will hit Ruby’s and see if she’s there or if we can sway her boss to give us her schedule.” Gears pulls his phone from his cut and fires off a message to Suave and Nitro.

“I know we don’t usually deal with women in the basement, but this beta won’t make a fool of us again. You gonna be okay with that, Acid? Not saying we’re killing her…yet…but you might have to slap her around a bit.”

“I’m fine. I’ll do whatever we need to do to figure out who’s trying to bring tar and ice into our territory. The Alpha Slayer ain't killing anyone we didn’t plan to kill or had an eye on. But no one gets to kill in our territory but me,” I assure him.

THE NEXT MORNING

When we pull into Ruby’s parking lot, I spot a Pontiac GTO, and the beta in question slips out and hurries inside.

I stifle a smirk. This is almost too easy.

If I believed in divine intervention, I might’ve given thanks, but in our world, there’s no room for faith—only opportunity. Today, luck’s on our side.

I kill the engine, my senses sharpening as I take in the scene.

We dismount our bikes, and I motion for the others to follow as I head toward her car, curiosity prickling at the back of my mind.

What’s she hiding? I lean against the trunk, lighting a cigarette as I glance around.

I plan to pop the lock and see if there’s anything worth our time inside, but then I hear it—the faint creak of a car door opening and shutting.

“Get the hell away from our car!” the shout cuts through the air, yanking my attention to the source. I look up to see a kid, no older than eight, standing by the car. His black hair is styled much like mine, his stance defiant, fists clenched at his sides. The kid’s got guts, I’ll give him that.

“What’s your name, buddy?” I ask, blowing out a cloud of smoke, amused by his bravado.

“None of your business. This is my mom's car and she’ll be back any minute. Don’t touch it,” he scolds me.

I blink, taken aback. So, the beta has a son.

That’s a twist. I’m not shocked she has a kid, but now I’m curious—where’s the father?

What kind of man lets his woman get mixed up with Kenny while they’ve got a kid at home?

I start to feel a pang of something almost like sympathy, but I shove it aside. We’ve got a job to do.

Gears steps up behind the kid and before I can react, he snatches the boy up, dragging him down the road, signaling for us to follow with a sharp tilt of his head.

“What the hell, man?” Arrow asks through clenched teeth. “We’re kidnapping now?”

“No,” Gears replies, his tone cold as ice, “but she’ll be more cooperative if we have collateral.” He tightens his grip on the boy, who lets out a scream that makes my skin crawl. It’s primal, filled with terror, and I can’t help but feel a flicker of guilt.

Seconds later, the door slams open, and there she is—the beta, her auburn hair piled messily on her head, eyes wild with fear and fury. Her gaze locks on Gears, and she sees her son struggling in his grasp.

Without a second’s hesitation, she charges at Gears, her small frame moving with a ferocity that catches me off guard.

She slams into him with a force that makes him stumble, her strength fueled by pure, maternal rage.

For a moment, she has the upper hand and I have to say I’m impressed she is able to do so given not only her size but designation.

The kid wriggles free, and he bolts toward the car, but Arrow is faster, grabbing the kid by the arm and hauling him back.

“Not so fast, little man,” Arrow mutters, holding the boy tight as he thrashes.

“Let him fucking go!” she screams.

She fights like a wildcat, twisting and kicking as Gears grabs her again, locking her in a brutal hold. But she’s not giving up. She stomps down hard on Gears’ foot and follows it up by slamming her head back into his face, and the sickening crack of his nose breaking echoes through the air.

“Fuck!” Gears roars, staggering back, blood streaming from his nose.

The beta doesn’t waste a second—she lunges for Arrow, her eyes blazing with desperation. But before she can reach him, I step forward, my hand tightening around the butt of my gun.

I hate what I’m about to do, but there’s no other way. The others are too preoccupied to stop her, and she’s too damn determined. I bring the butt of the gun down hard on the back of her head, and she crumples to the ground, unconscious, before she hits the pavement.

“Mom!” The boy’s scream is like a dagger to the gut, piercing through the chaos. I look at him, and for a split second, I see something in his eyes that makes my heart clench—fear, desperation, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness. But I push it away.

This is the life we chose, and there’s no room for mercy.

“Get them in her car and to the clubhouse,” Gears grunts, holding a bandana to his nose to stem the bleeding. “We’ve caused enough of a scene out here.”

Arrow lifts the kid, who’s still screaming, still fighting, and carries him to the car.

I bend down, gently lifting the beta into my arms, feeling the slight weight of her body against mine.

For a moment, I hesitate. There’s something about her—something in the way she fought for her kid, in the way she didn’t back down, even when the odds were stacked against her—that stirs something deep inside me.

But I can’t afford to think like that. Not now.

The Renegade always comes first.

I set her in the backseat, and he reaches over, clutching her hand, tears streaming down his face. I slide into the driver’s seat, my mind already racing ahead to what comes next. Time to get some answers.

“Arrow, go inside and make sure if anyone saw something, they keep their mouths shut or we’ll be paying them a visit, too.” I tell him before turning the key in the ignition.

As I pull out onto the street, heading for the clubhouse, I can’t help but admit—at least to myself—that there’s something dangerously attractive about her.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my cock is semi-hard at the way she protected her kid and busted Gears’ nose.

Most people see the cut, know we’re Renegade and steer clear.

Not her…it’s sexy as hell.

If things were different, if I wasn’t about to possibly torture information out of her, I might’ve been tempted to pull an Arrow and see what else she’s capable of.