He took her arm, pulling her to his side. “Go ahead, Ghost, Bandit.”
She had no intention of struggling in front of the men, but as soon as the door closed, she jerked her arm free.
“Dude, next time you lay a hand on me, you better be wearing that armor on your dick.”
His grave expression didn’t alter at her threat.
“We don’t have time now, but when we get back, we’re going to settle things between us.”
“What’s there to settle? We’re done, remember?” She gave him the peace sign. “Peace out.” She opened the door, hoping it would hit him.
“At least you didn’t flip me off again. That’s as good a start as any.” Sliding on his wireless headset, he raised his brow when she started to let him have it.
Afraid the men would hear, she bit back what she had been about to say and climbed into the back of Hammer’s SUV where Jonas threw her a searching look over his shoulder.
“It’s a go. Let’s bring our brother home,” Hammer gave the order.
Killyama watched as Train pulled out in the lead with Shade beside him. The other men in the unit followed on their motorcycles, traveling in pairs until the plan would change once they rescued Gavin. Then the men would switch to groups of four and split in different directions.
They had to let the men stop for gas twice. Hammer had planned every detail of the drive, and so far, everything had gone off without a hitch.
As they got closer to their destination, Killyama’s hand went to her gun holstered at her waist. Hammer and Jonas had made her go to the target range once a week when she had decided she wanted to work with them bounty hunting. She had never been so grateful for the enterprise they had instilled in her.
She calmed her breathing the way Hammer had taught her to when she heard Hammer tell everyone, “Lights off” as the Road Demons’ compound came into view.
Killyama held on to the hand rest when Hammer swerved right, braking the SUV to a standstill.
“Go, go.”
Killyama, with her night vision goggles on, jumped out of the SUV, pulling her gun out of its holster in the same motion. She didn’t hear the sound of bullets, but she knew Shade had hit his target.
“Lookout one, down. Lookout two, down. Breacher, up.”
Killyama moved from behind Hammer as he stormed the club, getting behind Jonas as they waited for Hammer to smash the door open with his favorite toy.
He rammed the door with his entry ram, smashing it open.
“Phase one, complete. Phase two, take over.”
She made sure she didn’t focus on the sound of the bullets filling the air, concentrating instead on Hammer’s voice coming from her headset.
Hugging the wall, they went past three rooms before turning a right into another hallway.
“Breacher, up.”
She made herself breathe steadily. They were getting close to Gavin.
As soon as Hammer breached the bedroom door, two men took guard to keep anyone who wasn’t on their team from entering. Then Hammer and Ghost went to the bedroom closet, where Ghost used a small torch that had the padlock dropping to the floor in a second.
“Phase three, complete.”
Shade went down the basement steps first, Hammer following with his MP5/10 held steady in his hand. Then Ghost went down, and then Train.
Killyama prayed for the next order.
“Retriever, up.”
She stayed behind Jonas as they made their way down the wooden steps, forcing back the bile at what she saw.
A dog would have been treated better than Gavin had been. He was filthy and stank in the dank room. He was a man who was so strung out he was trying to fight his way out of Shade’s and Train’s arms.
“Move away, Train, Shade. Let Killyama take him.” No emotion could be heard from Hammer. It wasn’t time for that. They needed Gavin calm until they could get him out.
The men let Gavin struggle away from them. He lost his balance and fell back down onto the bed they had lifted him from.
Killyama moved over to him, keeping her voice sweet and cajoling as she gently patted his face to keep his focus on her. “Come with me, Gavin. I have something to make you feel better.”
His wild-eyed stare switched from the men to her as she took his arm, helping him to place it over her shoulder. Lifting him, she then led him toward the steps.
“That’s right. Just a few more,” she cooed calmly as they took each step slowly.
He docilely followed her directions as Train and Shade led them out of the club.
Jonas was in front of them as they neared the hallway. They had to pass a door that had already been opened and cleared. However, as they passed it now, it swung fully open and a biker started shooting at them.
Killyama pushed Gavin into the wall, not releasing him as she pointed her gun at the biker, firing several shots into him.
As soon as he started falling to the ground, she was moving again, determined Gavin wasn’t going to die in this hellhole.
Once outside, she filled her lungs with fresh air as Train opened the SUV’s back door then ran to get on his bike where Shade was already starting his.
She shoved Gavin inside, jumping in and closing the door as a hail of bullets came down from the upper story of the clubhouse.
Hammer and Jonas got in just as quickly, Hammer yelling, “Phase four, complete! Hostage is secured. Fall out now! Go, go!” as he drove away from the clubhouse.
Killyama kept Gavin on the floor, lying on top of him as she listened to Train’s instructions on the headset.
“They’re coming from our back, Hammer. Ghost, you lead the way.”
Killyama turned to see Train slow to take Ghost’s position, watching as Train’s headlight moved to the rear window.
“Bank left!” Train ordered.
She jerked her head back down when she heard a bullet hit the back of the SUV.
“Son of a bitch hit my car,” Hammer growled into the headset.
“Bank right!” Train ordered.
“Take that southpaw out, or I will,” Hammer ordered when another bullet hit the left side of the SUV.
“Get ready to bank left … Now!”
At Train’s order, Killyama lifted her head again, despite Jonas telling her to stay down. She was unable to stop from watching, fearing Train would get shot trying to keep the three bikers from following.
When Hammer made the hard right, Train followed. His bike was so low he was riding the curve sideways. The hand that was controlling the bike had to be scraping the pavement as Train lifted his gun, hitting two of the three bikers and sending them speeding into a parked car on the street.
“Two down; one to go.”
“I hope the one that will be spitting glass out of his mouth in the ER was the southpaw,” Hammer groused.
“Bank left.”
This time, she held on as Hammer made a hard left, nearly screaming as she feared the SUV would flip over.
When Gavin’s own yell filled the car, Killyama tried to soothe him, murmuring softly to him and forgetting her headset was still on. Staring into his wild eyes with the night vision goggles now off, she tried to think of anything that would calm him.
“We have you, Gavin. You’re safe now.” She pushed back his greasy hair, telling him, “You know, you’re better looking than your brother Viper. I bet the women fought over you. Viper’s married and now has a baby girl since you were taken from him. He’s missed you every day. All of The Last Riders have. You just need to hang on a little longer until we can get you to a place where you’ll be safe. Can you do that for me?”
“Who … Who are you?” Gavin’s voice came out in a way that sounded like he didn’t know how to use it freely anymore.
“I’m Rae.”
“Take me back to my room. If they catch me, they’ll hurt you.”
“Sweetness, no one is stupid enough to mess with me. You’ll never go back to that room again—Viper will see to that. Whe
n he gets finished with the Road Demons, their club won’t even be standing.” She didn’t make the promise lightly. If Viper didn’t, she would.
She raised up slightly to reach for the baby wipes. Taking one, she used it wipe the dirt and grime off his face. “That feel better?”
She dropped the baby wipe when she saw his eyes start to roll.
“Gavin! Listen to me! Don’t you quit now. I’m still here. I’m not going to leave you, so you better not leave me!”
“W-Why? No one else came for me. No one.” His gravelly voice held a pain unlike anything she had ever heard before; a pain so deep and raw that only very few people on this earth could ever understand.
Killyama did something she didn’t even know she was capable of. She cried.
“No one knew. They thought you were dead. They all did. Viper and Ton still don’t know you’re alive. They wouldn’t have left you there if they had known. Not one day, not for one second. Sweetness, you weren’t left behind or forgotten.”
“Viper was mad at me. He … They all left me to die. Crash told me it was Viper’s punishment.”
“Crash lied. Viper would have killed everyone in there if he had known. There isn’t a man in the club who wouldn’t lay down their life for you.” Killyama rested her head against his shoulder, letting herself cry silently for the broken man lying under her. “Did you see Train and Shade? I should have taken a box of Kleenex inside with me, they were crying so hard.”
“They weren’t there—”
“Yes, they were. They were the ones crying in the corner.” She reached for another baby wipe to dry her face. “I was the only one not crying.”
“You’re crying now.”
“That’s because you stink.” She smiled in the dark before she felt Gavin trying to get out from under her. “Don’t move; you’re my Kleenex.”
“I’m sorry. They wouldn’t let me shower unless—”
She put her hand over his mouth, her tears falling harder. “You smell like a survivor, Gavin. Take a deep breath. You’re free. You’re free.”
She couldn’t hold back her sobs when he started crying, too. They tore through his chest.
“I … gave up.”
“You didn’t give up. You survived. You did what any good soldier would do. You did what you had to do to live. Don’t you dare talk about stinking or giving up, or I’ll kick your ass when we get out of this car!”
“Killyama!” Hammer’s voice came through the headset.
“What?”
“You can get up.”
“Okay.”
Realizing the headset was still on, she took it off as she climbed up onto the seat. Then she reached down to help Gavin sit beside her. He started heaving.
“Here, I have a barf bag. Hammer’s driving makes me puke, too.” She handed him a bag that was tucked into the back pocket of the passenger seat.
He didn’t vomit, but it was close.
Killyama pushed a button to lower the window.
“I thought I didn’t stink,” Gavin remarked when he saw what she was doing.
“I did that to give you some fresh air.”
Laying his head back, he turned to stare at her. “You’re lying.”
“A little.” She took his hand in the dark.
Hammer lowered his own window. “Good to see you, Reaper.”
Gavin didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His head had fallen to the side, resting on her shoulder.
“Reaper?” Jonas turned around in his seat to check on him.
“He passed out. Keep driving. The sooner we get to the Destructors’ clubhouse, the sooner we can take care of him. Stud will have sent someone for Dr. Price. He’ll be there by the time we get there.”
She didn’t try to move Gavin away from her, putting her arm around him so he could lie more comfortably.
He was still asleep when Hammer brought the SUV to a stop at the back door of the Destructors’ clubhouse.
Hammer and Jonas were getting out when Train opened the back door.
“He’s unconscious.” Killyama scooted out of the SUV so Train could reach inside, pulling Gavin out in his tight grip.
Hammer and Jonas stood on either side of her as they watched Train and Shade carry the brother who had been lost to them for so many years. The two Last Riders deserved to be the ones to bring an end to Gavin’s journey home.
34
Train came out of the bedroom that Stud had given Gavin with Shade on his heels as Dr. Price immediately started checking Gavin’s condition and giving him an examination.
“Did you talk to Viper?”
“No,” Shade answered. “I called Knox. All the brothers are on their way. I didn’t tell them why. It’s going to hit them hard. I didn’t want them wrecking while trying to get here.”
Train saw Stud approaching from the clubroom and told him, “Viper and the brothers are on their way. As soon as the doctor gives the okay, we’ll get out of your hair.”
“Take your time. I closed the club to the Destructors tonight. You can lock the door when you leave.”
Stud’s compassion tightened the bond Train was starting to form between him and the Destructors.
“Has Killyama left yet?”
“No. Hammer and Jonas left, but I told her I would give her a ride home.”
“I’d appreciate it if you and her stayed.” Train looked away from Stud. “She keeps Gavin calm when he gets agitated.”
“I’ll tell Killyama. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Stud, I will.”
Stud nodded then headed back to the clubroom.
When the doctor didn’t come out after a while, Train and Shade left their post in the hallway and went to wait in the clubroom where they found Killyama and Stud sitting by the bar.
They were about to sit down at a table when Viper and The Last Riders came in.
Train and Shade shared a strained look as Viper stopped in front of them, Crash by his side.
“You couldn’t wait to get back to our club to …” Viper’s words trailed off when he caught sight of their expressions. He looked around the empty room. “What’s wrong?”
Train’s eyes met Crash’s. “You want me to tell Viper, or will you?”
“I don’t know what you’re …” Crash paled, seeing his and Shade’s condemning gazes.
Train lost it, and all the feelings he had been holding in erupted. Lashing out, he struck, planting his fist into Crash’s lying mouth.
Knox tried to pull him back, but Train jerked out of his hold, knocking Crash into Razer and Lucky.
“What in the fuck!” Viper reached out to stop him, but Shade held him back.
“He deserves more than what Train’s giving him.”
Shade’s cold voice had Train wanting to kill Crash with his bare hands, his instincts screaming at him to beat him until there was nothing left, but it wasn’t his call to make. That wasn’t the way The Last Riders handled their justice. Before he completely forgot that and dealt with the piece of shit himself, he stepped back.
“I called you brother … Every man here has. We put our lives in your hands countless times”—Train hit his chest with his fist—“and the whole time you were betraying us! You will never hear brother out of my lips again. I’m going to be the first one to spit on your grave when we get done burying you.”
Knox and Lucky each took one of Crash’s arms, holding him in place at Train’s words.
Sickened at the sight of him, Train turned to Viper. “Gavin is alive,” he choked out, the emotional upheaval of rescuing Gavin and having seen the one responsible for the years of torture of a man he considered a brother had him disclosing the reason for his fury. “Gavin’s alive,” Train repeated, seeing the men’s stunned faces.
Viper’s face twisted in grief. “No, he’s not.”
“He’s alive. I wouldn’t lie to you about this. Your brother—our brother—is alive.”
Viper’s face filled with anguish
as he looked around the empty room, as if searching for Gavin. It was when his gaze skimmed over Killyama’s heartbreaking expression that he believed what Train was telling him.
“Where is he?” Viper shouted. “Gavin! You got two seconds to tell me where the fuck he is or I’ll fucking kill you.”
It was hard to see the man who held every man, woman, and child belonging to The Last Riders’ fate on his shoulders be told that the brother he had believed to be dead for seven years was still breathing.
“Brother, move or I’ll move you myself.”
“Viper, listen to us first. Then we’ll take you to him.”
Train stepped aside, letting Shade explain Crash’s deceit. Every word that came out of Shade’s mouth was like a slap to the face. They had all been in warfare and lost men in front of them, but nothing equated to what Train was seeing now as Shade described the hell that Gavin had lived through. All of the men were shell-shocked.
Before Shade was even done talking, Train was holding Viper back. Then Rider tried to go by him, his face tortured beyond belief. Stud managed to hold Rider back with Cash’s help. After that was mayhem as all the men were either fighting to get into the hallway, or fighting to hold the others back.
“Shut the fuck up!” Killyama shouted. She was standing on her chair, facing the men and staring them down. “I’m telling you now, the brother you care so much about can’t handle this shit. Do you want to hurt him more than what’s been done to him already?” Not waiting for a response, she told them, “Go outside and walk it off, or beat the hell out each other—I don’t care. But the first one who tries to go into his room without a smile plastered on their face, I’ll fucking taze your ass!”
Viper broke free from Train’s restraining hold. Train was afraid Viper would go after Killyama, even though Shade had told him it was because of Killyama, Hammer, and Jonas that Gavin had even been rescued.
Viper didn’t go for Killyama, though. No, he went for Crash. Knox and Lucky barely had enough time to step out of the way before Viper had him by the throat.
“You stared me in the face when you told me Gavin was missing. You fucking cried when you carried that phony casket to the cemetery, telling me how fucking sorry you were that Gavin was dead.” Viper’s rage had him throwing Crash against the wall where the helpless man sank to the floor.