Hell Fire Riders MC: The Complete MC Series, page 28
The leader stared back at him unafraid. “What makes you think we are only three? We belong to a brotherhood much like you do, only in our brotherhood if something happens to one of us, many more will take his place and seek vengeance for the fallen ones. If you try to cheat us, it will not be a good thing for you or your men. We can and will wipe your entire group out and we will do what we want anyway. Believe me when I say, my people know quite a bit about seeking vengeance.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are anyway?” one of the Reapers asked.
The leader stood tall and proud as he replied, “We are members of an elite group in our own country called the Bleu Vipers and that’s all you need to know. Cross us and we will kill you and everyone you are related too. I promise, it will not be a very pleasant death for any of you.” He paused then glared at Lyle. “We have made a bargain with you. Either do it and shut your mouths or give us back our money and accept your death for your failure. Those are your only options.”
Dead silence followed his remark.
Lyle gazed around at his men then looked back at the other three. “We’ll do it, just liked we planned. When do you want us to start?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“What the hell are we supposed to do for six days?”
The leader shrugged. “I do not care what you do, just keep everyone away from the water. We’ll take care of the rest.”
Georgia closed the door again quietly. Turning toward the room she was being kept in she knew she’d better to find a way out. She needed to get out and get some help. She had a feeling whatever those men were going to do would not be a good thing. And she wasn’t going to be here when the Reapers wanted to play.
The one window in the room was boarded over. When she went closer, she could see why. The window glass was busted out and the only thing that kept the critters out were the loose piece of plywood loosely nailed to the frame.
She worked on pulling the plywood far enough away to squeeze her body through the opening. Her head and body throbbed in protest of what she was doing but she ignored the pain she was in. Finally, she got the opening large enough to pass through it. Dragging her body through the broken window left her with small cuts in several places, but Georgia knew she couldn’t stop. She had to get away while the getting was good. She couldn’t depend on the Reapers leaving her alone for too much longer.
When she got through the window, she could feel the flesh on her side open up from where the broken glass tore her skin on her left side. As she began to move away from the shack, the wet spot grew along her side but Georgia didn’t pay it any mind. She needed to get to the wood line and escape through the trees before anyone noticed she was gone. She had no real clue where she was just yet, but it was getting dark.
She stopped once she got to the safety of the trees and looked back at where she’d come from. As far as she could see, she didn’t leave a trail. She turned and stumbled deeper into the woods.
When she got far enough away from the Reaper’s clubhouse, she stopped to check her side. She hadn’t felt the blood stop yet. Every step she took fresh blood dribbled down her side. It wasn’t flowing like before but she could feel herself growing weaker with every step. She knew she’d lost more blood than she should. That on top of her weakened condition from the concussion wasn’t good.
She sat down on a broken tree and felt along her side. She knew it was too dark for her to see anything but she pressed her hand to the wound anyway to stop the flow. After a few minutes rest, she struggled to her feet and kept going. She had to put as much distance between herself and the Reapers as possible.
Later, she came out on the other side of the woods. She paused while still hidden and looked around. There was a building not too far from where she was but she had no idea who or what was inside. She skirted the building the best she could. It wasn’t until she got to the front of it that she saw the motorcycles. There were six or eight of them parked in what she thought looked like the front door of the place.
Panic set in and she tried to hurry away but her weakened condition made her stumble and fall. She couldn’t help herself. Crying out as she fell hard, her head struck a hidden rock and she groaned as she passed out.
The sound of dogs barking kept up inside the building.
The door opened again, as several men inside rushed out looking around to see what was wrong. Two huge dogs streak out of the building as they zeroed in on her position. They rushed over to her, growled and barked until they realized she wasn’t moving. Then one of the dogs came closer and searched her for injures, then they turned to the men rushing toward them and barked
“What the fuck?” Gage called out as he went down to his knees and turned her over while the other stood guard.
“What’s wrong with her?” the leader Caine asked.
“Some motherfucker beat the hell out of her,” Gage muttered.
“Bring her into the clubhouse, so we can see how badly she’s hurt,” Caine replied.
Gage gathered her in his arms and following the others back, he carried her into the clubhouse and laid her on the sofa. In the light, they could see the extent of her injures. Gage brushed the hair away from her face and gasped at the sight of the bruises on her face. One of her eyes was swollen shut and another bruise glared on her jaw. There were dark bruises on her neck as well. They looked like fingerprints, as if someone had been trying to strangle her. “Fuckin A,” he murmured as he glanced up at his brother. “Somebody had fun but it wasn’t her.”
Caine nodded.
Another of the group brought a basin of wash water and a wash rag. Then someone else brought out a first aid kit.
The dogs gathered at the foot of the sofa and watched everything that went on.
While Gage slowly and carefully washed away the dirt and grime they noted the blood that soaked her left side. He lifted her shirt and saw the ragged cuts. Without an apology, he ripped the t shirt off her, so he could get a better look at it.
No one stared at her naked chest, everyone’s eyes were on her side.
“That looks more like a cut from glass than a knife wound but we won’t know until she wakes up and can tell us.” Gage told them. “It might need a few stitches.”
“Get her cleaned up and stitched before she wakes up then,” Caine ordered.
“Hey boss,” one of the men by the name of Lonnie pointed out, “She’s got a nasty bruise on her forehead too.”
Cain nodded. “Yeah, I think she hit something when she fell. I have to wonder who did this to her and why she was running. I don’t think she meant for us to find her.”
“The only other thing out this way is the Reapers’ shack and that’s over five miles as the crow flies, in the opposite direction,” Big Mike told them.
Caine looked around at the men gathered there. “Maybe one or two of you should sweep the perimeter just to make sure she wasn’t followed. Take the dogs with you.”
Big Mike and Sal checked their weapons then each one of them took one of the dogs and disappeared out the front door. Mike went one way and Sal went the other as they began searching the grounds for intruders. They didn’t trust the Grim Reapers any more than they could throw them and they wouldn’t put it past the other group to try and sneak in and take them out. The Reapers were known around town for their dirty dealing.
Caine sat back and watched with eagle eyes as Gage cleaned up their mystery guest. He put seven stitches in her side and the girl didn’t move. Laying a blanket over her, they all watched as she rested.
Caine looked up while Gage was cleaning up the mess. He looked around at the rest of the men standing there and asked, “Does any recognize her?”
“I’ve seen her around Jarrett but I don’t know her name,” Gage admitted. “She would come into Delancy’s diner once in a while, while I was there. She seemed pretty friendly with Charlotte and Maude”
Georgia groaned and began to thrash around.
Gage moved closer and knelt beside the sofa to try and calm her. “Easy girl, easy,” he whispered.
Georgia frowned at the sound of a man’s voice and tried to open her eyes. She groaned again and raised her hands to her head. Pain exploded when her fingers brushed the bruise on her forehead. She opened her eyes and when she was able to focus, she saw the six men standing there. She tried to scramble back away from them but her sore body wouldn’t allow her to move too quickly. When the blanket fell away from her body, she looked down and found herself in just her glory. She screamed and tried to get away but a strong arm curled around her waist and held her tight.
“Don’t hurt yourself girl.” He growled in her ear. “We’ve all seen what you have to offer and we’ve managed to contain ourselves, so settle down.”
Georgia trembled as she tried to calm herself. She knew if she struggled, they would hurt her again.
“We’re not going to hurt you but I don’t want you to hurt yourself either.” The words were mumbled in her ear. “I need you to calm down. Can you do that?”
Georgia swallowed her fear or at least tried too. Nodding, she felt the arm around her loosen. She sat up and pulled the blanket up to cover herself. She peeked at the men standing in front of her. “Who are you and how did I get here?” she whispered.
“We found you in the woods,” one of them explained. “We don’t know what happened or where you came from but it looks like somebody beat the hell out of you.”
Georgia searched the room. She noted the clean environment of this clubhouse versus the nasty dirty place she’d left. Here, the tables were clean except for a few empty beer bottles. The bar was wiped down and the floors were swept free of debris. The walls were decorated with beer signs and photos. Then she looked at the men. Even they were cleaner than the Reapers. Dressed in jeans and t shirts, they all wore their hair cut short and there vests proclaimed they belonged to a MC but she couldn’t read which one.
“Who are you guys?” she asked.
The tallest of the group shrugged. “We’re known as the Nomads. We’re not really that big a group but we don’t hurt women or kids. You have nothing to fear from us in case you’re worried about that.” He smiled. “My name is Caine Lucas, these are my men, Gage Torbin, Ricky Wayne, Benjy Loren and Lonnie Hart. Mike Casten and Sal Rammer are outside checking the perimeter. What is your name?”
Georgia stared at the men as Caine introduced them. None of them had made a move toward her, so she could only conclude they meant her no harm. “My name is Georgia Lacey.”
Caine nodded. “What happened to you Georgia Lacey? Who hurt you?”
Georgia shuddered. “I was taken last night from my house in Jarrett. The Reapers grabbed me after I’d gone to bed. When I resisted, they beat the hell out of me.” She shrugged. “I guess no one ever told them no before.”
Caine frowned as he shook his head. “Yeah, those guys are bastards all right. Why did they take you?”
Georgia shrugged. “I have no idea but I don’t think they wanted me over for tea.”
“Do you have any family we can call to come and get you?” Gage asked.
Georgia thought about that for a moment then shook her head. She wouldn’t go back to Jarrett until she knew what was going on. “No, I doubt my father would be happy to see me come home.”
Caine growled. “Why not? What does he have to do with this?”
Georgia shrugged. “I don’t know that he had anything to do with this. I found him last night before I went to bed. He was drunk as usual and he didn’t really make a whole lot of sense. He tried to give me some cash and he kept telling me to leave town before it was too late but he ran off before I could ask him about it.”
“Your father did this?” Lonnie asked.
Georgia shook her head. “My father is a drunk and normally, a good person. This wasn’t his idea I don’t think. I overhead one of the Reapers say he paid good money for me but I don’t think my father had much of a choice in the matter.”
Caine scoffed. “Knowing Lyle Boyd, he probably shoved money into your father’s hand when he was passed out and told him they would come for you. That sounds more like what happened.” He paused then asked, “Why did you stay, if he told you what happened?”
“He didn’t tell me anything but the fact that I had to leave town.” Georgia seethed. “My father likes to drink. He likes it so much, he drinks all the time. Half the time, he tells wild stories and you never know if he’s telling you the truth or not. Last night he was really bad, crying and shit. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. I never expected to have someone break into my house and grab me from my bedroom.”
“Is there anyone else we can call for you?” Gage asked.
Georgia hesitated then shook her head. Her head began to swim and she felt nauseous. “I think I need to sleep at the moment, then I’ll be on my way. Thank you for taking care of me, but I need to leave this place. I can’t stay here for much longer. If they’ll find me here, they’ll hurt you guys to get to me.”
Caine gave her a slow grin. “They won’t came here. They know better than that. We may be small but we don’t take any shit from anybody.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “They are into something big. I don’t know what it is but I do know they need to create some kind of diversion. They will come here just to cause trouble. I can’t stay here.” She got to her feet and swayed. “I have to get out of here before they find me.”
“Whoa, there girl.” Gage reached out to steady her. “You can’t go anywhere. If you rip those stitches, you’ll start bleeding again. You lost too much blood to go too far for a while. You need to get some rest and recover some.”
Georgia felt lightheaded and she gripped his arm to stay on her feet. “I can’t stay, they’re coming for me.” Then the darkness took over and she swayed before she lost consciousness.
Gage swept her into his arms and looked over at Caine.
Caine frowned. “Put her in my room. I’ll watch over her tonight. The rest of you guys keep watch. The first sign of the Reapers, let us know and we’ll take care of them.”
Gage took her down the hall to the first bedroom.
Caine watched them go and he ran his fingers through his dark hair.
Lonnie stepped over to the bar and grabbed a handful of cold beers. “What do you think of her story?”
Caine sighed. “I don’t know. If it’s true, she’s in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
“Do you think her father really sold her to the Reapers?” Benjy asked.
“No I don’t think he did. If he was drunk when it happened, he likely didn’t realize what was going on. I doubt he would remember the transaction. Lyle is a bastard about shit like that.”
Lonnie snorted as he brought the bottle of beer to his lips. “He damn near got arrested last time he tried this shit. He just took the girl right of the street and he and his group gang raped her. When the police found her she was hurt pretty bad. They were going to charge him with rape but a day or so later, the girl changed her mind, then she disappeared. No one really knows what happened to her. Rumor was she left town but that’s just it, a rumor.”
“Whatever happened to Georgia, we have to keep her safe until we know what really went down. If the Reapers are going cause trouble we have to figure out why and try to stop it,” Caine told his men.
When Gage returned, he grabbed a beer and drunk the whole thing without stopping or saying a word to anyone. All he did was glare at Caine.
Caine ignored him. After waiting to hear if their area had been breached by the Reapers, he went down the hall to his room. He closed the door softly behind him and went to stand over the bed. He looked down at the woman sleeping there.
She appeared to be small woman, barely five feet tall if he wasn’t mistaken. Her hair dark in color and fell to the middle of her back. He noted when she awoke earlier, her eyes had been pale blue, almost a silver color and when she was afraid, they darkened to a slate grey color.
The brief glimpses he had of her body had told him she had good size breasts but he hadn’t looked too hard. He’d been more concerned with her injures rather than ogling her body. Her face and chest had been covered in bruises, so he couldn’t really tell what she looked like but at the moment, that didn’t matter. What did matter was keeping her safe and out of the hands of the Reapers.
When she began whimpering in her sleep, he took off his boots and his cut then he laid down with her. Gathering her in his arms, he calmed her down. Then when she went to sleep again, he laid there for the longest time staring into the dark. Finally, just before dawn he drifted to sleep.
Chapter Three
Georgia groaned in her sleep. Her body felt too hot and she kicked the covers off. She was caught up in a nightmare but nothing made sense to her. Distorted faces rocked her dreams and she cried out in fear. Arms tightened around her and she fought to be free of the forces that would hurt her. A buzzing noise filled her head but she couldn’t make out what the noise could be.
The arms tightened around her. “Shhhh…” a voice tried to calm her thrashing. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He had to repeat his statement several times before it penetrated.
Georgia calmed down and came awake enough to listen to his words. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into his blue eyes. It was the leader Caine, she remembered he said his name to her earlier. “Where am I?” she whispered.
“You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you.” Caine frowned as he felt the heat rolling off her body. Her cheeks looked flush and she had sweat beading on her forehead. “You had a nightmare.” He paused and studied her some more. “Are you okay?” he finally asked.
“I’m thirsty and I don’t feel very good.”
“Let me get you a drink.” He opened his arms and released her. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he got to his feet. Walking to the bathroom, he ran water into a glass and brought it back for her. Handing her the glass, he watched as she gulped it down. He frowned and told her, “Drink it slowly, you don’t want to get sick.”
