Page 3 of Hell Bent

“Vicious, can I get a fucking beer, or are you gonna stand there and pine after Teller?” Turning his head, he stared at Blackjack. The look he gave the brother had Blackjack holding up his hands in surrender. Reaching in the beer cooler, he tossed a bottle at the brother.

Looking around, he spotted the brother they referred to as The Baron because the youngster knew how to bartend. Waving him over, Vicious handed the bar over to him and walked out. He didn’t stop until he was straddling his sled. Tonight was not the night to be drinking. His mood was in the shitter, which sucked. Especially after getting his rocks off fucking Elea. The chick could take it like a pro. She just didn’t like playing with one man at a time, and he had a problem with sharing.Club girls weren’t girlfriends, he reminded himself. Girlfriends came with baggage, and baggage was trouble. Next time, he’d go find Wynn.

Firing up his bike, Vicious needed some wind in his face to clear his head from all the random thoughts. He didn’t make it to the street before two bikes eased up beside him. Joker and Player just stared straight ahead. Why the brothers thought he needed protecting, Vicious had no clue. Teller was the one who needed babysitting. The man’s moody disposition was going to get him into trouble one day. Shifting into gear, Vicious rolled out with Player and Joker on his six.

Chapter Two

Sway followed her brother through the garage, weaving in and out of rolling toolboxes and oil barrels. Music blasted through the speakers, making it hard to gain his attention. She didn’t know why her brother felt the need to hang out with the Royal Bastards MC. It wasn’t that she had a problem with them, she just didn’t know them. Tesh never brought them around the shop, or around her, for that matter. The idea of her brother hanging out with an outlaw motorcycle club made her nervous. Nervous for her brother. “Tesh, I’m talking to you.”

It wasn’t unusual for her and Tesh to disagree, but the argument over the Royal Bastards was getting old. It seemed like ever since her brother started hanging around the club, it had attracted some unwanted attention to their shop. She wondered more often than not if the two were related.

Rounding the bumper of one of the cars, she almost slammed into Tesh. His strong hands gripped her shoulders, steadying her. She stared into eyes the same colour ashers. Light grey, the colour of winter. His usual short black hair was shaggy and in need of a cut. Touching his cheek with her hand, Sway worried over Tesh. “I asked you why you’re in such a hurry.”

She felt like she was chasing an errant child trying to avoid being punished. She wanted to scream at him to stop. Shaking her head, Sway watched Tesh grab his wallet and keys from the desk. He almost ran her down when he turned and came out of the office.

When Tesh tried to continue walking away, she held tight to his hand. “Tell me where you’re going. Please,” she begged him.

“Sis, it’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m heading to the Royal Bastards clubhouse for a poker game.”

Searching Tesh’s face for any sign that he was lying, Sway decided the discussion wasn’t worth the fight. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Dropping her hand, she let go of her brother and watched him walk out the back door. Knowing Tesh, he was heading somewhere other than just the clubhouse. They had been harassed by a local group of thugs who called themselves the Bloody Scorpions. They wanted protection money, and Tesh refused to pay it. She worried about what they would do to them if Tesh continued to refuse.

She also worried he would confront the guys harassing them. Sending up a silent prayer, Sway hoped Tesh would stay far away from the Bloody Scorpions. The problem was, when Tesh made up his mind, there was no talking him out of it. She was too damn young to have so much worry weighing her down.

With nothing else to do, she went back to working on the bike build she’d been trying to get finished. They needed the money the custom bikes brought in, but sometimes, it felt like owning the shop was more of a burden than anything.

Seeing her brother’s car slowly roll past the front windows of the shop, she stopped her work. Setting down the screwdriver, she walked over to the window and watched as the car drove out of view.

Then the sky opened up, dropping large snowflakes onto the street. As the snow began to fall on the already snow-covered ground, Sway sighed. It wasn’t unusual for October to bring snow, but they’d had two storms already. “It’s gonna be a long, hard winter.”

With the thick, dense snow falling, it dimmed the light from the streetlamp. She eased against the windowsill, watching the night with a heaviness in her heart. Turning back from the view, she turned the music up. Focusing on the bike she’d been working on, Sway attempted to block out the uneasy feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach.

Two hours later, Sway locked up the shop and headed upstairs to her apartment. Once inside, she kicked off her work boots by the door and pulled her ponytail down. Running her hands through the long, thick length, she massaged her scalp. Stepping into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and found it completely empty. When was the last time she had done the marketing? She couldn’t recall.

She’d just have to go out to eat. Passing the window, she pulled back the curtain a little and glanced down at the street. Everything was covered in a heavy dusting of snow, making the area look clean. Underneath all that powder, the streets were still as dirty as always. There wasn’t enough snow in the universe to wipe away the filth that covered the outskirts of Old Montreal.

Three blocks over was the heart of Old Montreal, where the streets were full of tourists darting in and out of boutiques, restaurants, and pubs. White lights adorned the awnings, light poles, and storefronts. For those who didn’t live there, it made a perfect picture.

With everything covered in snow, she’d have to walk if she wanted dinner. Dropping the curtain, she headed for a quick shower. Maybe Lottie could meet her for a bite, but she was probably already at a club or entertaining her boy toy. Laughing at the thought, Sway stripped out of her work clothes as she stepped into the bathroom. Like most nights, she’d eat dinner alone.

Sway was swimming in a thick, white froth of snow when the sound of a bell ringing broke the silence. Fighting her way out of a dream, she tumbled off the sofa as she searched for her phone. “Bonjour,” she said, trying to clear her sleepy vision.

“Est-ce Sabine Roussin?”

“Oui.”

“Votre frère a eu un accident. Il est au Centre de TraumatologieMulder.”

Sway’s chest tightened. Her heart hurt, and her breath stopped as she thought about her beautiful, full-of-life brother being in the trauma centre. “Je suis en route.” Hanging up, she scrambled from the floor and darted to her bedroom to get dressed.

She pulled on jeans, a sweater, and her winter boots. Pulling back the curtains, she stared out the window, noticing that the sun was peeking over the rooftops and the storm had dissipated. Grabbing her jacket and keys, she rushed out the door.

The streets had been swept, making it an easy drive to the hospital. Her thoughts ran wild as she made the thirty-minute trek. When she ran into the hospital, Sway found the information desk busy with multiple people wanting to know about loved ones who had been brought in during the storm.

Phones rang, begging to be answered. People screamed at the receptionist, demanding answers to their questions. Others argued amongst themselves as they gave into the desperation of not knowing what had happened to their family members. Sway knew Tesh was there. What she didn’t know was where he was in the damn hospital or what had gotten him there.

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