Page 8 of Hell Bent

At midnight, she stood in the middle of her kitchen, exhausted. Everything was spotless, and there wasn’t a speck of dust or a crumb of anything. Her grumbling stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten, but the thought of food wasn’t appealing. She’d get a shower, and tomorrow, she might think about cooking.

Around four a.m., Sway lay awake as sleep eluded her. Rolling over, she flipped her pillow to the cooler side and punched it a couple times, trying to make it somewhat more comfortable. The image of Tesh lying in the hospital bed haunted her thoughts. Not being able to take it any longer, she threw off the covers andgot out of bed.

Thankfully, it was Sunday, so she didn’t have to work. She wasn’t ready to face the few employees they had. She had Sway corrected. Walking into the kitchen, Sway hit the on button for the coffeepot and leaned against the counter. Her mind was restless, and she needed a distraction.

Walking over to her bookshelves, she skimmed over the books. Nothing jumped out at her, but she thought something was better than nothing. Grabbing her worn copy ofWuthering Heights, Sway quoted one of her favourite lines from the story as she held the book. “I have not broken your heart. You have broken it. And in breaking it, you have broken mine.”The words struck a chord with her. Swiping a stray tear away, she walked back into the kitchen to get her coffee.

The sound of wind beating against the windows made her shiver. Thunder clapped outside, and the sound of rain followed shortly after. Walking to the window, she pulled back the curtains and peered out. “Perfect day to hide inside,” she said out loud.

Instead of closing the curtains as she normally did, she pulled them back so she could watch the storm. Moving back to the kitchen, she finished fixing her coffee. Picking up the book, she carried it along with her coffee to the sofa. The room was not huge in floor space, but it appeared larger due to the high ceiling and open rafters. Setting down the cup and book, she reached for a blanket and snuggled in.

An hour later, she’d tired of trying to read. She tried losing herself in the pages of the tumultuous relationships of the story, but it hadn’t worked. Closing the book, she sat watching the rain as it slapped at the windows. She watched as lightning lit up the still dark skies, followed byloud claps of thunder. Holding the book in her lap, she thought about all the things she’d put on hold so she could help Tesh keep the business afloat. Reaching for her coffee, she realized it had gone cold.

As she sat staring at the rain, tears welled in her eyes. She fought hard for them to go away. Her brother was dead, and she was sitting there thinking about what she had missed. The unshed tears tumbled over her lashes, and the sob she had been shoving down finally bubbled up. Between the tears and the sobs, her whole body shook from grief.

Grabbing her phone, she called Lottie. Lottie was her best friend and her confidante. It took two rings before she heard the sultry voice come across the line.

“Sway, baby, you okay?”

“No.” Sway’s voice cracked. “Tesh is gone,” she reminded her best friend.

“I’m on my way.”

“Okay.” Sway hung up and let her emotions take over. The feeling of loneliness threatened to choke her. Instead, she curled up in a ball on the sofa, sobbing, and pulled the blanket over her head, trying to hide from the grief. She cried until Lottie arrived, then she cried some more when Lottie crawled onto the sofa with her.

Lottie sat with her best friend’s head resting in her lap. Candles burned bright on the side table as the heavy navy blue curtains hung open across the room. She hated that Sway was hurting. Hated that Tesh had died, leaving herstruggling on many levels. Everything in the apartment screamed Sway lived there, but Lottie could still find remnants from when Tesh had lived there. Small things like a hat of Tesh’s still hung on the coat rack by the front door. The tea kettle on the stove had been his. The bedframe in Sway’s bedroom had been his. The damn thing was so heavy, Tesh had left it for Sway instead of trying to move it.

“Sway, I know you’re scared and at a loss with Tesh gone, but he taught you everything you need to know to succeed. He taught you how to be strong, smart, and, above all else, to never show fear.”

Lottie stroked Sway’s hair as she lay in her lap. “What was it that Tesh told us all the time?”

Sway wiped away tears as she answered Lottie. “He said to always look like we’re in control or that we know something no one else in the room does.”

“He also said it would give us the upper hand,” Lottie reminded Sway, hoping her brother’s words would help her somehow.

They sat there, both thinking, both silent, as the candles burned until the wicks flickered and lost the fight to remain lit. “It’s gonna take some time, Sway, but you’re gonna be fine.”

Sway lay there, finding the same comfort that Lottie always gave her, but her mind kept going back to Jerome Michel. Tesh had said he was going to a poker game at the Royal Bastards clubhouse. She’d gone over the days and nights leading up to that night, and what she recalled was that Jerome had been calling Tesh. He’d also started coming around the shop daily, aggravating her brother. Everythingpointed to the asshole being involved in what happened to Tesh. If not involved in the actual attack, involved in the reason her brother was wherever he had been harmed. She’d bet her life on Jerome having the answers she wanted. “Lottie, there’s something I need.”

“What’s that?”

“Can Dawson get me information on Jerome Michel?” If anyone could get her the information she wanted, it was Dawson. Dawson Franks had his hands in many pots, from what Sway heard. It was rumoured he was affiliated with some powerful people. Most seemed sketchy, and some were scary, plain and simple, but she’d take the chance to find out what happened to Tesh. How dangerous could it be? Lottie dated Dawson, and if her best friend trusted the guy, so would Sway.

Chapter Six

If his not showing up wouldn’t have gotten him shit from the brothers, Vicious wouldn’t be at the party. One of the support clubs was hosting it, making a big show of being affiliated with the Royal Bastards. Vicious firmly believed you had to earn your cred, and cred wasn’t earned by hosting parties. It was earned by backing the club on the streets. He barely tolerated shit like this.

As usual, Player and Joker sat down at his table, flanking him. That was another thing getting on his nerves. Since he’d been promoted to VP, the two men hadn’t left him alone. Both had been moved into new positions. Player went from enforcer to Tail Gunner, and Joker went from enforcer to Road Captain. Evidently, they hadn’t gotten the memo.

When that shift happened, Jagger and Cage had been put in as their replacements as enforcers for the chapter. No one saw it coming when Teller arrived with Blackjack and Havelock, the chapter’s other new enforcers. They hadnever had four enforcers before, and as VP, Vicious didn’t see the need for four now, but it wasn’t his call.

With all the changes, Vicious was impressed there hadn’t been any fallings out. At least no more than what could be settled with a couple punches and a bottle of whisky. The only two who couldn’t get on the same page were him and the new President. Thinking about the new man in charge, Vicious glanced around the area.

He spotted Teller talking to the support club’s President. He was flanked by Double Tap and Road Rage, the chapter’s two Sergeants at Arms. Blackjack and Havelock lingered off to the side, keeping eyes on Teller. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds to warm the day. The area was quiet for a Saturday, making it easier to keep things lowkey.

Vicious took his responsibility seriously and stayed vigilant when the club was out on runs and at parties. From the hangarounds all the way to Teller, he made sure things went smoothly. Seeing Aries, Tank, and Stretch standing by the bikes, he thought the trio would make solid club members.

As prospects, their jobs were to watch the bikes, run errands, and all around be there when called. With so many different types of riders there, they put all three men on parking lot duty. They could come to the celebration, but they couldn’t partake.

---