Page 41 of Out for Blood

We marched through the warehouse, toward the noise above us. Blood rushed through my veins, blocking out noise in my ears as we headed into what I could only imagine was a scene I didn’t want to witness.

Chains burst forth with Razor ahead of Hawk, Bear and myself. Savage and Viper were leading the prospects behind us. I heard the grunting from men taking on Chains and Razor just as I looked in to see more men coming at us. I raised my fist, ensuring my knuckle dusters were over my knuckles just as I unloaded on the first guy who came at me. He went down, groaning and clutching at his face. I took on the next guy who came running at me, smashing him in the side of the cheek. I heard the crunch of his bone smashing under my knuckles before he fell to his knees. I landed another punch in his gut to which he fell over onto his hands and knees, trying to suck in airthrough the pain. The sound from behind a curtain was intense as I looked up, only narrowly missing a fist coming at me. I ducked, issuing a knuckle duster to the ribs. The guy howled in pain as he fell to his knees. I punched the side of his face twice, blood splattering over my arms as his head bounced back after every punch. I shoved the wearied fucker away from me, listening to him land with a thud on the cement floor. I ran for the curtain, pulling it back to see Chains and Razor taking care of the men closest to the girls who were gasping and screaming. I didn’t see any injuries on them as I tried to get to them, but a fist came from out of nowhere and I hunched over. I heard the girls cry out as they witnessed me hit the ground.

The fucker had knuckle dusters on himself. The brass hit the soft part of my cheek, so blood was pooling out of the cut he’d made. That only made me rage more to see my own blood. I unleashed on him, blocking his next punch, snapping his arm upward and unleashing the fury inside of me. The guy’s face was a bloody pulp by the time Hawk pulled me up. Chains had run to Shauna’s side and I felt funny about seeing him check her over to make sure she was okay. I knew they had grown close, him taking a protective watch over her, but the gentle way he was checking on her had me on edge.

She was sixteen.

I know Sheridan had said that he’d rejected her, but I could see the tenderness in his movements. He liked her.

He pulled both girls up as the rest of the guys finished piling the guys up in the corner, beaten and bloody. The girls clutched onto Chains, his arms around them both, as he offered me an apologetic look before he took them out to our bikes.

“Do a check for any others,” I yelled to Savage. “See if there’s anything here that leads back to Foley.”

Savage and Viper took the prospects around the warehouse while I headed outside with Hawk, Razor and Chains. Ryleighran up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. For a moment, I didn’t know what to do, until I felt myself soften and I wrapped my arms around her, to comfort her. I didn’t know a strong feeling could envelop me like this. She’d run to me because I’d saved her, I’d protected her from something going wrong with them. I hadsavedthem from their own goddamn father. In this moment alone, even though I already knew I would, I would die to save them if I had to.

Chains was on his bike, Shauna at his back, clinging to him as he revved his engine, reading to get out of here and back to safety.

“Come on,” I said to Ryleigh. “Let’s get you home.”

She nodded and let me lead her over to the bike. I put the helmet on her head and ensured it was tight on her head.

“What do I do?” she asked me, her voice wavering with emotion.

“Just hold on, kid,” I said, getting on the bike in front of her. I pulled her arms around my waist so she was hugging me from behind. I peeled out of the warehouse lot, Hawk, Chains, and Razor behind me. Viper, Savage and the prospects would follow once they’d destroyed any evidence laying around. I struggled to comprehend what we’d just done and what Neal had done to his own daughters.

I had known he wasn’t going to be there, but I was a little pissed off that he wasn’t. He’d left his teenage daughters to be used and abused.

His right to exist in the same world as us was revoked.

And I was going to do the reaping myself.

I pulled into the compound and helped Ryleigh off the back of the bike. She was shaking, but she appeared to be okay. Chains was helping Shauna, until I moved over to them. Shauna ran and hugged my side so that I had one twin on each side as we walked down to the clubhouse. Orla was at the door, relief flooding herfeatures as the girls ran into her arms. Chains caught up to me, his hand on my shoulder.

“Not now, Bede.”

“Fuck, Prez, I don’t know what happened. I was drinking, playing pool, and we were just having fun, then she came up to me and planted one on me. I told her no and she lost her shit. I’m sorry.”

“I know that you did the right thing,” I told him. “But I saw the way you looked at her when you picked her up from the floor. That’s not a protector, that was something else. She’s sixteen, brother, it can’t happen.”

He nodded. “I know, and I don’t want it to. She’ll get over it.”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure she will. Keep your distance. I’ll make sure they’re protected by the others.”

He nodded. “There’s the run up to Galway next week. I’ll go with Savage and Viper, maybe stay with the O’Farrell’s for a few days. Give her the space she needs.”

“Good,” I said. “I appreciate it.”

He nodded and headed back to his bike, probably to head home. I could see the remorse on his face, but I couldn’t tell if that was true remorse for leading her on, or if he truly liked her. This wasn’t like him. He didn’t do shit like this. He was reliable and yet I saw what I saw.

I moved inside and headed down the hall to see Sheridan. The girls were both crying into her chest when I got there. Sheridan looked over at me with relief over her features before she saw the blood splattered on my chest and on my face.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” I said. “Are you able to walk?”

She nodded. “Yeah, Orla had me up before. The painkillers are working it seems.”

“Good,” I said. “I’m going to take you girls somewhere safe. When you’re ready, meet me outside, yeah?”

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