Page 2 of Shadow's Heart
Tonight we took care of the last two who remained on our list. They were harder to end because of their place in society. They weren’t just some random smuck off the street; no, theywere rich fuckers with a lot of connections and security. So unlike with all the other men we’ve ended recently, we needed a plan that was full proof; we had to ensure nothing would come back on us personally, or Devil’s Inferno. We needed to play it very fucking smart. We couldn’t afford any mistakes.
Blade worked with our SAA, Eagle, to make sure we had everything covered. It was fucking smart on his part. If you have someone with an elite military background, you fucking use him. Eagle is fucking skilled when it comes to this sort of shit; he can study a plan, find all its faults, and fix them before anyone else even realizes they’re there. He’s a strategic genius, and we’re seriously fucking lucky to have him and his skills within the MC. I have no doubts about the fact that if he hadn’t been involved in our plans, we would never have been able to achieve what we did tonight, and I’ll be forever thankful to him for the part he played in making sure we could do what we needed to.
It wasn’t easy with all the security they had in place, but with a little bit of backup from our computer guru Tech back home at The Compound, we hacked into their system totally unbeknownst to anyone and managed to lay in wait for the two brothers. Okay, when I say we hacked, I totally mean Tech did all the hacking, and we took advantage of the gap he made in their security. The brothers were clueless to the danger they were in when they arrived home, carrying on like they didn’t have a care in the world, until they were suddenly faced with three men determined on revenge. The looks on their faces were priceless. I don’t think either of them ever believed they would ever be exposed and have to face any consequences for what they’d done. They honestly believed they were untouchable. They were easy as fuck to handle, clearly used to only dealing with children who were a hell of a lot smaller than them and easily controlled. I’d say I was shocked, but I’d be lying. Some things are universal when it comes to predators like them. They’ve never had to facesomeone stronger or bigger than themselves, and they never have a fucking clue how to deal when they’re finally in that situation.
As much as we all wanted them both to suffer for their crimes against Sera and any other children they’d no doubt harmed throughout the years, that wasn’t on the cards. Instead, we meticulously staged a murder-suicide. Fuck, we weren’t even the ones to end either, brother. They actually did it themselves. Fearing for what we would do to them if they didn’t. They weren’t exactly wrong for their fears either. Blade’s lethal under normal circumstances, but you throw my sister into the mix, and he becomes something else entirely. I’m pretty sure even the fucking devil wouldn’t want to come up against Blade when it comes to the way he is when my sister is in the equation. At least I never have to worry about her safety now that she’s happily in love with my ferocious friend.
I’m fucking relieved it’s all over now though. No more traveling around the country multiple times a month to end one of my targets. Now I can go back to my normal everyday life. The only problem with that is it means I can no longer avoid my girlfriend Megan and the hell she’s going to rain down on me. She hasn’t been happy about my disappearing on club business so often over the last few months. It’s the first time it’s happened during our relationship, and she hasn’t liked it one bit. On the positive side, it also means I get to spend time with my best friend, Wreck. Unlike Megan, Wreck has understood me not being around as much as I normally would and what I’ve been doing; being a member of Devil’s Inferno means he was fully aware of where I was going and why. That’s the difference, I suppose; Megan doesn’t like that she isn’t allowed to know all the facts and makes it known loudly.
If Megan were my Ol’ Lady, she’d be entitled to know all the facts. We don’t hide things away from our Ol’ Men or Ol’ Ladies,but the thing is, that’s not a step I can take with her. Something just isn’t right; I didn’t notice it at first when we were hiding our relationship away from everyone at her request, but since the truth has come to light, the little red flags I was ignoring have grown to massive fucking neon signs. The woman I first started seeing who was sweet, down to earth, and caring is hardly ever in sight anymore. Instead, I tend to get someone I don’t recognize. Someone volatile and violent. There’s only so many times I can brush off her behavior before I have to admit she’s not who I thought she was.
All this doesn’t even take into account her obvious hatred for my best friend. A hatred that’s so fucking unwarranted it’s unreal. They’d never met before I introduced them, but for some unknown reason, Megan hated him on sight. From the moment she laid eyes on him, she was downright rude and disrespectful. Despite trying to talk to her about it, nothing has changed there. She still treats him like something disgusting she’s stepped in. Oh, don’t get me wrong, she tries not to be as obvious about it now, but it’s clear to see how she really feels. Wreck being the amazing person he is has never once held her behavior against me, and I’m fucking thankful for that. I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life; we’ve been best friends since we were eighteen. If I’m being totally honest with myself, my relationship with Megan’s never going to work because she can’t accept Wreck. There’s absolutely no chance I’d tie myself down with someone for life who couldn’t accept him and how important he is to me.
God, I’ve got so fucking much going through my head. I thought I’d seriously hit the jackpot with Megan. I’m at the point in my life where I want to settle down and find a love that’s on par with what I see between Wrath and Flame. Hell, what I see between Blade and Sera too, even though their relationship is still new compared to Wrath and Flame. Their newness doesn’ttake away from the fact they are clearly head over heels for one another. Unfortunately for me, what I have with Megan isn’t anything like that. I thought we could be when we first started dating, but her change in personality has made it very clear how wrong I was there. I really need to sit down with her and talk once I’m back home. I can’t keep on living in a relationship like the one we have. I’ve been struggling with all this for a while now, but being away seems to have given me the clarity I need where my relationship is concerned. This isn’t what I want to be part of anymore; the stress and arguments are just too much. It doesn’t matter what I do or say; she always seems to have a problem. This isn’t what I imagined my relationship would be like when I settled down.
Despite everything going on in my mind, I can’t wait to get home; it’s been a long trip this time. Two days we’ve been away, and as much as I wanted to do this, I much prefer being closer to home. Violence isn’t something I usually partake in; that’s more my twin’s thing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, if I need to, I’ll get my hands dirty, but I prefer working in the background. Blending in, gathering information from the shadows totally unseen. My road name isn’t Shadow for no reason; I’m really fucking good at what I do. Actually, I’m one of the fucking best, but I needed to be part of this. For Sera and my own sanity. It hit me really fucking hard when Sera’s past was revealed when our so-called mother showed up at The Clubhouse. I couldn’t help but feel like I failed my sister by not being there to protect her from the horrors she experienced growing up. I knew what I felt wasn’t exactly logical; it’s not like I knew anything about Sera while she was growing up. None of us knew she even existed until she showed up at Inferno’s and told her story to Blade, but I couldn’t help feeling how I did. She’s my baby sister; if I knew about her when she was growing up, she’d never have experienced the horrors she did. I’d have protected her from it all, and I wouldn’t have beenalone in doing so; Wrath would have been right there next to me. I couldn’t change the past though; unfortunately, I don’t have any sort of superpower or a time machine; instead, I made the decision to make every person who had a hand in her abuse pay for it. And they paid dearly with their lives. Fuck if it doesn’t make me feel better, and I hope it makes Sera feel better too.
We’re about thirty minutes away from The Compound, traveling the backroads where we can put pedal to the metal and ride a lot faster. My Dad, Blaze, is in the lead. I wouldn’t expect anything else; I may be the club’s VP, but he’s the former President, and I will always fall in line behind him. It’s a respect thing. Blade’s behind me, doing his thing as an Enforcer and ensuring both myself and Dad are safe and protected. I know I have nothing to worry about with him at my back. I’m pretty sure he’s just as eager as me to get home, no doubt missing Sera. I think this may have been the longest they’ve been separated since they began their relationship.
When Sera arrived, totally out of the blue as none of us even knew she existed, I never imagined she’d end up an Ol’ Lady to one of our members, but fuck if she isn’t the perfect match for Blade. They have such a deep bond coming from a place of mutual trauma and understanding, but fuck their love shines between them. You can feel it in the air when you’re around them, and I couldn’t be happier for them. They both deserve the happiness they’ve found after the hell they’ve been through. Now I just need to end my fucked-up relationship with Megan and find what they have for myself. Easier said than done. I know it’s going to be a shitshow when I end things with Megan.
Chapter Two
Blaze
Fuck. Shit. Motherfucker. This cannot be fucking happening. That’s not a goddamn phone call I ever wanted or expected to receive. Glancing into my bike’s mirrors, I can see Shadow and Blade behind me. I know I need to get them both to Devil’s Ink as fast as possible. Sera needs her Ol’ Man more than anything right now, and Shadow needs to be informed about Wreck.
As much as I want to pull over and tell them both what’s happened, I can’t. Neither of them will be in the right headspace to ride if they learn about the attack now. They’ll both be fucking worried about the people they care about most. Not like I’d blame them for that; I’m struggling to deal with what I’ve learned myself. The difference between me and them though is that I’ve had a hell of a lot more years on this earth and can compartmentalize really fucking well. It’s not the first time I’ve had to push something to the back of my mind to stay levelheaded, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be the last time either.
This is going to fucking suck. Blade will be okay once he has Sera in his arms. The person who means most to him in the world might be a little shaken up by the events she’s just beenthrough, but she’s safe and sound. Shadow doesn’t have that waiting for him. His best friend, the person who means most to him, is gone. Taken. God, he’s going to fucking lose it when he finds out.
My youngest son’s friendship with Wreck is something else. From the moment they met, they became fast friends. Like no joke, they met and just clicked. I’ve only seen a friendship form like that once before, when Wrath met Flame, but fuck they were kids. Kids make friends so easily; Shadow and Wreck were adults. Normally it takes a lot longer for a friendship like theirs to form, but that wasn’t the case with them; it was instant. They’re closer than Shadow is to his own twin. Up until earlier this year, they hadn’t spent a day apart since the day they met at eighteen. That changed when Wreck’s younger brother, Dre, just up and vanished one day. Wreck spent six months following every lead he could find, no matter how small, to try and track him down. After six months, he’d exhausted every lead and finally came home, and it couldn’t have been better timing with the shit that was going down around here at the time.
Wreck arrived home at just the right time, if I’m being honest. Back then we were dealing with Claire, who happens to be my grandson’s mother, trying to kill both my sons, Wrath and Shadow, as well as Wrath’s now husband and childhood best friend Flame. Yeah, that was certainly one fucked-up situation.
Thinking about it, since Wreck received the news about Dre, it’s been one thing after another for us as a club. We had the issues with Claire, including finding out about Cam; the son Wrath had no idea existed; her fucking Uncle, the now former police chief, attacking The Clubhouse, nearly killing one of our Prospects in the process; then Sera arriving. The daughter I didn’t know about, who had not only grown up in hell because of her fucking mother, and that’s a term I use very fucking lightly where that woman is concerned, but also she had a disgustingmobster on her tail because that same so-called mother thought it was okay to sell my daughter to him. Was it too fucking much to think we’d have a break now all that had been dealt with?
Obviously it was because now we’ve got Devil’s Ink being attacked by a large group of men and Wreck being fucking abducted. What the actual fuck is wrong with our luck this year? Like seriously. What’s going to be next? God, I don’t even want to think about it. We need to get through this crisis first.
I don’t envy Wrath when we arrive at Devil’s Ink. As the current President of Devil’s Inferno, a role he took over for me during a health crisis, he’s going to have to inform Shadow about what has happened. Personally, I don’t think I’d have been able to do it if I was still in his shoes. Family means everything to us, and we hate when one of us is hurting. I have no illusions that Shadow is going to be devastated when he learns Wreck has been kidnapped. I just hope we can find him fast and still in one piece. If we don’t, yeah, I’m not even going to go there in my mind because I don’t want to imagine what will happen to my son if we don’t find Wreck.
Coming off the back roads leading into Devil’s Point, instead of heading towards The Compound, I turn and head towards town. I know they’ll both follow me; they’re well aware of how I work and know that I wouldn’t be making a detour for no reason. I just really fucking hope there’s some good news by the time we arrive at Devil’s Ink.
Chapter Three
Shadow
What the fuck is going on? Why’s my Dad taking the turn towards town instead of the one for The Compound? It makes no sense to me; the plan was to head straight to The Compound when we got back to Devil’s Point. He obviously has his reasons; I just wish I knew what they were. I don’t exactly enjoy last-minute changes. I like knowing where we’re heading and why, so I can be prepared for whatever I’m about to face.
As we head closer towards the center of town, I start to get a feeling of utter dread. Something is fucking wrong. I can feel it in my bones. Deep in my gut. I don’t like this feeling, not one bit. What I’m feeling doesn’t get any better when I realize we’re heading to Devil’s Ink, where I know for a fact Wreck and Sera were working the closing shift tonight.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize something has happened, and my Dad has been informed about it while we were riding home. It can’t be anything good if he chose to not say anything to me and Blade while we were riding. I know how my Dad’s mind works. He’d keep whatever it is to himself if he believed either of us would become a liability.
As we round the corner to where Devil’s Ink is located, my feeling of dread increases tenfold, and I feel physically sick atthe sight that greets me. The entire fucking street is covered in bikes; if I had to guess, every fucking member of Devil’s Inferno is currently here, and that can’t mean anything good. Not at fucking all. We don’t come out in full force like this unless it’s something fucking serious. God, what the hell has happened?
I follow my Dad towards the empty space that’s been left directly outside Devil’s Ink’s doors, Blade right on my tail. I know he’s got to be feeling just as worried as I am right now. As soon as I park and pull my helmet off, I start scanning the crowd. Looking for the two people, I know we’re here when whatever happened went down. I need to lay my eyes on them both and reassure myself they’re safe.
Before I even have a chance to move away from my bike and start searching the crowd for them, a blur rushing towards Blade catches my attention. That blur can only be one person. Sera. There’s no one else on this planet who’d be running towards Blade like that. I’m fucking relieved to know my sister is safe and sound, but when I catch a glimpse of her tear-stained face, I know something seriously bad has happened. Sera doesn’t get fucking upset for nothing; she’s strong and fierce.
