Page 35 of The Queen of Nightmares

I started unwrapping myself from the protective layers Doc had insisted on. I pulled the balaclava off, glad I had braided my long hair so it wouldn’t be a tangled mess. The balaclava probably helped keep my nose from getting frostbite, but at the moment, it didn’t feel as if it had done anything to help. Once I stuffed it into my pocket, I pulled my stocking cap down over my head and ears. Everything else could stay on. I pulled my scarf up over my chin and hunched into it. Fuck it was cold.

The lot was already full with so many motorcycles, it was awe inspiring. I knew that there were clubs in the surrounding area, and had even witnessed it from the one time I had spent at The Warehouse months ago. The lot had been full, and the inside of the building had been packed with bikers of all shapes, sizes, and ages. That night, mostly, everyone got along pretty well and seemed more like allies instead of competitors or rivals.

Looking around now, though, I couldn’t help but stare. As many as I thought there had been that night, there hadn’t been nearly as many as what I was seeing now. Several of the men from the other clubs were leaning on their bikes, smoking cigarettes or joints. They were talking quietly among themselves. The atmosphere seemed subdued as they huddled into their jackets, breathing warm air into their cupped hands to warm them up and stomping their feet. It was different from how I usually saw bikers act when they were together as a group. I didn’t think it was all due to the frigid weather.

A couple of the men broke away from their groups and headed over. Both of them were eyeing me closely as they approached. I didn’t sense any negative vibes coming from either of them. The looks they had were more curious than anything. Perhaps there was a bit of pity, too. One of them, a tall man with a thick black beard and kind blue eyes, reached out his hand to me. He was wearing a President patch, and I blinked at it in surprise before sliding my gloved hand into his bare one. I didn’t know how his fingers hadn’t turned blue.

“I’m really sorry about your man. Bones is a good President. I wanted to let you know, we will do anything we can to help get him back. Like him and his club, we respect our women and protect them.”

“Thank you, Talon,” I murmured, glancing at the stitched name below his President patch.

He winked. “Midnight Demons at your service.”

The other President, just as tall but with auburn hair and a shaved face, stepped forward, shoving Talon out of the way with a beefy arm. He also held out his hand for a shake. “The Black Wolves will also be of any help.” He looked over to Doc beside me and shifted, extending his hand to my would-be brother-in-law. “I hear you’re the new VP. It’s nice to meet you. You have big shoes to fill. Lock was one of the good ones.”

I looked at the ground at his words. My guilt over his death would likely never fade.

“He was, and I do,” Doc agreed.

After dropping their hands back to their sides, everyone glanced around at the gathered bikers.

“Does anyone know what this meeting is about?” Blade, the Black Wolves President asked.

Doc shook his head. “No, but I’m sure we all have our guesses.”

They all nodded grimly but didn’t speak the words I knew were on everyone’s minds. I clenched my hands into fists and shoved them into my jacket pockets. Jack wasn’t dead. I would scream it to the sky if I had to.

The sound of dozens of engines broke into the murmuring of the bikers already gathered. I watched as every man who had been relaxed, leaning against their bikes, came to attention, tossing down their cigarettes. Their hands went to the clearly displayed weapons resting on their hips. The entire assembled group fairly vibrated with tension as the Boogeymen circled the lot and then came to a stop in the empty space in front of us.

I tugged off my gloves and tucked them into my pockets as they climbed off their bikes, laughing and joking with each other as if they didn’t have a care in the world. As if they weren’t holding my whole world captive somewhere, doing things to him, I didn’t even want to try to imagine.

I seethed with an almost overwhelming rage as I watched Oogie swing his leg over his motorcycle with a huge grin on his face. Oogie glanced around at the grim faces of everyone standing opposite him and chuckled before landing his dark, piercing gaze on me.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here, boys? The little woman herself actually came.” He looked around at the Devil’s Nightmares assembled around me. “I honestly didn’t think you all had the balls to bring her.” He looked back at me with a nasty smirk on his face. “You caused me a lot of trouble, little girl,” he tsked as if chiding a small child.

He turned around with his arms outstretched, taking in the combined groups of motorcycle clubs who had come to witness whatever it was he had called this meeting for. My entire body was trembling in fear and hatred. This man had tried to take me, but Jack had stepped in, willing to fight for me, ready to die for me. And this piece of shit monster had taken him instead. I wanted Jack back.

“It’s over, fellas,” he bellowed. “Or,” he faced the Devil’s Nightmares again, “should I say, it’s just beginning?” He looked over his shoulder, and all the Boogeymen raised their fists and yelled a victory yell so loud it shook the ground and made me want to cover my ears. “This town and the entire area is now Boogeyman territory.” He declared his words loud and clear as soon as the cheers died down. “With this territory in my control, nothing will stop me from using the highway from here clear to Canada. My product will be on a fast track to every town, city, school, and club for thousands of miles.”

Every single biker that wasn’t a Boogeyman shifted nervously on his feet and eyed one another warily. Doc stepped forward with his fists clenched.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he demanded, his jaw tight and menace lacing his tone, hatred lacing every word. “Where the fuck is our President?”

Oogie let out a guffaw so obnoxious I wanted to punch him in the face to wipe the mirth right off it. “Your President? Oh, that’s funny.” He wiped at his eyes, still chuckling. “Old Bones gave himself up for his old lady here. Did you really think I was going to let him walk away? That I wasn’t going to put him in the ground for the disrespect he’s shown me over the years?”

My body froze, my breath refusing to release from my lungs. A loud ringing began to fill my head as his words played over and over in my brain. It wasn’t until Oogie pointed at me, smiled wickedly, and began chanting “Yes, yes, yes” obnoxiously that I realized that I had been repeating “No” over and over out loud.

Someone handed Oogie a bloody vest that he took in his big, meaty fists and held up for everyone to see. It clearly had patches that readBonesandPresidenton the front. It was covered in blood and what could only be a bullet hole just over the name.

“The King is dead.” He dropped his hands and then tossed the leather cut in the dirt. It skittered across the rocks, dirt, and ice until it stopped just inches away from my shoes. I stared down at the vest, seeing that hole and all the blood. My stomach rolled, and I had to swallow hard several times to keep the vomit back. I shook my head slowly. I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. Not Jack. Not my Jack. The Nightmare King couldn’t be gone.No.That was impossible.

As I stared at the vest, I could vaguely hear the words that the Boogeyman President was saying in his booming voice. Through a haze, I heard him demanding that the Nightmares clear out of his territory. Anyone that was still in town or anywhere around it by dark would be dead by morning. Including me.

But all I could focus on was that vest.

I felt the weight of that little purple gun that Jack had bought me sitting in my pocket. For hours, Jack had patiently taught me the way to use it. I learned how to load it, clean it, and how to aim for a man. He taught me never to aim a gun at a person unless I planned to kill. With that thought running through my mind, I slipped the little gun out of my pocket and lifted it while using my thumb to slide the safety off. With my left hand holding it steady, I let out a breath and placed my finger on the trigger. While everyone was arguing and cursing what Oogie was saying to the crowd, no one paid any attention to me. I gently squeezed the trigger, aiming right at the center of the chest of the man who had destroyed my life so much worse than Dr. Stein ever had.

The sound was deafening, and everyone in the big dirt lot went deadly still as I stood there and stared at the blood. I let my hands drop back down to my sides. It was amazing how something so small, almost insignificant in weight, could cause so much destruction. Jack had been right; the caliber that went in this tiny weapon was enough to kill a man with one well-placed shot.

---