Defiance (24 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“How is she?”

Tru turned to see Fiona at the door of the infirmary. Rebel was outside, so it made sense he’d let her in, but Aimee wouldn’t want to see her.

Aimee was drugged and sleeping, though. She’d had a bad couple of nights, which led to more bad days. She’d sunk into a depression and, coupled with a recent infection stemming from one of her wounds, Lisbeth was worried about her.

So was Tru. She watched her friend’s labored breathing, trying to reconcile it with the girl who’d been looking forward to training with Lisbeth, who’d lectured Tru and given her the final push to see Caspar.

“She’s in a lot of pain,” she told Fiona.

Fiona grimaced, folded her arms across herself. “Is she going to be okay?”

Tru didn’t know exactly how to answer that. “She’ll be scarred for life, physically. She can’t have kids. The broken bones and other things will heal. As for her...I don’t know how she could ever be okay again.”

She was crying. Dammit, she needed to be strong. But surprisingly, Fiona was the one who was suddenly strong. She came over and gave Tru a hug—not intrusive, not the kind you’d give your best friend, but the kind that let you know you had her support.

“She’ll be okay, Tru. She will be, because she has to. Defiance women, we’re a special bunch.”

Tru wiped the tears from her eyes. She wanted to ask Fiona why she did the things she did for the men in the club. Maybe it was tradition, maybe Fiona didn’t know any other way.

Or maybe she liked it.

The one thing Tru knew, the women couldn’t turn against each other. “Luna loves Rebel.”

A half smile curved Fiona’s lips. “No shit.”

“You know that, but you and Rebel...”

“Rebel and I fuck, Tru. I’m not looking for love and romance. I know you can’t understand that and I’m not asking you to. But if Luna loves Rebel, what’s she doing about it besides telling you?”

Tru didn’t have an answer.

“If you need anything, Rebel knows how to find me. Caspar too.” A little dig, because Fiona was, after all, Fiona. And then she softened it by saying, “You’re a good friend, Tru. That’s all Aimee needs. A good friend and a good man will get you through anything.”

“Fiona...if you ever need to talk...about the bruises,” Tru started and Fiona smiled. Just like that, the mask dropped and she said, “Did you like the show, Tru?”

Tru stared at her, the hatred rising. She glanced at Aimee, whose eyes were now open, just before Kian’s arm went around her throat before she could do anything to Fiona, his hand stuffing the wet rag into her mouth. She heard Fiona say, “You’d think the woman Caspar chose wouldn’t be so gullible,” before Kian murmured, “go to sleep, babe.” At his words, she closed her eyes and went limp against him.

* * *

Caspar drove back into Defiance with Mathias and Bishop. Rebel was waiting for them by the main clubhouse, waving Caspar down before the van stopped moving.

Caspar got out and Rebel started in. “Tru’s gone. Aimee said that Fiona and Kian took her. Fuck.” He looked destroyed. “We caught a bike trail—we can ride—”

“No.” Lance’s voice cut through the infirmary. “We’re not going after Tru. Kian took her—that’s the best thing that could happen to Defiance. He’s got his due, his revenge for what Caspar and Tru did to Paddy.”

Everyone froze. Caspar turned to Lance, watched the big man lumber in, a pleased smile on his face as he continued, “Fiona’s a little traitorous bitch. Losing her isn’t a hardship either. Kian wants her, he’s welcome to her.”

Mathias

I didn’t know what the fuck was happening. Bishop shot me a look and probably not for the first time was glad I couldn’t voice my opinion because I wouldn’t have been able to stop.

Follow the breadcrumbs
, Caspar signed and I signed back,
What the fuck do I look like
,
Hansel and Gretel?

“You’re definitely Gretel,” Bish muttered in response to my automatic signing and of course, he got the finger as I slid the van out of the compound, hopefully unnoticed. After a mile of circling, I didn’t spot a tail so I moved off in the general direction Cas mentioned the trail led.

I drove like hell to follow the tracks.

“Looks like the right place,” Bish muttered as the small dirt road led to an out of the way cabin. Without the tracks to follow, I’d never have known it was here. Bish was out of the van and I was a step behind him. He let me go inside first and I burst into the room, weapon drawn, Bish at my back. And there was Tru, sitting in the middle of the couch. Calm. Waiting.

“You okay, Tru?” Bish asked from behind me.

“She’s fine.” Kian. Standing in the kitchen, drinking a beer. “But Fiona’s not.”

He motioned to a chair in the corner of the room where Fiona was bound and gagged, tied to within an inch of her life. She hadn’t been touched beyond that, far as I could see. But Tru was fine.

What the fuck?

“Tell Cas he owes me. Again.” Kian bent to talk to Fiona. “And you, little one? Shouldn’t fuck around with big boy games.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

As Caspar waited, more of the Defiance crew, and their women, gathered around the compound. By now, word spread that Tru was taken. Everyone also knew that Fiona played a part in her kidnapping and Lance was spreading the word that Caspar was responsible for the whole thing.

Finally, when Lance felt he had enough of an audience, he addressed everyone who’d come round to watch the show. “Let me explain something to you, to the entire MC. Caspar might have fooled you all, but he’s never fooled me. He’s been letting you all think he’s the do-gooder the club needs, but reality is, he’s been meeting with Kian behind all our backs. Cutting deals with him in exchange for bringing Defiance down.”

Caspar leaned against the truck’s hood and smiled. Fucking smiled in the middle of all this crap and darkness and bullshit. Smiled, because his Technicolor was coming around the bend behind Lance and fuck yeah, didn’t matter what else happened.

Tru was safe. Tru was his.

“I think you’ve got that backward, Lance,” Tru said and Lance whirled around to see her. The ghost in the action, ghost in the machine. The woman who’d help to bring him down.

“This is all your fault,” Lance told her.

“My fault?”

“Aimee nearly died because of you. And she’s not out of the woods yet.”

In fact, over the past several hours, Aimee’s infection had worsened. But Aimee had been strong enough to help Tru, who now turned to face the gathered crowd.

“Some of you say it’s my fault, and maybe it is. But what the hell did I do wrong? I didn’t want to be with a man I didn’t love. That’s my crime. That, and leaving a town where I was going to be beaten and raped by my own father,” Tru said, her voice loud and firm.

A collective gasp came from some of the women in the crowd. Some of the men looked disgusted, others unsurprised but uncomfortable.

He’d never been more proud of her.

“For generations, this MC has thrived and survived. I’m not throwing it away for you.” Lance’s tone meant business. Caspar was coming up behind him as Lance’s hand raised toward Tru and she looked like she didn’t know if she should brace for the slap or kick him in the balls.

Either way, she was in trouble. Either way, it was going to hurt her. And before Caspar could intervene, Rebel stopped Lance, caught the man’s arm and held it. “You don’t touch her.”

“Or what? Now you’re takin’ up for all the sheep? Reb, maybe you’re confused. This is what they’re here for. Meant to be used.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Boy, someone’s been in your ear, talkin’ shit.”

“Talking truth,” Rebel told him and Lance’s face hardened.

“Don’t like it here? Then go someplace else. Start somethin’ new.”

Hammer was circling Lance now. “Want us to start someplace new? How about the rapist leaves the compound and finds someplace new. After I beat the shit out of you.”

Roan came forward and squared off against Hammer. “You leave him alone.”

Caspar called out into the night, “Got some news for you, Lance.” Everyone stilled and turned to him and he pushed off the truck unhurriedly, unfolded the piece of paper he’d had with him since he was ten years old.

He handed it to Lance now, and the man stared at it for a long second. The recognition Caspar had been waiting years to see was there and Lance stared between him and the paper.

“What the fuck is this supposed to be?”

“You know exactly what the fuck it means,” Caspar told him. “According to the bylines, the son of a murdered president of the charter is the rightful leader. That’d be me.”

He heard some muffled gasps from behind him. “Yeah, you all heard me. I’m not Lance’s bastard son. I’m Abel’s son—Abel and Cara.”

“Not true, son,” Lance told him.

“You’ve got Cara’s pregnancy test, weeks before my father was killed. And the rape kit, after Abel died. I know what you did to my mother.”

“Boy, you’ve lost your fuckin’ mind.”

“We’ve pretended that Mom’s some mama you slept with...but you, me and Trixie, we all know the truth. Wanna tell everyone who Mom was?”

“Yeah. Your momma was Cara—Abel’s wife. Shouldn’ta happened, but we were both grieving,” Lance said.

A reasonable enough explanation if there was a goddamned shred of truth to it.

“What the fuck, Cas?” Silas came into view now. “What the hell are you saying? My father had nothing to do with Abel’s murder. And why wait so long to tell us this shit?”

“Lance had Hugh kill Abel. I’ve got witnesses,” Caspar told Silas. “That should tell you why I couldn’t say anything before this.”

“I’ll fucking kill you, Caspar. Should’ve, long before this,” Roan told him. Hammer was holding him back but Caspar looked at his friend and said, “Let him go.”

Hammer did and Caspar steeled himself as the big man ran toward him with his brass knuckles on, ready to go toe to toe with him.

Caspar didn’t remember much of what happened. All the anger and pain he’d been holding inside came out onto Roan. Should’ve been Lance he was punching and kicking, but Roan had been making Caspar the object of scorn for years. Roan was the one helping Lance ruin this MC.

Roan could not remain in Defiance.

Roan also wore the same skull ring as Lance and Caspar had little doubt Roan had also been there to hurt Aimee.

He bloodied the man’s face. Kept on punching him until it seemed like every bone in his face should be broken. Roan weakly spit out a couple of teeth.

He’d annihilated him.

“Should’ve done this long before you helped hurt Aimee,” he told the dying man in front of him. “You’re the motherfucking bastard, Roan. No one bothered to tell you that Trixie played around with a guy from town and you’re the result.”

“You’re a fucking liar.”

“One thing I’ve never been, Roan,” he murmured, before he was yanked backward.

In the excitement, Lance must’ve slipped by the other men. Now, Lance held him by the face, a knife pressed to his throat.

“Exactly the way it happened for your goddamned father,” he told Caspar. “I watched the whole damned thing.”

“Why?”

“Abel had no goddamned vision, boy. Sure you don’t either. You’re not what’s best for this club and no one here’s coming to help you.”

Before Caspar could say anything else, the pressure was gone. He jerked around in time to see the knife through Lance’s heart and Silas stumbling back, watching his father stare and then, with blood bubbling from his lips, crumple to the ground.

Silas dropped the blade.

“Si,” Caspar called but Silas shook his head, turned and ran.

“Should I go after him?’ Rebel asked.

“Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself,” Caspar told him and Rebel took off. Hammer went by Roan and spit on him, and then did the same to Lance.

“Caspar’s the rightful president of this MC. Anyone who’s not with him can fucking deal with me,” Hammer told the crowd.

* * *

Tru came to him. Hugged him, pulled his head down to her so she could cradle him. Murmured sweet things in his ear. She was proud. She loved him. She was here for him.

When he pulled back, she wiped some blood and dirt from his face. “Was I always part of your plan?”

“Always hoped. Didn’t know it’d go down like this. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” he said.

“I should hate you for sending Kian after me like that. For not telling me.”

“Only scared you for a second, no? Knew you’d figure it out when the rag was clean,” Caspar said and yes, she’d known once she’d tasted nothing but water on the cloth, when she hadn’t gotten sleepy, but the final reassurance had come as Kian had dragged her away from Fiona and murmured, “Got Cas’s back”

It was seconds later that she’d heard Fiona curse, followed by the sound of fist meeting flesh. And then Kian told her she could open her eyes and stop playing dead. He’d somehow managed to carry both her and Fiona into a van. Fiona was on the floor, a rag stuffed in her mouth and a bruise on her cheek. Kian’s handiwork.

“You should’ve told me.”

“Had nothing to do with trust, baby. Knew you’d be safe. Didn’t have time to get to you when things started to go down—Kian was closest to stop any shit Fiona was about to pull and he couldn’t say anything with Fiona already in the room.”

“So you owe Kian a favor now?”

“Always owin’ someone.” Caspar tilted his head. “Forgive me?”

“Yes.”

“Stand by me, no matter what else happens?”

“Always, Cas.”

At her words, Caspar held her tight. Tru held him back just as tightly and he murmured against her, “Christ, Tru, I didn’t expect...”

She pulled back. “What happened tonight wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t ever think Silas would pick me over his family. I didn’t give him that credit. Maybe things could’ve been different if I had.”

“And maybe Si could’ve made his own choices. Different ones.”

“Chaos left a lot of people without choices.”

“Weren’t you the one who said there’s always a choice?”

“Throwin’ my own words back at me, woman?”

She smiled, his followed. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I’ve been thinkin’ about this. Preparing for it, imagining it for years. This last year, I knew how close things were to changing. But it’s fuckin’ here. And I got more than I ever thought.”

* * *

“Can’t find him,” Rebel said.

Day had turned to night and back to day. With the rain, it was hard to tell. Caspar sat on the covered porch outside the clubhouse, where he’d sat for hours at a time, waiting to hear Silas’s bike roar back into the compound.

Liv was a wreck. So was Trixie. But Rebel and Hammer had taken control of the men at the table and Caspar had been made acting president of the charter.

“Too many members, too much war with Kill Devils to show weakness,” Rebel said, echoing Caspar’s own words from earlier.

The men shook his hand, the bond cemented. Mathias and Bish wouldn’t sit at the table, but they’d be Caspar’s men at arms, helping him run the Enforcers.

Hammer would be put in charge of enforcing.

Finally, twenty-four tense hours later, Silas showed up outside the clubhouse. It was early morning, and he looked wrecked. He wore the same clothes and Caspar could smell the blood and the alcohol on the guy.

“Dude, come on—Liv’s worried. Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”

Silas was surprisingly pliable as Caspar draped one of his arms over his shoulder to support the guy’s weight and half carried him into the clubhouse. He grabbed a towel and some coffee, wiped Silas’s face and hands down before the man took a sip and grimaced.

“You need to eat.”

Silas shrugged. “How’s Trixie?”

“Not good.”

“You gonna burn the bastard’s body?”

“I’m gonna do whatever you want me to.”

“What about Roan?”

“Doc says he won’t wake up. I wouldn’t give him a say in this anyway. You do.”

Roan doesn’t get a say in this. You do.”

Silas hesitated, then asked, “If he does wake...you’re keepin’ him?”

Caspar realized that the man couldn’t help his worry and figured this was one time a lie was better than the truth. “Figure it’s better not to let him go to another MC. Gotta get his head on straight. Hopin’ you can stay on and help me with that.”

Trixie refused to talk to Caspar or Tru. He didn’t think she’d stay here, and he didn’t know how he felt about keeping her here. She’d be too subversive. But kicking a woman out of the compound under these circumstances, with her husband gone and the world in chaos gnawed at his gut.

What hadn’t was letting Kian take care of Fiona. He knew she’d be killed, rather than Kian risking her starting shit with his MC.

After what she’d done to Tru, he’d have gladly killed her himself, but Kian didn’t have many requests. Caspar had honored that one.

“I can’t help you, Cas,” Silas said finally. “Can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“You know now. Stay, Silas.”

“Too late,” he muttered. “You know, I gave up my dreams for this place. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered, maybe they’d be gone with the Chaos anyway. But I was willing to throw them away for shit I never wanted.”

“You did it for family, and for loyalty.”

“What would you know of that?”

“More than I should. But I don’t have blind loyalty. Never did.”

Silas sagged. “I’m goin’, Caspar. Maybe one day I’ll come back, but for now...”

“Takin’ Liv?”

Si shook his head no. “Take care of her. Tell her she’s free, doesn’t have to stay bonded.”

“Where you headed?”

“Away, man. This fuckin’ place...cursed.”

“Not the place, Silas. Your family.”

Silas opened his mouth to say
yours too
, but then closed it when he realized his mistake. “This place will fuck you up, Caspar.”

“Already has.”

“Then why stay?”

“Found myself a good woman. Not lettin’ her go. She’s not lettin’ me go. Together, we’re changing things.”

“Good luck with that,” Silas muttered. When he rode off, Caspar wondered if he’d seen the man for the last time.