Lucky (Inked Menace MC 1) (10 page)

16
Chapter Sixteen

“What in the seven layers of hell,” Hammer muttered after they had kicked in the door to the run-down shack and filed into the shit hole in a single line, guns drawn.

Buzz whistled and said, “Don’t move. Any of you. Do not enter that room.”

Lucky examined the confined space from the doorway. Four of the Delta Dogs stood stock still in a semicircle around Cecelia, who was in the center of the room duct taped and tied to a chair, not moving a muscle.

Don’t move?
Hands clenched and blood pumping, Lucky had other ideas, and his feet moved a step. Buzz’s hand whipped out and slammed him in the chest before he turned and stood face to face with Lucky, his eyes burning a fierce bright green.

A warlock in all his glory. “I said don’t move or you’ll get hurt. You have to trust me, Lucky. It’s why you brought me. Just in case. She’s alive. I can see her chest rising and falling.”

Reigning in his anger proved harder than Lucky thought as he stepped outside for a moment to cool his rage and get his wolf under control. After five heartbeats, he marched back into the small hallway with his crew and watched as his best friend walked into the fray.

“Cecelia,” he called. “Cecelia, can you hear me? It’s Buzz, Lucky’s friend from the tattoo shop. I don’t think we met, but I’m here with the MC. I’m going to remove the tape from your mouth and it’s gonna sting worse than a swarm of horseflies.”

Buzz’s hands were raised, showing he wasn’t armed, just in case something even more weird happened. Fast as a cobra his hand shot out, grabbed a corner of the tape, and ripped it from her face.

She cried out. “Don’t come any closer! I don’t know how much longer I can hold them.”

Hammer turned and stared into Lucky’s eyes. Warning bells rang in Lucky’s ears.

Buzz said, “You won’t hurt me. I’m not a shifter. I’m a warlock, and I’m going to untie you, then cut the tape off your body. Okay?”

Lucky saw Cecelia nod her head, but he couldn’t see her eyes.

His best friend said, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to see if there’s a knife or a pair of scissors. Do you want me to turn the chair so you can see Lucky and know I’m not lying?”

She inhaled, but Lucky called out, “I’m here, little bird. It’s okay. You can trust him.”

Her chin dropped back to her chest, and he envisioned her crying. It bothered him that he couldn’t get to her, wrap her up in his arms and soothe her.

Buzz returned with a kitchen knife and made quick work of the tape and ties, then picked her up off the chair and sat in the center of the room with her in his lap.

The animal in Lucky growled. Buzz met his glare and shrugged, his eyes saying, “What am I supposed to do?”

Cecelia’s teeth chattered. “I have to let them go. Once I do, they’ll be free to move and they’ll try to kill us all.”

Hammer said, “We understand. We’ll take care of them.”

From behind Hammer, Flash said, “I need a good fight. I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

Meat cracked his knuckles.

Pretty-Boy tossed his head and said, “Nobody hurt the face!” and grinned at the weirdly frozen bodies. Their eyes moved, but that was it. Lucky figured they must be able to understand what was going to happen, so he prepared himself, shifting to wolf right there in the hallway. Magic erupted inside him, and a tsunami of pain assaulted his bones as he forced the change to happen more quickly than usual.

The clothes he had worn lay in tatters on the floor, and he shook his body from side to side, then stepped out of his jeans.

“Okay,” he heard Buzz say. “Let the magic go so Lucky and the MC can take care of the rest.”

He heard Cecelia sniffle, then she looked right into Hammer’s eyes. “They all need to die. They know too much.” She raised a brow, as if she thought Hammer was going to let them live.

“Aye, darlin’. They’re all gonna pay.”

She nodded one final time, squeezed her eyes closed, and then started to tremble in Buzz’s arms.

At once, a sonic boom ricocheted across the room and threw them all against the wall. Then bodies were moving too quickly and awkwardly in the little room. Hammer grabbed one of the Delta men and threw him hard enough to send him right through the plaster out onto the front lawn. He followed through the crater-sized hole, picked up the Delta by the scruff of his neck, and proceeded to pound his fist into the head of the boy, who couldn’t have been more than twenty-five.

Fools.

Meat and Flash each battled with one of the Deltas and he left them to it, stalking the fourth and final member of the kidnap team, the hyena. The one who’d been closest to Cecelia in their room. Probably the one who’d carried her. Lucky dodged left and right, weaving through the fighters, and clamped his teeth around the thigh of the cackling shifter right before he shifted into his true form and took off running through the hole and into the woods.

Lucky glanced back before chasing, seeing the Delta Dogs being dispatched, then took off after the last bastard, determined to make him pay in blood.

The wolf hunted, keeping his nose in the air, testing the scents as their prey darted and ran in circles, trying to lose them. Undeterred, the wolf hunted on, his eyes on the prize and his bloodlust on his tongue.

In the distance, he saw a flash of movement as a large animal with spots dove through a thicket. Lucky assessed the area and veered right, then left, giving a wide berth to the main trail the hyena was running on. He closed the distance between them. The hyena glanced back and saw nothing, but had he checked his flank, he would have seen Lucky coming straight at him.

But he didn’t.

Lucky barreled into the side of the hyena and they rolled, toppling over each other, vying for the dominant position, teeth snapping, yipping and yapping.

Lucky was bigger, and on the last roll, he used his body mass to pin the hyena to the ground, then lunged at his throat, ripping the carotid as blood gushed and pooled on the ground. Lucky spit out the flesh rather than eating it, and continued to use his jaws to put pressure on the hyena’s neck, suffocating the struggling animal to make sure he died. And stayed dead.

When Lucky was sure the animal’s life had left its body, he let go and sat back on his haunches.

The Delta Dogs patch holder lay still, his mottled and spotted fur covered in blood and dirt, a gaping hole in his throat. There was no movement. Lucky stood, shook his fur and howled to the sky.

Then he turned and raced back toward the cabin.

17
Chapter Seventeen

Cecelia stood on shaky legs and said to Hammer, “Does this count as my trial by combat?”

She turned as Lucky stumbled into the living room, back in human form, wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. He went to her and caressed her cheek with his hand just before he scooped her up and held her in his arms.

The Inked Menace MC president and Ruling Council of Shifters leader laughed, then razzed the top of her head with his hand. “I like you, kid. I hope you stick around.” He glanced around at their retrieval crew and said, “All in favor of using this as Cecelia’s combat trial say aye.”

A chorus of
yeahs
went around the room, and Lucky’s little bird smiled. Lucky pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, “Aye.”

“Done,” Hammer stated. “Mind telling us what went down here?”

Cecelia blew out a breath and said quietly, “I used gatekeeper magic to control their movements. I bound them to my will.”

“Can you do that to any shifter?” Flash asked as she picked at her nails. Then she dropped her hands and walked toward Lucky and Cecelia.

Tension vibrated in Lucky’s body as he prepared for war. He knew his club. And he knew the packs. This news wouldn’t be well received.

“Here,” Flash said, pulling out a Pop-Tart from her pocket. “Eat this. It’ll help.”

“Thanks,” Cecelia said, and reached for the silver wrapper. “And yes, I can,” she said to no one in particular, not meeting any of their eyes as she pried open her food. “But I made a vow to never use the magic unless under dire circumstances, and the more pure the bloodline, the harder it is to take control.”

Hammer crossed his arms over his chest. Cecelia looked up at the silence, then studied his posture.

She continued, her voice rumbling over Lucky’s body. “It’s a magic all gatekeepers possess, and we train to use it when we’re young. Just in case.”

“I don’t like it,” said Meat.

“Me neither,” said Hammer.

Cecelia shrugged, and Lucky loved her for it. “You don’t have to like it. It’s the way it is. There are checks and balances in the universe. I’m your balance.”

Lucky squeezed her tight, ready to fight his friends, brothers, and comrades if need be.

His best friend walked over to stand beside them. “She speaks true. She can’t just control shifters at will. It takes tremendous will and effort, and can’t be sustained for long periods. Present day excluded.”

Buzz faced Cecelia and smiled at both her and Lucky. He continued, “You did amazing, Cecelia. You held on, and saved yourself.”

Cecelia glanced at Hammer and said with a humorless grin, “Now that you know who and what I am, as well as what I’m capable of, I can kill you, by order of gatekeeper law.”

“Touché,” Hammer said on a chuckle. “We’ll talk more later, after we get you home where it’s safe.”

Lucky felt wetness on his shirt and stared into the shell-shocked and tear-filled eyes of his mate. Her skin was pale. He hugged her closer and said, “I wanted to protect you. I’m so sorry I let this happen.”

“Shh,” Cecelia interrupted, and reached a finger up to cover his lips. “I don’t need you to protect me, Lucky. I can protect myself.” He started to protest, but she interrupted, “I do need you to love me, though.”

Lucky laughed and said, “Loving you will be the easy part. Letting you protect yourself, however, goes against every instinct I have.”

“I know. I wasn’t being literal. I just want you to know I’m not a burden. You don’t have to wear kid gloves around me, or worry all the time. I can handle whatever life throws at me.”

After seeing what she was capable of, and knowing the atrocities she’d already overcome at such a young age, he simply pressed a kiss to her head and said, “Let’s go home, baby. We can work out all the details later.”

“I knew you’d be stubborn,” his little bird muttered under her breath. Then she snuggled deeper in to his chest, burrowing like a rabbit.

Lucky ignored that little bit of truth and said to Hammer, “I’ll take her back in the cage.” He tossed his keys to the prospect waiting by the van. To him Lucky said, “Don’t put a scratch on my bike. I’m trusting you.”

The prospect nodded solemnly and donned his helmet.

“Hey,” Cecelia said. “Why didn’t the Ice Rangers show up to the party last night? I meant to ask, but I got a little tied up.”

The club members laughed together at her pun, content from the bloodshed and happy they’d found her alive and well.

Brick, who’d waited about a hundred yards from the property and had been their backup plan should shit go south, spoke up. “When I talked to Darius, he said the four men, as well as a few others, killed the main guys from the Ice Rangers, so currently that threat is neutralized while they regroup.”

“Is Darius dealing with the other shifters involved?”

Brick nodded. “He said he’d call once it was taken care of.”

“Okay.”

Lucky placed his mate gently on the passenger seat and closed the door, then jogged to the driver’s side and slipped inside to start the vehicle.

Cecelia leaned her head back against the seat and he stroked her cheek, happy she was safe and whole.

“Now what?” her sleepy voice said.

Lucky’s hands griped the steering wheel so hard the leather creaked. “Now, love, we kill that asshole ex-husband of yours.”

Cecelia sighed. “Sounds like a plan,” his bird said, right before sleep claimed her.

Epilogue

“This just came by courier,” Hammer said and handed Cecelia an envelope.

Lucky grabbed three shot glasses from the bar and set them on the counter and poured.

“Okay,” she said and tapped the envelope against her hand, then glanced at Lucky with a brow raised.

“Here,” he said and offered her a shot. “You might want that.” He handed one to Hammer, then he and Hammer shared a silent communication with their eyes. Cecelia wanted to ask, but she figured the answer lay on the paper.

She swallowed and slid her cold fingers around the smooth glass and knocked the drink back, fire lancing her throat. She placed the empty glass down and tore open the envelope.

Dear Ms. Marks,

We regret to inform you that early Tuesday morning, Peter Matthews was killed in prison. No other news is available at this time.

Regretfully,

Warden Miller

Cecelia’s face whipped up and met the intense stare of her mate. He stood with his arms braced on the granite bar and waited for her reaction.

Tears fell and she ran around the counter then jumped into his arms, pressing kisses to his cheek, neck, and lips, overcome with emotion.

“Did you do this?” she whispered.

Lucky nodded, but it was Hammer who spoke. “It was a club decision. We voted and took care of the matter. You’re safe now.”

“Can you put me down?” Cecelia said to Lucky, who’d gripped her tight and breathed in her scent while rubbing her back. He relaxed and let her down.

She walked to Hammer, held out her hand, and said, “Thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back.”

Hammer coughed into his fist and nodded once. “What’s done is done. Justice has been served. Hopefully things will settle now.”

The rest of the club filed into the bar and a line of beers slid down the counter, courtesy of Lucky and the Prospect. Everyone grabbed one, then lifted their bottles and cheered.

“To Lucky and Cecelia. May you find peace.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Cecelia said and gulped. She turned to Lucky and reached down to lace their fingers together. “You’re mine now.
My
big, bad wolf.”

Lucky’s eyes heated and he wagged his brows over the rim of his bottle as he took a long swig. He licked his lips. “We’re each other’s.”

He bent toward her face, snatched the beer from her hand and set it on the bar, then scooped her into his arms and kissed her senseless.

“Forever,” he whispered. “My little bird.”

“So, how about a road trip?” Cecelia said when they came up for air. “I’d love for you to meet my parents.”

A lightness filled her heart, and for the first time, she felt like she was finally home.

The End