Nash (The Skulls) (19 page)

“I know
. That’s why I’m married to Angel.”

He heard the commotion over the line and waited for Tiny.

“What the fuck is this, Angel? I’ve not got time for fucking phone calls.” When he saw Angel and got the chance to, he was going to give her the time of her life to make up for the way Tiny had just spoken to her.

“It’s Lash. It sounds urgent.”

“This better be fucking urgent, Lash,” Tiny said, speaking down the line.

“Get Angel away from the phone. Tell her to go cook or something.” Lash waited for Tiny to give out the order.

“What’s going on?” Tiny asked.

“I’m currently upside down in the truck. Your seat belts work a charm. I can’t get fucking out.”

Silence met his statement. “What the hell is going on?”

“
Long story short, trucks just rammed us off the road, blew out the tires, and whoever they are have kidnapped my brother and Sophia. Murphy and I are stuck. We need help getting out.”

Tiny was hitting something.

“Killer and Zero are on their way with the tow truck. Chaos Bleeds are just arriving. Get here quick.”

The call disconnected
, and Lash slumped down in his seat. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with today.

“
Do you think Sophia was just coincidence, or do you think they were after her?” Murphy asked.

“I don’t fucking know.
They were after Nash. We know that. I heard one of them say he needed to stay alive. All I know is that I need to get the fuck out of here and get to my brother. Anyone who fucks with him could send him spiraling down. I can’t let that happen.”

****

Every part of her body ached. There was not a part of her that didn’t hurt. Sophia moaned, pressing her hands to her head only to be stopped as her arms were jerked back. Opening her eyes, she groaned again from the pain. Her head was hurting so bad it was making her feel sick.

“
Does she make this much noise when she fucks?”

Frowning, Sophia turned her head in the direction of the noise. She couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes as the pain was too much.

“Fuck off.” Nash’s voice forced her to open her eyes. Shooting pain unlike anything she ever felt made her close them again. She’d not got a clear visual of everything that was happening.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh met her ears. She winced as Nash’s cry of pain reached her as well.

Open your eyes, Sophia. Open them.

Slowly, she looked through slits. The room where they were was light, too light. Looking up, she saw the roof was made of windows, casting the sun down on them.
Doors were swung open, and that was when she realized they were in an abandoned warehouse. There were a lot of them around Fort Wills after the recession. The nearest warehouse not owned by The Skulls in Fort Wills was about twenty miles south of the town. The warehouse had been abandoned for years. She heard rumors that a lot of the kids came here to fuck rather than do anything else.

“I bet she’s a fucking rock star in the sack. A big woman like that needs to be able to put out
. Why would anyone stay with her otherwise?”

She didn’t recognize the voice. Nash’s voice was the only thing she recognized.

“You’re a fucking dead man if you hurt her.”

Laughter followed his statement. Someone yanked on her hair, sending electric bolts of pain through her system. Tears stung her eyes
, and she tried to follow the action of the guy holding her hair. The pain was unbearable.

“I’m hurting her, bastard. By the end of the night I’m going to be hurting her in ways that will make you cringe.
Gill wants her for himself, but his orders are to keep him alive.”

The foul odor of his breath made her feel sick. Leaning over, she threw up everything she’d eaten at breakfast time.
None of the man’s words made sense. Who wanted Nash alive?

“This whore is nasty. I don’t know why anyone keeps her around.”

The men were talking thick and fast. She couldn’t make out a single word. When she dared to open her eyes, she turned toward Nash. He was sat in a chair with armrests on either side of him. A belt was wrapped around the middle, and rope held his wrists and legs into place.

She hated the sight of him tied down and wished there was something else she could do to help him. He was looking at her. His eyes widened when he saw she was awake.

“We’re going outside for a smoke. Don’t try anything stupid.” The guy tugged on Nash’s hair before shoving him.

Sophia didn’t recognize any of the men.

“I thought you were dead,” Nash said, catching her attention. Opening her eyes, she turned toward him.

“Why are we in a
warehouse? What is it with guys and warehouses?” she asked.

“I don’t know about th
is place. At least we know who the men are or at least what they look like.”

“Are they friends of yours?” She lifted her hand and stopped. There was a metal cuff wrapped around her wrist halting her movements. She was chained to a table in the center of a
warehouse.
Don’t go panicking any time soon.

“No, they’re not friends of mine or the club. What is the last thing you remember?” he asked.

She focused on her last memories. Sophia saw herself in her mind’s eye. Nash had his arms wrapped around her, and then the truck jerked. She recalled slamming against the opposite side and then nothing. Everything that happened was a blur. After telling Nash, she waited for him to say something.

“The hit must have knocked you out cold. They hit us a few times before we went rolling.”

“We rolled?”

“Yeah. Lash was okay. He was shouting me as we left the car. The bastards injected me with something though. Fucking knocked me out cold,” Nash said. “We’re going to get out of this.”

Even through the pain, she started to laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked.

“We’re stranded in the middle of nowhere. You’re tied to a chair, and I’m strapped to a table with guys we don’t know as our captors. I don’t think we’re getting out of this one easily.” She felt the tears spring to her eyes.

“Aw, baby, don’t cry.”

Sophia tensed as she recognized that voice. Turning her head she saw Willy and Gill standing together. Her ex-boss and tormentor looked a little too cozy for her tastes. When she saw what they were carrying fear took over every part of her body.

“Do you know these men?” Nash asked.

She nodded, not wanting to look away from the threat in the room. The pouch they were carrying looked scary. She’d seen movies where men had brought out similar looking pouches, and no one left the room alive or in one piece.

“Sophia here owes us a little something,” Gill said, moving toward her.
“She’s ours, but you’re here for collection. We’ll get our money then.”

Tensing her whole body, she felt the tears spill out of her eyes as he got closer.
Gill wasn’t making any sense, but she’d never understood what he had to say. His hand reached out, touching her stomach and curving up to fondle her breast. Every muscle in her body protested, and the pain sensors fired in her brain, but Sophia screamed.

“Get your fucking hands off her.” Nash tugged on the rope. She saw him fighting to get free. She smiled at him, trying to encourage him to break out of the
bonds.

Nothing was happening.

“Gill, leave her alone. We’re not here for that, yet. We’ve got to wait until
they
get here. I’m not willing to risk my ass until business is over.” Willy slapped the other man’s hand away. “We’ve got a lot more surprises up our sleeves before then.”

“I hope to God it’s a sock puppet. They’re the only things I’m fucking afraid of,” Nash said.

Closing her eyes, she wanted to beg him to be silent and to shut the fuck up. These men were fucking dangerous. She’d sensed it about them from the first moment she met them.

“He’s fucking hilarious,” Willy said.

“Don’t be fooled by him, Willy. The bastard passes a mean punch.” A third guy had joined the room. Sophia glanced over, not recognizing him. He was carrying a bag himself, and she saw Nash tense up.

“I take it you know him,” Sophia asked.

“Of course he does. He doesn’t know my name. I’m his supplier. The supplier he beat up. Do you remember me, Nash?”

The whole
warehouse grew tense, or at least she and Nash grew tense. Something was telling her that they were taken for something more than killing. Their day was about to get a lot harder.

Lash watched as Devil stood inside The Skulls
’ compound. The leader of Chaos Bleeds looked threatening as he glared around him. Tiny was stood facing the other man waiting.

“When I got your call I was expecting some reunion of some kind. Not this fucking shit you’re bringing to me,” Devil said. This man was the opposite of Tiny. He had a lot of prison years under his belt
, and his club were into all kinds of dealings. Lash couldn’t think of a single redeemable thing about the other club other than the fact they were loyal bastards. He’d rather be on Chaos Bleeds’ good side than against them.

Over the years he’d heard how many men had lost their life by one of the club members. They were loyal
, and betrayers were strung up and made to pay the piper as their statement was.

“
One of my men has been taken. My daughter is in the hospital, and she almost lost my grandbaby. Eva, my woman, is hurting. I can’t let this slide. I need you to help me, and we’ll be indebted to you, I promise.” Tiny was laying everything out on the table. The other club was not welcome to stay forever, but for the next couple of days they were welcome to the fold.

Lash watched as one of the men whispered in Devil’s ear. The leader tensed up and nodded.

“We’re always ready for a party, but we expect payment.”

“I’ve got money,” Tiny said.

“I don’t need money. The boys and I have stopped travelling, and we’ve settled down in a place of our own.” The other man dropped into a chair. Lash was surprised the wood didn’t break under his weight. Devil was not fat, but he was a large fucker and dangerous. He put his weapon on the table and a load of hundred dollar bills. “I’ve got enough money to get anything I want. I’ll help you kill these fuckers—and I mean dead in the ground—and you’ll help me out with some information.”

“What are you wanting?” Tiny asked.

“I’m looking for a girl, a whore. She shacked up with me over a year ago and disappeared.”

Lash watched the proceedings knowing he’d have to wait to guarantee his brother’s safety. He’d do anything for his brother, even listen to this fucker
’s love life.

“What’s so important about the whore?” Tiny asked. There really was a difference in their world.
Sweet-butts and whores were entirely different. Sweet-butts fucked bikers, and whores fucked anything for money.

“She took off pregnant with my kid. Don’t give a fuck about the bitch
, but I want my kid. She doesn’t get fuck all from me.”

“You’re going to hurt her?” Tiny asked.

“I’m going to make sure everyone gets the message that they don’t mess with me, Tiny. If you sent out a few more messages you wouldn’t have bastards hurting your women and taking your men.” Devil looked around the club. Angel was stood by his side, and Lash saw the other man’s eyes land on her. He didn’t like the interest in his eyes.

“
Sweet-butt or old lady?” Devil asked.

“Pregnant old lady,” Lash said, gritting his teeth to speak.

Devil smirked. “Get bored of him, sugar, and I’ll take care of you.”

Lash tightened his arm around his woman and glared at Tiny.

“Don’t poach on my land, Devil.”

“
Look, I’ll deal with my shit my way, and you deal with your shit your way. Do we have a deal?” Devil asked.

“Deal. Tell
me the name of the woman,” Tiny said.

“Karla Howard.” The word was spat out of Devil’s mouth. Lash knew the woman was as good as dead when the other man got to her. Whatever she’d done had put him on edge.

“Never heard of her,” Tiny said.

“You got someone to find shit out? I’ve had no luck in that department.”

“Whizz, run the name.” Tiny didn’t break eye contact as he let out the order. Whizz left the group and went to the nearest computer. “He’ll have the answers you need.”

“Good. Now tell me about the bastard who has your guys. No one touches a club bitch and gets away with it. Are they as sweet as that sugar there?” Devil asked.

Lash held her tighter, showing his claim. The sooner they found his brother and this club was on the road the happier he’d be.

****

Nash stared at his old supplier. The guy’s bruises had all but disappeared from the last time he’d taken a swipe at the bastard. He shouldn’t have let up at all. What was the guy’s name? The men intent on giving him a headache left the room. Sophia was sobbing on the table.