Sue shrugged his shoulders, “Who the fuck is that?”

“That muscle head from Florida. St. John.”

“How about the weapons?” Sue asked. “Too big a crate just to disappear.”

“I’ve created a digital cloud over Vegas and Nellis Air Force Base. If anyone is texting, tweeting or mentions those guns over social media, I’ll intercept it,” Rage said.

“How’s that shit work?” Sue’s expression showed his astonishment, “Fucking amazing.”

“It’s how we dropped death on the Taliban,” Justice said.

Rage smiled, “Yeah, we didn’t have this shit in the nineties when I hit the sandbox for Desert Storm. It sure would’ve helped.”

The quiet was severed with the big engine explosion between Justice’s thighs. The Dyna Super Glide’s powerful fifteen hundred cc twin cam engine sent wildlife scurrying again and signaled it was time to put their plan into motion.

Sue grabbed Justice by the shoulder, pulling his cut back to reveal the Colt model 1911, 45 caliber pistols suspended beneath each arm. “Shit dude, you ready for war?”

“Always,” Justice shouted over his engine’s rumble.

“SFFS,” Sue said.

Rage slapped his hand onto Justice’s other shoulder. “Fuck yeah—Savages Forever, Forever Savages.”

“Blood brothers first. Always first,” Justice reminded them as he motored away.

Chapter 12

“Fresh ink,” St. John asked.

Abigail nodded. She sat in a corner of the club’s commons area. It looked like the dance hall before the Savage Souls acquired the mountain resort. Wooden floors where the Cotton Eyed Joe was probably the hottest song in the mix back before mega-death tainted the system. Three pool tables and an open draught beer bar kept the brothers occupied throughout the mornings and nights.

“Hey, you okay? Was the ink your idea?” He stepped closer—her knees drew deeper against her chest.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” St. John said. She finally unlocked the void, and blinked.

“H-How may I serve you?” she stuttered the rehearsed opening line. Crossing and uncrossing her arms, she looked cold, dressed in nothing but short shorts and a bikini top. Her bare feet were filthy and lips bruised from giving endless blowjobs on demand and disciplinary slaps to the face.

He pined to help alleviate her pain. He’d had his own reasons for going through the prospect phases that led to full-patch membership, but he wondered what drove this innocent young woman to give up on life and surrender to these animals.

“I just want to sit and talk. Is that all right?” he asked while brushing the condoms and beer bottles off the sofa.

“I guess so, but don’t get me in trouble with the blood brothers. That one over there hates me,” she started to cry as words formed on the blisters and skin breaks around her mouth.

“Vengeance is an animal. He hates everyone except his kids.” St. John tried a laugh to lighten the mood. Uncertain about what to say next, he wanted to just listen to her story without judgment.

“Why are you doing this? You got a death wish? You know I’m property—no being nice to the property.” The recited words were more from forced feeding than personal choice. “Thanks to you holding the door open this morning, I got another mouth full of Justice’s giant dick.” She grabbed her throat and imitated gagging.

“I just wanted to talk to you. We get girls in here all the time, but nothing like you. I’d bet you’ve never used a drug in your life—except legal ones. Something tragic happened. It broke you.” St. John stopped talking as she lowered her face into both hands and began to sob. “Didn’t mean to upset you—something about you. Something special and strong,” he whispered.

“I’m nothing but property. I died weeks ago, and this is my purgatory. Please, either shove your dick in my mouth or go away. He’ll discipline me if I just talk to anyone.”

“I’m not going to make you give me a blowjob. I wish you would get out of here. Escape.”

“No blowjob? You must be the one Fury is fucking,” she accused, her eyes downcast.

“What? Fury, the blood brother? No. I’m just not going to treat you like an animal, because I can sense something is hurting inside of you. This isn’t really the life you want. Am I right?”

Her dull eyes began to moisten blue again. Dirt-stained toes curled beneath broken fingernails as she coiled up to avoid further conversation. It was obvious he’d struck a nerve. She was uncomfortable—almost fearful that he’d exposed her truths.

“I’ll never tell,” St. John whispered.

“What the fuck you love birds chirping about?” Vengeance’s knuckled backhand swiped across Abigail’s face. She didn’t even scream out anymore.

St. John jolted up off the couch. He jammed both fist into the club’s sergeant-at-arms’ chest. Vengeance stumbled back over a chair, caught off guard. He cursed, pressing to get up off the overturned recliner. St. John raised a deliberate eyebrow and tilted his head, while he thrust his chest out in defiance of the blood brother. He saw Abigail whimpering in a small huddle on the couch. His temper was rising toward explosion.

“You just got yourself put in the Box, motherfucker.” Vengeance scowled.

St. John shifted his right foot to the rear in a basic fighting stance. His fists relaxed but ready. Hearing faded as his body prepared for combat. The biker was used to the effects of stress on the body before engaging in a fight. An experienced MMA champion, St. John wouldn’t back down to a threat, blood brother or not. His tenacity was what got him through the pledge phases while he served as a prospect in south Florida.

“Not a problem, but you ain’t going to sucker punch without getting it back,” he spoke slowly to emphasize the point. Others gathered. St. John felt the tension building to a dangerous tipping point—unfortunately, it was against him.

Mercy shoved his way through the brothers and stood between the two. St. John wasn’t afraid to fight Vengeance, but he knew the ass whipping he’d take from the other thirty who’d take up for him.

“Vengeance, drop a tab and chill. Justice messaged that they’d be back soon. Said he had a job for us,” Mercy said.

“Whatever. I’m out of pills—got anything?”

“Man, you know I went sober two years ago. Got four kids to support.” Mercy clicked his tongue against his teeth. St. John shook his head at the news of him having four children.

“Opie, take a walk,” Mercy ordered.

“I’ve had enough of that stupid name.”

Mercy sneered, “Whatever, Opie.”

St. John stretched out his hand toward Abigail. She buried her face between her knees and ignored him. “Okay, but she comes with me,” his voice dropped an octave.

“No, she stays put like property is supposed to. Line up boys—time to fill this pig with cum.” Vengeance glared across the dimly lit space as if to taunt St. John.

St. John felt the shoves and pushes from the others. He looked back in disgust as the brothers did as ordered. He noticed Abigail between the bikers as she readied her open mouth for more sex. Her eyes had faded back to dead hollow.

*     *     *

“Opie, what the hell’s the matter with you now, son?” Justice asked. His HOG still hot from the run out of the mountains, he tossed St. John the keys and motioned for him to service it. Justice went inside.

He held out his hands for two other sets of bike keys as Sue and Rage brushed by. St. John nodded.

“Hurry it up, rookie. You’ll be heading out soon,” Sue said.

“Where am I going?”

“What’s the fucking difference? You do what you’re told. Got a problem with that?” Rage leaned into his chest. His eyes were red and crusty from the bike run, and he smelled like marijuana.

“I want to know what to pack.” St. John shuffled one step back to show deference to the eldest of the blood brothers. He knew he’d catch hell because of Vengeance—he didn’t need two of those bastards to contend with.