Lani Read online

  We had to plan for that. We didn’t have room for everyone until now. We’re prepared and we don't want anyone to be hurt.

  I look behind me at the vehicles in the back of the line, filled with the women in the club ready to bring all of these girls and boys under their wing.

  Trey and I can’t help but worry about Lani. We don’t want her to get tired or hurt with all of this.

  Trey rides by my side. Kyle raises his hand then lets it fall and he takes off. The Devil Souls and the Grim Sinners are coming together once again to get shit done.

  Lane is riding up front with Kyle, and Smiley is right behind them because he used to be the president of the Grim Sinners until Lane, his son, took over.

  I look behind me and see some of the prospects lining up the metal fence in the road so no one can try to break through and escape. The prospects also have been armed with spikes just in case.

  One by one we all split up and go to different houses.

  There’s one way in and one way out. No one is getting out unless we make it so.

  We have buses lined up to hold everyone before they’re taken to their new homes, and that’s where the therapists and the house moms are going to come in.

  I lived this life, but after I left, it’s like everything went to hell. If something like this was going when I was here I would have murdered every single fucker who dared to hurt a child.

  It still breaks my heart about my sisters, and I found out Danny was abused too. That shit hurts me.

  Trey and I split off. This is where Lynn’s best friend Abigail is. She’s fifteen and just got married a few months ago. Lynn wanted us to go here personally.

  I see a face in the window, and I can see the fear on her face.

  Trey takes the back of the house in case a fucker tries to run off. Oh, we have a special place for them too. They’re going to get theirs.

  I go up to the front door and knock. I listen for the soft footsteps inside of the house and the girl answers the door.

  “Can I help you?” she asks, not looking up past my feet, but my eyes are glued to the bruises on her arms.

  “Hey, I’m Lynn’s brother Vinny. Do you remember her?” I ask her, and I want to squat down so I’m face level with her, but I don’t want to scare her.

  She looks at me for the first time. “How is she? I was told that the devil got her.”

  I shake my head no. “The devil did not get her. She’s right on the edge of town waiting on you. We’re here to get you out of this place, to start a new life. It’s not legal for you to be married at fifteen years old, sweetheart.” I soften my voice as I explain it to her.

  Her eyes fill with tears. She looks behind her into the house. “I know it’s not right, but in this life we have no rights. I would rather be taken by the devil than live with him.” She sniffs and wipes away her tears.

  I want to hold her, take away all of the shit that has happened to her, but I can’t do that. What I can do is make him pay for hurting her and burn this place to the fucking ground so this shit doesn’t happen again.

  Just as she’s about to step outside, I see a man come around the corner behind her. I assume this is her “husband.”

  He takes in the scene before his eyes and glares at her. “Are you being a whore again, Abigail?” he snaps at her and walks over like he’s going to jerk her from me.

  I snatch his hand before he can touch her. “You do not touch her or acknowledge her. She is nothing to you now. You are beneath her, you stupid, pathetic little piece of shit of a man. I am going to love…” I lean closer so I can whisper in his ear, telling him how much I am going to love killing him. I twist his hand back, enjoying the satisfying sound of his wrist breaking.

  “Trey, I have him!” I yell, and Trey breaks into the house through the back. He takes the guy from me and drags him out, where another guy will pick him up and throw him in the back of a bus made purposely for them,

  “Abigail, ready to start your new life?” I ask her, and she smiles just slightly. “Yeah, anything would be better than this.”

  She follows me outside, and I put her in the SUV, where she will be taken with the girls to special care.

  Trey comes from behind the house and we go to the next girl.

  Lani

  We get out of the truck and wait for the first SUV to bring us the girls. The first door opens and Lynn gasps, then runs over to meet a young girl around Lynn’s age.

  Lynn talks about her friend Abigail all of the time, I’m assuming this is her.. She’s the only thing she missed about her old life. They lived next door to each other and they helped each other deal with the shit they suffered.

  “Oh my god, Lynn! I was almost afraid to believe it was you,” Abigail cries, and they hold each other. “Was he right? A new life? I can be happy?” she whispers, like she’s almost afraid to believe it’s true.

  Lynn nods. “Yes, no one will hurt you. You can go to school. I’m working on getting my high school diploma online.”

  Abigail’s eyes widen in shock. “That means I could be a doctor if I wanted to be?

  Lynn grins. “That’s exactly what you can do!” She jumps a little. I love seeing her so happy and excited.

  Etta is waiting on her friend to show up too, so Lynn helps Abigail on the bus and comes back to stand with us.

  Two more vehicles come in our direction. The door of one opens and a bunch of girls step out. We all jump into action, introducing ourselves, explaining what’s going to happen next and that they have a choice in every aspect of their life.

  All of these girls are so young, some even younger than Lynn, and it’s baffling to me. I knew this shit was happening, but seeing the faces of these girls makes it so much more real.

  Another vehicle holds a mom who is in her twenties, but she has a bunch of kids with her. We help her on the bus, along with giving her some snacks and toys to keep the kids preoccupied.

  A truck pulls up and a girl stumbles out. Etta rushes over and cries out. I know this is her friend.

  Trey pulls up on his bike and helps Etta with the girl. We put her in a separate vehicle because she needs medical help right now and Etta goes with her.

  Vinny shows up a second later, looking pale. I run to him, concerned. “What happened?” I demand, gripping his cut in my hand.

  “I caught him hurting her,” he whispers and runs to the other side of the vehicles, puking. I run over to him and rub his back, trying to be there for him.

  Trey hands him a bottle of water. “I am so fucking sorry you saw that, baby.” Trey is in pain because Vinny is in pain.

  I just hug him tight. “Remember, he won’t be able to hurt her anymore. You stopped it from happening again. We knew this was not going to be easy, baby, but we’re making a difference in their life.” I kiss his chest and hug him a little tighter. Trey joins in the hug and squeezes us tightly.

  Vinny settles, and more and more vehicles show up, bringing more and more young women and kids.

  An older truck drives through the field to the side of us—did one of the girls escape themselves?

  I walk around the SUV so I can be there to greet them, smiling encouragingly before they get close enough for me to actually see inside.

  It’s not a girl. My eyes go to the beard and the stark white shirt. I freeze in shock before I see a gun flash in the sunlight.

  Oh no.

  I stop breathing and think of all of the young girls who are still boarding the bus. I turn around to run to them to protect them before I hear the first gun blast.

  My eyes go to Trey, who is running to me as fast as he can, but I just can’t feel.

  I look down and see blood pouring down my arm. I’ve been shot. That’s when I feel the burning sensation on the right side of my body.

  “Trey,” I whisper. He catches me before I can hit the ground.

  Trey

  “No,” I repeat over and over again when I hear the gunshot. I turn around to check on Lani, but she’s
frozen in her spot with blood pouring down the right side of her body.

  I run to her as fast as I can just as I hear another gunshot hitting the side of the bus where all of the girls are.

  Lani looks down and sees the blood, paling with every second that passes, and her knees buckle. I catch her before she hits the ground.

  I pick her up in my arms and bring her to one of the SUVs, laying her in the back seat. “Oh god, Trey!” Vinny yells and helps me pull off her shirt to check the gunshot wound. I’m shaking so fucking bad, I barely manage it.

  The bullet wound is right on her shoulder blade. I take her shirt and press the fabric against the wound. “Vinny, put something against the wound in the back.” He takes off his shirt and uses it to help staunch the blood.

  I climb to the driver’s seat, start up the SUV and take off to the hospital in Raleigh. I look in the mirror and see Vinny has Lani in his lap and is pressing his hands against both wounds.

  My worst fucking fear and it happened right before my eyes. I feel like I haven’t breathed since the second I saw her get shot.

  The thought of losing her or our baby is more than I can bear. I grip the steering wheel hard, making sure I don't fucking break it, because I need to get her to the hospital as fast as I can.

  I take out my phone and call Lani’s doctor so she can check on the baby. I throw my phone in the seat next to me and floor it.

  All I want is for her to be alright. “She’s waking up, Trey,” Vinny tells me, and I look in the mirror. Her eyes flutter open and she looks up at Vinny.

  “Hey, baby.” Vinny kisses her forehead and she looks around the truck, crying out in pain when she moves a little. “Be still, baby, you were shot in the shoulder.”

  She settles. I want to fucking hold her so bad. I had a bad fucking feeling and that stupid fucker came out of nowhere before I could react.

  “We’re almost there, baby. Just relax and everything will be okay,” I reassure her as best as I can from the front of this fucking vehicle.

  The minutes tick by so fucking slowly as we wait for the hospital to come into view. I reach over and call Lani’s doctor, telling her we’re minutes out and to be prepared.

  I slam the SUV into park at the emergency entrance, and a shit ton of nurses and doctors run out to greet us.

  We practically keep this hospital fucking going with our donations. If it weren’t for us, this place wouldn’t be shit.

  I take her out of Vinny’s arms and lay her down on the gurney as gently as possible. She grips my hand and she’s wheeled inside.

  “You need to wait out here until she’s fully checked. I will keep you updated. I promise,” the nurse pleads, and I nod. I want their attention to be on Lani, and if I was in there, they couldn’t do their job properly.

  Vinny and I sit. I bury my face in my hands, the guilt tearing me into pieces. I can’t believe she got hurt like this and it happened right before my eyes.

  Vinny hugs me and I lean into him. He’s shaking, and I pull my shit together so I can be there for him. “She will be okay. I know she will be,” I whisper in his ear.

  Thirty minutes later I hear a roar, the roar of my brother pulling into the hospital. I can feel the fucking ground shaking from the number of bikers pulling up.

  One by one they make their way into the hospital. Techy runs up to us and stops dead in his tracks when he sees the blood on our shirts.

  The nurse from before exits a set of double doors and I stand up, meeting her halfway. “The gunshot wound was mild. It was a clean through and through. The doctors don’t think there will be any kind of nerve damage and have sewn up the wounds.” She stops and studies the room. “The doctor is fixing to do an ultrasound on the baby. She wanted you both with her.”

  I could hear a fucking pin drop behind me once she says “baby.” I look around to the guys and they all look fucking thrilled for us.

  Vinny and I follow her to Lani’s room. I can’t fucking get there fast enough to her. I walk inside of the room and almost fall to my fucking knees when I see her lying in bed, pale and dressed in a hospital gown.

  She smiles when we rush to either side of her, and I kiss the side of her head. “You fucking scared me, baby,” I tell her.

  “I thought it was one of the girls driving up to us. I didn’t think…” she admits, and I can tell she feels guilty for worrying us.

  “Don’t feel guilty, baby. Shit happens, and it’s not your fault. It’s his.” I fucking want to get my hands on the person who shot her. His death is going to be slow and painful.

  Lani pushes the bed back to lie down slightly. She looks at the scene and we hold our breath, waiting for the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.

  The wait feels so fucking long even though it’s probably just seconds. “Ahh there it is!” the doctor says, and then the sound fills the room.

  “I was so scared!” Lani puts her hand over her face and cries. I look at Vinny and we both hold her as best as we can.

  “Everything looks perfect. I want to keep an eye on you just in case. I can come to your house in a few days?” the doctor offers.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” I agree.

  She stands up and takes off her gloves. “I want her to stay in bed. I got the blood work back from yesterday at the clinic and her levels are low. She needs to be on a better diet.” She points her finger at Lani. “Rest and sleep!” she repeats.

  She leaves the room and I kiss the back of Lani’s hand. “I’m going to hire a chef to make sure she’s getting the best of the best,” I tell Vinny.

  “Shit, make her cook for us and the girls too. Have her full-time. That would help Lynn out a lot with taking care of Michaela.”

  “I’m going to step out and tell Techy the news and make some calls.” I step out of the room and lean against the door. I put my hand over my heart. I can’t lose either of them.

  I set out and greet the guys and old ladies. “She and the baby are fine, but she has to stay in bed and relax.”

  Everyone leans back in their seats, relaxing at the news, Kyle stands up and pulls me aside. “We have the fucker who shot her.”

  I grin for the first time since all of this shit happened. “Rest and spend time with your woman. He will be waiting for you whenever you’re ready for him.” Kyle smacks my shoulder.

  I can’t fucking wait.

  Trey

  One Week Later

  Vinny and I walk down to the basement. Torch, Techy and Butcher are already inside waiting on us.

  This fucker has not had a fun time while we’ve been staying home with Lani making sure she’s okay.

  He has pretty much been starved and has gotten his ass beat every day, but not bad enough that he isn’t coherent and not aware of what the fuck is going to happen to him.

  The other guys tell me this fucker didn’t just shoot at Lani but at the other old ladies also.

  That’s why the guys had a piece of him first, but now he’s completely ours. I push a button on the wall and lift him off of the ground. Vinny pushes a chair under him and I drop him down.

  He wakes up and looks at me, his eyes widening. “Recognize me? You shot my ole lady. You know what the fuck is happening here.”

  His head falls and Vinny grips him by his hair, snapping his head back. “Open his mouth, Vinny.”

  Vinny pries his mouth open. “You won’t be needing these where you’re going.” I reach over to the small table that Butcher rolls over for me.

  Butcher is always first in line when it comes to fucking someone up. I thought for years that he didn’t have any feelings until Shaylin came into the picture.

  He just doesn’t have a fucking heart unless you have his heart.

  I grab the pliers and grip his front tooth. He tries to close his mouth. “Ah ah ah, better not do that!” I smack his face and Vinny laughs, then winks at me. Someone is thinking about how he sucked my dick this morning.

  “Vinny, this is not the time to be thinking about somethin
g else smacking your face,” I tease him, and he laughs even louder.

  We are completely fucked in the head.

  I grip the tooth and twist, pulling it out of his mouth, slowly working it out. His shaking, arms rattle the chains above his head.

  I’m sure the feeling in his arms is gone. They’ve been hanging above his head for days and they’ve turned black from the lack of blood flow.

  One by one I pull every single tooth out of his mouth. “Well darn, looks like I’m all out. I think I’ll work on this nail next.” I hand the pliers to Vinny, who takes over.

  “Damn, fucker, did you ever trim your nails?” Vinny looks disgusted. “You definitely haven’t fingered no pussy with those nails. Too bad you won’t get to again.” He grips his nails and pulls.

  “Well damn, I think I have a better idea.” He grabs a file and pushes it under his nails, then lifts, tearing it off.

  “That’s better.”

  I feel myself getting hard, seeing Vinny being such a fucking badass. I want to push him against the fucking wall and show him he’s mine.

  But right now we have a fucker to torture.

  One by one, Vinny pulls his fingernails and toenails off, leaving blood running down his hands and feet.

  “Now what should we do?” I tap my chin.

  I reach above me and let his arms fall. He screams at the top of his lungs at the sudden feeling of the blood rushing to his arms.

  I take my gun and shoot him three times in the shoulder, where he shot Lani. “How does that feel, fucker?” I whisper in his ear, and I point my gun at this dick,

  “Butcher, did he ever fuck an underage girl?” I ask.

  “Sure fucking did. She was around thirteen. His body is going to join the others later,” Techy gloats.

  That’s when he freaks the fuck out. He tries to stand and use his arms to help him, but he just collapses to the ground.

  Butcher picks him up and tosses him back in his seat. I put my feet on either side of his and pull his legs apart, holding them open.