Chas's Fervor: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 3) (16 page)

“Hey, man, did you get shot?” Chas asked as he broke the glass and took out the cloth emblem.

“Fucker nailed me with his kill-light.”

“Fuck. Let me help you outta here.” Chas knew a kill-light—a large industrial flashlight—could crush a skull. With an arm around Jerry’s waist, Chas guided him outside.

The cold air brought a rush of renewed energy to Chas as he helped Jerry over to his Harley. Glancing over at the six crumpled charter members, he laughed aloud.
Pug and Ruben took care of the assholes, all right. Wonder where the woman is?

“Did you get it?” Hawk asked as he came over to Chas.

“Yeah. It’s all folded and waiting to be handed over to Banger. Where are the women?”

“We could only find five of them. The one out here,” Hawk gestured to the spot where the crumpled members lay, “isn’t around. Fuckin’ pussy Shack took his ‘woman’ and ran. Coward!” Hawk’s eyes flashed with rage. “Couldn’t stop him ’cause I had two fuckers I had to fight off. Fuck!” He raked his loosened hair with his fingers. “I didn’t want her to end up with him.”

Chas clasped his hand on Hawk’s shoulder. “You did your best. There was so much shit going on. Don’t be hard on yourself, man. You can’t blame yourself for not saving her.”

With a tight face, Hawk stared out into the night. “But I do.” He spat on the ground.

“We gotta get Jerry to a doctor or something. One of the fuckers clobbered him with a kill-light.”

Hawk spun around. Jerry sat on his Harley, his head in his hands. “Fuck, let’s go. The women who are here don’t wanna leave. They wanna stay, keep saying they love the bastards.”

“We gonna let them stay?” Chas asked, as he walked toward his bike.

“Not much choice. They won’t go, and we can’t force them. Let’s head out.” Hawk honked the horn of his Harley several times.

The Colorado members jumped on their bikes and revved up their engines. Dustin, standing in the doorway, shot daggers at the Insurgents. “You can fuckin’ bet this shit ain’t over. You think I’m accepting this? Fuck no. There will be hell to pay for what you did.”

With a big smile plastered on his face, Hawk said, “Sounds like a hell of an invitation. As of now, you and your sorry-ass pussies are no longer Insurgents. It’s a damn good thing none of you were packin’ a back tattoo, ’cause we’d have burned it off.”

“Fuck you!” Dustin yelled as the Colorado members headed out into the inky darkness.

While they rode, Chas kept checking on Jerry, who kept slumping further down. Speeding up to Hawk, Chas motioned to stop.

At the next rest stop, they pulled over. Chas walked over to Hawk and said, “Jerry’s losing a lot of blood. I’m afraid he’s gonna pass out. We gotta get him some help.”

Hawk took out his cell phone and dialed. After he was finished with his call, he looked at the group and stated, “A couple of members from our charter in Kearney are coming. One’s bringing a car to take Jerry so he doesn’t have to ride bitch. I told ’em to call their doc to be ready to patch him up.”

As they waited for the Kearney members, Chas and Axe watched Jerry, throwing water or beer in his face whenever he started to drift off. After what seemed like an eternity to Chas, the charter members arrived, loaded Jerry in the car, and within a half hour, Jerry was on a bed, the doctor stitching him up. Once morning came, the group would take off for Pinewood Springs, the cloth emblem waiting to be presented to Banger and the other brothers.

Chas went outside to breathe in the cold air. Picking up his phone, he dialed Addie’s number. No answer. He tried again. No answer. Heat pricked at Chas’s skin as his eyes narrowed.
Where the fuck is she? It’s past eleven o’clock on a Thursday night.
He dialed again. No answer.
Fuck!
Irritation stung his skin as he imagined Addie on a date with another man.
What the fuck was the name of that nerd I saw her with last week? If she’s with him, I’ll break his goddamn neck.

Taking out a joint, Chas lit it and pulled the smoke in deeply, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled. Premium pot did it for him every time, and he needed to relax. It pissed him off that he was mad as hell about Addie not answering her phone. Women called
him
, and she hadn’t bothered to call him yet, so he’d weakened and called her, and she didn’t even fucking pick up.

Maybe it was better she hadn’t because he didn’t want to get involved with her except for fucking, even though the connection he felt between them was electric.
It’s just lust. She’s a challenge, and I like her body. She’s just a woman.
And in the biker world, women were pretty much expendable. They didn’t rate on the same level as the brothers, so why was he so focused on Addie? The last thing he wanted was another involvement with a woman. Brianna had been more than enough for one lifetime. He found the librarian sexy and pretty, and he wanted to have some fun with her, but that was at far as it should, and would, go.

Female laughter and pounding rock music filtered outside the club. If he had any brains, he would march right back in there, grab a big-titted redhead, and fuck her senseless. Taking another hit, he exhaled slowly.
Who am I kidding? I can’t wait to see Addie again, and kiss her. I had a good time a few nights ago, talking and just being with her.

Taking out his phone, he dialed. Again, no answer. Staring at the screen, his muscles twitched.

I really want to hear her voice.

*     *     *

Hoots, hollers, and
whistles greeted the Colorado members when they entered their clubhouse after their trip to Kilson, Nebraska. Chas held up the emblem, and the brothers stomped their feet and banged their fists on the tables and bar.

Banger walked up to them, drew each of them in a bear hug, and smiled, the skin crinkling around his eyes. “You done good. Dustin called me, cussing up a storm.” He laughed as he recalled the incident. “I told him I don’t talk to anyone but Insurgents, and then I told him to fuck himself.” Banger burst out laughing.

“Let’s fuckin’ party!” one of the older members yelled.

Although it was eleven o’clock in the morning, party time was any time for the MC. The booze flowed freely as the club whores strutted around, swaying their hips to the pulsating rock music. The whole club was in a good mood, and the returning warriors wanted nothing more than to celebrate.

Cherri ran over to Jax and threw her arms around her man. Pulling her head back, Jax kissed her deeply before he scooped her up in his arms and headed to the rooms downstairs to give his old lady some overdue loving.

Chas turned to Jerry, who wore a massive bandage over his left eye, and asked, “You up for this, or you want me to help you to your room?”

Jerry’s fingers touched his bandage. “It looks a lot worse than it feels. I’m good. I need some beer and some pussy and nothing more.”

Chas chuckled, grasping his brother’s shoulder. After he threw back a shot of Jack, he strode out to the parking lot and called Addie. No answer.
What the fuck?
The previous night, his anger punched his gut each time he heard her voice message. But that anger had been replaced with worry as he heard her voice message once again. A stab in the gut told him something was off. He dialed the library.

“Pinewood Springs Library, how can I help you?” a cheerful voice greeted him.

“I need to speak with Addie O’Leary.”

“I’m sorry, but she’s not in. Would you like her voicemail?”

“Not in? Where the fuck is she?” Chas growled.

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Where the fuck is she? I don’t like repeating myself.”

“I can’t really tell you details about her. It’s the privacy thing—”

“Get the old lady on the phone.”

“What?”

“What’d I tell you ’bout repeating myself?” Chas wanted to strangle the woman.

“Hello?” an older voice said over the line.

“Do you know where Addie is? This is Jack’s dad. I met you at the rally a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yes, I remember you. Addie’s out sick today,” Margaret said.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t talk to her.”

“Thanks.”

Chas squinted against the bright sun. If Addie was sick, then why didn’t she answer his phone calls? Maybe she was sleeping, but he’d been calling her since the previous night. As possible scenarios ran through his mind, his phone rang.

“Hello? Addie?”

“No, it’s me, Dad,” Jack told him.

“Hey, little buddy, how’ve you been?”

“Okay. You back?”

“Came back ’bout a half hour ago. You home from school?”

“Yeah. We had a half day, and I’m at Ronica’s house.”

“Where’s your mom?”

“She had something to do with her new boyfriend, Cody.”

“Is that right? How’s this new guy? He treat you okay?” Chas’s muscles tensed as he waited for the answer.

“I guess he’s okay. He just ignores me.”

“What’s been going on?”

“Well, Mom forgot to pick me up last night after my reading class.”

That fuckin’ bitch! All she gives a shit about is spreading her legs.
“Why didn’t you call me, buddy?”

“I tried, but you didn’t pick up. It kept going to your machine.”

“Yeah, I was in some areas where there wasn’t any service. Sorry ’bout that. How’d you get home?”

“Ms. O’Leary took me to her apartment after we had pizza.”

“You stayed with Add… Ms. O’Leary? She wasn’t sick?” Chas’s heart pulled when he heard her name.

“No, but I think she got sick ’cause when she went on a ride with the cops, her face was white like a zombie, but not ugly like them.”

“Cops? What the fuck happened?” Chas’s ears pounded as heat spread from his neck to his scalp.

Jack recounted the whole story, and the more Chas heard, the more his skin flushed and he clenched and unclenched his hands. A consuming desire for vengeance took hold and shook him. Controlling his rage, he said in even tones, “Didn’t you tell the cops what happened and how you ended up at Ms. O’Leary’s?”

“I wanted to, but Mom wouldn’t let me ’splain things to them. She made me go home.”

Nostrils flaring, Chas slammed his fist against the club’s brick wall.
Fuck!

“I have to go, little buddy, but I want you to keep what we talked about secret. You know, just for us. Can you do that?” he said.

“Sure, Dad. When am I gonna see you?”

“I’ll try and come by tonight, but for sure I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

“Okay, Dad. Did you bring me somethin’ special like you promised?”

Chas chuckled. “Yeah, I did. Be good. I have to take care of a few things.”

After he finished talking with Jack, Chas kicked the brick wall, cursing up a storm. He dashed inside the club, seeking Hawk.

“I got a problem,” he said to Hawk, who was playing pool.

“Fuck, I’m trying to concentrate. I’ve got a thousand dollars riding on this game,” he responded, his blue eyes flashing.

“This will only take a few minutes. I think there’s a problem with Jack’s teacher and the police. Can you give me Cara’s number? I need her help.”

After Hawk gave him his old lady’s phone number, Chas hurried out of the compound, called Cara then hauled ass to downtown Pinewood Springs.

I
n a dark,
smoky dive on the corner of Peakview Avenue, Chas sat on a worn stool, his hands on the sticky bar as he counted the minutes.
Why the fuck is Cara taking so long to call me?
Not able to wait another second, he dialed Cara’s number. When her voice message came on, he slammed the phone down.
Fuck!
The four other patrons, wrinkled and weary-looking, slid their eyes toward him as they clutched their drinks.

“What the fuck are you all looking at?” Chas snarled.

Since they were at the seedy joint to drink, not fight, they turned away.

Tapping his hand on the bar, the bartender placed another shot of whiskey in front of him. Brooding, Chas threw it back. The dark liquid burned down to the pit of his stomach.

Two hours later, his phone drowned out the low murmur of the television propped above the bar. He and the other customers had been staring vacantly at it since he’d come in. Looking at the screen, Cara’s name and number flashed.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Chas demanded.

“Addie has been charged for kidnapping a child and child endangerment. She—”

When he banged his fist down on the bar, the patrons jumped as Chas disturbed their quiet reality. “What a load of fuckin’ bullshit. Brianna made the whole thing up. I should strangle the bitch. What a fuckin’ slut. Jack told me what happened. Fuck this shit. Fuck—”

“Calm down. You screaming and cussing isn’t going to change this. I have to be in court in twenty minutes, so I don’t have a lot of time. Do you want to hear what else I have to say?” Cara’s steady voice calmed him.

“Go on. Tell me.”

“You called me in time. I was able to file my appearance and handle her arraignment. I got the judge to set bail at thirty thousand dollars. Can you bail her out?”

“Fuck, that’s a lot of dough. I can get it, but I don’t know if I can get it right away. I don’t want her spending another night in that shithole.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “How is she?”