SOLID GROUND: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK TWO) (20 page)

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

I paced the parking lot like a hungry lion.  The hour passed by in a blur of frustration.  By the time I felt the vibrating roar of the entire herd of the God’s bikes approaching, I was wound up like a cobra ready to strike. 

“Holy shit,” Diana whispered as the Gods turned into the parking lot.  “The cavalry has arrived.”

“You’d best get in your car and get out of here,” I said to her.

“Are you fucking kidding?  This is the best break I’ve ever gotten on a story.  I’m filming this shit,” she said, pulling a camera from her trunk.  

She had explained herself during the wait, told me how she had friends on the Portland police force, and that Grace was a kind of revered legend, the work she was doing, while still very hush-hush, was still whispered about.  When Diana found out about the Mayor’s slaying, and that a young woman was the suspect, she had ventured out to Tillamook on a hunch.  A hunch that had paid off in a big way.

“I don’t think so,” Slade said, as he walked up to us, the first one off his bike.  

“No filming during club business, miss,” he smiled at her, using charm instead of force, just like he always did when he wanted a woman to do something.  “Probably best you stay in the car, okay?”

And just like always, Diana fell for it.  Her eyelashes fluttered, she began stuttering and she put her camera back in the trunk, walking to the side of the car as if in a trance. 

I shook my head, and walked right over to Ryder, as Slade followed.

“They’re in Room 117.  It’s been quiet so far.  I can’t see through the curtains, but the reporter says she’s positive that’s the room.  The car’s parked over there.  Definitely not cops.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply, I just turned and started toward the door.

“Wait, Riot! Goddammit!”

I thundered back to him.  

“I’ve waited long enough!  It’s time to fucking get in there, for fuck’s sake!” I growled, not caring anymore that he was my President.  All I cared about was Lacey.  “What would you do if that was Grace in there?”

“I wouldn’t let Grace get in that situation in the first place,” he replied, his lips drawn tight and angry across his face.

“Yeah, well, not everyone is fucking perfect like you, Ryder.  I fucked up, okay?  I let her get under my skin, and now I’m paying for it, alright?  Do you see me, man? Do you fucking see what I’m going through?” I yelled.

“Yeah, brother,” Ryder replied, his eyes narrowing.  “I see you. I get it, but we need a fucking plan first.  You’re not alone in this, Riot. We’re a fucking brotherhood, or did you forget that?” Slade, Zander, Doc, and Thorn stood behind Ryder, reminding me of who I was.  He was right.  He was always right.  The man of few words, and yet, the best thoughts.

“Okay, man, you’re right,” I nodded.

“So, we’re looking at two men for sure, and maybe more.  Zander and Doc you go to the left side of the door, Thorn and I will go the right.  Riot, you knock, and don’t stand in front of the fucking door, whatever you do. Slade, keep an eye on the other rooms and watch our backs.  As soon as the door opens, we barrel in and take out anyone between us and Lacey.”

I nodded, my body ready to come apart at the seams. 

“Let’s do this shit,” Slade said.  

We surrounded the door. Six guns cocked, drawn, ready to fire.  As long as Lacey or one of my brothers didn’t get hit, I didn’t give a shit what happened to anyone. 

I raised my fist to the door, and before I could knock, I heard Lacey’s screams, and then the door opened.  

The first man walked out, and Slade put a bullet in his head right away.  He fell to the ground in a heap.  His partner followed, with Zander’s bullet slicing through his head, leaving a bloody trail on the door as he fell on top of the other guy.

I ran in the room, and stopped in my tracks.  

Lacey was covered in blood, leaning over a woman’s body, gripping a broken, bloody shoe, her arm flailing up and down, slicing into the woman over and over.

I ran to her, grabbed her, but she was frantic, hysterical.  Her eyes were wild, and the Lacey I knew wasn’t there.  This was someone else, a wild animal trapped in a cage, clawing frantically as they tried to escape.  

She swung at me but I ducked, the shoe slicing through the air over my head.

“Lacey!”  I yelled, but she didn’t stop.  She was sobbing, screaming, her hands flailing in the air.  I grabbed her arms, calling her name again, but she wrestled against me, lost in her own horrific nightmare.  

I held her arms. She was strong, really strong, but I was stronger, and I held her arms down, her fist still clutching the broken shoe, as she tried to break free.

I gripped her tightly, and I did the only thing I could think of to do.

I kissed her.  

I pressed my lips against her mouth firmly, roughly, silencing her screams.  She fought against me, trying to push me away, but I held onto her arms, my lips still pressed to hers, until at last, she relaxed, the fight fading from her limbs, and I loosened my grip.

I pulled away, looking into her eyes.

“It’s me, Lacey.  It’s Riot.  You’re safe now, sweetheart.”

She looked up at me, her face streaked in blood, and she blinked hard, and shook her head.  The darkness faded and the light returned to her eyes as she realized it was me.

The Lacey that I knew and loved had returned.  

Loved.

The broken, bloody shoe fell to the ground and she wrapped her arms around me, crying, sobbing, her whole body shaking violently.

“It’s over,” she whispered through her tears.  “It’s really over…”

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

The Gods, Grace, Lacey, Cherry and Tiff huddled around the television set, all eyes and ears intently focused on the news. 

“I’m Diana Trudeau, with KATU News.”

The Gods began hooting and hollering, pushing Slade off the couch.  

“There’s your girlfriend, Slade,” Thorn teased him.  

“Shut the fuck up!” Slade growled, standing back up.  “It was just one fucking night, and you’ve got us fucking married already!”

Slade and Diana had hooked up after meeting at the motel that day.  After all the shit that went down, Slade invited her to come back to the clubhouse.  Half to make sure that what she was going to be reporting wouldn’t jeopardize Solid Ground at all, and half to see what she was like in bed.  He had succeeded on both counts.

“Today, police reported that former Mayor of Seattle, Monty Patterson, has been implicated in a string of sex-trafficking operations throughout the West coast.  The woman police were looking for earlier, Lacey Carrington, has been questioned and released.  Sources say Ms. Carrington confessed to killing Mayor Patterson in self-defense, and the DA has declined to press charges or comment on the case any further.  Reporting from Portland, I’m Diana Trudeau.”

Ryder turned off the television.

“And, that’s that. Good job, Slade,” Grace said.

“I aim to please,” he said, arrogantly throwing his arms behind his head, and his feet up on the coffee table.  “Haven’t had a woman complain yet.”

“Oh, please,” Riot said, his arm thrown around Lacey’s shoulders as she leaned her head on his shoulder.  “You wouldn’t hear them if they did, you’ve got your head so far up your own ass.”

“Fuck you, Riot, don’t make me embarrass you in front of your girl,” Slade replied.  “You’re due for a beat down.”

Two weeks had passed since Lacey had killed her mother and collapsed in Riot’s arms.  They had been inseparable since then.  Lacey had been badly shaken, spending most of her days and nights recovering in Riot’s bedroom, but she was starting to come around again and return to her usual self, and slowly opening up to her new family.  The envelope with her new identity lay unopened in her room.

A grand jury had decided against indicting her on either Monty’s death or her mother’s, writing them both off as self-defense.  The other two guys the Gods shot were chalked up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  The cops were being generous as a favor to Grace.

“Yeah, sure, bro, whatever,” Riot replied to Slade.  He turned to Lacey, his eyes lighting up every time he looked at her.  “Let’s go for our walk, babe.”

Hand in hand they walked out into the darkness of the Tillamook forest, their steps falling into sync, the warmth of their bodies as close as they could get.  

Their nightly walks had become expected, quickly becoming a ritualistic study in the constantly changing dynamics of a new relationship.

Riot had learned quickly.  He could read Lacey easily, knowing when to fall back and let her lead, or when to grab her hand confidently and show her the way.  Tonight, they followed a familiar trail side by side.

When they reached the creek, they hiked alongside it, climbing over rocks and ducking under fallen trees, until they reached Riot’s private spot.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of coming here,” Lacey said, turning her smile up to her rock, her Riot, as he pulled her into his strong arms.

He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers, the heat rushing forth, his cock twitching in his pants, just like it did every time he touched her.  

“I hope you never do,” he replied.  

“I don’t think it’s possible,” she whispered.  

The silent swoosh of two pairs of wings brushed past them.  Oliver and Olivia landed on a wet rock beside them, patiently waiting for the affectionate petting that would surely come.

Lacey reached down, her fingers sliding through their feathers as they cooed and blinked at her.  

“They’re so beautiful,” she whispered.  

“So are you, Lacey,”  Riot said, his eyes tender and full of love.

“You are so kind to me, Riot,” Lacey said, standing up and wrapping her arms around him.  “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”

“Don’t you know, babe?” he asked, his gruff beard rubbing against her cheek as he pulled her in close.

“Nope,” she replied, nestling into his body.

“Everybody deserves love like this. It was just meant to be. Everything you went through. Everything I went through. All the hell, the pain, the heartache, all the days of being lost in a sea of misery, it all led us here. To this moment, to this day, to this forest.”  He bent his head to kiss her, their lips melding together perfectly, and then he stomped on the ground, his black leather boots packing down the earth below it. “It all led to this solid ground beneath our feet. No more sea of misery, babe.”

“Do you think it was all worth it?” she asked, pulling away slightly, staring back into his smiling eyes.

“If it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you, then yes.”

Oliver and Olivia grew tired of watching them, their white spotted wings swooshing through the air as they took flight, leaving Riot and Lacey alone in the dark forest.

“I thought they’d never leave!” Riot said, as he pulled off his boots and ripped the shirt from his muscular torso.  Lacey laughed, joining him, knowing exactly what was coming next.

“Race you to the waterfall!” he said, as he began running away from her.

The moonlight shone down on them, the sounds of the forest filtering through the trees, as they leaped over rocks and raced their way to the fall.  

Riot always won this game, each time greeting Lacey wearing nothing but a smile and that thick, always present beard, the rest of his clothes discarded along the way.