Chapter Twenty-Two

Coyote

Iwoke up alone in bed and it took me a moment to become alert. This must be what fucking your brains out felt like. My thoughts were scattered and preoccupied with the intimacy Bethany and I shared last night. I'd gotten home from the club prepared to confront her about what I'd learned, but I just couldn't. I felt like if I brought something like that up, she might be angry and think I'd gone behind her back. We'd had such a good day, and I was practically buzzing with happiness at finding out I had a daughter, and I didn't want to ruin the moment. Instead, we'd sat together and read Nessa her favorite bedtime story, and then Bethany and I had tumbled into bed and had the best sex of our lives.

Sitting up in bed, it occurred to me that she was probably checking on her daughter—our daughter, I thought with a smile—or in the shower. Bethany was always a go getter who couldn't stand to laze around in bed. She was too active for that, a woman who liked to stay busy. In other words, a woman after my own heart.

I was disappointed to find she wasn't in the shower as I'd hoped to join her. I pulled on my jeans and a t-shirt before padding out of our room and into Nessa's. I was surprised to find Nessa still fast asleep and no sign of Bethany. When I walked downstairs there was the smell of fresh coffee, I smiled at the thought of greeting the woman I loved and enjoying a fresh morning brew with her. Only when I went into the kitchen, she was nowhere to be found. Instead, I found a fresh pot of coffee and a clean mug on the counter that had not yet been filled. Unease squirmed in the pit of my stomach as I searched every nook and cranny in my house for her.

Coming up empty handed, I decided to check outside. My security alarm was off, so I was fairly certain she'd disconnected it to go outside, perhaps to get something from her car. Nope, again she wasn't out the front, but when I looked out the backdoor I saw the gate wide open. I ran out and heard whimpering. Turning I found Ruby shivering behind a planter, I reached down to pick her up, the little dog was shaking and I saw red around her mouth. Giving her a quick once over it didn't look like it was her blood. There was scrap of fabric beside her on the ground and I picked it up as I walked back into the house.

That's when the panic started to set in. I rang Breaker who was still sleeping upstairs with my sister. I could have gone up, but I didn't want to walk in on the sight of my brother-in-law and sister getting down to business, no matter how serious the situation.

He answered, his voice groggy. "Do you realize it's fucking seven in the fucking morning? I hate you fuckers that wake up at the crack of dawn."

"Yeah, I know what time it is. Bethany is missing, Breaker. She's just gone."

He snorted a laugh. "Don't you know anything about women? She probably went to the store or to get her hair done,"

"At seven in the morning on a fucking Sunday? No. She didn't. I know because her car is still here. I've searched everywhere for her, brother."

"Did you have a talk with her yet about the DNA test? Maybe that's why she took off?" Breaker suggested.

"No, we were having so much fun yesterday I didn't want to spoil it."

"How would telling her you're Nessa's fucking father spoil the fun?"

"I didn't want to blindside her, like you did with me. She'd think I was going behind her back. This wasn't my idea," I said pointedly.

"No, but you needed to know," Breaker said.

"Look, can we talk about this another time, right now the main thing is to find Bethany. Nessa is still fast asleep in bed. She wouldn't leave without her kid or her vehicle. Something bad has happened. The back gate was wide open, and it looks like Ruby tried to stop someone."

"What, that little dog?" Breaker said sounding amused. I was about to bite his head off for making light of the situation, but then I caught myself. He'd not seen what I had.

"Yep, she's okay but there's blood on her muzzle and she snagged a bit of the person's clothing."

"Fucking hell, I didn't realize. Give me a couple of minutes. I'll be right down."

"Best not wake up Callie or Nessa. We don't need a panic on our hands."

"Roger that."

The phone went dead in my hand when he disconnected. I brought it down and stuffed it in my pocket. I had a bad feeling about all this. I looked at the bit of blue fabric Ruby had gotten hold of—it looked like a piece of a scarf. I wondered about that, was the person who took her trying to gag her so she wouldn't shout out?

I was still pacing and worrying when Breaker came barreling down the stairs. "Did you find her?"

"In the last three minutes? No, I didn't."

"Sorry, man. I thought you'd find her in the garage or something."

"I searched the whole house, the exterior and her vehicle. Something's seriously wrong, Breaker. We need to find her, someone's got her."

His eyes went to the piece of fabric I held scrunched in my hand, "Any colors? Could it be gang-related? Other than Twisted Metal we ain't got no beef with anyone."

I opened my palm, it was navy blue with white stars. My mind flashed to Cyclops, that fucker always wore a confederate flag bandana, fucking redneck piece of trash.

"Cyclops," I stated.

"You sure man?" Breaker said uncertainly. Given the uneasy truce between the Slayers and Twisted Metal, accusing one of their members of kidnapping was pretty serious business.

"That bastard tried to scare Bethany yesterday when we were headed to the clubhouse."

"Damn. You have a ring camera on your door, right?"

I nodded and went to my laptop, which was sitting on the desk in the living room. "Yeah, I was so panicked I didn't think to check it."

We watched the front door camera for a while, there was nothing to see but a beaten-up white panel van driving past. I was about to tell Breaker that it was hopeless, when I saw the van go past again, and then slow down. It was clear that whoever was driving was checking out my house.

"Shit!" I exclaimed.

"You got eyes on the back of your home?" Breaker asked.

"Sure," I was onto it already and had gotten the footage loaded up before the words left his mouth. Bethany had disconnected the security alarm to let Ruby go out to do her business, that was time-stamped just under fifteen minutes ago. The footage had no sound, but Bethany was standing there watching the little dog and checking something on her phone. I didn't know what she was looking at, but she was laughing. Then something must have distracted her because she looked towards the gate. She stuffed her phone in her bathrobe pocket and opened the gate then—

"Fuck! Who's that?" I shouted. Suddenly a large form barreled through the gate and tried to grab her, I couldn't see the face and they were wearing all black. Ruby rushed over trying to stop him. The man kicked her away and she rushed for him again, clearly taking a bite before she was roughly thrown into the corner of the yard where I'd found her cowering. With that, the man dragged Bethany out.

"Fucking hell," Breaker said.

"I put that tracker app on her phone. If she still has her cell phone with her, I might be able to use it to guide us to her location."

Breaker yawned, opening his mouth wide enough to make me worry that his jaw was going to unhinge. Then he stretched his arms above his head until his back popped. Watching me pull up the tracking app, he mumbled, "It's almost like you don't even need me on this one."

I knew he was joking about that. Shock roiled through my gut when I realized how far they'd gone. "Shit, she's on the other side of town. How the hell did that happen?"

Breaker was suddenly at full attention. "Damnit!"

"We eliminated Rufus and his band of fuck ups, but we didn't find out who set fire to Reggie's house. The cops were thinking it was a serial arsonist, but what if it wasn't?"

"You still thinking it's Cyclops?"

He was the only person I could think of that I'd seen acting shady around Bethany, "At the grand opening I threw him out for hitting on her. He was none too happy about it, but I thought it was just a one-off act of assholeness on his behalf. Then he showed up again yesterday."

"Your woman got history with him? Sounds fucking persistent for someone who has no skin in the game," Breaker said.

I shook my head.

My brother-in-law grimaced. "He's one of those Twisted Metal fucks. Storm might have established a truce with their club president, but I never trusted those assholes."

"I never gave them much thought. If Storm said there was a truce, I took him at his word."

"Give me a fucking minute to call him." I did a deep dive mentally into the possibility that Cyclops could be the one stalking her. I didn't like how uncomfortably right that felt. While Breaker was on the phone, my sister came downstairs.

"What's going on. Don't tell me club business either."

Breaker didn't stop his conversation with Storm. He walked off so she couldn't hear what he was saying.

I explained briefly, "Bethany is missing. Someone's taken her, she's already on the other side of town.

"On the other side of town?" she exclaimed. "You've got to do something!"

"Breaker and I are heading out right now, I have an idea where they're headed."

"What about Nessa?" Callie asked.

"She's still sleeping upstairs," I said.

Callie heaved a sigh of relief, "I'll keep an eye on her while you go look for Bethany."

"Thanks, sis," I looked down at Ruby, the little dog seemed okay, but after seeing the video footage I wasn't too sure, "The fucker who took Bethany roughed Ruby up a bit too. I don't think she's hurt, but would you get one of the prospects to take her to the veterinary clinic for a check over?"

"Will do," she said as she bent down to pet Ruby.

As I was putting on my boots and gathering up my things Breaker walked up. "Storm is contacting Steel. Cyclops doesn't even have a place of his own to take her to. He lives at the clubhouse. Storm said to meet him there and hopefully by then Steel will be on board with helping us find them."

"Let's roll," I responded curtly. I was in agreement with Breaker about not trusting those Twisted Metal fuckers. Their club president was the only halfway decent man in their club. Trying to keep the brothers from doing something stupid was like herding cats.

***

It took us almost an hour to get to the Twisted Metal clubhouse. Storm and Steel were waiting at the gate and let us in. My favorite prospect, Mace was parked up outside the gate and followed us in. I felt strongly that his intention was to watch our backs as best he could. I'd gotten a text from Cooper, he was at the veterinary clinic. Ruby got the all-clear with her physical, but they were x-raying her ribs to check she didn't have a fracture. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

"Where's Bethany? I want to see her with my own eyes, so I know she's okay."

Steel's blank expression gave nothing away. "About that, Cyclops has laid claim to her."

"He's what? She's already spoken for," I gritted out.

Steel's voice was carefully neutral. "He says they have a history, and he believes he fathered her child."

Breaker grabbed me as I lunged for Steel. "The only other man she's been with besides me is the man who raped her. He terrified her and that's why she ran from Griffinsford three and a half years ago. Since he's presenting himself as someone who's been with her, his ass is mine."

Storm spoke up, "Slow your roll, Coyote. We currently have a truce with Twisted Metal and that means we have to follow proper protocols. Steel's a fair man. He'll help us get to the bottom of this."

What was wrong with my prez? It wasn't like Storm to roll over like a pussy, especially when women were in danger. Fuck protocol, I glared at Steel, "Is my old lady here or not?" I could hear the anger and frustration in my own voice.

"She's in the bar with Cyclops. I told him there had been a challenge. He's ready to defend his claim."

"What fucking claim? Bethany doesn't want him. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Steel sighed. "Sometimes women don't know what they want. Sometimes our club brothers guard women they're interested in, giving them a chance to get to know them. Otherwise, none of them would probably end up with an old lady."

"Well, that's fucking bullshit," I flung back.

Storm's voice held a note of warning. "Let's table the discussion until all interested parties are present." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, what was wrong with him? Did he seriously think it was okay for a woman to be taken like that. If Bethany's future hadn't been on the line at that moment, I was just about ready to throw my fucking cut at my president and leave the Slayers behind. This bullshit was not what I signed up for.

Steel gestured to the prospects guarding the gate to open it. When we walked onto their property, it was like entering a dystopian nightmare. There were brothers smoking meth out in the open. They looked like the walking dead, with their scrawny fucking bodies and dead-eyed stares. Their clubhouse was a rough cinderblock building that someone had thrown a fresh coat of paint onto, but you can't polish a turd. There were bullet holes in the front and around the door. As we kept walking closer, I saw middle-aged, clearly worn-out club whores. Compared to the women who frequented our club they were rough. I hated that my Bethany even had to spend a minute in this place.

When we entered, I looked around the bar and saw Bethany at a table in the back with Cyclops. He was talking to her, waving his hands around as though he were trying to convince her to stay with him. Poor Bethany was pale, and her expression appeared to be veering between terrified and nauseated.

I immediately took a step in their direction, Breaker grabbed me and hauled me back. The commotion caused Cyclops and Bethany to look in our direction. She was on her feet and trying to run to me as soon as it registered that I had come for her. Of course, the slimy bastard who abducted her stopped her.

"Get your fucking hands of her!" I shouted.

Cyclops just gave me a shit eating grin in return. I was straining against Breaker's hold and once again glared at Storm who seemed to be letting all this shit play out.

Steel called out, "Bring your new woman to the meeting room. You have a challenge to your claim."

Cyclops jerked his chin up, grabbed Bethany by the arm and propelled her forward. Bethany looked petrified, her eyes pleading in my direction.

"Have a seat and let's try to resolve this with a modicum of honor." Steel sounded so reasonable and detached, like we were squabbling over an inanimate object instead of a woman with her own thoughts and feelings about who she wanted to be with.

"There's nothing honorable about raping a woman and then abducing her when she rejects you," I stated firmly.

Steel ignored me and focused on his club brother. "It's time to justify your claim, Cyclops. You had best be honest because you know I don't like liars."

Cyclops cleared his throat and explained, "What he said ain't true. Bethany and I met at a bar and hooked up. I don't know what happened, but she left town before we could talk about getting together again. I looked for her but didn't find a trace. The next thing I know, she shows up years later with my kid. I only want what's mine."

Steel turned to me. "Coyote, it's your turn to justify your challenge."

"Cyclops has no right to stake a claim on a woman who wants no part of him, the bastard raped her. Bethany is officially my old lady, she's agreed to be with me, no fighting involved."

"As for the child?" Steel asked.

"She's my daughter, DNA tests don't lie."

Bethany gasped and looked at me, her eyes wide. This wasn't how I wanted to broach such a delicate matter with her.

Breaker backed me up, "It's true, we got the results yesterday."

Steel just looked thoughtful, "Even so, Cyclops has made an official claim on the woman, that's not something that can be overlooked in our world."

Storm interjected, "I want to know if the rape allegation is true."

All eyes were on Bethany. She stammered, "Yes. I told him to stop but he wouldn't. I tried to push him off, but I wasn't strong enough."

Cyclops snorted a laugh. "She ain't the first woman to play hard to get. It was a game. Trust me, she didn't fight very hard, and in the end, she loved it."

It was all I could to remain in my seat. I wanted nothing more than to rip his throat out for what he did to her, and the fact the bastard didn't seem to realize what he did was rape.

Steel came to his feet. "We can sit and argue about the minutiae of this situation all damn day long. Cyclops, you know how we resolve challenges in this club. You knew it when you brought her here."

"That's not necessary. Possession is nine tenths of law." Cyclops sounded like he knew what he was talking about, but it was all rubbish.

Steel gave him a disgusted look. "Not when it comes of women."

Storm asked, "Is this going in the direction I think it is?"

Breaker cursed under his breath.

Steel looked at me. "Do you know how I came to power, Coyote?"

Glancing around, I repeated what others have told me. "They say you killed the former club president and his VP. Then you stepped into the president's role unchallenged."

"Come with me," he stated quietly.

We followed him out the back door of the clubhouse and in the distance, I saw an area that had been sectioned off with a chain-link fence. As we got closer, I saw that the top was covered in the same material. They had created a cage the size of a large room.

"What the fuck is this," I asked.

"It had been a long-standing tradition in this club that challenges of all kinds are resolved by rite of combat."

Shock roiled through my body. "Are you serious? That's fucking barbaric!"

"Serious as a fucking heart attack. This is how we settle scores here."

"Do you have any idea how fucked up it is to hand an innocent woman over to her rapist?"

Steel didn't respond to my question because of course he didn't. Twisted Metal was a one percent club with a history of human trafficking. They saw women differently and wrongly in my opinion. I turned to see what my club president was doing about this, but Storm and Breaker were deep in conversation.

Steel continued explaining, "Cyclops had my back when I was locked in this cage and fighting for my life. Affording him an opportunity to fight to keep his woman is the least I can do to repay him."

Turing to Cyclops, he said, "You can either let the woman go, or fight for her. What do you want to do?"

"I'll fight." Cyclops didn't seem too happy with that option even though he outweighed me by fifty pounds and had a reputation for knowing how handle himself in a fight. I saw only grim determination on his face.

Standing there staring at him, I realized that I hated this man for everything that he'd put Bethany though. If he wasn't such a depraved fuck, I might have empathized with his desperate desire for her. She was beautiful, sweet, caring, and loyal, far superior to any of the women likely to be found in his orbit. Unfortunately, he was a rapist. Therefore, I would give him no quarter in this fight.

As we were talking, a crowd had started to gather, and someone went into the cage and began hanging weapons from the fencing.

Steel asked me, "Do you wish to challenge Cyclops to a one-on-one fight, winner gets the woman?

I glanced from him to the cage and back again. This whole situation was depraved and a little surreal. Before I could answer, Breaker and Storm pulled me aside.

Storm stated quietly, "There are some things you ought to know. First, there are literally no rules. It's a two men in, and one man out type of situation."

"Like the movie? I asked, still incredulous.

"Yeah, just like that, which means it's a fight to the death."

I tried not to look as pleased as I was at the prospect of killing a man. "To save Bethany from being raped again by this asshole, I'll fight in their little cage and play by their rules."

Storm asked, "Are you sure? You do understand that Cyclops is going to do his very best to fucking kill you today, right?"

Breaker added, "What Storm is trying to say is that he'll use every dirty trick in the book, which means all the cards are going to be stacked against you."

"I get that, but if I can take this guy out, Bethany won't have to spend the rest of her life afraid of when he's going pop up and try to abduct her or her child."

Breaker leaned forward and told me, "Make no mistake, once you step into that cage, you are going to have to kill him in order to survive."

Tired of my club officers trying to get me to understand what I already knew, I turned to Steel. "I accept the rules of engagement."

Bethany started to panic. "No, babe. Don't do this. I'll stay if that's what it takes, I don't want to lose you, not now I've found you again, your daughter needs you."

"Querida, you've always said you trusted me. Trust me now. I know what I'm doing, I have to do this, I can't let him take you and Nessa." Glancing at Steel, I asked, "Can't you take her somewhere safe where she doesn't have to witness the violence that's about to take place?"

Cyclops bit out angrily, "She stays. I want her to see that I'm willing to risk my life to earn her love and respect."

It was at that moment that I realized that this one-eyed bastard had more than a few screws loose. In what world was forcing the woman you love to watch you kill someone gonna make them like you better? Cyclops just didn't get women at all, and it showed. I couldn't let him have her, that meant I had to win. Anything else meant death to me, and possibly a fate worse than death for my woman and child.

Steel denied my request. "She belongs to Cyclops until you win the challenge. Whatever he says goes."

I let out a long string of curses. I hated everything about this situation, Twisted Metal, and most especially Cyclops—even my club president for standing aside and letting this happen. There was nothing left to do but get this the hell over with and hope that the odds were stacked in my favor.

Before I went to the cage, Storm pulled me back and hissed in my ear, "I hate this more than you know, brother. But I swear on everything I hold dear, that man is not gonna take your woman. If shit happens, then fuck Steel, and fuck our truce with Twisted Metal—the Slayers will burn the fucking world down to get Bethany back and keep her and Nessa safe. You have my word on that."