Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Havoc

T he sunlight pouring into my room wakes me, along with the raging hard-on tenting the sheets.

The smell of sex and cupcakes in the air has me groaning as I roll toward the woman who rocked my fucking world last night, only to find her gone and the bed cold. I sit up and look around, but the room’s empty. If I couldn’t still smell her, I’d almost believe she was nothing more than a dream.

Cursing, I climb out of bed, hell-bent on finding her. I walk naked to the bathroom and turn on the shower. While I wait for it to heat up, I stare in the mirror, replaying last night in my head.

Blade gave me the key to this room, one of the guest rooms on the other side of the building, because he knew I’d need some space from the others.

In a severely overcrowded prison, I never had privacy. Fuck, I couldn’t even take a shit alone. And the club I’d lived for did that to me. They took everything when they made me take the fall for Driller, then handed over my life to him piece by piece. He took my old lady, knocked her up with the baby that was supposed to be mine, moved into my fucking house, and became the VP while they left me there to rot. Knowing that makes me question everything. My loyalty to the club I believed in was everything—until Khan set it on fire and watched it burn with his ultimatum, which—like an idiot—I took. I should’ve walked away. I should’ve taken Lola and started a new life far away, but my pride wouldn’t let me. And what exactly did that pride give me in the end?

Nothing but a criminal record and a chip on my shoulder.

And cupcakes.

My hard cock throbs at the reminder of the woman I found lying in my bed like an X-rated version of Goldilocks.

Sure, there were a few bunnies downstairs who offered me a good time, but none of them were what I wanted. Then I came up here and found the woman that was just right for me. She was fast asleep, curled up on her side with her hands under her cheek and her hair covering most of her face. Even though I wanted to be alone, I found my dick growing hard as my eyes traveled over her body.

At some point, she kicked off the blanket that had been covering her, revealing a short black skirt and a pink cardigan. There was nothing overly sexy about what she was wearing—until I saw the thigh-high socks and every dirty fantasy I ever had roared to life.

I stripped out of my clothes and climbed in behind her, promising to thank Blade for the gift, knowing he was the only one with access to the room. She might’ve been a club girl playing dress-up, but I wasn’t about to turn down a gift like this.

Everything that happened after that was better than anything I’d ever imagined.

She’d been so fucking tight. She had to be a new bunny. If I had my way, she wouldn’t be one for long. I look down at my hard dick as I go to get in the shower and freeze at the sight of the blood.

“What the fuck?”

It takes me a second to realize what I’m looking at. I storm back into the bedroom and rip the blankets from the bed. Sure enough, I find spots of blood on the white cotton.

“She was a virgin,” I mutter, a deep possessiveness taking root inside me.

I remake the bed, pulling the blankets back, leaving the bloody sheet exposed like a trophy. Any lingering thoughts of Lola disappear as something shifts inside me. I don’t know who this woman is, but I’m going to find her. And when I do, I’m claiming her.

I’ve already lost five fucking years of my life. I’ll be dammed if I lose another minute. From now on, if I want something, I’ll have it. And right now, all I want is a certain cupcake.

I head back into the bathroom and jump in the shower, but I don’t wash the blood from my cock. I like knowing it’s there, like she branded me and made me hers. As I dry off, I imagine how sore she is today. I’m not a small guy, so there’s no way she isn’t feeling me with every step she takes. And the caveman in me loves it.

I get dressed and am just pulling on my cut, ready to head down to find Blade, when I spot a pink ribbon on the bedside table. Walking around the bed, I pick it up and hold it to my nose like a fucking psycho and almost convince myself I can smell cupcakes. Some people might think I need therapy, but I don’t give a fuck, tying the ribbon around my wrist with a smile. It’s the first real smile I’ve felt since I got here.

I have a lot of shit to still deal with, but now, at least, I’ve found my reward for all the shit I’ve been through.

Hours later, I’m ready to kill someone. I can’t find Blade anywhere, and nobody else is sober enough to remember a woman who smells like cupcakes. Needing something to do before I explode, I take my bike out, hoping by some miracle I might run into my mystery woman. But after a couple of hours, I head back.

I pull through the gates and into the warehouse, parking and turning off my bike, surprised to see a few brothers gathered around.

“What’s going on?”

Midas turns to look at me. “Check out Circus’s new artwork.”

I climb off my bike and walk over, letting out an impressed whistle. The gas tank has a dark, gothic-looking big top painted on it in grays and purples with blood spattered across it. Standing right in front of the entrance is a little girl holding a raggedy-looking stuffed bear. But she’s clearly not just any girl, she’s a zombie, judging by the dead eyes and the blood staining her lips.

“That’s creepy as fuck. Who—” My cell phone rings, cutting me off. I pull it out of my pocket, glancing at the screen, and answer it when I see it’s G.

“G?”

“Havoc!”

“Who is this?” I frown at the woman’s voice.

“It’s Amity. I need help.”

“What happened?” I ask, heading back to my bike, a sense of dread washing over men

“A truck hit us. We both got thrown off G’s bike, but G wasn’t wearing his helmet, Havoc. And now he’s bleeding and won’t wake up,” she says in a rush, fear clear in her words.

“Where are you?” I ask loud enough to grab the guys’ attention. They all turn to look at me, and I lift my free hand, making a circular motion in the air, signaling for them to round up the others and get ready to ride.

“I don’t know. We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere,” she curses.

“Where were you heading? What did you pass? Think, Amity. I’m on my way, but I need an idea of the direction.” I hear her take a breath as I climb on my bike.

“We came from the movie set. We were heading to the Harley shop to get a new helmet. He made me wear his, Havoc. He’s hurt because he’s so fucking stubborn,” she sobs.

“If you had been hurt instead of him, it would’ve been worse. Trust me. He knew the risks, and he’d do it again, even knowing what would happen. I don’t know you, but I don’t need to. The way he looks at you says it all. I doubt there’s much he wouldn’t do for you, and that means risking his life to keep you safe.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

I pull the phone away slightly and cover the microphone. “It’s Amity. She and G were hit by a truck. She doesn’t know where they are, but they were on their way to the Harley shop,” I tell the men around me. “Probe, go get the truck—we’ll need it to bring them and G’s bike back.”

“You got it.” Probe jumps off his bike and runs over to the truck.

“How bad is it?” Hannibal asks, and I remember that he used to be an EMT or something.

“Not sure. G’s unconscious. He wasn’t wearing a helmet,” I tell him, putting the phone back up to my ear as he curses.

“We’re on our way. I have a rough idea where you are, but I want you to stay on the line with me, okay? I have Bluetooth in my helmet, so you can just keep talking, and I’ll keep riding until I find you,” I tell her as I switch to Bluetooth, pulling on my helmet, and firing up my bike.

“Okay, Havoc. Should I have called an ambulance or the police? I didn’t know what to do.”

“Is he breathing?” I ask.

“Yeah, I… I’ve got my fingers on his pulse. It’s strong and steady. I’m scared to let go in case it stops.”

“You’re doing good, Amity, real good,” I reassure her, tearing out of the warehouse and through the gates, which are already open. Probe must’ve told the prospect what was happening. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine,” she replies, but I can hear the pain in her voice.

“Alright, you keep your fingers on his pulse. If anything changes—he stops breathing or the bleeding gets worse—I’ll call an ambulance for you. You just focus on our boy, okay?”

“I can do that,” she says.

I head in the direction I think she is, breaking the speed limit to get to them and not giving a flying fuck.

“Oh, God…”

“Amity, what’s going on?”

“They’re back.”

“Who’s they?” When she doesn’t answer me, I start shouting. “Fucking talk to me, Amity!”

“The truck that ran us off the road. It’s heading our way and driving slower than I can walk.”

My stomach drops. “Shit. Fuck. Okay, listen to me, Amity. I need you to hide.”

“What? No, I’m not leaving G.”

“I don’t think they’re coming back to check on you, honey. I hope to fuck I’m wrong, but?—”

“You think they’ve come back to finish off the job,” she chokes out, cutting me off.

“Please, Amity. Hide. Do it for G,” I tell her gently.

“No. Fuck you, Havoc. I won’t leave him, and you can’t make me,” she snarls, and I can’t help but be impressed by her loyalty.

“They’ve stopped,” she whispers.

I curse, opening the throttle and shifting gears, the engine roaring louder as I push harder to get to her.

“If G doesn’t put you over his knee for this, I will,” I snap.

“Two of them are coming my way,” she says, ignoring what I just said.

“Amity, are you armed?”

“Yes, I have G’s gun. You don’t think he’d mind me using it, do you?” she asks, her voice sounding odd, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

“He’d want you to do whatever it takes to keep yourself safe. You hear me, darling? Whatever it takes.”

She’s quiet for a moment.

“Oh, thank God, it’s Raven Souls.”

Relief hits me before I stop to think.

Why would it be Raven Souls? If they’d knocked G off his bike, they wouldn’t have driven off. And why the fuck are they in the truck?—

It hits me then, and I tense, realizing they can’t be in the truck because the truck’s with us. Probe’s driving it.

“I don’t recognize them,” she whispers as everything starts to click into place.

“Amity,” I say, panic and fear rising inside me. If we have the truck, it can’t be one of my club brothers. It must be someone from another chapter.

“What’s wrong? They’re your brothers, right?”

My breathing turns ragged. She doesn’t recognize them. She’s been around the club enough to know all the brothers. Fuck.

“If you don’t recognize them, they’re not from the mother chapter. The only new arrival is me. There are no nomads or brothers who have been on runs or helping out at other clubs.”

“Okay, but they’re still Raven Souls, right?”

I don’t say anything.

“Havoc?”

Still nothing.

“Are they friend or foe, Havoc?”

My heart feels like it’s being ripped out of my chest. They must be from my old chapter. They’re the closest to us. But why are they here? They had to know they wouldn’t be welcome. Plus, Blade said fuck-all about a visit, and I know damn well he would’ve told me if they were coming.

“Friend or foe, Havoc?” she grits out.

What do I say? Because whatever my answer, there’s no going back from this. All I can think is they shouldn’t be there. They should have called. And if they knocked Amity and G off their bike, they should have stopped.

“Foe,” I snarl.

There’s a moment of silence, and then all I hear are gunshots. I roar her name, but she doesn’t answer. I floor the bike, going as fast as possible without wiping out, cursing to myself that it’s not fast enough.

Finally, the shooting stops, and I pray I’m not too late. Then I hear another gunshot, muffled cursing, and the sound of an engine revving before one last shot rings out, and then… silence.

Seconds later, I see the intersection and spot G’s bike on the ground. As I slow down, I notice Amity a few feet away from it. I’m off my bike and running toward her before I even think about it.

She’s lying on top of G, using her body to shield him. I slide to a stop beside them and drop to the ground. I lie down on my stomach, my face inches from hers, and reach for the gun in her hand.

“It’s okay now, Amity. You kept him safe, and you kept both of you safe. Now, let me take over, okay? I won’t let anything happen to either of you,” I tell her softly as she looks at me.

I hear my brothers surrounding us, but I keep my eyes on Amity, who looks as white as a ghost.

“Don’t. You’ll get your prints on the gun. I don’t want you to go back to prison.”

After everything she just went through, she’s worried about me going back to prison. A man she just met. G’s a lucky son of a bitch.

“Shh, don’t you worry about that.” I offer her a small smile.

“I… I think I killed him,” she chokes out, letting go of the gun.

I take it and pass it to Capone before taking her hand. “We need to let Hannibal look at G.” She’s shaking her head before I even finish, her eyes wide and full of fear.

Hannibal kneels beside us and moves her hair from her face. “I’ll take real good care of him, Amity. I promise.”

She swallows, looking unsure, but nods. “Okay,” she says, and as she starts to move, I reach for her, lifting her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her.

“You did good, sweetheart,” I tell her. She buries her face against my neck and falls apart. I don’t say anything; I just hold her and let her cry. Her sobs shake her small frame, and my heart breaks for her.

While I take care of Amity, I watch with pride as my brothers split up and get to work like a well-oiled machine, knowing exactly what needs to be done.

As I murmur words of comfort in Amity's ear, she lifts her head and looks around, taking in the scene. Mac and Toot are helping Hannibal with G, while Midas and Probe check out the guy Amity shot. Crane and Capone are dealing with G's bike, and the rest of the guys are covering us, just in case the other shooter comes back.

“Alright, his vitals are good. Let’s get him to the clinic,” Hannibal says, and I give him a nod. “Mac, Toot, I want to get him in the truck—nice and gentle. I’ll ride in the back with him, just in case.”

He looks at Amity, and his eyes soften. “You ride with Havoc. I need space just in case.”

She nods but doesn’t say anything.

“Good girl. Alright, boys, let’s move,” Hannibal orders Toot and Mac as Amity sits still in my lap.

Crane walks over to help carry G while Midas drops down in front of us.

“It’s Acid—the guy she shot,” Midas tells me, making me tense. That dirty motherfucker. “He’s alive, but he’s bleeding a lot. We’ll put him in the back of the truck with the bike.” I nod, and then he turns to Amity.

“Let’s get you up and back to the clubhouse. You gonna be okay riding?” Midas asks her.

“Let’s go,” she says, putting on a brave face.

He holds his hand out to her and helps her up. Once she’s standing, I get to my feet and take her hand and walk her to my bike. As I pull my helmet on, I spot Capone walking toward us with G’s.

I get on my bike and start it, waiting as Capone slips the helmet over her head and tightens the strap. I watch as he says something to her and squeezes her shoulder before she climbs on the bike behind me and wraps her arms around my waist tightly.

My mind races as I speed back to the clubhouse, thinking about what happened and why. Why would my old club go after G? He's the new VP—that should've kept him safe. And Amity? She could’ve been killed. What the hell were they thinking?

By the time we pull through the gates at the back of the property, my head is spinning, and I'm no closer to figuring out the reason behind the attack. I head toward the clinic and park. Once I've stopped, Amity climbs off and removes her helmet. I do the same and take hers from her, placing it next to mine on my seat as the others pull in behind us.

When the truck carrying G stops, she moves toward it, but I hold her back. “Give them space, sweetheart. While they get him settled, why don’t you tell the rest of us what happened?”

“Okay, but I can do it here, though, right? I don’t want to leave him.”

“We’ll find a quiet spot inside. Come on. Midas, Probe, Capone, you’re with me. Hannibal, focus on G. Once he’s good, stabilize Acid. I have questions for him.” Hannibal nods, and we head inside.

I look around before leading her into the small break room at the back of the building. I pull out a chair for her as Probe grabs a soda from the fridge and cracks it open for her. I sit beside her as she takes a drink, her hand trembling slightly, and wait for the others to sit before I start.

“Alright, I caught most of it. But for the benefit of the others, I’m going to fill them in a little. Then, once you’ve finished that”—I nod to her soda—“you can tell us the rest, alright?”

“What about Blade?” Capone asks.

“I tried to call him,” Amity starts, then clears her throat. “But he didn’t answer.”

“I called him too and left a message,” Probe says shaking his head.

Midas sighs. “Conan has chemo today. Inigo was taking him. King said something about taking Sunshine to visit Alex’s grave, so maybe he has Junior.”

I blow out a frustrated breath and start telling them what happened. I tell them about the truck hitting Amity and G and how Amity called me. Then I tell them about the truck coming back, before turning to Amity to tell the rest.

“I thought we were safe when they got out of the truck because they were wearing Raven Souls cuts. But I didn’t know them.”

I clench my jaw, fisting my hands on the table as she looks at me. “She asked me if they were friend or foe. And I hesitated. I shouldn’t have. My answer should’ve been instant; every instinct I had told me something was wrong,” I admit.

“He said ‘foe’ just as they pulled guns and pointed them at us. I couldn’t let them hurt G,” Amity says firmly.

“Of course you couldn’t,” Capone says, reaching over to pat her hand briefly.

“I didn’t think. I just aimed and fired. I watched him go down, but I missed the other guy. Then he started shooting, so I covered G with my body and waited to take my next shot. Then I heard your bikes, and I knew everything would be okay. The other guy heard them, too. He started running, so I shot him. I think I hit his leg because he started limping.”

“Good job.” Probe’s angry voice rumbles.

“He got in the truck and took off, but not before firing at me as he drove past. Asshole,” she curses, making my lips twitch.

“You think you’d recognize him if I showed you some pictures?” I ask her.

“I think so,” she replies, as the door suddenly swings open and slams against the wall, making us all jump.

Hannibal’s eyes find mine before he looks at Amity, who walks toward him slowly.

“He’s awake, and he’s asking for you.”

“Oh. That’s good,” she says quietly, then passes out.

Hannibal catches her before she hits the ground, and the rest of us scramble over to her.

“She hurt?”

“I’ll check her out, but it’s probably just her body’s way of dealing with everything,” he says, lifting her into his arms. “I’ll take her to G. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“And G?”

“He’s lucky. It could have been a lot worse. By the way, Acid’s stable. I patched him up and had Circus and Toot take him to the shack. He’ll be out of it for a couple of days, so I’d hold off on questioning him.”

“Okay. Thanks, Hannibal.” I rub my hand down my face, feeling tired all of a sudden.

“Don’t mention it.” He turns to leave but stops. “You did good today, Havoc. We’re lucky to have you.” With that, he takes Amity and leaves.

“Midas, go with them.”

He nods and follows behind them.

“What now?” Probe asks.

“Now, we do a little digging and find out what the fuck is going on.” I blow out a breath.

And to think, this started out as such a good day.