20. ‘Shadow’

TWENTY

‘SHADOW'

ZOEY

My body is itchy from all the dried blood and guts on it. Not to mention it's humid as fuck out here. Not my choice to work someone over in the goddamn forest, but I'm pretty flexible. Out of the nine men we caught, six are dead. Some in multiple pieces, had to get creative this time. Needed them to talk quickly and shut up their screams of pain, though it's like music to my ears.

Looking at the last three, one is fading fast. I move toward him as he's hanging upside down from a tree. Blood is pooling under him, dripping from his nose and ears. Probably from the blunt force trauma. I'm pretty sure between Rebel and me together, we fractured his skull. Oh well, shit happens as they say. A small part of me feels bad, he's a younger guy but, fuck, he made the wrong decisions. Plus, he was one of the assholes in that cabin with Cici. He was actually pushing his junk into his jeans when we busted in. That's when he shit his pants. Yeah, pretty nasty but it got worse, especially after I saw what they did to Cici. Now he's going to die scared, alone, and hopefully realizing the mistakes he's made in his short life. I mean, this is when I get emotional, if I can even call it that. He's someone's kid, brother, cousin. Seriously doubt he's got a wife, don't seem to respect women much.

When we stripped him, his dick still had Cici's blood on it, so that tells me more than I ever wanted to know. Well, he is now covered in his own blood. I look to Dani and nod. She reaches for her knife and cuts the rope. He falls hard to the ground but not a sound comes from his mouth. Somehow, he manages to roll over and moan. When he does open his eyes, they are blown. The whites of his eyes are pinkish and his pupils are blown. I could just let him suffer and die, but I'm not that person anymore. So, I approach him. When I'm beside him, I crouch down and lift his head.

"Anything else you want to tell me, kid?"

He starts to shake and I think it finally penetrated that this is it.

"I don't want to die. Why do you have to kill me? If you let me go, I'll work with you. I can change, give me a chance. Fuck, lady, I'm only twenty-one years old."

"Yeah, you dick, and the girl you raped with your buddies was twenty years old. She did nothing but want to live her life. Wrong place, wrong time."

"What the hell are you talking about? Oh, wow, you haven't figured it out yet. This was planned. Check out the players. That girl was bought and paid for with a huge bag of money. We were just the beginning for her. She was sold to a dude overseas. Guess you're going to have to figure out who did this to her. You can kill me, but there will be five or ten more to take my place."

My mind is spinning. Who the fuck would want to sell Cici? I doubt her folks, so maybe the boyfriend? Wow, damn, we know nothing about the victim. We took everything at face value because Tank knew her parents. What the hell did we get involved with?

Hearing the rattling people have before they pass, I look down. I don't have to do a thing; his time is coming to an end.

"Anyone you want me to tell, kid?"

"No, both of my folks are in jail and my brother couldn't care less. And my name isn't kid, it's Noah."

"Well, Noah, I wish to Christ we had met under way different circumstances. I'm Shadow."

"I don't have the right to ask, but will you stay with me?"

Instead of answering, I lean back and sit on my ass. I reach out and grab Noah's hand and give it a squeeze. He tries to squeeze back but doesn't have the strength. I hear his chanting before I see him. Panther sits right next to me continuing to chant. This is his way to send Noah off to a better place. That's why my ol' man is a better person than I'll ever be. He always gives people second and third chances. I'm a one and done kind of woman. Noah looks between the two of us, then closes his eyes for a brief second.

"Never thought the last thing I'd see is an Indian chanting with a woman with a skull tattoo. Life is full of surprises. Gotta thank you, Shadow, for doing this, more than my own family's ever done for me. I'll tell you to check out Cici's close friends. Especially look at the female friends with her boyfriend, Kevin."

My head jerks up. How did he know the boyfriend's name? As my mind is spinning Panther stops chanting for a minute. Then he leans down toward Noah.

"Noah, tell Zoey how you know that man's name? Make that be your last good deed you do in this life."

Noah looks at me as the crackles in his chest get louder. Won't be long now. His eyes close then pop right back open. He finds the strength to squeeze my hand.

"I know this because that dude Kevin is my cousin. Some chick had it out for Cici because they were dating. She wanted Kevin for her own, like he's a prize or something. Her daddy is rich, owns some manufacturing company in Billings. That's what I know…"

Noah starts to cough as Panther starts to chant. Within a minute or two this young guy is dead. For what… money, power, dominance? Who the fuck knows. I go to wipe my face and feel the wet on my cheeks. Oh God no, can't show weakness, not in front of my sisters. Rebel looks down, her eyes are wet too. Yeah, what badasses are we, crying over some little weasel who made the wrong choices in his short life. I watch as Rebel turns and walks away, while I feel Panther's arms pull me close. Damn, this job just keeps getting harder and harder. I reach over and close Noah's eyes. What a fuckin' waste.

I can taste the iron in my mouth from blood spatter. The last motherfucker just took his last breath. Squirt, Dani, and Kitty are burying the bodies, or what's left of them. Got some good info though. Rebel was a huge help to me today. She never once turned her head, lost purpose, or got physically sick. Some of the shit she did was new stuff to me. As sick as it is, I'm glad she's working side by side with me. Up by the cabins my dad, Sheriff George, has some deputies going over everything. All the women were transferred to the hospital. My club sisters have been waiting around for me to finish. I tried to tell Goldilocks to go back to the ranch but she refused, saying we work our missions together from start to end. So now it's the middle of the night and we're all getting bit up by mosquitos while Rebel, Squirt, Dani, and Kitty are covered in all kinds of body muck and blood. Kiwi and Dottie also had some shit on them when Rebel and I took a break earlier. Personally, I had to pee and refused to piss down my legs. So found a quiet spot in the woods, peed, drank some water, ate a protein peanut butter bar, and tried to make sense of what I've been told. This isn't the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood calling the shots. Well, sort of, but this is just the hatred that is moving through our country. I'm no fuckin' saint by any means, but what I do is for the purpose of trying to stop human trafficking and the abuse of innocent people. There isn't a day that goes by I'm not thankful for finding Goldilocks and forming the Devil's Handmaidens Motorcycle Club with her. We have the best of the best because each of us have experienced hell on earth. This kind of evil scares the shit out of me because there is no endgame in sight. They do it because they can. Add money to it and they feel untouchable. I start to pick up my shit, which I'll have to clean when we get back to the ranch or clubhouse, whichever.

Hearing a branch snap, I turn, hand on my gun. Rebel smirks at me.

"What, gonna shoot me, Shadow? Then who's going to help you with this kind of shit? Not many of our sisters have the stomach for this. You need me, sister, don't forget it and, yeah, I know how hard that is for you. So what do you think, is that boyfriend Kevin involved or just a sorry sap? Gotta have Raven do a deep dive, see if he was fucking around on Cici. That I could see, some stupid young woman falling for him and then he decides he wants to stay with Cici. Here, let me help you with that shit."

Together we keep walking around with our phone flashlights on. Well, until a bright light starts toward us. Of course it's got to be Big Bird, my pain in my ass. He's singing the dwarf song from Cinderella .

"Hi ho, hi ho, we're off to work we go. Zoey's made a mess hi ho, hi ho, and we have to clean it up again. Hi ho, hi ho."

Behind him is a line of his team, Devil's Handmaidens, and Intruders all singing off-key and using the wrong words. I know the thought behind it and that warms my heart. That big mountain of a man has a unique way of knowing how this shit has been bothering me. Avalanche walks directly toward me, pulling close just as the wet in my eyes rolls down my face. I hear the group of folks walking around, picking up tools and shit as Big Bird holds me close, never saying a thing.

Not sure but maybe I need to have a conversation with Goldilocks. I don't want to quit doing this, but maybe we can switch it up a bit. I don't mind the blood and guts, it's the emotional side like this kid Noah. He didn't have a chance in life and made really bad decisions that led him to my path. Also, I know Spirit at the sanctuary wouldn't mind helping in certain situations. As my ol' man always is telling me, life is always evolving and we need to keep up with it. Maybe my life is finally moving in the right direction and that's why everything is getting under my skin, who the fuck knows.

"Listen to him, skull anii', he's right. We make our own paths in this life. You need to be a part of this work because it allows you to remove the demons in your soul. No, listen to me, I'm not joking around right now. Find a way to walk both paths of your life. My brother and I have had to do the exact same thing. Don't ever think you are alone because you have Panther and me, along with our team, always behind you. Now if you're okay, I'm gonna let you go and say something to piss you off. Give me your best, Zoey. I always will have your back, lil' sister."

My God, he's trying to kill me. We've always had a kind of love-hate relationship. We both love Panther and at times like each other, while other times can't stand the sight of the other. He just opened his heart to me, showing me how much he truly cares. He's my brother of choice. I feel a peace wash over me right before he pushes me away.

"Damn, woman, you got me all wet. Hey now, don't go there. Why the fuck is the enforcer of the Devil's Handmaidens leaving tears on my T-shirt? Are you getting soft? Damn. gonna need to talk to both Panther and Tink, maybe you can become the sister who keeps the ranch clean and milks the cows."

I hear the snickers and chuckles but never move my eyes from his. When they start to sparkle, I give him a small smile. Then I let loose.

"You dumbass, Big Bird, I have severe allergies and have been in the woods for hours. I'm not crying, it's a reaction to all the trees, pollen, and mold. Now before you put your big foot in your mouth, let's get this cleaned up. I need a shower, like yesterday. Rebel, come on, sister, let these peons finish this shit up. We've done our job."

Without another word, I turn and stomp my way toward where the larger camp is located. Rebel catches up with me and gives me a shoulder bump.

"As big of an asshole as he can be, gotta love that big man."

I look at my sister and smile. Hugely.

"Yeah, guess you're right, Rebel. We need to find that man an ol' lady. Hey, what about you?"

Rebel's cheeks turn pink but she shakes her head.

"Nope, we aren't each other's type. But I agree, he's a good catch."

Now I'm really interested as to why my club sister knows that her and Big Bird don't mesh. This should be interesting.