Chapter Four

Wrath

I"m sitting at the bar with Eagle, waiting for Flame to come back to us with answers from the prick downstairs. We've moved further away from the attacker"s intended target. I probably should have asked her name, but after her attitude when I first arrived, I'm not sure she's someone I actually want to know anything about. Even her name. We don't want her to hear anything we're now talking about, as it's all club business.

What I"m not expecting, as we're talking, is for the door leading down to The Workroom to slam open and every brother who was down there to come running out, looking terrified.

"What the fuck is going on?"I scream as I start to stand, knowing immediately that something isn't right.

"We don"t know, Prez. We were all just standing around, and Flame came in."Joker answers; he takes a deep breath before continuing.

"When the prisoner looked up at him, Flame just sort of froze for a second, and his face went blank before he spun around and shouted at everyone to get out if they weren"t Officers and that we needed to get you down there. Prez, I've never seen him look like that before; whoever that guy is, Flame has got to know him,"Joker tells me with a steady voice, even though what has happened has clearly shaken him. His brown eyes look wild right now.

I don"t reply; just rush towards the door leading downstairs. Whoever's in that chair, it's bad. I know that from Flame"s reaction; he's never reacted to a prisoner like this. Ever. That has me fucking worried. Who the hell is tied up down here?

Entering the room, I see Flame standing facing the door; his features look haunted. He"s shutting down. That's the only explanation I have for how he's acting right now. He still somehow has the forethought to step to the side so I can see who"s in the chair. That"s when I get my first look at the fucker, and I immediately recognize him, even though he is older than the last time I saw him. He still looks like an ugly piece of shit who I"ve dreamed of getting my hands on for a very long time. I understand why Flame has reacted this way, and I know he needs me now more than ever.

Ignoring the piece of shit in the chair for the time being, I walk up to Flame and grab his face between my palms and whisper, "Come back to me.""You"re safe," and "You"re not that kid anymore. You"re my Flame now." I keep repeating this to him for about five minutes until I see he"s slowly coming back to himself.

Keeping his face firmly between my palms, I ask him quietly, "Are you back with me?"

Flame grabs onto my hands, but he doesn"t say anything; he just squeezes my hands, holding on to me, while nodding his head. We stay like that for however long it takes for the rest of the Officers to arrive. Someone had obviously contacted the rest of them. Probably Eagle; he was there when Joker was talking. I know they've arrived because I can hear them storming downstairs. None of the other members would even think of coming down here after what just went down.

Shadow"s the first one to enter. Seeing how we"re standing, his eyes quickly flash with shock. I've never done this with Flame where anyone but he could see us before. He quickly turns and looks at the chair. I see when he realizes who the fucker is because his fists are clenching and unclenching and his jaw has gone tight. The guy tied to the chair is none other than Flame"s older, half-fucking brother, who abused him and used him as a goddamn punch bag for years, unbeknownst to anyone. All because Flame was smaller and couldn"t fight back. Shadow doesn"t say a word as everyone else files in.

Behind him is Eagle, my SAA. He"s six foot two with black hair, which is cut incredibly short. He also has one hell of a mean scowl, which isn't surprising after what has happened tonight. Next is Piston, my Road Captain. He's six foot one with black hair that is currently tied up in a ponytail as it's quite long. When shit's going down, he prefers it out of his face. Then there's Ink, my Secretary, six foot one with pale blue hair, which makes his unique gray eyes stand out. He"s covered from head to toe in tattoos if his road name didn't give it away. Then there"s Rock, my Treasurer, who's by far the biggest of us all. He"s six foot six and is just as wide as he is tall. He looks like he could crush you with one hand. His dark blonde hair is currently cut short. Finally, there"s Blade, my other Enforcer. He"s six foot with red hair and has a vicious-looking scar running from the top of his hairline straight down and through his left eyebrow, which he got when he was younger.

Shadow walks up to the asshole and lets his fists fly. Starting to beat the absolute shit out of him. I don't blame him; we both saw the state a young Flame was in after the last time his brother got his hands on him.

No one says anything, just letting Shadow vent his fury until I calmly say one word, "Stop."

Shadow stops taking a step back, but he still looks like he wants to carry on.

"Shadow, get over here now and stay with Flame. That fucker's mine."I order with a snarl.

I've wanted to get my hands on this fucker since I opened my bedroom window and a bruised and bleeding Flame appeared. Shadow quickly makes his way over, pushing Flame onto the sofa that"s against the wall and sits down next to him. I step towards the chair while speaking to the room.

"I"m sure you"re wondering what the hell is going on. So tonight there was an issue here at Inferno"s. This asshole tried to attack one of the bar staff."I start to say while pointing at the chair. "Flame came down to get answers as to why, but kicked everyone out and told them only Officers were allowed down here and that he needed me down here ASAP. Now that alone told me there was something seriously fucking wrong. When have any of you ever known Flame to act like that? When I got down here, I got a look at who was tied to that chair. He may be older than the last time I saw him, but I recognized him. As you just saw, Shadow recognized him too. Everyone, I"d like to introduce you to Craig Daniels, Flame"s half-brother and his childhood tormentor."

Snarls and growls echo around the room. Every person here knows what Flame went through as a child. He told them one day after they asked why he knew so much about hand-to-hand combat and why he was so freaking good.

Walking over to where Craig is tied up, I stop and pull the gag out of his mouth.

"What the fuck!"he shouts.

"Shut the fuck up, Craig, before I do it for you. You"ll answer my questions, and then I"ll decide what to do with you."My voice is filled with hatred.

"I"m not going to tell you anything, Jackson; you don't scare me,"he states cockily.

That won"t last long. I"m not a child like the last time he saw me; I"m now the fucking Devil"s Inferno President. He really should be worried about what I"m going to do to him. Both for his current and past sins. Chuckling, I hear the others do the same. I look behind me at the table that holds all the tools we use to get answers from people who don't want to give them, trying to decide what to use first.

"Wrath!"I hear Shadow scream out.

Spinning around, I see Flame being triggered just by the sound of Craig"s voice. Why didn't I think about that? Fucking hell, getting my hands on Craig isn"t worth it, not when Flame needs me.

"He"s all yours, Blade,"I quickly say as I make my way to sit by Flame.

Getting my hands on Craig is not even as remotely important as making sure Flame"s okay. He"s more important than anything. Always has been, always will be. Sitting next to him, I pull him into my arms and hug him close. Offering him comfort and safety in the only way I can right now.

He breathes in deeply while tucking his head into my neck while I whisper in his ear, "You"re safe," and "I"m here."

I don"t care that everyone"s seeing us like this; I know no one in this room will judge me for being this way with him. They may have an issue with me hiding my sexuality and feelings for Flame, but I"m pretty sure they"ll understand my reasoning even if they don"t agree. I"ll deal with that later if I need to. Right now, all that matters is the man in my arms.

I have no idea how long we sit like that, but I"m brought back to the room by Shadow tapping my shoulder.

"What?"I ask, becoming aware of my surroundings again.

"He answered everything Blade asked,"Shadow tells me, looking a little worried. I"m guessing they tried to get my attention more than once.

I look over and see that Blade has certainly lived up to his name. Craig has been cut in some very excruciating places, but nowhere that would be critical. Oh, I missed all the fun.

"Sorry, I wasn"t paying attention to the fucker. What"s he saying?"I ask apologetically.

"Some woman he met a few towns over in Royal Creek paid him to grab one of our workers because she wanted to plant someone in one of our businesses as she needed information to help take us down and take over. She wasn't getting enough information from who she's got in place now."Shadow informs me, his face showing how pissed off he is with what they"ve found out.

"Great, a new unknown enemy and, more than likely, a mole too. Just what I wanted. You think he knows anything else?"I ask, wanting their opinions; they all paid attention to him answering Blade's questions and would have more of an idea than me.

"No,"Blade tells me from across the room as he stands, spinning his knife between his fingers.

Looking down at Flame, who"s still in my arms, I lift a brow in question, he just nods his head. He doesn't have to say anything; I know what he's saying to me with that head nod.

"Kill him,"I state, my voice emotionless.

I don't care who does it or how. I just want Flame's tormenter gone. Just like that, Blade slices across Craig's throat with no hesitation. We watch him quickly bleed out, his eyes wide with shock. What did he expect was going to happen after what he had done in the past and what he tried tonight? Idiot.

Looking around, I see some of my closest friends, people I consider family, and I know that I can do what I"m about to without an issue because they will ensure everything gets handled in my absence.

"I"m taking Flame home. Get someone to clean up this garbage. And get Tech informed; we"ve got a new enemy and maybe a mole; see if he can find anything."

"Sure thing, Prez, you two get out of here. We"ve got this."It"s Eagle who replies, while everyone else is nodding their heads in agreement.

I stand, giving the room one last glance before I leave with Flame directly behind me. We don"t say anything to each other; we just quickly leave Inferno"s and hop on our Harleys and ride home. I can tell he"s still not fully okay, even if he is trying to act like he is. He starts to make his way to his room after we enter the house, but I"m not having it. I know if he goes in there, he won"t be sleeping; he"ll slip into the past, and I don"t want that at all, so I do the only thing I can think of that will prevent that. I grab his hand, dragging him into my room with me.

"Get in my bed. Don"t even try to argue with me. I know you; you"re not going in that room alone to relive that hell over and over. You"re staying right here with me."

He just nods his head before slipping out of his boots and clothes and climbing into bed in just his boxers. I hate seeing him so withdrawn; it's not the Flame I know and love. Quickly stripping down to my boxers too, I climb in behind him. Wrapping him in my arms, so he"s the little spoon. Quicker than expected, he"s falling asleep, knowing he"s safe in my arms.

However, I"m wide awake, thinking about the past.

∞∞∞

Wrath - Thirteen Years Old

Sitting in my room at home after another crappy day at school, I"m worried. For some reason, my best friend Hunter hasn"t been in school today, which is rather unusual; normally he"s one of the first ones there. I hope that he's okay. Hopefully, he"ll be back in school on Monday, and I can see him over the weekend. I"ve missed having him around today. It was weird just being me and my twin, Alex.

I"m brought out of my thoughts by the tapping sound coming from my bedroom window. What the hell is that? Quickly, I make my way over to the window and open it. That"s when I hear Hunter"s voice.

"Move back so I can climb in, please."His voice doesn't sound like it normally does; it sounds like he"s struggling to talk.

That immediately makes me more worried. So does the fact that he"s climbed up to get through my window instead of knocking on the front door.

Doing as he asks, I move back, and he climbs through. I can"t believe what I"m seeing as he steps into the light. His face is black from bruising, and he"s struggling to stay standing, swaying on his feet. I grab him to steady him before I guide him towards my bed and help him to sit down gently.

"What the hell happened to you?"I ask worriedly.

He starts to cry, which isn't normal for Hunter. He doesn"t get upset like this. I don't think I"ve ever seen him cry before. Gently, I sit down next to him, making sure I don't make the bed move and accidentally hurt him. Placing my arm around his shoulder, I carefully pull him towards me to offer him some sort of comfort because he clearly needs some right now.

"Talk to me, please,"I beg.

He's scaring me. Something"s seriously wrong. He takes a deep breath before he starts talking, and once he starts, he can't seem to stop.

"I can"t do it anymore, Jackson. I can"t keep taking the beatings. He"s gotten so much worse. I couldn"t even come to school today because I couldn"t get out of bed because of the pain from what he did to me last night. My face isn"t even the worst of it this time."He has tears streaming down his face by the end of what he's telling me.

"Who has been hurting you, Hunt?"I ask quietly.

Somehow managing to keep my temper in check even though I want to lose my shit at what he"s telling me.

"Craig,"he whispers to me.

I feel nothing but utter shock.

What the hell? Craig"s his older brother; why would he be hurting Hunter? I know he"s an asshole, but I never expected this.

"Can you show me anywhere else that hurts? I need to see if I need to get you some help, okay?"I ask gently, even though I'm mad as fuck about what's been done to him and scared about what other injuries he might have.

Nodding his head, he slowly moves from under my arm before taking a deep breath and quickly removing his black t-shirt. He cries out as he removes it; for some reason, the top has stuck to parts of his chest. Once it"s removed, I see the damage all over his chest and arms. He has bruises down his body, from his neck to his stomach, but that"s not what"s worrying me; it"s the fucking blood streaming down his chest from where he"s removed his t-shirt, and it"s removed what was stopping the bleeding.

Without a thought, I scream as loud as I possibly can, "DAD!"

Grabbing the top Hunter had just removed, I quickly press it to the cuts on his chest, hoping it"ll help slow the bleeding that removing the t-shirt has just started back up. I need help, and I know I do.

My dad barges into my room, gun out, his head turning quickly to check if there is a threat. When he sees me standing over Hunter on the bed, holding his top to his chest, he quickly puts his gun away and rushes to the bed.

"What happened?"He asks, concerned.

"Craig,"I say as I remove the top so he can see what we"re dealing with.

Without another word, he removes his phone and puts it up to his ear.

"Get to my house now. Bring your fucking bag. Don"t bother knocking; come straight to Jackson"s room!"He shouts down the phone before hanging up.

Turning his attention back to us, he sits down next to Hunter on the bed and gently moves the t-shirt so he can see the damage. His eyes flash with rage when he sees the damage. He quickly pushes the top back down.

"Med is on his way. We'll get you patched up, okay, Hunter. You"re not going anywhere until I"ve spoken to your fucking parents, and maybe not even then."

He"s not happy. I know how much he cares about Hunter; he"s been my best friend since we were like four years old. Dad"s watched him grow just like he has me and Alex. No way is he going to let this continue.

Less than five minutes later, Med"s in my room, cleaning Hunter up. Med"s a former EMT, which is lucky for us because apparently he"s going to have to stitch Hunter"s chest because the wounds are pretty deep and won"t heal on their own. I step away from the bed to talk to my Dad while Med works. I don't want to watch my best friend get his torso stitched back together; it's all making me see red, and I'm struggling to control myself.

"What did he tell you?"Dad asks, his voice low so he's not overheard.

"It"s been going on for a long time; I'm not sure how long, but he made it sound like it's been a long-term thing he has been dealing with, and it"s getting worse. He couldn"t even get out of bed this morning to come to school because of the pain, and he's now being stitched up by your goddamn medic. You gotta do something, Dad. Please."

I'm prepared to beg at this point; I'd do anything to keep Hunter safe.

"Don"t worry, I fucking will be Jackson. His parents best have a good fucking reason for allowing this to happen to him."My dad snarls.

The following day, while Hunter"s resting with Alex watching over him because he feels terrible that he wasn't there last night. Dad, along with me and a few members of Devil"s Inferno, go to Hunter"s house.

Dad doesn"t even knock when we arrive; he just barges into the house, finding Hunter"s parents sitting in the kitchen having breakfast. They start to scream for us to get out, but Dad just nods his head, and Shock and Gunner walk behind both of them, slapping hands over their mouths to shut them up. He isn"t messing around, not after he learned from Med all the injuries Hunter has covering his body. All old, healing, and new.

"You"re sitting here without a fucking care in the world; do you even know where Hunter is or the condition he"s in right now?"Dad snarls at Mr and Mrs Daniels.

The guys remove their hands so that they can answer him. I"m not sure my Dad cares what they have to say, though. There"s no excuse for what"s happened to Hunter under their roof.

"What are you on about? Hunter is upstairs in bed; where else would he be?"Mrs Daniels answers in a snotty tone.

Mr Daniels, though, is staring at my Dad, trying to figure out what"s going on. He looks really worried.

Letting out a humorless laugh Dad replies, "Wrong. He"s currently in my fucking house, after turning up last night beaten black and blue, cut to pieces thanks to your fucking son! I had to have my fucking medic stitch him up because of how bad the cuts covering his torso were! What sort of home are you fucking running!?"

All the color drains out of Hunter"s dad's face.

"What?"He whispers.

"No."He sounds horrified.

Hunter"s mom, however, doesn"t look surprised. That"s when it clicks in my mind. Mr Daniels is always working; I"ve heard Hunter moan about it enough times, but Mrs Daniels is always at home; she doesn"t work. She knows. There is no way she doesn't.

"Yes, it"s true, Mr Daniels. I"m sorry to tell you Craig"s the person behind Hunter"s injuries; he told me it's been going on for a long time, sir, and from the look on your wife"s face, she"s fully aware of what"s been happening,"I say, interrupting the adults.

Anger overtakes his face as he stands from his chair and looks at his wife"s face before he leans over her.

"Why would you allow your son to hurt his younger brother?!"He roars.

That's when I remember that Craig isn't his son; he's his wife"s child from a previous relationship.

Lifting her chin in defiance, in her normal snotty tone, she tells him. "Because he"s a sniveling piece of shit who shouldn"t have been born. I never wanted another child; I"d have aborted him if I"d realized I was pregnant before I was too far along. I already had my perfect child, and then Hunter came along and took all your attention from me. He deserves everything Craig has done to him."

Slamming his hand down on the table, he screams, "You are supposed to be his mother! What kind of fucking person stands by and lets this happen to their fucking child? We"re done. You and your son are done here. Get him and get the fuck out of my house!"

Turning to my Dad, he practically begs, "Can I come to see Hunter, please? And would you leave someone here to make sure they clear out before I come home and hopefully bring Hunter with me? I won"t have him under the same roof as them now that I know what's been going on."

"Yeah, that"s fine; your reaction tells me everything I need to know. Shock, stay put, and make sure the trash is taken out. Daniels, you grab your shit and follow us back to my house, but it will be Hunter"s choice if he wants to see you and come back here. He's been through enough, and I will protect him even from his father."Dad says.

Mr Daniels just nods his head, obviously knowing there was no point in arguing with my Dad.

∞∞∞

Wrath - Present

That day was the last we saw of Hunter"s mother and Craig. Hunter recovered from his injuries and then started training himself to be the fighter he is today. I come out of my thoughts of that time in our lives so long ago, when I feel Flame's breath hitch in his sleep and his breathing becoming quick and erratic. Fuck, his nightmares are hitting. I"m not surprised after today.

It"s been such a long time since I've seen him have a nightmare. As kids, he had them every night for months after his mother and Craig left, but they've been gone for years as far as I've been aware. I just hold him tighter to me while whispering, "You're safe," and hoping that is enough to settle him back down. I hate that seeing Craig has done this to him. I wish I could take away all his pain. Flame is mine to protect; he always has been and always will be. It's about time I started acting like it.

Tonight made it clearer than ever when I tuned out a fucking interrogation to comfort him. It"s time to stop hiding who I am and claim my man. I can"t go another day without him in my arms like this. It"s been so long since I've held him that I forgot how right he feels in my arms. He just fits. I don"t care what anyone thinks anymore. I"ve put what I"ve always wanted more than anything on the back burner for this club, but not anymore. He"s my Flame, and I"m his Wrath. Anyone with a problem is just going to have to get the fuck out because I"m not playing anymore. Why shouldn't I have the opportunity to be happy with the person I've loved for over half my life?

Closing my eyes, I fall into a dreamless sleep, with the person who means everything to me tucked tightly against my chest. I'm hoping that I haven't waited too long to change things between us. I don't know what I'll do if I have. He's everything.

∞∞∞

Shadow

I leave The Workroom after making sure it"s all cleaned up and ensuring that Craig"s body has been taken care of properly so his death won"t come back on us if he"s found.

Making my way into the bar area. I can see a woman sitting at the bar. She"s got bright purple hair; that"s all I can see from behind. I know she"s the woman Craig tried to attack earlier; Eagle pointed her out when I got here when he was explaining what he knew. Walking over, I stand in front of her. Now I can see her hazel eyes and pixie-looking features. She"s stunning. She"s got to be around five foot five at most, from what I can tell while she"s sitting down. She looks amazing, considering she was attacked earlier.

"Hey, I"m Shadow, Devil"s Inferno Vice President. Are you okay after earlier?"

I"m genuinely concerned about her after what happened earlier tonight.

"Hi, yes, I"m fine; I"m just ready to go home if I"m being honest, but Eagle asked me not to leave on my own just to be on the safe side, but then he had to disappear downstairs."She says, giving me a small smile.

"I"m sorry about that; things got a little complicated, but I can take you home now if you want."

"Please, if you don't mind, that would be great,"she replies, sounding relieved.

As we"re walking outside, I realize she never introduced herself, so I can"t help asking,"Of course, what"s your name, by the way?"

"Oh, my god. I"m so sorry. I"m Megan."

Chuckling, I say, "Nice to meet you, Megan."

I escort Megan home, making sure she"s safely inside her house. As I'm about to leave her, I ask, "Would you like to go out sometime?"

I couldn"t resist asking her. She gives me a massive smile and nods her head yes. She quickly gives me her number, and I save it on my phone before leaving and taking off for home. She seems like a nice woman, and I hope this date works out well. I"m fed up with one-night stands. I"m so ready to find something more.

Quietly entering the house, I make my way upstairs. I can see Flame's door open, but his room"s empty, so I can only guess that Wrath has forced him into bed with him. I can"t help the small chuckle that comes out as I shake my head at my thoughts. Seriously, when will Wrath just own his feelings for Flame? They"ve been in love with each other since we were kids. It doesn"t take a genius to figure it out. It"s the things like tonight; if any other person had been in Flame"s position, Wrath wouldn"t have reacted how he did. He tuned out the entire interrogation to comfort Flame. I know that he would never do something like that for that chick Ella; he"s been fucking.

Shaking my head, I slip into my room and let thoughts of my brother and Flame go. It"s time to get some shut-eye. I strip down naked before slipping into my bed and quickly falling asleep, with thoughts of Megan on my mind.