Bash (Diablo Disciples MC #6)

THIRTY

Charlotte

There were no limits to her stupidity.

One pleading text from Nora, and she was right back in that frame of mind, wanting to save her sister.

Who said the definition of insanity was doing the same action and expecting different results? They had it on the nose, and Charlotte hated herself a little more for being fooled so easily.

She knew better. That was the sting. She knew Nora so well that falling for a stupid ruse was on her toes, no one else’s.

There had been choices in front of her. Why didn’t she pick any of them?

Pulling up outside an out-of-business store should have been Charlotte’s first clue to turn around.

There was no dead body. Nora wasn’t in trouble.

Charlotte was the one in trouble.

Seeing Thorn’s smirk, she realized it was an ambush and attempted to flee, but he yanked her back by the hair. “Got you now, big sis, don’t I?” he’d sneered.

Her sister, the family she should have been able to trust, turned into her enemy. The one extorting and holding her captive. It was disgustingly ironic that Nora meant honorable one. There was no honor in her sister.

“Lottie, it’s fine, I promise.” Nothing was fine. And like always, Nora was under a delusion that she wasn’t the bad guy in this scenario.

The realization felt like acid all over Lottie’s heart.

“How is being held at knifepoint fine, Nora?”

There was no answer. She was too busy playing with her phone.

Nora was a lost cause. It hurt to realize it. Lottie stared at her glamorous yet despicable sister and shook her head in disbelief.

“All this time,” Thorn smirked, standing with his crotch almost in her face. Lottie tried not to grimace and tilted her head to look up. “All this time, you acted innocent, looking at us like we were dirt underneath your feet, and you were giving up the pussy to a biker. I’m thinking I chose the wrong sister.” He licked his lip like he was trying to be sexy. From Bash, yeah. From Thorn, her stomach curdled.

Nora threw her head up. “Shut up, Thorny.”

“Woman, I told you to stay the fuck out of this. I’m dealing with it now.”

“Was this your idea, Nora?” Lottie asked. This guy couldn’t think his way out of a paper bag, much less pull off a money scam. He was the hired village idiot at best.

“We only need cash so we can move to Boston, okay? Nothing to get worked up over.” So yes, it was Nora’s doing. That hurt even more. “The Diablo bikers are loaded. Your man isn’t going to miss a few bucks.”

“That’s if he wants you back,” Smirked Thorn, roving his eyes over her body in a way that made her feel sick. “Did he reply to the texts?”

“Nope.” Nora answered.

“He doesn’t care. Maybe we get to keep you.” He pressed his mouth to her ear. “You’ll like that, won’t you? Now you’ve had a taste of the wild side. I can give you more of that, baby. Show you what a real man can do.”

Lottie bit back her disgust.

Guilt made her chest heavy.

She could only imagine what Bash was thinking.

How disappointed in her he’d be for falling for something so reckless.

The money they wanted was ridiculous. Nora must’ve thought she had a money tree in her backyard. But when Thorn boasted about getting the money from Bash, Lottie was horrified.

She’d done everything to make Nora stop. Take her savings. Take her car. Anything was better than getting Bash involved.

But Bash wasn’t one man. He was a whole MC of men that would raise hell for one of their own. She didn’t want to bring her family shit to their door.

She knew Bash would come.

But not as quickly as he did.

When he arrived, it wasn’t in a blaze of fury. But the energy shifted.

With confident strides, he entered through the back door as if he owned the place and had all the power.

Lottie’s eyes searched his face. Please don’t hate me .

His face showed no trace of hatred as he glanced at her. With a gun in hand, Thorn instructed Nora to frisk Bash. It was unbelievable that the man she adored didn’t even think of bringing a gun for his protection. What she hated most was the way Nora touched him.

He showed no emotion. A tick worked his jawline before he turned his hardened eyes on Thorn. “You have something that belongs to me. I want it back.”

She felt her heart plunge into free fall.

Despite the overwhelming panic, Bash’s presence provided some relief.

Lottie was no action figure.

She wasn’t built for this kind of trouble. But she’d turn into the world’s worst rabid rodent to keep Bash safe.

“I don’t see any cash.” Thorn hissed.

“You think I can lay my hands on forty grand in an hour? I’m not a Swiss banker, you gormless prick. It needs to be electronically wired.” Bash threw shade at Thorn in a snap, then turned to check on her. Thorn held a gun on Bash and a nameless guy had a knife to her throat. Yet the fear was minimal when she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.

“You draw one drop of her blood, and I’ll crush your fucking skull,” he warned the knife holder. “Are you hurt, Charlotte?” His voice was grave.

She shook her head, her bottom lip wobbling. “No, I’m fine. I’m sorry, Bash.”

“There’s no need to be sorry, darling. Your money-grabbing cunt of a sister is to blame.”

Even with her history of questionable actions, this was the most egregious thing Nora had ever done.

“Nora, please stop.” She begged. “You’ve gone too far with this.”

Her sister only gave a shoulder shrug.

The familial bond between them bled out.

“Don’t be so fucking dumb, Lottie.” Thorn snarled. “Nora saw you sucking face with the biker, and she made this happen.”

“Does Harvey know what you’re doing?” asked Bash.

“Who fucking cares what he thinks? He ain’t the boss of me. We’ll be out of here as soon as we get that cash. Enough fucking chit-chatting. Or the bitch gets it.”

Or the bitch gets it . It was such a movie cliché that she wondered if Thorn had been studying the handbook about being a bad guy.

The punch was sudden. Bash was calm until his fist cracked against Thorn’s face.

“Never call her a bitch.”

In the movies, Bash would have gotten the gun from Thorn, and the situation would have de-escalated.

But this wasn’t the movies.

The man holding the knife ran and struck Bash on the back of his head with the handle. Time seemed to slow down as the person who held her heart dropped heavily to the ground.

Lottie didn’t realize she was screaming until Thorn threatened to shoot her if she didn’t shut her mouth.

He was dead. He was dead.

“Let me go to him. He’s hurt.” Worse. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw how still Bash was. Despite her desperate begging, the monsters showed no emotion.

“Nora, please! I need to check on Bash.”

“He’s fine,” she tutted, but she looked at Thorn as though needing his approval to breathe.

“Help!” she started shouting at the top of her lungs. “HELP!”

Lottie hadn’t even thought of a single idea, let alone a good one, but she had to get to Bash. “HELP!” She kept screaming until the knife guy pulled her hair so hard that she felt her neck snap.

The punch to her temple was a surprise.

The pain came suddenly, but the darkness came faster and pulled her under as she heard her sister’s distant voice. “What the fuck did you do?”

* * *

Bash

When Bash was seven or eight, his family lived next to his then-best friend, Bran.

They were always up to no good.

Bran’s family was wealthy, while Bash’s family was not. Bran had all the latest games, and his room had a huge aquarium wall. He remembered being super fascinated by all the fish in the lit tank, totally memorized by their cool colors. They were obsessed with tropical fish for weeks, learning everything they could, until something else caught the boys’ attention.

Bash hadn’t thought about Bran in ages and had no clue where he was now, but he remembered how sturdy that fish tank was. They’d accidentally chucked a baseball at it, smacking the glass with some force, but without leaving a scratch.

He came out of unconsciousness with his skull in agony and instantly felt like one of those trapped tropical fish. While he was knocked out, those twats had confined him and Charlotte within a glass container.

Fuck. Fuck !

Because they were laid on their sides, he knew it exceeded his height by a small margin and was too narrow for him to extend his arms fully. The lid above them was tightly sealed and impossible to remove, no matter how many times he tried to push at it.

What was more concerning, however, was why the hell Charlotte was lifeless. A soon-to-be dead motherfucker had hit her, clear from the noticeable red mark on her temple.

Bash quickly analyzed the situation. The room was now pitch black.

He heard footsteps. Then there was a thud on top of the tank. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to decide about the money, biker scum. Or you explain to your pretty little prude why she’s about to die in there.”

Thorn’s retreating laugh was nothing compared to the sound of a sudden trickle of water. It took Bash a second to realize it was coming into the tank near their feet.

Bash attempted once more to open the lid. Then, with the minimal space, he endeavored to rock back and forth to force the tank to tip over and hopefully smash. Better to be cut to shreds by glass than drowning, but it felt like it was anchored to the wall.

Suddenly, Charlotte groaned and moved. He wrapped his arm around her, wanting more than anything for her to be safe and sound at home.

“B-ash?”

“I’m here, darling. Don’t be frightened, okay? I’m gonna get us out of here.”

Since being knocked out, he had no way of knowing the time, or if the others were on their way yet. His phone was cracked and fucking useless.

He would make those bastards pay for this.

“Where are we?” She sounded eerily calm. “I can hardly move. Oh, my god, are we in a coffin?”

He told her what he knew.

“Is that water? Is water coming into this tank?” The pitch of her voice went up by one octave.

He was her man, he should be able to protect her, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing.

Seconds felt like hours.

More and more water flooded in.

He estimated it would be full in fifteen minutes.

There was hardly any room to move, even though he tried blocking the pipe with his boots, hoping to slow it down.

Dread made his limbs heavy as he cuddled Charlotte into his chest.

“I’m so sorry, Bash.” She whispered.

“Told you, baby, nothing to be sorry for.”

“I shouldn’t have come. I was stupid. I thought…”

“You thought your sister was in trouble. We’ll be out of here soon. The boys are on their way.” He hoped.

“They are? Why is it so dark? Where did Nora and Thorn go? I can’t believe she did this, Bash. She’s never been this cruel—this heartless.” His girl was panicking. Her teeth chattering as the water level increased. “NORA!” she screeched. “Nora! You can’t do this!”

“Baby, they’re not here.” He knew they’d left. He comforted her with a hand on her hair, but she cried out for her sister until she finally gave in and rested against his chest.

“This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”

“Stop, Charlotte.” He kissed her head.

They collaborated to move the lid with their feet and tested if it would topple. Nothing worked. Goddammit .

His brothers needed to get here ASAP.

The water was in the middle of the tank now.

Her voice quivered. “What did I do to her to make her do this? And that asshole hit you, Ben. He hit you . I want to smack his smug face.”

Despite the impending doom, Bash chuckled and kissed her head again. “My little Rottweiler. Do you have anything sharp in your pockets? Keys?”

“Nora took everything off me. That bitch . The glass feels too thick. What if we run out of oxygen?”

They were likely to drown first, but Bash kept that to himself.

The boys would come in time.

They had to.

There’s no way that he just found the woman he was meant to be with, only for them to die now.

“We’ll be fine, darling. Kiss your man.”

Her lips pressed to his, and he kissed her like it would be the last time. Slipping his tongue into Charlotte’s mouth, he poured his love into her until her sob rippled against his lips.

“Are we going to die? Oh, god, please don’t die, Ben. I couldn’t stand it.”

He soothed kisses all over her face, using his wet hand to hold her hair back, trying to ignore the water rising as it reached their shoulders. Bash placed his hand beneath Charlotte’s chin, holding her up to create as much space as possible.

“Do you think you can get rid of me now, baby? After hunting you down for a year?”

She gave a watery chuckle. “You were steadfast, even when I wasn’t nice to you.”

“I always knew my little darling was underneath that scowl. That first day, you cast a spell on me.”

She half-laughed, half-cried. “I don’t know why. I’m very ordinary.”

“Baby, you are fucking extraordinary. I’m in awe of you every single day, and I’m the lucky bastard who gets to love you.”

“Don’t say that.” She gripped his shirt. “Not now, not here. Not because of this. I wanted to say it first.”

“Then tell me you love me, Charlotte, so I can tell you I’m so fucking in love with you. I’m crazy with it.”

“You are crazy,” she chuckled, followed by a tearful hiccup. “I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn. We could have been in love so much sooner.”

“We are now, baby.”

“You’ve made my life so different, good different . I’ve loved spending all this time with you, Ben.”

Fuck, it sounded like a goodbye, and he couldn’t handle that, but the water lapped around his chin, and they were barely keeping their heads against the top of the tank, grabbing at the last inches of air.

“Do you believe in heaven, Ben?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“I don’t know either. But if there is one,” Charlotte’s voice cracked, and he knew there would be tears streaming down her perfect face. “If there is one, will you find me? I don’t want to be without you.” She cried now. All Bash could do was squeeze his arms around her. “This can’t be happening. I only just got you, and now I’m going to lose you.”

“You could never lose me, little darling. I’m yours all the way, every inch of me. Body and heart, and if I have a soul, your name is tattooed all over it.”

Their lips met, and he said the words right into her mouth.

“I love you, my Charlotte, in this life. And if there are others, I will find you. No worries about that. I’ll be a fucking bloodhound until I have you in my arms again, you get that? Nothing can keep me away from you. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

She sobbed as the gap between the tank’s roof and the water grew shorter. They were about to take their last breaths.

“I love you so much, Ben. You’re my everything. The best man I’ve ever known.”

She fucking flayed his heart open.

“I was going to get you to quit smoking.”

“I’ll start as soon as we’re at home.”

The water was lapping at his ears. Was that banging he heard?

Please fucking god .

“Don’t fall in love with someone else in the next life, Ben. You’re mine. I will find you, I promise. I’m a biker’s old lady.”

“Damn right you are.” He choked water, holding Charlotte’s head back as high as he could to keep her breathing. “Baby, I need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

His good girl to the last. He fucking loved her.

“When I tell you to, I need you to take the biggest breath you can, okay? And hold it for as long as you can.”

“You too. Please don’t die, Ben. I don’t care about what happens to me, but don’t die.”

He felt the same about her.

His life was nothing without her. He’d been empty until he found her, so if Charlotte was dying, he was going with her.

There it was again! As he caught the sound of heavy feet and crashing sounds, Bash felt hope fill his brain. Was someone calling his name?

But Bash and Charlotte only had seconds.

“Baby, take that breath now.”

“Ben…” she said, scared.

“Now, baby.”

There were only seconds before they were completely submerged. Bash kept hold of Charlotte’s face, their foreheads together.

His head roared. This wasn’t how their lives were supposed to go.

He had so many plans.

The outside sounds were muffled, but he was sure he heard something. Then, dark shadows were outside the tank before light suddenly illuminated the room, and he saw his brothers.

He pounded on the glass, and even though he couldn’t hear their voices, he could anticipate their conversation as they searched for a method to remove the lid.

His gaze returned to Charlotte.

She was so fucking pretty. His heart hurt.

I love you . Bash silently told Charlotte.

I love you . Her eyes replied.

It wasn’t the end for them.

It couldn’t be.

Hold on, little darling. Hold on for me .

Bash’s lungs burned, and then Charlotte’s eyes started flickering, and the hold she had on him loosened.

No. No. No.

Hold on, baby.

He felt when unconsciousness dragged her down as her lips fell open and bubbles came out of her nose.

Fucking no!

He slammed his lips to hers, pushing them open, and pinched her nose to exhale the air he’d been holding, until his lungs felt like they’d caught fire, and still Bash blew the last of his oxygen into his entire world.

Needing her to live more than anything.

Hold on, baby.

Suddenly the tank was opened, and Bash surfaced like a gasping fish, dragging Charlotte with him, but she was so fucking still.

“Take her. Fucking take her !” Bash coughed and fought a pending blackout, even as his vision blurred with dots.

His girl was pulled from the water. Axel was yelling commands, and other voices were speaking, but all Bash heard was his roaring fear as someone helped him out. He landed on the floor with a sopping thud, half crawling to where Denver was breathing into Charlotte’s mouth.

“Breathe, baby .” He prayed. “Fucking breathe.”

It was a life-changing sound when she suddenly inhaled. Denver put Charlotte in the recovery position, and she immediately started coughing up water.

Thank fucking god . The relief blasted through Bash like heat.

“Mouse! Bring the cage around ASAP,” Axel said into his phone.

“Place is empty.” Chains said, stalking into the room, followed by Ruin, both seeing the carnage. “What the fuck happened here?”

“The bastards tried drowning them in a tank.”

Charlotte was alive. She was breathing and clinging to his hand. “B-ben.” Her attempts to speak came out as a wet, wheezing sound.

“Right here, little darling. I got you. She needs the hospital.”

“On it, brother.” Said the calm prez. In no time, they were in the SUV, speeding to their destination with his frozen girl on his lap.

They cut through red lights and stop signs.

Bash didn’t fucking care. He would have sprouted wings to get Charlotte to a hospital as he listened to her gurgle-like breathing. Her eyes never left his. He bent closer and put their foreheads together.

“I love you, baby. You’re gonna be fine.” He promised.

“Love you.” She mouthed.

She’s going to be okay.

She’s going to be okay.

He held Charlotte a little tighter, willing his life force into her little body.

She’s going to be okay .

At the hospital, when they took Charlotte from him, Bash heard things like vitals dropping, dry drowning, chest X-ray, and pulmonary specialist.

Surrounded by his club brothers, they refused to move out of the waiting area until Bash heard something.

The hour felt like an eternity for him.

Holding on with all he had. If they told him bad news, he’d wreck the fucking place with his grief. He felt a sense of spinning without motion.

His heart rate was elevated when the doctor emerged. The smile told Bash all he needed to know.

Only then did Bash surrender his strength; his knees gave way, and he would have landed on the floor, if not for his boys holding him up.

She was okay.

She was okay.

His old lady was going to live.