Raptor (Fury Vipers MC: Dublin Chapter #2)

7. Raptor

Chapter 7

Raptor

I t's been a long-ass day. I've been working on a custom ride for the past nineteen hours and I'm about ready to collapse. I know my brothers are going to want to celebrate that we managed to get the huge fucking order of custom rides done on time, but I'm not wanting that. I'm beyond exhausted. Over the past week, I've barely slept due to trying to get this order ready, but fuck, it's done now and that's the main thing. The money we've made from it is sweet as fuck. Being one of the best custom ride shops on the east coast means we get a fucking lot of business. Every brother has learned the ropes of what to do. Some are better at restoring cars, while others are more experienced at building bikes. When I move to Ireland, I'll be working in the shop there. It's going to take time to build the reputation we have here over there, but we're determined. There's nothing that's going to stop us from becoming the best custom ride shop in Europe too.

My brothers have also opened a strip club that's bringing in a lot of money. We were a little skeptical at first, but the money it's bringing in is worth it. When I get to Ireland, I'll also be working at the club, mainly doing security as that's what's needed. But from what I've heard, it's not that bad. Some of the men used to get a little handsy, but they were kicked out and weren’t allowed back. It set a tone, and thankfully, from what Pyro's said, they know better than to do that shit now.

I take the stairs, glad I'm one of the first brothers back at the clubhouse. I need a shower and then I'm sleeping until morning. Before I reach my room, I spot Rush coming out of the kitchen. He's six-foot-three, his hair is shaved, and he's got tattoos on his neck, one of which is his sister's name. Ruby is his world. He'd do anything for her.

"Brother, you good?" Rush asks, his gaze assessing. He's watching me like a hawk. All the brothers are. They're worried about me, but they shouldn't be. I'm fine—pissed, but fine.

I give him a chin lift. It's fucked to think about how he came to be a brother. The shit he's been through, it would tear a man apart, but Rush, he's doing good. He's got a good head on him. He knows what he did wrong and he's grown to be a man we all respect and are proud to call a brother. Shooting an old lady is something that would usually get you killed, but when Rush shot Octavia he was a punk-ass kid who had no choice. His father was a cunt who had plans to sell his six-year-old sister. Rush did what he had to do in order to save Ruby. It was fucked up that Octavia was caught in the crossfire, but the boy has grown into a man and is loved by the old ladies and respected by the brothers. The past is exactly where it should stay.

"I'm good. Gonna sleep 'til it's next week," I say through a laugh.

"You're gettin' old," he quips. "You're no longer able to keep up with us."

I narrow my eyes, fucking hating that the kid is right. "You wish you could keep up with me, kid, but I wouldn't want to shame you in front of everyone."

His laughter is deep and comes from his belly. The past six months or so, he's gotten better. He's no longer withdrawn or hesitant to be a part of the brotherhood. He's growing into himself, and everyone's fucking happy he is. We were going to drag it out of him, but from what I've seen, Serenity and Esme are the ones who have helped him. Shadow and Reaper's women are sweet as fuck, and they love the kid like he's their own, and we all know that's helped him. He's never had that and those women have given it to him.

"Rap, you want me to send Ruby up to read you a bedtime story?" he asks with a raised brow.

I flip him off. "Fuck off," I hiss as he laughs even harder.

He slaps my back as he passes me. "I'm only joking, Rap. You've worked harder than anyone to get those rides done. Everyone knows that. You worked so our brothers could be with their old ladies and their kids. Go, get some sleep. Maybe tonight's the night you'll talk with Mallory."

I shake my head. That's not going to happen. It's been three months and no fucking word from her. I doubt I'll hear from her until I track her down in Ireland. I don't know what the fuck happened, but I'm going to find out. If something's happened to her, I need to know. But with her speaking with Chloe almost daily, I know that she's alive, which means she just doesn't want to speak with me.

I close my door and start to strip out of my clothes, throwing my wallet, keys, and cell onto the bed. My entire body is fucking tired. There's not a part of me that doesn't feel the exhaustion. Rush was kind of right. I'm thirty-six; I'm getting older. Working over a hundred and thirty hours in a week is taking its toll.

I step into the shower, letting the water cascade onto my shoulders, right where the knots are. Fifteen minutes later, I have a towel wrapped around my waist and I'm exiting the bathroom, when my cell rings. I walk over to the bed and reach for my phone. I'm about to hit ignore when I see the caller ID. Mallory.

It's been three months since I've spoken to her. To have her call me when it's after midnight her time sends chills up my spine.

"Darlin', you okay?" I say as I answer.

I hear a sob break through the line. "Rap," she breathes heavily. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know who else to call. I'm sorry."

I clench my teeth. The sound of her crying is tearing me apart. "Darlin', don't fuckin' apologize for callin' me. What happened? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. We're fine. I'm just shaken," she continues as she cries. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"Fuck," I snap, pissed that there's over three thousand miles between us. "You sure you're not hurt?" That's what I need to make sure of. If she is, I'll have Pyro at her house within minutes.

"I promise," she sobs, her voice breaking.

"Darlin', I need you to take a deep breath. Can you do that for me?" I say, needing to calm her down before she passes out.

Thankfully, she does as I instruct and I walk her through calming the fuck down. "I'm so sorry," she says once she's got her breathing under control.

"No need to apologize. Tell me what happened." I know if I ask her why she's been ignoring me, she'll either evade the question or end the call.

"I went out with Jess tonight to celebrate her eighteenth," she says softly, hiccupping a little. "We didn’t celebrate it when she turned eighteen last week, so I took her out tonight."

"Why didn't you celebrate last week?" I know how tight she is with both Jess and Chloe. She adores both women, so her not celebrating her girl's birthday doesn't sound right.

"Jess' dad is a bastard; a fucking dickhead. The world would be a better place if that man was six-feet under."

I blink at the venom in her voice. Never, not once, have I heard her hate someone, so hearing her talk about her friend's father like that is shocking. "What's the cunt done?" I snarl.

"So much," she breathes. "I wish I could do something to help her, but she won't let me. She's scared her dad will die. I say let him. As for her birthday, he wouldn't let her out, and he sold her car, which she got for her birthday. He's just a bastard."

Sounds like it. "He ever hurt her?"

Silence spreads between us. "Yes," she admits quietly. "Horrifically," she confesses. "I hate that I haven’t been able to tell anyone."

"Why haven't you?" I ask without judgment.

"Her father works for her uncle and cousin. If they find out what that bastard has done to her, they'll kill him, and Jess loves him. He's the only parent she has left and she can't bear the thought of him dying, even if he does deserve it. Jess is the sweetest person you could ever meet. She'd feel as though his death was her fault."

Christ, that's fucked up. "He ever hurt you?"

"No," she says vehemently.

"What happened tonight, darlin'?"

"We left the bar and she got into an argument with Stephen. We started walking away from the bar, intending to go home," she says, and my stomach drops. What the fuck happened and who the hell is Stephen? "We were both so wrapped in our own thoughts we hadn't realized we'd got to an area where some of the streetlights were out. A guy stepped out from the shadows. We had no idea he was there."

"Keep goin', baby. What happened next?" If that cunt touched her, I'm going to kill him. I'll break every fucking bone in his body.

“I don't know. It happened so quickly. One minute the guy was catcalling, the next, Stephen was there and they were arguing. The guy reached out to touch Jess and Stephen lost his mind. God, Shane, he beat him until he wasn’t moving. He killed him."

She begins to sob again and I close my eyes. Fuck, it could have been so fucking much worse had Stephen not been there. God knows what that fucker would have done with two eighteen year olds. Fuck.

"He was just so still. He didn't move," she says, repeating it over and over again. It's as though she's in a trance.

"Baby, listen to me," I say firmly. "Had Stephen not done what he did, that fucker could have hurt you and Jess."

I hear her pull in deep breaths. "I know, but I've never seen anything like that before. I close my eyes and that's all I see. His bloody, lifeless body."

Christ, she's fucking killing me. I hate that I'm here and she's in Ireland. "Those memories will fade, baby," I promise her.

"I'm scared, Rap," she confesses. "I'm so fucking scared that his family will come for me."

My brows knit together. "Talk to me, darlin'. What makes you think that?"

"He killed Jarlath O'Leary, Rap, the son of the gangster Fintan O'Leary. They're animals, so bad that they fled Dublin and relocated to Belfast. His dad's not going to let this slide. I was there, Rap. I watched his son die. Why would he let me live?"

The sobs start once again, and I can't deny that her words make sense. Fuck, my stomach is twisted and acid burns deep. "It's going to be okay," I tell her, though that's not something I can promise her. "I'll have Pyro check in on you."

"No," she shouts. "No, I'll be fine. I don't need help. I just wanted to talk. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. Don't call Pyro. I'm fine." The finality in her tone pisses me off. She's scared, fucking terrified, so why won't she let me have Pyro help her?

"Mal, you've got to fuckin' talk to me. What's goin' on?"

"Nothing," she lies.

"Bullshit. Three months I haven't heard from you. What the fuck? What happened?"

I hear her heavy sigh. "You live in New York, Raptor. I live in Dublin. My life is here and yours is there. Why are we wasting time? What could ever come from this? It's best we just sever ties and leave it as it is."

"You think that's what I want? I know it's not what you want." She's not good at telling lies. Her accent thickens and her voice raises an octave. "So how about we try again? What the hell is going on?"

"I won't destroy your life. I won't trap you into this. Please, Rap, just leave it be."

"Listen to me, darlin', in fifteen weeks, my ass is back in Ireland. I'll be coming for you."

I hear her heavy sigh. "You said that before," she snaps. "I'm not putting my life on hold, Raptor. It's not fair to ask me to do that. It's not right to expect that of me."

"You find someone else?" I growl. The mere thought of her with someone else makes me homicidal.

"No," she shrieks. "God, what do you take me for? You're an ass, Raptor. But I refuse to live in limbo as you decide when you're actually coming for a visit." I hear the sound of a car door slam. "Ma's home. I'll be okay. I'm really sorry for calling you. I hope you have a good night."

"Told you already," I snarl, pissed that she's trying to brush me off, "I'm glad you called, and don't apologize. I've been losin' my fuckin' mind tryin' to figure out what the fuck is goin' on with you. Thought you were hurt or somethin' as you've been ignorin' my calls and texts. But I get it. You're pissed that I haven’t been back to see you. Well, I promise you, Mal, fifteen weeks and I'll be there." I wish it were sooner, but we've got another thirty customs to build before I leave and there's no fucking way I can leave my brothers to deal with that alone.

"You know what, Rap, I'll believe it when I see it. Be safe," she whispers as she ends the call.

I stare down at my cell and wonder what the fuck I'm going to do now. I want Py to check in on her, but I know that'll just make things between us even worse. Christ, I'm so fucking torn.

Just over three months and I'll be in Ireland, and when I get there, I'm coming for her.