Raptor (Fury Vipers MC: Dublin Chapter #2)

24. Raptor

Chapter 24

Raptor

I t's been two weeks since Mallory found her mom's dead body hanging from the neighboring window. She's become withdrawn and sullen. She's fucking broken. I wish I could help her, but there's nothing anyone can say to make her feel better. She's lost her mom.

"Darlin', you good?" I shout up the stairs.

She's getting herself and Shay ready. Today, he's got his six-month check-up at the doctors, and while he has to go, I know the dangers of letting Mallory and Shay go alone. Over the past two weeks, neither have been left alone by themselves. They're always with me or my brothers.

Today, I've ensured that when we go to the doctor's office, we're covered. Wrath, Bozo, and Cowboy are coming with us. I'm not taking any fucking chances. None at fucking all.

"We're ready," she shouts as she walks down the stairs. She's got Shay sitting on her hip. My boy's dressed in a Harley Davidson tee and jeans. He looks so fucking cute. "We're running late. I'm sorry."

I pull her into my arms. "Chill, darlin', yeah?" I say, knowing how stressed she's going to get if she thinks about being late. "We're leavin' now. We'll be there in plenty of time."

She releases a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."

I take a hold of her hand and we walk out of the clubhouse. My brothers are already positioned at the doctor’s office. I want them scoping out the place ahead of our arrival.

"How you feelin', darlin'?" I ask once we're in my truck.

"Tired," she sighs. "But I'm okay. Taking it day by day."

I reach across and splay my hand on her thigh. "I'm here if you need to talk."

Over the past two weeks, she's not spoken about her mom at all. She's bottling everything up and keeping it to herself. During the funeral, she sat there stoic. She didn't cry. She just looked ahead as the funeral service went ahead. Chloe has tried to help her, but she's brushing everyone off and acting as though she can get through it all herself.

"I'm scared," she confesses. "I'm so terrified that he's going to find us and he's going to hurt Shay. I've lost Ma, Shane. I can't lose anyone else."

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, feeling the weight of Mallory's words heavy in the air between us. The fear that clenches at her voice rattles me to the core. Having Micah out there, his whereabouts unknown, it means he could strike at any moment.

"We won't let anything happen to Shay," I say firmly, trying to reassure her as much as possible. "I promise you, darlin’, we'll protect him with everything we've got. We’ll protect you both."

She nods slowly, the fear still flickering in her eyes. "I know you will, Shane. I trust you."

As we pull up to the doctor's office, Wrath, Bozo, and Cowboy situate themselves around us, their presence hidden from Mallory. I know if she saw them, she’d freak the fuck out.

I sit in my truck as she walks into the office, clutching Shay tightly as she makes her way inside.

I drum my fingers on the steering wheel, my gaze scanning the parking lot. I'm on edge. I fucking hate this shit; being constantly on the look–out, wondering when that cunt's going to turn up.

I see Bozo moving toward me. I slide out of the truck and meet him halfway. "What's up?"

"He's here," he snarls. "The black Ford Mondeo in the corner."

The vehicle pulled in less than a minute ago. I watched as the car entered the lot and parked. "You positive?"

He nods. "Oh yeah, it's him."

My grin is sinister. We finally have him. Fucking finally.

"He does not get close to the door," I hiss, my blood running cold as I see the cunt exit his vehicle.

"Yo, Micah," Cowboy greets with a big fucking smile. "Long time no see, my man. How are things?"

"He's got this, Rap. Trust him," Bozo says low.

"Leighton, what's the story?" Micah asks, moving toward him.

I watch as Wrath moves around so that he's positioned at Micah's back.

"Nothin' much. Same old shit, different day. I had no idea you were back in Dublin. I thought you were up in Belfast?"

"I am, but I've got something to do. A score to settle, if you will."

Bozo and I edge closer. Cowboy's doing a great job of keeping that fucker occupied.

"Oh? Who's stupid enough to get on your bad side?" Cowboy questions, his tone one of ease, and he's got that big bright smile still on his face. He's keeping up the facade and Micah's falling for it.

"Some stupid bitch who fucked up. She's here today, and she has no idea that today's her unlucky day."

Cowboy's gaze slides toward me and I give him a nod, letting him know we're in position.

"That's where you fucked up, Micah," Cowboy says. The easiness slides from his voice and it takes a harder edge to it. "Mallory is family and you ain't goin' to fuckin' touch her."

Micah laughs. "Yeah? Who's going to stop me? You?"

"That would be me," I snap from his right.

He turns to face me, and I see his eyes widen as he takes us all in. "The fuck are you?"

"Should have done your research," I hiss. "Had you done, you'd have known that Mallory was never the target you should have gone for. She's not someone who's alone and vulnerable." I step forward. "You should never have touched her." I reach behind me, my fingers closing around the hilt of my blade.

It's easy and takes mere seconds. One minute he's watching me, the next, I'm jerking forward. Blade in hand, I thrust the knife into his stomach, close to where he stabbed Mallory months prior. The fucker hisses out a breath, his eyes wide and his jaw slack.

"Take him," I hiss. Right now, I need this cunt to be gone and away from here before Mallory comes out of her appointment.

"We've got this," Wrath assures me as Cowboy and Bozo reach for Micah and drag him toward the van that's parked in the parking lot. "I'll call Maverick. He'll want to be here when we deal with this bastard."

"Thanks, man."

He nods. "Your family's safe now, brother. Once you have them home, you can deal with this asshole."

I grit my teeth. I want to kill the fucker, but I have Mallory and Shay to care for right now. They are my main priority. Once I get them to the clubhouse, I'll let her know that she's safe. That we have Micah. She's not stupid; she knows exactly what I'm going to do to the bastard. Once the fucker's dead, she'll be able to sleep easy.

I hope.

I climb off my bike and walk toward the fire. I have no doubt that it was Pyro who made this huge fucking bonfire. The fucker earned his moniker.

I need this shit done quickly. Once I got back to the clubhouse after Shay's appointment, I told Mallory about us finding Micah. The moment I told her we had him, she broke down. Her tears fucking tear me to pieces and I hate when she cries. She's shed so many fucking tears already.

"Yo, Rap," Py calls out, sitting on a fucking chair drinking a beer. "We've been waitin' on you."

"Had shit to deal with," I reply. "We ready?"

He gets to his feet. "Oh yeah, brother, we're ready. Maverick's here to ensure the body won't be found. The asshole is all yours, brother. Do what you've got to do. We're here to watch."

I chuckle as he retakes his seat, taking a sip of his beer. I glance to my left and see they've stripped Micah down to his pants. His hands are tied together and he's lying on his side. His body is already bruised. My brothers weren't holding back. This fucker's in a world of hurt already.

I pull off my cut and lay it on the empty chair my brothers have waiting for me. Everyone's here, including Maverick and Freddie. Stephen is at the hospital with Jess. She's recovering well from her burns and they reckon she'll be released in a few weeks.

I have spent countless hours contemplating what I will do to this despicable man. Multiple scenarios have played out in my mind—killing him swiftly, making him suffer with Stephen's infamous wood chipper method—but in the end, I know he deserves to pay for what he did to Mallory.

Without hesitation, I stalk toward him with a fierce determination. I’ve been dying for this day to arrive. I waste no time. My hand shoots out and clamps onto his arm, twisting it sharply and causing an audible pop as the joint dislocates from its socket. Satisfaction courses through me as I watch pain flash across his face, but it only fuels my desire for revenge. This is what he did to my woman. This is the pain he caused her.

With a firm grip on his now-useless arm, I haul him to his feet. He sways unsteadily at first but quickly regains his footing, his eyes never leaving mine as he glares back at me with grit and defiance. "What are you going to do?" he taunts, trying to mask the fear in his voice.

I draw back my arm and unleash my fury with a powerful punch that connects solidly with his jaw, sending him reeling backwards. The sound of bone against bone echoes through the air.

He continues to taunt me, but it’s no use. His words mean fuck all to me. I unleash my rage upon him, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head back. Exposing his vulnerable throat, I deliver another vicious punch, this time targeting his sternum. The force of the blow sends him crashing to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

I stand over him, towering above him. I gaze down at the man who has been terrorizing the woman I love. The pain he caused my woman still burns within me like a raging fire. I won’t stop, not until I kill him.

As he struggles to get back on his feet, I’m in such a dark haze that I don’t even hesitate to slam my fist into his face.

Blood splatters across my knuckles as I strike, each blow bringing me closer to the release of all the pain and anger that has been festering inside me for far too long. But still, he refuses to stay down, continuing to defy me with his eyes full of hatred. It's time for his resolve to crumble.

I lash out with a series of kicks and punches, each one harder than the last. I'm relentless, losing myself in the violence as I pummel him into submission. I can see the life draining from his eyes, his breath growing ragged and shallow. It's only a matter of moments before the fight will be over.

Finally, he's lying motionless on the ground. A small part of me wonders if Mallory’s nightmares will still come even with his death. But she’s not alone. She won’t face them by herself if they do come.

"He's dead," Maverick says, stepping forward. "Mallory and Shay won't have to worry about him any longer. Now it's time to ensure that he's never found."

I leave Maverick be. He's been doing this shit for years. He's known as the Cleaner, and he's just as methodical as the Eraser. Both men are fucking ruthless in getting rid of their enemies.

I put my cut back on and take my seat. Pyro hands me a bottle of beer and I take it, before I sink into my seat and get set to enjoy the show.

Maverick sets up his equipment, a menacing bone saw clutched in one hand. He towers over the lifeless body of Micah with an insane grin on his face. With precise movements, he begins to hack away at Micah's limbs, sawing them off one by one. It's a disturbing sight, but I can't look away as the sound of bones cracking fills the air.

Each severed limb is placed carelessly on the ground, like a fucking serial killer with his trophies on display. No one makes a sound as he continues. We’re all watching with rapt fascination.

As Maverick finishes his grisly work, he places the bone saw back into its case with a satisfied smirk. Streams of blood flow freely from the stumps of Micah's limbs, pooling on the grass beneath him. The smell of iron and flesh lingers heavy in the air. It’s crazy, but at the same time, I’m unable to tear my gaze from the scene in front of me.

“What now?” Wrath asks, intrigue coating his words.

“Now,” Maverick says with a wolfish grin, his eyes glinting with malice, “I make sure that his body will never be found.” His movements are calculated and purposeful as he makes his way toward the shed. When he returns, he's carrying two large barrels, their metal surfaces gleaming in the dim light.

“The fuck are they for?” Wrath questions, his voice tinged with both disgust and curiosity.

“Wait and see, you impatient fuck,” Maverick snaps, his tone laced with irritation.

As he approaches the barrels, I can't help but wonder what else the barrels have been used for. I've heard the gruesome tales of what the Cleaner does—using strong chemicals to dissolve bodies until there's no trace left behind. It's a lengthy and disturbing process, one I have no doubt Maverick has used many times before throughout the country.

I sip on my drink as I watch him put Micah’s limbs into the barrels. It’s fucking weird, but I have to admit that these Irish fuckers are hardcore.

Maverick disappears for a moment, presumably back into the shed. When he returns, he's whistling an eerie tune that I can't quite place, but it sounds hauntingly similar to The Doors' "The End". In his hands, he carries a massive gallon bottle, no doubt filled with his chemical concoction.

The sound of him pouring the fluid into the barrels is mixed with the hissing and spitting of the fire. It just adds to the craziness of the night. Once he's finished, he slams the lids shut with a satisfying click and a wicked grin spreads across his face. Micah's fate has been sealed, his disappearance hidden within these barrels. No one is going to find Micah. Not fucking ever.

I stare at Maverick and realize that his laid back attitude is just a facade. He’s a ruthless killer. It's no wonder this guy has a reputation for being one of the most ruthless and feared figures in the criminal underworld.

I rise to my feet. "It's time to go home. I appreciate your help, Maverick."

He shakes his head as he closes the gap between us. "We all dropped the ball on Mallory. We fucked up and she was left to deal with the pain from our failings. You know that whatever you need, I'm here."

I hold out my hand and he shakes it. "The same goes for you," I tell him, meaning the words I say. I may not be the most forthcoming but Maverick is a great ally, and I'll have his back no matter what.

He grins. "Go home, Rap, let Mallory know the cunt is gone. Maybe now she'll be able to mourn Jayne. Now she can live."

He's right. Maybe the knowledge that Micah's dead will help her out of the depths of her pain.

It's going to take time, but she's not alone. I'm going to be with her every fucking step of the way.