Wrath (Dirty Soul MC: Long Beach #2)

Chapter 27

“ I ’m so sorry, I promise I’ll make this up to you later.” Eden is beautifully flustered as she forces me to the door, while I continue to struggle getting my head through the neck of my shirt. She scoops up my boots from the floor and dumps them in my arms before I even get a chance to put the second one through my sleeve.

“Thank you for the cure.” She opens the door and kisses me, before backing me out onto the balcony. Then, with a half-cute-as-sin and half-guilty smile, she slams the door in my face. I stare at it for a few seconds, shaking my head. I jump as the door beside it opens and when Ruckus gets thrown out of it in exactly the same way. He looks as bewildered as I am. One after the other, his boots get thrown out onto the floor by his feet and as he bends to pick them up, his cut follows after them and smacks him in the face.

“Whatcha doin’ out here, VP?” he sniggers as he looks between me and Eden’s door.

“I was gonna ask you the same question.” I raise my eyes up to Eden’s very embarrassed-looking friend.

“Aaron, you forgo—” Eden gets shocked into silence when she opens the door holding my keys and sees me and Ruck both standing half-naked on the balcony.

“Laura?” She turns her head to her friend, looking for an explanation but instead of giving one she just drops her head into her hands and groans.

“Guess I’ll see ya round, darlin’.” Ruckus winks at Laura, before tipping his chin to Eden and stepping into his boots. He leaves the laces open as he casually strolls toward the stairs and slides into his cut.

“Ladies.” I flick my eyes between them both sensing the awkwardness before I chase after him and manage to catch up by the pool pit.

“Tell me you and Eden’s friend didn’t?—?

“What d’ya think I was doin’ in there, Wrath, countin’ fuckin’ sheep?” His face says everything I didn’t need to know.

“But she’s so?—”

“I’m tellin’ ya, it’s the uptight ones you gotta go for. Everyone has to cut loose some time and, man when they do....” His eyebrows raise.

“Eden didn’t want her to know about us.” I look back up to the balcony and see that they’ve both gone inside.

“Well, I guess she knows now.” Ruckus shrugs, taking a smoke from his cut and lighting it.

The clubhouse door slams open against the wall and as soon as I see Raze storm out, I can tell there’s something wrong.

“Raze?” I stand still as he marches past us toward the parking lot.

“Quinn just called,” he growls.

“Don’t tell me there’s been another one.” I follow him through the arch toward our bikes, wondering how much more this club can fuckin’ cope with, things seem to be coming at us from all angles.

“Yep, only this time the sick fucker didn’t manage to finish the job,” he explains.

“You mean she’s still alive?”

“I’m headin’ to the hospital, now. Quinn’s got her friends who work in the ER to hold off on callin’ the cops until I get a chance to talk to her. I’m gettin’ to the bottom of this.” He looks ready to go to war as he saddles his bike.

“I’m comin’ too.” I rush toward mine. “Ruck, tell Troj and Storm I’ll meet ‘em at the gym in an hour.” I look over at him and although he’s looking a little unnerved he nods as he takes my instruction.

One of the nurses greets us as soon as we get to the hospital and quickly escorts us down the corridor to one of the private rooms. Both Raze and myself look at each other, not sure of what we’re gonna find before we step through the door.

“She’s very scared,” the nurse warns, before checking the coast is clear and opening the door.

The girl lying on the bed looks so tiny, her long, black hair hangs limp around her face, and when we see how pale she is we both give each other the same look.

“Hey, darlin’, my name’s Raze.” He takes a few steps closer to the bed. “This here is Wrath, and he’s my VP. We’d like to talk to ya about what happened.”

Her head shakes frantically but her eyes remain focused on her feet, and that's when I realize how torn up they are.

“Okay, okay…listen.” Raze does his best to calm her down. “You're not the first person this has happened to, and sweetheart you won’t be the last unless we can stop whoever's doin’ this.” He looks at the poor girl’s feet and closes his eyes. “Did you escape, did ya run from him?” The girl’s wearing a clean nightgown that the hospital must have provided but she’s covered in dirt and scratches.

“Please, don’t let him take me back,” she whispers, still staring in front of her.

“Take ya back to where?” I ask, slowly making a few paces forward, myself.

“We were in the woods,”

“In a cabin?” Raze frowns.

“More like a bunker or container. The metal would scrape when he opened the doors. It hurt my ears,” she tells us.

“And did ya get a look at him?” I notice the way her hands are shaking, and hate that we have to push her for answers.

“No, I had a bag over my head—a sack—the fibers stuck to the back of my throat.” She starts to weep.

“Okay, what else can ya tell us, anythin’ will help.” Raze looks over to the pile of clothes that are on the chair in the corner, they are caked with blood and mud. Whatever happened to this girl was undoubtedly rough.

“Please, don’t let him take me again,” she begs, her eyes flicking up and glancing between the both of us helplessly.

“The police are gonna come once we're gone, they’ll make sure you’re safe–”

“No police!” she interrupts Raze, shaking her head again. “No police, please . They can’t help. You’re the Dirty Souls, right?” She looks down at the cut I’m wearing.

“We are,” I answer her.

“Is it true what they say, do you kill people?”

I look over to Raze and we both share the same look.

“We do whatever’s necessary, darlin’,” he answers her tactfully.

“You need to kill the man who did this. He’s…He’s evil.” The poor girl can hardly catch her breath, and when I move in to comfort her, she flinches.“Please, don’t let him take me again, promise me.” She’s barely finished her sentence before Raze has his phone out and pressed to his ear.

“Dev, I need a cage brought to the hospital, park outside the morgue entrance to the buildin’, and wait for my signal.” He hangs up the phone. “Can ya walk?” he checks with the girl.

“Barely,” she admits, looking confused while Raze pokes his head back out the door and makes a quick evaluation.

“Okay, the way I see it, you got two choices.” He turns back to the girl. “You can stay here and talk to the cops, or you come with us.”

“Come with us?” I look at him in shock.

“If you can bust old ladies outta care homes, I can take this key fuckin’ witness and keep her safe,” Raze shuts me down.

“What’s your name?” He turns his attention back to the girl.

“Jenika,” she whispers.

“What do you want to happen, Jenika? The choice is yours to make,” he puts it to her.

“I wanna go with you.” She shows no hesitation, and Raze quickly moves toward her bed and scoops her up in his arms. “You heard the woman, grab her clothes, we’re gettin’ outta here,” he orders, before making his way toward the door.