Diesel (Aces MC Series Book 1) (8 page)

I ran my bath adding bubbles and lavender so that I could
totally relax. I turned on my iPad to listen to the latest U2 album and poured myself
a glass of water so that I could take my next tablet. I striped off my clothes
neatly folding and putting them on top of the toilet system. I got into the
bath and slowly submerged myself in the hot water, feeling a sting between my
legs. The pain was quickly erased by the hot water surrounding me and I couldn’t
help but slowly drift off to sleep.

I woke suddenly and couldn’t breathe, I felt someone yanking
my hair and pulling me to the surface of the water. I started to scream and
then I was pushed back under the water again. I started to claw at the hand
that was holding my head under the water but they were too strong.

I flung my arms and legs around trying to get a release but
the pain in my ribs was unbearable. I was pulled up out of the water again and
that’s when I saw him before he dunked me back under. How the fuck had he got into
my apartment with Jimmy outside?

He pulled me up and out of the bath by my hair. I thought
he’d pulled some of my scalp off with the force as the pain was excruciating. I
banged my ribs several times on the way out of the bath and I was trying to
grab anything that I could possibly hit my attacker with. Adrenaline kicked in
and I tried to fight back with everything I had but he was just too strong. I
was coughing up water and gasping for air, trying to get oxygen into my lungs.
I started to look around the room to assess the situation, when he punched me
in the face knocking me out cold.

Diesel

“Right we’re done for the day lads. Let’s go over to the Bird
Cage for a few drinks and entertainment.” Duke said throwing his spanner into
the tool box before wiping his hands on the nearest rag.

“I was kinda hoping to go home early.” I knew as soon as the
words had left my mouth, I would regret it. “Are you fucking pussy whipped already?”
Bear said loudly. All the guys laughed at my expense. “Leave the poor girl
alone. She probably needs to rest before round two.” Duke patted me on the
back. “Okay, Okay!” I was defeated, “Alright, I’ll go for one drink.” I said
shaking my head, holding my hands up in mock defence.

The place was busier than normal. We sat at our usual spot
and a bottle of Jack was placed on the table along with six glasses. “Let me know
if you want anything else guy’s.” Yasmin said walking off swinging her hips
from side to side with a lazy smile on her face. I noticed Savannah up on stage
giving us all a good show. That girl was stunning and had a body to die for. I
followed her eyes and saw that her stare was reciprocated by Duke. I’m sure
those two were fucking, not that they would admit it. I took a sip of my Jack,
letting the cool amber liquid slide down my throat, God I needed that!

“I’m just gonna check in with Jimmy, to make sure Ink’s
okay.” I left the table to claps and jeering from the guy’s, winding me up
about being under the thumb already. I smirked as I walked outside to the car
park. The realisation of how deep my feelings were for Ink had started to hit
me but surprisingly didn’t scare me.

The evening was getting chilly. Pulling my jacket tightly
together, I tried getting hold of Jimmy on his mobile. There was no answer so I
dialled Ink’s phone. It rang then went straight to answer phone. “Ink it’s
Diesel, give me a call when you get this message.” I put my phone back into my
pocket with an uneasy feeling.

I stomped back into the club and sat down next to Duke. “I
can’t get hold of Ink or Jimmy.” I said pouring myself another glass of Jack.
“Calm down, they are probably just…busy. Look, don’t take off already. Text Amy
and ask her to pop round to Harlow’s.” I took out my phone to text Amy.

Amy, any chance you can pop round to Ink’s. I can’t
get hold of her. D

U must B psychic big brother! At traffic lights on
George Street. B there in 5 x

I put the phone back into my pocket. “Amy should be there in
5 minutes.” I said with relief. “See, stop worrying and have another drink.”
Duke said pushing the bottle of Jack my way.

I couldn’t relax, Jimmy always answered his mobile. “I’m
gonna call Jimmy again quickly.” I pulled out my phone and attempted to make
contact with him. The phone just rang then cut to answer phone. I thought I
would try one more time, it rang and then it was answered.

“About fucking time Jimmy, I’ve been trying to get hold of
you for ages. What the fuck you playing at?” The person on the other end was
crying. I stood, putting my hand over my ear so that I could hear the person on
the phone better. “Ink is that you babe, speak to me.” I got up out of my chair
so quickly that it fell over. I quickened my pace and headed to the car park.

I heard the whimpering continue. “Ethan, it’s Amy.” She said
between sniffs. “Amy is everything okay? Why have you got Jimmy’s phone?” I was
starting to panic now and noticed several of my Brothers had followed me out to
the car park and were now standing around me with concern on their faces. “Amy
is everything okay?” I repeated making sure she’d heard me, “He’s dead Ethan,
Jimmy’s dead.”

Diesel

We were at Ink’s apartment in just under 10 minutes. I
hadn’t asked Amy if Ink was okay, I just knew that she was in trouble if Jimmy
was dead. We pulled up outside in unison. Duke was first off his bike, running
over to Jimmy and a crying Amy.

I pulled out my gun and ran straight into Ink’s apartment.
There was evidence of a struggle. I walked around the apartment looking in
every room until I got to the bathroom. There was water everywhere, the bathmats
were drenched and Ink’s clothes were all over the floor which was unusual for
her. I checked the temperature of the water, it was tepid which told me this
carnage had happened within the last half hour. The Skulls couldn’t be far.

I walked around the apartment looking for clues, there was nothing!
I left the apartment and went over to where Duke and the other men had
congregated. Duke was on his phone, speaking heatedly to someone. I walked over
to where Jimmy’s body was. He’d been dragged down the side of the building and
hidden behind a large bin. His neck had been slashed deep, he hadn’t stood a
fucking chance.

I could feel the rage building inside me, “Right, Jimmy’s
dead and Ink’s missing, what are we doing standing around? What’s the plan
Duke?” I asked getting impatient. Duke was now off the phone.

“That was Delta, Flex’s right hand man. He said that Hawke,
Patch, Flex and Skinny Pete, took off about an hour ago. They didn’t tell
anyone where they were going.” Duke walked further away from the apartment with
his hands in his hair. It was always hard losing a Brother. I know Jimmy wasn’t
patched but he was going to be.

“For fucks sake, get him covered over with something.” Duke
shouted at the Brothers standing around Jimmy’s body. “Delta thinks they’ve
gone to either of two places. They have two warehouses off the beaten track. One
in High Laver and the other in Fyfield. Let’s split up. I’ll take Spike, CJ,
Locke and Skinner and you take Rex, Hound, Justice and Woods. We need to get
back to the club house to arm ourselves. Doc is on his way with the van to take
Jimmy away.” We both stood there staring into space, composing ourselves before
we rode into war.

Back at the club house everyone agreed with the plan Duke
and I had discussed. Bear handed out enough guns and ammunition to take down a
small army. We set out together heading north and spilt into two groups once we
reached the B183. We pumped our chest twice in respect for each other and drove
our separate ways, secretly hoping there was nothing to worry about and we
would all be meeting up later.

We were familiar with all their hideouts and storage places.
Since the first attack on Ink, the Skulls had been put under part surveillance
but I was still unsure how they got to Ink and Jimmy in broad daylight. We
should’ve put them under full surveillance and this was something I would be
discussing with Bear later. The ride was taking too long, I was getting
agitated and that is no way to be feeling when going into battle.

We parked our bikes about half a mile away from the
warehouse so the Skulls didn’t hear us coming. The element of surprise being our
only advantage. Rex took the lead running swiftly through the undergrowth, his Military
background ever present. Hound, Justice, Woods and I followed and caught up
with him at the clearing where the warehouse stood. We crouched down evaluating
our options.

There were two doors on the front of the building and a
garage door to the right with big metal shutters. On the lower ground there
were two windows in which we could possibly look through. A Black VW
Transporter was parked outside to the right of the building. “We can’t possibly
get through those metal shutters without making too much noise, so our only
option is to go through the doors.” Everyone agreed, nodding their heads.

“Hound you’re with me on the left, Woods and Rex you take
the door on the right. Justice you cover our arses. Is everyone in agreement?”
They nodded their heads, giving me the answer I was looking for.

We ran swiftly over to the warehouse, looking around as we
ran to make sure we weren’t spotted. I slid down the building with my back
against the wall to a crouching position. I was trying to control my breathing
as the adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

I got up and peaked into the window. It was difficult to see
in because of the filth and the pile of boxes obstructing my view but I could
see movement inside. I made out three figures and one was holding what looked
to be a gun. I held up three fingers to the guys and placed one finger on my
arm informing them of what I saw.

Woods crept quietly over to the Transporter. He opened the
driver’s side door noticing that the keys were left in the ignition. Woods took
out the keys and stuffed them into his pocket. The van was disgusting with
takeaway wrappers in the footwells and on the passenger seats. Looking in the
back he noticed stacks of brown boxes. He leant over and cut one open with his
knife, “Jackpot!” He said quietly to himself. Mentally calculating Woods
estimated well over 1,000 tablets in just this one box.  Considering there were
around 20 other boxes, this was a great find. Closing the van door quietly,
Woods returned to the group and whispered “Ecstasy!” with a smile on his face.
I couldn’t give a shit about the drugs, I just wanted to find Ink and was
starting to get impatient.

Both groups made their way to the respective doors. I tried
the handle, the door was unlocked, and luck was on our side. Woods tried the
handle to the other door which was also unlocked. I held up my fingers 3, 2, 1…

Spike

We pulled up at the back of the pub, leaving our bikes in
the darkest corner. There was a trail that led through the fields. I knew the
farmer that owned the land and had contacted Greenhall earlier at the club
house, asking the quickest way to the out buildings. It would take us about 15
minutes to get to the warehouse but as we couldn’t go down the most direct
route, this was the quickest way. We couldn’t just turn up on the bikes all
guns blazing, we didn’t know what we were up against. We moved briskly through
the woods using the light from our torches to guide our way through the dense
forest. We kept them low to prevent drawing attention to ourselves. 

It was the longest 15 minutes of my life but we finally made
it to what looked like a deserted building.

“Shit, are you sure you have the right place Duke?” I
whispered looking around at the desolate structure in front of us. Duke looked
around evaluating the situation. The building was around 15,000 sq. ft. and
from this position I could only see one set of double doors leading into the
building.

“Turn your mics on now.” Duke said agitated. “Spike and CJ
you make your way around the perimeter to the left, and Locke and I will do the
same on the right. Skinner, once we enter the building, I want you here taking
out anything that doesn’t wear an Aces patch coming out of that door.”  

We started to make our way around the outline of the trees.
I could just make out Duke and Locke moving slowly in the distance. Out of the
corner of my eye I saw a side door slowly open. “Get down!” I whispered into
the mic. We all crouched down out of sight in the long damp undergrowth.

The man was in his late forties with greying brown hair tied
back in a ponytail. He sparked up a fag and leaned against the building whilst
texting on his phone. I could feel my heart beating faster and I was becoming
impatient, waiting for the man to go back inside. As he stood there under the
moonlight I recognised the man as a member of the Skulls.

“I think that’s Skinny Pete.” I said quietly into the mic. We
waited there patiently and after a couple of minutes Pete finished his fag
flicking the butt onto the floor. He put his phone back into his pocket and
entered the building shutting the door behind him. I heard a bolt being fastened.

“Duke, just seen Skinny Pete by the side doors. Couldn’t see
into the building.” I waited for a response. “Make your way around to the back
of the building until you meet up with us.” Duke responded.

CJ and I made our way further around the building meeting up
with Duke and Locke. “The windows are too high so we can’t look inside which
means we’re going in blind,” Duke looked at us with concern on his face, “We
need to be careful.” Duke made eye contact with us all to make sure we
understood the severity. “What about that barn, do you want me to go check it
out?” I said pointing to a small barn set further back behind the trees. “Yeah
but don’t take any unnecessary risks, keep us posted.” I took off keeping low
making my way towards the barn.

“Locke, I want you to try the side door. If it’s locked,
pick it and get it open. CJ and I will try the double doors at the front.” Everyone
nodded in unison, understanding Dukes instructions. They made their way around
the building. Locke started to work on the side door.

“Justice, you okay?” Duke asked as they covertly ran around
the building. “I need a piss but apart from that I’m fine.” Justice started to
snigger at his own joke. “Keep us covered man, we’re gonna try the front door.”
CJ grabbed the door handle slowly turning it a fraction at a time. His heart
quickened as he realised it was unlocked. “Doors open, ready when you are.” Locke
said waiting for Dukes response. “Guns at the ready, 3, 2, 1…”

Diesel

I pushed open the door quietly and peered into the darkness.
I could hear a heated conversation going on but couldn’t see anyone. I moved
into the room with Hound directly behind me. Waving my arm I indicated for him
to follow me to the other side of the room, mindful of the objects obstructing
our pathway in the dimly lit room. I slowly turned the heavy brass handle and
gently pulled the door open. Looking into the long dark corridor, I heard the
conversation more clearly and realised it was coming from our right, so we
scurried up the hallway stopping short of an archway that led into the main
factory area.

“Guys are you okay?” I whispered into the mic to Woods and
Rex. “Yeah fine, two rooms cleared. We’re making our way towards some singing
coming from the bathroom.” Woods said with humour in his voice. I smiled as I
looked around the corner to see two men arguing.

This must be the Skulls distribution warehouse, I thought to
myself looking around the room. The two men were arguing about delays in
shipments and I was wasting my time listening to them squabble like fucking
kids whilst Ink was missing. I made myself visible, standing in the middle of
the archway pointing my gun at them. Hound joined me at my side. “Down on your
fucking knees, hands behind your heads or I’ll blow them off.” The men looked
at us with fear on their faces and quickly did as they were told. They weren’t
patched and probably not armed, just two civilians in the wrong place at the
wrong time.  As I went over to cuff them, the man on my left started to cry, “Please
don’t hurt us man, we have nothing to do with the club.” Fucking pussy! I
cuffed the second man as Hound held his hand steady, pointing his gun at them
as the second man wet himself. “You’re fucking lucky it went down your leg and
not on my boots.” I said kicking him in the lower back, watching him fall to
the ground.

I stepped over the man on the floor, “Where’s Ink? Is she
here?” The men looked up with confusion on their faces, “Ink? Who’s Ink? There
hasn’t been any girl here.” By the horror and confusion on their faces, I
believed what they were saying. Woods and Rex came into the room. “We’ve
checked the rest of the building and apart from the now dead Skull on the
toilet, this place is empty. We gave him a few slaps but he didn’t know
anything.” Woods said leaning against the door frame, letting out a low whistle
once he saw the amount of boxes around us. “I haven’t got time for this, we
need to find Ink. Woods, Rex you tidy this up, Hound you come with me. Were
gonna meet up with the others in High Laver.”

Duke

CJ was first through the door and I followed closely behind
him. There were glasses and a half bottle of Jack on the table in front of me.
I scanned the room looking for anything that would give us an indication
whether Harlow had been here. CJ made his way through the dimly lit room towards
the door on the left wall that opened onto a corridor.

We could hear a scuffle coming from the room to our left. As
I opened the door, I saw Locke giving skinny Pete a final blow to his head,
before he slumped to the floor, blood pouring from his nose. “Fucking bastard, tried
to burn me with his fag.” Locke said rubbing his arm. CJ and I started laughing
much to the annoyance of Locke.

We continued to search the building, to no avail. It was
used as storage and apart from the bottle of Jack I saw earlier, it hadn’t been
used in a while. “FUCK! Where is she?”

Harlow

I was lying face down on the cold hard floor in what looked
like a basement. The light that shone down the stairs from the opened door
above, made me think that I was held in a storage room from the amount of boxes
stacked up around me.

I could hear water dripping from the corner of the room and
the faint sound of people talking upstairs. I tried to move but I was bound by
zip straps around my ankles and wrists that were secured in front of me. They
were tight and digging into my skin, stopping the blood flowing freely. I was
in excruciating pain and looking at the angle of my left arm, knew that it was
broken. I was drifting in and out of consciousness and was losing all hope of
someone saving me.  

I heard footsteps and began to panic. I started to
experience difficulty breathing and had tightness in my chest. “Please…I need…my
asthma pump.” I finally asked trying to appeal to my captor’s better nature.

Patch started to laugh. “It doesn’t matter to me if you die
now or later babe. But I would prefer to fuck that tight cunt of yours whilst
you’re alive.” Patch crouched down running his hand up my bare legs, before running
his finger between my cheeks. “And your arse.” Someone cleared their throat. “Leave
her alone Patch, Hawkes direct instructions. She’ll get what’s coming to her
eventually.” I recognised that voice, it was Flex. Had he come to save me? No
wait, he was looking at me differently, cold.