Halligan To My Axe (The Heroes of The Dixie Wardens MC Book 2) (20 page)

In short order, eight men out of the twenty nine members of the Benton Chapter, four from the fire department, and four cops, were hauling ass out of the door.

I knew it was something big. Something so big, that they needed every off duty cop and firefighter on the force there, and they needed them quickly.

I shuffled back to the table with Kettle’s fiddle in one hand and Blaise in the other, until I came to realize that Baylee was on the phone with someone, as was Silas and Dixie.

With no other option, I laid the instrument down on the table where there was a clean spot and went to the playpen in the corner that Baylee had set up when she’d arrived earlier in the day to cook and prepare.

The baby stirred slightly with the movement, but fell back to sleep promptly, allowing me to put the fiddle away and then started clearing the plates and trash.

I was a worrywart, and with nothing else left to do but that, I started cleaning to try to distract myself.

Minnie started helping as well and in no time, every single piece of trash and food was cleaned away, and we started guiding the men that were left to replace the furniture back to its previous position.

“Get him out! Get him out!” Silas yelled into his phone. “Don’t let him go into his place. Don’t let him. Take him out before he can get there...forget the motherfuckin’ snake! Don’t let him go in there.”

The sound of Silas’ voice sent shivers down my spine.

I knew they were talking about Kettle. How many snakes could there be in Benton? Certainly not many. And absolutely none that anybody would risk their life for.

“I’m not saying don’t send anybody in there. Just don’t let it be him. You do it. I think...” Silas said glancing in my direction. “I think the sister was in there when they doused it. I saw her go in and not come out when I went over the feed.”

I dropped the pretense of pretending to listen and walked slowly to the bar where he was sitting with his laptop open in front of him.

On the screen was a live video of what was happening.

From the location, they’d set up a camera on the light pole across the street from Kettle’s apartment.

Although the fire trucks were mostly obstructing my view, I could tell Kettle’s apartment, as well as the one directly above Kettle’s, was on fire. Something shooting out that much flame had to mean the place was toast.

“I’ve got eyes on the back, too. She didn’t come out.” Silas explained roughly.

Silas head dropped, and he ran his hand over the back of his neck.

“Trance, there’s no way she could be alive in that. I’m watching the feed as we speak. There’s no way.” Silas explained.

We both watched, for what felt like hours, as men worked to put the fire out.

At one point, one fire engine moved to allow another one to move in closer behind it, and my breath hissed out of my lungs at seeing the apartment just...gone. Right then they were attempting to save the apartment beside Kettle’s. They were trying to contain what was left of Kettle’s to keep it from spreading to any apartments beyond.

My heart sank.

“What happened?” I finally asked.

Silas hit a few buttons, and then suddenly I was watching the feed from about an hour before.

I watched in horror as Shannon parked her little Ford Focus in the spot in front of where I used to park, got out, and walked to the front door.

After knocking, she waited for exactly four minutes and fifteen seconds before pulling out her keys and unlocking the door, closing it softly behind her.

“Oh, no.” I moaned.

She stayed in there and didn’t come out.

“No, no, no, nooo,” I whimpered brokenly.

My heart was in my throat, and I could feel the movement of bile slowly rise and settle at the base of my tongue; I could taste the bitterness of it.

“Please, no.” I whimpered.

I hadn’t realized that tears were leaking out of my eyes until Silas put his big arm around me and pulled me deep into his chest, allowing my cheek to settle on his massive chest.

His big beard tickled my cheek, but I didn’t care.

I was too busy watching the devastation in front of me, horrified, as a Hummer that was sleek and beautiful pulled into our lot, turned around, and then stopped right outside the apartment.

One man got out with a giant gas can in his hand, walked up to the front walk and started pouring it out on the wooden paneling that lined the outside the apartment.

The man was of average height and build, dressed in an impeccable pair of slacks, pointy-toed shoes, and a red silk shirt.

His face was covered by a black ski mask, so any other identifying markers couldn’t be detected.

“Why isn’t anybody saying anything?” I asked in surprise. “They have to see what he’s doing, and who the hell wears ski masks anymore?”

I hadn’t meant to yell, but I couldn’t help it.

While Kettle and I were eating a Christmas meal, his sister was being burned alive.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I knew he was about to torch the place. With Kettle’s sister inside. Oh, God. Oh, God.

“Oh, baby.” I said as I thought of Kettle. “Oh, Tiago. I’m so sorry.”

Silas’ hand came up and cradled my head in his big palm, stroking my hair as he watched the rest of the video.

A whimper behind me had me turning to find Baylee standing very close with Blaise in her arms. Minnie stood beside her, holding Baylee to her body. The rest of the MC stood behind them, all watching the scene unfold on the computer in front of me.

“Time to show our hand, Silas. You know exactly who it was.” Dixie said as he came up close to Silas’ free arm and watched a little more closely.

They were heading to a room at the back of the bar. A room that had a large table with chairs surrounding it. There was nothing else in it. Other than the large Dixie Wardens mural on the wall, nothing else decorated the room.

Although I’d only been to the clubhouse for the first time today, I knew instantly that this was where they had all their club meetings. What had my dad used to call it, gospel?

“Yeah,” Silas agreed, giving me a reassuring squeeze before letting me go and standing. “Let’s go to church. Minnie, darlin’, how about you bring out a couple cots. I think we’re going to be a while. No reason y’all can’t all catch some rest while you can. It’s time for us to bring our family together. Kettle’s gonna need the support when he gets back.”

Church was a MC’s version of a business meeting between the members. It’s where all the important decisions were made. Who was told to do what. Where problems were brought forth to be worked through. I always compared it to a judge’s chambers. It was where all the important things were ruled on. Some of them even life and death.

Knowing that arguing would be futile, we all started setting up cots in between the splayed couches and recliners. Some even behind the bar.

I had no intention of sleeping, however. Exactly the opposite, in fact. I wasn’t sleeping until my man was home safe in my arms. Where I could hold him, because I knew he wouldn’t be all right when he got back.

And I was right.

He wasn’t.

Pain is weakness leaving the body. No, pain is my fist when it hits your fuckin’ face.

-Kettle to his father, age 18.

Adeline

It was the sound of glass shattering that jarred me out of my in between sleep and awake state.

I’d laid down on the cot that was against the far wall hours ago.

My eyes blinked open blearily and I looked around noting all absence of light in the huge room, minus the sliver that was coming from a door at the back of the bar.

It took me a few more minutes to get my bearings, but I knew it was Kettle who’d done the glass shattering.

Sitting up slowly, I took the phone off the floor and pressed the button to light up the screen.

4:27 A.M.

Friday, December 25, 2014.

A sick knot of dread filled up my stomach, and I swallowed convulsively to keep the bile from exiting my mouth.

Bending at the waist, I slipped my feet into the boots from Kettle, being sure to tuck in my sweat pants that had been thrown at me from Silas earlier that night.

‘Here. These are Kettlle’s. Might be too long, but the boy probably wouldn’t like seeing you in some other man’s clothes.’
He’d said.

Using the light on my phone, I worked my way through the maze of cots and couches until I got closer to the sliver of light.

That was when I heard the men, and what they were talking about.

“Have to do something. He’s not going to stop. He already took my sister. What do I do now? Wait for him to take my woman while she’s at school? The fucker took out three other apartments beside my own today. Three adults in the first. Two adults and one eight year old in the other. Five kids and one adult in the last. Luckily, they all got out. Though, he’s not going to
care about a couple of kids that get in between him and his goal. He’s already done that tonight.” Kettle snarled.

Something low and vicious was said by another man, and then I heard them all get into it.

“All right, settle down boys. Now, day after tomorrow we’ll figure this out. Spend your Christmas’ with your families. Kettle your house good enough to go home to?” Silas asked.

I didn’t hear Kettle’s answer but he must’ve confirmed that, yes, it was because Silas next comment scared me a little.

“Okay. Now that that’s settled, Kettle, you won’t be going with us. It’s too new for you. Too personal.”

Then there was more crashing as well as rage pouring out of that room, and my hesitation at the door vanished. I went into the room like I had every right to be there.

I lost the desire to know the word as soon as I saw Sebastian pushing Kettle up against the wall with Trance on one of his arms, and Loki on the other. In fact, I was kind of pissed.

My man was hurting and what he needed was vindication. Not someone telling him that he couldn’t go with them, effectively denying him the one outlet that he needed to make peace with the fact that his sister was gone. He’d just lost the only blood-family member he spoke with, in one of the most horrific ways possible. If they thought he wasn’t going to go, they didn’t know him at all.

“Fuck you,” Kettle was bellowing. “I’m going and you can kiss my fuckin’ ass.”

Silas was back at the head of the table sitting down calmly as he watched the men. “This right here is why I don’t want you to go...”

Kettle just started struggling more, and I had enough.

Stomping into the room, I started elbowing members out of the way so I could get to Kettle. One by one, they either moved or I squeezed by them until I was standing behind Loki’s left shoulder.

Loki’s shoulders were straining hard, and I knew he really had to work to keep Kettle from destroying the room or taking a swing at one of them. Kettle was straining so hard that veins in his neck and arms were distending the skin. Kettle’s eyes were pinned to Sebastian as he kept telling the man to get off him in such a deadly low tone that it made my insides feel like jelly.

Looking around, I found a rolling chair pushed off to the side of Loki’s legs, so I went to it and moved it to where it was directly in Kettle’s line of sight before standing on it and using Sebastian’s back as a stabilizer.

Sebastian, who’d been directly in Kettle’s face backed off slightly to see who was at his back, and when he did, it gave Kettle a clear view of me and he froze.

“Addy,” he rasped brokenly. “My sister’s gone.”

I launched myself at him, going over Sebastian’s right shoulder and Loki’s left shoulder to get to him. Since Kettle’s arms were still pinned down to his sides, I did the next best thing, and wrapped my arms around his neck, and held on tight.

“I know, baby. I know.” I said consolingly.

When they realized he was no longer struggling to fight, but to get his arms around me, both Trance and Loki let go of him, leaving me over Sebastian’s back, and Kettle’s arms now wrapped around us both.

It actually would’ve made a funny picture under different circumstances; but now, it was just what he needed. His best friend and the woman that loved him. I could tell he needed it just by the way he clung to us, refusing to let go.

"What do you need me to do, baby?" I asked Kettle.

Kettle shook his head, but didn't say anything. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to go get you something to eat?"

Kettle shook his head furiously. His arms got tighter, saying without words that he didn't want me to go.

“Do you want me to leave?" Sebastian asked quietly.

Kettle didn't answer, only squeezed his arms tighter in answer.

Therefore, that's how we stayed for what felt like a long time. Me on my chair, leaning over Sebastian's back, and Sebastian sandwiched in between us.

After a long while, Kettle finally loosened his hold on our bodies, allowing the both of us to step back out of his arms.

"How 'bout I go get you something to eat, and then you head to one of the rooms. Baylee said the one on the furthest end was empty and had clean sheets. No need to go home tonight. I'll bring your food to you." Sebastian said quietly.

When Kettle nodded, Sebastian left quietly, leaving me standing on my chair staring at the man in front of me. I had no clue what I was supposed to say to him. Everything that came to mind seemed to be inadequate at that moment. Saying 'I'm sorry' just didn't seem like it was good enough.

So I got down carefully, while he looked at me hauntingly. I grabbed his wrist before guiding him out the door.

Surprised to find the room empty, I was even more surprised when I saw the hallway.

It was a normal sized hallway, but the way each member of The Dixie Wardens stood with their backs leaning against the wall made it look tiny.

Then there were the women that belonged to those men sitting beside them. Some were sitting on their bottoms. Others were holding on to their men, giving Kettle the silent support that a family did when one of their own was hurting.