My sister's fiancé isn't here. His grandfather died the night my sister was taken, he's with his grandmother right now. What kind of shit must he be going through? The woman he loves is taken, then his grandfather dies. Some would say he should be here looking for Willow like he was from the moment he found out she'd gone. Others would sympathize that he's torn, doesn't know what to do, can't stop himself from flitting between looking for Willow and helping his family.
I have faith that he'll do the right thing. Maybe I shouldn't, but it's not like he hasn't been searching for Willow, the least we can do is give him a couple hours to be with his family at this sad time. Trace will be back soon, helping in the search for my sister. I know he won't give up until she's back with us. I trust him.
“I know this is going to be hard, but don't worry, they'll understand.”
“Don't worry about me, Tank, they'll soon learn I'm not the kind of woman you mess with.”
“That's my girl.” He winks. And with my hand in his, he leads me into the meeting room where they call church and talk club business.
I've never been inside here before. It's quite smart looking. Not much in here, but then, I don't suppose they need much. Long oak table with many chairs around it, all filled with tough-looking bikers. The head of the table sits my dad as president. My brother to the right as VP, Hammer to the left as Sergeant-at-arms. And so on down the line in order of ranking.
Six prospects sit along the back wall on hard plastic chairs. They haven't earned the right to sit on softer chairs at the big table yet. One chair sits empty where Trace should be. And, of course, Tank's chair.
The huge mural on the wall behind the guy on the right, the one that fills the wall with the MC's full patch and the names of the fallen catches my eye. It's beautiful. It really is.
“What the hell is she doing here?!”
Nice, Dad, thanks.
“She has something to say to you all.”
“This ain't a game, Tank!”
“I'm well aware of that, Prez!”
“Are you sure about this, Nova?” I nod my head yes at Jett and smile. Only he, Red, and Tank know the truth about me. But soon the other thirty-odd men will know. They'll all see me in a different light, but they'll also know not to underestimate me.
Tank guides me to his seat beside Jett's. I sit down and he stands behind me with his hands on my shoulders like he's my own personal bodyguard.
I look around the room at the faces of my father’s men. Each one is looking at me and wondering why there's a woman sitting at their table.
“Tank told me that you all need a little help from a certain someone in order to help Willow.”
“The Exorcist.”
I nod at Mike.
“You know how to find him? You can get him to help us find her?” I nod my head at Hammer. He knows this, but he doesn't know that it's me he's seeking.
“What?!” My father literally shrieks.
“She works for him, Prez.” I'm not looking at my father, but I can feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my head. I could kill Ghost, that wasn't his place to say anything! “Told her she should tell you.”
“You fuckin' knew about this and you didn't say anything?!”
I ignore my father and round on Ghost. “I also told you to watch your mouth, Ghost.” He can raise his eyebrows at me all he likes, but one of these days, I'm gonna pop a cap in his fucking head!
“Can you help us find Willow?” There's more inside that man's heart for my sister than I first thought. Hammer might not be ready to admit it, but he's in love with Willow, and after losing Cindy the way he did, I can only imagine how scared he is right now.
“I can find her, Hammer, and I can help you end those who took her.”
“You?” Ghost laughs, as do some of the others.
“You think because I'm a woman that I'm weaker than you? Don't make me laugh.”
He opens his mouth, but Red stops him. “I wouldn't, I've seen what she can do.”
“What are you talking about?” My father isn't in the right frame of mind for this. He's too involved. Yeah, he's the president of this MC, but he's still a scared father right now.
“We don't need her help, we need The Exorcist himself!”
Fucking Ghost! I'll kill him.
I jump to my feet. “I am The Exorcist, you cunt!”
Ever been in a room where everyone is talking, someone yells something that no one expected, then it suddenly goes deathly silent? Eerily so?
Yeah, that's what it's like in here right now, along with all the staring, wide eyes, open-mouthed shocked looks on their faces.
Anyone would think I just told them I'd grown a dick and raped all their wives.
“You? Don't make...”
“Shall I prove it to you, Ghost?” My gun is out of my holster faster than anyone can blink, pointing right at Ghost, who's now leaning back in his chair with his hands out. “I am a trained sniper assassin, you cocksucker! I could kill everyone in this fuckin' room before just one of you could draw your gun if I wanted to!”
“Enough!” Reluctantly, I put my gun away and turn to my father with a sneer on my face. I haven't spoken to him since the day I fought in the ring with Mike. “Is this true? You're The Exorcist?”
I nod slowly.
There's so much hurt in his voice, so much he wants to ask me. So much pain in his eyes and I know some of it's for me, for the fact my childhood was stolen from me in order to make me a killing machine. But there is no room for that here now, we have to find Willow!
“There's a lot you don't know about me, Dad. I'm not the little girl you remember. I'll tell you everything you need to know but now isn't the time. What you all learn in this room stays in this room. Anyone of you breathes a word about who I am, I'll kill you and your whole family without so much as batting an eyelid, and don't think I won't.”
Every eye in the room is on me, a lot of them nod in my direction to show they've understood.
Good.
They know my reputation, they know I mean what I say.
“I want you to all know this,” I look around them all. “I am not weak in any sense of the word. You all know my reputation and what I can do. I can hol
d my own as you may have noticed when I got in the ring with Mike.” Mike chuckles. “I am trained in weaponry, I'm a sniper for god's sake, an assassin, I'm trained in many forms of martial arts, there is nothing I can't do, no one I can't trace. I can find where they're hiding Willow, all I need is to see the video they sent you. You recorded it?” Hammer nods. “Good. Show me and I'll have a location in minutes.”
“You can really do that?”
I nod and smile slightly in Hammer's direction. He really loves Willow. I can't imagine what this is doing to him right now. The man must believe himself to be cursed.
“We need a plan. A good one. I will be coming with you.”
“I don't think so.”
“You need me, Dad. Trust me on this, you need me.”
“She's right, Prez. Jett, Red, and me, we've seen what she can do. She's amazing.” I smile to myself. My man has faith in me, and that means everything.
“You all knew...”
“There's no time for this!” I snap. There's no point to this right now, we're wasting precious time! “When we're out there, you treat me like one of you. You do not make pointless exceptions because I'm a woman. You each stick to the job I give you. The plan has to be perfect. I want my sister home safely. If you can't take orders from a woman just this once in order to save Willow, then fuckin' stay behind. This isn't about your stupid male, biker pride, this is about Willow and finding her alive and bringing her home to her mother, her father, her siblings.”
“What do you say?” My father asks.
“Aye!” Stryker yells, which sets off a chain of Aye's.
“Good. This is the plan.”
This is what I get for minding my own business, kidnapped from my own home and dragged to a dirty derelict warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Two days I've been here. Two days and no one back home has come for me. It's not that I don't have faith in them, it's just that these pigs seem to have thought of everything.
Their leader, Crack. He's a vile piece of scum, thinks he can break me with his constant taunting about my dad, and how even if he gives himself up they won't let me go. I'm going to die here, that doesn't mean I'll roll over and take it.