He was right. I fucking hated to admit it, but I didn’t see any other way out of this. If I wanted this shit to end, I would need help. I was going to need everyone’s help. The cluster fuck headed our way was more than one man could handle. We all needed to be on the same page to survive it all. I didn’t believe that the Society would let me walk free for one second. I knew they were coming for me and mine. I didn’t know when, but everyone around me would die when they did. I couldn’t let that happen. There were too many innocents.
I was the guilty one. If they were only coming for me, I would let them, but they made their intentions clear. Anyone associated with the Golden Skulls was marked for death. Even my woman and kid. That was something I couldn’t allow. Ever.
“I’m only going to tell this story once. Better go get the others.”
Ghost nodded and got up to do as I asked as I tried to mentally prepare myself for what I was about to say. It wasn’t every day that the President of a major motorcycle club bared his soul to his club brothers. But if I wanted to lead by example, I would have to swallow my pride and air my sins.
When I looked back up, I saw all my brothers sitting around the table, some standing, no one talking.
It was now or never as I let my mind drift back to the moment my life changed forever.
The sun was shining brightly as I peddled fast. I needed to get home. I was late. My mom was going to have my ass. I should have watched the time better. Baltazar had just gotten the new Martian Hunter game and it was freaking awesome. We had been waiting for weeks for it to release and when his dad bought it, Baltazar called me immediately.
Turning down my street, I saw my dad’s bike in the driveway and cringed. Shit. Peddling faster, I didn’t see the dark van roll up behind me, but I saw when it swerved around me to come to a stop in front of me, forcing me to stop my bike before I hit the side of the van. Two men jumped out of the van and rushed over to me. Grabbing me, I yelled for my dad when one of the men stuck something in my neck.
I woke up sometime later to find myself naked and in a cage. Looking around, I spotted hundreds of cages stacked one on top of the other, all full of boys and girls. Age apparently didn’t matter, neither did race. Most were sitting in their cages, curled up into themselves, tears rolling down their faces as they emitted no sound. Others were openly crying, shaking in fear. I saw that each cage had a bucket, wondering what it was for, when I saw a young boy move to squat over the bucket.
Holy shit, I murmured to myself as I watched the utterly thin boy use the bucket to go to the bathroom. The smell of the building was rancid, as some of the kids got sick, not caring to throw up in the bucket, which added to the smell and filth. Scanning the area, I noticed that there were no open windows, no fresh air to breathe, only the filth and stench of those around me.
I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I was in trouble.
A door creaked open as kids scurried further back into their cages as a man walked over to a cage and opened it. Grabbing the small girl inside, she was too small to fight him as he dragged her out of our room.
“My name is Remi,” a little voice whispered to my left. Turning, I spotted a little girl about the same age as my sister Mia. She was thin, scrawny and naked, but I didn’t think that was our biggest problem. She smiled at me, scooting closer to my side of the cage. Her long curly blonde hair framed her face, making her bright blue eyes stand out against her pale skin. “What is your name?”
“Max.”
“The bad man took you too?”
I nodded.
“They took me too.” She frowned, pulling on one of her curls. The young girl was filthy like she’d been in that cage for weeks. Her blonde curly hair was disheveled, parts of it matted to her head. Her little face was covered in dirt and grime. She was thin. So thin, I could actually see her ribs poking through her skin. Even in her current state, she seemed content, almost eager to help when she added. “The bad men don’t like it when we cry.”
The door creaked again.
Remi scooted back to the corner of her cage as a man approached us, opening my cage. I didn’t know what he wanted, but I would not follow willingly. When he reached into the cage to grab me, I kicked out, hitting him in the face.
“Fuck!” he shouted angrily, rubbing his cheek. “You little fucking bastard.” Before I could hit him again, he reached in, grabbed my foot and yanked me from my confines. Landing hard on my back, I gasped as the air was knocked out of my lungs and when his fist connected with my face, I cried out.
I’d been in fights before, but nothing like this. The man had a hammer for a fist and he continued to punch me over and over again. When he figured I had enough, he grabbed me by the neck, hauling me to my feet, dragging me from the room. As I looked back, I saw Remi sitting in her cage, tears flowing down her pretty face.
I was ushered into another room and thrown on a bed.
Scrambling to the nearest corner, I huddled against it, praying the walls would protect me as two other men walked in.
“This him.”
“Yeah.”
“Get him ready.”
“Pill or injection.”
The other man looked over at me and said, “Injection.”
Before I knew what was happening, two men grabbed me, holding me down. It didn’t matter how hard I fought them, they were stronger and when I felt a needle go into my arm, I screamed.
When the men finally let me go, I quickly moved back towards the wall as the other man walked over and said, “Now listen very carefully, Maxwell. If you want to get out of here and see your parents again, you will do everything I tell you to do. Do you understand?”