Bikers, Chains and Bad Boys

Chapter 14

(unedited)

Bikers, Chains and Bad Boys: Chapter 14

That's when everything went to hell. So many voices were talking – shouting – all at once. Anger. Shock. Confusion. Admiration.

Okay, the last one was all Corey, but the rest were just about every other face in the small crowd of bikers standing in the half circle in front of us.

"Your Dad?"

"What the fuck?"

"Then why-?"

I stared at Warren in desperation with my arms up in surrender. People were pushing forward and shouting things that bled into each other until it was just a loud rumbling of voices and pulling more guns and pointing them at us.

Then, Dad shoved me behind him and Sarge went nuts. I caught him at the last second, pulling back on his collar so he couldn't attack Dad. I pulled on Dad's arm, almost losing my grip on Sarge, as I tried to pull us back out of the gate and away from everyone with guns.

Everything was such a mess and I couldn't keep my eyes on every gun. My eyes flittered across many faces, unseeing and focused on every hand pointing a gun in our direction.

This is why I didn't want Dad to know. I had a feeling everything would go to shit. I felt a wave of sadness swim through my fear and panic when I realized I probably wouldn't be able to talk to the guys after this. I probably wouldn't be allowed to work at the shop either. My eyes caught Warren's again, and we stared at each other for a moment.

Finally, as I felt myself begin to accept that I'd just lost what I'd started to feel was a family to me, I nodded at Warren, trying to put as much gratitude in that one look that I could and hoping he'd tell the guys that I'd said some sort of goodbye, and tried to pull Dad back. I couldn't let go of Sarge yet or he'd attack Dad, so I tried to drag them both as I tried to shove Sarge toward the crowd and Dad toward his bike.

It was like trying to move a stone wall and derail a moving train at the same time. It was making me hurt twice as bad as I had before, and anger surged through me.

"Hey!" Warren shouted suddenly. I looked toward him in surprise. "Everybody shut the fuck up!" His voice thundered and I could've sworn I felt it reverberate in my chest for a second.

Things quieted down a bit and everyone started to settle. Dad stepped toward me and Sarge yanked even harder, trying to get to Dad. The pain was settling into my bones now that the adrenaline was just about drained and the alcohol haze had completely worn off, making the anger surge through me full force.

Travis stepped toward Sarge, but the anger fueled me, and I got pissed. I pulled him back by his collar quickly and got in his face. Probably not my brightest moment, because he almost bit my face off.

"Sit down!" I shouted. I'd never heard my voice sound like that before, filled with so much anger and pain. He stopped barking and pulled back away from my face but was still growling and trying to get around me to Dad. I grabbed the scruff on his jaw and glared at him. "Sit down, now!"

It took a minute or two, but eventually he sat back, panting heavily as drool dripped from the sides of his mouth and flattened his ears back against his head. I stood fully again, and Sarge leaded heavily into my leg. I patted his head as I shuffled painfully on my feet, the pain hitting me full force. Trying to hold Sarge back like that had angered just about every wound I had, and I could feel the gauze soaking up the blood running from them again.