Hard Ride (Men of Valor MC)

“It all started when Gage and I were teenagers. You see, we grew up together, in this very town. They had the doting parents, would do whatever they could for Gage and Stella. Then there was me. An alcoholic for a father, a drug addicted mother. That didn’t stop them from being friends with me. In fact, on more than one occasion, I’d be at their dinner table or spending the night. I think the Bennett family knew my home life was shit and helped the best they could.” He’s lost down memory lane. I twist my wrists back and forth as he continues, picking the end of the duct tape when it gets closer the tips of my fingers.

“That didn’t stop my mother from choking on her own vomit while overdosing. Once she died, my dad used his fists on me, though he was smart, never leaving bruises where anyone could see them.”

“If the Bennetts were helping you so much, why would you do something like this to Gage?” I’m truly at a loss for words.

“That story is coming. Have some fucking patience,” he snarls. At this point, the duct tape is still on my wrists, but barely. The next time Officer Brady is deep in the past, I know what I’m going to do. “Anyways. Stella, that’s what it came down to by the time we were all in high school. I knew what I wanted. Gage thought it was time to step in. He probably thought I was some worthless scum, not good enough for his sister. He’s not wrong now though. It still pisses me off, knowing she’s married with three rug rats hanging off her body. She was meant to be mine, not that fuckhead’s. Fucking Gage.” He looks off to the side, gazing out the window, and I know it’s now or never. It looks like this princess may have to save herself or die trying.

13

Gage

It took us a bit to trace the cabin to where Nova is being held. Of course, once the dipshit sent me an image of Nova, hair a mess, lips busted, and a bruise forming on her forehead, there wasn’t anything near me that didn’t get destroyed. It wasn’t until Jim slapped me on the back of the head that I got myself together.

That’s why we’re all heading on foot to where we now know Nova is being held by none other than Officer Brady, also known as numb nuts. I should have known there was something wrong in the head with him after our last meeting. Fuck, the whole police department in Valor is screwed up in one way or the other.

“You good?” Rough asks as he’s placing the magazine back in his gun after checking his bullets.

“Yep, this fucker is going down one way or the other.” I have two guns on me, but if need be, I’ll fight till my dying breath to protect Nova.

“Let’s roll,” Bullet says. He knows I’m taking the lead on this. Jim is right beside me the entire time. The rest of the guys, including Rough and Doc, will cover our sixes.

“Waiting on you,” Jim huffs out. We chuckle. I’m not exactly sure why he never became a member of the MC. After this, though, he may as well be, even if it’s an unorthodox style. He’s one of us, that’s for fucking sure. We dropped off our bikes at the edge of the property knowing that we’d be given away the moment we rode up. That’s why we’re on foot, but I’m with Jim, so we start taking off, leaving the others in the wind. They’ll catch up. If not, oh fucking well. “You going to be okay to see Nova like this?” Jim asks.

“Yeah, are you?” I respond.

“Not sure. She’s my baby girl. It’ll fucking hurt to see her hurt.”

“Yeah.” We’re both quiet for the remainder of our walk to the cabin. It’s seen better days, along with the car we captured in the video surveillance, which is sitting along the side of it. The cabin’s windows are covered by sheets, not giving us any viewpoints.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I ask Jim.

“Fuck yeah, no better way than guns blazing,” he responds.

“Let’s go.” We take the steps as silently as possible, thankfully not falling through the deck that’s rotting in areas. I press my ear up against the door and hear him rattle off shit about Stella and how she’s got three children that were meant to be his, not Ghost’s. There was a reason I beat his ass when Stella was only fourteen. He wasn’t around again, fucking ever. Chris is my age. We were both seventeen, on the cusp of eighteen, and the way he was looking at her wasn’t right. It didn’t take me long to beat him to a bloody pulp, drive him to the edge of town, hang him over the edge of a cliff, and tell him what would happen if he ever looked at Stella again. It probably helped that before I left to join the Army, he took off to places unknown. I was hoping not to ever see him again, but that luck clearly ran out. This time, it’s his luck that ran out though, not mine.