Chapter 15

I had been avoiding Earl as much as possible since our argument two days ago, but if I wanted to make sure everything finally moved in the right direction, I had to talk to him and find out what went on in his head. We had a meeting scheduled for the evening, and almost all patch-owners had agreed to come.

Marcella had been awfully quiet all day, and I wondered if she regretted our night together. She had mentioned that she’d regret me, but now I wanted her to have changed her mind.

Marcella sat on the bed and brushed her hair with a brush I’d grabbed from one of the club girls, the motion almost hypnotic. I couldn’t look away. She turned her head, fixing me with those penetrating eyes. “What will you discuss at your meeting?”

“When we’re going to exchange you for your father.”

Marcella gave me a strange smile as if I couldn’t really believe that.

“I’ll convince them. They’re going to listen to reason,” I said, hardly believing it myself.

“What is it you want, Maddox?”

You. Ever since I met you, only you. I was half tempted to run off with her, to leave everything I’d ever known, ever wanted, behind. But I couldn’t. MC life was all I knew, all I wanted. I didn’t have friends or family outside of this club. I only had Tartarus.

And yet… suddenly there was Marcella, a woman, my enemy’s daughter, who took up more and more of my headspace.

I didn’t say anything. My thoughts were madness and betrayal. I headed over to her and bend over her. Grabbing her neck, I tilted her head back for a deep kiss. She responded at first but then she turned her mouth away, robbing me of those irresistible lips. “This will be over once your uncle hands me back to my father. Unless he decides to torture and kill me to punish my father.”

She said it as if she were talking about someone else, her voice cool and controlled but her eyes reflected the fear she’d never admit to. My heart sped up at the mere mentioning of her death. “I’d never allow Earl to kill you. I’ll protect you.”

She smiled but it wasn’t happy. “Can you? Protect me? Your club brothers want to burn me at the stake like the witch they think I am.”

My club brothers wanted to stake her in a very different way. I wouldn’t allow that either. As long as Marcella was under our roof, I’d make sure she wouldn’t be harmed worse than she already had been. But once she was released…

The thought of letting her go, of never seeing her again, it added a heavy weight on my shoulders.

“You don’t want to lose me,” she whispered, pushing to her feet and grabbing my cut. Her eyes held me captive as they always did.

I considered lying, but I simply couldn’t do it with her looking at me like that. I cupped her neck harder. “Of course, I don’t want to lose you.” I reached under my shirt that reached her thighs and shoved the boxers aside. “I’d miss that pretty pussy.” I would, but it was only a small part of the reason why I couldn’t imagine letting her go. Sharing details from my childhood, talking about more than drug deliveries, moonshine and guns, she was the only person I could do that.

My fingers found her clit and I began to circle it lightly, only teasing her when I really wanted to plunge into her.

“It’s more than that, Maddox,” Marcella said softly, her breath hitching as I kept stroking her sensitive flesh.

I leaned down and sucked her lower lip into my mouth before I kissed her. Her tongue met mine for a gentle and slow dance so very unlike our previous kisses. Her eyes stayed locked on mine and she sighed into my mouth as my fingers stroked up and down her slit, gathering her arousal to slide even more easily over her little nub.

“Whatever it is, we can’t have it, not forever,” I growled.

She shook her head. “We can have whatever we want. We just have to reach for it. You can have me all for yourself if you help me escape.”

“Escape,” I echoed. “My brothers would kill me as a traitor.”

“You could come with me and ask my father for help.”

I grimaced. The mere idea of asking Luca Vitiello, the man who’d slaughtered my father, for help, left a bitter taste in my mouth. “Your father would kill me for kidnapping his precious daughter.”

“He won’t if I ask him to spare you.”

“I don’t want to be at your father’s mercy. He should be at mine and I definitely won’t grant it to him.”

Marcella’s expression hardened and she tried to pull back but I held her in place by her neck and plunged my tongue into her mouth the same time as two of my fingers plunged into her wet pussy. She moaned into my mouth, her walls clenching deliciously. I thrust into her at a fast pace, relishing in her arousal and the fire burning in her eyes. Desire and anger, a beautiful combination. Eventually Marcella’s grip on me turned painful as her hips rocked against my hand, chasing an orgasm.

When her walls clamped down on my fingers and her eyes widened from the force of her orgasm, I pulled away from the kiss to hear her cry of ecstasy.

“Yes, Snow White,” I growled, fingering her even faster. She clung to me until finally her orgasm subsided. I lowered my hand and opened my fly.

Marcella tugged at my hair, forcing me to meet her gaze. “You can live and have me, if you leave your MC life behind and work for my father.”

I scoffed. “You want me to serve under your father.”

She became serious. “You can either serve under my father or you can rule over a graveyard.”

“We aren’t dead yet, and me and my brothers are very difficult to kill as you will see.”

“My father killed Tartarus men before. He will again.”

I jerked down my pants and shoved Marcella toward the bed. She gave me a challenging smile and parted her long legs. I grabbed her ankles and tugged her toward me before I slammed into her in one hard thrust. She was still tight and her face flashed with discomfort but I only waited a second for her pussy to adapt to my cock. My balls furiously slapped against her pussy and my hips against her ass until it was red. But this wasn’t enough, could never be. I needed to see her face, wanted to see it every fucking morning when I woke and every night before sleep. I flipped her over and climbed on top of her.

Her eyes burned a hole into my soul and heart.

“Fuck,” I growled. “I can’t fucking lose you.”

After our fuck, she lay in my arms, her breathing low. I’d soon have to get up to go to the meeting.

“I’m scared to die, scared they’ll hurt me worse, Maddox,” she whispered so softly, at first, I wasn’t sure I heard her right. She had every reason to be scared.

“I’m here,” I murmured, kissing her neck. Her bandaged ear taunted me with the truth.

Her breathing evened out and I got up, feeling a nervous energy take hold of my body. As I made my way downstairs, I crossed Gunnar. He touched my shoulder. “You’re spending a lot of time with her. Everyone’s noticed. Soon you’ll have to make a choice.”

“I made my choice a long time ago,” I said, pointing at my cut. “Tartarus runs in my blood.”

Gunnar shrugged. “Still. Some people worry. Tonight’s meeting is your chance to appease them.”

“Fuck ’em. I’ve bled more for this club than most.”

“Calm down. I’m just saying.”

If a man like Gunnar already started being wary of me, I had to be careful. When Gunnar and I entered the meeting room five minutes later, most patch-holders were already seated around the table and some leaned against the walls. Most nods I received were as friendly as in the past but I could see distrust in a couple of faces. Judging by Cody’s expression, he was probably the one talking shit about me. Earl sat at the head as usual. I took my seat beside him but he barely acknowledged my presence. We’d had arguments in the past, especially when I was a hot-blooded teen but it had never felt final. This time, it felt as if a rift had opened up between us that couldn’t easily be bridged. I wasn’t sure how to close it, wasn’t sure I wanted to try.

To my surprise, Earl didn’t open the meeting with the most obvious topic: the kidnapping. Instead, he wanted to discuss new routes for our weapon transports and a possible co-operation with other MCs. Considering how many we’d killed over the years, I doubted there would be many willing to talk, even if the Famiglia was a common enemy.

I was close to bursting when we were finally ready to move on to the next topic.

“How about we discuss Vitiello now?” I said, failing to mask my annoyance.

There were a few chuckles from older members who probably felt reminded of my teenage days when I constantly interrupted Earl and got banned from the table several times for my hot-blooded outburst.

Earl’s eyes cut to me, full of fury. “There’s nothing to discuss at this point. Vitiello fails to get off his high horse and as long as that’s the case, the Italian whore stays with us.”

The insult incited a new wave of rage in me which I had trouble extinguishing. I slammed my fist down on the table. “Tartarus doesn’t torture women. We deal with our enemies, not their children. We want Vitiello and he offered himself to us. Let’s finally get our revenge. It’s time. I call for a vote.”

Earl sank back in his chair, but his played calm didn’t fool anyone. His eyes reflected the same fury I felt. If it wouldn’t have made him look weak, he would have shouted right back at me and refused the vote.

“Then let’s vote,” he said with a harsh smile. “Who’s voting for yes, we should keep the Vitiello whore until Luca Vitiello shows us the respect we deserve and has suffered for all the brothers he tortured and killed. Or no, if you want to end this quickly for him and his spawn.”

I gritted my teeth. The way he worded it, the vote was already lost. I could see it in the expressions of my club brothers and their affirmative nods.

As expected, only three voted with no, Gunnar, Gray, and I, while the rest, more than ten men voted to keep Marcella and let Luca suffer through her. Maybe I should have seen it coming. The more moderate voices in our club had become Nomads over the years or joined smaller chapters of Tartarus in Texas or up north because they didn’t want to be involved in our revenge plans. The men who remained now were absolutely loyal to Earl and in line with his radical views.

When the meeting was over, I stayed in my chair and watched how my club brothers went to the bar to celebrate a successful meeting. Gunnar touched my shoulder in passing. “You tried,” he said. “Soon this will be over and then we can focus on better things than revenge.”

I nodded, but I didn’t believe it.

Earl spotted me and came back in, towering over me. “The whore needs to move out of your room, Mad. She’s messing with your mind. It’s the Vitiello gene. This is our moment of revenge, don’t allow her to ruin it.”

I got up and gave Earl a forced smile. “The last few weeks took a toll on me, Earl. That’s all. I just want to get my hands on Vitiello before he slips away.”

“He can’t. Not this time. Now let’s celebrate.”

I followed him toward the bar and shared a couple of drinks with the club, to put their suspicions to rest and as a goodbye to those who wouldn’t survive.

I’d sworn to get revenge on Luca Vitiello, to make him bleed emotionally and later, physically. I wanted him to suffer as much as I’d suffered.

Marcella had been the means to an end. She was meant to be the ransom we needed to get our hands on Vitiello. I’d despised her before I’d known her, and now this woman owned me in a way I should have never allowed. I hadn’t seen it coming but I should have. Marcella Vitiello was a woman unlike any I’d encountered before.

And today I’d betray my club for her. I’d give up my life goal for her. And maybe I’d even lose my life for her. I’d never thought anything could ever be worth it, least of all a woman. Relationships come and go in a biker’s life, the only lasting bond was that to your club and its brothers, but with Marcella I knew I wanted it to be an until death do us part kind of thing. Of course, death would likely do us part very soon.

She was worth it. Fuck. I knew it now. I’d die a thousand deaths for her.

Taking a last deep drag, I flicked away my cigarette. It was around ten in the morning, and I’d come out here after celebrating with my brothers last night, instead of going to bed. I couldn’t sleep and also couldn’t face Marcella. I needed time to think. Today Marcella was supposed to move back to the kennels, as far away from me as possible. Earl had granted me a few more hours for a fuck with her before she’d be fair game. I’d strolled the premises, had checked the fence, but it was guarded heavily.

I grabbed my phone, then stared down at it as the first sun rays of the cloudy day touched the ground beside my feet. Too many guards surrounded the perimeter for me to save Marcella alone. Fuck.

My pulse pounded when I dialed the number of Vitiello’s nightclub where he had his office. I’d never talked to him before. That had always been Earl’s privilege as prez.

After a few minutes, I was finally put through to the Capo’s cell phone because he wasn’t in the club. I wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t at work. He and his men probably worked 24/7 for a way to save Marcella. “What do you want?” Vitiello asked. His voice was tight with suppressed rage. I could imagine what he wanted to do to me, and I probably deserved it. But Vitiello was the last one who should judge anyone. “You better listen carefully because what I’m telling you next is where you can find Marcella.”

I gave him the address, then added, “You should hurry if you want to protect your daughter from more harm.”

“We both know it’s a fucking trap,” Vitiello growled.

“Does it matter? You’d die for her. This is your chance to prove it.”

He didn’t deny it, and for the first time in my life, I had something in common with my worst enemy. The funny thing was the person probably going to lose his life was me. If Vitiello attacked our clubhouse with the full force of his soldiers, none of us would survive. A quick death was all we could hope for and would probably be denied. “Be quick. Earl has more in store for your daughter.”

“I’ll tear you all apart,” he growled, but I hung up before he could elaborate on his promise. I’d seen what he was capable of.

I sagged against the wall of the shed, staring up at the sky. It was ironic that the sun came out now that I’d decided to destroy the one thing I’d clung to all my life. Then I dragged my eyes to the tattoo of the hellhound on my upper arm. I’d been born into the club. I’d loved it with all my heart, had sworn my loyalty and life to it and my club brothers, but in only a few weeks Marcella had turned my life upside down. Her kidnapping had shown me Tartarus’ ugly head, one I always tried to ignore. I’d still fight at my club brothers’ side and try to kill Vitiello once Marcella was safe. I wanted to help her not spare him.

I pushed away from the wall and went in search of my half-brother. He needed to get away from here before Luca arrived. I found Gray, Gunnar, Cody, and a few others gathered around the table, playing poker, most of them looking like death warmed over from drinking too much. Some of these men were like my friends. They didn’t deserve death, but if I told them about what lay ahead, they’d tell Earl, and he would evacuate everyone and bring Marcella to a new hiding place. Only this time, I wouldn’t be able to protect her. I only had this one chance and I wouldn’t fuck it up for anyone.

“Want to join us and stop moping around, Mad?” Gunnar asked, a cigar between his teeth. “I don’t know why you have your fucking panties in a bunch anyway. If I had a gorgeous woman in my bed, I’d run around grinning from ear to ear.”

“You know me. I want Vitiello’s head as a trophy on our club wall. I won’t be satisfied until that’s the case.”

This still held true. I wanted Vitiello dead. Unfortunately, that desire what at odds with my obsession for his daughter. Maybe it was for the best if Vitiello killed me, then I wouldn’t be faced with that impossible problem.

“You won’t have to wait much longer. Vitiello will cut his own dick off to save his daughter once we’ve all had a go at her,” Cody said with a snicker. Even more than in the past, I felt the urge to smash his stupid face in.

“Hey Gray, I need to talk to you.”

Gray shook his head. “I’m winning here. We can talk later.”

My patience snapped. Vitiello was probably already on the way here with every torture item ever invented on this planet. I stalked over to him and ripped the cards from his hands. “Fold.”

Gray protested then he shook his head. “What’s your fucking problem?”

“My problem is that you don’t follow orders. You’re below me in rank, don’t forget it.”

“For now,” he muttered, a slight slur in his voice. He must have drunk a lot to still be drunk the next morning. This kid drove me up the wall. Cody and Gunnar exchanged looks.

Gray got up. I chose to ignore his comment, even though it was probably true. His jealousy only ever showed when he was drunk. Earl would eventually favor Gray as his successor. He was his son after all. But nothing of that mattered anymore. After today, the main chapter of Tartarus MC would be dead and I was the nail in its coffin. Maybe the Nomads would come together to build a new chapter but I doubted they’d do it close to New York.

Gray followed me outside as I headed into the woods. I didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing us. “What’s so urgent that you ruin my Straight Flush?”

“I need you to head out now and grab a few things for me.”

“No can do. Dad called the entire club in for another meeting around lunch. That’s why we’re all up so early. He has something planned.”

My brows pulled together. Earl hadn’t mentioned it to me. “What is it?”

Gray shrugged. “He usually always shares shit with you, not me.”

I’d thought me celebrating with them last night had convinced Earl of my loyalty, but apparently, he was still suspicious of me. For good reason. “Whatever it is can wait. You need to go now.”

Gray narrowed his eyes, suddenly not appearing drunk anymore. “Why? What’s the matter?”

This discussion was wasting time we didn’t have. I grabbed Gray by the collar. “Listen to me for once and get your ass away from here.”

“What did you do?” he gritted out.

“Leave the clubhouse now.”

He jerked free of my grip. “I’m not running off no matter what.”

I might be able to live with myself if Vitiello killed my club brothers and even Earl, but I’d hate myself forever if Gray died. “Fuck, you moron, Vitiello knows our whereabouts. He’s probably already on the way to kill us all.”

Gray took a step back from me, horrified realization flashing across his face. “You told him?”

“I had to. Earl went too far. We all did. This was never meant to turn into a torture session of his daughter. Vitiello was supposed to pay not her.”

“You’re a traitor!”

He turned on his heel as if to rush back to the house and warn everyone. I didn’t want them all to die but if Gray warned them, Earl might kill Marcella and probably allow every brother to have a go at her before he did. I couldn’t allow it. I pulled out my gun and hit my half-brother over the head with the handle. He sagged to the ground. Grabbing him under his arms, I dragged him into the forest and hid him under a few twigs and leaves. With a little luck, he wouldn’t wake before everything was over. Then at least he would survive. That was all I could do.

I hurried back to the house and paused when I noticed the tattoo machine on the bar counter. “Who’s getting inked?” I asked into the round.

“The whore gets a tattoo she deserves, something really fitting,” Cody said with a nasty smile, obviously enjoying that he knew more than me. He put his cards down. “Full house!”

Gunnar groaned as he put his cards down and the others muttered curses as well.

“A tattoo was never mentioned before,” I said. I failed to mask my shock.

“What Vitiello did needs to be punished accordingly.”

“He needs to pay, not his daughter,” I muttered like a broken record, still hoping against reason that my club brothers would listen.

“It’s Earl’s decision, boy,” Gunnar said diplomatically.

“Has her pussy clouded your judgment?” Cody asked. I gave him the finger. Then I went in search of Earl. I wasn’t even sure why I was still bothering, maybe to convince myself that he hadn’t lost his conscience completely.

I found him at our meeting table, lost in his thoughts, which was never a good thing. The last time he’d made that face had been when we’d found out about a mole in our rows. Only this time I was the fucking mole. “Is it true what Cody says that you want to tattoo Marcella?”

Earl snapped out of his thoughts and narrowed his eyes at me. “She gets what she deserves. I thought we agreed on that last night.”

I shook my head. “This is taking things too far. Let’s grab Vitiello and make him pay.”

Earl shot to his feet and got in my face, and I could tell that I was losing him, his trust and what little affection he was capable of. I wanted to save him, save us, whatever bond we had, but I wasn’t sure how to do it without sacrificing Marcella, and whatever conscience I still had. “I’m not sure you’re still on the right side, son.” For a while I’d loved hearing him call me by that name, but recently it hadn’t sounded like a nice term. I doubted Earl had ever really seen me as his son. He’d appreciated my desire for revenge and that my sad story had created a stronger bond among our men. “Are you going to be a problem?” he snarled.

Cody stormed into the clubhouse. “Gray’s out in the woods. Someone knocked him out.”

Earl followed Cody at once but I turned on my heel and rushed toward my leather jacket thrown over one of the barstools to grab my motorcycle keys then I hurried into the armory. Before I could grab a machine gun, something was smashed against my back and I dropped to my knees with a grunt of pain. My forehead collided with the wall, making stars dance in my vision. I blinked to catch myself. Blood dripped from a cut in my forehead and ran into my left eye as I looked up. Cody stood beside me with a baseball bat in his hand. “Your uncle was right to be suspicious of you. Told me to keep an eye on you while he had a chat with Gray. If the boy tells his Pa that you knocked him out for the whore, you’re dead.”

I lunged at Cody, trying to rip the baseball bat out of his hand, but Earl appeared in the doorway and pointed his gun at me. “Down or I’ll put a bullet in your skull, Mad.”

I sank back down to my knees, my vision dancing before my eyes.

Earl towered over me with a hard smile. “Gray told me you called Vitiello so he could save his little whore.”

Fuck, Gray. I’d hoped the kid would listen to reason and not blindly follow his old man’s judgment, especially when Earl had lost his fucking mind.

“You went too far, Earl. I warned you.”

Earl leaned down, spit flying as he snarled, “This was our revenge.”

“We should leave the premises,” Cody suggested, looking around nervously as if he expected Vitiello to jump out behind the curtain any moment. It was ironic that Vitiello’s appearance was my only hope right now. Who’d ever thought that day would come?

“We won’t run. We have his daughter. He can’t risk too much. Make sure the perimeter is safe and get Gray inside.”

With a nasty smile in my direction, Cody sauntered away.

Earl’s eyes settled on me. For a long time, he’d taken the spot as my father, and he was still the only family I had next to Gray and Mom. I might have lost them with my actions. Maybe I could win their trust back by helping them in their fight against Vitiello. I still wanted the man dead but not at the cost of risking Marcella’s life. No matter how much I hated her father, my feelings for her were even stronger. I was a doomed fucker.

Earl shook his head with a harsh laugh. “Stupid boy.” He aimed the barrel of his shotgun at my head and everything turned black.