Warlords MC: Book 4 – Deuce : Chapter 14

By dawn, they were all on their way to the safe house. They’d made one from an old warehouse about ten miles from the farm. It had weapons, supplies, surveillance, and room for them all. Still, it wasn’t home, as all the brothers now felt that the farm was that for the Bridges family.

Charli had been so upset that she looked like she would cry the whole time they were packing. But like her strong self, she never let the tears slip.

Deuce felt so bad for her. The farm had been in her family for generations and her kin were all buried there as well. It was the only home, she’d ever known. She took pride in it and took care of it as she had promised her grandfather, Ben Braaken before he died.

Shay had left right after Traven did, looking like a raging storm, which was in itself rare, as he usually never showed much on his face.

Joker had set up surveillance on the farm, so they could remotely keep an eye on it.

They had to get out under the cover of darkness, so they wouldn’t be spotted by any of Widowmaker’s men.

King and Maggie went ahead to check the roads out to make sure no one new in the area was lurking around to tail them.

They had called back at about 5 a.m. to report it all seemed to be clear.

Now here, they were, arriving at the safe house just as dawn came.

They moved themselves and their belongings into the warehouse.

Charli had two large bins, packed with the family photos and paintings, along with old glassware and her families’ prized gun collection. It was a huge couple of heavy bins they had loaded out and then into the warehouse. She believed it would be all she would have left of the Braaken’s legacy.

Jade took a sleeping Annabelle down the hall to where there were 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Ace and his brothers had built all this themselves over the last six months or so. They had a kitchen, a huge living space, a security bunker, a safe room, and cameras all around the outside. It was manned with alarms as well. The buildings walls had been made with bulletproof material that Shay had shipped to them, months ago. It was truly the safest place they could hope to be.

They’d all been quiet after they settled in. None of them were happy about this move and the news that Widowmaker would supposedly be free today. Free to launch an attack on them.

Jade, Maggie and Charli all fixed breakfast. They all never thought about sleep as none of them could and they knew it. They had coffee, and got the security up, along with settling their bags in each of the rooms.

It was now 11 a.m. and the waiting with the lack of sleep was staring to tug at them all.

Luna had been silent all night and through this morning. Never looking at anyone.

After he’d help to bring in the rest of their bags and checked the armory for weapons and ammo, Deuce found her far across the room, by herself in a chair. He went over and knelt down to take her hands into his. “Baby, talk to me.”

Her lip was trembling as she shook her head.

“Come on, tell me.”

“What is there to say?” she asked in a low whisper. “Here we are, running from my supposed psycho father. And Charli…” Her voice faded away. “… will lose her home, all because you picked me up on that damn road.”

Deuce shook his head. “No, not because of that.”

“Yes!” Her voice rose. “I led them to your family with that tracker.” Tears filled her eyes. “I will not blame any of your brothers for hating me and refusing to accept me.” She sniffled through her tears. “When this is all over…”

Deuce stilled and tightened his hold on her hands. “What?”

“I will leave,” she sobbed out. “I will want to. I cannot face them after this. I brought this downfall. All in my need for revenge. I never thought about how it could hurt someone else.” She removed her hands from his hold and swiped at her tears. “It is for the best. I refuse to be the wedge between you and your family. I won’t be!”

Deuce let out a sigh. “But you are my family too.”

“No, I am not!” Her brown eyes gleamed with pain and misery. “I am just a girl… that you picked up on the road that somehow, caught your fancy.”

“Bullshit!” a voice said from behind Deuce.

They both looked up at King.

He looked pissed. “You are the woman that Deuce has chosen for himself. So, you are part of us now.”

Deuce felt relieved but then again, he’d expected no less from King or any of his brothers.

Luna peered up at King in disbelief. “How can you say that after what I brought to your family?”

King stared down at her. “Your presence may have brought this circumstance, maybe. But you brought us closer to where we all needed to be. For a quest, we have been on for years. You brought us a final bid on something that has haunted us for a very long time. You didn’t be bring destruction. We did. Deuce here did, when he went looking for Whittaker. Hell, I did when I went looking for the Gauntlet and Ace, Joker, Jack. We all waited and have wanted this man to be gone. None of this is your fault, nor your doing.”

Ace, Jack and Joker came to stand beside him. They all gave her a nod.

“You will not leave Deuce or the Bridges family, you got that?” Ace glared at her.

Blinking at them all, she looked more than shocked. “B-but I thought you all h-hated me?”

“No, we never did. We were careful about you is all,” Jack stated.

“Well, I welcomed you as a babe, myself,” Joker added with a grin.

King shook his head and bopped Joker on the back of his head with his large hand.

“Hey!” Joker rubbed the spot where he’d smacked him.

Luna looked back and forth and for the first time in hours— she smiled. “Are you guys always so…”

Ace tilted his head at her. “So… what?”

“Good looking?” King supplied.

“Nah, nah…that would be me,” Jack announced.

“Hell no! You are washed up and off the market asshole. It would be me who is the hot one.” Joker nodded.

“Shut up fools,” King piped up. “Everyone knows the King has it all.”

Ace let a grin show on his lips as he stated, “But an ACE trumps you all.”

Luna stared at them all.

Deuce shook his head as he chuckled. “Fucking buffoons.”

Luna stood from her chair and said, “Well, I will have to differ from all of that.”

Deuce stood and felt a tightening in his chest as he realized their lectures may not have gotten through to her.

Stepping forward, Luna took Deuce’s hand into hers. “This deuce right here tops and trumps you all. I would rather have a roll of the dice…that is twice as nice.”

Deuce felt relief wash over him as he cracked a smile.

“Whoa!” Joker exclaimed. “She just dissed us but good!”

They all laughed.

A beeping sound came from Joker’s laptop as he rushed over to the large table where it sat.

The group all followed him.

On the screen was Charli’s farm.

Charli herself sat in a chair away from the table, she didn’t seem to want to watch.

At first, the sound from the video feed was odd. A low rumbling.

Deuce met Ace’s gaze. They both knew the sound of a jet when they heard one. In fact, all the brothers seemed to take a deep breath, as they were all familiar with this particular sound.

Joker tapped on his keys to get a different angle. “It’s the camera up on the barn,” he informed them.

They watched as he tapped keys to span the camera angle upwards.

It was obvious when they all saw it, as even Ace gasped. “An F-15E Strike Eagle?”

King nodded. “The man knows what is deadly enough. It will only take one missile to wipe out the entire place.”

“One?” Charli called out as she stood.

Ace looked over at her. “I’m sorry baby.”

Charli slowly came over while looking pale and shaky. “I-its just wood and walls. Not us. At least we aren’t there to-to…” Her eyes were now on the screen as she could see the jet closer now.

Ace went over and hugged her close, pressing her face to his large chest. “Baby Girl, you don’t have to watch.”

They could all hear her sobbing.

Deuce felt his throat swell up. His rage grew as her sobs grew louder.

Then the camera caught the jet firing.

“Oh fuck,” Joker stated quietly.

Then as fast as that—the camera on the barn went black.

Silence filled the room. All except Charli’s small sobs.

“God dammit!” King swore.

Ace looked livid like he might just kill someone as he tried to sooth his woman with his large hand rubbing along her back.

Jack jumped back and started to pace, anger and sadness on his face. Jade came up to him and he stopped to grab her and embrace her.

Deuce pulled a crying Luna to his side and rubbed her hair softly with his hand. This was like a death had just occurred in the Bridges family. That ole farm had been a member, really. Their home. A place that Charli had fought off drug lords to keep. A place her Grandpa Ben fought for and died for.

Joker sighed then tapped some keys. Then he gasped. “What the Fuck?”

“Just shut the damn thing off!” Ace yelled.” We don’t need to see—”

The hell we don’t!” Joker exclaimed. “Oh man, we needed to see this!”

Deuce looked down at the screen and his mouth actually popped open.

Luna gasped and covered her mouth.

They all looked over and came closer.

It was another camera angle from the back of the old house high up in a tree.

They all stood in shock and watched the destruction…