Click – Brothers At Arms #5

When Desi opened her eyes the next morning, she was surrounded by heat. She tried to move away from the source of it but she found she couldn’t move. Confused, she looked up and found her hands zip tied. Looking closer, she could see they were zip tied to the bed frame too. She frowned then turned her head slowly to the source of the heat.

 A man was lying beside her and she studied him for a moment. His hair looked dark and curly just a little on the long side. His cheekbones were high. He had a square jaw and a stubble of facial hair. With broad shoulders, his body was solid and well formed. Huge arms with rippling muscles. His waist was tapered and his thighs were huge.

Looking back up at his face, she noted his eyes were a clear blue color. Then she realized the man beside her was awake and she tried to scoot as far away from him as she could get.

Smiling, he gathered her close to him again. “Aww, sweetness, I liked you better close to me. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself trying to get away from me. I won’t hurt you.”

“Who are you?” she whispered. “And why do you have me tied to your bed?”

He laughed. “I wish I could say it was for some kinky reason, but alas, it wasn’t.”

She was totally confused now and she saw nothing to laugh about. “So, why are you in this bed with me?”

He shrugged his shoulders a little. “You were having nightmares. I simply tried to comfort you.”

“Comfort?’ she exclaimed. “By tying me up? That’s probably why I had nightmares in the first place, you jerk.”

He paused then chuckled. “Jerk eh? Well, look who trespasses then calls me names.” He scoffed as he grinned at her. “They call me Click. This is the Brothers at Arms MC.”

“You guys are bikers?” She frowned. “I thought this place belonged to the Raggetti’s?”

Click snorted. “We bought it from Alfredo Raggetti seven years ago but this place is ours,” he corrected her assumption. Then he thought about what she said. “Wait a minute.” He glared at her. “You came here looking for the Raggetti’s?”

Desi growled. “Why I came here is none of your business,” she snapped at him.

“Oh, I disagree, sweetness.” Click sat up and turned his back to her. “You came at the wrong time and now, we can’t let you leave until this is over.”

“You can’t keep me here. I haven’t done anything wrong.” She snarled.

Click shook his head. “Sorry sugar, but you stepped right into the middle of a takedown and it might end up killing you. If Barrett Raggetti has any say in it, he wants to take all of us down.”

Desi frowned. “But why?”

Click turned around and stared at her. “Because he thinks his grandfather left a fucking fortune here for him.”

“What?” She did not understand any of this.

Click nodded at her confused look. “And the only thing that tops that is the fact that his grandfather stole millions from the Family to do it.”

“The Family?” Desi asked as sweat beaded her forehead.

Click shrugged again. “The Family. You know… the mob or whatever you want to call them. Barrett’s grandfather belonged to the mafia once upon a time. He took what he wanted and didn’t even care that he was breaking the rules. He thumbed his nose at the Family and hid his ill-gotten gains here. Then he told Barrett and his boys about it. So far, we’ve recovered millions of dollars and returned it to the mob.”

“And Barrett’s own money? Have you found that yet?” Desi asked.

Click turned to face her. “Barrett has his own money?”

Desi swallowed hard and nodded. “Barrett is a thief, a liar, and a killer. A trifecta of a bastard. And he taught everything he knows to his sons.”

“Yeah, well that’s not news but the rest of what you said might be.” Click scooted off the mattress and came around to her side of the bed. He flicked his knife open and cut the zip tie that held her to the frame. Next, he lifted her to her feet and began dragging her to the door of his room.

Desi fought his hold but Click wouldn’t let her go. “I have to go to the restroom, do you mind?” she growled.

Click turned her around then marched her over. Opening the door in a hurry, he hustled her into the bathroom. He pushed her toward the toilet and turned his back, leaving her to it.

Desi growled and used the facilities, which was difficult with her hands still tied together. But she managed. When she was done, he moved over to the toilet and it was her turn to turn her back while he peed. With disgust, she seethed. “This is fucking ridiculous. I don’t even know you and you are sharing a bathroom with me?”

“Sorry sugar.” He snorted with humor. “But trespassers can’t dictate what happens after they’ve been caught.”

Desi grunted in anger.

With yet another chuckle at her sass, Click opened the door and together they went out into the main room. Stopping at a table, Click said, “Hey Diabolus. You need to go get Zeus.”

Diabolus had been staring at a laptop. He looked up at him and then over at Desi.

His look of surprise at the sight of her made Click want to laugh some more but all he did was smile. “I found her last night, sneaking around the fence.”

“Who the fuck is she?” Diabolus wanted to know.

Click shrugged. “She won’t give me her name.”

Diabolus snarled and stood from the table then he disappeared down the hall.

Moments later, the room began to fill with men in various stages of being dressed.

Desi’s eyes got huge at the growing crowd as she moved closer to Click.

Click just snorted at her movement.

Three of the men came over to where Click stood and glared at him then turned their displeasure to her. They studied her for a moment then one of them asked her, “Who the fuck are you and what did you come here for?” He growled.

Desi shivered, as his voice was loud and menacing. Not to mention the man was towering over her. She glared at him and fought off the fear of his intimidating presence. He might look scary but she wouldn’t answer his questions. One thing her grandfather always told her was to stand her ground and never cower. If you did that, you were done.

Next, an older man entered the room and her gaze swung over to him. Dressed sharply in an expensive suit he had eyes like an eagle and a bearing that was almost regal.

Her eyes widened when she realized who or what he was and her palms got sweaty. So much for standing your ground. Desi knew this man and if he looked at her closer, he would know her too. She ducked behind Click.

Click was surprised at her sudden fear. It was odd how she had changed in an instant. Billowing fire one minute then meek as a lamb the next. She’d been a tough nut just a minute ago. He turned his head to look at Leon.

Leon caught sight of her and frowned as he paused then he came over to join them. “Is there a problem here?” he asked Zeus as he looked around the small group of men.

Zeus growled and said, “One of my men found someone sneaking around the fence line last night. She refuses to tell us who she is or what she’s doing here.”

Click reached around behind him to pull her out and around to face them.

The girl stared down at the floor and refused to look at them.

Leon reached out to gently grasp her jaw and raised her face to his own. He stared at her dark hair and unusual eyes. He paused to study her for a long minute. “What is your name, child?”

“My name is unimportant,” she insisted.

“Oh, I disagree. If you have no name then what are we to call you?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

She refused to reply.

“You must have a reason to be here,” Leon went on in a very soft voice. Too soft in fact. “No one would sneak onto property this well guarded if they did not have a damn good reason. So what are you doing here?”

“I’m not here to harm you or these bikers,” she insisted. “But my mission here is my business not yours and not theirs either.” She motioned her head to the men around her.

“She said something this morning about Barrett having his own money,” Click interjected. “But she didn’t say how she knew that.”

She turned to glare at him. “What are you, a damn tattletale?”

Click grabbed her by the shoulders and let her have it, “Listen, whoever you are, I’m part of this family, and as such, I will not put anyone’s life in danger by keeping secrets. That means you, included. We got a hell of a mess going on here, a mess that’s dangerous. To me, to them and to you, so don’t you give me any grief about not keeping what you told me this morning secret. This is a need to know situation and we all need to know.”

“Does that mean you need to know where Barrett is hiding?” She mocked his need to know statement. “Does that mean you need to know that he’s wounded and bleeding?”

Click narrowed his eyes at her. “Yeah, that sort of thing is what we need to know. Why didn’t you tell me all that last night? Why would you not tell me sooner? We could have gotten him already.”

“Because you would have gotten him medical help and he’s a man that deserves to die in the filthy dirt from where he came.” She growled. “He’s the one who deserves to bleed out and die in the same kind of pain he caused others to endure time and time again.”

Leon shook his head. “That, mio caro, is not for you to judge.”

“Fuculo,” she swore in Italian and snarled. “Maybe I have a good reason to judge that Bastardo. Un fastidio per il mondo.” A nuisance to the world.

Leon froze when he heard her curse and then he shook his head. “You do your grandfather proud. Girmondo would be smiling if he ever heard you.”

Staring at him, her face went utterly ashen. “My grandfather is dead!” She fairly screamed at him. “Barrett’s bastard sons shot him down in cold blood after they set his barn on fire. He was on his way to let the animals out when they shot an unarmed man down. I escaped out the back door and had to watch as those fuckers set fire to the house and machine shed. I had to stay hidden as the firefighters worked hard to contain the fire. I had to leave my grandfather laying in the dirt to get away. Would that make him proud, Senor? Would that make my grandfather smile? I don’t think so.” She pulled out of Click’s hold on her and walked wearily over to the table and sat down. Raising her zip tied hands up, she wiped her tears away from her face. Then she laid her face on the table and wept.

Zeus looked over at Leon and growled under his breath. “Who is she?”

Leon shrugged. “I don’t know her name but I know her grandfather. The man had a phrase that always made me laugh. ‘A nuisance to the world.’ He was usually right too, when he said it. His name is Girmondo Luccanto. We were children together in New York City before my father moved us to Boston. I think I heard he moved to somewhere in Montana the last I knew.” He shook his head, “I’m sorry to hear about his death. He was a good man.”

Click walked over to the table and pulling out his knife, he cut the zip ties from her wrists.

The woman just didn’t seem to care anymore though. She didn’t look at him. She just sat there with tears on her face and a faraway look in her eyes. As if telling her story had brought it all back and she was suffering in silence.

“What do you know about the man?” Zeus asked Leon.” Her grandfather. Like what would he have to do with all of this?”

“I don’t know what happened between him and the Ragettis. But I know he lived with strong convictions.” Leon pondered. “He left New York City as a young man and made his way west. I received a letter after he got settled in Montana. He found himself a woman and soon they were working the land. I heard they had one child, a girl I think and then I heard his wife died in childbirth along with his second child. He raised his daughter alone and when the time came, she left him to make her own life. I don’t know what she did but I did hear she ended up in New York City again.”

“She left Montana to find her relatives in New York,” the woman at the table finally spoke up. “On her way there, she stopped in Chicago for a few days. While there, she met Barrett. He wanted her but she knew he was married and to her that was a sin she wouldn’t commit. But Barrett wouldn’t let her go, he kept her prisoner for three weeks. He used and abused her during that time then he kicked her to the curb. She escaped and made her way to New York. He found her fourteen years later. He was there on business and he wanted her again. When she told him no, let’s just say he didn’t take the news all that well. I came home from school and found her on the floor in a pool of her own blood. She hung on long enough to tell me who killed her. I always knew he was out there somewhere but I prayed he would never find us.” She hung her head. “My prayers went unanswered. I left the city and went back to Montana to my grandfather’s place. When my grandfather found out what happened, Barrett was already in prison so he went after the sons. That ended up killing him.”

The silence when she finished telling them about what happened echoed through the main room.

“I loro peccati non finiranno mai?” Will their sins never fucking end? Leon swore in his own language.