Hunter (Brothers of Chaos MC)

Sabrina laid flat on the tree branch and watched the compound. She had been watching for a while now. The early morning light filtered through the leaves and showed that no one was moving inside the locked gates. But she hadn’t expected anyone to be moving around yet, from her perch, she had watched them partying hard the night before.

She’d been here for a week now, watching and studying this place. This was the last place she had heard from her sister Shelby, but she had to make sure. She’d gone into the foster system after their parents died fourteen years ago. At the time, she was supposed to join her sister but somehow that hadn’t worked out. She hadn’t heard anything from Shelby and now, she wanted to know why.

She’d found out from someone by accident that this biker named Odin had wanted Shelby to be his woman or something like that and he’d just taken her. Then the trail went cold. Sabrina could only imagine why. She sure hoped it didn’t mean her sister was dead. She didn’t know why but she hoped to come here to find some answers.

It was early morning, the sun had not even risen, as the silence was broken by the sound of bikes. She turned her head around and watched with wide eyes.

About a dozen bikers rode up to the front gate. The lead rider rushed through the gate opening it up for the rest of the bikers and they rushed the main building. They pushed the row of bikes over from several places so the bikes all ended up in a tangled mess. The crashing sound alerted the bikers inside to the fact there was something going on.

Men poured out of the building and several cabins around the compound. Shots were fired and Sabrina couldn’t help but duck her head. When she raised her head and peeked at the compound, she saw several men down and the bikers were riding around and around the main building. She saw the one they called Odin firing from a spot just inside the main door and his brother Burr had just stepped out of one of the smaller cabins. She knew who he was from watching the compound this last week. One of the riders tossed a rope at Burr and it went around his shoulders. The biker then accelerated his bike and took off through the front gate. Burr flew off his feet and was dragged behind the bike but the biker didn’t stop. He kept going right out the front gate while dragging Burr screaming and kicking all the way.

Then the rest of the riders continued to shoot and ride around the building then they followed the first biker. The men in the compound scrambled as the last biker leaving the compound paused long enough to light the wick of a bottle and toss it on the wrecked bikes. The MC scattered and the bottle broke spilling gas and fire over everything. It took only moments, then fire whooshed over the pile of bikes.

The last rider didn’t stay to watch but instead, roared away into the distance.

Sabrina turned her head to watch the fire then had to duck again as one of the bikes in the fire blew up, sending smoking hot metal and debris everywhere. Some of the bikers in the yard screamed as they were hit by the flying metal and shards of debris.

While Sabrina was watching the action, she suddenly cried out and fell from her perch. She hit the ground hard enough to lose her breath for a moment and she had to struggle to catch it and breathe again.

Grasping her side, she winced as she looked into the compound. The men there were more worried about the damage done inside to pay any attention to her. She crawled away from where she’d fallen and made it back to her truck. She struggled to pull herself into the driver’s seat. Her hands were trembling as they gripped the wheel. She got the engine started and moved the vehicle to a better hiding place.

She shut the engine down and finally looked at her right side. Her shirt and jeans were stained with blood. She cried out when she pulled the material away from the wound. She could see there was an ugly tear in her side. With a shaky hand, she plucked a shard of metal from one of the bikes out of the wound as she held her breath with the pain. Then fresh blood seeped out of her skin.

She grabbed a stack of fast food napkins she found in the door panel and pressed them against her side. Tears rolled down her face as she waited for the bleeding to stop. She tipped her head back and fresh tears rolled down her face as she held the wad of napkins to her side. For a moment all she could do was sob in pain.

Suddenly, she could hear bike engines. She opened her eyes and listened carefully. Opening her door, she pushed it open and stumbled from the vehicle. Walking carefully, she moved down the road and ducked around a tree near the edge of the road. She could hear men yelling.

Then she frowned as she saw the bikers that just tore up the Blood Vikings compound. The men circled Burr who was tied up and in the middle of their circle.

He was scowling but sweating. “What the fuck is this?” Burr screamed.

Sabrina couldn’t believe this. She knew MCs fought but to see it up close was surreal.

“This is justice for a fallen brother,” the biggest guy told him. “Twelve years ago, you came to our small town and shot him dead in the streets. Then you kidnapped my woman, Shelby and my daughter Phoebe. You drove them to the fucking desert at Big Bend… you stopped at the edge of the desert and took my daughter away from her mother. You stupid ass fucker.” The big man stomped forward and hit Burr in the mouth.

Burr flew a few feet away and ended up laid out in the dirt. He groaned but slowly got to his feet. Spitting blood out at the big guy’s feet he snarled, “Shelby was never your woman, Thunder. Odin wanted her but she liked playing games.”

Thunder grabbed Burr’s shirt and lifted him off his feet. “She was my woman. She never wanted Odin.”

“Why did it take you twelve fucking years to figure it out and come here then?” Burr asked.

The big guy hauled him closer and growled, “Because we never knew what happened that day. My daughter finally made it home again.”

“That’s bloody impossible!” Burr shouted. “She died that day.”

“Because you wrapped a fucking rope around her neck and knocked her out leaving her to strangle to death. She was only eight years old, you bastard!” Thunder roared. “Lucky for her, your fucking rope frayed and she lived. But she never remembered what happened to her until recently.”

Burr sneered. “Oh, yeah? That’s some bad luck for her then huh? Do you know what your fucking woman did? When I left her in the car with Packo, she somehow got his weapon and shot him in the head. Then she took off with my car. She left her little girl behind too. She didn’t even look for her, she just drove off. She pushed Packo’s body out of the car just as I was coming back from taking care of the brat. She left me standing there in the dust.”

Thunder hauled back his fist and smashed it into Burr’s face again. Burr’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp. Thunder dropped him down into the dirt and kicked him a few times in the ribs. He just couldn’t help himself.

He nodded at one of his men and growled. “Wake this fool up. I want him to experience every moment of what’s coming.”

One of the bikers took a water bottle from his saddlebag and started to pour it on Burr’s face.

He groaned as he began thrashing around. “What the fuck?” Burr screamed. “Are you trying to drown me?”

Thunder knelt beside the downed man. “No fucker, but I want you wide awake for this next part. I want you to panic as the rope tightens around your fucking throat and cut’s off your air supply. You’re a grown man but can you imagine the panic a kid would feel to experience this?”

Burr snarled at him but didn’t say anything.

Thunder leaned down and spoke in a harsh voice, “I saw the scars you left on her throat and chest. I also saw where the rope cut into her tiny wrists. Only I want to watch you struggle to breathe your last breath.”

“This is murder you fucker,” Burr whispered. “Odin will kill you for this.”

Thunder rolled his eyes as one of his brothers brought him a rope. He began winding it around Burr’s throat.

Burr tried to pull away but found he couldn’t. The rope bit down into his skin and he tried to swallow.

Thunder wrapped the rope around his throat a second time.

Burr began to fight a little harder. He tried breathing shallow but he found he couldn’t. He began to struggle now but with his hands tied behind his back, the rope tightened on his throat. He could feel the bite of the rope and he could feel his skin swelling between the strands.

Thunder was holding the two ends of the rope and he loosened it from around Burr’s throat. “I need to know something before you die. How did you find her after all that time?”

Burr sneered. “I had a phone call. Seems like one of your own wanted to be rid of your woman. She told me where I could find Shelby and it didn’t bother her a bit that I might kill the bitch.”

Thunder pulled the rope tighter around the man’s throat and this time, he didn’t let go.

Burr thrashed and fought to live but it didn’t do him any good. Then his struggles got less and less and finally he stopped struggling altogether.

“Boss, let him go.” Another biker slapped Thunder on the shoulder. “Don’t throw your life away for that bastard.”

Thunder let go of the rope.

Burr still didn’t move but they could all see his chest slowly rise and fall as he could finally breathe again.

Sabrina held her breath. What did all this mean? They spoke about Shelby! She didn’t know what the hell was going on.