Grave: Royal Devils MC, #1

Chapter One

I don’t know, brother, Psycho says as he scratches at the back of his neck. I don’t need his agreement on this.

You don’t need to know, Psycho. Just need to know it’s gonna happen, I tell him as I check the ammo in my gun. When I’m satisfied that I’m good, I shove the gun into the back of my jeans. Freak looks between us, not really saying a whole lot which I expected from him. Preacher, on the other hand, he has a lot to say.

I’m not sayin’ this is a bad thing but why do you need to do it so soon? I thought we were plannin’ this shit out? he asks, looking right at me. I let out a long breath before grabbing my beer and taking a long pull.

Plans change, yeah?

Fuck that, Grave! He’s the fuckin’ prez, but even more, he’s your dad. You sure you want it to go down like this? I have no problem steppin’ up and you know it. I smirk at Preacher, knowing damn well he’d like the chance to put a bullet in my dad’s head. Most of the guys in this club would. Hell, even other chapters would love a shot at this motherfucker, but there are rules that have to be followed which leaves it to me.

I have no problem steppin’ up either, Preacher. This is my place, man. I know what I’m doin’. Let’s just get this shit over with and I’ll deal with what comes next. The guys all look at me and nod their heads as the bastard himself walks into the room.

You bitches havin’ a meetin’? He chuckles, looking around the room. Too bad he doesn’t realize the meeting is about him.

No, Prez. Just gettin’ ready for the run, Psycho tells him.

Better be, he huffs and walks back out of the room. Cash, our president, my father. The piece of shit bastard who only cares about how much money he has in his pocket and if he has the purest white powder filling his nose. We’ve always butted heads, even when I was a kid. Now that I’m a man and a part of this club, which wasn’t an easy feat in itself, he hates me more. The way I look at it? If he hates me, then he should fear me. He doesn’t know the kind of monster he created. My life has been a series of beatings, starvation, you name it, I endured it. Cash always said it was to make me stronger. He succeeded. I’m one of the strongest this club has, and they all know it.

Fuck! I growl, tossing my bottle into the trash and heading out the back door. Stepping into the cold air, I inhale. Chicago has been my home since I was born. My mom wasn’t born here, but my dad was. She came to live here in the Windy City when she was ten. That’s when she first met my dad.

I don’t know about all this, Grave. I look over my shoulder to see my best friend, Psycho. We grew up in this club together.

Why not?

He’s got the older brothers on his side, Grave. Us younger ones would follow you to the end of time and you know that, but the others? I don’t see them turnin’ a blind eye, brother. He’s right and I know he is, but that isn’t going to stop me from moving forward.

I get it, but once I’m voted in, fuck what they think, yeah? They can choose to drop their colors if that’s what they want, I tell him as I pull a joint from behind my ear and light it up.

I hear ya, but that don’t mean they will.

Thought you were on my side here? I snap a little louder than I needed to.

Fuck you, Grave! I am and you know that. I’m just afraid of the blowback. Cash has been here for a long fuckin’ time. Some of these bastards still think the way he runs this club is the right way. They won’t back down, that’s all I’m sayin’! Dragging my hand through my hair, I blow smoke into the night air, watching as it rolls with the wind.

I know that, and I agree. There’s gonna be blowback, but I want to minimize that as much as I can. Psycho walks closer, resting his hand on my shoulder before looking me in the eye.

I get it, brother, and I got your back. Whatever it is you choose, he says reassuringly. I nod my head and pass him the joint just as I hear gunshots ringing through the night. Psycho and I share a look before moving. We both turn, grabbing our guns as we rush in the back door and down the hall. Guys are yelling, shots are being fired. What the hell is going on here? As soon as we round the corner into the main room, I take a quick look around. A few guys are down, but even more are firing toward the door. I move, dropping behind a flipped table for a little shelter.

Preacher? I call out, trying to gauge the situation.

I’m good! Watch your ass! We all continue to fire, seeing a few of the enemies go down. I don’t understand what’s happening right now. This is our clubhouse! Granted, it’s a shithole that needs to be torn down, but it’s still ours. This is the one place that I grew up. I didn’t have a home like most kids, I had this.

Freak! I hear Preacher calling for one of our brothers.

I’m good! I take a deep breath before standing and glancing around. It feels like everything moves in slow motion. The bullets fly, but I can’t hear a damn thing. One bullet rips through my side as I spin around to fire at whoever it was that shot me. Our eyes lock and just as I’m about to pull the trigger, he fires first. Each bullet hits me, knocking the air from my lungs. Pain radiates through my body as I slowly fall to the floor. The last person I see… is him.

Chapter Two

I blink rapidly and glance around at my surroundings. I’m in a fucking hospital. Dropping my head back onto the pillow, I sigh. I can’t believe this shit is happening.

You’re awake. I look up when a nurse walks in smiling.

Unfortunately. What the hell happened?

You were shot five times. Had surgery to repair some minor issues. Overall, you are lucky to be alive. You actually weren’t alive for a bit, but the doctor got you back, she says, checking some kind of bag hanging above me.

What is that?

Antibiotics, pain medicine and fluids. We don’t want you to become dehydrated, she adds. I look up at her as she does her job. She’s cute. Not the kind of girl I’d typically fuck with but she’s not bad to look at.

When can I get outta here?

You’re going to be here at least a few days. It’s going to take a while for these to heal. The doctor patched up the ones that went through and got the one out that didn’t. Just relax and let the medicine work.

Has anyone been here? I need to know if that bastard came by here to see if I was dead or not.

No. We tried to find some contact information, but we didn’t find your wallet. We still have you down as John Doe so now that you’re awake, we can get the paperwork all filled out and contact your family. My family. Fuck my family. They are nothing to me now. Nothing! I can’t believe it. When I saw him standing there, the look on his face, the hatred in his eyes, I felt betrayed. Like he knew what I was planning, and he wanted to end it before I started it, but who would have told him? None of my brothers that were closest to me would do it. I trust them with my life. So why aren’t they here?

Sir? I must have been lost in my own little world for a second.

Sorry. What did you say? Confusion is a bitch.

I said what’s your name? She smiles sweetly.

James. James Hawthorne. Lies. I wouldn’t tell these motherfuckers my real name if my goddamn life depended on it.

Well, Mr. Hawthorne, if you have family I can contact for you, just jot down the number. She smiles, passing me a pen and a small pad of paper. I shake my head but take it as I let my head fall back onto the pillow. That’s the pain medicine. Try to rest. She leaves the room as I replay what happened in my head. Those guys weren’t any of us. They weren’t Royal Devils, yet he was. My fucking dad, our president! That son of a bitch is going to pay for this. He’s going to pay for what he’s done. Even as the medicine slowly tries to pull me under, I fight to stay awake. I push the button, getting the nurse back in here.

Everything okay?

Did they find my phone?

Yes, would you like it? I think I might have a charger that will fit, she says sweetly. God, she is making me sick to my stomach with all that nice shit. I nod my head and watch as she leaves once more. She returns not long after with my phone and a charger. She plugs it all in and passes it to me as I think it over. Preacher scrambled it a long time ago, so no one can get my location. I smile back at the little nurse as she leaves the room once more. I turn the phone on and quickly scan my messages. Not a damn thing from any of them. What the hell? What the fuck is happening? I dial the one person who doesn’t hold any loyalty to anyone.

Yeah?

Hey, Mystic.

Grave? Shit, brother, been a while. How’ve you been?

Not good. You heard anything about the Chicago Devils lately?

No, just their clubhouse got shot up by a rival. Fuck! I take a breath and try to calm every emotion ripping away at my insides.

You didn’t hear shit from me, yeah?

What the fuck is goin’ on, Grave? he asks, sounding concerned.

Not sure yet. You never heard from me. I’ll get back to you later. I hang up on him and quickly dial Prince down in Florida.

What?

Someone’s pissy.

Who the fuck is this?

It’s Grave.

Grave? Jesus, I ain’t talked to anyone in the Chicago Devils in years. What’s goin’ on? Here we are. It’s time to put my trust in one of my brothers who isn’t a part of my chapter.

There’s a situation. I need to know what you think of Cash, the prez out here. This isn’t the ideal way of doing things, but at the same time, this isn’t the ideal situation either. That son of a bitch put five bullets in me. He left me for dead. He watched me, his own son, as I laid there and bled out. He fucking killed me. I died! Prince snorts into the line and I know this is going to get good.

"Can’t stand the motherfucker. He’s shady as fuck. I know many who want his ass out