Striker’s Claim by Lila Fox
Chapter Fifteen
Striker couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so pissed. When he got back to the club, he helped her out of the car and kissed her. “You go on in, and I’ll be back later.”
He could tell she was upset, but he was proud when she only nodded and told him to be safe.
“I will. Now stay in the club. I don’t want you out at all until I get back.”
“Okay.”
He waited until she was in the building before he whistled to get the attention of everyone who was outside.
“Guys, there are four guys and a woman who tried to take Kris from us, and I want to spend some special time with them.”
They all laughed.
One of the guys stuck his head out the door. “Hey, boss, Kristina got another call.”
He nodded. “I want the place surrounded. I’ll be back in a second.”
He walked in to see Kris staring at the phone like it was a snake.
“Hey,” he whispered. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “I want you to tell your sister that you’re coming, but you can’t find the key to the truck. Once you do, you’ll be there.”
She nodded and cleared her throat. “Hello?”
“Where the fuck are you?” Casey bellowed.
“I’m coming, I promise. I can’t find the keys to the truck. Once I find them, I’ll be there.”
“Have you told anyone about me calling?”
“Tell her no,” he murmured against her ear.
“No, of course not. Settle down. I’m coming soon.”
“Okay. Hurry.”
He took the phone from her shaky hand and put it back on the bar before pulling her tightly against him.
“Everything’s going to be all right.”
She nodded and patted his arms. He could tell she was upset but trying really hard to hide it from him. He’d deal with that later. Right now, he had a score to settle.
“I’ll be back.”
He called for one of the sweetbutts, Connie, because she looked the closest to Kris’s build, and she could drive. Then he waited until they were outside. “I’m going to have you drive. You’ll go slow and when you see the woman, pull in several yards from her in the shade and park. Stay in the truck until my boys come out and then get down.”
“You got it, Striker.”
He got in front while a few guys lay down in the back of the truck. He crouched down when they got close.
“Don’t talk. I don’t want them to see it and know you’re not alone.”
She hummed but otherwise didn’t move.
“Good girl.”
He felt the truck slow and then turn. “Just sit there like that. Now honk.”
The horn blasted, and his men came out of everywhere. They had all four men, and Kristina’s sister hogtied and gagged and in the back of a van within five minutes.
“Good work. I need Snake, Gunner, and Taz with me. The rest of you go back to the club.”
“What about me, boss?” Feral asked.
“I need you back at the club. I expect trouble. Rock is going to wonder where his men went.”
“I wish I could see his face,” Snake said and laughed.
“I need four of you to take the bikes and the truck they brought back to the club. Dismantle all of it. We’ll use it for parts.”
“You’re going to owe me,” Feral said. “Their bikes are pieces of shit.”
The group laughed and then walked off to do their jobs. Striker got in the front of the van with Taz. “You know where we’re going, so drive.”
He was ready to kill every one of them for putting Kris in danger. Especially her sister. That bitch knew exactly what would happen to her, and she didn’t give a fuck.
Taz nodded and drove.
Striker and his men pulled the tied-up guys out of the van at the warehouse, dropping them on the ground and then dragging them across the sharp gravel.
Once in the building, he took off their gags and let the men and bitch and yell all they wanted because he knew, and they knew, they wouldn’t have much longer to live.
The four men were already bloody and dirty from the harsh handling, but he enjoyed the sweat running down their faces and the terror in their eyes.
All five of them were strung up, hanging by their arms from the chains that were thrown over the warehouse rafters within the hour.
Striker paced in front of them in his socks because he didn’t want to get blood all over his boots. He had always liked the crinkly sound of the plastic they laid down to catch the blood so it wouldn’t get on the concrete floor. When the cleaners came, they would take it all, and there would be very little blood left anywhere, and the cleaners would bleach the walls and sink.
His men stood behind him with their arms crossed, waiting for his word to destroy the group.
“You all know why you’re here. You were going to fuck with my woman.”
“Fuck, man, we didn’t know she was yours,” one of the men said. “This fucking whore tricked us.”
“That’s fucking pathetic,” Striker said when he stopped in front of the man. “I’m guessing Rock knew.”
He walked up to Casey. “Didn’t he?”
“Fuck you,” she barked and then tried to spit at him. He jerked to the side just in time. “Now, that really pissed me off.” He punched her in the stomach, making her gasp and then moan. He grabbed her by the neck and squeezed. “You do that again, and I’ll cut out your fucking tongue.”
Casey hung from the chain limply, so he moved onto the men. “The one who gives me information will get a quick death. The others will be tortured. I just want information, and they’re easy questions. The first question is, where is Rock at now? Who’s going to start?”
No one answered. He lifted his gun from the back of his jeans and shot one of them in the kneecap. They all cried out.
A few of the guys started frantically fighting the ties that held their hands and screaming. Striker sighed when no one else said anything, and he walked to the next man and asked the same thing. When the man didn’t talk, Striker shot his kneecap.
He knew people would probably think he was a sick fuck, but he really enjoyed the smell of fear and blood, especially when he was the cause of it. The sight of the blood that dripped down the men’s legs made him happy.
He kept going until he was down to one. He had to hand it to them. They hadn’t done anything but scream and cry. Fuck, he would be, too. It had to hurt like hell.
Striker put his gun in the back of his belt and stood in front of the last one. “Are you going to answer my questions?” His voice was casual but cold.
The guy tipped his head forward, looked to the others, then back at him, and nodded.
He clapped his hands. “All right, I got one who will talk.” He turned to his men. “You boys can start to play.”
The three whooped excitedly and started punching and cutting the other men. Screams of terror and pain filled and bounced off the wall of the old metal building.
Striker concentrated on the man. “Where is Rock?”
The man started talking and answered every question he had. It took over an hour to get them all answered, but he was happy with what he learned. “Good man.” He raised the gun and put one between the guy’s eyes.
He stepped back to see his men’s handiwork and was pleased. The last three men hung limply with blood dripping from their bodies. Only one was able to make a sound and moaned a few times.
“Okay, men. Put them down.” All three of his men grabbed their guns and shot the last three men at the same time.
He walked down to Casey. She stared at the men next to her in disbelief. Striker snorted. “What did you think? We’d be nice to you guys after what you were trying to do, or because you’re a woman, we’d let you go?”
She stared at him and then nodded.
Striker snorted. “Fuck no. I want to kill you the most.”
Casey hissed. “My sister will hate you forever. She’s big on family, and I’m her only living relative.”
“But a family isn’t about the genes you have, it’s about your commitment to each other. Loyalty and caring go along with it also.”
“That’s bullshit. You’ll see.” Casey started fighting and trying to kick him. “Fucker, let me down.”
He brought a knife out and ran it down her arm, opening her skin and making her scream.
Fuck, that sound almost hurt his ears. The shrill sound bounced off the steel walls, making an echo effect.
“You fucked up the first time you messed with her after your mother died. You were destined to this kind of death. If not by my hand, Rock would have done it, and he would have spent more time at it and enjoyed it a hell of a lot more. I don’t enjoy taking women’s lives, but I’ll do anything to protect what’s mine. Letting you go would mean my woman was still in danger because you’re so fucking stupid, you won’t stop until you destroy her.”
He took the gun from his belt and killed her with a bullet to the head. After he took a breath, he stepped back. “Okay, men, you know the drill. Call in the cleaners and get your clothes off.” When they’d arrived earlier, they’d put their boots inside the door, so they wouldn’t get blood on them. After the killing, they stripped down to their underwear and threw them on the plastic for the cleaners to burn.
They walked to the sink to clean up and then toweled off. They’d put on the clothes, mostly sweats, jeans, and t-shirts they kept stored there. They were all brand-new clothes, so no DNA was on them.
At the door, they pulled on their boots, turned off the light, and walked out. They locked the door. The cleaners knew the combination, so they could get in to do their job.
Striker got into the passenger side while Taz drove, and the other two sat and relaxed in the back.
“Hey, boss. Do you think that bitch was right about Kristina being pissed at you?”
He was worried about the same thing but wouldn’t tell these guys.
“She’ll understand after I tell her everything.”
“I don’t want to be around when you do,” Taz said.
Striker snorted. “You pussy.”
He stared out his window, silently praying that he wouldn’t lose her over this because he couldn’t imagine a life without her now. She’d been his woman for close to two months, but it felt like she’d been a part of his life forever.
She was asleep when he got home that night. He breathed a sigh of relief at the reprieve. He knew he’d have to tell her, but he wanted to put it off as long as possible.
