Rebellion of a Kingdom by G.N. Wright

Chapter 14

ELLE

Rigging the last wire makes me miss Jace, his pyromaniac ways made for the perfect accomplice on things like this. But I can't make myself wish he were here. This is one of my riskier plans and I don’t want to put him in danger. Whatever it takes, really means whatever it takes. Once I attach the last wire, hoping it looks good enough, I cover it with a bit of tarp and then sit and wait.

The clubhouse is quiet, not what I expected when I decided to come here, but a pleasant surprise. It isn’t long before I hear the familiar rumble of motorbikes and immediately think of Marcus. He hasn’t been on a bike since he lost his when Elliot burned the loft down, I make a mental note to get him another one when I get back to him. If I get back to him.

I hear the click of the lock before the door bangs open and the sound of shuffling feet and cocky voices fills the air. I take a deep breath and pray I haven’t just walked into a fucking den of lions, and when I look up, I meet the surprised eyes of the President of the Hallowed Crows MC and three of his men.

The one to his left, who I notice is wearing the VP patch, immediately draws his gun when his dark eyes meet mine. “Who the fuck are you?”

I hear the click of the safety get flicked off, and I smile chaotically as I pull the tarp off the small bomb I rigged up before they got here. “I’d put that safety back on if I were you.”

All of their eye’s flick to the device at my feet and the receiver in my hand. Crazy idea? Definitely. Necessary? Absolutely. We aren’t playing the small game anymore, it’s all or fucking nothing.

Another one of them huffs a smile, “You set that thing off and you die too.”

I flick my eyes to his, returning his smile, “I’m not afraid to die, Ezra.” The use of his name startles him, but he barely lets it show. I know all of their names and I’m sure they know mine. You can’t go to war without knowing everything about your opponents’ armies.

President Connor O’Sullivan finally speaks, his Irish accent curling around his words. “What are you afraid of Miss King?”

I smile big, but roll my eyes at the same time, “Ah, my reputation precedes me.” I can only imagine the bullshit that gets spread around about me.

His face sets into a firm grimace, like he is trying to act unaffected, “I take note of all the girls Elliot Donovan has his eye on.

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Just not enough to protect them though, huh?” I shake my head in disgust. How can this many men be this fucking corrupt

“Don’t presume to know anything about me.” He snaps his words at me, losing that cool edge he was going for, and I see the anger lining his features.

“No? Connor O’Sullivan, born in Belfast in October of 1973. Moved to the States as a teen after a stint in juvie. Your parents wanted a better life for you, so they sent you to live with a family friend. Except he was President of the Hallowed Crows to which you became a prospect for, almost immediately. You worked your way up until the day he was shot and killed by an enemy club and it was at that time you were voted in as Prez yourself. Now you’ve got Aiden here,” I nod to his VP, “and then my man Ezra, and let’s not forget about the infamous Killian,” I add gesturing to the final man of the group. “Wanna talk about reputations? Because damn, his is impressive.

All of them look furious and unimpressed with the information I have on them, and I can feel the tension rolling off all of them. “Very skillful I see,” O’Sullivan replies dryly.

I sit forward until my elbows lean against my knees and spin the knife I had hidden, round the tip of my finger. “No, skillful is how I could take out all four of you without breaking a sweat. It’s high past payment for your sins, don’t you agree?”

“And what sins would we be paying for exactly?” Killian asks in a deadly tone that makes me want to shudder. He is the kind of guy only spoken about in dark alleys with no one around. The stuff he’s said to have done is enough to fill anyone’s nightmares.

I push my fear aside and remember why I’m here, “Every single one you have committed while being in bed with the Donovan’s.

Aiden snaps first, “We are not in bed with that piece of shit!

“No?” I fake disbelief and intrigue, “Then why are you still running his guns and drugs every month?

“Those shipments are ours; he just takes them for himself,” Ezra barks in disgust, and I can tell I have hit a nerve with him.

“What, and the big bad Crows can’t stop him?” I’m being sarcastic as fuck, but I’m beyond caring. Their alliance with the Donovan’s is one of the only things I have never been able to work out. Why do they yield to him constantly and do all his dirty dealings, allowing him to keep his hands squeaky clean

They all remain silent until Connor blows out a deep breath, “We have no choice.

That pisses me off. “There's always a choice,” I spit back. “You're just making the wrong one. Just like him. And like him, you will pay.”

I stand up and flick open the device in a last attempt to get some truth. Aiden, Killian, and Ezra all raise their guns at me as I go to press the button.

Connor shouts, “He has my daughter.”

I immediately pause, “What do you mean, he has her?

He looks at me with a grimace as he responds, “You know better than anyone, exactly what I mean.

Fuck.

I drop my arm and they all visibly relax. How did I miss this? I dug up every part of his life and nowhere did I come across him having a daughter. He must see the thoughts on my face because he answers them without me voicing them.

“I kept her well-hidden, her Ma was some club whore I had a one-night stand with many moons ago. She turned up here when Bex was still a toddler. Had a meth problem and wanted money in exchange for my daughter. I paid what she wanted and then some, ensuring she would fuck off for good. Then I moved her to the other side of town with a trusted friend, where she grew up untainted and safe. But it seems you can’t control teenagers as well as kids, when she got older, she came sniffing around here.” He glances to the guys next to him, but none of them so much as flinch as they take in his words. Interesting.

“It wasn’t long before she was seen here, and someone started asking questions, and as they say, loose lips sink ships.” He looks in physical pain as he speaks about her and I can only imagine what he is going through. My daughter has only been gone a week and I’m losing my mind.

“How long?” My voice is struggling to remain unaffected.

“I haven’t seen her in two years.” His words are barely loud enough to penetrate the empty room the five of us stand in, yet somehow they pierce the air with their impact.

Fuck. Two years. Two fucking years. I can only imagine what she has endured during that time.

“Do you know where Elliot is keeping her?” I don’t know why I ask, I shouldn’t, I definitely don’t have time for anything other than getting my own daughter back. But two years is a long fucking time.

He snorts in disgust, “Oh yeah, I know exactly where she is, she’s the guest at the residence of Carter Fitzgerald, more security than the fucking Pope.”

Fuck. His daughter is with the Mayor of fucking Black Hallows. The most powerful name on my list and in the eyes of the law. He just became a bigger fucking priority.

“What if I get your daughter back for you?” I ask boldly, even though I haven’t got a fucking clue how I am going to get to Fitzgerald yet.

Killian scoffs at the very idea, “Yeah you and whose army, princess?”

I smile at the underestimation of my skills. “I don’t know. I didn’t have an army when I took down Captain Baizen and Joseph Kavanagh, maybe I’ll just improvise.” I shrug my shoulders casually and see all of their surprised faces at my admission.

Connor is the first one to step closer to me, “You bring home my Rebecca and you will have the full charter of Crows behind you. No questions asked.” Every word is delivered with force and determination, like he is really ready to join the war against Donovan, it makes me giddy.

Standing, I pick up the bomb, smiling as I see each one of them tense up, “Chill out, it’s fake,” I say like it’s no big deal, when really it was the craziest idea I’ve probably ever had.

“You just walked in here with a fake bomb and nothing else?” Aiden asks, looking slightly impressed, even though I know he would never admit it, and I shrug again.

“I didn’t need anything else.” I move to walk past them but pause as I stand in front of O'Sullivan. I offer him my sweetest smile and then launch the knife in my hand across the room to the dartboard hanging there. I don’t have to look to know it hit the center. “Bullseye.” I smirk. “I’ll see you soon Mr. President.” I toss him a wink, and then walk out leaving their shocked faces behind.