Savior Ch. 30

"Why do we have to go?" I asked as we got ready to leave for the race.

I didn't want to go because I wanted to spend the several hours Carl would be gone working on Nikki. I'd been needling her in private for the last couple of days, and it was starting to work. She was getting pissy with Carl for going out and leaving her behind.

"Because Viper fucking said so, that's fucking why!" Carl snarled.

"I don't want to go to some fucking race, and I don't want to spend two hours in the fucking car with her," Nikki chimed in.

"Just let us stay here," I suggested.

"For once I agree with her," Nikki added.

"Shut the fuck up... both of you... before I fucking shut you up!" he roared. "You're going, and that's fucking that!"

"You can't talk to me like that!" Nikki protested. "I'm not your fucking bitch!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

"Fuck you!"

"Listen, you fucking bitch, you're going to do what I fucking say or you're going to fucking regret it! Now shut the fuck up about it!"

I stood to the side, my arms crossed over my chest, enjoying their interplay. Carl was apparently catching hell from all sides now, and he was starting to come apart. Yesterday I'd overheard him on Patrick's phone with someone trying to weasel out of having to race tonight, claiming he was too fucked up from his fight with Rand to race. Maybe he was. He was still riding, but not only was his face a mess with his nose clearly crooked and broken, the left side of his face swollen and one big bruise, but he was also walking with a slight but noticeable list the left.

Whoever he was talking too wasn't buying what he was selling, and that had left him in a towering rage. I thought for sure he was going to slap me around, but he'd left Nikki alone with me and stormed out of the apartment. When he'd come back, he was drunk off his ass, and I marveled he was able to even ride.

"Fuck you, Bee!" Nikki snarled. "I'm out of here!"

She started for the door, but Carl grabbed her arm, jerked her back, and slapped her hard across the face. I flinched with the violence, the ring of hand on face loud in the room as Nikki stumbled back with shock and surprise before falling to the couch, her hand at her cheek as she stared at him unbelievingly.

"Carl, stop!" I barked when he started to move in on her. "If you beat the shit out of her, she won't be able to watch me!"

He paused then backed off. "I don't want to hear another word out of you about this, out of either of you, got it?" he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"Sorry, baby," Nikki whimpered before she glanced at me with grateful eyes.

"Let's fucking go! Where's Champ?"

"In his room. I'll get him."

I hurried to Garrett's room. He wasn't completely back to normal, but he was much improved. I didn't like the idea of taking him out into the night air, but at least he would be riding in the car with me and Nikki.

"Ready to go, Punkin?"

"Ready!" he said, adding the motorcycle he was playing with to the collection he'd packed in his backpack before zipping it closed and shrugging it on.

"You ready to go see some really fast motorcycles?"

"Yeah!"

"Remember, I'm going to be right behind you the entire way. If you so much as make a wrong turn, you won't like what happens," Carl growled as I appeared with Garrett.

I nodded. "Straight to the clubhouse," I confirmed.

With Nikki in the car with me, there was little chance of me escaping. I didn't want to risk starting a fight with Nikki, crashing the car, and injuring Garrett if I tried. The odds were too long, Carl hadn't hit me since we'd taken Garrett to the doctor, and I wanted to keep it that way by playing along until the odds were in my favor.

Carl followed Nikki, Garrett, and me to the Orca clubhouse, where he told Nikki and I to stay in the car. It didn't escape my notice that Carl seemed to be hurting more than he had only minutes ago. In his apartment, he felt well enough to slap Nikki around, but now he seemed barely able to walk as he made his way to the clubhouse door.

"Thank you," Nikki murmured without looking at me after we'd sat in silence for a moment, Garrett making motorcycle noises in the backseat as he played.

"You need to get away from him. It's only going to get worse."

She nodded slowly without saying anything. Only minutes after we arrived, Alex lead five more Orcas out of the clubhouse. He glared at me as he strode past and mounted his bike. Carl paused at my window and I rolled it down.

"Follow Pie and Viper. I'll be right behind you. If you fuck this up for me, I'll kill you, both of you, understand?" he growled, but I could tell he was scared.

I had to fight the urge to grin or laugh at him. I'd wanted to see his lies catch up to him, and perhaps I was going to get the chance. I thought about being a smartass, but I was afraid that in his agitated state I'd regret it.

"Okay," I murmured as I began rolling up the window.

I followed Alex and Ted as they led us to Bayport, with Carl and three other Orcas, two from Portland and another from Eugene, following along behind. I'd have never been able to keep up with my car running the way it had, the little car straining to keep up even with the new motor. During the silence of the drive, I mentally flipped through various escape plans. I'm sure Carl knew what I was thinking as he would occasionally ride up beside me to glare at me through the side window. The thought of jerking the wheel left and punting him into the ditch made me smile, but I drove like a good little girl, fearing the wrath of the other members.

It was nearly eight when I pulled my Beetle to a stop in the Doonz parking lot. The lot was full of motorcycles of every color and description, but what they all had in common was they looked fast. Damned fast. Garrett was sleeping in the back seat, his head lying on his backpack propped against the window. My neck would break if I were to sleep at such an angle, but his face was as peaceful as an angel.

"Are we here?" Garrett asked, sitting up, blinking, and rubbing his eyes.

"Just a quick stop, Punkin, before we go to the race."

"Whoa..." he breathed looking out of the window. "Can we look at the motorcycles?"

"Uh... maybe, but hold Mommy's hand, okay?"

There were eight Riders in yellow reflective vests, directing traffic and pouring over motorcycles. A man I recognized but whose name I couldn't recall approached Alex. They discussed and he began waving his flashlight, directing them into a distant corner. I followed, and the man smiled and nodded at me, clearly recognizing me or my car. I parked where indicated, with Carl parking his bike directly behind my car, clearly to discourage me from getting any ideas.

The three of us climbed out of the car, Garrett's eyes wide as he looked at the glittering array of motorcycles, the machines looking like Skittles in the parking lot lights.

I smiled to myself as he slammed the door behind him. He was growing so fast. It seemed like only last week Carl and I had brought him home from the hospital wrapped in a blanket, and now he was riding in a booster seat and getting in and out of the car on his own.

I took Garrett's hand and slow walked to Doonz, Carl and another Orca our shadow. I saw Rand standing behind a man on his knees, the kneeling man carefully inspecting a motorcycle. Rand glanced at me, nodded, but then turned his attention back to his task. Even though I hadn't believed Carl's lie about killing Rand, it was comforting to see him alive, and from what I could tell from this distance, unhurt, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

The man struggled to his feet, saying something to Rand as he limped around to the other side of the bike. I couldn't remember the guy's name, but the limp clearly identified him as the owner of the business the Orca's burned down.

Inside, Doonz was filled with slender, well-built men, and a few women, all wearing riding suits. As I watched, the riders shuffled forward in three queues before stopping in front of a table. Dividing the queues was rope divider with < 600 & UL, 600-750, and > 750 neatly lettered onto small signs. Vince and Jacob stood behind the table with weapons conspicuously displayed on their hips. Each of the three men at the table accepted a wad of cash from the rider, counted it twice in plain view, then deposited the money in one of four sturdy looking cash boxes sealed with a large lock. The rider then accepted a chit from the man and stepped away from the table, making room for the next rider to step forward. Each of the three men at the table handed out a different colored wafer, the man covering the < 600 & UL queue handing out either white or black, and I assumed the color was significant somehow. I nodded at Vince and Jacob, who nodded back, but their attention never left the table in front of them.

As the line in front of Doug dwindled, his place at the table was replaced by another Rider. Doug then pulled Alex aside. As before, Carl seemed to gravely wounded, and there was clearly some harsh words being exchanged. The groups were forming up for a confrontation, Orcas lining up behind Alex, and an equal number of Riders behind Doug.

"Stay with Nikki," I said, handing Garrett's hand to the woman. "Mommy's going to see Daddy, but I'll be right back, okay?"

"I want to go!"

"I'll just be right over there, okay?" I said pointing. "I'll be right back."

As I approached, one of the Orca's moved to block me, but I changed my course and oozed to a stop beside the Riders.

"I don't give a fuck if you didn't know about it," Alex snarled.

"If you recall, you didn't tell me until just now who you picked. Even if I had sent Rand out to beat the shit out Carl, how would I have known he was the one racing? I think you're afraid you're going to lose and you're using this as an excuse to back out of the deal."

"I thought you said you killed Rand, you lying son-of-a-bitch," I snarled, realizing what the argument was about. "He looks pretty lively for a corpse. What else are you lying about?"

Doug wasn't stupid and realized I was trying to help him. "You know about this?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. Carl said Rand was waiting on him at the clubhouse, and that he ran him down and killed him."

"What! You're saying Carl attacked Rand?" Doug asked, the forced incredulity clear in his voice.

"I never said that!" Carl snarled, glaring at me.

I motioned Nikki over. "When Carl came home the other day, the day we took Garrett to the doctor, what did he say about Rand?"

"That he killed him, why?" Nikki replied, and I smiled as the knife slid deeper into Carl's back.

"How?" I asked.

Nikki shrugged. "He said he chased him down and beat him to death."

Carl had gone pale and I smile at him. God damn was I enjoying this!

"The race goes as agreed or you forfeit," Doug said, his voice firm.

"The hell it does!" Alex snarled.

"What?" I asked, twisting the knife. "Carl doesn't want to race? Why?"

"Because he can't fucking ride!" Alex growled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, giving the knife another twist. "He's been riding all over the place, and this afternoon, he felt well enough to slap Nikki around. Look at her face. He did that less than three hours ago."

All the Orcas glared at Carl as Nikki nodded and showed off the developing bruise. "Pick someone else, I don't care, but the race runs as agreed," Doug snarled before turning away.

I could tell the rest of the Riders were struggling not to smile as they turned away, one of the Riders giving me a quick wink as he followed his brothers.

"What?" Nikki asked as she glanced around, sensing the tension in the air.

"You fuck this up," Alex growled at Carl, "and you're a fucking dead man." The rest of the Orcas stomped away.

"You fucking, bitch!" Carl snarled softly.

Garrett's eyes were wide, and his face was twisting as if he were about to cry. "Daddy, don't hurt Mommy," he said softly.

"Garrett," I said firmly. "Go with Nikki to look at the motorcycles. I'll be right there, okay Punkin?" I jerked my head and Nikki pulled Garrett away. "Fuck... you," I hissed when they disappeared into the milling crowd.

I barely had time to react before his hand connected with my face with a resounding crack. I stumbled back, with a gasp. He moved in, his hands balled into fists as I tried to back away, my hands up to try to ward off any more blows.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, you fucking bitch!" he roared.

I bumped into another rider, but before I could slide past, five men hurried across the room, roughly shoving riders aside when necessary. Brock stepped between Carl and me as two more Riders grabbed Carl's arms, the final two men taking station on either side of us and began pushing the crowd back to open some space around us.

The moment Carl was immobilized, the two men on his arms began dragging him out of the room. "Let go of me, Goddammit!" Carl raged.

"What the fuck is going on," Alex roared as he pushed through the crowd.

Doug was storming toward Alex. "Toss his ass out!" he ordered, pointing at the door.

"Get the fuck off him!" Alex snarled, attempting to drag one of the men holding Carl's arm off him.

More Riders were rushing to help and the Orcas were squaring up to meet them.

"Stand down!" Doug roared. Everyone froze for a moment. "Call your men off, or the shit is going to get deep. Do it!"

Alex made a motion and the Orcas took a step back. Doug nodded and the two Riders released Carl's arms.

"What's going on?" Doug growled.

"This asshole hit Hanna," Brock said.

"Then he's done! Get him out of here," Doug said.

"Wait!" Alex snarled.

"Your man here got out of line. There's one hard and fast rule. No violence. You touch another person, you're ejected and you lose your entrance fee." Doug jerked his head. "Toss him out."

Brock and another Rider, Palmer I think was his name, took Carl by the arms and started muscling him out.

"Wait a fucking minute!" Alex snarled. "He's our entry against Rand! You can't throw him out!"

Doug glared at Alex, Brock and Palmer clearly waiting for a decision from Doug. I glanced around the room. Everyone in the room was glaring at the Orcas. They had no friends here.

"Kick his ass out!" a voice called from crowd. A loud rumble of agreement followed.

Alex glanced around the room before he turned his attention back to Doug. "You do this, and it's war," he growled.

Doug held his gaze. The racers close enough to overhear were looking at each other and began to whisper. I could hear the mutter spreading though the room like a virus. After a long pause, Doug's face became even harder as he appeared to reach a decision.

"I'll give you this one, but you had better fucking sit on him, and the rest of your men too, because this is your only warning. It happens again, they're out. Do I make myself clear?"

Alex glared at Doug. I could tell he didn't like being talked to that way, but he could tell as well as I could he was losing the room. "Get him out of here," he growled.

When Doug nodded, Brock and Palmer released Carl with a shove.

"You touch me again and I'll fucking kill both of you," Carl snarled as he shook off the guards.

"Carl... shut the fuck up!" Alex snapped, as he turned and walked away.

"Let's go, Hanna," Carl growled as he reached for me.

"You touch her, or her son, and you're out," Doug warned.

"She's my fucking wife!" he bellowed.

"Carl! Leave her alone! She's not going anywhere," Alex barked.

"We're not done here," Carl growled at Doug, but turned and followed Alex.

Doug watched Carl's retreating back. "That's what you think." He looked at me. "You okay?"

"It hurts like hell, but yeah, I'm okay."

"Stay close to us and we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

I nodded, incredibly grateful. "Thank you."

He smiled. "The least we can do considering you saved our ass again just now."

Another Rider walked up. "Bryan and his crew are still doing tech inspection, but everyone is registered."

Doug nodded. "Thanks, Chuck." He turned his attention back to me. "Stay close to Brock."

I turned to my protector. "I need to find Garrett."

"Your little boy?" I nodded and he smiled. "Let's go get him."

We found him outside holding Nikki's hand looking at motorcycles, talking to one of the Riders about the performance numbers of the Kawasaki Ninja in front of them.

Wade grinned at me and nodded at Garrett. "Smart kid. He knows more about the bike than my wife does," he said before his smile slowly disappeared and his face hardened. "What happened?" he asked as he stroked his cheek.

"Same thing that happened to her," I said, glancing down at Garrett. "Same thing that happened before."

Wade sucked on his teeth. "Got it."

I took Garrett by the hand. "Let's go back inside."

"Are we going to the race?" Garrett asked.

"Yes. I think we're going to leave in a few minutes."

"I want to see the motorcycle race."

"I know, and you will."

"— to the thirty-first annual spring Green Hell Motorcycle Race!" Doug was saying as I entered the room, pausing while people clapped politely. "I know most of you have been here before, but for those who haven't, let me give you the rundown on what's happening tonight."

"First. We leave here promptly at ten. Please be ready to ride. Riders, in all classes except unlimited, you must ride your bike. Your support crew, if you have one, can follow, but all motorcycles other than unlimited class must be ridden to and from the race. If your bike can't make it to or from the race, that's considered a DNF."

"What's a DNF?" I asked Brock.

"Did Not Finish."

"Second. We send out riders out at five-minute intervals, so when your class is up, please line up according to your starting number. Grid positions will be drawn at the track. Your number will be displayed on the board by the start light as soon as the previous rider is away. If you're not in position when the light goes green for your run, that's considered a DQ, and your race is over. You have ten seconds to launch after the light goes green. Timing starts when you break the timer beam. If you have not crossed the start beam within ten seconds of the light going green, that's a DQ. If you break the beam before the light goes green, that's a DQ."

Doug paused and took a pull from a water bottle as I looked at Brock. He grinned. "Disqualification."

"Third. We run the classes in this order. Under six hundred, six hundred to seven-fifty, over seven-fifty, and then the unlimiteds. There will be a thirty-minute break between classes to give the track time to clear and for us to recover riders, sweep corners, that sort of thing, but we will begin queuing bikes for the next class as soon as the last rider is away. Please, be ready to take your place in line at that time. If a crash occurs, we will hold all riders until the track can be cleared. We'll have marshals at all the major corners, and if you do crash, we'll have medical aide to you as soon as possible if you require it. Please, if you crash, remain off the track until a marshal instructs you otherwise. In the event of a crash, if your bike is disabled, you are responsible for any recovery expenses. The Riders will help you with arrangements, but we won't allow bike recovery until all the racing is over."

Doug paused and looked around the room. "Any questions so far?" Everyone shook their head.

"Fourth, and most importantly. Payout of the winnings will occur here, at Doonz Bar and Grille, at ten tomorrow morning. If you want to get paid, be here, otherwise we spend your share paying everyone else's bar tab." The room rumbled with a chuckle. "Seriously, be here. We'll hold your winnings for thirty days, but after that we consider them forfeit. Oddly enough, nobody has never not shown up." Doug waited while another chuckle rumbled through the crowd. "Important reminder. Hang onto your chit. That's how we know who you are, and who gets what. You lose your chit, you're SOL."