Two men burst out from the van suddenly, coming at Clutch.
I couldn’t believe how fast he reacted. The first man came at him with a knife, and he quickly dropped backward as the second man went around them both, heading right for me.
Clutch stepped around the knife attacker and tackled the man heading toward me. I heard a struggle and saw Clutch covered in blood. I dropped back, ready to run, but I couldn’t leave him there. The two men rolled again and someone grunted. Clutch rolled away from the man, and I saw a knife sticking out of the man’s chest.
The knife attacker was heading toward me then. I didn’t see any vest or patch on his body, but his eyes were crazy. He was short and hairy, and he had this wicked grin on his face.
“Come here, girly,” he said. “I won’t hurt you.”
I couldn’t see Clutch. I had no clue if he had been stabbed too or what had happened. I couldn’t think, so I simply turned and started to run as fast as I could.
But the man caught me. I felt him grab me from behind and lift me up. I tried to punch him and landed a blow to his nose, but that only made him curse and hold me tighter.
“Don’t fucking fight, you stupid bitch,” he said. “I’ll cut your pretty fucking face if you hit me again.”
“Help!” I screamed. “Rape! Help!”
“Fuck cunt,” he said.
And then he gagged and dropped me. I fell to the ground and looked up.
Clutch had him in a chokehold from behind. The man tried to swing his knife, but Clutch grabbed his wrist, twisting it, making the man lose the weapon.
“Janine,” Clutch said, “call the club. Get Noble, Dow, whoever down here right now.”
“Okay,” I said, breathless, and fumbled for my phone.
The man was struggling, but Clutch dragged him back toward the van. I called Dad, and he answered on the second ring.
“Hey, sweetie,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Dad,” I said, “send some guys. It’s Clutch. We were attacked.”
“Where?”
“The diner.”
“Stay there.” He hung up.
I put my phone away and walked toward Clutch. He was struggling with the guy but had managed to throw him to the ground. Clutch had his gun out and had it pointed at the man’s head.
“Clutch,” I said.
He glanced at me. “I’m okay.”
His head wound was bleeding again, but he looked okay otherwise.
“You’re bleeding,” I said.
He grinned at me through the blood. “I noticed.”
“The guys are coming.”
“Good.”
I glanced back at the other man, lying motionless on his back.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
“Yes,” Clutch said. “And you will be too if you make a move or a sound,” he growled at the other man.
The man just smiled at him silently, not moving a muscle.
I took a few steps back, my head spinning. Another corpse. Another dead body because of me. Clutch had saved me again, and this time in a much harder, more violent way. He had stabbed a man to death, plunged a knife into his heart.
All because of me. Everything was because of me.
I felt dizzy, so I quickly leaned up against the bike, taking deep, gulping breaths.
“You’re safe,” Clutch said to me. “You’re safe. Just breathe. Breathe, Janine.”
I listened to his voice, keeping myself calm, breathing deeply, breathing deeply.
“Who are you?” Clutch asked the man.
“Now I can make a noise?”
“Be a smartass and I’ll waste you.”
“Fine,” the man said. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize me.”
“Why the fuck would I?”
“You kicked me in the face earlier today.”
I stared at the man as it really sank in. “You’re a Rebel?” I asked him.
“Bingo.” He flashed a grin that was missing a few teeth.
Clutch bashed him in the head with his gun. The man fell back but wasn’t knocked out. He groaned.
“You fucking cunt. Don’t look at her,” he said.
“You don’t get it,” the man said. “You really don’t get it.”
“Explain it to me then,” Clutch said, pressing the gun against his skull.
“It’s all over. Everything is over.”
Clutch started saying something, but it was drowned out by the sound of motorcycles roaring into the parking lot.
Dow, Noble, Larkin, and Ford all pulled in, their bikes screaming power and fury. They cut their engines and got off the bikes. Larkin came over to me and wrapped his arms around me.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Two guys,” I said. “Clutch killed one.”
“Damn, man,” Dow said, looking at the body. “Right in the heart. Solid aim.”
I shuddered. There was a lot of blood.
“He says he’s a Rebel,” Clutch said.
Larkin let me go and walked over to the man. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Leeroy,” he said. “Lavoy was my cousin.” He spit onto the ground.
Clutch growled, but Larkin held a hand up.
“Who ordered this?” Larkin asked.
“Go fuck yourself, you old cunt.”