Lincoln was going about his life, getting Brooklyn up and ready for the day. As things had gotten more serious between December and him, the two of them spent just about every night together. It was odd to call her his girlfriend, because she felt like so much more than that, but in all honesty, it was what December was to him. From time to time she even watched over Brooke when he had to go to work. It gave his mom a break every once in a while. Link knew that Brooklyn loved it too, because Dee not only gave her presents, but they played dress up and the clothes that were in his girlfriendās closet werenāt anything like you would see on a daily basis in Amesbury. Suddenly, Lincoln heard the soft ringtone going off on his phone. The blond man padded around the house, trying to find just where heād left that stupid cell phone.Ā
By the time heād found it there was a missed phone call from Hank Maddox. The two men worked together at the shop. To say that Hank was like a second father to the young man would have been an understatement. It wasnāt like there was anything wrong with the relationship that Link had with his own father, but Hank was the voice of reason that he needed sometimes. He called the number back and waited for an answer. When the line was picked up and he heard the older manās voice on the other end Link smiled, some of the nerves in his stomach going away. Hank wasnāt getting any younger and sometimes he worried that something would happen to the man, despite him being in great shape. āHey, I couldnāt find my cell.ā Link admitted with a chuckle, because he was notorious for misplacing the thing.Ā
āSon, you should come down to the hospital.ā Hankās deep voice sent chills down Lincolnās spine and his brows furrowed. āWhat happened? Are you okay? Is Lula okay?ā His mind went straight to the fateful night some years ago that heād been in the hospital for his wife. The prayers didnāt work, because she didnāt survive. He tried pushing those nagging thoughts from his mind though as he focused on what Hank was saying. āTravis was in a bad accident.ā Despite what had happened between the two men, Lincoln still didnāt want to see Travis hurt, or to be dead, but when he heard of the accident he half wondered if it was actually an accident after all. Travis had quite a long list of enemies that didnāt always pertain to the club. It always seemed like Travis had his hands in some kind of mischief. āIām on my way.ā Link muttered and hung up the phone without so much as another word.Ā
Lincoln felt numb as he turned to walk down the hallway to the bedroom to find December. āBabeā¦ā His voice sounded somewhat hollow, and different even in his own head. āI have to go, Travis is in the hospital.ā He said simply, his greenish blue orbs slightly wide as he was still trying to process just what was going on. He took a deep breath and tried his best to fake a smile for her. āIāll see you later, you have Brooklyn, right?ā He checked before turning to go. It wasnāt often that Lincoln rode his motorcycle anymore, unless it was for club business, so without a thought he jumped into his little red pick up truck. The vehicle was perfect for lugging around tools and parts for the cars that he worked on both at the shop and at home. It wasnāt anything fancy as it chugged along, making a lot of noise, but not going so fast, but it worked for Lincoln.Ā
His stomach began to tie in knots as he approached the hospital, because he hadnāt been there in a couple years. He could remember the feeling of hopelessness heād felt as he walked up the sidewalk to the emergency room entrance, wondering if he would have to say goodbye to his wife in the next couple minutes. That was exactly what he had done, although she was just about gone by the time theyād let him in the room. āCan you tell me where TravisĀ Daviesā room is?ā Link asked at the front desk, surprised he didnāt vomit straight onto the woman glancing up at him as he spoke. āRoom 54.ā The nurse replied after a couple taps on the keyboard in front of her. āThanks.ā Link replied before he was off, wandering the halls and trying his best not to lose what little was in his stomach this early in the morning. As he found the rhythm of the rooms, with each step that drew him closer to Travisā room, he felt more and more sick to his stomach.Ā
A large 54 was written on the room just to his right and the blond man paused outside the door as he took a couple breaths and then pushed the door open. Heād half expected to see Travis and Lula in some inappropriate position on the bed, but before he could even see the bed he heard the beep beep beep of the machines. He caught sight of Lula hunched over in a chair beside the bed, sleeping probably and as Hank got up from his chair in the corner that also caught the attention of the blue eyed man. Only when his gaze fell on Travis in the bed did his brows furrow and the numbness went away, replaced by a bubbling feeling of anger.Ā
Slowly the tall, lean man made his way over to the side of the bed opposite Lula to gaze down at the man heād spent countless hours with for as long as he could remember. This had been his best friend growing up. They had gone hunting together, and Thomas Davies had taught Link how to skin and gut a deer when he was about 10 years old. That seemed a lifetime ago with the way things had gone as theyād grown into men. It was around that time in fact that Travis began to drift away from the kid heād always called his closest friend. The fairer sex became just that much more important to the man that now was laid up in the hospital bed with tubes and wires all over the place. Even then, theyād go fishing and ride their bikes and go four wheeling for hours on end. Some nearly twenty years later, Lincoln couldnāt tell you who Travis spent most of his time with besides the ever present Lula Maddox.Ā
Here he was though, standing over the man that had had an affair with his wife, then killed her when she found out she was knocked up with his kid. This kind of man didnāt deserve to live in Lincolnās book, but all in the same one, it was his friend. There was some obvious torment going on with Lincoln as he stared down at the dark haired man and Hank woke Lula to see if she wanted anything from the cafeteria. Lincoln silently watched the interaction and then his gaze fell upon Lula as she realized that he was standing there silently. The three of them went back to when they were in diapers, so it hurt to see Lula crying, even if it was over a man that treated her like shit. He wasnāt expecting the words that came out of her mouth, but they stunned him to the point that his heart skipped a beat. āBoā¦.Walker?ā Lincoln confirmed, his eyebrows knitting together even more, causing his head to ache. āHow do you know?ā Linkās mind was racing, one of his hands coming up to run through his hair to push it back from his face.Ā
Bo was their enforcer. The man was obsessed with rules, and rightfully so. He was the one to make sure everyone was following those rules. For him to go as far as to try and kill their president was almost too far fetched to believe. There wasnāt time enough for Lincoln to stick around for the reasoning though, because he knew Bo would be on the run, at least for a while. Until he could explain himself to the club. With enough reason they would be forgiving after all. Lincoln began to step back slowly and then he turned to head for the door. āI love you, Lula.ā He said softly to her, his eyes as clear and focused as they had ever been before he turned to go down the hall to retrace his steps. The blond man ended up back in his pick up, wishing heād brought his bike this time around. Speed was not on his side, but he took the roads as quickly as he could until the paved roads ended about fifteen miles outside of town, and his truck crunched over the gravel path that took him up a rather steep incline that eventually flattened out into a large grassy field. His truck bounced across the greenery until he parked in front of a small cabin that was tucked between a grouping of pine trees.Ā
The house was little more than a one bedroom cabin, perfect for camping, or hunting. That was exactly what the group of men linked to the Reapers used it for. Right in front of the steps that led to the front door was Ian āBoā Walkerās bike. No one in town had a bike quite like Bo, and in fact many people could pair the two together in a lineup because itās outrageous decor just suited the also outrageously tattooed man. Link gave the back tire of the bike a small kick as he passed it and went boldly into the cabin without so much as a knock on the door. Bo was sitting there, waiting for him, though his well groomed brows rose when he saw just who it was. Lincoln was the last person in the club he would have expected to come after him. The two men were not equally built either, so Bo settled into his seat with a bit of a smirk while he holstered the gun heād had trailed on the door.Ā
āLincoln.ā The man spoke through his large beard with his chocolate hues trailing the blonde man that paced in front of him. āYou know it was a long time coming.ā Boy, did Lincoln know those words to be true, but this wasnāt the way it was supposed to go down, and he showed his distaste for those words with a slow shake of his blond head while his boots thudded against the wooden floor of the cabin. āItās not your place.ā Link muttered, blue eyes trailing along the floor in front of him before he came to stop straight in front of the older man. āHe is supposed to be mine.ā Link growled, eyes narrowing before he began to pace again as that burning anger began to bubble up in the pit of his stomach. āHe killed my fucking wife!!!ā Lincoln then screamed, although he knew killing Travis wouldnāt make him feel even the slightest better, and it sure as hell wouldnāt bring back Bethany.Ā
Bo stood up, trying to make himself look as big as possible because he didnāt appreciate getting yelled at, even if it was by his vice president. Lincoln glared at him. āYou gonna try to kill me too?ā He snapped to which Boās eyes grew wide. āTry? The fuck you talking about, man. There is no way he survived that.ā Lincoln laughed, stepping further into the cabin, near the simple kitchen with little more than a spot for a propane fueled stove top. His oil stained hand reached out and he flicked on the switch to one of the burners and a small whoosh could be heard as the propane tank opened, though no flame showed up because Link didnāt hold his lighter up to ignite it. āYou stupid idiot, he is still alive, barely, but he is alive and this lands on me now.ā He explained to the other man standing behind him. āOur enforcer canāt be trusted, and who does it always fall to? I have to pick up the pieces.ā Lincoln sounded like he might have been on the verge of tears now as he spoke, but in a movement Bo hadnāt been expecting, Lincoln turned and pulled out the handgun that was tucked in the back of his pants.Ā
It wasnāt a fatal wound, but just one to disarm the other man almost completely, because he had little, if any use of his right arm. His left arm reaching across for his gun was a much slower movement, and Lincoln was an excellent shot. The younger man took a few steps towards the older man as he stumbled and sat back down in his chair. Blood was pouring from his arm and it wasnāt looking good if Lincoln just drew this out long enough. āYou should have said something, Bo.ā Link muttered softly, his brows furrowed again. This was the last thing he had wanted to do, but he couldnāt let the club see him as the weak one anymore. Heād been in this club damn near as long as Travis, and he had done nearly as much. This had to put him at least in the top rankings for the club. He held up the gun again, aimed straight between Boās eyes and the older man knew he wouldnāt miss. āPleaseā¦.ā Bo shifted, though he wasnāt reaching for a gun, or begging for his life, he was asking for a different method. The older man held out a small blade that heād carved and sharpened himself as a young boy. āUse this.āĀ
Link stepped forward and took the wooden handle of the blade that was offered and then he flipped the knife in his hand for a moment. āYouāre a good guy, you know that Bo?ā The older man gave a nod of his head and offered a sad smile. āIām ready to see my sweetheart. Iāve missed her a lot.ā Lincoln pursed his lips and gave a solemn nod of his head as he raised the blade above his head and slammed it down as hard as he could into Boās neck. The blade made a loud thud when the hilt connected with his skin and the blade wedged against his collar bone. Lincoln gazed down at the large man as the light slowly began to leave his eyes. It was a sight that wasnāt completely unfamiliar to Lincoln, because heād been hunting his whole life, but this was the first time heād watched the death of a person. He stepped back slowly, eyes filling with tears as he then turned back to that damn propane stove. It had been the bane of his existence when heād been hunting as a kid, so he was going to be glad to see it go.Ā
Link turned on the other three burners so the propane was being pumped right into the room as quickly as it could be. It was a decent sized tank that they had sitting under the counter too, so Link knew this would do some damage. The blond man took one last look at Bo sitting there in his chair with blood seeping from his neck and his shoulder. āIām sorry, olā man.ā Lincoln said softly as he stepped out into the early morning sunshine. He hadnāt realized just how much the cabin smelled like blood until heād gone out into the fresh air. He took a deep breath and steadied himself against the railing on the porch as he finally hurled right into the well maintained bushes. After wiping his mouth on his shirt Link walked out to his truck and got in and looked around for some rope. There was a hank of rope just waiting for him underneath the passenger seat. The blond man snatched it up and began to untwine it until he had about enough to cover the field and lead right up to the door. That was exactly how Lincoln laid the rope out, tipping a bit of gasoline from the near empty gas can in the back of his truck onto the rope every couple feet.Ā
From across the field, Lincoln looked at the old cabin. It had been a home away from home, and sometimes a haven when he just needed to get away as a teenager. He could even remember a time or two that he and Bethany had snuck in for a little action as teenagers. The thought made him laugh, but the joy didnāt linger on his face. Blue orbs trailed down to the end of the rope in his hand until he pulled his trusty lighter from his pocket. Times were changing and it was time for them all to grow up. The Reapers wasnāt just fun and games. They were serious about this shit, and Lincoln was on board for taking care of business in any way he saw fit. There wasnāt a way that anyone else was going to pull one over on him again. Not Travis, not Bo, not anyone. The flame popped up from his lighter and once it was close to the rope it took off, and faster than Lincoln had expected. The blond man jumped into his truck and began the bumpy ride back down the gravel road. Seeing that house go up in flames would have been the icing on the cake, but Lincoln didnāt have time for fun and games anymore.Ā















