Ruthless Banshees Book one: Chaos

Lila – Age 17 “Lila, do you ever get tired of studying?” my friend Destiny asks, and I look at her and smile. “Nope. I love reading. You know this,” I say with a smile, and she smiles back. “Well, we have our last class to get to, so hurry up.” I looked at her and smiled. “I will be there shortly. I just need to finish this research, and I will be right there, okay?” She nods and heads to class. I must finish this. It's important. I stay another twenty minutes, and then I find exactly what I have been looking for. I must deliver this information immediately. I skipped my last class, sending Destiny a quick message about something important coming up, and left school. It's the end of senior year anyway, so I can just go. I get to my car and make sure I have the information I found, along with the other things I have for this job and head south. I send a text to the person who needs this information, and with everyone at school, I can deliver it without being seen. I got to the meeting spot. It's a little café just outside of town. I make my way in and order a coffee like I always do. Then he walks in. One I should not be speaking to, or even helping. He sits down. I nodded to him and slid the packet with the information I found toward him along with everything he asked for. He opens it, looks it over, and closes it again. “Thank you. It is exactly what I needed, and he grabs my hand and smiles at me.” I am sure this will help you, but remember our deal? He nods, and then he slides a regular envelope to me and leaves. I see him walk to his motorcycle, and he and his crew leave. I sat there for a few minutes, and then I looked in the envelope, not bad for the information I gave him. I finish my coffee and then head across the street to deposit this money into my bank account. I am so glad I was able to help him. I head back toward the diner. As I neared my car, I leaned down to pull my keys out of my backpack when someone grabs me from behind and places a cloth over my mouth. I fight as best as I can, but my body is starting to feel heavy, so I stop fighting. Because it's all I can do. I am placed in the backseat of my car, and the last thing I see is my brother Stone. “You shouldn't have done this, Lila,” he says as the darkness takes me. “Ouch,” I say as I start to wake up. My body hurts, as does my head. I go to rub it, but it's then I realize that neither my hands nor my arms are moving. I look and see that I am tied to a chair. Not only that, but I am in the room my dad has church in. My future chair, the Vice President's chair, is sitting right in front of me. I relax. “Hey, Dad, this is not funny,” I yell. “Come untie me.” Nobody comes in. I'm not sure how long I have been sitting here, but the doors finally open. In walks my dad, Stone, and the whole club, including the prospects. None of them sit. They all stare at me. “Lila, you have been brought before the Steele Outlaws club on the charges of selling club secrets and on charges of sleeping with the enemy.” This floors me, because there is no way they actually think this. It must be a joke or an initiation as their new president. I laugh, hard and loud. “Okay, guys, the joke is over. Did Stone put you up to this?” I stop laughing as soon as I realize they are not joking and they are being serious. I straighten my back and keep my arms still. I can't let them know that I have already loosened the ropes holding me to this chair, but I want to hear them out. I look at my brother and my father. “So tell me, Dad, who put this idea into your head that I was a traitor and sleeping with the enemy? Because I got to say, out of all the things I thought would happen today, you accuse me of being a w***e and a traitor was not on the list.” I see his face get red and his fists ball. Stone doesn't say a word. He just stares at me. I am pretty sure he already knows I untied these ropes holding me and im just sitting here to amuse them, because he was the one who trained me to be the deadly warrior I am. Stone is the next to speak. “Lila. I received information today that you were meeting with the Deadly Skulls just outside of town, so Ronan Creed and I followed you.” That stills me. Ronan Creed is my brother's best friend. The man I have been having fantasies about since I was sixteen, but that I would never tell. Stone pulls me out of my thoughts by placing pictures in front of me. The pictures show six months of me meeting with the Deadly Skulls. I really don't need to look at the pictures, though. “Dad, you don't understand—” “So you do not deny the accusations your brother has brought against you?” I shake my head. “No, Dad, I do not. But you need to let me—” I don't finish my sentence as I feel the sting of a slap come across my face, my lip splitting instantly. I see stars, the slap actually hurts a little. I shake my head, and when my vision comes into focus, I see Stone standing there looking at his hand, his eyes showing shock at what he just did. I lick the blood from my lip and relish the burn and sting that comes with it. The blood tastes like copper and I like it. He goes to step back, and I use this opportunity to attack him. I have always been quicker, with him having the muscle behind him. We fight, with me getting a few hits before we are pulled apart. Dad has Stone, and Ronan is the one who grabs me. He puts me back down in the chair. “Stay down, Lila. Do not make this any worse,” Ronan says as he lets me go, I stay down. “Lila, you have admitted to the charges of treason and selling club secrets. You are hereby banished from the club—” “You can't do this. You need to let me explain. It's not what you think.” I stand up, but I am grabbed from behind. “You are hereby banished from the club and from the Steele family. You are to be named a traitor. You can never step foot in Cold Springs again.” He then turns his back on me. Then so does Stone, and everyone else follows. “This is not what you think!” I yell at them. “You have to let me explain!” I am not allowed to explain because I am being dragged out of church and out of the clubhouse. The two enforcers holding me place me outside, and point to my car. My dad and brother walk out onto the porch and Ronan follows behind them, dad you need to let me explain. It's not what you think. Ronan walks towards me and leans in close to my ear. Lila I think it's best if you go. Leave and don't come back, I turn away from him and everything I have ever known. I will not stay with people who will not listen to me. I get into my car and I leave without looking back. I make it to the gas station just before the city limits. I fill my car up and head inside to use the bathroom. I pee and then wash my hands after. As I leave the bathroom, I am grabbed, and for the second time today, a cloth is placed over my mouth, and darkness takes me again. I do not know how much time has passed, but I wake up tied belly down on something. When my eyes focus, I can see that I am strapped down to the one thing I never thought I would be on. The traitors block, no this can be they wouldn't order this. I struggle and scream, then I see people in black robes with our club logo on them. Their faces are hidden, you f*****g cowards. Show your faces. “Lila Steele, you have been branded a traitor to the Steele Outlaws, and it has been determined that you are to be stripped of your family crest and club tattoo.” That voice sounds familiar, but I can't place it. “No! You can't do this! It was never ordered! My father would never do this! He will come around! Now let me up!” “Your father and brother ordered this.” NO they didn't, they would never do this to me. I watch one of the cloaked figures walk to the fire and pull the branding iron from it. “No! You can't do this! Stop! Please stop!” The hot iron gets closer and closer. They tear my shirt and expose my family and club crest on my shoulder. I struggle harder. “No… no… please stop….