Author's Note: I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for not posting sooner, but I am sorry! I had most of this chapter done, but then I got really sick with R.S.V. and was bedridden for a couple of days. Thank you to my loyal few reviewers, Zahara, Sad Little Demon, and Pirilaxa, for your reviews. To the few people I have left on here to bother to leave a comment/reviews, I appreciate you. You are the true M.V.P's. Enjoy the next chapter!

The Brothers of Chaos Compound:

After his phone call with Scourge, Mighty hung up and turned to the rest of the group. Manic, Ray, and Rob looked at the armadillo, eager to hear of the president's demands. Mighty stood there with a muted expression. "Well, what does the fucker want?" Manic questioned.

"He wants us to…" Mighty stopped midsentence as the group heard the roar of motorcycles and a large truck pulling back into the compound.

Manic rushed over to the window and moved the curtains to the side only to see Shadow, Mephiles, Knuckles, and Gadget had returned from their mission. "Yo, they're back!"

Mighty suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He dreaded having to be the one to tell Shadow what was going on. "Shit..."

Outside, the group of motorcyclists dismounted their bikes. Knuckles hopped out of his truck and slammed the door shut as he began to walk back towards the house. Shadow removed his helmet and shook out his quills before heading in.

Gadget did a big stretch as he got off his bike. "What a trip. I'm enervated."

"Well, you've earned your respite," Mephiles noted as he walked up the house steps. "Enjoy it."

Just as Knuckles was about to open the front door, it swung open, revealing his wife. "Hey, Rouge, I-." He couldn't finish his sentence as she threw herself on him, embracing him. Knuckles returned her hug, rubbing up and down her back. He seemed confused by her reaction. He had only been gone a few days. "Uh, I missed you too, babe."

Pulling back from her hug, she looked at her husband sternly. "Knuckles, this is serious…" She looked over his shoulder at the others with a profound expression, urging them of the severity of her abrupt gesture. "Please, you all need to get inside at once. There's a club emergency happening."

Gadget felt uneasy about her tone. "Just what's going on, Ms. Rouge?"

"We'll explain everything once you get inside," she urged. Shadow glanced at his older brother, who shrugged, unsure of what was happening. Without further questioning, the rest of the boys quickly hurried inside the house.

The group paraded into their meeting room, where Shadow looked mystified to see Rob O' present in their meeting headquarters. The teal-colored hedgehog looked grim in expression, causing his stomach to twist and sink as his mind began to race suddenly. "Rob…what are you doing here?"

"Yes, what's all this about?" Mephiles challenged. "You know the rules. Non-club members are not allowed in our meetings—especially this one," he seethed dangerously as he narrowed his reptilian eyes on Rob.

"He has no choice but to be involved in our club business, Mephiles," Mighty defended. "Rob brought us some major news regarding Amy and the Suppression Squad."

Shadow felt his heart sink hearing the combination of people involved. Were his worst fears coming true? "Rose..?"

"Yeah," Mighty nodded. "Amy was kidnapped in Tech City by the Suppression," he started. "I just got off the phone with Scourge to hear his list of demands and was about to update the others about what he said."

"Shit," Knuckles cursed, shaking his head. Mephiles looked around the room at all the devastated faces. Everyone seemed concerned with Amy's well-being—except for him, who saw this as a means of a clean slate by removing the biggest thorn in his side with clean hands.

"What does he want?" Shadow demanded.

Mighty's blue eyes fell downward. "…He wants us to kill Enerjak and steal a quarter of a million from him in exchange for Amy's return."

Rob looked confused, unsure of who the person they spoke of was. "Wait, who the heck is Enerjak?"

"He's our boss," Mighty explained. "He wants us to assassinate him ourselves."

"Shit…This dude's gone off the deep end, man," Manic replied. "There's no way we can do that."

"These are quite the heavy demands," Gadget concurred.

"What happens if we don't comply with his orders?" Ray asked.

"If we don't deliver in twenty-four hours, their cartel is going to kill her to set an example," Mighty explained.

"You do realize what will happen to us if we go through with his demands," Mephiles said. "If we kill Enerjak to save Ms. Rose, his underlings will wipe us out in one clean sweep to set their example of who not to cross," he countered. "I care about Ms. Rose as much as the rest of you, but we simply cannot comply with these demands. It'd be an absolute bloodbath, and who is to say she still wouldn't perish under those options when Enerjak's cartel comes after us?"

Rob looked enraged at the idea of allowing Amy to be sacrificed. "You'd allow my dear cousin to perish just like that and not even attempt to save her?"

"Yes," he answered calmly. I will not lose more lives just to save one." The rest of the members looked at Mephiles in horror and disgust at his decision. His response did not represent who they were. Shadow felt his brow furrow and his good hand clench into a fist by his side.

"How the fuck can you even say that?" Mighty growled. "After everything she's done!"

"You're lower than scum, Mephiles," Knuckles mumbled under his breath.

"I care about her too," Mephiles lied to the others. "But not enough to see all my men wiped out. Family comes first," he reminded.

While the others bickered with Mephiles' logic, Shadow only saw red as he stormed toward his older brother. He grabbed Mephiles by the throat with his good hand and slammed him up against one of the walls in the room. Mephiles grunted in pain as he felt his back slam against the wooden wall and felt his brother's grip around his airway. He stared eye-to-eye with Shadow. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Shadow?" Mephiles gasped in anger.

"She is our family!" Shadow reminded and glared at his older brother with his hardened gaze. "I've had it hearing your slander against the doctor these past weeks," he berated. "She's shown more loyalty and done more for this club than you ever have, and she's not even a part of the M.C."

"…Shadow," Mephiles growled. "We'll all be killed if you go through with this. Enerjak and his cartel—they're more powerful than us," Mephiles rasped as he struggled against Shadow's hold.

"That may be," Shadow concurred, "But she deserves our help, and I'm going to make sure she receives it, or I'll die trying."

In the background, Rob looked touched by Shadow's words and defense of his cousin. He could truly see what an upstanding person he was in this light. At this point, he saw how much the dark hedgehog cared for and loved Amy. It was no wonder she had fallen in love with him from the start.

"How dare you challenge my authority, brother. You're a fool blinded by love and not logic," Mephiles growled.

"And you're a fool blinded by power and greed," he countered sharply. His quick response took Mephiles aback. Shadow did not waver and continued to hold his older brother hostage against the wall. "You're lucky my good hand is broken right now because if it weren't, I'd beat your face in until it was a bloody pulp…"

Knuckles cautiously took a few steps towards his friend. "…Shadow, as much as I want to kick the shit out of him too, we can't allow our anger to get to us now," he said delicately. "We need to use these emotions and energy to devise a plan to save Amy." He could see his friend was practically fuming, and for good reason. He knew he needed to separate the two brothers before it got too ugly.

Mephiles kept a hand firmly around his brother's wrist, which kept a hold on him. "As the president of this club, I refuse to get involved in this. She knew what she signed up for when she aligned with our club. She knew of the dangers," he reminded. "In fact, she was warned several times," he emphasized.

Shadow tightened his grip on Mephiles, making him wince slightly. "Your opinion does not override the rest of ours. But you're right, Knuckles, we'll take it to a club vote instead of inciting violence." The dark hedgehog looked over his shoulder at the others, watching them feud. "Won't we?" he questioned. Everyone at the table nodded in agreement.

Mephiles growled in frustration, cursing the club's democratic rules. He knew the outcome, and it wouldn't be on his side. "Fine…" Shadow released his hold on Mephiles, allowing him freedom. Fixing his jacket, he turned to look at the rest of his men. "Find a seat, and we'll have a vote. Everyone ambled over to find a seat at the table. Ray and Rob stood off to the side to watch the vote commence. Mephiles took his gavel and slammed it down onto the table. "All in favor of saving Amy Rose from the Suppression Squad, say aye; those not in favor, say nay. I'll go first…nay."

The vote shifted to Shadow, who, without missing a beat, said, "Aye."

Next, it went over to Mighty, who also quickly decided on his vote. "Aye."

All eyes looked to Gadget. He adjusted his glasses on his face and looked determined. "Aye."

Knuckles was the next person to vote. He clenched his fists and nodded to Shadow, knowing he had his back. "Aye."

The last person to vote was Manic. All eyes stared at him as they waited to hear his vote. His eyes locked with Mephiles momentarily, who urged him to vote his way. The green hedgehog looked away and glanced at both Mighty and Shadow, who pleaded with their expressions not to vote the other way. "Aye…"

Everyone cheered that the majority vote had conquered, besides Mephiles, who shook his head in annoyance. Rob and Ray looked equally relieved to see the vote go their way. Begrudgingly, Mephiles slammed his gavel down to end the vote. "Then that settles it. The Brothers of Chaos will move forward to save Amy Rose from the Suppression Squad. I hope you all are okay with signing away your death warrants."

Shadow glared in his direction, not looking fazed. "We already did that when you convinced us to sign on and work for a cartel," he countered. Mephiles shot daggers in his brother's direction at the quick remark.

"You know…I've been thinking," Manic noted, trying to break the tension in the room.

"Oh boy, now that's a first," Knuckles scoffed playfully.

Manic glared at the echidna. "Hey!"

Mighty sighed and rested his face against his right fist as he stared at his friend. "What have you been thinking about, Manic?"

The green hedgehog grinned mischievously. "So, the deal to get Amy back is to kill Enerjak and give him some major cash, right? But who's to say we have to kill him to convince Scourge we followed through on our deal?" he hinted.

Mighty stared at Manic in disbelief as the pieces of his alluded plan came together. "You're suggesting we pretend to kill Enerjak and then somehow convince the Suppression and Starline Cartel that we followed their demands?"

Manic nodded eagerly. "Totally!"

"…You know," Knuckles started as he mulled over the idea. "That's not half bad of an idea. If we can convince the Suppression that we 'killed' Enerjak, not only do we get Amy back, but we also walk away with our lives still intact."

Mephiles rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea. "I doubt Scourge is that dumb to fall for such a trick."

"Scourge has never been the brightest when it came to leadership," Shadow considered. "Perhaps we can pull this off after all. It's a suggested idea, at least," he countered. "Would you rather go with their option?" he challenged.

"Shadow's right," Mighty agreed. "It's worth a shot."

Mephiles crossed his arms over his chest. "And just how do you plan to pull this wild stunt, dear brother?"

Shadow mulled over the question before concluding. "Easy. Go straight to the source for help."

•~•

The Suppression Squad Compound:

Meanwhile, Amy remained imprisoned in her room at the compound; some time had passed since Scourge called the Brothers to state his demands. She wondered how the club would handle this problem moving forward. She also wondered where Shadow was in all of this. Apparently, he hadn't been home when Scourge had called the club. Did he know what was happening, or would Mighty try to handle this ordeal alone?

For now, she'd have to play nice with the group of motorcyclists until she could find her next opportunity to escape. Additionally, Amy felt relieved to know her cousin was still alive if he was the one who had told the M.C. about her kidnapping. She could only imagine how bad it must've been if he succumbed to crawling to them for help. Thinking more about it, she'd have to use her charm to get information from the green hedgehog. She could tell he took a liking to her. All she knew was that she could not allow the Brothers M.C. to go through with killing off Enerjak—it would only endanger them as well. Her thoughts were interrupted when Drago opened Amy's bedroom door and found her chained up and sitting on the mattress on the floor. "Hey, how are you doing?" he asked softly.

She glanced in the wolf's direction. "I'm okay, I guess."

"That's good," he nodded slowly. "I just came by to get you. Sleuth told me you need to change out Scourge's bandages," he explained.

She sighed. "Of course, he's due for a change."

Drago bent down and used a key to unlock the chain around her ankle. "I'm sorry that Jeffrey hit you earlier. If you didn't know already, I hit the fucker back for you," he smirked.

She blinked in surprise. "Really?"

He extended his hand for her to take and lifted her to her feet. "He's a piece of shit. Stay away from that guy," he warned.

She chuckled slightly at his comment. "I already figured that out, but thank you for looking out for me, Drago."

He curtly bowed his head. "Of course, doctor."

Drago escorted the pink hedgehog into Scourge's bedroom. However, when the door opened, the green hedgehog was in bed only in some black sweatpants and was topless as he was busy making out with Fiona. Amy cringed internally, watching Fiona straddling Scourge's lap as their tongues danced within each other's mouths. The two felt like they had walked in on two teenagers.

Drago uncomfortably coughed to get their attention. "Uh, sir?" Scourge broke away from making out with Fiona to address his guests. "Sir, she's here to change your bandages," he announced.

The green hedgehog grumbled in frustration. "Ah, shit…Alright then," he sighed with defeat.

Fiona huffed in frustration herself. "Really, can't you come back later? We're busy here."

"The doctor has him on a strict schedule, Fiona," Drago replied.

Fiona crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't care about the doctor's stupid schedule."

"Fine," Amy replied, unfazed. "Let your boyfriend's wound get infected again," Amy suggested.

"Come on, Fi." Scourge patted Fiona on the ass, signaling for her to move. He wasn't about to risk that again. "I'll take care of you later, my queen," he cooed, lowering his eyelids suggestively.

Fiona whined in disappointment and climbed off Scourge. "You better make it up to me later, baby."

He shot her a playful wink as she sauntered out of the room, swaying her hips from side to side. "You know it, babe." Amy walked over to the first aid kit, opened it, and put on clean gloves. Drago and Scourge watched as she pulled out supplies and prepared items she'd use on the president. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. He still wanted to see what information he could pull from her. He eyed his sergeant at arms, standing near the doorway. "Aye, Drago, step outside and keep watch to give the doctor and me some privacy, will yah?"

Drago looked unsure of the idea. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can handle her." He eyed Amy with a smirk. "You won't try to pull a fast one on me, will yah, toots?"

She placed a stethoscope around her neck and looked up from the first aid kit. "I'm not that dumb."

"See?" he chuckled. She's a good girl and knows her place." As she turned away from him, she rolled her eyes.

Drago nodded. "I'll be just outside the door if you need me. Just holler." The two watched the white wolf close the door and leave them alone.

Amy approached Scourge's bedside and gestured her hands towards his bedsheets to move them. "May I?"

"Yeah, of course," he nodded. He watched as Amy moved the bedsheets down past his legs where she could assess his injury. It was then that Amy realized that Scourge had a slight hard-on. The green hedgehog caught her wandering eye on his crotch and snickered, not in the least ashamed or embarrassed. "Sorry about that, angel face. Fiona got me all hot and bothered."

She continued her professionalism training, ignoring it and not fussing about it. She had been in the medical field for quite a while now and had seen plenty of things like this before with male clients. "It's okay." She began to undo the bandaging around his leg delicately so as not to cause any pain. Scourge watched as she meticulously removed the dirty bandages and disposed of them in the nearby trashcan. She then surveyed his wound using her gloved fingers to gently move his leg slightly to assess the healing process. "It looks like your healing is coming around nicely. No further infection is occurring," she noted.

"Well, that's good to hear," Scourge concurred.

"Have you taken your antibiotics yet?" she questioned.

He scratched the side of his face. "Shit, nah. I haven't."

Amy applied an antibiotic ointment around the wound. "That's alright. Once I'm done rebandaging it, I'll administer the antibiotics to you." Scourge hissed as he felt a slight stinging from the paste she smeared. Amy saw him wince and frown. "My apologies. I know this can sting sometimes."

"No problem, angel face. I know you're just doing your job." Scourge watched as she finished rebandaging his leg and disposing of trash in the garbage bin beside his bed. He couldn't help but notice how kind she continued to be towards him despite their circumstances. "Hey, uh…I just wanted to thank you again for taking real good care of me. I get that my boys brought you here against your will, but I appreciate all you've done."

"You're welcome." Amy removed her dirty gloves and tossed them in the bin. "Do you mind if I check your pulse, heartbeat, and temperature?"

"Go ahead."

Amy sat down on the side of his bed and gently pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. She kept it there momentarily as she assessed him for a fever. At that moment, the two made eye contact. Icy, artic eyes met anxious, jade ones, and Amy pulled her eye contact away, suddenly feeling a familiar shiver run down her spine. Scourge picked up on the uncomfortable mannerism and brushed it off as her being shy around him—perhaps she was attracted to him.

"No temperature, that's good." Next, Amy reached for his right wrist and felt his pulse. She used her other hand to look down at her watch while she counted his pulse. "Pulse is normal as well," she stated, bringing him out of his wandering mind.

Scourge nodded slowly. "…Oh, yeah? Good to hear, doc."

Amy placed her stethoscope in her ears. "Okay, last thing, and then I'm out of your quills." She put the chest piece against his bare chest. "Take a few deep breaths for me, please," she instructed kindly. Scrouge followed her orders and breathed in and out a couple of times. She listened carefully but couldn't help but stare at his toned and lean chest as it rose and fell with each breath. Her eyes studied the scars that trailed down his chest practically onto his tan belly. She could only wonder what had happened to him in the past to cause them. Her eyes glanced up at his face and met his cold blue eyes again. Scourge shot her a devilish grin, causing her to avert her gaze and pull the stethoscope out of her ears. "Sounds good." She reached over, grabbed the bottle of medication, and handed him two pills of antibiotics. "Take this." She dropped the pills into his hand.

"Thanks, doc." He popped the pills in his mouth and grabbed his water bottle, chugging it before swallowing.

"Well, looks like we're all good here." She scrambled back to her feet but suddenly felt him softly grasp her wrist before she could quickly depart.

"Wait. Before you leave, I gotta know something," he stated carefully.

She looked down at how he held her wrist captive. "And what's that?"

Scourge released his hold on her. "Is there a reason you can't you look me in the eye, angel face?" he chuckled. "Do I make you nervous?"

"S-sort of." She looked around the room anxiously. "It's a long story..."

Scourge chuckled at her bashfulness. He found it cute that she was intimidated by his presence, but he also enjoyed it. He patted the edge of his bed. "It's not like we have places to visit anytime soon. Take a seat and spill it, toots."
Her eyes wandered over to his bedroom door. "But I..."

"—I said, sit," he stated more firmly. Amy obliged and sat down on the edge of his bed again, a reasonable distance away from him. She looked hesitant as her eyes drifted away again from meeting his. Her gaze remained down in her lap. "Go on," he encouraged.

"Um, you remind me of someone…and it brings some complicated memories. Certain things you do, mannerisms if you will, remind me of him."

He looked intrigued and smug in expression. "Really now? Are we talking about Stripes?"

Amy shook her head. "No, not him. Someone else…"

Scourge quirked a brow. "Well, now, I'm interested."

"I-I used to date a guy who looked just like you. When your club first brought me here, I could've sworn you were him."

Scourge looked cocky in demeanor as he puffed out his chest. "Ah, so you were into sexy green hedgehogs then? That's very common for most girls," he chuckled. "Green is the new black, don't you know?" he cracked.

Amy's ears pinned back sadly. "No, he wasn't a green hedgehog," she corrected. "He was a blue one," she corrected. "He was a monster disguised as a handsome hero in a high-ranking government position."

His playful expression suddenly faltered as she described the individual. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Hold up, a second. This ex of yours—his name wasn't Zonic, was it?"

Amy's head jolted in his direction, alarmed. "Y-yes, how do you know?"

"Shit…it's a small world we live in, huh?" He shook his head and scoffed in disgust. "He's my good-for-nothing cousin."

Amy blinked in surprise. "Your cousin…" she repeated.

"I don't blame you for ditching that guy. He's a bigger creep and low-life than me, and that's saying something. I can only imagine how he treated you. Did he put his hands on you?"

There was a pause as she processed answering his question. She had already shared quite a bit of information with him. She'd continue to share if this story would help him lower his guard with her. "…Yes."

He grimaced at the thought. "Don't tell me, did he also…"

He didn't have to finish his next thought as Amy's ears pinned back again, and her countenance appeared dejected. It explained enough for him to get a painted picture of what type of monster his cousin was. He had personally witnessed acts of violence his cousin had demonstrated throughout his life—especially when it came to interacting with females. Scourge never believed himself to be a good person, but he was nowhere near as sinister as Zonic was, and he prided himself on that. "Tsk, I hope Stripes did a number on him because he had it coming."

Amy shrugged and sighed. "Well, he's dead now anyway," she admitted casually.

"Dead?!" Scourge parroted in surprise. "Since when?"

"I-I killed him in self-defense after he kidnapped me. He had been stalking me for months and wasn't giving up. Shadow was trying to rescue me from him, and it all happened so fast," Amy explained, but then she realized her mistake. She gasped and covered her mouth—she had spoken too much.

Scourge stared at the pink beauty across from him. She had told him quite a bit of information. However, he wasn't focused on that. He was more impressed with the actions from her story. His expression softened on her. "Good for you, angel face. The punk had it coming."

She seemed taken aback by his reaction. She had just openly admitted she had killed his cousin and gotten away with it with no repercussions. "…I can't believe I just admitted that out loud. I've never admitted it out loud before—and to a stranger or enemy, no less."

Scourge shrugged nonchalantly. "I can keep secrets pretty good, angel face. Your secret is safe with me," he winked. "And remember who you're talkin' to. I'm a criminal myself."

She blinked in astonishment. "But why? You don't owe me anything…"

He quirked a brow at her. "What do you mean? You saved my life. I'm pretty sure I owe you, but even if you hadn't saved my life, I'd still keep it a secret. I don't snitch to anybody—not even on my enemies."

Amy looked touched. "Wow…thank you."

He tilted his head to the side, eying her softly. "Of course, baby."

"Um, can I ask you a personal question," she inquired hesitantly.

"Shoot, angel face," he encouraged with an intrigued smile.

"How did you get those scars across your chest?" she pointed.

Scourge chuckled as he glanced down at his chest. "Oh, these? You like them?" he grinned boyishly. "Figures," he shrugged indifferently. "Most chicks dig them. They think they're sexy and tough."

Amy shook her head. "No, it's not that. I was just wondering how you got them?"

"Oh." He sucked his teeth as he thought back to their origin. "Funnily enough, they came from a member of the Brothers M.C…"

"Really?" Amy blinked a few times, intrigued. "Who did this to you?"

"That old echidna with the bushy eyebrows," he mumbled. "Stupid, fucking echidna bastard…."

Amy appeared startled by the reveal. "You're telling me Locke did that?"

He nodded. "Look, I was just a rookie at the time, so he got lucky when he got a lick in," he tried to play off coolly. "Our two gangs were in a big-time rumble. I took him on, one-on-one. I was just a kid, and it was my initiation, after all." Amy reached out to touch his chest but then hesitated and pulled back her hand. Scourge caught the gesture. "Go ahead and touch them if you'd like," he encouraged.

Amy obliged and reached out and traced her right hand against his chest, tracing the scars delicately with her fingers. She felt the bumps and ridges of the scar. Scourge stared at the pink hedgehog and felt a weird flutter in his chest. Her hand was so soft, and when she traced it down his toned chest, he felt the quills bristle on the back of his neck. He had found her cute last night, but as he continued interacting and conversing with her, he suddenly realized why Shadow had fallen in love with the girl.

Amy pulled her hand away from his chest. "By the looks of it, he could have killed you from that injury alone. You're lucky to have survived."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Scourge swung his legs to get out of bed. He stood and stretched his arms above his head. Amy remained sitting on his bed as she watched him. "His goal was to take me out, but luckily, I'm still standing." Scourge walked over to his window and looked out it momentarily before glancing back in her direction. "Speaking of which, since we're sharing truths and all, how'd that old fart kick the bucket anyway?"

She blinked a few times, confused by his question. "Huh? What do you mean?"

He shoved his hands into his sweatpants pockets. "How'd the guy die?" he clarified.

She stared at him silently for a moment as she processed his question. Was he messing with her? "How do you not remember? Your club is responsible for killing him," she reminded.

Scourge looked baffled by the reveal. Both stared at one another, equally confused. "The hell? What are you on about?"

Amy became annoyed by what she believed to be an "innocent" act. Her brows furrowed in anger. She rose from sitting on the bed. "Why are you acting surprised? Your club killed him," she restated.

He shook his head, seeing she wasn't joking around. "No way, toots. If I had killed the guy, I'd still be boasting about it to this day. But it serves him right to be dead, though. Good riddance."

She glared at him in disbelief as she rose from her seat. "You're lying…"

Scourge shook his head. "The old echidna can continue to rot away in his coffin. He was an old useless bastard anyway," he grumbled.

Amy balled up her right fist from his words and lack of sympathy. She stormed towards him and swung to hit his face, but Scourge caught her wrist, stopping her swiftly. He kept his expression neutral as he tsked her. He shook his head in disappointment. "That's not a smart move, angel face. It's a real shame, too. I thought we were starting to get close." Amy used her other hand to swing at him, but Scourge caught her other hand. Amy began to squirm in his grasp and tried to kick at him. Growing frustrated with her attempts, in one swift move, he managed to spin her around, pinned both her hands behind her back, and shoved her up against a wall to restrain her against it.

Amy gasped as Scourge overpowered her from behind, keeping her restrained. "Let me go!"

Scourge rested his chin over her left shoulder as he pressed his body against her from behind. "Are you finished yet?"

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "Stop talking down on my friend. He didn't deserve to be murdered by your club!"

He growled in irritation. "Like I said, toots, we didn't kill him. If we did, I'd have no issue admitting to it." He released his hold on her wrists and backed up.

She turned around to face him as his words processed in her mind. "Then who…" she stopped midsentence as the realization sunk in. With Scourge confirming that he and his gang had no part in Locke's death, it was starting to look like Mephiles may have genuinely been behind his death as well. It wouldn't surprise her at this point. She began to cry and covered her face with her hands.

Seeing her upset, Scourge couldn't help but sympathize with her. He frowned. "Uh, hey…" he said gently. "I'm sorry if I upset yah," he apologized. "I-I mean, I didn't like the guy. He was my enemy, but I guess he was still someone to you, you know…"

Amy wiped her eyes with the back of her arm as she turned to look at him. "This whole time, I thought it was your M.C. who had taken him away from us. I'm such an idiot…"

His ears perked. "Huh? So, who killed him then?"

"It had to have been Mephiles," she replied. "He must've set it up to look like it was you guys to keep the suspicion off his back."

Scourge scoffed and shook his head in disgust. "Pff, that wouldn't be the first time we've been made the fall, guys."

Amy continued to compose herself as she cleaned up her teary cheeks. "What are you talking about?"

"Since you shared a secret with me, I'm going to share one with you." Scrouge approached his nightstand, grabbed the tissue box, and handed it to her. "I'm sure you heard about Stripes' first old lady who was killed in a drive-by several years ago. Well, right after her murder, rumors started swirling on the streets that my club was the one responsible for the hit."

Amy blotted up some tears with the tissues. "That's the story I've always heard. You're saying you guys weren't responsible for her death either?"

"No, we're not. The only thing that nasty rumor did was give us major street cred not to fuck with our club," he continued.

Amy sat back down on his bed. "If it's true you didn't kill her, then why didn't you just come forward and tell the truth?"

He sat down a few feet away from her on the bed. "To be honest, I liked the notoriety it brought us. I may not wanna admit it, but the Brothers have always been the superior biker gang. When this happened, I clung to the power, influence, and fear it brought for us. Other clubs didn't wanna mess with us anymore since we were known for taking out one of the higher-ranking M.C.'s old ladies. We started picking up more business as well. It was great!"

Amy looked disappointed by his answer. "That's disgusting and immoral…the only thing it's done is breed hatred between you and Shadow's club. Both of you have lost countless lives in this unnecessary war over something you aren't even responsible for."

The green hedgehog plopped his head back onto the pillow. "It's the life I signed up for," Scourge shrugged. "It's all I've ever known and been good at. Besides, it's not like Shadow would ever believe me if I told him the truth."

"Then who is responsible for her death?" she wondered.

He started to look bored from the conversation. "From the intel I gathered, I heard they were some mercenaries for hire. It beats me, though. I don't really care, though."

"…If your stories are true, are you still going to kill me if Shadow and the others don't follow through with your demands?"

He studied her momentarily as he contemplated how to answer her question. "I won't have to use my threat because, like I said, I know Stripes, and he'll come through with my demands," he grinned arrogantly.

The door opened again, and Drago stood there with a cell phone. "Sir, sorry to interrupt, but Boomer is on the phone with an update on our recent mule operation."

"That's fine, we're done here, anyway. Take angel face downstairs and find her something to eat—something good," he instructed. "I'll take the phone call."

"Yes, sir." Drago walked over and handed Scourge the phone. "Follow me, doctor," the wolf gestured.

Amy rose from sitting on the bed and followed the large wolf out of the room. She glanced at Scourge before Drago closed the bedroom door, giving him privacy. She could only wonder if his words about Locke and Maria's death were valid.

Enerjak's Mansion:

After riding for an hour, Shadow, Mighty, Gadget, and Manic parked their bikes outside the gates of a large mansion. "Dang, this is where Enerjak lives?" Manic noted, eying the luxurious-looking home. "Bougie…" They walked over to the intercom with a camera on the wall outside the gate, and Gadget pressed a button. The button buzzed in, and the group waited as they heard a crackle over the intercom.

"Shadow?" a familiar male voice said through the speakers. "I didn't expect to see you and the others drop by today unannounced. What do you want?"

"My apologies," Shadow began. "But we need to talk," he explained on the other end.

There was a pause before Enerjak's voice came back through the speakers. "What could possibly be so important? I'm rather busy."

"Please, we're here because it regards your safety and the Starline cartel," Shadow elaborated.

The gates opened, allowing the three to enter. The boys walked up the mansion's stairs, which led to the entrance. "This place is like a super fortress," Manic observed as he looked around.

Gadget looked impressed as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Not to mention they have the most up-to-date and intense security technology I've seen. I can see that Mr. Enerjak spared no expense," he praised. Security cameras were everywhere, a large metal fence kept intruders out, and armed guards were walking around the premises. He had gorgeous landscaping and a water fountain surrounded by expensive parked cars.

"Which just proves it'd be super-duper hard if we decided to go with option A," Manic pointed out. "This other option should work, though."

Finally, at the front of the house, the echidna's guards opened the front door as the group approached it. The cartel leader exited the staircase, meeting the boys halfway. He wore an expensive-looking black robe and had a glass of red wine in one hand. Enerjak looked rather annoyed as he glared at the group." His two guards, who had watched outside his home's entrance, now stood on either side of their leader, each holding an AK-47 as they stared at the bikers. Seconds later, two other guards appeared behind the group carrying guns themselves.

"Boy, you keep this place real secure," Manic noted with an uneasy chuckle as he eyed the armed guards, eying them seriously.

Enerjak took a sip of his wine. "You can never let your guard down when you're someone like me. Now, I didn't come here for idle chit-chat. This better be worth my time."

"To preface this, sir," Mighty started. "It's a kind of long story…"

Enerjak bared a fang. "Then you better learn how to condense the story. Time is of the essence, and every second you take away from me, I lose money for business."

Mighty gulped nervously. "Right, well, to start…the Suppression Squad kidnapped one of our girls," he began.

Enerjak stared at him with a blank expression, already losing interest. "You truly came here because one of your prostitutes was snatched by your rival biker gang? I would assume you could handle that affair internally."

"No, it's not like that…" Manic tried to interject. "They didn't kidnap one of our hookers."

"—They kidnapped Amy," Shadow corrected.

Enerjak's bored expression dropped slightly, and he showed some empathy. "The same girl who treated my wounds months ago?" he questioned, looking alarmed.

"Yeah, that's right," the armadillo confirmed. "And for her ransom, Scourge ordered us to kill you." Tensing up, his security immediately aimed their weapons toward them, ready to fire. Mighty and the others put their hands up in defense. "No, we're not here to do that, we swear!" he trembled.

"Yo, please don't kill us!" Manic begged, falling to his knees.

"Just remain calm, fellas," Gadget pleaded, keeping his hands up.

In the meantime, Shadow remained tranquil and stoic as he raised his arms and kept his eyes locked on the echidna.

"Why shouldn't I take the four of you out this instant?" Enerjak challenged. "This whole conversation has been keeping me on edge. You've just come to meet with me unannounced and have clearly stated an intention to assassinate me," he said suspiciously, keeping his eyes locked on them.

Shadow stepped forward cautiously with his arms still raised, showing no harm. "Frisk us and take our weapons. We're here peacefully and only ask for your help."

Enerjak studied Shadow before making a signal with his head. "Boys."

The guards approached the group, keeping their weapons aimed at the motorcyclists. Immediately, they began frisking each of them individually. They found their weapons and took them, throwing them into a pile far enough away from them that they could not reach them. The guards then returned to aiming their guns at the M.C. members in case they tried to pull a fast one. "Now that we're completely unarmed, may I continue, sir?" Shadow asked politely.

"Go ahead, Shadow," Enerjak urged.

Shadow dropped his raised arms. "We came here to talk to you because we don't plan to meet the Suppression's demands. We have another plan in mind to help save Amy."

"Such as?" Enrjak pressed.

Manic interjected himself into the conversation. "We hoped you could spread some major phony news that we took you out. If we could fake your death for twenty-four hours, we'd be able to convince Scourge we followed his demands and get Amy back," he explained sheepishly.

Enerjak narrowed his eyes at the green hedgehog. "I'm a very important businessman. I happen to have no ill will toward Dr. Rose. I'm sorry to hear of her predicament, but do you know what it'd do to my business if I just died suddenly?" he said with annoyance.

"We understand, sir, but the Suppression Squad's cartel plans to execute her if we don't follow their orders. We refuse to take you out, but this other plan is our best option," Shadow pleaded.

"Besides, Amy stepped away from the club life. She was trying to separate herself from our business," Mighty added. "She hasn't been involved with our club for months now."

"He's right," Shadow seconded. "She is not involved in our lifestyle anymore. The rest of us have been loyal to you and your cartel. We've never asked anything from you in the several months we've worked together."

"Not to mention, but I think you'd get some major respect once you suddenly rise from the dead again," Manic added. "You might even weed out some rats within your inner circle from this little stunt."

Enerjak contemplated Manic's words. "Hmm…"

The other boys watched Shadow kneel and bow his head, meeting the ground as he pleaded. "Please, sir…" He was at his mercy. "I'm begging you to please spare me this one favor…I'll do anything to save her life. I can't allow this to happen to her—not again."

Enerjak mulled over his statement and then sighed in defeat. He knew how much Amy meant to the dark hedgehog. "Very well then. You get twenty-four hours, and that's it. I will spread a rumor through some associates to get the news that you killed me to the Suppression Squad. I wish you luck and hope you get her back safely."

Manic blew out a sigh of relief. "It worked. It actually worked," he whispered.

"Shh!" Gadget shushed anxiously.

"Just stay out of sight, sir," Mighty instructed. "We'll take care of the rest."

Enerjak looked annoyed. "How about you get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Shadow raised his head from his bow. He looked relieved. "Thank you, sir. We'll make it up to you, I promise."

•~•

Meanwhile, Scourge was in his room at the Suppression Squad compound as he and Fiona made up for lost time. With the two completely naked and in bed, the red vixen rode Scourge to her heart's content as he held her by the hips. He grunted in euphoria. "Oooh, yeah, baby. Just like that." He enjoyed watching her tiny tits bounce and sway from side to side.

She moved her hips, lifting herself up and down just right to get the right feeling in her loins. She braced herself as she kept her hands on his toned chest. "Chaos…your cock feels amazing right now."

He could feel her crotch clutching and clenching around his member heavenly. "And that pussy of yours is feeling real tight, Fi," he huffed as she continued to ride him.

"Ah, I'm almost there," she panted.

"Fuck," Scourge winced, feeling her core begin to squeeze around his member. "Yeah, me, too."

Fiona increased her pace faster and gasped as she felt her peak. "Oh, Scourge!" She could feel him clench his hold around her waist a bit tighter as he held her in place.

"Fi!" he shouted as he came. Eventually, Fiona slowed her pacing down and collapsed onto his chest. The two collected their breath as they came down from their high. Eventually, Fiona rolled off of him and cuddled up against his side. Scourge kept an arm around her as she nestled her face into his warm chest. He had a satisfied smile on his face as he caught his breath. "Shit, I needed that, babe. Thanks for taking the lead."

Fiona smiled warmly as she glanced up at her boyfriend. "I needed it too," she admitted.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he reminded her softly. Scourge ran his fingers through her locks while she traced her fingers along his chest.

Fiona returned him a genuine smile. "Thanks, but can I ask you something?" she inquired delicately, unsure how he'd respond.

He glanced down at her as he continued to caress her hair. "Sure, baby. What's up?"

"Why did you spend so much time alone with that girl we kidnapped earlier?"

Scourge stopped his hair caressing—becoming insulted by what she was suggesting. "I was getting to know the chick and trying to pull information from her, Fi. Relax," he insisted.

"Damn, why are you getting so defensive?" She stared at him with scrutiny. "It's just, it was an awful long time to get information out of someone..."

Scourge rolled his eyes at her paranoia. "Sometimes getting information outta someone takes a while," he argued.

Fiona sat up to look at him more directly. Everything about this still felt off to her. "And you had Drago guarding the door," she pointed out. "That doesn't seem suspicious to someone from the outside looking in?"

Scourge narrowed his brows. "Fi, if you think I was in here cheating on you with her, you're insane!"

"How would that be insane? I've seen how you looked and spoken about her," she snapped. "You like her…"

"Okay, so I'm a flirt, so sue me! I can't help it," he tried to justify. "Sure, she's cute, but nothing happened between us, Fi." He reached out and cupped her hands in his with assurance. "You're my queen—not her."

Fiona looked down at his hands, embracing hers. "Scourge…"

Scourge removed his hands from holding her and instead cupped her face and kissed her. He held it still and started chaste until he intensified it. Eventually, he pulled back and looked into her sparking blue eyes. "I love ya, Fi. Remember that."

"I love you too, Scourge…" she replied.

Suddenly, two knocks at his door. Fiona quickly covered her chest with the sheets to show some modesty. The green hedgehog waited until she was covered. "Come in," Scourge beckoned.

The door opened, and Drago stuck his head inside. "Sir, we just got word that Brothers followed through with that hit. Enerjak is dead."

Scrouge grinned victoriously as he sat more upright in bed. "Tell the crew to meet at the table. We need to meet for the plan's next stages."

•~•

Downstairs in the dining room, Scourge held an emergency meeting with his crew to update them on the latest scheme and how to move forward. Scourge sat center while Sleuth, his V.P., sat to his left. Down the other side of the table were Simian, Drago, Predator, Boomer, Antoine, and Jeffrey. "Well, boys, it looks like we managed to get Stripes to take out his supplier," Scourge announced victoriously.

Simian looked at the hedgehog. "What exactly happens next, sir?"

"Once we confirm that they have the cash, we'll need to plan a time and place for the exchange. "

"And what about the girl?" Jeffrey inquired. "Do we plan to just hand her back just like that?"

Scourge nodded. "Well, yeah, duh. A deal's a deal."

Jeffrey looked annoyed by the response. "Wouldn't it be better if we made a statement and took her out to make a statement to them once and for all?" he challenged. "They need to be put in their place."

Scourge shot the skunk a questionable look. "Nah, it don't need to go that far, Jeffrey. We're going to get what we wanted out of our deal. Besides, it's not like Starline even knows we're pulling off this little deal. He'll be majorly impressed, though, when he finds out what we accomplished."

"If Starline was involved in this, I guarantee he'd still kill the girl in front of the Brothers just to rub their faces in their defeat," Jeffrey countered.

"Yeah, but I'm not Starline," Scourge rebutted. "That's not my style. Now stop challenging my authority and stay in your lane, bud." Jeffrey sank back into his seat, disapproving of this plan. The green hedgehog looked around the table at the other members. "Anyone else wanna pipe up over some complaint with my plan?" he challenged. Everyone else shook their heads.

•~•

A few hours later, Shadow and the other M.C. members sat in the meeting room together. Everyone sat around the table and watched as the ebony-striped hedgehog dialed Scourge's number. He held the phone to his ear and waited as the phone rang. The green hedgehog answered. "Hello?"

"It's done," Shadow stated. "We killed him. Now, put Amy on the phone," he demanded sternly.

"Yeah, I heard the news. Congrats, buddy. I guess you and your boys will do anything for her, huh?" Scourge glanced over to Amy and handed her the phone. "You're up, angel face."

She held the cell phone to her ear, but Scourge remained close to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Mighty?"

Shadow felt a gut punch hearing her assume it was the armadillo and not him. His eyes glanced at Mighty sitting across from him. "…No, it's Shadow, actually," he corrected. Mighty picked up on why he had glanced in his direction and looked away uncomfortably. Yikes.

"Shadow?" Amy repeated, startled to hear his voice. "I-I'm sorry I got kidnapped. I should've fought back harder," she apologized. "You were right about it not being safe for me and—"

"—Rose," he cut her off. "Don't blame yourself for this," he assured calmly. "I'm just happy to hear your voice. They haven't hurt you, have they? I haven't stopped thinking about you since the others told me the news."

She felt a flutter in her stomach hearing him use his treasured nickname for her—something she hadn't heard him use in months. On top of that, he hadn't stopped thinking about her. That made her feel comforted. "No, I'm okay so far," she replied.

He sounded relieved by that news. "That's good to hear. Listen, I'm going to get you back. You understand?"

She nodded nervously on her end. "Yeah…"

"I promise, princess."

Her ears pinned back with guilt and dread. If Shadow and the others had indeed killed Enerjak, she worried about their fate. "But Shadow, what you did…won't you and the others be-"

"—We'll figure something out like we always do," he assured. "Right now, my goal is rescuing you and getting you back home safely."

Scourge snapped his fingers and held out his hand. "Alright, that's enough between you two. Hand over the phone," he commanded.

Amy glanced at the green hedgehog. "I have to get off now. Bye…" She frowned and handed him the phone back. Scourge looked over to Drago and Predator. "Take the doctor back to her room. I want to talk to Stripes privately."

"Right away, sir," Drago nodded. "Let's go, doctor."

Amy got up from her seat and was escorted out of the kitchen and back upstairs. Now alone again, Scourge placed the phone back to his ear. "Stripes, I gotta hand it to yah. Your girl is one hell of a woman. But she wouldn't be treated like a princess if she were my girl. She'd be treated like a queen," he smirked, trying to grind his gears.

Shadow scowled over the phone. His mind trailed to the worst possibilities his enemy could do to her. "You dare to do anything sinister to her, and I will personally fuck you up myself and make you regret making these demands," he threatened.

"Relax, Stripes, I haven't touched her yet. Although…she has touched me," he chuckled playfully. "She has real soft hands and knows how to use them well," he teased.

Shadow clutched the phone in his hand, raging within. "You bastard, I'll…"

Scourge laughed on his end, hearing him lose his chill. "Calm down, I'm only messin' with yah," he cracked. "Still, I can't believe you broke up with her. What were you thinking? She's the whole package deal: beautiful, charming, smart, and feisty," he listed. "You fucked up big time, not wife-ing her up, Stripes. If I weren't tied down myself, I'd take her off your hands for yah."

"Keep the topic on the main subject," he warned. "We did what you demanded. When do I get her back?"

"Oooh, still a touchy subject, I see," he smirked. "I'll call back to arrange a meeting point. But if you're lying about any of this, she's dead," he warned. With that, the phone call ended.

Shadow closed his flip phone and looked at the other boys sitting around the table. "How'd she sound?" Knuckles inquired, breaking the silence.

"She sounded alright," Shadow admitted. "I'm still worried for her while she remains under their watch."

"What was up with you getting so angry a few moments ago?" Rob' O inquired.

Shadow shook his head, dismissing his concerns. "It was nothing. Just Scourge trying to get under my skin with some comments about Rose."

"Did we get an answer about when we will do the trade-off?" Mighty questioned.

Shadow shook his head. "No, he said he'd call back and let us know when."

"All right. Now, all we got to do is come up with the real 250k by tomorrow night."

"…Piece of cake," Manic said sarcastically.

AN: Please remember to leave a review!