Hunter's Treasure

by Jill Shannon

  Judge had been looking over Hunter's shoulder. "Well, it's definitely a beautiful boat. It looks like they spared no expense." The photos of the interior design reeked of class—marble countertops, thick plush rugs in the salon, with crystal and china in the glass cabinets. "The storage area photos aren't as clear, but you can see they have enough room to move pretty much anything they want."

  Hunter added, "Charlie was right. This guy knows what he's doing. If I didn't know what I was looking for, I would never see the storage boxes built into the floor."

  Judge, Yankee, and Viking crowded around behind Hunter to see what he was talking about. "You're right. I can't see anything out of place," Judge remarked.

  "I don't see it, either," Viking chimed in. "What are we looking for?"

  Hunter used his editing tools and circled the ten separate compartments. "They look to be about five feet by three feet. They could be smuggling anything in compartments this size."

  "Not knowing makes this a difficult decision," Judge commented. "I wish we had more intel on exactly what they are moving."

  "I don't think we are going to have time to figure that out, Judge. The way Jax and Alex were talking, it sounded like they weren't growing roots." Hunter got out of Judge's chair and moved to one on the side.

  Yankee and Viking had also taken their seats. "Judge, it's a long shot, but I'm in. I have the Black Rose ready to go. We can leave here, board her, and be ready to follow as soon as they leave the canal," Yankee voiced his vote.

  "I'm in too," Viking remarked. "Whatever they're running, it can't be good."

  Judge tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling and contemplating the risk he would be taking by involving the club. Sitting back up in his chair, he came to a decision. "We need a majority vote. Get everyone here for church in the next hour. If it's sanctioned by the club, we will help."

  "I'm on it, Judge." Viking got up from his chair, grabbing his phone from his pocket as he left the room.

  "We prepare for the worst. Yankee, make sure the Black Rose is supplied with any artillery we might need."

  "You got it, Judge." Yankee got up from his chair. Looking in Hunter's direction, he said, "You and Willow be ready to leave in two hours. Tell her to throw some clothes in a bag; we don't know how long this is going to take." He spun on his heels and left Judge and Hunter alone.

  "You understand that if this goes very wrong, I will hold you responsible?" Hunter nodded his head in agreement. "You also know this could mean your patch?" Again, Hunter nodded that he understood. Judge pushed his chair back, and getting up, he moved to the refrigerator. Grabbing two beers, he handed one to Hunter. "You know it's not what I would want to do; it's something I would have to do," he stated, then asked, "Is she worth it?"

  Hunter took a minute before he answered, thinking of the short time he and Willow had been together. The way Hunter felt when he was with her and when he wasn't, he knew, deep in his soul, she was worth everything to him. He said, "Yes, Judge, every inch of her little five-foot-three body. No woman I have ever met has made me feel secure enough to leave the brotherhood I craved so badly." He took a sip of his beer then continued. "But the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt, nor do I want to lose my patch. That's why I'm calling for backup." When Judge looked at him, confused, he finished his statement. "I'm calling my mother." Then he smiled at Judge's grin.

  Hunter knew he had left Willow alone in his room for longer than he had wanted, but he wanted to return to her with good news. So, he decided to wait until after the club vote. While Hunter waited, he called his mother. He explained as much as he knew to her, "I know it's been a long time, but, there you have it. I've never asked you for anything before, but I'm asking now. Will you help, Mom?"

  There was a long silence before his mother replied, "Hunter, my boy, you never asked for anything because I have always supplied you with everything you could have wanted. Even when you wouldn't speak with me. Do you think I would stop now when you need me the most?" Her comment brought tears to Hunter's eyes. "Baby, I've already got a team in place to watch over you until I get there."

  Hunter was surprised at how easily she had forgiven him for his absence from her life. "Mom, you really don't have to come here. It's bad enough, I have to worry about Willow."

  She interrupted him before he could say anything more, "It doesn't matter what you want. I'm already on my way. I will get in touch with Liam. He and his team are at your disposal. Let him know what you need, and you'll have it. See you in a few hours." Then the line went silent. Hunter looked at his phone, not sure if he should be happy his mother loved him so much or scared that she was on her way to the States to help.

  "Everything all right?" Judge questioned.

  Hunter replaced his phone in his pocket. "I'm not sure. My mom says we can use her men on the ground here, but that she's on her way."

  "She's worried about her little boy?" Judge teased him. "Come on, church is about to start. You'll have your answer soon, but if the club votes it down, you still have your mother to help."

  Hunter followed him from the office, commenting sarcastically, "Great. That just means a higher body count." They filed into church, and the vote was taken. The club had voted unanimously in favor of stopping the cartel from using their territory. They all agreed that helping Charles out of his jam was the best way to send that message. Now, Hunter needed to get to Willow and set things in motion.

  Hunter had not figured on finding her in the state she was in when he returned to his room. Taking the time to reassure Willow was valuable time they did not have, but there was no way he was going to allow a house mouse to ruin the best thing to come into his life in a long time. After explaining how the club had voted to help, even though they were going in blind, he also told her of his mother's imminent arrival. All the while, he was throwing clothes into a bag. "We need to get you home so you can grab enough clothes for a few days. Unless you would prefer to stay here. I'm fine with that." He knew the answer before he asked the question.

  "Like hell, I'm staying here. You told me I could be involved. I want to be involved. Plus, stopping at home, I can let my parents know I'll be away for the foreseeable future." She turned and started to walk away from Hunter.

  "Where are you going? I'm almost finished here."

  "I'm going to call Luca. If it's okay, I'd like him to come." She waited for Hunter to nod his head in agreement. "Besides. he can have a bag ready for me when we get to the house."

  "I'll meet you downstairs." Hunter was stuffing the last item in the bag when his phone rang. "What's up, Judge?"

  "Prospects called. They are back at the boat, and they loaded it with a month's worth of groceries. I suggest you get to the Black Rose as soon as you can, or you'll miss our departure."

  "Tell Yankee not to move that boat till we are on it. We will be there in twenty minutes. Oh, and Judge, Willow is bringing Luca." He didn't give him a chance to respond before he hung up the phone. Grabbing his bag, he headed out the bedroom door, yelling, "Willow, let's go. We need to get to the boat. Have Luca meet you there."

  Willow had been just finishing her conversation with Luca when she heard Hunter yelling. "Okay, change of plans. Throw everything you can into a bag for you and me and get here as fast as you can. Skylar can give you directions, and when you get to the compound, ask the prospect at the gate how to find the Black Rose. I'll make sure you have no issues entering."

  "Chica, do you have any idea what we are getting into here?" Luca questioned.

  "All I know is that Jax and Alex are getting ready to leave with Charlie's boat, and we need to follow it."

  "I'll be on my way in five minutes. See you at the boat."

  Willow hung up with Luca as Hunter entered the room. "Luca is leaving in five minutes; can you make sure he has no problem entering the compound, and they tell him where to go?"

  Hunter pulled his phone out and made the call. "That's done; are you ready to leave?"

  "Ready
when you are."

  "Okay, then let's get going. I need to check the diving gear Yankee has on board."

  "Do you really think we will have to use that?"

  "If we get the chance to board their boat and find out for sure what they are transporting, yes, we will need it. Are you up for it?" As much as Hunter didn't want Willow involved with the mission they were undertaking, he knew she wouldn't sit idly by.

  Willow walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him. Ending the kiss, she told him, "Thank you for doing this and allowing me to come. I know you didn't have to; you could have fabricated a story to placate me, but you didn't."

  "There is no relationship if we are not honest with one another." He pulled her close, holding her. "It terrifies me that you are coming along, but I'd rather be with you than have you go off half-cocked on your own. But let me make it perfectly clear that if at any time you fail to follow my commands, trust me, you won't be able to sit on that pretty little ass for a week. Understood?"

  Willow knew how serious Hunter was by the tone of his voice. She knew this was not a joy ride and that whatever they were facing was a serious matter. "I will follow your every command, no matter what you tell me to do. I understand that what we're doing is dangerous, and I can't thank the club enough for helping."

  Hunter released her and picked up his bag. "We better get going; they'll be waiting for us."

  Willow followed Hunter out into the garage. They got on his bike and rode to where Yankee had the Black Rose docked. When they arrived, Judge, Yankee, and Viking were already on the boat. She was surprised at the size of the Black Rose. "For some reason, I was not picturing this size boat. How are we going to follow them without being seen?" she asked, getting off the bike.

  "Have no fear, princess, Yankee is the best at staying under the radar. Plus, I had the prospects put a couple of tracking devices on their boat." Then, smiling at her, Hunter removed his gear from the bike and guided her to the stern of the boat. Tossing his gear on, he helped her board. Kissing her on the head, he told her, "You wait here for Luca; I'm going to go talk with the guys and check out Yankee's scuba equipment."

  Willow didn't have long to wait before she saw the rental car heading in her direction. A sigh of relief left her as she was not sure he would make it there before they had to leave. She watched him park and get out of the car. Walking to the trunk, he grabbed the two bags he had tossed in. When he was almost to the boat, she yelled, "How fast were you driving to get here? You're lucky you weren't pulled over. That would have really sucked, but thank you for getting here so quickly."

  Luca tossed the bags on the boat and then boarded. Giving her a hug to reassure her things would be okay, he told her, "When have I ever let you down, Chica? I'm just glad you invited me along. I love Charlie and Julie as much as you do, and it feels good to be able to help any way I can."

  "You sure you're not trying to avoid a woman?" Willow teased with him.

  "Women love me, Chica, why would I want to avoid them?" he teased back at her. Picking up the bags, he asked, "Where is everyone?"

  "Hunter is checking the scuba gear. I'm not sure where everyone else is."

  "Well, let's go let them know I'm here so we can get going." Luca indicated that he would follow her.

  Willow followed the same path she had watched Hunter go. When she entered the salon area of the boat, she stopped short, surprised at how luxurious it was. She was used to salvaging vessels that had none of the amenities the Black Rose offered. "Holy shit, I thought Charlie's boat was lavish-looking, but this blows that away."

  Luca had come up alongside her. "You're not kidding. I'm afraid to walk across the carpet." The salon was laid out with two black leather couches resting on a wine-colored rug. A coffee table rested in between, and cocktail tables holding lamps were located at either end of each sofa. There was an entrance to the galley and a set of stairs, leading to both the lower and upper decks.

  While they were standing there, Judge and Viking joined them in the salon. Addressing his statement to Luca, Judge said, "You made great time. I take it you are both ready to shove off?"

  "Skylar told me all the back roads to take and warned me about police trap areas. She also told me to tell you that if anything happens to her sister, she's holding you responsible." Luca gave him a cheeky smile.

  Judge turned to Viking and said, "Now, you understand why outsiders are not allowed to be involved with club business?" Viking smiled and nodded his head. "Okay, you two, let's get your gear stored in a stateroom below and get moving. Viking, go tell Yankee we're ready to leave."

  "If Willow will take the bags down, I can help with the moorings," Luca volunteered.

  "I'll let Yankee know when I deliver the message." Viking left to talk with Yankee.

  Willow looked a little confused and, in a quiet voice, asked, "Just store the bags in what stateroom?"

  Judge chuckled before he told her, "Down those stairs, you'll find the master stateroom and three others, along with crew quarters. Viking and I have the ones to the right. You and Hunter can have the one on the left. Put Luca's gear in the crew quarters."

  Her wide eyes turned to Judge as she told him, "This was not the boat I had pictured in my mind. Four staterooms?"

  "It also has a davit for his motorcycle to travel with him," Judge added.

  Relieving Luca of the bags he was holding, she commented, "Wow, I would love to be able to own a boat like this someday." Then she headed in the direction Judge had pointed.

  "I'll head back out and wait for Yankee's signal to release the moorings." He tracked his steps back to the stern of the boat.

  The boat came to life when Yankee started it. The deep roar of the engines demonstrated the power behind the motors. On the stern of the boat, Luca tossed the mooring lines on the dock then made his way up to the bow to do the same thing. Giving Yankee the thumbs-up, he jumped onto the boat and headed to the stairs leading to the upper deck.

  The boat pulled away from the dock and headed out of the inlet. Willow felt the boat start moving. Dropping the bags off in the rooms designated for them, she headed back up to find Hunter. Not finding him in the salon area, she continued on to the upper deck. When her foot hit the final step, she stood in wonder again. This area hosted a bar, a queen size lounge area, as well as a table where they could sit. She saw Yankee steering the boat and the rest of the men sitting at the bar having a beer. "Can I get one of those?" she asked as she approached to stand by Hunter.

  "Absolutely, princess. Here, take my seat. Yankee says the inlet is a little rocky tonight."

  She sat in the chair he had vacated, while Hunter served her a beer. "You do know I've been on a boat before, correct?" She couldn't help the sarcasm in her voice.

  "Don't be a wise ass. I'm fully aware of what you do," Hunter stated.

  "So, is someone going to fill me in on what's happening, or should I just guess?" Luca requested.

  "The last intel we received from the prospects was that Alex and Jax were back at the boat and were stocking it with a whole lot of groceries. They're either taking a very long boat trip, or they're picking up passengers," Judge informed him. "We are going to wait at the mouth of the canal, and when they leave, we're going to follow them to see what they are up to. The prospects will let us know when they're on the move."

  Hunter, Yankee, and Viking all knew how much Judge hated going into a situation blind, but in this case, they had no choice. "Hopefully, we won't have to wait long for them to make their move," Yankee voiced from the helm. He guided the boat through the inlet, and when he hit open water, he opened the Black Rose up, cutting through the water easily.

  Hunter came around the bar to stand by Willow. "Hold on when we leave the inlet."

  "How long will it take us to get to the canal they will leave from?"

  "At this speed, not that long," Hunter remarked.

  Willow sat back in her chair, sipping her beer, listening to the
men talk. She watched how they included Luca as if he was one of their own, each throwing out hypothetical scenarios that could possibly arise. She had her own ideas as to what Jax and Alex were moving for the cartel, but she kept her thoughts to herself. By the time Yankee shut down the engines and dropped anchor at the mouth of the canal, the men had voiced numerous ideas and solutions.

  "I think it would be a good idea for us to get some sleep. We don't know how long it will be before Alex and Jax leave, and it would help if we aren't sleep deprived," Judge said. "I'll take the first watch since the prospects will be contacting me with info."

  They all agreed with Judge's assessment and said their good nights, leaving him in the captain's chair.

  Earlier, when Willow had brought the bags down, she'd found the room Hunter had claimed and dropped her bags there. Following him into the room, she asked, "I hope you don't mind that I threw my stuff in here?"

  "Princess, if you had put your stuff anywhere else, there would have been a punishment coming your way," he pointed out to her. Walking over as she was sifting through her bag looking for pajamas, he wrapped his arms around her midsection. "You belong to me, and if you are searching for something to cover that beautiful body while you sleep, you can stop right now."

  Willow felt Hunter's hard cock pressing against her ass as she was bent over. After he had finished his command, she stopped looking. Pushing her ass against him as she stood, she responded, "Yes, Sir." Then, turning in his arms, she smiled up at him. "I thought we were supposed to get some sleep?" she questioned.

  "If you think that we're getting into that bed and I'm not going to touch your body, you are sadly mistaken. There is no way I would be able to sleep. Having your flawless, soft skin next to mine and not worshipping it would be a sin." He leaned down, taking her lips in a searing kiss.

  Willow melted into the kiss they shared, her body coming alive to all that Hunter had promised. He broke the kiss long enough to remove her shirt as she removed his. Skin to skin, his warm body elevated hers to beyond boiling. His fingers moved to release the clasp on her bra as she unbuckled the belt at his waist. Tossing it on the bed, she popped the button on his jeans then slowly lowered the zipper. Her cold hands made him twitch as she pressed them against his hips, dropping his jeans to the floor. His hard cock sprang forward from its confinement.