She sucked in a breath and looked at them, seeing they were serious, she asked, “What date?”
“Thought you understood, we come here to see you, so when you are off, we are waiting. Now, either we can have a drink here, or we can go somewhere else, but we have a date,” Blade whispered, and a shiver ran through her. She almost threw caution to the wind and asked them to go home with her. But she hadn’t. Instead, she had nodded and allowed them to lead her back into the club, to a corner where they could talk.
From then on, after her shift, she was hanging out the them. Shark and Blade told her about their lives, and she told them about her travels. It had only been a few weeks, and only on the nights she worked. When she didn’t, they hadn’t sought her out, and it wouldn’t have been that hard, which to her meant, they were not super interested in her. So far, she hadn’t told them about her family, Rebel just wasn’t sure yet on who she could trust. She would like to think the Ops would have her back and understand her need to find the man who killed her mother. But they may not like her plan to kill the fucker slowly and painfully for doing it. Since her mother had died, it was the only thing that kept her moving forward, knowing she could get justice for her mother. But with these guys, other thoughts had begun creeping in. Thoughts she wanted to have, but she needed closure first.
Rebel pulled her bike to the side, moving to the exit which would take her to where the Black Hearts were last seen. Realistically, she knew she was taking a shot in the dark coming here. The man she was seeking was probably not even one of the ones that were spotted, but it didn’t matter. Rebel wasn’t going to give up the chance. She looked over her shoulder and then moved down the ramp. She wanted this done and over with, it had taken too long for her to find them. Her mother would have told her she was wasting too much time. To Rebel, she wasn’t, but she was also not living her life the way she wanted to either. She was ready now to move on as soon as this was done.
Focus, she thought and then looked around. The shop the fuckers were at buying parts was just down the road, she knew the Black Hearts, she had followed them enough to know they were creatures of habit. Plus, they were lazy, which meant if one of their bikes needed work, they would find somewhere to stay close to the parts shop. They were too fucking lazy to actually search for the best, they looked for the cheapest.
Driving down the long road she looked around, and when she spotted the parts store, she turned around and made her way back, only slower, looking for the cheapest and scariest hotel close to the shop. That was where they would be. Rebel only had to go a few blocks before she found it, the exact kind of place they would stay at. Driving around the block, she saw the bikes pulled behind the hotel. Several men were working on their bikes. More than she thought since the reports hadn’t said how many, but honestly, she hadn’t thought there would be more than two or three. She counted at least ten bikes.
Rebel frowned and then went around the block again. Thankfully there were other bikes in the area, so they didn’t look around when they heard hers pass by again. Shit, did the Ops know they were this close? She really wished she would have talked to Creed or Fork, but honestly, she hadn’t been ready. Rebel knew she was going to need to come clean about her past if she wanted to be involved with the club.
She rounded the last corner and saw a small diner across the street, the perfect place to watch to see if the one she was looking for was with this group. As she pulled in and got off her motorcycle, she was wearing her chaps and black jacket with the Blood Eagle patch on it. She didn’t care if they saw it. She wanted them to know she was coming; the bastards were too fucking arrogant to think she would ever have followed them.
Walking into the dive, she quickly took note of the people scattered in the dining room. She moved and settled by the front window so she could see the comings and goings of the bikes in the parking lot across the street. It was a few hours later when she finally saw him, fuck he was there, he was actually there. Rebel squinted her eyes and glared as the man flipped his leg over a bike, which she assumed was his. She could feel her rage building at seeing this prick out walking around while her mother was in the ground. He was scum. Gritting her teeth, she stared intently, not wanting to miss a single thing.
Two other men walked out and lifted their heads to the man who had already started his bike and was revving it up loudly. Her eyes narrowed, was he going out alone? Because if he was, it was her opportunity. Rebel wasn’t stupid, she knew facing the whole club she would never stand a change, but one on one, hell yeah, she could take this fucking asshole. She waited and watched as more men came out of different rooms, she counted, what the hell, was this where they were staying? It seemed like the bulk of the place held the Black Hearts, the Ops would want to know this. She reached for her phone, fuck he was backing out. Moving quickly, she put her phone away, knowing she would need to call someone soon, but not before she got her chance. The other men just stood there and watched as the man she had been searching for backed out of the parking place.
Rebel was on her bike and following the man who killed her mother within minutes. As she moved behind a car to separate them, she cussed loudly as she saw the man look in his rearview mirror. There was no way he would recognize her right now, her hair was much longer, and the color was vastly different, she was sure he wouldn’t recognize her. Thankfully she was right because the man continued on his path, not looking over his shoulder anymore, seemingly more worried about where he was going.
They drove for miles; Rebel was beginning to wonder if the asshole was out for a ride instead of going somewhere. But when she saw his brake lights on his bike finally, Rebel moved slowly passed the building he was going into. Damned if her luck didn’t run out at that time, though. She was focused on the building, and not paying attention to the other drivers. Seriously, that was what fucking sucked, you could be the best fucking rider ever, but what would get you in trouble? The other fucking drivers who didn’t pay attention to bikers, like the one who pulled over in front of her at the last second in order to get into a different lane.
Rebel had seconds to slam on her brakes, but she was going too fast, and the idiot was stopping too quickly. She heard the crunch of the car in front of her right when her tire hit the back bumper of the car. As she flew through the air, her only thought was that she had failed, and fuck, that wasn’t acceptable.
Shark walked back to the main area in the clubhouse, today was going to be a long day. He and blade were going to present their ideas to Creed, and if he approved, they were going to begin construction immediately. Finally, things were moving forward exactly as he wanted them to.
As he walked into the main room, he saw the tables were already filling up with the guys. The hanger-ons were already trying to get the single bikers’ attention. He stared and shook his head, yeah there was no time for that shit right now. Blade was at the bar, and he walked to where his friend was sitting.
“Hey,” he said, and Blade nodded his head and then looked at Sofia who was manning the bar tonight. “Sof, grab Shark a beer, yeah?”
The woman nodded and smiled, grabbed a bottle and slid it down the bar to Shark. “Thanks, honey,” he said and then Maxi leaned forward and glared at Shark who grinned and then shook his head at his friend. It was good to see the men who claimed a woman were happy.
“You have the papers?” Shark asked, and then Blade nodded and patted the folder next to him.
“Yeah, had a few more ideas, checked out a few places close to base, what they had and implement them into our design,” Blade said, and Shark nodded.
The bar was going to be tailored to the enlisted men on base, especially the SEALs. They wanted to call it General’s. They would have a wall dedicated to those who had fallen, the rest would be outfitted in all things military, with the ceiling being the camo netting the military used in the desert. Outside, they would have a patio, the tables would have a fire pit down the center of it for the cooler nights.
They he
ard a commotion and turned. Shady, Harmony, and Freedom walked into the room, and Shark and Blade sucked in a breath, damn, over the last few weeks, all the women had begun to show their pregnancy. They didn’t hide it, still wearing their Harley tanks that were tight and showed off the baby bump. Damn, no wonder the men were so protective. Blade looked at him and smiled, yeah they wanted that as well, and hopefully since they were settled, the woman they chose would feel the same.
“Hey,” Shady yelled loudly. “Where the hell are my men?”
Shark looked around and saw Slider and Cajun both move from the entrance to Creed’s office. “Yeah, babe?”
“We got a problem,” she announced and every man stopped and paid attention.
“What?” Slider snapped and stalked to her side, the woman rolled her eyes as Freedom’s and Harmony’s men did the same thing.
“The nachos are gone,” Shady growled, and her men frowned and shook their heads.
“Seriously? This is the emergency?” Slider asked, and Cajun laughed.
“Hey, it is an emergency because if I don’t get my nightly nachos, then the baby will be pissed off, and if the baby is pissed, I am pissed,” Shady growled.
“Okay then,” Cajun said smoothly, and he looked around the room for a Prospect.
“Rook!” he yelled to the young man who Slick had brought with him when he joined the Warriors. Rook looked up and then moaned loudly as he stood.
“Again?” he asked, and Shady’s eyes narrowed on him.
“Yes,” she snapped and then rubbed her stomach. “And this time, make sure you get extra cheese.”
Rook nodded and grabbed his cut and then walked out of the door. Cajun smiled and then leaned over and kissed her softly on her temple. “Come on, baby, they will be here soon.”
“I want a Slurpee,” Harmony grumbled to Fork who grimaced and nodded.
“Okay, I’ll have Rook grab one of those too.”
Freedom looked at Easy and Poke and smiled. “Well, what do you want?” Easy asked and Freedom blushed and smiled.
“I would kill for beef jerky,” she said softly.
Poke frowned but nodded and said, “I’ll call.”
The vibes in the room shifted, the Lady Riders were here, and they ruled the roost. The younger women who weren’t claimed shifted and moved to the side of the room, no longer hanging on the bikers. Instead, they were waiting to make sure they didn’t attract the attention of the Lady Riders, all of them had learned in the past if they pissed them off, one, they would be banned, and two, Shady would make their lives a living hell. With a satisfied smile, the Lady Riders moved to the middle of the room where the largest table was, and they sat down. The men seemed to gravitate toward it, even the single ones because they respected every single thing they did and had gone through.
While the laughter in the room became louder with each moment that passed, Shark and Blade remained in their seats, smiling and nodding to the others, though.
“Shit,” Blade said quietly. “We need to make sure Rebel’s not that high maintenance, man, that could really suck.”
Shark snorted. “Don’t say that too loud, you could get your ass kicked.”
Blade grinned. “Hey it is true, you know it. Shit, there was a time where none of us wanted to settle.”
“Right,” Shark laughed. “And now, most of the guys would kill to have their own woman. Been a long time since we had someone between us who actually gave a shit instead of wanting a quick fuck. And when Rebel gets back home, we are having a serious discussion about her avoiding us by sneaking out the back door.”
Blade was silent as he pondered this. His best friend was right, there hadn’t been a time when both of them felt like the woman they shared would ever be one they would claim. Until they had seen Rebel, then it had been over. She didn’t know it yet, but she was theirs, and they weren’t going to back down.
Shark looked over his shoulder when he heard Creed barking in his phone. “Who the fuck is that?”
He was silent, and everyone in the room slowly stopped talking when they saw their President look around the room for someone. His eyes finally landed on Maxi and Kink, and he covered the phone and pointed to them. “Get your asses over here now.”
Both men stood with a frown, and they moved to their leader and waited. Creed handed Kink the phone and then said to Maxi, “One of your girls was in an accident.”
Creed turned to Blade and Shark and motioned to them. They rose and moved as well. When they got near, they could hear Kink snapping at someone on the phone, “Get her the best room possible.”
“Need you two to run up to LA, one of the girls from Bitches was in an accident. She requested we be called, specifically you two, the only thing they would tell us on her was ‘BH are here,’” Creed said with a growl and Blade tilted his head.
“Black Hearts? The rumors were true? Why the fuck didn’t she just tell us?”
Maxi moved and looked at Creed first, then Shark and Blade. “No information yet, but you need to leave now, in case...”
Fork swore loudly, and he glanced around, he saw Data and yelled. “Get me Rebel’s father’s phone number.”
Blade frowned and looked at their leader. “You sure you should be calling him before we know anything? At least give us time to get up there and see what is going on.”
Shady stood. “Her father is President of the Blood Eagle MC out of Louisiana, and I am pretty sure her being hurt here, on our watch no less, could cause an issue since she is technically the Princess of the club. But not calling them, shit, not a good move.”
Fork looked at her in surprise, and he said, “How the hell did you find that out? We just learned it yesterday.”
Harmony stood and walked to one of her men and poked him in the chest and she said, “We listened, which is more than I can say for you idiots. I mean, you hire a bunch of women to strip at your club, and yet you don’t get the basic info on them, really? When we were back in Nevada, that was unheard of. The women of Bitches were the Lady Riders, but here, with all our shit going on, we needed to make sure what problems were being brought into the club. So we asked, and she told us, not everything mind you, but enough. We were just waiting for her to come to us and tell us everything. It wasn’t a big deal, I mean we all know those assholes have left a path of destruction behind them. But we are not going to let any more Lady Riders deal with this shit on their own. I refuse to let someone think poorly of them because of what they do, we are all Bitches, and that makes us family.”
Creed shook his head. “Yeah, but you guys are special.”
Freedom shook her head. “So are they, all of them.”
“When in the hell have you guys been at Bitches talking to the dancers? I mean, you guys aren’t supposed to be there anymore, right?” Easy asked slowly, realizing his mistake of speaking up, which caused Freedom to glare at her man.
“Does it look like we sit around and knit all day? Seriously?” she snapped and then Shady leaned forward.
“There is something else I don’t think you all know either.”
Creed sighed loudly and said, “What is that?”
Bob moved slowly, carrying her little girl in her arms until she was standing next to Creed and Fork and then she growled softly, “The Black Hearts killed her mother, without a doubt.”
“So it wasn’t just a rumor?” Blade asked, and Bob shook her head.
“Nope, the Blood Eagle MC kept it fairly quiet who was responsible, mostly so they could get their revenge without raising eyebrows. From what we learned, they were planning to make their move when the Black Hearts hit Ricco’s house. They pulled back and waited, but Rebel got impatient and took off on her own. It led her here, which is where she belongs.”
Maxi shook his head. “Seriously, we are going to need to work on our communication skills, we are all doing the same fucking thing. Just so you know, before we even hired her we checked with her old man, who was pissed she was dancing, but then he said she
was an adult and that was her choice.”
“Good for you,” Freedom said sarcastically. “But here is the thing, it doesn’t matter what he thinks, it matters what Rebel wants.”
“Did he sound surprised she was here? Or did he already know?” Creed asked, and Kink shook his head.
“Nah, he knew, didn’t seem to bother him, said he knew about our reputation and knew we were solid. We checked them out as well, though, we called around to the other clubs. The only beef they had was with the Black Hearts, nothing else that would make us raise any eyebrows. Rebel moved out on her own, several of the guys said it was because she told her father she needed space.”
Creed nodded and then looked at Blade and Shark and said, “Get your asses up there, find out what the hell happened. Arrange to have her brought back here, and until we find out what the fuck is going on start calling the girls, all of the Bitches will be in the clubhouse until further notice.”
Shady looked at the Lady Riders who all nodded. As they walked out of the room, Harmony turned and looked at Shark and Blade and said, “You bring her home in one piece, or I will kill you myself.”
Chapter Three
Blade and Shark walked into the hospital. The ride had only taken two hours, which could have been a lot longer considering they were in LA. Neither of the guys liked this big of a city, hell, San Diego was almost too big for them, but really, where the compound was, it was so sectioned off it didn’t feel big unless you got on the freeway. Coronado was just over the bridge, and that was pretty much where all they went.
Both men looked around the lobby and walked to the elevator. They knew her room number. Blade heard his phone ding in his pocket, and he groaned.
“Seriously? Shay needs to get a grip; she has sent me like ten messages since we drove out of the compound.”
Shark shook his head and smiled. “Yeah, well sounds to me like the Lady Riders are letting the hormones run wild.”
Welcome to Hell (Ops Warriors Book 7) Page 3
