Outlaw MC Bear

by Bella Love-Wins

  Sabrina

  “I don’t know that it’s a good idea to take advice from someone so close to my bread and butter, babe.” Silas shot her a look. He probably thought it would pacify her, all gentle and playful. “Thanks for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  He gave her a wink and turned to leave the room.

  “Please don’t dismiss this so quickly, Silas. It could turn out to be a godsend.”

  When he came to a dead halt, her chest squeezed tight as she fumbled for the right words to convince him this proposal was solid. It would be a surefire way to get his club out of the arms business and a heck of a lot safer. They still needed to have some ties to her father so no one went to war, but it was one hundred percent legitimate. Thoughts rattled around in her head on how to best get her point across before he dismissed it altogether. The benefits needed to be clear as day to ensure he wouldn’t blow her off.

  If he could be realistic, he’d see that the business he ran put him squarely in the middle of high-risk indentured servitude, never mind that it was profitable. All of a sudden, making him see he had a way out of the lifestyle became immeasurably important to her. Or maybe she just didn’t want to see Lorenzo or her father win again. Right now she wasn’t in the mood to examine the reasons why she’d come to that conclusion.

  Silas shook his head before she could say another word. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, Sabrina, but I’m out.”

  “Are you hell bent on ignoring me just because I’m a woman?”

  “Christ. You’ve known me for less than two days and you already see me as some pet project.”

  “That’s not true. I—”

  “Stop talking. I don’t need you to fix me, or to tell me how to live my life.”

  “Oh, that’s rich, coming from you!”

  “Everything I did for you was to protect you. If you don’t believe it, that’s not my problem.”

  He never raised his voice, and he didn’t look over his shoulder. He just stood there, facing the door, and with every second that he remained unmovable, she wanted to scream at him more so he’d get over himself and stop being so stubborn.

  “You won’t even listen to what I have to say, will you?”

  She could tell that yelling at him was the worst thing she could do right now, but it was hard keeping her frustration under control.

  I should have known.

  It figures we’d be combustible in and out of the bedroom.

  “Why do you want to help me so much anyway, Silas? What’s in it for you?”

  His fingers twitched at his sides. “I protect my investments.”

  “I wasn’t your investment when you helped me on that elevator. You didn’t know who I was then. So why did you take time out of your precious life to help? Tell me why, Silas. Maybe you’ll figure out why I want to return the favor.”

  He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. It was anyone’s guess whether he was actually considering what she’d just suggested. For all she knew, he could be thinking about what chick he was going to screw next downstairs. Sabrina grimaced at the idea. They’d never talked about exclusivity, but the idea of some girl’s claws in him made her want to set them on fire.

  Sabrina heard the sound of footsteps approaching and held her breath. Cole stuck his head in the open doorway. “Having another lover’s quarrel, are we?”

  “What’s up?” Silas asked.

  “You’re needed downstairs.”

  Sabrina glared at Cole, positive this well-timed interruption was to help Silas get away from her for whatever reason. Cole half-shoved Silas out of the room and he went willingly. Even her chest deflated from the release of tension when he left the room. Except sooner or later, they would run out of time to be alone. She was about to go back to being under her father’s control. Shortly after that, Lorenzo would take his place. Silas had a lot to figure out, and they’d get nowhere if people didn’t start getting out of their way.

  Cole didn’t follow behind him. He just stood there, studying her with a sideways glance, eyes narrowed as he chewed on the end of a cigar.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “I’m going to level with you, honey, and I need you to listen good and hard. Got it?”

  Sabrina cocked her head, ignoring the rush of anger filling her veins again. Was everyone around her bent on giving her a piece of their minds? She walked over to the dresser and leaned on it, looking at him. “Just say what you want, then get out and leave me alone.” She’d already learned it was better to hear him out and do whatever she wanted to do.

  “You two?” Cole pointed down the hallway and then back at Sabrina. “There’s no future there. Everyone knows it. You’re too much of a good girl and not enough of a rule breaker for him, even with your sketchy family ties. And I’m telling you right now, you can’t change him, so get that idea out of your head. That kid was destined for more than whatever you’re thinking. And either way, he’s as good as taken.”

  She frowned and took an abrupt seat on the edge of the bed. Taken? What, by the she-bitch twisted claw who jumped her in the hallway earlier? That couldn’t be right. He hadn’t mentioned…then again, why would he mention it? Sabrina clutched her stomach while trying to keep her face neutral.

  “I see I’ve got your attention now. Good. Silas belongs to no woman, but if he were, it would not be to you. The man’s been promised to someone else. Kind of like you and your Mafioso in training, Lorenzo Giovanni.”

  “But… who?”

  “It’s not your concern, but for the sake of getting you off his back, I’ll fill you in. Cindy and his old man made a deal with another the president of our Texas charter club. He and the guy’s daughter have been a thing…” He held his left palm down to around hip height. “Since he was yea-high. Why do you think he won’t settle down? He’s already got someone on lockdown. Besides, I just called their charter to help us out if things go south with your dear old Daddy. So that complicates matters, doesn’t it? If I were you, I’d stay out of the way and leave Silas alone until we can ship your petite little ass back home where you belong. Otherwise, you’ll be playing with the big girls, and they have claws. Literally. You won’t win.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up and the warning, Cole,” she muttered, only half paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth.

  He hesitated in the doorway, and she sensed his gaze on her as she sat there in shock. So much of what he’d said made perfect sense. She’d been so busy both trying to get into Silas’s pants and to help him out of this underground life, she never bothered to question why he was so sure there was no chance for them. She was his, but the converse was not true.

  A rush of nausea took over her stomach, and she had to swallow hard to keep that bitter bile down. He’d essentially turned her into one of those dime-a-dozen twisted claws downstairs. God, she’d been an idiot, blindly sleeping with this guy she knew nothing about and assuming…what…that after giving up the pussy, he’d jump on board with a neat little plan to get out of gunrunning so they could live happily ever after? That he’d smuggle her out from under her father’s nose, and Lorenzo would be fine with it and her best friend, Addison would simply be let go?

  Addison was right.

  I really am naïve.

  For all intents and purposes, Sabrina needed to accept that both she and Silas were engaged. Maybe she was unhappy about her life, but for all she knew he was thrilled about his fiancé and living as an outlaw.

  That thought was all she needed to point her in the right direction. She didn’t belong here. Silas had his own motivations, and there was no sense daydreaming that his attention had more to do with her being a pawn. Again. She needed to figure out how to free Addison on her own. She needed to forget about her soul-deep desire to be seen as a person, not a convenient poker chip. Most of all, she needed to get it through her head that the handful of times when Silas made her feel she was more, he was simply between her legs, fucking her over.
It didn’t count.

  “Christ,” she breathed out, putting her head in her hands.

  “Reality is a bitch, ain’t it?”

  Her head jerked up. Cole was still there. Fuck. She’d totally tuned out. He smiled, giving her a little head nod. “Makes sense that he didn’t tell you about the whole engagement thing, eh?” Cole gave her a knowing look, taking a long puff on his cigar. “Then again, you didn’t exactly tell us you and the padrino were kin.”

  “True.”

  “None of it matters anyway. You weren’t sticking around even if you were some random chick. Plus you’re a human. Add that to the mix and you get a goddamn mess. Get yourself some rest. You’ll need it for the next forty-eight hours.”

  There wasn’t an argument for anything he said, so she let him leave without one. Soon, she’d be back to her old life and everything else would be a nightmare of horrible choices.

  She only had herself to blame.

  25

  Silas

  The almost full moon bounced off of Silas and his top men’s cuts, making everything seem unreal. This was step one before the meetings with Giovanni and the padrino, so it was probably a good thing that around them felt different. It kept them all on their toes. They had gotten some much-needed rest, took the day to plan, and now, had just a few hours remaining to return Sabrina to Giovanni.

  Silas stood beside the Ford F150 he made Axe drive into the arroyo a short distance away from the panthers’ clubhouse. The truck bed was covered by a tarp. He couldn’t wait to do the unveiling. Every time he thought about what he’d committed to do, his lips would pinch into a smile he had to keep under wraps. His crew would believe he was two cogs short of sanity if he was so happy about waging war.

  He raised a hand to get their attention. “The way I see it, we know that the panthers are working with Giovanni, but there’s two things we don’t know. The first is we can’t be sure he and the padrino are as tight as he lets on. Something about that doesn’t sit well with me. Second, we don’t know whether the panthers are working with that piece of shit strictly for the cash, or if shooting us off one by one is a bonus because of their vendetta. Either way, I don’t fucking care. Now it’s time to send that little prick a message.” Pulling the tarp off the back, he smirked. “Take your pick of weapons, gentleman.”

  Tate tilted his head. He was the first one to reach into the truck cab, eyeing the rocket launcher as if it might suck his dick later. “Okay. So, you fuckers know me right? You know I’m game for any and all forms of violence, but tell me something, Pres. Why aren’t we just going after Giovanni? Seems like the easiest way around all this is through.”

  “You not wrong on that logic, but we have people to protect. Sending a message that backfires will not help our kin. If he’s got the padrino’s loyalty like he claims, it will crush us all later.”

  Axe joined in, keeping his eyes on the darkness around their hideout in the deep crevice. “It would be fucked up if the padrino didn’t. I mean, why would he let his daughter marry that fucker? Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “What if he had some kind of leverage on the big boss?”

  “It’s possible, but we’ve got no way to find out what that is, if that’s true in the first place. All the more reason to walk into that meeting with an advantage.” Silas mentally calculated what he would need from the truck bed, keeping his eye on the prospect who was now lingering a bit away from their little circle.

  Cole shook his head. “The padrino would never sanction that bombing on the clubhouse. He’s old school. His taste is for going directly to the source with a head-shot style of execution.”

  “Can’t argue with your logic,” Axe continued sharpening his bowie knife. “So what our plan for the panthers, Silas? They’re going to be even more pissed after we took one of their guys and chicken-sandwiched his face.”

  “Follow my lead. Show your weapons but don’t use any of them unless I tell you. We’ll get it done.”

  “Yes sir, captain death wish!” Tate saluted.

  “Shut the fuck up with that bullshit.” Axe shoved him hard, grinning as they both snagged weapons from the pile.

  One way or another it was going to be another long night. Silas led everyone up to the panthers’ clubhouse on foot, preparing himself so this mission wouldn’t be as half-cocked or messy as the one last night. This time, he had firepower for backup.

  Time to light ’em up.

  Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

  Silas signaled to his brothers with one hand, and he pressed the send button for the crucial text to the prospect who was now at the back of the clubhouse. Ten seconds later all the power to the panthers’ compound went off. Although they had a backup power generator to the central structure, the outage would keep a few of them busy for a while. The whole idea of tonight was to keep their numbers to a minimum for the mob meeting.

  “Phase one complete,” Silas mumbled to himself, reaching into his hoodie pocket for his secret stash of flashbangs.

  He activated them one by one and hurled the convenient little things through every window at the front until his pocket was empty. The panthers were now overwhelmed and completely disorientated. The intense sound and light of these stun grenades would be a bitch for those hyper-sensitive felines. Members were streaming out of any available exit. Some even jumped out of second story windows half-shifted. Shit was going to get bloody.

  A bullet whizzed by the tip of his ear from behind him, and Silas launched himself into a stumbling crouch. His pulse pounded in his skull, blocking out all other sounds. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He quickly scanned his other men, then he pivoted to face the oncoming threat. His jaw ached, muscles taut as he checked the perimeter for the threat. Who the fuck could have come up behind them? Everyone was in the house. Tate, Axe and Dean had double-checked that before they took their positions.

  Silas’s stomach knotted as if he’d been sucker punched. As he wasn’t sure whether some of these unseen attackers were human or not, he shot off a wild round of bullets a few feet above the inky blackness, hopefully ceasing their advance while taking out tree bark in the process. His plan had been excellent, but he failed to account for panther or ally reinforcements.

  It’s probably the wolves.

  Fuck, I keep leading my men into disaster.

  He ducked, dodged, and weaved through bullets shooting out from across the dense brush. They’d walked right into a trap, one with a fuck ton of allies. Now he and his men were the ones out in the open getting shot off one by one. Dashing toward Cole in the midst of the action, they hid next to a storage shed off to the side of the house. His VP had a knife lodged in the ribcage of one panther member and was waving the half-dead carcass around like a giant deterrent. Silas kept the return fire off them by taking out anyone with weapons in his eye line.

  “How are you making out?” Silas shouted.

  “Never better, kid.” Cole was half out of breath as he nailed another unshifted panther in the gut with his fist. “But this still doesn’t look too good.”

  There was movement inside the shed, and then Silas smelled it. “Cole, did any of the guys go into this shed?”

  “No. Axe and Tate are over there,” he answered, pointing to one corner of the clubhouse. “And Dean is hiding behind that water tank.”

  “So why do I smell another bear shifter inside?”

  “Hell if I know. Want me to check it out?”

  “No. I will. Can you manage these assholes on your own?”

  “Hell yeah. Go ahead.”

  Silas kept his head down and found his way to the front of the shed, using his AK to shoot open the heavy bolts and locks. After stepping inside, it made perfect sense that whoever was inside couldn’t get out. It was a makeshift prison cell, built with the intention of sucking up all the Arizona heat and practically frying the occupant, or at least weakening them fr
om the unbearable temperatures. Both the door and shed frame were made of reinforced steel, and the back half of the dark space had a smaller enclosed dungeon-like room. It was so hot inside, Silas felt he’d stifle. The filth made it no easier.

  Keeping his weapon at the ready, Silas took several cautious steps to the cell, and looked into the square peephole they probably also used to give food to the prisoner. It was a male bear shifter in his human form, weak and barely breathing, collapsed on the floor of the cell. The man’s wrists and ankles were shackled, and heavy chains connected all four spots to a reinforced iron ring on the floor.

  “Cover your head,” Silas instructed the man before taking the revolver out of the holster at his waist. He aimed the gun at the heavily bolted door and shot out the locks, then did the same to chain attached to the leg irons and shackles on the man’s body.

  The man was barely conscious, but the sound of bullets freeing him from his prison probably gave him an extra boost of energy.

  “What’s your name and how come I’ve never seen you before? I know every bear shifter around here.”

  “I’m not from here,” the man replied in a weak whisper. “My name is Riley. Addison Riley.”

  “Well Riley, you’re in luck. Have you ever heard the saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Well, that’s you tonight, friend. You’re coming with me.”

  This Riley dude was too weak to move on his own, so Silas raised him over his shoulder, carrying him to the door. He had Cole signal to Tate and Axe, and they created a distraction by firing off a few rounds with their AKs in the tree line while Silas got Riley to the truck.

  Silas helped him into the cab. “Keep your head down and stay out of sight until we get this little firefight under control. Oh and there’s water and beer in the cup holder. Help yourself.”

  Riley nodded, stoic and frightened as hell, but in a way better state than when Silas found him a few minutes ago. Now it was time to get this fight under control again. Turning to the melee, he fought his way back to Cole’s side.