by Silver James
Then she hooked up with the Bastard. Everything was good for awhile. He made sure my old man stayed away from us. Then Mom got pregnant. He started bringing other girls around. They were younger than Mom, like barely out of high school. And they had tattoos and didn’t wear many clothes. One of them came into my room one night and wanted to do stuff. I was embarrassed and told her to go away. The Bastard caught her, but thought it was funny.
He didn’t hang around the house as much after Noni was born. At least when she was a baby. After she could walk, he started hanging around again. I’d grab Noni and we’d go to the neighbor’s house. That always pissed the Bastard off. He came one night when I was asleep. I woke up and heard Noni crying. I went to check on her and found him in her room, touching her. I hit him with my baseball bat. That’s when Mom called Aunt Sam, and she came to get us. We lived with her in Utah for a couple of months, but Mom got homesick. She didn’t like the snow and mountains so we came back here. Mom had been a nurse in Kansas City, but she couldn’t work in the hospital anymore because either my old man or the Bastard would find us. She worked in a crappy place with a bunch of old people, but they paid her cash and she didn’t have to use her real name.
Way too much time had gone by and still no Mom. I needed to go check, but I didn’t want Noni to go with me. I couldn’t leave her in the cellar by herself. Maybe I could sneak her into the barn, hide her up in the loft. But…I was scared she’d fall down the ladder and get hurt. I had no choice. I’d just have to take her with me. She didn’t want to wake up so that sort of made things easier. If she was asleep, she wouldn’t wander off. I could look for Mom then come back and get her. I left Noni alone while I went to check the house.
Mom wasn’t there. Neither was anyone else. All we could do was wait. I woke up Noni, made her come into the house, and fed her some cereal with the last of the milk. Mom hadn’t been to the store so there wasn’t much left to eat. I didn’t know how long Noni and me could wait.
THREE DAYS WENT BY and Mom hadn’t come home. We still didn’t have a phone at the house. Easy bought Mom a new cell, which I figured she’d taken with her—so she couldn’t call to tell me what to do. Just in case, I looked for it but the phone was gone. I needed to call Aunt Sam but I had to get to a phone. There was a gas station out on the road a couple of miles away. I could walk there pretty fast, but I couldn’t leave Noni. We didn’t have any more food so I had no choice. I made Noni wear her warm coat and let her take her stupid bear. Maybe she wouldn’t fuss so much if she had it with her. Holding her hand, I started down the driveway. That’s when I heard the motorcycles.
Dragging Noni into the woods, I left her hidden in the bushes while I snuck back to see what was going on. Hell Dogs pulled into our yard and drove around making donuts in what was left of the grass. Then I saw Mom’s car. Things were gonna be okay now. Mom was back. As it drove by, I realized the Bastard was driving. When the car stopped, two guys went to the passenger door and pulled Mom out. She didn’t fighting them. She didn’t move at all.
This was bad-bad-bad. Mom was hurt something awful. Even if we got to the gas station, I couldn’t call the cops. They wouldn’t do anything. And my old man might find us. Easy. Mom told me to call him. I’d figure out how to find Easy and the Nightriders. He told Mom he owed us. They had to come help.
EASY
WHEN THE PROSPECT called up from the gate, the last thing I expected to hear was that a deputy sheriff was down there asking for me—by my real name. And he didn’t have a warrant. Digger and Hardy exchanged looks and followed me out the door. The prick stood there all puffed up and official looking trying his best to stare down the boys guarding the gate. One of ’em was a Wolf. Deputy Dawg wasn’t gonna win that pissin’ contest in this lifetime.
I sauntered up to the gate and stopped about three feet back from it. “Whaddaya want?”
The deputy looked me up and down then jumped when the passenger door on his cruiser opened. Jonah climbed out. Before anyone could move, the kid rushed the gate.
“Dad!”
Dad? He was callin’ me dad? What the fuck?
Deputy Dawg grabbed the kid and hauled him back. “Not so fast. You Elijah Cross?”
I didn’t use my real name very often, but I nodded. “Yeah. Jonah, what’s goin’ on?”
The kid squirmed, trying to jerk free from the cop. Somebody banged on the back window of the cruiser and I heard Noni screaming. “What the hell? Is that Noni?”
Jonah did his best not to cry. Fuck. There was something really bad wrong here. “Open the fuckin’ gate,” I ordered. Stepping through, I jerked Jonah away from the deputy and headed to the car. I wrestled the door open and Noni fell into my arms, wailing and clutching that dumb bear she dragged everywhere.
“These kids belong to you?” The deputy got all surly, and he kept his hand on the butt of his pistol.
I didn’t know what game Jonah was playing, but after seeing at how dirty the kids were, I figured it was better to get them inside first and find out later. “Yeah. They’re mine. Why?”
“Caught ’em hitchhiking on Old Centervale Road. Kid said his mom took off with a boyfriend and told ’em to go visit you.”
I stared at Jonah. He stared back, his face pale. He reeked of ammonia. Not just fear but terror. Bad shit had happened to Pretty Woman. I knew it in my gut. I hitched Noni on my hip and clutched Jonah’s shoulder, pulling him closer to the gate. “It’s my week for visitation. The asshole she’s with doesn’t always let her drop the kids off.” I lied through my teeth and felt Jonah relax slightly.
Deputy Dawg didn’t want to surrender the kids. He kept fingering the butt of his pistol. I nudged Jonah closer to the gate. Once we were on the other side, Dawg couldn’t do much. I challenged him. “You gotta problem? I pay my child support. Ain’t my fault my ex sucks at pickin’ boyfriends.”
“You sure this is where you want to be, boy?”
Jonah leaned against me and nodded. “Yes sir. My dad’ll take care of us. He always does.”
Noni picked that moment to pat my cheeks. “Hungry. Nilla cookie, ’kay?”
“Sure, baby. I’ll get you some.”
The deputy relaxed slightly, but I kept edging back toward the gate. As soon as Jonah was close enough, Hardy grabbed him and hauled him through. I was a step behind and the gate clanged shut the moment I was on the inside. I glanced back. “Thanks for bringin’ ’em, deputy. I’ll take care of the kids now.”
The dude wasn’t a happy camper, but I could see him working out alternatives. Noni patted me again. “Da! Cookies!” Her demand seemed to settle the deputy. He nodded and retreated to his car, though he didn’t leave until we’d gone inside.
Sunny was waiting in the foyer. She grabbed Noni and headed toward the kitchen. Jonah started to follow, but I stopped him.
“What’s goin’ on, kid? Where’s your mom?”
He squared his shoulders, and I noticed his hands were fisted at his sides. “The Hell Dogs came back. Mom told us to hide in the cellar. I waited a long time, but she never came.” He swallowed and stared down at his feet. “I should have gone to look sooner, but when I did, she was gone. They were gone.”
“When was this?”
He gulped and still wouldn’t look at me. “Three days ago. I decided to take Noni to the gas station so we could call you. There wasn’t any more food.” He looked up then, and his eyes looked haunted. “We were halfway down the driveway when I heard the noise. The Hell Dogs came back. Noni and I hid in the woods. They…Mom didn’t move when they pulled her out of her car. I knew something was bad wrong. I grabbed Noni and we ran. The deputy pulled up right before we got to the station. He made us get in his car. I made up the story about you bein’ our dad so he’d bring us here.”
“Are the Hell Dogs still at your house?” The Russian had come up beside me, and I hadn’t even noticed.
Jonah nodded, his eyes huge. “Yeah. I guess. They didn’t look like they were in any hurry to leave.”<
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The Russian stared at me. “Can you find the way back?”
I had to think about that. I could get close but I wasn’t sure of the exact location. I’d find the place, but it might take awhile. The Russian knew just by looking at me that I was waffling.
“Jonah, you will show us the way. Repo, take Easy and the boy in the truck. We will need to get Easy’s ride while we are there. Everyone else, mount up.”
Chapter 5
EASY
I WANTED JONAH to stay in the truck. We’d stopped about half a mile away from Pretty Woman’s house. Hollywood slipped into the woods to shift into his wolf so he could scout the situation. He wasn’t gone long.
“Place is empty. They’ve been gone about thirty minutes. Maybe an hour. So many scents overlaying the place it’s hard to tell.” Hollywood glanced at the truck, and his eyes slid away from making contact with Jonah’s gaze. “The woman’s there. In the yard. It ain’t pretty, Russki.”
The Russian nodded and looked contemplative, like he already knew the score. “Where is Easy’s Harley?”
“In the barn back behind the house, covered in hay, just like the kid said. Those fucking Dogs didn’t find it. There’s somethin’ else goin’ on here, boss.”
“Ya think?” I was all snarly, but fuck, I figured I was entitled.
The Russian gave me one of his looks so I shut up. I was still pissed though. I’d made promises. We were royal assholes, but a promise was a promise.
The Russian called over the brother standing next to the pickup. “Repo, take the boy and the truck to get the Harley. See that the boy packs some clothes for the children, but do not let him see the front yard. Leave as little trail as possible.”
Repo nodded, one short jerk of his chin. “You got it, Russki.”
Hollywood pointed toward the trees lining the highway. “There’s a dirt cutoff about a hundred yards up the road. You can use it to get to the barn. Nobody’ll see tracks.”
Repo climbed in, and I watched him explain things to Jonah. The kid looked a little panicked, but he manned up. Little dude impressed the hell outta me.
“Ride with me, Easy.” The Russian rode his bike like he was fused to the metal, and I wasn’t about to argue about riding the bitch seat. We rolled up the driveway, our tire tracks mixing with the ones already there. Hollywood was right. The Hell Dogs were long gone, but Pretty Woman remained, laid out in the yard like a fucking pagan sacrifice. The shit they did to her was obscene. Fuck. We were Wolves. We did bad shit, but leave it to a human to do evil like this. Russki was pissed, especially when he got a look at the message carved into her stomach.
Noni is mine. Bring her to me.
What the fuck? Noni was what? Three? Maybe four? I glanced at the Russian, and his gaze flicked over to meet mine. Red flecks flickered in the back of his eyes. Shit. He was about to go furry. I’d never seen Russki lose control of his wolf. I stepped back, as did every other Nightrider who was a Wolf. A few of the humans stood there like deer in headlights. Power rolled of the Russian, and my own wolf got a little twitchy. I stuffed him down inside because I damn sure didn’t want to be prey. Still, the question had to be asked.
“What do you wanna do, Russki?”
“The children are under my personal protection.”
I nodded. That meant every Nightrider in the whole fuckin’ country would lay down their lives for Jonah and Noni. Since this was in line with my own promises to Pretty Woman, I was squarely on board with that.
“We need answers, boss.”
“Yes. If Jonah does not have them, we will find them somewhere else.”
“The kid mentioned an aunt.”
The Russian continued to stare at Pretty Woman, and I wondered if he’d heard me. After a long, few minutes, he nodded. “He will call her when we get back to the clubhouse. She will come. She will have the answers we need.”
I didn’t want to ask the next question.”
“What about Pretty?”
“We must leave her. Let the police find her.” He raised his head, sniffed the air. “We will need to leave Hell Dog evidence before they do.”
That made sense. The bike tracks were obvious, even to the lazy cops in this town. We’d be the obvious suspects since this was our territory.
Russki stared at the letters carved into her skin. “And we must erase that. You said the Dogs have taken over Barney’s.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
His lips curled, but I wouldn’t call the expression a smile. It meant someone was going to die.
“Gravedigger, take four others.”
Digger grinned, but his eyes promised nothing but death. “On it, boss.” He whistled, and two prospects mounted their bikes. Hollywood and Wizard climbed on theirs. They roared off into the night.
The hair on the back of my neck prickled. I damn sure wouldn’t want to be a fuckin’ Hell Dog tonight. The pack was hunting. I was just sorry it wasn’t me riding with ’em. I still wasn’t a hundred per cent though most of my wounds had scabbed over. As wolf shifters, we healed faster than humans, but it wasn’t immediate, and we weren’t immortal or any of that movie shit. I heard the truck start up around back. Repo would be headed back to the clubhouse with Jonah and my bike.
As if reading my mind, Russki moved to his ride. “Easy,” he commanded.
I climbed on behind, and he kick-started the engine. We rolled down the drive. When we hit the road, the others lined up in riding formation. We caught up to the truck and followed it back to town.
We had a garage and body shop set up in an old train maintenance building next to the Barracks, and I headed that way to help unload my bike. This was the first time I’d seen it since the wreck. Fuck. It needed almost a total rebuild. Repo looked like he wanted to slap me upside the head.
“What were you thinkin’, boy?”
“I was thinkin’ I’d been fuckin’ shot and the dickwads were hot on my trail.” I walked over and leaned against the truck-bed railing. “Is it as bad as it looks?”
“Won’t know ’til I get it down and apart. Definitely needs body work. I think the engine will be okay.” He cut his eyes to Jonah, who sat in the cab with the passenger door open. “You ever used tools, boy?”
The kid’s eyes went round. “No, sir.”
Repo laughed. “You’re too damn polite, kid. My name is Repo. Use it. I’m gonna need some help on this bike. You think you can do the work?”
“Yes, sir…er…Mister Repo.”
Repo rolled his eyes at me. “Close enough. Go with Easy and settle in. Get cleaned up and get a night’s sleep. We’ll start work first thing in the morning.”
The kid slid out of the truck, quivering like a puppy waiting on a belly rub. “Yes, sir, Mister Repo. I’ll be here.”
I steered the kid away before Repo jumped him again for being too polite. Pretty Woman had done a good job with her kids. Had to be hard, bein’ a single mom and all. The words carved into her chest flashed in my mind. We needed to get to the bottom of that, but first things first.
“You said you have an aunt?”
“Yeah. She’s in the mountains. Colorado or Utah or someplace like that.”
The kid was hedging. He didn’t want to tell me exactly where this aunt lived. I’d deal with that later. “The Russian wants you to call her, tell her to come.”
He stopped and got real still. I turned around, and the kid wouldn’t meet my eyes. Head down, he dug his toe in the dirt. “That means Mom’s gone.”
Had he figured it out? I stalled by asking, “Gone?”
“Did she take off with the Bastard again?”
Fuck. If only it were that simple. How did I tell him that his momma was dead, and we’d just left her laying there in the dirt? “Tell me about this bastard.”
Jonah glanced up and stared at me. I could see the war going on in his brain, and I caught whiffs of ammonia. Whoever the sumbitch was, he scared Jonah. “He’s not a bastard, he’s the Bastard. Like that’s his name
or something. He’s this guy Mom hooked up with. He promised to take care of us, but…” He looked down, digging in his toe again.
“What’s he to Noni?”
His head jerked up and gulped. “Nothing. He’s just some guy.” Jonah’s scent changed to rotten apples—sickly sweet over a base of decay. The kid was fucking lying to me. Now why the hell would he do that? Either he’d tell me or the Russian would get it out of him. Instead of pushing, I handed him my cell. “Call your aunt. Tell her she needs to get her ass here. Now. Your mom ain’t coming back.”
Chapter 6
EASY
AS I WALKED DOWN to the gate, Hardy and Digger trailed behind me by about two steps. No one woke up Jonah to tell him his aunt had arrived. The prospects on guard duty looked jumpy. A bad-ass Jeep rigged to run was parked smack damn in the middle of the drive in front of the gates. The woman leaning against its front bumper looked like hell on wheels. Short, spiky blonde hair, old-style fatigues, combat boots, and a fuckin’ semi-automatic pistol strapped to her hip. She was long and lean and would put a man in mind of some hot sex if it weren’t for her grim expression.
That’s when I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew she was Pretty Woman’s sister but holy hell. This woman was Pretty’s evil twin. No, seriously. Add some curves and long hair, and I’d be lookin’ at Pretty. It was a weird fucking feeling. But this woman was hard. Everything about her.
“I’m Easy.”
“And I’m not. Where’re my kids?”
“They’re not yours.”
“The hell you say. Jonah and Noni are mine. That’s the way Sarah wanted it.”
Sarah. So that had been her name. At the moment, she was a Jane Doe in the morgue. We’d gathered up the kids’ stuff and got the hell out after we discovered her body. Digger and some of the brothers went hunting, and they left Hell Dog evidence behind—blood, a torn cut, and the house burning to cover our tracks. An anonymous call alerted the local authorities, and they swarmed the place. Interacting with cops usually meant one or more of us in jail for the duration.
