Raiden's Choice (A Ravens MC Novel Book 1)

by J. L. Leslie

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Chapter Two

  ~Raiden~

  I park my bike in the far corner parking lot of Diesel’s and slip my helmet off. I run my fingers through my long, black hair and shake it out a little before walking across the parking lot.

  Diesel’s is jam packed, but it’s always like this on Fight Night. I see Rudy working the door and he gives me a nod, letting me know I can go on in. My dad has already taken care of my cover charge. I push through the bodies and make my way to the right corner of the ring. I know that’s where my dad will be.

  “You’re so predictable.” I tell him when I find him standing there.

  “I can see the fighters the best from here.” he informs me.

  “You got a haircut.” I observe.

  “Apparently, I needed one.”

  I don’t comment that he’d probably do anything Sonnie told him to do. Despite Sonnie having been my mom’s best friend, I think she might be the best thing for my dad, but he’ll never wake up and realize that. For that matter, neither will she.

  “Who are we here to see?” I ask and he looks towards the left.

  “Pummel has shown some interest. He’d be an asset. He fights later though. Wesley Graham, Niles Bryan, Hayes Winchester, and Chester Hank. They’ve all approached me about becoming prospects.”

  “Pummel doesn’t know how to show restraint. We don’t need a loose cannon.” I explain. “Niles and Hayes would be good though.”

  “Restraint can be taught.” he counters. “We need a strong arm.”

  “But not a loose cannon.” I mumble.

  My dad just nods, not wanting to argue with me. “Our shipment was delivered on time. We took the service road like you suggested.”

  “Good.” I don’t crack a smile or gloat. I did what I was supposed to do. I protected the club. If I couldn’t do that, there’d be no need in me fucking Griffin Knowles.

  The original delivery route we’d chosen was compromised. The DEA wasn’t waiting or anything, but a State Trooper had been put in the area to look out for suspicious activity. I didn’t like the sound of it. No need to take unnecessary risks when making a delivery.

  Wesley Graham and Hayes Winchester enter the cage and I know the first fight is about to start. I cross my arms and watch each fighter prepare themselves. I’ve known Hayes for about four years. I’ve seen him fight a few times and he always stays calm and reserved.

  I know Griffin charged him with a B&E three years ago, but he pled out to five years probation and fifteen months since he was only the driver. He never entered the house and he hasn’t been in trouble since.

  I don’t know much about Wesley. I thought he wanted to be a prospect for the Rykers. Now he wants to prospect for us? That’s fishy. I mention this to my dad and he nods, taking in the information.

  My dad and I watch the fight in silence. Neither of us commenting on either mens’ techniques or flinching when they slam into the cage right in front of us. I don’t have a weak stomach. Blood doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Not just because I’m a nurse, but because I grew up around it. The Ravens have always been a part of my life.

  When I was seven, my dad came home with a bullet wound to his thigh. I watched my mom dig the bullet out and sew him up right on our kitchen table. I brought her the supplies she needed.

  When I was ten, I witnessed Frank, one of the club’s enforcers at the time, cut off a man’s finger. Two of them actually. I was supposed to be asleep with my mom in my dad’s room at the clubhouse while he was out on a run, but the sound of the man screaming had woken me up.

  I’ve seen my fair share of bloodshed growing up with the Ravens. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Beer?” a waitress walking through asks and my dad and I both accept. I grip the bottle and take a sip while my dad downs half of his with one swallow.

  “Are you considering more than one prospect?” I ask him and he gives a slight shrug.

  “Wouldn’t hurt. Like I said, we never replaced Boyd and you know the Rykers numbers are up. I don’t like being outnumbered.”

  Hayes pulls out the win. We watch the remaining fights and I finish off my beer. Pummel gets in the cage and I recognize his opponent because his brother was recently on Griffin’s radar. Pummel has an easy thirty pounds on Luka Varelli.

  Luka stretches in the right corner and then he pulls his shirt over his head. He runs his hands through his dark, brown hair and then swings his arms out in front of him, loosening himself up.

  I notice he has matching tattoos on both of his arms. Some sort of angel. His back is covered in a large tattoo also. Tribal art.

  When the fight begins, I’m a little surprised to see Luka holding his own against Pummel. He’s making smart, calculated moves and Pummel seems to be wearing out and losing his cool. A loose cannon.

  “Is that one of the Varelli kids?” my dad asks.

  “Uh…yeah. Luka.” I confirm.

  “His dad that mechanic on First Street?” he continues.

  “He is.” I confirm again. I don’t tell my dad that he’s actually worked on my car before. Did a damn good job. I haven’t had any problems with it since.

  “I like his style.” he comments.

  “Don’t even think about it. His brother, Lincoln, runs with the Rykers.” I warn him. “In fact, he’s in jail because of them. Busted for possession and is awaiting trial. He’s one of Griffin’s cases.”

  “Even better.”

  “They’re very close. That means Luka can’t be trusted.” I explain.

  “That means Luka will be pissed at the Rykers. They got his brother locked up. Then when his brother gets out, he’ll come where Luka is.”

  “Or he’ll go right back to the Rykers and you’ve broken up a family.” I sigh. “Or worse. Luka will go to the Rykers and we’ll have an all out war.”

  My dad smiles and arches an eyebrow. “We’ll just have to take care of them if that happens. It’ll be fun.”

  ~Luka~

  Dust flies around my bike as I pull up at the Ravens’ clubhouse. I know I’m running behind and I don’t want to fuck up before I even get started. That wouldn’t be any help to Linc. I push the door open to the building and all eyes turn to me. Fuck.

  Dax Daughtry lets out a disappointed whistle. “I said ten o’clock, Luka. It’s 10:03. How the fuck do you plan on being a prospect for the Ravens if you can’t get your ass here on time?”

  “Won’t happen again, sir.” I state.

  “Hayes, Niles, Pummel, and…Luka. Your first job as prospects for the Ravens is to take care of the Ravens. We want to welcome you in style.” Dax grins. “So we’re throwing you a party. Tonight. You need to make sure you serve the club members. You will be bartenders. You will be waiters. You will be any fucking thing they need. Don’t disappoint me. Start unloading the truck.”

  I fall into step behind Pummel and Niles. Bartenders and waiters. What the fuck am I getting myself into?

  “This truck has all the alcohol and this truck has everything else.” a tall, bald man states, pointing to each truck. His bald head is covered in tattoos. The muscles in his arms bulge as he crosses them over his cut.

  I don’t know what ‘everything else’ means, but I go to that truck anyway. I open the latch and pull the door open. Whoa. Everything else means…cocaine and weed. Got it. I climb onto the truck and grab a package.

  An hour later, the trucks are unloaded and the clubhouse is full of the remaining Ravens members and a lot of barely dressed women. I heard Hayes say Victoria’s Diner, also owned by the Ravens, delivered burgers and fries before it closed for the night.

  I’m manning the bar and fixing drinks for anyone who asks for one. Not exactly what I thought my night would be like. When Dax approached me about joining the Ravens I was shocked. Surprised. I thought it would’ve been harder for me to get my foot in the door.

  He said he and his consultant had watched me fight and liked what they saw
. Of course, this so-called consultant was nowhere to be found when he approached me after the fight. He also set me straight that it’s a club, not a gang.

  Just like that, I became a prospect. I know a prospect isn’t much. I’m not an official club member or anything, but I’m perfectly fine with that. I just want to get the ADA some information so I can get Linc out of jail. Then we can both get the fuck out of Verdana. There’s no way in hell we’ll be able to stay here after I roll on the Ravens.

  “You new?”

  I watch the brunette lean over the bar and grab a lime off the tray. She’s already wasted and can barely keep herself on the barstool. One strap of the hot pink tank top she’s wearing falls of her shoulder and lets me know she isn’t wearing a bra.

  “Yep.” I answer. Before I can ask her if she’d like another drink, one of the members scoops her off the stool. She lets out a laugh and wraps her arms around his neck. A few minutes later I see him fucking her against the wall. I guess the club doesn’t necessarily give a shit about privacy.

  “Ashley’s a club whore. Been coming around here for over a year. Gives great head.” The tattoo-headed guy comes to sit in front of me. “I’m Kane. Welcome to the Ravens.”

  “Luka.”

  Kane dumps some coke on the bar and begins cutting it with a razor blade. “You can go tag team her if you want. Price won’t mind.”

  “Maybe later.” I mumble and watch him snort two lines of coke with a rolled up ten dollar bill. He offers me a line, but I shake my head.

  “I fight in the MMA circuit. They test all the time, so I can’t.” I explain.

  “Like I give a fuck.” he laughs and snorts another line. “Take a break and find some pussy.”

  Kane stands up and walks off, leaving white residue on the counter along with his ten dollar bill. I stay behind the bar, but down a few shots of tequila. I feel the tequila begin to loosen me up a bit and I know I need that if I have any chance of fitting in at all.

  The club whores are dancing and flirting with the members. Most of them are topless and some of them are openly being fucked or giving head to a member. I even noticed Hayes getting sucked off right on one of the pool tables. Cocaine, weed, and liquor bottles are everywhere. So this is what a Ravens’ party is like.

  I slip out from behind the bar and start getting acquainted with the men I’ll be spending most of my time with. Eric Hart is the club’s vice president and Dax’s right hand man. Jones Shephard is the head mechanic. Eddie Banks is the computer guy. I try to remember everyone else’s names, but they all start running together the more I drink. Kevin. Preston. Moses. Shane.

  I drop down onto the sofa, letting my head rest against the soft cushions. Music rages in my ears and so does laughter from both men and women. I take another sip from the bottle of tequila in my hand and then toss the empty bottle to the floor.

  “You again.” a voice purrs in my ear. Hands roam down my chest and then cup my dick through my jeans.

  I open my eyes and try to remember the woman’s name that was at the bar earlier. Ashton? Anna? Fuck. I don’t remember.

  “Just sit still, baby.” she murmurs and moves down to her knees. She unbuckles my pants and frees my cock, stroking it to life.

  “Ashley will welcome you to the Ravens the right way.”

  Chapter Three

  ~Raiden~

  I walk into Victoria’s and lean against the counter. I know Sonnie should have my order ready. I called it in almost an hour ago. She walks out from the kitchen with two to-go boxes and grabs a bag from beneath the counter.

  “Taking Griffin lunch today?” she asks.

  “Yeah. He has court this afternoon and I’m working the night shift so I figured I’d bring him something.” I tell her.

  I start reaching into my purse when I hear the bell on the door, indicating more patrons coming in.

  “She gave the best head I’ve ever fucking had!”

  I turn at the crude remark and Hayes Winchester blushes a deep shade of red. Niles Bryan burst out laughing and Luka Varelli doesn’t say a word.

  “None of that talk in this diner, boys!” Sonnie scolds.

  “Raiden Daughtry!” Hayes says and comes to stand beside me at the counter.

  “Hayes Winchester.” I deadpan.

  “Your old man sure as shit knows how to throw a party.”

  “Yep.” I say, dryly, pulling my money out of my purse. I hand it to Sonnie and tell her to keep the change.

  “You should come some time. You’d have fun.” he grins.

  “Take care of yourself.” I tell him.

  I grab my food and get out of the diner. The moment I’m in the privacy of my Honda I call my dad from my burner phone.

  “You recruited Luka Varelli? We talked about him!” I hiss.

  “We talked about him and I decided I wanted him as a prospect.” he says and I can hear his smugness through the phone.

  “I told you the risks. Do you even know about his past? It’s not a good idea.”

  “I’m the fucking president, Raiden. I make the decisions.” he reminds me. “You just keep that damn ADA under lock and key and let me know if anything suspicious comes up. Do your damn job and I’ll do mine!”

  He clicks off and I toss the phone onto the passenger seat. President or not, this was a stupid fucking move and I chew on that the entire way to Griffin’s office. I don’t want this to blow up in my dad’s face.

  When I get to Griffin’s office, I plaster on a smile and greet Beverly as I walk past. She smiles back and motions for me to go on in to Griffin’s office.

  “Hey, baby.” Griffin closes me in a hug and presses a chaste kiss to my lips the moment I close his door. “Thanks for bringing me lunch. Where’d you get it from today? It smells delicious.”

  “Victoria’s Diner.” I answer and I notice him frown.

  “Is that the place your dad owns?”

  “Yes. They have the best fried chicken sandwiches.” I tell him. “You know I go there for breakfast when I work days, Griffin. My dad never goes there.”

  “I don’t like it, Raiden. It’s dangerous.”

  “It’s a diner and it’s not dangerous. I’ve told you this before. I can’t help who he is and what he does. You knew who my father was when we started dating.” I remind him.

  “You’re right, babe. Just be careful. I don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire because of what your father does.” he says, concern laced in his voice. “You know how the Rykers are and they’re not afraid to come on Ravens’ territory.”

  “I know and I won’t.”

  “When was the last time you spoke with him?” he asks.

  By now, I know Griffin’s routine. He pumps me for information every few weeks or so. He asks me when I last spoke to my dad and if he mentioned anything about what the club might be up to. He uses me just like I use him. He has my phone tapped, but he doesn’t think I’m smart enough to get a burner phone. I am.

  I know he can hear everything I say on my phone so I never say anything he can use against me. I also have Eric, the club’s IT guru, sweep my house for bugs after Griffin has been over. He also does a routine sweep twice a week just to be on the safe side. So far, Griffin has never planted a bug in my home. I think he feels secure with the tap on my phone and the fact that he’s never seen my father at my house.

  I wish I was able to tap his phone, but it’s too much of a risk. The security at the courthouse might find it and I have no doubt Griffin would know I did it, or at least suspect me. We’ve been together too long to have all of this blow up in my face now. I work well enough just viewing the files on his desk and checking his emails. All the state employees have the same login IDs. Period between their first and last name @ blah blah.com. Easy. His password was easy to figure out too. He’s a Cardinals fan.

  It also isn’t hard for me to get into his office when he isn’t here. His secretary, Beverly, thinks I’m a sweetheart. Her mistake.

  “It’s been a f
ew weeks. You know we don’t talk often.” I answer.

  “You know I don’t want you anywhere near that club. I don’t know what they’re up to lately, but it’s never anything good. Did he mention anything to you when you talked to him?” he questions.

  “No, he didn’t. You know women aren’t allowed to be club members, Griffin. I remember that from when I was a kid. There’s no way in hell he’ll ever talk about club business around me. Besides, I won’t let him. I don’t want any part of it.”

  “That’s good.” he nods. “That’s good, babe. I don’t want you involved.”

  Of course, you don’t. That’s why you’re dating me. That’s why you ask me about my dad all the time. You hope one day dating the daughter of the Ravens’ president will pay off for you.

  Griffin doesn’t push or ask any more questions about my dad or the club. We finish our lunch, making small talk about what we plan to do the rest of the week and his trial coming up that afternoon.

  “I really want this case to go well today.” he comments, getting up and putting his empty box in the trash can. I do the same. “I just don’t how the jury will view this case.”

  “I’m sure you’ll win them over. You’re prepared.” I encourage him.

  “I am.” he murmurs and grips my hips. His lips brush over mine and I part mine to allow him access.

  Griffin is not unattractive, not by any means. He’s a young ADA at thirty-two and he takes damn good care of himself. His dirty blonde hair is cut short and he has dark blue eyes. He looks like an all-American good guy. I suppose he is. I could have a worse job. Just saying.

  “I need to feel more relaxed.” he whispers against my lips. I nod, giving him the approval he’s seeking.

  I’ve been doing this with Griffin for over two years now. Using him to get info from the DA’s office and doing what I have to in order to keep that fact hidden. I’ll do it as long as I need to in order to keep the Ravens protected. They’re family. They come first. Always have and always will.