Savage Kings MC Box Set 1

by Lane Hart

  “And hurting women is not what we do,” War mutters while glaring at Miles.

  “War’s right,” Torin agrees. “So, how the hell are we going to handle this? Are we just gonna sit back and wait for Agent Bradley and the feds to bust in here to arrest us all, for who the hell knows what?”

  “We need to find what she has on us,” Chase speaks up and says. “If there’s any evidence, we’ll at least be able to hire attorneys to get in front of it.”

  “Reece, any chance you can work your magic on the computer to find out the details?” Torin asks.

  He shakes his head. “Nope. Already tried. I can’t get past any big government firewalls unless I’m on one of their internal devices. But what I have found out is that this ATF bitch has been pulling public arrest records off the databases, specifically Chase, Abe, Miles, and Ian’s. There was also a hit on Sax’s marina records and boat license files.”

  “Dammit,” Sax grumbles. “If they bust me for the shit I do for the MC out in the Atlantic, I could get slapped with a life sentence.”

  “No doubt. Keep your boat in the docks except for recreational purposes until we know more,” Torin orders.

  “What about a laptop?” Dalton asks. “Could you hack into their system with a government-issued one?”

  “Possibly,” Reece agrees.

  “If Agent Bradley has one that she brings home, I can lift it,” Dalton confidently assures the guys at the table.

  “You?” Chase asks with a humph of disbelief.

  “Yeah, me,” Dalton replies. “If she’s looking into the Kings, she’s seen the mugshots of half our guys and probably has all the military records too. Maddox was the main contact for her CI we busted, so he’s out. Sax needs to lay low, which means that I’m the only one without a criminal history or dog tags.”

  “How is it possible that your dumbass has never been arrested?” Abe asks him.

  “Do I look like a fucking outlaw?” Dalton responds with his arms spread out by his sides.

  “Fuck no, blondie,” Abe mutters. “Without any visible tats, you look like a California pretty boy who wears leather like it’s a fashion statement.”

  “Exactly!” Dalton says, not looking the least bit insulted. Gesturing to his face, he says, “This is my ‘get out of jail free’ card. I can use my ridiculously good looks to grab this chick’s laptop, no problem.”

  Torin snorts before turning to Reece and asking, “Do you think Zoolander here can really pull this off?”

  “If I were a male model, I would be more like Hansel or Meekus,” Dalton points out with a grin.

  Reece rolls his eyes but eventually says, “Maybe, if he doesn’t get caught.”

  “I won’t get caught,” Dalton assures the guys.

  “All right,” Torin says. “Then Reece, if you can get an address on this agent, I want you to go with Dalton to Raleigh tonight to start doing some surveillance. See if his sticky fingers plan is feasible without getting the club in any deeper shit.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Reece agrees, then grumbles under his breath, “Lord help me.”

  “I refuse to lose this MC because some woman with a power trip and a badge put a target on us. All in favor of the club committing a federal theft to try and save the Savage Kings?” Torin asks.

  “Yea!” the table agrees, myself included, voicing my very first vote as a member.

  After Torin slams down the gavel, ending my first official meeting, War says, “There’s one more piece of business to take care of. Come on.”

  All the brothers get up from the table to follow him, so I do the same.

  Our herd of men in black leather go up through the bar. For the first time, I actually feel like I’m a part of the group, not just the fringe on the outside. It’s an amazing fucking feeling.

  We all file out of the bar’s back door…where a big, beautiful, new black Harley sits, the glossy paint and chrome pipes twinkling in the sunlight.

  Some of the guys whistle as they walk around the Street Glide and inspect her.

  “A King wouldn’t be caught dead on that piece of shit bike you pulled into town on,” War says, when he comes over to where I’m still standing in the background. Holding out his fist, he says, “Now you’re gonna ride in style.”

  “Me?” I ask in disbelief. “This is mine?”

  “Yep.”

  What the fuck?

  “War, man, you bought me a new Harley?”

  With a smile and a nod, I swear the big guy’s golden eyes even get a little glassy when he says, “Not only have you been loyal to the Kings, but you’ve been loyal to me, helping me and my family out when we were in a tight spot during the storm. This is the least I could do. You’ve earned it, brother.”

  Earned it? He thinks I deserve for him to buy me an expensive fucking bike, after how I’ve stabbed him in the back?

  Fuck me.

  “I-I can’t take this, War,” I tell him, slipping my hands into my jeans pockets to keep from snatching the keys from him against my will.

  “You can, and you will,” War declares. “Take the damn thing.”

  “No.”

  “Man, what’s wrong with you?” Sax asks, throwing an arm around my shoulders. Gesturing with a wave of his hand to the bike as if I haven’t seen it, he says, “The man is offering you a sweet ride. Why would you turn that down?”

  “Because I’ve been sleeping with his sister.”

  At first, I’m not sure if I just thought the truthful words or spoke them. But then the silence and gaping jaws of the men surrounding us make it clear the words really did fall out of my mouth.

  “Whoa, kid. Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Torin asks when he jumps between me and War, who still hasn’t moved an inch. I don’t think he’s even blinked.

  “What the fuck did you just say?” War eventually asks through gritted teeth.

  “Shit,” I mutter before raking my fingers through my hair. “Look, you think I’m loyal, but I’ve been lying to you for weeks. And I can’t do it anymore, not when you’re offering me this beautiful bike. It wouldn’t be right for me to take it without you finally knowing the truth.” Taking a breath, I finally spit it all out, glad to get it off my chest. “Audrey and I didn’t go to Raleigh during the storm. We stayed at her place and we, well, we slept together. A lot. And then the other day, and last night…”

  “You slept with my sister!” War roars before his arms start flailing at Torin, trying to get to me, uncaring that hitting his president could get him excommunicated from the MC. He doesn’t reach me, thanks to no less than four brothers jumping in to help Torin hold him back. Barely. “I’m gonna kill you!” he threatens.

  “Mad Dog, get the hell out of here before he makes good on his threat,” Chase suggests, as he uses both of his hands to try and hold down War’s right fist.

  “I want his cut! He’s done!” War shouts. “Get him out of here before I pound him into the pavement!”

  Slipping off my cut that I haven’t worn long enough for it to even soak up any of my body heat, I fold it and go lay it on the seat of the beautiful new Harley.

  “What the fuck are you doing, kid?” Reece asks as he comes up and grabs the cut, then shoves it against my chest. “You put this back on and give him some time to cool down…”

  “No!” War shouts. “I want him gone!”

  “You don’t get to make that decision just because you’re pissed off, brother,” Reece calls out to War, who’s still being held back by half the members. “We’ve already voted him in.”

  “I don’t give a shit!” War yells back, his face red with rage. “Get him out of here!”

  “War, man, I get that you’re angry, but you don’t know what you’re saying,” Reece says. “And if you knew who he was—”

  “Reece, don’t!” I say, shoving the cut back at his chest to stop him before he outs me like this. I don’t want to deal with the fallout of another lie I’ve been keeping, not right here and now. “It’s
fine. I’ll go.” I let the cut go, to hold up both of my palms up in surrender when I turn back to War. “But I love Audrey, maybe even more than this club,” I tell him. “So, I don’t give a shit what you say. You can kick me out of the MC, my apartment in the basement, and whatever else, but you can’t make me stop seeing her.”

  “Like hell I can’t!” he exclaims, the muscles in his neck bulging so severely that one’s likely to rupture. “Leave my sister the fuck alone!”

  “Sorry, but that’s never gonna happen,” I tell him before I turn and leave.

  I hate walking away from the club, and all the men I’ve come to admire and respect, including my own blood, but I’m going to be with Audrey, even if I have to get to Wilmington on foot.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Audrey

  I wasn’t all that surprised when Maddox called to say he was coming over.

  What did catch me off guard was him asking me if I could come pick him up. The fact that he told me he would be walking down Highway Seventeen was also worrisome.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask.

  “I’ll explain when I see you,” Maddox tells me. “And I really need to see your face…”

  “I’m on my way,” I assure him, shocking myself because I didn’t even feel the need to pull up the weather forecast and radar first to make sure no storms were on the way before heading out.

  I made it to Hampstead before I came upon a lone figure walking toward me. It took me a second to even realize it was Maddox, since he wasn’t wearing his typical black leather cut.

  I pull over to the shoulder and he opens the passenger door to climb in.

  “Hey,” he says, leaning across the console to kiss me.

  “Hey,” I repeat when he pulls back, and then I see the fallen expression on his gorgeous face. “What’s going on? Why are you walking? And where’s your cut?”

  “I got voted in today,” he says blandly.

  “To the MC? That’s great, Maddox!” I reply, becoming confused when he doesn’t share my enthusiasm. “Isn’t patching in what you wanted? Why aren’t you happy about that?”

  “Because I couldn’t lie to your brother anymore,” he responds. “I told him about us.”

  My eyebrows shoot into my hairline because I didn’t see that coming.

  “You told War that we’re seeing each other?” I repeat. “And I’m guessing he didn’t take it well?”

  “Nope.”

  Gasping in understanding, I say, “He kicked you out of the MC? I’ll kick his ass!”

  I start digging in my purse for my phone, but Maddox pulls my hand away and keeps holding it.

  “It’s fine,” he says.

  “It’s not fine!” I argue. “The club means everything to you, and he has no right to act like my father…”

  Giving my hand a squeeze, Maddox says, “I’m not going to stick around and cause more problems in the MC when they have enough shit to deal with. War can have the club as long as I still get you.”

  And my heart just melted into a little gooey pile in my chest.

  “Oh, Maddox, are you sure?” I ask as I reach over to wrap my arms around his neck. “I know how much you wanted to be a King in the club your father built. Maybe you can have me and the MC both?”

  “Can I stay with you for a while?” he asks as he continues to hold me tight.

  “Of course,” I tell him, pulling back enough to see his face. “I would love for you to stay and, as an added bonus, it’ll drive Mindy crazy.”

  “I don’t want to be a mooch. I’ll get a job and help with rent…” he starts to say.

  “I like having you around,” I assure him. “And if you want to help out with rent, then I could finally boot Mindy.”

  “So, you would really want me to move in?” he asks.

  “Yes!”

  “Okay, thanks,” Maddox replies. “Having to leave behind the MC was pretty devastating because it was all I had wanted for so long…but now, with you, my future is looking even brighter.”

  “Aww,” I say before I reach for his face to kiss him again.

  But despite his words, I know the loss of the Savage Kings cuts him deep, deeper than he will probably ever admit.

  …

  Maddox

  Over the next few weeks, my life transforms into something completely different than the past four years as I fall into brand new routines with Audrey.

  She and War have had several arguments on the phone, but he hasn’t come by her apartment to demand I leave, which has been a relief.

  I was able to get a job as a valet for an uppity beach resort, making decent money in tips, and the best part was that I mostly worked during the day while Audrey was in class.

  Occasionally, on my days off, I even go sit with her in Organic Chemistry to “observe” and remind the pervy professor to watch himself.

  It only took about three days before I was successful in running off Mindy. She complained bitterly at first about our lovemaking keeping her awake. When we realized how much it aggravated her, we cranked it up an extra notch, until one afternoon, she was simply gone.

  So yeah, things are going really great. I have an amazing girl, a nice place to live, and yet, there’s still this emptiness inside me, like I’m missing out on an important part of my life.

  I miss the MC and hate that I never had a chance to tell the guys, especially Torin and Chase, who my father was. I was hoping they could share stories about him with me, but now that’s never gonna happen.

  I can finally admit to myself I’m madly in love with Audrey, but the cloudy imaginings of the family I could have had with the Savage Kings casts a depressing shadow over me that never seems to break apart and blow away. Audrey notices when I get quiet and wistful, and always helps me by asking me to tell her about the brothers I had found in the MC, and reassuring me that if we just give Warren some time, he will definitely come around.

  I can only hope she’s right.

  Chapter Twenty

  Maddox

  “This isn’t going to go well,” I whisper to Audrey as we wait on the porch for someone to answer the door.

  “You may be right,” she agrees with a sigh. “That’s why I’m ringing the doorbell instead of using my key to march right on in. We’re making a united front and if he tells you to leave, then I’m going with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that—” I start to say before the front door opens to reveal a scowling War.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” War snaps.

  “It’s Thanksgiving and we’re together,” Audrey says, standing up to her much larger brother, not intimidated by his size in the least. Jabbing her finger into his broad chest, she says, “Warren O’Neil, other than Ren, I’m the only family you have left. And if you want to be a part of my life, then that means welcoming Maddox—”

  “No,” War interrupts her. “He’s not stepping foot in my house.”

  The rejection stings, especially since I had come to think of War like a father during my years hanging around the club, and then prospecting with him as my sponsor.

  “Go inside,” I tell Audrey, and place my hand on her lower back to guide her.

  A low growl comes from War when I touch her, but I ignore him. He doesn’t need to scare me off. I get it, he doesn’t want me around. Even though I’m not a hundred percent sure why he hates that I’m with Audrey so much, other than he doesn’t think I’m good enough for her.

  Well, I don’t think I’m good enough either. But I’m trying my best to earn a living in Wilmington to support her now, and when we get married after graduation. Yeah, we’ve already talked about it and I can’t fucking wait.

  “Go eat dinner with your family and call me to come get you when you’re ready to go,” I tell Audrey.

  “I want you to stay,” she says, grabbing a fist full of my Henley tee and looking up at me with her sad, puppy dog eyes. “You’re my family too.”

  “We’ll have our own Thanksgiving dinner
tonight,” I promise her before I give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then quickly back away down the steps when War lunges toward me. “Just me and you, it’ll be nice,” I add.

  “Are you sure?” she calls out as I walk around to the driver’s side of her car.

  “Yes, go. I love you,” I yell back.

  “Love you too,” she replies, before blowing me a kiss that War interrupts when he grabs her arm and pulls her inside the house.

  For the next few hours, I drive aimlessly around town before finally parking in one of the public beach lots. It’s a little windy but a nice day, so I get out to go for a walk with my phone in my hand, debating whether or not I should call my mom.

  Since Audrey has been nagging me to reach out to her, I finally take a seat in the sand dunes and dial the number for the house phone that I still remember by heart.

  “Hello?” my mother answers.

  “Hi, Mom,” I reply.

  There’s a brief moment of silence. “Maddox? Is that y-you?” she eventually asks with a hiccup in her voice.

  “Unless you have another son that you never told me about,” I tease, to try and lighten the mood while blinking away the moisture gathering in my eyes. I’m pretty sure some sand blew into my face.

  “Maddox! Where have you been? I just knew I was going to get a call when someone found you lying dead in a ditch!”

  “I’m fine,” I tell her. “I’ve been fine. I’m in Emerald Isle today, but I’ve been living in Wilmington for a few months now.”

  “What the heck are you doing on the coast?” she asks.

  “This is where Deacon lived,” I tell her.

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve met some of the guys who knew him, and his two nephews. They’re really nice.”

  I leave off the part about how they were so close to becoming my family before everything I wanted slipped from my fingers. Well, that’s not exactly true.