Vengeance Road

by Christine Feehan

  She nodded slowly. “Maybe I could do it. Kill Deveau, I mean. I have to figure out how I could get away before the alarm was raised.” She tapped her finger on her thigh and frowned, not looking at Candy or Lizard, trying to portray a woman who was contemplating killing a member of law enforcement as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  Candy beamed at her. “I can’t believe you’re coming back. I hope you take over the cooking for the club. I hate it.”

  “We all hope Breezy takes over the cooking,” Lizard confirmed.

  Even during the year she was with Steele, Breezy had cooked meals for those club members staying at the clubhouse. She liked cooking, and it was a habit she’d cultivated in order to stay out from under Bridges’s fists.

  Breezy laughed with Candy over the joke that wasn’t really a joke. They would want her back, so she could make everything run smoothly again for them. If Candy was in charge, she could believe that things weren’t going as well as the members would want. Candy was eighteen, nearly nineteen, and she wasn’t the brightest woman Breezy knew. Likable, but not bright. Candy would try to do her best, but she wasn’t organized in the least.

  “Thanks so much, Lizard.” Breezy poured relief into her voice. “I was so worried I couldn’t think of a solution. I’ll do my best to get rid of Deveau, although I’m a little scared to go after a member of law enforcement.”

  “He’s an enemy of the Swords, Breezy,” Lizard reminded. “You’re always going to be Swords. Think of it as you paying your dues to get back in.”

  She turned and went to Candy, feeling a lump in her throat. Candy wasn’t much younger than she was, but they seemed worlds apart. She hugged the girl, one of her childhood friends she had to let go of. “I hope your life is always wonderful, Candy,” she murmured, unable to help herself.

  “I’ll look after Zane,” Candy volunteered. “Don’t worry at all about him.”

  “I won’t,” Breezy said sincerely. She was always going to be the one person the Swords could track. She was about to become one of their greatest enemies. They might not know who she was with, but someone had helped her get Zane back and they’d done it by killing the chapter president and several of his fellow Swords members. They would always recognize Breezy Simmons, and she would put Zane and Steele in jeopardy just by her being with them.

  For a moment she considered confessing that she’d hired some mercenaries to get Zane back. She’d let Lizard take her up the chain of command, and the Swords could beat her or kill her. Because they’d lost a president and several members, they’d most likely kill her. Even with that, Steele and Zane would be safe.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.” Steele’s voice was low. Persuasive. Back to a velvet caress. “I need you, Breezy. Zane needs you. Come away from there where you can breathe again.”

  How did he know? But he did. He knew her that well. He knew she would be contemplating giving up her life for the two of them.

  She walked toward the door and Lizard. Her heart was pounding. She didn’t know if she wanted him to step aside or to hold her right there. She tilted her head up. “Really, Lizard. I appreciate your help. I’ve been so confused and angry lately. I cry a lot, and I’m so scared for Zane. It’s not been easy on my own. I think that’s why I was desperate to have Candy go with me. I thought if she was with me, things would be so much better.”

  Lizard shook his head. “You need to get this done and come home to the club. I’ll make sure Bridges will accept you back. You’ll have Zane, and he’ll be raised where he should be. If he’s anything like his father was, he’ll be an asset to us when he grows up.”

  Breezy nodded several times and took more steps toward him. Lizard stepped forward and unexpectedly put his arms around her. “You’ll do good, girl. Get this done and you’ll have your son back in no time. I’ll see that you’re taken care of.”

  She looked up at his face. “He beats me all the time, Lizard.”

  “I know he does, Breezy. There are a lot of men willing to take care of you, and they won’t let him. You just have to give them the signal that you’ll take them on.”

  He patted her head. “You’ve got my number and Candy’s. When this is done, we’ll make everything right.”

  She nodded and stepped out of his arms toward the door. He stepped with her and reached for the doorknob before she could grasp it. He leaned his weight there while his gaze moved over her speculatively. She wanted to scream. She knew he was testing her one last time and she couldn’t break, but it was difficult.

  “You understand what I’m saying? You choose wisely when you come home. Your man is going to have to have some pull with the club to override anything Bridges does.”

  She realized then he was talking about himself. If she gave him any kind of a signal, he’d be willing to incur Bridges’s wrath. She let that realization dawn and then she smiled, but shyly, ducking her head in an effort to hide how pleased she was. Lizard caught her chin and lifted her head, looking into her eyes.

  “You come back, and I’ll see to you and Zane. You’ll have Candy to help you.”

  Candy clapped her hands again. “Daddy always said maybe you’d join us, Breezy. I hope so. I want you to. We can share everything. I really like Zane. I’ll help with him, no problem. We’ll be sisters.”

  She turned to smile at Candy because she couldn’t look at Lizard. He was old enough to be her father, but her age didn’t matter to him. She was becoming a little suspicious of Candy and Lizard and just what their relationship was. Breezy shook her head. She had to get out of there before she accidentally said something she shouldn’t.

  “I’d like that, Candy. I’d better get going before it gets much later. I like to travel at night. I think it’s safer.”

  “Stop talking. You’re going to slip up.”

  That had been a slip. Now Lizard knew when she traveled she drove at night and slept during the day in motels. He might not know about Steele, but when the bodies at the estate were discovered, he would be one of the angriest because of this moment—when he thought he would have her. She’d tricked him, made a fool of him, and he would never stop until he found her.

  “If you don’t do what Bridges and Daddy say, Breezy,” Candy said in her sweetest voice, “I’ll cut Zane’s throat myself. No problem. We’re a family. You don’t just throw away family.” She smiled, sugar dripping from her voice. “I’ve done it before. I killed every one of Jessie Barker’s kids, right in front of her, for calling the cops on her old man. Then I killed her.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Steele pulled out the earpiece and shoved it carefully in his pocket. He lifted his head and looked at the others. They were all looking at him. He knew what they expected. He had no choice. None. Lizard had to go, and now, with what Candy had just said, she’d sealed her fate as well. Lizard would keep coming for Breezy, keep her alive for the Swords. Who’d want her dead. Candy just seemed fanatical. Her father had probably brainwashed her from her infancy to believe the Swords were right in all things.

  “She was trying to save him again,” Maestro said aloud to all of them, but he directed the statement to Lana.

  “I heard.” Lana sounded tired. “I’ll escort her in.” She turned and left the room.

  Savage shook his head. “My point exactly. She’s surrounded by danger, and the only thought she’s got in her head is to try to cover for her man. That’s definitely a pattern and it’s going to get her killed. Worse, she considered giving herself up.”

  “We don’t know that,” Steele said and pushed a hand through his hair. But he did know.

  Ink shifted Zane’s sleeping form from one hip to the other. “We all know it, Steele. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

  “That’s the problem with the bullshit rules we’re supposed to learn,” Savage said. “You learn it, Steele, but she
isn’t any safer for it.”

  Steele knew Savage was right, but he didn’t like any of the alternatives the club came up with to deal with the problem.

  Savage continued making his point. “We don’t live in society, maybe side by side, but not in it. We surround ourselves with danger. That means family does as well.”

  “He’s right,” Maestro agreed. “She doesn’t understand that. Blythe certainly doesn’t. I don’t know how much I want them to know, but at least if you try to explain it—”

  “Then she isn’t going to sleep at night,” Ink said, rocking Zane back and forth.

  “Why the hell should you have to explain anything? She trusts you, she listens to you,” Savage said. “The rest is bullshit.”

  Steele saw both sides and neither worked for him. He was used to figuring things out easily. He found the solutions to the club’s problems. He always had. His brain worked fast, compiling ideas, sorting through them and finding the ones that worked the best. Breezy seemed to have short-circuited his brain.

  “Our window is closing,” Steele reminded, more than happy to get off a subject that wasn’t going to end anytime soon. “The moment the door was closed, Lizard was texting Bridges that she was here. He’ll want credit for his plan and he’ll start trying to persuade Bridges that they need Breezy back in the fold. He’ll be very uneasy when he doesn’t get an answer, and he’ll text the others.”

  “I’ve got this,” Savage said.

  Steele detested that Savage would be the one to go. The more he killed, the more he edged away from all of them. Even Czar and Reaper were worried.

  “Prefer you to guard Steele and his family while Keys and I take care of it,” Maestro said. “It will go faster with us sweeping the room, making certain there are no cameras or recordings of Breezy. No DNA on anything. She didn’t touch anything that we saw, and she didn’t sit on the bed, but it’s best to be safe.”

  Savage shrugged. “I can do that.”

  Steele cut him off, making the decision. “Let’s put a two-man team on the motel. Get it done fast. Transporter, get the truck ready. As soon as Breezy is here, I want out. We need to distance ourselves from this place. Everyone was careful, but we still need to wipe it down. That means I’ll be leaving with a skeleton crew at first. Savage, you’ll be with us.”

  Savage didn’t argue. Steele was grateful for whatever concessions he could get. He nodded toward them as Lana came into the room with Breezy. They’d broken into the building across from the motel and used the upstairs business for their point of operation. They wanted to make certain no one ever knew they were there or even suspected it.

  He went right to his woman, wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed her. She tasted good. Sweet with a hint of spice, as if at any moment she could flare into heat and sin. He let himself get lost in her for a few minutes because he needed it. They had his son safe, although they needed to put distance between them and Louisiana. He’d been holding it together, worried about his child and woman, and that, at least was over. They were in his custody and the care of the club.

  The bikes would filter out, only a couple accompanying the truck. They needed to get out of Swords territory as quickly as possible. Transporter would switch driving with him so they could make better time.

  “You’ve got about three minutes. Ink’s putting Zane in the car seat and then we’re out of here.”

  Her gaze searched his face, but he gave her a little push toward the bathroom. “Don’t touch anything if you can help it. We can’t leave anything behind ever.” He looked at Lana.

  She nodded her understanding and followed Breezy right into the room. He heard Breezy’s protest, but Lana didn’t come back out. Everyone moved quickly. No one wanted to fill his woman in on what was necessary for her safety. She was quick, picking up on small nuances, and they all knew it. She’d trained herself from the time she was very young to get a feel for anything that might be wrong in the club, so she could fix the problem. None of them wanted that. The faster he took her out of there and had her head occupied with other things, the better it was going to be for all of them.

  The moment Breezy was out of the restroom, he caught her hand and started out of the room. “Wipe it down and make certain there’s no evidence of a break-in,” he called over his shoulder, more for show than anything else.

  Maestro and Keys waited along with Lana and Preacher until Breezy and Steele were nearly at the bottom of the staircase. “We’ll catch up soon,” Maestro assured.

  Steele gave them the thumbs-up and opened the door that led to the street. He was cautious about it, checking for anyone that might be walking around the neighborhood. He timed it so no cars were coming. There were cameras at the motel and two on the building they were using, but none of them worked.

  Transporter had the truck at the curb directly in front of the seedy little structure that housed two businesses. He’d left the keys in the ignition and had already faded into the shadows, moving around to the back where their bikes were parked in an alleyway where Fatei stood watch over them.

  Breezy went straight to the back door of the cab and pulled it open to look at her son. Steele caught her around the waist and tossed her onto the passenger seat. “He’s asleep, baby, let him sleep.”

  “I like to look at him,” she protested.

  “You’ll have plenty of time to look at him on the drive home.” He rounded the hood and slid behind the wheel. His bike was already up on the tracks in the back, tied down. He had the truck in motion and was pulling out into traffic before Breezy could say another word. He wanted to be long gone from the state by the time the sun was up.

  Breezy swiveled around in her seat to stare at their son. “He’s so beautiful.”

  “Put your fuckin’ seat belt on, baby. He’s not going to want anything happening to his mother at this late date. He just got you back.”

  She turned slowly, her eyes on his face as she pulled the seat belt around her and snapped it in place. “Honey . . .”

  “Don’t. We’re not talking about it right now. You were thinking of giving yourself up to them. I heard it in your voice.” He’d sworn he wouldn’t say a word until he had her in their home. Safe. Where he could hold her in his arms and make it very, very clear she wasn’t ever to go down that path of thinking again.

  “For a second. Just for one second.”

  She didn’t bother to deny it, which was a good thing because Steele found he wasn’t in the least bit under control—not when it came to the subject of his woman putting her life on the line for him and their child. That was his job, and he didn’t give a damn if the world called him a fucking male chauvinist. He didn’t know what that even was. A man who wanted to watch out for his family? A man who respected his woman enough and loved her enough to keep her safe? What the fuck did that even mean? He wasn’t even certain he wanted to ask Blythe that question, mainly because he was terrified. He wasn’t afraid of anything . . . but Breezy terrified him with her courage.

  “I said we weren’t talking about it.”

  Breezy turned her face away from him and looked out the window. “This relationship thing is much harder than it looks, isn’t it?”

  He had to agree with that. Blythe and Czar made it look easy. Reaper didn’t, but then Reaper was like a wrecking ball. He was just lucky Anya loved him enough to overlook all his craziness. Steele definitely didn’t think it was crazy to be upset because Breezy had nearly blown it after they’d finally gotten their child back.

  “Do you think I would have left you with them if you’d confessed?” He couldn’t stop the demand, it hissed out like a coiled snake, one angry and rattling a warning.

  Her gaze came back to him. “I wasn’t thinking in that one second, Steele.”

  “I wouldn’t. The answer is no, I would never have left you there. I would charge hell with a bucket of water to get you b
ack. I’d fuckin’ search hell for you, Breezy. Don’t ever think you can exchange your life for mine, because it isn’t going to happen. I wouldn’t let it happen.”

  He took his eyes off the road long enough to glare at her, letting her know he expected a response. She touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip, a little show of nerves he recognized from long ago.

  “I know you wouldn’t ever allow it. I do. I’m sorry, Steele, but sometimes I can’t help what comes into my mind. I hate that they have a direct tie to you through me. That’s all. I dismissed the idea immediately as ludicrous.”

  The pressure on his chest eased. He rubbed his palm over his heart. “We’re going to straighten a few things out when we get home, woman. You get me?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Of course. I really wouldn’t have done it, Steele.”

  “I’m going to need fucking therapy if you keep this bullshit up, Breezy,” he muttered.

  She burst out laughing. “Therapy?”

  “Yeah. Therapy. Haven’t you ever heard of therapy?”

  “Not coming out of your mouth. What kind of therapy?”

  He started to tell her but decided to think that over. A smart man might see a few advantages in that question. “Let me think on that for a while.”

  Breezy laughed and the sound went through him the way it often did, lighting his world. She sounded bright and happy and she shed that light on him. She took him right out of the violence, the blood and death and vile world he lived in, to draw him into the sunshine with her.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror so he could see their son. In the side mirror he caught a glimpse of Savage and Transporter as they rode the highway with him. In the back of the truck was his bike. His colors were tatted on his back, so even if he left his jacket home, he was complete. He had his club and his family. He was going to enjoy every single long mile going home.