by K E Osborn
I swoop out around the other side of her car as the two men approach like something from the Terminator movie. I quickly pull out my cell, sending the quickest text message in my life.
Me: SOS. Track my cell. I need back up, a cage, and medical. Hurry.
I hear a whimper from inside Jovie’s car, and I grimace as I duck under the old lady’s car to try and see what’s happening in Jovie’s. It’s sitting on its roof, gas flooding the ground as I attempt to figure out how to best play this scenario in my mind.
A pair of Terminator feet step on the other side of the old lady’s car, and I know I need to take action. I can’t let these guys get anywhere near the girls, even if there are witnesses watching. So, I line my gun up under the car and fire off a round. The bullet blasts straight through his ankle, blowing it out. He screams, his body colliding with the asphalt. His friend jerks his head around to try and find me as I duck around the other side of the car.
“We just want the girl. No one else has to get hurt,” he calls out.
“You can take her over my dead body,” I yell back at him while putting my cell away.
He chuckles. “That can easily be arranged.” Suddenly, he slides across the hood of the old lady’s car, his boot connecting with my jaw as I slam into the ground. My gun falls from my hand in response. He kneels at my level, pressing the butt of his gun to my temple with an evil glint in his eyes.
“It wasn’t in the cards to hurt anyone here today, but I do like getting my hands dirty.”
He clicks off his safety as a slow grin forms on my face. “Then how about I make you very fucking dirty?”
He furrows his brows as I reach into my boot, yanking out a small blade and shove it straight into the side of his head. Blood seeps down my hand, all over my arm as he staggers back a couple of steps, then falls flat on his face into a puddle of gas. As he does, his gun fires, ricocheting off into the engine of the car, causing the entire front end of Jovie’s car to burst into flames.
“Fuck!”
I jump dramatically, noticing the other guy with the shot-out ankle still trying to get inside the car, so I grab my gun, firing off one single round into his head. Blood splatters all over the window of the old lady’s car as he falls back against it. She lets out a loud scream as I grab the crumpled passenger side door, flames licking at the front of the car, and I duck my head inside. Jovie and Savanah are both dazed as I see them both with cuts and bruises all over their bodies.
“Girls, wake up. You gotta get out of here!” I unbuckle Jovie, she falls with a thud, landing on her shoulder, and she lets out an almighty scream. The sound is so agonizing, it tears me to shreds. I reach in, grabbing for her as the flames lick at my skin. “Jovie, c’mon… wake up. I gotta get you out!”
She whimpers, tears sting her eyes as she wraps her arms around me, and I lift her out through the broken glass, finally pulling her to safety. I drag her away from the wreckage, my eyes doing a quick once-over before I head back for Savanah.
She’s zoned out with a deep gash above her eye. I reach across and grab her with every last ounce of energy I have. The flames have completely consumed where Jovie was just moments before, and as I pull Savanah out, dragging her along the ground. Flames engulf the car, the metal groaning and creaking, which is followed by a loud explosion. The gas tank detonates dramatically, sending shrapnel and debris flying all around us. I jump in shock, covering the girls from the falling parts of the wrecked car as sirens sound in the distance.
“Where the fuck are you?” I murmur to myself as I move back over to Jovie.
She zones in and out, gripping at her arm like she’s in agony. I grimace as I look at her shoulder, which is clearly out of position. I hold her chin, forcing her eyes to look at me. “Jovie, I need you to keep your eyes on me, okay?”
She nods as I line her shoulder up and jerk it back into place. She lets out an unpleasant cry, and I pull her to me, smoothing down her bloodied hair. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She sniffles but mumbles, “Thanks, that actually feels better now.”
“Help’s on the way, okay? You both just have to hang on for a little while longer.”
Savanah coughs, and I shift over to her. “Sav, you doing okay?”
She nods, then winces. “Fucking killer headache.”
“You might be concussed,” I tell her as the unmistakable roar of Harleys vibrate off in the distance. “They’re here. We’re gonna be okay.”
Jovie pushes into my side further. “Who were those men?”
“I think they were after you.”
Her face falls as Hurricane and Bayou pull up on their rides. A large black cage slides into position, and Razor and Ghoul jump out. Hoodoo follows them, rushing over with his medical kit.
“What the fuck happened?” Hoodoo asks as he steps up to Jovie and me while Hurricane rushes to Savanah.
“The girls were rammed by the SUV. Two men tried to take Jovie. I stopped them… but we have a problem, Hurricane,” I announce, and his eyes shift from Savanah to me.
“A bigger problem than what I’m seeing here right now?”
“There’s a witness.” I jerk my head to the old lady, still sitting in her car, unmoving like she’s terrified.
Hurricane nods. “Bayou… go deal with that. You have a way with people.”
Jovie widens her eyes. “You’re not going to k-kill her, are you?”
Bayou chuckles. “No. Everyone has a price for their silence. I just have a way of figuring out what her price might be. She’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“We need to get you the hell out of here. The car’s totaled. Razor, get the plates and VIN numbers as best you can with what’s left of the car. We don’t want it traced back to the girls. We’re leaving it! Kevlar, can you still ride your bike?”
“Yeah, she’s good.”
“Hoodoo, the women good to go?”
Hoodoo gives Hurricane the thumbs up, and he dips his chin.
“Then mount up. You’re coming back to the clubhouse.”
I lean in, giving Jovie a quick kiss on her forehead before I walk her to the back of Ghoul’s cage. I help her and Savanah inside, then turn to Ghoul. “You keep your eyes peeled. There could be more of these fucking bastards. I have no idea where they came from.”
He bobs his head as Hurricane slaps him on the shoulder. “We ride… now. Those sirens are getting too fucking close. Bayou, you good?”
He leans his head out of the old lady’s car. She’s smiling so fucking bright as he shakes her hand. “Pleasure doing business with you, Martha.” He turns to Hurricane. “Yeah, pres, let’s ride.”
“You’re gonna be okay.” I smirk as I grip hold of Jovie’s hand.
She sniffles but doesn’t say anything back. It’s like she’s still in shock. Razor shuts the rear doors of the cage, then I rush over to my ride, pick my baby up from the ground, and start her. My eyes shift back to the chaos that I just lived through.
This could have been so much worse.
But honestly, I feel like this is only the beginning.
Hurricane rides off, and Bayou follows as I take off with them. Razor puts the cage into gear, and we start the trek back to the NOLA Defiance clubhouse. We may not have gotten back to Houston, but at least I feel like I have support now if more shit flies our way.
Let’s just hope like hell we make it back in one piece.
Because if we don’t, there’s going to be hell to pay.
KEVLAR
Pulling my ride into the compound of the NOLA Defiance clubhouse feels so fucking strange. I wasn’t sure I would come here again. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I would come to New Orleans again, and yet I did that, so I guess I may as well go all-out while I’m here.
I park my ride, feeling like fucking shit that we were intercepted on our way out of town. It means that whoever is coming after Jovie knows we’re here, and it’s more important than ever to get our asses out of town.
Sliding off my ride, my muscles ache, but I
quickly make my way over to the rear of the cage. When Razor opens the back door, Hoodoo’s working on Jovie, and I just hope like fuck that she’s okay. She was more than a little quiet after the accident. I figure it’s just shock, but I want to get a full report from Hoodoo.
Jovie moves slowly, and I reach up to help her down. She’s favoring her sore shoulder from the obvious dislocation that’s now back in place. I try to be gentle with her as I hoist her to the ground, but she winces with the pain.
Hurricane helps Savanah down.
“Are you okay?” I ask Jovie, sliding a strand of hair behind her ear.
“This was all because of me! Sav… you… both of you could have been hurt or worse because of me.”
I pull her to me as we walk toward the tall doors of the clubhouse. “This is not your fault. But Jovie, the people after you...” I take in a deep breath. “We’re gonna need to know who they are. We are gonna need details. You don’t have to tell me directly if you don’t want, but if you’re gonna stay at the clubhouse in Houston, Zero, my president, is gonna demand to know. There won’t be any choice, especially after this.”
She gnaws on her bottom lip. “It’s my family.”
Everyone around us stops dead still as I stare at her. “Your family is after you?”
“Remember how I said they wanted me to join them? Well, it’s not just a family business. It’s something much, much worse.”
Hurricane runs his fingers through his hair. “I think we need to call Zero. Tell him you’re bringin’ someone who has trouble attached, brother. I don’t wanna hear it. I don’t wanna be a part of this shit, Kevlar. We’re here to help ya, we always will be, but I don’t want this mess endin’ up on our damn doorstep. You call Zero and get some brothers to ride on up here to escort you home. I need the three of you out of my damn clubhouse. Tonight.” Hurricane storms off.
I understand.
If Jovie is into bad shit, Hurricane doesn’t need Houston bringing chaos to his house.
Jovie’s face is forlorn as her eyes meet mine. “Maybe I should just leave? I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I already have?”
I reach out, grabbing her hand in mine. “I told you I would protect you, and I am keeping my damn word. I’ll put the call in to Zero and get a couple of brothers to escort us back. Hopefully, this time we will make it back to Houston without a hitch.”
Savanah exhales. “What do we do in the meantime?”
“We sit here and wait.”
Savanah rolls her eyes. “Great, just great.”
When I called Zero and told him what happened, he was initially apprehensive about Jovie and Savanah coming back to the clubhouse. He was of the same opinion as Hurricane.
Why should Houston need or take on unsolicited drama? Especially when we know now that people are looking and willing to kill for Jovie.
My counter-argument was when are we ever the type of club to give up on a fight? To let innocent people fend for themselves when we know we are able to help. To give them a home and offer them salvation when needed. Jovie needs us. I feel protective over her for some reason, and since I lost Em, I don’t want to lose another person I care about. I simply have to help her, there is no other choice. It only took me mentioning the fact that Zero took in Wraith when he was at his lowest point, and we helped him, even though he was a liability to the club, for Zero to change his mind.
So, he sent Nickel, Phantom, Frost, Slick, Ax, and Texas on bike detail with Blake in a cage to escort us home. Safety in significant numbers.
Hurricane was happy to see the ass-end of us.
I don’t blame him.
We brought chaos to his streets. And though we’re good friends, pulling in any kind of drama to N’awlins is not ideal for his house. He has enough of his own drama to deal with.
So, Hoodoo patched up the girls the best he could and gave them the all-clear to travel.
My ass started hurting around the five-hour mark into the ride. Nonstop, no matter who you are, is tough, so seeing the Houston clubhouse gates in my sights right now is like the heavens are fucking shining down on me, and God, himself, is singing the hallelujah fucking chorus.
As I approach the gate, it swings open automatically. Neon rigged the bikes so the gate knows when a club member is approaching, and they open automatically. Otherwise, Neon activates it for all other visitors. The system is now completely electronic, so we do not need a gatekeeper. I turn back to make sure Jovie and Savanah follow through in Blake’s cage, and they drive inside with ease.
Home sweet home.
Blake pulls up next to Chills’ car as I turn off my ride. The two girls slowly hop out of the cage, then glance up at the giant warehouse converted clubhouse in awe as commotion captures my attention. I spin around and watch everyone racing outside—all my brothers, old ladies, and club girls greet me home with open arms.
“Welcome back. Thought you were gonna cause trouble for us for a moment there, fucker,” Wraith calls out, pulling me in for a back-slapping man hug.
My brothers surround me as I glance over to Jovie and Savanah, who are standing back, smiling and taking this all in as I celebrate with everyone the small victories we somehow manage to get, not only finding my freedom but fighting our way out of an attack. Honestly, this whole escape to New Orleans—besides meeting Jovie—has been a damn shit show.
“It’s so fucking good to be back. You have no idea. I never thought I’d say this, but I missed you ugly fuckers!”
“Hey! What about us?” Prinie asks, placing her hand on her hip. Her swollen belly pops out even more if that’s possible. Cherry and Chills raise their brows at me.
“Yeah, ladies, I missed you, too. And Prinie, you’re looking radiant, I must say.”
“You always were a smooth talker, Kevlar. See, Wraith, you need to say shit like that. And not… ‘Hey you seem bigger today!’”
Wraith gives me a glare. “Thanks, brother,” he mocks sarcastically while I smirk.
Jovie’s chuckling along with everyone, though there’s a quietness about her I’m not used to.
“Guys, there’s—”
“Before you start, Kevlar, there are some people here who wanna see you,” Zero interrupts.
My brows furrow as everyone parts, and Ethan walks toward me. Sadie’s holding his hand while he carries Lucas in his arms. My chest swarms with emotion. I wasn’t sure when I would see my kids again, let alone have them here at the clubhouse.
Ethan was so adamant about not bringing them here—ever.
Sadie spots me first, her gorgeous blue eyes widening in shock. “Daddy!” she yells loud in her adorable voice, then takes off running.
So do I.
Heading straight for her, my heart pounds in my chest until I reach my little girl. Lucas wriggles in Ethan’s hold, desperate to be let down. He jumps from Ethan’s grip and starts sprinting for me too. I drop to my knees just before Sadie reaches me, her tiny arms burst out wrapping around me so fucking tight. She squeezes me with everything she has, and I embrace her like this is the first time I’ve seen her in years. It’s only been a few days in reality, but honestly, I wasn’t sure when I would see her again. Add in the fact she’s here at the clubhouse, and it’s making this all too fucking emotional, especially after the attack on the highway. My kids mean everything, and seeing them now is making this all too fucking real.
“Daddy, I missed you.”
I pull back, gripping the sides of her face, just needing to look at her. “I missed you, too, baby girl.”
Suddenly, Lucas slams into my side, wrapping his tiny frame around me the best he can. “Dad… you wide your bike?” I grab my boy, pull him into me further, then lean in and kiss the top of his head. “Yeah, I did, little big man.”
“Me go for a w… w… wide?”
“Me, too. Me, too!” Sadie chimes while jumping on her tippy toes.
“One day, when you’re both a little bigger.” I love it when they’re excited.
&n
bsp; “Daddy… I… I… I aytted all my bweakfast, and Uncle Efan said I could…” he takes in a quick breath, then exhales, “… pway with my Legos… hmm,” Lucas informs me as I stand, lifting him to sit on my hip.
Man, I’ve missed the little guy.
“Daddy?” Sadie asks while wrapping her arms around my leg.
“Yeah, baby girl?”
“I like being back at the club, I’ve missed being here.”
Warmth radiates through me as I run my hand over her soft ringlets. “I’m glad you’re here, baby. I’ve missed you being here, too.”
My eyes shift to Ethan, his expression is somber as he steps over to me. I shake my head, not really knowing what to say to him as he pulls me into a tight hug. It’s awkward with Lucas on my hip, and Sadie attached to my leg, but I wrap my free arm around him, embracing my little brother for the first time in a fucking long time. We’ve been at war with each other since I joined the club, since I chose love over the police force—over our family, over him.
But if I didn’t choose Emma, I wouldn’t have these amazing kids.
We both know that.
Pulling back, I nod. “Thank you. You can’t fathom what this means to me.”
Ethan exhales. “I’m doing this for them. They missed you. They need their father… I see that now.”
Shifting Lucas off my hip, he clings to my other leg as I peer over my shoulder. Cherry and Prinie are talking to Savanah and Jovie, but Jovie is not paying attention to that conversation, her eyes are solely focused in on me.
“Ethan, come with me. I want you to meet someone.”
He narrows his eyes as I walk, though very awkwardly with my kids attached to me like glue, over to Jovie. Ethan follows eagerly as Jovie stands taller, straightening out her clothing as if she’s meeting the damn president. She’s nervous around my family, that’s got to mean she cares.
“Ethan, Sadie, Lucas… this is Savanah, and…” I pause for a moment. I can’t help the telling smile that lights my face, “… Jovie.”
Ethan’s eyes shift from me to Jovie, then back to me again. Sadie and Lucas stay attached to me.
