Wraith (Dixie Reapers MC 8)

by Harley Wylde

  “Fuck, baby. I think you liked me pinning you like that.”

  “I did,” I admitted.

  “After what happened to you, I didn’t think you’d like being tied down, or even just held down like that.”

  I looked at him over my shoulder. “I told you that I feel safe with you.”

  “Let’s clean up, then I’ll help you pack your things. I want us to be home for Christmas.”

  He pulled out and I winced a little. Not because he’d hurt me but because Christmas hadn’t been a happy time for me in quite a while. I didn’t want to tell him that’s what I was thinking, so I let him believe I was sore.

  He nipped my ass, then licked away the sting. “Sorry, sweet girl. I shouldn’t have gotten so carried away with you.”

  “Never apologize for making me yours,” I said as I turned to face him.

  “I’ll get Zipper to ink you when we get home. I don’t need to ask the club for permission to make you mine. I think they’d throw my ass outside the gate if I came home with you and didn’t ink you.”

  I smiled a little. I didn’t have a clue what he meant by inking me, but I’d let him do whatever he wanted. If it meant I got to keep him, he could shave my head and make me walk around quacking like a duck.

  We showered and packed my meager belongings, all of which were items that had been given to me or purchased when I’d first arrived. When it was time to head out, Diablo offered to drive us home. I had a feeling I needed to thank him, that he was at least partially responsible for Wraith coming after me.

  I hummed along to the Christmas carols on the radio, happier than I’d ever been before. Until a large truck came out of nowhere and broadsided us. I screamed for Will, just seconds before my head slammed into the window. After that, everything went dark.

  Chapter Eight

  Wraith

  I groaned and tried to open my eyes. A hand pressed on my shoulder and I realized I was lying flat, not still sitting upright in the SUV. Panic rose inside me as I remembered a truck hitting us, and I tried to move my hands, needing to find Rin.

  “Rin,” I said, my voice not sounding like my own.

  “Easy,” a female voice soothed, but it wasn’t Rin. “I’m going to take good care of you.”

  “Fucking Christ, woman!” I heard Ryker yell. “I’m fine. Get your damn hands off me! My wife will kick your ass if you don’t back the hell off.”

  I would have smiled if I’d been able.

  The woman touching me was pulled away and I forced my eyes open to see an angry Ryker peering down.

  “Where’s Rin?” I asked.

  “Gone. I slammed my head into the steering wheel and I guess I blacked out. When I came to, I could hear the sirens, you were knocked the fuck out and Rin wasn’t in the car anymore. My seatbelt wouldn’t release so I couldn’t check the area to see if she’d gotten out, but the sheriff’s department has assured me no one matching her description has been found.”

  I groaned as I tried to sit up and realized I was strapped down. I growled at the woman hovering nearby, an EMT judging by her uniform.

  “Let me the fuck up,” I said.

  “You sustained a head injury and need --”

  “What I need is to find my woman.”

  Her lips thinned. “Maybe she didn’t want to be with you anymore and ran off.”

  Ryker snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure his pregnant fiancée just decided she was tired of his shit, so she arranged a car accident that could have killed her baby.”

  The woman turned and stormed off.

  “What the fucking hell was that shit?” I asked as Ryker freed me from the straps holding me down.

  “I saw her groping you in the pretense of checking for injuries,” Ryker said. “I think she liked the size of your dick. Or maybe she’s a groupie.”

  “Great. Now I’ll need a shower to get her germs off me.” I managed to swing my legs over the side of the stretcher. “No way Rin walked out of here. If that accident made both of us pass out, then it likely did the same for her.”

  “There’s something you need to know,” Ryker said and his expression was grim. “There was blood on the window where she was sitting. I think she hit her head pretty damn hard. If I had to guess, I think someone took her. I don’t think that accident was the least bit accidental.”

  My gut clenched and I swayed as I stood up. A deputy made his way over to us, his swagger just making me want to deck the asshole. He glanced from Ryker to me, taking in our cuts before he sneered.

  “You’re lucky. The driver of the other vehicle seems to be fine,” the deputy said.

  “You mean the asshole who plowed into us?” Ryker asked.

  “That’s your accounting,” the deputy said.

  “Seriously?” I asked. “There’s no stop sign on the highway, which means the guy had to come from a side road and those do have stop signs. You can’t lay this on us.”

  A man with a bandage over his forehead and another on his arm stumbled over to us. His eyes were glassy with pain and there was a tinge of remorse in the depths.

  “He paid me,” the man said. “Some guy with blond hair offered to pay off some of my debts if I caused an accident when you drove through here. Gave me the model and make of your car, told me to watch for bikers with a dark-haired woman. I saw you before you left town and followed, then took a shortcut so I could get ahead of you.”

  I advanced on the man and he cringed away from me.

  “Some asshole paid you to cause an accident?” I asked. “Did he take my woman?”

  The man nodded. “I didn’t know what he wanted her for, but I’m guessing he’s not a good guy.”

  “You think?” Ryker asked, the sarcasm in his voice clearly adding a “you’re a dumb shit” on the end of the sentence.

  The deputy eyed the man who was confessing to his crimes. With a sigh, he pulled out cuffs and began the process of arresting him. I took that as a sign that we were free to leave. With the SUV pretty much totaled, I didn’t see how we were going anywhere.

  “Now what?” I asked Ryker. “You know who has her, and he’s probably halfway back to Alabama by now. If that’s where he’s even taking her. They could be anywhere and we’re stuck here without a ride.”

  “I texted my dad,” Ryker said. “Spider said he’d send some help our way. I also sent a message to Torch and told him what was going on. We’ll get Rin back for you.”

  “If he hurts her…” My jaw clenched.

  “I know,” Ryker said. “With the FBI involved, it might be harder to get your hands on him, though. You’ll probably have to turn him over if we do find him.”

  I focused on him. “Would you turn him over if he had Laken? If you knew he was going to whore her out, or maybe just kill her, would you just hand him over to the Feds like it was no big deal?”

  “No. I wouldn’t, and I know you won’t either.”

  We waited until the Hades Abyss arrived. Spider was leading the way, and I recognized Rocket. I hadn’t dealt with the others much.

  “This is Marauder, Bear, and Fox. You already know Rocket,” Ryker said we he made introductions. “And of course Spider, my dad.”

  “We’ll get your girl back,” Spider said. “She’s a sweet little thing and I hate to think of someone hurting her.”

  “Thank you,” I said, meaning it more than I’d ever meant anything. If they could help me save Rin, then I’d do anything they asked. She was the most important thing in my life. And it had taken me long enough to realize that. If I got her back, then I’d do everything I could to not only keep her safe, but to show her how much I cared.

  “I’ve called in some favors,” Spider said. “Between Wire, Shade, and a hacker from another club, we’ll have access to every camera feed between here and your compound. Do we know what vehicle he’s driving?”

  “No, but I know someone who does,” I said, looking at the man now sitting in the backseat of the deputy’s car.

  “On it,” Fox s
aid, as he ambled over that direction.

  “Seems kind of young for a VP,” I said, hoping only Ryker could hear me. Fox looked to be mid to late thirties at the most. Wouldn’t surprise me if he were younger.

  “Don’t be fooled,” Ryker said. “That man has done some deep, dark shit for this country, and he earned that VP patch just by being his badass self. Age is just a number, but Fox? He has an old soul. The things he’s done tend to age a person.”

  I nodded. Wasn’t really any of my business.

  “Who’s this other hacker?” I asked.

  “He’s just known as Outlaw. Apparently, he got picked up at the age of twelve for trying to hack the CIA. He’s not as good as Wire, but the three of them working together should produce quick results,” Spider said.

  “What club is he with?” I asked.

  “Devil’s Fury,” Ryker said. “We’ve had a few dealings with them in the past. They’re pretty decent guys. Their Pres, Griz, lost his old lady a while back. Cancer. Hades Abyss put together a rally, and we donated all the proceeds to the American Cancer Society in her name.”

  “We?” Spider asked with his eyebrow raised.

  “All right, my club did while I was off serving my country,” Ryker said.

  “We should do something back home,” I mused. “Something to maybe start an abused women’s shelter in town. If there had been a safe place for Rin to go, maybe she could have gotten away from Joe Banner sooner.”

  “I’m sure Torch would love that idea. Especially if he didn’t have to plan it.”

  I snorted. “You’re not wrong on the planning part. We did a toy drive back before any of us had old ladies. That thing was a bitch to put together, but well worth it. Made lots of kids happy that year.”

  “We should have done one this year,” Ryker said, frowning.

  “We?” Spider asked again.

  Ryker sighed. “For fuck’s sake. I’m Hades Abyss, but I live with the Reapers. I help them more than I help you these days. I’m just waiting on you to kick me to the curb and tell me to patch in with them. I love you, Dad, and I respect our club but I haven’t really been a part of it in a long fucking time. Yeah, I’m the go between, but I don’t have to actually be Hades Abyss to do that.”

  Spider shrugged. “I figured you’d let me know when you were ready to break off from us. You’re my son, Ryker. It’s not like we’re going to kick the shit out of you for trying to leave. In some respects, you’ll always be one of us, but you’re right. You’re more Reaper now than Hades Abyss. And that’s fine. I know you want to keep Laken and Gabriel in Alabama where they can see Flicker as much as they want.”

  “Torch told you that you could come visit any time you wanted,” Ryker pointed out. “No one’s keeping you from seeing Gabriel.”

  “I know, and I will. I’ll try to be there more than I have in the past. My grandson is a year and a half now, and I know I need to make more of an effort to be part of his life. I want him to know his grandpa loves him,” Spider said.

  Fox came back over, a grim expression on his face. “Got the make and model of the car, and a partial tag. Sent all of it to Outlaw and he’s sharing with the others. My bet is that Joe Banner is heading for home, or at least his home state. I say we hit the road and head toward Alabama until we get some news.”

  “You’re welcome at the Dixie Reapers compound,” I said. I didn’t even have to ask Torch or Venom. I knew if they were willing to help find Rin, then they would be welcome to hang at the clubhouse for however long it took. The more help we had, the better our chances of getting her back.

  “Those Feds still hanging around?” Marauder asked. “Heard you were helping them out.”

  “One of them is,” Ryker said, smirking a little.

  “Yeah, that Agent Montoya seems to like making Tank a bit crazy. I think she gets off on teasing him, then not letting him have any,” I said.

  “Everyone head out,” Spider said. “I had Bear bring a truck since the two of you were without bikes. The three of you can ride together.”

  “Thanks,” I said, hoping he could see the sincerity in my eyes. I needed them right now. Rin needed them. If we didn’t get her back, then I wouldn’t have a reason to keep breathing. I’d do it, because I knew that’s what she would want, but I’d be a damn miserable bastard for the rest of my days.

  I got updates from Wire and Torch on the way home, nothing concrete, but it sounded like they were closing in on Banner. With some luck, we’d know where he was going and maybe even if he still planned to sell Rin by the time we crossed the Alabama state line. I hated not knowing what she was facing right now. With her being pregnant, she didn’t need all this stress. If Joe Banner hurt her in any way, he’d answer to me, the Feds be damned.

  When we made it to the compound, we still didn’t know much other than Banner’s car had run a red light at the edge of town about an hour before we arrived. He wasn’t being cautious, which meant he didn’t think we’d catch up to him, or figure out he took Rin. If he was sloppy, I didn’t think that boded well for Rin’s well-being. Wire had caught another glimpse of the car from a camera in an ATM about four blocks from that light, heading south through town, but no one knew where he’d gone after that. It’s like the car had just disappeared.

  “What’s between that ATM and the rest of town?” I asked. I hadn’t been in the military for a while, but sometimes those instincts still kept my ass alive, and right now they were telling me that Banner had gone underground somewhere in town. Somewhere big enough to hide his vehicle.

  Ryker looked at Wire’s screens with his arms folded. We’d both holed up in Wire’s “war room” that had an entire wall of monitors.

  “Anything with large parking structures, or maybe underground parking that wouldn’t have a live camera feed?” Ryker asked.

  Wire paused mid-keystroke and started cursing. “Of course. The town hall. There’s an underground garage not even a block from that ATM, and you said the mayor had used Banner’s services before. I bet that little rat went straight to the corrupt town officials for help. They have cameras on site, but I was focused on the streets.”

  Wire’s fingers began furiously tapping at the keys. I had no idea what he was trying to do, but the sounds of frustration he made, with some cussing thrown in here and there, told me he wasn’t getting the results he wanted. His lips thinned and his jaw firmed as he turned to face me.

  “They’ve blocked all the feeds inside the town hall. I have no doubt that’s where your girl is. I know the Feds want to clean house, but… I think we need to handle this one our way,” Wire said.

  “I’ll let Torch know that Wire found something. I’m sure he’ll want to call Church and form a plan,” Ryker said.

  Wire gathered whatever intel he had. Both our phones went off at the same time. A message from the Pres was on my phone.

  Church. Now!

  When we stepped through the doors of the conference room we used for Church, our seats were open, but the walls were lined with Hades Abyss, Devil’s Boneyard, and some new faces. Their cuts said Devil’s Fury. I didn’t know where they’d come from, or how they’d gotten here so fast, but if they were going to help get Rin back, then I had no problem with them.

  Tank was missing and so was Flicker, both their seats still open. I heard a commotion outside the doors and they burst open with Tank striding through them. A Hispanic woman followed, her face flushed and her lips in a thin determined line.

  “So I’m good enough to fuck, but not good enough to help?” she demanded. “I knew it was a good thing I hadn’t let you into my pants. You’re a giant walking dick just like most every other man I know.”

  “Hey!” Flicker protested. “Don’t lump me in with him.”

  She glared at Flicker over her shoulder, but our Treasurer merely looked amused. If there was a joker in our group, it would be Flicker. Hardly anything ever seemed to get him down, unless you fucked with his family.

  Agent Montoya faced
off against Tank again, hands on her hips, and her booted foot tapping. “I may be FBI, but it doesn’t mean I’m fucking useless. I’m going to help, and that’s final.”

  Tank moved in closer to the petite woman, towering over her, as he stared down his nose. “No. Get the fuck out of here. It’s club business, and you’re not part of the club.”

  “You… You…” Fury flashed in her eyes. “Que te la pique un pollo.”

  Ryker coughed into his fist and turned his head, but not before I saw the humor in his eyes.

  “What did she say?” I whispered to him.

  “She said she hopes his dick is pecked by a chicken.”

  “That’s… an interesting insult,” I said.

  Ryker shrugged. “Spain has quite a few sayings that don’t necessarily make sense anywhere else. That one translated well enough.”

  Agent Montoya removed her FBI ID and dropped it onto the table.

  “There,” she said. “Now I’m not FBI. You either let me go with you to help save that girl, or I’ll let the DEA march through the gates. I’m sure you don’t want them to know about that stash you have in a warehouse on the back end of the property.”

  Torch scowled at Tank. “I thought you were watching her.”

  Lupita snorted. “He has to sleep sometime.”

  “Are we going to have a problem?” Torch asked. “Because I don’t condone violence against women, but I will protect this club at all costs.”

  “No problem, as long as I get to go along. After learning what the mayor, city manager, and others have been up to, I want to do a little ass-kicking of my own,” she said.

  “Fine.” Torch looked at Tank. “She stays. Now sit the fuck down and someone close the goddamn doors so we can get down to business.”

  Flicker pushed the doors shut and everyone took their places around the room. As Tank was sitting, one of the Devil’s Fury moved in closer. Tank tensed for a second, until his gaze landed on the man’s name stitched on his cut.

  “Slash?” Tank asked.

  Slash held out his hand. “Just wanted to shake the hand of my brother before things got started. And blood is welcome to call me Talon.” His gaze landed on Jackal. “And that goes for my sister and her husband too.”