He grins, catching on quickly. Every single one of my men know that I don’t step out on my wife and they’re always ready to run interference for me.
“Well, hello Lisa. I’d be happy to keep you company. How about a drink?”
Lisa, looks from me to Vandal and smiles appreciatively. She seems like a nice woman and I know that my man here will treat her with respect.
“That would be great, Vandal,” she replies, just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. As I start walking toward my office, I hear Lisa ask,
“So what’s your real name and why do they call you Vandal?” I can’t help but laugh because she is in for one hell of a story. After closing the door, I look at the caller’s name on the screen and wonder why the fuck Elijah is calling me at this hour.
“We’ve got a problem,” Elijah says, before I can greet him.
“What is it?”
“We’ve lost track of the Savage Knights. Last we knew, they were rolling through Missouri and there was a sighting in Tennessee near Blue Ridge.”
“Lost track? How the fuck did that happen?” I demand, needing to know how in the hell could they lose them if they’re sitting idle in a small town. They must’ve split up or sent some men ahead because Blue Ridge is in the north Georgia mountains. Is it possible they know that’s exactly where Ember and Londyn will be this weekend?
“They slipped off our radar just outside of Boonville and they’re trail just ran cold. Either they’ve gone underground to throw us off, or they’re for sure heading to Atlanta to avenge the death of their vp.” I had a feeling something was off when I heard they were rolling east. The Knights usually stick to their territory out west, but Nightmare got wind from Enigma, a Nomad who’s always on the lookout for trouble, that the Knights were on the move. If they’re heading this way, it can only mean one thing: Ember is in danger.
“I need you to protect my baby girl, Mav,” Elijah pleads, that same desperation in his voice he had all those years ago when he came to my office for the same reason.
“There’s no way they know Ember’s exact location, but we’ll be more than ready to protect her. But first, we need to findthem. No one makes a move until we know where they are and what they’re planning.”
“How are you going to find them if they’ve gone underground?”
“I have one of the best hackers in my club and there’s not anyone in this world that he can’t find. I’m also going to reach out to Teller, president of the Royal Bastards Montreal Chapter, to get his nomad, Becks, involved in tracking the Knights. He can cover the states just above Kentucky, in case they try to take a different route,” I relay, not liking the sound of where this is going. “My men and I will take a ride up there tomorrow afternoon and take a look around just to make sure we’ve covered everything.” I keep my voice even, but inside, I’m a little unnerved. Ember had a surprise trip to the mountains planned for us but she and Londyn are going instead. This trip will be to leave some of the guys up there to watch over them.
“Sounds good. I’ll stay in my location for a day or two in case they show themselves and check in with you if I get a hit. Call me if your tracker gets a beat on them,” Elijah says, his voice heavy with exhaustion. The long road trip and the constant fear for his daughter's safety are clearly wearing him down.
“Will do. And keep yourself safe,” I remark before he hangs up. If anything happened to Elijah, Ember would never forgive herself for keeping her distance. I’ve tried for years to get her to visit home, but she always found a reason not to go. Maybe after I tell her my truth, the universe will finally align, and she’ll accept me for who I really am. She brings out the best in me, makes me feel more human than I ever thought possible before I even fell in love with her. Why is it so fucking hard to have them both?
“Keep it tight, boys. We’re nearing the area where the Knights are possibly hiding out. If they’re up here, they’ll hear us before they see us, so stay sharp,” I relay to my men through the helmet mic. If these guys had their way, they’d have partied all night and would be nursing hangovers right now. As soon as I hung up with Elijah last night, I ordered them to shut down the party. Although we didn’t leave until early afternoon, none of them would’ve been in shape to ride up here in the thin air of the mountains.
“You sure they’d hole up here?” Hellhound inquires. “We haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary so far.”
“Out of the ordinary doesn’t mean it’s safe, Hound. Desperate men do desperate things. I don’t care if we waste the whole fucking day up here, if they’re hiding out in this small town, we’ll find them!” I snap, letting him know this isn’t up for discussion.
“You think they’re armed? Or is this gonna be another scare-them-off mission?” Renegade asks.
“Always assume they’re armed, Ren. You get caught thinking it’s easy, that’s when it gets you killed.”
“Don’t worry, rookie. If things get hot, just stay behind me. I’ll take the heat. Just focus on keeping up,” Nightmare chimesin, trying to settle the Prospect’s nerves. Renegade is young and hasn’t experienced a lot in life, but the kid’s got heart and that goes a long way with me. Before he found me, he was lost. With no family and nowhere to turn, he bounced between abusive foster homes until he aged out of the system.
“Thanks, but I can handle it. I’m not looking to slow anyone down.”
“We’re not here to babysit. You handle your end, Ren. No mistakes,” Steel interjects.
My VP doesn’t have the patience for field training, especially not for a mission this sensitive. There’s no room for mistakes, and he knows it. Over the years, he’s grown to care for Ember, so he’s just as tense as I am right now. When Ember and I got married, Steel, Nightmare, and Avalanche were right beside me, introduced as old college buddies. I told her we were having boys’ nights out more than once, but in reality, I was out taking care of club business.
“Never said I needed a babysitter, Steel. Why don’t you cut me some slack instead of busting my chops all the fucking time.” Ren retorts.
“That’s enough talk. Eyes on the trail. Vandal, you take point when we hit the ridge. Steel, back him up. Ren, you’re with me. We fan out when we get to the overlook. If they’re here, we need to cut off their escape routes,” I instruct, but Steel being Steel has to get in one last jab.
“I wouldn’t have to ride you so fucking hard if you’d stop actin’ like a lil’ bitch!” he growls through the mic, turning off the road to follow Vandal. Ren stays silent, and I make a mental note to have a talk with him back at the clubhouse. He’s got no shot if he gets on Steel’s bad side. If he wants to be a Bastard, he’s gonna have to learn when to keep his mouth shut.
Renegade falls in behind me while Nightmare takes the lead, scouting the ridge ahead. The tension thickens as the air thinsand the roads get tighter. If the Knights are up here, they’ll regret ever crossing my state line.
SIX
