Chuckling, I turn back to my phone as I watch her drive off out of the corner of my eye, followed by Izzy.Princess is in the back seat, and I lift my head enough to give her a nod as she waves. Ruby might be the club’s princess, but Bulldog’s kid owns the name. And the attitude. Thank Christ she and Ruby aren’t the same age. Those two would be more than a handful if they ever got together. They would take over the world, and not a single brother could stop them. I feel bad for any poor fucker who gets stuck with one or the other.
A while later, my phone rings, and I see it’s Law calling.
“Yo,” I answer. “What’s up?”
“You with Ruby?”
“Nah, she left here about twenty minutes ago.” I’m used to this question. Get it a lot, actually. Usually ends with me driving to wherever she is, which is why I’m making my way to my bike as I talk. Her dad might have put me on babysitting duty, but that doesn’t mean I’m watching her location all the time. I have it set to notify me if her phone falls or if she’s in a place for over thirty minutes. From what I’ve seen in the past, a fallen phone could mean just that, or that it was tossed from a person’s hand or was still in their hand when they fell. Getting that notification has saved the lives of three people I was protecting in the service. I was able to either get them medical attention after being pushed out a third-story window or chase after the kidnappers who thought dropping the phone would be all they needed. The length of time a phone is idle has also saved lives. However, with Ruby, it just notifies me about how boring her life is. Girl’s more stagnant than hair gel.
“She’s on I-80. Heading to campus. She says someone’s trying to run Izzy off the road.”
“On it.” I end the call as I start up my bike. Don’t need more than that to get me started.
As I pull out of the gate, I turn the app on that lets me track Ruby, then put the phone in my holder at the front of my bike and gun it. I hear other bikes in the distance, so I know I’m not the only one who got the call. A ping on my phone shows Flint’s getting the word out to everyone he hadn’t already called. Not sure if I was the first call the boss made or the last, but I know I was the only one he was calling to look after his girl and not anyone else’s.
I get the notification of a phone drop and watch as her location doesn’t change at all. Wouldn’t make sense if she were still driving. Could mean a million things, but I ain’t one to speculate till I see what’s really going on. I plan and prep for all scenarios but never guess the outcome.
As I get close to her location, I see an SUV pull away from the side of the road and race down the highway. I don’t chase. Not my job. But I get a description and note that the license plate is missing. Not sure what Flint’s going to do with the details I give him, but it’s better than nothing.
I slow and look at the right side, where another car is already parked with doors ajar. I look over the bank and see Izzy and Princess getting out of the car with two other women I don’t recognize as I hear sirens not far out. I don’t get off my bike to check them out. All I know is they aren’t who I’m looking for. I glance back and see nothing behind me, then look left. A bit of dust in the air, but nothing I can see from the angle I’m at. But the road has deep embankments on each side, and what some might see as just dust in the air, I see as a clue.
Turning my wheel, I cross to the other side of the street and ride the edge back the way I came till I see Ruby’s car nose-end deep to the ground. No sign of life at all, as all the doors are closed, and I can only see airbags through the windows.
I’ve trained in many terrains, prepped for missions in the Army, in the Diplomatic Security Service, and with the Hounds’ mercenary gig we’re starting up. I’m prepared for anything. And yet I still trip over my damn feet to get to Ruby’s side as quickly as possible.
I hold my breath as I rip the driver’s door open, finding her slumped over the wheel.
“Oh, please don’t do this to me.” I barely touch her, just enough to check her pulse, and my head drops in relief.
She’s alive.
Standing, I roll till I’m leaning all my weight on the side of her car and pull out a cigarette. I need one after this shit. My heart is still beating faster than I would like. I should be used to this by now. For every life I’ve saved, it’s always felt like I’ve lost that many as well. I thought I was over this gut-wrenching fear. Thought I’d moved past this.
But seeing Ruby not moving? I rub my chest to ease the ache as I puff on my cigarette. I’ve only got a few moments to pull my shit together before another brother sees me. Everyone knows I watch her. It isn’t a secret. Don’t want it to be. It’s easier if everyone knows what my job is. That way, no one is pissed when I pick her over another. Like I just did with Princess. Bulldog might skin me alive for not going to his daughter’s aid if it wasn’t already known that I’m on Law’s payroll to protect his own kin. Not that I get paidany extra; I just don’t have to deal with other shit jobs over this one.
I pull out my phone and text the boss, letting him know his girl is alive. That’s all he’ll care about. We won’t know if she got more than a bump on the head till the paramedics come over. All the job requires is that she’s breathing, not what condition she’s in.
Might be easier if she were in a coma.
I laugh at my thought. Even if Ruby were bedridden, she’d still be a menace to society. Her dad would just have me chained to her hospital bed. At least with her out, I can breathe fresh air and ride my bike.
“Sir, do you need assistance?”
Looking up, I see an EMT on the roadside and shake my head.
“I don’t, but those in the car do.” No clue if Abigail is alive or not. I saw her in the passenger seat when Ruby was trying to have me take the penis sandwiches. I know she’s still close to her, despite that her brother died before joining the club. If we did honorary memberships, she’d have one. But unless a woman wants to be a vamp or an old lady, the club has no room for them.
Ruby, like all the kids, is somewhere in the mix. They get the protection but still aren’t in the know on most shit. We keep them safe, more than we do with vamps who hang at the club, but still try to keep them out of most of our shit, unlike old ladies.
Old ladies know the rules. They keep their mouths shut. We don’t outright tell them what’s going on, but I’ve never met an old lady who wasn’t worth her weight in gold.Each one is a badass in her own right. Club doesn’t have many right now, but those who are earned the title and the respect that goes along with it. So if they hear something, we know they’re good with it.
Kids? Never met one who knew when to shut up. Princess talks more than she should about things that no little girl should know. Teddy and Grace are still learning the club life, so no clue on them. And Ruby is just a handful enough to be an issue. Her dad has the president patch, but she walks around like she owns the place. It’s a look for sure. One most can’t pull off. She does, though. I’m just not sure if it’s a look or an attitude and expectation all at once.
So far, she gives me the most sass, usually when I tell her no—something she doesn’t hear a lot from the rest of the brothers. Not that I’ve ever seen her ask for something beyond the normal bullshit. I just like telling her no to see her get all riled up. Her angry face is funny to me. She tries to look all mean and pissed off, but it just reminds me of the model looks you see on billboards selling perfume or some shit, all pouty lips and sharp cheekbones—something she hates being compared to. She doesn’t want to be just another pretty face. She wants people to think she’s as fearless and badass as her dad. Girl doesn’t realize that her dad’s image is all a front. He looks like that just to keep her, and the rest of the club, out of shit that could get someone killed.
Can he be a dick? A badass? Sure. We all can. But to keep the look on every second of the day? It’s an act. Get the old man drunk a bit and ask him about his late wife. Or hell, just ask about Ruby and you’ll get a bumbling fool of a man who’s proud as fuck at what his daughter has done with allthe judgment of the entire town and sometimes the state breathing down her neck. Guy is all bark.
I climb back up to my bike when I’m sure the EMT has it all handled and walk over to the line of brothers. We don’t give a fuck that we’re taking up prime real estate in the middle of a major road and blocking traffic on all sides.
