“Knuckles is on the phone with Tonio Miles.Normally, he wouldn’t get the other man involved in our business.We’re at his beck and call, not the other way around.”He said the last with a wry grin.“But Darby is his daughter and if he hears about this from anyone other than Knuckles or Darby, we’ll have bigger problems than Rat Man to worry about.”
That kind of caught me off guard.“Didn’t know Kiss of Death was affiliated with the Miles family.”
“We’re his muscle.He knows we’re not here to terrorize the city or rob him blind.In return, he pays us very well.And foots most of the bill for Haven.”
As if on cue, the rumble of motorcycles cut through the night.Seconds later, headlights swept across the compound as Knight and Knuckles roared through the gates, flanked by four more riders.
Knuckles moved toward us, parking next to where we stood.Knight was right behind him, his face twisted with cold fury as he looked out to where the white dust was still settling, clearly visible even in the rapidly fading light.
“Anyone hurt?”Knuckles demanded of Gunnar.
“Ada got knocked off her feet.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.“Ears are ringing a bit.”
“Small fucking mercies.”Knight’s gaze fell on Ada, his expression softening slightly with relief before hardening again as he turned to Knuckles.“This is it.The line’s been fuckin’ obliterated.”
Knuckles nodded once, a simple movement that somehow conveyed absolute finality.“Tonio is on the way.”Knuckles gave Gunnar a curious look.“You didn’t say anything about gettin’ Cain involved.Thought you were only talking to your brothers.”If Knuckles meant to censure his new VP for not running something by him, I couldn’t tell.These two had a different dynamic than I was used to.
Gunnar gave Knuckles a puzzled look.“I didn’t call Dad.”
“Well, he says to let him in the Goddamned gate when he gets here.”Knuckles shrugged.“His words.Not mine.”
“Yeah.”Gunnar winced.“Maybe I should have called him before I called my brothers.”
As they continued to talk, I turned to Ada, looking her over closely for the first time.Her wet clothes clung to her frame, her wet hair was a tangled, dirty mess, and she had a small scrape above her eyebrow.Could have been much worse.
I cupped her face between my hands.She was alive.Whole.The relief that flooded through me was quickly chased by something darker, more primal.Whoever had done this had threatened what was mine.Had threatened her.
“I’m gonna end this,” I promised, my voice carrying the weight of every second I’d spent behind bars, every fight I’d survived, every night I’d lain awake planning for a moment like this.“I’m going to find Rat Man, and I’m going to finish this.”
Ada didn’t flinch at the lethal intent in my voice.Instead, she covered my hands with hers, holding my gaze steady.“We’regoing to finish this,” she corrected.“All of us.Together.”She was right.We were in this together.She was my anchor.I was her protector.We were bound by something stronger than fear, deeper than desire.
And God help anyone who tried to come between us.
Chapter Nine
Jag
I leaned against the wall of the common room, watching Ada nurse her coffee with hands that weren’t quite steady.Morning light sliced through the blinds, casting shadows across the floor.Nobody had slept much after the explosion.Knuckles stood next to me, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the door like he expected it to blow inward any second.The air hung thick with the smell of coffee.We were waiting, all of us, though nobody wanted to say exactly why or what for.I had the feeling Knuckles knew but he wasn’t saying.
“You good?”I put my hand on Ada’s shoulder and leaned down to speak to her quietly.
She looked up and gave me a tentative smile.“I’ll be better when this psycho is gone.”She took another sip of coffee.
The outside door swung open with enough force to bounce off the wall.A man I didn’t recognize strode in, his boots hitting the flooring like hammer blows.His overall presence screamed military.I was pretty sure this guy gave orders rather than taking them.His eyes, cold and calculating, scanned the room, missing nothing.
“Cain,” Knuckles addressed the older man, then the man next to him.“Stunner.”
Cain.Gunnar’s father.The former president of Bones MC.The resemblance was there, but Cain wore his age like armor rather than a burden.I’d seen men in their prime less fit than this guy and I knew for a fact the man had to be in his seventies by now.
To Cain’s right, Stunner positioned himself to best defend Cain.Stunner had the same watchful gaze.He wore his hair long and his beard, though neatly kept, was long and full.Heavy muscles filled out Stunner’s clothing.The man’s intense stare would make anyone think twice about crossing him or the man he guarded.
Gunnar stepped forward, surprise and something like wariness crossing his face.“Dad?What are you doing here?”
Cain fixed his son with a look that could have chipped diamond.“Waiting for your call.”He kept his voice deceptively soft.No one could doubt Cain’s displeasure though.“Stunner tells me he got a call from you about Rat Man.Figured my invitation got lost in the fucking mail.”
The room went quiet.I glanced at Ada, who had set down her coffee and was watching the scene unfold with the look of someone who knows the train is about to be derailed and wants to look away, but can’t.I knew how she felt.
