“Whip,” he breathes.
That name slams into the air like a gunshot. This gains the attention of the rest. Each follows their leader’s line of sight, and one by one, the recognition dawns on them.
Each face is familiar, yet different. Their emotions play like a movie across their features. Shock turns to disbelief before settling into rage.
I don’t flinch.
I haven’t been called Whip in a long time. But I remember the man I was. The enforcer. The loyal soldier who eventually turned on his club.
Vandal’s hand drops from Chrome’s shoulder.
His whole demeanor changes. The easy charm evaporates, replaced by something cold and venomous.
“Well,” he says softly. “Look what crawled out of the gutter.”
Menace steps forward as he clenches his fists. I know he wants nothing more than to pound me, but even he isn’t stupid enough to jump me when they’re outnumbered two to one. “You’ve got some nerve standing there in another club’s colors.”
“Turns out Chicago suited me better than Adelaide,” I reply. “How was prison?”
A muscle ticks in Vandal’s jaw. “You cost us everything.”
“You cost yourselves,” I shoot back. “I just stopped you.”
The air tightens. I can feel my brothers at my back, shifting slightly, not from nerves, but from anticipation. They’re ready to throw down if the other club so much as flinches.
Vandal looks around, taking in the full circle of Demon Dawgs. He knows they’re outnumbered with few options. They may not be trapped in prison, but they’re trapped.
His gaze comes back to me, burning.
“You think wearing that patch makes you untouchable?” he asks.
“No,” I say evenly. “But it means I’m not alone.”
Menace lunges half a step before Vandal throws an arm out, stopping him. The message is clear. Not here. Not now.
Vandal’s expression smooths into something deceptively calm. “We came here for a purpose,” Vandal says to Chrome, turning his back on me. “We aren’t leaving until we’ve achieved it.”
“If that purpose includes Zara, then you should know she’s under our protection,” Chrome says.
“You think because you have us outnumbered that we’ll go crawling away with our tail between our legs?” Vandal sneers.
“You can walk away now or float away. Your choice,” Chrome says.
I grin at the confused look on Vandal’s face. “The Great Lakes don’t give up their dead,” I tell him.
“Maybe that’s where you’ll end up,” snaps Menace.
“Let me tell you how it’s going to be,” Chrome says, drawing the attention back to him. “This is our town. We run it. These are only some of my men. We have you outnumbered and outgunned. A smart man would leave before he can’t. I’m thinking that I’m not looking at a smart man.”
Vandal growls, but doesn’t reply. Instead, he slams past me and leads his men to their bikes. Before he kicks the accelerator, he glares at me. “This isn’t over.” I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing his attention is on me, but then he glances at the SUV before looking back at me. “You’re going to regret messing with us.” The promise is clear. Fuck.
When they’re gone, I open the door to the backseat so Zara and her friend can exit. Zara introduces me to Tony just as Arson and Piston join us.
“This is the guy that saved the day,” Arson says, clapping Tony on the back. “He riled up all the journalists. He had that army of women ready to strip the Bushrangers down and have their way with them.”
“It was all I could think about doing,” Tony says, pinking a little at the compliments thrown his way. “They had my girl Zara trapped.”
“I appreciate your quick thinking,” I say, shaking his hand.
