I look around the loft—the chaos, the beauty, the danger hidden beneath the surface with our men standing guard. For the first time since we arrived in Chicago, my nerves settle intosomething steadier. With Chill and the others on guard, I can relax and focus on the show.
Then Chill’s phone buzzes. She frowns when she sees the display.
“What happened?” she asks when she connects the call. Her eyes snap to me. “Okay, we’ll be ready.”
CHAPTER 23: BUSH
The engine beneath me roars like a living thing, vibrating up through my boots and into my bones as we tear through Chicago traffic. Twelve Demon Dawgs. The others peel off to search. A solid wall of chrome and steel. We own the streets, but will that be enough?
Chrome rides point, his taillight a red beacon I refuse to lose sight of. The wind cuts cold across my face, carrying the scent of exhaust and lake air. I barely feel it. My mind’s too busy spinning worst-case scenarios.
Zara.
My grip tightens on the handlebars as we blow past a line of cars, engines snarling in unison. I picture the loft venue swarmed. Bushrangers’ kuttes. Adelaide bottom rockers. Menace’s ugly grin. Vandal barking orders.
I see them storming backstage, and Zara fighting.
I see one of them throwing her over his shoulder as he pushes Tony away. Tony will defend Zara, but he’s not strong enough to face the bikers. Rattler and Hunter will fight along Chill and Viper, but will they be able to hold the line? Bianca and Izzy will try to defend Zara, but it only takes one mistake.
My stomach twists so hard I taste bile. I can’t lose her, not now that I’ve found her. She’s mine, dammit!
If they hurt her…
I can’t finish the thought. If I do, I’ll crumble.
Chrome raises a fist, and we shift lanes as one, engines screaming while we take the last turn. The venue comes into view—brick façade lit up, soft golden light spilling from tall windows. Music thumps faintly even from the street.
I scan the street. I’m expecting to see six bikes. But there are only cars.
No cluster of men in kuttes with Adelaide rockers.
Chrome slows first. The rest of us fan out, forming a perimeter as we roll up hard to the curb. I kill the engine, and the sudden silence rings in my ears.
Nothing. Just the normal bustle of the city streets. Even though there are no Bushrangers, the knot in my chest doesn’t ease. If they’re not here… then where the hell are they?
“Chill says it's all clear inside,” Smoke says, his phone still in his hand. “They didn’t come here.”
“Call Mode,” Chrome orders. “See if he can track them. If they weren’t coming here, where the fuck did they go?”
Smoke steps away to make the call, while I stare at the building. Zara is up there. I want to go to her, but we need to find the Bushrangers first.
“We’re going to need to deal with Crystal when we get back,” Chrome says, interrupting my thoughts. “Mode put her in the Shed with Pipes on guard duty. Why do you think she betrayed us like that?”
I turn my attention to Chrome and snort. “Why do you think? She’s a jealous bitch who thought I would make her my Old Lady. She knows Zara is a threat to what she wants, so she’s trying to eliminate her.”
“How did she know about the Bushrangers? How did she know to call them? Did you tell her about them?”
I shake my head. “No, but she’s always been observant. She could have heard any of us talking about them; it isn’t like we notice the Kutte Bunnies most of the time. They’re nothing more than furniture until we’re looking for a fuck.”
“What are you talking about?” Piston asks, joining us.
“Crystal,” I reply, then pause. “Well, all of the Kutte Bunnies. We don’t notice them. I didn’t think about how dangerous that is for our club.”
“Most of them don’t care what we do,” Piston protests.
“This is my fault,” I say. “After what happened with Scorch, Trigger, and Mouse, you think their betrayal would have opened my eyes to other ways we’re vulnerable. The Kutte Bunnies are our biggest weakness. They go everywhere. They have access to everything except Church. But it isn’t like we don’t discuss matters in the common room in front of them.”
Chrome slaps me on the shoulder. “This isn’t all on you. I didn’t think about it either. None of us did. We don’t share club secrets with them, but we do discuss club business openly. This is another reason why I want to see changes in our club. We shouldn’t be trusting our secrets to the Bunnies. The only women we should be trusting are our Old Ladies. We need to deal with Crystal and bring it up in our next meeting.”
