Rebel (Savage Raptors MC 5): A Dixie Reapers Bad Boys Romance

Prologue

Isy

I leaned my head against Dawson’s shoulder and slowly stirred my milkshake with a straw. The diner usually cheered me up, but not today. I’d always loved being part of the Dixie Reapers’ family, and I adored my parents. My brother, Foster, was another matter. Being the sister of the club’s biggest screwup meant I had to be perfect all the time.

“Talk to me,” Dawson said.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

He snorted. “Really? Out of everyone you’re going to say that to me? I’m the only one who doesn’t fit in at the compound. My parents are going to flip the fuck out when they realize what I’ve been doing behind their backs.”

He wasn’t wrong. Venom’s son becoming a first responder was just unheard of. Venom’s two oldest kids had settled down with members of the Devil’s Fury MC. Dawson was his only son, and while he knew how to ride a motorcycle, he’d never had an interest in joining the club as a patched member.

“I can’t believe you moved out and they haven’t been suspicious about why,” I said. “Isn’t your mom the least bit curious?”

“Maybe. I can’t keep it from them forever. But it doesn’t mean I need to come clean right this second. Besides, we’re here to talk about your issue, not mine.”

“Is leaving really my only option?” I asked.

Dawson patted my leg under the table. “What do you think would happen if you told your dad someone had been following you? That you couldn’t leave the compound without feeling as if you were being watched?”

I looked up at him. “Really? You know exactly what he’d do. He’d put me on lockdown, then ask Wire to figure out who it is. Once my dad got his hands on them, he’d probably rip them to pieces and scatter the body parts.”

A throat cleared and I looked up to see Officer Grant Daniels staring down at me with one eyebrow raised. “Want to say that again?”

I made a zipping motion across my lips. “Nope.”

He rolled his eyes. “Look, I know my sister is part of the Reckless Kings now, and my dad has learned to look the other way with your club. Doesn’t mean you need to say that shit in public. At least remember where you are.”

“Sorry. And before you ask, no, I can’t file a report and let you handle it. How long do you think it would take for Wire to get notified? Then he’d tell my dad, and…”

Officer Daniels nodded. “I get it. But for the record, if you need help, all you have to do is ask.”

“Think you could get her out of town without Wire tracking her?” Dawson asked.

He crossed his arms and seemed to think about it for a moment. “Ben Gilbert. There’s bound to be a car that comes through Camelot Garage and Towing that ends up being handed over to them. You could either buy it for cash or trade your car for one. You know Ben wouldn’t give you a lemon.”

“That might work,” I mumbled. “But where would I go?”

“Friend of my dad’s lives in Bryson Corners, Oklahoma. Officer by the name of Carson Benson. If you went there and ran into trouble, you could always reach out to him.” Officer Daniels shrugged. “Best I got, unless you went to another club. Like my sister.”

Getting knocked up by someone in another club wasn’t my first choice. But… there was a club in Bryson Corners. The Savage Raptors MC. I knew about it because Dawson’s uncle lived there. Lynx was kind of my uncle as well, which was why I called him Uncle Lynx. But would he rat me out to Ridley, who was technically my mom’s stepdaughter?

“You could always go there and lie low a few days,” Dawson said. “Decide if you want Uncle Lynx to know you’re there.”

“Of course, you’d be related to someone there.” Officer Daniels sighed. “Well, at least you wouldn’t get into trouble and be all alone. If you’re going to run, sounds like the best place to go. Besides, you’re an adult. It’s not like they can legally drag you back here.”

“Then I guess I’m going to Bryson Corners. It’s just a matter of when and how, which means I need to go talk to Ben. Preferably without anyone at the club finding out.” I closed my eyes. “I don’t like the idea of scaring my parents like this, but being the daughter of Bull and Darian can be suffocating at times.”

“Like you said, if your brother wasn’t such a fuckup…” Dawson trailed off. “No, I take that back. Even then, Bull would keep his little princess under lock and key.”

“You’re right.” I hated to admit it. I loved my dad, but he could be a little bit much. Mom wasn’t quite as bad. Probably because Ridley had rubbed off on her over the years.

“Well, if you need my help, you know where to find me,” Officer Daniels said.

Even though Grant was nearly a decade older than me, I’d often run into him around town, even before he’d become a police officer. While I wouldn’t have called us friends, his sister had hung out with some of the girls at the club. Which was partly how she’d met Hawk and gone to live with him at the Reckless Kings compound. That and her chubby raccoon, who was really to blame for the entire mess.

Dawson took my hand and gave my fingers a squeeze. Things would have been so much simpler if we’d not been related. If I’d met a guy like him around town, surely my dad wouldn’t have protested. Or even if I’d fallen for Owen, my brother’s best friend, then things would have been different. Instead, I was single and had always been that way. And if I stayed here, I’d most likely die a virgin. The fact someone kept leaving me notes and making me feel like I was being watched was just the catalyst to make me leave. Otherwise, I’d have probably stayed forever.

“What do you want to do?” Dawson asked.

“Let me finish this milkshake, then we can go talk to Ben. At the very least, maybe he can come up with a decent plan. He’s older than both of us, has seen more of the world, and probably has a good idea how I can escape under the radar.”

“You know someone is going to put the word out to all the clubs,” Dawson said. “You’ll have maybe six to eight hours before your parents realize you’ve left and aren’t coming home. Your dad will lose his shit, then Wire will contact every hacker he knows, and…”

I nodded. I knew exactly what would happen. If I didn’t reach the Savage Raptors and find a way to tie myself to their club before that happened, I’d be screwed and right back where I started. Officer Daniels might have said my family couldn’t legally drag me back home, but since when did the Dixie Reapers do things the legal way?

I wasn’t ready to go to war with my family, but essentially that’s what I was doing. I could only hope I’d pave the way for the others, like Tank’s three daughters. And maybe leaving town would mean my stalker would give up. They hadn’t done anything to hurt me. It was just incredibly creepy.

“I hope I’m doing the right thing,” I said.

“If not, you can either give up on the plan before you put it into motion, or you can come back if you change your mind partway there.” Dawson grinned. “But if anyone asks, I have no clue what happened. Last thing I need is your dad coming after me, or mine for that matter.”

“Oh please. You’re the golden boy. Although, if they find out what you do for a living now, they may be angrier at you than me.” By turning his back on the club and walking the path of a law-abiding citizen, Dawson wasn’t exactly going to get the support of the club. Not right away. It would take them time to come around, and he knew it. Which was why he hadn’t told anyone except me. Not even his sisters knew he’d become a fireman and was currently training to be an EMT as well.

Yep, definitely a good idea to leave town before then. Because there was no way they wouldn’t realize I’d known about it all along.