Chapter Sixteen
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“EVERYONE UP!” DEVIL’S voice boomed, the authority in his tone undeniable. “We’ve got a problem.”
Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone jumped to their feet, including me. My heart was already pounding in my chest, the shift from normal to chaos happening faster than I could process.
Whatever it was, it was big.
Devil stalked toward us, his fists clenched at his sides, his whole body radiating anger. “Dragon Fire just made their first major move.”
That single sentence was enough to send a shockwave through the room. Eyes narrowed, jaws clenched, and the tension ratcheted up another notch.
No one said a word.
We didn’t need to.
“They caught Spinner alone,” Devil growled, his voice low and deadly. “Beat the shit outta him, left him bleeding in the middle of nowhere. And the dirty fuckers torched his bike.”
The room went still, and then everything snapped into motion at once. Anger rippled through the group, fists pounding tables, curses filling the air. The rage was palpable, thick enough to choke on. Spinner was our brother—this wasn’t just a message.
It was the first blood drawn in this war.
I felt my own blood boiling, my fingers curling into tight fists. Dragon Fire had crossed the line. They weren’t just pushing—they were daring us to strike back.
“We’re rolling out,” Devil barked, his voice cutting through the noise of the men. “Now.”
Without another word, the room exploded into action. Guys rushed to grab their weapons, helmets, whatever they needed. I shoved my glass aside and headed straight for the door, my pulse racing. It didn’t matter where we were going or what was waiting for us—someone was going to pay for what happened to Spinner.
I stepped back outside, the rush of adrenaline making everything sharper, clearer. The bikes were already roaring to life, the sound of engines filling the night like a battle cry. Thunder was there, slamming his helmet on, his face set in a grim expression. Mystic was checking his gun, his mismatched eyes dark and unreadable.
“Let’s go,” I muttered, yanking on my helmet and mounting my bike.
The rumble of the engines grew louder as more of the guys lined up, Devil at the front. His eyes burned with a fire that matched the rage in all of us. This wasn’t just about Spinner—it was about showing Dragon Fire who the hell they were messing with.
I revved my engine, the vibration thrumming through me, the familiar rush of anticipation building in my chest. This was what we lived for.
The ride.
The brotherhood.
The fight.
Devil raised his hand, signaling us to move out. The bikes roared forward in unison, the thunder of engines filling the night as we sped down the road. The world blurred around us, the wind whipping around me, but my focus was sharp. All I could think about was finding the bastards who did this and making them regret every second of it.
We rode hard, faster than usual, the urgency of the moment pushing us to our limits. I kept my eyes on Devil’s taillight, my thoughts racing as we roared through the night, heading for the spot where they’d left Spinner. The guys behind me were just as keyed up, the tension crackling through the wind like electricity.
By the time we reached the spot, I was ready to tear someone apart.
We pulled up to the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, the stench of burning rubber still lingering in the air. Spinner was lying on the ground, bloodied and bruised, his bike nothing but a charred wreck beside him. My stomach twisted at the sight, the rage flaring even hotter. The Dragon Fire bastards had made this personal.
“Get him up!” Devil barked, jumping off his bike and heading straight for Spinner.
I dismounted, rushing forward with Thunder and Mystic to lift Spinner off the ground. He groaned in pain, his face swollen and bloody, but his eyes were still open, still burning with the same fire we all felt.
“They came outta nowhere,” Spinner muttered, his voice thick with pain. “Didn’t even see ‘em comin’.”
“Save your energy,” Devil growled. “We’ll deal with them.”
I looked down at the wreck of Spinner’s bike, the twisted metal still smoldering, the flames having eaten through most of it.
“We’re gonna burn ‘em down,” I muttered, my voice deadly and filled with promise.
Thunder nodded beside me, his expression just as dark. “They wanna die? We’ll be happy to oblige.”
Devil stood up, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared down the road, as if he could already see the Dragon Fire MC in his sights. “They wanna play with fire?” His voice was cold, controlled, but beneath it was pure fury. “We’ll burn a hole so fucking hot, they’ll fall straight into the flames of Hell.”
The intensity in his voice lit a fire in all of us. This wasn’t going to end with a few fists thrown or a bike trashed. This was going to end in blood.
“Lucy?” Spinner whispered, looking around. “Where is she?”
“Who the fuck is Lucy?” Chain asked, looking into his pained face.
“She helped me and called you,” he bit out through his swollen lips, closing his eyes once more. “Stayed with me till you got here.”
When we finally started looking around where Spinner had been found, it wasn’t just the wrecked bike and the blood that caught my attention. Standing off to the side, just down the road a bit from the twisted metal and smoke, was a woman standing by a beat-up Corolla, almost hidden in the night’s shadows.
She had schooled her features to look calm and unworried, but there was something about the way she stood, arms wrapped around herself, eyes scanning the horizon like she was ready to bolt at any moment.
I hadn’t expected to see anyone here, much less someone who didn’t look like she belonged anywhere near this mess. This old back road was most always deserted.
Devil went striding toward her and the rest of us followed, but my eyes stayed locked on the woman. She had shoulder length dark hair that was tangled from the wind, and her clothes—nothing fancy, just jeans and a hoodie—were smeared with dirt like she’d been in the thick of it. She wasn’t panicking, though. No, she was too calm for that. Like she’d seen things like this before.
“Who’s she?” Thunder muttered, coming up beside me, his eyes narrowing as he watched Devil approach her.
“No idea,” I replied, still watching as Devil spoke to her.
Her voice was soft, but I could catch snippets of the conversation. Something about her finding Spinner and calling in the location. We didn’t recognize her, and she didn’t look like she belonged to a club, but she wasn’t acting like a civilian either. She was too... composed. Like she’d been around trouble before and knew exactly what to do when she saw it.
I moved closer, keeping one ear on what was happening with the woman. She barely glanced our way, her gaze locked on Devil, answering his questions with quick, measured words. And that in itself raised flags, because Devil tended to scare the shit out of most men, and this woman was too calm by half.
“Name’s Lucy,” she said calmly, her voice steady but with a slight edge. “I was passing through. Saw him on the side of the road and called your club. Figured that’s how you’d want it.”
“Passing through?” Devil’s voice was gruff, skeptical, looking around the desolate area. “What made you think you should get involved?”
She didn’t flinch, her eyes locked on his. “I’m not getting involved. Just didn’t want to leave someone bleeding out on the side of the road.”
There was something about the way she said it that got to me. She wasn’t telling the full story. But then again, none of us ever did.
“You didn’t see who did this?” Devil pressed, his eyes boring into her.
“No,” she answered quickly, too quickly. “By the time I got here, it was just him and the burning bike, I helped move him away from the flames and there was no sign of others.” She pointed at her car. “I would have already bailed except my car won’t start.”
I caught Devil’s eye as he looked back at us, and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Something was off about this woman. She wasn’t just some random good samaritan passing through. No one was that calm about finding a guy beaten and left for dead.
“Why’d you call us?” Devil asked, his voice dropping lower. “Most people would’ve called the cops.”
She hesitated, her jaw tightening just a fraction before she answered. “I know how things go with clubs like yours. Thought it was better to call you than bring in the law. I already told you that.”
Smart. Too smart. Whoever this woman was, she wasn’t as innocent as she was trying to look.
Spinner groaned as he was lifted to his feet, and Lucy’s eyes flicked to him for the first time, a glimmer of concern flashing across her face before she quickly masked it.
“You did good, finding him,” Devil said, his tone more neutral now, but his eyes still wary. “Gearhead, take a look under her hood so she can be on her way.”
Lucy nodded at Gearhead as he popped her hood, stepping back like she was ready to disappear into the night. But something about her told me this wasn’t the last we’d see of Lucy.
As we got Spinner situated and ready to haul back, Gearhead worked his magic and Lucy’s car roared to life. Devil shot me and Chain a look. “We’ll need information on her.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, watching as Lucy faded into the darkness, slipping away without another word. “I’ll bet there’s more to her than she’s lettin’ on.”
But for now, we had bigger problems. Dragon Fire had made their move, and we weren’t about to let it go unanswered.