Chapter Six
Doc
I gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white as I pulled into the clubhouse lot.
The President’s text had been brief -- emergency Church, ten minutes -- but I knew what it was about.
Nova. Our midnight run to the crash site had stirred up more than evidence; we’d kicked a hornet’s nest that was now swarming the club.
I parked next to Venom’s bike, my thoughts racing faster than my pulse.
How much should I tell them? How much could I hide?
The metal fragment from the crash site felt like it was burning a hole in my cut pocket, physical proof of what we’d discovered.
Physical proof of what had gotten Nova’s parents killed.
The main room fell silent as I pushed through the door, brothers pausing mid-conversation to watch me cross the floor.
Their stares held a mixture of concern and accusation.
News traveled fast in the club -- someone had already talked about our run-in with the Blood Pagans.
I kept my face neutral, my stride measured, even as my heart hammered against my ribs.
Not from fear of my brothers, but from fear for Nova.
The chapel door stood open, waiting. I stepped inside, the familiar smell of stale beer, cigarettes, and leather filling my nostrils.
The reaper carved into the ancient wooden table stared up at me, its empty eye sockets somehow knowing.
Around it sat the leadership that had become my family over the past eight months -- men I respected, men I’d die for.
Today, I might have to stand against them.
Savior sat at the head of the table, his weathered face grim beneath his salt-and-pepper beard.
Saint occupied the VP chair to his right, while Tempest, our Sergeant-at-Arms, cracked his knuckles at Savior’s left.
Patched members filled the rest of the seats, including Venom, whose age and experience commanded respect even though he had stepped down from VP years ago.
“Nice of you to join us, Doc.” Savior’s tone made it clear he didn’t appreciate my timing. “Close the door.”
I closed it behind me, the heavy wood sealing us in with a finality that felt like a cell door clanging shut. I took my seat, the last one available, directly across from Venom.
“We got a problem,” Savior began without preamble. “Blood Pagans rolling up on one of ours. Deputy with them, threatening club members. And word is, it’s all because of that girl.”
“Nova,” I corrected, the name escaping before I could filter it. “Her name is Nova.”
Savior’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I know her damn name, Doc. What I want to know is why did you take her out there without clearing it with me first?”
The question hung in the air, the brotherhood waiting for my response. I leaned forward, clasping my hands on the table.
“She found something in her mother’s notes. Something worth checking out.”
“And was it worth almost getting yourself killed?” Saint asked.
I met his gaze steadily. “Yes. We found evidence her parents were murdered.”
Tempest slammed his fist on the table, making beer bottles jump. “Fuck that! What the hell is wrong with you? She could have been shot. What if you’d both fucking died?”
“She’s a strong, independent woman,” I countered. “I couldn’t have stopped her. Going with her was the best way to keep her safe.”
“And now she’s got even more heat than before,” Tempest shot back. “So like Saint asked, was it fucking worth it?”
I couldn’t sit silent. I pushed back my chair and stood, feeling every eye in the room lock onto me.
“She’s uncovered a trafficking ring. Young girls disappearing across Magnolia County.
Corrupt cops, judges, businessmen -- all on the take.
Her mother was about to expose them when she was murdered.
You know all this and you still tried to push her away.
It didn’t work out the way you planned. She’s too damn stubborn. ”
A heavy silence fell over the table.
I pulled the metal fragment from my pocket, setting it on the table.
“At first, Nova thought this came from her parents’ car.
It’s possible it might be, but I’m going to have someone test it, make sure it isn’t from the vehicle that forced her parents off the road.
Same signature found at other ‘accidents.’”
I laid out everything we’d discovered since she’d first arrived -- the financial records, the pattern of disappearances, the connection to Southern Cross Trucking, Bailey’s involvement. Each piece of evidence drove home the fact she was essential to bring those fuckers to justice.
“She’s got more courage than half the Prospects we’ve had,” I finished. “Walking into this clubhouse alone, following the evidence even when it nearly got her killed. She’s doing what her mother couldn’t finish -- what got her parents murdered.”
“Noble as that sounds,” Saint said, “doesn’t change the fact that she’s going to be in danger if she sticks around.”
“Cut the shit,” I said. “I know damn well you’ve been working on this stuff too. Quit trying to run her out of town. Doesn’t all of this prove she can be helpful?”
Tempest grunted. “Got a business to protect. Families. Who’s going to cover Nova? You?”
“Savior was the one who told me to watch her. So, damn right I will! She wants justice just as much as we do, even if it’s not entirely for the same reason.”
Savior raised his hand, and the room gradually fell silent. His face was grim, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual. “I get that her mom was investigating the trafficking ring, and those assholes are definitely our problem. But we need Nova gone from here. She isn’t safe and you know it.”
My chest tightened. “So you’re throwing her to the wolves. You say she isn’t safe here, but she sure the fuck isn’t safe outside these gates either. No, I refuse to let you run her out of here.”
What the fuck was wrong with everyone? Why were they chasing her away?
I knew the club had rules about only women who belonged staying at the compound, but as far as I was concerned, Bats’ niece sure the hell belonged.
How was that any different from Flicker’s sister being here?
I’d already heard about Laken and how she met Ryker.
Just like Tank’s sister as well, Josie, who’d holed up at his house after another biker knocked her up.
What the fuck was the difference on those two and Bats’ niece?
Savior’s eyebrows rose. “You refuse?”
“She’s not going anywhere.” My voice remained steady despite the hammering of my heart. “Not without her answers. Not without justice for her parents. And sure the fuck not until I know she’ll be safe.”
Tempest half-rose from his chair. “You don’t make those calls, Doc.”
“I’m making this one.” I stared him down. “Anyone who touches her deals with me first. Why the hell are you so pissed she’s here? It’s not like she brought all this to our doorstep. This shit was already happening under our noses.”
The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the sound of Savior’s finger tapping against the wooden table. In that moment, I knew I’d crossed a line -- challenged leadership in a way that could cost me my patch, maybe worse.
But when I thought of Nova, of what she’d lost and what she was still fighting for, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
“Well,” Savior said finally, his voice dangerously quiet.
“Seems our doctor’s got more invested in this than just club loyalty.
As far as the other point goes, I’m trying to honor Bats.
Sure, he told her to come here if she was in trouble.
At the same time, he worked damn hard to keep her away from us.
Most of the brothers had no idea she even existed, or that he had a sister. ”
He wasn’t wrong. But I held his gaze without flinching, ready to face whatever came next. Since Bats wasn’t here to say a damn word about this, we’d just have to agree to disagree. I wasn’t going to back down.
Because some lines, once crossed, can never be redrawn.
* * *
Nova
I clutched the folder to my chest as I made my way through the main room of the clubhouse, my heart fluttering with a mixture of dread and anticipation.
The new connections I’d found in Mom’s files felt like puzzle pieces finally sliding into place -- financial records tying Judge Carlton directly to the trafficking operation.
This was the smoking gun we needed, and I couldn’t wait to show Doc.
My fingers traced the edge of the folder, the weight of it feeling both heavier and more precious than the small stack of papers it actually contained.
This was evidence worth dying for -- worth living for too.
The clubhouse had a different energy today -- tense, watchful.
Brothers lingered in small clusters, conversations dying as I passed.
I kept my chin up, the way my mother had taught me.
“Don’t let them see you’re afraid, Nova,” her voice whispered in my memory.
But the weight of their stares pressed against my skin like physical things.
“Doc around?” I asked a Prospect wiping down the bar.
He jerked his head toward the back hallway. “Church. Emergency meeting.”
My stomach twisted. The word “emergency” had never preceded anything good in my life.
“Thanks.” I headed toward the corridor that led to their meeting room.
The Prospect’s voice followed me. “Wouldn’t go back there if I were you. Not when they’re in session.”
I pretended not to hear, my pace quickening. Doc needed to see what I’d found. It couldn’t wait.
The hallway stretched before me, dim and quiet except for the rumble of male voices coming from behind the heavy wooden door at the end. As I approached, those voices grew clearer, louder. Heated. I slowed my steps, the folder suddenly slippery in my sweating hands.