Chapter Five
Moose
B lood drained from my face, then started to boil as I jogged back to the garage and threw a leg over my motorcycle. I broke more than a few traffic laws as I sped along the near deserted streets towards Hannah’s house.
I distantly registered the sound of another bike behind me and assumed it was Wrench or one of the Prospects.
I slowed as I neared her driveway letting out a shaky breath when I saw her standing in front of the house. Her face was drawn and she had her arms wrapped tightly around her middle, but she looked okay.
Wrench parked next to me and lit up a cigarette before he even dismounted.
“What happened?” I barked.
Hannah winced, and I reminded myself to tone it down. She didn’t need to know how much the idea of her in danger rattled me.
She gestured towards her car.
Wrench stubbed out his cigarette on his boot and we approached.
I knelt down to get a better look at the very obvious problem. “Did you call the cops?”
“The note said not to.” Hannah was clearly sweet but her soft spot for animals had her spooked. She had never dealt with something like this before. Luckily for her, we had.
“Good. Better not to get them more involved than we have to.”
She nodded, shifting from foot to foot.
I yanked the knife out of her tire, my jaw clenching at the idea of some fuck with a knife anywhere near Hannah. I read over the text of the note a few times before looking over at Wrench. “What do you think?”
“Need to update Deadeye and let Prez know what’s going on. Then we can come up with a plan to deal with these assholes.”
The club president, Rock, was an intimidating motherfucker. He was wide and tall, with a thick beard and more ink than skin. He hadn’t been president long, but he did what he said and I respected that. The fact that he had special forces training didn’t hurt either.
I nodded then turned my attention to Hannah. “The MC has been looking out for a group of shitheads that have been causing problems in town. Our guys can handle this. In the meantime, I don’t think you should be left alone.”
Her eyes widened. “You think this is that serious? That they might try and come back for the dogs?”
The fact that she only mentioned the dog’s safety and not her own was textbook Hannah. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around Daisy.
I squatted down beside her, a stray strand of her auburn hair had come loose from her ponytail and I tucked it behind her ear. “Better safe than sorry is how we handle shit like this. We can have one of the Prospects keep an eye out or–”
“No, I want you to do it. If I am going to have a guard dog, I want it to be you.”
Well shit, I didn’t have a problem with that. “You got it.”
She gave an efficient nod.
I caught Wrench’s eye and jerked my chin towards the end of the driveway.
He nodded and we both stepped away. “So, she your old lady now or what?”
“As good as. She gets full MC protection. I want the rescue and her house under watch twenty four seven. If there’s so much as a fucking car backfiring, I want to know about it.”
Wrench laughed. “Damn, man. You got it bad. You also got it wrong. You don’t give orders, you take ‘em. You got to send this shit up the chain.”
We were a brotherhood. I had no doubt that Prez would agree to what I asked. Not only because she was something to me, but because I suspected the guys who threatened her were the same ones who tried to break into the Crown.
I pulled out my phone then hesitated. Getting this done would tie Hannah to me and that wasn’t a small thing.
Usually in an MC, we used the word property to describe a member’s old lady.
It would bring her into the club as mine.
I’d been single most of my life. Was I really ready to change that? Would Hannah even want that?
I glanced over to where Hannah was playing with the pups and my lip twitched. Whatever doubts I had, she was worth it.
I texted Tank and Jet to come to Hannah’s place with a spare tire for her car.
“Wait, I thought you said you were staying. Why are you calling other guys?”
I ran a hand through my hair and blew out a breath. “MC has a chain of command. Wrench and I need to update our Enforcer and the Prez before we can do anything. It’s day now and the Prospects will keep you safe til I get back.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded small and her shoulders were hunched. “I’m going to the rescue to check on the cats. They can follow me there.”
Wrench and I exchanged a look. “About that.” I quickly filled her in on the events that had led us to show up here this morning and Hannah’s eyes went wide.
“I have to go be with the cats. Oh darn, but my SUV tire’s flat.”
“The Prospects are on their way and will change out your tire, okay. Then you can head to the rescue with them.”
There was no point in trying to talk her out of it, so Wrench and I got on our bikes and headed to the garage to meet with Deadeye.
When Deadeye arrived we updated him, showing him the note and the knife. He considered the entire story and looked over the note and knife before speaking. “Dog fighting is a whole different thing from breaking and entering or even drugs. It could be different guys–”
I opened my mouth to argue but shut it again when I felt Wrench’s elbow in my ribs.
“Or it could be that these guys think they can take over this town and that means they have a death wish. Sounds like it’s time to shut this shit down. You keep an eye on your girl. I’ll have Diesel and Thief ask around the usual spots to see if we can put a name to these fucks.”
I nodded.
It wasn’t the full MC behind Hannah like I wanted, but having guys asking around and Prez letting me keep an eye on Hannah was the second best scenario.
We had other things to do. The MC owned Rust Valley Garage, the Black Crown and the Devil’s Rest Motel. The only way things worked was when everyone did their part.
I headed back over to the animal rescue to find Hannah hard at work cleaning out the cat’s cages. “If you keep Peaches in a cage and the cage in this building, how the hell did he get into my shop?”
Hannah smiled. “I only cage them at night, they are free to roam the building during the day, get some energy out. I still haven’t figured out how Peaches got out though, or through the fence for that matter.
She always lit up when she was talking about animals, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes the way it usually did.
“You worried about this whole shit show?”
A scrawny tabby wound its way around her ankles and she reached down to pick it up, rubbing her cheek against the top of its head.
“They don’t really prepare you for this in veterinary school you know?
I will never give these dogs over to those monsters, but when I don’t show up tonight like they demanded in the note, then what? ”
I stepped forward and put a hand on either one of her cheeks. The tabby rubbed his head against the back of my hand. “Listen, dealing with those creeps is my job, got it?”
She frowned. “Why, though? Why is it your job? Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the help, but why would you drop everything to babysit me and all of my critters?”
“Look, I follow orders from Prez and the rest of the MC leadership but otherwise, I do what the fuck I want when the fuck I want. Right now, there is nothing I would rather do than knock some heads in the name of keeping you and all of your fuzz balls safe.”
“God, this is just so scary.”
“I’ll get the Prospects to put a security camera up on your front gate. Then we can see who comes and goes, even if it’s just Peaches.”
She smirked.
“So long as you’re with me, you’re under the club’s protection, okay? You have a whole gang of guys out hunting for these creeps and me watching out for you.”
She licked her lips. “So, I’m with you?”
“That a problem?” I raised an eyebrow.
I was rewarded with one of her bright smiles. “No, I think maybe a cage full of half feral animals is the perfect place for you.”
Smart ass.
She could joke all she wanted, but deep down I think she knew the truth. The fact was that I’d stop a bullet to keep her safe if it came down to it. Then, once the danger had passed, I’d have her to myself.