Chapter 28
The ride to Cusclan territory dragged on longer than their previous trips. Even with Duke and Hunter flanking him, even with Kodiak leading the pack, Baddy couldn't shake the tight coil in his gut.
Fifteen minutes ago, while they stopped for gas, he checked his phone for any messages. There was nothing from Lydia. Nothing from Ring and Flash who guarded the diner while he was gone.
He gripped the handlebars harder.
They pulled into an abandoned lot on the edge of Cusclan territory.
A few rusted-out cars, a flickering streetlight that hadn't gone out when daylight broke, and broken asphalt.
Rocco, the president of Cusclan Motorcycle Club, was already there, standing in front of his men like a king surveying his land.
Baddy gazed along the front line. His muscles tensed. Sonny wasn't with them.
He stopped beside Kodiak. Hunter met his gaze, silently warning him to keep his cool.
Rocco stepped forward. "Kodiak."
"Thanks for showing," Kodiak said, voice flat.
Rocco's gaze slid to Baddy. "You're the one causing all the trouble."
Baddy didn't blink. "Where is she?"
He nodded to one of the Cusclan members. A moment later, Lydia's mom was led out from behind a truck. She walked on her own, shaken, pale, but alive.
Baddy exhaled slowly. It couldn't be this easy.
The president held up a hand. "Before you get any ideas, this is a transaction. Sonny claims she belongs to him. Says the girl you have belongs to him, too."
"Sonny doesn't own a damn thing." Baddy's jaw flexed. "You witnessed the exchange when I paid for an innocent woman to regain her freedom. That's her mom, and from the looks of it, she wanted her freedom and had already run off."
Rocco shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I think or what has happened before now. I'm here to keep the peace. You want the woman? Fine. But Sonny wants compensation."
"We'll pay." Baddy stepped forward. "But the money doesn't go to Sonny."
Everyone turned. Baddy walked toward the Cusclan president, stopping only a foot away. He wanted to make sure Sonny understood who he was fucking with.
Rocco studied him. "You got the cash?"
Baddy pulled a thick envelope from his jacket and held it out to him. "That's for her."
The president thumbed through the envelope, nodded to his men, and motioned with his right hand for them to release the woman. Lydia's mom was released, stumbling toward Duke, who caught her gently.
But Baddy wasn't done.
"Where's Sonny?" he asked.
Rocco hesitated. "He's coming."
As if on cue, an engine revved in the distance. A gray motorcycle rolled into the lot. Sonny pulled up in front of the line and staggered off his bike. Cusclan had everything set up as if they were all playing a role in a fucking movie.
Sonny smirked when he noticed Lydia's mom and then looked at Baddy. "You want my girl's mother, she'll come with a hefty price—"
"Shut your fucking mouth." Baddy walked straight toward Sonny, stopping only when they were face-to-face. "You put your hands on Lydia's mom," Baddy said quietly. "You threatened Lydia. You came onto our territory. It only took you breaking one of those rules for me to kill you."
Sonny sneered. "She's mine. They both are. No amount of money is going to make me walk away."
"They no longer belong to you." Baddy didn't look away. "I've paid your club, not you."
Sonny opened his mouth to argue. Baddy drew his gun and pulled the trigger.
One clean shot.
Sonny dropped.
Silence rolled through the two motorcycle clubs. Cusclan members froze. Royalla members armed themselves. Even the wind seemed to stop.
Baddy turned to Rocco, lowering the gun but not apologizing for a damn thing. Nobody fucked with Royalla.
"Now," he said, voice steady, "we're done."
Rocco stared at him for a long moment and then nodded once. Baddy took a step back until he sensed Kodiak at his side.
His president put his hand on Baddy's shoulder. "Let's go."
Baddy didn't look back at Sonny's body. Didn't need to. The Cusclan members would take care of themselves. Like Royalla, they wouldn't want to involve law enforcement.
He walked toward Duke, who had Lydia's mom.
Unlike Lydia, who had brown hair with a hint of red, high cheekbones, an upturned nose, and full lips, Maureen James had bleached-blonde hair and a face lined with wrinkles.
The closer he got to her, he could see her trembling. Tears streaked down her face.
"Are you okay to ride?" he asked.
"Royalla," she whispered, gazing at his vest.
He nodded. "You'll be safe."
"My daughter?" She ignored his question. "You have her?"
"Yeah."
"She's okay?" Lydia's mom asked.
"She's fine." He motioned to his MC brother. "Ride back with Duke, and we'll take you to Lydia. You'll be safe."
"She's not going to last the whole ride." Duke frowned. "She can barely stand."
"Then chain her to your bike." He walked to his Harley.
They needed to get out of here before someone showed up, looking for the reason behind the gunshot and finding evidence of a shooting. He climbed onto his bike, the engine rumbling beneath him like a heartbeat.
He'd done what he had to do. For Lydia. For her mom.
He revved the engine once, hard.
Time to go home.