Savage (Demented Souls #15)

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S avage pulled out of the parking lot, falling into line with the others, as they hit the road. He’d been looking forward to this trip for the last couple of weeks and now he was glad to finally hit the road. Was he looking forward to four days on the back of his bike? Yes and no. But he was looking forward to getting away from the Arizona heat, though that wouldn’t be for a day or two.

They’d spent the last hour going over the plan for today, last minute changes and what to do if there was an accident or emergency. He’d shown up with a full cup of coffee, but it was long gone, and he wished he’d taken the time to get a second.

He yawned, then shook his head and forced himself to pay attention. He couldn’t afford to doze off, not on a motorcycle on the interstate and especially not with the rest of the Demented Souls around him. The last thing any of them wanted to do was to wipe out and take out the rest of the pack. Not that the five of them was a huge pack, but they did have the prospects and the women behind them in the trucks. He didn’t want to endanger them either.

If given a choice, Savage would probably have pulled out a couple hours later. He could have used a little more sleep, but he understood why Mac had insisted they get out early. Between the traffic here and what they’d have to go through in Phoenix, it was better to get through it early, before rush hour hit in either place.

It made sense, though Savage might not have thought about it until he was sitting in traffic, dying from the heat. Now he turned up the music on his headphones, and settled in. It would be a long day on the road, and most of it would be in constant traffic, at least until they got north of Phoenix.

They made it to the interstate and settled into their typical road pattern, not side by side but staggered so that they had time to see what was coming and space to move out of the way if possible. Mac was the road captain for the trip, so he rode in front of the formation, using hand signals they’d all gone over more times than Savage could remember to convey changes and directions. For anything more complicated they all had Bluetooth radios in their helmets as well as in the cars. Maverick was riding sweep today. Savage wasn’t sure if Mav would be there for the whole trip or if there would be others trading out with him, Savage was just glad it wasn’t him. He didn’t want the responsibility of the position. Especially as the newest fully patched member of the Souls.

Excitement bubbled through Savage as he settled into his place among the group, not that it was a long line of bikes, as there were only six along for this ride, plus the trucks, but still. He hadn’t been on a long ride like this one since he’d joined the Souls. Not that he hadn’t been on long rides. They’d been all over the state, through most of New Mexico and even into Texas a bit, but he’d never had the opportunity for a trip like this with them. Three weeks? Who even had the time to take a trip like that ever?

Not to mention that he’d never been to any of the states they’d be traveling through so that was a few more off his list of places to visit. He’d crossed off most of his international goals, and many places that he hadn’t ever wanted to see, while he’d still been with the Navy. At the same time, he hadn’t done as well for getting to see his own country, now though, he had more time and could do more of that, and with the men who had fast become his brothers too.