Chapter 15 Bush
“I’m coming, too,” I tell Chrome. “It’s time to pull the focus off of Zara.”
Chrome studies me, then gives a curt nod. “Agreed. They think we’re unaware of their purpose. Seeing you will knock them off their game. Mode, we need to track these guys once they leave the coffee shop. They aren’t going to stay and confront us because we’ll have them outnumbered.”
“I can do that, but I’m thinking since they’re all out of the motel, how about I take a ride over there and install some surveillance devices. We could have eyes and ears in the rooms in a matter of minutes.”
“What if they don’t go back to the motel?” I ask.
“I’ll have Maestro follow them via the traffic cams. He’s the best at tracking through them.”
“Do it,” Chrome says. “Just don’t get caught. You’ll be on your own.”
“No problem, they won’t know I’m a Dawg.”
We leave Mode to do his thing and head to the common room. There are a handful of guys sitting around, including Ice. Chrome whistles to get everyone’s attention, “We’re going for a ride. Make sure you’re armed. We have some Bushrangers to intimidate.”
Shouts of excitement and the sound of chairs scraping across concrete fill the air as we rush outside and hop on our bikes.
Chrome leads the way. Ice and I follow right behind him.
Chrome maneuvers through traffic so we can get there faster.
I spot the club SUV still parked in front of the coffee shop when I pull into an empty spot.
As Chrome and I cross the street, Arson and Piston exit from the SUV.
I can’t see Zara in the backseat, but I know she’s there. She’s safe, and she’ll stay that way.
Chrome doesn’t enter the coffee shop. Instead, yanks the door open and shouts inside.
“Vandal!” Chrome’s voice cuts through the noise inside. Deep. Commanding. President to President. “Outside. Now.”
I stand at his right shoulder, arms folded over my cut, boots planted on the sidewalk.
Inside, it’s a damn circus.
Six Bushrangers in the middle of it—Vandal, Menace, Razor, Clutch, Hound, and Jinx—boxed in by a swarm of journalists and photographers. Cameras flash. Microphones shoved into their faces. Questions fire from every direction.
“What part of Australia are you from?”
“Why are you in Chicago?”
“Are you moving here?”
They look like caged animals. Older than when I last saw them. Prison carved into their faces. Harder lines. Thinner patience.
Menace spots Chrome first. His eyes narrow. He mutters something to Vandal.
Vandal turns toward the door. Sees Chrome. Then he grins.
That same charismatic, dangerous grin that used to pull prospects in and send enemies running.
The six of them start shoving through the press. They don’t answer questions. They don’t slow down. Journalists stumble back as solid biker shoulders plow through them. One photographer nearly goes down when Razor knocks his camera aside.
They spill out onto the sidewalk—
—and freeze.
Because the chaos inside is nothing compared to what’s waiting for them out here, a dozen Demon Dawgs spread out across the sidewalk and street. Bikes lined along the curb. Engines off, but they're still ticking. Leather kuttes with Chicago patches watching silently.
We’ve got them boxed in without touching them. For half a second, Vandal’s smile tightens. I can see his mind working. Are we friend or foe?
“Chrome!” he booms, striding across the pavement.
Chrome doesn’t move.
Vandal clasps him on the shoulder like they’re old drinking buddies. “Appreciate you, mate. That was a bloody zoo in there.”
That’s when I shift forward. I see the exact moment when Vandal spots me. His gaze shifts past Chrome as his grin dies.
Menace sees me next. His head jerks back like he’s been hit.
“Whip,” he breathes.
That name slams into the air like a gunshot. This gains the attention of the rest. Each follows their leader’s line of sight, and one by one, the recognition dawns on them.
Each face is familiar, yet different. Their emotions play like a movie across their features. Shock turns to disbelief before settling into rage.
I don’t flinch.
I haven’t been called Whip in a long time. But I remember the man I was. The enforcer. The loyal soldier who eventually turned on his club.
Vandal’s hand drops from Chrome’s shoulder.
His whole demeanor changes. The easy charm evaporates, replaced by something cold and venomous.
“Well,” he says softly. “Look what crawled out of the gutter.”
Menace steps forward as he clenches his fists. I know he wants nothing more than to pound me, but even he isn’t stupid enough to jump me when they’re outnumbered two to one. “You’ve got some nerve standing there in another club’s colors.”
“Turns out Chicago suited me better than Adelaide,” I reply. “How was prison?”
A muscle ticks in Vandal’s jaw. “You cost us everything.”
“You cost yourselves,” I shoot back. “I just stopped you.”
The air tightens. I can feel my brothers at my back, shifting slightly, not from nerves, but from anticipation. They’re ready to throw down if the other club so much as flinches.
Vandal looks around, taking in the full circle of Demon Dawgs. He knows they’re outnumbered with few options. They may not be trapped in prison, but they’re trapped.
His gaze comes back to me, burning.
“You think wearing that patch makes you untouchable?” he asks.
“No,” I say evenly. “But it means I’m not alone.”
Menace lunges half a step before Vandal throws an arm out, stopping him. The message is clear. Not here. Not now.
Vandal’s expression smooths into something deceptively calm. “We came here for a purpose,” Vandal says to Chrome, turning his back on me. “We aren’t leaving until we’ve achieved it.”
“If that purpose includes Zara, then you should know she’s under our protection,” Chrome says.
“You think because you have us outnumbered that we’ll go crawling away with our tail between our legs?” Vandal sneers.
“You can walk away now or float away. Your choice,” Chrome says.
I grin at the confused look on Vandal’s face. “The Great Lakes don’t give up their dead,” I tell him.
“Maybe that’s where you’ll end up,” snaps Menace.
“Let me tell you how it’s going to be,” Chrome says, drawing the attention back to him. “This is our town. We run it. These are only some of my men. We have you outnumbered and outgunned. A smart man would leave before he can’t. I’m thinking that I’m not looking at a smart man.”
Vandal growls, but doesn’t reply. Instead, he slams past me and leads his men to their bikes.
Before he kicks the accelerator, he glares at me.
“This isn’t over.” I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing his attention is on me, but then he glances at the SUV before looking back at me.
“You’re going to regret messing with us. ” The promise is clear. Fuck.
When they’re gone, I open the door to the backseat so Zara and her friend can exit. Zara introduces me to Tony just as Arson and Piston join us.
“This is the guy that saved the day,” Arson says, clapping Tony on the back. “He riled up all the journalists. He had that army of women ready to strip the Bushrangers down and have their way with them.”
“It was all I could think about doing,” Tony says, pinking a little at the compliments thrown his way. “They had my girl Zara trapped.”
“I appreciate your quick thinking,” I say, shaking his hand.
“Unless you guys want the same treatment, we should probably go,” Zara says with a nod toward the coffee shop. All the women inside had their noses pressed to the glass as they watched us deal with the Bushrangers. When they move toward the doors, Chrome whistles.
“Back to the clubhouse. Now!”
I help Zara crawl into the SUV before shifting to allow Tony to follow. “Why don’t you both come back to the clubhouse for now? I know you’re staying at the hotel, Tony, but we need to talk about what’s going on.”
“I’m sticking with Zara,” Tony says. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”
Chrome takes the lead back to the clubhouse while the rest of us surround the SUV.
We won’t give the Bushrangers a chance to intercept Zara.
I keep a lookout for the other club just in case, but I don’t spot anyone tailing us.
It’s likely they already know the location of our clubhouse, but why lead them right to it if they don’t?
I’m relieved when I spot Mode’s bike as we pass through the gates.
I wasn’t sure he had enough time to do what he planned and get out before the Bushrangers returned to their motel.
I wait for the SUV to stop so I can help Zara out.
Taking her hand, I lead her inside, where we find a bigger surprise waiting for us.