Chapter 19
Nova
By the time I get back downstairs in the more appropriate clothes, the clubhouse is an explosion of motion and noise.
The Bunnies must’ve gone somewhere because I don’t see any of them.
There’s an energy in the air that makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
I stay at the edge of the room, watching as the men prepare.
“Marco, you got my Glock?” Striker calls out as he pulls his leather vest on over a t-shirt.
“Here.” It’s Ravage who hands the gun to Striker before picking up another gun from a table and tucking it into an underarm holster.
Sin has two guns, one on either hip, and a ton of knives on both legs and arms. I learned after a few days here that he’s ambidextrous and is the best when it comes to shooting and fighting with both hands, either individually or at the same time.
Fury’s got an honest to goodness machete on his back and I’m pretty sure Trigger has a couple of shotguns.
I don’t know types of guns, but there’s so many I couldn’t name them all even if I went hunting on a regular basis.
And knives. Lots of knives. And I could swear I saw Stray stick what looks like grenades into his pockets.
I made a mental note to make sure I stayed away from him. Not because I didn’t like him, but because I didn’t want to end up being accidentally blown up.
“Hey, Doc, you wanna put together some first aid shit?” Crusher says from where he’s stretching his shoulder like he’s checking for any pain. “I can take it on my bike.”
“Good idea,” Brick says. “Cutter usually takes care of that.”
I nod. With something to focus on, I’m able to access that cool part of myself that handles tough shit without freaking out or breaking down.
Clearly the opposite of my crying jag with Creed.
That tends to be what happens after I’ve pushed things down for too long.
I head back to my room and grab the large first aid kit that they left me after I helped with Crusher.
It’s too bulky to take on a bike so I take out the essential supplies and transfer them to a drawstring bag.
After I make sure I have everything, I head back out to where the men are waiting. In the short time I’ve been away, it seems like things in the main room have quieted down a bit and the tension has escalated. It’s excitement, but there’s a danger thrumming inside it, too.
“Ready?” Creed asks, coming up next to me.
”Yes,” I answer. At least as ready as I could be, seeing as I have no idea what we’re walking into.
Creed holds out his hand, and I pull my thoughts out of the dangerous spiral they’re in. I thread my fingers between his as he turns to his men.
“Remember this, the Vipers are on our side and they’re gonna back us up.
We’re gonna take lead, and that includes going in first when we get to the place where we think Patch and Layla are being held.
” Creed isn’t yelling or even raising his voice.
It’s dead silent in the clubhouse. “We do what we need to do to get our people, and we send a message to the Meridian Group that no one fucks with the Kings of Ruin.”
That gets a roar of approval from the men.
“Let’s ride!” Creed shouts over them, his command sending his men rushing from the clubhouse.
We follow and go straight to Creed’s bike that sits at the head of a long line of motorcycles.
Crusher is to the left, Ace to the right, and the rest of the men seem to be in their natural positions.
When the bikes roar to life, I wince at the volume, but I’m not about to complain.
Personally, I hope the people who have my sister hear the Kings coming and it scares the shit out of them.
***
The ride through Pine Ridge is nothing like the other times I’ve been behind Creed on his bike.
Even when things were serious, being on the motorcycle felt like freedom and joy.
But now, there’s a grimness to it all. Not like a reckless group of criminals out to break shit and beat people up.
No, this is an organized group of men on a single mission.
And as I remember the expressions on their faces when we left the clubhouse, I’m definitely glad I’m on their side.
Another difference from previous rides is the length.
The other ones were short, making it easy for me to keep my hands right on Creed’s sides and not stray to any other parts of his body.
Now, though, as the minutes tick by, I find myself leaning toward him, my hands slipping around to his stomach.
I want to say it’s because the wind is rough and I’m cold, but the extra shirt is keeping me warm enough and the helmet prevents the wind from blowing in my face.
I just want to be closer to him. Breathe in that scent of leather and motor oil and him.
Feel the tight muscles in his stomach under my palms. Remember what it was like to see every inch of him.
I shiver from the combination of memories, the vibrations from the bike, and just being this close to Creed.
I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve become comfortable with him, and how safe I feel with him.
I don’t trust a lot of people, but I trust him.
Not just in a general way or even with my physical safety.
I trust him with my body and all that comes with it.
I don’t know what it means for after we find Layla and Patch, but right now, I’m going to let myself enjoy this part of the ride and not overthink things.
We don’t stop until we reach the Nevada border.
The Vipers’ territory doesn’t cross over the line, but it does run parallel to it.
Cipher figures Patch decided that the Meridian Group wouldn’t suspect he’d come closer to Nevada, and that because the Vipers are allies, if they catch him, they might not be happy, but he wouldn’t risk being shot.
When we reach the abandoned rest stop where we’re supposed to meet the Vipers, Creed pulls off first, and all the other men follow.
Ace and Crusher ride along the perimeter of the parking lot and then come back with word that there’s no one hiding or waiting for us.
No sign of the Vipers or the Meridian Group.
As the men stretch their legs and wander off toward the high grass to—I assume—take a piss, Creed places his call to Stone, letting the Vipers’ president know we’ve arrived.
After Creed hangs up, I ask, “Do we have a location yet?”
He shakes his head. “Between Cipher and the Vipers, we’ll have one by the time we wake up in the morning.”
“Are we sleeping here?” I ask. I didn’t even consider where we were staying, my mind was only focused on finding my sister.
“Not us,” he says. “Stone’s invited us to have dinner and then stay with him and his family.
The rest of the guys will probably crash at the Vipers’ clubhouse.
A few have friends around here they might stay with.
” He gives me a little smile. “Female friends, of course. Nothing gets a man ready to do some violence than a good night’s sleep after a long, hard fuck. ”
Those last three words make my stomach squirm and a part of me wants to suggest Creed and I get a hotel room for the night so we can have some privacy. I don’t say anything though. We need the Vipers and if Stone wants us to have dinner with him and stay with him, that’s what we’ll do.
I go quiet when Ace comes up to talk to Creed. I get the impression the VP isn’t too happy that I’m here, so I’m determined to show him I won’t be a problem. At least I know it’s nothing personal because we got along fine after I saved Crusher’s life and Ace had to admit that I wasn’t some spy.
“Stone on his way?” Ace asks.
Creed nods. “Ratchet’s coming, too. They got food at the clubhouse for anyone who wants it, and there’s plenty of room for guys to bunk down if they want to.
You and Crusher make sure our men are respectful.
We need the Vipers, and we gave our word we’d respect their territory.
Any disrespect will be handled the same as if it’s directed at the Kings. ”
“You got it, Prez,” Ace says with a nod. “You and Nova staying with Stone, then?”
“He’s got a house across the road, so we’ll be nearby,” Creed says. “If any of the guys are gonna be somewhere else, make sure they’re back by sunrise. I’m hoping to get an early start.”
Ace nods at Creed and then surprises me by turning and saying, “We’ll get your sister back, Doc.”
“Thank you.” My throat’s so tight I can barely get the words out.
Two men in Viper vests roar into the parking lot, preventing us from having any awkward silences. I recognize both men as they come closer, and as soon as they see me, their eyebrows go up. They don’t say anything about me though, just stick out their hands to Creed and Ace.
“If your people are anywhere in our territory, we’ll find them,” Stone says. “Let’s get going. Maria’s got dinner waiting at home and there’s gonna be a cookout at the clubhouse.”
“Maria?” I whisper as Creed and I get back on his bike.
“Stone’s old lady,” Creed answers.
Creed starts the engine and it takes us about fifteen minutes to get to where we’re going.
We go to the left where there’s a cute little two-story house with a flowerbed along the front of it.
To the right is what looks like an old store, like one of those big retail stores that went out of business a couple of decades ago.
Judging by the bikes out front and all the noise coming from it, I’m assuming that’s the Vipers’ clubhouse.
The door to the house opens before we get there and a petite woman with curly black hair and warm brown eyes stands there, a wide smile on her face. “Come in!”