Chapter 20
Creed
I manage to get a few hours of sleep in, but I’m mostly running on caffeine and adrenaline as Nova and I head to the clubhouse to meet with the rest of the MC and hear what the Vipers found.
The moment Nova and I are off my bike, I reach over and take her hand.
Stone and Ratchet were surprised to see her last night, and Stone didn’t ask about why she’s here, but there might be some Vipers who won’t be happy that I’m bringing my old lady into a meeting at their clubhouse.
I’m hoping that since it’s not technically church, and they know what we’re up against, they’ll let it go, but I’m damn sure going to remind them who she belongs to.
The Vipers have done good making their clubhouse their own.
I don’t know what store it used to be, but I doubt I’d recognize it if I did.
One wall still has shelves, and they’re stocked with food, liquor, and weapons.
Based on how a few couches and chairs are set up, I’m pretty sure the checkout counters are stages for dancers.
The rest of the room has the usual sort of shit.
Dart board. Small tables. A pool table. Looks like they have a table for card playing too.
A comfortable sort of place, but I like mine better.
The men are talking, and a quiet energy is buzzing. The moment Stone clears his throat, though, the room goes silent and the intensity spikes.
“We got everyone?” Stone looks to Ratchet who nods. “All right, Lynx and Cobra have identified the most likely location for the missing prospect and his girl to be hiding, so that’s where we’re gonna go. The Mojave Vista Motel.”
“Where the hell is that?” a younger member of the Vipers asks. “I never heard of it.”
“It closed before you were born, Fangs,” a lanky Asian man with a tiger tattoo says. “We keep forgetting you’re just a baby.”
“Fuck you, Kukri.” Fangs flips the other man off.
Stone keeps talking, which is exactly what I would do in the same situation. It’s good for the guys to blow off a little steam like this. Helps them focus when they need to later.
“It’s right off the highway. You’ll miss it if you don’t know it’s there, which is exactly what someone would want if they’re trying to hide from someone who isn’t from this area.”
“How did their prospect find it, then?” someone I can’t see calls out the question from the back of the room.
Stone looks to me for the answer.
“A friend of Patch’s old man grew up around here.” Cipher sent me that information around four o’clock this morning.
“Vipers, the Kings are taking point on this. We’ll have their backs, watch the perimeter, handle any surprises that come up behind us, but Creed calls the shots. If he needs us somewhere, take an order from him like it’s coming from me.”
Despite the questions the men had, they all immediately nod in agreement when Stone gives them their marching orders.
“All right, Creed. Tell us the plan.”
I pull out something some of these young guys probably never saw before. A paper map. Ace and Crusher hold it as I point out the route we’re going to take, the exact location of the motel, and where I want the Vipers posted. It takes me less than ten minutes to lay everything out.
“Any questions?” I look around at the group and see only focus. Even the ones who’re excited are taking this seriously. When no one speaks up, I turn to Stone who nods at me. “Okay, Kings and Vipers, you know what to do. We ride out in fifteen.”
While the guys do their thing, I have my own prep to do, and that includes talking to Nova. I lead her off to the side and squeeze her hand.
“Shit’s about to get real,” I state bluntly. “Best case, we get there, Patch and Layla are ready to come home, and we make it all the way back to the clubhouse without a hitch. We put off confronting Meridian a little longer.”
“And worst case?” Nova asks.
“We don’t make it home at all.”
A part of me hopes she’ll be shocked enough to volunteer to stay with Maria and Sienna, be here to patch up any injuries before we head home.
But when she doesn’t even blink, I can’t say I’m surprised.
She’s come so far, and if I’ve learned one thing about this woman since she forced her way into my compound, it’s that she doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit.
“Which one do you think will happen?” she asks.
“Honestly, neither,” I say. “I think it’ll probably be somewhere in between. But it’s dangerous no matter what because we don’t know.”
“Are you asking me to stay here?”
“If I ask, will you agree to stay?” I ask.
“Not a chance in hell.” Her response is quick and her eyes flash as she says it.
Dammit.
“Then I’m gonna tell you to stay,” I say.
“I can help,” she argues. “If someone gets hurt, shouldn’t I be right there to help?”
“No.” I keep it simple. “You’re not going.”
Her hands go on her hips. “You can’t keep me here.”
My eyes narrow. “How would you get out there if no one will let you ride with them?”
Her mouth twists into a scowl. “I’ll find a way.”
“Don’t make me tie you up, sweetheart,” I warn.
“You wouldn’t.”
I grab her arm, not hard enough to hurt, but applying enough pressure for her to know I’m damn serious. “Try me.”
We hold gazes for nearly half a minute before she yanks her arm away and crosses her arms. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
She’s pissed, but better that than dead. I still give her a promise, “I’ll bring her home to you.”
“Fuck you, Creed,” she says it softly so the men don’t hear it, but those are the last words she says to me before I turn away. I don’t look back, instead focusing on what’s ahead.
Even though the Vipers are backup, Stone rides up front with me to lead the way. When we get close, I realize why Patch chose this place. It’s almost impossible to see until we round a curve and my heart sinks.
A black pick-up and a black SUV sit side by side in an overgrown parking lot. I don’t have to see the Nevada license plates on both to know who they belong to.
Meridian’s already here.
Fuck. I knew this was a possibility, and I gave the men orders about what to do if this happened, but I really was hoping for the best case. I raise one hand in the air and clench my fist, giving the signal for what to do next.
And that’s when things really go to shit because before we can even get in the parking lot, the sharp crack of gunshots cuts through the noise of our motors.
I trust the Kings and the Vipers to do what they’re supposed to do, and I head in the direction the shots came from.
I skid to a halt when the torn-up blacktop makes it faster to go on foot.
I take off the moment I’m free, drawing my Desert Eagle as I go.
There’s shouting behind me, then more shooting.
I have no idea how many people I’m running toward and how many are back shooting at my men, but even if both those vehicles were packed with people, we more than outnumber Meridian.
It might be a violent firefight, but I think it’ll be a brief one.
Doesn’t mean Patch and Layla aren’t in major danger, because at least one person is on this side of the building, and it only takes one bullet to make things go south fast.
I don’t see anyone, but as I near the corner of the building, I catch a splash of red on the concrete. It’s fresh. I slow to a walk and follow the drips to the edge of the building. I stop before going around it and then take a deep breath.
“Send the girl out!” A man’s voice comes from around the corner. “We’ll let you and the old man go.”
“Fuck off!”
I recognize Patch’s voice and have to push back my relief, so it doesn’t slow my reactions. I let the surge of pride through. I may be pissed at him and think he made some stupid decisions, but his voice is steady and strong. His response is exactly what a King should say, too.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
I’m moving before the man finishes the sentence and I step around the corner, gun leveled.
The moment I see where the man’s standing, I squeeze off two shots without waiting to see where his gun is.
The first shot hits the side of his head and spins him around.
The second one slams into his chest, and he’s dead from one or the other before he hits the ground.
Even though I know he couldn’t survive those shots, I keep my gun out and ready as I walk toward him.
Caution has kept my ass alive more than once.
When I get to him, I kick away the gun next to his hand and then check just to be sure.
The second shot looks like it hit a vest, but the first one took off most of the back of his head.
Doesn’t take a doctor to know he ain’t coming back from that.
After a quick glance in either direction, I move next to the door and call out, “Patch? It’s Creed!”
“Prez?” There’s no disguising the relief in his voice. “One second.”
I hear movement inside, sounds that tell me they had furniture in front of the door.
There’s some bullet holes in the door, but I think they’re all from Meridian.
The ones next to the door on the other side to where I’m standing are probably from Patch.
I remember Crusher telling Patch that if someone doesn’t stand right in front of the door, they’ll be next to the side with the doorknob, and shooting through the wall is a good way to surprise someone.
The door opens and I step inside, quickly closing the door behind me.
I’m still hearing gunshots from the parking lot, so I’m not taking any chances of us being surprised by some Meridian asshole.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dimness in the room, and when they do, I scan the space, taking in a dozen details and putting together the situation in a matter of seconds.
Patch stands a few feet away, his face drawn and tired.
There’s a bleeding wound on his cheek that looks like a bullet graze, and it’s definitely fresh enough to have been made by the guy outside.
He holds a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, neither shaking.
His eyes are a bit wild, and I can see fear in them, but he’s still standing squarely between the door and the strawberry blonde behind him.
Layla.
Her face is pale and there are dark smudges under her eyes, but she doesn’t look hurt at all.
Next to her is an older man, probably a good two decades older than me.
Maybe only one if he’s lived hard. He’s holding something strange that it takes me a moment to place.
I realize it’s the leg of a chair when I see the rest of the chair on top of the desk.
Based on where the desk is, and that there’s a small table next to it, I think I know what they were using to barricade the door.
The bed is on its side, and I suspect Layla and the other man were hiding behind it before I came in.
“How many?” Patch asks.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone sound as exhausted as he does. I’m not sure which count he’s asking about, so I give him both.
“One guy outside the room, but probably six or seven others, maybe as many as eight.” I lean toward the window and twitch the curtain aside. Nothing out there. “All the Kings except Cipher and Titch who’re back home, and all the Vipers except two or three who Stone had stay behind.”
“The Vipers?” Patch’s eyes widen. “Shit. I know this is their territory but—”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” I cut him off. “I’m pretty sure our guys aren’t gonna have a problem handling the rest of Meridian’s guys, but until I get the all-clear, we better be prepared.”
Patch nods and then takes a step toward me. He keeps his voice low, so only I can hear him. “I’m down to my last two bullets.” He swallows hard. “I was saving them… in case… in case they got through the door.”
I don’t need an explanation because I would’ve done the same if it was Nova.
Hell, I’d do it for any woman in that situation.
He had one bullet for the first man through the door and the other for…
mercy. I also saw in his eyes that as soon as he put a bullet through Layla’s head, he would’ve fought with his knife, taking as many of those pricks with him as possible before they killed him.
After another quick look outside to make sure no Meridian guys are coming, I clap my hand down on Patch’s shoulder and say, “Good job, prospect.”