Chapter 10
The heavy oak chapel doors swung shut, cutting the noise from the main bar right off. Inside, the air hung thick with stale cigar smoke, worn leather, and that quiet heavy tension that always settled before an official Church meeting.
Pres – or as some called him, Reaper – sat at the head of the long-polished table, hands laid flat against the wood, his patch resting clear in the centre. The rest of the brothers lined the walls, faces set hard and grim.
I leaned back against the brickwork near the corner, arms folded tight across my chest. Jaw clenched so hard it ached. I hadn’t slept. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was the terror in Danika’s face when that private investigator cornered her.
“Alright brothers, listen up,” Pres rumbled, voice carrying that quiet absolute authority that held this whole club together.
“That London private investigator and his hired muscle hightailed it back fast, but Sterling ain’t gonna let that slide.
He’s got deep pockets, he’s got pride, and he knows this bloke gets results.
He’ll send him back or send someone just as good.
Until we work out how to cut this whole problem off at the root, Danika Sterling is under Iron Angels protection.
This is our ground. No high-city investigator, no matter who pays him, gets to come snatching people right out from under our noses. ”
Pres shifted his gaze over to me, reading the tight edge I couldn’t hide. “It’s her day off today. Didn’t want her stuck inside feeling like a marked target, so I’ve already sent two prospects down her lane to keep watch.”
My brows snapped together, a low territorial growl rumbling up deep in my chest. “Who’d you send, Pres?”
“Tiny and Swift,” he answered steady.
A quiet ripple of amusement moved through the men around the table.
Tiny was our newest prospect, and what a prospect – six foot nine, built like a brick wall, shoulders so broad he had to turn sideways just to walk through a doorway.
Folks started calling him Tiny as a joke his first day, and it stuck.
Swift came the same time as Tiny and he was his exact opposite: sharp, wiry, quick as a whip, never missed a trick.
Together they made one hell of a deterrent.
“They’re green, Pres,” I gritted out, pushing off the wall. That protective beast clawed sharp at my ribs. “This ain’t some random street goon. This man’s a professional. He knows how to watch, how to wait, how to slip past people who don’t know what they’re looking for.”
“They know how to hold their ground, Rage,” Pres said firm but calm. “And Swift knows how to watch a street without being seen right back. They’re posted opposite ends of her drive. That investigator won’t get within ten yards of that cottage without us knowing.”
Before I could argue further, the chapel door burst open.
Heavy wood banged hard against the wall. We all turned – no old lady ever came to Church meetings. Thorn stood there, cheeks flushed, hair pulled back loose and messy, bright blue eyes blazing with stubborn fire. She locked straight onto Pres.
“Leo, I need to go down to the cottage,” she announced, voice rising high with raw emotion.
None of the brothers dared speak up; they all knew better than to get between a pregnant Thorn and something she cared about.
“I only met her the once, but I know that man was sent to hurt her or take her back. She’s the only person round here who knows what it’s like to run from somewhere you never felt safe.
I need to see her with my own eyes, make sure he didn’t come back while we were all in here. ”
Pres let out a soft patient sigh, his whole expression softening instantly. He reached out, curling a hand gentle around her waist and drawing her close. “Easy, sunshine. Breathe. You can’t just turn up there –”
“I won’t get in the way!” she cut in, lip wobbling instantly. She wasn’t fully crying, but she was right on that jagged edge. “Why can’t I check? Is she hurt? Are you keeping something from me? Leo please – I just need to know she’s alright.”
“She’s fine, Little Bird,” I rumbled from the back, stepping forward before Pres had to answer. “Just got a day off. She’s locked up safe inside.”
“Then take me to her!” Thorn insisted, turning back to Pres, fingers digging light into his cut. “Please. I’m going crazy cooped up here. I just want to sit with her, talk, make sure she’s not scared. If I don’t see her I’ll worry all day, and that ain’t good for the baby.”
Pres looked over her head straight at me.
He knew exactly what I did – once Thorn got an idea in her head, there was no stopping her.
She wasn’t being dramatic; she just genuinely wanted to reach out to someone who’d run the same way she once did.
With her past, she wants to save everyone, she wants to make sure they don’t have the scars she carries.
“Alright, alright, you win sunshine,” Pres murmured, rubbing slow soothing circles up and down her back.
He looked straight at me. “Rage, fire up your bike. You escort her over. Check on Tiny and Swift first, make sure no one – especially not that investigator – has slipped through. Gears you will be driving Thorn over and come straight back.”
“Got it,” I nodded, and that tight knot in my chest loosened just a fraction at the thought of seeing Danika again. Even if it was just to keep a pregnant Thorn company.
Thorn beamed, lighting up like the sun had just broken through storm clouds. She hopped right out of Pres’s arms, already reaching for my arm. “Thank you! C’mon Rage, let’s go!”
I shook my head, a quiet rough chuckle catching in my throat as we headed out toward the garages. I fired the bike up, that deep thunderous roar waking the place up. Thorn climbed in the truck with Gears. I gunned it, cutting straight through traffic.
As we turned down the quiet tree-lined road, my mind drifted straight to her.
She was so fiercely independent, hated feeling watched or trapped.
I knew she’d probably be stood right at that window now, glaring out at Tiny and Swift, ready to tear strips off anyone she thought was crowding her.
And if that investigator really was still lingering somewhere out of sight?
I’d make sure he regretted ever taking the job.
I twisted the throttle, pushing faster. I needed to get there before things got messy.