Chapter 10 - Riot
One month.
That's how long I've been working for the Savage Riders. Four weeks of security runs, protection details, and keeping Blackwater Falls safe from the kind of trash that thinks a small town is easy pickings.
Four weeks of proving to myself that King wasn't full of shit. That this MC is exactly what they claim to be—protectors, not predators.
And they are. Every single one of them.
I've watched King turn away business that would have been profitable but crossed ethical lines.
Watched Tank break up a domestic dispute with more patience than I've ever seen from an MC enforcer.
Watched Shadow, quiet, deadly Shadow, spend an afternoon helping an elderly woman whose car broke down, refusing payment because "that's not what we do. "
They're the real deal. The kind of brotherhood my parents believed in. The kind I thought was dead and buried with the good men from my old club.
The kind I want to be part of again.
I've talked to Alice about this. Multiple times over the past month, actually, making sure she understood what it would mean. That being with a patched member is different from dating someone who just works for the club. That there's a level of commitment and danger that comes with wearing a cut.
She listened every time. Asked questions. Thought about it seriously instead of just agreeing to make me happy.
And last night, after Maya went to bed in the small house I'm renting on the edge of town, temporary until I figure out something more permanent, Alice looked at me over the rim of her wine glass and said, "Do it.
Ask them. I can see how much you miss it, how much you need it.
And I meant what I said, I'm not going anywhere. "
We'd been talking about more than just the MC, too.
About the future. About how Maya and I are renting this house month-to-month, but maybe we don't need to.
Maybe we could move in with Alice. Be closer, be together properly.
Maya would love it. She asks almost daily when she can see Biscuit again, even though we visit Alice nearly every evening.
Alice had smiled when I brought it up. "I want that too. My house is big enough for all of us. And Maya would be so happy having Biscuit there all the time."
"You sure?" I'd asked. "It's a big step."
"I'm sure. I love you. I love Maya. I want us to be a family."
A family. The word had hit me right in the chest, in the best possible way.
So, this morning, I texted King.
*Need to talk. You available today?*
His response came back within minutes: *Clubhouse. 2pm. See you then.*
Now it's 1:58 pm, and I'm pulling up to the Savage Riders clubhouse on my bike. The gate is open like always, and I can see King's bike parked out front along with Tank's massive Harley and a few others I recognize.
My hands are sweating. Ridiculous. I've faced down armed men without breaking a sweat, but asking to prospect for an MC has my palms damp like a nervous teenager.
Because this matters. This is the first time since everything went to shit that I've wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. The first time I've been willing to trust a brotherhood again.
I kill the engine and climb off, taking a moment to steady myself before heading inside.
The clubhouse is exactly as I remember from that first night. Clean but lived-in, organized but comfortable. The kind of place that's actually used, not just for show. I can hear voices from the main room, the crack of pool balls connecting.
King is sitting at the main table, a cup of coffee in front of him. Tank is beside him, arms crossed over his massive chest, looking as intimidating as always. In the corner, Shadow and Chaos are playing pool. Shadow lining up a shot while Chaos talks shit in that easy way of his.
They all look up when I walk in.
"Carter," King greets, gesturing to the chair across from him. "Right on time. Want coffee?"
"I'm good, thanks." I sit down, noticing Tank's assessing gaze. The VP hasn't said much to me over the past month, but I've felt him watching. Evaluating. Making sure I'm worth the trust King placed in me.
"So," King says, leaning back in his chair. "What's on your mind?"
This is it. The moment of truth.
I take a breath. "I want to prospect."
Shadow misses his shot. I hear the pool cue scrape across felt, and Chaos lets out a low whistle. Tank's expression doesn't change, but I see his eyes narrow slightly.
King just nods slowly, like he's been expecting this. "Tell me why."
"Because this is what I've been looking for.
" The words come easier now that I've started.
"A club that actually gives a shit about something beyond profit and territory.
A brotherhood that means something. I thought that was dead, thought my old MC killed it when they chose trafficking and drugs over honor. But you've proven me wrong."
"One month isn't very long," Tank speaks up, his voice gravelly. "How do you know we're not just good at hiding the bad shit?"
It's a fair question. A test, maybe, to see if I've actually been paying attention or just seeing what I want to see.
"Because I've been looking for it," I tell him honestly. "I've been watching everything you do, every decision you make, waiting for the mask to slip. Waiting to see the real operation underneath. And there isn't one. This is it. This is who you are."
"And your brother’s club?" King asks. "The Iron Phoenixes, right? They know you're here?"
I nod. "I told Eli, my brother, when I first decided to stay. He gave me his blessing. Said as long as I was happy and Maya was safe, that's all that mattered to him."
"Good man," King observes. "We've heard of them. Clean club, good reputation. Your brother built something solid after the fallout."
"He did." Pride swells in my chest thinking about what Eli accomplished. "Built it from the ground up with men who actually believe in the code."
"But you didn't want to be part of it," Tank says. It's not a question.
"I couldn't be in his shadow. Couldn't be 'Eli's little brother' for the rest of my life. I needed to find my own way." I look at King. "And I think I have."
Shadow has abandoned the pool game, leaning against his cue and watching this conversation with those unsettling eyes of his. Chaos is beside him, arms crossed, expression serious for once.
"What about Alice?" King asks. "She know you're here? Know what you're asking for?"
"She knows. We've talked about this multiple times over the past month.
She's all in." I can't help the small smile.
"She's something special. Actually, we've been talking about moving in together.
Maya and I are just renting month-to-month right now, but Alice has space for all of us.
Maya's been asking to live with Biscuit anyway. "
"That she is," Tank agrees, and there's approval in his voice now. "Good woman. Patient, too, putting up with your ugly ass."
That gets a laugh from Chaos. Shadow's lips twitch, as close to a smile as he gets.
King drums his fingers on the table, thinking. I wait, letting him process. This is his call: his club, his decision about who gets to prospect.
"You understand what you're asking for?" King finally says. "Prospecting isn't easy. We'll work you harder than we've been working you. Test you. Push you. Make sure you're serious about this and not just chasing a feeling."
"I understand."
"You'll be at the bottom of the ladder. Every patched member outranks you. You do what you're told, when you're told, no questions."
"I understand."
"And it could take six months. Could take two years.
However long it takes for us to be absolutely sure you're Savage Riders material.
" King leans forward. "Your past doesn't matter here except as lessons learned.
But your future, your commitment to this club, to this town, to the code we live by, that means everything. You ready for that?"
I think about my parents. About the code they believed in, the one they tried to instill in me and Eli. About honor and loyalty and protecting people who can't protect themselves.
I think about Maya, safe and happy in Blackwater Falls, making friends at school, begging for a dog every single day.
I think about Alice, who looks at me like I'm something precious instead of something broken. Who accepted my past and believed in my future. Who wants to build a life with me and Maya.
"I'm ready," I tell King. "I want this. Want to be part of what you've built here. Want to wear the Savage Riders cut and mean it."
King looks at Tank. They have one of those silent conversations that only comes from years of brotherhood. Tank's expression is unreadable, but after a moment, he gives a single nod.
King looks back at me. "Then welcome to the Savage Riders, prospect." He pauses, a slight smirk crossing his face. "Your road name is Riot. Because that's exactly what you were on your first night in Blackwater Falls. That kind of Riot is what we need."
Riot. The name settles over me like it was always meant to be mine.
"I like it," I say honestly.
"Good. You start tomorrow morning, six am sharp. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty."
I stand, offering my hand. King shakes it firmly, then Tank does the same, his grip crushing but not quite painful. A test I apparently pass, because he releases me with something that might be approval in his eyes.
"Six am," I confirm. "I'll be here."
"One more thing," King says as I turn to leave. "Alice comes to family dinners. Bring her and Maya this Sunday. Luna's been asking about meeting them properly."
Family dinners. Because that's what this is—a family. The kind that actually means something.
"We'll be there," I promise.
As I walk out of the clubhouse toward my bike, I pull out my phone and text Alice.
*It's done. I'm prospecting. Road name is Riot.*
Her response comes immediately: *Perfect name for you. I'm so proud of you. Come over tonight? Maya can help me make dinner.*
I smile, typing back: *Be there at 6. Love you.*
It's the first time I've said it. The first time those words have felt true since Maya's mother left because she couldn’t deal with the MC life. Three dots appear, then disappear, then appear again.
Finally: *Love you too. See you soon. *
I pocket my phone and climb on my bike. One month ago, I was just passing through, running from a past I couldn't change and a future I couldn't see.
Now I have both. A second chance at the brotherhood I lost. A woman who loves me despite my scars. A daughter who's finally putting down roots. A home waiting for us, all of us together.
Blackwater Falls definitely has some kind of magic.
And I'm done running from it.