PROPERTY OF MERCURY

KINGS OF ANARCHY: MONTANA

BOOK 2

LIBERTY PARKER

DARLENE TALLMAN

CONTENTS

Kings Of Anarchy Mc Code

Motto:

Montana Koamc Characters

Acknowledgments

Blurb

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

Where to find Liberty

Other books by Liberty

Where to Find Darlene

Other Books by Darlene

COPYRIGHT

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Property of Mercury: Kings of Anarchy MC: Montana

Book Two

Copyright 2026© Liberty Parker & Darlene Tallman

Published by: Liberty Parker & Darlene Tallman

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from Liberty Parker, and Darlene Tallman, the authors / publishers.

This book and its contents are HUMAN generated. NO generative AI was used in any aspect of this book and no entity has permission from the authors to utilize the contents of this book to teach AI.

Big Daddy, from the California chapter of KOAMC is mentioned in this book, he is copyrighted to Glenna Maynard and used with permission, you can read about him in her KOAMC series.

KINGS OF ANARCHY MC CODE

Anarchy - Where the Kings rule in chaos

Respect the Mother Chapter

Your loyalty stays with your patch

Brotherhood above all

Never touch another brother’s ol’ lady

Ride or die, no questions asked

Never back down from a fight

Never let a brother ride solo

Each chapter sets its own damn rules

MOTTO:

Nobody fucks with the Kings

www.kingsofanarchymc.com

MONTANA KOAMC CHARACTERS

President - Gemini (Sutton)

VP - Mercury (Finley)

SAA - Orion

Road Captain - Pisces

Secretary - Aries

Treasurer - Midas

Enforcer - Hercules

Tailgunner - Lynx

Chaplain - Scorpius

Medic - Neptune

Member - Boötes “Boots”

Member - Sextans

Member - Draco

Member - Ursa

Prospect - Hydra

Prospect / Techie - Orbit

Prospect - Taurus

Old Ladies

Sutton

Finley

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special mention to our photographer, model, designer, proofreaders, and editor.

Published by Liberty Parker & Darlene Tallman

Editing/Proofreading by: Cheryl Hullett and Nicole McVey

Cover designed by Glenna Maynard @gchelle designs

Model: Logan Arnold

Photog: CJC Photography

There are so many other people who should be acknowledged, and we know we’re going to miss several, but here we go:

Our friends, family, and tribe… you are the reason we keep striving to be the best that we can be.

Last but not least, the ladies of Liberty’s Luscious Ladies and Darlene’s Dolls… you all inspire us. Thank you for never giving up on us, promoting us, and encouraging us.

We’d also like to take this time to thank Glenna Maynard and Morgan Jane Mitchell for inviting us into this world.

DEDICATION

This is dedicated to the countless men, women, and children who have gone missing and are still missing. May there be someone in law enforcement with the drive and desire to never give up so that answers can be found. It won’t exactly give the families who’ve lost loved ones closure, but nobody deserves to be thrown away like they’re nothing more than trash.

While we write fiction, we’re both true crime junkies and are well-aware that there are organizations out there whose focus is to find the missing and bring them home. The Blackfeet tribe is a real-life group of indigenous who have had many go missing over the years. For more information on that, you can go to MMIW (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women) website. I promise you, it’s an eye opener about the evil that truly walks among us.

Dar & Lib

BLURB

Mercury

As the Montana chapter’s VP, the burden I carry is heavy, helping Gemini with the weight of rebuilding our chapter into something we can be proud of instead of the chaotic disaster the former president turned it into. But I’m also a tracker, renowned throughout the country for my abilities to search out information and take the pieces that I find and put them into a completed puzzle. So when Skippy is found on the side of the road fighting for her life, I head back out to the site to see what I can find. I never expect to locate another woman, one who is clinging to life by a thread. And when she tells me what she endured, I realize that we’ve stumbled onto something so horrific, so reprehensible, that it’s almost incomprehensible. Once my brothers know what I do, we vow to find those responsible and shut them down. I suspect it’s going to take some time, and because Finley is a certified mechanic, she’s going to be around for the foreseeable future as she helps Orion open up his shop.

I just hope my heart survives.

Finley

Being rescued by the Kings of Anarchy has thrown me into some sort of alternative universe. They took me to a different hospital and I have round-the-clock protection while I heal from the surgery I had to repair the damages from two gunshot wounds and an arrow through my chest. The fact that Mercury has been conspicuously absent is concerning, but it’s not like we had any real interaction the day he found me except for him cataloging my injuries then calling for help. Still, despite being in agony that day, there was something about him that calmed my soul. So, when Orion finds out my qualifications, I soon find myself with a new job at his shop. Not only that, but I’m now living at their clubhouse while they search for the people who think it’s perfectly acceptable to hunt another human being.

Once I get to know Mercury, I realize he is the missing piece to my life. The only thing I worry about is whether or not he feels the same. Because being his has become my number one goal; I just hope I achieve it.

PROLOGUE

Mercury

It’s been a few days since Skippy was located and rushed to the hospital. I’ve come back out to the scene, looking for things that could’ve been missed. I crouch down and scan the gravel road that she managed to drag herself up and onto. My eyes clamp closed when I see her finger impressions in the dirt along with the blood that follows. My mind replays seeing her in the hospital, her hands nearly shredded with her nails broken and bloody, most of her fingers splinted because of the damage she sustained.

I continue duck walking along her escape route, noticing that the tire marks are still fresh, and so are the footprints of the man who rescued her. Now that I have her path in mind, I backtrack and head into the wooded area. It’s still closed off with yellow tape, but that doesn’t stop me considering the cops currently overseeing the crime scene are nowhere to be seen or even found. When I first arrived, they were all standing in a circle, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and contaminating the crime scene—they’re either amateurs or don’t give a fuck about preserving the evidence. I know it’s been a few days since their ploy has been unearthed, but vital things could still be found so the fact that they’re nonchalant about the whole thing lets me know they think they won’t ever be caught. I can see their reasoning since as far as we know, Skippy’s the first person who didn’t die at their hands.

Fuck knows how many actual victims they’ve had, but we’ll eventually figure that out as well, especially with Orbit on our side.

Stealthily, I follow the drag marks Skippy left until they turn into footprints that have the grass folded down from her running, and she was running, not walking. There’s no doubt about that because of the way her tread changed. The heavier the impact, the faster she was going. Tiny scrapes of fabric caught on branches, along with the footprints, give me an excellent path to follow as I try to puzzle out what happened. I begin looking upward and notice that there are blinds set up in the limbs of several trees. They’re camouflaged to blend in as they sit and wait for their prey. A cold shiver wracks through my body as I imagine being in her shoes, fleeing for my life.

“Fuck, I hate climbing,” I grumble as I scale the first tree to see if any evidence was left behind by the perpetrators.

As my feet hit the plank boards that support the structure, those specialized cigarettes that Allen is known to smoke have been snubbed out and the filters are all that’s left of them, but the bite impressions I’m looking for are there clear as day. Aside from the fact that he’s a fucking litterbug, it’s almost like he’s waving a flag that says, “You can’t catch me!” or something to that effect.

“I’m coming for you, motherfucker,” I avow as a whimper from the other side of the clearing catches my attention. “The hell is that?” I ask myself as I disembark from the tree, dropping to the earth’s floor, jarring my knees. I hear the whimper again, and follow the mewling sound. When I pull the shrubbery aside, my jaw drops. A woman is laying there, curled in on herself with an arrow sticking out of her side. “Ma’am,” I softly call out, not wanting to startle her and cause her to move.

“No more, please, no more,” she begs. Her clothes are torn and ragged, as though she’s been running. Cuts and gashes on her face and arms make it hard to see what she actually looks like, but right now, my first priority is to get her some help.

“Ma’am,” I try again, speaking softly. “I need to assess your wounds and get you out of here and to the hospital.”

“Don’t touch me,” she cries, tucking tighter into the ball she’s turned herself into, whimpers of pain at the move causing the hairs on the nape of my neck to raise.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I promise, trying to reason with her. “But we have to get you someplace safer than here.”

“No place is safe, not even the hospital,” she claims through clenched teeth.

I decipher her meaning, wondering if that’s where she was initially taken from. I won’t get any answers to my questions unless I ask. “Was that where they got you?”

“Yes,” she says, her voice quivering. “I was leaving from a trip to the emergency room after a work related incident, as soon as I hit the unlock button on my key fob, someone placed a rag over my mouth and I blacked out.”

“Chloroform,” I mumble, not surprised that it’s how they are taking their victims. It’s the easiest way to knock them out and kill the fight within them.

“It smelled awful,” she whimpers. “Who are you?” she asks, looking at me through her matted curtain of blood crusted hair.

“Name’s Mercury, ma’am,” I say, introducing myself. “And you are?”

“F-f-finley,” she stutters around chattering teeth, the adrenaline beginning to wear off. “Finley Johnson. How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t on purpose, I heard your whimpers and decided to explore,” I confide.

“Thank God,” she sobs. “I thought I was going to die out here.”

“You would’ve had I not heard you,” I answer. I don’t believe in pulling the wool over someone’s eyes, especially when it’s a situation as serious as this. “Can you tell me what happened to you while I look over your wounds?”

“Is it going to hurt?” she asks, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. She’s almost begging and pleading with me to once again lie to her, which I won’t.

“Probably,” I tell her. “You have an arrow sticking out of your midsection and it looks like you’ve been shot several times. But I won’t know for sure unless I can get closer to you and poke around.”

“Just don’t poke too hard,” she hesitantly replies, a small smile on her face despite her present circumstances, her body trembling with the prospect of me aggravating her injuries.

Gotta give her props for trying to display even a hint of humor because from just a cursory look, she’s in some serious agony. “I’ll do the best I can, Finley. But with saying that, I don’t know how severe things are and even a simple touch could send your nerves into overdrive.” I don’t know how else to explain it to her, she’s going to experience pain unlike she’s ever felt before and there’s no way for me to prepare her for that.

I quickly shoot off a text to Gemini letting him know what I’ve found and that I need a cage, then crouch so I’m sitting on my haunches then start at her head, examining every scratch, cut, and bruise until I come to a hole in her shirt that’s unmistakably one from a gunshot. As gently as I can, I turn her to see if there’s another wound on her back and find one. While it’s a through-and-through, the area itself is a bit tricky since there are a lot of smaller arteries and veins. Her low whimpers are killing me, if I’m being completely honest with myself, but despite those which I suspect she can’t help, she’s staying as still as possible.

I find a second gunshot wound and don’t see an exit wound which is not good because it means it’s lodged somewhere inside of her. Couple that with the arrow sticking out of her and even though I found her out here, it’s going to be a fucking miracle if she survives. I don’t mention that, however, because I need her to stay as calm as possible. All three wounds are still bleeding, although the flow is sluggish so she’s starting to clot, but time is definitely of the essence as far as getting her medical attention. Hell, I don’t even know how long she’s been out here, so to hopefully distract her, I keep talking.

Realizing that she hasn’t told me anything beyond her name and the fact that she was snatched from a parking lot after an appointment, I ask, “What happened after you were taken?”

“When I woke up, I was in a small building, like those sheds that some people have in their yards. No, that’s not exactly right. Maybe a cabin? It was all one room except for two doors and one went outside, the other went to a bathroom. I had a chain around my ankle, but there was enough give in it so I could move around. Not enough to escape, though.” Her laugh is anything but humorous, almost as though she’s putting herself down for not being able to get away.

“If it makes you feel better, I think this kind of thing has been going on for quite some time,” I impart, looking over her once again. When I realize I’m able to see her collar bones and that her clothes are dirtier than I would anticipate even though she was running through brush and wooded areas, I ask, “How long were you with them?”

“What’s today’s date?” she questions. When I tell her, she blanches even whiter than she already is due to her injuries and says, “I’ve been gone for a month now, give or take a few days.”

Fuck. Me.

“Did you see any of your captors? Do you know how many there were?” I can’t help but fire off my questions while I wait for the cavalry to arrive. We’re going to take her to the hospital ourselves and not to our local one. No, we’re going a county over and I’ll have the guys help me figure out who the hell we can call to help.

“I think there were only two of them, but since they always wore black ski masks and gloves, I couldn’t tell you what they looked like. One would come in with a gun pointed in my direction while the other would bring me food. I probably should’ve been able to work out how long I was gone because they only came once a day, but they gave me just enough food to keep me from dying of starvation.”

Seeing how thin her wrists are as I take her pulse, I manage to hide my wince. Before being abducted, she was likely average size for a woman, but despite the torn clothes she has on, I can tell she’s dropped a significant amount of weight. As far as I’m concerned, a woman shouldn’t be nothing but skin and bones… and that’s what Finley is at this point.

“So, there could have been more than two and they might’ve swapped out,” I muse, thinking out loud. “Anything else you can tell me?”

“It might have been two days or so ago, but when I woke up one morning, there was a recording playing on a loop. It gave instructions for me as to how the ‘game’ was to be played. If I managed to get away, then they’d let me go,” she replies. “What they didn’t tell me, however, was that I was their prey. They hunted me like I was a wild animal, Mercury!”

Seeing that she’s getting worked up again which I don’t need her doing because it’ll elevate her blood pressure and that won’t be good for her overall health, I lightly grip her hand in mine. “Shh, it’s okay, Finley, you’re safe now, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that, Mercury. Nobody can.”

“Yeah, I actually can. I’m a member of the Kings of Anarchy MC and have so many brothers that have my back that nobody will be able to get to you. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Because nobody fucks with the Kings. It’s our club motto and trust me, if someone tries, we fuck them back harder.”

CHAPTER

ONE

Finley

I go in and out of consciousness, doing everything I can to hold onto that thread that’ll keep me aware of my surroundings. I fail more often than not, but I hear flashes of words consisting of Neptune, medic, clinic, no hospital. I try to verify that but my tongue feels swollen and heavy, formulating words is near impossible. But I do manage to nod my head when I hear Mercury state that I was insistent that I’m not taken to the hospital.

“Don’t worry, darlin’, we’ll get you taken care of,” a foreign male voice promises as I feel myself being lifted into the air.

I whimper from the movement because everything on my body hurts, even the follicles of my hair are painful against my scalp. My feet are raw, scraped, and bloody from running through the foliage without shoes. The arrows and bullet wounds should be the biggest pain I feel, but those areas have grown numb. Nausea has bile climbing up my throat, but I instinctively know that if I vomit, it’s going to hurt so much I’ll probably pass out.

“H-h-hurts,” I manage to wheeze out. My lungs feel like they’re collapsing, but that could be my imagination.

Mercury’s face comes into view and I see him frown when he looks at me. “Neptune? She sounds wheezy and her chest is sawing in and out.”

“Thinking one of the arrows or even the bullet might have punctured a lung,” Neptune, the voice I didn’t recognize, replies. “Not much I can do for her right now, but we can’t afford to waste any time, brothers.”

I can hear the warning behind his words and realize that while I was fortunate enough to be rescued, I’m nowhere near out of the proverbial woods, especially as darkness encroaches on me once again. As the blissful oblivion creeps over me, I whisper, “I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not dying on our watch,” Mercury insists. “Try to relax, Finley. I know that’s hard to do under the circumstances, but if you tense up, this is going to be harder on you in the long run. We have to go down a dirt path that is on an incline so you’re going to be jostled.”

I grit my teeth and prepare for the worst. My entire being already feels like it’s on fire, and if their adjustment of me already has me wanting to reach out for the bliss of darkness, I can only imagine that feeling is going to get ten times worse as they carry me out of this nightmare. Digging deep inside to the place where the runner I used to be lives, I mutter, “Just do it. Rip it off like a bandaid. Worse that can happen is I pass out and that might be for the best all things considered, right?”

“She’s not wrong about losing consciousness,” Neptune imparts. “Her respirations will automatically slow down, which will help with the punctured lung.”

“Then let’s go,” Mercury commands. “Just be as careful as possible, y’all,” he warns.

I don’t know what I’m on, to be truthful, because my vision was already blurry, but it’s almost like I’m on a stretcher, but I know I’m not correct. Maybe it’s like one of those things they use when they’re doing mountain rescues. While the word I’m looking for is just out of reach, I focus on that instead of the pounding pain that’s now coursing through me as they move me. One particularly rough bump has me diving into the darkness, no longer worried about the pain I’m in or what happened to me. The male voices float away from my subconsciousness as I drift off into the land of unawareness.

Beeping sounds hit my ear drums as I begin to rouse. I don’t know how long I can hang on to my conscious state, but I can tell by what I am hearing that the men who rescued me are standing around me as Mercury tells them everything I shared with him. My eyelids are too heavy to open, but my ears are tuned into their conversation.

“Where did you say they got her again?” A gruff sounding man asks who I’m presuming to be Mercury.

“The hospital parking lot. Just like they did Skippy,” Mercury answers. “They’re ballsy because those lots are covered by CCTV monitors.”

I have no clue who this Skippy person is, but if they went through what I did, that tells me this is not new behavior. I wish I knew who was talking since my eyes won’t cooperate, because the only one whose identity I know for sure is Mercury. Everyone else is just a voice right now, which has my fear ratcheting up, because what if they’re involved too? I know Mercury said they were Kings, but that doesn’t really tell me a whole lot.

“Which means this is being covered up and those tapes are being erased,” another man concludes.

“That’s only an assumption,” Mercury states. “We can’t take opinions to the authorities, especially when those officers are most likely knee deep in this fiasco.”

“No we can’t because it’d be covered up just like it is at the hospital,” another unfamiliar voice says. I’m losing count of how many strangers are in the same room as me while I’m vulnerable. That thought causes shivers to race up and down my spine.

“Shhh, calm down, Finley.” Mercury’s soothing timbre is next to my ear and I can feel myself relaxing. “You’re safe. You’re going to be okay but you’ve got a long road to recovery ahead of you. As soon as the doctor says it’s okay, you’ll be coming to stay with us and trust me when I say this, nobody will get near you. They’d have to go through every single one of us.”

Licking my dry, chapped lips I manage to ask the question roaming through my mind. “Who’s us?”

“Right now, it’s me, Gemini, Neptune, Pisces, and Orion,” he replies. “The rest of my brothers are checking into a few things, and another is watching over Sutton while she’s with Skippy.”

“Sutton?” I query, my raspy voice sounding like I’m a three-pack-a-day smoker.

“She’s my old lady. I’m Gemini, president of the Kings. Skippy is her friend who was found in a similar state as you were.”

A cool sensation crosses my lips as Mercury says, “Sip slowly,” just as a straw is positioned at my mouth. While I’m more of a juice or soda girl, I want to cry with relief at how good the slightly chilled water tastes as it slides down my parched throat. After a few more sucks on the straw, it’s pulled away causing me to cry out in distress. “I’ll give you some more in a little bit. I don’t want you to have too much because you had surgery and it might make you queasy. No sense in you vomiting and undoing all the work the doctor performed to fix you, right?”

“Fine,” I grumble.

“Ah, the dreaded ‘fine’,” he teases. “I think I can live with that, Finley. It’s more important to me, to us, to get you moved to where we’re staying so we can keep you safe while we figure out what the fuck is going on around here.”

“Nothing good,” I complain, waving my arm that has an IV in it. “Case in point.”

“Oh, she’s sassy, I like it,” a male baritone jests. “Orion here.”

“More like class clown,” Gemini states. “And as far as her being sassy, Orion, she needs to pull her strength from wherever she can, don’t you think?”

The more time I spend awake, the stronger I start to feel. I have a boatload of questions I need to ask but one of the most prominent ones I desire to know is, “Who are the Kings?”

“How long have you lived here, Finley?” The man who has the monogram Pisces stitched onto his leather vest, asks.

“About two months,” I tell him. “I moved here shortly after my parents passed away in a car wreck, needing a place to start over. Dad used to visit his grandparents here, they had a farm, and he told me stories about the beauty of this town and made it sound like a dream.”

“More like a nightmare,” the one who introduced himself as Orion says.

“True,” I say, attempting to shrug my shoulders only to wince when the stitches pull. “Ouch. Note to self, keep your body as still as possible.”

“Do you talk to yourself a lot?” Orion inquires, tilting his head and angling it in my direction.

“Only when I need smart company,” I snark, my comeback rude and snappy, but dammit, why is he mentioning my shortcomings? That’s rude. And with everything I’ve just lived through, I should be getting pampered.

“You’ve got your hands full with this one, Mercury,” Orion says, his remark chock full of amusement. Now I see what he meant earlier when Gemini called him the class clown.

“To answer your question about who we are, we’re a motorcycle club,” Gemini says. “Most of us are from Texas, but we got an offer we couldn’t refuse from the national president of the Kings of Anarchy so here we are.”

“So we all moved here wanting greener pastures,” I muse. “Hope it works out better for you than it did for me.”

“We’ll make it safe for you too, Finley,” Mercury promises. “It’s gonna take some time which is why we want to move you in with us so you’re under the umbrella of our protection.”

“Do you think that’ll make the asswipes that took me leave me alone?” I ask, and when I notice the doubtful looks on their faces, I harrumph. “That’s what I thought.”

“Even if you move away, there’s no guarantee they’ll leave you alone and let you flee, Finley. You’re a loose end,” Mercury reminds me.

“Lovely,” I mutter. “I always wanted to be someone’s loose end.”

“She’s a smartass, she and Sutton should get along splendidly,” Pisces jests.

“Don’t borrow trouble, brother,” Gemini says out of the side of his mouth as if he was trying to keep that between the two of them, but he messed up, because I heard every word.

“Skippy’s the same,” Orion muses. I see a sad look cross his face and wonder what has the goofy clown reacting that way. I guess if I’m going to be staying with them, I’ll soon figure it out.

“They’re gonna need a nickname,” Pisces says, grinning. “The Terrible Trio, The Gruesome Threesome.”

“The three musketeers?” I ask. “I mean, I don’t know either of these two people as it is, so giving us our own nickname is kind of counterproductive, don’t you think?”

“She has one of those word of the day calendars, I just know it,” Orion teases.

“Most people improve their vocabulary through reading, Orion,” Pisces jeers. “You’re the only one I know who gets one of those fucking calendars every year.”

“Makes me sound smart,” Orion retorts shrugging.

I’m about to say something to keep their bickering going when I feel a coolness go through my IV. Before I can open my mouth, it’s lights out once again, Finley.

CHAPTER

TWO

Mercury

I roll my eyes at Pisces and Orion. This business is serious and we don’t have time to insert jokes and come up with pseudonyms for the girls, especially since they haven’t even met yet. We don’t know if they’re going to get along or if there’ll be some cat fights in the future.

“Y’all, enough,” Gemini states, noticing the way my eyes are twitching from their banter.

I’m not impressed and wish that they’d know when it’s time to be serious and when it’s time to play. Finley’s not out of the woods by a long shot, and just because we helped get her to the surgical clinic, it doesn’t mean she’s going to become part of what we’re building here. For all we know, she could flee the area after she’s released; fuck knows I would if I was a woman who was so horribly attacked and treated.

“We were just trying to lighten the mood,” Orion says. “Didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah, and there’s a time and a place to be the class clown. Newsflash, dumbass, that’s not here and definitely not today after she’s just had surgery to remove bullets and arrows from her body!” I chastise. “Y’all were dropped on your heads, I swear to God.”

“I wasn’t but the jury’s out on Orion,” Pisces states. Seeing my glare, he holds up his hands in a ‘calm down’ motion. “I hear ya. Gotta say, it’s a fucking good thing you found her, Merc.”

“No shit.” Glancing over at the woman in the bed, I realize her pain meds have knocked her out, which is good. I don’t want her to hear me tell them my suspicions about the whole situation. I still need to go back out there and see if I can locate this cabin, but considering that they hunted her, I can’t go alone. This whole shitshow is bad enough she’ll likely have nightmares for a long time without me compounding them by reiterating some of the things she shared with me to the guys.

It doesn’t take me long to fill them in and the consensus is I’ll go back out to where we found her and nose around some more to see if I can find any evidence of the place she was being held. Gemini is calling Hercules in and leaving him on her door for the time being since we don’t trust that news will get out about the fact she was found alive. No reason to give whoever the fucker is that’s backing this a reason to try and finish what they started. Granted, I know based on what I’ve previously found that Jeffries is undoubtedly involved, but outside of that, I don’t know who else could be hunting women like they were prey.

“I’m going to head out to see what I can find,” I say. “May be out of pocket because we have no clue what kind of acreage we’re dealing with, y’know? Is it a contained area, or are they spread out?”

“All questions we’ll find the answers for, brother,” Gemini replies. “Got Orbit running some searches on missing women in this area for the past decade. But I think you need to take someone just in case they’re out there looking for her or even hunting someone else.”

“Could be longer than that if it’s been kept in the family as far as who is orchestrating it all,” I interject. “Also, if this is something they offer to other sick fuckers, they probably have other areas in the state they use for their hunting grounds.”

“What if it’s not just women?” Pisces asks, adding a new layer to this fucked up bullshit.

“Let’s start with women and go from there,” Gemini suggests. “I’ll have Orbit expand his search to encompass all of Montana, but for the time being, we’re going to focus on our neck of the woods once we get some results back from him.”

“It’s as good a place as any to start,” I reply, adding my stamp of approval.

“I’m heading back to our hospital to see Skippy,” Orion announces. At my surprised look, he shrugs. “She’s Sutton’s best friend, but outside of her, she’s alone. If nothing else, I’ll be a familiar face for her to wake up to since Sutton still has to work, even if it’s at the house. Y’all can relieve me later to grab something to eat, then I’ll come back and guard her. I know she’s in ICU, but I can sit in the waiting room and keep an eye on everyone who comes through there. Can Orbit get me a schedule of the nurses on duty do you think?” he asks.

“Don’t see why not. I’ll give him a call when I leave,” Gemini says.

Orion said something that sparked an idea in my head. “What if they’re looking for victims who have no familial ties? Look at the facts as we know them so far… new to town or have no family members looking for them. Check and check. So far, the victims we’ve recovered, as well as Sutton, are either fresh to the state or have nobody that’ll call in their absences when they go missing outside of work associates.”

“Good point,” Gemini replies. “I’ll add that to the ever-growing list of shit to have Orbit search for, how does that sound?”

“Works for me.”

I suspect that this group of people is going to test every one of my abilities as a tracker. Good thing I relish a challenge because I won’t rest or leave any stone unturned in an effort to find these bastards and shut them and their vile operation down. And if a few of them end up finding their way to Hell along the way? So be it.

While Gemini wanted another brother to come with me, it dawned on us both that we’re spread kind of thin right now, protecting Sutton while she’s with Skippy, as well as Finley, and I’ve got the experience and abilities to protect myself without needing a brother at my back. It’s a good thing that I took one of the ATVs out because the terrain is terrible. Some areas are muddy as hell thanks to all the snow melting, while others look like they were covered all winter long. I was able to follow Finley’s haphazard path and ended up at a ramshackle one-room structure that’s barely standing. It looks more like a lean-to than a shack. How she survived for a month in there is beyond me, especially since there are missing boards, broken windows, and no heat. It’s a miracle she even made it to ‘the hunt’. There was evidence that she was there; I found scratch marks on the bottom of a wall with her name and remembering the condition of her fingernails, I know she used them to gouge out each letter.

“Fucking pricks,” I growl as I take pictures of the chain that’s embedded through the floorboard and attached to an eye hook. It’s long enough to make it to the bathroom, but just barely. “Hopefully she was able to get water in between the times they brought her food. Assholes need to fry as far as I’m concerned. Hell, stake them out, cover them in honey and let the insects have them.”

As I continue searching for other signs about anyone else who was at the cabin, I fantasize about all the ways I can make these pieces of shit suffer. I’m not typically a bloodthirsty person, but the fact that one dead woman has shown up, Skippy was attacked, and now I found Finley tells me this is worse than I suspected and my mind has already gone to the worst serial killer known to mankind. I think these fuckers are worse because they seem to give the illusion that if the person can get away, they’ll be okay. And that can’t be further from the truth based on how I found Finley.

If I add in the fact that Sutton was in their crosshairs? Well, it lets me know they’ve got what they think is a well-oiled machine. That’s how I know they’ve got more hidey-holes out there, because there’s no way they only have one captive at a time. Maybe per property, perhaps, but I have no doubt whatsoever that there are other women in peril right now and I’m going to do whatever it takes to ferret them out of hiding.

These fuckwads might’ve thought they had a great playground here in Montana, but what they don’t know is there’s a new group of Kings in town and nobody fucks with us. We may be new to this MC, but we grew up in one and while we were definitely in the black and white category of life as far as what we did as a club, I have absolutely no problem going gray. The lines have been blurred now and maybe it’s my southern roots, maybe it’s because I had great role models in my dad and uncles, but women are to be cherished and protected. Not hunted like rabid dogs.

I end up checking about twenty acres in all which sounds great until I realize just how fucking big Montana actually is. Granted, like I told Gemini, we need to focus on our patch of the state for the time being, because we’re too new to the state itself, plus we’re not a large chapter. Satisfied at what I’ve accomplished so far, I make my way back to the compound. It’s time for a shower, some food, and a few ice cold beers.

“Can you send those to Orbit?” Gemini asks as we sit around the table we’re using for our meetings.

Growing up, our dads called it sermon time, other clubs call it church. I have no clue what we’ll end up calling it, I just know that it’s for members only.

“Yeah, give me his info,” I reply, my phone in my hand. Normally, we wouldn’t have them in here with us, but with Orion at the hospital with Skippy, and Hercules guarding Finley, Gemini thought it was a good idea for us to hang onto them.

I send a text with the pictures I took to the number Gemini rattles off, then groan when I get a thumbs-up emoji in response. “He’s younger than us, isn’t he?” I ask, looking at my phone.

Gemini chuckles then asks, “What gives you that idea?”

“The fact he’s using fucking emojis,” I retort. “Once he’s here full-time, can we get one of those projector screen things so information is easy to share?”

“Why not? At some point, we’ll stop bleeding money and start bringing it in, right?” Gemini retorts. “Before we wrap it up for now, I heard from both Hercules and Orion. Finley’s still in and out of consciousness, which is a good thing given the severity of her injuries. He lied and told them he was her brother so he’s able to go in and see her once an hour. As far as Skippy, she’s still in a coma. They both have a long road ahead of them recovery wise, and even though we don’t really have much, we’ll do whatever it takes to ensure both of them have what they need. Any issues with that?”

I’m already shaking my head, but it’s Pisces who says what we’re all undoubtedly thinking. “Fuck no. If, as Mercury suspects, they target those who have no one, well, they need to think again. Both Skippy and Finley are under our protection now, y’all.”

“Alright, y’all, if nobody has anything else, we’re adjourned,” Gemini says.

Thank fuck. I’m bone weary tonight and need sleep in the worst way so I can get up and check another area tomorrow. Walking out to the kitchen, I grab a couple of bottles of water and one of the sub sandwiches that Sutton made then head up to my room. I know I wanted a couple of cold beers, but even though I’m no lightweight, I don’t think I could make it through one tonight.

I set everything on the top of my dresser, hang up my leather cut on the hook that’s behind my door, then strip down before I head into my ensuite bathroom. Turning the water on, I don’t wait for it to fully heat before I step inside. I need the burst of cold on my skin in order to stay awake long enough to eat so by the time the bathroom is filling with steam, I’m already out with a towel around my waist. A quick comb through my wavy hair and I’m now stalking toward my sandwich and drinks. Thankfully, since I’m single, no one’s gonna give a fuck if I get a few crumbs on the sheets. I know I don’t care one way or another because I’m positive that once I lay my head down on my pillow, I’m going to pass the hell out.

CHAPTER

THREE

Finley

I hurt so badly I want to cry, but I know, from prior experience, that if I cry, it’ll pull at the stitched areas and will cause further pain. So instead, I allow my thoughts to wander as I think about how I got where I’m at right now.

As a foster care kid, when I aged out of the system, I found myself at loose ends. I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to go to college, although I had a full ride courtesy of the state. So, I went to a technical college instead and got my ASE certification as an automotive mechanic. For the past few years, I’ve been moving around the country trying to find a place to call home and three months ago, I decided to try Montana.

No, I’m not a huge fan of snow, but the mountains are so beautiful, it brings me a sense of peace that’s been lacking in my life. The only reason I was at the hospital the day I was abducted was to get a current tetanus injection since I managed to cut myself at work thanks to a lazy coworker who didn’t toss some scrap metal but instead, laid it on a shelf. When I reached in, it sliced my hand and I earned a trip to get stitched up and a booster shot since it had been longer than ten years from my last one.

“I probably don’t even have a job now,” I grumble, “especially since I definitely went beyond a three day no-call, no-show event. Dammit, I finally had a little bit of savings to my name, too!”

“What do you do for a living?” Orion asks. He’s apparently checking on me before he takes off to the hospital and goes to see Skippy, which is fine. It seems like every day, one of them shows up, although Mercury’s been conspicuously absent.

Not like he owes me a damn thing. Actually, I owe him because if he hadn’t found me, I would’ve died out there. The weather alone would’ve gotten me and while I didn’t ask, I’m sure I was hypothermic when he found me. My clothes were little more than rags, I was barefoot, and severely malnourished.

“I’m a mechanic,” I reply.

“What do you work on?” he probes.

“Pretty much anything that has an engine,” I admit. “I love tinkering on hot rods, but there’s not much of a market for those, so that’s more of a hobby. But I can handle every make and model out there, computerized or not, and I’m always going to new classes whenever one’s available. I just finished my Harley-Davidson certification, too.”

I watch his eyes light up the more I talk and wait to see what he has to say. Hopefully, it’s not something sexist or misogynistic, because I might be hurt and healing, but I can still throw my food tray at him. I realize the stereotype is that men are the only ones who can work on cars, trucks, and even bikes, but the reality is, my hands are smaller and can get into areas that a man’s hand won’t fit. And for the heavy shit? Well, that’s why there are hoists and chains. Work smarter, not harder.

“Could you be any more perfect?” he asks in a whisper.

“What do you mean?” I ask, cynicism bleeding in my every word.

“I’m working on opening an auto shop that’s going to cover both vehicles and bikes,” he says. “Gonna need some mechanics if you don’t have a job already.”

“You’d let a woman work in your shop?” I skeptically question, hoping he’s not messing with me.

“Why the fuck not? Aside from the fact that it would class the joint up having a pretty face to look at, y’all are just as capable of working on vehicles as a man is as far as I’m concerned.”

“Well, I had a job and in fact, had gotten injured at work which is why I was at the hospital that day. I had to see the worker’s comp doctor to get stitched up and was going back to my car when I was snatched. I suspect that the fact I’ve been gone for over a month means I’m probably shit out of luck now.”

“Their loss is my gain,” he mischeviously chuckles, rubbing his hands together. “I’m still in the beginning stages, though. The paperwork is all sorted, but I’m in the process of ordering all of the equipment needed for the workstations. I could use some help with that now that my time is split between here, the hospital, and the shop. You interested in helping me out? I’ll pay you for your time.”

“Yes,” I splutter, dumbfounded that he’s willing to hire me on the spot without seeing my portfolio. “Aren’t you interested in interviewing me and checking my qualifications before offering me a position at the shop?”

“I have a good feeling about you, Finley. I do want to see your resume eventually, and I would like to sit down with you and discuss those qualifications, however, I need help now so I’m willing to go out on a limb for you.”

“That’s uh… unheard of,” I state. “If you have a secure connection to the internet, I can give you access to my online showcase. I’ve made quite the name for myself when it comes to customizations and taking jobs others have turned down. I love a challenge.”

“We’re kindred spirits, you and I,” Orion says, looking as if he’s a kid that’s been given free reign in the candy shop. “I’ll have our tech guy check you out and if you come back clean, I’ll give you a permanent position. How’s that sound?”

“Too good to be true,” I mumble. “What’s the catch?”

“Gonna be honest with you here, Fin. There’s gonna be a lot of long hours and not much sleep happening as we get up and running. I’m going to be a demanding boss, you’ll want to call me all sorts of an asshole, but in the end, it’ll be worth it. What do you say, you still in after me pouring my heart out to you?”

He flutters his eyelashes causing me to bark out in laughter. I groan as I clutch my stomach, pain radiating through me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. “You’re right, you are an asshole.”

He winks at me with a blinding, playful smirk coating his face. “I’m always available for a good laugh. It’s part of my magnetism.”

“You use it as a way to charm yourself out of trouble, don’t you?” I probe, already having his number. Men like him use humor to keep themselves out of hot water.

A thought hits me and I groan. His eyes narrow on me and he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I need to find out if I can get my toolbox from my old employer, plus I have no damn idea where my wallet is with all of my identification. Hell, I don’t even know if I have a place to live any more!”

His face turns serious and he pulls his phone out. “Gemini? I’m here with Finley. What can we do to get her toolbox from her old employer? Uh huh, uh huh. Do you know if Orbit can work any magic with regard to where she lives? She’s been gone for over a month and you know those landlords like to be paid. Okay, good, thanks, I’ll let her know.” He disconnects the call and says, “Mercury already thought about the fact that your living situation might be jacked up and he had our tech guy find out where you lived. He’s spoken to your landlord and it’s all good, because you apparently paid ahead and had some wiggle room. He and a couple of the guys are gonna go to where you worked before and get your belongings, as well as any final paychecks.”

Are these guys real? I feel like I need to pinch myself to check because I’ve never known anybody who would go to such extremes for a mere stranger. I must be hallucinating, lost in a dream where all of my nightmares are slayed.

“Direct deposit,” I reply. “I had that, but I don’t have any identification or even my debit card. I’m pretty sure whoever took me disposed of all of that. Hell, what about my car? I just had it repainted after I did some modifications on it!”

As problem after problem presents itself, I find myself spiralling which is not a good thing at all. At least I have a place to live, but what about keys for the locks? And don’t even get me started on getting a new license issued. I detest going to the DMV with a passion.

“He’s gonna get Orbit on all the identification shit, and he’ll make sure that he has him get your debit card and any credit cards you have reissued, Finley. All you gotta do is breathe and get better.”

“Why are you guys willing to do this for me? I’m a virtual stranger and while I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, what’s in it for you?”

“Well, for starters, the fucker who’s doing this targeted Gemini’s old lady, and managed to get to her best friend, so we’ve got a vested interest because of that. They fucked with the wrong men because in case you missed it, we’re with the Kings of Anarchy MC and nobody fucks with us because we’ll fuck them back twice as bad.”

“They’ll still know where I live,” I murmur, almost to myself.

“We have a plan for that, as well,” he retorts. “Right now, we’re rebuilding our clubhouse, but the old president owned a huge ass house on the property and there’s enough room for you to come stay there as well. We can get what you need and want to have with you and the rest can go into the barn we’ve refurbished, or hell, go into storage while you figure shit out. It’s a fluid situation right now so I’m thinking on my feet, but I promise I’m not blowing smoke up your ass.”

“Well, that’s good because I don’t think that would be particularly pleasant,” I tease. “If you’re sure it won’t be a problem, that might be the best thing for me. I don’t know if they’re aware I’m still alive right now or not, but them having all the information to know where and how to find me kind of creeps me out, to be blunt.”

“Blunt is always good. I don’t think it’ll be an issue whatsoever,” he promises. “I’ll bring it up to the guys when we next have church.”

I feel my brows raise as I sputter out, “Church? None of you inspire thoughts of an altar or hymnals, Orion, just saying.”

“It’s what we call our meetings where we talk about club business. Oh, you might wanna get used to that phrase because you’ll hear it a lot, I’m sure.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

He gets a smirk on his face then says, “Just a theory I’ve got that I’ll share with you at some point. Now, if you’re good for now, I’m heading over to the hospital. Don’t worry about a thing. We’ve got you, Finley. When I get back to the clubhouse, I’ll get all the shit I need and will bring it to you so you can start working.”

I can’t help the giggles that burst through as I look at my left arm to the IV that’s attached to my wrist. “Really? Is this how we’re going to start this working relationship?”

“Start as we plan to go, woman. We’ll stay on the same track as the one we begin on. Actually, you staying at the club is a good idea because we’re going to be attached at the hip.” When I glare at him, he throws his hands up and says, “Not like that, Fin! I do not poach on my brothers. Period.”

With that he leaves, promising to come back later today. Meanwhile, I’m left wondering what he meant by he didn’t poach on his brothers. What the hell does that mean? As I try to puzzle through it, the pain meds start coursing through me and I’m grateful I hit the button several minutes ago when the pain became intolerable. At least if I’m sleeping, I’m not spiralling needlessly.

CHAPTER

FOUR

Mercury

Taking care of Finley’s lease at both her apartment and the shop she worked at before those jackasses got their hands on her, allowed me to release my pent-up anger. They thought they were gonna spew some bullshit at me and I’d cower, but if my cut didn’t prove that theory to be inaccurate, my fist to their faces did. I can take a lot before I lash out, but those two fuckers spouted off some crap and I lost my temper.

“Are we gonna be sued, Merc?” Gemini asks with a grin on his face. “I really hope we are because I’d love nothing more than to watch them cower before a judge once all of the facts are released.”

“I dare them to take me to court,” I say, harrumphing. “At least I got them to issue her last few paychecks, since she went missing the day they did payroll, then of course, she missed the next one as well. She’s square with them as far as that goes. Now, her landlord is a bastard, and wouldn't give her security deposit back because, ‘her being gone so long meant a deep clean had to be done to get rid of the rotten food smell’ as if she asked to be abducted!” Stupid fuckers thinking they could try to put one over on me because Finley was a woman. Fuck that!

“Did you tell them what happened to Finley?” Midas asks, lounged back at our kitchen table munching on an apple.

“I gave them the CliffNotes version. They aren’t her family, I told them what they needed to know to release her shit,” I reply. “Still didn’t make a difference to her landlord, but I took satisfaction in getting her security deposit out of his face.”

Pisces snickers while Gemini shakes his head. “I see you’re still trying to learn how to win new friends and influence folks, huh, Merc?” he asks.

I shrug but stay silent. My cousins know how I am by now. I may not lose my temper often but when I do, it’s best to be on my side.

“Not to change the subject, but I emailed all the photos you sent me of what you were able to recover, she says nothing’s missing,” Orion inserts.

“Good to know. But, brother, you gonna be able to handle having her working in the shop with a blinged-out toolbox?” I question.

“Why not? She’s a beautiful woman, might as well have something pretty to put her tools in,” he says, shrugging. When I step toward him, unaware that I’m even doing it, he throws his hands in the air and yells, “Not poaching, asshole, just making an observation. Who the hell cares what color her toolbox is or even her actual tools as long as she knows how to use them? I definitely don’t.”

“Keep it that way, O,” I order. Not sure why I feel so protective over her, it’s not my norm. It could be because I saved her from death’s door, or it could be for another reason altogether. I’m not a psychologist, the reasons don’t matter to me. Like my cousin, when my instincts kick into overdrive, I listen to my gut and don’t question the reason for it.

“Not interested in her in that way, Merc,” he snaps, gritting his teeth at me. “I need a good employee and she has all of the qualifications I’m looking for. As a matter of fact, she has more certifications under her belt than I do and that’s impressive as fuck.”

“Sounds like finding her is going to be beneficial to all of us,” Gemini muses. At my glare, he adds, “In more ways than one, asshole. She’s going to help bring in money for the club once word gets around, plus, she survived those fuckers and gave you some invaluable information so you can keep digging around.”

“You’re right,” I concede. “I’m sure her being a woman might put some people off as far as working on their rides, but honestly her reputation precedes her. One of her former coworkers said the reason the big boss was so mad was because when some of their customers found out she wasn’t there, they took their business elsewhere.”

“Hopefully to us once the word gets out,” Orion giddily says, rubbing his hands together. “Told you she’s not just a pretty package, Merc.”

“Wanna keep those teeth in your mouth, Orion?” I ask, my fists tightening at my sides.

“Why? You jealous that mine are pearly white and yours aren’t?” he teases.

“All you’re gonna have is gums if you keep yapping them lips of yours,” I threaten.

“Does your asshole burn talking all that shit, cousin?” Orion asks, keeping his childish comebacks coming.

“Do you see my foot, O?” I probe.

“Sure do,” he replies, glancing down at my foot.

“Know what size I wear?” I continue.

“Gigantor size,” he responds, snickering.

“I’m a fourteen, think I could fit it up your ass? Wanna keep talking and find out?”

“Not my kink, brother,” Orion remarks, scrunching up his nose.

I reach for him, intent on strangling him but Gemini jumps up from his chair and puts himself between us. “He’s egging you on, Merc, and you’re letting him. You know his love language is prankster.”

“More like professional jackass,” I mutter, stepping back and putting some distance between us. Changing topics, I ask, “How’s Skippy doing? Any change?”

“She’s still in a coma and they aren’t ready to pull her out of it yet. Her brain is still showing signs of swelling,” Orion answers, turning his head to the side so we can’t see his reaction to my question.

“She’s strong, she’ll pull herself out of it,” I say, not wanting to rile him up more than he already is.

“She is,” he agrees, nodding his head. “But she’s human and the damage she survived was substantial. They’re worried she may have some permanent delays.”

“Delays, how?” I probe.

“Developmental,” he murmurs. “They’re preparing me for her to need to relearn all of the basics again as if she’s starting from scratch.”

“Sutton’s not taking it well,” Gemini adds. “Between Jeffries and his bullshit, and now Skippy’s situation, she’s barely talking, doesn’t sleep and I have to force food down her throat. It’s why y’all haven’t seen much of her because she’s either holed up in her office working or at the hospital providing additional physical therapy the therapist showed her. Something’s gotta give, brothers, because I’m beyond worried about her right now.”

“When you’re not with her, I am,” Pisces reminds him. “I won’t let anything happen to her, Gem.”

“I know you won’t, but that doesn’t make this situation any easier for me,” Gemini acknowledges. “How often do you have to remind her to eat, to rest, to take a damn breath?”

“Not as often as I did in the beginning. She’s coming around. Slowly, but surely,” Pisces promises.

“I think when Skippy is settled, Sutton will too,” I say.

“When are they moving her to rehab?” Midas inquires.

“Not until the swelling has gone down and they’ve weaned her from the medication that’s keeping her comatose,” Orion replies.

“Wouldn’t it be better to get her someplace where she’ll have a routine?” Midas continues asking his questions, which has me hiding a smile because I know what he’s doing. He’s managed to diffuse my anger and redirect Orion. All I can say is well done, because I no longer want to throttle my own flesh and blood.

“According to the professionals, she’s in the best place she could be right now. If there’s an emergency or a setback, she has a neurologist there as well as her surgeon,” Orion explains.

“Why couldn’t one of us have chosen to go into healthcare?” I ask, my head thrown back as I look at the ceiling. “That way, we’d understand a helluva lot more than we do and wouldn’t have to rely on internet searches to fill in the blanks.”

“Yeah, well, considering none of us were all that great with math or science, and I point to the time we threw the fetal pigs away before they could be dissected, I think the medical world is breathing a sigh of relief that we’re who we are,” Gemini says, chuckling. “I mean, who the fuck thought it was funny to set up grills with those nasty, formaldehyde filled piglets on them? The whole commons area smelled for fucking months!”

“Wasn’t me,” Pisces and Orion say in unison.

Raising my brow, I look at Gemini and add, “And it wasn’t us, so… who else could it have been?”

“Nobody with a sense of smell,” Gemini counters. “But that does raise the question of who could’ve done it.”

“The only other person as appalled as we were was…” I clamp my mouth shut and turn toward Gemini, both of our eyes widen as we come to the same conclusion.

“Couldn’t be,” Gemini muses. “She was scared of her own shadow back then, remember? There’s no fucking way she would’ve done something so deliberate especially since the likelihood of getting caught was so substantial.”

“She did protest the biology lab with picket signs and caused a stink about cruelty to animals,” I remind him. “But outside of that, I have to agree with you. Maybe the Sutton we all know now would do it, but back in the day? Nope, I don’t see it.”

“All I know is I’ve never had a problem with my nose hairs since,” Orion teases. “Singed those bastards clean off.”

“Now you’re going to own up to it?” I ask, shaking my head at him.

“Hey, in my defense I didn’t do it alone,” he says, twisting in his seat and pinning Pisces with a glare. “And it wasn’t my idea either.”

“Believe it or not, we took our cues from your woman,” Pisces admits, jabbing his finger at Gemini. “She came up with the entire plan, we just followed through with it.”

“What?” Gem and I ask at the same time, our heads rearing back from the shock. Sutton was a goody two shoes back then, it’s hard to picture her being the ringleader of a revolt.

“She was our lookout, though,” Pisces adds. “We made her leave before we fired up the grills because we didn’t want her going home smelling like that poison. Bad enough that the two of us had to strip down to our boxers and throw away our clothes. Still miss that T-shirt, too.”

Looking at Gemini, I state, “Your woman has many hidden talents, brother. Wonder what other secrets she’s got?”

“The world may never know,” Sutton says, having walked into the room. Then, she glares at Pisces and Orion and starts to fuss. “Whatever happened to ‘we’ll take it to our graves’ boys? When did y’all become tattletales?”

“They forced it out of us, Sutton,” Orion whines. “It was brutal! We caved, we’re sorry.”

I shake my head at his antics. “Y’all are on your own. I’m going to see Finley and let her know what I’ve managed to accomplish on her behalf.”

CHAPTER

FIVE

Finley

“I see you’re being set free today, jailbird,” Orion sings as he saunters into my room, a bag swinging in his hands. “Brought you some shit the girls said you’d need. Warning, Mercury’s right behind me, he’s a moody bastard today, too.”

“When isn’t he?” I tease as excitement strums through me at the prospect of being released. I’m so over this hospital bed and nasty food they serve. But the drugs they administer have been helpful.

“When isn’t he what?” the man in question asks as he steps into the room, a scowl on his face. My eyes widen comically as Orion snickers. Mercury narrows his eyes at us as he scans our faces. “Who were you two talking about?”

“Nobody,” I quickly chirp out, acting innocent.

“A broody bastard we both know,” Orion snarks. “You wouldn’t know anybody like that, would you?” This man just doesn't know when to stop and not put his foot in his mouth.

Sometimes, I think Orion just says things to wind the others up from the little interaction I’ve had with everybody, and in this case, it works as Mercury’s face now looks almost thunderous. I take pity on Orion and say, “You, Mercury. You’re not the easiest person to talk to, and this could be the drugs talking, but you always look a bit constipated.”

Orion loses it and starts laughing so hard, he nearly hyperventilates. He keeps trying to say something, only to stop again and slap his thigh. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he had a seizure disorder or something. Finally, he calms down enough and states, “Granny always said we should eat our prunes. Guess you forgot that little nugget of wisdom.”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” Mercury rumbles, his voice doing something to my body that I refuse to acknowledge.

“Give me that bag, Orion, so I can get out of this horrid gown,” I say, holding out my hand.

“Yeah, putrid green is not your color, so when I order our coveralls, I’ll be sure to get you something different,” Orion replies, smirking at me.

“Asshole,” I mumble as I make my way to the bathroom, doing my best to make sure I’m not flashing my ass.

I obviously fail when I hear Orion stage-whisper to Mercury, “She’s got a nice ass, brother.” I’m giggling when I close the door behind me because I hear flesh hitting flesh and Orion yelp out, “Hey, fucker, that hurt!”

It doesn’t take me long to take a quick shower. I’m still moving a bit slow, but the hot water pouring down my body feels fantastic. I think it’s because when I was laying out in that field, broken and bruised, I thought I’d never feel it again. Regardless, in less than thirty minutes, I’m clean and dressed in an outfit meant for comfort. Not that I’ll complain; leggings and an oversized shirt are perfect since they’re not rubbing against any of my surgical incisions. Those are starting to drive me nuts because they’re at the itchy stage. To me, there’s nothing worse than having something you want to scratch but you can’t because it’ll open up the stitches. Been there, done that and would prefer never to have it happen again.

Walking out of the bathroom, I can feel the tension in the room, so I throw my hands in the air, the empty bag now swinging from one of them and say, “Tada! I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand.”

“You know, in Texas, we’d eat popsicles pretty much all year round,” Orion muses. “But here? It’ll probably be August before it’s warm enough to enjoy them.”

“Popsicles are for kids,” Mercury emphatically states.

“What’s your point?” Orion parries. “We know I’m an overgrown child, Merc, and as far as I’m concerned, life’s too short not to enjoy the things we like. So there.”

“You gonna stick your tongue out at me next, child?” Mercury asks, smirking at Orion.

“Expect the unexpected,” Orion retorts. “Which means, no, because you’re anticipating me doing that very thing, I’ll keep my tongue to myself.”

I snort and voice my internal thoughts, “You remind me of that commercial when Toys ‘R Us was still open and a kid's dream.”

“Hey! I resent that. I was a Toys ‘R Us kid. I had every matchbox car ever printed,” Orion says, looking affronted.

Laughing, I admit, “My cousins were like that with Barbies, me however, I went for all of the remote control cars and had them in abundance.”

“You and I would’ve been besties,” Orion announces as Mercury rolls his eyes and reaches out, placing his hand on my back to escort me out of the room. “Hey, what’s the rush? I was making friends, Mercury.”

“Y’all can do that in the truck,” he grumbles. “The smell of antiseptic is burning my nostrils.”

I sniff and look at him as if he’s grown a second head. This isn’t a traditional hospital, it’s more like a clinic. It has a clean, sanitized smell but it isn’t to the point that your nose hairs feel like they’re going to singe. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Get used to it, he’s like a stick in the mud,” Orion says, snickering as he reaches out and plucks me away from Mercury, much to the man’s displeasure if the growl he emits is evidence of that. “You need to stick with people who share your enthusiasm for life, Fin. Leave the surly assholes in the rearview mirror.”

“Why are you baiting him?” I lean in and whisper out the question.

“Because the fucker ate the last bowl of my cereal this morning. He knew I had been dreaming about eating it since dinner last night,” he complains.

“How would he know that?” I ask as we walk through the sliding glass doors.

“The asshole knows because I was drooling over it when I told everyone to keep their hands off of it,” he tells me.

“Y’all really are a bunch of overgrown kids,” I giggle.

Orion lets go of me, takes a step back and bows, using his best Elvis impression, he says, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

“Jesus fuck,” Mercury growls as he hits the keyfob for the truck and unlocks it. “Would you two get in already?”

Placing my hands on my hips I give him my most surly look and state, “We just got here! Patience is a virtue, Mercury.”

Apparently, tired of our antics, he scoops me up and sets me on the seat, placing the small bag of things I’ve accumulated at my feet. Looking at Orion, he says, “Get in, fucker, or get left behind.”

I don’t know what I was expecting when I saw the clubhouse for the first time, but this was not it. I’m not a judgy person per se, but this place looks like it’s standing on a hope and a prayer. “Did you go buy out all of the bubble gum the stores had? Is that what’s keeping this place standing?”

“We inherited it. It’s a work in progress,” Orion admits as he cringes.

“It’s getting there. It’s not quite habitable yet, but there’s plumbing and electricity,” Mercury tacks on. “For now, we’re staying in the main house behind the clubhouse. But the driveway leading there is fucked up, so we park here and walk to the house.”

“Oh, this is what a girl who was just released from a doctor’s care wants to do. A trek through two feet of weeds,” I bellyache. Giving Orion puppy eyes, I ask, “Piggyback ride?”

“Hot damn!” Orion shouts. He crouches down and says, “Hop on, I’ll give you a ride you’ll never forget.” Once I’m securely on his back he turns to his cousin and says, “Last one there has to clean the toilets!” He races off with me giggling on his back.

Mercury is hot on our feet, picking up speed which has me leaning into Orion, hollering, “Pick up the speed or I’m gonna sell you to the glue factory!”

“They’d reject him, he’s got rabies,” Mercury prattles as he passes us, laughing.

“I didn’t know he could do that,” I say to Orion.

“Do what?” he asks, his tone pouty.

“Laugh,” I answer.

“He has his moments,” Orion tells me as he slowly lets me glide down his back. He stays steady until he knows I’m not going to lose my balance as Mercury steps back off the porch and comes over, lifting me up in his arms. “Well, looks like Merc has found his inner gentleman.”

“This gentleman is gonna go grab the cleaning supplies and deliver them to the bathroom for you, moron,” Mercury states, a half smirk on his face at getting one over on Orion.

“You’re too good to me, asshole,” Orion gripes, not so lightly smacking Mercury on the back of his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I know you’re next on the lineup, I’ll leave a nice surprise for you on your day.”

“Awe, you really shouldn’t,” Mercury warns as he sits me down on the couch before turning around and facing his cousin. “Payback is a bitch, Orion. Your list is adding up.”

“My list?” Orion asks, acting as if he has no idea what Mercury is talking about.

“Yeah,” Mercury says, stepping into Orion’s face. “Your list.”

I plant my face in my palms and shake it. As I go to try and break the two apart before things come to blows, Gemini steps into the room, his voice thunderous as he hollers, “Enough!” Both of the guys’ heads twist in his direction before putting space between them. “This is Finley’s first day with us and you’re giving her the impression you’re both neanderthals.”

“In our defense, we are,” Orion justifies.

“I just want a little quiet,” I murmur when Gemini looks in my direction. “I don’t mind them joking around and cutting up, but I’ve still got a headache.”

“Shit. Sorry, Fin,” Orion says, sounding shameful.

“Damn, Finley. I’m sorry, he just has a way of getting under my skin,” Mercury announces. “Let me carry you to your room, it’s all set up and ready for you so you can just lay down.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. “Laying down for a little bit sounds good.”

CHAPTER

SIX

Mercury

The next morning, I’m at the clubhouse with Hercules and my cousins, as well as Sutton, as he shows us the newest issue. “The sheetrock in this room needs to be replaced,” he tells me as he shows me the mold that was hidden behind a layer of paint.

“How much damage is that going to do to our repair funds?” Gemini asks as he goes over and peels off another tier of the paint from the affected area.

“If it’s just this section, it won’t be horrible, but if it’s throughout the entire room, it’ll be a hard hit,” Hercules explains.

“We should presume that it’s throughout the whole room, Gemini. We need to check the other rooms before we go further. It may end up being cheaper to raze the whole fucking thing and start over. At least that way, we could put in what we need and want, instead of trying to refurbish whatever the fuck Rocco had going on here,” I state.

“Let’s do it,” Gemini replies. “Something like a barndominium would work, we could set out the interior the way it works for us and use the underground shit that’s already there. We know that the Kings have enemies throughout the country, and it’s probable that Rocco’s went underground when the club disbanded. But now that we’re here, they’ll come crawling out of the woodwork. We need to ensure we have the ability to protect whoever’s under our protection, as well as Sutton.”

“If we buy the kit, we can do all of the work ourselves, which will save some money,” Hercules adds. “I’ve got crews who are qualified and skilled on both plumbing and electrical, remember? You made them prospects.”

Gemini chuckles then smacks himself on the head. “You know you have too much shit going on in your head when you forget a simple detail like that. So, I’m not familiar with mold, is this the bad kind where we’ll lose everything inside that we could possibly reuse?”

“It’s not black mold, if that’s what you’re asking,” Hercules says. “Still, I like your idea and with my contacts, we can likely get it at nearly cost.”

“Get the numbers for me, brother,” Gemini instructs. “In the meantime, we’ll go room to room and anything we want to keep, we can get one of the prospects to remove it and we’ll put it in the barn for now.”

“No, get me the numbers since I’ve got it available to use,” Sutton rebuts. At Gemini’s look, she raises her brow and adds, “Am I your old lady?” At his nod, she states, “Then my money is our money and in effect, it’s club money, plain and simple.”

“But it’s yours, baby,” Gemini replies.

“And I can do what the hell I want with it, Gemini,” she gently rebukes. “We’re going to be living here and I refuse to have this place smelling like bleach because of mold when I have the means to make that not happen for any of us.”

I grin because he’s so gone for her, if she wanted him to shave his beard off, he’d do it, and he wouldn’t do it to win a bet against Pisces, which is saying a great deal about the hold she has on him. Granted, he’s got the same on her and my chest hurts thinking about having something like that for myself.

“I for one am grateful that you’d offer to help us,” Orion says as Aries nods beside him. “I have pride, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of building our businesses and family.”

“Orion,” Gemini calls his name. When Orion turns in his direction, he grits his teeth and says, “Shut the fuck up.”

“Or, you could keep talking and bury yourself in your own grave,” I sing.

“What’s got you in a good mood today?” Orion asks me, raising his brows at me as if he’s suspicious.

“I’m always in a good mood when you put your foot in your mouth and get it shoved deeper in there,” I say, taunting him.

“You two, don’t talk to each other. You’re in time out from each other for the rest of the day,” Sutton orders, shaking her head like she’s scolding a preschool room full of toddlers. Which if my jokester of a cousin is in attendance, that’s a pretty accurate assessment.

Most people think I don’t like Orion, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I love the fucker, but I love him more when he keeps his trap shut. I know that it’s his way of dealing with shit, and nine times out of ten his family are the ones who are on the other end of his comedic relief. I don’t like being teased, even on my best days. I think a lot of it boils down to the fact that I’m not great at comebacks. They usually come to mind once the whole thing is done and over with and that aggravates the holy shit out of me. I have a tendency to get wound up and think faster with my fists than I do my words.

We decide, after coming to the conclusion that we’ll do a rebuild rather than a refurbished one, that we all should head into Sutton’s office at the big house while Hercules makes a few calls. It isn’t long until her emails are flooded with blueprints and designs. We immediately dismiss the ones with only one floor, we need multiple levels in order to house the entire crew we plan on living here. Now we’re down to our top five, each of us having a favorite and are unable to come to a decision on whose to go with.

“So what, should we rock, paper, scissor it like we did in the old days?” Orion asks.

Pisces and Aries give him a supportive look while Gemini and I give him a dumbfounded one. “That game always ended with one of us getting a black eye or a sore jaw,” Gemini reminds him.

“But we always had fun while doing it,” Orion says, a gleam in his eyes. Most likely, because he’s sly like a fox and always managed to weasel his way through us and ending up on top. He’d use his smaller frame against us and take us off our feet.

“Okay, let’s do this logically,” Sutton decrees. “We’re going to look at each one for its own merits and if there’s something that won’t work for all of us, then we move on to the next one. We have to consider the number of bathrooms, square footage needed for your armory because I know you’ll want one, and the common room needs to be big enough to host another club or multiple brothers should you get a visit.”

God, this woman makes sense in the most practical ways sometimes. “I like that idea and think that this first one here isn’t going to work. We want to have each room feel like a small apartment, remember? Plus, the kitchen itself needs to be industrial sized, so it’ll take up most of an area of the clubhouse. We need several safe rooms in the event that we’re somehow caught off guard, as well.”

“What are we going to do with the house itself?” Orion asks.

“I think we should refurbish it and we stay there while the rest of the club brothers stay in the clubhouse,” I reply. “It’s big enough for everyone already, plus we have extra guest rooms that any visiting presidents and their old ladies could use, instead of them being in the clubhouse.”

“I think we have a plan and I agree with Mercury that this first one isn’t going to work for us,” Gemini states. “Open the next one, baby.”

As a group, we huddle around Sutton’s laptop after she pulls up the blueprints for the second barndominium. This time, it’s Pisces who rattles off a list of cons as to why it won’t work. After a lot of back and forth, we nix number two and look at the third one.

“Now, this is something we can work with,” Gemini muses as he reaches over and takes possession of the mouse so he can zoom in on each level. “Plenty of room for expansion down the road, plus there’s enough square footage to put our stamp on it and make it ours. From the outside, it’ll look unassuming as fuck, but once inside, it’ll be a different story.”

“Which isn’t a bad thing, Gemini,” I say, voicing my thoughts out loud. “We don’t want curb appeal, it’s what’s inside that matters to us.”

“Did you see that there’s a space between the walls we can turn into storage?” Hercules asks as he motions with his finger for Gemini to go back a page. “Right there,” he points out as he aims his finger at the diagram. “We can use that to stock shit and hide it behind a secret passage door.”

“Damn, that’s diabolical,” Orion says.

“Where the hell did you learn that word from?” I ask, goading him.

“I read and shit,” Orion muses, looking proud of himself for cracking open a book.

“I don’t think you used it the right way though,” I counter.

Hercules stops the argument before it ensues. “It’ll be a handy space to have. We can store alcohol in there so we can keep up with the inventory or use it to store weapons and ammo like Sutton said earlier.”

“Or we can split it up and use it for both,” Gemini reasons.

“So are we in agreement that this is the one we want?” Sutton asks, leaning closer to the monitor and taking a closer look. “It has my vote, I like it.”

“Mine too,” I insert.

“I’m good with it,” Orion states, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m down, it looks sweet,” Aries replies.

“It has the room we need and like Gemini said, it’ll be easy to expand down the road if not,” Pisces concludes.

Sutton does something then looks over her shoulder at all of us, grinning, and says, “It’ll be here in the next ten days, so we’ve got that long to get this razed to the ground.”

“I’ll get the equipment over here tomorrow so we can start demolishing,” Hercules says.

“Then I guess we need to start going through the rooms to see if there’s anything worth keeping,” Gemini states. “Probably won’t be much, but Rocco was a shady fuck, so who knows what we might find?”

“We’ll be extra careful when we demolish, as well, because you said something about underground passages,” Hercules adds.

“Would be phenomenal if we found a hidden cache of money,” I mutter, half in jest.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Gemini replies, smirking at me.

CHAPTER

SEVEN

Finley

I must’ve slept the entirety of the day and through the night because when my eyes flutter open, sunlight streams through the curtains. “Shit,” I hiss as I swing my legs over the side of the bed. I feel like I have a hangover since I slept as long as I did. Looking at the clock sitting on the nightstand, my eyes widen when I notice the time. “How did I sleep through breakfast and lunch?” I mutter to myself as I grab some clean clothes and head into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As the water heats, my stomach rumbles. It’s a loud reminder of the fact that not only did I not eat much while I was at the clinic, but I missed out on the best meal of the day! Some people can’t stuff their faces first thing in the morning, but I’m not one of those people. I love a big breakfast, then a medium lunch, followed by something light for supper. And yes, I enjoy my snacks as well. I could probably stand to lose ten to fifteen pounds, but I’m more than comfortable in my skin and if anyone else thinks differently, that’s a them problem, not a me one as far as I’m concerned.

I rush through my shower, thankful that I washed my hair the day before because it’s so long and thick that it takes forever to dry. Once I’m done, I lotion, moisturize, powder, then spritz a little of my favorite body mist on, then I get dressed. Well, it’s my current favorite, since I tend to wear whatever suits me on a particular day. Maybe one day, I’ll find ‘the one’ fragrance that I use all the time, but today’s not that day.

Satisfied with how I look, I have my hand on the doorknob so I can go find some food, when there’s a knock on the door. I open it to see another woman standing there. At first, I’m confused, but then my memory snaps back into place and I realize it’s Sutton. “Hey,” I say.

“I thought I’d come check on you since you hadn’t come downstairs yet,” she says.

“I can’t believe I slept that long! I’m so sorry,” I reply.

“Don’t apologize, you’re living in a house full of bikers for starters, and trust me, they don’t adhere to a time clock. Plus, you’re still recovering, and rest is key to ensuring you heal properly. But I’m sure you’re hungry, so let’s go downstairs and rustle up some grub.”

“Yes, please.” I all but purr at the mere thought of filling my belly. “It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve filled this grumbling beast,” I say, rubbing my stomach.

“That’s because you slept through dinner, breakfast, and lunch,” Sutton reminds me, a teasing smile stretched across her face.

“What have I missed while I was reenacting a scene from Sleeping Beauty?” I ask as we traipse down the stairs.

“It’s been an active morning. We did a tour of the clubhouse this morning and determined that our best bet is to demolish it and start fresh,” she tells me.

“I could’ve told you that just from looking at it from the outside,” I laugh. “It looks like a stiff breeze could knock it over.”

“That it does, but the guys had high hopes for it, so I wasn’t willing to burst their bubble. But fate was on my side when Hercules told them it was a lost cause.”

“So are y’all doing a rebuild?” I ask as our feet hit the landing.

“In a way,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “We decided a barndominium is in our best interest. It can be shipped in easy to assemble pieces which means we’ll be up and running before we thought we would.”

“Silver lining,” I tease as we enter the kitchen. “Where are the guys?”

“They took a ride to clear their heads, or so they said when they left,” she informs me.

“You don’t believe them?” I inquire.

“It’s not that I don’t believe them, but those guys are always on the hunt for the men who took you. Plus, I’ve been temporarily banned from the hospital where my best friend is because I raised hell with the doctor. So I’m sure Orion was heading there to see Skippy. The guys try to stay with him when he goes if they can because they know if I threw shade, he’ll throw a bomb.”

“She was taken like me?” I question. “I only heard bits and pieces while I was in the clinic, and a lot of it is a jumbled mess in my head because of the meds they gave me.”

“Morphine brain?” she asks, teasing me. “I work for the hospital, but luckily it’s in the risk management side, so I can do my work remotely so I don’t have to take any chances with my safety.”

“Was that your doing or Gemini’s?” I probe.

“Both,” she tells me. “When I was stalked by Allen, who’s the CEO’s grandson, I did everything in my power to spend as little time with him as I could.”

“He sounds like a creep,” I reply, shuddering at the memory of the men who took me. I never saw their faces, but their actions were shiver inducing.

“He’s definitely one of those, but apparently it’s hereditary, because his father and grandfather are the same,” she says, mimicking my actions. “Okay, enough talk about creeps who do nefarious things, let’s eat.”

“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in that family, huh?” I ask as I make my way to the coffee pot. “First coffee, then food,” I decree.

She rolls her eyes at me and says, “You’re one of those kinds of people.”

“What kind of people is that?” I ask, not sure if I should resent her accusation or not.

“A coffee drinker,” she says, shuddering. “I don’t know how you can stomach that, the taste alone makes me gag. What sucks is I love the smell, and some of the creamers that are available now make me want to try again. But I know me and I know I’ll likely spew it right back out so I won’t take the chance.”

“I guess it’s a preference of some but not others. I need the jolt to wake me up and give me a jump start to my day,” I confess.

“I occasionally drink an energy drink but prefer my soda. Fountain is the best, of course, but give me some good ice and a carbonated beverage fizzing inside and I’m a happy camper.”

“What about the guys?” I question, my curiosity now roused.

“They enjoy a cup in the morning, but beer, whiskey, the occasional soda, and on a very rare occasion, ice water are their standard drinks. I suspect they’ll dabble in some heated beverages now that we’re out of the seventh pit of Hell and live in a state that has snow on a regular basis.”

“Maybe we need to see how to make hot toddies,” I suggest, giggling as I imagine their faces when they take that first sip.

She bursts out laughing then states, “I suspect it would be you and I enjoying those instead of the guys, but I guess we can try it and see.”

“Like one of my foster mommas used to say, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” I sing.

“Did she do that a lot?” Sutton queries.

“I have no idea,” I remark. “They used to argue a lot, which is why that placement didn’t last long because divorce tore our makeshift family apart, but I suspect it was her go-to method of handling things.”

She looks at me and says, “That had to be difficult being moved frequently.”

“I learned early on not to get attached to people, places, or things,” I reply. “Because I could come home from school and find my stuff packed in a garbage bag with the social worker waiting to take me to my new placement.”

“I’m sorry,” she tells me. “I realize it’s meant to ensure all kids have homes, but from what I know, not all foster families are in it for the right reason.”

“She was,” I admit. “She obviously had the money the state sent, but she treated us like we were her own flesh and blood. I had brand new clothes, not thrift store finds or hand-me-downs, and when I was sick, she actually took me to the doctor. I had another house I was at where I ended up in the hospital because my ‘simple cold’ turned into pneumonia. I nearly died that time but it got me moved and that house closed down, so at least other kids didn’t suffer like I did.”

“That’s almost as bad as the abuse, being neglected,” Sutton adds. “I hate it when people make you feel like the trash under their shoes.”

I shrug my shoulders because what’s the use in dwelling on the past. It won’t change what happened, but the lessons learned are unforgettable. I’m responsible for my future and that’s where I’ve placed my tunnel vision.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Mercury

As we leave from visiting Skippy, I notice that Orion is a little withdrawn. He’s not as happy-go-lucky as he usually is and that doesn’t sit right with me. As we curve through the mountains heading back to the clubhouse, I let my mind wander to Finley and my growing attraction to her. I was already curious about her and longing for her company, but the need to be near her has grown over time. I’m just unsure how to make her see me, not the man who found her half-dead and broken by what was intended to kill her.

Right now, I’m her rescuer, and that’s fine, but in the long run, I want to be her everything—her confidant, her lover, her best friend. I need to use the skills I’ve honed as a tracker and apply it to building a relationship with her.

The Bluetooth in my headset goes off as Gemini speaks. “We haven’t stopped by and checked in with Midas in a while, should we take a detour and go to the bowling alley?”

“Can I get a glass of moonshine while we’re there?” Orion asks, his voice monotone, lacking its usual jovial sound.

“As long as you don’t ride while under the influence,” Aries replies. Seems I’m not the only one who doesn’t like how down in the dumps our cousin is.

“What am I gonna do? Ride bitch on your bike?” Orion inquires.

“If that’s what needs to happen,” Gemini concludes.

“Could be a good time,” Orion remarks, a spark of his old, playful self in his comment.

“As long as your hands don’t roam, we’re golden, brother,” Aries responds.

“You know you like my hands on your body, cuz,” Orion teases, but it lacks the traditional jokester tone.

Deciding to goad him so I can bring him out of his funk, I say, “That’s a you thing, Orion. You’re the one who likes to feel people up.”

“Hey, I resent that accusation. Everybody I touch is a consensual act,” Orion argues.

“Yours or theirs,” I taunt.

“Watch it, Mercury,” Orion warns.

Since I haven’t gotten the reaction I was trying to get from him, I let it go and don’t keep pressing on his sore spot. “Lighten up, O, I was only playing with you.”

“Oh, so now you’ve found a sense of humor,” he snarks.

“It happens from time to time,” I convey as we swing into the bowling alley’s parking lot.

Once we park in formation, we head inside to find Midas. The parking lot is about half full, so we won’t be able to discuss club business per se, but we can get a feel for how things are going at least.

“Hey, Midas, you got a few?” Gemini asks when we find him behind the counter.

All the lanes are busy, as is the concession stand and I realize most of the participants are kids. “Is school out or something?” I ask.

“Yeah, some kind of teacher in-service day or some shit,” Midas replies. “Let me get Johnny over here to watch the counter and we can go into the office.”

“Mind getting me a glass of your best moonshine before we head in there?” Orion asks him as he takes a seat at the bench and watches the toddlers use one of those slides to roll their ball down into the lane. “Fuck, I’d bowl a three hundred if I could use one of those,” he muses, causing us to burst out laughing.

Once his assistant manager, Johnny, comes over, we walk to the back where Midas’ office is located. Surprisingly, it’s a decent sized room, and there are enough chairs for all of us.

“What’s going on?” Midas questions after we all sit down, Orion now sipping his blueberry infused moonshine and sighing over the flavor. Personally, that’s one I can’t stand and I know there are sour-faced pictures of me floating out there from the time the aunts had me try it. Needless to say, that’s not something I’ll be trying again.

“So, Hercules inspected the existing clubhouse and found mold. After a lot of discussion, we opted to raze it after making sure we got anything out that could be important, and we bought a barndominium. Here’s the thing, though. Sutton covered the cost and that doesn’t sit right with any of us. Do we have anything in our coffers that we can give her as a down payment toward that loan and then do monthly payments? It’s going to need some specialized reconfiguring, so the cost will go up, of course.”

He pulls out a ledger and says, “I started this for each of the businesses we have planned, but will eventually put it all on a computer once I find a software program I like. We were loaned two million total from the East and West Texas chapters, so we could pay her back in full and have plenty left, since I’ve already factored in the cost to get the shop up to code and running. That business alone will ensure that we’ll be able to repay our brothers timely, plus do whatever you want to fix the clubhouse. The bowling alley is always in the black and business has picked up now that we’re offering leagues. I know that you said the West Texas president’s old lady is good with finding livestock, so we’ll need her to help us start that, but from what I’ve seen, it’s rather profitable.”

“So, sperm sells?” Orion asks.

I shake my head and reply, “Dumbass, men sell it all the time to banks who freeze it for people to use.” I don’t voice the fact that the Central Texas branch runs its own stud service, but it’s for people not cattle.

“Y’all, knock it off, this is important,” Gemini barks. “We need the barns and pasture area to raise the beef and bison, and a separate area for the bulls we’re going to breed for the rodeo circuit. Just one or two bulls from that would definitely make bank, since it would get our name out there in a positive way.”

“I think with everything you guys are gearing up to start, it’s going to make a difference,” Midas replies. “We’ve needed a decent automotive shop for years, one that doesn’t fuck its customers over. Plus, Hercules’ construction company is gaining a good reputation and now that you’re partnering with him, again, it’s only gonna improve.”

“Thank fuck, it’s rough seeing the way some people react when they see us in town,” Gemini admits. “Being painted with the tarred brush from someone who was a complete asshole is sometimes hard to take, to be honest.”

“It can only go up, especially since you’re going to open the tattoo shop soon. Nobody likes having to go two towns over to get their ink,” Midas adds.

“We’ve got this, y’all,” I say. “Our fathers taught us well, and we’ll bring that knowledge and our own abilities to the table. Before we know it, people won’t move to the other side of the street when we come walking down the sidewalk.”

“I mean, a little fear isn’t bad,” Orion states. “We are Kings, after all, but we don’t want people loathing and hating us. We’re nice guys!”

“Unless someone fucks with us, then all bets are off,” Gemini reminds him.

“We have to see which of our brothers has talent with a gun,” I remark. “Because if it’s a Kings owned business, the reputation will precede us, y’all. I mean, if any of them has had ink laid by Abyss from West Texas, they’ll know in a heartbeat whether our artists have what it takes.”

“Maybe we should reach out to him and see if he knows of anyone who is willing to relocate,” Gemini muses.

“I have no issues with using our connections so we can get this chapter fully up and running as soon as possible,” I decree. “I’ll make the call later.”

“How’s the moonshine running?” Orion asks, changing the subject. He’s good for that, but it’s another aspect of our business so we need to know.

“Ever since I added Granny Edna to my team, it’s been hard to keep up with the orders,” Midas replies. Looking at Orion’s empty cup, he adds, “She’s a master with infusing flavors into the ‘shine and has been adding new flavors every week to test which ones would sell the best. So far, blueberry, apple, and caramel are the top runners.” I scrunch up my nose when he mentions my kryptonite and Pisces chuckles when he sees the look on my face.

“And you’re keeping up with each one so we know when we can start repaying our brothers in Texas?” Gemini questions, ignoring the shared look between me and Pisces.

“Fuck yeah, like I said, right now, I’m doing it old school until I find the software program I like,” Midas retorts.

“Maybe Orbit could create one,” I suggest. “Because we’ve definitely got a hodge podge, and I know the moonshine at least will be off the books.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Gemini says. “Midas, let me know what you have to have and I’ll get Orbit on it for you.”

“Works for me. I’ll pull all my notes together and shoot you a text later today,” Midas replies.

“Then we’ve got a plan. Alright, brothers, let’s head back to the clubhouse,” Gemini states.

CHAPTER

NINE

Finley

By the time the guys come back from wherever they went, my belly is full and my spirit is settled. Sutton and I had some bonding time, and I’m beginning to feel more comfortable staying here. The sound of boots and low, rumbling voices hits the porch before the door swings open. I glance at Sutton, and she just gives me a knowing look. I can feel my heart rate pick up. I can’t wait to see him, something that confuses me because from the moment he rescued me, all of my thoughts surround him.

Mercury steps inside first, his eyes finding mine instantly. It’s heavy, intense, and it makes my breath hitch. “You're awake,” he says, his voice rough. He walks over, not taking his eyes off me. He looks like he’s been through hell and back, but the way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m the only thing that matters.

“I am,” I answer, my own voice softer than I intend. “Sutton made sure I didn't waste away.”

“I see that,” he replies, shifting his attention to Sutton for a brief second before locking back onto me. “You look better. Like you're actually here instead of just floating.”

“I’m here,” I confirm with a slight hint of teasing in my tone. Standing up and stretching, I notice my body is still a bit stiff, but the pain is duller now, more manageable.

Orion trails in behind him, looking like he’s ready to crack a joke, but he pauses when he sees the look passing between Mercury and me. He clears his throat and says, “Well, the mood in here is thick enough to cut with a knife. Maybe I should have waited outside.”

“Or maybe you should just keep your mouth shut, O,” Mercury growls, but there’s no real heat in it.

I can’t help but smile at the banter. It’s a stark contrast to the silence of the cabin where I was held. This is loud, it’s messy, and it feels like life.

“I'm glad you're all back,” I say, and for once, I mean it.

Mercury steps closer, invading my space in that possessive way he has. He reaches out, his fingers brushing against the bare skin of my arm. His touch sends a jolt through me that has nothing to do with pain.

“We have things to talk about, Finley,” he tells me, his tone serious now. “But that can wait for later. Right now, I just want to know if you're good.”

“I'm good, Mercury,” I confirm, and I realize I finally believe it. “I feel fantastic, that long sleep was needed.”

Mercury lingers. His hand stays on my skin, his palm warm and calloused, grounding me. The air in the room shifts. The playful energy Orion brought in drains away, replaced by something heavier. He leans down, his scent of engine oil and worn leather wrapping around me.

“You don't just look good,” Mercury murmurs, his voice a low baritone of sound. “You look like you're fighting your way back to who you were before they took you. I just hope that path leads to me.”

“Is that right?” I challenge, my heart rapidly beating in my chest.

“Yeah,” he says. He pulls his hand back, though the ghost of his touch still burns. Sniffing the air and rubbing his belly, he continues, “We're going to talk. Soon. But for now, you need to eat. Sutton made some soup, and it's getting cold.”

“I already ate,” I argue, patting my extended stomach.

When he goes to argue, Orion clears his throat, breaking the spell. “Right, soup. Because nothing says welcome home like broth and nerves. Come on, guys, let's give them a minute before the place burns down from all this friction.”

Mercury glares at him, but Orion just grins. He gestures toward the hallway, his face losing some of that jokester mask he wears so well.

“I'm serious, Finley,” Mercury says, his eyes searching mine. “Eat. You're too damn thin from lack of care thanks to those jackasses, and I need you strong for what comes next. Those assholes aren't going to give up once it’s reported that you survived.”

“I'm stronger than I look,” I reply, holding his gaze.

“I know you are,” he whispers. He turns to follow Orion but stops at the doorway. “Don't stray too far from the house if you decide to go out and stretch your legs. If you need something, you call for me. Don't make me come looking because you decided to play hero and show your ass by trying to be independent.”

“I'm not a hero,” I tell him, my tone snapping.

“No,” he agrees, that dark, intense look returning. “You're something else entirely.”

My head snaps up, “What’s that supposed to mean?” I quietly ask, but apparently, I’m talking to myself because nobody answers.

He disappears into the hall, leaving me standing there with the heat of his gaze still pressed against my skin. Sutton enters a moment later, holding a bowl, her expression knowing.

“He's a protective one,” Sutton says, handing me the soup.

“He's a handful,” I admit.

“They all are,” she says. “But at least he's on your side.”

I take a spoonful of soup. The warmth spreads through me, but it's nothing compared to the heat Mercury left behind. I have a feeling my life is about to get a whole lot more complicated, and for the first time in years, I'm okay with that. “I really am still full,” I complain. When did she have time to make this anyway? She’s been with me the entire day outside of the times I had to go to the bathroom.

“Just eat what you can,” she suggests. “These men are like rabid animals when they have their minds set on something.”

“Are we now?” Gemini asks as he comes up behind her, placing kisses along her collarbone.

“You know you’re all a bunch of savages,” Sutton teases him.

“Only for you, baby,” he murmurs into the crease of her neck.

“Where did you guys disappear to?” she asks him as she guides me toward the recliner, her hand resting gently on my shoulder, steering me with a grace that makes me feel incredibly clumsy. Before I can register the shift, she has me comfortably settled in the chair with the bowl placed in my hands. She’s slick; I hadn't even realized she was maneuvering me exactly where she wanted me until I was already sitting down.

“We went over to the bowling alley to connect with Midas,” he says. “We had to coordinate the logistics for our upcoming build, since keeping our revenue stream strong is the main focus right now.”

I watch them from my seat. It's surreal, seeing this side of them. They're brutal, hard men who protect this club with everything they've got, but here they are, soft and domestic in the quiet of the afternoon. It makes my head spin. I take another spoonful of the broth. The heat finally settles the nerves that've been clawing at my gut all day.

Sutton runs a hand through Gemini's hair, her thumb tracing the line of his jaw. It’s an intimate gesture, one that speaks volumes about what they have. “Did you get what you needed?” she asks.

“We've got a plan,” Gemini tells her. He glances my way, his gaze assessing, like he's measuring how much I'm keeping it together. “How are you holding up, Finley? That soup isn't just for show. You need the fuel.”

“I'm managing,” I say, my voice steady despite the persistent ache in my chest. “But I'm not a child. You don't have to hover.”

Gemini lets out a rough chuckle. “Hovering's part of the job description around here. You're in the fold now. That means you get the same care as the rest of us.”

Sutton hums in agreement. She leans into him, her head resting against his shoulder. It’s easy to see the strength they share. The way they move together, like two halves of a whole, makes me ache with a longing I don’t want to name. I know the danger they live in. I have felt the cold steel of a gun’s bullet pierce my skin. I still remember the sharp bite of an arrow as it penetrated my body. Watching them, I wonder if the risk is worth the reward. I look down at my soup. I am afraid that if I keep staring, they will see exactly how much I crave that kind of certainty. Knowing that the person I’m with is connected with me so intimately, without it just being about sex, is the sense of belonging I’ve always craved. Seeing Sutton and Gemini’s easy give and take fills me with longing as well as a hope that maybe, just maybe, it’s what I could build with Mercury.

Gemini glances my way. He doesn’t pull away from Sutton. Instead, he smiles at her, then his eyes flick back to me. He’s watching, studying me as if I am an engine he needs to tune.

“You’re quiet, Finley,” he accuses. His voice is deep and steady. He’s not judging me, he’s simply observing.

“Just thinking,” I reply. My hands tighten around the spoon. I try to sound casual but if the looks on their faces are any indication, that’s an epic fail.

“Thinking about what?” Sutton asks. Her voice is light and kind. She pulls back from Gemini just an inch so she can see my face.

“About how different this is,” I tell her. “I spent so long running from my life that it’s strange to sit still. It feels like a trap I can’t see.”

“Welcome to the rest of your life,” Gemini replies. “No more running or hiding. You’re part of the Kings family now, and we’re loud, proud, and take no shit from anyone.”

I scoff because that’s so far from my normal personality, I’m unsure if I can find my place. Sutton must read my mind or at least figure out what I’m thinking from my expression because she adds, “You’ll get there, I promise.”

CHAPTER

TEN

Mercury

Is it wrong of me to linger here, concealed by the wall, eavesdropping on what they are saying? Absofuckinglutely, but I have no regrets since it finally gives me a clear window into her mind. Hot breath hits my ear as Orion asks, “What’cha doing, cousin? Surely, you aren’t listening in on their conversation.” I jerk back, slamming my elbow into the drywall, but I catch myself before I make a sound. I glare at him, my pulse thrumming. He’s grinning like he just found a gold mine. I grab the front of his cut and drag him down the hallway, away from the kitchen and the eyes of anyone else who might catch us lurking.

“Shut your mouth,” I hiss, keeping my voice low. “I’m not doing anything.”

“Right,” he drawls, straightening his cut. “You’re just standing here in the shadows, staring at the wall while they talk about her feelings and shit. You’ve got it bad, Merc.”

“It isn’t like that,” I lie, even though the words taste like bile on my tongue. It is exactly like that. The way she sounded just now, broken and scared, it guts me. I don’t care if it’s wrong to listen. I need to understand what’s going on in her head so I can fix it. I need to know how to be the man she needs.

“You’re transparent,” Orion says, his voice losing the teasing edge. He leans against the wall, looking down at his boots. “She’s a survivor, man. She’s not some delicate flower you can just pot and water. If you try to cage her, she’s going to fight you just as hard as she fought them.”

“I’m not trying to cage her,” I growl.

“Maybe not,” he says, glancing back toward the living room. “But you’re watching her like a hawk. You’re hovering. You think that’s protecting her? It’s just showing her you don’t trust her to keep herself upright.”

“I trust her,” I say, though my gut twists with doubt. I don’t trust the world she’s in. I don’t trust that the danger is gone. “I just want to be sure she knows we’ve got her back.”

Orion sighs, a sound that echoes in the cramped hall. “Give her space, Merc. If you want her to trust you, you have to show her you’re a partner, not a warden.”

He walks away, leaving me to stare at the doorframe. He’s right. I hate that he’s right. I turn back and look toward where they’re congregated. I don’t go in, I just stand there, forcing my lungs to expand and contract, trying to dial back the need to rush in and take control. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done because I want to make her world light and easy to navigate.

A soft cough cuts through my thoughts, drawing my focus to the kitchen entrance. Jerking my head around, I see Pisces leaning there with his arms crossed over his chest, his face completely unreadable. “He makes a fair point, Merc,” Pisces somberly says. “If you treat her like a kenneled animal, she’s only gonna bolt the second you remove her from the cage.”

“So you’re telling me to back off?” I demand, my voice tight with tension.

“I’m telling you to take a damn breath and give her a bit of space,” Pisces counters, stepping closer, his heavy boots making no sound on the floorboards. “You’re so completely fixated on the external threat that you’re turning into a threat yourself inside this house. Finley isn’t just some assignment to manage. She’s a human being. If you want her to stick around, you’ve got to give her a reason to stay that goes beyond basic safety.”

I let his words sink in. They bite, but I can’t deny the truth in them. My entire life has been about hunting, tracking, and securing, and I’m mistakenly trying to apply those cold rules to a woman who just barely escaped a living nightmare. By suffocating her with protection, I’m denying her the room she needs to breathe. But I gave her room in the beginning and each time I saw her afterward, she looked rejected. I can’t do that again. I won’t do that to her, she needs to know that I want her with every beat of my heart.

“It’s a struggle,” I confess, the admission heavy as it drags out of me. “Every time I look at her, all I can see are the cuts, the deep bruises, and the lingering fear. My immediate instinct is to shield her from the world, from absolutely everything. You’re telling me to back off?” I ask, my voice tight. “I’m not sure I can do that.”

“I know,” Pisces says. His tone softens slightly, a wry grin now on his face. “But that instinct is exactly what’s going to drive her away. Show her who you are when you aren’t on edge. Show her the man underneath the cut.”

He claps a hand on my shoulder and turns back toward the kitchen, leaving me alone in the dim hallway. I let out a long, shaky breath and run a hand through my hair. He’s right. I need to be better. I need to be more. I push off the wall and walk away, heading for the porch. The cold air is what I need to clear the fog from my head. I’ll give her the space she needs, even if it kills me.

I set off to take a walk, clear my head, and approach this whole thing from a new angle. I’m not sure how long I walk for, but when I make my way back to the house, Finley is sitting on the porch, a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands. The smell permeating the air around me tells me what she’s drinking since I haven’t gotten to her just yet, and sends a longing for easier times when my mom would make me a cup and we’d sit outside and talk.

The porch planks creak under my boots as I place a foot on the bottom board, watching her. She looks small against the wide Montana sky, her shoulders finally dropping from the tension that’s plagued her since I brought her here. She holds the mug with both hands, the steam curling into the chilly air. It’s a peaceful sight, and for once, I don’t feel the urge to run in and change it.

I clear my throat, the sound sharp in the quiet night. She glances up, her eyes widening slightly before she relaxes again. She doesn’t flinch, and that simple reaction makes my chest loosen. I know it’s going to take her time to completely relax her guard around complete strangers, but hopefully, with how we’ve been around while she was being medically cared for, we’ve made progress.

“You're back,” she says. Her voice is calm, lacking the defensive edge she usually carries when she sees me.

“I am,” I reply. I climb the steps slowly, making sure she sees every move I make. I don’t want to startle her. I take a seat a few feet away, leaving enough space to make it clear I’m not here to crowd her. “That looks good, better than the shit they served at the clinic that they tried to pass off as hot chocolate.” I know she doesn’t think I really noticed her, but I’ve been studying her since the day we met. I may have been in the background most of the time when she was awake, but I noticed every little thing about her. She prefers hot chocolate to coffee, and since we live in Montana, she’s probably going to be in her element living here. She also tends to think before she speaks. As someone who grew up around family that often reacted, it’s a welcome change.

“Much better,” she agrees, taking a sip. “Sutton is a lifesaver. She seems to have a stash of everything, including good cocoa.”

“She’s full of surprises,” I say. It’s quiet out here compared to the hustle and bustle of city life. The only sound is the wind in the trees and the distant hum of the wilderness. “I shouldn't have been hovering earlier.” She gives me a startled look so I add to my statement. “I know you saw me there, Finley. I saw your eyes look my way when Pisces and I were talking.”

She turns her head, studying me. There’s a question in her gaze, one she’s clearly weighing. “Why were you doing it?”

“Habit, I guess,” I admit. I look at my hands, calloused and scarred from a life of fighting. “I’m a tracker, Finley. My whole life is about finding things that are lost or hidden. When you appeared in my life, I treated you like a mission. Something to be secured and guarded. I forgot that a mission doesn’t have a soul, but you do.”

She smiles, and it’s genuine this time. It reaches her eyes, turning them soft. “I appreciate the sentiment. But I’m not a mission. I’m just a woman who’s tired of being hunted.”

“I get that,” I tell her as I reach out, resting my elbows on my knees. “And I promise, that changes tonight. I’m not your warden. If you want to sit out here, you sit. If you want to talk, I’m right here. But I’m not going to watch your every move like I’m waiting for you to fall.”

She takes another sip of her drink, looking out at the darkness. “That sounds like a start, Mercury.”

“It’s the only place we have to go,” I say. We sit in silence then, but it isn’t the suffocating kind. It’s the comfortable sort, the kind that lets two people breathe in the same space without needing to fill it with noise. For the first time since I found her, I feel like I’m finally in the right place.

“For the record, you never made me feel like you were guarding me like a prisoner. Honestly, your presence makes me feel safe,” she admits. “You mentioned earlier that there was something you wanted to discuss. Now that we're by ourselves, do you want to share what that is?”

“This is uncharted territory for me, Fin. I’m really not the type to talk about feelings and all that kind of shit,” I confess. “But I’ve got all these mixed emotions tangled up inside, and honestly, most of them are about you and me.”

“Since I have feelings for you too, Mercury, I think it’s important we talk about them. So let’s start clearing the air,” she suggests.

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

Finley

I wait patiently for him to start but after several long minutes, when he remains silent, I decide to take the bull by the horns. If my abduction and being hunted didn’t teach me anything else, I now know that life is too short for what ifs and maybe I should haves. “Mercury, I’m not naive enough that I don’t know if you hadn’t found me, I would be dead. I was physically weak from being starved, and while my wounds weren’t quite fatal in nature, if I hadn’t gotten medical care, they would have become just that. At first, I wasn’t sure if what I felt was some kind of hero worship. What woman doesn’t secretly want to be a damsel in distress who eventually gets rescued by her prince charming, after all?”

“I’m no prince charming, sweetheart,” he replies.

“Maybe not in the traditional sense, since you don’t have a suit of armor or a trusty steed, but you do wear a coat of armor of sorts with your leather cut, and your steed has a motor and chrome. Not all girls are the ballgown dressed princesses, so why should our prince be expected to adhere to the fairy tale standards?” I ask. “Then, when I never saw you any time I was awake, I was depressed and convinced you wanted nothing to do with me whatsoever. Silly thoughts, I know, since we hardly knew each other and in fact, we don’t really know each other now, which is something I hope to change. You always seemed so removed, so focused, and even though I’ve decided to make a few changes when it comes to my life, I want you to be a part of that. But with you staying away, I started rethinking everything. Maybe what I thought was interest was nothing more than human kindness, helping someone who was obviously in need.”

“So, what shifted?” he asks.

“Hanging out with Orion, seeing how all of you interact with each other. You’re a family and I know from Sutton that y’all are actually blood related, but it’s more than that and I’m not sure if I can explain it right,” I admit. “I saw you relaxed and joking, two qualities that were definitely absent the day you found me. The teasing y’all do, the respect y’all have for each other, it defined family to me. That’s what I’ve always wanted, Mercury. To belong, to be part of something outside of what I have built. Y’all are a family, and while I know I haven’t seen all sides of how that looks, it’s something I crave to be a part of.”

I take another sip of my cocoa, allowing the warmth to soothe the nerves that are starting to jangle in my gut. His facial expression has remained blank, so I have no clue what he’s thinking right now. Since his opinion is important to me, my anxiety is growing the longer he stays silent.

When he leans against one of the columns, crossing one leg over the other, I relax, knowing that good or bad, he’s about to spill his guts. I want to know everything about this man, from his food preferences to what scent he likes to wear. Personally, it’s my favorite; clean, slightly woodsy, with an underlying tone of leather. It’s all man and makes me feel warm and gushy inside.

“Growing up, it was all about family. We were part of a club in Texas as Sutton has told you. Our fathers were brothers and wanted something built with family in mind. I think we were riding dirt bikes before we could properly walk, that’s how early they started us. The plan was to eventually pass the officer roles to us and retire, but we lost all of them in a horrible eighteen-wheeler accident. Our moms are living their best lives now, roaming the countryside in an RV, but until Big Daddy reached out to us about becoming Kings and rebuilding this chapter, we were somewhat aimless.”

“I’m sorry y’all lost your dads, that kind of pain is unfathomable to me,” I softly reply.

“We miss them every day, and it’s kind of funny how much each of us mimic our dads,” he says. “From a young age, they taught us how to live off the land, how to hunt, fish, build cars and bikes, pretty much anything they could think of, we all learned. Hell, they taught us how to fight and made us promise to always have each other’s backs. But, we spent so much time together growing up, we know what buttons to push to get each other going. I had an affinity for tracking, I’m able to look at a scene and discern what happened, and as I got older, I got better. One of the local men was over a volunteer search and rescue group, and I started working with him, eventually earning my certifications. As my skills grew, so did my confidence, and before I knew it, I was being brought in on situations that needed my expertise.”

“Like Dog the Bounty Hunter?” I ask.

He barks out a laugh and seeing the genuine humor in his eyes and on his face lightens my own mood. “Definitely not, I occasionally tracked people who skipped out on their bonds, but it’s mostly been to find missing people or those considered endangered. Sometimes the clues I found and processed allowed the officials to prosecute the guilty parties, because my father and uncles taught me to look at everything, not just the obvious shit.”

“Okay, so I don’t have to worry about being Beth,” I tease. At his startled look, I can’t help the giggle that escapes. “Okay, so full disclosure, I like reality tv, and that’s a show I watched like my life depended on it. She was always involved in his job assignments, and I’m going to put it out there, I’m not that kind of woman. You may have found me all beaten, broken, and busted to hell, but I’m not the outdoorsy type at all. While I prefer city living, it’s more because it’s convenient than anything, and I’m finding that this kind of quiet that’s out here is more to my liking.”

“You and Orion are like two peas in a fucking pod,” he grumbles. “He likes that shit too. Even watches some of the housewife ones.” Then, he looks up at the sky and mumbles, “Is this your idea of a joke, God?”

“Orion’s been a good friend to me,” I tell him. “I’m sure he’s got a serious side, but his joking around with me really helped when I was hurting, Mercury. Plus, he’s giving me a job, which I’m excited about since I honestly hated where I worked before.”

“Well, they were nothing but a group of misogynistic assholes, so you definitely dodged a bullet when you effectively quit after not showing up,” he drawls, making me giggle. “You need to do that more, Fin.”

“What?”

“Laugh,” he answers.

“Haven’t had a lot to laugh about, Mercury,” I admit. “But somehow, despite everything that has happened, I find myself more at ease and relaxed. So, these tracking assignments, how does that work with you being part of the Kings now?”

“We’ll figure it out. I mean, I’m the club VP, so I’ve got responsibilities to the club and they come first, but my brothers knew it wasn’t something I was willing to give up,” he replies.

“What if, down the road, you established your own search and rescue company? Is that even a thing?” I question.

“It’s something I’ll bring to the table,” he says. “Never hurts to find another revenue stream, that’s for sure.”

We’ve gotten so off track because of my inherent curiosity, so I decide to try and bring us back around. “What do you foresee for us, Mercury? I mean, long term.”

Fear is now coursing through me. I’m not a virgin, but I was in a committed relationship both times, and the last one, I thought it might be ‘the one’ until he showed his true colors. However, my time with Sutton taught me that bikers are a different breed altogether. They may spread themselves around with almost reckless abandon, but when they set their sights on one particular woman, that’s it for them.

That’s what I’m shooting for; to be his everything. The reason he gets up in the morning, does what he has to do for the club, and how he views future cases he accepts. Maybe that’s selfish wanting to be the center of someone’s universe, but after a lifetime of being less than and second best and even unwanted, considering I was a foster kid, I think I deserve the right to be a bit one-minded.

“I think the more accurate question here is what do you want, Finley?” he counters. “Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m a man of few words, but I think I’ve made my intentions clear.”

I throw my hands up in exasperation because he absolutely has not. I will never understand the way a man’s mind works if he thinks he’s made his intentions known to me. “Words, Mercury. I need to hear words because what you think you’ve done to make things clear may not be clear to me.”

Leaning into me, his breath hitting my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt, he says, “Then let’s do something about that.”

Before I get a chance to decipher those words, his lips slam down onto mine and a zap of electricity thrums throughout my entire system. My body responds in kind, my hands involuntarily lifting up and grabbing the lapels of his leather and dragging him closer to me.

When our lips part ways, we stare into each other’s eyes, our hearts erratically beating. “Does that clear things up for you, Finley?”

Licking my lips, I answer, “Yeah, Mercury. That clears things up.”

CHAPTER

TWELVE

Mercury

We make out like a couple of teenagers for a little longer before Finley’s eyes begin to droop, forcing us to call it a night. After all, I want all of her cognitive thinking fully functioning when I lay my claim on her. I’ve already possessed her lips, now my goal is to own her heart and eventually, seize her body and make sure she never craves a man that’s not me.

I walk her to her door, her fingers laced with mine as we climb the stairs on the way, with a smile steadily on her face. As we reach her room, I lean down and give her a quick kiss, making sure to keep it from becoming overly passionate. Otherwise, I won’t walk away and since we’re not ready for that next step because she’s still physically recovering, I keep it calm.

“Night,” she says as her hand lays on the doorknob, twisting it in short movements.

“Night, wildcat,” I reply, reaching over and twisting the handle to keep from prolonging our encounter. There’s only so much restraint a man has before his common sense takes a back seat. “Sweet dreams.”

“Same to you, Mercury. See you in the morning,” she says.

I like the hazy look she has in her eyes and have to focus to keep my cock from hardening at the thought of how she’s going to look after she’s fallen apart for me. I foresee a hand workout in my future and groan, knowing I’m caught in her snare.

But what a place to be, my mind whispers.

Turning, I head down the hall to my room, only to bump into Orion who has apparently been standing there creeping. Smacking his shoulder, I hiss, “Fucker, what are you doing stalking around here?”

“Was coming out to go grab a beer when I saw y’all stop at her door. I didn’t wanna interrupt, cuz,” he teases. “But on a more serious note, I got an email saying that several things we ordered for the shop are being delivered, so I need to take her there tomorrow. Do you think it’s gonna be a problem?”

“I know that it’s gonna get out that she survived, but y’all were right. We can’t keep her caged, and she doesn’t deserve to be punished like that because some fuckers think it’s a good idea to hunt people,” I growl out. “Let me know what time and I’ll ride over there with you. That way, y’all can focus on checking the orders in and not worry about protection.”

“Appreciate it, Merc,” he remarks. “Wanna join me for a beer?”

“Why not,” I mutter as I follow him back downstairs.

Seems that Gemini, Aries, and Pisces must have had the same idea because they’re sitting around the kitchen table talking when the two of us walk in. I grab two beers and sit down before I ask, “What’s up?”

“Aries has been checking into who throws ink,” Gemini replies. “Were y’all aware that Draco is an experienced artist?”

“Why isn’t he doing it, then?” I ask.

“Seems the man who mentored him and owned the shop he worked at passed away. The family wasn’t willing to let him buy it, so he started working construction with Hercules. He still does it on the side, but he’d be a good one to approach about the shop,” Gemini says.

“Then let’s do it. I know we don’t have everyone here for church, but Fin mentioned something earlier that has me thinking we might have another business we can open,” I state.

“Ooo, don’t leave us in suspense, cuz, you gotta tell us and not leave us hanging,” Orion singsongs.

“She thinks maybe I should open a business dedicated to search and rescue, that sort of thing. Then I can take the contracts I want to take, unlike now where I pretty much go where I’m called. We could set a range of prices, but I’m laying it out here now, anything to do with children will be on our dime. I refuse to allow parents who are worried sick pay for my help to find their child.”

“I mean, we did talk about doing something like that, and it would help coordinate efforts. Maybe a few contracts with the people who have trained dogs we can bring in if necessary?” Gemini muses.

“There are a lot of variables, for sure, but dogs would come in handy in a lot of scenarios,” I admit. “Hell, they could probably aid me in finding these hunting fuckers.”

“Do you have contacts in the area?” Pisces questions.

“I’ve got contacts all over the country, brother,” I reply.

“Then reach out to someone local and feel them out to see if they’d be willing to help you with this,” Pisces suggests. “If nothing else, you wouldn’t be out there alone. That’s something I’m not keen on knowing what they put both Finley and Skippy through.”

“Any change with her?” I ask Orion, turning to face him.

His face falls. “No, not really. The doctors have spouted a shit ton of medical terms at me, but from what Sutton has been able to determine, it’s a waiting game. Her brain has to heal and until it does, she’s gonna stay in the coma. At least they’ve got a physical therapist coming in every day to work her legs and arms. But that took Sutton throwing the hissy fit to end all hissy fits.”

“Worse than Aunt Kathy’s?” I query, smirking.

“Brother, by the time she was done lambasting them, and yes, that’s a new word for me so shut it, fuckers, the doctors and nurses all looked ashamed. They’d been doing the bare minimum for Skippy and she lost her shit when she went in and saw they were using those wipes to bathe her, not giving her an actual sponge bath. Sutton demanded that they give her one of those basins, some washcloths and soap and she did it, then she made an aide help her wash Skippy’s hair since the area that wasn’t shaved still had blood and whatnot in it. Then she put her in a soft pair of pajamas and insisted they change the sheets. Which, by the way, they hadn’t done since she was put in that bed.”

“Holy fuck,” I whisper. “They had her set up for an infection because she has healing wounds.”

“Bet the grandfather put the word out and it’s more than likely that there are dirty nurses at that hospital too,” Aries supplies. “We need to get her moved to somewhere safe because that hospital ain’t the place.”

“Yeah, but where?” Gemini asks. “We’re not set up to care for her.”

“What about a rehab facility that offers skilled nursing care?” I ask. “We can also get Orbit to do a little digging on the staff at the hospital. “Because if they’re being so lackadaisical on patient care, what else are they doing? He can always find the dirt then pass it along anonymously, of course, to someone who has the power and means to change things.”

“This shitstorm just keeps getting bigger, doesn’t it?” Gemini questions. “We’re trying to rebuild the club itself, repair the reputation that Rocco decimated, and now this has dropped in our laps.”

“But the hospital is at the root of it,” I remind him. “Jeffries, his father, and grandfather are sick motherfuckers. It’s their poison that has spread through the community, and once we can track them down, I suspect we’ll cut the head off the snake as far as hunting people for prey goes.”

“Unless this is bigger than we think it is and goes further than Montana,” Pisces points out. “If that’s the case, we’ll need to call in reinforcements.”

“That’s a scary fucking thought,” Orion mutters. “If it’s countrywide, there are places and people we can’t touch.”

“We need to give these thoughts to Orbit and have him scour the internet, hit the dark web, they have to be gaining financial backing and locating others who are likeminded somewhere,” Aries concludes.

“Don’t forget, we’re nationwide too, with chapters in every state, and if we find out it’s bigger than just Montana, we can at least let Big Daddy know so he can decide whether to inform the other clubs to be on the lookout for something similar. I know they’ve all got their own shit going on, but something like this goes against everything the Kings stand for,” Gemini adds. “Plus, if you think about the demographics here in the states, the mountainous ones could definitely have something going on.”

“Let’s focus on Montana first and see if there are more shacks out there. We can proceed accordingly once I’m done exploring and Orbit does his thing,” I say. Looking at Gemini, I state, “We need him here, on site, brother. Because I think we’re literally at the very tip of a huge ass iceberg.”

“Then I’ll get him here,” Gemini decrees. “Alright, brothers, I’m hitting the hay now. See y’all in the morning.”

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Finley

As soon as my feet hit the bottom landing of the staircase, Orion is standing there with a smirk on his face. “What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. I like the guy, but that doesn’t mean I trust him and his scheming ways.

“Good morning,” he sings, his smirk still in place.

“What makes you say it in that tone of voice?” I query, my own sounding suspicious. “Unless it’s because you wanna take me to check out the shop today?”

I mean, I won’t lie especially since I’m firmly in the camp that honesty is always the best policy, even if it hurts, but I’ve been wanting to see the old business the club bought so that we can start planning what needs to be done so we can open the doors. I know the guys got my last check and that someone called Orbit is working on getting all of my identification and credit cards replaced, but until then, I’ve been virtually broke.

“As a matter of fact,” he drawls, fully grinning now, “we are doing that, but first, we’re gonna talk Mercury into buying us breakfast at the diner.”

“What are we talking Mercury into this morning?” the man himself asks as he walks down the steps only to stop by my side, his arm going around my shoulder.

Orion’s face is now nearly splitting, and I swear to God I can see the thingie at the back of his throat wiggling as he chuckles. “That’s kind of gross, Orion,” I say, pointing to his face. “I can see your tonsils, dude, and they look a bit… swollen.”

I start grinning when his jaw snaps shut and he goes from looking like he’s got a massive, major secret to worried in less than two seconds. Score one for me; I now know how to keep him quiet, just mention a possible medical issue and he’ll close tighter than a nun’s legs!

I’ve been more of an observer of these men and how they operate while I was a patient. It’s how I’ve gotten to know what makes them tick, in a roundabout way. I’m still learning, but I’m starting to have their number.

“You’re just mean, Fin,” Orion says, sticking his bottom lip out and pouting. “You know I have phobias when it comes to infections of any sort.”

“Stop complaining, O,” Mercury demands. “If you can dish it out, you can take it.”

“You're just a grown up, Merc. Lighten up, dude, your age is showing,” Orion taunts.

“Someone around here has to be,” Mercury grumbles as he draws me in closer to his side. “I think I overheard something about breakfast and the diner. Is that something you want, wildcat?”

“That depends,” I counter, “do I get to ride on the back of your bike?”

“Do you think you’re up for that? It’s not a smooth ride like the cage is,” he remarks.

“I’m better. I woke up this morning feeling like a new woman. I’m ready to have a different lease on life after everything I survived, a more adventurous one.”

“If you stay with him, you won’t find that,” Orion inserts, jabbing his finger in Mercury’s direction. “He’s no more fun than a stick in the mud.”

“Orion,” I scold, hissing out his name. “That remark was uncalled for.”

“You tell him, baby,” Mercury says, squeezing my shoulder in thanks for my support. “Just because I don’t joke around or smile twenty-four hours a day doesn’t mean I don’t know how to let loose when it’s called for.”

“Cuz, your idea of letting loose as you say is to go online and order your yearly allotment of T-shirts and boxers,” Orion chides. “Hell, if you didn’t have to try on regular shirts and pants, you’d do that too, for fuck’s sake, but you’re so broad shouldered, you can’t just buy it and trust it’ll fit.”

“I tried,” Mercury mumbles, making me look up at him to see him scowling at Orion.

“I didn’t mean I have to go on rollercoasters every day or try new and exotic foods, I’m just tired of never fitting in or belonging,” I state. “Gemini says I’m in the fold, so like it or not, I’m here to stay.”

I don’t mention mine and Mercury’s talk from the night before because from what Sutton shared, these men have weird practices when it comes to ‘claiming’ their woman. Neanderthalic, is what it is, even if that’s not a real word, it’s how some of their behaviors are as far as I’m concerned. So, based on what she explained to me, it’ll be up to him to tell the rest of the club that our relationship is changing.

Breakfast at the diner was filling, and I was impressed at the sheer will power Mercury showed while refraining from choking Orion out due to his rolling commentary. There were a few times I wanted to shove a biscuit in his mouth to shut him up.

So, to see how business-like he is once we’re at the shop and he’s unlocked the door, I’m kind of in shock. Before I slid off Mercury’s bike, the two of them walked the perimeter then went inside to ‘check things out’. Teasingly, I look at the two of them as we walk inside and ask, “What would you have done if there had been some kind of threat? I mean, it wasn’t like I was in a vehicle, I was out in the open!”

“See, what you haven’t learned yet about us, we shoot to kill and we never miss our shot,” Mercury states. “Which reminds me, I need to see if Gemini agrees that you and Sutton need to learn how to handle a gun.”

“Who says I can’t?” I question. When they both stop in their tracks and stare at me, I shrug. “I mean, I’m a single woman and I’ve been literally on my own since I turned eighteen and was tossed out onto the streets by the system. I’m licensed to conceal carry and have taken lessons. In fact, unless they tampered with my toolbox, my Glock is locked in the bottom drawer. I forgot it that day, which I honestly wish I had packed in my purse, you know? But I could use some time at a firing range, so if that’s a possibility, count me in.”

“You know, you continuously shock the shit out of me, Fin,” Orion amusingly says. “Most women would still be holed up in a room, afraid to return to life, after what you went through. Yet here you are, just a few days out of being released and you act like everything’s just fine.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I do have my moments,” I confess, “but not where y’all can see them. I sometimes cry in the shower, but at the end of the day, I’m alive thanks to Mercury, and I’m safe thanks to all of you. I know you’ll protect me with your lives if it comes down to it, so why should I worry?”

“Count on it,” Mercury growls. “As long as I’m alive and breathing, you’ll stay safe.”

“For once, the big lug and I are on the same page,” Orion states as he walks through the garage and opens the bay doors, letting sunshine and fresh air stream inside since it’s stuffy from being closed up for months.

“Wow, this is a big space,” I say in wonder as I turn around and take it all in. “Orion, we can do so much here,” I gush as my hopes and dreams take flight in my mind. All of my passion stems around restoration, and before I saw this space with my own eyes, I didn’t think we’d have the additional room to make that part of our business plan.

“One idea I have for the future based on what you shared during your time in the clinic is to build a separate building on the property strictly for you to do restorations, Finley. It’ll have a paint booth and everything. You may only be able to take on one at a time since it would be you doing all the work, but you’ve said you have a reputation out there, so once folks know you’re here, the jobs will come.”

I can feel my eyes welling up at his words. “Really?” I whisper, too afraid to hope for something that I thought was beyond my expectations.

“Yeah, really. Mercury? I saw there was a tow yard that had junked cars in the back in town. We should see if they’re interested in selling because we’d have readily available parts, too. Plus, the crusher could come in handy. We could put the prospects on that for work, but we all might have to take a turn pulling tows. Shit, most of them are on Hercules’ crew. That might be an issue, but it’s one we can resolve, I’m sure.”

I watch the two of them silently communicate with their eyes and want to roll mine. Do they think I don’t know that they’re not all above-board? The Kings of Anarchy does have a reputation for settling scores and I’ve moved around enough that I’ve heard of them before. Still, they’re doing their biker thing and since it’s likely what Sutton says they call ‘club business’, I keep my mouth shut.

“I’ll run out there later and feel them out. If nothing else, see if y’all can pull parts. Would come in handy for restorations, I bet,” Mercury replies. “Especially on those older model cars.” He turns to me and asks, “Do you have contacts who can retool leather and upholstery?”

“I do,” I say. “Too bad I couldn’t convince Mike and John to move to Montana. They’d be great additions for the shop.”

“Who are they?’ Orion asks. “Mechanics you know? Have you worked with them? Do you think we could entice them to move? What do you think it would take?”

I start laughing, because his questions are coming out so fast, he’s almost spitting at me.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Mercury

“First of all, yes, they’re both mechanics, highly skilled in both foreign and domestic vehicles, as well as restoration work. Mike also has the bike certifications, so he’d be a huge help with those as well,” she informs us.

“It was pure fate that had Mercury finding you in that field,” Orion murmurs. I can tell his brain is already spinning with ideas to increase revenue so he can bring on two more mechanics. I have an inkling suspicion that once word gets out that Twist and Turn Customizations do good work without screwing the customer, they’re going to be inundated to the point they’ll be booked out in advance.

“Let’s bring that to the table,” I suggest to Orion. Looking at Finley, I add, “Go ahead and call your friends and feel them out about relocating. Let them know that we’re rebranding an old shop that didn’t treat the community well, so we’re going to be more than fair with our pricing. Also, let them know that since it’s a club-owned business, we will run a thorough background check on them once we figure out if we’ve got the finances to offer them a job.”

“I can definitely do that,” she replies, smiling up at me.

Seeing her so happy as she continues to look around at the shop, despite the fact that it’s dusty and outdated makes me even more glad that I found her. She deserves to have this happy after what sounds like a hard life. Not knowing how that feels personally, I mentally vow to do all I can to make sure she gets to realize all of her dreams.

“We need to do a deep cleaning before we can start unpacking the equipment coming today,” Orion muses as he runs his finger over a bench and comes back with dust coating his finger. “Man, I hate cleaning,” he mumbles as he continues along his path, inspecting everything.

“We can hire an outside cleaning crew to do that for us,” Finley suggests. “There are companies out there that specialize in warehouses and garages.”

“But do we trust people with our equipment already stored here?” Orion inquires.

“Somebody can be here to watch over them. We do have prospects now,” I remind him. “They’re still earning their stripes so it’ll do them good to do some grunt work.”

“But they aren’t like other prospects,” Orion points out. “We are kind of tossing them into the lion's den without proper gear.”

“It’s because we have to fast track them since we need the numbers,” I decree. Prospect time usually runs a year if not more depending on the man, but we’re having to bypass a lot of that to give us numbers.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Finley pays attention to our conversation. This is stuff that doesn’t fall under the umbrella of club business, so I don’t mind that she’s hearing what we’re saying.

“Would they be able to come and help with the cleaning?” she asks. “I mean, a commercial cleaning company would be our best bet because they’ll go from the roof to the floor, but I know you’re just getting this chapter up and running again so money might be tight.”

“Don’t worry about any of that, wildcat,” I reply, “we’ve got it covered, and we’ll get prospects in to oversee things. Once the cleaning is done, the prospects can do any painting or moving shit around that y’all need so we can get the doors open as soon as possible.”

She looks at Orion and says, “We’re going to need a website created for us. It needs to have a bio for each of us working here, along with our certifications and awards. Because from the sound of things, the previous owner preferred to screw people over and I know that’s not how we’re going to operate. Plus, we can set some basic prices for oil changes and tire rotations, that sort of thing. Maybe once we’re officially opened, put an area in where they can buy basic things like antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, and air fresheners. Maybe put a minimal mark-up on it, which will keep them coming back. We can offer spring or summer specials where we check their air conditioning system out for a flat fee. If we find a problem, we write up an estimate and they can go from there. Same for winterizing vehicles to make sure they don’t get stranded on the side of the road over something simple like a dead battery because it expired or the cells went bad.”

“Fuck, I love you, Fin!” Orion exclaims, pulling her in and hugging her. “You’re going to make this shop the best one around with these ideas. I mean, the obvious focus will be to repair cars and bikes, but these little things can become big things and cost more money if they’re not properly maintained.”

She’s amazing, my brain whispers.

“You did order the diagnostic machine, right?” she asks as the delivery truck pulls into the parking lot. “Because we’re going to need that for some of these newer model vehicles who seem to rely solely on computer chips.”

“Where are we going to put all of that?” I inquire as I see the delivery driver lower the ramp and start coming down with a hand truck full of boxes.

“You the new owner?” the driver asks.

Since I’m the VP, Orion defers to me, so I nod. “I am, do you need a signature?”

“Yeah, but there are more in there I still need to get unloaded,” the driver replies as he stacks the first set of boxes off to the side where Orion pointed him to.

I watch as Orion pulls a sheaf of papers out from the inside pocket of his cut and he walks over to the boxes, Finley at his side. “We can check these off while he’s getting the rest,” he says to Finley, pulling two pens out from his cut. I need to check it out and see just how many pockets the fucker has because he seems like Mary Poppins right now, having whatever is needed at his fingertips.

Since they’re busy going through the inventory to make sure nothing is missing from the load, I keep my eyes set on the driver. In this town, I have a mistrust of everybody, no matter their gender or profession. This town stinks of deception and since we don’t know if this is a rich man’s game or not, everyone is under the lens of my microscope.

I kick back as Fin and Orion go through the last box and am startled when an alarm blares through my phone. A few seconds after mine alerts with an incoming message, Orion’s mimics mine. After cleaning my ear of the ringing from the sharp, piercing sound, I glance at the screen and just the header of the message has me sitting up, ramrod straight.

“The fuck?” I whisper as I re-read it.

“What does it say?” Finley asks.

“Found some shit on the dark web,” I read before continuing with the document. “Orbit says that there’s a site that caters to those who like to hunt humans. They’re taking membership requests, which they impress that they’ll go over with a fine tooth comb and make sure that those wanting to join and gain membership are legitimate.”

Orion continues scanning it and whistles, “They even charge maintenance fees to keep the caves stocked with ammunition for them to replenish their supply if they run out during their hunt.”

Finley’s face pales and she looks like she’s going to pass out. “O,” I warn, ticking my head in her direction. “Catch her.”

I would but I’m not as close to her as he is, but it takes everything in me not to growl when he manages to scoop her up before she hits the cement floor. Almost as though he knows his life is in danger right now, he immediately hands her off to me before saying, “I’m calling Gemini while you take care of her.”

Since her safety was my first thought, I feel slightly bad. As the VP, that should be my job, but my cousin knows me well enough to realize that I have to make sure she’s going to be alright before I can focus on what he just read. I’m going to need a topical map of the area that details trails, caves, and then go hunting myself.

Hopefully to find evidence that’ll help us shut these fuckers down. Or if we can’t do that, at least make enough noise that legitimate, unbribed law enforcement can come in and take out the trash.

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

Finley

As I come around, my brain is hazy and I can’t remember how I wound up on the floor with a jacket under my head as a pillow. “There you are,” Mercury says as he helps me sit upright.

“What happened?” I ask, clutching my head as the room settles around me and stops spinning like it’s on an axis.

“You passed out,” he informs me as he wraps his arms around me and drags my head into the apex of his chest.

“Because of what you said,” I say, my tone flat. “I think… I think maybe that was more than I could handle, Mercury. Knowing that they’ve got stockpiles of weapons and ammunition so that they can hunt people? What kind of sick piece of shit does someone have to be to even entertain doing something so vile and reprehensible?”

“Not sure, wildcat, but regardless of what we find out, I want you to keep one thing in mind, you survived.”

“Yeah, thanks to you,” I mutter. “We both know that if you hadn’t found me, the elements, the wildlife, or even one of those scumbags would’ve finished me off.”

“Maybe so, Fin, but you didn’t succumb to the injuries or the infections. That says a lot about your internal fortitude,” Orion says, walking over to where we’re at and crouching. “And before you make a smartass remark, cuz, I already knew that word.”

I slowly shake my head, clearing the last of the blurriness, and grin. The zombie apocalypse could be upon us, and they’d still be giving each other shit. “Y’all are something else,” I tease.

“Of course we are, we’re Kings,” Orion jests. He looks at Mercury and adds, “The guys are coming. Seems Orbit found out a few things that Gemini says you need to know.”

I watch as Mercury narrows his eyes at Orion and huffs. “He didn’t give you any further information than that?” he asks.

“Said it was something he needs to tell you in person,” Orion announces. “I bet it’s bad since Orbit didn’t send it en masse like he did the other details he discovered.”

“And it’s something I need to know?” Mercury presses. “It’s gotta mean it involves my tracking, right?”

I shrug because I have absolutely no idea. “Maybe?” I reply. “I mean, you said you were back out where you found me looking for clues. What if this Orbit guy has found some information that can help you find them?”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Orion states as we all hear the roar of the bikes as they pull into the parking lot.

“Speak of them and they shall come,” I joke as the motorcycles are cut off and the floor stops vibrating. Reaching out, I clutch Mercury’s hand since a swarm of butterflies have suddenly taken flight in my belly.

“You’re safe, you know that right?” he asks, peering down at me.

“My head knows that, but my anxiety doesn’t,” I counter.

“Nothing will ever happen to you as long as I’m around. I’ll fight every one of your demons and send them straight back to hell before I let a single hair on your head get messed up.” If there was ever a swooning moment, this would be it. I’m surprised I’m not a puddle on the ground.

“I believe your intentions are good, Mercury. But life has taught me we can’t control everything that happens to us, no matter how much we think we’ve prepared ourselves.”

A sharp whistle penetrates the air as Gemini walks through the bay door and waves his hand, calling us over to him. “You good to stand now, wildcat?”

“I am, and if not, you’ll support me,” I remark.

“Absolutely. You won’t ever fall with me around to support you,” he rumbles, his chest vibrating from the resounding friction of his words.

As a unit, the three of us walk toward where Pisces and Aries are standing, Orion near enough that he can catch me if I fall in that direction. Truthfully, I don’t think that’ll happen since Mercury has his arm around my waist. The warmth seeping through my shirt is helping to ground me in the here and now, since I spiraled so spectacularly into all the what if’s that would’ve happened had he not found me that day.

Because those bastards won’t stop. How both Skippy and I ended up surviving is a question for the gods, that’s for damn sure.

“What’s going on?” Mercury asks Gemini once we reach their huddle.

“Were you aware that Montana is home to the Blackfeet tribe?” Gemini parries back, answering a question with a question. “And that their reservation is over one million acres in size? They butt up against Glacier National Forest and if my geography skills are still on point, that means they’re not far from us whatsoever.”

“Okay, thanks for the lesson, professor, what does that mean for us and our current situation?” Orion questions.

“Orbit found some chatter on the web and it seems that some of their caves have been being used by someone because they found ammunition as well as guns stockpiled. They check the caves several times during the year to make sure there are no dead animals, and at their last check, they were empty,” Gemini states.

I watch Mercury’s expression morph into pure rage. He’s so angry, it practically radiates off of him and I have to remind myself that his emotion is not directed at me. No, it’s at the fuckers who are sick and twisted. “I need to meet with the tribe’s chief,” he says. “Because we’ll need permission to go onto their land, and it would definitely be easier for them to have someone escort me to these caves than for me to search them out myself.”

“You won’t be going on your own, brother,” Gemini replies. “By now, we’re pretty sure that the Jeffries family is neck-deep in this shit, and their reach is long. What if they’ve managed to convince the Blackfeet tribe to get involved?”

I’m already shaking my head at his words. “I’ve bounced around a lot, so keep that in mind. During one of my travels, I found myself lost in the Glacier National Forest while hiking. It was one of the Blackfeet men who found me and got me safely back to my vehicle. But first, he had their medicine woman check me over since I had taken a tumble down a ravine. That’s not their personality, Gemini. Like many of the indigenous in this country, they’re trying to survive. In fact, Mercury, when y’all meet with them, you need to see if any of their women are missing. It’s a whole movement.”

Since this is the most I’ve spoken at one time, all of them are staring at me, their jaws agape. It’s so quiet, I can hear the slight buzzing of a nearby insect!

“MMIW?” Orion asks. When Gemini shoots him a look, he expounds. “Look, there are countless murdered and missing indigenous women out there. They don’t get the attention that pretty caucasian women get and that’s a fucking travesty. Anyone who’s missing, regardless of their ethnicity, should have the same efforts behind finding them, or at least locating their remains so their family can have some sort of closure. Not that there’s really any of that when the circumstances are so heinous.”

“I think Orion’s growing up,” Pisces stage whispers to Aries. “He’s using multi-syllable words and he’s using them in their proper context!”

Orion growls and I see a side of him I wasn’t sure existed. “Listen, fuckers, in every family there’s a jokester and when we were kids, that’s the position y’all put me in to keep us from getting into so much trouble when we pulled the shit we did. But I’ve got a fucking brain and I actually use it. I saw the documentary when I was streaming one night and was curious so I watched it. Do you know the agony those families go through? Remember how Gaby Petito’s family was? How her story was broadcasted nationwide? Well, it’s the same, without all the headlines or news anchors. They deserve to be found, too.”

“Alright, alright, everyone take a deep breath and step back,” Gemini orders. “O’s right and it’s possible if these fuckers are using caves on indigenous land, they’ve snatched a few people along the way while they ‘perfected’ their hunt.”

“I’m going to be sick,” I say as I rush toward the employee restroom, thankful that Orion got the electricity and water turned on. I spend long minutes throwing up everything since I was a toddler, or at least it feels that way, before I feel a cool cloth on the back of my neck. “Go away,” I mumble to the bowl, my hand reaching up to flush the toilet.

“Wildcat, that’s not happening,” Mercury rumbles. “You okay now?”

“I just… those people… Mercury, one of the reasons I even had a fighting chance is because I was a seasoned hiker. I knew how to ration, how to conserve my strength, all the things. Most people don’t have those skills, you know what I mean? How many bones are buried out there? How many of them belong to people who were just going about their daily lives only to find themselves in a hell not of their own making? How many?”

Tears are now streaming down my face at the sheer entitlement these assholes have to think that someone else’s life is worth so little that they’re no more than an animal. What on earth got twisted in them that they thought it would be okay to treat a human being like prey?

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

Mercury

“I can’t answer that, Wildcat, but I suspect we’ll never know. Let’s go back out to the guys so we can come up with a plan. We may not be able to save everyone, but we can do our best to break this particular camel’s back.”

“I hope you pull out a can of whoop ass on them, Mercury,” she says, her words coming out like a hiss.

“I’ll do my best to make you proud, baby girl,” I say as I lead her to the sink and watch as she rinses out her mouth. “I can promise you one thing, Fin, I will put a hurting on them like they’ve never felt before.”

“I think turnabout is fair play, Mercury. I think you need to turn the tables on them and make them feel what I did when I wasn’t sure if I’d live or die out there in the wilderness without any supplies.”

“That’s a little bloodthirsty of you,” I tease as I use the hem of my shirt to wipe the water off her chin. “It’s a side of you that I didn’t know existed, and I’m impressed that it’s there.”

“It never used to be,” she mumbles. “Not through the neglect and verbal abuse I withstood in the system, not when my heart was broken by my ex, not when I was forced to move when I wasn’t financially in a place to do so. It wasn’t until I was held in that shack, denied my basic needs, and shoved outside like cattle to be hunted that the feelings started flowing through me.”

Anger rises inside of me again as she rants. I can hear the emotion in her voice and it is heartbreaking. Knowing that I can’t go back in the past and change things means I need to make her future fan-fucking-tastic. “I wish I could change your past, baby. All I can do is listen and try and help you find that light within yourself that they tried to extinguish.”

“I just… I just want them to pay for what they’ve done to every life they’ve ruined,” she harrumphs. “I want them to die, Mercury. I know that makes me a bad person, but I can’t help the way I feel.”

“That doesn’t make you a bad person, Fin, it makes you human,” I counter. “Part of me feels like a quick death won’t let them experience the shit their victims did, but on the other hand, the picture of you I still have in my head demands satisfaction.”

“Do you think if we let the law handle it they won’t figure out a way to get out of it?” she asks. “Because they’ve got friends all over the place, Mercury. I’ve heard y’all talk about the lack of concern the local police department shows, so somehow, those bastards would weasel their way out of any charges, leave town and set up somewhere else. We have to cut the head off the snake.”

I’m seeing a side of Finley I like a helluva lot right now. She’s not wrong; we know there are rotten apples within the force, but as Gemini has repeatedly said, we take care of one problem at a time. We’re still a small chapter and likely always will be, since the four of us agreed that we wanted the same family vibe we had growing up. A huge chapter would lose some of those connections, whether we want to or not.

“Let’s see how it all plays out. We’re not big on inviting law enforcement into our world, Finley, so it’s highly improbable that we’ll do all the work then hand it over with a fat, shiny bow.”

“Come on,” she says, grinning at me. “Besides, y’all aren’t bow making kind of men.”

I smirk; my woman is gonna be a force to be reckoned with and the kind of man I am is here for it.

After a brief conversation, we decide to close up shop and head back to the house so we can get Orbit to hand over contact information for the tribe. My fear is that we’ll have to handle this in person instead of over the phone. I’m not sure how modern their technology is because as I did a little sleuthing while the guys were chatting, it seems they’re all about the elemental and simple life.

As I figured before, Orbit says that they have a general type of store on the reservation that is listed but he sends us those digits and Gemini places the phone on speaker and dials. It only rings three times before the receiver is picked up and a male voice answers. “BF General.”

“Hi, my name is Gemini and I’m the president of the Montana Kings. We have a situation that we need to bring to the attention of your chief. Is there a way we could speak with him?”

“I can pass on a message and a number,” the guy replies, sounding skeptical. I doubt many outsiders call and request a meeting with their chieftain.

“I can do that. Would you be willing to tell him it’s urgent and could be beneficial for him to get back with me today?” Gemini queries.

“I’ll pass that along to him,” the guy murmurs. “I have a notepad and pen in front of me so go ahead and tell me what you want passed along and I’ll get it over to him as soon as I can.”

Gemini quickly rattles off his phone number, but the message he relays is somewhat vague. We don’t know who we’re actually speaking to, after all, and showing all of our cards isn’t our style. “Thanks again for doing this,” Gemini says, “I’ll look forward to hearing from him.”

After he hangs up, we sit there for a few seconds just looking at each other. “We’re going to need their permission to go onto their land,” I remind everyone. “So, without that, we’re not exactly hamstrung, but it’ll make it more difficult to move forward.”

“All we can do is wait and in the meantime, start checking into some of the places that Orbit has ferreted out,” Gemini replies. “We know from Finley that she was in a shack which we found, so there are bound to be others yet to be located. Let’s get on the ATVs and go exploring.”

“Together?” I ask.

“Why the fuck not?” he retorts. “At least we can mark off areas that we’ve checked which will help you in the long run.”

I sigh because sometimes, Pisces and Orion fuck around when they’re out on the ATVs. I’m not really up to dealing with their shit today, especially after Fin’s breakdown at the shop. “Fine. But if those two,” I state, pointing at Pisces and Orion specifically, “start fucking around like they typically do? They’re walking back and I don’t give a fuck if we’re twenty miles away.”

“We only do that when it’s not a big deal, you asshole,” Pisces rumbles. “This is serious shit and we’re gonna handle it like it is, so cool your fucking jets.”

“Is that saying even used anymore?” Orion muses. At my glare, he throws his hands up and says, “Just kidding, cuz. Jeez, lighten up. We wanna find these pricks as much as you do. Two of our women have been hurt, after all, and Sutton was almost one of their victims herself.”

Despite the crick in my neck that dealing with them often gives me, I realize he’s right. We’ve got a vested interest in dismantling this disgusting group, and it dawns on me that we’re going to dispense a little bit of Kings’ justice. After all, we have brothers in the south who have a crematorium after we’re done playing.

We aren’t worried about leaving Sutton and Finley behind since Hercules and his crew are demolishing the old clubhouse today and will be close by in case there are any issues. We do stop along the way and inform them of what we’ll be doing and where we’ll be doing it at. When they swear they’ve got things under control and a couple of the men will head toward the house and watch over them, we head to the barn where the ATVs are stored and fire them up.

As the engines warm up, I walk over to the cabinet and grab the walkies we use when we’re out on the prowl. Boötes comes strolling through the sliding doors, out of breath and bending over. He holds his hand up letting us know he needs a minute. When he stands back up, he says, “Hercules sent me to catch you before you leave to find out if you were taking those.”

“We are, we were about to bring you guys a couple so we could keep in touch in case we run into trouble or it comes pounding on the door,” I explain.

“Did you run here?” Gemini asks.

“I did. I was worried you’d leave before I got here,” he states.

“We need to get better at communicating,” I add. “We’re so used to doing everything just the four of us that we don’t think about our team.”

“It’s new for all of us,” Boötes replies. “We’re not offended if that’s a concern.”

“It is and we’ll figure out a way to improve how we relay information at the next church,” I tell him, eager to get out there and see if we find anything.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Mercury

We kick the ATVs into gear, the machines spitting gravel as we peel out of the barn. The forest swallows us whole within minutes.

These mountains are unforgiving, with sheer drops and thick, knotted pine that hides everything from view.

We ride in a loose formation, eyes darting over every shadow, searching for anything that looks out of place.

“Stay alert,” Gemini shouts over the steady rumble of his quad. “If they’re using these woods, they aren’t going to make it easy for us to find them.”

Orion falls in beside me, his gaze fixed on a cluster of heavy brush to our left. “You really think they’d be stupid enough to park a blind right on the ridge?”

“These sickos think they’re untouchable,” I reply, my grip tightening on the handlebars. “Arrogance is their biggest weakness.”

We snake through a narrow ravine, the air getting cooler as the sun dips behind the jagged peaks. Adrenaline and unadulterated rage surge within me, making my heart hammer violently against my ribs.

Every snapping twig sends a jolt of electricity through my veins.

“Hold up,” Pisces signals, killing his engine.

The sudden silence is deafening. I cut my ATV off, and the only sound left is the distant chattering of birds. Pisces points to a tangle of branches about fifty yards up the slope. It looks like a pile of debris, but something about the way the logs are stacked seems deliberate, almost like a wall.

I dismount, my boots silent on the carpet of pine needles. I creep toward the stack, heart thudding in my ears. As I get closer, I realize it’s a camouflage screen, expertly woven into the surrounding foliage. I peel back a layer of brush, and my blood runs cold. A dark, gaping hole stares back at me.

A hidden cellar door, buried right in the side of the mountain. Thankfully, this side of the mountain isn’t Blackfeet tribal land. Otherwise, we could lose any hope we have of joining forces with them.

“Gemini, get up here,” I whisper, my voice thick with dread. “I think we found their first nest.”

Gemini steps off his quad, boots crunching on the hard ground. He moves with a predatory grace that makes the hair on my arms stand up. He kneels beside me and inspects the seal. It is heavy steel, painted to match the surrounding rock. It is not something a weekend camper throws together.

“This is not a simple supply cache,” Gemini says, his jaw tight. “Look at the padlock.”

He points to a massive chain wrapped around the handle. It is rusted, but fresh scratches mar the surface. Someone has been here recently.

“You think they are inside?” Orion asks, his voice low. He is standing behind us, his hand resting on the knife at his hip.

“Only one way to find out,” I say, though my gut tells me to keep it sealed. “But if they’re inside, that means someone else is out there because they sure as fuck can’t lock themselves in.”

Gemini shakes his head and stands up, signaling for us to fan out. “No. We don't touch it yet. If they’re in there, they’ll hear us coming a mile away. By the time we find who else is out there, they’ll be long gone since we have to be careful in this terrain with the drop offs. We need to scout the perimeter. If there is one hole in this mountain, there is likely another.”

Pisces nods, his eyes scanning the ridgeline. “I’ll take the high ground. See if I can spot any trails leading in or out.”

We creep through the pines, keeping our distance from the metal door. The forest feels like a graveyard now. Every shadow looks like a sentry. Every rustle of leaves sounds like a warning.

“This place is a maze,” I mutter, wiping sweat from my forehead.

“That’s the point,” Gemini replies, stopping near a massive oak. He points toward a depression in the earth a few hundred yards down the slope. “Tell me you don’t see that.”

I squint through the gloom. There’s an erosive tear in the hillside, half hidden by thick brush. A second entrance. They haven’t just built a hideout. They’ve built a hive.

“Another one,” Pisces breathes, shifting his grip on his rifle. “How many more do you think are out there?”

“We’ll find them,” Mercury growls, his voice steady. “We’re going to map every single one before we make a move. I don’t want any surprises when we go in.”

We circle the perimeter, our boots barely making a sound on the damp earth. The silence is heavy, pressing against my eardrums. It’s the kind of quiet that makes you feel watched. I can feel my pulse thrumming in my neck, a reminder that we’re walking right into the belly of the beast.

“Check the wind,” Orion whispers. “They might have scent traps or sensors.”

I nod and test the air. It smells like damp pine, loamy dirt, and rot. No chemicals. No fuel. I think we’re safe—for now anyway.

“Let’s keep moving,” Gemini orders. “And stay sharp. We’re not finished yet.”

“Stay low,” Aries urges as he crawls closer to the second opening. We follow his lead and move on our bellies through the muck and rotting needles. The ragged tear in the mountain looks even more sinister up close.

I notice a faint glimmer near the base of a stunted cedar tree and hold up my hand to stop the others. I lean in and see a thin strand of high-tensile fishing line stretched just inches above the ground.

“Watch your step, boys. They've got the place rigged with tripwires,” I whisper.

“Damn,” Orion mutters as he peers at the wire. “That isn't just for security. That's a hunter setting a trap for prey. They want to know exactly where we are the second we trip it.” He points to a small device tucked into the hollow of a nearby stump that connects to the line. It isn't an alarm but a silent transmitter. My stomach turns as I realize these bastards aren't just hiding. They're inviting a confrontation on their own terms where they have the advantage of the terrain. We may be at home in the woods we grew up in, but we don’t know this area well enough to have anything other than a disadvantage and that’s something we can’t afford to have against these pricks.

“They aren't playing by any rules we know,” Pisces counters while he checks the line of sight from the ridge above us. “This whole area is a kill zone. If someone hit that wire, the guys inside would have multiple angles to take them out before they even knew what happened. It's calculated and cold.” He shifts his weight and avoids a loose rock that might give away our position. The level of preparation here is terrifying because it shows they've spent months, maybe years, turning this forest into a private slaughterhouse.

The thought of countless unnamed people whose bones are buried here has my heart keening in anguish. I’ve tracked some sick assholes before who’ve jumped bond, men who deserved to be shot rather than given their day in court, but I’ve never seen this level of depravity in my life.

“It means we can't just kick the door in,” Gemini declares as he backs away from the wire with extreme caution. “Every inch of this perimeter is likely monitored. They aren't just hunters anymore. They're an insurgency using the wilderness as a shield.”

I look back at the dark entrance and feel a chill that has nothing to do with the mountain air. These people don't just want to kill. They want to dominate and decimate every soul that wanders into their territory. We aren't just looking for a hideout. We're scouting a fortress built on blood and arrogance.

“We can't just stand here,” Aries whispers, his eyes scanning the dense tree line for movement. “If they have sensors, they might already know we're here. We don't want to be sitting ducks.”

Orion shifts, his boots crunching softly on the pine needles. “You think they have a feed in the cabin? They could be watching us on a monitor right now.”

“I wouldn't put it past them,” Gemini insists. He pulls a small signal jammer from his vest pocket. “I'm going to activate this. It should kill any wireless signal in a fifty-yard radius. If they are watching, their screens just went black.” I raise my brow at him; he’s a smart man, but what would have him thinking to get one of those?

He intercepts my stare and smirks before he says, “Orbit sent it. He’s definitely earning his monthly cut with what he’s finding out. Apparently, there was chatter on some dark website or something about signals and transmitters. He knew we were going to hit the woods and thought it would be a good piece of equipment to have. It came in earlier.”

“Smart move,” Pisces grunts. “What's the next step? We can't just leave the trap active. Someone else might wander into it.”

“We disarm it, but we take our time,” I growl, eyeing the thin line. “I don't like the idea of leaving a breadcrumb trail that leads right to our front door.”

“Agreed,” Pisces concedes. “We mark the map, we clear the immediate area of their tech, and then we head back to the group. We need to formulate a real assault plan. This isn't a search and rescue anymore. This is a siege.”

“Siege sounds right,” I conclude, my grip tightening on my hardware. “These bastards have no idea what's coming for them.”

Or who. Because we’re Kings brothers now, and nobody fucks with us.

Gemini flips the switch on the small device. A low whine fills the air for a second, then cuts out. We keep our heads down, moving with the rhythmic caution of men who know how to survive. I send up a silent thanks to my dad and uncles for their training. I know our moms thought they were crazy for teaching us military ways when none of us had intentions of serving, but it’s kept our asses out of the fire more times than I can count at this point.

“They don't even know we're here,” Gemini murmurs, holstering his gear. “Their eyes are blind until they physically check those sensors.”

“Good,” I reply. “Let's keep it that way.”

We retreat through the brush, taking a wide loop back toward the hidden trail where we stashed the quads. My thoughts race, calculating the gear we need and the heavy weaponry locked in our armory. This isn't just about clearing a shack anymore. It's about dismantling a network.

“When we get back, we call the others,” Orion suggests as we reach the tree line. “We need to give everyone a full briefing. No more half measures.”

“Agreed,” I tell him. “Load the ATVs. We ride back, we plan, and tonight, we return to hunt the hunters.” We kick the engines to life, the roar tearing through the quiet forest. It's time to show these people that they picked the wrong group to target. We aren't victims, and by the time we're done, they'll regret every second they spent planning their sick games.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

Finley

The high-pitched hum of engines fades as the guys cut the power to the ATVs. I watch from the edge of the tree line as Mercury swings a leg over his quad. I shouldn't be here. I know that. But staying in that house while they risk their lives makes my skin crawl. I step out from the shrubbery, my boots crunching on the gravel. Boötes lets out a low groan, stepping out from behind a thick cottonwood, looking more relieved than annoyed.

“I'm not waiting in that house anymore,” I mutter as I start walking toward the guys, my pace determined.

Mercury pulls his helmet off and shakes his dark hair loose. His eyes scan the area, landing on me a second later. His expression shifts from focus to pure irritation. “I told you to stay put!” he bellows, stalking toward me. “You’re putting yourself at unnecessary risk by roaming around without protection, Finley.”

“I'm not a prisoner,” I shoot back, digging my heels in as he nears. “And I wasn't alone. Boötes has been shadowing me the entire time.”

Mercury doesn't break stride until he's standing right in front of me. His scent, dust and gasoline, washes over me. “That doesn't change the fact that I gave an order.”

Gemini walks up, his arms crossed over his chest. “She's not a soldier, Mercury. She's a survivor. Let her breathe.”

Mercury glares at him before he sighs, the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. He looks back at me, his gaze softening. “We're done for the day, Fin. We found the hideouts, but we aren't going to storm them without a real plan.”

“I need to know what you saw,” I insist, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to hold it steady.

“It's bad,” Gemini admits. “They've rigged the perimeter with sensors. It's a trap, and they're waiting for someone to trip the wire.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Then let's make sure it's not you who falls for it.”

Mercury reaches out, running his thumb along my jawline. “It won't be. We're going to dismantle them piece by piece.” Mercury drops his hand, but his gaze lingers on mine. He rubs the back of his neck, his jaw working as he struggles to find the right words. “Look, I'm sorry I blew up at you back there,” he murmurs, his voice uncharacteristically rough. “That wasn't fair. I just... seeing you out here, away from the house, it makes my blood run cold.”

I look up at him, searching his eyes for the truth behind his anger. “You're terrified I'll get hurt again.”

He lets out a harsh, humorless laugh. “Terrified is an understatement, Fin. Knowing what they did to you... it eats at me. Every second you're out of my sight, I imagine the worst. I'm not angry at you, wildcat. I'm just trying to keep you safe, and sometimes I don't know how to handle the fear that something might happen to you.”

His honesty hits me harder than his yelling did. It strips away the tough exterior and leaves something raw and vulnerable. I step closer, resting my palm against his chest. “I'm not a liability, Mercury. I'm with you in this. You have to trust me, or we won't get through this together.”

He exhales a long, shaky breath, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. “You're right. I know you're right. I'm just protective of what's mine, and I hate that I can't wrap you in bubble wrap and keep you from seeing this world.”

“I don't want bubble wrap,” I insist, my voice gaining strength. “I want to help you take them down. That's the only way I'm going to feel safe again.”

“Sorry, but that’s not happening. I know you need to feel like you’re part of this, and I get it, I do, Finley. But I won’t ever willingly put you at risk.”

I pull away, my jaw tightening as the rejection stings. “You don't get to decide what I can handle, Mercury. That is exactly what those men did to me. They decided I had no say in my own existence.”

He flinches, his eyes narrowing as the weight of my words hits him. “That’s not the same thing. I’m trying to keep you breathing, Finley.”

“I’m already breathing,” I counter, crossing my arms to lock the tremor out of my limbs. “But I’m not living. Not if I’m stuck behind four walls or locked in a room while you guys play at being warriors. I need to be involved. Even if it is just logistics or intel. Let me help.”

Mercury rubs his face with both hands, a low, frustrated growl vibrating in his chest. “Logistics means listening to the comms. It means hearing exactly what they are doing and knowing I might be walking into a grave. You think that’s safer for you?”

“It’s better than the unknown,” I insist, stepping into his space again. “The not knowing is what kills me. If I’m part of the team, I have some control. I have a purpose.”

He studies me for a long beat, his expression unreadable. Gemini steps up beside us and comes up with a compromise that he thinks we’ll both agree to. “We can put her in charge of the walkies and answering the phones in case the Blackfeet chief decides to reply to our message.”

Mercury’s gaze snaps to Gemini. He looks frustrated, but the logic clearly hits home. He knows he can’t keep me locked up indefinitely, and having me on the radio means I’m connected to the mission instead of just waiting in the dark. It’s a compromise, but it’s a start.

“She stays on the base channel,” Mercury dictates, his voice gruff as he looks around at the other men. “And if things go south, she doesn't try to play hero. She just calls for backup. Got it?”

I nod, my heart rate steadying. “I'm not looking to get my hands bloody, Mercury. I'm looking for a way to help.”

“Then this is it,” Gemini supplies, clapping a hand on Mercury’s shoulder. “We get you set up with the gear. When that chief calls, you're the first voice he hears.”

I feel a strange sense of relief wash over me. It’s not the frontline action I wanted, but it’s a tether. It keeps me in the loop.

“Let's get inside,” Mercury mutters, turning toward the house. “We've got work to do.”

I fall into step beside him, matching his stride. The sun is setting now, casting long shadows across the yard, but for the first time since I arrived here, I don't feel like I'm hiding. I feel like I'm finally part of the pack. We walk into the living room where the maps are being spread out, and I see the gear waiting they’ll need to take with them on this excursion on the table. It looks like life or death equipment, and now in a sense, it belongs to me too.

I pull out a heavy wooden chair and sink into it. The phone sits in the middle of the scarred table like a loaded weapon. My eyes don't move from the screen. Every second that passes feels like a physical weight pressing against my chest. I want that call to happen right now. I need it to happen. The silence in the room is thick and suffocating. It tastes like copper and stale coffee. The guys are moving around me, their boots heavy on the floorboards, but they're just shadows in my peripheral vision.

I'm tired of being the girl who waits. I'm tired of being the one who gets found. This waiting is a different kind of torture. It's quiet and slow. It gives my brain too much room to breathe and that's never a good thing. I keep seeing the jagged edges of those caves in my mind. I keep thinking about the sensors and the traps. If the chief doesn't call, we're flying blind into a nightmare that's already cost me everything.

Mercury leans over the table and his shadow falls across the phone. He doesn't say anything at first. He just stands there. I can feel the heat radiating off him. He's just as wound up as I am. His fingers twitch near the edge of the map. He wants to be out there. He wants to be hunting. We're all just trapped in this stagnant air until that piece of plastic decides to ring.

“He'll call, Fin,” Mercury says. His voice is low and gravelly. It breaks the silence but it doesn't ease the tension. It just highlights how quiet the rest of the house has become. “He knows it's urgent. They’re being cautious. These people don't ignore a threat on their doorstep.”

“What if he doesn’t?” I ask, not breaking my stare. “What if he tells us to get lost?"

“Then we find another way in,” he states, his jaw tight. “We aren't stopping because they don't call us back.”

I turn, looking up at him. His face is a mask of determination. “It feels like we’re wasting time.”

“It's not wasted time,” he insists, stepping toward me. He places a hand on the back of my chair, his presence a sudden heat against the cold air. “We're gathering intel. We're making sure when we move, we don't trip over our own feet. You know how important that is.”

“I know,” I whisper. “I just hate the waiting.”

“I know you do,” he says. He reaches down and taps the table near the phone. “But you're the one holding the line. Keep your eyes on that thing. The second it rings, you're the first one to know.”

“I won't look away,” I promise.

He nods, his gaze softening just a fraction. “Good. Because I need to know you're ready when the time comes.” My shoulders straighten, an act I know he’ll easily read. It’s one that says I won’t let anything get past me.

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

Mercury

Sutton has food waiting for us, so we fix our plates then head back in to look over the maps while we eat. The topical map is closest to me and I carefully mark the coordinates of both the camouflaged, sealed entryway as well as the trip-wired access point. It’s possible it’s more of a maze beneath the surface, full of honeycombs filled with traps for the unwary individual, but we’re going to be as prepared as we possibly can be.

“Sure as fuck glad that our dads had us practice with night vision goggles,” Aries murmurs as he starts separating the equipment into piles, ensuring that everyone will have the same thing.

“Don’t forget learning Morse code,” Orion tacks on. “Could come in handy if we need to use it instead of speaking.”

“Hand signals, we need to brush up on those as well,” Pisces adds.

“Who knew they were preparing us for a war we had no idea existed?” I ask the group at large.

“After the shit they saw and were forced to do, I know they wanted us to be prepared for anything,” Gemini says. “Once the others get here, we’re going to discuss all of it. While I know it’s not exactly protocol, I want Finley and Sutton to hear it as well. Forewarned is forearmed, after all.”

The man inside of me hates that the women have to hear, in detail, what we found, along with our suppositions about what the den may hold. But I remind myself that both of them are brave and I know they’ll be assets to our endeavor, even if they feel as though they’re mostly on the sidelines. If not for them, as well as Skippy, fuck knows how long this might have continued. Instead, we know the players, or at least the ones who probably started the whole thing.

We just need to find out how many have bought a ‘membership’ to this sick, revolting hunting club. I’m not sure how it can be managed, but if the chief calls us back, it’s possible that he might have some suggestions as to how we can find those who died so they can be properly buried. I suspect we’ll mostly find bleached bones and not even all of them, but if it helps families find out what happened to a loved one, I’ll gladly donate my time to the search and rescue efforts.

Speaking of— “I think that once we get the search and rescue thing off the ground, I want to train with a dog of my own. Maybe a bloodhound or something.”

I see Finley’s eyes light up at the mention of a dog and grin. “Wildcat, it wouldn’t be a pet, it would be a working animal.”

“They don’t work twenty-four-seven,” she sasses. “Besides, that sounds like something I could do, Mercury. I may not know the trails around here, but eventually, I will, and I’m a skilled hiker. In fact, I want to help when you get it going.”

“We’ll have a kennel of dogs before you know it,” Orion states, chuckling.

“We’re going to have to have more than one, Orion,” she replies. “The shop is still my top priority but I know if someone local goes missing, especially a child, you’ll be the first to lock the doors and hit the road. This way, I can help too and not get stuck doing all the oil changes on vehicles that have been poorly maintained.”

“She’s got you there, O,” Aries teases as the front door opens and both Midas and Hercules walk in, followed by Boötes, Scorpius, and Neptune.

“The others are too far out to make it in timely,” Hercules states as they stroll in. “I had them wrapping up one last job so we can all focus on getting ready for the delivery of the barndominium.”

“You can share what’s needed,” Gemini replies. “Go grab some food and something to drink. We’ll get started once you’ve eaten.”

“Appreciate that, pres,” Midas says. “Stale popcorn just doesn’t keep this physique in fighting form.”

Shit. Another Orion, just what we fucking need. I hide my smirk as Orion chuckles, glad to be in the company of someone who’ll understand him.

We’re about to start our meeting when the phone rings. Finley snatches it off the hook and quickly presses the speaker button before she sets it in the middle of the table.

“Hello?” she asks.

“This is Daniel Running Cloud, chieftain of the Blackfeet tribe. I was given a message to call someone by the name of Gemini,” the deep voice states.

“I’m here, Chief,” Gemini says. “We had one of our women by the phone. The majority of my club is here as well and I can go through the introductions if you’d like, but it’ll mostly be me and my vice president, Mercury, speaking.”

“Chief Running Cloud, I’m Mercury,” I add, so he can hear my voice. At Gemini’s nod, I start speaking again. “Several months ago, we moved from Texas to Montana to revive the Kings of Anarchy MC club in this area. Shortly afterward, we ran into someone we went to school with, a female, who was being stalked.”

“I presume you know who was responsible,” the Chief remarks.

“We do, but it’s far deeper than that, sir. Not long afterward,” I start, then stop and try to figure out how long it’s actually been, before I give up, “one of her friends was found brutally attacked and left for dead. Several days later, when I was back out in the area trying to see what I could find, I found another woman, the one who answered the phone.”

“Hi,” Finley calls out, waving her hand, then blushing when she realizes what she’s done.

“She was in a bad way, she’d been shot and also struck with an arrow,” I continue. “It was touch and go for about a week or so, and she ended up spending three weeks total in a medical facility before we brought her back to our clubhouse to protect her.”

“What happened to you, young lady?” the chief questions.

“I uh… I was at the hospital getting a work injury seen to when I was abducted, your excellency,” she says, only to stop and stare at the phone in shock as a deep, rich, baritone bursts out laughing.

“Call me Daniel,” he invites. “Hearing Chief This and Chief That makes me look for my father. Continue, please.”

“When I woke up, I found myself in a shack, chained to an eyehook embedded in the floor. There was just enough give to the chain that I could get to the bathroom, but not much else. It was one of those shacks you see on property that’s been abandoned, Daniel, with broken windows, and missing boards. Whoever took me, and they were always masked when they came by, dropped off food once a day, but it wasn’t enough to keep me full, if that makes sense.”

“They were starving you,” Daniel denotes, his voice now hard.

“Yes. One morning, I woke up to a recording telling me that today was the day that the game started,” Finley says. “I didn’t really understand until the end, when it told me that if I successfully got away, I could leave.”

“Then what happened?” Daniel asks, as I look at my new brothers who don’t know what happened to her yet. Their anger is palpable and I see their fists clenched by their sides.

“I ran, even though they had taken my shoes. I’m an experienced hiker, Daniel, but I wasn’t familiar with this terrain at all, so I made a few mistakes along the way. I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them because their animal calls kind of sucked.”

Another chuckle passes through the phone. “Still, you have a warrior heart, young lady, to have survived what Mercury described,” he emphatically states.

“After the arrow pierced my side, which is what caused me to pass out from the pain and I don’t remember much more than that,” she confesses.

I pick up the story from there. “She doesn’t realize this, but she clawed her way along the ground and did a pretty good job of camouflaging herself, Daniel. I honestly wouldn’t have spotted her but she was feverish by then and moaning, something I suspect she didn’t know she was doing.”

“And what do you suspect, Mercury?” he asks me.

“I think we’ve fallen into a horrible shitstorm, to be transparent as glass, Daniel,” I reply.

“And what does that have to do with me and my tribe?” he presses.

“We believe they may be using the caves in your mountains to hide, either themselves or their cache of weapons.” I don’t let on that Orbit found information that led us to them; that’s a story for another time.

“We’d like permission to come onto the reservation and search for the caves. We want to shut these assholes down, Daniel,” Gemini adds. “Since we don’t know your land at all, we’d appreciate it if a tracker could come with us.”

A heavy silence follows Gemini’s words and like the rest of my brothers, as well as the women, I wait, nearly holding my breath as the man on the other end of the line ponders our request. He finally sighs and I realize the weight he carries is much like what Gemini does with regard to the club. “I must take this to my elders and gain their guidance,” he advises. “However, I will do that now so expect a response in the next day or so.”

“Thank you, Daniel, we appreciate you taking the time to call us back and listen to what we think is going on. As far as we’re concerned, it’s gotta be stopped, and if your elders say no, we’ll find another way to get what we need. But we have someone who is doing our technological stuff, and he’s advised that there are many across the state who are missing, including some from your reservation.”

Good job, Gemini. You didn’t show our whole hand, but you let him know that we’re aware that they’ve been impacted by these fuckers as well.

“We’ll talk soon, Gemini,” Daniel says before disconnecting the call.

“Well, now all we have to do is wait,” Orion grumbles.

“And plan, brother. We’re going to plan for every eventuality, including whether or not they decide to help us,” Gemini asserts.

CHAPTER

TWENTY

Finley

The guys sit around finalizing several plans. One involves being able to go onto reservation land should they receive permission from Daniel, while the other means that they’ll go out, mostly at night with fancy night vision goggles they all are well-versed in using and continue to scout the first area they found while also searching for any others that might be nearby.

Orbit even sent them some kind of heat-seeking equipment so they can tell whether any of the places that people are held are bunkered down underground. They’re already positive that there are more shacks similar to the one I was held in out there. I barely hold back my shudder when I think of all the others who were before me who didn’t make it out alive. Skippy’s life is still in limbo as she’s in a coma, and I know that Orion is fighting every instinct he has not to stay at the hospital constantly. Instead, Gemini and Mercury have arranged a schedule of sorts between the brothers that allows Orion to handle club business, like getting the shop up and running, while keeping her protected.

I’m sitting on the porch staring at the darkened sky and looking at the stars when I hear footsteps approach from behind. It’s funny, but in the short time I’ve been here, I can pretty much decipher who is coming just based on their gait. So, when Mercury steps into my peripheral, I turn and look up at him, smiling.

“Did y’all get it sorted through?” I ask, my hands cupping the hot chocolate I’ve taken to drinking at night. I’m sure when we’re in the depths of winter I’ll have a constant supply because it warms me from the inside out, but now, it’s almost like having a glass of warm milk before bed. It helps settle me and calm my racing thoughts.

“For the most part, yes,” he replies, holding out his hand. “Let’s walk around the property, wildcat.”

I’m always game to have any part of him touching me, so without any hesitation, I set my mug down and stand, wrapping my fingers around his as he tugs me into his side. “There’s a spot right there that I’m intrigued by,” I murmur, looking at his strong profile. Without thinking too deep about my next actions, I lean up and kiss the side of his neck.

It’s not the first time we’ve kissed, but it is the first time I’ve initiated any kind of intimate contact and I can tell from his indrawn breath that it affects him. “Is that okay?” I question.

“Anywhere you wanna kiss or touch me is yours, Fin,” he says, turning his head and capturing my lips with his. “Hell, I might just have a new erogenous zone and I’ll see if Draco is up to tattooing that spot with your lips as a reminder to anyone who looks that I belong to someone.”

I can’t help the giggle that bursts from my mouth; it’s such a guy thing to say in my mind, anyhow. “You wouldn’t really do that, would you?”

“Absofuckinglutely,” he replies as we start walking around the perimeter.

There are big plans to enclose all of the property once the clubhouse has been delivered and built out, but right now, Gemini has prospects and members patrolling the area to ensure no one is here that’s not supposed to be.

From what I’ve gleaned, the Jeffries family is at the head of this nightmare, but they haven’t approached the club directly, even though I’m positive they’re aware that I survived their so-called treatment. Plus, it’s no secret that Sutton’s now with Gemini, since she now works remotely for the hospital. Although… that’s going to change once they’ve got all their businesses up and running since risk management skills can be applied to anything involving people and numbers. Skippy’s the only one who’s not here, but I’m positive she’s gonna be here once she recovers.

“I hope Daniel receives the okay from his elders,” I say. The silence is comfortable and I don’t feel like I have to fill the void with a lot of useless chattering. Somehow, despite how we began, we’ve planted a foundation based on trust and honesty, which settles my soul.

I feel like I was just coasting before, looking for that one thing that would complete me. It’s a trite saying for sure and has been overdone countless times, as if a person can be someone’s other half, but at the same time, when it comes to Mercury, it rings true.

“We do as well, but we’ve got a backup plan if they say no,” he tells me.

Suddenly, the feelings I have for him are right there and I know I need to say something to let him know I want to take things to the next level. The chicken who lives in my brain is screaming and running around as though I took off its head, but the sane woman who stays there tells me that he’s been waiting on me. For the most part, I’m pretty much healed; the stitches have dissolved and while I still have some soreness and bruising, I’m no longer the broken heap he found in that field.

“Can I ask you something? Or, tell you something?” I query, the thoughts of him touching me intimately shoving the chicken into the corner of my mind. I see my sane counterpart pick up some pom poms and start cheering and almost roll my eyes, because if anyone could hear my thoughts, they’d have me in a psych ward quicker than I could say boo.

“Finley, you can ask or tell me anything except that you’re leaving me. What’s on your mind?”

Taking a deep breath I do what I do best, I just blurt it out. “Are you waiting on me to be ready before we go any further in our relationship?”

I can tell that I’ve stunned him because he stops dead in his tracks, turns and pulls me into his embrace. Long moments pass while I wait for his answer, but the wait doesn’t scare me. He always acts with a bit of caution and I presume it comes from what he’s done as a tracker. He never rushes into a situation and I can almost hear his brain whirring as he thinks about what to say.

“Where’s this coming from?” he finally asks. “Because, every part of me wants you, Finley, in any way, shape or form that comes. But to answer your question, yes, I’ve been waiting. Not for you to be sure since you said you wanted the same thing, but for you to feel like yourself again. For weeks now, you’ve hobbled around, wincing when you thought nobody was paying attention, and did what you were supposed to do, heal. I’ve seen over the past few days that you’re moving a lot easier, and while I hadn’t planned to throw you against a wall and fuck you, I’m not the kind of man who doesn’t have a wealth of patience. It’s something ingrained in me, wildcat, and while I’ve been ready, I’ve been waiting for you to get better.”

I slowly release the breath I was holding at his words and hug him closer. Our height difference means that my head is against his chest and I can hear his heart beating. It’s steady and sure, just like the man whose hands are lightly rubbing my back.

I’ve come home.

That thought saturates my brain then courses through my body. No matter what happens in the future, hell if the zombie apocalypse occurred, I know he’s got me, in every way he can.

“Then can we go to bed?” I ask, my inner cheerleader nearly falling off her self-made pyramid. I’d snicker because she’s equal parts angry that she was caught off guard and ecstatic that I took the bull by the horns.

“I thought you were never gonna ask,” he replies, grinning down at me. “For the record, I wanna say that while there are those out there who would say we’re moving fast, I’m the kind of man who knows what he wants. I love you, Finley, and want you to hear that before we’re naked in my bed while I pull orgasm after orgasm out of your sweet, delectable body.

I’m glad he’s holding me up because I’m officially a pile of warm, squishy goo. “Well, I did, so now what?” I tease, lightly kissing that spot I can’t stay away from.

If his shudder is any indication, he likes it, and I vow to put on the brightest lipstick I can find and kiss him there again so everyone knows how I feel. I don’t believe he’ll really tattoo his neck since it’s a permanent marking, but I can do it with something that is easily removed.

“We go back inside, clean up since I still want to get our earlier adventures off my body, then we learn about each other biblically,” he retorts, a smirk riding on his delicious lips. “And as for what I just said, you don’t have to say it until you’re ready, wildcat. I’m just showing you all my cards.”

Feeling a boldness sweep through me, I reach down and cup his impressive bulge that’s been steadily growing against my lower abdomen and state, “Not all of them.”

As he practically rushes us back toward the house, I hear him murmur, “Wildcat is the perfect name for you.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Mercury

To say I’m shocked by her revelation would be an understatement of the century. I don’t startle easily; the training my dad and uncles put us through coupled with what I’ve done as a tracker means that I’m a relatively laidback person.

But Finley’s words have shaken the ground I walk on. A sense of pride rolls through me. After everything she’s been through, she’s not hiding out somewhere, afraid of every little noise or action by others.

She’s the perfect person for you, my dad whispers. I’m not one who necessarily believes in spirits and other woo-woo shit, but with us living so close to the reservation, it could be possible. My head moves in acknowledgement but I don’t utter a word.

Can’t have her thinking she attached herself to a crazy man, after all.

By the time we get back inside, most of the guys have gone their separate ways. I see Pisces and Aries playing cards and drinking their beer, but other than a chin lift, they don’t say a word.

While she’s got a room of her own, I head to mine. One of the nice things about this farmhouse that Rocco had is that there are several bedrooms that could be considered master suites. Gemini and Sutton have one, and I have the other since we’re at the top of the heap of this motley crew we’re building a life with as Kings of Anarchy brothers.

After unlocking the door, I usher her in and watch her look around in amazement. I’m a big man, so I have a California king and while it takes up a lot of room, there’s still a fireplace and sitting area, as well as an en suite. I’ve painted the room a soft gray and the bedding is complementary. Thanks to my mom and aunts, I’ve also got those useless pillows they called shams but those are currently piled up in the corner on a chair that I use when I’m putting on my boots.

“You have… you have shams?” she asks through her giggles which have her body shaking with mirth.

“Doesn’t every well-mannered man?” I parry, grinning at her. “Actually, those are courtesy of my mom and aunts who said we weren’t allowed to live like savages.”

“How… how did they manage to do that to a bunch of badass bikers? I presume the other guys also have similar items in their room.”

“Well, one day we were sitting around drinking when the UPS driver showed up and started pulling out box after box. Kind of like what happened at the shop earlier today, only none of us had placed an order for anything.”

“Awww, they were just taking care of their boys,” she teases, still giggling.

Since I love it when she cuts loose and her personality shines through, I take her teasing with a grain of salt. Orion is right about one thing but I’ll cut out my own tongue before I ever admit that out loud.

I am too serious sometimes and a stick in the mud. I know it’s because of the shit I’ve seen that my cousins are thankfully ignorant about and I’ll keep them that way because they don’t need to join me in my nightmares.

“They also have a sense of humor because somehow, they found bedding for Orion that has cars and motorcycles on it,” I reply, snickering. The rest of us got stuff that was more appropriate for an adult.

“How did he react because I’m assuming the rest of y’all got things like you did,” she asks.

“The fucker cheered then immediately grabbed his box and headed to his room,” I say, taking off my boots. “Do you wanna join me in the shower? It’s big enough.”

A light flush pinkens her face but she nods. Thank fuck, because I wanna see her wet and naked. The first I’ll take care of in the shower, then hopefully light the fire that will have her soaked by the time I slide into her tight sheath.

Despite her sudden shyness, she wastes no time stripping down while I turn on the water. Another decent thing that Rocco did, although I suspect it was for his own benefit, was ensure there was fantastic water pressure. I did a few modifications and added one of those rainforest shower heads. Once I’m satisfied with the temperature, I take her hand in mine, our clothes now in a pile on the floor and step inside the huge stall.

Her eyes roam over my body, cataloging each scar, each tattoo until her eyes reach mine. “You’ve been hiding things from me, mister,” she states, putting her hand on her hip.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She waves the other hand from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. “All of this was under your clothes? If I had known that, I’d have taken my chances a week ago.”

I burst out laughing, once again realizing that her nickname suits her to a T. She’s not a shrinking violet by any stretch of the imagination. The difference in her fierce meekness when I found her and how she is now is like night and day.

“I would have let you,” I admit, lightly moving her under the spray. Once I’m satisfied that her hair is thoroughly wet, I lean in, kiss her nose then turn her, saying, “I’ve wanted to have my hands on your hair and body for weeks now, Finley.”

“I love it when someone else washes my hair,” she confesses.

While I don’t initiate actual sexual contact with her, per se, I don’t limit myself in my touches and caresses as I shampoo and condition her hair, then gently wash her body, paying special attention to her straining breasts as she pants thanks to my ministrations and the promised land between her thighs. In fact, to make sure she’s squeaky clean, I get down on my knees for a visual inspection, causing her to shriek in surprise.

“Mercury! I want you with every fiber of my body, but I’m not up for shower sex,” she fusses. It’s a weak try, though, because I can see her desire sliding down her thighs.

While I long to plant my face between her strong, silky legs, right now is about setting the stage. The finish line will be in my bed where she’s going to stay as long as I have breath in my body.

“Foreplay,” I whisper, my hot breath teasing the trimmed curls at her apex.

“I’m two seconds away from grabbing your hair and forcing you to do what my body wants from you,” she warns, glaring down at me. I don’t worry because there’s no heat in her gaze outside of pure lust.

“Just wait, wildcat,” I huskily reply. “Now to rinse you.”

“Oh goody, it’s my turn now,” she murmurs, clapping her hands.

Grinning, I waste no time rinsing her off, wanting her touch on my heated body as much as she wants it.

I barely dry us off before I’m scooping her up in my arms and hurrying to my bed, gently setting her down in the middle, shoving the comforter to the end of the bed. My whole focus on her and I know I started a fire in our shower with how she’s already writhing on the bed with pure, unadulterated need thrumming through her.

“I don’t know where to start,” I murmur as my hands roam her body and my eyes track what my hands are doing.

“Kiss me,” she demands. “That’s a great start as far as I’m concerned.”

“Absolutely, wildcat,” I reply, hovering over her so I can cup her face in my hands, tilt her head then take her lips captive with mine.

As her hands roam my body, I hear her soft mewls of passion which ramps up my own. My dick is steadily leaking pre-cum across her abdomen, which means another shower is in our future, making me grin as I pepper her jawline and neck with kisses.

My goal is to drive her to the point where we can fly through the stratosphere and while we haven’t gotten to the ‘good stuff’ per se, if we stopped right now, despite my aching balls, I’d be satisfied.

Thankfully, she hasn’t said a word about stopping and when I move down to take a turgid nipple between my lips, she lets out a low moan as her legs automatically splay. Right now, I thank whatever deity is out there that I have the ability to hold a plank for ten minutes. I chuckle as I move to the other breast, giving it equal attention, because those silly challenges my cousins and I often engage in that keep us in peak shape are helping me out so I don’t crush her with my weight.

She’s not exactly a wisp of a woman; she’s got all the right parts in ample amounts, but it’s obvious she’s physically fit as my hands move down to span her waist while I nibble, lick and kiss my way toward the honey pot that’s steadily leaking.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

Finley

My body’s on fire right now and the fire master is moving between my outspread legs. “God, Mercury,” I beg as he breathes in deeply.

“Just finishing what I started in the shower,” he murmurs before he swipes his tongue across my aching pussy.

“Holy shitballs,” I utter as he starts working me over.

He licks, sucks, and nibbles until I’m nearly crying for a release. But when he adds one thick finger, I nearly pop off. My body is strung as tight as a drum and I can feel my orgasm hovering on the horizon.

“Gotta get you ready,” he replies, his voice muffled by my pussy.

I briefly wonder if anyone’s ever been smothered while engaging in oral sex, then decide I don’t care. What a way to go and any horror at someone finding me in that manner wouldn’t matter because I wouldn’t care if they saw my naked body caught in the throes of coitus.

“I’m ready,” I plead when he sends a second finger into my core then starts to thrust them in and out in a steady rhythm. “I promise, I’m ready, Mercury,” I groan out when he hits my G-spot.

I may not have had countless lovers in my past thanks to my trust issues, but right now, Mercury owns me, body and soul. The love I feel for him explodes around me, only I refuse to say those three little words in the throes of passion, when life is beyond good.

“You’re coming on my fingers and tongue first,” he demands before increasing his speed.

“Well, get ready, hot shot, because I’m coming,” I keen out, my back bowing as pleasure rolls through me on a continuous, non-ending wave. He rides it out with me, his fingers and lips never stopping until I pull away because it’s suddenly far too sensitive.

“Good girl,” he whispers as he crawls up my body and notches his cock at my entrance.

A sudden thought pops into my head. “I’m on the implant,” I say.

“Wouldn’t matter. You’re mine, plain and simple. But I’m glad you said something because I want you all to myself for quite some time before we start adding kids to the mix.”

Just like his oral assault, his physical one consumes all of my senses. I kiss, scratch, and lick every inch of skin I can reach as he moves over my body in a dance that’s older than time. It’s not long before I feel my pussy fluttering around him and his previously steady movements become somewhat erratic.

His pubic bone hitting my clit sends me into orbit and as I cry out his name, he stills and I can feel him pulsing deep inside me, filling me with his cum. For a brief second, I think about babies, specifically his babies but he’s right, I want time for us.

Long, breathless minutes pass as he kisses me, pouring everything into the action while I reply in kind. “That was awesome,” I exclaim once I can talk coherently.

“And it’s only gonna get better from here,” he says, rolling to his side and curling me into him.

“It’s all fun and games until we have to get up so early,” I grouse as we dry off from our shower. Despite being bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, my body positively hums from all the attention it got throughout the night.

He smirks at me, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him as he runs a brush through his hair. “You know you’re excited about going to the shop to help get shit organized, Fin.”

“Could’ve gotten a few more hours of sleep first,” I reply, my voice pouty as I quickly braid my hair so it’ll stay out of my face.

“Same, babe, but Orion’s excited which is why he likely sent the text as early as he did,” he reasons.

I stomp back into the bedroom, thankful that Mercury went up to my room and grabbed some clothes for me so I’m not marching through the house with nothing but a towel wrapped around me. While I’m positive that everyone knows about our relationship status changing, I refuse to do the walk of shame. That’s for college co-eds and bar pickups and I’m neither one of those.

“At five in the morning? The man is gonna learn boundaries if I have to use my socket wrench to beat it into him,” I grouse as I get dressed.

Seeing Mercury walk back in behind me, his naked body on glorious display momentarily distracts me from my mini rant. There’s just so much to look at and all of it is sublime, causing my mouth to go dry. He sees the look on my face and chuckles as he moves to the dresser to grab some clean clothes.

“Now that it’s been thoroughly cleaned by the company y’all found, and the prospects repainted the interior and put together all the shelving units that finally arrived, he’s starting to realize a dream is about to come true.”

“Fine, I’ll cut him a little bit of slack, but I’m still going to tell him that normal people don’t text at five o’clock in the morning unless there’s an emergency of some sort!” I exclaim.

Because if I’m being completely honest with myself, I’m kind of excited to see how it looks now that everything is fresh and clean. My hands clench in excitement which has Mercury chuckling since he didn’t miss the action.

“Ah, Miss Lazybones has risen,” Orion snarks as we walk into the kitchen.

“Considering I thought it would be a few more days before it would be done, I’m allowed to laze around,” I retort. “How did all of it get accomplished so quickly, anyhow?”

Orion chuckles as he butters some toast then puts it on top of a growing pile, while Gemini does something at the stove. Since I hear popping and sizzling, I’ll pray he’s cooking bacon. “Well, while you two lovebirds were walking around outside, several of us met the cleaning crew at the shop. As they finished an area, we painted while a couple of the prospects who were able to come put the shelving units together.”

“Y’all must’ve been there most of the night,” I murmur before taking my first sip of the crisp, icy cold diet soda that Mercury hands me.

“Look, when the cleaning company calls and says they had an unexpected cancellation due to a power outage in the area they were supposed to go to, and they offer to have two of their crews come out, you don’t say no,” Orion says. “Pisces and Aries offered to stay since y’all were out and about, but the rest of us jumped at the chance to get another business up and running.”

“You’re just sore because you didn’t get enough sleep,” Pisces interjects, winking at me and smirking at Mercury. Then, he looks at Gemini and states, “Soundproofing, Gem, please tell me you’ve considered that for the new clubhouse. Either that or I’m going to demand a set of noise cancelling headphones so I can get some sleep.”

Chuckles reverberate around the room as I feel my face grow hot with embarrassment. Mercury, that rat bastard, stands there with a smug look on his face as his cousins continue to give us shit. I know it’s their weird way of bonding, but it suddenly gets to be too much and I snap, “I can’t wait until y’all find someone to walk alongside you. Then I’ll know who can dish it out and whether you can take it.”

A warm arm goes around my shoulders as Orion pulls me in and says, “Calm yourself, Fin, we’re just happy that the surly bastard found someone who can tolerate him. We’re not trying to embarrass you, I promise.”

I shove an elbow into his gut, causing him to make an oomph sound before he backs away, cackling. “I see someone needs more caffeine, beauty sleep, and food,” he chortles.

Rolling my eyes at his antics, I toss my hand up in a peace sign and say, “Then you better get your roll on dude, because I want donuts and maybe an apple fritter.” I know they’re cooking, but I do want to see the shop, so to keep me happy, Orion better get his ass in gear.

Or else.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Mercury

After Orion and Finley leave and head to check on the status of the shop, and start unpacking the delivery that had been dropped off, I take up her mantel and sit by the phone, crossing my fingers that Daniel calls and gives us the go-ahead to come on tribal land. In the meantime, I’m plotting for us to hit the hidden bunkers we found deep in the mountain ground. That’ll be happening tonight once night has fallen and we have the stars and moonlight to guide us.

Sutton puts a plate loaded with food in front of me, along with a fresh cup of coffee. “Thanks, Sutton,” I murmur.

“Just because your woman wanted sugary goodness for her breakfast doesn’t mean you need to suffer,” she teases, setting her own plate down.

One by one, the rest of my cousins come and sit down, and soon, we’re eating and joking around as we get ready to face the day. “What do y’all say about heading up close to dusk?” I ask.

“I thought we were going to wait to see if Daniel called back first,” Pisces replies.

“We are waiting for that, of course, but what we found needs to be explored further. I’d like to know if we hid our presence there well enough or not, and whether or not there was any activity last night,” I supply. “It’s not on tribal land, so we have free rein.”

We were able to dismantle the transmitters without messing with the tripwires, which is sure to have gotten at least one of those fuckers out there to nose around to see why things are no longer working. It’s my hope that they dropped something or maybe even left tracks to another location. At this point, I could spend all day every day out there seeking the answers we’re looking for, but my cousins aren’t used to doing that, so I’m trying to keep my desire to dig in deep to myself.

“You make a good point,” Gemini slowly says, his head nodding. “Sitting around doing nothing doesn’t sit right with me. We may not have your level of skill as far as tracking goes, Merc, but we’re able to help, I’m sure.”

I scoff because we were all well-trained by our fathers. “I may have more time out in the field, but y’all know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t downplay your skills and knowledge, Mercury,” Aries chides. “We know you’ve gone through a fuck ton of training that we never did and it’s perfectly okay with all of us. The good thing about how we were raised is we all have a variety of skills we bring to the table. That’s going to help us build a club that we can be proud of while also allowing us to stop these assholes.”

“I wish we could go to the shop and give Orion a hand,” Pisces murmurs.

“Why don’t y’all go? I have to work anyhow so I can listen for the phone,” Sutton suggests.

“Hercules and some of his crew are here preparing the area where the barndominium is being placed, so I’ll let him know to keep an eye on things,” Gemini states. “Let’s go help our cousin realize one of his dreams come true.”

When we roar into the lot, I look through the open bay door and notice that O and Finley are hard at work. I can see the sweat dripping down their faces from here and decide to send Aries across the way to grab a few water bottles from the convenience store. But when I glance at him as I shut down my bike, he’s already striding in that direction, having read my mind like we tend to do since we’ve known each other all of our lives.

“He’s like a damn savant,” I joke as the rest of us dismount, toss our helmets on the handlebars, and head into the garage.

“It’s because we know how each other thinks without us having to say anything,” Gemini reasons, shaking his head. “It’s nice at times, during others, not so much.”

“Isn’t that the damn truth,” Pisces utters as we catch Orion and Finley’s attention.

“What are y’all doing here?” Orion asks as he wipes his hands on a shop rag to get rid of the grease.

“What are you playing with that’s got you so greasy?” I inquire as Finley walks over to the sink and washes her hands.

“We were oiling the lift,” she answers, shooting me one of her dick raising smiles.

“What’s with all the boxes that are only halfway unpacked?” Pisces asks as he walks over to one and peers inside. “Fucking hell. That’s a lot of small packages to unwrap.”

“That’s why we set it to the side. It’s going to be boring, tedious work,” Orion grumbles. “I like getting my hands dirty, don’t get me wrong, but they like tinkering with machines, not inventory.”

“You’re such a baby,” Finley teases him.

“Well,” I say, clapping my hands. “Put us to work, tell us what needs to go where and we’ll help y’all out.”

“Speak for yourself, Merc,” Aries grunts as he walks in with a bag full of bottled waters in his hand. “I got enough to supply us for a few hours. Is there a fridge around here somewhere so I can store these and keep them cold?”

“In the break room,” Orion tells him, pointing down a narrow hallway that leads to the back alley. “I just plugged it in this morning once I noticed the paint was dry.”

I make a mental note to order cases of water, the electrolyte drinks that Orion prefers, and their favorite sodas so they’re stocked up and hydrated. Since my woman will be working here, I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she’s comfortable while she plays with cars and bikes.

As Aries saunters the way he was directed, we notice a rusted car pull up and park. When the engine shuts down, two women step out, mirror images of each other. When Finley gasps and covers her mouth with her hands as she dances in place, I go on alert.

“Paloma!” she shouts as she drops her hands and lets her feet move her forward in a mix of a sprint and the tango.

As she rushes to the woman who stepped out from the driver's side, I glance at Gemini and ask, “Do we know who they are?”

“Nope, not a clue,” he answers. We both take our fight stance. Arms stubbornly crossed across our chest, our legs wide and our feet planted on the concrete floor. Once the women break free from their hug, I notice the woman who made Finley do the happy dance introduce her to the other woman. After those introductions are made, Finley grabs her ‘friends’ hand and drags her over to us.

“Guys! Remember I told you that one of the Blackfeet women helped me once when I was hiking?”

“I recall something about that,” I remark, my eyes still trained on the females. I don’t know them so I’m cautious about how I interact with them here.

Finley narrows her eyes on me and says, “Don’t be a jackass, Merc.”

“Not being a jackass, wildcat. This is me being who I am,” I counter.

“Well… stop it,” she hisses.

“Can’t stop being who I am,” I remind her.

She harrumphs before stating, “We’ll work on it.” I hold back the roll of my eyes because that’ll get her temper flaring. And whereas I like her sass, I prefer it when we’re not in the company of strangers. A smile plays on my lips as I remember the night before; she took no prisoners and gave as good as she got. Personally, I want to take her back to the house and have a repeat performance.

Unfortunately, there’s work to be done, as well as two females who have shown up unannounced and unexpectedly.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

Finley

I don’t know what’s eating Mercury, but I ignore that since I’m excited to see the woman who all but rescued me on that trail so many months ago when I got turned around and ended up getting lost. I decide to hash it out with him later when we’re alone, because his behavior is horrid and unacceptable as far as I’m concerned.

“Gemini,” I say, changing the course of who I’m speaking with and continue, “This is Paloma and her sister, Lelanie. They’re part of the Blackfeet tribe. Daniel sent them here to talk to us.” Aiming my eyes at Mercury, I expound on my warning, “So be nice!”

“I’m always nice,” Gemini says, defending himself.

“That wasn’t meant for you,” I whisper. “It was meant for the man whose face has gone stone cold.”

“My face is not stone cold… it’s cautious,” Mercury argues.

Slapping my hands on my thighs, I release a growl. “You’ll have to excuse him,” I tell the sisters. “He was raised in a barn and has the manners of a mule.”

I see retribution in his gaze that’s now pinned on me. Bring it on, buster, I think to myself.

“Always told him he was a jackass,” Orion adds, a humorous grin spread from one cheek to the other.

“What can we help you ladies with?” Gemini questions, pulling my focus back to the two women whose gazes are ping ponging back and forth every time someone speaks.

“We were sent to offer you an invitation to come with us to meet with Daniel and the elders,” Paloma replies.

“If you mean right now, let’s go,” Orion says, breaking all of us out of our shock. “Finley, you can tell them face-to-face about what happened to you, and even show off your wicked scars!”

I hit my hand against my face. Sometimes, he’s like a friendly, rambunctious golden retriever and now is one of those times. “Orion!” I hiss. “They’re not going to want to see my damn scars!”

“Well, why not?” he presses. “They’re badges of honor, Fin, showing you survived what was meant to kill you.”

“Fine, whatever,” I spit out. “We can come now if that’s okay, Paloma.”

“That is perfectly acceptable,” she replies.

Mercury motions to me when I start for my vehicle, shaking his head when I raise my brow. “You’re on the back of my bike,” he issues.

“I don’t have a helmet,” I smugly retort. I know there’s no way in hell he’ll let me ride without one so I feel pretty confident that I’ve outsmarted him. At least this time.

He smirks then says, “Good thing I had ordered one for you.”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself,” I snark as I stomp over to where he’s standing and watch as he opens up one of the saddlebags and pulls out a helmet which he hands to me.

“Where you’re concerned, absolutely,” he replies, helping me with the strap.

“Shithead,” I say, a sneer on my face. “Maybe I wanted to drive myself. You ever think of that?”

“Didn’t even consider it,” he remarks. “My woman rides with me whenever we’re together.”

“You say it like it’s a foregone conclusion,” I allege.

“Isn’t that what we just recently agreed to?” he probes.

“I don’t remember agreeing to anything,” I harrumph. Two twin giggles catch my ear and I turn toward the sisters, pointing at them. “Don’t encourage him, ladies.”

Paloma pretends to zip her lips but her eyes are swimming with humor. Lelanie doesn’t even try to hide her amusement. She just shoots me a wink and climbs into the car. “Your man is an alpha, Finley,” Paloma states.

“You don’t say,” I sigh, as I swing my leg over the saddle and pinch Mercury’s side, aggravated even more when all I capture is muscle beneath his cut. “Alright, Dark Knight, I’m on your batcycle, let’s go.”

Despite my initial irritation at being commanded to ride behind him, I find myself enjoying the scenery as we follow behind the dirt coated car. Not that I’ll readily admit it, of course, because I gotta have a few secrets. Right?

Eventually, we end up on a dirt road that’s kicking up dust and making me rethink the whole thing. I’m going to look like a dust bunny by the time we arrive. What kind of impression will that give the chief and the elders? Frustrated, I dig my fingers into Mercury’s rock hard abs, then get pissed off that the man has absolutely no body fat whatsoever. Hell, my own body, which is in pretty decent shape, has places I can pinch and pull on fat, for fuck’s sake. I growl under my breath when I feel his chuckles against my body.

Jerkface.

We finally park and I note with some interest that each of the bikes backs in in a particular order, with Gemini’s bike being first in line. I wonder if it has to do with the positions they hold in the club and tuck that question away to ask at a later time.

“Follow us,” Paloma instructs once we’re all off the bikes and the helmets are on the handlebars.

I know they have specific names for their buildings, but this one appears bigger than the rest so I feel like it’s a community room of sorts. Once inside, I see that while it’s dimmer than being outside, they’ve utilized lanterns to light the space. I suspect they don’t have electricity out here and doubt they have much use for modern conveniences.

Gemini leads the way, Mercury right beside him while I follow behind with the other three men. We’re led to a long table and while I’ve never seen the chief, I instinctively know which one he is by the garment he’s wearing. Plus, the other men surrounding him on both sides are dressed differently, and they’re older. Guess that’s why they call them elders, but what do I know? Something else to look into because I’m inherently curious about everything.

“Chief,” Gemini says, holding out his hand.

“I told you yesterday to call me Daniel,” Daniel chides, causing me to bite my lip so I don’t burst out laughing.

“I know you did, I was honoring your elders by calling you by your title,” Gemini replies.

“We are not that formal these days,” the one to Daniel’s left says. “I am Nathaniel.”

The other two men introduce themselves, then I listen with rapt attention as they invite the rest of us to sit down. Before I know it, earthenware mugs full of crisp, cool water are placed in front of us with Daniel saying, “The road is dusty.”

“Yes, it is,” Gemini concurs. “But what we’ve found out is more important than a little bit of dust, Daniel.”

“I have explained to the elders what you told me on the phone. They want to hear it for themselves from Mercury and Finley so they can better understand.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

Mercury

I take a breath, feeling the air in the room—it’s stagnant, heavy with the weight of tradition and the unspoken history of the land around us. I look at the table, then I look at Daniel. His face is a mask of calm, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. Beside him, the elders sit like statues carved from the very mountain I’m talking about. They’re waiting for me to justify why a group of outsiders is bringing war to their doorstep. I don’t blame them. I plant my hands on the rough wood of the table. It is solid, grounding me as I prepare to lay it all out. I start by looking at each of them. I need to make sure they understand this is not a game, it’s not some reckless power play.

“We set out to find the truth, but what we found is a cancer,” I say, my voice steady. “When we started, we thought we were looking for a simple hideout. We thought it was a rogue group of assholes playing hunting games in the woods. We were wrong. It goes much deeper than that.”

Nathaniel, the elder to Daniel’s left, leans forward. His eyes are full of fire. “You speak of a cancer. That is a heavy word, son. Tell us what you mean by that.”

I nod, respecting the gravity in his voice. “We found a hole in the side of the mountain. It was disguised with brush, expertly woven to match the ridge. When we peeled it back, we found steel. Not just a piece of scrap metal, but a reinforced, military-grade door set into the rock. It was locked with a heavy chain, and it was clear that someone had been there recently. The scratches on the padlock were fresh.”

“And you think this is connected to the people who hurt the girl?” Daniel asks. He gestures toward Finley, who is sitting near the edge of the circle.

“It is,” I reply. “We searched the perimeter. We didn’t just find one hole. We found a network. This isn’t just one location. It’s a system of bunkers, carved deep into the mountainside. They have sensors, too. Tripwires linked to silent transmitters.” I look around the circle again. I need them to visualize this. “These people aren’t just camping. They’re monitoring the forest. Every square inch of the area near their entrances is a kill zone. They have set it up so that if you walk the wrong path, you trigger an alarm that tells them exactly where you are, while they remain hidden and safe behind their steel doors.”

A murmur ripples through the elders. It’s not fear. It’s anger.

“A kill zone,” one of the elders whispers. “On our land?”

“Not quite on your land, but close enough to be a threat to anyone who wanders too far,” I answer, not letting on what Orbit told us just yet about some of their caves being found holding caches of weapons and ammunition. “We spent hours scanning the area. We found at least two entrances, but we suspect there are more. This is an insurgency, plain and simple. They are using the terrain to their advantage, and they have spent months, maybe years, preparing for a fight.”

“You say you have mapped two entrances,” Daniel notes. “How do you know there are more?”

“Because of the layout,” I explain. “We saw the way the terrain dips and rises. The ventilation shafts, the way they have clear lines of sight from the ridgeline to the lower trails. It’s designed to allow movement between these bunkers without ever being seen. It’s a hive. And the most chilling part is the arrogance. They’ve left the trash, the remnants of their time there, strewn about in places they think no one will ever look. They think the law can’t touch them out here. They think they’re untouchable.” I pause, letting that sink in.

“Why tell us now?” Nathaniel asks, his voice cutting. “Why not just take your own men and handle this?”

“Because we aren’t the only ones in danger,” I explain. “Finley isn’t the only victim. There are others. We have evidence, or at least strong reason to believe, that people from your tribe have vanished into those tunnels. People who were never seen again. We aren’t just protecting our own interests. We’re trying to find the missing. We’re trying to stop the rot before it spreads any further.”

“You suggest that our people are in their holes,” Daniel says. His voice is dangerously quiet.

“I suggest that is a possibility we can’t ignore,” I answer. “We’re talking about a group of hunters who don’t see human beings as people. They see prey. And if we don’t stop them, they’ll keep hunting until they have nothing left to kill.”

“What do you need from us?” one of the other elders asks.

I don’t see which one asks that question, but I answer anyway. “We need to know the land. We have the gear, the training, and the numbers. We can hit them, we can dismantle their network, and we can drag them into the light. But we don't know these mountains like you do. We don't know the secret paths, the hidden trails, the caves, the places they might be using to move unseen. If we go in blind, we lose. If we go in with you, we win.”

“And if we refuse?” Nathaniel asks. “If we tell you to leave our mountains to us?”

Since I don’t think they’ve completely grasped the severity of the situation, I’m able to remain calm. It’s how I get before I go on a mission to track someone down; I’m completely focused and look at the evidence I have right in front of me. Their questions are valid ones and if nothing else, I’ll honor their heritage to this land by respectfully answering whatever they ask.

“Then we’ll keep fighting,” I reply. “We have a job to finish, and we aren’t going to leave until these bastards are gone. But if we do it without you, we might miss something. We might miss a trail, or a hidden entrance, or a sign that someone is still alive down there. Do you want to risk that?”

Daniel sits back. He’s quiet for a long time. The tension in the room is like a tightened bowstring. I wait. I don’t fidget. I don’t look away.

“You have seen these traps yourself?” Daniel asks, looking at me. “You have seen the technology they use?”

“I have,” I convey. “I’ve held the tripwire in my hand. I’ve seen the transmitters. They’re using civilian-grade tech, but they’re using it with a military mindset. They’re prepared to defend their ground with everything they have, all to be able to continue to play their sick, twisted games. Like I said, they’re a cancer and we need to get rid of it.”

“They have weapons,” Daniel states. It’s not a question, it’s a shock.

“Yes,” I tell him. “They have guns. They have knives. They have bows and arrows, and other pull string archery equipment. And they have the element of surprise. But the biggest weapon they have is the ignorance of the people who live around them. They rely on the fact that no one will look for them. We’re taking away that advantage.”

“You are reckless,” one of the elders says, but there is a glimmer of respect in his eyes.

“We’re determined,” I correct him. “There’s a difference.”

“You want a tracker,” Daniel says. “You want one of our people to walk into the belly of this beast with you.”

“I want someone who can read the land,” I reply. “Someone who can tell me if the wind has shifted in a way that suggests a hidden shaft, or if the birds are acting strange because of human activity. I want someone who belongs to this place. Because this place is under attack.” Daniel looks at the other elders. A silent conversation passes between them, a language of glances and nods that I can’t read. Finally, he turns back to me. “You are asking us to risk our people.”

“I’m asking you to join us in protecting them,” I expound. “We’re already here. We’re already fighting. I’m just asking for the best chance to succeed. Our purpose in reaching out is to make y’all aware of what’s going on literally in your backyard, and most likely, has involved some of your people over the years.”

“You speak of these hunters as if they are animals,” Nathaniel remarks. “Are they?”

“In their actions, yes,” I emphatically decree. “They act without conscience. They don’t care about the lives they destroy. If that makes them animals, then yes, they are the worst kind. The kind that needs to be put down.”

“And what happens after?” Daniel probes. “When the tunnels are cleared? What happens to the mountain?”

“The mountain stays intact,” I promise. “We aren’t here to claim land. We’re here to reclaim safety. Once they’re gone, this place will belong to you again, just as it always has. We go back to our lives. You go back to yours. The difference is that you won't have to worry about who’s watching from the shadows of the tree line or the peak of the mountains.”

“It is a hard thing you ask,” Daniel says.

“It’s a hard reality we’re facing,” I counter. “But three of our own women have already been impacted by their insidious poison. Sutton was fortunate that we figured out what was going on, while both Finley and Skippy paid the price. Actually, Skippy still is, to be honest, as she’s in a coma.”

“We will discuss this,” Daniel vows, standing up. “We will consult with the spirits of the land, and we will talk among ourselves. You have given us much to think about, Mercury. Much to fear, and much to consider.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

Mercury

“I understand,” I respond, nodding in respect to him and the elders. “We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll wait for your decision.”

“That is good,” Daniel remarks. “Because if what you say is true, time is not on our side.”

“Time’s never on our side,” I concur.

I step back, letting the elders move to their own space. Gemini steps up beside me, his presence a solid wall of support. We’ve said our piece. Now, it’s up to them to decide whether or not to walk into the fire with us. I glance toward Finley. Her unreadable expression stays on me as I wonder if my words landed. Did I convey enough? Was my message clear, or did I come across as making baseless threats? I’m simply a man who’s witnessed a living nightmare, doing everything in my power to persuade those who matter that the danger is genuine. I walk over to the window, looking out at the mountains. They’re beautiful, majestic, and terrifyingly vast.

Somewhere out there, in the dark, they’re waiting. The hunters. The ones who think they can take whatever they want. They have no idea what’s coming for them. They have no idea that we aren’t just victims. We’re the reckoning. This reservation may be for the Blackfeet tribe, but it’s close enough to where we’re located that we’ll protect them as well.

It’s time for these psychopaths to find out that nobody fucks with the Kings.

And while I’m not completely sold on ancient tribal mysticism since it doesn’t make sense to me on a personal level, I can’t deny that some of the lore surrounding this tribe has been spread far enough that it’s believable. Yeah, it feels a bit woo-woo to me, but they’re steeped in traditions and their beliefs, so who the fuck am I to say it’s not real?

Turning around and facing the room, I notice the elders are talking in low, urgent tones. They’re debating the future of their tribe, the safety of their people, and the threat of the men in the mountain. I can feel the weight of their words. I can feel the shift in the air.

“What do you think?” Gemini queries, leaning in close.

“They’re listening,” I affirm. “They’re angry. That’s good, anger’s a motivator.”

“And if they say no?” he presses, his worry running deep. This involves the women in our lives who mean everything to us.

“Then we go anyway,” I declare, my voice low. “We just have to be more careful. We have to be smarter. We have to be everything they aren't.”

“We are,” Gemini insists, his voice full of conviction. “We’re Kings. We don't quit.”

“No, we don't,” I agree. I’m glad that they allowed us to come and listened with intent and purpose when Finley shared what happened to her as we pled our case.

I watch the room, waiting for the verdict. This is the moment where the path is chosen. This is the moment where we move from being observers of the war to being the ones who end it. And I know, with every fiber of my being, that we’re going to finish this. We’re going to rip those doors off their hinges, we’re going to find the missing, and we’re going to make sure that no one ever has to fear the shadows of these mountains again.

I feel a hand on my arm and relax when she touches me. “You were good,” she praises, her voice quiet. “You told them exactly what they needed to hear.”

“I hope so,” I sigh. “I just hope it's enough.”

“It has to be,” she insists, her eyes fixed on the elders. “For all of us.”

I nod, watching the firelight dance in the room. It casts long shadows on the walls, shapes that look like the jagged peaks outside. It’s a reminder that we’re at the edge of the world, fighting a battle that no one else can see. But we see it. And we’re ready. I stand there, waiting, my mind running over the map again and again. The bunkers, the traps, the lines of sight. I see it all in my head, a complex, deadly puzzle that we’re going to solve. I see the hunters, arrogant and blind in their pride. I see them falling, one by one, until the mountains are quiet again.

“They're coming back,” Gemini whispers.

I turn around. The elders are returning to the table. Their faces are set, their eyes focused. They look like men who’ve made a choice—a hard choice, but a necessary one.

“Mercury.” Daniel commands, “Sit.” I do as asked, and the others follow suit. The room goes quiet again, the air thick with anticipation. “We have heard you,” Daniel declares. “We have considered what you have said. And we have come to a conclusion.”

I wait, my heart thudding in my chest. This is it. This is the moment.

“We will help you,” Daniel vows, his eyes locking onto mine. “But not because we trust you. We do not know you well enough for that yet. We help you because the threat you describe is a threat to the balance of this land. We help you because if even one of our people is out there, trapped in that darkness, we have a duty to bring them home.”

“Thank you,” I say, my voice raspy with relief. “You won't regret this.”

“We will see,” Daniel cautions. “Lelanie will go with you. She knows these trails better than anyone. She will show you the ways in, and she will tell you where to tread lightly. But be warned. If we find out that this was a trap, if we find out that you have used us, there will be no place in this world where you can hide from us.”

“I understand,” I acknowledge, meeting his gaze without flinching. “We aren’t using you. We’re fighting beside you. And we’ll honor your land and your people.”

“Then it is settled,” Daniel concludes, rising from his chair. The other elders follow his lead, and I instantly grasp how he is able to oversee a tribe. His commanding presence alone shows me that he is well-respected by his elders and I can only fathom a guess that the rest of his people are the same. “The hunt begins.”

I stand, a surge of adrenaline washing through me.

The hunt begins.

The words echo in my mind, a promise and a warning. I look at Gemini, then at the others. We’re ready. We have the path, we have the guide, and we have the will.

“Let's go,” I bark, my voice hard and determined. “We have a war to win.” Tonight, we’ll kill two birds with one stone. We’ll check on the underground bunkers we found and we’ll follow Lelanie as she helps us navigate our way to the caves that’ve been talked about on the membership website that Orbit has found and is monitoring. Tonight, we turn the tables in our favor. We may not take down the whole enterprise, but we’ll have a better idea of how they operate and where their hideouts are. I do find it interesting that they held the information about what’s been found close to the vest, but understand that they don’t trust us to have that knowledge. But they will.

We walk out of the community room, the cool night air hitting us like a tidal wave. The stars are bright overhead, a vast, uncaring canopy watching our tiny, violent lives. I look at the mountains, the dark shapes looming against the sky. They don't know it yet, but they’re going to be liberated.

We move toward the bikes, the plan solidifying in my mind. We’ll need to pack the gear, we’ll need to prep the weapons, and we’ll need to move fast. We don't have time to waste. Every second that ticks by is a second that the hunters have to hide, to plan, to kill. For all we know, more captives are already being held in ramshackle buildings ready to be herded then released for the hunt.

“You ready?” Gemini challenges, swinging a leg over his bike.

“I've never been more ready,” I retort.

I look back at the room one last time. The elders are gone, but their presence lingers, a silent, watchful shadow. They’ve given us their trust, and we can’t afford to break it. We have to be perfect. We have to be cold, efficient, and ruthless. We have to be the monsters that hunt the monsters. I kick the engine to life. The roar shatters the silence of the night, a defiant cry against the dark. I check the handlebars, I check the gear, and I look at the road ahead. It’s a long, winding path, full of rocks, vines, and shadows. But it’s the path we’ve chosen.

“Let's ride,” I command. Finley looks at me with proud, tearful eyes as she hops on my bike behind me like it’s routine, like she’s done this a thousand times.

We tear out of the lot, the gravel spitting beneath our tires. We hit the main road, the wind rushing past us, cooling the heat of the day. The miles fly by, the trees blurring into a dark, solid wall. I focus on the road, my mind working, planning, anticipating.

We’re coming, you bastards. We’re coming.

I can feel the anticipation building, a coiled spring ready to snap. I check the mirror. The others are right behind me, a pack of wolves on the hunt. We’re together. We’re strong. And we’re going to finish what we started.

I look up at the mountain. It stands tall, silent, and imposing. It holds its secrets tight, but we’re going to tear them out. We’re going to find the truth, no matter how ugly it is. We’re going to make it right, and hopefully, bring closure such as it is to families and loved ones who are missing someone.

“Tonight,” I whisper to the wind. “Tonight,” I reiterate, my resolve firm and unyielding.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

Finley

The pseudo clubhouse feels like a pressure cooker about to explode. Every wall in this house seems to vibrate with the sheer amount of kinetic energy pouring off the brothers. I sit in the corner of the living room, nursing a cup of tea that went cold ten minutes ago, my eyes tracking every movement in the room.

Mercury, Gemini, Orion, Aries, Pisces—they’re all here, moving with a synchronized intensity that I’ve only ever seen in movies. Tonight isn't a game. The air smells like gun oil, sweat, and impending violence. Sutton slides into the chair next to me, her movements quiet and deliberate. She’s been glued to the medical updates for Skippy, but she’s pulled herself away for a moment. She offers me a sympathetic smile, the kind that says she knows exactly how I feel because she’s carrying the same burden.

“They’re really going out there tonight,” Sutton murmurs, her gaze fixed on the table where they’re spreading out the topographical maps.

“They have to,” I reply, my voice barely audible over the clatter of gear. “If they don't find those hunters, the hunters will eventually find us. It’s that simple. There’s no running from this. By now, they have to know that I survived, which puts a huge target on my back, as well as the club’s. Plus, they’re aware you’re here too, Sutton. This is not only to protect us, but everyone in the community.”

The rest of the Kings roll in within the hour. Hercules and Midas arrive first, their faces coated in the dry dust of the highway, followed closely by Boötes and Scorpius. They don’t waste time with pleasantries or handshakes. They drop their heavy bags on the floor with dull thuds and immediately start checking their gear. It’s a practiced, rhythmic dance. Everyone knows their specific role in this formation.

Sutton watches them from her position next to me, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She looks fragile, though I know there is steel beneath her skin. “They look like they’re preparing for a war,” Sutton whispers to me.

“They are,” I answer, my eyes scanning the room. “Just not the kind you see on the news. This is personal.”

The clubhouse floorboards creak under the weight of over a dozen men moving with purpose and intention. The air grows thick with the metallic scent of gun oil and the earthy smell of leather. Orion’s sharpening his knife, the rhythmic rasping sound cutting through the low murmur of voices. Aries’s busy organizing the radio frequencies, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

“Do you think they have enough supplies?” Sutton asks, her voice brittle.

“They have more than enough,” I reply. “They’ve been planning this for weeks. They’re not going out there to play games.” We retreat to the corner of the room to give them space. It is easier to talk where the chatter is quieter. Sutton is still clearly shaken, her focus shifting between the medical bags and the tactical gear.

“I keep thinking about the what ifs,” Sutton admits, looking toward Gemini as he buckles his vest. “What if they find more than they bargained for? What if the bunkers are trapped with something worse than sensors?”

“Then they fight,” I declare, my voice firm. “They’re Kings. That’s what they do. If we sit here and worry about every possible outcome, we’ll drive ourselves mad. We have to be the stable ones, Sutton. They need to know we’re holding things down here.”

She nods slowly, though her gaze remains fixed on Gemini. “I know. It’s just hard to watch them leave knowing what’s waiting in those woods. I wish we could do more than just monitor the radio.”

“We’re doing plenty,” I assure her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re their safety net. That’s just as important as the ones running the mission.”

Across the room, Mercury stands near the back door checking the action on his rifle with a focus that makes my skin prickle. He looks like a stranger in this light, his features hardened into a mask of pure intent. He catches my eye and holds the gaze. There’s no warmth in it, just a quiet, heavy acknowledgement of what lies ahead. He walks over to us, his boots silent on the floor.

“We’re moving out,” he says, his voice flat.

“Stay safe,” Sutton tells him.

“I intend to,” he replies. She gives him a quick hug before rushing over to Gemini so they can have their moment.

The men file out the back door in a single, efficient line. The sound of their heavy boots on the porch is like a drumbeat. I follow Mercury to the threshold. The cold night air rushes in, carrying the scent of wilderness. He pauses, his hand hovering over the door handle. The intensity in his eyes softens just a fraction.

“I need you to stay by the phone,” he says, his tone shifting. “Lelanie’s going to guide us to the meeting point, but we might lose signal once we hit the deep ravines. If Daniel calls or if anything happens, write it down."

“I will,” I promise.

He reaches out, his calloused fingers brushing my cheek. The contact is electric. I lean into his hand, closing my eyes for a fleeting second. “I have to go, wildcat,” he says, his voice dropping to a low rasp.

“I know,” I whisper, following him toward his motorcycle. “But you have to promise me you’ll stay safe. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

“I’m not going to throw my life away,” he assures me, pulling his hand back. “I have too much waiting for me back here.” He leans over me and gives me a passionate kiss that has me reaching out and grabbing him by the lapels of his leather riding jacket. As we pull apart, he hauls me into his arms and gives me a backbreaking hug.

Reluctantly, he steps back and eats the distance between him and his bike, swinging his legs over the saddle and mounting it before hitting the throttle, the engine roaring to life with a defiant, throaty growl. I watch as the others mount up. The yard is suddenly filled with the rumble of engines, a vibration that rattles my chest. Mercury looks back at me one last time, his visor down, before he taps the handlebars and signals for the pack to get into formation behind Gemini so they can move out.

They tear out of the lot, their taillights blinking into the darkness like distant, dying stars. I watch them until the last one disappears around the bend. The silence that rushes back into the yard is heavy and suffocating.

Sutton walks over to me, tears streaming down her cheeks and states, “They’re gone.”

“Yes,” I reply. “Now the waiting begins.”

We walk back into the house. It feels different now, emptier. The maps are still on the table, marked with the coordinates of the death trap they found. I look at them, then at the silent phone sitting in the center of the table.

“Let's get the house locked up,” I say, my voice steadying. “We've got a job to do, even if we're not the ones on the bikes.”

We move through the rooms, closing windows and locking doors. It feels like a ritual, a way to seal our little world off from the nightmare outside. By the time we finish, the house is completely dark save for the small lamp on the desk near the transmission radio. We got a crash course on how to use it, which is good because I’m not the most technologically proficient person on the planet.

I sit down in the chair by the radio, my eyes locked on the telephone. The minutes tick by, long and agonizing. Every shadow in the room seems to shift, every creak of the house sounds like a footstep.

“I'm going to check the perimeter again,” I say, standing up.

“You just checked it,” Sutton reminds me.

“I know,” I say. “It makes me feel better.”

I walk through the house, my hand trailing along the wall. I think of Mercury, moving through the deep woods with Lelanie leading the way. I imagine them creeping along the ridgelines, watching for traps, navigating the maze of the forest. I hope they're careful. I hope they know how much I need them to succeed. I return to the desk and pick up my notebook. I start writing, cataloging every detail I can remember about the men who held me. I want to be ready when the chief calls. I want to be the one who gives them the piece of information that finally tears this whole organization down. The house is quiet, but my mind's a storm. I can see the hunters waiting in the dark. I can see the traps laid in the dirt. I can see the danger closing in around the men I love. I hold my breath, listening to the silence, praying for the sound of the phone, praying for the return of the pack. The darkness outside is total. There's no moon, no light, just the vast, uncaring wilderness. Somewhere out there, the hunt's beginning. And I'm here, holding the line, watching the clock, waiting for the world to turn back to the way it was.

I lean back in the chair and look at the ceiling. The radio emits a faint, constant static. It's a lonely sound. I close my eyes and imagine Mercury, his face set, his eyes sharp, moving through the trees like a ghost. He's out there, and he's fighting for us.

“Come home,” I whisper into the empty room. “Come home to me.”

The night drags on. The static on the radio is the only thing keeping me grounded. I watch the phone, waiting for it to ring, waiting for the voice of the chief, waiting for the end of this nightmare. I'm the one waiting, but I'm not just a bystander anymore. I'm part of this. I'm in the fight.

And I'll be here, wide awake, until the sun rises and they ride back into the yard.

The silence of the clubhouse is deep, but it's not empty. It's filled with the weight of the mission, with the ghosts of the past, and with the hope of the future. I'm waiting, but I'm ready. I'm ready for the call. I'm ready for the truth. And I'm ready for them to come back, so we can finally, once and for all, finish what we started. I lean forward, the glow of the desk lamp illuminating the map on the table. The trail to the meeting point is marked clearly.

Lelanie's leading them now. She knows the land better than anyone. I trust her. I have to trust her. She's their eyes now. She's the one who'll lead them through the maze of the mountains. I take a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart. I'm Finley, and I'm a survivor. I'm the one who saw the hunters, and I'm the one who'll see them brought to justice.

The chase is on, the hunters are now the prey, and we're the ones who're going to win it. I pick up my pen, ready to write down the next chapter. The silence in the house is broken only by the scratching of my pen on paper, a steady, rhythmic sound that keeps the fear at bay. I keep writing, keep planning, keep waiting. The dawn's coming, and with it, the answers. I'm ready. I'm waiting. And I'm not going anywhere.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

Mercury

We rendezvous with Lelanie at Daniel’s designated coordinates. Rather than hitting the bunkers, which are already mapped out for a later pass, we push onto reservation property to inspect the caverns on the Blackfeet side of the mountain. Lelanie leads the way without a word, her boots barely disturbing the pine needles on the forest floor. She moves with a fluid grace that makes our heavy tactical gear feel clumsy by comparison. I keep my eyes on her back as we navigate the dense brush. She stops at a ridgeline where the trees thin out and the mountain face scars the horizon. A deep split in the rock reveals the entrance to the Blackfeet caverns. It is narrow, barely wide enough for one man to squeeze through, but the air flowing out is cool and smells faintly of wet limestone.

“It goes deep,” Lelanie says, her voice barely a whisper in the mountain wind. She doesn’t look back as she slides into the gap with the ease of a predator entering its den. We follow, one by one. I’m second in line, my rifle held at the low ready. The transition is brutal. The bright mountain light dies the second I cross the threshold. I flip on my light. The beam cuts through the thick, stagnant air, revealing walls that shimmer with moisture. “Watch the floor,” Lelanie warns, tapping a spot on the ground where the rock slants at a wicked angle. “There are holes here that go down for miles. You slip, you do not come back up.”

I nod, stepping carefully. “You know this place well?”

She glances back, her eyes reflecting my flashlight for a second. “My grandfather taught me every vein of this mountain. It breathes. You have to listen to it.” I feel a shiver that has nothing to do with the temperature. She is not just a guide. She is a part of the land. We move deeper, and the acoustics change. Every step echoes, making the cave sound like it is filled with unseen people. Gemini signals for a halt. He points at the wall. I look closer. There is a series of scratches near a protrusion of quartz. Not animal claw marks. These are man-made. Someone has used a tool to wedge themselves a foothold.

“They’ve been here,” I claim, my throat tight.

Lelanie kneels, running her hand over the dirt near the wall. She stands up and points to a discarded cigarette butt pressed into the mud. It is fresh. “They are careless,” she remarks, her voice devoid of emotion, her expression disgusted. “They think the mountain hides them, so they stop being quiet. They stop being hunters.”

The realization hits me hard. These people are in here right now, or they were here hours ago. I motion for the guys to tighten the formation. We are not just explorers anymore. We are prey if we are not careful. I see Pisces checking his sidearm, his movements calm but fast. We’re deeper than I expected. The tunnel branches off into three distinct directions. “Left,” Lelanie directs us without any hesitation whatsoever. “That is where the air flows from the lower chambers. If they are hiding supplies, that is where they put them.”

“How can you be sure?” I ask.

“Because the elements of the mountain tell me,” she says. We push forward into the dark, ready for whatever awaits us.

As the cavernous walls open up into a wider pathway, Midas squeezes through us and shuffles his way to Lelanie’s side, as if he’s drawn to her charisma and can’t resist being beside her. Gemini gives me a knowing look, one that says those two will be hooking up, and I shrug my shoulders in response. Can’t keep people apart who are drawn to each other. As soon as he reaches her, the two of their heads navigate toward each other’s, nearly touching as they talk in low murmurs and communicate in hand signals.

I watch the two of them ahead of us, and it’s impossible to ignore how Midas and Lelanie move like magnets pulled together by a force stronger than the mission. She shifts to the left to avoid a slick patch of limestone, and Midas is already there, his boots landing in her prints with a precision that borders on supernatural. It’s not just about protection. He doesn’t treat her like a damsel. He treats her like an equal, a partner, and every time she pauses to scan the darkness, he stops instantly, his gaze tracking her silhouette with an intensity that makes me look away. They breathe in sync. They stop in sync. There’s a silent language passing between them, a rhythm forged in the deep earth that I can feel vibrating in the air. Midas is hovering, sure, but she’s the one setting the pace, and he is happy to follow her lead wherever she goes. We push deeper until the tunnel opens into a massive chamber. Lelanie raises a hand to halt us, her eyes narrowing at something in the shadows. Tucked against the damp rock wall is a shack, built from scavenged rotten, mismatched boards that have no business being this far underground. It looks like a scar on the face of the mountain. We move in with our weapons high, scanning for tripwires, but the place is quiet. Too quiet.

“Clear it,” I tell the guys, my voice a low growl. I kick the door inward, and the stench of decay hits me like a physical punch. It smells of sickness, unwashed skin, and wasted life. In the back corner, huddled against the dirt floor, is a figure draped in rags. They are emaciated, their skin the color of old paper, and they don’t even flinch when we enter. The victim doesn't make a sound, just stares at the dirt with eyes that look like shattered glass. They’ve clearly been missing for a long time, discarded like trash in this hellhole. “They’ve been holding someone here," I say, my blood turning to ice.

Lelanie is already on her phone. She keeps her tone clipped and professional, giving Daniel the location and the situation without wasting a breath. She hangs up and turns to us, her face a mask of cold fury. “They are on their way. We keep the area secure.”

It takes less than ten minutes. Then, they appear. I don't hear boots. I don't hear gear clanking. One second the tunnel is empty, and the next, two figures are standing just outside the shack's entrance. The woman is older, her hair a cascade of silver braids, and she moves with a calm authority that makes my brothers lower their weapons instinctively. The man beside her is a mountain of a warrior, his frame blocking out the light, his eyes scanning the chamber for threats I don't even see.

“Stand back,” the woman says. It isn't a request.

We back away, giving them the space they need. I watch, mesmerized, as the medicine woman drops to her knees beside the victim. She doesn't rush. She moves with a slow, deliberate grace, reaching out to brush a strand of matted hair from the victim's forehead. The victim flinches, a small, birdlike sound escaping their throat, but the woman just makes a soft humming noise, a low vibration that seems to settle the panic in the room.

“You are safe now,” she tells the person, her voice steady and warm. “We are here. You are coming home.”

She pulls a bundle from her satchel. It is not medical equipment, but a heavy wool blanket that smells of sage and woodsmoke. She wraps it around the person’s shoulders, tucking it in tight as if she is swaddling a child. The victim leans into her touch, their shoulders finally dropping an inch.

“Check for trauma,” the woman says to the warrior. The massive man moves in, his hands thick and calloused but gentle as he inspects the victim's arms and legs. He finds the bruised, raw patches where the shackles bit into the skin and curses under his breath. It is a soft sound, barely audible, but it carries a weight of pure, unadulterated rage. He nods to the woman, confirming what we already know. The victim is broken, but they are alive. “Prepare the litter,” she commands. The warrior pulls a frame from his back that he unfolds with a snap. He lays it down, and together, they lift the victim. They don't drag them or manhandle them. They act in perfect unison, one supporting the head, the other the legs, sliding them onto the soft surface of the blanket-lined frame. The victim lets out a long, shuddering breath, their eyes finally closing as the weight leaves their body. “Take them to the entrance,” she tells the warrior. “Do not stop for anyone.” He grunts, hoisting the frame onto his shoulders with ease. He turns and walks out of the chamber, his movements as silent as a shadow. The medicine woman lingers for a heartbeat, looking at the spot where the victim was chained. Her expression shifts, the warmth vanishing to reveal a cold, predatory focus. She looks at us then, her gaze piercing right through my gear and my bravado. “You did well to call,” she says. “But do not make the mistake of thinking this is over. They are not done with their cruelty. You need to be ready for what comes next.”

She turns and follows the warrior into the dark. I want to say something, to thank them, but the words die in my throat. We are outsiders here, and I know better than to interrupt a ritual of healing. Lelanie steps forward the moment they are out of sight. Her face is a mask of stone. “You heard her,” she says, her voice cutting through the damp air. “We tear this place down. Now.”

We don't need a second order. We move to the walls of the shack, our boots thudding on the cave floor. Pisces takes a crowbar to the main support beam. With a violent grunt, he levers it outward. The wood groans, the old nails screeching as they give way. Gemini joins him, putting his weight behind the pull. The front wall sags, then collapses into a heap of splinters and dust.

I walk to the back corner where the victim was held. I see the eyehook embedded in the rock, a jagged piece of steel that ruined a life. I swing my boot, hitting the base of the wall with enough force to crack the rotting boards. I kick again, and again, tearing the shack apart board by board. We work in a frenzy of destruction, fueled by the image of that person curled on the dirt. We smash the furniture, we shatter the remains of their meager supplies, and we pile it all in the center of the chamber.

In ten minutes, the shack is nothing but a mound of kindling. I pull a flare from my vest and strike it. The sudden red light turns the chamber into a hellscape. I toss the flare onto the pile, and the dry, ancient wood catches instantly. We watch the fire rise, licking at the stone ceiling, devouring the last evidence of the nightmare. By the time we leave, there is nothing left but ash and the memory of what happened in the dark.

On our way back out, Lelanie shows us how to access the underground chamber she briefly indicated as we were coming through. When all of us are in the cool, dark cave, none of us utters a sound. Piled high, up to the ceiling are crates of various guns, ammunition, and other armaments that these fuckers are using to torture the people they’ve abducted.

I remember how I found Finley, and I also recall the way Skippy looked. Thankfully, Skippy’s seemed to be more like an opportunity presented itself after Sutton thwarted Jeffries’ attempts to capture her. Enraged, he went after someone she cared about. At least, that’s my presumption, because Finley was definitely malnourished and in horrible shape when I came upon her all those weeks ago. Why the person we found was in even worse shape than Finley was is anybody’s guess, but as far as I’m concerned, those bastards have gone too far.

“It’s too much for us to carry out of here,” Gemini muses as we continue to look around at all the crates. “But we can’t leave this shit here, brothers. Lelanie, do you have any suggestions?”

“I will reach out to Daniel. I am sure he will get warriors down here so we can get this removed. This is a violation of our mountain,” she replies. She looks sad but also livid that their sacred land has been so reprehensibly desecrated. While I don’t share her beliefs, I feel the same damn way. Sometimes nature should be left alone and these mountains are so majestic, what those shitheads have done is a travesty in and of itself, notwithstanding the survivor we found. “He will get our medicine woman out here to perform a cleansing ceremony once this trash has been removed.”

While I understand their formal way of speaking, her ire at the situation is battling with my need to chuckle at the words she’s using regarding the arsenal we’ve found. There are countless thousands of dollars sitting around, everything spic and span and shiny. Definitely not what eclipses my definition of trash. Still, she’s right; these fuckers shit on the mountain, the tribe itself, and the surrounding community.

It’s a damn good thing we don’t mind taking care of the ‘trash’ because there are at least three men I know of who are going to meet their maker. We’re just getting started and while this first battle may be ours, I can’t fool myself.

The war is going to take precision, strategizing, and knowing exactly when to move forward and when to fall back. But, since nobody fucks with the Kings, my bet is on us ultimately winning.

EPILOGUE

Finley

Time is meaningless at this point. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m now delirious. I’ve checked the doors and windows so many times, I’m pretty sure I’ve worn a path on the old hardwood floors at this point.

Sutton, bless her heart, is curled up on the couch, having finally passed out, but I’m too hyped up at this point to do anything but wait.

It could be the countless glasses of my diet soda I’ve drank, or even the whole chocolate bar I ate. I’m sure I went over the daily allotment of caffeine about three servings ago, but until my man is back under this roof, as well as everyone else, I’m not going to be able to rest.

The radio static goes louder, then I hear his voice. The mellifluous tone sends tingles through me even as I reach for the device. “We’re on our way back, wildcat. Do you copy?”

“Copy, Mercury. We’ve got the light on,” I reply.

“Are you really using the slogan for Motel 6 right now, Fin?” Orion asks through the open line and I know he heard what I said.

Smacking my hand on my forehead, I silently count to ten then hit the button and say, “I’ll always leave the light on for y’all, you big oaf. Now, unless you want me to give you my two weeks notice before we’ve taken in one vehicle, you’ll give the radio back to Mercury.”

“Wildcat, he’s now pouting,” Mercury tells me, making me chuckle.

The sound wakes up Sutton and she rolls so she’s sitting up, wiping her eyes as she asks, “Are they home? Is that them? What’s going on?”

“They’re on their way and Orion was being his normal goofball self. I guess we’ll find out whatever they’re able to tell us when they get here,” I reply. To Mercury, I say, “Gonna go put a fresh pot of coffee on for y’all since I’m sure you might be tired but you’re not gonna be ready to sleep when you first get home.”

“Debrief first,” he says. “See you soon, wildcat.”

I don’t answer him through the radio, just softly whisper, “See you soon.”

“I’m glad that didn’t take too long,” I say as we head up to our room. “I know you probably want a shower and we both need to get our heads down on our pillows for some much-needed rest.”

“We’ll save time and shower together, wildcat,” he replies, grinning at me.

Suddenly, my tiredness, which finally caught up to me the minute he pulled me into his arms when they got back, completely dissipates and something else is on my mind. “Kinda like that idea,” I tease.

“Good, because you didn’t have a choice,” he jests as he unlocks the door.

One deliciously, thoroughly pleasurable shower later, I know what the fuss about shower sex is all about and let me tell ya something, I’m here for it!

Now, I’m snuggled into him, my head on his pec as I run my hands through his chest hair. “Mercury?” I call out.

“Right here, wildcat, what’s on your mind?”

“Tonight, while I waited and drove myself crazy, one thing kept running through my mind. A regret of sorts, if you will.”

“What do you possibly have to regret?” he asks, turning his head to look into my eyes.

“The fact that I haven’t told you how I feel,” I admit. “I didn’t expect it to happen, and honestly never thought it would, but from the moment you found me, broken and bleeding, you’ve kept me safe. You didn’t pressure me for anything more than friendship and let me set the pace. Mercury, I love you with everything that’s in me. I don’t care if y’all end up dabbling on the wrong side of the law or not, I’ll be by your side. Manning the phone, holding the radio, and leaving the light on.”

He cups my face in his hands and softly whispers, “I love you more. Now, let me show you just how much.”

THE END… for now

Up next up will be Midas and Lelanie and hopefully, the Montana Kings will get their men!

WHERE TO FIND LIBERTY

Liberty has been an avid reader for most of her life. When she was younger she use to sit and fill spiral notebooks full of stories. She loves getting creative and working behind the scenes with her characters and bringing her imagination to life.

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OTHER BOOKS BY LIBERTY

Rage Ryders MC:

1. Taken By Lies

2. Taken By Rage

2.5. Taken By Vegas

3. Taken By Sadistic

4. Taken By Chaos

5. Taken By Temptation Rage Ryders Volume One Rage Ryders Volume Two

Rage Ryders Templeton:

1. Faithfully Devoted

2. Forever Yours

3. Hide & Seek

4. One Last Ride

Diva's Ink:

1. Blank Canvas

2. Clean Slate

3. Beautiful Template

Diva’s Ink Trilogy

Royal Bastards:

1. Property of Wrecker

2. Romanced by Wrecker

3. Waking the Dragon

4. Dragon’s Treasure

5. Butcher’s Destruction

Imperial Knights:

(Crossover from Royal Bastards)

1. Selah’s Wish

2. Saber’s Surrender

3. Roxy’s Independence

Kings Of Anarchy:

1. Property of Indiana

2. Property of Riptide - coming

2.5 . Lighting Up The Biker

Valentine Novella: Shot through the Heart

3. Property of Icer

4. Property of LoneStar

5. Property of Slayer

6. Property of Booker

Kings of Anarchy: Montana

(With Darlene Tallman)

1. Property of Gemini

2. Property of Mercury - Coming Soon

Deviant Knights:

(Part of the Motorcycle, Mobsters, and Mayhem Collaborated World)

1. Kodiak

2. Conan

3. Risk

Dreamcatcher MC:

1. Charlee's Choices

2. Capturing Dreams

3. Shattered Trust

4. Utterly Wrecked

5. Blood Bond

6. Master’s Tiny Dancer

7. Unleashing Powerhouse

8. Taming Bull

9. Lethal Vendetta

10. Defying Boundaries

11. Merging Factions

DreamCatcher Next Generation:

1. Dynamic Intentions

2. Magnetic Temptations

Surrogacy:

1. What Should've Been

Crossroad Soldiers MC:

Prequel – Walking The Crossroad

1. Our Cross To Bear

2. Claiming What’s Mine

Rogue Enforcers:

1. Maverick

2. Leigh

3. Charisma

The Four Pack:

Featuring Paxton, Maverick, Leigh, and Esmerelda

Dark Leopards MC:

1. Blaze of Glory

Solo Release/contemporary

1. Forget Me Not

Heels, Rhymes & Nursery Crimes:

We All Fall Down

Rebel Guardians MC:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Braxton

2. Hatchet

3. Chief

4. Smokey & Bandit

5. Law

6. Capone

7. A Twisted Kind Of Love

RGMC Box Set 1 (Books 1-3)

RGMC Box Set 2 (Books 4-7)

Rebellious Christmas (RGMC Novella)

(with Darlene Tallman)

Where Are They Now:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Braxton

2. Hatchet

3. Chief

Rebel Guardians Next Generation:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Talon & Claree

2. Jaxson & Ralynn

3. Maxum & Lily

New Beginnings:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Reclaiming Maysen

2. Reviving Luca

3. Restoring Tig

Nelson Brothers:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Seeking Our Revenge

2. Seeking Our Forever

3. Seeking Our Destiny

The Nelson Brothers Trilogy

Nelson Brothers Ghost Team Series:

(with Darlene Tallman)

1. Alpha

2. Bravo

Rescuing Savior:

(Liberty Parker with Darlene Tallman)

SHARED WORLD BOOKS:

Old Ladies Club:

(with Kayce Kyle, Erin Osborne and Darlene Tallman) 1. Old Ladies Club - Wild Kings MC

2. The Old Ladies Club - Soul Shifterz MC

3. Old Ladies Club - Rebel Guardians MC

4. Old Ladies Club - Rage Ryders MC

The Old Ladies Club Take One

Savage Wilde:

1. Uninhibited: by Liberty Parker

2. Desire: by Darlene Tallman

3. Crave: by Kayce Kyle

4. Shameless: by Liberty Parker & Darlene Tallman... release date TBA

Raven Hills Coven:

1. Rise of the Raven

2. Whimsical

3. Enchantment

4. Prophecy Revealed

5. Crowning Triumphancy... TBA

Dishonored Angels:

The Beginning: Featuring Hide & Seek plus Search & Find

WHERE TO FIND DARLENE

I am a transplanted Yankee, moving from upstate New York when I was a teenager. I’m a mom of four and grandma of nine who has found a love of traveling that I never knew existed! I live with the brat-cat pack (all rescues) as well as my dog, Bosco, ‘deep in the heart of Texas’, as I plot and plan who will get to “talk” next!

Find me on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/darlenetallmanauthor

Darlene’s Dolls (my reader’s group):

https://shorturl.at/fhpES

OTHER BOOKS BY DARLENE

The Black Tuxedos MC

1. Reese - The Black Tuxedos MC

2. Nick - The Black Tuxedos MC

3. Matt - The Black Tuxedos MC

Poseidon’s Warriors MC

1. Poseidon’s Lady

2. Trident’s Queen

3. Loki’s Angel

4. Brooks’ Bride

5. Atlas’ World

6. The Warriors’ Hearts (novella)

7. Kaya’s King

8. Chelsea’s Knight

9. Orion’s Universe

10. Glacier’s Thaw

Zephyr Hills Phantoms MC (Mayhem Makers)

1. The Enforcer

2. The SAA

3. The President

Steel Raiders MC

1. Holly’s Christmas Biker (13 Bikers of Christmas)

2. Holly’s Valentines Vow

3. Raiding Halloween

4. Ash’s Angel

5. Stupid Cupid

6. Prophet’s Peace

Bastard Rejects MC (Roanoke, VA chapter)

1. Brick’s House

2. A Very Merry Brick-mas

3. Banshee’s Lament

4. Jingles’ Belle

5. Kracken’s Release

Imperial Knights MC world (with Liberty Parker; books are solos but interconnect)

1. RiffRaff’s Reward

2. Scythe’s Salvation

Kings of Anarchy MC: West Texas

1. Property of Rio

2. Property of BamBam

3. Property of Abyss

4. Property of Doc

Kings of Anarchy MC: Montana (with Liberty Parker)

1. Property of Gemini

Rebel Guardians MC (with Liberty Parker)

1. Braxton

2. Hatchet

3. Chief

4. Smokey & Bandit

5. Law

6. Capone

7. A Twisted Kind of Love

Rebellious Christmas (A Christmas Novella) (with Liberty Parker)

Rebel Guardians Next Generation (with Liberty Parker)

1. Talon & Claree

2. Jaxson & Ralynn

3. Maxum & Lily

New Beginnings (with Liberty Parker)

1. Reclaiming Maysen

2. Reviving Luca

3. Restoring Tig

Where Are They Now? RGMC updates on original 7 couples (with Liberty Parker)

1. Braxton

2. Hatchet

3. Chief

4. Smokey & Bandit

Nelson Brothers (with Liberty Parker)

1. Seeking Our Revenge

2. Seeking Our Forever

3. Seeking Our Destiny

Nelson Brothers Ghost Team Series (with Liberty Parker)

1. Alpha

2. Bravo

Writing in the Redwich Shifters world (with E.C. Land; books are solos but interconnect)

1. Cyrus’s Revenge

2. Jabba’s Journey

3. Bandit’s Bounty

Shifted Misfits MC (with Nikki Landis)

1. A Merry Misfit Christmas

2. Chomp’s Challenge

Tattered and Torn MC (with Erin Osborne)

1. Letters from Home/War (novella)

2. Letters Between Us (novella)

3. Letters of Healing (novella)

4. Letters from Mom (novella)

5. Letters to Heaven (novella)

6. Letters with Love (novella)

7. Letters from Nanny (novella)

8. Letters of Wisdom (novella)

9. Band of Letters - all 8 novellas in one volume

10. Her Keeper

11. Her One

12. Her Absolution

13. Her Saviors

Old Ladies Club (with Kayce Kyle, Erin Osborne and Liberty Parker)

1. Old Ladies Club - Wild Kings MC

2. The Old Ladies Club - Soul Shifterz MC

3. Old Ladies Club - Rebel Guardians MC

4. Old Ladies Club - Rage Ryders MC

Raven Hills Coven (with Liberty Parker)

1. Rise of the Raven

2. Whimsical

3. Enchantment

4. Prophecy Revealed

Writing in the Lumbercats shared world

The Lion’s Mate

Writing in the Pandora, KY world

Trixie’s Treat

Writing in the Rogue Enforcers World

1. Paxton: A Rogue Enforcers Novel

2. Esmerelda: A Rogue Enforcers Novel

3. Charisma: A Rogue Enforcers Novella (with Liberty Parker)

Standalones/Solos

Bountiful Harvest

His Firefly

His Christmas Pixie

Her Kinsman-Redeemer

Operation Valentine

His Forever

Forgiveness

Christmas With Dixie

Our Last First Kiss

Draegon: The Falder Clan - Book One

Scars of the Soul

Hale's Song

Mountain Ink: Mountain Mermaids Sapphire Lake

Knox’s Jewel: A Dark Leopards MC Novella

Desire: A Savage Wilde Novel

Contraryed: A Heels, Rhymes & Nursery Crimes short story

Sashy’s Salvation

Search & Find

Little Red’s

What I Like About Sunday

Starting Over With You

Homeward Bound

Whispers of Love (Possum Run Duet)

Rising From The Ashes

Life After Levi

First Comes Marriage

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP (with Cheryl Hullett)

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP in The Big Move

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP in Things That Go Bump in the Night

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP in Where is You, Santa Paws?

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP in New Years, New Yous

The Camelot Kitties and the BCP Go on Bacation

The Mischief Kitties (with Cherry Shephard)

The Mischief Kitties in Bampires & Ghosts & New Friends, Oh My!

The Mischief Kitties in the Great Glitter Caper

The Mischief Kitties in You Can't Takes Our Chicken