by Elle Boon
Traeger slapped him on the shoulder. “Mighty big of you, Duke.”
Duke nodded. “Everything is big about me.” He grinned in the darkness, waiting for the lights to go out and seeing if anyone decided to pay their little lady a visit. He’d seen her security alarm lights come on. She had a good system that most couldn’t penetrate without all kinds of alarms going off, but it wasn’t impossible for a determined person to get through. Hell, they had Keys who could get them into any place they wanted, including the little stylist’s home without so much as a peep to alert her. To think others couldn’t do the same would be stupid. King and he were far from stupid. They’d learned at the knees of their bastard of a father how not to be stupid. Stupid got you kicked, hit, and in some situations dead. Nope, he preferred to be on the other side of stupid, thank you very fucking much.
“Ah, lookie there. She’s got a late night visitor.” Traeger tilted his head toward the street.
A black SUV rolled by; the engine barely audible. Tinted windows kept them from seeing inside. Duke and the others were hidden behind some bushes the neighbor next to Ayesha was nice enough to have in their front yard. Lucky for them, they were also deep asleep and had no yapping dogs to give their position away.
The passenger window rolled down, giving Duke a semi-clear view of the young man. Fuck, he recognized him. This wasn’t going to be good. Not good at all. He waited for the vehicle to slide by, hoping to hell the fuckers didn’t light up the house with gunfire, but he knew from his watching that Ayesha’s room was at the back of the house. Unless they wanted to send a message to her, they’d be stupid to do anything. However, he didn’t put anything past the group who Rico Trevino was associated with. Fucking hell, King was going to flip his lid.
“Is that who I think it is?” Traeger asked.
Duke grunted, words too much for him as he snapped a photo of the license plate with his smart phone. More than likely it wasn’t registered to the family, but Keys would do his thing.
“Let’s go, I don’t think they’re gonna do anything. If my gut is right, I’d say they followed her to our clubhouse, and now they’re checking to see if she came home alone. If the Trevino family took the sister, I’d say they’ve got a wire in her house as well, one that was set up before they nabbed the sister. Those fuckers aren’t some small time thugs. This is going to bring some shit from our past up that just might—it’s not going to be a slide in and out thing, man.” He raked his hand through his hair, knowing what they’d all gone through when their sister had been taken, but especially King. He’d blamed himself. The big brother DNA was strong in him. Duke had guilt over her death too, but he knew without a doubt they’d done everything short of locking her in a tower from birth to keep her safe. Bad shit happened to good people. Even if Ayesha’s sister had willingly gone with a boy she thought was her boyfriend, she didn’t deserve what was more than likely happening to her. In all honestly, the girl was no doubt in over her head and wishing she’d listened to her sister. Only now, she was probably scared out of her mind. They’d have taken steps to retrieve her regardless. That’s what they do when they’re invested in a mark. They take back what shouldn’t have been taken.
“Let’s roll. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day,” Duke said, heading back toward their bikes that were hidden next to the neighbor’s garage. “These fuckers really need to invest in a security system. This isn’t the fucking middle of America where Pollyanna is the norm for fuckssake.” He stared up and down the road, taking note of the neighbors who left a porch light on and who didn’t.
The other guys with him grunted, swinging onto their Harleys, each pushing with their legs until they were far enough away the loud engines wouldn’t wake the quiet neighborhood.
“I’m hoping there are a few ladies still up when we get back. I need to get laid if we have to deal with those fucks,” Gator growled.
Duke agreed but didn’t say it out loud.
Chapter Four
King woke up, a sense that the day was going to go to shit real quick had him tossing the sheet back. He stood up, stretching his muscles. He straightened the sheet, making his bed before going to the bathroom to take a piss. Once he finished, he washed his hands and looked at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out what women saw when they first saw him. Ayesha had looked at him with horror at first. Once he had her in his home, he could tell she wasn’t as angry at him as she was at herself. The look of horror had been from what he’d allowed done to the little shit Groot. What she didn’t realize was he’d let the fucker off lightly since he’d been able to walk out the door in the first place, instead of having to be carried out. An image of her big eyes, too innocent for his way of life. Hell, she probably only had sex the bible way.
“Fuck, I need coffee before I think about a little bit of fluff.” That’s what she was. Too soft for the likes of him. He liked women who knew the score, which was to know that he liked it rough, dirty, and often with no strings attached. Ayesha had so many fucking strings they were literally dangling from every inch of her. Instantly his mind thought of ways he could tie her up and the things he’d do to her once he had her where he wanted her. “Shit, I need to get laid if I’m thinking of fucking a chick who belongs in a country club, not a biker bar. The same chick who came to me to help find her sister who’s been kidnapped into sex trafficking, not help her learn how to scream my name when she comes.” He ran his hand over his jaw, feeling the scrape of his beard.
He walked into the kitchen, prepared himself a coffee while he pulled out his phone. Whoever said men weren’t good at multitasking hadn’t dealt with him, especially when he didn’t want to deal with something in particular. He’d learned early on he needed to have his mind busy, or he’d go stir crazy. The ding alerting him to an incoming text was a welcome distraction.
“Fucking A, Keys.” He read through the information, taking in what Keys had found on Ayesha’s sister. “Silly girl,” he muttered. Not once would he consider it her fault, knowing predators preyed on young girls and found their weakness, whether it was for things they wanted, or emotional connections. If there was a sliver of doubt, a good predator would find it, work it, and take advantage of it, just like they’d done with his baby sister. Not wanting to think of their baby sister, he turned to his coffee maker, fixed his travel mug to the brim while shooting a text to Duke and the others. They had a few hours to get things in line for their new mark. He was going to pay a visit to Ayesha, see if he could head her off. If his gut was correct, the foolish woman was going to try to handle things on her own. He couldn’t allow that and risk either Ayesha or Tiana’s lives.
“I’m a regular ole boy scout,” he muttered, letting the screen door slam behind him.
“Whats that?” Digger asked from the porch swing.
“Between Keys and Duke, we have a good idea of who has her sister. Now, I need to go see Ayesha, and get her to agree to stay the fuck out of it and let us handle what’s about to go down.”
Traeger stood next to Digger, but he was smart and kept his mouth shut even though King could see he wanted to laugh. He nodded and waited for King to talk. If King knew one thing about the ex-SEAL, the fucker could wait a long damn time.
“Let’s go. I’m going to need you and your skill set, brother. I think shit’s going to go sideways, and when it does, I’m probably going to need a good shot.” King sighed heavily, knowing Traeger had his back, even though he hated the thought of putting that kind of pressure on his club.
Traeger had skills that weren’t just riding his custom Harley and drinking beer, although he excelled at both of those. The brother was an expert marksman with just about any weapon that used bullets, or had a sharp edge, but he could also take out a man with his bare hands or kick the shit out of them with a few well-placed kicks. Of course, King wouldn’t ask him to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.
“Shit, P, am I gonna need some gloves for this one?” Traeger asked, straightening from the wall.
King
looked over his shoulder, a grim look on his face, nodding. “I think we all might,” he said.
Traeger took a deep breath. “I’ll meet you at back at your place in twenty.” He didn’t wait for an acknowledgement of his statement, striding away with long determined steps.
If shit was going down that might or might not cost them their lives, King was glad to have a man like Traeger backing them. He was aware the other man would be setting things in motion just in case shit went wrong, but it was King’s job to make sure it didn’t.
Twenty minutes later, Traeger rolled up on his Harley, his black jeans and black shirt topped with a black leather jacket and chaps, his cut laying over his lap. “We going in with our colors or no?” he asked King.
King shook his head. “Put it in your saddle bag. This shit is liable to go south on us.”
Duke’s all black Harley eased in next to Traeger, his attire all black too, only his cut was on his back. “You ready? Hollywood said your girl hasn’t gotten up yet.”
The sound of several other bikes pulling in had Traeger turning toward the road where they could see their brothers rolling up. “You hear from Keys?” he asked King.
“Yeah. This shits more fucked up than we thought." King looked at Digger with a hard stare.
Digger nodded once. “Got it. Anything else?”
King pointed toward the door. “Nobody goes in or out. If anyone needs me, shoot me a text. Or get in touch with Duke.”
“Got it,” Digger agreed.
“Was there any trouble last night?” Digger had been one of the guys who’d followed Groot out, making sure the other man left without coming back. Keys had monitored things as well. If there had been any real problems, he’d have heard, but he wanted to hear Digger’s take.
“Groot was always a pussy. I didn’t think he’d last as long as he did. If it hadn’t been for his buddy, he wouldn’t have. Now Frog, he’s solid.” Digger looked toward the clubhouse. “There’s a couple chicks you should keep an eye on. I think they’re more trouble than they’re worth, and honestly, I think they came with Groot. I hadn’t seen them until after he came. Ain’t never seen them with anyone but him and sometimes Frog, but I think that was ‘cause he was with the other fucker. Don’t know man, just something wasn’t right with any of them bitches.” He took a deep breath and waited.
King walked down the steps. The chain on his hip connected to his wallet jangled in the quiet of the morning. “Give Keys their names and descriptions. From today on, they’re no longer allowed at the clubhouse. You feel somethings off, it’s good enough for me until Keys says otherwise.” He looked back, watching as Digger’s chest rose and fell. Shit, did they all think he was going to shoot their asses or what?
Before getting on his Harley, he looked it over even though he knew one of the prospects had been outside all night watching over it. With the way shit was going down, and the information he’d gotten about the Leglamos putting out feelers in regard to Ayesha and her sister, he wasn’t taking any chances. Those sick fucks and the Trevino’s had been in competition, not working together, so he couldn’t see them contracting the other to take the girl, but he wasn’t going to dismiss the information. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he straddled his bike, put his skullcap on, and fired it up. One by one, he and the Sons rolled out of the long drive, heading down to Los Angeles. Once they entered the storage facility, they would put their masks on and become what they needed in order to get the girl home.
They rode in silence until they reached the outskirts of town about an hour from their club, each member of the Royal Sons trusting King. They pulled into a storage center, the sun not yet up, waiting for the gate to open. Traeger sat at the back with Thrill, their bikes rumbling beneath them. “Do you feel uneasy, Trigger?” Thrill asked. He was one of the last riders besides Traeger.
King looked back, waiting for his Sergeant at Arms to answer.
Traeger looked around before responding. “Nope, all’s good, man.”
Thrill nodded, his bike easing forward with the others. King looked backward to see Traeger waited another minute, making sure nobody had followed them before going through, making his bike the last to enter. “You good, brother?” he asked through the radio on their bikes. The little device Keys had installed allowed them to communicate with a press of a button. Traeger’s engine died, while he and the others continued through the maze of units. King didn’t press for an immediate answer, letting his guy do what he felt was needed.
King’s watch buzzed; the alarm system being set. “Keys, what’s going on?” he asked barely above a whisper, holding his hand up for the others to go silent.
“Digger called in. You’ve got eyes in the vicinity. I’ll have more details shortly,” Keys said.
A short while later, the sound of gravel crunching had Duke turning with his gun out, facing toward Traeger who rolled his bike in. “Man, what the hell you doing coming in like that?” Thrill asked, his eyes going from Duke to Traeger.
“See anything?” Duke asked, ignoring Thrill as he lowered the gun he held. He picked up another, his hands expertly loading a semi-automatic.
Traeger leaned his bike on the kickstand before answering—"Keys, you listening?” he asked, again.
King knew the other man was wired into the unit and was hearing everything that was going on. Although he was the President of the Royal Sons MC, Keys was the brain, and a man they all trusted.
“Does a bear shit in the woods?” came the snarl over the speaker system. “By the way, the cameras caught that fancy black SUV rolling by, but I couldn’t get a read on the license.”
Traeger rattled off the plate number, telling the crew what he’d seen.
“We got eyes on Ayesha?” King looked to Duke.
“Hollywood and Bug stayed there overnight to watch over her place,” Duke said, laying another gun on the table.
King was feeling restless, or rather worried. “Let’s head out. I’m going to be the one to talk to her. Keys, you find out anymore, I want to hear it first. I want all the weapons loaded in the cages and ready for tonight. That drive by means they’re on to us or have an inkling of who we are. If they’re suspicious, they might cut bait with Ayesha’s sister, or move her before we have a chance of grabbing her.” King’s eyes met each one of them, landing on Traeger last. “What do you think, is it too dangerous to go in there during the day?”
He thought of all the things that could go wrong when it was daylight and what Ayesha would do if they couldn’t get her sister back. He pictured his little sister and how she’d looked when they’d found her. With his iron will, he shoved those memories to the back of his mind.
“From the intel we have from Keys, I’d say we wait until just before the sun sets. They’ll expect us to hit when it’s fully dark.” Traeger looked away, before coming back to stare at King.
King nodded. “Sounds solid.”
“You’ve got that expression in your eyes I don’t trust, brother,” Duke muttered, slamming a gun down on the table.
Traeger shrugged. “Good, I don’t want you liking the way I look.”
King gave him a narrow eyed stare. “Don’t do anything stupid, or I’ll sick Dog on you and make him be your buddy for the day.”
“You can try.” Traeger grinned, giving King a salute.
“Fuck, man, don’t be stupid,” King growled.
“I’m never stupid,” he reassured the others.
A short time later, King pulled up to the small house where Ayesha and her sister lived, surprised to find the neighborhood relatively quiet for mid-morning. He drove around the block a couple times, checking to see if he could see anyone out of the ordinary, a car or homeless person who didn’t fit in. Going off of Duke’s input, he went down the alley, shutting his bike off several houses down and coasting the rest of the way to her yard. Dogs barking would normally alert neighbors that someone, or something, was out and about. He wondered if Ayesha was on the lookout even as he ro
lled to a stop behind her house. The small yard in the back had a short fence, nothing he or anyone couldn’t jump over. “Shit, even a five year old could hop over this,” he growled, pushing the bike along the side of her house. When he made it to the front, he was beginning to think she wasn’t home, or she really needed to step up her security. At her garage door, he put the kickstand down on the bike, opened one of the saddlebags, and pulled out a leather backpack he kept in there, before walking up to the front door.
The sun beat down on his back, yet he felt a little prickle of unease as he stood exposed on her small porch waiting for her to answer. He knocked twice after ringing the doorbell. Through the thick door, he heard shuffling. A feminine gasp had him smiling.
“What’re you doing here?” Ayesha asked without opening the door.
King gave a dry chuckle. “Open the door and find out. Make it quick. I think your neighbors are about to call the cops on me.” It was only a half joke as he looked back and watched the curtains across the street flick back in place. Hollywood and Bug were probably laughing their asses off right about now, watching him stand on a woman’s porch asking to be let in. If he’d been the big bad wolf, he’d have huffed and puffed and blew the fucking house in.
Locks disengaging heralded her opening the door. She looked around him, grabbing him by the arm, her voice was almost frantic—"Get in here before they come out and want to talk or something drastic.” Ayesha slammed the door behind them, not giving him a chance to say anything.
He blinked a couple times to acclimate his eyes to the difference in lighting from outdoors to inside. “Nice place,” he remarked, meaning it. Her home was exactly as he’d imagined. Small, yet homey and clean. He walked over to the nearest surface, recognizing Ayesha instantly. She had her arm around a younger girl who looked very much like her, both of them were in swimsuits, a pair of cut off jean shorts just this shy of decent and wore Mickey Mouse ears. “Cute. This is your sister I presume? She’s cute, looks like you.”