by Faith Gibson
Mav schooled his expression as he left the apartment. He didn’t need to give anyone reason to pay attention to him. Well, no more attention that he usually got for a male his size. With his long beard and all his ink, he stood out. He kept his eyes peeled for someone who didn’t belong in the area. If whoever had taken the shot was worth their salt, they wouldn’t make it obvious they were an assassin. When a short blonde walked toward him, Mav couldn’t help but appreciate her toned legs strolling the sidewalk like a runway model, if runway models were on the short side.
He was used to women checking him out, so when she adjusted her sunglasses, he wasn’t surprised. What did surprise him was his body’s reaction to her. He experienced a sense of déjà vu when the scent of wildflowers met his nose. If he hadn’t been reeling from nearly getting shot, he might have turned around and followed her. It had been too long since he’d had sex. For the last four years, he’d not bothered with women other than one-night stands. Those he made sure were out of town, away from the family. He didn’t want to give any woman the wrong idea of his intentions, and he sure didn’t want a woman knowing where he lived or that he was in an MC. There were too many females who loved the idea of getting with a biker.
Against his better judgment, he turned and watched the woman strut down the sidewalk. There was something about her that called to him. If Gryphons had fated mates, he might think that was what was urging him to go after her. Since they didn’t, he chalked it up to the Gryphon being unsettled. His beast remained quiet, so Mav kept walking. He couldn’t go after her anyway. He had to get out of the area and away from any and all CCTVs in the vicinity. More importantly, he had to get home and have a talk with Ryker. Again.
When he reached his bike, he slung a leg over the seat, and settled the helmet on his head. He was ready to be home and hit the road for pleasure. War and his female, Kerrigan, were settling in. Now that War was officially a Hound of the MC persuasion, it was like old times. Maveryck liked Kerrigan, and he didn’t mind when she joined them on their rides. When she thought the twins needed time to themselves to reconnect, she hung out with Rory or Lucy. The females of the Lazlo family had welcomed Kerrigan. It was easy to like the fiery redhead.
When he pulled up at the clubhouse, he was surprised to see so many bikes in the parking lot considering it was almost two in the morning. He had checked his phone before he left New Jersey, and there hadn’t been any messages. When he stepped off his bike, he checked it again. Seeing no missed calls or messages, he ran his hands through his short hair and headed inside. Mav had cut his hair after the Volkov fiasco. If the shooter was going to come after him, he thought it would be best if he looked different, so he changed his appearance somewhat. Instead of shaving his beard, he let it grow longer. He started growing his facial hair back when he was presented with his patches, and he’d never shaved it off.
“Mayhem, how’d it go?” Ryker asked, using Mav’s MC name. The Hounds got quiet, waiting for Mav’s answer.
“It was another fucking Volkov situation. We’ve gotta talk about these singular hits. Something’s not right.”
“What happened?” War asked, stepping up to clap his twin on the shoulder. Fuck, but Mav could use a hug. He knew the other Hounds wouldn’t blink twice at the two of them embracing, but he’d wait until they were alone.
“I just about got my head blown off by a sniper rifle. If I’d been one second slower...” Mav shook his head. “This is bullshit, Ryot. And that’s the last time I’m taking a contract. Someone at Nexus is either fucking with us or fucking up. Either way, I’m done.” Maveryck strode to the bar and snagged a bottle of whiskey. He chugged down several mouthfuls, not caring about the others drinking from the same bottle, and then wiped his mouth with the back of his free hand.
“That is a problem, but we’ll talk more about it tomorrow.”
“Why are you all gathered so late?”
“Hawk and Spyder have been scoping out Josiah Talbert’s compound, and we were waiting on you to get back so you could ride with us.” Ryker motioned to Hawk. “Tell us about the layout.”
The Hounds gathered around the oak table in the room where they held church – MC meetings. Hawk spread out a hand-drawn picture of the compound. “It’s set up like an Old West town with rows of buildings on both sides of the street and a church at one end. Behind the main buildings are cottages where the people live, with couples living on one side and single people living on the other. The outbuildings and barns are at the north end of the property. There’s a larger house where Josiah lives, midway between the single homes and the outbuildings. There are two roads leading in and out. This one takes you right into the town, and the other one is close to the outbuilding.” Hawk pointed to the map as he explained the layout.
Spyder stepped up next to Hawk. “The cottages are basic wooden structures, but there’s a shit-ton of them, like a neighborhood. The buildings lining the street where the church is have everything you would see in the Old West with the exception of a saloon. As far as I could tell, there’s no drinking allowed. We’ll go in this way, stopping about a mile out so they don’t hear us.”
“The layout is almost identical to Gideon’s former location. Exactly how many people live here?” Mav asked. There had been over two hundred at Gideon’s compound.
“Best guess? Three hundred. This isn’t just a town where people live in harmony sitting around singing ‘Kumbaya.’ This could very well be a military installation if it weren’t for the civilians. Most of the men dress as if they’re ready for battle. Black fatigues, black T-shirts, and military-grade boots. They don’t carry weapons out in the open, but we did get a glance at the inside of the warehouses. All of them are full of crates.” Spyder pointed at where the large outbuildings were drawn on the map.
“What’s in the barns?” Ryker asked.
“Vehicles. Trucks of all sizes, as well as ATVs. There was a lot of movement, like they’re gearing up for something.”
“It’s about three hours away, and if we leave now, we can still get there before daylight.” Ryker turned to Mav. “I know you’ve been through some shit, so if you want to sit this one out, I’ll understand.”
“Fuck that. I need something to take my mind off the last few hours.” Mav replaced the cap on the whiskey and put the bottle back.
“You sure you’re up to it?” War asked. His twin wasn’t being condescending, so his words didn’t piss Maveryck off.
“I’m sure.”
Ryker pounded a fist on the table. “Hounds, let’s ride. Havyck, you and King take the SUV in case we need to get someone out of there.”
Their youngest brother didn’t argue. Maveryck would have if Ryker told him to drive a cage. He was still pissed and needed the feel of the wind on his face to ease the anger.
While the others were headed to their bikes, War hung back. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms. Mav didn’t hesitate to let his twin wrap him in a tight embrace. Now that War was back, Maveryck couldn’t remember how he’d gotten through the last twenty-odd years without him. They only hugged a few seconds, but it was enough.
“Thanks. You don’t know how much I needed that.”
“Probably as much as I did.” War grinned and patted Mav’s cheek softly.
Riding was as necessary as breathing for Mav, but racing the wind beside his twin the past few months had enhanced each experience. Mav loved his other brothers, but War was the other half of him. The bond hadn’t gone away while they were apart; it had only been muted. And even though War had Kerrigan in his life, he was part of the MC, and that meant Mav got to spend a lot of time with him. Seeing the Hounds’ colors on War’s kutte was something he never really expected but always hoped for. Now, they both were Hounds in every sense of the word.
They didn’t wear their vests when they were on a mission. There were plenty of biker clubs across the country, and the Hounds didn’t need to advertise which club they belonged to as they rode into other territories. The
Hounds had chapters all around the world, but they were spread out. Thus, the reason their chapter needed to ride four hours away to investigate the cult. Since this particular group was part of The Ministry, they would figure out a way to take it apart.
As they were loading up, Mav looked around. “Hey, where’s Pop?” Sutton usually rode with them whenever they went after the cults.
“Rory got back from Texas last night.” Ryker didn’t need to explain further. Their mom had been down south visiting a couple of their sisters, and Ministry or not, Sutton wasn’t going to let his wife come home after a long trip only to have him leave straightaway. He had turned the MC over to Ryker, but he was still involved in their mission to take down the Ministry. He and Rory were in charge of finding temporary homes for anyone being held in the groups against their will.
The Hounds rolled out with Ryot and Mayhem, being Pres and VP, leading the way. The other members were stacked behind them, and Havyck and King brought up the rear in the SUV. Mav would like to ride alongside his twin, but when they rode in a large group, they all stuck to rank formation, even if they weren’t wearing their colors.
Maveryck let the cool night air wash over him. Riding to and from jobs alone wasn’t nearly as soothing as riding with his Brothers. The roar of the engines always turned heads, whether they were on the highway or on backroads. Tonight, with little traffic, the rumble wasn’t quite as loud, but it was still impressive. When they pulled off the highway to refuel, the Hounds paired up at the pumps before moving off to the side of the parking lot. Spyder and Hawk had already been to the compound earlier in the week, so they took the lead positions.
Twenty minutes later, the group turned onto a backroad a mile away from where Josiah Talbert’s compound was located and parked off to the side. Since they weren’t sure what they were going to find, they walked the rest of the way in instead of shifting. When they got to the tall, chain-link fence surrounding the property, the Hounds paused and listened. Being early, they hadn’t expected to hear much of anything, but it was eerily quiet.
Hawk stepped to the middle of the pack. “If we walk straight that way, we run into the back of the church.”
“You mean that big-ass building?” Ryker was looking where Hawk pointed.
Hawk nodded. “Yes. It’s the largest structure on the compound with the exception of the warehouses. It’s even larger than the barns.”
Mav’s beast had been restless ever since they were almost shot, not bothering to speak. Until now.
It’s too quiet.
I agree.
We should shift and take a look around.
Not our call. This is Ryot’s deal. You know that.
I do, but we need to shift.
Mav was almost afraid to shift. With his beast being so antsy, he was afraid he might lose control. That hadn’t happened since Jenna texted that she was leaving. Then the Gryphon came forward, and Mav had come close to tearing his house apart. If it wasn’t for the vaulted ceiling in his living room, he would have.
“Are you with us?” Ryker asked Mav.
“Yeah, sorry. Just listening to the quiet.” Shifters had sensitive hearing, and there were different levels of stillness. This one was right up there with the silence after a snowstorm.
“That’s what we were discussing. If there are three hundred people here, there would be some type of noise. Since Hawk and Spyder are familiar with the layout, they’re going to shift and do a flyover.”
We should go with them.
No, we shouldn’t.
It didn’t take long for their two scouts to return. When they shifted back to their human forms, Hawk was shaking his head. “They’re gone.”
“That’s impossible. You were just here a few days ago.” Ryker ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth. “Are you sure there’s no one left?”
“There could be a few people hiding out. But the warehouses and barn doors were open, and they’re all empty.”
“Fuck!” Ryker’s head transformed to that of his lion. He shook out his long mane, rumbled low in his throat, and then shifted back. “We need to search every inch of that compound. If there’s one person left, I want them found. I promised Mac...” Ryker turned and walked off. The other Hounds waited for him to get his thoughts together. Mac’s boyfriend had supposedly been taken from Gideon’s compound to this one.
Ryker stalked back to the group. “Spread out. I want every inch of this compound scoured.”
The Hounds took off, and when they entered the small town, Mav and War branched off together. A couple hours later, they all reconvened. Not one person had been found.
They didn’t have to wait long for Ryker to give the orders of next steps. “Rev, I want you, Shadow, Ace, and Ripper to stay here. Search for any clue as to where they could have gone. Tank, go back to the clubhouse. I’m gonna call Lucy in to help. Mayhem, you come with me. We need to talk about your last assignment. Everyone else can go home for now, but be ready to ride at a moment’s notice. As soon as we get any scrap of information, we’re going after these fuckers.”
Maveryck was ready to go home and get some sleep. But Ryker was right; they needed to figure out what the hell was going on with their contracts. Sleep would have to wait.
Chapter Five
Natalia
After tossing and turning because her mind wouldn’t shut off, Natalia finally got a few hours’ sleep. She might have slept longer, but something woke her. Easing her hand under her pillow, Natalia wrapped her hand around the grip of her Glock. The weight of the weapon in her hand was as comfortable as her favorite pair of boots. Being in a small house should make her feel safer than living in the three-story manor, but here, she was alone with only herself to rely on. Natalia slid out of bed and padded barefoot to the front of the house, listening before she entered the living room. Her computer beeped, and Natalia lowered her gun. The notification was the one she received when Nix had a job for her. Well, tough shit. Natalia wasn’t ready to take another contract. She had promised herself a vacation, but the photos still spread out on the table had put a halt to that idea.
Opening her laptop, she clicked on the tiny icon on the bottom right of the screen and entered her login information. Once it went through the encryption process, the message appeared. She might be a new operative, but her contract stated she could accept or decline any job. She briefly scanned this one, and just as quickly declined. Closing out of the program, she went into the kitchen and placed a pod in her coffee maker. While she waited on it to brew, she opened the fridge, looking for something to eat. Crap, she really needed to get groceries. Natalia grabbed a bag of cheddar cubes and the caramel creamer.
Having grown up with a cook, the past few months had been full of takeout and frozen dinners. The few times she’d attempted to make something for herself, she’d relied on online videos for direction. The dishes hadn’t turned out that badly, but they weren’t gourmet, either. She had also turned to videos to show her how to properly wash her clothes after shrinking one of her favorite skirts. Who the hell didn’t know how to sort clothes at twenty-six?
With her coffee and sad breakfast in hand, Natalia sat down at the table and focused on the photos. The man from the sidewalk was ruggedly handsome. Piercings and ink adorned his body, but it was his eyes that captivated her. The blue wasn’t pale and soothing; it was bright and enticing. His hair was somewhere between brown and blond, and that was throwing her off from connecting the two men. If the biker who took out Anatoly had cut his hair, it was possible the blonder locks had been trimmed off leaving the shorter, darker hair.
Opening the internet, Natalia searched The Hounds of Zeus. What she found wasn’t information on a motorcycle club. Instead, pages of Greek mythology popped up, explaining how the Hounds were synonymous with Harpies. Natalia didn’t see the MC using a bird-like woman as their symbol, though. She pulled one of the photos closer and studied the back of the vest. The logo, or whatever bikers called their symbol, looke
d more like two gryphons surrounding a skull. She clicked on the images tab, and several photos populated of the bikers, but when she clicked on the individual photos, no club information was linked to them, which she found odd. Natalia searched biker clubs in the area, and several had websites or there were news articles written about them. Not the Hounds.
Hmm.
Even the ones who proclaimed to be one-percenters had an internet presence. Natalia got sucked into the world of bikers, and after a couple hours, she knew more than she ever thought she would. That still didn’t help her with the Hounds. Her computer skills were only as good as the next person’s. Meaning, she didn’t have special hacker skills. Whenever she was researching her next mark, she relied on Nix to send her the information. Natalia thought about asking Nix if they’d sent the photos, but if they hadn’t, she didn’t want to open that conversation. If Nix had, though, what had been their reason? Did they want her to know who had taken out her father? And if so, what good would the information do her? Did they expect her to get revenge?
Did she want to get revenge? Mikael had tasked her with that very thing when he sent her away from her home. Several months later, she was doing everything but what he commanded. And why wouldn’t she be? He didn’t control her life. Besides, she had already admitted to herself she was glad her father was no longer of this world. When he was first killed, her life was turned on its axis being kicked out, but now? Natalia was doing something she was good at. It might not be what most people would consider an honorable profession, but to her it was. She was taking out the trash. Getting rid of the worst humanity had to offer. If taking the life of a pedophile meant children were safe from that horrific abuse? Yeah, she would say she was proud of her job. Maybe Anatoly had done her a favor in training her to kill. It beat sitting behind a desk answering a phone.