Riggs shakes his head and turns to me. "I want you to come outside with me."
"What are we doing?"
"You'll see. Come on."
Nova and Mr. LeBlanc take a seat at the table with Piper, while I stand and follow Riggs outside. He leads me around back and about twenty yards away from the house. Just along the tree line, I see eight tree stumps sitting upright with soda cans sitting on top of them. "What are we doing?"
Riggs pulls a gun from his cut and shows it to me. "I'm giving you a crash course in how to handle a gun and shoot it."
My nerves kick in. "Do you think this is necessary?"
"Yes. I want you to feel confident you can protect yourself if for whatever reason I'm not around to do it."
I nod. "Okay."
Holding the weapon out in front of me, pointing it away from us, Riggs starts explaining how to handle the gun safely. "This is the safety. Never take it off unless you are prepared to use it." He flicks it back and forth, showing me, and I nod. "Here," Riggs hands me the gun. "I'm going to stand behind you and help you with your aim. Once you feel confident, pull the trigger," he instructs and moves to stand behind me. Next, I raise my arm out in front of me while allowing Riggs to help me with my stance. Aiming at one of the empty cans sitting on top of the stump, I take a deep breath and pull the trigger. Missing my mark, the bullet ricochets off the tree stump. Riggs encourages me to try again by tapping my arm. Again, I take aim and fire. I miss the mark a second time. Refusing to give up, I try two more times, and on my fifth shot, I hit the can, and watch as it flies off the tree stump. I cannot help but smile at my accomplishment. Nudging my side, Riggs nods for me to keep going, so I do. We spend the next hour practicing, and I surprise myself with how good a shot I am. "You're a natural, babe. You did well. I'm so fucking proud of you." He kisses me.
When we walk back inside Riggs instructs, "go get your purse."
I walk into the kitchen and retrieve my bag from the kitchen counter then walk back out to the living room. He hands me the gun I was practicing with along with two magazines. "Put these in there." We eye each other, silently communicating. I take the pistol and magazines from his outstretched hand and place them in my purse. "Cain and I need to head back to the clubhouse. You and Piper will be safe here with Pop. And don't let his age fool you," Riggs smiles. "Pop is a better shot than I am. Leaning down, Riggs touches his lips to mine. "I'll be back later. I want you to look after my niece. You're strong, Luna and I trust you." It means a lot that Riggs and Nova trust me enough to look after Piper.
Nova steps up to my side. "I appreciate you looking out for my girl, Luna."
"She's a good kid, Nova. And it is no problem watching her. I enjoy her company very much."
"Thanks, darlin'," he says before turning to Riggs. "You ready, brother?" Riggs nods and holds his finger up, signaling to give him a minute. Riggs takes my face in his hands, giving me one last kiss. "Bye, baby."
"Please be safe."
I can't help the wave of unease that settles in the pit of my stomach as I watch Riggs and Nova walk out of the house. Pushing my feelings aside, I put on a brave face and make my way back into the next room where Piper is currently cleaning up the mess we made from our cookie making. I step up to the sink where she is washing dishes, pick up the hand towel from the counter, and start drying while she rinses. I bump my hip into hers. When she looks at me, I wink. That earns a bump and a smile in return.
I'm sitting on the porch in a rocking chair next to Abe, who has a shotgun resting on his lap. I'm not as comfortable with weaponry as Abe, but I'm no fool either, so my purse is sitting within arm's reach next to my chair. Piper is currently laid out on the porch swing where she fell asleep thirty minutes ago. "My wife and I used to sit out here every evening with a cold glass of sweet tea and watched the sunset together," Abe tells me out of nowhere. "No matter how busy our days were with our jobs and running around after the boys, not once in our fifty-two years of marriage, did we miss a sunset. Not even when I was in the army. The nights I spent away from my wife; I'd still watch the sunset. Wherever I was in the world, I took solace in knowing she was doing the same. That's how I knew she was with me. Just like she's with me now." A look of longing crosses his face as he tells his story. Abe turns to me. "My one wish in life was that Abel and Cain find the kind of love I had with their grandmother. I know without a shadow of a doubt; you are Abel's person — his soulmate. He looks at you the way I use to look at his grandmother."
I swipe at the tear that has fallen down my cheek. "I care for your grandson very much."
"Oh, child. You're not fooling anyone. You more than care for Abel, you're in love with him just like he's in love with you." Abe reaches over and pats my hand when he registers the shocked look on my face. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I know you'll tell him when you're ready." Abe pauses, looking me in the eyes. "Don't take too long telling him. Life is too short."
Abe sits back in his chair, take a sip of his sweet tea, and begins to rock. I turn my attention to the lake in front of his house and let his words sink in. He's right. Life is too short. I understand that better than anyone. I'm also smart enough to know how lucky I am to have found a man as wonderful as Riggs. When I woke up in the hospital after I survived the near-death beating Rex gave me, I vowed never to trust another man. I told myself I was better off not opening my heart up to someone only to have them destroy it. What I have come to learn with Riggs is not being with him is what would destroy me. Riggs had my trust and stole my heart the second we locked eyes with each other back in Montana. That man owns me. Mind. Body. Soul.
Chapter Seventeen
Riggs
"Goddammit." I send a chair flying across the main room of the clubhouse, fucking furious as hell at the events that unfolded on the road home earlier today.
"Cool your shit, brother." Cain sits at the bar, nursing a beer. "Your woman and Piper are in the safest place they can be right now."
I continue pacing the floor. Two days of my men riding the city streets, and the hours Kiwi spent on his computer trying to gain access to any footage that would lead us in the direction of the Savage Outlaw has turned up nothing. We thought we might have had a lead a time or two, but the two men caught on a street light camera proved to be a couple of nonaffiliated bikers.
The rumble of Wick's Harley can be heard rolling on to clubhouse property, so I swing the front door open and step outside into the hot, muggy night air. Looking past Wick, I watch a brown van roll through the gate, with Fender behind the wheel. "Where'd the cage come from?"
Wick looks at me with a shit eating grin. "Borrowed it from a friend." The van rolls to a stop and Fender steps out from behind the steering wheel.
"You'll never guess what we found." Fender rubs his hands together, and the three of us walk toward the back of the vehicle. "Or I should say who," he says.
Reaching out, Wick pulls the double doors open. Inside, with hands tied behind their backs, and feet crossed and taped at the ankles, along with a wide ass strip across their faces, is none other than our ex-club girl Lexi and some short, stocky motherfucker I've never seen before.
"Fender and I decided to ride a little further, just to the other side of Lake Pontchartrain into Slidell. Don't ask me why, just a gut feelin' I had." Lexi's eyes widen with fear before dropping her head. "Found these two in somewhat of a compromising position near the backside of a little mom and pop gas station we pulled up to." Wick continues to explain.
Fender snickers. "Wick here fuckin' snuck up on them with those ninja skills of his, scaring the shit out of her." He starts laughing louder. "She was bobbin' away, and dipshit here never saw a thing. Lexi damn near bit the fucker's dick off when our brother here pressed the barrel of his gun to the fucker's head."
Fender steps inside the back of the van, takes a blade clipped to the inside of his boot and uses it to cut the tape wrapped around Lexi's ankles. He pulls Lexi to the edge of the van opening. "Let's go." He orders. Bent over
, Lexi shuffles her feet to the end of the van then stops.
"Get your ass out," I bark, and she jumps out. Wick grips her upper arm when she tries to dart around him. Fender does the same with the biker, and cuts the tape around his ankles, standing him up. The fucker leaps the couple of feet to the ground, his face completely void of any emotion.
"Take them around back," I tell my men.
On the back end of the property, about ten yards from the banks of the river is a solid brick building built on a thick concrete slab. I'm not sure what was housed here in the past, but due to the proximity of the river and the ability to clean away evidence of a questionable nature with a pressure washer, it's the perfect location for interrogation. Wick and Fender do as they are told, dragging them across the yard.
Just as I'm making my way inside the clubhouse to grab the other men a flicker of light gains my attention. Pivoting, I stare toward the gate. Blocking the beam with my hand, I strain to get a look at who is on the other side. My phone rings. "Yeah?"
"How about you take your thumb out of your ass and open this gate." There's a brief pause before the voice adds, "Sir."
I grin. Pulling the app feature up on my screen, I type out the four-digit code, and the gate rolls open, then closes once the bike has cleared. A dark cherry red KRGT-1 rolls up next to me. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow, Tequila."
Lifting a helmet the same slick red color as her bike off her head, Tequila tosses her dark hair over her shoulder. "Got to keep you on your toes." Turning off the engine, she swings her long leg over her bike, walks up, and hugs my neck. "So," she pulls her riding gloves off her hands, placing them inside her helmet. "Looks like you have a situation. I think I saw Wick and one of your other men walking a couple of people to the dungeon of doom." She peers around my shoulder in the direction in question, then turns retrieving a duffle bag strapped to the back of her bike.
"Club shit. Come on in and make yourself at home. You know where everything is, and your room is ready for you. Unfortunately, the club is empty besides us men. We had some shit go down over the past forty-eight hours and had to send the women somewhere safe." I walk her inside.
"How about I hang with you and the guys for a while? Just let me throw my shit in the room." Tequila strolls ahead of me heading for the stairs.
"I already told you. We have club shit to take care of. You know the rules," I tell her knowing she's going to ignore every word I say.
"Catch you later, Riggs," she waves over her shoulder as she climbs the stairs. Cain comes strolling in from the kitchen and peers above him as he crosses the floor.
"I thought I heard a familiar voice. I haven't seen her in a while. Thought she wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow." Cain stops beside me. I turn to him knowing we need to take care of business.
"Come on. Wick and Fender are waitin' out back." I clap him on his shoulder. "Maybe we can get some information out of the fucker they brought us tonight." Turning, he follows me outside and around the building.
Upon entering the shed, Cain and I find Wick and Fender standing off to the side, and our guests of honor roughly five feet apart, tied to chairs, right in the middle of the room. Walking up and standing in front of the biker, I address him first. "Couldn't help but notice your little tattoo there." I glance at the red and black ink on his forearm, yet his eyes stay fixed on my movements as I walk around him. He's running around without a cut, which means there are others in town doing the same. "Must be a fuckin' bunch of pussies if you can't show up for war without hidin' your colors," I goaded him, before ripping the tape off his lips, taking facial hair along with it.
"Fuck you, asshole. You and your men are as good as dead," he spews. Reaching into my cut, I slip on my brass knuckles. "Nice town you got here. Looking forward to taking it from you. Your club whore here is already showing where her new loyalties lie," he sneers, and I reward his shit talking by burying my fist in his face. Blood pours from his mouth. Leaning forward, he spits a few teeth to the floor at his feet. Surging upward, he flings his body at me, only for me to stop his momentum with a blow to his massive gut, dropping him to his knees. Wick walks over, grabs the fucker by the collar of his shirt, and slams his ass back down in the chair.
Taking a few steps, I come to stand in front of Lexi. "And you." I narrow my eyes to slits, fucking mad as hell at her betrayal. "You went runnin' straight to the enemy." I rip the tape from her mouth, causing her to cuss.
"Fucking hell." She stomps her feet at the pain, then lifts her head and glares.
"This is your only chance to use that mouth for more than lies and suckin' cock, girl," I warn her.
"She can't even do that right," the biker mumbles under his breath and Fender clocks him upside his head.
"Shut up, Phil," Lexi screams, giving up his name.
"Keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you whore," Phil growls a warning in Lexi's direction. She rolls her eyes.
"Or what?" she shifts in her seat.
"Enough!" I bellow, tired of listening to their bullshit. Grabbing Lexi by the chin, I bring her attention to me. "Talk," I growl growing inpatient. She smirks, and my hands clench at my sides. I won't give a second thought to torturing or taking the life of another man if necessary, but beating, or taking the life of a woman is something I won't do.
"I know you, Riggs. You won't hit me." Lexi's eyes drop, eyeballing my crotch. She raises a brow, then licks her smudged red lips. "I'd be willing to give up some information in exchange for —."
"I'll beat the nasty bitch," Tequila saunters into the building, wearing a pair of army green shorts, combat boots, and a white tank. "Tequila, this is club business. Get your ass back to the main building and stay there." Wick steps in front of her, his eyes rake over her body before settling on her face. Tequila stands glaring at him for a beat.
"Nice to see you too, Dawson." Tequila steps around Wick's large frame. "Come on, LeBlanc. Let me have a little fun." Tequila offers a solution to our current situation. I look around the room at my men — Kiwi, Nova, and Fender nod, all three grinning from ear to ear. Wick however, it takes him a second longer to give me a firm nod. Tequila's eyes light up once she's given the green light.
Reaching down to her right, Tequila pulls a blade from the sheath strapped to her boot, and approaches Lexi, twirling the weapon in her hand a few times.
"In a fair fight, you wouldn't stand a chance," Lexi smirks, thinking highly of herself. I watch the switch flip in Tequila's eyes. Lexi just fucked up. Tequila looks around the room, and with the tip of her blade points to herself.
"Is this bitch talking to me? I know she didn't just say she could beat my ass." Lexi just fucked with the wrong woman. Tequila bends, getting into Lexi's personal space and stares her down. With a flick of her wrist, she cuts loose the tape binding Lexi's wrists. "You want a fair fight?" Tequila stays in her face.
"Fuck you," Lexi spits. Tequila rises above her, backhanding Lexi, the force of the blow sending her and the seat crashing to the concrete floor.
Tequila slices the rope binding Lexi to the chair. "Get your ass up. You wanted a shot at me, now you got one." Tequila hands her knife to Wick, who is standing closest to her.
"Lexi, give us the information we want and this doesn't have to go any further." I give her an out before Tequila begins. Instead, she charges forward trying to get her hands on Tequila first. Instead receives a blow to the face, causing her to stumble backward a few feet. Tequila is trained in hand to hand combat. Lexi won't walk away without some serious injuries if she doesn't stop now. Obviously, she doesn't know what's best for her because Lexi steps forward and readies herself. Tequila steps into her space again. Lexi brings her right fist up and swings. Blocking the blow, Tequila's knuckles crack Lexi square in the jaw. She falls to her knees, where Tequila's booted foot makes contact with her ribcage not once but twice. Tequila bounces on the balls of her feet eager for more fight. Lexi coughs and spits blood. This time she stays down.
&
nbsp; "None of this would have happened if that deaf bitch would have never been brought into this clubhouse. She ruined everything!" Lexi screams in anger and pain. "You were mine," She glares at me. "And that dumb ass bitch went and fucked it all up." Holding her middle, Lexi sits back on her ass and leans against the concrete wall behind her. Blood drips from her busted and swelling lip. "She fucked with the wrong woman," Lexi sneers, and through her pain, she smirks. "I overheard who was after her. What better way to get her out of my way than to give her up to the man looking for her."
Rage builds with her confession. She's the one who gave up Luna's location. She's the reason my woman was put in danger and the reason one of my men is dead. "Track's death is on your hands," I growl.
Lexi's face falls for a moment. "That's not on me. I didn't know they would kill Track." Her words fall flat because they mean nothing.
"It's on you. You're as much to blame as the man who put that knife in his chest," I tell her.
"So, what are you going to do to me now? Kill me?" Lexi shows no emotion or regret for the turmoil she has caused.
"Tell me where the Savage Outlaw are," I demand.
Lexi shakes her head. "I don't know."
I cock my head. "I won't be the one to kill you. You want to lay in bed with the snake, then that's right where I'm sending you. Kiwi, Fender, Nova; I want the three of you to take her back across the bridge. Drop her off where you found her. Start calling everyone you know. Make sure word gets around that Lexi here has been talkin' and can't be trusted.
"They'll kill me!" Lexi shouts.
"That's not my problem anymore." Nodding, Fender, and Kiwi pull her off the floor, taking her out of the building, with my brother leading the way.
"Damn, that's one cold ass bitch," Tequila quips, and I turn to her.
"I appreciate your skills, but we have business to finish here, so I need you to step out," I tell her, and look at the Savage Outlaw who's been sitting in his chair quietly observing.
Riggs (The Kings of Retribution MC, Louisiana Chapter Book 1) Page 17