Link (Dragon Riders MC Book 1)

by Savannah Rylan

  I smiled. “I love you, too. So, so much.”

  With the bacon cooling on the stove, neither of us had the strength to continue cooking. So, Link carried me upstairs and we took a shower together. After a little more fooling around and teasing him with my mouth until he couldn't take it any longer, we got cleaned up and headed into town for breakfast. On the back of his bike, I felt freer than ever. Clinging to him with the wind rushing by us, as if life itself couldn’t stop us from getting to our destination.

  It was still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I was now Link’s girl.

  But all thoughts fell from my mind when we walked into the breakfast diner and I saw my sister stand.

  “Hope?” I asked.

  I looked up at Link and he smiled.

  “Well? You gonna go get her?” he asked.

  My eyes fell back to my sister and I took off. I rushed her, wrapping my arms around her neck as she cried into my shoulder. I held her as tightly as I could, without a care in the world as to how hard it was for me to breathe.

  My sister was here. In the diner. In town.

  Waiting for us.

  “Where did you come from? Who picked you up? What—”

  Hope sniffled. “It’s okay. I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”

  I pulled away and cupped her cheeks. I kissed her forehead before we all sat down with Link’s arm wrapped around me. I peered out the window next to us and saw a man sitting out there on his bike. A massive man. Much like Link, to be honest. And the Dragon Riders patch on the back of his leather jacket told me everything I needed to know.

  I looked up at Link and mouthed “thank you” before I turned my attention back to Hope.

  “So, I want to ask you something,” I said.

  She took my hand. “Are you okay? I want to start with that.”

  I squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m okay. I’m worried about what your time with those assholes has done to you. But I’m okay.”

  “I’ll be okay with time. You know how I am.”

  “This is different though, Hope. And my fear is that we aren’t out of the woods just yet.”

  She nodded. “Link was telling me something about that this morning?”

  I stroked my thumb against the top of her hand. “Just because we both got away from Skeleton and his cronies doesn’t mean they won’t come back after us. Link says him and the guys have plans to completely take down the Golden Jags. But that’s going to take some time. And we need to be safe until that time is taken.”

  “Got any suggestions? Because I don’t have a place to live.”

  I smiled. “I actually do have a few suggestions.”

  “Link already told me about possibly going and staying with one of his guys. But I don’t know if I’d want to do that alone.”

  “Well, there’s always the option of moving into the place where I am now.”

  “And drive you crazy? We’d kill one another.”

  I snickered. “Well, I kind of won’t be there.”

  She paused. “What do you mean?”

  I peeked up at Link before he nodded at me. Signaling that it was okay for me to say something.

  “Jo? What's going on?”

  I giggled. “I’m moving in with Link.”

  Her face fell flat. “What?”

  “I’m moving in with him. But that doesn’t get me out of the lease I signed with the rental house. It’ll be open and vacant, unless I can find a subletter. You’re more than willing to stay there, if you so choose.”

  “You know I can’t pay rent for a place like that.”

  “Did I say anything about you paying for something?”

  Link chuckled beside me, but Hope didn’t seem amused.

  “Jo, you don’t have to pay for shit like that. I can find my own way.”

  “Hope, right now isn’t the time to be independent or stubborn.”

  She pulled her hands away. “Yeah, I know that, Joanna. But that doesn’t mean I want people paying for all of my shit.”

  I shrugged. “Then, the only other option you’ve got is to stay with one of the guys from the crew.”

  Link jumped in. “Unless you want to move into the clubhouse.”

  I paused. “The clubhouse?”

  Hope furrowed her brow. “What’s the clubhouse? And how do I know you guys aren’t going to just screw me over like the Jags did?”

  I interjected. “They will never do that kind of thing to you. Ever.”

  She huffed. “And how do you know that? I mean, look. I’m thankful for all they’ve done. Especially what they did for you yesterday. But they’re a crew. How do we know they’re not into the same damn stuff—”

  I looked her dead in her eyes. “You have my word, on everything I hold dear, that these guys—that Link—is nothing like those assholes. At all. Their businesses are above board.”

  Link murmured. “Mostly.”

  I rolled my eyes as Hope narrowed hers. But Link jumped back in before the argument had a chance to take off.

  “The clubhouse is a building we only use in emergencies. It’s got multiple rooms, a kitchen, and living space, and each room has a bathroom. It can accommodate up to forty people at a time, if necessary. It’s massive, but it’s also fortified. It’s the safest place we’ve got to put you, but I’ll still have to rotate men to be stationed with you.”

  Hope paused. “Why?”

  Link shrugged. “Other than the fact that it’s kind of out in the middle of nowhere? You’re not staying by yourself until this is done. Until further notice, you and your sister are under our protection.”

  “And what if I don’t want your protection?”

  My eyes widened. “Hope.”

  She shook her head. “No, no, no. Now, I get it. You’re in love, or some other shit with this guy. Cool. That’s great. I’m happy for you. But I’ve lived in literal hell this past year, Jo. I’ve literally stood at Satan’s side and done anything to make him happy just so he’ll spare me.”

  My eyes watered. “Hope.”

  She pointed at me. “And I’m not getting myself into another situation where I’m indebted to someone for something. Ever.”

  “You can trust them, Hope. I’m serious.”

  “Then, I want to provide something in return. Something for them in exchange for the protection so I don’t owe them shit at the end of the day.”

  Link licked his lips. “That can be arranged. I’m good with that deal.”

  Hope nodded. “Good. Because I wasn’t giving you a choice. Oh, and I get to come and go from this clubhouse as I please.”

  Link held up his finger. “With an escort.”

  “What if I prove to you I can shoot a gun?”

  I hissed. “Hope. Stop it.”

  Link shook his head. “She’s fine. She’s got every right to feel the way she does right now. Let me handle it from here, okay?”

  I leaned heavily against the seat as I mindlessly plucked a menu from the holster against the wall.

  “I’ll make you a compromise then,” Link said. “Either you come and go as you please from the clubhouse and deal with a night guard, or you can have an escort during the day and have the place to yourself at night. I won’t do both, though. It’s one or the other. You can have your pick.”

  I peered over my menu at Hope and watched her consider his offer.

  “Okay. But only during the day. Got it? I’m fine at night. I’m more than proficient with a gun. Just as long as I’ve got the ammunition I need in case someone comes for me? I’m good.”

  Link nodded. “Deal.”

  And while I wasn’t okay with this deal at all, I also wasn’t stupid enough to override anything. If it put Hope somewhere safe and got her the protection of the Dragon Riders? I was all for it.

  So long as she held up her end of the bargain.

  19

  Link

  “So, run me through one more time what’s happening?”

  Bowser’s voice c
aught me off-guard and I turned around in my chair. I furrowed my brow and motioned for him to step into my office as I kicked myself back. With my ankles crossed on top of my desk and my hands threaded behind my head, I reclined back as Bowser closed my office door.

  Before sitting in front of my desk.

  “You’ll have to be more specific than that,” I said.

  Bowser snickered. “Been a while since we’ve been this busy, huh?”

  “I mean, would you really have it any other way?”

  He grinned. “Not a fat chance in hell. And while we’re at it, you might as well walk me through all of it.”

  I sighed. “Joanna’s sister, Hope, has agreed to stay in the clubhouse so long as she’s got daily protection.”

  “And why isn’t she having a nightguard?”

  “Because she’s apparently proficient with a gun, and that was her stipulation. She wouldn’t take our protection unless she was guaranteed some sort of privacy in all of this, which I get.”

  “She’s worried we’re going to be like them, isn’t she?”

  I shrugged. “Can you blame her?”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t.”

  “I told her we’d issue her a gun with some ammunition she could have overnight, should something happen. But I don’t plan for that clubhouse to be completely alone with her in it at night.”

  He paused. “So, what are you really planning?”

  “You know that damn thing sits out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, it gets dark out there in the middle of those woods and shit. It won’t be hard to post someone to keep an eye on the front door without Hope knowing it.”

  “You sure that’s a smart idea? Sounds more like you’re going back on your word, which I think is pretty important right now.”

  “I’d rather have the woman be mad at me than be dead on my watch.”

  He nodded. “Point taken.”

  “She’ll get her privacy because no one will be hovering around her at night. But the front door won’t be left unguarded. She’ll have her gun to make her feel safe, and someone will keep an eye on things from the woods until further notice.”

  “Does Joanna know about that part?”

  “I haven’t told her yet, no. But I plan to. Once her and Hope aren’t talking multiple times a day on the phone.”

  He chuckled. “That might take a while.”

  I slid my feet off my desk. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Joanna knows. But you know as well as I do that we can’t just leave her at that massive place all night without someone there.”

  He nodded. “I know. I’m actually kind of relieved you’ve got that turning around in your mind. Because it’s one of the things I wanted to bring up with you.”

  “I take it you have more things you want to bring up with me?”

  He sighed. “Moving her in? Really, Link?”

  I blinked. “Do you somehow think you have a say in that?”

  “No, no. It’s not that. It’s just—”

  I settled my forearms on top of my desk as I watched him gather his thoughts.

  “It’s obvious the two of you are head over heels for one another. Which is great. Really. I’m happy for you.”

  “But…?”

  He licked his lips. “But doesn’t that mean you’re going to be a bit preoccupied with your new company to really make sure Hope is taken care of?”

  I saw what he was getting at. “I already have that covered, too. For the first week or so, at least, everyone except me will be taking shifts watching over Hope.”

  “Okay. So, you’ve considered that. Wonderful.”

  I grinned. “I wouldn't leave someone high and dry like that. I know Joanna’s going to want some time with me. And I want some time with her. I’m not ignorant to that fact.”

  “Guess I just wanted to hear it straight from you.”

  “I can respect that.”

  But I had the feeling that wasn’t all on Bowser’s mind.

  “Spit it out,” I said.

  He placed his elbows on his knees. “Don’t you think it’s going to be hard for her to stay an attorney and still be part of our world?”

  I considered his question. “We have talked about it, yes.”

  “I can’t deny that some of the guys—as well as myself—are concerned about what might happen to us with a lawyer in the family. Not that we aren’t happy for you. But if she happens to stumble upon something she shouldn’t, is she going to have the loyalty and dedication not to do something about it?”

  I saw the reason for his worry, but I honestly thought it was unfounded.

  “Bowser, I appreciate the concern. But the two of us are working on it. She’s not deeply aware of what we do, but she is aware that we tread in the gray while she treads fully over on the side of white. We’ve had a few discussions about it here and there.”

  “Here and there?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Here and there. I don’t want to overwhelm her with the topic or make her feel as if she has to be loyal to some dark side now that she’s moving in. Things like this take one step at a time.”

  “And you think you can pull that out of her? A loyalty to us so our own families sleep easier at night?”

  I grinned. “You planning on making a family anytime soon?”

  His face fell flat. “You know what I mean, Link.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I do. And I get it. I promise you; I get the worry. But think of it this way: when Joanna figured out what was happening with her sister, she didn’t go to the police. Did she?”

  He paused. “No. She didn’t.”

  “And after we rescued her and I took her back to my place, she didn’t call the police, did she?”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “In fact, after all of that, she still agreed to move in with me. She still agreed to put her sister’s life in our hands for protection.”

  He grinned. “You think she’s already got loyalty to us.”

  “I’d put my fucking life on it.”

  I mean, things weren’t perfect. I knew there would be things both of us would struggle with. But so long as we kept our work lives outside the front door in the beginning, that was as good of a start as anyone needed.

  “Oh, Bowser. Before you go.”

  He paused at my office door. “What’s up?”

  “Since I’m going to be indisposed for the first week or so of watching over Hope, it’s your job as my V.P. to step up to the plate. I’m assuming you’ll be taking the bulk of the shifts to make sure she’s safe at the clubhouse?”

  He nodded. “You got it.”

  “Promise me you won’t let her out of your sight. Not for anything, if you can help it.”

  He looked me dead in my eyes. “You have my word, Link. Ash has already volunteered to take the bulk of the day shifts or to sub in if something happens to one of the guys. And I’m already preparing to take the bulk of the night shifts, since those are going to be hard to fill anyway. Given the situation we’re working with.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that. And I’ll let Joanna know what our plan is tonight.”

  “Hey, Link?”

  I drew in a deep breath. “Yeah, Bowser?”

  “I promise to make sure nothing happens to that girl. I know you’ve got just as much riding on her safety as her own damn sister does. She’s safe, and I’ll guarantee it.”

  I smiled. “That kind of statement calls for a drink.”

  I motioned for Bowser to sit back down and he clapped his hands together. He rubbed them as he sat on the edge of the chair while I pulled out two glasses and some of the luscious liquor I still had stashed away. I poured us each three fingers because God only knew we needed as much of it as we could get. Things were about to ramp up in a very serious way, and we wouldn’t have many times to sit and breathe like this.

  “So, want to hear the plans I’ve been turning around in my head?” he asked.
r />   I growled, taking my first sip. “Hit me with it.”

  Bowser took a long pull. “Damn, this stuff is good.”

  “Right?”

  He swirled the liquor around in the glass. “So, I figure the core group of us can take shifts watching Hope while the prospects and the rest of the guys take turns helping to run the bar. Obviously, not what you do back here. But opening and closing. Cleaning. Staffing. Schedules. Shit of that nature. So, the bars don’t stop turning even though we’ve taken on this job.”

  I nodded. “I can get behind that. Sounds like a good plan.”

  “And I figure everything can work in an eight-hour shift. So, things still feel normal even though we’re about to take on the Golden Jags face first.”

  “You mean fist first.”

  “No, what I really mean is bullet first. But I figured I’d edit myself.”

  I barked with laughter. “Fair enough.”

  “But that does bring about the question of just exactly how we’re going to run those assholes out of town.”

  He threw back the rest of his drink. “It’ll take some planning. It’s not something we’ll figure out right now.”

  I followed his motions, swallowing the last of the burn down. “We could brainstorm, though.”

  He set his empty glass on the edge of my desk. “We could make another go at the girls at the motel.”

  “If they haven’t already been smart enough to move.”

  “I don’t know. You didn’t get a good look at that place because you were too focused on Joanna. But those assholes really have themselves a set-up out there. It’s not going to be so easy to move. They’ve moved in and gotten comfortable. We can use that to our advantage.”

  “I’ve also had Ash patrolling more lately. He thinks he’s located the docks they’re using to bring in the guns they’re now running.”

  “Wait, you have proof of that now?”

  I nodded slowly. “Yep. Ash got pictures. Skeleton’s not in any of them. But his men are. They’re shipping drugs into one area and guns into another.”

  “Fucking hell.”

  “Yeah. We have to take them down. And as quickly as we can. But they’ve got three massive heads on a gigantic monstrous body right now. Which means we’ll have to strike them where it’s going to hurt the most.”