by KJ Dahlen
She looked up at him. “Here, in the club you mean?”
He nodded.
“Yes. I mean, this has become what I do.”
He grasped her hands. “But Jorie, you weren’t meant to be a cook, or someone’s maid. You have a choice now.”
She stared at him. “Yes, I know. But... These men... This club, it is home to me. I have no family elsewhere. I certainly do not want to go back home. I’m not that girl anymore.”
Carson pulled her in tight to his body. “I just want you to be sure. To be happy.”
“Are you?” she whispered.
“Am I what?” He was puzzled by the question.
“Happy?” she spoke to his neck.
Carson paused. Happy? He hadn’t considered that he would ever be that. Happy. Not for a man like him. Now though, as he took in the scent of her hair and felt the warmth of her breath on his cheek. He even thought he could feel her heart beating against his chest. He suddenly realized that he hadn’t felt any anxiety, nor had he thought about his demons at all recently. “I am,” he replied with surprise. “Damn, I really do feel happy and it has been so long since I felt that... it escaped me to even recognize it.” He grabbed her up and kissed her breathless.
Chapter Seven
The next day, the Renegades had all gathered in the main room. They’d all had breakfast.
Slammer stood up and looked around.
Everyone grew quiet.
“As you all know, we met with the Triad recently. We told them about the gold.”
Murmurs went around the room.
He raised his hands. “Look I know the thought of gold is tempting, but this isn’t our gold.”
Rock stood up. “So, you know for sure it belongs to the Chinese?”
Slammer shrugged. “Not till we find it.”
The men all sat in silence.
“I am your Prez and Shotgun is your VP. We founded the club. Yet, I do realize that some of you may want a cut like this. It is easy money. If it’s real. However, we ourselves will not be taking any of this supposed gold.”
Another brother asked, “Why?”
Shotgun stood up now. “Because it leads to more greed. It gets to your head man. I seen it.” He looked over at Slammer. “Him and I seen it. This club was destroyed for this very thing, we found out just recently. No good can come from it.”
A few grumbled.
Grinder stood up. “I also will not be taking any of it. Don’t need it, don’t want it.”
Booker nodded. “I am the same.”
“Me as well,” Mammoth added.”
Spider then spoke up, “I’m happy with what I got here already.”
Texas nodded as he added, “I’m with them.”
The room grew quiet as some of the men shook their heads.
Slammer sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. “If and that is a huge IF. We find the gold or any gold. The part that doesn’t have the dragon stamp...” He gazed around. “It belongs to the direct a descendant of that pirate. That would be River.” He looked over at her.
Everyone in the room did the same.
River sat at a table with Zoe, Andrea, Quinn and Ivy. She shook her head. “My brother and my parents died because of that dammed gold. And I was next. It has blood all over it. I don’t want any part of it.”
The women at her table all nodded as if this did not surprise them in the least.
Slammer didn’t look surprised at all by this either. “So, if we find any that doesn’t belong to the Triad, any of you can take your cut.”
The room filled with gasps and loud murmurings.
“But...” Slammer raised his voice as he gazed around. “Consider it your last cut.”
Shotgun stood again. “And leave your Renegade’s cut, meaning your vest at the door on your way out with your gold.”
The men all looked shocked.
Well, not all of them.
Grinder, Mammoth, Spider, Texas and Booker all grinned. As they’d figured this out already.
“Well, fuck that,” Rock said. “I’ll keep my Steel vest, thank you very much.”
The rest of the men all nodded, as each one raised their hand into a fist. The club’s signal for solidarity.
Carson had sat in the back and listened to this entire exchange.
His sister, Quinn met his eyes and she looked very proud as she nodded to him.
He had to admit that he was impressed. There weren’t many men who would choose their club over bars of gold.
Shotgun looked proud. “I told ya Slam. We have the best brothers in the whole fucking world.”
Texas spoke up, “So we pick up this dammed treasure hunt where we left off?”
Mammoth nodded. “Yeah, with the maps?”
Slammer opened his mouth to answer.
“No,” someone spoke from the doorway to the kitchen.
They all turned to stare at Audrey.
“What?” Slammer asked looking confused.
“Well...” She bit at her lip and looked around. “I-I found it?”
All the men gasped and they all stood.
For a moment, no one spoke, then all the men started speaking at once and the room got overly loud.
Carson moved from his spot and stepped up beside her. He would protect her, not that he thought it would be needed but she looked damn scared. “What are you talking about?” he asked her gently.
She sighed and stared at him then raised her head and looked around at the Renegades. “Follow me.” She turned and went into the kitchen.
They all followed. Slammer and Shotgun in the front.
Carson walked beside her.
She went into the pantry and it was a large one, as it had to hold all the food these men always needed. She went over to the back shelf that was at the very back of the pantry. Then she reached under it and tugged.
The wall opened up with a creaking sound, the shelves sliding back.
Slammer, Spider, Shotgun, Booker, Grinder, Texas and Mammoth all stood and stared with various degrees of shock on their faces.
Carson leaned in and peered down. There were stone steps leading all the way down into a dark area.
“I’ve been down there.” She nodded. “There are actual chests and I opened one. And yeah... gold bars.”
Slammer stared then looked over at her. “How long have you known about this?”
“About a year.”
They all blinked their eyes at her.
Slammer clenched his fists and he looked like he might lose it. “A year?”
“Well...” She held her hands out in defense as she could see what they all thought. “I knew about the room all that time. But I never went down there. I had thought you and Shotgun knew about it at first. Like a secret club thing? But I don’t blab anything to anyone as you all figured out. I keep my mouth shut and my head down. Then only when this whole pirate treasure thing came up when Andrea came, did I realize that it must be where the gold was? So a few days ago, I finally went down there. I mean we were just at war with someone that would kill for this gold. That HAD killed for it. I’ve known men who wanted it all. Killed to get it all. Money... well money like this can ruin even the best of men. You all now know why I felt like this. I-I thought I was protecting the club? I never even touched it. I don’t want it either. Like River said it is blood gold.”
“Then you heard the vote just now,” Carson concluded.
She nodded. “I-I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to do.”
Slammer and Shotgun looked at each other then back at her.
The other men had crowded in and were trying to peer into the pantry.
Booker stepped closer and got a close look at it. “Well, fuck me.”
“I understand if you want to fire me,” Audrey went on. “I should have stepped forward when I found out about the chests.”
Slammer shook his head. “No, I get it. I do.”
“Yeah,” Shotgun agreed. “We do.”
&nb
sp; Audrey stepped further back and placed her hands on her hips as she cracked a relieved smile. “Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit here while you all walked the up and down that freakin’ beach again. Then the pier and in that dammed cave, spending days digging up sand this time. I never had to fish out so much aspirin and hear grown men whine like babies, in my whole dammed life.”
The men all snickered.
The women behind them laughed as they all nodded.
“Yeah, well we aren’t great at being fucking pirates,” Mammoth announced.
“A-fucking-men to that!” Grinder exclaimed.
Shotgun agreed with this, “Yep, I thought about eating my own shotgun barrel a time or two.”
All the men laughed.
When the laughter died down, Audrey then raised her chin up. “I can’t wait for someone to go down and get it the hell out of here. It actually gives me the heebie-jeebies. But I have to fix lunch soon, so do what you gotta do.”
Carson wrapped and arm around her shoulder.
All the men swiveled their shocked gazes over to see this.
He shrugged. “Hey, I found my gold, so...”
Slammer chuckled.
Carson smiled.
Slammer looked around and then back up at Carson. “So, you just claimed your cut.”
Carson stared at him.
“Yeah, you got a handful of treasure there Sniper man,” Mammoth added.
Audrey blushed a straight on pink.
Carson laughed.
“So you wanna be a Renegade?” Slammer asked.
Carson felt surprised at this sudden invite. “You asking me to stay?”
Slammer looked over at his VP.
Shotgun nodded at him.
The prez then looked around at all the men gathered.
Each one gave their nod.
Slammer looked back over at Carson. “You proved your salt. You backed us up when you didn’t have to. So yeah.”
Carson looked around at the crowded room. His eyes met Quinn’s.
She stared a back as tears sparkled there. She never looked happier in all her life.
“Yeah. I would be honored,” he finally replied.
Shotgun looked around at them all. “Okay, we got that settled and fuck me, we found that damn god forsaken treasure too. I say we go in shifts to haul it out. Well, first we gotta open them all and see what is stamped.”
“Oh! Oh!” Andrea pushed her way through, her camera at the ready. “I gotta have images.”
Grinder stopped her with a gentle grasp of her arm. “Babe... Look. You can’t print this story.”
She stared at him.
“Your life will be in danger the moment anyone sees those pictures,” he added.
Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah... I didn’t think about that.” She raised her head and gazed into his eyes. “Well, I found my gold anyway.”
“Yes, you were here when we discovered it and maybe someday, you can write about—”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I meant you. You dumb lunkhead. I found my life’s story.”
“Aww...” the men all cooed around her with overly dramatic sighs.
Grinder raised his head and said, “Shut the fuck up!”
More loud laughter rumbled around the kitchen.
“Okay, all of you,” Shotgun yelled. “Move this out to the main room I’m getting a bit claustrophobic here. And then we will form a work plan.”
They all went out in almost single file, as there were too many to do this otherwise.
Carson kept his arm around Audrey’s shoulder.
“D-did you just—like claim me?” she asked in a small voice.
He looked down at her. “Yeah, is that what it’s called? If that means, do I want to be with you, share in your life? Then yes, I just damn well claimed you.”
She looked too stunned to speak as her knees buckled a little.
He caught her as she slumped. “What the hell?”
She looked up at him. “I-I....”
Carson smiled. “You are definitely mine Jorie Walters. That’s all I know.” He lowered his head to kiss her soundly.
LOOK FOR THE CONCLUSION
IN
About K. J. Dahlen
Author of the bestselling, award winning Bratva Brothers and Satan Spawn, Sin’s Bastards MC Series...
I live in a small town (population 495) in Wisconsin. From my deck, I can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. I live with my husband Dave and dog Buddy. My two children are grown and I have two grandchildren. I love to watch people and that has helped me with my writing. I often use people I watch as characters in my books and I always try to give my characters some of my own values and habits.
I love to create characters and put them in a troubling situation then sit back and let them do all the work. My characters surprise even me at times. At some point in the book, they take on a life of their own and the twists and turns they create becomes the story. Of all the stories, I could write I found I like mystery/thrillers the best. I like to keep my readers guessing until the very end of the book
SERIES READING ORDER
UPDATED NOVEMBER 2019
SATAN'S SPAWN MC
PREQUEL: GHOST FROM THE PAST
BOOK 1: SPAWN AND SPITFIRE
BOOK 2: REVENGE AND RETRIBUTION
BOOK 3: BABIES AND BASTARDS
SIN'S BASTARDS MC
BOOK 1: SILK AND BONES
BOOK 2: KARMA'S BITE
BOOK 3: NO REGRETS
BOOK 4: HELL'S FURY
BOOK 5: LIES AND LIARS
BOOK 6: STONE COLD
Prequel for BANE...
HELL'S FIRE RIDERS MC BOX SET 7/5/18
Birth Of Hell’s Prequel
BOOK 1: PAPPY'S SHADOW
Book 2: BETRAYED
BOOK 3: TRIGGER THE STORM
BOOK 4: COLD VENGEANCE
BOOK 5: HER FATHER'S SIN
BOOK 6: 42 DAYS
BRATVA BLOOD BROTHERS
Prequel- Blood Beginnings
Book 1: Yuri
Book 2: Mikial
Book 3: Barshan
Book 4: Sazon
Book 5: Roman
Book 6: Brothers United
Sept. 4 /18 .. Book 7. Iosif
Jan. 15 /19 .. Book 8 Kosta
Feb. 3 /19 .. Book 9 Nikoli
Mar. 16 /19 .. Book 10 Nicky
April 27 /19 .. Book 11 Sergi
June 22 /19 .. Book 12 Misha
Sept. 21/19 Book 13 Timor
Book 14 FDalex
Book 15 Kirill ... Leads into a new Series
“Shadow Demons"
SIN'S BASTARDS MC NEXT GENERATION
Book 1 : RAINE
Book 2 : CHANCE
Sept. /7 Book 3 : GAMBLER
Sept. /25 Book 4 : BOWIE
Dec. /20 Book 5 : JUDGE
March /19 ..Book 6 : BYRON
July 31/19 .. Book 7 : HOUND
September 25th .Book 8 .. : DANTE
.Book 9 .. : Iceman
.Book 10 .. : The KIDS
August 31st Special Edition: ZIPPER
October 5th Calderone Special Edition
WHISKEY BEND MC SERIES
July 27/18 Book 1: Lucifer’s Woman - Lucifer
Sept 26/18 .. Book 2: Demon’s Stand – Demon ..
Oct. 20/18 Book 3: At All Costs – Aries
Dec. 4/18 . Book 4 : Out of the Shadows- Hades
May 28 /19 . Book 5 : Jinx
July 20 / 19 . Book 6 : Shadow
Book 7 Cooper
Book 8 Bender
LOST SONS MC SERIES
Jan 21/19 Book 1.. Creed’s Return
Mar 30/19 Book 2 .. Jack
Aug 24 Book 3 .. Tate
November 9th Book 4 Harry
Book 5 Silas
Book 6 Daniel
Book 7 Cobra
Book 8 Renegade
Book 9 Thor
BRATVA ENFORCERS- THE NOMADS
March 18/19 .. Book 1. ..Viktor
May 22 /19 Book 2. .. Ivan
Aug. 14 /19 Book 3. .. Adrik
Oct. 30th /19 Book 4. .. Andrey
Book 5. .. Grisha
Book 6. .. Matvey
WAR LORDS MC.
May 12 /19 .. BOOK 1.. ACE—TRUMAN
July 13 /19 .. BOOK 2.. KING—TREMAINE
November 23rd BOOK 3.. JACK
BOOK 4.. DEUCE
BOOK 5.. JOKER
PRINCES OF HELL MC
Feb. 23 /19 . Book 1. Talon
April 20 /19 . Book 2. Rogue
June 12 /19 Book 3. Falcon
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATES MC
June 29/19 .. Book 1.—JACKAL
Aug 10/19—Book 2.—BEAST
Book 3.—WOLF
Book 4.—
Book 5.—
RIVERS FOUNDATION SERIES / A MURDER IN HER PAST
Feb. 7 Book 1. Cartouche BRIAR
June 5 Book 2. Cards of Sin CADE ..
Book 3 AARON
Book 4 ELLIOT
Book 5 QUINN
DEVIL'S TRIFECTA MC
Gage .. Book 1 .. March 27,2019-
Joker .. Book 2 .. May 1, 2019 -
Sledge. Book 3 .. July 3, 2019 -
SHADOW WARRIORS MC. SERIES
July 3/19 Slade Book 1. Shadow Of The Phoenix
HELL'S BLOODHOUND MC SERIES
Aug. 21 /19 BOOK 1. BARRON .. RED
BOOK 2. ..
BOOK 3.
BOOK 4. .
. BOOK 5
VENGEANCE IS MINE- PAYBACK SERIES
BANE Oct 20/18
Sept.7 /19 .. Book 1 GHOSTER
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
SAN FRANCISCO STEEL MC
Sept. 18/19 ... Book 1 SLAMMER
Sept. 28/19 Book 2 Shotgun
Oct. 16th/19 Book 3 Grinder
Oct. 19/19 Book 4 Mammoth
October 26th Book 5 Booker
November 2nd Book 6 Spider
Carson #7 San Francisco Steel November 20th
Texas #8 San Francisco Steel November 27th
STANDALONE SINGLES
Healing Charlie ..Released
Chasing Eve Released
Ripples in Time
Blood Debt
Saving Sebastian Released
Never forget me- Released
A Life for Luke . Released