Shark nodded. “We’re just going to need to be there to pick up the pieces, you know how this shit goes, man. We saw it with Shay.”
“Yeah, well, we need to check out the hotel she took a pic of. It looks like they’re all staying there. Creed and Fork are already sending Tank up from the Furies. He’s going to sit on the hotel.”
Looking at Rebel who was completely out, he nodded and said, “Come on, she’s sleeping now, you stand guard on the door while I run to see the hotel. We can switch out a few times to make sure they see us too much.”
“Make sure you keep your cell handy, just in case I run into an issue.”
Rebel opened her eyes slowly this time, she felt like she had a fucking hangover. No one was in the room with her. She sighed, then reached slowly for the phone that was on the side table. Pushing the button to raise up her head, she read the instructions on getting a line out, and she paused for a second, fuck who was she going to call? Well, whoever it was it was going to be collect. She knew those two bastards took her phone. Truthfully, Rebel had been shocked to see her phone had even survived the accident.
Sighing, she pushed the buttons and waited for her father to answer her call. It didn’t take long, which meant someone had called him already.
“Dammit to hell, Rebel, what the fuck are you doing now? I thought you had given this shit up and finally found a club you wanted to belong to?” her father snapped in her ear. She rolled her eyes, figured.
“Dad, listen, it’s not what you—” she started, and he bellowed loudly.
“Do not lie to me, Rebel. I know what you are doing, and have been doing for a while now. Squig and Coke are coming to you now. Then me, Freak, and Jones will be behind them a day. Had to make sure the compound was locked down.”
“You don’t need to come,” she said quietly, and her father sighed in her ear loudly.
“Girl, do you not get that I do need to come. I lost your momma same as you, I was the one who left you all unprotected, I should have made sure some of the boys were still here. This is not on you, it is on me, it always has been. You are hardheaded like your ma, though. I knew you were blaming yourself but, Rebel, none of this is on you.”
Rebel closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to stop the tears that were already forming in her eyes from falling. She hadn’t cried since they laid her mom in the ground, not at all. Her anger drove her to find the bastard who took her from them, and she was going to find him, and kill him, if it was the last thing she did.
“Dad, you know that’s not true. If I would have had my gun…” she said.
“Then you would have been dead too. Now, I am not doing this on the phone, we are on our way, and you better have your ass sitting with the Ops when we get there. Now, tell me what the fuck happened.”
“Some fucking asshole was driving like shit, fuck, Dad, Pussy Cat is fucking trashed.” She groaned for the first time remembering the tangled, twisted steel when she was laying on the trunk of the car she had landed on. Shit, she grimaced and moved her shoulder. Rebel had landed on it, and then when she tried to get off the trunk, she had fallen on the bike since the asshole whose car she hit was screaming at her. If she could have, Rebel would have kicked his ass, the little fucking punk. Blasting his metal rock music and not paying attention to the people around him, she grinned when she remembered seeing him being cuffed by the cops afterward.
“Sorry, honey,” her dad said into her ear, and she felt the tears again. Dammit, when did she turn all fucking wimpy and shit? Her head hurt, her shoulder hurt, and she was being a fucking baby. This was not okay.
“I just, she was my first bike, Dad, you know how much time I put into her,” she whispered sadly.
“I know, and when I get out there we will see if there is anything we can do,” her dad said, and she sighed.
“Yeah, okay.”
“It seems we have a lot to deal with when I get out there,” her dad said, and Rebel rolled her eyes, and the door opened. Blade stuck his head in to check on her she assumed. When he saw she was on the phone, he frowned and then pushed the door further and walked in.
“Listen, Dad, I gotta go, just let me know when you get here, okay,” she said, and her dad made a noise of acknowledgment before she hung up and then looked up at Blade who was now beside her bed staring down at her.
“Thought you were still sleeping. Why didn’t you just call me when you woke up?” he grumbled, and she raised an eyebrow at him.
“I slept enough,” she replied and smoothed out the blanket. “I thought you were leaving so why should I call you?”
Blade frowned and said, “Nope, and we’re not going to either, honey. You need to get this, and really quick. We started something this last month, and it’s something we mean to continue, you are ours, and make no mistake about it, we will not leave.”
Rebel glared, he called her honey, really? Did he think that was cute? She hated it when the guys from the club called their women baby, she had heard it time and time again from Squig, he would say he called all the women honey, so he didn’t need to remember their name. It made the day after so much easier.
“Excuse me?” Rebel said in a deceptively calm voice. She was ready to kick his ass, and he didn’t realize it yet. She was okay with pretty much every other name, but that one.
Blade raised an eyebrow and said, “Why?”
“Why what?” she snapped.
“Why am I excusing you?” he asked calmly and sighed.
Rebel glared at him and finally said, “Do not ever call me honey, I get that you guys have a hard time remembering the names of all the women you have met. But let me let you in on a little secret, women don’t like to be called honey, sweetheart, babe, or sweet thing by men who can’t make the effort to learn their name. So in the future, if you would like to address me, please do so using my name. R.E.B.E.L! In case that’s too hard, call me Taz.”
Blade leaned over and glared at her. “Really? You have a road name already? Hmmm, it would have been nice for you to have shared that before, you know, one of the twenty times we have sat and talked after your shift.”
Rebel glared back and said, “Listen, I grew up in a club, I know guys think because you pay attention to me it means suddenly that you own me or something. But I haven’t made up my mind yet if I want to even continue this.”
Blade rolled his eyes. “Listen, baby.”
“Dammit,” she growled and then sat up straighter. “Do not call me that either. EVER!”
Rebel closed her eyes. She felt the pain coming from her chest, her mother was the only one she allowed to call her that, and she was gone.
Shark drove his bike down the busy road, those fucking bastards were close. He looked to the right and saw the hotel Rebel took a picture of. He pulled into the dive across the street and parked his bike. Slowly he got off and then turned to look across the street as he took off his gloves and stored them. There was one bike there right now, and no one was outside.
He pulled into the diner and saw a bike parked in the back. He pulled in right beside it and took off his gloves and looked around. There was no one outside across the street, so he moved to the door of the diner and walked in. Running his eyes around the large dining room, he saw Tank sitting in the front window looking at him. With a lift of his head, he walked to where the large man from the Furies was sitting with a burger in front of him.
“Hey,” Shark said as he slid into the booth and he motioned to the waitress who looked like she was a throwback from the fifties, how the fuck did she get her hair up that high? he wondered as she shuffled to their table chewing gum. Wow, her make-up was thick, she reminded him of Flo from that old show Alice. His mom used to watch that.
Tank grunted and then moved his glass to the waitress who just stared at it for a second and then said, “Whatcha want?”
Shark looked at Tank who was glaring at the older woman, and he said, “Whatever he’s having.”
“Burger and fries, plus
a coke?” she said nodding and picking up the glass and turning around, saying over her shoulder, “and refills are not on the house.”
Tank rolled his eyes and said, “Man, we have entered the third circle of hell.”
“Seeing that,” Shark muttered and then motioned his head across the street. “You see anything?”
Tank grabbed a fry and ate it while he contemplated what he was going to say. It only took a minute, but Shark stiffened because he figured he was going to hold back from him, he was wrong, though, and Shark realized it when he heard what Tank said.
“Well, when I arrived there were six bikes, five men came out in a hurry, got on their bikes and took off. Left the one over there, I waited for a few, and when no one else showed up, I made some calls. We aren’t the only ones watching these asshats, apparently,” Tank said slowly.
Shark snapped, “Who the fuck else are we dealing with?”
Tank took another fry and then said, “Fling is hearing some shit he’s not liking. As in, not fucking liking at all. These boys are getting ready to make a deal with someone, not sure who, but it includes a shit ton of guns. Now, since we know you wouldn’t provide guns to these assholes, Fling figures it has to be one of the other clubs providing shit. Once again, not good, since we don’t know if they are just providing guns or men too. So, he’s putting out some feelers. We’re lucky that right now Ox is back in town, he’s on his way as we speak.”
Shark tilted his head. “Ox?”
“One of our nomads, he is one of the best trackers you will ever find,” Tank said, staring Shark in the eye.
Shark nodded and then said, “Okay, Creed and Fork are getting ready to send people out to get Jas, Shady’s daughter.” Tank nodded as Shark spoke, “We have moved up the time frame a little, they will be taking off in three days. Cajun and Slider want Jas back soon. Before this shit goes down.”
“Fling gave us a rundown of the situation,” Tank said and then took a bite of his burger and leaned back. Shark saw the waitress out of the corner of his eye moving toward them, and he did the same. When she got to their table, she plopped down two cokes and then turned and left without a word. Tank leaned back, “They have to have more than just these seven guys here. I mean, they are stupid, but they can’t be that stupid. You guys know of anyone they would get help from?”
Shark thought and stared across the street for a second, and then he shook his head. “No one comes to mind, but then when it comes to these assholes, I’m pretty sure they are hiding under whatever rock they can find, no matter how dirty.”
“We may need to go hunting,” Tank said slowly, and Shark nodded.
Chapter Five
Shady rubbed her small bump and looked around the room. Fuck, they had been at this for hours, and she was fucking starving. The Bitches 2 women were here finally. They had intended to just call them but instead thought it best to explain to the women in person. Good thing too because when they went to pick up Silk, they found two bikers watching the building, they took off before the Warriors could follow them.
Maxi called Shay, and she made the decision to bring them to the compound immediately. They were now going to be staying in the houses that belonged to the Lady Riders’ organization Broken Wings. None of the Lady Riders knew the dancers all that well. They had seen their applications and background checks, but honestly, they had been waiting to see if they would quit before they approached them. Just like Rebel, which was why Shady was currently kicking her own ass. She should have known what Rebel was going to do because it was totally what she would have done in the same position.
“So,” Harmony said loudly, and everyone in the room quieted down and turned to her. “This is the deal, we brought you here because there is a situation with the club, one that you will not be involved in, but one that requires you to be protected. While here, you will not ask questions, you will not speak of where you are to anyone, including friends, and you will not, under any circumstances, fuck one of the Warriors. This is not a vacation or a sleepover, and we are not your besties. I will say, if you get a good feel about the Lady Riders and would like to Prospect for us, we will consider it, but if any of you bitches think that the way to get into the Lady Riders is to sleep with one of the Warriors, you are mistaken.”
The dancers stared at Harmony and then looked around the room and Silk asked, “Where’s Rebel?”
They all knew Rebel was their leader, they had seen it right when she started at Bitches 2. Hell, they had all been a little weirded out Rebel was so much like Shady. “She’s coming, she had a slight accident,” Rain said quietly, and the dancers all looked at each other.
Then Silk continued, “What accident?”
Shady sighed loudly and stood. She still wore her Harley tank tops every day, she didn’t give two shits if it showed off her baby bump. “Listen,” she said loudly, and everyone turned to her. “Rebel is fine; she will be here in another day or so. What Harmony said is important though. You ladies are here because we are gracious enough to allow you to come here. That being said, I will kick your ass if you fuck with anyone in the club, lady or man. You got me?” The dancers nodded, and Shady smiled and continued, “Awesome, now you all get yourselves settled. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and if you want, you can help.”
The dancers look at each other, they knew what Shady was saying, to ‘help’ the Lady Riders would mean they were going to request to join them, which would make them all Prospects. Rebel had talked about this in the changing room of the club, and all of them were interested.
“Let’s go so we can get back here,” Silk said, and the other women nodded and followed her as she walked out of the room.
They were going to join the Lady Riders, Shady thought and then turned back toward the rest of her friends and smiled. She waited until she heard the door shut before she said, “Well, looks like we are finally growing.”
Bic, who was Freebyrd’s old lady, smiled and shook her head. “You know there was a time where none of the women of the club would ever celebrate another woman, let alone five of them, to be welcomed into the club.”
Shady shrugged. “Yeah, at least these are not whores.”
Moon smiled and said, “Creed called and said we need to get ready to leave to get Jas. They moved the timeframe up by a few days considering what happened with Rebel. So it’s still just Harmony and me?”
Shady looked at Moon, she liked the woman from the first time she met her, hearing her story had only cemented it. Since the Ops moved fully to San Diego, they had become closer. Bic, Moon, and Story were loving being more involved with Shady and the other women here now, it seemed they were finally able to help those who needed it. Something Bic had been working on for years, but with the females willing to help being small in numbers, it had been hard.
Shady looked at Harmony who was eating egg rolls and a Cherry Slurpee. She grimaced, damn, now she was going to want something too, fucking cravings. She closed her eyes and then looked at Freedom who was staring at Harmony as well, there could be a bitch fight soon.
“Yeah, Harmony and you,” Shady said, and then Harmony glared at Freedom who chuckled.
“What?” Harmony asked, and Freedom laughed louder. Harmony wasn’t showing that much, which pissed off Free and Shady.
“Nothing really,” she said. “It’s just, you know, they are going to need to stop like a million times for you to pee and to get some weird ass food.”
Harmony’s head snapped up. “I am a vessel of love, dammit, I am all kinds of happy and joyful to be carrying the next little Ops biker. This shit is not a picnic as you know. If I eat anything else than what I am craving, it makes me sick. Do you know how sad it is to puke up pizza? I mean, I am never going to be able to eat that shit again, it’s depressing.”
Freedom laughed louder, and the other Lady Riders watched the exchange with amused expressions on their face. “I love you,” Freedom announced, and Harmony smiled and then sniffed.
“Damm
it, I love you too, but stop making me get all emotional, I don’t do emotions, you know that. Now, Shay, as soon as I see Jas and talk to her, I will call you. It sucks you can’t go.”
Shady nodded and said, “It wouldn’t be smart, I get that.” Even as the words left her mouth, they all knew she was lying. Hell, the look on her face was painful to witness. She had missed her daughter. Jas had been taken to Black Hawk for her safety, but considering everything Jas had been through as a child, it was hard on Shady who didn’t want to let her daughter out of her sight. They had developed a relationship, a strong one, and Shady had been worried it would affect it.
“Cajun is going, right?” Harmony asked softly. Shay had insisted at least one of her men went. It was frustrating for them as well, both men loved Jas as if she was their own.
“Yeah,” Shady said slowly and then looked at the women who had become her family. “But it’s not the same. I mean, I want to see her so bad. It’s like there’s something missing when she’s gone. I know she’ll eventually leave, kids grow up and all that, but I’m not ready for that.”
“Maybe she won’t leave?” Rain said and rubbed a hand on Shady’s back.
Shady shrugged and said, “I’m her mother; I want her to be happy.”
Harmony shook her head. “Bullshit, I’m going to be a mother, and I am telling you right now, they are not leaving until I say so.”
Shady rolled her eyes. “I wish it were that simple.”
“Oh, it is,” Harmony snapped. “If I’m going through my uterus stretching out, and then pushing this kid through my vagina, then yeah, they are gonna do what I say.”
Freedom laughed. “You know, there is no one on earth I would rather go through being pregnant than you, Harm.”
Welcome to Hell (Ops Warriors Book 7) Page 5