by Aden Lowe
What the hell was he supposed to do? There were too many options. He could walk away from Vicki, leave her with the wolves gnawing through her door, and go home and defend what was his. He could stay and help her, and leave Stags Leap to its own devices and hope it came through. Or he could walk away from both—just pass word to the Raiders to bug out. They could meet up later, and start over fresh. Hell, he could even go it alone.
For something to do, he looked out front again. One of the Russian SUVs had its front end blown up, and a dead, or nearly dead, guy lay under the driver-side door.
Another option suddenly presented itself. The house would fall, sooner rather than later. So why not give it up?
Things clicked into place in his head. A series of quick calls later, his plan started to move forward. He just needed things to happen at the right times. Vicki confirmed the timing on her end.
Fifteen minutes later, armed to the teeth, they took advantage of a small window of opportunity the Raiders had opened and got the hell out of Dodge. Two vans, packed to the gills with innocents, and driven by Vicki's men, blew through the garage doors and straight to the street, bypassing the driveway.
Kellen and the other Raiders surrounded the vans immediately, providing a heavy escort. As they rolled out, Kellen used his burner phone to dial nine-one-one, and when the dispatcher came on, he reported a huge gunfight and gave the address. Diversion created, he dropped the phone and got the hell out of there.
Sirens echoed in the distance before he made it out to the street. That should keep the enemy busy for a bit so the Hell Raiders could put some distance between them. He'd prefer to avoid a running fire fight, especially while trying to shield two vehicles.
At the moment, no one challenged them and the column quickly formed up to roar through the neighborhood. Kellen imagined the residents of the nearby houses hiding behind their drapes and hoping the end of the world hadn't just landed on them. Probably plenty of pants needed changing behind all those fancy doors.
A small sense of relief settled over him as they got out of the ritzy area. Too damn many mansions in one area to suit him. Why the hell would a rich person want a house that close to another? It simply made no sense to him.
Trip directed the column to the town's bypass so they could keep everything bunched up tight. If traffic cooperated and they didn't hit any delays, maybe they could make it back across the River before the Russians collected themselves enough to follow.
Kellen concentrated on ensuring no one tailed them. One car raised his suspicions, but after riding his bumper for three blocks, it turned. Everyone else on the road seemed smart enough to keep their distance. Good thing. He'd rather not have to scare the piss out of a bunch of soccer moms and house husbands to get them to back the hell off. Scaring the citizens usually brought cops, and he didn't need those at the moment.
The front bikes swung onto the exit for the bridge and Kellen pushed everyone else up closer. He had no intention of allowing traffic to break them up. The front moved over out of the merge lane and into traffic, and he had no choice but to force the rest of his crew to follow.
Tires screeched as the tractor-trailer they should have yielded to swerved to miss the last half of the column. The blast of the airhorn deafened Kellen as the truck driver made his opinion known. Kellen raised a hand in apology, and gave a silent thanks. The truck would provide one more layer between them and pursuit, with luck.
The expansion joints of the bridge created a small thump-thump as his tires crossed them, each one meaning they were that much closer to Kentucky and safety. Coming off that bridge, he had a dozen or more routes to choose from, nearly all through remote, wild areas. Places where any sort of trouble might easily find a bunch of guys not accustomed to leaving the city.
Chapter Thirteen
Just as a precaution, Kellen directed Trip to add nearly an hour to the trip by taking a roundabout route. The Russians after Vicki already knew who the Hell Raiders were, and had made the first offensive move in Stags Leap, but that didn't mean he had to lead them straight to the door. The column slowed to a crawl along the spine of Fox Pen Ridge before dipping down to the relatively easy travel of River Road. From there they made good time.
For the second night in a row, Kellen rolled up the lane to the clubhouse as the sun prepared to dip behind the horizon. The roar of bike engines echoed between the hills. As always, the deafening thunder sent Kellen's pulse a few notches higher. He loved that sound. And he never left the hollow with reminding himself he wanted to hear it again.
The column pulled to a halt by the clubhouse, and, as one of the Home Guard came out to give them the all clear, the bikes dispersed to their usual parking spots. The vans remained where they'd stopped, and the drivers shut them off. Vicki climbed out first, stretching a little as she looked around.
Kellen parked his bike and swung off as Badger came out onto the porch, clearly expecting to be filled in. Damn it. He'd have much preferred to grab Vicki's hand and disappear somewhere quiet with her for a few hours. Seemed like that wasn't in the books, though. With a sigh, he started for the porch and Badger.
The Captain of the Home Guard was built like a cross between his namesake and a Mack truck, broad and low to the ground, and all solid muscle. He might have been a low-life and a drifter in his past, but for the past several years he'd proven his fierce loyalty to the Hell Raiders over and over.
"How's it goin', boss?" Badger tossed a cold beer in his direction.
Kellen didn't speak until he'd cracked the beer and swallowed half of it. "I've had better days, man." He recapped the battle at Vicki's mansion for the older man. "Anything new here?"
"Not yet. Those two looked around town a little, made some rude comments, and then went into the pawn shop. They busted up the display cases and scared the piss out of Zipporah. After that, they left. Haven't been seen since, but I'm pretty sure that was just an exploratory jab." Badger sipped his own beer.
"Who we got in town?"
"Caveman's hanging around the Speedy Shop. Stella's over at the Victory Rose. And Mikey's gossiping at the barber shop. Think we got everything pretty well covered. Oh, yeah, and Bugs is out South End, keeping an eye out." Badger counted off on his fingers as he named each Raider he's assigned to keep a watch on Stags Leap.
Once more, Kellen's trust in Badger proved out. "Sounds good. You got guys slated to relieve them all?"
"Yeah, they got about three hours left on duty. They're staggered out, so it's not all obvious that we're watching." He crushed his beer can and stood. "I'll let you get back to your woman. I'm around if you need me."
Kellen sat stunned while Badger disappeared inside. His woman? His? Over by the vans, Vicki hugged a little boy, maybe three or four years old, and soothed him while his mother dealt with a younger child. Was Vicki his woman? Had he staked a claim without even realizing it?
She chose that moment to look in his direction. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Kellen felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Yeah, she was definitely his. At least for the time being.
He went straight to her. "They all okay?"
She nodded and lifted her hair off her neck. "Tired, but ok. Wishing it were over so they can get back to their lives."
"I heard that. We'll try and get it settled fast. I have some other things I'd rather be doing." He couldn't resist the curve of her neck, and moved closer, intent on tasting.
She moved away a little. "What are you doing?"
Kellen sighed. "Well, I was going to taste that sweet little spot on your neck."
"Oh, no, you can't. Someone might see." The hair dropped and she let it swing forward, covering the spot he wanted to lick so badly.
"Vicki, I don't give a damn who sees." He looped his arm around her waist and stepped in close. Making his claim on her public would ensure none of the Raiders tried to make time with her, at least. "And I don't care who knows you're mine."
Golden eyes flared wide. "Yours? I must be losing
my mind. I don't remember agreeing to that at all." She twisted in an attempt to dislodge his arm.
He tightened his grip and pulled her up against him. "Little girl, it doesn't matter if you agree or not. You're mine. And I don't share. That means none of the Raiders will hassle you, for one thing. And it means the old ladies will accept you and the other girls won't mess with you either. They can get awfully catty when a new chick comes in. As my woman, you sort of outrank all but the old ladies."
She relaxed a little and studied him carefully. "What do you mean, hassle?"
"I mean they won't try to get in your pants. They know I won't tolerate it." He brushed her hair aside and leaned down to nibble at the silky skin he'd exposed. "I have no intention of letting anyone else taste this." He let his tongue glide up the taut tendon at the front of her neck. "You're all mine. Every bit of you."
"Whether I like it or not?" She stiffened and drew back, eyes flashing her anger.
His laugh drew a flush to her cheeks. "I'd far rather you enjoy it. I like the way you squeeze me when you like it."
She pulled away as far as his grip allowed, and he followed to pin her shoulders against the side of the van. She froze as he moved in slowly, and when his mouth brushed against hers, she didn't pull away, but she didn't respond either.
Determined to provoke her to do something more than stand there, Kellen pressed closer and nipped at her lip, not quite gently. She opened her mouth in surprise and he took advantage to plunder her mouth.
At first she remained stiff and unresponsive, but he persisted and gradually she softened, yielded a little. A nice guy would probably have backed off then, but Kellen was far from nice. He doubled his efforts, focusing on bringing her pleasure.
Finally, she sighed a little and leaned in as her tongue rasped over his with maddening eroticism. He fought back the groan that wanted out, refusing to let her know for sure how much her kiss affected him. Instead, he drew one hand around to cup her breast, pleased when his thumb found her hardening nipple.
As much as he'd like to continue, they both needed to take care of other things first. Satisfied his claim was well and truly made and no man would come near her, he drew back a little. "We'll finish this little talk later."
"Yes, we most certainly will. And I think we need to set some solid boundaries." She very deliberately stepped around him and walked away.
Kellen stood watching her tempting ass and wanting to follow. He actually leaned in that direction, but one of her people came out to meet her. Best let her handle her business and go take care of his own shit. He could spend all night satisfying his hunger.
He turned for the old tobacco barn, situated on a small rise two hundred yards from the house. He'd had it converted for storage several years ago and spent a lot of time deciding how best to use the space. Legal weapons and ammo was a given, as well as extra fuel and spare bike parts. Beyond that, he had to decide how to fill a full three quarters of the ground level. Extra food and things like that seemed like a good idea, so after some research, he'd added specially packaged survival rations, and other supplies.
From there, the barn took on a life of its own. Survival gear. Bug out bags for each Raider. Spare hand tools, things they could use even in a power outage. Even tools they could use to provide for themselves on a long term basis, like a small tractor and plow. If it came down to it, he and the Raiders could just stay put and make some minor changes to their current lifestyle, and be just fine.
With Vicki's people there, Kellen would have to authorize the use of the some of their stockpile. He needed to double check inventories and make plans to replace whatever they might use.
The first steel-lined storage room formed a crude Faraday Cage to protect various electronic items from electro-magnetic disturbances. The big steel cube would disperse an EMP and keep the radios, phones, and computers inside from being wiped out. Kellen took a moment to grab a new burner phone for himself to replace the one he'd tossed as they left the Russians behind.
Next came the weapons. He replaced the ammo he'd used back there and made the appropriate note on the inventory sheet. The others would have to let him know what they needed, and he would have someone take care of it. The next room held ten one-thousand gallon water tanks waited, full and waiting to be used. The tanks reminded him of better times with Hack, when the former VP had been fairly sober and clean. The guy had designed and built the tanks to fit the space, spending weeks working sheet metal and welding and testing seams. The memory made him miss the old Hack.
The water tanks remained full and waiting, so Kellen moved to check the next room, one of three that held nothing but food items. A quick mental note about which supplies they should use first, and he moved on. The rest of the storage rooms held enough tools and outdoors gear to allow them to live off the grid for some time. The preparations always made him feel good. The Raiders would be okay in any situation.
Outside the barn, Badger waited for Kellen. "Hey boss, just wanted to let you know I turned the perimeter security on. Just in case."
"Everything?"
"Yeah, both electric fences, the lights and motions sensors, and armed the mines. We can have fried mobsters for breakfast, or pureed ones, either way." Badger shrugged. "I also have Quick ready to hit the roof with night vision goggles and his rifle when dark falls."
Kellen started slowly for the house. "Good to know. Any of the ol' ladies around?"
"Tanya's here, and Dawn. Couple of the others, too."
"Good. Ask them to be friendly with the women who came in. I have to wonder if the enemy might have a mole in Vicki's crew." The thought had nagged at Kellen's mind for most of the ride back to Stags Leap and he'd turned over and rejected several plans for finding out. Having the ol' ladies keep an eye out seemed the best option.
"Will do, boss. That does seem like a possibility, and it's what I'd do if I was after her or anyone else." Despite his squat stature, Badger kept up effortlessly. Kellen knew from experience exactly how fast the guy could move. That slow-looking build was incredibly deceptive. Badger might prefer to stay around home and out of any of the Raiders' more violent activities, but if the need arose, he was hell on wheels in a fight.
Kellen went on the pass along his instructions for which supplies to move from storage to the house. The pair also discussed Badger's ideas on the sort of armament they should bring out to cover every contingency. By the time they reached the house, Kellen was satisfied they'd covered nearly every possibility. He went in search of Trip to see where they stood on other issues.
Chapter Fourteen
Inside, things sounded almost as if another club had descended for a visit. Except the noise came from children running and shouting, rather than drunken laughter and arguments. Kellen met up with Dix in the big living room and asked how the settling in was going.
"Good, boss. Got everyone in rooms on the second floor. A few seem uncomfy, like they don't necessarily approve of us, but others act like they've come home. Tanya's doing a good job of making them feel welcome, and Dawn has taken charge of the kids." Dix looked around as if to be sure no one could overhear. "If it's okay, boss, I'd like to take a little run into Stags Leap, check on things for myself."
"We got things covered there. Exactly what you wanting to check out?"
Dix sighed and his guilty expression raised Kellen's brow. "You got me. I'd like to stop in at the Rattlesnake, make sure things are okay there."
Kellen's turn to sigh. "I won't tell you not to go, Dix. If you need to check on her, go. And if need be, hog-tie the little bitch and throw her over your shoulder and bring her here so she'll be safe and you can keep your head in the game."
Dix grinned his relief. "I might need an army for the hog-tying part."
"True, that." Kellen laughed. "Get the hell out of here. Just be careful." He filled Dix in on where he could find other Raiders just in case something needed attention.
The prospect disappeared at a half-run, anxious to make
sure his own woman was safe. The thought brought Vicki roaring back to Kellen's thoughts. How long before he could get her alone? Time to find out.
After nearly an hour of searching, he found her. She'd staked claim on the porch swing on the back porch, and sat holding the same little boy he'd seen her comfort earlier. The swing rocked gently, and the kid had fallen asleep, thumb in his mouth and the other arm wrapped tight around Vicki's neck. Vicki's eyes were closed as well, and Kellen was pretty sure she slept as well.
If she hadn't sat with her neck at an odd angle that would likely hurt like hell soon, he'd have left her alone. Careful to not wake the kid, Kellen slid his finger over her lips.
She didn't move, and he hesitated, unsure what to do. The hell with it. He followed his instinct and leaned down to kiss her awake. She must have been dreaming about him because no hint of resistance came as she woke.
Finally, he drew back, breathing hard. "Do I have to fight that little guy for my woman?" He nodded toward the kid, still sound asleep with his head pillowed on her breast.
She laughed a little. "Don't you dare. He'd kick you in the knee and bite you. You wouldn't stand a chance." She smiled up at him with no hint of anything hidden. "Come on, help me up and I'll get him to his bed."
Kellen grinned and steadied the swing and helped her stand. "Want me to take him?" The very thought made him nauseous, but he'd do it for her.
"No, I'm good. Besides, he'd wake up. Little guy has a rough time with men." She shifted the child in her arms to a better position while Kellen opened the door for her.
Inside, he led the way, signaling quiet as they passed. Finally, on the second floor, he opened the door for the room she indicated and stepped just inside while she put the little boy in the double bed next to his mother and younger sibling.
Silent, she led the way back out. "They're having a hard time. Her man was killed in the attack at mother's house, and her health hasn't been great since the baby came. She needs all the help she can get right now."