Knight

by Lana Grayson

  And I didn’t trust the second gun he packed in his waistband.

  “My guys jacked one of Temple’s trucks,” he said.

  Of course they did. “Why the hell would they do something so stupid?”

  “They thought it was carrying drugs. We weren’t that lucky.”

  “Are we ever?”

  “They’re bringing in guns, Lyn. Lots of guns.”

  Rose said nothing. I hoped she’d keep that mouth shut. Nothing good was coming of this.

  “Why are you telling me?” My heels clicked against the ground. Luke ignored the leather skirt and corset. He didn’t break his gaze from mine. “What do you think is happening?”

  “Temple’s coming for war. Quicker, now that Priest and his crew rolled over their truck.”

  My mouth dried. “I’m not sure what I can do for you.”

  “You know damn well what I want.”

  He wanted too many things from me, none of which he’d ever get. My eyes darted to Rose.

  “I thought you were getting my drink,” I said.

  Rose took her chance, but Luke returned her to the chair.

  “Leave her out of this.” I approached him only to bat his hands from her shoulders. “Luke, tread fucking carefully here. You piss with Rose, I can’t help you.”

  “What happened to Blade Darnell?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. He pointed to Rose. “I know he’s not your favorite person, but I need the truth, and I need it right fucking now. Where’s your daddy?”

  Rose gave him one cheeky little shrug. “Probably touring wine country with a pretty blonde.”

  Luke didn’t understand, and that was good for all of us. “For Christ’s sake, Rose.”

  “Blade is dead.”

  “And buried?”

  “Somewhere. Probably. Does it matter?”

  “Fuck yes, it does.” He looked at me. “Temple is coming to kill me. The Coup ain’t ready to let that happen. They’re making a stand to clear my name. You get it now?”

  Yes, and I wish I didn’t. “Luke, even if we knew what happened to Blade—”

  “—Don’t feed me that bullshit—”

  “Temple only needed an excuse to hit the Valley. This is it. Nothing is going to change their plans.”

  “I can still salvage this.”

  “Salvage what? If I had an ounce of your idealism and a shot of whiskey, I’d think I could take on the world too. But we can’t. You aren’t tip-toeing around anyone. You’re stepping full-weight on the landmine, and you’re going to blow us all to hell with you.”

  “So I’m supposed to let them kill me? I should just let Temple roll through the Valley and hurt you?”

  “The more you try to fix, the more trouble you’re making.”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  “You could run.”

  His voice hardened. “And you could get taken. They won’t kill you, Lyn.” He pointed to Rose. “And a rival club’s queen? Think they won’t make an example out of her?” He had the decency to avert his gaze. “Think The Coup isn’t looking at her to figure this shit out?”

  “I knew it.” I should have smacked him across the face, but he already punished himself enough. “I knew it would come to something like this.”

  “Lyn, I don’t have control of The Coup. I got my crew, Priest has his, and they’re looking for a reason to split.”

  “Will they find it?”

  He frowned. “Not if I grab Rose first.”

  My stomach curdled. Rose lifted her hand like she was either asking a question or preparing to strike.

  “What are you talking about?” She glanced from him to me. “What the hell are you planning now?”

  He didn’t apologize for what he was about to do, and that was fine. I didn’t know if he deserved forgiveness or if he really was acting like a goddamned valiant prince. None of it would matter once Temple or Anathema ripped his head from his body.

  “The Coup are moving,” he said. “They want answers.”

  “And they think Rose will give it to them?”

  “They’ll get what they can out of her, and then they’ll bargain what’s left to Thorne.”

  I didn’t want to imagine it. “Are you sure?”

  “Priest is on his way. He doesn’t know Anathema is out on a run, so he’s expecting a fight.”

  “And what will you do?”

  “Something a hell of a lot better than he’s planning.”

  Rose paled, and every freckle dusting her cheeks stood out like she was already stripped and beaten. “You aren’t…kidnapping me, are you?”

  At least he could still feel shame, but that weakness never lasted on a man like Luke—a man so twisted by his own fucking principles he vowed to kidnap a woman to save her fucking life.

  “You’re kidding me,” Rose said.

  “We gotta go.”

  “This is ridiculous. I’m not going anywhere with you.” She appealed to me. I stayed silent. “Lyn?”

  I couldn’t look at her, and I didn’t dare glance at Luke. None of this sat right with me. Panic squeezed my chest tighter than the corset, but I didn’t worry for Rose. She’d be safe with Luke. He’d protect her until Thorne tracked him down like a dog and murdered him in the street.

  “You’re a dead man if you do this,” I said. “Anathema has a truce with you. If you take her, if she gets hurt, Thorne’s gonna race Temple to put a bullet in your brain.”

  “If I don’t grab her, Priest will, and he won’t be as nice asking for details on Blade. I won’t let her get hurt. I have a plan.”

  “Don’t you always?”

  “Trust me. This has to happen.”

  “None of this has to happen.”

  “Lyn.”

  He moved too close to me, entirely too familiar and way too revealing for anything he ever should have done in front of Rose. I slapped his hand away before he reached for me. He seized it anyway.

  His fierce grip cast a heated shiver along my spine, tangling in that quiet fear shackling me in doubt.

  I shouldn’t have liked that touch.

  I shouldn’t have feared for his life the way I did.

  But if I ever wanted to feel it again, I had to trust that he’d stay a shadow’s width from disaster.

  “I’m taking her somewhere safe,” he whispered. “But you need to go too.”

  “I have to call Thorne. You know I have to tell him.” I swallowed. “And I gotta hope he doesn’t kill me for this.”

  “Don’t worry about Thorne. The Coup is only after Rose. Go to Pixie for the night. Hunker down until this passes.”

  Rose copped an attitude. “Oh, this isn’t going to pass. You do this, and Thorne and Keep won’t stop until you’re roadkill.”

  “I gotta take that chance, sweetheart.” Luke’s blues deepened, losing whatever royal hue he gained in the light. In the dark, in his desperation, they flashed dangerous, violent. “You’re coming with me.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  Then we would all get caught in Priest’s firefight.

  “Rose, go with Luke.” I held his gaze, forcing his promise. “Nothing will happen to you.”

  “Or you,” he said.

  I didn’t believe him. “And who’s going to keep you safe?”

  I wouldn’t trust any vow he gave, but his promise bled with heartfelt devotion.

  “I can take care of myself, especially if I have a reason to live.” He quieted. “And I think I have a good one.”

  He did, and he almost convinced me to agree.

  Almost.

  But that admission wouldn’t help anyone survive the night.

  “Get on the bike.”

  Rose stared at my motorcycle like she never saw a fucking Harley before. “I don’t pack.”

  “Bullshit. You ride with Thorne.”

  “Yeah. Thorne.” Her attitude wouldn’t keep her alive. “And maybe Brew.”

  She quieted. So did I. I knew his name would come up, but I hoped w
e’d be safe behind a hotel door before summoning that goddamned ghost.

  The night settled around us. We didn’t have time for her to get nostalgic, not with Priest gaining on us every minute we wasted in memory. He didn’t plan for her to enjoy any kidnapping. She’d suffer, just like what had happened to her before.

  I owed it to Brew to keep her safe. Especially since he died trying to save the very monster that made Rose’s childhood a living hell.

  “What if I drive?” Rose hadn’t moved. “I’ve ridden your bike before.”

  “You stole it before.”

  “What goes around…”

  I knew she’d hold a grudge. “I remember the last time someone packed with you. You dropped Exorcist’s ass on the bridge.”

  “Nearly killed him too.”

  I pulled her to the bike. She offered her car keys instead.

  “Luke, please.”

  “It’ll be faster on a bike.” I resisted the urge to pick her up and toss her onto the bike. Fortunately, she moved before I committed anymore crimes. “I’m doing this for your own good.”

  Her nails sunk deep, but I deserved the scratches they’d leave. “You’re doing this for yourself. And I’m not going to forget it.”

  The Darnells had a memory like a goddamned elephant, and no amount of junk or time dulled it. One of these days, she’d remember that I meant to do right by her family. How every goddamned mistake I made began and ended with a Darnell. I did everything in my fucking power to keep her safe.

  Because I needed her.

  I doubted she’d complain about staying alive and unharmed, even if her safety protected my ass.

  And Lyn’s.

  I pulled from the lot as Lyn hurried to her car. She’d be pissed. Lyn was hard enough to deal with when she was playful. Even on a bad hair day, she didn’t just bust balls—she castrated the MCs. And pulling a stunt like this? Pushing her out of her club? Kidnapping her friend and the darling child of Anathema?

  Once she was done kicking my ass, chewing me out, and insulting my manhood, there wouldn’t be much left of me for her to piss on.

  If we even survived the night. I wasn’t convinced that was possible.

  I slowed only until Lyn’s headlights dipped onto the road, then I kicked my bike into gear and raced into town.

  Rose knew how to ride, and she was taught to stay quiet around men of the MC. Of course, her silence struck harder than a punch to the gut. She had Keep’s attitude, Brew’s stoicism, and none of Blade’s sadism. That was good. Meant there was a chance she’d listen to me when I asked for her help.

  It also meant I put myself at her mercy.

  I hoped she had more than Thorne.

  I took the kid to a nice motel where we rented a room for a night instead of booking by the hour. I hid my bike in the alley behind the motel. She still had her book bag with her, so I stuffed my cut inside to avoid any trouble. The clerk didn’t ask any questions when he handed us the key.

  Smart man.

  I led Rose into the room and checked the deadbolt. Flimsy. I didn’t like it and decided to push the dresser in front of the door for a bit more security. Rose watched, arms folded in a pose more demand than pout.

  “I want my phone call,” she said.

  “Christ, this isn’t jail.”

  “I want to talk to Thorne.”

  So did I. “Sit down. You can call him, but the phone stays on speaker.”

  “Why?”

  “I need to set up a meeting with him.”

  She rubbed her face. “Luke, are you completely insane? You realize he’s going to kill you, right? Straight up murder you.”

  “I have a plan.”

  “Yeah, well, thanks for including me. He’s overprotective enough. Next time I want to go to class, I’ll have to pull a restraining order against him.”

  “He has a right to be concerned. Valley’s changed. Shit’s about to get real dicey.”

  “And whose fault is that?”

  Mine, but a man could only accept so much blame before he tried to make it right.

  I dialed, setting the phone on the bed. The speakerphone sounded grainy, but Thorne’s rage came through in H-fucking-D.

  “Thorne, hi,” Rose said. “Knight gave me his phone.”

  “Then chivalry isn’t dead.” The rumble of engines cut under his order. He grunted into the phone. “I’m on the way. You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where are you?”

  “She’s not answering that,” I said.

  Rose sighed. “We’re in the Valley.”

  “Then I only have to burn down one goddamned town to find that rat. Did he hurt you?”

  He insulted me. I was a rat, but I wasn’t a rapist.

  She knew it too. “No, he’s a perfect gentleman.”

  “Don’t be scared. I’m coming for you.”

  Rose wasn’t scared, but she did look irritated. She took the phone and reclined on the bed, kicking off her shoes. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

  “How do you know?”

  Her eyebrow quirked. “Because he’s in love with Lyn.”

  I grabbed the phone, taking it off speaker. “You’re done. Do something fucking homework or something.”

  “I’m right,” she warned. “And Lyn’s gonna be mad.”

  Undoubtedly. I ignored her, growling at Thorne. “You should tell your woman to keep her mouth shut.”

  “That blame lies with Keep and Brew. Reap what you fucking sow.”

  “She should know how to behave when she’s kidnapped.”

  His voice scraped, a blade against pavement. “I wasn’t planning on her getting kidnapped anymore.”

  “Then you’re lucky I found her.”

  “Am I?”

  “She’d be worse off if Priest got in her panties.”

  Rose choked, but Thorne swore a vengeance that wasn’t dignified with a lady present.

  “You’re going to bring her to Pixie,” Thorne said, his words rasping on the edge of total fucking war. “And she’ll be safe and unharmed. If one goddamned freckle is out of place—”

  “—I’m not going to hurt her—”

  “There ain’t a place in this world or hell you’re gonna hide from me.”

  “You gonna threaten me, or you wanna listen?”

  “I’ll do more than threat, Lancelot.”

  Yeah, and that’s why I needed a bit of insurance. “I’m gonna return her, un-fucking-harmed, and I’ll expect a little courtesy for being so goddamned magnanimous.”

  “You want courtesy?” Thorne spat the word. “I’ve let you live for the past goddamned year.”

  “You want to keep her alive? Do as I say.”

  “You don’t get to make demands.”

  “I have your girl. You’ll do anything I want, and you fucking know it. I don’t have you by the balls, I’m squeezing something better.”

  He snorted. “What the fuck could you possibly want?”

  Rose pretended to submit, but I watched her creep across the bed. She was the type to grab a lamp or chair and take a shot at freedom. I wasn’t a guy who tied a gash to the bed, but I knew how make a solid knot that’d keep her in place. I pointed at her to sit still and listen.

  “I want an audience,” I said. “I’ll bring her to Sorceress. Nine, tomorrow night. We’ll make a deal. No guns. No war. She’ll sit on my goddamned lap until I think I’m safe, and our clubs will talk like men.”

  “Only one of us has the right to call himself a man.”

  Yeah, and it was me, if only because Thorne acted more like a goddamned demon than human when his girl was in danger.

  “You want her in one piece?” I asked. “Meet me there. Provided she behaves, she’ll be yours again in less than a day.”

  Thorne said nothing. I didn’t like his silence. He never quieted and rarely took the time to think about his actions. At least he hadn’t when I was still a part of his club. Nice to see a leader evolving.

  “Tho
se are my terms,” I said. “You can either deal with me or you can peel her out from under Priest, Bounty, and Lash, if she’s still alive.”

  Rose gripped the comforter. Thorne’s profanity muffled as he threw the phone down, and the roar of a passing truck didn’t muffle his temper. He was too far from the Valley to help Rose. He was fucked, and he knew it.

  Better him than her.

  “Tomorrow at nine,” he said. “But I find your ass anywhere else, any other time? You’ll be dead so quick you won’t know who pulled the trigger.”

  Fair enough.

  I hung up. Rose’s eyes widened. She wasn’t threatening. Hell, she was little more than a trapped baby bunny waiting for the weed-whacker. But I wasn’t foolish enough to trust her. A Darnell thrived on danger, and they survived more than their fair share of shit. They knew how to twist and turn, fight and cheat to get themselves out of trouble.

  Until it didn’t work for Blade.

  I was surprised Brew hadn’t survived.

  “You’re a jackass.” Rose ripped open her book bag and tossed me my cut. I braced for a gun, not a math book with more letters than numbers. “I have class in the morning. An exam.”

  “Nothing I’d want to deal with. You should be glad to skip it.”

  She frowned. “You do realize I’m trying to make a life for myself outside of these godforsaken clubs? I want an education and a chance to earn a living that isn’t Thorne smuggling cigarettes.” She ran a hand through her hair. “The harder I try to get out of Anathema, the deeper I get sucked in.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart,” I said. “Next time I’ll find a way to kill myself that doesn’t involve you.”

  “Don’t get smart.”

  “Likewise.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  No sense lying. Rose had gotten fucked in every way by the club. At least this time I could use her to end the insanity.

  Or incite the asylum.

  “I’m trading you to Anathema so I get safe passage to talk to Thorne. You’re easier to wrangle than any other member of the club, and you’re better to look at.”

  “Is that supposed to be funny?”

  Apparently not. “You’re not better company though.”

  “Why do you want to talk to Anathema?”

  “Have my reasons.”

  She sat on the bed, legs crossed. “I think I deserve to hear them.”