His Loyal Rebel

by Debra Kayn

  Priest stopped before stepping foot into the main room of the bar. "I don't know, but Ringtail's thirty years old. He doesn't believe Angie is involved with Cusclan. I don't want him doing something stupid."

  "I'll watch him."

  Priest dipped his chin and left the bar. Whip sat at the counter and signaled Jenna, one of the waitresses, at the tap. He had nothing better to do tonight.

  He could either stay at Promise and enjoy a few drinks or go back to the clubhouse, where he called home, and have drinks with the members over there.

  "You're in a mood, huh?" Jenna set a mug in front of him. "Nice and cold. You might want to put the glass against your cheek to stop any swelling."

  "I'm good. Thanks." He swiveled on the stool and looked out at the room.

  He had a feeling Ringtail's problems centered around Twyla. She'd probably gotten her sister involved with a Tarkio member to get information for her boyfriend.

  Tomorrow, he'd know for sure what her connection was with the other motorcycle club. And, he'd personally escort her out of Missoula if he found out she was coming after Tarkio.

  Chapter 5

  Twyla

  The breeze pushed the smoke from the campfire in Twyla's face. She stared at the flames until her eyes teared, or by chance, the smoke moved away from her. It'd taken her over an hour to hunt down dry branches in the woods for her to make the fire. She was going to enjoy every second of the heat before she admitted defeat.

  She needed to go back to Angie's place and apologize.

  After one night of sleeping in her car at the forestry road entrance, she knew another night would make her go insane. Between watching out for any jerk who pulled up, thinking someone had abandoned a car and the back seat of her vehicle, that was too small for her to stretch out on and forced her to curl on her side, she needed some serious sleep.

  And a shower.

  She couldn't go to work tomorrow, smelling like a chimney and wearing wrinkled clothes.

  She hated how Angie expected her to apologize to her. She wasn't the one who'd started the stupid argument.

  Ringtail had told her to watch her mouth while arguing with her sister and then had left the room. Apparently, that was enough for her sister to think his leaving had something to do with her when it was the biker that'd come to the house that took Ringtail away.

  The last time she looked, there was no golden rule about how two adult females, related by blood, had to talk to each other.

  Ringtail probably grew up a single child with parents who believed children should be seen and not heard.

  Besides, it was Angie who flipped out and went crazy.

  There was no reason why her sister should've gotten upset. They'd argued a thousand times in the past.

  But, her sister had changed, and not for the better. Angie was sensitive and lacking self-confidence. Ringtail made her desperate. It was as if her sister couldn't breathe without him around.

  When she was with Big, she got used to him coming and going. Anytime another biker showed up at the house, he left without any explanation. She never went crazy, trying to dictate his life.

  Why couldn't Angie see that it wasn't her fault that Ringtail had left?

  She looked up at the dark sky. It was hard to sleep in Angie's tiny house with her and Ringtail always screwing in the other bedroom. She'd left and came here, expecting to finally get some sleep, and all she could do was sit by the fire.

  She leaned over and picked up the last two sticks and threw them on the hot coals in the makeshift pit someone else had made out of river rock. It was probably a stupid idea to run out of Angie's house and go two miles out of town to sleep in her car, but she wanted to go somewhere there wasn't anyone around.

  Half afraid the biker that came for Ringtail would tell her to leave Missoula again when he sat outside her sister's place, she'd raced away from the house without thinking.

  She pushed up from the rock she sat on and brushed the back of her jeans off. There was no use putting off going back to Angie's house. If she knocked too late in the night, it would only tick off Angie and Ringtail even more.

  Picking up the kettle she had in the back of her car, she walked into the darkness. She shuffled her feet along the worn path to the river, glad she had most of her belongings stored in her car after she'd left Big. At least she could take care of herself—no matter the situation.

  In the daylight, it was an easy one-hundred steps to the river. In the dark, it was an obstacle course, trying to dodge the boulders in her way.

  She wished sometime in the past; she would've thought to buy a flashlight. That would've come in handier than a hairdryer out in the woods.

  She stubbed her toe, moved to the left, and stepped forward. The closer she got, the more the current muffled her hearing. She couldn't hear the fire snapping or the traffic on Interstate 90.

  Close to the bank, she inched forward until the moon's light reflected in the water, and she could see the last twenty feet. Hurrying, she dipped the pan at the edge of the river and made her way back to the car.

  As soon as she stepped out of the patch of trees, the hair on her forearms stood up. She stopped, peering around the fire, the car, and found a motorcycle parked to the side. Scanning the open area, she found a man on the opposite side of the fire in the shadows.

  She gripped the hands of the kettle. Throwing cold river water on someone probably wasn't going to stop him if he planned to hurt her.

  "Come out, sis. I'm not here to hurt you."

  She couldn't mistake the gravely tone and use of endearment. It was the guy who had told her to leave town and wasn't afraid when she pointed the gun at him.

  Big's pistol was sitting on the ground beside the rock she'd used as a chair. Silently groaning, she wanted to kick herself for not taking it with her.

  She stepped forward, set the pot on the ground, and picked up the weapon, holding it behind her back.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked.

  "Looking for you."

  "Why?" She squinted, trying to make him out better in the darkness.

  "I had a talk with your sister today."

  "Why?"

  "There were questions." He moved closer to the fire, staying on the other side.

  "Why?"

  Seeing his chocolate-colored eyes, she stiffened at the amusement shining back at her. Having him around wasn't a joke.

  "Like I said, I had questions." He squatted down and stirred up the coals, producing a flame.

  He made making a fire look easy, which irritated her.

  Able to read the patch on the front of his vest for the first time, she tried to picture other people calling him Whip. Like, Big was called Big because he was big. He had about forty extra pounds he packed around his middle.

  A name like Whip made her think of someone skinny as a grass blade—which he definitely wasn't.

  Whip was solid and appeared strong. The sleeves of his t-shirt pulled against his muscles. Tattoos covered both arms from his wrist up until they disappeared under his shirt. He also left his vest open in the front to make room for his chest. A spattering of hair below his neck peeked above the material

  He was taller than Big. But he was different, because his solid body fit him. It fit him perfectly.

  Her fingers tightened on the handle of the pistol. "Why did you go to my sister?"

  He looked into the flame. "I would've asked you, but you weren't there."

  She scoffed. While Angie wasn't her favorite person lately, or ever, she didn't want people bugging her sister. She'd seen how Cusclan got their answers. Tarkio probably questioned people the same way, and that wasn't right.

  "Stay away from her." She swallowed. "She's happy with Ringtail."

  "Are you happy with her being with him?"

  She shrugged. "Not my life."

  "No, your life doesn't involve Tarkio." His hair fell in front of his shoulder as he looked at her. "You belong to a guy who wears a Cusclan Motorcycle Clu
b patch."

  "Who told you that?" She exhaled harshly, realizing that Angie blabbed her mouth. "I don't belong to him. I stayed with him for a month. That's all."

  "Is that why you're camping? You have nowhere to go?"

  Putting her need to leave and go back to Angie's house out of her mind. She wanted to prove to Whip that she was perfectly fine on her own. If she wanted to sleep in her car again, she would.

  She refused to answer him. He had no right to know how she lived her life or judge her for her decisions.

  He had no right to ask questions about her or contact her sister. It was a free country.

  "Listen, sis." He paused. "Tarkio has no problem with Ringtail seeing your sister after finding out she isn't property of Cusclan. But you are living with her. You're associated with Cusclan. We have a problem with that because we can't trust you're not running to Big with everything you see and hear."

  She studied him. It was odd that he would seek her out in his concern for his MC brother. But his trust issues had to do with Ringtail, not her.

  Knowing how Cusclan manipulated situations and made sure the ties to the club weren't broken, she suspected he'd come to tell her to stay away from her sister as long as Angie was involved with a Tarkio member.

  "Ringtail is a grown man—"

  "Who thinks with his dick." Whip straightened and slipped his hands into his vest pockets. "I'm not here because of him."

  "Then why are you here?"

  "If you'd stop asking me why all the damn time and listen, I'll tell you." He cocked his brow. "Your sister wants you to come back. You're welcome to stay at her house. She's worried about you and doesn't think you'll listen if she asks you to stay."

  "So, you volunteered to ask for her?" She snorted, knowing it was Angie's way of using him to get on his good side. Her sister wouldn't want to lose Ringtail and would bargain with the devil to continue seeing him.

  "You weren't at the two motels in town when Angie called around, trying to find you. She's worried about where you're staying. I told her I'd look around for you." He glanced over his shoulder before meeting her gaze. "Another Tarkio member spotted your car earlier in the day, and here I am, telling you your sister wants you home."

  "Angie never worries about me."

  "Take it for what it is." He stepped around the fire.

  She held her breath, the closer he came. When he was within reach of touching her, he bent over and picked up the kettle, dumping the water on the fire.

  Without the light to see him, she blinked to focus her eyes in the darkness.

  "I thought you said Ringtail couldn't be around Angie if I was there," she said, trying to piece together what had happened when she wasn't around. "Are you setting me up to go back and get kicked out of the house again, or do you hope I'll break them up?"

  "Slow your roll." He stayed beside her. "Ringtail doesn't want to lose your sister, and he's moving her into his house. Angie's paid her rent until the end of the month. You've got three and a half weeks to stay there. If you want to keep the place, make next month's rent on time. Believe it or not, I think your sister is doing you a favor, considering she mentioned how you were homeless at the moment."

  "I'm not homeless," she said.

  "Sleeping in your car isn't the same as having running water and heat." He walked away from her. "Or a soft bed to lay your head."

  Angie had never gone out of her way to help her before. Why she'd do so now only added to her confusion. She chewed on her lower lip. Her sister must be in love, which was a change for her. Ringtail, for what an asshole he was, must care about Angie to move her to his house.

  She hurried through the dark and stopped between her car and his motorcycle. "Are you saying Angie isn't home right now?"

  "Nope, and isn't planning on coming back." He sat on his bike. "She left the key in the flower pot by the front door. You can let yourself in."

  His motorcycle roared to life. She stepped back, even though she wasn't close to being in his way.

  He rode off, leaving her alone. She looked around the area. The fire was out. Nothing was keeping her from staying here any longer.

  Looking down at the pistol in her hand, a bubble of excitement rose in her chest. She laughed, amused by the giddy tone echoing off the side of the mountain.

  It'd been a long time since she'd found something to look forward to. Having a house to herself until she could get back on her feet was a call to celebrate.

  She opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. Driving away from her makeshift campsite, the excess stress of dealing with leaving Big, finding somewhere to live, and being judged for her choices left her.

  Warmth filled her. Angie had done something for her. She actually put some thought behind her actions.

  Granted, she had no doubt Angie gave her the rental house because she wanted to live with Ringtail, but she hadn't pushed her out of her life.

  It'd been longer than she could remember since someone had done something with her in mind.

  Chapter 6

  Whip

  Tracy stood from the chair to move Rocky from Whip's side. He waved his sister away. His nephew wasn't hurting anything staying with him. It wasn't often he got to hold the little guy without him squirming.

  "He's fine." He laid his hand on Rocky's head, pushing his shaggy mane off his sweaty forehead.

  "Do you want another bowl of ice cream?" His sister looked at him and then at her husband, Rick, both of them shaking their head.

  He was full after the meal. If he sat here much longer, he'd crash out on the couch with Rocky.

  "I heard Ringtail's got a girlfriend." Tracy picked up the toys scattered on the floor and dumped them in the toybox under the window. "What's she like?"

  "News travels fast." He stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles. "Some woman he met at one of the parties."

  "Oh, well...that's nice." Tracy failed to hide her disappointment.

  Tarkio's women were always cheering for the members to find someone to claim and bring into the family fold. But, the ladies never paid attention to the women who hung around the club.

  Ringtail was only screwing around. None of the members took the women seriously. It was all a part of letting loose and getting rid of the stress Tarkio brought into their lives.

  After doing a background check on Angie and Twyla, he'd found they were upstanding citizens. Except for juvenile records that were sealed by the courts for Twyla. He was more concerned about Twyla's current history with Cusclan, but Angie had sworn her sister had left Big. Then crossed her heart that she had never been involved with any Cusclan member before crying that she loved Ringtail and would never do anything to lose him.

  He'd done the only thing he could think of to help Ringtail and Angie stay together and suggested Ringtail take Angie away from her sister. Now, his MC brother could go on with his life with his girlfriend, and as long as Angie made sure not to go around Twyla, things would either work out with the young lovebirds or not.

  "The club is growing." Tracy sat down on Rick's lap. "Babies and women popping up everywhere."

  He grunted. He wasn't involved with the way Tarkio members reproduced. All he was trying to do was keep the peace.

  "When are you going to settle down?" asked his sister.

  "Why would I want to do that?"

  Tracy raised her brows. "It must get old messing around with the women. Don't you want to have one woman you go home to every night? Maybe get out of the clubhouse and into your own place?"

  "And come home to someone nitpicking me every night and wondering what I'm doing when I'm not at home? No, thanks." He leaned forward, being careful to let Rocky lean against the cushion and stay sleeping. "I best be getting."

  Tracy's gaze warmed. "There's someone out there for you, and she's going to change your mind about being single."

  No good ever came from loving someone. He'd seen what love had done for his parents. They were both dead, murdered by Cusclan
members.

  "Thanks for dinner." He leaned over and kissed his sister's forehead. "Love you."

  He held out his fist and knuckle bumped Rick. At the door, he looked back at them. His sister cuddled against his brother-in-law's chest. The hardness surrounding his heart softened. He had a family—kids in the form of his nephew and niece.

  That's all he needed to settle him down. It felt good knowing his sister had found a solid, loyal man to take care of her. She'd have the family she missed out on, living the lifestyle.

  If something happened to him, Tracy would be okay.

  Shutting the door quietly, he sauntered out to his motorcycle. Because of the pressure over Cusclan running the underground gun trade, he wouldn't be going on the upcoming run to California.

  Tarkio needed him in Missoula.

  The smallest mistake could have dire consequences on the club.

  He sat on his bike and looked up in the clear sky spattered with stars. Even a spitfire blonde, thinking she was tougher than she was, could bring Tarkio down if the wrong information got into their enemy's hands.

  He took the back roads, knowing once he reached the clubhouse, he'd drink himself deep into a bottle to forget the day. Dealing with the Landers sisters was enough to make any man drink.

  Spotting a cop car ahead, he turned down a side street, hoping to get out of sight of the police. He slowed, not taking the chance of getting stopped for going over the speed limit.

  He'd spent too many years in prison not to take the presence of those in authority seriously. When it came to the law, it was best to skirt around them, or he'd end up going down in a volley of bullets before he'd allow them to take him back to the pen.

  Lights flashed behind him. His adrenaline spiked. Keeping his attention on the side mirror, he watched the red and blue orbs grow bigger the closer they got. The siren filtered through his helmet.

  Searching the area in front of him, he tried to remember the streets and figure out where he could go. There was no one else in front of him. The cop wasn't on an emergency call.

  The motherfucker was coming for him.