Biker Justice: A Skull Kings MC Novella

by Sage L. Morgan

  Who are you? I wanted to say.

  I felt Aspen’s touch on my elbow. “Let’s go,” she murmured.

  Logan gave me a hard look, piercing me through with his icy gaze. He turned away without saying goodbye. His gait was straight and steady, erased of his signature biker swagger and practically unrecognizable. Several people in blue windbreakers and latex gloves converged on him, obviously deferring to his authority.

  We were on opposite sides of the police barricades, but we might as well have been in opposite dimensions. The image of him standing among the suits and badges held steady in my mind even as I began walking away. I’d broken things off with him hours ago, but I finally felt like I’d lost him forever.

  Chapter 15

  The gas station on the corner had an attached Mexican restaurant. The dozen or so Skull Kings brothers were inside, spilling out of every booth. The whole place smelled like leather, smoke, and sweat.

  Aspen rushed ahead of me when she spotted Liam. He stood up from his seat beside Noah and met her in the aisle, hugging her so hard she rose two inches off of the floor.

  Noah’s gaze was steely. “I thought I told you girls to stay put.”

  I slid into the booth across from him. “We snuck out. Shayna tried to talk us out of it, so don’t blame her.” I folded my hands in front of me and drew in a deep breath. “I just had a horrible feeling, like something was just really wrong. I couldn’t just sit around.”

  Noah made a low, growling noise. “Well, I can’t say I’m going to hold that against you.” His neck stiffened as he gazed out the window. “I know exactly how that feels.”

  Liam returned to his seat while I scooted over to make room for Aspen.

  “So,” I began, “now what?”

  “Now, we wait,” Noah said plainly.

  “We wait?” I said incredulously.

  Noah shook his head. “By the time we showed up, the police were already there. Logan told us it was in the law’s hands now. I mean, what else are we going to do? We have no idea where they’re taking her. I can’t just dispatch our crew to every corner of the state hoping to get lucky.”

  I wracked my brain, turning over every conversation I’d ever had with Lisbeth. “Well, not every corner...”

  Noah quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Before Lisbeth came into town, her last contact with True North was in Las Vegas. I mean, it’s a long shot, but...”

  “It sure as hell beats sitting around on our asses, waiting for the FBI to take care of our business,” Liam finished, making a fist.

  Noah’s jaw clenched. A vein rose out of his temple. He was thinking really, really hard. “It’s barely anything to go on,” he said.

  “All I’m saying is we’ll just let the FBI chase their leads.” I drew in close. “And we’ll chase ours.”

  * * *

  It seemed as if Liam never got off his phone the moment we got back into my car. Aspen and I were forced to listen as he received call after call in the back seat. The desert opened up around us as we left Phoenix behind. Liam said, “Thanks, bye,” for the fifth time and hung up. An uncharacteristic two seconds of silence followed, and I sensed my opening.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “Noah got a hold of our Laughlin chapter. The have an envoy on the road as we speak. If the True Northers are trying to take Lisbeth into Nevada, we’ll be able to close in on them from both sides.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “I don’t suppose you could take me home so I can pick up my Harley?”

  “So you can jet off while Aspen and I play cards? No way. We’re coming with you.”

  I could practically hear Liam smiling. “I figured. So, what’s this I hear about you breaking up with Logan?”

  I instinctively flashed a glare at Aspen in the passenger seat.

  “Logan was the one who told me,” Liam said quickly. “He seemed pretty bummed about it.”

  “Well, he did leave a passive-aggressive note on my windshield earlier today, so that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “He did?” Aspen said. “You never told me that.”

  I sighed loudly and summarized the main points of Logan’s letter, finishing off with, “The nerve of him, right?”

  Aspen and Liam remained silent.

  “What?” I said.

  “I mean,” Aspen began cautiously, “he does make a good point. Uh—not that—you know—you don’t have your own good points.”

  Liam interjected, “The biggest issue I see is that you’re focusing a lot on the fact that he called you out for abandoning Lisbeth. But what about the rest of what he said? I gotta agree with Logan, I think you really are scared.”

  I studied the billboards flicking past us just to have something to look at. “But he lied to me.”

  “Because it was his job,” Aspen said. “He finally told you the truth, even though he could get into tons of trouble for doing it. It should count for something.”

  I bristled, and my grip tightened on the steering wheel. “When did this become an interrogation? I thought we had a rescue mission to carry out.”

  “Fine. No more talking about Carmen’s love life,” Liam said. He reached from the back seat and took Aspen’s hand. Their fingers laced together so quickly it looked natural. “But you should know that the two of us know what we’re talking about.”

  I only pretended to puke when they kissed, but my stomach began to feel like a rotting, sick mass. I questioned whether or not I’d made the right decision by ending things.

  But then, I remembered that cold look he gave me when I showed up at the crime scene. It would’ve made sense if there had been hate or resentment in his eyes, but there wasn’t any emotion at all. Just indifference.

  Somehow, the indifference was worse.

  Chapter 16

  Liam’s phone rang suddenly, the sound of it piercing through my highway hypnosis. I jerked awake, charged with energy, as Liam answered the phone.

  “Huh? Really? Okay, we’ll meet you there.” He repeated directions to himself.

  Adrenaline flooded my system by the time Liam hung up. The world around me seemed clearer, sharper. There was something in the air, I could sense it. We were getting close.

  “So?” I said.

  “The Laughlin chapter got the guys. They set up a fake DUI checkpoint on the west bound side and questioned every driver that tried to pass through.”

  My heart jumped. “And Lisbeth?”

  “Lisbeth is safe.”

  For now, I couldn’t help but think. My foot sank down on the gas pedal.

  Aspen’s hand darted out for my arm. “Slow down!”

  “It’s okay,” Liam said. He grabbed Aspen’s shoulders from behind. “Carmen, I see you’re only going fifteen above the speed limit, but your speedometer goes up to one-twenty.”

  I grinned at him. “Then, let’s see if we can really go that fast.”

  The desert whipped past our windows at frightening speed. Ten minutes later, signs for the next rest stop started popping up at the roadside. That was where Lisbeth, True North, and the Laughlin Skull Kings were waiting.

  Liam tapped my shoulder when we passed the sign reading Rest Stop: 1 mile ahead. I eased off the gas and turned off of the interstate. A long, winding road led us to a near-abandoned rest stop with only a few cars—and many motorcycles—in the lot.

  We were the first Canyonites to arrive.

  I parked, and Liam unbuckled himself and got out immediately. Aspen and I were seconds behind him. We walked toward the congregation huddled in the picnic area. My eyes scanned the crowd for Lisbeth.

  “Liam!” her voice screeched. Her petite body broke away from the crowd and ran toward us. Evidently, she found us first.

  A man stepped forward to grab her wrist, jerking her to a stop. “Not so fast!”

  That voice sounded familiar. His facial features grew clearer as I closed the distance between us. Then, I realized where I’d seen him before. />
  “Father Alan?”

  The rest of the crowd turned to look. For some reason, I felt uneasy watching them, and it was hard to figure out why. The True Northers weren’t at all what I expected. Rather than baggy jeans and bandanas, they were dressed in silk ties and trousers. Father Alan himself had foregone his vestments in favor of a black Italian suit with a bright red pocket square. Diamond studs glinted in his earlobes.

  Or just plain ol’ Alan, I mentally amended.

  “Carmen,” Alan said. “Nice of you to join us. These are my friends.”

  When he waved his hand behind him, I finally realized why the atmosphere seemed so off. The Skull Kings and the True Northers were intermingled, contradicting the biker vs. gangbanger stand-off I’d expected.

  “What’s going on?” Liam growled.

  “While we were waiting on you, I had a very interesting conversation with your Laughlin president,” Alan said.

  A tall Skull King stepped forward. He had a long, white-blonde ponytail and tattoos of spitting cobras spiraling on each arm. “’Lo, Olsen,” he said, giving him a brief nod in greeting.

  “Hey, Jameson” Liam said faintly. “What’s up?” His eyes traced carefully from the two men to Lisbeth, who shivered a few paces behind Alan, too petrified to move.

  Alan began straightening out the cuffs of his jacket. “I had some associates working for me in Canyon City. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? The Scorpions?”

  Liam gripped his hands into fists. “Yeah. I’ve heard of ‘em.”

  “Then, I don’t have to remind you of the fact that your chapter was responsible for putting them out of commission. Now, this changes the entire landscape of my business model.” Alan put his hands into his pockets and took two slow steps forward. “Luckily for the both of us, Jameson has volunteered his chapter to replace the Scorpions.”

  “What?” Liam said.

  Aspen’s hand shot out for mine in the dark. I squeezed her fingers.

  “It was part of the deal to get your sister back,” Jameson said gruffly. His cobra tattoos rippled when he crossed his arms. “So, you’re welcome.”

  “But I’m sure there’s a little something in it for you, right?” Liam said with a sneer.

  “Of course there is!” Alan interjected. “Drugs and gambling practically go hand in hand. Now that the Scorpions are caput, I have no reason to keep my business in Arizona—”

  “Business? Why don’t you call it what it really is. You’re nothing but a racketeering, drug-dealing, human trafficking—”

  Aspen put a hand on Liam’s shoulder, reminding him of why we were really there.

  “What it all boils down to is this,” Jameson said. “Alan needed some muscle, and we’re more than willing to provide it in exchange for a kickback.” He grabbed Lisbeth roughly around the waist and shoved her toward us. “Your sister. And a cut of the profits.”

  Aspen and I rushed forward to collect Lisbeth. Meanwhile, Liam began shaking with rage. “Noah won’t be happy to hear this.”

  Jameson lifted his eyebrows. “If he has a problem, tell him to take it up with me and my crew.” He extended his arms, indicating not only the Laughlin Skull Kings but the True Northers as well.

  We were forced to glower in the dark as they began to make their way back into the parking lot. The Skull Kings rode out in a blaze of burnt rubber and engine smoke, the True Northers slammed themselves into several generic cargo vans, and Alan slid into the backseat of a black Mercedes-Benz. Soon, the four of us were left alone, brimming with even more questions than answers.

  But at least Lisbeth was safe.

  Chapter 17

  Lisbeth dozed on the whole ride home. By the time we got to Liam’s apartment, she was out cold and had to be lifted and carried out of the car. There was a sunrise in the sky when I finally said my goodbyes to an exhausted Aspen.

  I still had to pick up Xander, but there was something else in the back of my mind. Alan had mentioned that he was taking his business out of Arizona. Did that mean to Nevada? Maybe it was a good thing. He’d be taking his activity far away from Canyon City, Lisbeth, and my son. But what did that mean for Logan?

  It was only going to take me about two hours to see for myself. Xander and Shayna probably would’ve appreciated the extra time to sleep in.

  * * *

  The house was easy enough to find. After taking the main road out into the desert, all I had to do was keep driving until that little gray structure popped into view. I struggled to force my car over the gravelly dirt driveway and parked in the shade of the house.

  The front door was hanging open. That could not have been a good sign. There was a stinging dryness in my throat. I swallowed as I stepped out of the car and into the house.

  “Hello?” I said. “Logan?”

  My eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was nothing to see. As in, literally nothing. All the breath fluttered out of my lungs as I took in the main living room from corner to dusty, empty corner. All of the furniture had been cleared out without even a spare sock to indicate that there had once been life here.

  My footsteps echoed as I circled the room. I closed my eyes and inhaled, picking up notes of wood, smoke, and coppery dirt. Even in its empty state, the house still smelled like him.

  Suddenly, I jumped as goose bumps crawled up my arms. I heard a car pulling loudly into the driveway right behind my own. I walked to the doorway just in time to see Logan stepping out of a silver coupe.

  “Carmen?” he said, squinting at me. He was holding a broom.

  I felt myself blushing. “H—hey.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  I stepped aside as Logan walked in, not stopping to acknowledge me. “I was looking for you,” I said.

  Logan’s smooth movements faltered slightly. Then, he turned himself away from me and began sweeping the floor. “Why?”

  “I guess I wanted to see if you were leaving town since...you know.”

  “Uh—huh.” Sweep. Sweep. Sweep. “Well, I’m not leaving yet.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  Logan shoved his broom handle to the floor, surprising me. He finally looked at me, but I had to look away. His blue eyes could’ve burnt holes right into my skin.

  “’Okay, good’? Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

  I parted my mouth to defend myself, but Logan cut me off.

  “I treated you nice, Carmen. I blew my cover for you, which is a fireable offense, just so I didn’t have to lie to you anymore. I helped you help Lisbeth, because I could see how much you cared about her.” He spread his arms dramatically. “And you blew. Me. Off.”

  “Logan, I—”

  “What else am I supposed to do? Do I have to fucking discover a new element of the Periodic Table and name it after you? Do I have to build you a castle with my bare hands? Tell me, Carmen. What else can I do to let you know that I actually really, really like you?”

  He finally stopped, watching me for an answer. I took a deep breath.

  “I got your letter, Logan.”

  “And?” he said impatiently.

  “And I think you’re right.”

  Logan’s expression softened. He lowered his arms.

  “I did give up. I was scared. I haven’t exactly had the best luck with guys. Sure, it’s all nice and easy in the beginning, but things always got complicated a few months in. In the end, they always competed with Xander for my attention. When you came around, I was...” I gulped. “I was happy for a while, but I didn’t want things to get hard for me and Xander again.”

  “Car,” Logan said. He stepped toward me, close enough to touch me if he wanted to. “You basically blamed me for what happened before we met. You realize that, right?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve dated a huge variety of guys. In the end, they only wanted one thing.”

  Logan shook his head. “That’s because you’ve been seeing boys. It’s time you got yourself a real man.”

  Before I could respond, Log
an’s hand stretched forward and wrapped around the back of my neck. He pulled me toward him, and our mouths crashed together. My heart swelled about three sizes in my chest as we shared what felt like my first kiss ever.

  “Carmen,” he whispered against my lips. His fingers traced across my jawline, down my collarbone, and to my chest. He explored my curves and settled his grip on my ass, indulging in a tight squeeze before grinding his hips against mine. “I need you, Carmen.”

  My heart threatened to bang out of my chest. I pulled myself away with a gasp and touched my throbbing, bruised lips. “I have to go. Shayna’s watching Xander for me.”

  Logan’s eyes fluttered. He captured my gaze, staring deep into me. His hands were still on my body, but his grip loosened. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

  I had a shift, but if there was ever a time to call in, this was it. If Terrence gave me trouble, I could just drop Logan’s name and see how he reacted.

  “Okay.” Optimism swelled up inside of me. I was afraid of it. I didn’t let myself smile.

  Logan seemed to be following a similar vein of thought. His expression was mixed and unreadable as his hands finally fell away from my body. “Then, I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

  Chapter 18

  I stared into the mirror, barely able to recognize myself. I wore a deep plum cocktail dress with heels and earrings, my dark hair piled high. I looked like a doll.

  It took ten minutes for me to change. I whipped through my drawers, settling on the silk camisole I’d worn twice now and some black jeans. I pulled my hair back out, letting it fall in loose waves over my shoulders.

  There. I looked like myself, the very best version.

  “Ooh,” Gia breathed when I stepped into the living room.

  Xander rose from his position on the floor. Pieces of a jigsaw puzzle were scattered in a halo around him. “Mom, you look so pretty.”

  “Thanks, honey,” I said.

  Gia propped herself up on her elbows. “Will it be a late night?” She winked when Xander wasn’t looking.

  “Shouldn’t be,” I said, color rising to my cheeks.