RoadKill: Savage Hell MC Book 1

by K. L. Ramsey

  “Hart,” she said. “What can I do for you?” Viv held onto the door, trying to right her world but the entire room felt like it was spinning.

  “Where’s Kill?” he asked. She hated that Hart insisted on using Cillian’s nickname. No one called him that, but she had a feeling Hart was doing it to egg her guy on. It was almost as if he was routing for Cillian to fail. What Hart didn’t understand was that she couldn’t let that happen. Viv and her baby stood to lose too much if Cillian ended up back in prison. She’d do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t happen.

  “He’s at the grocery store,” Viv said. She sounded groggy—like she was drunk and her words were slurred. She just wanted to lay back down again, but first, she needed to get rid of Cillian’s pesky parole officer.

  “You all right, Miss Ward?” Hart asked. She tried to tell him that she was, but before she could get the words out, the room went dark and the last thing Viv remembered seeing was Hart’s concern as he pulled her into his arms.

  _______

  “Viv wake up Darlin’,” Cillian’s voice crooned. She wanted to wake up, really she was trying but she was so tired. She was warm and cozy and the thought of opening her eyes only to experience the waves of nausea and dizziness, had her clamping her eyes shut tighter. Viv felt as if she was floating on a cloud and that was so much nicer than retching out her guts. Opening her eyes would lead to that and Viv wanted to avoid her fate for as long as possible.

  “Maybe you should take her to the hospital,” another man’s voice whispered. “She didn’t look so good when I got here. Has she been sick?”

  “That’s none of your business, Hart,” Cillian spat.

  “Listen, man, I know we got off on the wrong foot but I had to know if I could trust you,” Hart said.

  “Trust me for what, exactly? To obey the rules and just try to live a normal life? Well, I have news for you, Hart, that’s all Viv and I want. We want to get married and settle down but you keep sticking your nose in our business at every turn. What the hell do I have to do to prove to you that I’m on the up and up? I don’t have time for this right now, Hart. I need to make sure that she’s all right.” Cillian pulled her hand into his own and she could feel him tremble. Viv hated that he was worried about her and Cillian was right—she needed to wake up and call her doctor. They needed to make sure that the baby was okay.

  “Cillian,” she croaked.

  “I’m here, Love,” he breathed. Viv didn’t make a move to sit up, knowing full well that if she did, she’d be sick all over again.

  “Saltines,” she whispered. Cillian pulled the box of crackers from one of the bags and opened a sleeve, handing them to her. “Thanks,” she said.

  “I called the doctor and he said to eat them slowly while lying flat. If you can manage some water or ginger ale, that might help too. I picked up a bottle while I was at the store. That’s why I took a little longer than promised. He said that if this doesn’t help, he wants me to bring you in so he can check on the baby.”

  “Baby,” Hart questioned. “You’re pregnant?”

  “Shit,” he swore. “Sorry, Love.” Cillian turned and stood to face Hart. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Viv and I are having a kid. Although, I still don’t see how any of this concerns you, Hart.”

  “Everything you do concerns me, James. Hell, I’m the reason you got out early and I’m also the reason you haven’t gone back in yet. I know you’ve been in contact with your MC,” Hart accused.

  “I’ve told you before and I guess I have to say it again,” Cillian spat, pointing his finger into Hart’s chest. Viv worried that this wasn’t going to end well for either of them but she was too weak to do anything but let the whole scene play out. “I don’t belong to an MC. I’m not a patched member of any club. I’m close friends with the president of Savage Hell, but you already knew that. Savage was the one who collected me the day I got out. He and my father were close and Savage is like an older brother to me. Seeing him doesn’t violate my probation,” Cillian said.

  “No, but showing up at Savage’s bar earlier today does. Most of those bikers are one-percenters, Kill,” Hart said.

  “What did you mean when you said you’re the reason Cillian got out early?” Viv asked. She was nibbling at her crackers and drinking the bottled water that Cillian had given her.

  Hart sighed. “We need your help, James,” he said.

  “What the feck is going on?” Cillian cursed. “Why that hell do you need my help, Hart?” Viv had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like Hart’s answer.

  “We need you to use your connections with the Dragons to get on the inside for us,” Hart said. “That’s why I’ve been trying to gauge if you can be trusted or not. I’ve been following you around for weeks now, and today, when you disappeared into thin air, I assumed you went to Savage Hell. But, I was wrong.”

  Cillian looked between Hart and Vivian and she worried that he was going to do something stupid. “Cillian, don’t,” she warned. “How do we know you’re on the up and up here, Hart?” Viv asked. She sat up and Cillian hurried over to her side, helping her into a sitting position. She closed her eyes, waiting for the onslaught of nausea, but this time, she felt nothing. “I’m good,” she promised him.

  “You can’t know that I’m being honest with you,” Hart admitted. “I’m not a parole officer,” he said. “I’m a detective and while I’ve been assigned to keep an eye on you, James, it’s because of your connections. We believe the Dragons are running a trafficking ring and we need to shut it down. You might be the only person who can get in the club, on the ground level and find us the evidence we need to put their president, Dante, away for good.”

  “Shit,” Cillian growled. “Human trafficking?” Hart nodded and Viv felt sick again, but this time for different reasons. If Hart was right and the Dragons were trafficking women, she worried what they would do to little Chloe. She placed her hand protectively on her belly.

  “Chloe,” she whispered. Cillian pulled her against his body.

  “Who’s Chloe?” Hart asked.

  Cillian sighed, “She’s Savage’s daughter. He thinks that the Dragons took her two days ago.”

  “Fuck,” Hart swore. “If that’s true, we don’t have much time. Dante moves shipments across the border every Tuesday. That leaves us just three more days before he could move your friend’s daughter. Can you set up a meeting between me and Savage?” Hart asked.

  “He won’t like it, but yeah,” Cillian agreed. “Savage doesn’t want the authorities involved. He said that usually causes more trouble than good.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing that I don’t want the authorities involved in any of this either. Honestly, I’ve been undercover while trying to find my way into their organization. I give you my word that the Dragons won’t suspect a thing, Kill,” Hart said. Viv worried just how much they could trust Jackson Hart. He had been riding Cillian’s ass for weeks now and if he was truly trying to figure out if he could trust her guy, he had a strange way of going about it.

  “What do you say, Love?” Cillian asked, looking at Viv. She loved that he brought her in on his decisions and always kept her in the loop. Even after she promised that she trusted him, he went the extra mile to prove he was trustworthy.

  Viv shrugged, “I trust you Cillian. If you think this is a good idea, then I will follow your lead. Isn’t it up to Savage and his family though? They are the ones losing the most if Hart double-crosses us.” She chanced looking up to find one very pissed off police detective hovering over them. “You can’t blame me for feeling this way, Hart. You haven’t exactly been forthcoming with either of us. Hell, up until a few minutes ago, we thought you were a parole officer. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  Hart backed down and nodded. “I get that, Vivian. You are right, I wasn’t truthful about who I am, but I give you my word that will change from here on out. Just get me the meeting with Savage and I can prove that I’m on the up and up.”

&nb
sp; “Fine,” Cillian said. “I’ll set it up for the morning. First, I have a meeting with an old friend, Havoc. He’s with the Dragons and I think he’ll have intel on where they’re keeping Chloe.” Cillian shot Hart a mean smile, “Don’t worry yourself about it, Hart. Havoc isn’t a felon and he won’t be violating my probation. He owns a gym in town and I have a four A.M. class with him. He’s agreed to be my trainer and if I can persuade him—my informant.”

  “Stay in touch,” Hart ordered. “Let me know what time Savage wants to meet and where. I’ll be there.” Hart turned to leave and just before he got to the front door, he called back over his shoulder. “Congrats on the baby,” he said and shut the front door behind him.

  CILLIAN

  Kill barely slept the night before and his three-thirty wake-up call was a rude reminder of that fact. Viv had been able to keep some broth and crackers down and her doctor said that as long as that keeps happening, she and the baby should be fine. Still, Kill worried that worrying about him and this whole mess with Savage and the Dragons might be putting too much stress on her and the pregnancy. He wanted to make things as easy as possible on her.

  “Hey man,” Havoc said, meeting him at the front of the gym.

  “Thanks for fitting me in so quickly,” Cillian said, shaking his old friend's hand. He and Havoc had known each other before he went away. They were both prospects for the Dragons at the same time. They had gone through shit together, both hoping to patch into the MC and when Havoc realized what had happened to Cillian, he felt like shit. During his trial, it came out that the Dragons had not only set him up but were cooperating fully with the local authorities to put him away for a very long time. Havoc was one of the only guys to show up to support him from the Dragons. By that time, he had patched into the club and was a full member, so coming to the courtroom and throwing his support behind Cillian was a major deal. It almost got him kicked out of the Dragons.

  “I heard you got out, Cillian,” Havoc said. “I’m not sure what the hell to even call you, man. I heard about what went down in there.”

  Kill knew that Havoc had heard about him killing another inmate. Everyone had, even though it wasn’t true. Most people just assumed he did it, even though his friend Capone took the blame for it. There was no use in trying to convince everyone he was innocent. Besides, he didn’t give a shit what other people thought or believed to be true about him—never had.

  “Doesn’t matter to me—Kill or Cillian. Whatever you’re comfortable with,” he said.

  Havoc looked around his gym and back to Kill. “How about we stick to Cillian?” he questioned. “I don’t’ have a lot of clients at this time of the morning, just some die-hard fitness nuts. Let’s not scare them off, just yet,” Havoc joked.

  Kill smiled and nodded, “Fair enough.”

  “So, my receptionist said you asked specifically for me and seemed interested in hiring a personal trainer. Tell me more about what you’re looking for,” Havoc said. That part wasn’t a lie. He was hoping to get back to the gym and continue with his daily weight routine but he wanted to add some cardio. A personal trainer would make things so much easier, but he was there for so much more and telling Havoc that might not play out well for him.

  “I’m looking to get back into lifting. I haven’t had time to find a gym since getting out and your place is close to my woman’s house,” Cillian said. He needed to gently lead into why he was there.

  “Sounds good,” Havoc said. “Let’s start with some cardio and work our way around the gym to introduce you to the place.”

  “Great,” Kill agreed. He dropped his gear at the front desk and followed Havoc back to the treadmills.

  “If you decide to join, we’ll get you a locker and you’ll have it to keep your things in.” Havoc nodded to the treadmill and Kill took that as his cue to jump on. He ran for about twenty minutes and by the time he finished, working his way around to all the machines, going through a full workout, he felt about ready to drop.

  “Jesus,” he breathed, wiping the sweat from his face.

  “I didn’t say I’d go easy on you, old man,” Havoc teased.

  “You do know we’re about the same age, right Havoc?” Kill asked.

  “Well then, shit.” Havoc slapped him on the shoulder. “You have a fucking lot of work to do to catch up, man. How about you hit the shower and meet me in my office. I’d like to talk to you about maybe running a few weight classes for me. We have a lot of guys from some of the area MC’s who come in here to bulk up. You have that part of the routine nailed. With some cardio, we can have you in fighting form in no time. How do you feel about teaching some boxing? I know you were really into that, back in the day.” Kill smiled remembering the time that he and Havoc sparred in the ring.

  “Yeah. As I recall, I kicked your ass,” Kill teased.

  Havoc chuckled, “Yeah, yeah. You were in better shape back then. I’d like a rematch,” he teased, puffing out his chest and flexing. Kill laughed and grabbed his bag.

  “You’re on,” he agreed. “Just not today. You’ve kicked my ass enough for one day. Let me shower up and then we can talk,” Kill said. Teaching boxing and weight classes wasn’t the path he had seen for himself, but honestly, he wouldn’t hate it. He could work at the diner and help Viv out there during the day and then teach a few classes in the early morning and evening. The extra money would help him to get one step closer to his dream of opening a shop and working on cars. Hell, if he could work on cars and continue to teach boxing, it would be the best of both worlds.

  Kill quickly showered and joined Havoc in his office. “Have a seat,” Havoc offered, shutting the door behind Kill. “Listen, the job is yours if you want it. I could use the help around here. But, I need to talk to you about something else, too.”

  Havoc slunk down into his chair and Kill knew he wasn’t going to like what his old friend had to say next.

  “I’m out of the Dragons,” he almost whispered. Kill wasn’t sure he had heard Havoc correctly.

  “Come again,” Kill said.

  “I’m out,” Havoc said, clearing his throat. “Of the Dragons. They stripped me of my patches when I refused to follow orders. I was put on probation, but I told them that they could shove that up their asses.”

  Kill whistled, “That was ballsey,” he said.

  “Ballsey—fuck, it was damn stupid. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder now. This week has been one fucking mess and I’m not sure who I can even trust anymore.”

  “Why tell me all of this?” Kill asked. “Hell, you don’t know that you can trust me, now do you?”

  Havoc nodded and fiddled with some papers on his desk. “No,” he said. “But, I’m hoping that I can. You see, I think you’re here for the same reason why I was ousted from the Dragons. They took Savage’s kid,” Havoc admitted.

  “Feckers,” Kill said, standing from his seat. “They have Chloe?”

  “Yeah,” Havoc breathed. “I was part of the crew they sent to take her. They went by her school, during recess and well, they took her. I never showed to help with that part and when Dante found out that I bailed, he stripped me of my patches. I’m fine with not being a part of the Dragons anymore but I’m not all right with what they plan to do with that little girl.”

  “What’s Dante planning?” Kill asked. He was worried that he already knew, but he had to hear it from the horse's mouth.

  “They are going to ship her to Mexico. Dante’s running a trafficking ring and he specializes in virgins. That poor kid will be sold off to the highest bidder and I just can’t stand by and let that happen. You still close with Savage?” Havoc asked.

  “Yeah,” Cillian said. “He’s partially why I’m here.” Kill held up his hands, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in on this gym thing and I’d love to teach for you. But, I thought you might be able to give me a little information about the Dragons—you know two birds and one stone?”

  Havoc shrugged, “Sure.”

  “How long
do we have before they move her?” Kill asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Havoc admitted. “I was kicked out a couple of days ago now and I’ve been out of the loop. Honestly, I’ve been laying low. We both know that the Dragons don’t just let you leave. It’s only a matter of time until they either suck me back into the club or I disappear.” Havoc was right, Kill did know how the Dragons operated all too well. He had been on the losing end of their shenanigans and that was a place he didn’t plan on ending up again. This time, he had an ace up his sleeve—Jackson Hart. He wouldn’t fail to use his safety net if need be. There was no way he’d let the Dragons win again. He had too much to lose and Viv and their baby were worth fighting for.

  “We’ll just need to make sure that doesn’t happen, Havoc,” Kill said. “I’ve got your back.”

  Havoc barked out his laugh, “Considering the fact that I never had your back, I appreciate that, Cillian.”

  “The past is just that—the past. I won’t hold you responsible for the shitty decisions I made and you can stop beating yourself up for not having my back. You were the only guy who spoke up for me and the only one who showed up to support me at my trial. I’ll not forget that Havoc,” Kill promised.

  Havoc held out his hand and Kill took it. “When can you start teaching classes?” he asked.

  “How about next week?” Kill asked. “I just have a few odds and ends to work out and then I can jump right in. Thanks for the opportunity, man.”

  “Not a problem, Cillian. I appreciate you taking this on. Will I see you tomorrow for training?” Havoc asked.

  “Yeah,” Kill agreed. “But, for the love of Christ, can we meet any later?”

  Havoc chuckled, “Sure. How about six? That time work better for you?”