Chapter 11

11

GREY

I lifted Lorelei’s two suitcases into the back of my truck and slammed the door shut. I was just turning to go back inside when a blue Dodge Charger swerved into the driveway and came to a screeching halt. A man jumped out of the driver’s side and rushed around the hood, headed for the front door.

He was only two feet away when he finally noticed me and stopped. A scowl pulled at his features, and something about him seemed familiar. “Who the fuck are you?” he snarled.

The wind picked up right at that moment, ruffling the guy’s shaggy golden-brown hair. Now I realized why he’d seemed familiar. He resembled his sister. “You’re Lee.”

My guess threw him off a little, but he quickly regrouped and asked again, “Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want shit from you. I’m here for your sister.”

“Lorelei?” he croaked. Fear swam in his green eyes, until they fell to my chest and fury ignited inside them. “Are the Iron Rogues sending other clubs to do their dirty work now?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. Lee wasn’t a small guy, but I had several inches and at least fifty pounds on him. “I don’t know what your beef is with the Iron Rogues, and I don’t give a shit. I’m here to help my woman get her shit and take her home.”

“Your…” Lee threw his hands in the air and shook his head. “I don’t have time for this bullshit. Where’s my sister?” He stomped past me, but I grabbed his arm, yanking him to a stop.

“Calm the fuck down. I don't want to hurt you because it would upset Lorelei. But if you do it first, I will kick your ass.”

He studied me for a moment, then asked, “Do you love her?”

Something about the desperation in his voice urged me to answer. “Yes.”

“Can you protect her?”

My eyes narrowed. “Yes. Is there something in particular I should be keeping her safe from?”

Lee glanced at the house, then muttered, “If my sister wants to go with you, and you promise to protect her, I won’t say or do anything to convince her otherwise. But she needs to leave. Now.”

He sprinted for the front door and burst inside, yelling for Lorelei. I jogged after him, an uneasy feeling icing my veins. He was still yelling her name when I entered and went straight for her bedroom. When she wasn’t there, I headed to the kitchen.

“Fuck!” Lee’s exclamation rang out, and I ran the rest of the way. He was standing at the open back door and cursed again as he slammed his hand into the wall. “They fucking took her. Son of a bitch!”

My heart split wide open, but I knew the only way to help my woman was by holding my shit together.

I walked up to Lee and shoved him into the wall. “Explain,” I demanded.

“The Iron Rogues. They…I…it’s…they want…”

“Spit it the fuck out!” I roared, making him flinch.

“Their VP—Maverick—he threatened Lorelei.”

“Why?”

Lee swallowed hard, and I could see indecision in his eyes. My guess was that he was trying to figure out what to tell me without revealing too much.

“Who are you protecting?” I snarled. “Are you seriously willing to risk your sister for them?”

“That’s the point,” he snapped. “His sister…Kansas…she’s my…I love her. I want to marry her. But she’s young. Lorelei’s age. And he basically raised her. So when he found out about us, he warned me off. Kansas and I decided to wait to…to be together until she graduated. But the other night…” He looked away and sighed. I could tell he was beating the shit out of himself over losing control. I had some sympathy for his situation, but what could I say? I get it. I’m fucking your sister and moving her in with me before she graduates. Oh and she’s probably knocked up too.

“Anyway,” he continued. “She texted that she was at a friend’s house last night but stayed with me. I took her to school this morning, and I guess one of the guys was there to make sure she got there safely and saw us. Maverick called me, flipping his shit. Told me to stay away from Kansas or he’d come after my sister.”

“Fuck,” I grunted. I was vaguely familiar with the Iron Rogues. They were known to be a clean club and had similar values to the Silver Saints, from what I’d been told. I doubted they would go after an old lady, especially one claimed by someone from my club. Still, he’d taken my woman. When I found out where that motherfucker had Lorelei, he’d have to do some real fancy talkin’ to stop me from putting a bullet in his head. “Tell me every detail you know about Maverick, his sister, and his club.”

Lee gave me a few more details, and when I had what I needed, I raised my hand and he shut up. “You love her?” He nodded. “Want to marry her?” Again, he nodded. “And you’re willing to do anything I tell you in order to be with her and get your sister back?” He didn’t hesitate to nod this time either, which sparked at least a tiny bit of respect for him.

“Go be with your woman and wait for my call.”

Digging my phone from my pocket, I called Mac as I stalked back out to my truck. He didn’t answer, so I reached out to Scout, our VP.

“Grey. Hey. I was going to call you tonight. We want to?—”

“Scout. Shut the fuck up and listen,” I snarled, cutting him off. If it were about anybody but Lorelei, I would have been shitting my pants in fear that Scout—a former sniper who was one of the best in the world—would drop me when I least expected it for talking to him like that. But my woman’s safety was on the line, so I knew he’d understand. “Another MC took Lorelei.”

“Your old lady?” I figured word traveled through Karina and whichever woman sewed Lorelei’s vest for me. I was grateful because it saved me from wasting time explaining more than necessary.

“Her brother got mixed up with the VP’s sister, and they took Lorelei in retaliation. What do you know about the Iron Rogues?”

“I’ve met their president, Fox, a few times over the years. Seemed like an honorable man. I mean, a deadly motherfucker, but not the kind of guy who would sanction any of his men hurting a woman. Same as you or me or prez.”

I was relieved to hear that confirmed. When I reached the truck, I swung up into the driver’s seat and pulled a laptop out from under the seat. Opening it, I started working while we talked.

“Do they know she belongs to a Silver Saint?” Scout queried.

“I doubt it. I just gave her the vest this morning.”

“Was she wearing it when they took her?”

“Yeah. But she had a coat on. Either way, he took my woman. I would be well within my rights to put the son of a bitch in the ground.”

Scout was quiet, and I wondered if he was going to challenge me on that, but he sighed. “You are. But before you lose your shit and make an enemy, maybe figure all this shit out before making a final decision.”

“We’ll see what happens,” I replied, being intentionally noncommittal.

“I’ll send backup. Let me know when you figure out where their club is, and they’ll meet you ten minutes out.”

“Thanks. Oh, one more thing. Send a prospect vest with them, and let Mac know I’m bringing in a new trial member.”

Scout was quiet for a moment, and again, I wondered if he would challenge me. Usually, we’d take a vote before inviting new people to become prospects.

“The brother?” he asked.

“Exactly.”

“Makes sense. Alright, I’ll take care of it.”

I blew out a breath. “Thanks. I’ll keep you updated.”

After some digging, I managed to find the unmarked van that had taken Lorelei. It wasn’t easy to keep up with because the vehicle was easily lost in the sea of blank white vans that were everywhere, all the time. But I managed to keep on their trail until they turned into a subdivision where there were no street cameras.

I was afraid I’d lose them by the time I managed to hack a satellite, but I caught a break because they drove across the entire neighborhood, which meant I spotted them before they turned onto a dirt road.

“Fucking hell,” I grunted. The entire road was hidden by tree coverage. The whole fucking area was forest for miles in all three directions. I didn’t have time to waste, so I’d figure it out when I got closer.

I shot off a text to Scout asking him to have the brothers meet me at the edge of the forest. Then I pulled out onto the road and called Lee.

When he answered, I plowed right ahead. “Take Kansas and get her to the Silver Saints compound. I’ll send you the address. If you share it with anyone, we will bury you alive and send Kansas back to her brother. Is that clear? Then you need to haul ass and meet up with me and my brothers before we storm the Iron Rogues’ clubhouse.”

“Wait. You’re going to WHAT?”

“Stop questioning me and do what I tell you,” I growled. “If you want to be with Kansas, then I’m your only shot. And Lee, I’m not gonna lie, you owe me a kidney for this, if I ever need one. Now go.”

I hung up and raced out to the spot where we would all be meeting. By the time everyone else arrived, I’d scoured topographical maps of the area and had a pretty good idea where we’d find the clubhouse. They’d built a compound around it like we had, but they didn’t have open businesses on-site, so they had managed to keep their location a lot more hush-hush.

It definitely had its pluses. They didn’t have to deal with idiots who were stupid enough to think they could come on Silver Saints’ turf and mess with them. Most of them ended up leaving in body bags…or not leaving at all.

Four big black Escalades pulled up, and Knight, Patriot, Rom, and Phantom climbed out of the first one, then ambled over to the truck. I talked to them about a strategy until Lee’s blue Charger rumbled down the street.

He parked and looked at all of us warily as he opened the door and exited the vehicle.

“You ride?” Phantom asked.

Lee nodded then caught the vest that Phantom tossed before it hit him in the face.

“Congratulations. You are an official Silver Saints prospect,” Rom muttered dryly with an eye roll. They were pissed that Lee had put us in this situation. However, Knight and Patriot understood since, like Lee or me, they would do anything to be with their old ladies.

As furious as I was, I had an instinct about him, though. I had a feeling he would eventually make a solid addition to the Saints. He was young and still figuring out who he was. I’d been there, so it would’ve made me a complete hypocrite to judge.

I told my club brothers in the other three vehicles to hang back until we scouted the area before moving my truck and Lee’s car to a less conspicuous location. Then the six of us piled into the SUV. Once we were out of view, we stopped and opened up the arsenal the boys had brought with them. Armed and ready, we were on the move again.

When we were a ten-minute walk from my best educated guess of their location, I told Rom—who was driving—to park off to the side, hugging the trees so the car wasn’t visible until someone was pretty much right on top of it.

We exited the SUV, and I pointed at Lee. “You stay behind us, do what we say, and don’t get in the way.” He nodded.

I’d been off in my estimation by less than an eighth of a mile. The compound was similar to ours. Surrounded by a concrete wall with electric fencing. A front gate with a guard and probably a back one as well.

I’d found the plans for the place that had been filed with the city, but I assumed they’d probably changed things along the way without submitting adjusted specs. Still, once we scouted the area, we had a decent strategy. I called the others and told them where to park and to take up posts surrounding the entire compound. “You see anyone come through that gate with a woman, you make sure they don’t go anywhere until I’ve had a chance to make sure it’s not my old lady.”