Chapter Seven

The distant rumble of motorcycle engines grew louder and closer. Rage unthinkingly planted himself in front of his new bride, his eyes narrowed.

The sound of gunshots pierced the air, followed by screams. A group of bikers crashed the party. Rage could make out the Devil's Kings MC patches on their leather jackets and vest. Breaker yelled at some of the men to run back inside and get guns.

There must be six of them, and all of them came armed with shotguns and baseball bats. Mayhem erupted. Most of Rage's MC brothers managed to duck, but some inevitably got caught in the hail of bullets.

Cassie gripped his arm and when Rage snuck a look at her, he saw her face was completely white with terror. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a rival biker, astride his bike, pointing a shotgun at them. Rage yanked Cassie to the ground for safety. The biker missed their heads by an inch. That was too close for comfort. Protecting her was his number one priority but he was divided between getting her to safety or joining the fight.

Rage's mind also whirled with questions. How did Hawk's men know a wedding was taking place today? They have a rat in the club? It couldn't be any of the patched members. Rage knew each man. They were loyal to the core. One of the prospects then?

"Stay close to me, you understand?" Rage asked Cassie.

The bikers who ran back into the clubhouse had returned and started distributing weapons. Like Rage, most of his MC members had taken cover but not all of them survived. Wrath wrapped around Rage's entire body as he spotted the bullet-ridden bodies on the ground.

Their enemies had gotten three—no, four—of his MC brothers. These assholes would pay for their mistakes, but that was after Rage hunted down the traitor of the club.

Hawk's men wove in and out of the parking lot, emptying their shotguns and not caring about the damage they caused. Gears ducked past a couple of toppled chairs and made his way to them.

"Rage, I can get Cassie safely back inside. You focus on the fight," Gears offered.

"Cassie, go with Gears," Rage said. He trusted Gears. Gears had joined the MC the same time Breaker did, and Breaker trusted the older biker without question.

"Okay," Cassie whispered. She clutched the hem of his shirt. "Be safe, Rage."

"I will. I don't die that easily," Rage assured her.

After arming himself with a rifle, Rage joined the gunfight. Together with Breaker and the others, they managed to chase Hawk's men out of the compound. They even managed to get two of the bastards. Too bad some of the bikers had been overenthusiastic. Rage wanted to take in one of Hawk's men alive for questioning.

"What a mess," Breaker grumbled, standing next to him.

Rage looked around the yard, at the destroyed gazebo, overturned chairs, and dead bodies. Then he let out a sigh and told Breaker about his suspicions.

"I came to the same conclusion. Someone told Hawk about the wedding. We were like sitting ducks," Breaker said, tone getting angry.

Rage was about to ask Breaker how they would go about finding the rat, when his ears picked up a scream. Cassie's scream. He recognized her voice from a mile away. Not bothering to give Breaker an explanation, Rage broke into a run. His heart raced. Sweat dripped down his front and back. Double damn. This shouldn't be happening.

Had one of Hawk's men lingered and gotten his old lady after all? He shouldn't have left Cassie in Gears's care. That old man wouldn't be able to fend off a much younger and fitter opponent. What had Rage been thinking?

He should be the one protecting his girl in the first place. Rage swore that if they both came out of this alive, he would never leave her side again.

Cassie didn't let up. She kept screaming. Good girl. She was letting him know where she was. Rage panted, reaching the part of the parking lot that faced the clubhouse. He spotted Cassie right away. Her white wedding gown was a dead giveaway.

She was on the back of a Harley, and the driver … Rage swore. That long beard and studded vest was hard to miss. It was Gears. His simmering anger boiled to the surface. Rage ran toward his Harley and started the ignition.

Letting out a howl of fury, he chased after Gears and Cassie. That traitorous bastard. Rage could only think of one reason why Gears turned. Gears always had a gambling problem. That was why his wife left him in the first place. Rage wouldn't be surprised if the old-timer got into his old habits again and not wanting to burden the MC, found another way to fund his habit. But going to the Devil's Kings MC? Gears had fallen low.

Rage kicked up his speed. He had to get to Cassie before Gears left Hanging Cove. He quickly closed the distance between them, pushing his Harley to its limits. His motorcycle was built for speed anyway.

Gears must've realized he was being pursued, because he kicked his own bike into high gear. His tires screeched as he pushed past the legal speed limit. Adrenaline surged through his system, as he closed in on his target.

"Rage!" Cassie yelled, spotting him.

That also made Gears sneak a look over his shoulder. Seeing Rage in hot pursuit, the older biker became desperate. Gears weaved through the oncoming traffic, nearly colliding into a semi. Rage swore. Gears would do anything to shake him off.

Rage's face hardened with resolve as they left Main Street and started the road that would lead them both out of town. He had to act quickly. Rage only had to picture what Hawk and his men would do to Cassie—and that provided the motivation he needed.

He made a risky move, executing a swift maneuver that eliminated the distance between the two machines. The two Harleys collided. Metal clashed with metal. Rage had impeccable control. He made sure he rammed into Gears's side of the bike, to avoid hurting Cassie.

Instead of going faster, Gears skidded to a stop. Rage knew he'd do exactly that. Gears would never gamble his own life. He valued living far too much.

Rage dismounted from his bike, as did Gears and Cassie. Rage let out a shout as Gears pulled Cassie close to him, brandishing a knife against her fragile throat. As the blade touched skin, blood welled. Rage froze.

"Don't come any closer," Gears warned.

Rage wanted to pummel this bastard to the ground and make him hurt but that would get him nowhere.

"Why are you doing this, Gears? I thought you were loyal to Breaker, to the club," Rage said.

"Why? Breaker turned his back on me when he refused to loan me money to pay off my debts," Gears said, leering at Rage. "It was the MC who turned its back on me. If I turned this little bitch in, Hawk will reward me handsomely."

Rage narrowed his eyes. When did Gears become such a no-good coward?

"I'm not warning you twice. Release Cassie now and we can talk about your debt," Rage said.

"It's too late," Gears said with a shake of his head. He looked like a man who had accepted his fate. Gears had made the wrong decision and he knew it as well. Even so, he was going to stick to it. "The deal's already been made."

Rage met Cassie's eyes and silent understanding passed between them. He didn't know what she intended to do but he had to trust her. Without warning, Cassie let out a scream. It wasn't a shout of terror, but a battle cry. Cassie elbowed Gears in the ribs, making him release her. She then made a break for it, running toward Rage's side.

Gears grunted and the older biker should've retreated right there and then. Things would've been much simpler. Gears lunged forward, knife poised for an attack.

In one swift motion, Rage reached for the revolver tucked in his belt. On second thought, he grabbed his knife instead. The MC might have the local police in their pocket, but hearing gunshots in town would disturb the peace. Besides, Rage also needed Gears alive.

Gears was getting on in years, so he didn't stand a chance against Rage. Rage knocked the knife from Gears's hand with his fist, then he closed the distance between them, driving his own knife into Gears's left shoulder.

Gears grunted but he curled his hands into fists, still not giving up. Rage delivered a flurry of well-placed strikes to Gears's face and body. Gears stumbled backward, disoriented.

Rage's punch landed him flat on the ground. Rage could hear the rumble of motorcycles nearby. Hawk's men would've left town by now, so those bikes probably belonged to his MC.

The older biker was smart enough to stay down. Gears knew there wasn't anywhere he could run. It was finally over.

Hawk sent a couple of men to crash a wedding and in the chaos, relied on Gears to take Cassie hostage. It was a good plan, Rage grudgingly admitted. He never expected to uncover a traitor in their midst.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Gears asked, gasping for air. He even shot Rage an accusatory look. If Rage had his way, he would've pummelled Gears to death.

"Because you're no good to us dead," Rage said coldly. "Breaker will want to hear what you have to say."

Gears paled at those words. Cassie touched his shoulder tentatively and Rage automatically pulled her close into an embrace. Breaker was the first to arrive.

The President dismounted from his motorcycle, took one look at Rage and Cassie, then at Gears. Breaker pulled out his gun as he walked toward Gears, who was cowering and begging Breaker for mercy.

"You traitorous bastard," Breaker thundered.

"Breaker, don't kill him by accident. I had to hold myself back from putting a bullet in his skull," Rage said.

"Rage is right. He's more useful to us alive," Cassie said, a chill in her voice.

Rage silently approved. He didn't miss the fact that Cassie used the word "us" either. Cassie might've lost her way when she moved to the big city, but she had finally remembered her roots. Another woman would've been frantic and overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events but Cassie remained steady and grounded. Nice to know she reacted well in a tense situation. That was his woman, all right.

The sound of Cassie's voice was finally what got through Breaker. The President tucked his gun back. He curtly ordered another biker to bring Gears back to the clubhouse.

"What a fucking mess," Breaker said, shaking his head. He looked dismayed. Then again, Rage couldn't imagine what Breaker was feeling right now. Gears had been in the Death Seekers MC for as long as Breaker. No one predicted Gears would turn.

Breaker let out a heavy sigh, then walked up to Rage and Cassie. He thumped Rage on the shoulder. Pride was reflected in his eyes. Breaker started out his mentor but he was also a father, then a road brother to Rage.

Now, they were more or less partners. Rage would do anything for Breaker, the MC, and … Cassie. When Gears took her, it gave Rage a fright of his life. He'd never been that afraid his entire life. Rage resolved never to experience that again. All he had to do was keep a closer eye on his old lady.

"Thanks to you, my little girl's once more safe and sound," Breaker said. Emotion caught in his throat and Rage coughed, embarrassed for Breaker.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Breaker," Cassie said.

"That's right," Rage said, sliding an arm over her shoulder. "You did a good job distracting him, baby. Now let's all head home. We have a wedding to return to."