Page 29 of Rebel

For a moment I thought she’d argue, but then her military training seemed to kick in.Tactical assessment overriding emotional response.She gave a short nod.

“What did Shade say?”she asked, her voice steadier now.

I guided her toward the door.“They’re in a black Dodge Ram, heading toward the edge of town last he saw.He’s tracking them on traffic cams.”

Rio processed this, her mind visibly working through implications.“How many?Is it just the two of them?”

“Two.They didn’t pick up any friends.”I pushed the door open, scanning the area before stepping through.“Shade ran their names.Found three other reports filed against them.Similar to yours.”

Her face hardened.“Charges?”

“Dropped.”I didn’t elaborate.Didn’t need to.

Something shifted in her eyes then -- fear giving way to something darker, more dangerous.“They won’t stop.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway.“No.They won’t.”

We reached the bikes, the gravel crunching beneath our boots.Rio grabbed her helmet but didn’t put it on yet.“What’s your plan?”

I pulled out my phone again, checking for updates from Shade.Nothing yet.“Get back to the clubhouse.Regroup.Figure out our next move with better intel.”

“And then?”

“Then we make sure they never hurt anyone again.”The promise came easily, cold certainty behind every word.Wasn’t the first time I’d put someone in the ground.Wouldn’t be the last.

She studied me for a long moment, assessing my sincerity.Whatever she saw must have satisfied her, because she nodded once.

“I need to make a call,” I told her, already dialing.“Get ready to ride.We leave in two.”

Rio put on her helmet, the visor hiding her expression.But her body told me everything I needed to know -- the precise, economical movements, the way she checked her bike with brisk efficiency.She’d switched fully into combat mode.Those men had awakened something lethal in the woman now straddling the Nightster.

I stepped away toward the shadows, phone pressed to my ear.Behind me, I heard the growl of the Nightster’s engine coming to life, impatient and angry, just like its rider.It matched the feeling building in my chest -- a cold rage that would stay banked until it was time to let it burn.

These men had made two critical mistakes: they’d hurt a woman under my protection, and they’d followed her into my territory thinking they were the predators.

They were about to learn just how wrong they were.

Chapter Seven

Rio

Yesterday, we’d rushed back after getting word Ellis and Denton knew I was here.But then, a whole lot of nothing had happened.Shade had basically told me to hold off while he researched more.I didn’t like sitting.It gave me too much time to think.

The compound was quiet this afternoon, with most of the members either sleeping off last night or handling club business elsewhere.I walked the familiar path between the buildings, trying to sort through the mess in my head.Rebel’s face kept appearing in my thoughts -- his cocky smile, those eyes that saw right through me.I wanted him.I feared what it meant to be with him.Both feelings twisted inside me.

I kicked at a small rock, watching it skitter across the road.The Devil’s Boneyard MC had become a strange sort of home to me in the past few days, but I still felt like an outsider looking in.Everyone had history here.Everyone except me.

“Rio?”

I turned at the sound of my name, finding Jordan standing there.Havoc’s old lady was watching me with those perceptive eyes that didn’t miss much.She was mature, strong, and completely comfortable in her skin.

“You look like you’re trying to solve world hunger with that expression,” she said, a half-smile crossing her face.

“Just thinking.”I shrugged, trying to appear casual.

Jordan nodded toward a nearby picnic table.“Come sit.I’ve got coffee.”

I hadn’t planned on talking to anyone, but something about Jordan’s steady presence drew me in.She wasn’t like the club girls who gossiped and competed.I hadn’t had to be around the club long to pick up on that bullshit.But Jordan had the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from living through hell and coming out the other side.

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