Page 6 of King's Claim
King didn’t answer calls from strangers.Not ever, but something in his gut told him to hesitate this time.For a second, he almost let it go to voicemail.But then he remembered the scrap of paper he’d slipped across the bar last night.Just in case.
His thumb hit “accept.”
“Maddox.”
Silence for a beat, then a voice, tight, rushed, almost breaking.
“It’s Lena.From The Pit Stop.”
King froze, every nerve on high alert.
Her voice was panicked, the kind of panicked people tried to hide but couldn’t.
“The Serpents ...they hit the bar.Windows smashed, paint everywhere.We don’t— Rick doesn’t know what to do.And the cops...”She trailed off, her breath shaky.
King wasn’t surprised.Everyone knew half the city’s uniforms were already in the Serpents’ pockets.
“Slow down,” he ordered, his tone steady, grounding.“You at The Pit Stop now?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right there.”
A pause.“You don’t have to—”
“Lena.”His dropped his voice lower, brooking no argument.“I said I’ll be there.”
King hung up before she could argue.
King didn’t waste time.He stalked back through the clubhouse, barking for Viper and Bishop.Viper, his vice president, sharp-eyed and mean as a whip, rose immediately, tugging on his cut.Bishop, their sergeant-at-arms, didn’t even ask questions, just followed.That was loyalty.That was family.
Within minutes, the three of them were on their bikes, engines roaring as they tore through the streets.King led the charge, every muscle taut, every thought zeroed in on the sound of Lena’s voice shaking through the phone.
When they pulled up to The Pit Stop, King’s stomach turned at the sight.
The bar was a wreck.Spray paint dripped venomous green across the door, glass crunched under their boots as they dismounted.Chairs and bottles were scattered inside like a battlefield.
Lena stood near the counter, arms crossed tight around herself.She looked up as they entered, relief flickering in her eyes before she quickly masked it with steel.
Rick hovered behind her, looking pale and useless.
King’s gaze swept the wreckage, then locked on Lena.“They came back,” he said flatly.
Her chin lifted.“You sound like you expected it.”
“I did.”King stepped closer, his size filling the ruined space, his presence heavy enough to make Rick stumble back.“You don’t bleed snakes without them striking back.”
Rick finally found his voice.“So what do we do?I can’t ...this is my business, Maddox, I can’t afford—”
King cut him off with a sharp look that shut him up cold.Then he turned back to Lena, who hadn’t flinched, who was still staring him down.
“You don’t call the cops,” King said.“Not for this.They won’t help you.They’ll just tell the Serpents what you said.”
Rick cursed under his breath, pacing.“So that’s it?I just, what?Close up?Walk away?”
King ignored him.His eyes stayed on Lena, his voice firm.“From this moment forward, this bar and everyone in it is under the Devil’s Crown’s protection.”
The words hung heavy in the air.
