Page 1 of Defended by Bama (Royal Bastards MC: Mobile, Alabama #1)

Prologue

Bama

The door buzzed and I squinted as it opened, shielding my eyes from the sun.

My escort, Officer Sutton, waved me through.

It had been two years since I’d been on the outside this time.

It was my third stint, and longest, but probably not my last. They got me on a small possession charge, but it broke my parole so I had to finish my sentence off behind bars.

But I was out now, no parole this time. My debt to society was paid.

I stepped out into the muggy heat and walked across the concrete yard until I got to the gate of the chain-link fence.

The guard took my papers as a formality.

If you made it out the door, someone escorted you there and let you walk out.

This part of the prison was closed off so inmates couldn’t just wander around.

“Here ya go. Hope we don’t see ya again,” the guard said. He either was new or only ever worked this gate because I didn’t recognize him.

Grabbing my papers, I waited for the gate to open and walked through. Only a few cars were in the lot, and only one had anyone waiting. She was leaning against the door, her arms crossed over her chest. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and she had on jeans and Braves tank top.

As I got closer, she pushed off the car and met me in front of it, opening her arms. “Good to hug you, brother.”

“Thanks for picking me up, Allie.”

My sister was all I had. Mom split when we were little, and Dad had a heart attack when I was in high school.

Not that we missed him, but once he was gone, we had to take care of ourselves.

Allie was eighteen at the time. They tried to put me into foster care, but that never stuck.

When she was nineteen, they finally let her take custody of me and she got a small stipend for my care until I aged out.

I did what I could for money to help out, which led me down my current path.

The only thing I regretted was getting caught since it left Allie alone.

But she was tough, and smart. Part of me regretted her taking me in.

She was twenty-seven now. What her life would look like if she hadn’t had to worry about me always stuck in the back of my mind.

I surely didn’t think I’d have a rap sheet like mine by twenty-five, but dragging her down with me was never my intention.

She came to visit me quite a bit since the prison wasn’t too far from where we stayed out in West Georgia. But it was still a good forty-five minute drive.

“You hungry?” she asked as we climbed into the car.

“Fucking starving.”

“Let’s hit the awful waffle,” she said as she started the car and Deftones blared through the speakers.

“Shit, sorry. I was jammin’,” she said as she reached for the dial.

I stopped her. “Leave it. I love this song.” We got to listen to some music but we didn’t have streaming services and shit. I was happy to hear something I liked.

Stretching my legs, I adjusted my seat and cracked the window. “Who’s been riding with you?” Had to have been a tall fucker because I was six two and felt like I was laying in the back seat.

“None of your business.”

If she didn’t want to share, I wasn’t pushing.

After a drive filled with good music and the wind in my face, even though it was hot as shit, we pulled up to the Waffle House closest to where Allie lived. It was busy even though it was ten in the morning.

“Hey, Bama!” the server squealed. Tish had worked there for years. Her blonde curls bounced in her ponytail as she hustled over with a pot of coffee and two mugs. “You fresh out, Sug? Coffee?”

Allie nodded and I said, “Yes, and yes. I need a good fucking cup of joe.” The shit I had for two years was nothing but dirty water.

Tish poured the aromatic liquid into the mugs then put down napkins, butter knives, and forks before leaning her hip against the partition separating the tables from the galley. “So, what’re you doing later, Sug? You staying with Allie?”

I sipped the steaming coffee, closing my eyes at the flavor. “Damn, that’s delicious.” Tish was cute and fun. And I hadn’t had the heat of a woman against me in a while. Maybe I’d pay her a visit later.

“He’s staying with me, Tish. Will you get this fool the Allstar breakfast–”

“With extra bacon,” I said. “Eggs over easy, and scattered, smothered, and covered.”

Tish giggled and asked Allie what she wanted. “Just a waffle for me, hon.”

As Tish scurried off to call out our order, Allie put sugar and cream in her coffee before taking a sip. “So, how’s it feel to be out?”

“Better than being in. But I gotta find some work soon. Can’t be freeloading off you for long.”

She grinned, taking another sip. “You know I’d never put you out.”

“You still moving product?” I didn’t want her into that shit, but with me gone, she needed money. If I didn’t hook her up with my guys, she would’ve found some on her own. At least I knew mine wouldn’t fuck her over since they knew I’d get out eventually.

She nodded. “Among other things. But don’t worry about that.”

We drank our coffee quietly until our food came, which didn’t take long at all. Plates filled the table and the scent of hot bacon and eggs had my mouth watering. Tish came back over with the carafe and topped us both off before she winked and hustled off.

Allie grinned as she buttered her waffle. “I know what you’ll be doing later.”

Shrugging her off, I got to work. It took me a few minutes to get my waffle buttered with the perfect amount of syrup, my toast jellied, and my hash browns mixed to perfection with a glob of ketchup.

Once I finally scooped my messy hash browns and a bite of eggs into my mouth, two years of tension seemed to melt away as the savory flavors burst in my mouth. “Goddamn that’s good.”

I was busy stuffing my face and didn’t notice the door open when I heard a familiar voice. “Well, I’ll be damned. I thought you were up the road?”

Looking up, I couldn’t help but grin. After wiping my face with the paper-thin napkin, I tossed it down and stood up to greet my old buddy, Ryan.

He was taller than me, but just barely. He’d cut his brown hair short since the last time I saw him and could use a shave. “Hey man. How the fuck have you been?”

We clasped hands, then patted each other’s backs a few times.

I pulled away from him, gripping the leather he wore.

Looking down at the patch, I read aloud, “Hammer.” There was a patch that read “President.” I peered around him, looking at the back.

“Royal Bastards, huh.” I’d done business with a few clubs in the area before and heard about the Bastards.

“Yeah man. A hookup I made and ran with a few years back was looking to expand. I’m out this way looking for some guys. You just get out?” he asked.

“Shit, yeah. Like an hour ago. You know Allie?” I said as I waved him over to the table. “You getting food?”

Ryan nodded so I slid in next to Allie and waved him into the other side of our booth. “Sit down. Hard to find a seat.”

“Thanks, man. Allie, good to see you,” Ryan said.

Allie nodded, but didn’t say anything. As far as I knew there was nothing ever between them, but I’d have to ask her about that later. It wasn’t like her to be cold and she’d always spoken to him before.

Tish came over in a flash and they ordered coffee and food.

“So, what’s your plans now, fucker?” Ryan asked as Tish handed him his coffee.

I finished swallowing the bite I had then said, “Fuck if I know. Probably same ole shit. Allie’s been keeping my contacts alive while I was away.”

“Well, uh,” Ryan said as he scratched at his scruff. “I gotta say. I’m excited to see ya man. I’m building something up out in the Mobile area. I think we should talk. Where you going after this?”

I sipped my coffee. “Mobile, huh? What’s out there?”