Page 28 of Kaz (Salvation Kings MC: New Freedom Chapter #2)

Kaz

THE VIEW from his office window over the green fields and endless trees brought a sense of peace to him.

He’d never settled faster into a place like he had here.

He’d felt it the first time they viewed the house.

He’d known this was the right place for his club, and he had zero regrets, especially because it had brought Miles back to him.

He turned, walking to the desk closest to the door, eyes on the unopened box on top of it. Wilder dropped it off earlier with a knowing smile on his lips.

He grabbed a pair of scissors and gently cut the tape. He pulled open the flaps and felt his heart hammering in his chest as he stared down at the leather cut inside. He ran his fingers gently over it before pulling it out just enough to see the words on the back.

Property of Kaz. How long had he wanted to put that cut on Miles?

Probably since the day they met. He just hadn’t recognized his feelings for what they were back then.

Hell, he’d barely realized what they were when they’d been together the first time around.

He’d known then that he didn’t deserve Miles, and that was why he’d let him go, taking the easy way out.

He could’ve spent the last fourteen years with Miles if he hadn’t been such a fucking coward.

He dropped into his desk chair, squeezing the leather between his fingers as he drew in a deep breath. He was done taking the easy way out. This wasn’t happening the way he’d planned, but somehow it was almost better because he had Miles now.

He put the cut back in the box, smiling to himself. He couldn’t wait to see it on Miles.

Running footsteps on the stairs had him snapping his head up.

“We’ve got movement,” Kian said, popping his head through the door.

Kaz was out of his chair the next second, following Kian down the stairs two steps at a time. Walking out of the garage, his gaze found his brothers and sisters waiting by their bikes, some already seated on their bikes.

He headed across the courtyard, the slam of a door stopping him in his tracks.

He jerked his head toward the front door of the clubhouse, seeing Emma and Miles talking as they walked down the steps.

Emma’s face was pinched as she spoke low to her brother, who threw his hands up in frustration, his gaze moving across the bikers until it landed on Kaz.

Miles’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he took off toward Kaz. He straightened, steeling himself for Miles’s endless questions.

“Why the hell is everyone armed to the teeth?” Miles demanded, stopping barely a few inches from Kaz, his eyes a blazing inferno as he stared hard at Kaz.

“’Cause we got shit to do, Miles.”

“Are you seriously not going to tell me?” Miles snapped, his cheeks reddening more with each word. “You’re gonna put my sister in danger, and you won’t even tell me why?”

Kaz clenched his jaw tight to hold back the words he knew he’d regret saying.

“We can talk later,” he hissed under his breath. They needed to go, and he couldn’t let Miles be the reason they got there too late.

“You’re assuming I’ll still be here,” Miles said, his voice deceptively calm.

He didn’t give Miles the chance to walk away. He grabbed a fistful of his shirt and jerked the man against him, forcing Miles to tilt his head back to meet his gaze.

“Oh, you’ll be here, Sweetheart,” he drawled, one hand snaking down to grasp Miles’s hip, jerking the man against his body.

Miles hissed. “Fucker.”

Kaz grinned at him, then pressed a quick kiss to Miles’s lips. Miles followed when he pulled back, and he gladly kissed him again, tongue swiping along Miles’s bottom lip.

Miles groaned and pushed closer, but Kaz reluctantly stepped back.

“I have to go.”

Miles opened his mouth, but Kaz silenced him with a hard kiss before turning and heading across the parking lot to his bike. Solo was holding his helmet toward him, and he took it with a nod of thanks.

He pulled the helmet over his head and secured the chinstrap, then put his gloves on, and just before he took off, he glanced toward the house, gaze catching on the man standing on the front porch watching.

The anger burning in those golden eyes made him hesitate, but then Miles touched his fingers to his lips, and the anger was replaced by something softer.

Something warmer. At least for a moment, but that was all he needed before he drove away.

∞ ∞ ∞

He sat on his bike, waiting. His jaw was clenched, and his gloved hands were squeezing the handlebars so hard the leather creaked. Something in his gut told him this was wrong. It didn’t feel right.

“How certain are you?” he asked. Their comms were open to everyone, but they all knew who he was talking to.

“Not at all,” Killian muttered. “You think they might’ve caught on?”

Killian had been asking around about the gang, and a source told him about the shipment arriving soon at the import/export company they used as a front for their trafficking. The building was surrounded by residential areas, so any action they took could cost them.

They’d pulled into a small park just a mile away because it provided some cover and would work well as a base for this operation.

“Let’s treat it like they have.”

He pushed his visor up when he noticed Kian approaching on foot, his helmet off and his phone in hand. His lips were set in a firm line, and he wasn’t surprised at the man’s words.

“Dante’s not here. He’s in Baltimore.”

That horrible feeling in his gut? It doubled.

“It’s a trap.”

He was certain of that. If not, Dante would’ve been here to receive his ‘shipment,’ which told him that the truck was either empty or filled with gunmen waiting to take them out.

“What if it’s not?” Wilder asked, his voice steady, though one look toward the man showed he was tapping his thigh, a thing he often did when he was contemplating something. “What if there are people in that truck?”

A sigh pushed past Kaz’s lips. Wilder was right. They couldn’t risk this not being a trap. Could some of them get hurt or worse? Yes, but that’s what they’d all signed up for. They all knew exactly what they were getting into.

“Take every precaution,” he said, nodding at Wilder. “And stay safe.”

“Let’s go fuck their shit up,” Killian added.

“Fuck yeah,” the twins exclaimed in unison.

Connor’s laugh set him on edge because those three were the most likely to get hurt. Or get someone else hurt.

“Nicky. Wilder. Keep the kids safe.”

From Wilder’s muttered curse, he knew exactly which kids he was talking about. Nicky simply grunted in acknowledgment, pulling her bike out of formation to circle back to where those three knuckleheads were.

“Hey Doc, hang back, will you? We might need you soon,” Kaz said.

They both knew he wasn’t only asking because she was a paramedic, but because of Miles.

He wasn’t about to put her in needless danger if he could avoid it.

He’d seen the pain their parents’ deaths caused Miles, and he never wanted Miles to experience something so soul-crushing again.

“Don’t call me that,” Emma grumbled, flipping him off until she realized he could see it in his mirrors. Then she raised her other middle finger.

“Yeah, she prefers Ma’am ,” Connor chimed in.

“I’m not patching him up when he gets shot,” Emma said, a growl in her voice.

“Noted,” Kaz said, his lips quirking. “We’ll take the loss.”

“Hey,” Connor exclaimed, though it was quickly drowned out by the twins’ laughter.

“Let’s move,” Kaz said, his gaze landing on Remy, who gave him a sharp nod. His Road Captain would ensure they had a clear path of retreat should they need it.

They split up, Nicky and Wilder with the triplets of trouble and Spencer, who was somehow the same age as those three but much smarter.

He had Solo, Talon, and Killian with him while Jane, Cary, Maddox, and Mia went around the buildings to cover the rear.

Kian and Ciara were keeping a lookout for trouble on either end of the road.

They parked their bikes and took off on foot, the import/export company’s flimsy fence easy for them to cut open and climb through.

There was a main building as well as a long building he assumed was a warehouse.

There were a few trailers parked on one side, and they’d just dropped down behind one when a truck drove through the front gate.

Kaz’s pulse picked up as he watched the truck come to a stop in front of the warehouse, his body gearing up for a fight.

The driver exited the truck and walked toward the main building. Kaz followed his movement until the door closed behind him.

“Why would he leave it out in the open like that?” Solo muttered.

Kaz shook his head. If they had people inside that truck, leaving it out in the open was a risk these assholes weren’t likely to take.

“He wouldn’t.”

He met Talon’s gaze and gave him a nod. Talon’s mouth twisted into something akin to a smile, and then he was off on silent feet, making his way to the truck.

Waiting and watching as Talon inspected the truck had him clenching and unclenching his fists to remain where he was. He didn’t breathe deeply until Talon returned, but it was short-lived because the words out of Talon’s mouth had anger swirling in his gut.

“I could hear voices from inside the truck,” Talon said, his expression darkening. “But the thing is rigged.”

Kaz swore colorfully.

“How do we get them out?”

Talon pressed his lips together, his eyes going hazy as he ran through their options. He grabbed the bolt cutters he’d used on the fence and said, “Keep the gang occupied, and I’ll get them out of the truck.”

Kaz nodded, the tension in his chest easing just a bit.