Page 19 of Panther’s Magpie (Mountain River MC #1)

“What have we got?” I ask Eagle as I climb off my bike.

I’m staring at my bar. The one I bought so my brothers would have somewhere to let off steam without ruining the home we were building now sits with vandalism all over it.

“It is going to need some renovations. There is kerosene everywhere in there. The whole place needs to be hosed down and aired out. I can’t tell yet if we will need to actually replace the tile or walls.”

I grimace. If they poured kerosene everywhere, the walls will need to be replaced. I don’t even care about the money or the amount of work. I care about the disrespect.

I should have expected it, though, when we burned their place to the ground.

“Why didn’t they light it up?” I ask Eagle.

“Oh, they were going to. I think they were waiting for some of us to be here. Hawk got here first, though, and smelled the kerosene before he went in. He brought Renegade with him in the truck, so he ran him around the building. They found the explosives.”

Fuck.

Hawk used to be EOD in the military. His dog, Renegade, is a retired bomb-sniffing dog from the service.

When he was discharged, they let him take Renegade with him due to his age.

The dog has to be like fifteen years old now.

It was lucky Hawk brought him tonight and that it was he who found the bomb.

None of us would have been able to disarm it the way he could.

“They are trying to hit us where it hurts. This bar means nothing, but had they gotten any members? That would have hit us hard,” I tell him.

He nods. “I know. Had it been twenty minutes later, the place would have been crawling with our guys. Hawk said it was set to a cell phone. He thinks they didn’t realize he was one of us.

That’s the only reason he can think that they didn’t blow it the moment he showed up.

They tried to after about five minutes of him being there, though.

He had already disarmed it by that time. ”

“I don’t like this. They could be watching us now. They are playing games. You know we haven’t been able to catch a single one of them out and about since Aspen went missing? Even the guys at the bar when Maggie went were lower level. They couldn’t tell us shit.”

I don’t need to tell him this. He was there when we grabbed the guy who hit Maggie and beat him half to death. He didn’t know anything about Aspen. He was only told to stay at the bar with his buddy and report anyone who came in. Eagle is the one who helped me dispose of the body.

Still, it feels better to vent to him like this. Get it off my chest. Eagle is the only one I can truly let go with. I don’t have to be the president with him. I can be Calloway.

“It’s fucked. They are sick fucking bastards. I wish we could kill them all, and we will. We will kill every last one we get our hands on. We need to find her first, though, man. We can’t do shit until we have Aspen back safe and sound. I hate to say it, but he has the upper hand.”

I rub my hand down my face. “He doesn’t know that, though.”

Pulling out my phone, I shoot a text to Meek, asking for the asshole’s newest burner. He replied back quickly.

Pulling out my own burner phone, I dial the number.

“Panther, I presume?” The arrogant voice comes on the phone.

I want to scream at him, but I hold it together.

“You’re playing games, Adlet. Dangerous games that are going to get you killed, my friend.”

He snorts. “Friend? We both know we will never be friends. You started this. You have something I want back. See, this pretty little blond I found had a gorgeous brunette with her. Now blonds aren’t really my thing.

They feel a little too plastic to me. Reminds me of Barbie.

I prefer the darker-haired beauties. They scream so nicely underneath me.

How about a trade? I’ll give you the blond in exchange for her friend. ”

I damn near crack a molar by how hard I’m clenching my teeth. He’s talking about my magpie. Not only does he have my sister, but now he wants to take my girl too? Fuck this fucker.

I can’t let him know he is getting to me, though. Give them an inch, and they will take a mile.

I force a laugh. “Oh, that’s funny. You think I even know where that girl is? She hightailed it out of here when you took her friend.”

“Don’t play me for a fool, son. I know she came back into that bar looking for the blond. My man told me right before he conveniently went missing. Weird, right? You wouldn’t know anything about that now, would you?”

“Hmm. Doesn’t ring a bell. Maybe one of the other people you’ve fucked over for no reason had beef with him. I mean, when you act the way you do, you are bound to have enemies.”

“You think you’re smart, don’t you? Well while you are sitting here talking to me, my man Monster is with that pretty blonde and let me tell you.

I might not have a thing for them, but he goes rabid for them.

Maybe I’ll send you a little video of what they are getting up to.

It’s up to you, really. You can end this now.

Trade the girls, then leave town. It’s simple, really. ”

That’s what this is really about. They want our territory. They probably never even thought about it until I called them looking for Aspen.

Fuck.

“Do what you want with the girl,” I say coolly. “You want to play games, then let’s play fucking games. I have to warn you, though. I don’t ever lose.”

I hang up the phone before he can respond. My heart feels like a vise in my chest. I had to act like Aspen meant nothing to me. Like Maggie is nothing to me. Like him doing something to either of them wouldn’t kill me.

“That sounded ominous,” Eagle says from beside me.

“I have no idea how I’m going to get her back, Sam. I’m way out of my depth here. I feel like I should be impartial, but how can I be? That’s my sister.”

He grabs my shoulder. “I know, man.”

I shake my head. “I think what I’m afraid of most is that we are going to get her back and she’s going to be alive, but after what they did to her, she will wish she wasn’t.”

“Keep it together, man. You have to stay positive. For her.”

He’s right. I only wish I knew how.