Page 38 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)
CADEN
H anging up the phone, Marcus looked up at Cade.
“He’s been spotted on a surveillance camera at a gas station an hour west of here. The sheriff’s got contacts in the area trying to get security footage to see if they can track their movements.”
A surge of hope jolted through Caden.
They had a lead!
“Well, let’s get moving!” Caden shouted, jumping to his feet.
“Cade,” Marcus called before Caden had a chance to leave the room. “We need to be prepared for what we might find.”
Caden looked over at his boss and friend. He wasn’t willing to entertain any outcome other than the one in which Lucas was standing alive and well.
“Luc will be okay. You’ll see. He’s a lot stronger than he appears.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant. If Lucas was successful in whatever plan he had concocted, there is a very real chance that he may have murdered his ex. Depending on who arrives at the scene first, we might be looking at a possible murder charge.”
“No. That’s not happening. I don’t care who finds him; he’s not going to jail for defending himself.”
Ace stepped forward. “We need to make sure that Sheriff Burke is the one who finds Lucas first. Burke won’t let anything happen to him. He’s always helped to protect the crew and our community.”
“Good point,” Marcus said, walking over to where Caden was waiting. “You deal with Burke, and I’ll let the boys know we are going hunting.”
Fifteen minutes later, Marcus and his crew hopped on their bikes and began their journey west. They had loaded up on weapons: guns, bats, and brass knuckles—which were Nikolai’s weapon of choice. The man loved using his hands for pain as well as pleasure.
Blade, of course, grabbed his trove of knives. There wasn’t a murder he committed that didn’t involve one of his blades, hence the nickname.
Caden grabbed a gun as well as a hunting knife.
He wasn’t sure what they would be walking into, but if he was able to get up close and personal with Lucas’s ex, he wouldn’t mind plunging the knife into the man’s gut.
Perhaps see how deep he could get the blade before pulling the man’s intestines out through his stomach.
The thought of murdering the man who had hurt his love made him feel all warm and tingly inside.
Throughout the ride, Ace kept in touch with Sheriff Burke, providing updates to Marcus and Caden as they rode to their boy’s rescue.
It didn’t take long for one of Burke’s contacts to spot Darryl’s vehicle exiting the interstate on one of their CCTV cameras and heading down toward a deserted area.
Burke thanked his contact and informed him that backup would not be needed as he had the situation well under control.
Exiting the interstate, Marcus led the hoard of bikers toward a flickering red glow off in the distance. It had to be Lucas’s campfire.
It wasn’t until Cade was faced with the possibility of losing Luc that he realized he couldn’t live without him. He no longer cared what others would think. He had found someone who made him smile and feel good and always lit up the room whenever he entered.
A world in which Luc was not a part of was too horrible to imagine.
The thunderous roar of all of their bikes came to a halt once they reached the makeshift campsite. Dirt and dust kicked up into the air, adding to the eerie silence of the open space around them.
Throwing his leg over his bike, Caden ran to where Lucas was sitting, motionless, staring at the fire.
“Luc!” Caden shouted, dropping to his knees in front of the boy. “I’m here. Are you okay?”
Lucas’s warm brown eyes slowly drifted toward Cade. It took a few seconds before recognition finally set in.
A smile slowly spread across Lucas’s face.
“Cade. You came after me.” Lucas lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Cade. He clung to him firmly, like he was afraid Cade would disappear.
“Of course I did,” Caden whispered into his ear, holding him tight and never wanting to let go. Then he remembered. “Where’s your ex?” Cade asked, quickly pulling away and glancing around the area.
“Dude! His face! It’s like popcorn! Like, seriously. What the fuck did that to him?” Ace shouted from somewhere off to their right.
“A snake bite. Three of them. Over and over,” Lucas muttered without showing much emotion.
The eerie calmness to his voice had Caden a little worried.
“Are you okay?” Caden asked, hoping for a little more than just a generic response.
Lucas stared up into his eyes and slowly smiled.
“Yes, I’m great.” He reached over and took Caden’s hand. “Have I ever told you that I love you?”
Caden laughed.
"Yeah, I kind of remember you saying that… right after you drugged me."
Lucas chuckled. "Nothing says 'I love you' quite like slipping something into your boyfriend's drink to protect his sexy ass."
“I think next time, I’d prefer not to be drugged. Messes with my macho-man ego.”
They both chuckled. Lucas leaned forward and gently kissed Cade on his lips.
“Like seriously. This dude’s face is fucking disgusting . Remind me never to piss you off, Lucas. Cade, your boyfriend is a fucking nutjob.”
“I wouldn’t have him any other way.”
“You may have to promote him from busboy to enforcer, boss,” Blade added, bending down next to Ace, looking on with fascination.
“Are we seriously going to ignore the fact that Lucas just called Cade his boyfriend?” Marcus joked. “I think I may have to get you both to sign a disclosure or something.”
“Yeah, no fucking on the job,” Ace chirped, glancing up at Caden while poking Lucas’s ex with a stick.
“Hey, I wasn’t the one getting railed by that daddy in the back of his truck,” Caden defended.
Marcus turned his judging eyes toward his younger brother and crossed his arms against his chest.
“You were getting what?” Marcus asked, in that big-brother tone that he liked to use to piss off his little bro.
Blade stepped back and away from Ace.
“Hey, this isn’t about me or my ass. This is about Caden violating Lucas’s ass whenever he feels like it,” Ace chirped back.
“Hey, who’s to say that it’s not me violating Caden’s ass whenever I want?” Lucas spoke up from under Cade’s arm.
The group turned and gave a judging eye to Luc. It was clear that no one believed a word coming from the boy’s mouth.
“What? It could happen,” Lucas tried to defend.
“Sure it could, love,” Ace said, returning to poking the popcorn man lying in front of him. “Just like I could suddenly become an aggressive top and pop Blade’s cherry when he’s had a few drinks.”
Blade’s head snapped toward Marcus’s younger brother, eyes going wide at the suggestion.
“Umm, would you guys mind stepping away from my crime scene?” Sheriff Burke said, stepping out of his vehicle and making his way toward the dead body. “It’s hard to work up a story with you adding to the physical evidence.”
The sheriff used his foot to kick dirt over the footprints surrounding the body.
“We only want one set of prints around the body. Makes an ‘accident’ much easier to support.”
“I think it’s time for us to leave, boys,” Marcus ordered, picking up Lucas’s knapsack and double-checking that they had not left any physical evidence of themselves around the crime scene. Burke would have to cover up their bike tracks as well before calling in forensics.
“I’ll double-check again before I call this in,” the sheriff added, watching Marcus as he attempted to kick dirt over some tracks.
“So, I guess that means no stabby-stabby,” Blade muttered, kissing his favorite blade before sliding it back into the harness attached to his belt.
“I didn’t hear that,” Burke called, bending down to examine the body. “Jesus Christ. You really did a number on this guy, kid.”
Caden felt Lucas tense beside him. He kept his arm wrapped around Lucas’s shoulder and pulled him closer to his body.
He loved this dude and would always be there to love and protect him—even when it was clear that Lucas didn’t need anyone protecting him.
The guys all jumped onto their motorcycles, with Lucas wrapping his arms firmly around Caden’s stomach. His body fit perfectly behind Caden on his bike—like the spot was made just for him.
“Ready?” Caden asked, squeezing Lucas’s hand.
“Always,” Lucas replied, leaning forward and kissing Caden’s back.
God, he loved this man.