Page 14 of Property of Blade (Kings of Anarchy MC: Alaska #1)

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Blade

I t’s been five days since I saw Hannah in town, and everything has gone to hell.

I can’t get her out of my head, and now, this job has me tangled up in a mess I wasn’t ready for.

The delivery that night was supposed to be simple—a homesteader needed some items, a deal I made with a handshake.

Everything was fine until he tried to screw me over, tried to shortchange me.

I wasn’t about to let that slide. When he pulled a gun, I didn’t hesitate.

He shot me in the shoulder, but I took care of business—gutted him with another of my knives.

It isn’t as good as the one I gave Hannah, but it did the job.

Nobody fucks with the Kings.

Now, Ranger and Vex are keeping an eye on the man’s associates, trying to figure out if any of them will make a move over what happened.

Ranger seems sure there won’t be any trouble, especially if the dead man was planning to double-cross us from the start.

We do things at a reasonable price, don’t ask questions, and never spill the beans on where the homesteaders live.

Killing him wasn’t the plan—it was a mess, but sometimes things don’t go the way you expect.

And now, here I am, dealing with the fallout.

I feel the weight of the wound in my shoulder, dull and constant, a constant reminder of the shit I stepped in.

But my mind keeps drifting back to Hannah.

The way her smile lights up the room, the way she feels in my arms, the way she kisses me.

It feels a world away from the blood and violence I’ve been through.

“You okay, Prez?” Scout asks, his voice laced with concern as he looks at me from across the room.

I take a deep breath and rub my shoulder, the injury still a dull throb that reminds me of how things have spiraled out of control over the last couple of days.

“Yeah, man,” I mutter, my gaze drifting out the window. The night’s still quiet, but I can sense something coming, the calm before the storm. “It seems lately nothing is going to plan. It all started with the booze run.”

My mind keeps replaying what happened with the homesteader and if I could have changed anything.

Scout steps closer, his brow furrowed in thought. “You think someone’s working against us?”

I shake my head, trying to shake off the heavy feeling gnawing at me. “I don’t know. Maybe? The whole damn situation with that guy, it’s just too messy. It doesn’t feel right. We do what we do, nothing more, nothing less. But someone’s making things harder than they need to be.”

My fingers curl into a fist, the pain in my shoulder a reminder that this isn’t just about the deal anymore. It’s about trust, about keeping things under control. The thought of someone in the background stirring shit makes my blood run cold. Things were never supposed to get this complicated.

“I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?” I finally say, my voice low, almost to myself. “This...” I pause, searching for the right words, “... this mess, it’s not how we do things.”

I feel the weight of my words hang in the air between Scout and me.

The code we live by is simple—no-nonsense and straightforward.

Nothing about what’s happened in the past couple of days fits into the way we handle business.

I can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is at play, and that unsettles me.

The door to the clubhouse opens, and Vex walks in. He’s paler than usual, his face a little more drawn. He moves toward me with that serious look on his face that tells me it’s time to listen.

“We’re in the clear,” he says, his voice steady, but there’s tension in his words that’s hard to ignore. “No one knew we had a deal with Alec.”

“Alec?” I repeat, confused for a second. “His name was Alec?”

Vex nods. “Yeah. He lived alone, stocking up for winter. I guess he thought he could get away with it.”

I rub my jaw, trying to make sense of it all. “Thought he could get away with it?”

The whole situation still feels off. Alec was just a small-time homesteader, but trying to screw us over? And then pulling a gun? That doesn’t sit right.

“Well...” Vex continues, his tone flat, “... he underestimated who he was dealing with. Had no clue who he was fucking with.” He meets my eyes. “But it’s done. We covered our tracks, and we’re in the clear. No one’s coming after us.”

I let out a slow breath, still not quite sure if I trust this is over. But for now, it’s the closest thing to good news I’ve had all day.

“All right, but we keep our eyes open,” I tell him, my voice firm.

Vex gives a quick nod, his gaze flicking to Scout, who’s been silently watching the exchange. “It’s good to see you, brother.”

Scout laughs, his blond hair falling into his eyes. “Yeah. It’s good to be home.”

Scout is our tail gunner, and he’s been in the Yukon, visiting with some of his people. He needs to connect with them from time to time to make sure they are well and for his sanity.

“How’s Tink?” Vex asks with a smirk, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“Her name is Mira,” Scout responds with a faint smile. “And she’s good.”

Mira is Scout’s girl, living up in the Yukon with his people. He talks about her sometimes, but none of us have met her.

“Where’s she going to spend the winter?” I ask.

Scout shifts his weight, rocking back on his heels, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Here.”

Vex grins and lightly punches him in the arm. “Way to go! How’d you convince her to come?”

Scout rubs the back of his neck, looking a little awkward. “Her father told her she has to go.”

“Does she want to come?” I ask.

Scout shrugs, his face serious now. “Not really, but their home’s overcrowded as it is, and her father knows I’ll keep her safe from any threats.” His gaze locks on Vex, sharp and pointed.

“I’m no threat to her,” Vex states.

“There’s talk that you haven’t gone hunting with Kyler,” Scout counters, his tone steady. “You might be fine, but is he?”

Vex’s lips turn down into a firm line, and he locks eyes with me, his voice steady. “I’m going to take him. The time needs to be right, that’s all.”

“Can you do it before Mira comes? You’re the first of your kind that hasn’t tried to kill me as soon as they meet me. I don’t want Mira ending up a casualty because you haven’t trained him.”

Ever since Kyler showed up, Vex has made it his mission to avoid him.

As a result, Kyler has had a hard time finding his place here.

Vex is my VP, and if he doesn’t trust a new member, it makes everyone else question the guy’s loyalty.

The only one who actively makes time for Kyler is Fury, and though I trust Fury completely, he’s my sergeant at arms, and his influence can be a double-edged sword.

He’s got a way of pointing people down paths that aren’t always the best for them.

Scout cocks his head to the side, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. “Heard a rumor about you, Prez.”

I raise an eyebrow, looking at him. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, heard you went on a date with a hottie.”

Vex barks out a laugh, clearly enjoying the dig.

I let out a sigh and sit at the table. “Her name is Hannah, and it wasn’t a date.”

Vex, never one to pass up an opportunity to tease, looks surprised. “It wasn’t?”

I shake my head, my fingers tapping the edge of the table as I try to keep the conversation from going any further. “She wanted to buy me dinner for towing her home.”

Vex grins wider, clearly thinking he’s got the upper hand. “I thought that’s what the cookies were for,” he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “And you paid for dinner.”

I roll my eyes, but Scout is already leaning in, grinning from ear to ear. “So, it was a date,” he teases.

I groan, rubbing my face. “Let me put it this way. I don’t want to talk about it.” Vex opens his mouth to continue, but I hold up a finger, giving him a pointed warning look. “And because you two don’t appear to be doing anything, you can look after the shipment coming in tonight.”

Scout raises an eyebrow. “Weapons?”

“Yeah,” I confirm, my gaze hardening. “My shoulder isn’t completely healed, and with the way things are going lately, I need someone at one hundred percent.”

Vex sits across from me and leans back in his chair, his grin turning into something more devilish.

“Maybe you should take this time to go visit Hannah? Just to make sure she knows it wasn’t a date.

You know, in case she’s confused.” His grin stretches wider, and I can almost hear the unspoken challenge in his voice.

Ignoring him, I look at Scout. “Did your people have any weed?”

“Yeah. They switched to Blue Dream.”

“Any good?”

Scout nods, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “It’s the perfect balance of euphoria and relaxation. Makes it a good all-round strain for both recreational and medicinal users.” His tone is calm, as if he’s talking about something he’s had a chance to really appreciate.

Marijuana is legal here in Alaska, but there’s still a market for it.

Scout’s people, tucked away in the remote wilderness, have greenhouses scattered across their land.

They grow all kinds of crops—mostly for food—but, like the rest of us, they need money to survive.

They trade, sell what they can, and make do with what they have.

It’s a tough life up there, but it’s theirs, and no one ever visits them.

They’ve been on that land for generations, a quiet existence far from the eyes of the world.

“When are you bringing it in?” I ask, my tone low and focused.

Scout leans back against the wall. “I’m going back at the end of the week to collect Mira and the crop.”

I look at Vex, my gaze steady. “You’ve got a week to get Kyler up to speed.”

Vex sighs, his frustration clear. “Come on, Blade. I don’t have that kind of time.”