Page 38 of Riding the Line (Steel Saints MC #1)

Dalton exchanged a look with Mac, who nodded.

Dalton reclined in his chair, stretching with his hands behind his head.

Mac placed his hand on mine on the table, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand.

Taking a sip of his drink, Dalton said, “Silas showed up about ten years ago.

Mac and I were just punk-ass teenagers; I was barely sixteen.

Our dad took Silas under his wing, for whatever reason.

At first, everything was great. Silas was like a second dad to us.

“And then our mom… she went out shopping one day.

Holly and Jackson had just started dating.

This was five years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

The whole club was just different then. We were all hanging out, just playing cards and shooting the shit.

My dad got the call first. She was bleeding out on the streets; she knew she was dying.

But her priority was just telling us she loved us one more time.

By the time EMS got there, it was too late. DOA.

“She’d been gunned down in the street like a common dog.

But she was the heart and soul of this place.

Her and my dad started the Saints. It did something to us.

It killed my dad. We buried him barely any time after Mom.

Silas was there the whole time, a refuge in our storm if you will.

He carried our mom’s casket to the grave, and then our dad’s. Mac took over but—”

“I wasn’t ready.”

I realized the whole table had been listening when everyone looked to Mac, whose words had been so quiet we could barely hear him over the rest of the room.

“I wanted to be. But, to be honest, I was still a kid. I had no fucking idea what I was doing.” His eyes were haunted and I leaned into him.

“What happened next… That night, that fucking coma. When I woke up, Silas was different. I was even less fit to lead, and he saved my life. Saved Dalton’s life.

It seemed like the only logical solution at the time.

By the time I realized I sold my soul to the fucking devil, club rules prevented me from taking it back. ”

“I don’t get it,” I said, looking at them all in turn. “Once you realized he was a Class A asshole, why couldn’t you just kick him out?”

To my surprise, it was Jackson who answered.

“It doesn’t work like that, Nicky. Clubs, especially one as big as ours, operate on an honor system.

There’s a strict set of rules. We have our own laws and procedures and shit.

Even to kick out a prospect like Daniel for some dumb shit, it takes more than just one guy saying fuck it. There’s a voting system.”

Diego nodded, his arm wrapped around Maria who was playing with her wedding ring.

“When we voted on Silas taking over, the vast majority of us just assumed it was temporary. Shocker, Silas had other plans. He had a few people in place. And to replace a president, even a temp one, you have to have a majority vote. He’s got enough pull that we haven’t been able to vote him out. ”

“That’s bullshit.”

Holly and Maria nodded in agreement with me, and Dalton smiled at me.

“We’ll figure it out, Vixen. Mac and I have a plan.”

“But in the meantime, you have to play ball with groups like the DiAngelos.”

“We have our ways, gorgeous. What did you think all those motel rooms were for?”

I gave Mac a confused look, and Dalton leaned forward. “What we say cannot leave this table.”

His words were a stark wake-up call, and I looked at the ground. I was a fucking traitor, and the words burned when they left my lips.

“Of course not.”

“The motel rooms aren’t just for bikers and their families who need a place to stay.

What Silas doesn’t know is that we use them as a refuge for people trying to get away from the DiAngelos.

Victims of sexual assault, families of people who cheated them in some way, people who just want an out.

We stash them at the clubhouse, use our connections to build them a new life.

New names, new identity, new everything. ”

I gaped at Dalton and then looked up at Mac, who had his arm around my shoulders. A glance over at the other side of the table revealed they all knew about this. Not a single surprised face.

“You guys save them?”

Holly flagged down a server for a drink refill and said, “We try. We can’t save them all, but we try. Silas is going to get his one day, Nicky. Don’t doubt that.”

I couldn’t believe it. I needed names—names of the people they’ve saved.

I could use this to get pardons when I brought the DiAngelos down, if pardons were even necessary.

I was elated. I knew my men and my friends were good people, but now I had proof.

Leaning forward, I pulled Dalton by his collar until his lips met mine.

Kissing him deeply, I heard someone clear their throat, but I wasn’t quite done.

Turning, I met Mac’s lips with my own and he made a deep, guttural sound of appreciation.

Another, louder sound of someone clearing their throat came, and I reluctantly drew away from Mac. He was watching me carefully, a crooked smile on his face, while Dalton looked like a kid in a candy shop.

“I love you two so much. Please don’t ever forget that.”

“I’m sure the hotel has rooms available if you three need to disappear for a bit…”

Jackson’s voice was light and teasing, and Holly quirked an eyebrow at me in amusement. Diego coughed, trying to hide a laugh, and Maria smacked him in the shoulder.

Dalton returned his hand to my thigh, once again playing with the charm there. “If we leave now, we aren’t coming back.”

I blushed and leaned back into Mac’s side.

Suddenly, microphone feedback pierced the air, and I winced.

Looking over to the stage, I saw Silas and four DiAngelos in front of a podium.

I swallowed thickly. I knew exactly who those men were.

One, of course, was Luca DiAngelo. Next to him was Armand DiAngelo, king of the gun trade.

Then there was Michael DiAngelo, who dealt and made more drugs than you would find in a Walgreens.

And lastly, worst of all, was Robert DiAngelo.

He oversaw it all. If evil were ever to take a human form and walk the earth, it would look a hell of a lot like him.

“Everyone, settle down now. Here we gather to celebrate the best partnership Georgia has ever seen.”

Silas sure did think a lot of himself, pompous asshole. Luca seemed to agree, his lip curling as he watched Silas, and even Michael rolled his eyes. Robert surveyed the room like he couldn’t believe he had been dragged here.

Silas was oblivious and continued, “Almost five years ago, the Steel Saints and the DiAngelo family joined rank. The Saints are no longer some back-alley group of crooked boy scouts.”

I scowled at the description, my face reflected around the table, and I felt Mac tense up from where I still leaned against him.

“Robert and I have big plans, everyone.”

Silas surveyed the room—a mix of dirty politicians, cops, and lawyers, as well as a few other Saints. I committed every single one of their faces to memory. Other than my table, everyone was here willingly and took part in the whole DiAngelo mess to line their pockets. Bunch of scumbags.

Silas droned on for a few more minutes about his big plans, without ever really saying what those plans were. It was boring as hell, but when he was done, a flurry of wait staff came out of a side door pushing carts of plates covered by shiny silver domes.

I sat up, and Holly murmured, “Saved by the bell,” as the wait staff set plates of food in front of every chair.

The seats quickly filled, and the room was mostly quiet besides the sound of silverware on plates.

The whole thing was a stuffy, oppressive affair, but at least the food was good.

Our glasses were never empty, and I just watched and listened, taking in as much as I could of everything around me.

Three tables down, Silas sat with the heads of the DiAngelo family.

I barely paid attention to the easygoing banter at my own table, wishing we were closer to Silas.

When I glanced towards them again, I about dropped my bite of roast chicken when I met the grey eyes of Luca and Robert DiAngelo. Robert’s face was a mask but Luca smirked at me, his smile cold and cruel.

“Vixen?” Dalton leaned forward, placing his hand over mine where it rested on the table, and squeezed to get my attention.

“Yeah, sorry. What did I miss?”

Six pairs of concerned eyes watched me—they must have been trying to get my attention for a hot minute.

Maria’s gentle, brown eyes searched my face. “Everything okay, mija ?”

“Yeah, it’s just… every time I look up, someone at that damn table is staring over here. And, just a second ago, fucking Luca was looking at me like a piece of meat.”

Mac’s eyes flew to the table in question, looking ready to get up and beat a DiAngelo to a pulp.

Dalton gripped my hand so tightly it almost hurt.

I hurried to reassure them both. “It’s okay, really.

I’m fine. I just… I really hate those sons of bitches.

” Holly’s hazel eyes assessed me, and I smiled at all my friends.

“I’m fine. Let’s just try and have a good time tonight, okay? ”

About an hour later, as the evening was winding down and I had danced until my feet hurt, I was making my way to the bathroom.

Dalton and Mac had taken turns twirling me around the dance floor and, despite the weight of the evening, I was actually having a lot of fun.

Even Maria, Holly, and I had danced to a fun beat none of us knew.

Every now and then, I would catch wind of some new tidbit of information from an overheard conversation that I squirreled away.

I’d just disentangled myself from Dalton’s arms as he pressed a kiss into my neck, and everyone was gathering their things from the table.

I, however, was feeling the effects of too much whiskey and water, and needed to find a bathroom as soon as possible.

The nearest bathroom was set down a long hallway, just outside the ballroom.

Out of fucking nowhere, Silas appeared at my side.

He grabbed me by my elbow and said, “Good evening, Ms. Moore. You and I need to talk.” His mouth was near my ear, and I could smell and feel his hot breath. His grip was unforgiving.

I snarled at him, “Mac and Dalton are waiting for me.”

He twisted my arm, and I forced myself not to wince as he pulled me into a darkened room.

“They can keep fucking waiting.”

I yanked myself out of his group, stumbling away from him. “What do you want?”

“We’ve talked about this. You will address me with respect.”

“I only give respect to those who have earned it.”

I was expecting his backhand, and dodged it easily.

“You little cunt. I knew you were trouble the second I laid eyes on you.”

I wished I was armed so damn bad. But Mac and Dalton weren’t even five minutes away. They had been my heroes once before—if I took too long, they would come looking for me.

“What do you want?” I repeated.

Silas just stared at me and finally said, “I want to see the look on your face when you realize I wasn’t the one who wanted to speak with you.”

Then he turned and left, and for a minute, I was confused as hell.

Then, from a dark corner behind me, a low voice said, “Alone at last.”

My heart just about burst out of my chest, and I spun around—not an easy feat in heels. Luca was watching me, so still and silent that I hadn’t even noticed him when Silas had dragged me in here. Two quick strides, and he was on me.

Luca wrapped his hand around my throat and backed me into the nearest wall. He was so quick, I didn’t even have time to yell.

“You have been giving Silas some trouble. Trouble, trouble, trouble.” The room was dark, but those steel-grey eyes would haunt my dreams. He leaned in, and I shuddered as he dragged his nose down my cheek and my neck.

“A woman like you could make me some serious money. What do you think? $200 a night, $300 and anything goes?”

I gagged at the thought, and then the motherfucker licked me. Without hesitation, I kneed him in the balls with every ounce of strength I had. He roared, his hands going to cover his junk, and I ran for the door.

“Remember our conversation, bitch. Keep pushing. I’ll always have a place for you.”

He let me go, much to my surprise. I didn’t stop running until I ran into Dalton coming out of the ballroom.

He stopped me. “Woah, baby, woah. Easy, Vixen. What the hell is going on? What’s wrong?

” His blue eyes searched my face, and Mac came up beside him, scanning the hallway behind me for threats.

Dalton wrapped his arms around me, and I relaxed against him, trying to get myself under control.

Mac made as if to go down the hallway, but I stopped him.

“No, don’t. Please, I just want to go home. My home, not the clubhouse. Let’s end the night on a positive note. Okay? For me?”

Dalton rubbed his hands up and down my bare arms. He and his brother exchanged a look over my head. Eventually, they both nodded.

Mac moved to right behind me, sandwiching me between the two of them. He kissed the top of my head. “Home it is.”

Maria, Holly, Jackson, and Diego were waiting by the limo which was idling by the door.

We all climbed in after I reassured them I was fine.

I joked I still had to pee and all, but begged them to leave it be.

They did, and as we pulled away, I clung to the cell phone I had stolen out of Luca’s suit pocket. I couldn’t help but smile.

DiAngelos, zero. Me, one.