Page 20

Mira

T he woman follows Takoda into the room, she’s tall and has long dark hair although something about her doesn’t seem quite right. Instead of looking around the room like I did when I first got here, she has her gaze trained on me. Weird. Although maybe she’s a little intimidated and is looking to me for reassurance. Well, that I can do!

“Hi! I’m Mira. You’ve caught us on a bit of a slow night, none of the men who can fix your car are here right at this moment, although I’m sure Gus or Takoda could help,” I wave toward the two men, trying to show her they’re trustworthy and handy in equal measures.

“Oh, thank you. I have left a message with the local towing company, so hopefully they get back to me.” She smiles and then takes a seat on the couch.

“Oh, this is Remy, she’s on Ol Lady here, I’m just a girlfriend.” I smile at her.

“Oh? You have a boyfriend?” She sort of sneers at the word “boyfriend” and I exchange a look with Remy, checking to see if she noticed it too. She nods slightly.

“Oh, um yeah, Tank. He’s everything you expect in an MC man, solid, loyal, handsome,” I wink at her and she frowns a little. Hard crowd.

“Oh, you should probably text your people that you’re here at the clubhouse. You mentioned at the gate that you had someone coming to collect you?” Remy says in her sweet way.

I watch her expressions intently because something is a little off about her. I really want to pat myself on the back because I feel like I’m doing a great job trying to gain her trust. I feel like this is something my FMC would do after realizing that she’s been kidnapped by the MC’s ex-girlfriend, someone unfamiliar to her. She would wait in the basement and plan and then go all butt kicky. Although I’m not very good at kicking butt, I’m sure I could improvise if it came down to it.

“Oh yeah, I’ve already messaged them, they should be here soon.” She looks back at me. “When is your next book out? You’re that writer lady aren’t you?”

“Oh yeah, I am. Um, the next book will be a little while away. It’s a new series, about an MC if you can believe that,” I giggle. “I came here to do research, and then I fell in love. The MC is so nice and the women, the Ol Ladies, are such cool women to spend time with.”

She waves a dismissive hand at me, as if that’s not important. “Yeah, but I bet they don’t know the real you. I bet these ‘Ol Ladies’ wouldn’t even know what to get you for your birthday or anything. They’d never send you gifts or leave little surprises in your yard.” She looks angry at this fact and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that we’ve just let my stalker into the clubhouse.

I see Gus and Takoda stiffen, obviously thinking along the same lines as me. We have no idea how dangerous this woman is, or if she has anyone with her. She said she was alone but that could have been a ploy to tug on our heartstrings and let her in. I bet she has more orc-looking men on her payroll. She could have us surrounded. Dag nabbit!

“Oh, um, I have had some surprises left in my yard. I like cute gnomes and I’ve found a few new additions.”

Her face lights up. “Oh really? Did you like them?”

I nod, not trusting myself to not say something to make this weird. Or weirder than it already is. I mean, I’m just Mira, I write books, how the heck did I end up with a crazy fan?

Staring at her I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen her before. There isn’t anything remarkable about her face, if I were to describe her in one of my novels I’d call her sharp, severe. Her hair has a stiff, almost unnatural look to it and I’m starting to think that perhaps she’s wearing a wig. Dang, this lady is good! Right Mira, think. What would your FMC’s do? Or better yet, what would Chewy or Blanche or Nat or Remy or Ana or Lovely do?

“Oh yes, they were lovely, they fit right in with the others. Like a little family. Obviously, the old grumpy fisherman would be the grandpa. Oh, and the chubby bottomed lady with the daisies would be the grandmother.” Good work Mira, play it cool.

Crazy lady nods her head, eyes sparkling as she scoots closer to the edge of the couch. “What about, the, other things?” she whispers.

I’m guessing she’s meaning the you know what’s so I swallow and nod. She grins wide and jumps up, dancing around in front of a bewildered Remy and me. Gus edges ever closer, as does Takoda, but as he reaches for her she spins, hitting him in the head with something in her hand. I watch in slow motion as Takoda begins to buckle, Gus lunging for her and freezing as she points a gun at him.

“WHY DID HE DO THAT!? This is my time with my best friend, don’t interrupt me!” she screams, waving the gun in Gus’s face.

Kudos to him that he isn’t freaking out. Neither is Remy who is kneeling next to Takoda checking on him.

“MOVE! All of you! You can’t be trusted to butt out so you’re going to have to learn the hard way.” She keeps the gun trained on us and yanks three chairs out from under the table, kicking them into a line and making us sit.

She hits Remy in the back of the head with the butt of her gun and I let out a yelp when my friend slumps down in her chair.

“Um, look, we can spend time together, please, I can ask my friends to leave us alone,”

“THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS! I AM!” she screams in my face, making my ears ring.

Her eyes are crazed and then she takes a breath, straightening and pulling herself together, smiling pleasantly at me. Gus has been sitting perfectly still, eyes on her every move. She starts rummaging around behind us and I glance over to see she’s cuffing Gus to the chair one handed, gun on me. With that type of dexterity, she’s clearly done this type of thing before.

“Don’t do anything Mira. If one of us tries to overpower her she’ll go trigger happy. We just need to wait for backup.” His eyes flick to the hall where a tiny movement catches my eye. That’s right! The Landrys!

I want to do a happy dance but instead I sit still as a statue.

“Thank you so much for my gifts, I know that Mrs. McKenzie really enjoyed the livers.”

“I knew she would,” she says with a grin. “I know all about you and what you like and don’t like. I love that you leave little hints for me in your books, like the foot. No one else would have read that scene and know that you have a foot fetish, but I did.”

Sorry Nana, but what the actual fuck? How the fucking hell did she get foot fetish from that scene? My face must be saying what I’m thinking because Gus pulls his lips between his teeth to stop himself from laughing. I’m about to lean over and tell him to shut up when there’s some banging in the hall. My gaze shoots to Gus who seems to be completely unbothered.

“What was that?” crazy lady asks, walking to stand in front of Gus, the barrel of her gun pressed into his forehead.

“I have no idea, lady. We’re the only one’s here.”

Her gaze narrows and she pulls out her phone. I really need to know where she got her outfit from because it seems to have unlimited pockets. Before I can ask, she starts speaking incredibly fast, in some other language, maybe Russian? She sneers at Gus then yells something at her phone, hanging up.

She opens her mouth, but whatever she is planning to say gets cut off by the beautiful sound of motorcycle pipes pulling up outside of the clubhouse.

“Don’t. Move.” To ram that point home she knocks both Gus and me on the top of the head with her weapon. Not hard enough to knock us out, but a good enough warning to not do anything stupid.

Not that I have to. No way, not with my viking coming through the clubhouse door like a warrior ready to avenge his love. His bright blue eyes find mine, boring into me, allowing me to see the love and fear and rage.

Oh, it’s on like Donkey Kong!

Tank

After we watch Roman drive off we mount our bikes waiting for Pres’s orders. The excitement of riding out and killing two birds with one stone, avenging Jimmy and finding out who’s stalking my girl, has me anxious to get home and see my Ol Lady. Waiting on our orders to roll out behind Pres, I notice him check his phone and stiffen slightly as he reads his screen. Butterflies hit my gut and I can’t shake the feeling that shit is about to hit the fan. Marx taps a few things then brings his phone to his ear, his murmuring too low for me to eavesdrop.I guess he’ll tell us all if it’s something bad.

Just when I’m starting to relax a little, Jules stiffens next to me, looking at his screen too. He whispers something to Chewy and they both do a weird sibling communication thing where they stare at each other a beat, then both nod.

“What do you think that was about?” Judge asks, his voice low next to me.

“No idea, but it can’t be good,” I reply as I watch Chewy efficiently place Gretchen in the SUV and pull herself into the passenger seat. Jules catches Marx’s eye, giving some type of hand signal then pulling out, heading back toward Rose Grove.

“Listen up! We got a woman on the road outside the clubhouse. Her car broke down along the road. Facial rec hasn’t thrown up any red flags and Mira doesn’t recognize her as a fan. Gus has the women and kids in the safe room and placed the Landrys at different points around the clubhouse. Jules and Chewy will be taking the back roads and running lookout. It may be nothing,” he leaves the rest hanging, because we all know this could turn out to be something. “Let’s roll out.”

We leave Roxburgh as if we have all the time in the world, not wanting to draw any attention to ourselves, but once we’re on the main road we open up, Winnie roaring beneath me, eating up the distance between me and my Ol Lady.

Even thinking of Mira wearing my cut and my name has my cock thickening. I’ve waited a long time for a woman to call my own, and now that I’ve got her, every luscious, creative, crazy inch of her, I’m never letting her go. I’ll need to order her a cut. She’ll be over the moon, and so will the other Ol Ladies. They’ve already adopted her into the girl gang, which does worry me a little because Mira is enough trouble on her own, but I can’t think of a better group of women for her to have her back. From what I’ve learned, she has had very few “real life” friends and even less family. Well shit, now she has more friends and family than she can count.

Pulling into the outskirts of Rose Grove I clock what must be the car the woman who needed help was driving. I signal to Marx that I’m pulling over to check it out, and in true Pres fashion he signals we all pull over. Even though Big D has been taken care of, this whole Jimmy thing illustrated that we’re not as bulletproof as we once thought.

Throwing my leg over my bike I wander around the car, taking in the tires, none seem flat or damaged. The bonnet is slightly open from where someone must have checked inside and not closed it properly. Peering in I notice the spark plugs are missing.

“Aw fuck,” Judge says under his breath, then gripping my shoulder hard, the pain bringing me back to myself, snapping me out of the downward spiral I was doing.

It’s a fucking setup.

“Tank?” Pres asks, brow raised.

“Spark plugs have been removed,” I answer, my voice tight.

“Fuck.”

We run back to our bikes and I speed out, not even waiting for my brothers. I know that Gus has taken all the precautions, but I can’t help but think that somehow he missed something. Somehow it’ll all go wrong, and I can’t let that happen. Not when I’ve found my Ol Lady.

The gate is open where Gus or someone else left it, letting us roll in without slowing, parking our bikes as efficiently as we can. I dismount and head straight through the doors, coming to an abrupt stop when I see my woman sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, Gus on one side, Remy on the other, Takoda lying on the floor, dried blood at his temple. If Pres lost his shit when Jimmy was shot, I can’t imagine how he’s going to take another hurt prospect.

“Remy!” Wire yells, rushing to his Ol Lady and then stopping in his tracks when the dark-haired woman turns her gun on Remy rather than him. Wire holds his hands up, backing up slowly, the tension in his body palpable.

My eyes dart to my woman, her wide green eyes staring back at me, but instead of fear I see, fuck, is that excitement? She beams at me and I hang my head.

“Any of you move, she dies,” the woman behind her says, gun trained at Mira’s head.

“Can I just point out that if I die there won’t be anymore books,” Mira says conversationally.

The woman behind her takes a swift intake of breath at this knowledge, turning to point the gun at Gus instead.

“Listen, Svetlana, we know who you are. Your best bet for getting out of here is putting the gun down,” Marx says in a measured tone.

Mira frowns, then turns to look over her shoulder. “Lana?”

Svetlana grins at Mira, reaching to the top of her head and pulling off the dark wig, revealing slicked back blonde hair. “I knew you’d recognize me! It’s fate, Mira, we’re meant to be together! You don’t have to be here any more, with these filthy pigs,” she spits. “I know what they’re like, that woman, Whitney, she told me all about them. That’s why I’m here now, I’m trying to save you! Whitney said that they were going to hurt her and her boyfriend and I knew I couldn’t leave you here, in a place with dangerous men,” she says quickly, not even taking a breath.

“Oh, we did hurt her little boyfriend,” Fox smirks.

“See Mira! They’re bad men, you need to come with me now, we can run away and live happily ever after. I have my own business, I can support you, I love you!”

Mira’s eyes grow wider and wider until Lana gets to the end of her pleading and then Mira’s face softens. “Oh Lana, you are a great person, I’m sure of it, but I’m afraid I can’t go with you. I can’t live with you and I can’t love you because I love Tyson.” Her eyes flick to mine, “And, if Pres allows it, I have a home here, and friends here.”

Lana deflates for a moment and then straightens, rage distorting her sharp features, making her seem even more unhinged. “But I LOVE YOU!” she screeches, bringing the gun up, pointing it directly into Mira’s face.

I feel my body moving before my mind tells me to, but I know that if Svetlana pulls that trigger I’ll be too late. I lunge toward my love and out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of a Skechers sneaker, swinging in an arc and kicking the gun out of Svetlana’s hand in a technically perfect roundhouse kick. A bang sounds out and then a grunt, but all I can focus on is my woman.

“Mira, Doll, look at me, look at me baby,” I push her blonde curls out of her face to be met with a wide grin.

“Sorry Nana, but that was fucking awesome! Did you see what Pops did?”

Looking behind Mira, Svetlana is on the ground, Tav standing over her pointing his weapon, Gus and Pops staring down at her.

“Mr. Tombs?” She says, looking at Pops in confusion.

“Oh yeah, surprise! I can walk.” Pops waves his hands and then walks behind the bar, pouring himself a drink. “Chewy and Jules have three guys they found out back, the Landrys have one a piece. What do you want us to do with them Pres? Please say Rev Room, please say Rev Room?” he pleads, mumbling something about not seeing action for a while even though they dealt with the orc guy yesterday.

Marx’s answer is drowned out by Rider’s whine, “She shot me in the ass! Switch, I need help!” he demands.

Switch rolls his eyes as he checks over Remy, “It’s a fucking graze. And what the hell were you doing to be shot in the ass? Were you running away?”

“No! That old man had the gun doing fucking somersaults in the air and it got me!”

“You can wait.” Switch turns to look at us. “Brothers, I need Takoda and Remy in my clinic. I checked their stats, both are fine but will have killer headaches tomorrow.”

Wire scoops his Ol Lady into his arms and carries her down the hall, followed by Fox and Nitro with Takoda.

Switch grabs Rider by the scruff of his neck and starts to drag his big ass down the hall toward his clinic. Mira’s tinkling laughter has me grinning.

Marx runs a big hand down his face. “Fuck, what are we gonna do with her?”

“May I offer a suggestion?” A collective groan has us turning toward Roman, standing in the doorway with his large blonde husband at his back. Marx glares silently at him, so he continues. “Do what you want with the men, but I will take Svetlana.”

At the sound of Roman’s voice Svetlana looks toward him, then drops her head, “I’m sorry Pakhan, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“I understand, Lana. Your father said you were having troubles again. How about we send you somewhere nice, and you can have a little rest?”

“At the same hospital as last time?” She looks up, eyes full of hope looking more like a lost little girl than a crazed, obsessed gun woman.

“Would you like that, sladkya ?”

“Yes, Pakhan, they were nice to me. Is Katarina still there?” She moves toward Roman then stops abruptly, flicking her eyes at Marx who gives her a nod.

“Yes, I believe she is,” Roman says in a gentle voice, showing yet another side of him. The man is full of contradictions. Just when I think I have him figured out he does something else to change my perception. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to figure him out.

My woman has been watching the scene, and as Svetlana moves to pass her on her way to Roman, Mira stops her with a hand on her arm. “Lana, thank you for my gifts and for liking my books.” She smiles at her gently then pulls the other woman into her arms. “Thank you for not killing me or my friends.”

Lana beams at her and stares until Roman gently takes her arm. He looks toward Marx, “President?”

Marx nods, “You take care of her Roman, and we’ll take care of the others.” Roman raises a brow at him, “If we find out they’re innocent and they didn’t hurt my people, they’ll be free to go. If not, then I’ll leave them in Pops’ and Chewy’s hands.” Pops fist pumps in the background, a wide grin splitting his face.

“Hopefully they’re all innocent then, I’ll need people to run the funeral home. What a busy night for acquisitions it’s been for the Bartashevs” he smirks and gently leads Svetlana toward the door, the woman still smiling goofily at Mira.

The door shuts behind them and we all look at each other.

“Sorry Nana but how goddamn fucking cool was that!? The hostage situation and Gus being all covert and then the Landrys off sneaking around and then she went unhinged and THEN you all came in and things got tense and then Pops Chuck Norrised the gun outta her hand AND got Rider shot in the butt - “

Chewy, Jules and the three Landrys interrupt her roll, dragging six unconscious men onto the floor.

Mira doesn’t say a word. No, she just points. “Weeeeeee! And that! Ohmygod I need to write this down.”

“Well, good to see that she hasn’t been left traumatized by the situation,” Marx says dryly.

Judge snorts, slapping me on the back. “Good luck with that one, brother.”

“No luck needed.”