Page 28 of Single Mom for the Bikers

“What?” Shelby clutches Mia close, afraid to let her go. “We haven’t done anything! He’s dead, Havoc. Nobody cares about us anymore.”

There’s a hint of sadness in Sledge’s voice when he speaks. “That’s not true, is it? Look around you.”

“Fuck,” Havoc grunts. “We're taking you with us. Call in sick for work until we get this figured out. No fucking way we're leaving you alone at the house.”

“What? But, I mean. Maybe you can stay with us. The neighborhood is?—”

“There's a fucking Pit Viper living down the street from you,” I growl. “The only good snake is a dead one.” Myself included. I’m just passing time until karma catches up.

“Mommy, they're saying a lot of bad words.” Mia giggles into Shelby's neck.

“I know, honey, but sometimes when scary things happen it’s better to use bad words than to do bad things.” Shelby runs her hand through Mia's hair, comforting the both of them with her touch. “What do you mean, there's a Pit Viper living near me? Who?”

“This isn’t the place to talk about it. We're taking you to the club where you’ll both be safe until we can figure this shit out. There's even kids for Mia to play with.”

“I can't just leave everything and?—”

“Shelby, someone just fucking kidnapped Mia.” Sledge's voice goes hard like steel. He sounds ready to kill and I know the feeling. “Hate our guts later if you have to, but someone’s willing to use you and your daughter to get to us and your blood is not going to be on my fucking hands.”

“Or mine.” Havoc agrees.

“Then it’s unanimous. Let’s go.”

17

SHELBY

I'mno stranger to motorcycle clubs. Dodger brought me to the Pit Vipers clubhouse a couple of times for parties. I remember it being fun, but in a scary way. It was an old farm or something, way the heck out in nowhere so they could do whatever they wanted without being seen. So I thought that I had a pretty good idea of what the Screaming Eagles clubhouse would look like.

Turns out I had no idea.

Theirs isn’t hidden out in the sticks. It’s a massive complex in the middle of the city, taking up a full, walled-in block. A big gate at one corner stands open, though it's watched by a couple of guys in leather cuts. One of them has a bandanna tied around his head. His weather bitten face has a crooked nose and a bushy mustache. The other man is bare chested under his cut like Phoenix. A patchwork of runic tattoos decorates his arms and torso. His blond beard's long, with little braids in it, giving a very distinct Norse look. They wave the guys through as soon as they recognize Havoc riding in front.

Do I drive right in? I pull over in the street outside, and a young guy comes running out before I can decide what to do.

He knocks on the window. “Gimme your keys, I’ll get her parked.”

“We have bags in the trunk.” The one thing I managed to convince them of was going by the house to pack what we’d need for a few days away from home.

“No problem, I’ll bring it in.”

Mia dozed off on the way over. It doesn’t happen every time we drive anymore, but syrup or not, she’s had a long day. Havoc jogs over and helps me pull her out of her booster seat. I grab her tiny backpack. Holding it makes me feel a little better.

She lifts her head, confused. “Mommy? Where are we?”

“Somewhere safe, baby.” I hope at least. “We’re going to stay with Havoc and his friends for a little bit.”

“Okay,” she says with a big yawn. She puts her arms around his neck and rests her head on his shoulder, but she’s awake now and taking everything in.

Walking through the gates is like entering a different world. A huge warehouse dominates the center of the compound. A gigantic Screaming Eagles logo lights up the sky above us, and next to the warehouse is a cavernous garage full of motorcycles and bikers. Tattooed men are working on their bikes under bright lights, the sounds of machines running and the hiss of hydraulics cutting through the heavy music blaring out of speakers inside. On the other side of the warehouse, there's a row of houses that disappears around the back. They look almost… homey? The Pit Vipers clubhouse looked like a scaledup version of a frat that nobody grew out of, but this looks like a place people actually live. The houses are painted, and there’s even grass in front, with scattered toys and playground equipment.

“I wanna go down,” Mia says, squirming in Havoc’s arms. He looks at me and I nod.

“Okay, kiddo,” I tell her, “but you have to hold my hand. This is a big place with a lot of people who might not know who you are, so we have to make sure we're careful. Can you be good for me?” I take Mr. Bear out of her backpack and hand him to her.

She squeezes him tight while she looks around with wide eyes and holds out her hand. “Yep.”

“Good. Let's go.” My brain keeps telling me that the moment I let go, someone is going to come steal her away again. I know she’s right here and the guys won’t let anyone get to her, but for now I'm going to use the feeling of her sweaty little palm against mine to keep me from bursting into tears.

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