Page 18 of August's Ride with Arrow

“Sure,” Lightning says. “We’ll go back. I'm just going to let Ruby know that we're heading out.”

We all go to the truck for the ride back.

CHAPTER 9

ARROW

Fuck, it took longer than it should have to clean everything up and go through the cabin. We want to give Savage Bones a clear message that their VP was no longer alive, so he and Priest are dropping off several of Fright’s body parts in a cooler to the front porch of a cabin we know the Savage Bones are using for some of their really low-level guys.

I'm heading back with Thunder and Crank because I can't wait to get back to my girl. It’s agony being away from Katherine this long, and I can't wait to make sure she’s safe and hold her in my arms again.

“Some of the Whiskey River guys have just shown up at the clubhouse. They sent ten people to come and help, so there is going to be a meeting tonight where we make a game plan,” Thunder says.

As soon as we get back to the clubhouse, I don't greet anyone. Instead, I park my bike and immediately go looking for Katherine. Even from across the room, though, I can tell something is wrong.

“Is everything okay, Kitty Kat?” I ask her the second I have her in my arms.

“Is there someplace private we can chat for a minute?” she asks.

Instantly, my guard goes up and I wonder what she has to tell me. Taking her hand, I pull her down the hallway to my office. After I close and lock the door, I turn to her. Taking a seat in my chair, I put her in my lap and hold her tight. “What's wrong?” I ask.

A million things race through my head, from what might have happened here at the clubhouse to her changing her mind and wanting to go home.

“Atlas had some of us go help Ruby at the Mercantile. By the way, Ruby is super sweet. While I was taking some of the trash out, Shooter was on the phone. He was acting really weird, trying to hide from everybody. Even though I knew it was wrong, I eavesdropped on his conversation. There was some trash on the ground on the other side of the truck, so I walked over to pick it up and listened,” she says, looking guilty and completely adorable.

I can relax. She feels guilty about eavesdropping on a conversation. There's nothing about this club that she can't know. Maybe she has some questions she needs answered.

“That's okay, Kitty Kat. I know that I haven't been around to answer a lot of questions, so I'm sure your curiosity is at an all-time high right now. What did you overhear?”

“Well, Shooter was telling someone that they needed to warn somebody named Fright that you guys were coming after him. That you had traced the money to Fright, and that it was time for him to get out of there because you might be on to him,” she says.

At her words, my body tenses and anger courses through my veins. We knew we had a spy. Shooter was on the list and this confirms it.

“Are you sure that's what you heard?” I ask in the gentlest voice I can muster. This incredible woman may have just saved us.

“Absolutely. I haven't told anyone. I just said I wasn't feeling good and wanted to come home. When you got back, I wanted to tell you right away.”

It doesn't escape me that she called the clubhouse home, which encourages me. But I need to get this information to the Pres right now. “Let's go tell Atlas what you heard.”

Taking her hand, I lead her down the hallway to Atlas's office, where she repeats everything she just told me.

“Well, shit, I was really hoping we didn't have a spy in the house, but you did a good job coming and letting us know what you heard. Kat, why don't you stay here? Arrow, will you find Bear? Don’t say anything, but just tell him that I need to talk to him,” Atlas says.

Leaving immediately, I find Bear in the kitchen. “Hey man, will you come to Atlas's office? He wants to go over a few things that happened today.” I attempt to make it sound completely normal since Shooter is sitting at the dining room table eating. Thunder's there, too. When his phone goes off, he pulls it out and listens. His face is completely blank, but my guess is it's Atlas telling him to keep an eye on Shooter.

Once back in Atlas's office, my Kitty Kat tells us again what she heard.

Atlas, clearly furious, turns to Bear and says, “Why don't you take care of Shooter? See what information you can get out of him. While you’re doing it, make it painful. He doesn't make it out of this clubhouse alive. I want to send a very clear message that anyone they send to spy on us they're sending to their death,” Atlas orders angrily.

Bear's eyes light up as he leaves.

Kat's eyes are as big as saucers, “He's going to kill Shooter, isn't he?” she whispers.

“He is. Shooter is responsible for quite a few of our guys being hurt recently, including Lightning. I know you're friends with Ginger. Did she tell you her story about what the Savage Bones did to her?” I ask her these questions so she’ll understand that these are not good people and they are very dangerous.

“Yeah, she did today. Does it make me a bad person that I'm glad Bear is going to kill him? The rage that I felt when I heard what he said made me so nauseous,” she says, not meeting my eyes.

I try not to smile. I was so worried about her not fitting in. Or that killing Shooter would scare her off. Hearing the vengeance in her words assures me that she could not fit in more perfectly to this life.

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