Page 2 of October's Ride with Atlas

Making my way to the front of the room, everyone quiets down, waiting for me to speak.

“We all came to this club with a past. I don't ask questions, and your past is your story to tell. Unfortunately, my past is now catching up with us,” I tell them honestly. I can see the questions all over their faces. “For months, we've been trying to figure out why the Savage Bones are after us and gunning so hard for Mustang Mountain. Thanks to Crank's intel, we finally know.”

The clubhouse erupts with whispered speculations. I wait for everyone to calm down so I can grab their attention again.

“It turns out Crank snapped a photo of the Savage Bones’ president, Malice, who has, until now, kept to the shadows. You should each have a copy of this photo that I texted to you a few minutes ago.”

Everyone pulls out their phones and scans the photo. I know no one recognizes him because he's been smart to stay out of view.

“With this new information, I now know that Savage Bones isn't after Mustang Mountain. They are after me…”

Everyone starts talking all at once, and I can't make sense of a single conversation. When I open my mouth to try to calm them down, a loud, piercing whistle fills the air. I turn toward the sound of it, as does everyone else, to find it came from my vice president, Thunder.

“Your president is talking, and if you want answers, I suggest you shut up and listen,” he says with a frown on his face and with his girl, Ashley, tucked protectively under his arm.

“Thank you,” I say to him, and he gives me a nod before I turn back to the rest of the club. “Like the rest of you, I had no idea who the Savage Bones President was or who was in charge until Crank got this photo. This man they call Malice and I served in the Army together.As you can guess, since he didn’t show up with roses and chocolate, it didn't go well. He was more interested in the money he could make doing illegal stuff, and I wasn't about to go down with him, so I turned him in. He made several threats against me before he landed in jail, and it looks like he’s back to make good on them.” I give them a shortened version of the story.

Even though I know there might be questions later, right now, it's important to give them the details as quickly as possible.

“So, what's the plan?” Bear asks.

“Since I know he wants me, I'm going to send a message to him requesting that he and I meet. Maybe he will tell me his underlying plans, and maybe we can negotiate. We used to be friends, and I have to hope I can appeal to that,” I say.

“You sure as hell aren’t doing that alone.” Bear all but growls, and many heads in the crowd nod in agreement.

“No, and I doubt he'd show up alone. That is, if he agrees to it at all,” I say. “We have to be careful because there is a femalecivilian involved, and we need to get her to safety before we make any moves,” I say, trying to keep my voice level as if getting Bex back here to the safety of the clubhouse is the only thing that matters to me right now.

Once she is safe, I can breathe and think of our next step, but I can't think straight, wondering if they are hurting her or if she is scared, cold, or hungry.

“How do you plan to get them the message?” Thunder asks.

“Well, since Sheriff Cade is so friendly with them, I figure he's a good one to pass on the message. I'm heading down to see him now.“ I hand Thunder a sheet of paper on which I wrote down everything I know about Malice: his real name, birthday, where he was in prison, past duty stations, and parents' information.

“That should be enough to get you guys started. I want to know everything we can find about him. If there are any hackers you know, get them on it, and I will pay handsomely for their time.”

“I'm on it,” Thunder says.

“The rest of you, prepare for war. If this meeting doesn’t go well, we will take them down by force. Either way, they won’t remain standing.”

With that, I grab my keys and go to visit our old friend, Sheriff Cade.

CHAPTER 2

BEX

“Don'tyou burn that bread again, girl. I know you can cook better than that crap meal you served us the other night,” my dad says, not even a slight hint of teasing in his voice.

“We all know it's because you distracted her, Malice. Don't blame her for that one. Let her focus on the meal, and we will all eat well tonight,” Eight Ball says, trying to joke around.

He's always stood up for me against my dad, and I think it's because he's a bit sweet on me. I'm not really interested in him, but I appreciate it all the same.Thankfully, he hasn’t tried to make a move, so I haven’t had to turn him down.

My dad doesn't get to respond because there is a knock on the door.

“You expecting anyone?” Dad asks.

“No, everyone is here,” Meat says. They all draw their guns before moving toward the door.

I know to stay out of sight, so while they handle it, I go back into the kitchen and check on dinner.They hide me because they’re very protective of me. They explain it’s because the Mustang Mountain Riders have picked off the rest of the women from the club.

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