Page 32 of The Biker's Red Christmas

People always say that winter signifies an ending, so I guess it makes sense that this would happen now.

I'm not going to stop trying to fight my way out of whatever hell I just got myself into, but right now I'm going to wait for my moment.

My moment comes faster than I expect it to.

In the background, I hear the sound of a large engine rumbling in our direction. Then two more. Then more.

I turn my head in the direction the sound is coming from, and at once, I see a line of Chrome Creed members coming in my direction.

My eyes lock on Lash’s, and for the first time since I've known him, what I see truly scares me.

13

LASH

"Look, I know we don't need to be dealing with this right now, but how the hell can we claim to be all about our community if we allow something like this to go down?" I fire back at Leo.

He and I have been in the church for almost an hour. When I originally told him about the party that Fisher was supposed to be at, he told me flat out that we wouldn't be going.

My gut reaction was to tell him to fuck off and go on my own, but that's not how things work when you're in an MC. I need to listen to his word. What he says goes. It's up to me to prove to him that it's truly worth it.

"Lash, brother, if you knew for certain that anything more than just a party was going down, then we’d be all over this. I'm really starting to think that little woman is getting to your head. You never act like this."

It takes everything in me not to slam my hand down on the table and go off. Instead, I grab hold of my chair and squeeze hard. "You're right, Leo. That woman has changed me. She made me see that our world doesn't just involve us. It's not only about what goes on in this club. It's about what we allow to happen around us. Those girls came here thinking they were going to have a good time with us. They left here with people that were at our club, and now... what the hell does that say about us if we just let this happen?"

I'm trying my best to get him to give me some backup or at least give the okay for me to go on my own. I'd rather just check the party out, if only to make sure it's not a breeding ground for sex trafficking.

Leo looks away for a long time, and my frustration reaches a whole new level. "Look, I'm not asking you to understand what the hell is going on between me and my woman. Fuck, I don't know what's going on. All I know is if I don't give my all to this, she's going to rush off and do something stupid. I can't allow it. I can't." I don't want him to hear the desperation in my voice, but there's no real disguising it.

Leo's eyes pop back to mine. "So it's official, you're claiming her?"

"Yeah, that's my ol' lady." I don't hesitate.

"Then I'll back you up on this." Leo nods his head. "In case you forgot, it wasn't that long ago Nisa pulled us all into a mess. You all stood by my side, and if this woman means as much to you as Nisa means to me, then I know you don't really have a choice but to at least see it through."

I sit back, shocked. This took a turn. Who would've thought just admitting that I was taking an ol' lady would be the straw that broke the camel's back for Leo? He really is getting soft on us.

"Brother, thank you." I glance down at my watch and see it's nearly ten at night. I don't have time to let Sienna know I'm on my way. I want to get there before things get too crazy.

"We have to leave now, don't we?" Leo asks.

"Yeah." I nod and get up out of my seat. Leo does the same.

We walk out of the church, and there are a few members just waiting in the wings. No one knows what's going on, but it's obvious that something is.

"Chrome Creed, let's ride," Leo barks, and all at once, without asking any questions, all the patched members rush to get outside.

"Prospects, you stay and keep watch here," Leo commands, and the prospects all nod their heads in acceptance.

I don't bother to get any of my weapons. I have one stashed in the saddlebag on my bike. I'm hoping I won't need it, but even if I do, I'll be prepared.

As we are making our way to the address Sienna gave me, I realize that I haven't heard from her all night. It's not like I need her to check in all the time, but something about her not calling me to find out if I was able to go to the party causes a knot to form in my gut.

The group of us blaze through the streets, taking every shortcut known to man to get to this party before anything tragic happens. When we pull up to the block, it's clear that something big is going on. There are a few ladies walking away, some of them a little more drunk than they should be, but they are walking either with other girls or on their own. None of them look to be in distress.

We get to the front of a large brownstone house, and every window is lit up from the inside. Christmas decorations are scattered across the front porch, and pop Christmas music is streaming through the window. We can't sit out here. Someone is bound to see us.

"Go around back," Leo calls out, basically reading my mind. The group of us drives through the alleyway and gets to the back of the brownstone. There are a few cars parked in a small lot, and I see two people walking toward them: a man and a woman in a tight silver dress with long red hair.

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