Page 60 of Royal Sons MC

"It is. Make sure nobody fucks with her and let everyone know she's under my protection." King reached back for Ayesha, hating the fear in her eyes. He'd take her with him if he could but leaving her with his brother was the next safest place. "Duke will see to your safety while I'm gone. We'll be radio silent until I have your sister safe. However, if Duke needs to contact me, he'll know how."

"I'll be fine." She straightened her spine. He was glad to see her lips were slightly swollen from his kisses.

"Come on, girl. Let's get out of here so they can hit the road. The faster they get there, the faster they can get back. Are you hungry?" Duke asked, stepping off the porch and waiting.

King touched Ayesha's back as they walked down the steps, eyeing the bikes lined up outside her house. If her late husband had people watching her house, they'd be getting an eyeful, or if Rico's gang were, they'd also be shocked at her company. Several Harleys sat with their back tires to the curb, engines idling with their riders straddling the bike, each man on point. King nodded at each man, letting him know he appreciated them.

"I'll ride your bike back and follow behind Stoner and the girl." Duke held the door to the pickup truck open, nodding toward the man called Stoner.

"What's up, King. This your girl?" Stoner asked, brushing invisible lint from the immaculate interior of the vehicle.

He was called Stoner not because he was always high but because his last name was Stone. Not that he hadn't liked getting high when he'd been younger, but he'd been clean since his best friend had jumped off a bridge and lived to tell about it. He'd said it had scared him straight.

"You treat her like she's my ole' lady, and you'll live to see another day, brother." King waited for Duke to put the bags in the back of the truck, unable to leave until he helped Ayesha settle onto the leather seat, buckling her seatbelt himself. Safety first and all that. Son of a bitch, he needed to put some space between them.

"I'll see you," he said, and then, because he couldn't help himself, he gave her a quick, hard kiss, stamping his ownership in front of his club.

"Be careful," she whispered.

King didn't answer, stepping away before he made himself look like a pussy and promised her he would.

"Let's roll," he called out, lifting his hand and swirling it to get the vehicles in motion. The longer they sat there, the more attention they drew. There was no need to announce to the entire West Coast that they were there.

"You got it bad," Traeger said.

He glared at his friend but didn't deny him. What it was about Ayesha, he didn't know. Yeah, she was hot, but there were lots of hot chicks in California. She was sweet and delicate, and he wanted to wreck her in the worst possible way. "Fuck, let's roll." He got into the SUV and climbed into the back seat. The next couple of hours would determine how the future panned out. If Tiana was relatively unharmed, he could see about him and Ayesha. He wouldn't classify what he wanted with her as dating. Shit, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually taken a woman on a date.

"Penny for your thoughts." Traeger tapped on the seat.

He was half tempted to ask the other man his input, but this wasn't Dr. Fucking Phil. "You work on a Plan B?" If there was one thing he knew his friend excelled at, other than weaponry, and that was planning.

Traeger's smile grew. "Is that how this is gonna go? I feel you, brother."

They went over possible scenarios for the rest of the trip, ensuring they had backup plans and Keys was on board with the house's layout. They often preferred to have more than twenty-four hours to prepare, but they were a tight team that worked well under pressure. By the time they got near the property, he and Traeger had moved from the SUV to the van so they could see what they'd be dealing with on a computer. They mapped out the route Keys thought would be best, set their watches to when he'd deactivated the alarms and waited.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Traeger asked.

King snorted, every bit as shocked to watch two women scale their way down the side of the mansion. He wondered whether their little escape made their rescue mission easier or harder. "Which one of them is our girl, Tiana?" he asked, the fading light making it hard to tell. One was taller, but both were dark-haired and slender. Fuck, this shit just became more complicated.

"The first girl looked like the one Keys gave us information on. I didn't recognize the other one. What do we do with her, boys?" Digger asked.

Traeger looked at the other man. "We grab 'em both and figure out what the fucks after."

They'd driven down with Digger and Coal, both men driving their cage vehicles. While the MC preferred their bikes when they went on a mission, they used what was needed. They usually required a cage or a rig on four wheels. Digger drove the lead SUV, a tricked-out armored Escalade that fit eight, while Coal drove a van that could hold a dozen and housed a state-of-the-art computer system.

"Sounds solid to me," Digger agreed.

"My facial recognition program says one of the females is the sister of the fuck who took the girl we're here to rescue, which by the way, it appears she's helping our target escape," Keys explained through the speaker system of their vehicle, letting them all in on what he'd found.

"We better move. I see movement on the upper floors. I think the fucks in question know their girl is missing." Traeger opened the door, moving before he'd finished speaking, blending into the waning night.

At times like these, King was grateful for the other man and his ability to blend into his surroundings. Although Traeger was a big son of a bitch like King, they both knew how to move quietly and with efficiency.

Traeger lifted his rifle, slinging it over his shoulder as he moved toward their targets. King followed, keeping his ears peeled for any indication that the men from inside had come out. Thanks to Keys, they had already disabled all the alarms inside and out, so even if the women inadvertently triggered one, none would go off.

HE AND TRAEGER MOVEDlike a team, both silent and deadly, each taking a route toward the women that was sure to intercept wherever they planned to go before they had a chance to get there. King motioned to Traeger to stay closer to the house, getting a nod of confirmation.

"I'm going to move forward, head off any trouble just in case there's any waiting for the women," Traeger said in a low voice to King.

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