Page 62 of Vengeful Mates

Aaliyah’s warning to cool off hit me with force.“Focus on getting through the run and training the new men. We’ll deal with the rest later.”

I still felt the imprint of her hand on my chest, and I rubbed at the spot where she touched me, seeking her warmth and comfort. Hell, to give her relief since she felt unwell today. Life, especially this one, wasn’t all fucking rainbows and unicorns, no matter how much Mia wanted it to be.

Needing to calm down, I sucked in a long breath of country air, savoring it before we hit the big smoke in Sydney, where car and industrial smog clogged the air.

Fuck, I loved the open road. Missed its rugged beauty, fierce wind, and brutal wilderness.

The club hadn’t been for a big ride in so long. Almost a year now. We had the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride coming up in a month, but that was a one-day event. My men needed a few days ride to reset after all the trouble. Once we handed over the reins of running Pharaoh to Dash’s men, I’d plan something big for the boys. Maybe a ride southeast to the coast to spend time at the beach. Meet Aaliyah and Mia at my beach house for a weekend away.

Bumpy country road desperately in need of repair stretched out before us as we navigated our way through the back streets of the Lithgow Shire. Sheep munched on the dry paddock grass. On the side of the road, a crow pecked at a carcass of a dead animal. Rusted barbed wire fences almost collapsed as a cow scratched its neck on a post. More cattle shaded under trees or grazed.

The backroad route Alaric mapped out avoided traffic and the cops to get us to our new distributor. Packing and delivery wouldn’t be our responsibility anymore once Dash and his men took over. Or if we found another man to replace Joey, our previous transport man, who fucking Danny Heller iced and left for us to find sliced up in his freezer... or maybe it was that cocksucker Colton who did the honors.

Searches thus far for a replacement distribution company turned up empty. Word on the street right now said we were too hot. Untouchable, and no one in his right mind would work for us.

Beside the hitch with Dash’s mate, all went according to plan for the run thus far, and I held onto that. By all accounts, the police were kept busy with the illegal street drag race, bomb threat, and two fake car accidents we set in motion. We didn’t wear any leather to identify the club, and dressed clothing in jackets, gloves, and helmets with brand names on them.

I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, though. Anything could happen with the cops and after all the bullshit they dragged us through, I wouldn’t put it past them to make a last-ditch effort to screw us over.Let ‘em. In the middle of nowhere, no one heard them scream, and with Zethan’s help, no one would find their bodies. Set and I were more than ready for a good murder spree.

Fuck. Cling to the positives. Castor found a new manufacturer for Pharaoh, who we contracted to make our product twenty percent cheaper. More profit for the club and to pay the Lithgow chapter for taking on the risk of delivery until we found a suitable logistics arrangement.

I glanced over at the man riding next to me. Arden, the sergeant in arms. Ryda, the road captain, rode up front to steer the delivery and protect his men. Beau, the enforcer, kept pace beside his president to shield him if shit went wrong. Alaric soared in the air above us, scanning for threats and warning us of potential hiccups we didn’t predict. Should anything go wrong, he would alert me on our bond.

We got about an hour into our trip when I received a pulse from my road captain, clueing me in on a problem. I responded immediately with a tug for him to land and report back.

Arm raised, I flashed the sign for the crew to pull over. Focused on the road ahead and avoiding potholes, they weren’t watching, prompting me to speed up my bike, weaving up around the front of the truck. I communicated the practiced hand signals to Dash and his road captain. Meaning: pull over. They slowed, forcing Dash’s father’s truck to brake, and we rolled into the side road, cutting our engines and removing our helmets.

Alaric landed moments later, transforming back to his human skin, naked and breathing hard. The others didn’t bat an eyelid at his lack of clothes. Normal for shifters. Thank fuck we got lucky with meeting them at the Bathurst races.

I let him catch his breath for a moment. He hadn’t been on a long flight like this in a while, and I worried he wouldn’t make the distance. As a precaution, I stashed a spare change of clothes and boots in my side cart in case he needed to ride back with me. I didn’t give a fuck about him riding bitch with me. Anyone with a problem with two men riding together could go fuck themselves.

“I spotted two undercover cop cars,” Alaric panted.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

Just what we needed. How the fuck did they find us with all the distractions? Some cunt must have snitched to them. Another fucking traitor among our ranks inside the club or out.

“What makes you certain?” I glared at Dash for questioning my road captain when I trusted Alaric’s judgment since he never let us down before.

“They’ve been trailing the truck for twenty minutes without turning off.” Alaric counted off the evidence on his fingers. “When I swooped lower for a better look, I caught their equipment. Two-way and long-range radios, laptop hooked into a stand, lights, antennas, and the drivers and passengers carried guns in holsters.”

Despite my annoyance, I clapped Alaric on the shoulder for his thorough investigation. “What do you recommend?”

Dash scowled at me.

“Shit. Force of habit.” I raised my palms. “This is your call, Dash.”

Dash nodded his appreciation. He scratched his stubble, thinking over his strategy. Air trapped in my lungs, waiting for him to give the order, really test what he was made of. Because we might be forced to take out these cops.

“How far behind are they?” he asked Alaric. “Can we outrun them?”

“A mile behind,” Alaric replied. “They’re watching you with drones.”

“Motherfuckers.” I set fire to the grass along the side of the road, the intense heat instantly turning it black, then to ash.

Dash glanced at his enforcer but kept his cool under pressure.

Cravings for nicotine screamed in my blood, and I rolled a cigarette to provide my body with smoke, fire, and tobacco.

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