Page 95 of Banshee
“He’s alive. If he weren’t, he’d be lying here in the dirt with these two bastards,” Cash said, kicking Pepper in the ribs to make sure he was dead.
“His bike is here too, which means this was opportunistic,” Gunner offered.
“What the fuck was he doing out here?” Blade asked.
“He must have seen someone at the bar. That’s the only reason he would take off,” Jack said.
“The stupid son of a bitch should have taken someone with him,” I grumbled. “Kytten, think you can ride his bike back to the clubhouse?”
She walked over to stand by Banshee’s bike. “No, it’s too tall for me.”
“She can ride mine,” Gunner said. “I’ll ride back on his.”
I cranked my head up to look at him. “How the fuck is she gonna ride your bike if she can’t ride his?”
Gunner smiled and winked at Kytten. “Because my bike is low to the ground, despite my height.”
I turned to look at Kytten, and she had a shit-eating grin on her face. “Oh yeah, I can ride his bike.”
She marched over to Gunner and held out her hand. He dropped his keys into her palm and growled, “Be fucking careful.”
“I know how to ride, dumbass.”
Despite the dire events of the evening, we all snickered at Kytten. Gunner hadn’t made the best first impression when Kytten thought he was threatening Haizley with a beating. The only thing he threatened his old lady with was a good fucking time.
Pun intended.
“Alright, let’s get back and wait for the call.”
“How do you know Skinner will call?” Colt asked.
I looked over Mimic’s shoulder at his old lady. “Because we have something he wants.”
Mimic followed my gaze to Indie and then turned back around and snarled, “Fuck no!”
“Mimic,” Indie warned.
“No! He can’t fucking have her.”
“He won’t have her. Banshee would kick my ass if I traded her life for his. But she’s the reason I know he’ll call. We need to get back to the clubhouse and figure out a plan for when he does.”
We mounted up, and one by one rolled down the highway toward home. I didn’t bother calling Dec. We were over the line in Sydney, and they had their own sheriff’s department. I left the dead assholes on the side of the road for the buzzards.
The ride home was as solemn as the ride out. Nav found Banshee’s phone in the dirt. We didn’t know what hadhappened, why he was there, or how many he’d been ambushed by.
Fucking nothing.
We pulled in through the gate, and Aspen rushed outside. I closed my eyes at the thought of telling her he was missing. They’d gotten close, living together on the ranch.
Aspen stood on the porch, her mother and sister beside her, as she looked over the men. When she got to me, I knew she saw the answer on my face before I could climb off my bike.
She was on the ground and moving quickly by the time I stood up.
“Where is he?”
“Aspen, I need you to take a breath.”
“I don’t want to take a breath, King. Where is he?”
