Slowly, I turned to Caleb and the unlit cigarette he just kept rolling between his lips.
“You gonna light that thing or what?”
“Nah, man. Trying to quit.”
I frowned. “You’re trying to quit by sticking cigarettes in your mouth? That seems like a shitty way to quit.”
Landon snorted, shoving his finger through his mop of dark hair. “That’s what I keep telling him.”
But Caleb just grinned. “It’s all about temptation, my man. It’s about getting as close to that edge as you can and still being able to step back from it.”
I shook my head. “Whatever. Fine. Just ditch it or light it before we get to those cops. You look sketchy as fuck with it just sitting there unlit.”
Caleb raised a brow, glancing back at his buddy before he shrugged. “Alright man.” He pulled the cigarette from his lips and pushed it back into the pack.
“You done this before?”
I glanced at Landon. “Driven through a police checkpoint?”
“No. Driven through a checkpoint run by shady crooked cops.”
I shrugged. “Once or twice.”
Or about five hundred times. Back in the Lost Devils, I’d been one of the main drivers when we’d hauled illegal shit like guns up from Mexico to wherever it needed to go to get us paid. And trust me, I’d been through plenty of checkpoints - by regular cops, by crooked cops, border patrol, ATF, FBI, whatever. You name the agency, and I drove contraband under their noses without blinking or giving a fucking. Hell, my first run when I was a new pledge with the Lost Rider’s is how I got the name Stone, since I was “stone cold” going through that checkpoint, as Ryker put it.
The car two in front of us got waved through, and we pulled up another length.
Almost time.
I could spot crooked cops a mile away. And some of these ones here in the checkpoint? Yeah, they were just normal dudes doing their duty to bring home a paycheck. I didn’t hate cops or anything. Not even before during my outlaw days. Because shit, they were doing their job same as me. But crooked ones? The guys that played dirty and all that? Nah. No way.
The car in front of us got waved through, and I stepped on the gas, pulling us forward. Go time.
Suddenly though, the guy checking IDs turned, nodding at some new guy in a uniform with aviator sunglasses on. He stepped away, and this new guy took his place.
“License and registration.”
I nodded, handing them over. “No problem.”
The cop glanced at my ID and papers before handing them back. Slowly, he pulled a piece of paper out from behind him and stuck it in my face, and my heart clenched up.
…I was looking at a photograph of Jackie.
“Seen this woman?”
I frowned, my jaw clenched tight. The notes under her picture said “armed and considered dangerous,” and mentioned she was on the run with a child she’d stolen.
Motherfuckers.
“No sir,” I said evenly, shrugging. “Can’t say I have.”
The cop scowled behind his glasses, leaning down and stuffing the picture through my open window.
“Maybe take another look. How about you two, huh?” He growled at Caleb and Landon. “Seen her?”
“Nope.”
“Ditto.”
The man scowled even deeper, turning back to me.
“She’s a dangerous wanted fugitive.”
I smirked. “She looks terrifying, officer.”
Landon snickered in the backseat. The cop wasn’t amused.
“You think I’m fucking around? Now I’m gonna ask you one more goddamn time. And I want a real fucking honest answer.”
He jabbed his finger against Jackie’s picture.
“Have you seen her?”
My eyes narrowed. Okay, this guy was a dick, and this whole macho bad cop routine was starting to grate on me.
“No, officer. Like I said, I-”
My eyes landed on his name tag, and suddenly, I froze.
Officer Darrel Beane.
My eyes darted over to the patch on his shirt: “Salt Creek Police Department”.
…That’s where Jackie had come from.
And suddenly, every muscle in my body tensed. My jaw ground tight, and my eyes narrowed. I could feel my pulse roaring in my ears as I slowly dragged my glare higher, until I was looking him right in the eye.
Him.
This was the piece of human trash that had laid hands on Jackie. The man who’d smacked her around for years before she’s finally gotten away from him, only for him threaten to hit their kid. Only for him to shoot at her when she dared try and get her and her daughter further away from him.
Piece. Of. Fucking. Shit.
My hand started to move on its own, sliding down to the pocket in the driver’s side door and the gun I had stashed in there. My fingers found the butt of it, sliding around the handle as the cold fury burned through me.
Caleb’s hand landed hard on my shoulder, knocking me out of my furious trance. His fingers dug into me, yanking my attention away from Darrel to him, to him shaking his head, his eyes hard.
“Easy, man,” Landon growled from the back seat. “Fucking easy.”
I let my breath out, the blood still roaring in my ears, but my fingers letting go of the gun. I turned back to the piece of trash in uniform standing next to the SUV.
“Haven’t seen her.”
And if I see YOU again, I’m going to bury you.
“Hey, what was she driving?” Caleb suddenly leaned over me, nodding at the picture. “Shit, you know what? I may have seen her. She’s got a kid with her right? Yeah, man, I think I saw her at a diner over in Palmer, the other side of Salt Creek.”
Darrel’s mouth curled into a grin. “You did? Was a little girl with her?”
“Yep, that’s her alright,” Caleb nodded. “Saw her there not two hours ago.”
The glee on Darrel’s face made me want to knock his fucking teeth out right there.
“We done here, officer?”
“Move,” he growled, waving us through before whirling to some of the other cops standing behind him in Salt Creek PD uniforms and nodding.
I stepped on the gas, and drove on off.
“Not even a fucking thank you,” Landon muttered. “Douche.”
* * *
There was a long silence after I knocked on the door to room 3F at the Homestead Motel in Loggersville. I glanced around. This was a good place to hide out. Loggersville itself was off the main road, and it was almost like whoever owned the motel didn’t actually want guests. It was up this tiny side road with zero drive-by traffic, and in this heavily wooded area.
But hell, it was safe, that was for sure.
I knocked again, and this time, I heard the click of a hammer being drawn on a revolver. I grinned. Yeah, Jackie had warned me that her sister was packing.
“Kennedy, it’s Stone. Jackie sent me, and I know you’re expecting us.”
“Us?”
I glanced at Landon and Caleb who were hanging by the truck.
“Brought some backup in case we hit trouble on the way over here or on the way back to Blackthorn. How about you open this door and we can get moving.”
There was another pause before the lock finally clicked, and the door finally opened.
…The gun poked out first, leveled right at my chest.
Oh, this was definitely Jackie’s sister alright. Seems fiery sass ran in the family.
Kennedy stepped out, and yeah, she looked just like her damn sister. The same eyes. The same lips. The same curves and the same long legs. Different nose though, and her hair was auburn to Jackie’s dark black.
“You have any intention of hurting my sister?”
I frowned. “None. Ever.”
She chewed on her lip. “Have you laid a hand on her?”
“You really want to have that conversation?”
Kennedy blushed bright red. Yep, same blush too.
“Um, gros
s? I don’t need to hear that.”
I grinned. “Then don’t ask. But I’m never gonna hurt your sister, Kennedy. And I swear on whatever you hold dear that I’d die before letting someone else hurt her. Ever.”
Kennedy’s brow went up, and slowly, she smiled. “That works.”
“Can you put the gun down now?”
She grinned, lowering her arm. “Yeah, sorry.” She glanced past me, her eyes darting over the two guys who were even more tattooed than me leaning against the SUV.
“This your backup?”
“Landon, Caleb, meet Kennedy.” I frowned. “Where’s Brooke?”
Kennedy turned. “Brooke, honey, want to come out and meet your mom’s friend?”
Behind her, the motel room bathroom door opened, and the spitting image of Jackie walked out. I grinned at the mini-me version of her who stepped towards me, that exact same half suspicious half grinning look to her that her mom had.
Slowly, I dropped down, resting on the balls of my feet to be eye-level with her.
“You must be Brooke.”
She eyed me, half frowning, chewing on her bottom lip. Damn, she looked so much like her mom.
“Are you my mom’s friend?”
“Yeah, I am.” I smiled. “My name is Kyle, but a lot of people call me Stone.”
Brooke’s half scowl turned into a grin, and she giggled. “That’s a funny name.”
I chuckled. “It is, right? Well, you can call me Stone or Kyle, or whatever you want.”
“Can I call you fluffy?”
Caleb and Landon snickered behind me, but I didn’t even give them the satisfaction of turning.
“Hey, if that’s what you wanna call me,” I winked at her.
“Fluffy was our cat. But he’s dead.”
Kennedy sighed, putting a hand on Brooke’s head. “Brooke, honey, we need to get going so we can see your mom, okay?”
“Sorry to hear about Fluffy,” I frowned.
“That’s okay. He was old.” Brooke sighed. “Okay, you aren’t Fluffy anymore.”
“No? Shoot, I was starting to like that name.”
Brooke grinned at me. “I’m going to call you Stone too.”
“Works for me. Want to get out of here?”
“Yes, this place is boring.”
“Well what about that movie marathon I heard you got to watch with your aunt here?”
Brooke’s eyes went a little wide, and she quickly shook her head. “Sharks are scary.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” I grinned.
Brooke’s eyes dropped to my arms, and the tattoo ink there. “You’ve got a lot of tattoos.”
“Yeah.”
“Did they hurt?”
I shook my head. “Nah, not really.”
“Can you give me one?”
“Brooke,” Kennedy sighed.
I grinned. “You want one?” I nodded at Landon and Caleb behind me. “You know, these two guys can give you one. They’re real pros.”
Brooke’s eyes lit up. “Wait, really?! Can I get one!”
Caleb shrugged. “Sure, darlin’. I’ve got my kit right here in the-”
“You come anywhere near her with a needle…” Kennedy’s hand curled around the gun, her eyes narrowing at the two tattooist behind me.
Landon chuckled. “Do we look like psychopaths?”
“A little.”
I laughed standing. “Relax, no one’s going to tattoo anyone right now.”
“Awwww” Brooke pouted.
“Hey, you want to get out of here and go see your mom?”
Her frown turned into a huge grin, and she nodded.
“Need any help packing up?”
Kennedy shook her head. “Nope. One bag, and we’re ready.”
“Good,” I nodded, turning and glancing around at the darkening afternoon. “We’re taking as many back roads as we can to get back and avoid the roadblocks, but if we hit one, we might have to move fast.
Kennedy swallowed. “Jackie trusts you, doesn’t she.”
“I hope so.”
“She does,” she smiled. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here getting us.” She took a deep breath. “Alright, then I trust you too.”
She turned, grabbing a duffel bag and slinging it over her shoulder.
“Shall we?”
I grinned, turning to look back down at Brooke. “You ready?”
“Can I ride up front?”
“Would your mom say yes?”
“I sincerely doubt-”
“If I wear a seatbelt,” Brooke blurted out, cutting Kennedy off. She grinned sheepishly at her aunt who sighed, arched her brow.
“Only if you wear a seatbelt.”
Brooke beamed.
“Guess that means you can ride in back with us,” Caleb grinned, winking at Kennedy as he pushed a hand through his hair.
She blushed, frowning to cover it. “Do they have their shots?”
I chuckled. “C’mon, kiddo. Let’s go find your mom.”
13
Jackie
Damn it was good to hold her again. The second I had Brooke back in my arms, it was like I never wanted to let her go. Ever. It was like a piece of me had been brought back to me, and Stone had been the one to do it. He’d been the one to bring me back the missing piece of my heart.
“Did you have fun with auntie Kennedy?”
Brooke nodded against me, her small arms wrapped tight around me.
“Yeah, but mom?”
“Yeah sweetie?”
“I don’t want to go swimming in the ocean.”
I glared at Kennedy, who winced while mouthing what did look like a pretty sincere “sorry”.
“That’s okay baby, you don’t have to go into the ocean if you don’t want to.”
Brooke turned and looked over at Stone, who was talking quietly in his kitchen with Caleb and Landon - the two guys from the shop who’d gone with him to get my sister and my daughter.
“Mr. Stone?”
He turned away from the hushed conversation, the hard shadow on his face instantly melting into a smile.
“Yeah kiddo?”
Brooke slid out of my arms and walked over to him. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Anything.” Stone squatted down on the balls of his feet in front of Brooke.
“Are there sharks on this mountain?”
“Well, there were.” He turned, winking at me before he turned back to Brooke. “But I scared them off.”
“All of them?”
“Every single one of them-”
Stone startled as Brooke suddenly flung her arms around him, hugging him tight.
“Thanks, Stone.”
“Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.”
I watched the big, rough, tattooed biker hug my daughter back, holding her so protectively and so warmly. And damn, yep. There went my heart. Not to mention my ovaries, for that matter.
“Hey, kiddo, you want to go explore your room for the night??”
Brooke’s eyebrows raised. “My room?”
“Yep,” Stone winked at her, standing and messing up her hair a little. “Up those steps. The loft is all yours tonight.”
Her eyes lit up. “For real!?”
She turned to me, and I just smile. “Hey, if Stone says it’s alright.”
She squealed, hugging me and then Stone before she dashed for the stairs up to the loft. I watched her climb, turning back to see this warm look on Stone’s face I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen before. But slowly, his smile faded as a shadow crept back over his face.
“I just got off the phone with Axe,” he growled quietly. “Someone tipped them off about the motel.”
Kennedy swore under her breath.
“Looks like those road blocks finally worked,” Stone muttered. “Which means they know about the van, and they’ll be looking for that.”
Fear lanced through me, and I didn’t even realize I was fretting with my hands until Stone took them in his, holding them tightly and
letting the heat of his strong hands melt into them.
“There’s no damn way your ex is going to find you here, darlin’,” he said quietly, his deep baritone voice rumbling through me and washing over me like this comforting force. “You or Brooke.”
Caleb cleared his throat, bringing a tattooed hand up and raking his fingers over his chiseled jaw.
“You want us to stick around?”
Stone shook his head. “No, but thanks.”
“You sure?” Landon glanced around, eyeing me, then Kennedy, before nodding up at the loft. “You’ve got a lot here to protect by yourself.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Um, yeah, not every woman is a damsel in distress you know.” She glared at Landon. “I can handle myself.”
“Yeah but wouldn’t it be more fun if someone helped you handle yourself?”
Caleb winked, and God, even I blushed alongside Kennedy.
“Easy,” Stone growled, shaking his head. “And here I thought you two were housebroken.”
“Some of the time.” Caleb sighed. “Alright, we’re going.”
“Hey, you can do me one favor though.”
Landon arched a brow as Stone grinned at the two of them.
“Drive that damn van as far from Blackthorn as you can?”
Landon chuckled. “You got it man.” He turned to Kennedy. “Feel like a road trip?”
“Feel like my boot up your ass?”
He laughed, grinning that extremely roguish and charming but also a little edgy smile at my sister, who just blushed even redder and glared right back at him and his friend.
Caleb clapped Stone on the shoulder before grabbing Landon and heading for the door.
“Be safe, man,” he called over his shoulder before they stepped back out into the night.
“Your friends are disgusting, Stone,” Kennedy muttered.
I grinned. “Oh, yeah, tattoos and muscles and charming smiles and gorgeous eyes are so gross, huh Kennedy?”