Rachet looked her and Ryder over. His arm was around her, steaking his claim and she had hers wrapped around his waist. “Yeah—you got him all right, Honey,” Rachet assessed. “And from the looks of things, he’s not unhappy about being run down by you, Tatum.” She made a cute little “humphing” noise that made them all laugh and Ryder couldn’t help himself. He pulled her against his body and kissed her, loving the way she slapped at his chest. He didn’t care if she was embarrassed that he kissed her in front of her brother and the guys. When he was around her, he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
He broke their kiss and smiled down at her, “Rachet’s not wrong, Baby,” he agreed. “I’m pretty damn happy you ran me down with your hot little sports car.”
“God,” Hart grumbled, “can you two give it a fucking break?”
Ryder chuckled and held out his broken leg. “Your word choice is shitty, but I see where your sister gets it from now, man.” Tatum laughed and slapped at his arm.
“I’ve gotten better at not saying certain words—like broke,” she protested.
“Sure, Honey,” Ryder agreed, gently kissing her cheek. Hart groaned again and he shot him a smile. “Get used to it man, your sister and I are together and that’s not going to change.” He hadn’t made any promises or declarations to Tatum but he wanted to. It was time he started cluing everyone in on how he felt about her.
“It’s not?” Tatum questioned. She looked up at him and he couldn’t help but dip his head to kiss her again.
“Nope,” he breathed against her lips.
“As romantic as this shit is,” Hart said. “We have a big problem and I’m afraid that you’re in the middle of it, Sis.”
“Me?” she asked.
“Yes,” Hart said. “I’m so sorry, Tatum. It was my job to keep you safe since Pop died, and I’ve failed you.”
“Not true,” Tatum protested. “You’ve always been there for me, Jackson. Whenever I fucked up, I knew I could turn to you and you’d help me. You’ve been an awesome big brother,” she insisted.
“Not this last time,” he mumbled. “You came to me and I should have helped you instead of telling you to try to figure your shit out. It hasn’t been that long since we lost mom and I thought I was doing the right thing and making you figure things out. Instead, I pushed you right into Ryder’s life,” Hart said.
“I’m not complaining about it,” Ryder said.
“Honestly, Jackson,” Tatum said, “I’m not either. I’m so thankful that I met Ryder. I know this sounds crazy but you shoving me out of the nest and telling me to figure out my shit was actually a good thing. I’ve found a job that I love and got rid of an asshole roommate.” She made a face and Hart looked about ready to tear someone or something apart. Ryder knew that she hated her old roommate and even joked about him being willing to let her stay in exchange for sexual favors. He thought she was kidding but now, he wanted to tear the asshole apart for making her that offer. He felt bad for her old roommate when he heard about his run in with the Anarchy Kings beating the shit out of him, but not so much now. Right now, if the Anarchy Kings were coming for her, he’d be the one stepping up to protect her, and the sooner that Hart realized that the easier this would be.
“Y'all can discuss this later,” Savage said. “Right now, We need to fill you two in on what’s going on and come up with a plan—a damn good one.”
“I’m still trying to figure out who’s coming after me. We can get to the why part later. You keep saying Anarchy Kings and Dragons. Which is it?” Tatum asked.
“Both,” Savage said. “The Dragons are a charter or chapter of the Anarchy Kings. For example, I run Savage Hell’s MC and we’re a part of the Royal Bastards.”
“Oh—so it’s not just a bar name, it’s also your club’s name and you all have to answer to the Royal Bastards, is that right?” Tatum asked.
“Pretty much,” Savage said. “We’re a part of the Royal Bastards and we generally try to follow their rules. Same with the Dragons. They’re a part of the Anarchy Kings and after the trouble we had with the Dragon’s old Prez, Dante, the Anarchy Kings want revenge.”
Tatum turned to look at her brother, “I thought you said your friend was the new Prez of the Dragons. Why can’t you just ask him to explain that it’s all been a misunderstanding?”
Hart laughed, “First off, he’s not my friend. Outkast is the Dragon’s new Prez and he’s working undercover but not for me anymore. I lost touch with him when I left the force and opened my own private practice.” Ryder knew that his friend loved being able to own his security firm. He worked his ass off trying to save enough to get to this point and Hart was a damn good detective.
“We’re in the dark with what’s happening,” Savage said. “I can’t get Outkast to return any of my calls and I’m guessing that’s so he won’t have to fill me in on the Anarchy Kings coming for Hart.”
“Then, you’re not sure that they are coming for him. How do I fit into all of this?” Tatum asked.
“I’ve been getting threatening phone calls and texts and they all end with the same message.” Hart pulled his cell from his pocket and scrolled through his messages, finding the one he was looking for, he held it out for Tatum to look at.
“Since you took our merchandise, we’ll take your sister to help us restock,” Tatum said, reading the message out loud. Her gasp filled the bar and Ryder pulled her closer to his side.
“They’re human traffickers and they want to sell me,” she whispered as if putting everything together. “Shit.”
“It’s not going to happen, Baby,” Ryder assured. “They’ll never get their fucking hands on you; I won’t allow it.”
“Me either,” Hart promised. “That’s why I’ve called you here, Sis. I need to get you out of town until I can find Outkast to ask him what’s going on.”
“I’ve already sent some guys into his club and they say he’s MIA. I’m afraid something has happened to him and the Dragons figured out that he’s a nark,” Savage said. “If that’s the case, no one will help us. But for now, Hart’s plan is all we have. We find Outkast and hopefully, he can call off the Anarchy Kings.”