The rumble of bikes off in the distance alerted everyone to the Black Vultures' arrival. Nobody moved as we all watched three cycles enter the clearing.
The Black Vultures were a one-percenter club. Notorious for drugs, murder, rape, and everything in between. If it was dirty, those bastards had their hand in it. They didn’t play by anyone’s rules but their own, and they killed for the fun of it. There wasn’t a single member of that club that hadn’t done some form of hard time. The men were brutal, evil, and seriously sadistic. They were the scum of the biker community.
I watched as the three Vultures got off their bikes and walked over to Reaper and Moonshine. There were no pleasantries, no jokes, not even a hang shake.
Staying hidden behind the tree, I had a good view of what was going on, only I couldn’t hear what was being said. Looking up at Massacre, I whispered, “Everything okay?”
He nodded, never taking his eyes off our Prez.
“That’s Vain,” Slaughter said, coming up from behind me. “The one in the middle, don’t worry about him. He’s a pussy. The one you need to keep an eye on is Jekyll. He’s the big fucker with the scar on his face. He’s meaner than a rattlesnake.”
“He’s looking for someone.”
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
“Someone important,” Slaughter whispered, then said. “Best get ready. Meets like this don’t ever end well.”
With that, Slaughter disappeared into the mist, leaving me alone with Massacre once more.
Slaughter was right because, within minutes, several more Vultures walked out of the mist into the clearing. I watched as Reaper stepped back, slowly reached for his blades at his back. Moonshine stood firm, never taking his eyes from Vain.
“Fuck,” I groaned as the clearing erupted into chaos when Vain punched Moonshine in the face, causing a chain reaction. From both sides, men charged into the clearing, picking their targets, ready to kill. Making my way towards Reaper, who had already sliced and diced his first victim, turned to reap another soul.
It was a fucking blood bath as men pulled guns, knives, whatever weapon they preferred to get the job done. I had my guns out, shooting my way towards Reaper as a Vulture came up behind him, a gun pointed at his head.
“Reaper!”
I heard the report of a shot as the Vulture’s head exploded instantly. I turned towards the sound, only to see a black shadow quickly moving along the tree line as Jekyll ran after him.
By the time I reached Reaper, the fight was over as the remaining Vultures ran for cover, leaving their dead behind. Looking at the carnage around me, I wasn’t surprised to see my brothers still standing. Though Reaper was covered in blood from head to toe, he too was alive. As for the Tennessee chapter, all were standing, minus Moonshine, who was sitting on his ass, laughing. “Damn, that was fun. Someone help me up.”
A couple of the brothers helped their Prez to his feet as I approached Reaper. “How many?” He asked, staring off into nothing.
“Five of theirs. A few of ours will need to be stitched up, but that’s it.”
We left the dead where they lay, letting the vultures of the night have them. They weren’t ours, so they were not our responsibility. Reaper had yet to tell me what he learned or what the meet was about as we headed back to the compound. I knew something was weighing heavy on his mind, and though I wanted to help, all I could think about was seeing Ari. I needed to make sure she was safe. I had barely seen her today because Roxy claimed her the instant she was awake.
By the time we made it back to the compound, it was almost midnight. I was dog tired and still, a little bit hungover from the previous night. All I wanted was a warm bed, Ari underneath me, and a good night’s sleep.
Brothers came from all around to help the wounded as women rushed to their men. When Ari stepped out of the clubhouse, I grinned as she damn near ran to me, throwing her arms around my neck.
“You’re back!” she shouted, hugging me tightly. Laughing, I climbed off my bike, wrapping my arms around her. Hoisting her up, I wrapped her legs around my waist, kissing her deeply. My cock hardened instantly. God, I couldn’t wait to dip my dick into her warm heat. Carrying her towards the porch, I was greeted by Roxy, who looked sternly at me. “You wore my baby girl out last night.”
“Yes, ma’am, I did,” I grinned.
“You plannin’ on takin’ her back to Cali?”
“When this is all over, yes.”
Roxy sighed, reaching out to touch Ari’s hair and face. “I always wanted a baby girl.”
I stared at Roxy, and for the life of me, I had a hard time comprehending the look she was giving Ari. I’d never seen such love, such devotion, such compassion before from a woman who was basically a stranger to Ari. It was humbling and odd. Technically, Roxy just met Aariaani a day ago, and yet she was acting as if she’d known Ari her whole life, almost as if she birthed Ari herself. I didn’t claim to understand the dynamics of mother-daughter relations. My only experience was with Mia and Caroline, and though they got along most of the time, they still fought like banshees. Yet, Roxy was different. I could tell the woman genuinely cared for Ari.
“Take my girl inside, Ghost. I don’t want her catching a chill. She ain’t used to the mountain weather yet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”