I stroked his head. I didn’t need to ask what.
“We’re going to Amber tomorrow morning.”
I stopped stroking. It wasn’t a question. And it was more than a road trip. It was riding out to war.
A war that I was well and truly in the middle of. I found myself relieved that we could stop waiting, that this thickness would finally disappear from the air.
But then it hit me. A lot of other things were going to disappear before this was all over. A lot of other people.
I pulled Liam tighter to me. “Okay,” I whispered, kissing his head.
Driving into Amber was not what I expected. As the hub of a lot of the Sons of Templar publicity and from what I understood, one of the founding chapters, I expected the town to be rugged, lawless, just like the men that ran it.
I did not expect the quaint, seaside town that was like old America, pure, Mom and Pop stores lining the well-presented main street. Houses with yards tended perfectly. Not one chain fast food or coffee shop marred the backdrop of the town. Corporate America seemed to have forgotten to breeze through this place, snatching away everything original and special like it had with others of its kind. It reminded me of Castle Springs.
Locals looked up at the line of motorcycles with faint curiosity, most with some kind of familiarity, none of the contempt I would expect coming from the residents of a small and quiet town being invaded by bikers.
And that’s what it was, an invasion. Every single patched member and prospect from the charter were in formation, two vans and another SUV behind with Macy and the kids, and Linda, who I only knew of by reputation. We departed from the town proper and into a more industrial area.
The security around the clubhouse was much the same as in New Mexico. Tighter, if anything.
I found myself nervous riding up.
Never had I felt nervous while covering a story.
But I wasn’t covering a story anymore.
I was living it.
I was barely off the bike, Liam pulling my helmet off gently before I heard the thwack of heels against concrete and a throaty voice. “Well look what the surly biker dragged in.”
I grinned, turning.
Scarlett was smirking between Liam and me, looking very self-satisfied. Her hair was wild curls, she was wearing a black tube top, high waisted black leather pants and black booties with a six-inch heel. “I would say I’m surprised to see you here, but I’m not.” She winked at Liam.
A large man came up behind her, yanking her into his chest and kissing her neck. She melted. The strong, sassy woman melted. Which was understandable given the size of the arms around her and the man who was holding her.
He gave me chin lift then looked to Liam. “Church in five, brother.”
Liam put an arm around my waist. “Got it.”
The man everyone called Dwayne—for good reason—nuzzled Scarlett’s neck. “You wanna show me what you can do in five minutes?” he asked her.
She glared at him. “No, you want to show me what you can do in five minutes. Come back to me when you’ve got at least thirty.”
He grinned and kissed her full on the mouth with no mind of who was around. “Deal,” he murmured.
Liam squeezed my hip. “You good, babe?”
I nodded. Despite the fact I was in a biker compound which looked to be preparing for war, facing the prospect of losing Liam for a second time, I was good. Kind of.
He gave me a quick kiss, only slightly more appropriate than the one that had happened moments before.
“Take care of her,” he ordered Scarlett.
She rolled her eyes. “She can take care of herself. But I’ll hang out with her.”
We both watched the men walk away from us.
“So, should we get drunk?” Scarlett suggested.
“Definitely.”
We both watched a bright red convertible enter the parking lot.
“Perfect timing,” she said. “They have arrived.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jagger
“It’s no secret that this grudge originated in this charter,” Cade began, voice as cold as the expression on his face. He looked around the room, brothers from wall to wall, not even standing room left. Everyone listened to him. Everyone respected him. Despite the fact that his was one of the only clubs that had stopped running guns and earned legit.
For the most part.
Just because the Amber chapter didn’t earn from outside the law didn’t mean that they lived inside it. “You didn’t ask for this war, but it was brought to your door.” He focused on Hansen for a beat. “In some cases, it broke down your door, hit your clubs, destroyed them. I cannot make up for that. I will not ask you to fight a war that isn’t yours.”
“It’s ours,” Swiss cut in. “Anyone who harms a brother, who takes down a club, they’re our enemy. It’s our war. We’re with you.”