Hard Ride (Filthy Dirty Desires)

Dan West has been in the store all morning, and well into the afternoon, making sure things are running up to speed.

He’s been a complete gentleman, and I’m excited to work for him. He has expansion plans and wants to open more stores across Nevada.

This could turn into a promotion in a few years. He mentioned I could be a divisional manager in the future.

On my way to the stockroom, I wave at Dan as I pass him in his new office.

“The shipment just came in,” Hank, an older employee, tells me.

“Thanks.” I make my way to the back of the store to sign for the shipment. The driver isn’t waiting for me, so I slip through the employee door that leads to the loading dock and stop cold in my tracks.

“Put the boxes near the front of the truck. We can hide most of the AKs with the canned goods. Once it gets to where it’s going, they’ll know what to do with it,” a man with a deep voice says.

“We just need to make sure the guns make it across the border without a hitch,” another deep voice says.

“They will. Dan assured us this plan is foolproof.” The man laughs. “No one’s even onto us.”

Both men laugh and I try to peek around the corner.

AKs? As in guns?

Chills race down my spine. Dan West is using this grocery store as his front to ship guns across the border. I need to tell my father. I need to tell Silas.

I need evidence. Right now, all I have is my word, which should be enough, but it’s not enough to build a case in the legal system.

“We just have to get it to the Golden Snakes, and they’ll help get the guns over the border,” the deeper voice says.

“Through Arizona?”

“Yeah.”

Golden Snakes? I’ve heard of them from my dad. They’re a Mexican motorcycle club based in Las Vegas. I remember my father speaking about them a long time ago. They are true criminals. Men so bad, even the jails spit them out, hoping they’ll leave. Usually, they stick to Vegas, never venturing into our small town.

I pull out my phone, pressing the record button so I can get this all on video.

“Can I help you with something, Miss Hutton?”

Blood pumps in my ears as I whirl around and my eyes crash into Dan West’s. “I, uh, just needed to check my messages.” I tap at my phone, getting into the messenger app.

“I don’t think so.” He snatches the phone from my hands. “I know what you were doing. If my men had kept their mouths shut like they were supposed to, you’d be fine.” His voice is like venom, and I wonder what he means about me being fine.

Is he going to kill me?

He grabs my wrist, flinging me around the corner where his two men stand next to a semi filled with large wooden crates.

“Help me get her into the truck,” Dan says to his men. “If you two would have kept your fucking mouths shut, we wouldn’t be having this problem.”

“No, please,” I stop walking but he drags me with him. “No one has to know anything.” I try to free my hand, but his grip tightens.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

The two men step closer, one grabbing me by the ankles and the other grabbing my shoulders as they lift and toss me into the back of the semi.

As soon as I land on my ass, they shut the doors, locking me inside.

I slam my hand against the metal door, screaming out, telling them they can’t do this. I scream and scream as the semi’s engine roars to life.

Fuck this.

I search the crates, trying to find one of the guns. The semi pulls away, and I stumble but catch myself from falling.

Finally, I spot one of the guns, but of course, they’re not loaded.

That doesn’t mean I can’t use the butt of the gun as a weapon.

I sit near the door, waiting, biding my time until we get to wherever we’re going. There’s no way I’ll give up without a fight.

Seven

Betty

* * *

Life can’t get any better than this. Well, at least I don’t think it can.

“You’re way too pretty to be with him,” Dragon says.

I laugh. “That’s very nice. But it's not true.”

I came to their compound to meet Silas’s motorcycle members, and they’ve all been so friendly. At first, I was a bit nervous, not sure what I was getting myself into, or if they’d expect me to know their lingo, but now that I’ve met everyone, I’m happy Silas has these men in his life.

It’s obvious they are a brotherhood and protect each other at all costs. They’ve told me a little about the issue with the gun shipment, and I’m hoping this afternoon I can talk to my father before work.