Reign (The Henchmen MC 1)

“Can someone stop talking in weird badass 'we don't need to use complete sentences' lingo and tell me what is going on?” Summer asked, her voice strong if not with a hint of fear in it.

Cash looked over, his features softening. “Heya sweetheart,” he started, giving her a small smile. “For some reason, V is sniffing around The Henchmen. And if he has a hunch on some chick he values in the millions, well he ain't gonna give up on it. So we got to move you out of here. There's no protection.”

To her credit, she didn't freak. She barely even winced. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the club,” I told her.

Then she freaked. Her voice got high and almost squeaky. “To the club?” she repeated. “Didn't he just say that the cops were snooping around? What's to stop them from going to get a warrant and doing some real snooping and finding me there? Or from V just charging in there looking for me?”

“First,” I said, my voice calm. “Probable cause is what is stopping them. They don't even technically have a missing persons report.” Which, speaking of, was something I hadn't considered before. Why wasn't there a missing person's report? Richard Lyon should have filed one. No matter what bullshit V fed him about not involving the cops. Good, upstanding citizens called the cops.

“And the part about V not charging in?” Summer persisted.

“No one charges into the compound,” was my answer.

“That's it? That's all you got? No one's done it before so no one would try? Pardon me, but that is an asinine reason and you know it.”

“You want protection? You stay with me. V might be a criminal, but he doesn't start a war by charging into someone's territory because he thinks something. He gets information first. And he ain't gonna get shit from us,” I said, shrugging. “So pack your shit and be ready in twenty.” She glared at me, arms crossed over her chest. “Fucking now, Summer.”

Her eyes lowered, but she went to do what she was told.

“She's not wrong,” Cash reasoned.

“I know that, but the compound is safer than here is at present. Not saying we're staying there.”

“You want me to call Wolf? Get him to get here with the truck?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. Though having to explain to him how I managed to keep my personal house from him all these years was not going to be fun. Or why we were sneaking a bitch into the compound for that matter. And why that bitch had her face plastered all over (fake) missing persons reports.ThirteenSummerIt was a stupid plan. A supremely stupid plan and he knew it and Cash knew it and I damn well knew it so I couldn't understand why we were all going along with it. Well, okay. I had very little choice. I didn't even have shoes for god's sake. And V was looking for me everywhere. A redheaded woman walking down the street wouldn't exactly go unnoticed.

So I had to go.

But why they were bringing me there, yeah, that made no sense whatsoever.

I grabbed the stuff off the floor in the bedroom, looking over at the gun, then pulling out the magazine and tucking that and the gun into a sweater that I rolled up. He had a whole arsenal. He wouldn't miss it. Besides, if there came a time when I couldn't tolerate their reckless stupidity and needed to take off on my own, having some kind of weapon would be a major asset.

I dragged everything into the bathroom, piling it into the shopping bags Cash had dropped off.

There was the sound of a car outside that had my heart spasming in my chest as I grabbed my bags. The front door opened and closed. And then there were three voices. Three.

Creeping over to the door, I pressed my ear against it, trying to see if the voices were raised or anything. Hearing only calm, deep tones, I opened the door and stepped out.

And then there was a giant hulking mass of man standing between Reign and Cash, somehow managing to almost dwarf them with his size. And given that they were both their own tall piles of muscle, that was saying something.

The new guy was solid. As in... I was pretty sure he could pick up a truck like it weighed nothing more than a Matchbox. He had his hair in an undercut which was surprisingly fashion forward for a biker, and a long but groomed beard.

His eyes shifted, as if he had sensed my presence, and I was pinned under the intensity I saw there. Not just because they were a pretty honey color that I had never seen in person before, but because they seemed almost... empty. But in a different way than Martin's were empty. A haunted kind of empty.

“This is Wolf,” Reign informed me, nodding to the guy who was still pinning me with his gaze. Seriously. I wasn't sure I could move forward if he didn't look away.

I swallowed hard against the dryness in my throat. “Ah... hi... Wolf.” Who the hell was named Wolf? Seriously. That was not a name. Then again, neither was Reign. Or Cash for that matter. Were they even their real names? Oh, god... did I not know the real names of the men I was entrusting my life to?

“Woman,” Wolf said, nodding at me, then looking away.

Woman? Woman? Did people actually greet other people like that? Was I supposed to just nod by head at bikers and say “man”? Seriously. Who taught them how to...

“Summer,” Reign said, his voice frustrated like maybe he had called me more than once. Which was a possibility.

“What?”

“Gonna get your ass over here so we can go or what?”

“Well since you asked so nicely,” I said dryly, moving toward them.

“Wolf is gonna take you in his truck.” Oh, great. That was just wonderful. “He's got blackouts but you're gonna lay on the floor of the backseat.”

“Seriously?” I asked, my brow shooting up. “Why not just throw me in the trunk like a corpse?”