“Want to run that past us again?” I ask curiously. “Is someone fucking with you?”
“There have been strangers on the road recently,” he says slowly. “They’re outlaws that almost seem to be looking for something or someone. They ride past slowly and then continue on. I haven’t said or done anything about them because I knew you were headed out this way. I didn’t know Marie was pregnant though. That changes?—”
“Nothing,” I finish for him.
While Ryder is a club member, he lives about two hours away from the nearest chapter. People tend to come to him, not the other way around.
“If we see them, we’ll chase them out,” Storm confirms. “Have you pissed anyone off recently?”
“Nope,” Ryder shrugs. “They weren’t Anarchists though. Hold on. Maurice saw their patches.”
Ryder turns back, relaxing as he sees the man cleaning his hands.
“What about me, boss?” he asks.
“The patches from those bikers who aren’t from around here,” Ryder said. “Remember what club they belong to?”
“Reaping something,” Maurice sighs. “They aren’t sticking around long once one of us sees them.”
“Fuck,” I growl. “Those motherfuckers.”
“Friends of yours?” Ryder drawls.
“My brother has been having trouble with them, but I don’t know why they’re down this way,” I admit. “They’re from fucking Illinois. They have one damn chapter. I would be perfectly happy to drop a bomb on them and walk away so I can be done with them, but it’s a little complicated.”
“Does your brother know you’re not dead?” Ryder asks, waiting until Maurice is back in the garage before speaking.
“Yes,” I confirm, lips twitching. “I have a feeling I’ll be coming back from the dead very soon if the Marauders are doing shit like this. Storm, can you talk to Marie about this? Don’t scare her, just mention there’s been some road riff raff seen.”
“On it,” Storm says, his long legs eating up the distance between him and the vehicle.
“Take her up the same roads we went last time,” Ryder suggests.
“You mean up through the woods?” I ask, remembering how much fun that ride was.
“Yes. These Marauder assholes have no business being up that way,” he says. “It’ll help you know if they’re here for you or not. They also don’t know how fast the terrain can change.”
Fuck. My mind races as I start to connect the dots. It’s possible Toad told the Marauders about Marie when she was at the clubhouse.
Frowning at that possibility, I walk over to the vehicle.
“Is Marie changing?” I ask, not seeing her.
“She said she had to pee too,” Ransom chuckles.
Ah. Not surprising.
“I have reason to believe that we may have been followed to the Black Hills. Keep your head on a swivel while we're riding, and carry heavy.”
Ransom nods, pursing his lips as he digs in the gun storage box. Pulling out a sawn off shotgun, he drops his head back in thought as he takes a deep breath to center himself. “A thigh holster isn’t going to draw cleanly,” I remind him.
“That’s why I’m going to ask Ryder if he has one for the bike I can borrow. I wasn’t expecting a gun fight today,” he grunts. “Make sure everyone wears their goddamned leathers, Prez. I’m not cleaning out road rash that could be avoided.”
“I’m not?—”
“How is that air tasting?” Wilder grins, standing behind me. I’m talking to myself, as Ransom already walked off to leave me to handle shit.
“I’m not the goddamned President,” I finish, sighing. “It doesn’t ring true to me anymore now either. Motherfucker.”
