Page 108 of Hostile Saint

Once I was done, Jewel zipped it up then handed it to me, along with Lynx’s. “Safe travels, Saint.”

Downstairs, Lynx was speaking with Eagle. “Yeah, Diesel and they are already on their way to Kansas, grabbing us some rooms…”

Waiting for him to finish, I studied the wall that had framed pictures of a young man that I could’ve sworn looked just like Eagle. Just a much younger version. In one of the pictures, there was a gorgeous young woman sitting behind him on a motorcycle, both smiling away.

I didn’t even realize Lynx and Eagle had stopped talking until Eagle suddenly appeared next to me. “That was my son.”

I didn’t mean to take such a sharp intake of air, but the word ‘was’ was spoken with such sadness it almost choked me. “He’s gone.”

Never even having met the young man, I could almost feel I had by the way Eagle mourned him. “Yeah. Life can be so fucking cruel sometimes.” He exhaled and actually smiled while touching the female’s face through the glass. “And so fucking sweet it brings me to my knees, where some of us need to spend more time.”

Wow. There’s a heavy story there.

He gazed at me. “But I’m not telling you nothing you don’t already know, am I?”

Lacey… “No, sir.”

He dipped his chin. “Then power up to go face the cruel side, so you can hurry back to the sweetness.”

Barely any words. I had barely shared any words with Eagle, yet already knew he was a mean sonofabitch that was full of heart. It seemed all these bikers were that way. Totally not the scary persona that had been placed on them.

Fuck with them? You go down.

Befriend them? Have them for life.

Eagle threw his arm around Lynx as he started walking us toward the front door. “Elle breathing? Missin’ the hell out of ya?”

Lynx’s eyes drifted half-mast. “Good God, please don’t bring up her name or I may drive straight to Austin.”

“Don’t want her near this mess?”

Lynx sighed. “Nah. Gut says to keep the distance. I got a feelin’ we have more to discover.”

Eagle nodded in thought. “Yeah. This all smells more than a pile of Charlie’s shit.”

Charlie sniffed the bags I was carrying.

Lynx said, “I’ll conference call chapters involved on a secure line once I get some intel. Colorado, Kansas, and Austin are in this.”

“Hopefully, we won’t need more, but they’ll be there if we do.”

Outside, Vice was loading a couple of bags into the back of an SUV that had a falsely registered tag so that it wouldn’t be traced back to any Stallions. Grabbing the bags from me, he asked me, “How you hangin’ in there?”

I was scared. I was about to walk back into a cave that I knew was dark and full of hungry beasts. The only reason I could breathe through such a thought was that, this time, I wouldn’t be alone.

When I didn’t answer, Vice nodded. “I get it, kid.” He watched a blurred movement. “Hey!”

Dagger laughed as he approached with a small, loaded cooler. “What the fuck does Charlie think he’s doing?”

The dog was now inside the back of the SUV, his butt planted on my duffle bag.

Vice tried to pull him out, but Charlie growled. Vice warned, “I have a gun, fucker.”

Eagle was suddenly next to me, chuckling. “See? There’s the dickhead we know and love.” He clapped me on the back. “Looks like he’s your problem now.” He went to the dog and took off a collar that had a little box on it. “Now he can leave without getting zapped.”

Vice started griping immediately. “No, no, no. Please tell me we’re not traveling with this mutt.”

Eagle handed me a leash while replying to Vice, “Mutt? Not according to the full-bred fucking price tag I paid for him.”