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Though Austen opens her mouth to speak, she’s cut off as the fire alarm sounds and sprinklers quickly drench us.
Regaining her focus as she tucks the second cat in a carrier, she explains, “I texted my mom. She’s sending help. Don’t panic.”
Glancing at my club sister, I gesture for her to go. We don’t have time to wait for the fire department to arrive. The assholes likely lit the outside on fire, too. I hear side windows shattering from the heat. I don’t know if this place will still be intact by the time the cavalry arrives.
Goose grabs Coco under the arm and tugs the blonde toward the back door. Austen finishes up with the cats and follows them. I squeeze past the women, so I can exit first.
I prepare for the pain of hot lead entering my body. In my head, I already see us dead. I can’t imagine how this ends any differently.
The alarm and sprinklers keep me from hearing anything. I can’t see well either, between my wet hair and the thick smoke filling the air. I step outside into the alley. Glancing to my left and right, I find no one.
Goose leads Austen and Coco outside. They’re also ready to be attacked, but the alley remains empty. Behind us, the fire alarm blares. Beyond it, I hear sirens and crackles of gunfire. Past all that noise, I detect the reassuring rumble of motorcycles.
Except I’m not in McMurdo Valley, and those bikers aren’t my family.
I slowly lead the women around the building to where chaos awaits us. I first spot more dead ranch hands. Then, I notice the guns pointed at us.
“Be cool,” I tell Goose and lean down to drop my weapon before these bikers drop us. Raising my voice, I announce, “Don’t fire. We’ve got Austen Halvorson here.”
“Yeah, we see that. Now, get your hands on the wall,” mutters a burly guy with a Ruger Super Redhawk trained on me.
Goose grudgingly sets her Glock on the ground and rests her hands on the wall of the smoldering veterinarian office.
“Bear, they’re cool,” Coco says, moving toward the half dozen bikers.
“Stay where you are,” barks a younger, blond asshole. “How do we know you’re not packing heat?”
A startled Coco stops in her tracks. The blond asshole chuckles as the other men smirk.
“You fucking dumbasses,” Coco grumbles and walks toward them. “Look at me, Golden. Do I seem like I want to be teased?”
“You look damn sexy all wet like that, Coco,” says another big, brown-haired guy who slides out of his vest long enough to tug free of his flannel shirt and hand it to her. “But cover up your wet tits. This is a family town.”
“Fuck you, Indigo,” she mutters while most of the men chuckle. “Bunch of assholes unable to read the room.”
Through all the teasing, Bear keeps his gun on Goose and me. I look at Austen who is staring at me.
“Who are the dead guys in the front?” Bear asks Austen.
“My father’s problems have spilled into my life,” she explains. “Did my mom send you?”
“She called Aunt Fred, and we were nearby. Zoot and Noble are on their way over to deal with the cops,” he explains in a rumbly voice while holstering his gun. “I’m assuming these two aren’t with the dead fucks in the front.”
“They’re with the Steel Berserkers Motorcycle Club,” she says and then adds, “From McMurdo Valley.”
“What does that have to do with your dad?”
“He’s in the next town over. Those dead men worked for him.”
“And they died in our town, why exactly?”
“Since they couldn’t get to Urick and my brothers, they came after me.”
“And these two are your heroes, huh?” Bear mutters and snaps his fingers at Goose and me. “You can turn around.”
“Aren’t you going to pat us down?” I ask while Goose snorts. “If out-of-town bikers showed up in our territory, we’d pat them down.”
“Well, we’re just extra trustful here, pal.”
