October’s Ride with Atlas (Mustang mountain Riders #10)

2. Bex

CHAPTER 2

BEX

“Don't you burn that bread again, girl. I know you can cook better than that crap meal you served us the other night,” my dad says, not even a slight hint of teasing in his voice.

“We all know it's because you distracted her, Malice. Don't blame her for that one. Let her focus on the meal, and we will all eat well tonight,” Eight Ball says, trying to joke around.

He's always stood up for me against my dad, and I think it's because he's a bit sweet on me. I'm not really interested in him, but I appreciate it all the same.Thankfully, he hasn’t tried to make a move, so I haven’t had to turn him down.

My dad doesn't get to respond because there is a knock on the door.

“You expecting anyone?” Dad asks.

“No, everyone is here,” Meat says. They all draw their guns before moving toward the door.

I know to stay out of sight, so while they handle it, I go back into the kitchen and check on dinner.They hide me because they’re very protective of me. They explain it’s because the Mustang Mountain Riders have picked off the rest of the women from the club.

There is a bit of commotion, and then the door opens.

“What the fuck, Cade? You know better than to show up unannounced,” Dad growls.

“Well, I had a visitor at the station, and I'm pretty sure my phone is tapped, so I didn't want to risk it,” the sheriff says.

I freeze because that’s new information. Why would his phone be tapped? Did the Mustang Mountain Riders do it? I have questions, but I know better than to open my mouth. Women around the club are meant to be seen and not heard. I know my place.

“What do you mean your phone is tapped?” Meat asks.

“There have been some weird noises on the calls, some clicking and humming. So, I figure better safe than sorry,” the sheriff says.

“Damn. Who was this visitor you mentioned?” Dad asks, as he and the sheriff step into the kitchen. He grabs a beer for Sheriff Cade.

“Atlas showed up and asked me to pass a message on to you directly. Even mentioned you by name.”

“Wait. How the fuck does he know about me at all?” Dad growls.

I know Dad has worked hard to stay under the radar and work from the sidelines so we can spend more time together and catch up. Now he’s taking more of an active role in the club, but he’s still not out in public.

“He didn't say. My best guess is that your guys are getting a bit sloppy,” the Sheriff says, getting straight to the point.

By his tone, I sometimes get the feeling that Sheriff Cade doesn’t like some of the club guys. Though, he’s always worked well with my father.

“Shit. Well, what did he have to say?” Dad asks, grabbing his own beer.

“He said he knows you are in town and wants to meet to settle this once and for all,” Cade says.

That is when my dad starts laughing. Full on belly laughing in a way I haven't heard from him in a while. Sheriff Cade seems as confused as I am, judging by the way he looks over at me.

When Dad calms down and takes a deep breath, he looks at both of us and takes a swig of his beer.

“There is no way in hell I'm meeting with him. I plan to settle the score just like I promised him I would before he betrayed me and landed me in jail. There is nothing left but revenge,” Dad says, serious as can be.

“I get it. It's your call, but can you tell me what happened? I'm flying blind here,” Sheriff Cade says.

My dad studies Cade for a moment. I don't know what Dad did to get the sheriff on his side, but I know he's deciding if he can trust him. Dad has always been a good judge of character, and I think that is why Atlas's betrayal hit him harder than he wants to admit.

“We served in the Army together. Over the years, we managed to get stationed in three different locations and were deployed together many times. There was no one I trusted more with my six than him," Dad says as he takes another sip from his beer.

I've heard this story a few times, when he has brought several of the club guys into his inner circle.

“On our last deployment, we were talking about how it would be our last, how I couldn't wait to get home to my daughter, and what we'd do first when we were back stateside. Then, things started to get a little weird in the theater. It was like our positions were given away, we were being stalked by our own guys, and things would end up missing,” he says as I pull the bread from the oven, unburnt, because yes, I know how to cook.

“Well, I didn't know he was selling me out to take the fall. I ended up doing over six years in jail and got out early for good behavior,” Dad says.

“Honestly, I'd be pissed then too, ” Cade says.Again, his tone is a bit off, but I can’t tell why.

The part of the story my dad doesn't tell is that when he landed in jail, I was sent to live with my mom, who was more interested in her next fix than she was in being a mom. She went through guys so fast that most of them never stuck around long enough for me to learn their names.

There was one nice guy who took pity on me and had his sister take me out shopping for clothes. She taught me how to use a bra, shave my legs, and do all the things a mother should have done.

He really was a good guy, and he lasted a little longer than most of the others, but once he realized there was no “fixing" my mom, he was gone, too. By that point, I was able to make some money doing babysitting jobs, and could take care of myself.

So once my dad was out of jail and he found me, I was more than happy to leave my mom behind and follow him to Montana. He's made it fun, but sometimes I wonder if I traded in the devil I knew.

In the pursuit of getting even, I know my dad has crossed many lines. While we are close, he hasn’t divulged his end goal. What I know is he needs this to put it all behind him and move on.

Once dinner is ready, I set it up on the kitchen island. We eat buffet style, and everyone serves themselves. There is no big sit-down dinner, mostly because the guys are in and out all the time.

Actually, I like it now that Dad is taking a more active role in the club because we are around people more. It was getting kind of boring in the small cabin with just the two of us. Though I was glad to get to know my dad again and hear his stories, good and bad, from his military and jail time.

Once most everyone is done eating, I clean up the kitchen and put away the leftovers, making a few extra plates ready to warm up for those guys who haven’t been back yet.

“So, I'll tell Atlas no to his meeting?” Sheriff Cade says, as he gets ready to leave after dinner.

“Yeah, I'm definitely not meeting him on his terms. That is the quickest way to walk into an ambush,” my dad says and shows the sheriff out the door.

With nothing else to do, I head to my room and get ready for bed.I know to stay out of the way, especially at the end of the day when everyone starts to report to my dad.

Because this cabin is so far out in the middle of nowhere and there are no sounds except for nature, I have a hard time falling asleep. It's taken me a bit to identify each sound, but I let the sounds wash over me as my body relaxes into sleep.

When I hear a branch crack, I’m jarred into wakefulness. It is not a typical noise out here. Maybe it's just an animal walking around the tree line. Yeah, that has to be it. There are deer, wolves, and bears in these woods that could have made that rumbling. But are they coming out to feed now?

At least, that’s what I convince myself of as sleep takes over.

Until I'm jolted awake by some whispering and a thump. There is not enough light in my room to see what is going on, so I reach for the lamp on my nightstand.

“I don't think so, Princess,” a deep voice says before gently grabbing my hand and pulling it from the lamp.

When I open my mouth to scream, a cloth is placed over my mouth and nose with a firm hand over it. Even though I try to fight it, my muscles go limp and then everything goes black.