Outlaws’ Property (Property of Outlaw Sons MC #1)

25. Riot

25

RIOT

Jessica breathes softly against my chest, her arm thrown over me. Tex is on the other side, but Ghost went home at some point in the night. Fuck, who knew sharing Jessica would be so damn good? That it would feel so fucking right?

But am I being selfish?

She's just learning how to be her own person. I don’t want to stand in her way of exploring the world, and getting involved in the Outlaw Sons isn’t like joining a fucking tennis club. People would judge her for associating with a bunch of dirty bastards like us.

But when I see her sleeping in my bed, with the fading marks of our fingers on her skin, vulnerable and bare, there's nothing I want more than to make sure she stays here.

I glance at my phone. Six AM.

I've always been an early riser. It’s the perfect time to go for a run along the water when the weather is good, or hit the gym while it’s still empty.

Both our phones ding at once.

"What the fuck?" Tex mumbles, rolling over and reaching blindly for his cell.

Jessica grumbles sleepily when I push her arm away and sit up. Normally I’d let it wait, but both of us at the exact same time? It's probably important.

It's a text from Hellfire. " My office ASAP. Bring Jessica ."

Tex and I lock gazes. "Hellfire?"

"Yeah."

Jessica sits up, the blanket falling down around her waist and revealing a perfect set of tits. “What’s going on?”

"Message from Hellfire. He wants you there, too." I run my hand over Jessica's knee, loving the smooth texture of her soft skin. I can already feel myself responding, wishing we had time for another round.

She flushes pretty pink, likely thinking the same.

We split up, Tex going back to his room to change. I throw on clean clothes and walk Jessica back to Bonnie’s so she can do the same. I wait outside the apartment, and when Jessica comes out, she doesn’t look happy.

“Anne’s still upset.”

"Don’t blame her. She had to sit there and listen to her father talk about her like a fucking game piece. And then he picked you instead of her. I’d be pissed, too." I say as we head down the stairs and back to the church.

"I know. Victor’s never been much of a father. He leaves it to me and his girlfriend of the month to handle Jessica, but she always gets the best of everything because she’s his daughter. Anything less would make him look bad.”

"That sucks. I’ve always been close to my folks. They never really understood me, and there was never enough money or time to go around, but I always knew they loved me. Honestly, I was such a fucking pain the ass that if they didn’t, I’d probably have been out on the street as soon as I was old enough to get a job, like Tex.”

Jessica nods. “I don’t remember much about my parents, but I remember we were happy. My mom worked a lot, but sometimes when she was up late, we’d bake cookies together in the middle of the night and talk about everything.”

"All of us though, here in the club, we’re our own family. Ghost and Tex are my brothers in everything but blood. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them, and there's nothing they wouldn't do for me. Nothing we wouldn't share."

She smiles at that. "Like me?"

That gets a rumble outta me. "Yeah. Like you. Now let's see what's got Hellfire's panties in a bunch." I open the door and we step inside.

Tex beat us here, not surprisingly, and Ghost and Savage are waiting, too. They look up as we enter, their expressions grim.

"What's going on?" I let Jessica take the last chair and prop myself up against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest.

Hellfire turns his laptop around so we can all see the screen. "This just appeared when I opened up the computer this morning. No fucking idea how they did it, or how deep they got their fingers in our network, but it was here waiting for me."

"Kane?"

He shakes his head. "Maybe, maybe not. Read it."

On the screen is a big square of text.

I'm taking a risk reaching out to you, but I have too much to lose not to. When Victor’s people trace this message, I’m dead. Don’t let it be in vain.

Victor is just stalling for time. If you let him, Sgt. Cooper will never make it off the estate alive, and your whole club will be destroyed. I can help, but on one condition: Jessica goes free.

My reach is limited. You can’t contact me directly, but I’ve hacked several networks around the city. I want you to go to Sparkie’s Megastore on 5th and Long. 2AM tonight. Bring Jessica and I’ll reveal more.

PS, your security sucks, get a real IT person

"What the fuck? Who's this from?" I look at Hellfire, then at Jessica, like she should have the answer.

"That's what I’d like to fucking know," Hellfire growls, his eyebrows knit tight over his piercing eyes. He aims them at Jessica. "Is there anything else you’re keeping from us?"

"What? Nothing! I swear!" She looks as confused as we are. “I honestly don't know. You know my history. He’s never given me any reason to think I’m anything but a sick trophy to him, and it’s not like I have friends there other than Anne."

“Occam’s razor. The simplest reason is probably the correct one. It’s Kane, trying to lure us out. We already know he’s strangely obsessed with Jessica,” Ghost suggests.

Hellfire considers it and nods. “You’re probably right, but this doesn’t feel like him and the fastest way to find out is to follow the instructions.”

“And be ready for a trap,” I add.

"I don't like it," Hellfire says. "But we can’t ignore the possibility that it’s someone on the inside that has a grudge against their boss. We need to find out what the fuck's going on."

"And I want to go," Jessica says, her face a mask of determination. "I’ve been Victor’s prisoner for ten years. Why is everyone suddenly so interested in me?"

Me, Ghost and Tex exchange hard glances, then nod. If we're gonna do this, we're gonna keep her safe. And if any motherfucker gets in our way, we're gonna fucking bury them.