Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Carnage: I really do try to steer clear of trouble, but when a frightened woman with two kids flags us down on the road, I can’t leave them to face their fate alone. I know I’m bringing trouble home with us, all the way back to Kentucky and the very heart of my club. One thing’s for sure — I have questions that need answers. I promised Calliope I’ll never let anyone separate her from her boys, and I mean to stand by that promise. There’s no way I’m letting anyone take what’s mine. Carnage isn’t just a name. It’s what follows in my wake when people get in my way.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Carnage
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as flying down a long stretch of highway on my bike. I enjoyed the feeling as much as I could during the run I was currently leading my club, Bones MC, on, coming back from Palm Beach, Florida to Somerset, Kentucky. I had to be focused, but it didn’t keep me from enjoying life.
Bones had a group of twelve bikers on this run. At least half had ol’ ladies with us, which was a fight. I don’t like women riding this long with us. The run was close to sixteen hours, which we’d had to break down into two legs. I’d have preferred three, but Cain had given me the stink eye. Anyone other than Cain, and I’d have told them to suck it up. Surprisingly, the women complained about having to stop more often than not. They’d turned out to be stouter than I’d given them credit for. I still insisted on stopping every three hours, though, even if it was only ten minutes or so.
The trip had been wonderful for everyone, and the ride completely uneventful. I’d mapped out the route to keep out of other club’s territory and had made sure to stick to the main traffic thoroughfares when entering a county where local law enforcement wasn’t exactly friendly to MCs. Everything had gone smoothly. Until the last two hours.
No matter what route we took, no matter how slow or fast I led the run, there was a small Ford Fusion tailing us. I’d nearly missed it behind Tool’s bigass chase vehicle. The mechanic had a massive Ford F350 with a gooseneck trailer that carried everything we could need if anyone broke down. But the Ford was there. Blue. Driving safely, but still tailing us.
It was time to make everyone aware. Well, everyone other than the ol’ ladies. No reason to worry the women.
I keyed the mic on my helmet’s headset. “I need everyone’s attention,” I said. “Tool. You got a blue Fusion on your six.”
“Yeah. Picked it up after the last stop. Think there’s a girl drivin’. Male passenger. Not sure but I think there’s kids in the back.”
“So, harmless?” Sword didn’t sound convinced. I wasn’t sure he was wrong. Something was definitely pinging my radar.
“Tool, they made any move like they wanted to pass?”
“Hard to say, Carnage. I get the feeling the guy wants the girl to go around, but she’s refusing. They argue when he’s awake. Not sure if that’s the reason or not. She meets my gaze in the mirror when I slow down, though. Looks more than a little stressed.”
“Well, that’s not a red flag or anything,” Bohannon muttered.
Bohannon was the enforcer of Bones while Sword was his backup. I always welcomed advice from the enforcers, but final say on anything during a run fell to me. The road captain. Cain was the president of Bones MC. Torpedo the vice president. Though both had a say, they would defer to me on a run because I had the plan. I knew the layout of the land and had chosen the route specifically with all aspects of their surroundings in mind.
“She tryin’ to communicate with you in any way?” Cain asked. “Not that she reasonably could.”
“No…” Tool trailed off, but offered nothing else. “She turned on her blinker a time or two, but didn’t make a move to pull off the interstate.”
“Maybe she wants us to make a stop?” That from Bohannon.
I thought for a minute. “Yeah. It’s time anyway. We’ll pull off at exit eighty-seven. There should be a minimart with gas just off the exit on the right. That’s two miles down the road. See if you can get her to understand that.”
“And if it’s an ambush?”
Bohannon had a valid point, but I didn’t think so. “Then be ready to defend yourselves against however many can reasonably fit inside a fucking small-ass Fusion.”
It was a moment before we passed the sign that had the symbols for the main interests at the exit, then Tool came back on the radio. “I gave three separate right turn signals, and she flashed her brights at me. The man in the car appears to be asleep.”
“Copy that,” I acknowledged. “Everyone, prepare for a stop. We’ll let her make the first move.”
* * *
Calliope
My heart pounded. I glanced back at the boys, hoping they knew to stay quiet. My boyfriend, Mark, was asleep in the passenger seat, thankfully. He hadn’t wanted to make any stops, but not taking a break every few hours wasn’t an option with twin eight-year-olds in the car. The boys looked at me but didn’t make a sound. Just one more reason I knew I was doing the right thing.
As the group of motorcycles pulled off the exit, I followed, hoping and praying Mark would stay asleep until I had the boys safely out of the car. He was less likely to get violent in front of people than he was at home. Or wherever it was he was taking us. What I was getting ready to do was a huge risk, but staying in my current situation with Mark was going to have a deadly outcome. I might not know these guys personally, but I was in a hell of a mess.