Helpless (Steel Demons MC #5) - Crystal Ash Page 0,16

topknot at his crown. "I didn't appreciate your men tying us up, nor you keeping us locked in a room for three days, but I understand your caution. And aside from that, you've been a very generous and hospitable host. So, I thank you and I’m sorry for my earlier remarks." He stuck his hand out and waited.

After a moment to collect myself from the surprise, I clasped his palm in mine and shook it firmly. Now there was another lesson in respect that Larkan could afford to learn.

"Apology accepted." I released Dyno's hand and crossed my arms as a thought came to me. "You got anywhere to be right now?"

"Ah, no." He looked puzzled. "Why?"

I jerked my head toward my rumbling steed in the garage. "Ride with me."

"Me?" He raised a hand to his chest. "You're sure, president?"

"I was gonna go alone to clear my head, but someone with a fresh perspective might be even better." I shrugged and turned toward my bike. "Come or not. S'up to you."

Five minutes later, I was roaring out the front gate with Hades at my side and Dyno right behind me. For a moment, I regretted not dragging Mari out with me. The sun was just starting to lower, casting long shadows and bathing everything in a golden light. The sky would explode into colors in a few short hours, before being swallowed by dusk.

I thought of how I woke up in bed that morning, the first thing I saw was her turning her hand over as she admired my ring.

"Still like it?" I had murmured groggily.

"Of course I do." She looked over at me with a sleepy smile. "I love it."

"Still love me?"

She pursed her lips together and her look became playfully stern. "What do you think?"

"I don't know." I pulled the sheet back and rolled over, tucking her beneath me where she fit so perfectly. "Tell me," I whispered, kissing my favorite spots to elicit those soft sighs and giggles. "Show me."

"I love you, Rory," she told me with the sweetest whimpers while we did serious damage to the headboard this morning.

It was hard to believe I'd have a lifetime of those mornings ahead of me. Plus a lifetime of sunset rides to take with her, my wife. As long as I found my club somewhere safe to resettle.

That last thought was sobering, like a face full of ice cold water. I leaned forward on my bike, accelerating hard, knowing Hades and Dyno would stay with me.

The three of us cut across the landscape, leaving a trail of dust behind. Originally I didn't have a destination in mind, but with Dyno joining, I led our small, merry band to my favorite place to think.

A half-hour of riding took us to a ridge overlooking what was once the Hopi Indian reservation. We cut our engines, the silence of the land swallowing the roars of our bikes. Dyno looked over the ridge, his foot on a boulder as I poured water for Hades from my canteen.

"Did you realize our old clubhouse was on Hopi land?" he asked.

"Suppose I didn't," I muttered, joining him to look over the expanse of red rock down below.

"Here, the markers are obvious." He pointed out the stone dwellings that remained of the tribal homes. "But when you ride up directly from the south, everything on that end's been destroyed."

"How does that work, having a Norse-devoted MC on tribal land?"

Dyno shifted his gaze toward me. "The Hopi were never a warring tribe. They were peaceful, harmonious." He released a scoff. "Guess it doesn't really matter. Most of them fled or were killed when General Tash rolled through."

"You grew up on the reservation," I realized.

"My mother's family was Hopi," he replied. "Our clubhouse used to be a visitor's center for tourists. Our president, Bash, and T-Bone, suggested it so my home with the club would be near my ancestors."

His throat worked, jaw clenching as his gaze jerked back to the landscape.

"I'm sorry for what happened," I said. "That's just further proof that Tash is right outside our door, and we've got to get our people to safety."

Dyno sucked in a shaky breath and nodded, quickly composing himself.

"Four Corners is your best bet," he said. "There's not much there yet. You'll be living rougher than you do now, but it's well-defended and safe."

"And people have rights?" I asked skeptically. "No slave labor? Human trafficking?"

"That shit’s strictly forbidden. If you're worried about your women and kids, you don't have to be.