Page 25 of Glacier

I decided to put it to the back of my mind and enjoy the ride, even though I missed the wind in my hair from our earlier ride from the barn.

I was surprised at the happiness that bubbled up inside me as I wrapped my arms tighter around his waist. For the first time in years, I felt free.

We rolled through the small town of Bitterthorn and stopped at the only set of traffic lights. The bike rumbled beneath me, the steady vibrations sending a different kind of thrill through my body. Who knew riding on the back of a motorcycle could turn me on so much?

Glacier took one hand off the handlebars and reached back, wrapping it around my calf in a gentle squeeze. That small gesture made me smile. Even surrounded by his brothers, he was still aware of me. I needed to be careful—this man was working his way into my heart. And that wasn’t what I promised him.

I lifted my visor and glanced around. A few residents milled about, and the diner was still open, with customers gathered inside. Some of the locals nodded or waved at the brothers, who returned their greetings. I should be surprised by the respect they drew, but somehow, I wasn’t.

While I’d only met Lawless and Lurch, they both seemed like good men, and I wasn’t scared of Glacier. Not even the night we’d met, when he’d been bristling with antagonism. Somehow, I knew they’d never hurt anyone who meant them no harm.

I wasn’t naïve. I knew the club’s reputation. My family transported guns for them, so I understood better than most where their money came from. And I highly doubted that the fight tonight was legal.

Then again, my family had secrets too. Secrets that would bring a world of trouble down on us if they ever surfaced. We’d all be trading freedom for prison bars.

Maybe that was part of the appeal. The outlaw nature of the Kings called to the outlaw in me. Aside from my family, I rarely felt truly comfortable around anyone, but with Glacier, it had been instant. From the first night we met, he’d felt like he was one of my people. And those were few and far between.

Something to think about.

But not tonight. Tonight, I was going to have a few drinks, let myself get a little tipsy, and enjoy watching men beat the hell out of each other.

When the light changed, we rode through town. I looked around with interest, planning to explore one of these days.

It wasn’t a huge town, with only one main street, and before long, we were back on the open road. We travelled a couple of miles before turning off onto a little-used road into what looked like a derelict industrial area. Vehicles were parked up ahead, with more arriving behind us.

Glacier passed the parked vehicles and rode around the back of the building. Movable barriers were set up, with two young men standing behind them. They immediately moved them out of the way as soon as they saw us, and Glacier gave them a nod as we rode past. When they turned, I saw that they had the same patch on their backs as Glacier but with ‘Prospect’ at the bottom.

A truck and other bikes were already there. Two large, unhappy-looking men with three women stood near the truck. The women looked to be in their twenties. One of the men was wearing a cut, but the other wasn’t. The man wearing the cut turned to speak to one of the women, and I noticed that he wasn’t from the Kings but from a club called Saints Outlaws.

Glacier tensed under my hands, then inhaled a deep breath.

Something wasn’t right.

The two men looked over as we parked, and the one wearing the cut approached Glacier, running a hand over his head, looking stressed as fuck.

Glacier tapped my leg, and I gave his waist a squeeze before climbing off the bike and moving aside. I busied myself removing my helmet as I listened to their conversation.

“Glacier,” the Saints Outlaws biker greeted as Glacier removed his helmet.

“Carnage.” Glacier nodded. “Maverick didn’t mention you’d be bringing more than one woman with you.”

Carnage’s lips tightened. “That’s because we didn’t know. They’re from North’s new family. They’re a little headstrong, but I can’t be too pissed at them because I kind of like the reason they’re here.”

Glacier's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and held it up to Carnage, who nodded.

“Maverick,” Glacier answered. “We have a little situation here.”

Glacier walked off with the phone at his ear, so I decided to find out what was going on. Everyone seemed tense, and I wasn’t sure why.

“North, what did you expect us to do?” the dark-haired woman was saying as I approached, glaring fearlessly up at the behemoth of a man. “Jen is our friend, and we’re not leaving her alone with these bitches. Not when they make her cry.”

“Hey,” I greeted. “I’m Juju. What’s going on?”

“Are you one of their whores?” the redhead woman asked.

The woman with pink hair frowned at her friend. In a soft voice, she rebuked her. “Janis, that’s rude.”

I was a little taken aback by the redhead’s shortness but also amused. The more they talked, the more I understood what was going on, and I kind of liked their reasoning.