Sly (Dragon Riders MC Book 5) Read online

  Sly

  Dragon Riders MC #5

  Savannah Rylan

  Copyright © 2020 by Savannah Rylan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Sly

  2. Tara

  3. Sly

  4. Tara

  5. Sly

  6. Tara

  7. Sly

  8. Tara

  9. Sly

  10. Tara

  11. Sly

  12. Tara

  13. Sly

  14. Tara

  15. Sly

  16. Tara

  17. Sly

  18. Tara

  19. Sly

  20. Tara

  More Books by Savannah Rylan

  About the Author

  1

  Sly

  “Sly, will you calm the fuck down?” Link asked.

  I shook my head. “You know this is bullshit. You know it, Link.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You know our creed. You know that anyone who comes in here looking to be part of us—”

  I shot to my feet. “Fuck our creeds! We’re at war, Link! You really mean to tell me—”

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down into my seat. A gesture I didn’t fucking like. I glared at the man I had called my “president” for the past four years and didn’t even recognize who the fuck I was looking at any longer. His woman had made him soft. Hell, all of these assholes I’d once known as powerful men had been reduced to nothing but cowards and pussies because of these women galloping into their lives. That was why I kept women at arm’s length. That was why I fucked ‘em and left ‘em.

  Because otherwise? They’d be the downfall of us all.

  Including this crew.

  Link leaned toward my ear. “You listen to me good, Sly. I’ve had just about enough of your bullshit to last me a lifetime. You don’t like this guy? That’s fine by me. But he’s come to us with a want and I’m going to at least question him about it. Don’t like it? Go find another crew.”

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek until my tooth sank into a hole. The taste of my own blood had me focusing on something else instead of breaking Link’s nose. Or possibly breaking his goddamn neck. We were at war not just with Skeleton, but with the Feds now. And some guy came waltzing up into our bar asking around for information about us? About wanting to join?

  And no one thought that was weird!?

  I leaned back in my chair as Link got up and walked over to the new guy. He was a scrawny-ass little thing, too. He called himself “Chains,” as if that wasn’t the fakest fucking name on the face of the planet. His hair was a little too long for my tastes. His clothes were also a bit too bright. And his smile?

  Well, a bit too cheery for someone who wanted to join up with something like the Dragon Riders.

  “Maybe he should try Skeleton’s crew, bunch of wimps,” I murmured to myself.

  The last thing we needed was to be distracted with a new group. I mean, we had just gotten back from the emergency trip to the campground. We had to lay low, for crying out loud! We’d only been back in town, what? A few hours? Just long enough to breathe? And some asshole came trolloping into the bar acting like there ain’t shit goin’ on?

  Then again, if that trip did us right then of course no one would know what was going on.

  Maybe this is a good sign.

  My gut told me otherwise, though.

  “Ready to sink my teeth into the new guy, boys!” Knuckles exclaimed.

  I rolled my eyes at the triumphant announcement. Even Knuckles was a completely different man now. Before his weirdo not-really-sister came into the fray, he was quiet. Didn’t put up with anyone’s shit. Told it like it was no matter who he pissed off. And now? He was making massive introductions of himself, raising his voice, and laughing like he actually had shit to laugh about.

  I snickered. “Girls. They change everything.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and watched the guys surround Chains. While we may have had enough time to regroup at the campground, we sure as hell hadn’t even had enough time to shit in our own toilets. I mean, it felt more like an ambush than anything else! I expected to come home, wait a few days, possibly have some church meetings, maybe get the gang together a time or two. Then, we’d hop into shit.

  Then, we’d start opening our doors again.

  Plus, we still didn’t know what our standing was with the Feds. My worry was that they were still watching even though they weren’t in town. Not like I’d had time to address that with Link, though. He was much too busy being up the ass of some new guy whose timing was a bit too… precocious.

  The guys were too chummy and too positive for the ordeal we’d been through, so I took it upon myself to keep watching their backs. While these guys were off in la-la land with their girls and their homes and their living situations and being excited about sleeping with the same girl over and over again, I decided to actually watch out for things. I decided to look over my shoulder. To double-check the shadows.

  After all, someone had to save them from their own stupidity.

  “Who’s the new guy?” Ash asked.

  His voice pulled me from my thoughts as he plopped down into a chair, causing it to creak almost like it might break.

  “Ash. You’re finally back. Where’s Bowser?”

  He clapped my shoulder. “Right here. Got a beer for ya, too.”

  I reached over my shoulder. “Thank. Fuck.”

  Ash nodded toward Link. “So, who is he?”

  The ice cold beer hit my palm. “A guy named Chains. Came in about an hour ago inquiring about joining up with us.”

  Bowser paused. “Wait, what?”

  I sipped my drink. “Yep. It’s about as weird as you think it is.”

  Ash watched the scene for a bit before turning to me. “So, our patrol.”

  Bowser sat down next to me. “Clean as a whistle. And we went over everything twice. No black cars or SUVs. No surveillance.”

  “Looks like those Feds packed up and really did ship out.”

  I clicked my tongue. “I’m sure they did.”

  Bowser furrowed his brow. “You believe they’re still watching us?”

  My eyes slowly gravitated back over to Chains. “All I know is the Feds never let up when they’ve got a theory working. My guess? They’re not in town, but they’re still watching. Somehow.”

  I watched as Link looked over at him and he nodded. I wasn’t sure what the hell that meant, but apparently Bowser did. He tapped me on my shoulder again before ushering me to rise. And Ash did the same. The three of us stood to our feet and I watched as Bowser made his way for the back rooms of the Iron Horse.

  And when he nodded for us to follow, I did as such.

  I chugged my beer and dumped it into a trash can before walking back into the hallway. We dumped ourselves into Link’s office all the way at the end, the furthest away from all the riff-raff and ruckus of the bar. I watched the door, waiting for the other guys to show up. And one by one, they filed in.

  Until all of us were in a room behind a closed door together.

  Link put his hands on his hips. “So, who’s convinced that Chains is an undercover agent?”

  My jaw hit the floor. “Uh, me. Yeah, thanks. That’s exactly what that bastard is.”

  Bowser shrugged. “I haven’t met him yet. But the timing is suspicious.”

  Ash nodded his agreement as Knuck
les pointed at Link. “There could be a chance that he’s not. Just to play Skeleton’s Advocate for a second.”

  All of us chuckled as a grin grew across Knuckle’s face. But then, he kept going.

  “I get assuming that he’s bad. But what if he isn’t? What if he genuinely has an interest in the group? We could use another body in all of this.”

  I blinked. “You’re kidding, right? The man practically reeks of undercover operative.”

  Ash nodded again. “I agree.”

  I pointed up at him. “See? Even the behemoth agrees. Oh, and by the way, their patrol showed that the Feds have cleared out of the area. Though, none of us believe that doesn’t mean they’re not watching.”

  Link looked over at Bowser. “So, your patrols were a success?”

  Bowser cleared his throat. “‘Success’ is a bit of an odd word to use for our patrols. But yes. They were technically a success. No sign of the Feds or any cars that might be used by them. Again, though, doesn’t mean they aren’t watching.”

  I sighed. “It might just mean they put everything in place to watch us from afar, so they went to physically focus on something else.”

  The room fell silent as we all looked around at one another, and while I understood the need for another body in all of this shit, we needed to make sure it was the right body.

  Then, an idea hit me. “What if we could possibly make it two new bodies?”

  Link blinked. “Come again?”

  I turned to face him. “Look, I get where your mind is at. We’re head-deep in war with two factions now and we need more manpower. More people. Right?”

  Link nodded. “Couldn’t hurt.”

  I snapped my fingers. “Exactly. But what if we could potentially take this from one new body to two, and at the same time suss out who the fuck this Chains guy really is?”

  Link furrowed his brow. “I’m listening.”

  I grinned. “Let’s make him prove his loyalty to us. I mean, we don’t know shit about the guy anyway. It’s not like we have a formal application or some nonsense. So, let’s make him bring in a family member. One he trusts more than life itself. That way, we’ve got two more bodies to help us out with shit and we get an inside look into Chains’ life as well as the company he keeps.”

  Bowser barked with laughter. “I’d hate to go up against you when joining anything.”

  I held my arms out. “Not a terrible plan, huh?”

  Link chuckled. “You’re a sick man, you know that? But I like it. I’m on board.”

  And when the rest of the guys nodded their heads in agreement, I made my way for the door.

  “May I do the honors?” I asked.

  “Lead the way, Sly,” Link said.

  We all made our way back out into the bar where Chains sat with a beer. That had, oddly enough, not been touched. I wrinkled my nose as I slid into the booth seat in front of him, watching as his head whipped up.

  “Didn’t hear us coming?” I asked.

  The guy smiled softly. “Just a bit on edge.”

  “Why?”

  Link patted my shoulder. “We have a proposition for you, Chains. Sly? You want to fill him in?”

  I smiled deviously. “I’d love to. So, here’s how this is going to work: you’re going to have to prove that you’re willing to be loyal to us. To do what you’re told, even though you might not understand it. That just comes with the territory. Around here? You give trust before you get it.”

  Chains nodded. “Understood. What do I need to do?”

  I leaned forward. “I want you to bring us the one person who’s most important to you in your life. The one person you trust more than your own self.”

  “Wait, what?”

  I leaned back up. “Bring them with you. They’re going to be in our care for a little while. And once we know you’re good for it, they’re free to go.”

  “Wait, wait, wait, wait. You want me to just bring some family member or whatever that you guys can hang onto as some sort of collateral? Like me turning over a wallet or some shit?”

  Bowser jumped in. “They wouldn’t be held hostage. Not like that. But we would be watching them. Guarding them. Protecting them, in a way. Because the truth of the matter is that we don’t know you.”

  I interjected before anyone else said a word. “Those are our terms for you becoming a prospect. We don’t trust you, so this is how you start to earn that. Bring us the person you trust more than your own mind that we can buddy up with for a while, and you have my solemn word that they won’t be harmed until your prospect reign is done with our group. If you agree to continue.”

  Hesitation flashed in Chains’ eyes and I figured we had him. In fact, I almost knew we had him. That was why I wanted to bring up this option, because it sucked. It sucked so fucking bad, especially if he was undercover.

  But the man surprised me. “Okay.”

  I swallowed. “What?”

  Chains nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it. Just tell me the time and place.”

  And as I stared into the eyes of a man who I knew wasn’t who he said he was, I watched him match my “check” for a “check.”

  This was going to be a long game of chess.

  2

  Tara

  I sighed as I sat on my bed, which hadn’t even been put on its platform yet. I spread my legs out and stretched my arms above my head, trying to get used to the new space. I hated moving in with my brother, but not because I didn’t love him. On the contrary, I loved him more than my own life. But he was a pain in the ass sometimes and way too obsessed with his job.

  I’d have to hide my vape pen from him while I was here.

  Ben and I grew up as complete opposites. He was the one who always abided by the rules and made sure others were as well, while I was the one breaking them and staying out all night and going to parties and getting drunk. Sometimes, I wasn’t sure the man knew how to have fun, so I was hoping to thread some of it into his world while I was passing through. And I was only just passing through.

  Once I found myself another job, I was out of here.

  Ben and I grew up in upstate New York. So, it wasn’t a shocker when I decided to go to community college a few towns over. Less than an hour from home, getting a two-year degree in some shit that didn’t matter, only to graduate and become a paralegal which I technically could have done without the damn degree in the first place. It hadn’t been too hard to find a job, though. There had been a law firm a few miles up from my community college that had been hiring, so it was easy to transition from class life to professional life.

  Until the person who ran the law firm went to jail for embezzling.

  So, yeah. On the hunt for a new job. But in the meantime, I was crashing with my brother that was working as well. His apartment wasn’t very swanky, though. I figured if he was in town working, they’d at least put him up in a decent place.

  I could smell the mold in the walls in this damn apartment, though.

  However, that only lit a fire under my ass to find my own job and get my own life back on track.

  “I hear Hawaii’s nice this time of the year,” I murmured to myself.

  After sitting there and feeling sorry for myself for a little while, I reached for my laptop. I plugged it in and flipped the top open, readying myself to look for more jobs. And while I had reduced my search to paralegal jobs in upstate New York, I decided to widen my search a bit.

  To up and down the entire East Coast.

  I mean, why limit myself, right? After all, maybe it was time to fly the coop. Maybe it was time for me to plant roots somewhere else. It wasn’t like I had anything in my hometown to stay for. Ben traveled with his job as often as he could. Mom and Dad had retired to Italy after selling off the e-Commerce company Dad built on a whim. And I wasn’t dating anyone in the area. Or dating anyone at all.

  In fact, I hadn’t legitimately dated anyone since high school.

  “Weird,” I whispered.

  After toggling t
he search parameters on the job sites I had pulled up, I went from having ten prospective jobs to having dozens. Everywhere from the Florida Keys, Charleston, and the heart of New York City had jobs they were offering, and I let myself dream for once. I envisioned myself sipping a cocktail after work on the sandy beaches of Florida or going out and enjoying a nice beer in a nice bar while deep in the heart of Charleston. I thought about the rich country boys that would come out of the woodworks just to dance with me, or the hot doctors on vacation in the Keys, ready to sweep me into their beds for a week of fun in the sun.

  I started applying as quickly as my fingers would let me before the front door opened.

  “Ben?” I called out.

  The door closed. “What did I tell you about the passcode, Tara?”

  I rolled my eyes. “My God, Ben. It’s not an all-boys fort. It’s an apartment.”

  He walked down the hallway. “What’s the passcode?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”

  He stood in the frame of my door. “Seriously. If someone opens that door and it’s not me, you’ll know instantaneously if you use that passcode.”

  I shrugged. “Or I clock the canter of your step.”

  He blinked. “You what?”

  I went back to looking at my laptop screen. “You’re not the only one with magical powers. I know if it’s you or not simply by the sound of someone’s walking gait. I’ve always been able to do that.”

  “Huh.”

  “Yep.”

  “So… passcode?”

  I groaned. “How’s the day look out there, Ben?”

  He chuckled. “Nice and free, that’s how it looks.”

  My head lobbed in his direction. “This where we say ‘oo-rah’ and pat each other’s asses like they do in football?”