Ash (Dragon Riders MC Book 3) Read online

  But as quickly as the doorknob started rattling, it stopped.

  “Slash, is he—”

  “Shh,” my cousin said curtly.

  I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall as she slowly got to her feet. Some of the girls whispered at her to sit back down, but I didn’t give a shit what she did. She’s the one that got us into this mess in the first place when she drew her damn gun at the campground because someone called her fat. Fat, of all things! That was what pissed her off!

  “Sit down,” I groaned.

  “Shh!” the girls hissed.

  I shook my head and turned my backs to them as Slash fiddled around with the door. The only reason I took this job was to pay off the debts I had. Then, I wanted to use the rest to get the hell out of town. My ex-boyfriend wouldn't leave me alone no matter what I did. And if I simply got out of his way and made a new home for myself, I knew he’d bite the dust. The man was a mooch, and the exact reason why I hadn’t used more of my working capital in college to pay things down as they racked up. Had I stuck with my original monetary plan, I would only have half the debt I did now, and it’d be completely manageable with the part-time job I managed to snag at the bar working for the girls.

  “Why don’t you look worried?” one of the girls talking behind me, but I didn’t think she was talking to me.

  “Hannah?”

  “Hmm?” I asked as I peered over my shoulder.

  “How can you be so calm right now?”

  Slash snickered. “Because she’s part of me. That’s why.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Because this is a vacation right now compared to some of the things I’ve been experiencing. That’s why.”

  My cousin slowly looked over at me. “Is that asshole bothering you again?”

  “He never stopped.”

  She paused. “Wait, what?”

  I shrugged and went back to looking at the wall.

  “You told me he left you alone,” Slash said.

  “That’s because I didn’t want to bother you any longer. I’ve got it under control,” I said.

  She came and sat next to me. “The hell, you do. Your ex is dangerous. I told you that before you guys started dating back in college, and the same holds true today.”

  “Yeah, well. Again, I’ve got it under control.”

  “What’s he been doing?” someone asked.

  “You know where he lives?” another girl asked.

  “Got his number? I could send a threatening text before my phone dies.”

  We all paused as Slash slowly turned around on her ass.

  “Darla,” she said.

  “Yeah?”

  My cousin blinked. “You mean to tell me you’ve had a cell phone on you all this time and you didn’t—”

  Darla cursed beneath her breath. “Fuck. Just kidding. Phone just died.”

  Slash threw her hands up into the air as I giggled. I shook my head and turned back to the wall before I sent up as many prayers to God as I could muster. I was in here with a bunch of numbskulls. A bunch of incapable girls who didn’t know their left from their right. And to think, at one point my cousin wanted me to be part of this damn group!

  Hell, no.

  I would’ve never made it out alive hanging around with these idiots.

  “Well, when we get out of here, I’m giving him a piece of my mind,” Slash said.

  I shrugged. “Won’t matter. I’ll be long gone by then.”

  “Huh?”

  I sighed. “Never mind. Let’s just focus on getting out of here.”

  Slash turned her attention to the other girls. “All right, since there was obviously a phone in our midst I didn’t know about, anyone got any weapons they might be hiding?”

  The room stayed silent as a mouse and I could’ve sworn I heard my cousin’s heart drop to the floor.

  “Anyone else got a phone?” she asked.

  Again, nothing but silence.

  “What about a fingernail filer? Or a cable cord? Possibly a piece of piano string?”

  I furrowed my brow. “What is this, the mob? No one just carries that shit around on them.”

  A girl raised her hand in my peripheral. “Uh, I do.”

  Slash perked up. “You do? You’ve got something?”

  I giggled, because I knew exactly what was coming.

  “No, ma’am. I mean I usually carry a piano string with me,” the girl said.

  Slash clicked her tongue. “And do you have some now?”

  “Well, no. But—”

  I barked with laughter. “My God, I hate you all.”

  Slash scooted her ass across the floor until her back sat against the wall I faced. She kept stealing looks at me, as if she were waiting for me to look up. I wouldn’t, though. I wouldn't give her the time of day. I placed my forehead against my knees and closed my eyes, trying my best to keep myself calm.

  “Okay, so,” Slash began.

  “Please, dear God, take me now,” I murmured.

  “The two windows in this room are made of bulletproof glass. Plus, they’re sealed.”

  “I know. Dear heavens, I know.”

  “And that doorknob is fake. The only real one that works is on the other side. So, this room was intentionally set up—”

  I lifted my head. “—to keep people in here they want to capture and hold because that’s what people like this do, Slash. We’re trapped, and I’ve known that since they first tossed us in here and closed the door. There are five guys out there, none of which are the head honcho you’re thinking of because everyone out there have voices like mice, and a leader’s voice will boom. Even if he’s the wimpy-ass pussy you say he is. None of those guys walking around out there command themselves with the confidence necessary for it to be the guy you’re looking for, so please stop assuming that every time someone comes to the door, it’s him! Okay!?”

  I panted for air as my cousin looked at me. Then she smiled.

  “You would’ve made a great addition to this crew,” she said.

  I threw my hands in the air. “I’d rather die or be stalked than endure this. Someone let me out!”

  Slash clapped her hand over my mouth. “Shut up or you’ll get us all killed.”

  We’re already dead.

  She slowly removed her hand and I went back to staring at the wall. This situation was hopeless, and I was stuck in it with the moteliest crew of idiots I’d ever come across. How these girls managed to function on a daily basis was beyond me. I settled my forehead back against my knees and drew in a deep breath. I let it out through my mouth, let it in through my nose, and tried to relax as much as I could.

  But the truth of the matter was that I had already accepted my death. I’d already accepted the fact that if these guys didn’t kill us, my ex just might. It was clear to me I wasn’t getting out of here with any money. So, beyond what Slash would eventually pay off for me, I didn’t have a dime to my name to make a run out of Hillridge Springs.

  That’s what you get for dating a bad boy, Hannah.

  “And I swear I’ll never date another so long as I live,” I murmured.

  “What was that?” Slash asked.

  “My last will and testament, Slash.”

  She patted my shin. “We’re getting out of this. Don’t go planning your funeral just yet.”

  “Oh, Lord. We’re stuck here forever,” I groaned.

  Before footsteps lumbered down the hallway.

  3

  Ash

  Link whispered. “All right. This is good. All good. Okay?”

  I slowly looked over at Link as he talked to himself from beyond the bushes we stood behind.

  “Trailer’s there, check. Doesn’t look like it’s been moved, check.”

  I blinked. “Getting annoying as we go on, check.”

  He snickered. “Better than not being prepared again, am I right?”

  I shrugged as I turned my attention back to the compound in front of us. It had taken us some time once we arriv
ed back in Hillridge Springs to track this place. I wasn’t sure what this place was or what it meant to the Golden Jags, but I wasn’t about to start asking questions now. This crew seemed to be following the idea of throwing ourselves out onto ledges we had no business being on, and I needed to get used to rolling with that shit.

  So, I watched for any signs of—

  “There.” I pointed.

  Link scooted up next to me. “Where? What’s happening?”

  I pointed again. “Three o’clock, two men with guns. And I see lights flashing down the road.”

  “Think they’re bringing in another shipment.”

  “I’d assume so. Just don’t know of what. These the drug guys or the trafficking guys?”

  He shook his head. “Fucking hell.”

  Took the words right out of my mouth.

  If they were bringing in more drugs, then we didn’t have much to worry about. But if they were bringing in more girls? Or worse, more guns? We’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble. We were already outmatched two-to-one, judging by my count. And the last thing we needed was for them to have superior firepower.

  “Still see those lights?” Link asked.

  I shook my head. “No. Doesn’t mean it’s not coming, though.”

  “Are you saying we should strike while we’ve got the chance?”

  I peeked over at him. “I’m saying we should’ve struck ten minutes ago when we had that free window I spotted. But this’ll do.”

  He grinned. “On my mark, then.”

  I watched as Link slowly inched his way from bush to bush. It had been a long time since we’d scouted shit like this. But it always worked. We always expected the worst but hoped for the best. So, even though we were only staring at one massive cabin, we also understood that there could be more abandoned cabins around with more people inside.

  Golden Jags and women alike.

  I crouched there, waiting for Link to get back to me. Because once he was at my side, I knew we’d storm in. I pulled one of my guns from my left hip and checked the clip to make sure it was fully loaded. Then, I did the same for the gun on my right hip. I checked the two smaller ones I had strapped to my ankles, and I made sure the knife blades in each of my pockets were ready for a brawl. I always packed heat. Whether it was gun-heat, knife-heat, or two-by-four-heat, I always made sure I had a weapon ready in case I needed it. And tonight, was one of those nights where I’d need every single one.

  Light flashed again in the corner of my eye and I grumbled.

  “Come on, Link. We don’t have much time.”

  It had taken us a few hours to track down this damn trailer. But Link was right: it didn’t look like the trailer had been moved since it was parked. There were no tire tracks, mud tracks, or indentations in the ground that might tell someone a vehicle had been moved multiple times. Hell, the damn thing itself barely had any dirt or grass on it. And we were in the middle of the fucking woods!

  “Got some news,” Link whispered.

  I nodded. “Make it quick. That delivery’s getting close.”

  “Sly was able to wrap around this place and stay in the dark. He counts at least seven other cabins.”

  I slowly looked over at him. “You’re kidding.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Not even a little bit. But Sly also figured out where the girls are.”

  “How’d he do that?”

  “He was able to get close enough to hear a couple of the guys talking. They’re in this main cabin, in a room towards the back.”

  I nodded. “So, we can probably assume the windows are sealed.”

  “Locked doors, too. At the very least. I’m sending you and Sly into this main building. Your job is to find those girls and take out as many asshats as you can in the process. The rest of us are going to charge around and see what we’re up against with these other cabins. They might have other girls here.”

  “Or junkies looking for a fix as well as a place to stay.”

  He shrugged. “Either way, that’s the plan. You ready?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  I watched Link dig around in his pocket before he pulled out his phone. His thumb slid across the screen for a few seconds, then I heard the softest swooshing sound. I stared at him while he watched his phone. I withdrew one of the guns on my hips and readied myself for the firefight about to occur.

  But Link put his hand against my wrist.

  “Don’t fire unless you have to. The last thing we want is to accidentally hit someone.”

  My face fell. “You tell me this now?”

  His phone lit up. “All right. On my count. Ready?”

  I holstered my gun. “Ready.”

  “One… two… three!”

  I slipped out of the bush and saw moving shadows following my every move. I inched my way to the main cabin while some of the other moving shadows slid around back. A warm presence appeared at my side before someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I recognized the rhythm.

  Sly.

  “You snake around back and try to jimmy the windows. Keep your eyes peeled. I’ll go in through the front,” I whispered.

  He double-tapped my shoulder to confirm, then he set off.

  It only took me one good stretch of a step to get up the front porch. But getting inside was a bit trickier. I didn’t hear gunshots popping off yet, however that didn’t mean I wouldn't have to use them. I eased the cabin door open and found the main room completely empty. There was food cooking on the stove, so I knew someone would be back eventually. However, I didn’t run into anyone upon entry into the place.

  Perfect.

  I kept my footsteps as silent as possible as I cleared every corner and every room in the place. With my gun at my side and my ears peeled for any possible sound, I didn’t even hear Sly wrapping around the back of the place. I inched down the hallway, peeking my head around corners and through doors to see if I could spot the girls.

  Then, I heard a gun cock.

  “Stay right there,” the voice warned.

  I froze, but excited energy filled my gut.

  “Now, turn around real slow. Keep that gun where I can see it.”

  I held my hands up and turned around before coming face to face with a man that didn’t look like a Golden Jag or like a drugged-up idiot. He was short and stout, but rough around the edges. With a mean look on his face and a scar that cut straight down the middle.

  These are the trafficker guys.

  “Now, give me that gun.”

  I snickered. “No can do, sir.”

  He held out his hand. “Give me the gun or you die.”

  “What makes you think I’m scared of dyin’?”

  He went to reach for my gun and I almost laughed. I dropped my gun and gripped his wrist, pulling him close against my body. I wrapped my other free arm around his neck as I spun him around, shoving him directly against the hallway wall. I pressed my knee into the small of his back. I choked his neck so tightly his gun dropped from his hand. I closed my eyes and dreamt of my favorite place as he shivered and trembled in my arms.

  Then, I opened my eyes once he fell limp.

  “Great,” I murmured to myself.

  I dropped the man like a sack of potatoes and picked up the guns. With mine in my holster and his slid around behind my back, I charged down the hallway. I shoved open doors and stomped as loudly as I could, trying to see if I could get the girls to respond in any way.

  But once I came to a door that had three locks on the outside, I knew I had found them.

  Bingo.

  I pulled the man’s silenced gun out from around my back and took three quick shots at the locks. Soft gasps and whispers sounded behind the door as it slowly fell open, revealing a small room with girls sitting and standing on every surface. Those who were sitting quickly scrambled to their feet. And as I scanned the crowd, my eyes fell onto a familiar woman.

  A very busty, very angry, very scared woman.

  “Ash, thank fuck,” Slash sa
id.

  I held up my hand. “Until we get you guys back, I call the shots. Got it?”

  Slash nodded. “Got it.”

  My hand fell to my side. “Good.”

  “Uh, someone’s been trying to get in through the window?”

  A very annoyed voice caught my ear and I turned my head toward the sound. And when I first laid my eyes on her, my heart stopped in my chest. With eyes the color of honey and short, cropped hair dyed red, she looked like the epitome of “out of place.” With thick hips, round breasts, and clothes that clung to her every curve, I found myself incapable of looking away.

  Until I heard a fist bang against the window.

  “See?” the girl asked. “Like that.”

  The sound snapped me from my trance. “Hold on.”

  I pushed through the throng of girls and gripped the window with my fingertips. I wrenched up once and felt it cracking, but it didn’t budge. I gritted my teeth and yanked upwards again, and it actually moved. Slightly, at least. But after one last good tug upward, the window flew open.

  Before Sly shoved his head in.

  “I see you found them,” he said.

  I nodded. “How are the guys?”

  He shrugged. “Hell if I know. You want to get them out the window? Or…?”

  The girl snickered. “My hips won’t fit through that window. You can mark my words.”

  Sly clicked his tongue. “Yeah, well. Neither will your president’s breasts, so.”

  Slash’s eyes widened. “Hey, now.”

  The girl scoffed. “I’m not part of this crew. Slash is my cousin, and nothing else.”

  Slash balked. “And nothing else? Really, Hannah?”

  I sighed. “We can argue and die, or we can run and get out alive. What do you guys want?”