CHAPTER 3
GRACE
Seated at the end of the long, wooden table in the clubhouse, I took a moment to trail my gaze over the group of men and women seated in front of me. Meeting Ryder led to us starting Solid Ground with this group of fearless humans and it was the greatest achievement of my life.
If you’d asked me ten years ago where I’d be now, I’d have been absolutely certain I would still be a cop. Turns out, fate had other plans for me.
The Gods were wild and a bit unpredictable, maybe even a little crude every now and then. But each of them had shown me, and every other woman I’ve seen them interact with, nothing but respect.
They’re sexy, yes. Off the chain sexy. They’re strong and they like to party. At one time, each of them had even gone through their playboy phases, but now, they’d matured, settled down with equally amazing women and concentrated on what had become their life’s work.
Solid Ground was getting stronger every day. With the generous support of Frankie’s inheritance, and the undying loyalty of these amazing men, along with the willingness of everyone involved to do whatever it took to get the job done, we were able to continue to restore freedom and dignity to countless survivors over the years.
The things we’d seen were horrendous and unforgivable. The atrocities that humans committed, hurting each other in such unimaginable ways, treating others as if they were merely a product to be sold, is the ugliest part of the human race.
If it weren’t for the goodness in the hearts of the men and women in front of me, I’d have given up on humanity long ago.
But how could I do that, when there are such amazing souls amongst all the darkness?
Slade and Riot were two of the most solid people I’d ever met. Riot was strong as an ox, calm and steady as a Giant Sequoia in an old growth forest. Slade was like the ocean, always moving, stormy and violent at times, but fiercely strong and loyal. Bones and Wreck hadn’t been here in the beginning, but now, they were family, too. Lacey, Frankie and Cherry were now my best girlfriends, providing that essential female energy that I needed so badly in my life. Even Diana and Daisy, both of whom I didn’t get to see often enough because they lived in Portland and were busy raising their boys, had become close friends.
And then there was Ryder.
My eyes landed on him and my heart skipped a beat. I was used to that, though. It happened every time. He’d become everything I’d ever dreamed of in a man. He was quiet and calm, grounded in peacefulness — a trait I relied on endlessly in this crazy world to keep myself from floating away. When he wrapped his massive arms around me, I felt invincible. We’d crashed into each other’s lives with the force of a freight-train, but our relationship was now indestructible and solid as a rock. Each night as I lay in his arms, I count my blessings before I go to sleep.
A girl like me?
Leading a life like this?
Full of a love like this?
It was against all odds.
So, I’d become very familiar with gratitude lately.
I loved our tight-knit circle, I loved each of them as if they were my own flesh and blood family, because they were. They were the only family I had.
They were all I needed.
And together, our mission was sacred.
Pride soared through me as I smiled at each of them now.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, my voice full of love for them. We’d taken a week off and I hadn’t seen a few of them in days. “Slade and Riot have stumbled upon a really big operation, as some of you have heard.”
“My day ran late,” Bones said. “So, I didn’t get to hear the details.. Had a long, complicated surgery tonight.”
“How’s your patient?” I asked.
“Doing well as can be expected after losing a battle with a semi on 84.”
“Ouch,” Slade winced. “I know that feeling.”
“He’ll be okay,” Bones said confidently.
“Of course he will, he had the best surgeon in town,” Riot said.
“Maybe not the best,” Bones protested. “But thanks. So, what did I miss?”
“It’s bad,” Slade said, looking around the table solemnly. “I ran into a Viper at the Roadhouse a few days ago.”
“What’s that?” Lacey asked.
“Another club. Out of southeast Portland. Been around a long time. We knew they were doing outlaw shit, but we didn’t know they were running in the trafficking business now. Prick’s got an entire compound full of women they’re basically holding prisoner out there.”
“Bad guys,” Bones nodded.
“Fuck yeah, they are,” Riot said. “And there’s a lot of them. A hell of a lot.”
“How many?”
“Too many to count, at least when we visited the other day.”
“Visited?” Bones asked, lifting a brow.
“Yeah, one of the guys invited us out to sample the product, so to speak. When we got there, I couldn’t believe how many people were there. Bikers, Johns, a fucking herd of pit bulls and women behind every fucking door. I’m still regretting not taking them all on right then and there and getting those women out of there, but even I know I can’t take on that much muscle.”
“Right,” I said, “I’m glad you didn’t. As appalling and infuriating as this is, we have to stay smart and keep our heads.”
“Well, it ain’t fucking easy, that’s for sure,” Slade said.
“I know, but none of this is,” I replied. “Riot’s been doing some research on the club. What did you find out?”
“The Vipers have been a club for fifteen years. Snake, their President, inherited the club from his old man and continued it with his brother, Jake. Jake died a few years ago in a bike accident, and the club survived, but it seems to have gone a different direction under the sole leadership of Snake. As far as I can tell, there’s twenty patched members and five prospects. Some of them live there at the compound together. Snake’s the only one who has an old lady on the premises. Her name’s Sophia. The grounds are protected by the club members and a very vocal and muscular group of pit bulls who are very fond of raw steak, as Snake showed us,” he nodded, before continuing. “As for the business, they’ve done an awful job of hiding it. Their members have been talking for weeks about how well they’re doing and the johns are in and out of the place all night. We’re thinking they’ve got a friend in the police force since they haven’t gotten busted yet.”
“Any idea where they’re getting the girls?” I asked.
“Not sure of their contacts, but Tiny told us they had girls from all over the world. Could be smuggling them in from Mexico or Canada.”
“Yeah,” Slade said, “and he also said they rotate them often, so it might not be too hard to watch the place and wait for the new arrivals and track them.”
“Sure,” I said, “but we need to get in there and get those girls out as soon as possible.”
“That’s going to take some serious convincing, because Snake and his boys aren’t going to just let us walk out with them.”
“What if we buy them?” Frankie asked. She sat at the end of the table next to Wreck, her hand firmly clasped in his. Frankie’s life had been hard after she was kidnapped as a teenager by one of the wealthiest men in the country. He forced her into marriage, but once he was gone, she inherited all his money and had been sponsoring Solid Ground ever since.
“That’s one possibility,” I said. “But he’d never sell them to us if he thought we were going to free them.”
“So, we don’t tell them,” Ryder said. “We could play along. Pretend we’re just as much of a scumbag as he is. Get the girls out, then worry about bringing them down afterwards.”
“Problem is, they know all of us,” Slade said. “Tiny recognized me right away, and Snake knew Riot and asked after you, too, Ryder. Bones and Wreck have been driving all over town sporting their cuts, it’s not exactly a secret.”
“They don’t know me,” I said, lifting my voice determinedly, because I knew what was coming.
Ryder’s eyes flashed over at me.
“No fucking way,” he growled.
“Babe,” I began, “I can do this.”
“Sure, you can. But I’m not having it. No fucking way I’m going to have you put yourself in that much risk. I know this asshole. He’s violent. They don’t call themselves the Vipers for nothing. They’re full of goddamned venom! That’s a fucking requirement to be in the club. It’s too risky, Grace.”
His eyes were filled with worry and fear and I hated it. Unfortunately, he was going to have to man up and deal with it, because this was our life. Fear might be an option but it was never allowed to be an obstacle.
“Ryder,” I said, shaking my head. “You guys can’t go, so someone else has to. It should be me. I can handle myself.”
“I am not letting you go in there alone, Grace!” he said, his voice raising.
“Well, I can’t take any of you,” I said. “So, what do you propose?”
“I have an idea,” Slade said. All eyes turned his way and he slowly shook his head. “I don’t know if it would work. But I got a call the other day. At the time, I didn’t think we needed any more bodies around here, but now, maybe this could work.”
“Spit it out, dude,” Riot said.
“You know the Loyal Gentleman?”
“Yeah, of course. Club outta Salem. Their President just went to prison for killing his brother.”
“That’s them.”
“What about them?” I asked.
“Well, the club has disbanded now that their President is in prison. Everyone’s all on their own now. I got a call from Fury the other day. He and his friends, Malice and Mayhem, are looking for another club to join up with. Far as I know, they’re decent dudes. Maybe we could recruit them for help on this job? If it all goes well, maybe we could use a few new prospects?”
“I don’t know about that,” Ryder said, shaking his head. I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.
“Babe,” I said. “We gotta give it a try. Those girls need us.”
“Yeah, well I need you. And if anything happened to you, Grace, I don’t know what the hell I’d do…” His voice trailed off, and I knew he was struggling, but we couldn’t let emotions get in the way of our job and he knew that.
“Look, the risk is part of the job. We all know this,” I said, looking around the table, hoping for a little back-up. “Each one of us has put ourselves in danger for the cause at one time or another, and so far, we’ve all managed to make it out unscathed.”
“Except for Doc,” Ryder said, shaking his head. His eyes were clouded over with pain and I hated the fact that he still blamed himself for Doc’s death. We’d been talking about that a lot lately, and I was hoping we were making progress, but it still stung. I needed to be gentle with Ryder and I would. But getting those women out were just as important.
“Yes,” I whispered, “except for Doc.”
“My old man would have been proud of the way he went out,” Bones interjected, shooting a sympathetic look Ryder’s way. “It was noble. His death meant something, you know?”
“Yeah,” Ryder said, nodding slowly.
“How about we just meet with these guys and then decide how to proceed? If we don’t like them, if we don’t trust them, then we’ll come up with another way.”
Ryder shrugged in agreement.
“If you say so, Grace,” he murmured. I reached over and squeezed his hand.
“Alright, then,” I said, nodding at Slade. “You’ll set it all up?”
“I’m on it,” he said, standing up and pulling his cell phone from the back pocket of his Levi’s. He walked out of the room and I looked across the table at everyone.
“I guess that’s it,” I said. “I’ll keep you all posted.”
The room filled with the sound of chair legs scratching across the hardwood floors and dusty boots shuffling out of the room until only Ryder and I remained. Slowly, he raised his head, his stormy eyes meeting mine.
“It’s okay, babe,” I said. “I’ve gone undercover before.”
“Like I don’t remember?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course you remember,” I replied. “But I’m still here. I survived.”
“If anyone hurts a hair on your head, I’ll kill them.” His eyes turned steely and determined and my stomach flipped.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, darling,” I replied, leaning over and kissing him deeply.
I’d be lying if I said his protectiveness wasn’t sexy and thrilling. It turned me on, I’ll admit it. But it also hurt me a little, because the last thing I wanted to be was a source of worry in his heart. I wanted to fill that space with light and love, until my dying day.
And I would.
Right after I saved these women who so desperately needed a savior.