Talen (Wolf)
Of all the years I've been in the MC, I've never seen anything like what happened right in front of me. It shocked the hell out of me seeing that little slip of a woman saving my niece. People don't do those kinds of things anymore. Even more shocking is the way she snuck up on Moose.
Moose has been in a relationship with my brother's ex woman, Brenda. He’s also a member of a rival club two towns over from Newbern in Yuma. Dirty Dwellers MC are well-known for being a dishonorable club. My brother's ex hasn't been heard from in over three months. Tanya is my niece and the daughter of one of my blood brothers, Reid, who everyone knows as Bull.
The brave little firecracker shoots Moose, and his body crumples to the ground. The woman scoops my niece up and runs around the back of the building. Tank and Bear are right on my heels as we bust into the gas station. I frantically look around for the girls, but I don't see them. Tank heads down one aisle while Bear guards the entrance. "Where are they? She's my niece," I shout and bring my fist down on the cracked counter. The pimply teen flinches as he takes a step backward and mutters his response.
"Here we are." It’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard.
I turn toward her, and I'm stunned into silence. Standing there is a beautiful fucking woman with my niece glued to her body. Bear, my closest friend, and Tank, my VP, both have the same stunned look on their faces. I want to knock them both the fuck out.
She's a tiny thing, around five-foot-six. Breathtaking, with long auburn hair pulled up in a long, messy ponytail. Her golden brown eyes suck me in. They look like clear, shiny teddy bear eyes. Sweet and innocent. She’s wearing cut-off denim shorts that show off toned legs—it’s obvious she works out—a pink tank top that clings to her body, and a pair of cowgirl boots. Damn, I can feel her sensual beauty straight to my dick.
Feeling like I've been staring at her forever—but it's only been a less than thirty seconds, I’m sure—my mind jumps back into action.
Moving toward the girls, I don't sugarcoat it. "We need to fucking go right now. I don't know if any other damn Dwellers are around. We didn't see any of the fuckers, but doesn't mean they weren't out there, too."
I extend my arms, wanting to hold Tanya, but she doesn’t budge. I look up at the woman again, and I have to bite my tongue at the sight of her small white teeth nibbling her bottom lip.
"Sorry, but she hasn't let her grip up since I grabbed her in my arms. She's so scared." She pats Tanya's back. "She's also very brave."
Seeing how perfect she treats my baby niece hits a nerve I never knew existed. "My name's Wolf. It does look like she has a death grip on you."
"Pepper,” she says, a pink tinge heating her cheeks. “Yep, it's extremely tight."
If not for the shitty situation, I'd make a comment on what else would be tight.
"What are the Dwellers?" she asks.
"The Dwellers are an MC."
She tilts her head to the side, a mask of confusion covering her beautiful face. I find myself smiling. "A motorcycle club. Moose is patched to them, which means he's a member of their club. He's the big guy you took down, by the way. We really need to go now, then I can tell you more. I don't want to get caught here in a trap."
We start for the door, and I stop to give instructions. "Go to the black Tahoe; I’ll go in front, and Bear will follow us." I turn to my VP. "Tank, take care of things here."
Pepper doesn't move, staring at me like I've grown lollipops out of my head. "I can’t leave my Escape here!"
"Hand me your keys. I'll get a prospect to drive your car to the clubhouse." I hold my hand out, and she stares at it.
"Fine, but whoever or whatever this prospect is, they better be careful." She maneuvers her arm around Tanya and pulls the key out of her front pocket before handing it over.
We walk fast toward the Tahoe, but I shorten my strides so she can keep up. The prospect climbs out of the Tahoe, and I toss her key to him. "Drive the white Escape back to the compound."
Bear gets in on the driver's side and I open the back door, helping Pepper inside with Tanya still wrapped around her. "You both need to lay down on the seat until it’s safe."
I jump into the front seat while a few of the other brothers get on their bikes and pull up behind us. Shooter, my Sergeant of Arms, will handle Moose. Turning in my seat, I make sure the girls are lying down. It pisses me off how Pepper is looking at me with fear etched on her face. I want to rip apart the person who frightened her so.
Despite the situation, I don’t fail to realize she's one of the most appealing women I've seen in a long time. "We're going to our clubhouse where we can get information on what the fuck is going on. You don't have anything to worry about, sweetheart. We'll take care of everything.”
Before she can respond, I turn back to Bear. "I'm going to put the whole club on high alert. We'll need to be on lockdown."
"What's a lockdown?" the woman asks quietly from the backseat.
She has a lot of questions, I’m sure, because our world isn’t like the outsiders’. "It's when all the members come with their families to the clubhouse and stay put until we feel it's safe for everyone to go back home. Some will go to visit relatives living out of state. Right now, we have no idea what we're dealing with. It could be Moose working alone or maybe not."
After we've driven a few miles farther out of town, I surveil our surroundings and determine we’re safe for the time being. "You two can sit up now. It looks like we're not being followed."