Chapter 1

Rain and the others pulled into the driveway of the compound. Damn, they had only been gone a short time, and still, it felt like forever. She pulled up next to the other women and slowly got off her bike. It was an Authentic '70s chopper; she loved it, it was a cross between old and new, custom painted with her own design. Plus it had the Lady Riders' new decal on there. It was perfect.

She pulled at her chaps and vest; they were sticking to her skin even though she was wearing jeans and a tank beneath them. The first course of action was a shower. Then she was going to ask to speak to Shady. She really needed to get this sh^t off her chest. The whole way back it bothered her. Even when they had stopped for two nights Rain was going to talk to her leader, but she hadn’t had the chance. Instead, she had hung out and planned with the others. They already had things in motion before they even arrived back at the compound.

Now, she had no clue what the f^ck to say. She needed time and space to actually think before she talked to Shady. Her friend was nothing if not loyal, and could look at it as a betrayal, and Rain wasn’t sure she could handle that.

She hadn’t only changed her appearance, she had remade herself as a person, with some help of course. She cringed when she thought of the way she was brought up. In the fancy house and constant drama. Rain had longed to get the f^ck out of there, and because of that, she left the morals her father taught her right at the door. If she had listened to her father before she said ‘I do,’ everything would have been different. Of course, she hadn’t, why would she, Storm knew best. Arrogant and foolish, right until she discovered her soul had been turned just as black as the devil she had married.

Sweet, shy, loving, three words never used to describe Storm Rugel. Why would they, she was a vicious bitch with no feelings. That was her past self; Rain was who she was now. It’s why she was drawn into the world of MCs. You could be whoever you wanted to be, and no one cared. They accepted you for who you were, and when she first came to the Ops Warriors she had still been a vicious bitch, but through them, she learned something her father had never been able to get through her head. Redemption came easy when you had people at your back.

With a sigh, she walked into the main house and then wandered up to her floor. Since the leaders had all decided to move into houses behind the main house, the Lady Riders had been given the whole top floor of the main building to set up. They were planning renovations, the rooms were there for them all, which was cool, but they needed a meeting room. For now, Rain had been given Shady’s old room, and she loved it.

Moving to the shower, Rain dumped all of her clothes on the floor, ignoring them. She needed to wash away the dirt and grime from the road, but she also wanted to be clean when she talked to Shady. Maybe it was stupid, but for some reason, Rain thought it mattered.

The shower she shared with Treat, whose room was on the other side of hers. As she entered into the hot shower, she grimaced when the water hit her sore muscles. Rain. She grinned, she loved her name, she had changed it when she ran away and thought it suited her. Yeah, it was a play on her real name, but to her Rain meant she was washing away all the bad sh^t, and coming out fresh, just like the air after a good storm. At least that is what she hoped.

She slid her hand down her well curved but toned body. She wondered if anyone could still recognize her anymore. When she was Storm, she was voluptuous; Rain worked her ass off to get fit. The only thing that stayed the same was her tits, thank God. Being an erotic dancer, if you had small tits, you had small tips. She ran a hand over her long, thick, very expensive, bottle-blond hair. Her eyes, which used to be hazel, were now flashy blue with the help of contacts. Finally, she finished showering and got out quickly, so she didn’t use all the hot water.

Dammit, she hated thinking about this sh^t, and she hated even more that she was going to have to f^cking tell her family they didn’t know her at all. Rain heard the other women as she stepped out onto the floor. sh^t, she needed to move; Shady was probably alone right now since her men were still in Mexico with the others.

She walked into the large common room and looked around, would she still be here in a few hours? That was her only thought, and she smiled at her sister riders and then walked to the large staircase. She had to get this sh^t over with before it drove her nuts.

As she hit the bottom of the stairs, she paused when she heard a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time. What the f^ck? She stormed down the stairs and sitting right there at a table with Kink was the bane of her existence. Slone ‘Knight’ Laverty, he was a Nomad with the Ops Warriors, and when all the sh^t had started, she assumed he would have come, but he hadn’t. Apparently, he was doing something else.

“I am ready to finally settle,” he said to Kink who was the brother he was closest to when he was here. sh^t, she had to be hearing wrong, he was coming off the road, impossible, and bad timing for her.

Kink owned and ran the tat shop in town. Everyone in a hundred-mile radius came to Slinging Ink to get tats done by Kink. He was a master, and when Knight was in town, he worked at the shop as well and was just as popular.

They had history, the kind that wasn’t simple and clear-cut. When Rain wandered into town, the first place she went to was Slinging Ink. She got her first tat from Knight, and since then their love/hate relationship had been complicated. Kink was usually their buffer; he was also her best friend and confidant. Yet, he didn’t know the real her, she knew that was going to change soon, and she dreaded that conversation.

“Hey, sweets,” Kink smiled at her and winked. “How was the ride home?”

She rolled her eyes, “Fine, hey, we need to talk in a few. I need to see Shady first.”

Kink frowned, she usually didn’t ask, she just went to him, so she understood his confusion.

“Okay,” he struggled. “Knight and I are going into the shop. Come up there.”

She hadn’t acknowledged Knight, and she refused to look in his direction. He didn’t take that well. Rain felt the shift in the atmosphere around him, readying himself to put his two cents into the conversation that had nothing to do with him, and she braced herself.

“You got a problem I need to sort for you, princess?” Knight said dryly. This was because he thought she was a bitch. He didn’t want to help her; he wanted to point out that she never took care of anything and had others deal with her problems.

She glared at him, flipped her head around, and proceeded to ignore him, then said, “Let me know when you’re alone, yeah?”

Kink frowned but nodded as she turned and walked out the back door. Rain let out a deep breath as soon as the door closed behind her. Of all the sh^t luck she’d had, she should have known sh^t wouldn’t go simple. Nope, talking to Shady and opening the closet full of her demons obviously wasn’t bad enough in the fate handbook. Now she had to deal with the pompous Neanderthal Knight. f^ck her luck. She half slapped herself mentally at the fact she’d noticed in the very short time she’d glanced at him, the image of him was burned in her corneas.

Knight was six feet four inches of muscle that spanned across the widest shoulders she’d ever seen. He wasn’t like most tattoo artists that had never seen true manual labor or the inside of a gym and showed it. Nope. His muscles had muscles. The jokes about him could put all of the Chuck Norris ones to shame. His pitch-black hair wisped down in two of the brightest green eyes you’d ever see. Those thick, luscious lashes were the only things soft in his features. He had a great nose and high, defined cheekbones that contrasted his full lips. His tats went up both arms and a tribal wound up his neck and attached to a full back piece—she’d seen on more than one occasion, and it looked delicious along the ripples of muscles back there—he screamed badass. He also screamed asshole, and Rain knew if he was back, her life was going to be more complicated than it already was.

With a shake of her head and doubled fists at her sides, she stomped off toward her bike. Talking to Shady would have to wait for another time…one where if sh^t went down, there wouldn’t be a judgmental f^ckwad on standby waiting to grab a torch and pitchfork. Rain slung her leg over her baby, groaning at the stiffness she felt from their earlier journey but allowed the anger coursing through her to push the pain down. Right now she needed the only thing that could clear her troubled mind—the road.

Rain finally pulled up and stopped at the top of the mountain. This was her favorite spot to come when the world closed in around her. Not many people, if any, knew about the cliff that overlooked the entire city. One narrow dirt road led in and out, and it was surrounded by trees so thick that unless you knew it was there, you’d walk right past it. She’d found it a long time ago when she’d run off during one of the many fights between her and the monster she called husband. Since then, her visits were frequent. Knowing what she knew, what she’d seen, and what she hadn’t stopped, ate away at her until the only thing that remained was the hollow, hardened shell she was today. God, but if she could turn back time… A time before she’d met Zane, she’d have done things differently. God, how she’d been young and stupid. Blinded by his cocky grin and big brown eyes. Ugh. Now the thought of him made her want to vomit. Her stupidity was what led her to the OPs and Savages, giving her a place within the new Lady Riders. A place that once she’d confessed would no doubt be ripped away from her forever. She let out a sigh, willing herself not to puke, and sat on the grassy ledge looking down over the city.

The sky was an intense blue, with only a few puffy white clouds floating overhead. She closed her eyes and took in the sweet smell of the air, fading into her environment and out of her thoughts. This, she realized, was the closest thing she’d ever get to real happiness or peace. Her life was destined to be one giant sh^tstorm, and she had finally come to terms and accepted it after the day she’d walked in Zane’s ‘office’ and witnessed the sale of a woman. As in, an actual human being was haggled over and purchased at the low price of twenty-five thousand dollars. Her first thought had been that it was prostitution, and her beloved husband was a pimp. The longer she eavesdropped, the more her brain began to piece together the truth. And the truth was hideous.

Rain had never seen any of the women, and despite knowing it was happening, she had turned a blind eye. She’d wanted to run and tell someone to help them, but Zane had made it clear he’d never allow it. The bastard told her he’d sell her and she’d never be found again if she so much as thought about leaving him. But she’d seen the girls that had been caged like dogs when they’d saved Sahara’s sister. The reality of it all had slapped the ever-loving f^ck out of her. Was this what she had allowed other women to endure?

When she’d finally seen a small window to either bolt or stay and burn in hell with him, she’d run as fast as she could. The first few months she’d kept on the road, changing vehicles every state. There had been more than one occasion she’d felt the prying eyes of someone and feared he’d sent some of his goons to tail her, but they were slow. And stupid, which was a plus in her favor. It’d taken her six months on the run to find the OPs, and she hadn’t looked back since. New identity, new appearance, and new life—all about to crash and burn because of the secrets she kept. She’d known Reyes, she hadn’t known his name, but when she saw him, she knew she had met him before, it made her skin crawl. Zane had met with him on more than one occasion, and she’d prayed Zane would attend the auction they’d raided. But because she had no luck and, karma liked to f^ck her, he hadn’t been there. She had to speak up now that they had the forces to stop him. Her future be damned, she was determined to give those young girls a future, like she hadn’t the countless women.

Knight knew seeing Rain again would be hard, but he’d figured being away for as long as he had, she’d be out of his system. He figured wrong. The moment that fine little ass strutted in tossing sass, he knew he was in serious trouble. And knowing she was meeting up at the shop later with Kink, he needed to screw his head on straight and tie his cock down before he could face her again. f^ck if she wasn’t a hot piece. He’d made it a point to shove her away any chance he got; she had a thing for people thinking she was needy or clingy that he’d caught on to early and used it against her. It worked. The daggers her sapphire eyes shot at him were enough to make ice form on his skin.

So he’d told Kink he had errands to run and hauled ass to the one place he went when he had to think. He slowed his bike and turned down the old dirt road, coming to a dead halt when he’d realized how grown up the path had become since his last visit. There was no way in hell he was getting scratches on his ride and f^ckin’ up the new paint job, so he decided to park it and walk the rest of the way.

Knight’s heavy booted heel kicked down the kickstand as he killed the motor. The air was warm but had cooled some in the cover of the trees, and it felt good instead of smoldering hot. It’d been a while since he’d felt good about anything. Out there on the road, there wasn’t anything but temporary. Temporary highs from booze, temporarily good from random pussy. Neither had a lasting effect.

The walk in had already started easing his tension. The overlook was his. As far as he knew, no one knew of its existence besides older generations that had used it back in the 50’s as a make-out spot. As the generations changed, it’d been forgotten. He took his time, noting the different views the trees and brush gave. He was wrapped up in his surroundings so tight he’d damn near tripped over the 70’s something chopper. “What the f^ck?” he growled. He looked down to see a familiar decal and paint job that was unmistakable. His temper shot off. As he went to find the owner, his steps were no longer slow and leisure. It took all of sixty seconds to cross the clearing and find his target, sitting with her legs dangling off the side of the cliff as if it were nothing more than a tailgate party at a Steve Miller Band concert.

“What the f^ck are you doing here!” he boomed. She hadn’t heard him approach, and when he announced his presence, she jerked and wobbled on the edge. Instinctively, he reached down and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her to her feet with a fling that had her landing on the other side of him.

“Ouch! What the f^ck!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, what the f^ck!” he returned.

“No, you what the f^ck! This is my spot dammit!” Her cheeks turned bright red, and her chest bowed out.

“The f^ck you say!” he ground out. Their explosive conversation was only building. His temper was double that. Knight couldn’t help but notice the rise and fall of her chest as she sucked air into her lungs to refuel for another slur of yelling. “Get your whiny little ass back on that f^ckin’ bike and get the f^ck outta here, Rain,” his voice had gone low and feral. The more he noticed about her hot little body and its effect on his cock, the angrier he got. Instead of backing off at his warning, she closed the distance between them and stood toe to toe with him.

“Whiny? You listen, and you listen good you son-of-a-bitch. I don’t know what your f^ckin’ problem is and I don’t give a sh^t. But I’m getting damn sick and tired of your mouth. I haven’t run to anyone for help. Ever.” Her voice now held the same low gravelly tone his did, and he found it amusing that she thought she could be a threat. Her neck arched up to meet his eyes but her body posture didn’t waiver. She wasn’t scared in the slightest at what he could do to her if he wanted. “I joined up, same as you. Same f^cked up background, same baggage. Not one damn time have I unloaded my sh^t on anyone. From what I’ve heard, you can’t say the same,” she pushed. He’d had a few issues in the past, mostly from young and stupid decisions that the brothers had stepped in to smooth over. How the f^ck she knew, he didn’t know, but it ate his ass he couldn’t point out a specific incident where she’d went running for help. Truth be told, she hadn’t as far as he knew, it was just his weapon to keep her at bay. She was a piece of ass who had trouble written all over her. There was no way in hell he wanted to deal with her attitude, and despite wanting to plow her little c^nt over and over again, Knight knew it wasn’t worth the drama. Damned if he wasn’t drawn to trouble though. “Whatever problem you have with me, get the f^ck over it. I’m tired of your sh^t.”

“Bullsh^t,” he growled, bumping his chest against hers. Oh, he’d never hit a woman out of anger, but he’d damn sure rip her pants down and beat her ass a bright red for being such a little bitch. The background she did come from obviously hadn’t entitled her getting her ass spanked near enough. He wanted to fight the thoughts about the apple of her ass over his knee, a bright shade of pink but couldn’t. That, and the fact she was at the one place he went to forget her, leaving him irrational. “You’re my problem. And right now, you’re in my spot. Get the f^ck out.”

He thought for sure she’d back down, but she didn’t. His anger seemed to only egg the hellcat on. “Or what? You wanna throw down? Bring it, Knight. You may be bigger than me, but I’ll still take you,” she hissed. And the fact she was serious had his head going back in laughter. His amusement did little for her temper tantrum, as her then red face turned brighter. He’d have sworn smoke would be pouring from her ears like in the old cartoons. Those damn blue eyes of hers clouded and narrowed into tight slits. “f^ck you.” Her tongue was sharp, but the little fist that reared back and hit him in the side of his jaw was sharper.

“What the—” he touched where the bony little knuckles had left their mark, and he towered over her. “You f^ckin’ hit me,” he accused. She moved to do it again, but he caught her wrist and wrenched it behind her back, dragging the other one to join it. When she couldn’t move her arms, she attempted to kick and knee. Knight jerked her body against his in a violent tug and held her against him. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, forcing her to look at him. “You’re gonna pay for that, Rain,” he said. His voice had taken on a new tone she didn’t recognize. The anger in his features was still there, but something else…something more dangerous mixed in his expression. His warm breath skated across her lips, and she fought back the reaction her body gave. The closer he got, the more her mind shut off and her body responded. Just as her lips parted and readied for what was to come, Knight brushed his mouth on hers and grinned.

His cocky smile snapped her back to reality and back to that same state of pissed the f^ck off she’d been just a few moments before, only adding another heaping to it. “Get your hands off me!” she spit out. Her words didn’t hold the bite she’d hoped, and her voice had cracked midway through giving her desire away. He grinned even harder and released her hands, laughing again when she turned and stomped back to her bike. The motor purred to life, and she could be heard spinning dirt all the way to the main road.