“I’m not mad.”
Chains revved the motor and Autumn jumped back. Without another word, he pulled away from the curb and sped off.
Houses, trees, and storefronts blurred past him as he rode like the wind, all thoughts and feelings disappeared into nothingness. The cool air whipped around Chains, the smell of sage and damp earth filled his nostrils as the rumble of the engine and the vibration of the bike underneath connected him to the landscape, to the universe, and took him the hell out of his head.
After the three-hour solo ride, Chains walked into the clubhouse and held up two fingers to the prospect behind the bar.
“Where’s Thor?” he asked.
Aztec glanced over at the couches where several of the club girls sat watching the big screen television.
“I think Ruby took him out for a walk. He kept looking out at the lot like he was waiting for you to get home.”
“I went for a ride.” Chains walked over to the bar.
“Didn’t you have something to do with your parents?” Aztec said as he followed him.
Chains salted his hand then threw back the double shot of tequila. “I only stopped by.” He sucked on the lime wedge, then tossed it aside. “It was too nice of a day to pass up a ride.”
“Damn straight. Crow and me rode earlier. Where’d you go?”
“San Juan Mountains—Tecolote Pass.” He looked over at the club women.
“You must’ve gone for a long ride. I fuckin’ love that pass.” Aztec picked up the beer bottle Vegas put in front of him.
“It was awesome.” Chains pushed away from the counter. “I’m gonna see if the girls know where Ruby is.”
He ambled over, and as he approached the women, he saw Lila painting her nails and Kelly swiping polish on her toes.
“Hey,” he said.
Lila looked up and smiled. “Hey, cutie.” She shook her right hand while blowing the nails of her left one.
“Aztec told me Ruby took Thor for a walk. How long have they been gone?” Ever since Thor had that episode with the poisonous berries, Chains had become super protective of him. He’d told the women not to take Thor into the woods, but sometimes they forgot.
“About twenty minutes,” Fina said while staring at the TV.
“Where’d she take Thor?”
Fina shrugged.
“I think she took him on the road next to the club,” Kelly said, looking up.
“Thanks,” he said before leaving the clubhouse. Chains had told Ruby many times not to take walks outside of the MC’s property unless one of the members was with her. The area around the club was desolate.
He started the SUV’s engine, drove out of the lot, then turned left on the old highway. About a quarter of the way down, the road forked, and Chains turned right onto an unpaved street. He and some of the other members had found Ruby walking in that particular area in the past, so he thought it was the best place to begin the search.
Groves of scrub pines interspersed with sagebrush, cactus, and the occasional adobe bungalow. The SUV made a sharp left, kicking up dust as it bounced down a narrow road. Chains passed by a cement block wall with a broken bottle atop it, surrounding a stucco house that had a single strand of Christmas lights around it.
Slowing down to avoid a large dip in the road, he heard Thor barking. From the pitch and steady duration, Chains knew something wasn’t right. He leaned over and took out a Glock from the glove box, then pushed his foot down on the accelerator and sped in the direction of Thor’s barks.
As Chains came up on a path littered with stones, he saw a big four-wheel drive pickup parked to the side.
“Leave me alone!” A thread of fear wove through Ruby’s voice.
Anger rippled through Chains as he pulled the car over and jumped out. The muscles at the back of his jaw pulsed as he walked with purpose toward the loud voices.
“Shut that fucking dog up!” a man yelled.