Page 14 of Chasing Kit

Gritting my teeth, I assessed the damage to the rental car. It was beyond repair, with large dents in the silver doors and every single side and back window smashed to pieces.

“Feel better?” I snapped. “Touch him and you’re dead.” I held Modi’s gaze for a beat, letting the promise sink in before I turned my attention to the man in charge. I stalked toward Odin, president of the Lords. Unannounced visits weren’t his favorite thing, but I’d hoped to get in and out clean. Finding people was my specialty, and Kit’s trail had been easy to follow if you knew what you were looking for. I did.

“Odin. Nice to see you.”

Odin wasn’t particularly tall, especially compared to me, but power rolled off him in waves. I knew the stories—the influential friends, the endless cash—and the five bikers standing behind him were a testament to the resources he commanded. Derek’s warning to stay clean echoed in my head, which was fine because I wasn’t in the mood to provoke him.

“Is it?” Odin kept his arms crossed, cocking his head. “Because, kid, if it was good to see me, you’d have let me know you were coming through Pleasant Beach.”

“Did you have to ruin the car?” My mouth twitched as I suppressed the urge to punch him, despite every instinct telling me to hit him for his dramatics. Fucking asshole. “It’s a rental.”

“You didn’t come to say hi.” He grinned. “So, I wanted to make sure you remembered who I was.”

“How could I forget?” My sneer slipped out before I could stop it.

One of his brothers dismounted his bike and removed his helmet. Thor, Odin’s vice president, emerged from beneath the heavy black headgear, his short sandy blond hair appearing brighter than usual in the morning sun. He walked toward us with a confident stride.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Listen, I’m not here to cause trouble. Derek’s son went on a bit of an unplanned vacation.” I gestured roughly over my shoulder with my thumb. “And Derek wanted me to bring him home. That’s all.”

“Then you had nothing to do with the two dead bodies reported to the local cops?” Thor raised his eyebrows.

“Damn it.” How did they know so fast? A muscle in my neck seized. The Society. Odin’s connections ran deep, and he enforced the rules of this safe zone without mercy. Lying wasn’t an option, but admitting to an unsanctioned kill in Pleasant Beach was a death sentence. I was trapped.

“Well?” Odin dropped his arms to his sides, close to the gun on his hip holster. “Derek knows the laws here, and so do you, War. Did you kill those guys?”

I gritted my teeth and breathed through my nose. There were five of them, and Kit couldn’t help, not that I would want that for him. I also wasn’t going to start a war with the Lords. They’d been good allies on more than one occasion. “Yes, I killed them.”

Odin studied me carefully. “Want to tell me why?”

“Yeah, I can, but it’s a long story.” My fingers twitched, but I didn’t move my hand closer to my Glock.

“Make it short,” he smirked.

“Someone told Derek’s son the truth about the family business and lured him here. Put him up in a motel. Two men came to grab him. I got there first. I shot them to save his life, and I’d do it again.” I met Odin’s gaze. “There was no time to ask for permission. His life was on the line.”

“Why would they bring him here?” Thor asked. “Out of all places, they rent a motel in this city where we are?”

I frowned. “You think they know about the Lords and the protection on Pleasant Beach?”

He shrugged. “That’s one big coincidence.”

“Do you know who the men were?” Odin grunted.

I shook my head. “No. They were strangers, and we haven’t had time to figure out who texted Kit the messages ratting out Derek, either. I only managed to get him out of the motel and into the car.”

“And you were escaping the city before I realized you were in it, am I right?” Odin’s eyes glinted.

I needed to tread carefully, while also telling the truth. “Yes. I thought it would be easier. I didn’t expect to kill someone.”

He stared at me, long and hard, and I held his gaze without flinching. Odin was trying to get a read on me, but my face was a mask I’d perfected overseas. I’d seen true horror, but this was just business. I kept my breathing even and my hands loose, waiting for his next move.

Odin might be a terrifying man, connected to every elite murderer in the country, but he was still just a man. I’d already counted the bikers, noted their positions, clocked the one near the door who kept shifting his weight to his left. I waited. Perhaps my quietness told Odin something because, finally, he smiled.

“Come back to the clubhouse with us.”

“Derek is waiting,” I countered.

Odin’s face hardened. “That wasn’t a request, Warrick. It’s an order.” He pointed at the rented Lexus. “Get in that car and follow us to the clubhouse. You are not leaving until we figure out who brought Derek Uhlig’s son into my city.”