Page 18 of Diamond

“Well said.” Sapphire grins, placing a hand over her heart. “That is a lot of money, for a second, I thought you might consider it.”

“Never,” I repeat. “The one thing you can all depend on is my loyalty to this club, this land I worked hard for. It’s your home as well as mine. I won’t waver, no matter what they throw at us.”

I make a mental note to call my dad. I’m not close to my mom, they divorced when I was small and she took off, but Dad is my rock. In a way, I can relate to Nash when he said his daughter was unwanted by her mother.

Ruby pumps her fists. “I’ll drink to that.”

I wasn’t kidding about my love for this town. Lanzetti’s not going to get what he wants, and I don’t care what he threatens. I won’t be run off my own land.

Saddle is our home. Our town. And we’re going to fucking protect it.

CHAPTER 9

NASH

This woman.

The way she wholeheartedly talks about Saddle and her love for this town.

I expected the town meeting to be a shitshow, but it seems the guilty culprits who sold out don’t show their faces, including the mayor who “regretfully couldn’t make it.” Neither does Lanzetti, who was invited so the townsfolk could ask questions. Like the gutless wonders they are, nobody showed.

Most of the townspeople are against a giant resort. We already have ample mom-and-pop run motels, and a lodge, as well as a ranch stay, with multiple cabins for the ultimate Saddle experience. Some of these businesses are second or third generation. Nobody wants commercialization in this small town, except the ones who are money hungry. It would kill small businesses for one, and I’m still not convinced the Lanzettis are on the up and up.

I’ve been digging, but they have damn good lawyers.

“Just know, the Stiletto Riders will do everything it takes to keep this town as the Saddle we know and love,” Diamond concludes through the mic. “I know others have sold out and left town with Lanzetti’s money, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. Rest assured—this is my home, our home—and we won’t be shut out by anyone, no matter the price. My loyalty is with all of you, and Saddle, as always.”

Cheers and claps ring out, and I glance around the room. Usually, MC clubs are looked down upon. Feared. Sneered at. People cross the street when they see bikers coming. And a female MC? Don’t even get me started. But that isn’t the case in Saddle.

The people here love the MC, and that’s because they act with integrity—something I never thought I’d admit. The other hundred people gathered here this afternoon—Duncan included—can’t be wrong.

The more I’ve heard about Diamond, the more I respect her. She’s badass to the core, but she’s a good woman. She takes care of her own, and those who have no one else.

So far, she’s helped several women gain employment, start an apprenticeship or internship, or some form of education. There are countless other success stories all over Texas and beyond. Jade, one of her members, began a self-defense class a few months back and now teaches at the local high school—she came to town after surviving a trafficking operation, which the club singlehandedly took down. Onyx runs the bar in town, Saddle Up, which employs several locals including Topaz and Garnet. Pearl runs the Saddle Hop Café, she also helps on several committees, one of them being Tidy up Saddle a self-funded initiative which relies on volunteers to help reshape and renovate the shops with new frontages, interiors, and equipment. They rally around when a business is struggling. The people of Saddle stick together.

It’s not that I don’t want to see the bad side of the club, but I’m struggling to see anything except the good. Sure, I don’t agree with taking the law into your own hands, but I also understand why Diamond did it. Those girls on that bus would’ve been put through the most hideous things imaginable. Most—if not all—of them would be dead now if not for the MC.

Of course, I don’t show any of this on my face. My job here is to maintain peace and order, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Not that anyone here is going to protest.

“That was quite a speech,” I say later, when everyone is dispersing. My hand on her elbow, she looks down at it as I pull her aside, away from the small crowd still gathered. “Can we talk?”

We move off to the side.

“Next you’re going to say you’re proud of me.”

I smirk. “Are you always so cheerful?”

“I-I’m passionate about Saddle, that’s all.”

“I can see that,” I say. “I can feel it.” When she looks at me suspiciously, I elaborate, “When someone is passionate, there’s something untouchable about them. The whole room was encapsulated by your words. They respect you.”

“What about you?” she asks, her piercing eyes searching mine. “Because after you left the other day…” I wait for her to go on, then she lowers her voice. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to get a girl off and then skedaddle?”

I chuckle at her choice of words. “I was a little brazen.”

“You were horny, admit it.”

I glance around, but most of the people left behind are chatting among themselves. I lower my voice, too. “That was a given.”