Warlords MC: Book 6 – Traven : Chapter 4

“One of them almost stepped on you tonight,” Traven growled as he reminded her. He couldn’t understand why she was so fearless as to put her life in danger like that. “He was ready to put a bullet into your head.” He paused then added, “He wasn’t the only one looking for us, there were at least three men in those woods looking.”

Winter got up and put her jacket on again, then she moved toward the door. She went over to Nite Stalker and held out her hand. “I need my keys back. I have to get home and make sure Will is okay. If Matty and Brady find out I know where they are, neither me or Will is safe. I don’t want to lose him the same way I lost my dad.”

Traven followed her over. “We can go pick him up. That way, neither of you will be in any danger. They could be watching the house by this time.”

Winter shook her head. “I have to go. There’s a back way in but Will might shoot anyone else who tries to get in. He knows as well as I do what’s at stake here. He watched Matty and Brady shoot our dad. They left him wounded and bleeding like he didn’t matter.” She paused and glared at the entire group of them. “Well, he matters, he damn well matters to me.” Then she turned to Nite Stalker and held out her hands. “Give me my goddamn keys Creepy man and then get the hell out of my way. I’m going home.”

“Not without us watching your back, you’re not,” Traven declared.

Winter snapped her head around to glare at him. “I don’t want or need you… ghouls to get involved. This group will come after you if they have any idea you’re involved. They are hiding something big.”

“Any idea what they might be hiding?” Flint asked.

Winter paused a bit too long for Traven. He walked over to her and gripped her chin hard. Turning it to him, he studied her eyes for a moment. “What are they hiding?”

“I don’t know.” She gritted through her teeth as she glared at him. She yanked her head back to get him to let go.

He refused to do so.

It was a small test of wills as the men in the room watched a standoff between Traven and this tiny woman.

Traven studied her a moment longer before he released her. She frustrated him to no end, just as much as she amused him, it seemed. “Oh, you know more than you’re telling us, that’s for sure.” He growled.

“I need to get to my brother. I can’t stay here and leave him on his own,” she told them ignoring his statement.

“I’ll go with her,” Nite Stalker told them, “but she isn’t going to get far in her vehicle. That thing shimmies and shakes like no one’s business.”

Winter shook her head as she simply glared at him.

“I will take her home and bring them both back here,” Traven announced.

“No!” She all but shouted. “You said you would let me go!”

“I said if I thought it was safe and I see that it isn’t.”

Winter curled her small hands into fists. “Look I do not need you…” she paused and looked around at the men. “Or your ghoul crew, okay? Will and I might have to disappear for a while and I can’t and won’t risk one of you guys being killed. To me, it isn’t worth it. I’m not worth it.”

“You may not be worth it but to stop your brothers that would be worth getting into this fight,” Flint told her.

Winter caught her breath at his words. Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “Then you find them and take them out. They murdered my dad, their own father to further their cause. A cause he didn’t believe in. They have destroyed so many lives, and they need to be stopped.” She turned to Nite Stalker while remaining stubborn as ever. “Give me back my keys!”

Nite Stalker saw Traven shake his head and he stood firm,

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride to pick up your brother,” Traven stated quietly as he guided her to the front door, despite her slapping at his arm while he held hand on her lower back.

The men in the room just watched and shook their heads at her feisty little fight.

“We found you tonight and until this is over, you need to be with us,” Traven went on as if she hadn’t made a fuss, in fact he was getting used to it. “We aren’t going to just let you go and not worry about you and your brother. That’s not how we roll. Get used to it.”

Winter growled but still glared at Nite Stalker, “I still need my keys.”

Traven gave the man a nod. Might as well give her some sense of winning here, as he was determined that she wouldn’t get her way at the moment.

With a tisk under his breath, Nite Stalker handed them over.

After she stuck them in her pocket, Winter motioned toward the door and allowed him to lead the way to one of their vehicles. He held the door open for her and she got in but wouldn’t say a word to him. He got in behind the wheel and asked her for her address.

She didn’t want to give it to him but when Traven remained unmoved as he stared at her and wouldn’t move the car, she huffed loudly in disgust and finally gave in.

He put the vehicle in reverse and drove out of the compound.

Neither of them said a word as they drove through the night.

Traven knew she was still pissed and he thought it better just to leave it alone. He had no doubt, she would raise an argument and keep fighting. He almost smiled as he shook his head.

When they got to the outskirts of Three Forks, he drove around the small town and kept his eyes out for anyone that looked like didn’t belong. Finally, when he felt satisfied no one was following or acting suspicious, she directed him in the back way to her house.

They sat there in the dark for a long moment before Traven opened his door. He was parked three houses down from the house because Winter told him that was safer.

As they approached the house, they found it dark.

Winter didn’t seem too worried, instead she headed for the attached garage. Stopping and taking her keys out, she rapped on the back door and then using a key, she unlocked the door and slipped inside.

Traven slipped in right after her and shut the door behind him.

When he turned around, he found himself facing a young man in a wheel chair holding a gun on him. A huge black German Shephard sat beside the chair and was watching him carefully.

Winter was standing behind the chair, half smiling.

“Who the fuck is this, sis?” The young man growled.

“His name is Traven and he’s with a group of men. Well, I call him Mr. Spooky and he saved my bacon tonight at the camp. One of the sentry’s almost discovered me,” Winter told her brother. Then she looked up at Traven, “This is my brother Will.”

“Is the dog gonna attack me if I move?” Traven wanted to know. He held his hands down and thought of what weapon that he had on him to take care of the canine if he did attack.

Winter smiled as they were in her territory now. “He might.”

Will put his hand on the dog’s collar. “This is Muttly. Winter got him as a pup and he was the clumsiest puppy but as he grew, he showed certain tendencies, so we trained him to be my protector.” He looked up and over his shoulder at his sister and then back to Traven. “When she has to leave me, she at least knows I’ve got some protection.”

“So why is the house so dark?” Traven asked.

Will looked around the garage as he explained, “These walls are strengthened with steel panels. Nothing can get through if my brothers decide to shoot their way in. The windows in here and in the house are tinted with a special paint that looks dark from the outside but the house can be lit up and no one will see it.”

Traven studied the kid for a long moment, assessing him. He had a skill for this that he’d developed over the years while he’d been hunting. The kid was smart, young, but he had wisdom in his eyes. He then looked at Winter and nodded. “We need to get you guys back to the compound. We don’t want to be caught out in the open.”

Will frowned and looked up at his sister. “We’re going somewhere?”

Winter nodded. “He seems to think we need protection from the men of the Shadow camp. They almost caught me tonight before he…” She motioned toward Traven, “Got us out of there. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and one of the sentries almost stepped on me. They followed us but couldn’t find us in the woods.” She shrugged. “They didn’t find us, but they knew someone was there. They might move their camp again.”

Traven felt surprised that she finally admitted the truth of what happened back in the camp.

Will looked worried for a moment then he seemed to agree with the assessment, so he began to move. “Then I’d better pack up some of my stuff that I can’t and won’t leave behind.” He looked up at her and said, “I also found some information that you need to know, Winter. Something I never would have thought possible but I have a feeling deep down in my gut its true.”

Winter wrapped her arms around her brother and leaned down to hug him. “Well then, get what you need to get and let’s get the hell out of here. You can tell me on the way back to the compound.”