Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella by Sage L. Morgan

as Gabriel and Adrian volleyed back and forth. We’d left Las Vegas behind about twenty minutes ago, driving through stucco-walled suburban neighborhoods until they eventually thinned out, too. Now, it was nothing but highway and scrubby desert, with the occasional billboard or truck stop gas station to make things interesting. My eyes glazed over the flat horizon until I lost track of where midnight sky met black, cold earth. Then, I noticed the blinking neon sign.
    “Is that it?” I asked, pointing. But before Gabriel could answer, I saw the Harleys lined up in the dirt parking lot, and I knew we were at the right place.
    Pete Daddy’s was our rendezvous point. Gabriel had suggested it as the meeting place, saying it was a biker-friendly, out of the way dive bar. Well, he’d certainly been right about “out of the way,” because the Canyon City Skull Kings had already beaten us here.
    My heart thump-thump ed away in my chest as I slid out after Gabriel. The bar was playing classic rock, and loudly, but I could almost hear the boisterous laughter of my hometown crew over it all. I refused to acknowledge the cool, slimy feeling in my stomach as homesickness and trudged ahead, leading the way to the entrance.
    I blinked when I got inside. I recognized a few members shooting pool on the other side of the bar. Eddie, Noah, and Georgie hovered near the juke box, beers in hand. Liam was perched on a stool, chatting with the bartender until he finally spotted me.
    But it was Carmen’s voice I heard first.
    “Lizzie!”
    I turned around to see her advancing quickly toward me, arms outstretched. I accepted her hug gratefully and inhaled the scent of her hair, mildly spiced of the wild honeysuckle that grew near her house.
    “Hey, chica, ” she said, pulling away. “You look good.”
    “So do you,” I said, which was the truth. Her eyes were bright and her face was full and rosy. I saw her cast her eyes to the side at Logan, who stood up from his seat at a table to greet me. Liam wasn’t too far behind.
    “Hey, sis,” Liam said after Logan pulled away.
    We shared a brief hug. Liam’s old lady, Aspen, appeared at his elbow. Her dark hair was pulled back tight in a high ponytail, giving her face an almost equine look. She smiled as she pulled me in against her. Then, I saw her look curiously at Gabriel and Adrian.
    My blood pressure rose. “This is Anna’s brother, Adrian,” I said, introducing him to everybody. Then, I gulped. “And this is Gabriel.”
    The way everybody tried so hard to be nonchalant while shaking Gabriel’s hand made me cringe. “Nice to meet you,” they all said, but their eyes kept flashing between the two of us. Are they together? their faces practically broadcasted. I kept biting the tip of my tongue, trying to keep my expression from betraying anything.
    Then, it was Liam’s turn to clasp hands with Gabriel.
    The two guys held hands for longer than necessary, it seemed, as if they were testing each other’s grip. As far as I knew, they probably were. Liam was always welcoming to a fellow brother, but he had a tendency to be cold toward guys who were interested in me. I could tell by the strange, stiff look on his face that he was feeling conflicted.
    “We ran into each other by chance. I told him all about my troubles, and he wanted to help me out since I’m family,” I blurted out.
    “Oh?” Liam softened a bit, but not by much. He finally released Gabriel’s hand. “Well, thanks for looking out for my kid sister.”
    “No prob,” Gabriel said. He glanced around the bar. “So, we drinkin’ or what?”
    “Actually,” Logan piped up, “an agent from the local bureau is here right now. I found out he’s the one who’s been in contact with Anna.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
    I leaned over to look. All I could see were truckers. Then, there was the one skinny, solitary guy nursing a beer at a table. At first glance, he blended right in with his faded jeans and worn