Free The Rising Sons Motorcycle Club by Davida Lynn Page A

him when he didn’t have his biker persona on full blast.

    As she wiped down the bar, Raven smiled and listened as Tanner told her about a woman he’d met. The night before, some of the guys had taken him out for his birthday. Raven knew they were going to a strip club and had gracefully declined their invitation. Some other time, she might've enjoyed herself and the company of the club, but she didn't find the idea of watching her brother get lap dances very appealing.

    "Look. Don't judge me, but for a stripper, she was real nice." Tanner had a grin on his face as he realized how ridiculous his sentence was. A fair share of Captain and Cokes had put him in a jovial mood.

    Raven had only seen Tanner that happy after a long ride or a hard fight. She couldn't remember the last time he'd been head over heels for a woman. "Right. The way she could put her legs behind her head was real nice, I'm sure."

    Tanner waved a finger at his sister. "No, no, no. She wasn't that kind of stripper." He squinted and tilted his face to one side. "Okay, so maybe she was. It was my birthday, though. It was like going to Applebee's and getting your meal for free."

    "Oh my God. I no longer want to be a part of this conversation. I don't want to think about you and a stripper. And now you've ruined Applebee's for me, too." Raven threw the wet bar rag at her brother, whose reflexes, despite being drunk, allowed him to snatch the rag out of the air with ease.

    Tanner tossed the rag back to her. Raven caught the corner, but the backend came around and got her in the cheek. She mimed like she was about to throw up, and her brother pounded the bar as the two siblings cracked up.

    "Seriously, though," she said as her brother came down from his laughter. "I've never heard you talk about a girl this way."

    "I've never felt this way about a girl. I mean, this one might be a keeper."

    Another sentence she'd never heard her brother say. Raven could barely believe it. Her big brother, Tanner, settling down? The guy who would do anything for a thrill. This was the guy she’d thought would die on the back of a motorcycle without an ol’ lady to cry for him.

    Raven shook her head. Looks like I'm not the only one changing their mind about the opposite sex…

    A few days later, Raven was excited to meet Tanner's girl. She would have to say her name without giggling, but she'd manage: Charity. Raven decided it was a great stripper name. It was one that made you laugh at first, but the more you thought about it, the more layers it had.

    She couldn't hear her phone over the music, but she felt the vibration and pulled it out. Her brother was calling, so she headed back into the kitchen where she would be able to hear him.

    "Hey, what's up?"

    Tanner’s voice was twisted metal, sharp and ugly. "I'm worried, sis. She hasn't called me. She hasn't called her friends at the club. I think something happened."

    "Her ex?" Raven's heart jumped into gear, ready for action.   She had a stalker ex-boyfriend, and to make matters worse, it was another Bakersfield PD.

    "I don't know. But if I had to put money on it, I'd say yes. I called the club and talked to somebody named Princess, I think. Says she's besties with Charity. She's got to call a few places then get back to me."

    "What you need for me? Name it." Raven prepared to leave the bar and head wherever Tanner needed her.

    Tanner waited a moment, then said, "I know her ex's name. I need his address, and I know you can get it."

    Raven's heart sank. She could fight better than most of the men in the club, she could shoot, and she was smart. But in this case, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the man she happened to be fucking. She felt useless.

    "Sis, I know he's got her. I just do. The guy’s nuts. Get his address from your friend, and then get the hell over here. You're coming with me."

    She took a deep breath. "I'm on my way." Raven dreaded the call that would get her deeper in debt