Rebel Bears MC: (A Bear Shifter Romance Collection) Page 2

  Jake was getting sick of hearing about his father. Donovan didn’t really think for himself, just parroted what their dad said to him like it was his own thought.

  He was about to say something smart along those lines until he saw multiple single headlights coming up fast behind them. The weird feeling hit harder, taking over all of his senses. Jake told his brother to get down, seconds before bullets started flying through the back window.

  Chapter Three

  Alexis was sick of being left behind. She was sick of a lot of things, but if her brother Tommy wasn't going to let her go and her father refused to listen to reason, then Alexis was going to have to prove herself one way or another. She was sick of being treated like a kid. Sure, she was the youngest of her siblings, but that didn't mean she couldn't do the same things they did.

  “Can you please shut the damn door?”

  “I'm just saying, Josh, if you let me go, I can be of help. You know that I can shoot better than any of you guys.”

  Her older brother smiled at her and patted her on the head like she was a dog. “I know that you're a great shot, Alexis, but we're not shooting at targets. These are going to be people, and they're going to move and shoot back. I don't want to think about anything happening to you. You need to stay behind. Didn't Dad already tell you that? I know he is not okay with you going with.”

  Alexis huffed. She was always being told what she couldn't do, and it was getting tiring. She didn't want to hear about what her dad would say.

  “He's not going. It's going to be you guys. Why can't I come with you? Just because I haven't shot somebody before doesn't mean that I can't.”

  He shook his head and told her that she was just going to have to listen to reason.

  “I don't even know why you want to come. It's not going to be fun. They're not going to be happy with us, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

  He was nice about it, but it still meant that everybody got a say in what she did except her.

  “Nothing is going to happen to me. Everybody else gets to go.”

  “All dudes, Alexis. This is what we do, so why act like you don’t know how this all works? We’ve never let women go out on jobs like this. It’s too dangerous.”

  She scoffed. Living with a bunch of brothers her whole life had really been hard on Alexis. Every time she turned around, somebody was trying to “keep her safe” and “help” her. Which boiled down to her not being able to do anything.

  “Just tell me the truth. Why won't you let me go?”

  “Because you're not like us, Alexis.”

  “Yes, I am. You have the same blood as I do.”

  “While that may be true, sister, we both know deep down, that you're nothing like us. You want to make things better, and we don't. I don't want you involved with this.”

  “But this is what our family does, so what other choice do I have?”

  “You can always find you some nice fellow and settle down. Get out of this life altogether.”

  Alexis just shook her head and left Josh to it. She knew that arguing with him was going to do her no good. She knew where they were going and what they were doing. Alexis didn't need his permission. She could make her own decisions. She wasn't a kid anymore.

  It was about time that everyone knew it.

  The operation that night was pretty simple. Alexis had heard them talking about it for a while now. The Gambes wanted a piece of the pie from the Rebel Bears. They were in a smaller game that had been pushed to the edge of town when the Rebel Bears expanded their turf.

  They were more vicious, stronger, and they seemed to always be one step ahead of Alexis's family. Now she was hoping to finally show her family that she could be part of it. She didn't want to be on the sidelines any longer. Alexis wanted to help.

  The plan was that they were going to ride out and confiscate some of the Rebel Bear’s latest shipment. Alexis knew that it was not going to be pleasant, and she knew that she was going to most likely have to shoot someone. Even though she had never done it before, Alexis had convinced herself that she could do it. She hoped that she could anyways.

  The problem was nobody wanted to give her a chance. Alexis had tried to show her brothers that she was ready for more in the family business, but nobody paid much attention to her. She was just a girl, after all, and the only worth she really had was to find a good husband and pop out a few kids.

  Finding a husband was the last thing on her mind.

  So, when everybody started to get ready to go, she disappeared. There were about twenty people going, and Alexis hoped that she could just blend in with the crowd. What would one more bike be in a swarm?

  Once people started to leave, Alexis decided that her best bet was to wait just a little bit longer. Then she left with those taking up the rear. She had her helmet on so that nobody would notice her red hair.

  Alexis was shaking a little inside. She wasn't afraid of anything bad happening. It was more a fear of nothing happening. She could no longer stay still. Alexis had been in the same place for too long, much like her clan. Alexis did not like violence, and her brother Josh was right—the last thing she wanted to do was shoot someone, but she was to the point that she realized she had to do something or their family was going to become another casualty of the Rebel Bears.

  It wasn't hard to keep up with the row of bikes in front of her. She was bringing up the rear, thankful nobody seemed to notice an extra person hanging around. Alexis knew that if she were found out, her brother would be furious with her. It was okay if he found out after the fact. After she had proven herself and shown them that she could keep a clear head, even when their backs were against the wall.

  One minute she was telling herself that she could do it, the next questioning everything. Alexis had been waiting for this chance, and she was not going to let it slip away. That's what she was telling herself—then the first shot rang out. She didn't know if it was coming from her side or from the Rebel Bears. Maybe Alexis wasn't as ready as she liked to think she was. All the time, she had been telling herself that she could do it, but she had never really asked herself why. Why was it so important?

  As she came over the hill, she started to see what all the commotion was about. Alexis could see her brother at the front. Of course, that was where he would be. He was the one who always put himself in the line of fire, protecting the clan. Then, right in front of Alexis's eyes, her brother was shot and fell from his bike.

  Alexis wasn't thinking. She skidded off her bike and started running towards Josh. She couldn't believe it. How could it be so? Was her brother really dead, just like that?

  Alexis didn't fully reach the body before something was hitting her from the side. She fell down, or rather, was thrown off of her feet, and she hit the pavement hard. The truck that they’d stopped was still in the middle of the road, and her eyes focused on the blinking red light ahead of her. Alexis hit her head and her leg was on fire. She didn’t want to look down, afraid of what she was going to see when she did.

  She watched the fight unfold around her, but it didn’t seem like much of a fight. The Gambes were a powerful gang. They were shifters, wolves, but it was nothing in comparison with the Rebel Bears. They were bears, bigger, badder, and far stronger than any group of people that she’d seen before. They were ripping limbs, throwing people. It was a blood bath, and Alexis finally closed her eyes. She was ready for her fate.

  After several minutes of nothing but shooting and people screaming, a silence came over everything. Alexis opened her eyes.

  As soon as she did, she wanted to immediately close them.

  Shots started to ring out again, but this time, it wasn't a battle. They were going by and killing anyone that was left. She was sure that she was about to get a bullet to the head. Without thinking much about what was going to happen, she decided she had to make a run for it.

  Alexis heard a shout and then a growl from behind her, but she didn't slow down.
She had no intentions of stopping, but an arm came out and knocked her flat on her back.

  Alexis sighed in pain and waited. It was strange to think, but she couldn't help but notice how cute the guy was. Too bad he was about to kill her.

  Chapter Four

  Jake's heart was beating a mile a minute. The night had certainly not turned out the way he wanted it to. And how it had been handled was also not at all what he had in mind. Now he was standing over another person.

  Unlike the rest of his group, Jake did not take to killing easily. He thought that most things could be figured out; usually, it was just a conversation that needed to happen. Donovan was different, though. At the first sign of trouble, Donovan was ready for the fight. It happened so quickly that it had taken Jake off guard. He wasn't even out of the car before he saw his brother take out some of the people that were attacking him.

  Now, Jake was supposed to do it again, and he just didn't want to. He already had a bad taste in his mouth.

  “Take off your helmet.”

  Whoever it was wasn’t listening, and he repeated himself.

  “We got you dead to rights. Take off your helmet now!”

  The man underneath him was quite small, and it didn't feel good to do it. He felt like a bully. He knew it had to be done, but Jake at least wanted to look the man in his eyes when he ended his life. Seemed like the least he could do.

  The next thing Jake knew, though, there was a couple of feet of red hair coming out of the helmet and the man he was supposed to shoot in the head became a beautiful woman.

  “Well, I really didn't see that coming.”

  “Do what you have to do. Just do it quickly, please.”

  He could see the determination in her eyes, and even though moments before, Jake had been thinking of killing her, he didn't like the sound of it. He didn't especially like the way it rolled off her tongue like an accusation. She was right of course, that was exactly what he was supposed to do.

  Everything in him wanted to let her go. It was obvious that she wasn't supposed to be there. He couldn't even imagine what would make her involve herself in such a situation. She was beautiful, delicate. The last thing she should be doing was putting her life in danger. And for what? Some drugs and guns? It didn't make any sense to him, and he wanted to understand.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “My clan is here to get back some of their land. This was our land, long before it was yours. You guys took it over, took the city, took all of the good jobs and supplies. What did you expect to happen? Did you expect us to sit idly by?”

  “I expected you to be a little bit more intelligent than this. We tried hard to make it clear what our intentions were. We gave you a chance to clear out.”

  “And like you said, you found me dead to rights, so do what you have to do. There is no sense in dragging it out unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

  The last thing he wanted to consider was what she was suggesting. Obviously, there was something that he was missing. He was about to tell her to get up and go because there was no way he was going to kill her. He didn't kill women. More than that, he really didn't want to kill this woman.

  He must have waited too long, though. Jake could hear Donovan coming over, and he knew that he had to do something quickly. He should have kicked some leaves over her body, something, but he drew a blank. He had to stop his brother’s arm that raised the gun.

  “No, Donovan. Not this one.”

  Donovan stopped and then smiled. “What, did you find us a trophy to enjoy before we leave and get this shit delivered?”

  It hurt Jake to hear him even say the words. The idea of any of the others touching her sent anger throughout his body.

  “No one is touching her, Donovan. She’s coming with me.”

  “Why? If you’re not going to scew her, what’s the point?”

  “She might have information that we need. It would be a waste to leave behind the opportunity to learn more about our enemies.”

  “Who, these guys?”

  Donovan looked around and smiled. “I wouldn’t worry too much about these guys. They aren’t going to come back. There can’t be too many of them left. We got most of them.”

  Donovan started to move towards the woman, and Jake shook his head. He wasn’t going to let it happen. He moved in between the two of them.

  “No one is touching her. Didn’t I make myself clear?”

  His body was tense, and Jake was ready to do what was necessary to keep the woman safe. The enemy, the beautiful damn enemy. As much as Donovan wanted to pretend to be the boss, he knew better. Jake was bigger and stronger, and at the moment his eyes flashed, Donovan knew his brother wasn’t joking around.

  Jake wasn’t sure what was going on with him, but he knew that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her, a stranger. He would fight him if he had to, and Donovan chose to get himself out of that inevitability.

  “What are you going to do with her, Jake? I mean, think about it. Where are you going to bring her? Home with us? Father will be so pleased.”

  Jake wasn't sure what he was doing, but he wanted his brother to shut up. Donovan was getting the rest of clan frothy, and the idea of any of them putting their hands on her was more than he could bear.

  “It doesn't matter what I do with her or whether you agree with it or not.”

  “Well, you can't just let her go. She's the enemy and I'm sure with the right motivation, she will be able to give us some information. You can't just walk away from that. That's not what a leader would do.”

  “I wonder why you know so much about being a leader when you'll never be one, Donovan? I am the next in line, not you. This is my decision to make. Why don't the rest of you run along and finish the delivery?”

  Jake could see the anger in his brother's eyes, but he didn't care.

  Chapter Five

  Alexis was trying to process everything. She had only wanted to prove herself, but now everyone else was gone. Her life was in the hands of the enemy.

  “Who are you?”

  Alexis made a face at the man that had saved her life. She was thankful, but she didn't want to be. It was also a little short-sighted for her to think that they were just going to let her go. Alexis had heard stories about the Rebel Bears, and they were not known for their mercy. Most likely, he was just trying to get information before he killed her.

  “You know who I am. You know who I work for.”

  “Are you part of the gang?”

  Alexis said that she was, though it wasn't like she really was part of the gang. She was born into it, so it wasn't like they would have accepted her any other way. They didn't really bring girls into the mix because they bought into the archaic notion that women were weaker. At the moment, Alexis wasn't able to prove otherwise, but she still hated the idea.

  “I didn't think that the Gambe let in women.”

  She didn't answer one way or another because Alexis was afraid of giving away information, and the few people that were left in the gang would be dead. She was not going to give away their hideout.

  “So, if you weren't brought in, that means you were born into it. Which also means that I probably killed a lot of your family tonight. No wonder you're not going to talk to me.”

  Alexis could hear the regret in his voice, but it didn't change the fact that they were dead. She was never going to be able to bring them back, and the very idea of it made her hurt inside.

  “Yes, you killed most of my family tonight. Congratulations.”

  Jake was a little incredulous and he shook his head.

  “You guys attacked us. We only returned fire. I lost two people tonight as well.”

  “I lost twenty.”

  Jake nodded.

  “I don't know what you're doing here with them, but I don't think that you belong here. I wish you would tell me your name so that I can just stop calling you, you.”

  “My name is Alexis. I was here because I wanted to he
lp. You have choked us out and this was our only choice. You have taken all of our supplies, all of our customers, and all of our territory. What did you think would happen when you started stealing our people as well? Did you really think that we weren't going to retaliate?”

  Jake told her that he had no idea what she was talking about.

  “We don't take people. Our gang shifts a lot of different stuff, but never people.”

  Alexis knew for a fact that they did. The Rebel Bears were a criminal enterprise, and guns and drugs were not the only dealings they had. Looking at the man in front of her, Alexis decided that he didn't know what she was talking about. Alexis had only said it to let him know that the status as Rebel Bears as their enemy was not unwarranted. They did not just attack them randomly. The Gambe had been under siege for over a year now, and it was finally time for them to fight back.

  “Well, it doesn't matter what you do or don't do. I know where this is going to end up, so don't think that I'm going to tell you anything. I am not going to spend my last few minutes on Earth betraying my clan.”

  “I don't even know how this is going to end up. I wish they wouldn't have seen you, because now I have to do something. I can't just let you go. I have to take you back with me, Alexis.

  For a moment, she just looked at him strangely. That was the last thing Alexis thought he was going to do. Maybe this guy was completely different, and now she was wondering who he was. He must not be very high up, although the man had mentioned something about being the next leader. Was he the prince, as soft as he seemed?

  “You can let me go. You can just say that I ran off, that I got away from you.”

  He scoffed, and that made Alexis's neck snap to look at him.

  “What?”

  “No offense or anything, but you’re probably like, what, one hundred pounds? How in the hell is anybody going to believe that?”