Rooming With the Grumpy Biker Alpha

Chapter 016

EDWARD

There’s no sign marking where Red Zone starts so we rely on the tree where the road dies and the woods take over.

Eliot pulls up beside me a beat later. We sit on our bikes for a second, both looking at the trees.

“Kaz left the usual track.” He says.

I nod, then hop off the bike.

The way things work, whoever finds new bodies during patrol reports it immediately, then leaves a trail marker, usually something subtle enough to avoid drawing the wrong attention but clear enough to guide us straight to the site.

Once we get there, we check for patterns, signs, and anything that might link the bodies back to whoever’s behind it.

Then we decide the next move. In the end, whatever’s left gets collected and sent back to their families for proper burial so they don’t rot forgotten in those woods.

It’s been four years and every time I have to do it, it makes me sick.

“The flags start here.” Eliot points but I’ve already seen them.

We follow the red flags strips tied on the branches without talking. I don’t really have anything to say and neither does he.

Or maybe it’s just the smell of blood and rot. It creeps in slowly, but I breathe through it and focus on the flags. I tell myself it’s just another scene, just another body, and I’ve done this before.

It works for about ten seconds. Then it gets stronger and my brain just goes there: my mother’s face, the clearing they found her in and the way her chest looked.

I hate that I can’t stop it. I’ve tried for four years but this place still cracks me open the same way every time like I haven’t learned anything. It’s the one thing I can’t just push through.

Zyrax is still quiet as the flags stop at a small clearing and my focus settles on black body bags in the mud, lined up neatly, obviously by Kaz.

I gesture to the bags. “I’ll check these two. You do the last one.”

Eliot nods and gets to work immediately. It doesn’t usually take much time because as usual, the heart is missing. There are also torture marks that comes with some but not all of them. Out of the two I’m checking, one is about Layla’s age and I don’t know why that detail tightens my chest.

“We should…”

A twig snaps.

My head comes up instantly, every sense sharpening at once as Zyrax growls. I go still, breathing slowly, and scanning without moving my gaze too fast.

“We’re not alone.” Eliot says quietly.

“Four of them.” I rise slowly, turning in a half circle. “Two on each side.”

I let my eyes drag across the tree line until they land on the shadows that aren’t moving quite right. “Come out.”

Nothing happens for a few seconds which pisses me off even more, then a low chuckle echoes in the dark before Vixe steps out from between the trees. His girl, who I can’t stand even more than him, trails behind him and two others fan out on either side.

My jaw ticks. I didn’t think my mood could get any worse tonight. Apparently, not.

“Still f*****g good.” Vixe grins, crossing his arms. “Sensed us in what, ten seconds?”

“What are you doing here?” I demand, trying to calm Zyrax who’s doing a great job trying to wolf out.

He tilts his head. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

I stare at him. “Don’t.”

“You’re trespassing, Strout.”

“Again with this.” I exhale. “Red Zone doesn’t belong to anyone. We’ve had this conversation.”

“It borders Redmoon.” His voice drops slightly and his eyes gleam in the dark. “That makes it mine.”

“Does it?” Eliot cuts in. “Then maybe you should do something about the bodies turning up in it every week instead of standing here crying about territory.”

Vixe’s smile drops for a second before he slowly smirks even wider.

“You’ve been trying for years too, man.” He says, spreading his hands out. “Tragic, really. All those bodies and nobody has a single answer.” He pauses, tilting his head with this look on his face that makes me want to reopen my knuckles on it. “Have you ever considered it could be just a bear? One that really, really likes women’s hearts?”

His girl laughs, a little breathy giggle that is the most irritating sound in this entire forest, which is saying something because there are currently three dead bodies here.

And yeah, I know what you’re thinking but trust me, Vixe doesn’t know anything about the murders.

Aggravating people is basically a hobby for him and club politics is the only language he speaks fluently. He’ll weaponize anything to remind you he has authority somewhere.

I look at him for a second. “Go find something useful to do with your mouth, Vixe, or keep it shut. Either works for me.”

His expression hardens and he takes a step forward, actually stepping over one of the bags as if it’s nothing, like these women aren’t someone’s daughters and stops right in front of me.

“One of these days,” he warns, “you and your little club aren’t gonna be let in here at all. Red Zone, Red Moon border, same difference.” His eyes hold mine. “Don’t take the current arrangement for granted, Strout.”

I stare at him for a long moment. Then I scoff. “Put your mouth where your territory is and actually do something about this.” I glance down pointedly at the body bag he just stepped over, then back up at him. “Until then, get out of my face.”

I turn and walk, Eliot following immediately.