HIS LAST RIDE

THE FIRST STRIKE

The scent of smoke still lingered over Iron Haven.

Workers climbed ladders to replace broken roof panels while mechanics repaired motorcycles damaged during the attack. Although the compound buzzed with activity, the usual laughter was gone.

Everyone knew one thing.

Victor Bennett had declared war.

Ava stood on the balcony outside the guest room, watching the sunrise paint the mountains in shades of gold and orange. It was beautiful, yet she couldn't enjoy it.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the burned garage.

The frightened faces of the club members.

The note Victor had left behind.

YOU CAN'T PROTECT EVERYONE.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"This is all because of me."

"You've said that three times already."

A deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned.

Ryder stood in the doorway holding two steaming mugs of coffee.

His leather vest was gone, replaced by a plain black T-shirt and faded jeans. Without the jacket, he looked less like the feared president of Iron Haven and more like an ordinary man carrying the weight of too many battles.

He handed her one of the mugs.

"I don't drink coffee."

"It's hot chocolate."

She blinked.

"You remembered?"

"You looked disappointed yesterday when Claire offered coffee."

A small smile escaped her.

"Thank you."

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable.

It was peaceful.

Ryder leaned against the wooden railing.

"You didn't sleep."

She stared into her mug.

"I kept thinking."

"Dangerous habit."

She laughed softly.

"So I've been told."

His expression became serious again.

"You aren't responsible for what Victor chooses to do."

"He attacked innocent people."

"He would've attacked someone eventually."

"But not them."

Ryder looked toward the garage where several younger members were replacing shattered windows.

"You know why Iron Haven exists?"

Ava shook her head.

"My father started this club thirty-five years ago."

She frowned.

"A motorcycle club?"

"He was a mechanic."

"He believed everyone deserved a second chance."

Ryder's eyes drifted toward an old photograph hanging inside the clubhouse.

"Most of our members are people society gave up on."

"Former soldiers."

"Runaway teenagers."

"Men who made mistakes."

"Widowers."

"People with nowhere else to go."

"We build motorcycles."

"We protect our town."

"We protect each other."

His voice softened.

"That's what Iron Haven is."

Ava finally understood.

This wasn't just a club.

It was a family built from broken people.

"I'm sorry they got dragged into my problems."

Ryder met her gaze.

"The moment I told you to get on my motorcycle..."

"...you became one of us."

Before Ava could reply, Mason burst through the clubhouse doors.

"There you are!"

He looked between them and grinned.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Ryder answered.

"You wish," Ava muttered.

Mason laughed.

"Good."

"Because Samuel wants everyone in the war room."

Five minutes later, the senior members of Iron Haven gathered around the large wooden table.

Maps covered one wall.

Security camera photos covered another.

Samuel stood beside a whiteboard filled with handwritten notes.

Claire distributed folders to everyone.

Ava hesitated.

"Should I be here?"

Ryder answered without looking up.

"Yes."

"This concerns you."

Samuel pointed at a map of Black Ridge.

"After last night's attack, our scouts followed Damien's convoy."

He placed three red markers on the map.

"They stopped at these locations."

"A shipping warehouse."

"An abandoned railway depot."

"And Bennett Logistics."

Claire frowned.

"All owned by Victor."

"Officially," Samuel corrected.

"Unofficially..."

"They're connected."

Mason slid several photographs across the table.

The first showed trucks entering a warehouse after midnight.

The second showed armed guards unloading wooden crates.

The third made Ava's stomach twist.

Children.

No older than twelve.

Walking into the building carrying boxes.

"What is this?"

Samuel sighed.

"Our informant believes Victor uses homeless teenagers."

"As workers?"

"As messengers."

"So police don't ask questions."

Ava's heart sank.

"That's horrible."

"It gets worse," Mason said quietly.

He opened another folder.

Inside were copies of missing persons reports.

Young men.

Young women.

Different names.

Different cities.

All disappeared within the last five years.

Ava looked at Ryder.

"You think Victor is connected?"

"I don't think."

Ryder's gray eyes hardened.

"I know."

The room fell silent.

He pointed toward one photograph.

"A week before Lucas died..."

"...he was investigating this warehouse."

Ava glanced at the picture again.

The same warehouse where trucks came and went in the middle of the night.

The same warehouse Samuel had marked in red.

Ryder slowly folded his arms.

"We're done waiting."

His voice was calm.

"But this time..."

"...we make the first move."

The meeting ended with a heavy silence.

No one questioned Ryder's decision.

For years, Iron Haven had stayed on the defensive, protecting the people of Black Ridge without provoking unnecessary conflict. But Victor Bennett had crossed a line. He had attacked their home, endangered their families, and made it clear that he wouldn't stop until Ava was back in his hands.

Ryder looked around the room.

"We're not going there to start a war."

Samuel nodded.

"We're gathering evidence."

"If we can expose Victor's operation, we weaken him without risking innocent lives."

Mason flashed a grin.

"And if his men decide to fight..."

He patted the wrench hanging from his belt.

"...I'm prepared."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"You solve everything with that wrench."

"It hasn't failed me yet."

A few members laughed, easing the tension for the first time that morning.

Ryder looked at Ava.

"You stay here."

She frowned immediately.

"No."

"This is dangerous."

"I know."

"I can help."

"You've been running for days without proper rest."

"I'm tired of hiding."

The room fell silent.

Ava looked directly at Ryder.

"People keep risking their lives because of me."

"If I'm part of Iron Haven now, let me do something."

Ryder studied her for several seconds.

He admired her courage.

But courage without experience could get her killed.

"You'll help," he said finally.

"But not in the field."

She looked disappointed.

Claire stepped beside her.

"I need someone to organize the information we've collected."

"We have photographs, names, and reports everywhere."

"You have an eye for detail."

Ava hesitated before nodding.

"Okay."

"It matters," Claire assured her.

"Sometimes winning a war starts with finding the right clue."

An hour later, Ryder, Samuel, Mason, and three trusted club members rode toward Bennett Logistics in an unmarked delivery van instead of motorcycles.

"This thing smells like old socks," Mason complained from the back seat.

Samuel didn't look up from the map.

"Focus."

"I'm trying."

"It's hard to focus when I'm slowly suffocating."

One of the younger members laughed.

Ryder glanced in the rearview mirror.

"If you get us caught because you're complaining..."

"I'll never complain again."

"That's a lie," Samuel muttered.

The van rolled to a stop behind an abandoned grain silo overlooking the warehouse.

From there, they had a clear view of the property.

Security guards patrolled the perimeter.

Large trucks backed into loading bays.

Workers hurried in and out carrying sealed wooden crates.

Ryder lifted a pair of binoculars.

"They've doubled security."

Samuel counted quietly.

"Twelve guards outside."

"At least eight cameras."

"Two patrol vehicles."

Mason whistled.

"They're expecting trouble."

"They're hiding something," Ryder replied.

He lowered the binoculars.

"We split into two teams."

"Samuel, you're with me."

"Mason, watch the loading dock."

"If anything changes..."

"You call."

Everyone nodded.

Back at Iron Haven, Ava sat at a long table surrounded by folders.

Claire placed another stack beside her.

"I found these in Lucas's old locker."

Ava carefully opened the folder.

Inside were newspaper clippings dating back six years.

Several stories had been circled in red.

Missing journalists.

Disappearing witnesses.

Warehouse fires ruled accidental.

The more she read, the more one thing became clear.

Every incident somehow connected to Victor Bennett.

Her eyes stopped on a handwritten note tucked between the pages.

It wasn't signed.

It simply read:

The truth isn't in the warehouse.

Follow the money.

Ava frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Claire looked over her shoulder.

"I don't know."

"But Lucas kept it for a reason."

Before they could discuss it further, the clubhouse phone rang.

Claire answered.

"This is Iron Haven."

She listened for several seconds.

Her expression changed.

"Who is this?"

The line went dead.

"What happened?" Ava asked.

Claire slowly lowered the receiver.

"A man warned us to stop investigating."

"He said if Ryder enters the warehouse..."

"...he won't come back alive."

At that exact moment, Ryder and Samuel slipped through a gap in the warehouse fence.

Hidden behind stacked containers, they watched workers unload another truck.

One crate accidentally fell to the ground.

Its lid cracked open.

Ryder expected weapons.

Instead...

Dozens of passports spilled across the concrete.

Different names.

Different nationalities.

Every passport carried the same photograph.

The face had been changed.

The identity hadn't.

Samuel's voice dropped to a whisper.

"This isn't just smuggling."

Ryder nodded grimly.

"It's human trafficking."

Before they could retreat unnoticed, a loud click echoed behind them.

Someone had c****d a pistol.

A cold voice spoke from the shadows.

"I was hoping you'd find that."

Ryder slowly turned.

Standing behind them, flanked by armed guards, was Damien Cross.

He smiled without warmth.

"This time..."

"...there's nowhere left to run."