grand as protection money. No one’s gonna touch you.”
“ What ?”
She frowned. “Why would you do that? That’s ten thousand dollars.”
“I’m
taking you there, finishing the deal, and keeping you somewhere Temple isn’t
gonna look.”
“But—”
“They’re
after me. That wasn’t the main MC. That was a scouting party. A handful of guys
making alliances and setting up shop in this region. They’ll be back with more
men, bigger guns, and a grudge that’ll turn the lake red with blood.”
“So
what do we do?”
“ We do nothing.”
I tugged
my shirt over my head and zipped into my jacket like a suit of armor, the one protection
I had. No patches. No names. No emblems. No responsibilities except to myself and
the little blonde flirt who watched me with blades in her eyes.
“I’m
gonna make sure you’re safe,” I said. “Then I’m leaving.”
“Where
will you go?”
“Doesn’t
matter.”
“What
will you do?”
I
held my arms out. “It doesn’t matter. Time to go.”
“But
what about the deal?” She planted herself in the motel. It’d take a slap to her
ass to get her to move. “Sacrilege MC doesn’t spend thousands of dollars they
don’t have to hire someone to steal women away. And Kingdom isn’t holding me
for money. You have to know something.”
I
forced her coat into her arms. “I don’t ask questions. If you were smart, you
wouldn’t either. You might not always like the answers.”
“Oh,
I have plenty of questions.”
I
didn’t doubt it. She raised her chin.
“Who’s
Rose? What’s Anathema? Why didn’t you black out your ink yet? What did you do
to Temple to piss them off?”
I shoved
her into the wall and held her there, my forearm to her throat.
I
towered over the girl. It took less effort to keep her still than it did to
haul my crashed bike off the road. She didn’t reach for my arm. Martini went
limp, but her stare met mine and matched the rage seething from my strength
with her own resonating stubbornness.
“Darling,
I answer those questions and I guaran- fucking -tee you’d wish you never
asked.”
We
had wasted enough time. I grabbed her wrist and forced her out the door,
tossing the room key on the ground and guiding her to an exit. She didn’t say a
word as I slammed her on my bike. The Harley started. It was more reliable than
anything else in my life.
“Something
happened to Rose.” Martini laced her fingers over my chest. Each touch was like
a dagger’s bite. “That’s why you’re helping me. Something happened to her, and
you blame yourself.”
I
clenched my teeth. Three months passed since the rage last seized control. I
inherited my temper from my father. My hands tightened over the handlebars. It
was the only thing saving her from a smack across the mouth, and the only
motion preventing me from shoving the gun under my chin and ending the fucking
guilt once and for all.
“You
say her name again, and I’ll leave you with Kingdom to rot.”
Martini
tensed, but her voice softened. Not the placating whisper she used with
Goliath. A real gentleness. A heart-breaking forgiveness I didn’t deserve.
“You
won’t leave me because you’ll never let it happen again.”
I
didn’t answer. She already sliced my throat, and I was content to bleed out.
She said nothing else on the ride, just gripped me tight and leaned against me to
protect herself from the wind and bitter truth of what was about to happen.
The
highway let out in forest. I followed the lone road beyond civilization and
into the back-ass woods where lone cabins dotted the streams fed from the lake.
My phone buzzed again. I didn’t look until we pulled in front of the addressed safehouse—a
little summer home that might have once entertained a happy family. Now,
Kingdom boarded up the windows and hid their grizzly pack inside. A padlocked
garage probably housed their boat. Two jeeps parked in the grass.
No
one moved in the cottage.
I
ignored the text from
“ What ?”
She frowned. “Why would you do that? That’s ten thousand dollars.”
“I’m
taking you there, finishing the deal, and keeping you somewhere Temple isn’t
gonna look.”
“But—”
“They’re
after me. That wasn’t the main MC. That was a scouting party. A handful of guys
making alliances and setting up shop in this region. They’ll be back with more
men, bigger guns, and a grudge that’ll turn the lake red with blood.”
“So
what do we do?”
“ We do nothing.”
I tugged
my shirt over my head and zipped into my jacket like a suit of armor, the one protection
I had. No patches. No names. No emblems. No responsibilities except to myself and
the little blonde flirt who watched me with blades in her eyes.
“I’m
gonna make sure you’re safe,” I said. “Then I’m leaving.”
“Where
will you go?”
“Doesn’t
matter.”
“What
will you do?”
I
held my arms out. “It doesn’t matter. Time to go.”
“But
what about the deal?” She planted herself in the motel. It’d take a slap to her
ass to get her to move. “Sacrilege MC doesn’t spend thousands of dollars they
don’t have to hire someone to steal women away. And Kingdom isn’t holding me
for money. You have to know something.”
I
forced her coat into her arms. “I don’t ask questions. If you were smart, you
wouldn’t either. You might not always like the answers.”
“Oh,
I have plenty of questions.”
I
didn’t doubt it. She raised her chin.
“Who’s
Rose? What’s Anathema? Why didn’t you black out your ink yet? What did you do
to Temple to piss them off?”
I shoved
her into the wall and held her there, my forearm to her throat.
I
towered over the girl. It took less effort to keep her still than it did to
haul my crashed bike off the road. She didn’t reach for my arm. Martini went
limp, but her stare met mine and matched the rage seething from my strength
with her own resonating stubbornness.
“Darling,
I answer those questions and I guaran- fucking -tee you’d wish you never
asked.”
We
had wasted enough time. I grabbed her wrist and forced her out the door,
tossing the room key on the ground and guiding her to an exit. She didn’t say a
word as I slammed her on my bike. The Harley started. It was more reliable than
anything else in my life.
“Something
happened to Rose.” Martini laced her fingers over my chest. Each touch was like
a dagger’s bite. “That’s why you’re helping me. Something happened to her, and
you blame yourself.”
I
clenched my teeth. Three months passed since the rage last seized control. I
inherited my temper from my father. My hands tightened over the handlebars. It
was the only thing saving her from a smack across the mouth, and the only
motion preventing me from shoving the gun under my chin and ending the fucking
guilt once and for all.
“You
say her name again, and I’ll leave you with Kingdom to rot.”
Martini
tensed, but her voice softened. Not the placating whisper she used with
Goliath. A real gentleness. A heart-breaking forgiveness I didn’t deserve.
“You
won’t leave me because you’ll never let it happen again.”
I
didn’t answer. She already sliced my throat, and I was content to bleed out.
She said nothing else on the ride, just gripped me tight and leaned against me to
protect herself from the wind and bitter truth of what was about to happen.
The
highway let out in forest. I followed the lone road beyond civilization and
into the back-ass woods where lone cabins dotted the streams fed from the lake.
My phone buzzed again. I didn’t look until we pulled in front of the addressed safehouse—a
little summer home that might have once entertained a happy family. Now,
Kingdom boarded up the windows and hid their grizzly pack inside. A padlocked
garage probably housed their boat. Two jeeps parked in the grass.
No
one moved in the cottage.
I
ignored the text from
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