Page 31

“ B illy.”

“Yeah?”

Jack seems so far away, but then again, so do I when I answer her. Even though we’re sitting next to each other in the car, I’m oblivious to her, like she’s not even here. All I see is what’s in front of us.

“We going in or just going to stare out the window?”

I give her an honest answer. “I’m thinking.” If we stay here or even turn around, I know what’ll happen. Same thing that always happens: Jack and I will do great things. It’s a decent life, amazing even. So far from where we came from. But… it isn’t what I want anymore. Well, not only that.

But going inside? Chancing everything, not knowing the outcome? I’m scared. I made a pact with myself long ago that things would be on my terms. I would get what I wanted and fail because I did something off. Not because anyone had a say in it. It’s the easiest way to not get hurt, to not fall in love with something or someone and be left heartbroken. My parents didn’t want me. No foster family found me good enough. And Blue was taken away because of someone else.

Yet I want to throw that promise out the window and give it one last chance. Maybe more, but at least this one. To go inside the Hounds of the Reaper’s clubhouse and tell a man I love him.

“You thinking we can do that with the heater on, or would you prefer to freeze your ass some more? I know you didn’t get it all off in Michigan, but I’m kind of partial to mine. It fits well in my jeans.” She laughs at her own joke, and I give myself a mental shake to remind me to quip on her big ass later, but I still hesitate to do anything but stare out the window.

“Billy.” She pauses, and it’s her lack of follow-up that has me looking at her. “Blue and I are right behind you.”

Taking a deep breath, I nod before I open the door and stride into the club, my sister hot on my heels.

The place isn’t packed, but there are still enough people around that I don’t see who I’m looking for right away.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m here. They’ve got three guys on the gate now instead of one. They even checked who was in the vehicle before letting us pull in. While I was staring at the clubhouse, I might not have paid attention to Jack, but I saw the new cameras. Bet Flint and Gator are pretty busy with managing the feeds. I wonder if they roped in a few other club brothers to help with it.

Club’s been busy since we were here last. I’m happy for them. They might have hated how we came into their lives, but I hope it showed them areas where they were weak. It’s not always our intent, but sometimes we help places out. They see the flaws we show them in their defenses when we just walk right in and take over. In turn, they double down to prevent us, or anyone else, getting in.

Not that we won’t demolish a place if we see the need.

“What are you doing here?”

His voice sends shivers throughout my entire body. It’s the same tone he used when he called me pet that first time in the mansion, after I showed up in what I thought was an appropriate outfit. Seems like a lifetime ago and not six weeks. Just enough time for me to heal up and finish the damn paperwork. I wasn’t kidding about how long that takes.

We got three of the five who were being sold. Two were taken before my team could intercept them. We’re tracking them as best as we can, and Candy is giving us details, though not many. As expected, she was high more often than not. We got a few things from her, like how many times she remembers being moved from one place to another, but it’s fuzzy. It’ll take time to get it all out of her, if at all. Charles hired a few people to help, but no one knows if anything will work. Cases like this are what we do, but it’s saving a stranger, not one of our own. We might have tracked a few victims afterward, but before, our job stopped once we passed them on. We never dived into the recovery of it. That’s changed now that it happened to one of our own. We’ve already got a team tracking down past rescues, trying to make sure they got the help they needed and, if they did, ask them for any tips to help us get Candy back.

She isn’t the same, not like before. She was the bubbly personality of the company who was also the silent killer. She did it with a smile, but it was sweet, like candy, not a psycho creepy one. She doesn’t smile anymore. Jumps a lot. Talks even less. I tried to help. We all did, but Charles sent us on. She said we were needed outside the facility, so we left. And our first stop was here.

He looks good. He always looked good. The room is dark, though from the lack of direct sunlight and not the overheads being off. Shadows play across his stubble and dark jeans and shirt. He looks bigger, if that’s possible, as if he’s been hitting the weights more.

Rue hasn’t been back to the club since they found out she was part of C8. An agreeable term we didn’t fight them on when they voiced it. Therefore, I have no eyes on the inside. No clue if he’s still into me, if I even have a chance. It could have been a passing thing. But I don’t think so. He’s scared, and so am I. I recognize it because I recognize a part of him in me.

That’s what gives me the courage to step forward and admit what he won’t.

“You love me.”

“I do.”

Was that a question or a statement? His words were more certain, but his eyebrow raise says differently. I’m thrown by not only his tone but those damn arms of his. So big and tantalizing in his shirt.

“Yes… ah, yes, you do.”

“So?”

So? “So, that means something.” I move closer to him and ignore everyone else in the club. If he wants to do this out in the open, fine by me. I’m not shy. “Look, all my life, things have been taken from me. Most of it I couldn’t control, and some were things I let leave. But you’re not one of them. I refuse.”

“You can’t refuse to let something leave. That’s not how that normally works,” he draws out as he crosses his yummy enormous arms.

Stay focused!

“Screw normal. That was never our way to begin with. Let’s embrace the abnormal.”

“You’re not making sense.”

No shit. All I can see is his arms that I want wrapped around me. Lips I want to have kissing me and calling me his. I can’t think straight. He’s so close and still too far away.

“I know. I know.” Running my fingers through my hair, I try to get a grip on my feelings. “I know I fucked up. Should have told you about the Devils Damned. I wasn’t the one who connected with them initially, even if it was my idea. It made sense that we would to get intel. That’s what we do. Our target was Duke, and that led us to his club, so we figured we would try to get him that way. Figured you would have come to the same conclusion as I did.”

It adds up, if he’s willing to add two plus two. But if he’s stubborn—and I know he can be—he’d still tell me that equals five.

“Duke has been on our books for a while. Maybe even longer than the Hounds have known about him. What do you think was the reason for Candy being sent in? We knew he was starting on the skin trade and had enough ambition and ego to want to go higher. We needed him in the role so we could take it out altogether. He was just meant to be an in, but shit got complicated when Candy was compromised. We had hoped your girl, Fairy, would be the simple solution, but we soon realized we needed more. That’s where you came in.”

“How do the Devils fit into all this?”

“They needed a witness, someone they could question to confirm the allegations against Duke. He has more allies than not, and his club wasn’t going against him without cause. Psy is psychotic, just like his name says, but he also knows how to recognize the signs of a coup within his own space. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have Psy at the wheel than Duke, especially since the Devils Damned became one of the biggest arms dealers in America. Need a guy with a level head who sells guns over a crazy man. One can be reasoned with; the other is likely to blow things up to see it sparkle.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark,” Domino shouts.

A few of the boys chuckle at that, but I don’t. Neither does Casper.

“When I tracked that Duke was possibly alive, I had one of our members talk to the Devils. They didn’t believe us at first. Then I went, showed Psy what I had, the proof that said Duke was no good, but he didn’t want video and pictures. He wanted a witness. One he could question. That’s why he was there that day. He was the backup, too, but also so he was close to question the survivors. We hoped Candy would have been lucid enough to give him what he needed so he would give us Duke, but she wasn’t any help.”

“What about the others?”

I shake my head in defeat. “None of them could pick him out of a picture lineup. Each said they were taken from elsewhere, too, not just from the southern region. But we only got two besides Candy. The other two were already taken before we could get them.”

“You going after them?”

His words have me smiling. He might seem like he’s trying to be all mean and scary with his arms folded and power stance, but he cares.

“Yeah, got a team on it.” I take a deep breath and gather my courage for the other reason I’m here. “I was hoping we could have your help with it, though. Have the Hounds and C8 go into business together. If you’ll agree to it, of course.”

He chews on the inside of his cheek as his jaw clenches, then looks around the club before coming back to me. “What are the terms?”

“Both parties bring jobs to the table. We divide and split who takes lead. Equal partnership across the board, including monetary if it comes to a payment. Both sides do half the work to make it a whole, neither slacks. Either side can pull out at any time, no strings and no need to explain why. Also, no jobs that would put the other on the defense against them. We won’t take anything that goes against members of your club, and we request the same from you.”

“Anything else?”

“They want to offer a personal liaison for you to deal with.”

“Oh, let me guess. You?” I can’t read anything off him. He’s talking as if he’s asking how much a pair of pants are at the half-off store.

“If you prefer someone else, that can be arranged. C8 thought I would be a suitable fit since I’ll be close by, but it’s up to you and your club.”

“Close by?” At least I get an eyebrow raise from him now.

“I’m going to reopen the vet clinic. The animals we found were part of another smuggling ring we’re going after. Each one that we find will come here for rehab and hopefully be put up for adoption, transferred to facilities equipped for that animal, or released back into the wild.”

“Kind of hard to move up that corporate ladder if you stay in one place.”

“I turned the promotion down.” I let that sit in the air for a second. I didn’t do it for him—not completely anyway. “Figured out a while back that I prefer this first stage of recruitment. Getting to know those who might have potential, figuring out if they’re a good fit for us and us for them. Before Rue, I worked with two others. One dropped out and moved back to Hawaii to be a surf instructor, and the other is learning her trade in C8’s facility out of Maine.”

“You supposed to be telling me that sort of thing?”

“The company doesn’t want secrets between us. We understand that we messed up by withholding things we thought were in your best interest. We now realize that you need to make that choice on your own. You might not agree to all we bring to the table, but we won’t leave things out going forward.”

“And what about you?” He takes a step forward and tilts his head.

I raise my hands and shrug. “I have baggage. No denying that. Jack is the only one you can see. Trust issues don’t scratch the surface, but I think you know that. And like the Crazy Eights, if you’re willing, I’ll be honest with you—on everything. To include my heart and telling you that I love you. I’ve fallen for you, and if that means something to you, that’s awesome. Amazing even. But if it doesn’t, that’s okay too. Just like with Blue, I’d rather have known I had something special once than never have it at all.”

My heart is open and out for the taking. I’m jumping in with both feet. No going back from this. No saying “just kidding” if he laughs in my face. I never was one to do something half assed. Go big or go home, right? I just wish I can call this place home too.

“I want you to want me. I need you to need me” rings out loud and clear, and we both turn to Jack, who’s holding up her phone.

“Too subtle? Not subtle enough?” She smirks, and I roll my eyes while Casper shakes his head with a snort.

I want to scream that it’s perfect, but all I do is look at Casper and wait.

And hope.