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I forced the Harley faster and faster, leaning into the sharp corner as far as I dared without losing the balance of the heavy machine. Sicknote came a cropper a few miles back, hitting the corner wrong, high-siding, before the bike flipped him off into the bushes. But I couldn’t stop, because they were right behind us. I watched two riders slow down and double back for him, but they weren’t our riders, and I didn’t think they were going back to help him.

I had a decision to make then, turn around and take on six or seven of The Hand independently, or keep leading them well away from the rest of the club. A stab of nausea hit me hard in the stomach as I took one last look in my mirrors and pushed on.

The road I’d led our pursuers on was narrow and twisty, and I was taking every corner far faster than I ever had in my life. But the heavy bike held the road well, and for once I was pleased I’d swapped the back tyre out for the big beast I had on it now. The wind rushed past me, daylight fading every metre, the twists and turns and blind summits becoming more and more dangerous but putting distance between us. And then suddenly I was on my own, the riders in front filtering off down other roads, splitting up the chasing pack, each of us running for home now.

Home. I wasn’t sure what was waiting for me when I got back; the bike rumbling loudly in the back lane, my mind and body exhausted. The shutter on the garage rattled loudly, the bright light from my bike bouncing off the white-washed back wall and coming right back at me. But as I looked around, it was there. Caleb’s bike. They’d made it home. Thank God.

My legs wobbled as I climbed off, watching as the shutter rolled down noisily, safe at last. The climb up the stairs was slow and painful, the muscles in my legs a cross between lead and acid, cramp building in every part of me.

“Cade!” Caleb shouted as I pushed through the door at the top of the stairs. “Oh, thank fuck!”

He pulled me to him, hugging me hard, his arms gripping like a vice, like he couldn’t bear to let go. For a moment we stood there, together. Not moving. Not until Caleb pushed back a little, beckoning me to turn around.

She stood in the hallway, a towel wrapped around her, her hair darker now that it was wet. Alice didn’t know whether to smile or cry. I could see from the wobble of her lips. It didn’t matter what she did. Turning, I crossed the floor, through the kitchen and down the hallway, half running the last two steps, grabbing her waist and yanking her into me.

I could smell my shampoo on her wet hair, her skin the scent of fresh soap. Little droplets of water clung to her cheeks, her freckles sparkling beneath and her blue eyes twinkling with a thousand tiny emotions.

Caleb had got her home safely. Brought her home for us.

Pushing my hands either side of her head, my fingertips in her wet hair, I studied her. Studied the face I could have easily lost if my brother hadn’t taken the same care over her as I would have done.

“I was so scared I’d lost you,” she whispered, a single tear breaking loose from her eye and slowly running down her cheek.

“I wasn’t going anywhere, babe.”

Then I plunged my lips against hers, finding her mouth with my tongue, circling and massaging and remembering exactly how her mouth tasted. For a moment we were lost in each other, her hands wrapping round my waist, an erection building in my bike trousers pressing against her towel.

Alice pulled away, her face fraught with worry. “What happened?”

“I escaped, Al. We’re all safe.”

“For now? Are the Bloody Hand still coming after us?”

“After the Kings, yes.”

“And therefore me, because I’m with you?”

I took a deep breath, wanting to tell her something different, something that wouldn’t send her running. But I couldn’t.

“Yes. They’ll target you to get to me.”

“And that night in the vets. Was that them too?”

“We’re not sure yet, Al. But if it was, that was one hundred percent coincidence.”

Alice frowned, trying to distract from the fear she desperately tried not to show me, and then she glanced over my shoulder to where I knew Caleb stood watching us quietly.

“I can look after you, Alice. We can both look after you.”

“Both of you?” But she didn’t look surprised at my words, her head cocking sideways.

“I can see the way you look at my brother. The same way you look at me,” I continued when she opened her mouth to what I knew would be a half-baked objection. “I want to make you choose between us. I really do. But I know if I do that, it’ll drive a wedge between me and Caleb or you and me. So, I’m not going to make you choose between us.”

“I don’t understand.” Her eyes darted between the both of us.

“I mean, you can have us both. I want you anyway I can have you, Al. But I don’t want to fight my brother either. It’s only been us for as long as I can remember. Just the two of us.”

“What are you saying, Cade?”

“I’m saying choose us both. Don’t choose between us.”