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No problem for me as long as I’ve still got some skin in the game when it comes to one girl in particular.

I kind of regret saying my piece earlier, but I also don’t.

I want her to know I care for her. I’ve never cared much for a girl before.

It means something to me. And it sucks that it doesn’t mean something to her .

I rub the ache in my chest and ignore what that means.

Probably just too much caffeine or indigestion or something.

Can’t be more than that. I might be willing to put a small claim on her, but that doesn’t mean other parts of me are involved.

A brother can claim a woman and like her well enough not to deal with shit like love and marriage and all that stuff connected to it.

At least that’s what I tell myself a second before I see her.

She’s stunning. Even with the swelling and blood from her opponents.

She’s a fucking wet dream. Especially with her heaving like that, in her skimpy-as-shit outfit that’s more bikini than sports bra and biker shorts.

I swear, all that’s missing is some Jell-O, and every guy out there would have a boner. Hell, they might already.

I shake my head to shut that thought down. Last thing I need is a blackout-rage moment. The whole place would end up in a pile of rubble, and I wouldn’t give a fuck about the number of casualties.

I say nothing. I can’t. My brain has short-circuited somehow. Maybe all those explosions really did fuck me up. I just never expected such a delay.

Mack coughs and then steps in front of Viv, who’s just staring at me, and shakes Tommy’s hand. “Sir.”

“Always a pleasure, Mack. Menace.” He nods to Viv but, to his credit, doesn’t get closer. Not sure if he’s cautious of her reaction to him or mine to his movement.

My phone rings, and despite my desire to ignore it, I pull it out of my pocket and see it’s Rooster. “What’s up?” I answer.

“Got a situation. ”

I pinch my nose in frustration. “We keep having those and we might as well take an ad out in the paper for someone to do something about it.” What’s the point of having a clubhouse full of scary bikers if we keep getting fucked with?

“Might be a good idea. Make sure the person is able to dig a grave.”

I still. “Come the fuck again?” I feel everyone’s eyes on me, and I don’t care.

“Guy watching over Viv’s place was found dead.”

“On my way.” I hang up before he can say more.

“Got a brother down at Viv’s. Let’s go.”

Surprisingly, everyone listens. Even Viv, who turns, grabs her stuff, pulls on her sweats, and then steps in line with me. When I get to my bike, she hops on as if she belongs there, and I’m not complaining.

“We’ll meet you there.” It’s not a request from Tommy, and I nod in agreement. If the mafia wants in on this, I’m not about to decline the backup.

The ride goes by fast. I don’t have time to enjoy the feel of Viv at my back with the news that weighs heavily on my brain. I’ve killed a few people before. Had no issues about it. I’ve never had a person killed because of some command I gave.

I pull up right in front of her building, not even stopping at the clubhouse first. The brothers pull in beside me, followed by Tommy’s ride and Mack’s. Rooster greets us at the bottom of her stairs with a grim face. A few of the other brothers are there too.

“What happened?” I ask.

“As you know, we set guard duty to only one brother at a time, since we were only hoping to get eyes on the place. Don’t think anyone saw it going south like this.”

I nod at Rooster’s words, conscious that he’s saying this to ease my guilt, but it won’t. Words are just that. Time and action are what will get me through this. And finding the person who killed my guy will definitely appease the vengeance running through my veins right now.

“Grim came by to switch shifts and noticed the truck was empty. He called Link immediately to get a recording of where he went, but the system was down.”

I look at Link in disbelief. “And you didn’t know?” What’s the fucking point of having a tech guy who doesn’t notice when our cameras go down?

The guy looks mad, but he mans up and tells me what happened. “Had to take a leak.”

I don’t like his answer, and I’m not the only one from the looks my brothers are giving him. He’s pretty green. I have half a mind to pull his patch right now.

“Where is he?” I push past one issue and focus on the other.

“Around the back of her building. Throat slit. No one heard it happen.”

“What?” Viv breathes.

Tommy’s been listening, but at that, he steps away a few paces and makes a call. I notice it but keep on Rooster to tell me more. There has to be more than just this.

“Guy was cold as shit, so he’s been there a while.”

“How long were the cameras down?” I seethe and cut my eyes to Link .

“Only a few minutes, promise.”

“He’s right. We already looked at the feed. Guy sitting in the car wasn’t our guy,” Rooster confirms.

“Who was it?” Mickey asks.

“We think it was the stalker. Look, this is what we know. Our guy did a perimeter sweep at 1900 hours. He was out of sight for three minutes, then reappeared and got back in the car. The feed was cut thirty minutes ago, and that was when he left, when the cameras went out. When they came back on, no one was in the car. From the angle of our cameras, though, you can’t tell, as the guy stuck a hat on the headrest in a way that it looked like someone was there.

Didn’t notice it was empty till Grim checked in. ”

“Three minutes, huh? You can slit a fucker’s throat in less than that,” Bane mutters, and the rest nod in agreement.

“That’s not all.” Rooster glances at Viv for a second before he looks at me.

“What?” Viv asks as she takes a step toward him. “What?” She’s as animated as I’ve ever seen. To anyone else, she would just appear to be asking the same question twice. But to me, I see the fire in her eyes. She’s mad, but also worried about what else could have happened.

“He got into your place. He cut your feed completely. No camera footage at all for hours. He took out your system so he could go inside.”

A beat. One beat, and then she’s running up the stairs. I’m hot on her heels, as are Mack and Rooster.

The door is open by the time I get there, and I see nothing out of the ordinary. I take a step in and look at Viv as she glances around .

Mack makes it to the door first, followed by Rooster. “What? What happened?” Mack looks around like he’s taking in everything at once.

I turn to Rooster, who looks uncomfortable, so I know it won’t be something I’m going to like.

“He jacked off on your bed.”

The blood drains from her face, and she’s quick to make it to her room before I can stop her.

She’s standing in the doorway, and I notice her bed, rumpled as shit.

There’s even dirt on it. Some of her lingerie is displayed across it, all crumpled as if wadded up in someone’s hand.

It could have been nothing more than a messy room.

Even semen dries mostly clear. She might never have known—if he hadn’t written MINE on her wall and left a sticky note on top of her bed.

I move forward, pushing her back to keep her safe, as if the paper might give her a cut, as I step closer to read it.

This isn’t as sticky as I’d make you, but it’s something to keep, along with my scent. Don’t forget who you belong to. XO

“Get her out of here,” I say, knowing someone is there to take care of her.

I know I have my brothers in this, and now so does she. Because whatever this fucker might think, he’s wrong. Dead wrong.

Viv isn’t his. Will never be his. Because she’s mine.

And I’ll destroy everything to keep what’s mine.