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She absorbed this, her gaze dropping to the weathered boards of the porch. I watched emotions flicker across her face -- hope, doubt, calculation. She was weighing risks, measuring the cost of trusting me against the benefit of protection.

“I’ve seen how you are with Aura,” she said finally. “And with Sam. They respect you, but they’re not afraid of you.”

“Fear doesn’t build respect,” I said. “Just resentment.”

Amelia’s shoulders relaxed, dropping from their defensive hunch. “Chase needs someone to look up to. Someone who isn’t…” She trailed off.

“Someone who isn’t Piston,” I finished for her.

She nodded, her eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears. “And Levi needs someone who sees his value. His father always treated him like he was weak because he prefers computers to fighting.”

“The kid’s smart as hell,” I said. “That’s not weakness. That’s just a different kind of strength. Wire and his family are practically gods not only in this club, but among others as well. Just don’t tell him I said that because I’ll fucking deny it.”

“So you’ll…” She hesitated. “You’ll help guide them? Be a positive influence?”

I ran a hand through my silver hair, feeling the weight of what she was asking.

Being an old lady was one thing. Becoming a father figure to two damaged teenagers was something else entirely.

But looking at her -- this woman who’d survived hell to protect her sons -- I couldn’t find it in me to say no.

“I’ll do my best,” I promised, wondering if I could actually deliver on that.

I hadn’t exactly had a hand in raising Sam.

Hopefully I sounded more confident than I felt.

“Can’t guarantee I won’t screw up sometimes.

But I’ll treat them with respect. Give them boundaries and safety.

Show them there are men in this world who keep their word. ”

The tension drained from Amelia’s body like water through a sieve. She nodded, her decision visibly solidifying behind her eyes. “Then I still want to do this,” she said firmly. “I want to be your old lady.”

Despite everything, despite knowing this was an arrangement born of necessity rather than love, something in me responded to her certainty. A warmth I hadn’t expected spread through my chest. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who needed a companion.

“All right then,” I said. “I’ll talk to Savior tomorrow. Make it official with the club.”

I hoped she didn’t come to regret this. I stared out at the darkened compound, listening to the crickets chirp and the sound of a motorcycle somewhere farther down the road. Normally, those sounds would make me feel calm. Tonight, they didn’t do shit for the turmoil inside me.

“What will you tell them?” she asked.

“The truth,” I replied. “That you’re under my protection now. That anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me.” I paused. “The details of our arrangement stay between us.”

She nodded, relief evident in the slight tremble of her exhale. “Thank you, Hammer.”

Those simple words of gratitude hit harder than they should have. I wasn’t used to being thanked for doing what needed to be done. I looked away, uncomfortable with the naked appreciation in her eyes.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I muttered. “You might regret signing up with a grumpy old biker.”

She shook her head. “I know what I’m getting into.”

Did she? Did either of us? My stomach knotted with conflicting emotions -- relief that she still wanted this arrangement despite my blunt honesty, worry about what I was committing to, and an unexpected flutter of something that felt dangerously like anticipation.

I was sixty-one years old, had seen too much, done too much.

I’d long ago accepted that my remaining years would be spent alone except for occasional visits from Aura and Sam.

Assuming Aura ever moved out. Now suddenly I had an instant family -- a woman and two teenage boys with their own set of trauma and baggage.

If Satan himself had appeared and offered me a deal like this a week ago, I’d have told him to go fuck himself. Yet here I stood, agreeing to it all, because something in Amelia’s determined brown eyes made me want to be the man she needed me to be.

The sudden rustling from the bushes near the porch shattered our moment of understanding.

My body tensed instantly, decades of survival instincts kicking in before my brain could process the sound.

I moved without thinking, positioning myself between Amelia and the potential threat, my hand automatically reaching for the gun that wasn’t there -- I’d left it inside, not expecting trouble in our own compound.

“Stay behind me,” I growled, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

Amelia froze, her eyes widening as they fixed on the dancing shadows beneath the ornamental shrubs that lined my porch. The rustling came again, followed by what sounded suspiciously like a muffled curse.

“Who’s there?” I demanded, moving toward the edge of the porch, every sense on high alert. My mind raced through possibilities -- a Prospect overstepping boundaries, one of Piston’s men somehow breaching our security, an animal. But animals didn’t swear.

No answer came, but the bushes trembled slightly. I descended the three wooden steps with deliberate slowness, my feet making no sound on the weathered boards. Years in prison had taught me to move silently when needed, to approach threats without telegraphing my intentions.

“Hammer --” Amelia started, her voice tight with apprehension.

I held up one hand, signaling her to stay put. The security lights cast long shadows across the yard, but the area beneath the bushes remained stubbornly dark. As I approached, I caught the faintest gleam of something reflective -- metal, or maybe glass.

In one swift motion, I lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of branches and yanking them aside to reveal the source of the disturbance. Two figures huddled in the shadows, caught in the act of eavesdropping.

“What the actual fuck?” I snarled, recognizing them immediately.

Atlas crouched closest to me, his lanky frame folded awkwardly in the dirt, a pair of earbuds dangling around his neck. Beside him, Lavender kneeled in the mulch, her purple-streaked hair instantly recognizable even in the dim light. Wire’s kid and his mother, of all people.

“Hey, Hammer,” Atlas said, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. “Nice night, huh?”

“Don’t ‘nice night’ me, boy,” I growled, anger surging through me. “What the hell are you doing hiding in my bushes?”

Lavender at least had the decency to look embarrassed, a flush creeping up her neck as she brushed dirt from her knees. “We were just passing by,” she offered lamely.

“With listening devices?” I pointed to the small directional microphone partially hidden in Atlas’s jacket.

“Research project,” Atlas tried, the lie so transparent it would have been comical under different circumstances.

I reached down, grabbed the front of his shirt, and hauled him to his feet. “Try again.”

Atlas’s easy smile faltered under my glare. “Okay, okay. We might have been… gathering intel.”

“Eavesdropping,” I corrected flatly.

“Such a harsh word,” Atlas muttered.

Behind me, I heard Amelia’s sharp intake of breath as she realized what was happening. I glanced back to see her standing rigid on the porch, her face flushing dark with embarrassment as she processed how much of our private conversation these two might have overheard.

“Inside,” I ordered, releasing Atlas’s shirt with a small shove toward the steps. “Both of you.”

Lavender rose with as much dignity as she could muster, brushing leaves from her jeans. “Hammer, it’s not what you think --”

“Save it,” I cut her off. “You can explain to my face instead of sneaking around like teenagers.”

“Technically, I am a teenager,” Atlas pointed out, then immediately held up his hands in surrender when I turned my glare on him. “Right, inside. Going now.”

I waited until they’d trudged up the steps, Amelia stepping aside to let them pass.

The flush of embarrassment hadn’t left her face, and she wouldn’t look at me.

This was exactly what she didn’t need -- more people knowing the private details of our arrangement, especially the parts about my aging equipment.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured to her as I climbed the steps. “I’ll handle this.”

She nodded stiffly, arms wrapped around herself protectively. “How much did they hear?”

“We’ll find out,” I promised, holding the door open for her.

Inside, Atlas and Lavender stood awkwardly in my living room, the movie still playing on the TV while Aura, Sam, and the boys stared at them in confusion. Aura raised an eyebrow at me in silent question.

“Everyone out,” I commanded. “Except these two.” I pointed at Atlas and Lavender.

“Dad?” Aura started.

“Not now, sweetheart. Family movie night’s over.” My tone left no room for argument.

Aura’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded. “Come on, guys. Let’s get you back to the duplex.” She ushered Chase and Levi toward the door, Sam following behind with a curious backward glance.

When the door closed behind them, I turned to our unwanted audience. “Sit.”

They sat on the edge of my couch, looking about as comfortable as prisoners awaiting sentencing. Which, in a way, they were.

“Start talking,” I demanded, remaining standing to maintain the advantage of height. “And don’t bother lying. I want to know exactly what you heard and why you were listening.”

Atlas exchanged a glance with his mother before speaking.

“We heard the Devil’s Minions were looking for someone new in town.

Wire -- Dad -- asked us to gather information.

He figured they were looking for Ms. Decker and her sons.

When we saw you and Ms. Decker go outside for a private talk, we thought… ” He trailed off.

“You thought you’d stick your nose where it doesn’t belong,” I finished for him. I hadn’t thought to call Wire when I’d gone to pick up Amelia. Although, I had told the Pres and I’d assumed he’d tell whoever needed to know.

“It’s our job to know things,” Lavender said, her voice steady despite her clear discomfort. “Information keeps the club safe.”

“So how much did you hear?” Amelia asked quietly from where she stood near the door, as if ready to bolt at any moment.

Atlas had the grace to look down. “Pretty much everything.”

My stomach knotted tighter. Everything. My admission about erectile issues. Our agreement about her being my old lady for protection. Everything.

“That information doesn’t leave this room,” I said, my voice deadly quiet. “Not a word. To anyone.”

Atlas nodded quickly, but something in his expression set off warning bells in my head. The kid was Wire’s son, after all, with all of his father’s hacking skills and his mother’s flair for drama. Worse, he had none of Wire’s discretion.

“I mean it, Atlas,” I pressed. “Not a whisper. Not a text. Not a hint on any of those computer systems you’re so good at breaking into.”

“I wouldn’t --” he started to protest.

“You would,” I cut him off. “Without even realizing it. You think everything’s a game, kid. This isn’t. This is Amelia’s life. Her boys’ safety.”

Lavender placed a restraining hand on her son’s arm. “We understand, Hammer. This stays confidential.”

But the damage was already done. These two knew about our arrangement -- knew it wasn’t a love match, knew about my physical limitations, knew everything. And in a club like ours, information was as valuable as currency. Not to mention, bikers gossiped worse than little old ladies.

“Go,” I said finally. “And if I hear one word about this circulating, I’ll know exactly where it came from.”

They left quickly, Atlas casting one last curious glance at Amelia before his mother hustled him out the door. When they were gone, I turned to find Amelia staring at me, her face a mixture of embarrassment and concern.

“How bad is this?” she asked softly.

I wished I could reassure her, but honesty had become the foundation of whatever we were building. “Bad enough,” I admitted. “Atlas is brilliant with computers, but he’s got a mouth on him. And access to every security system in the compound.”

“So he could… what? Tell everyone about us?”

“About everything,” I confirmed, my stomach turning at the thought of the whole club knowing my business. Knowing I’d agreed to claim a woman who didn’t really want me. Knowing about my damn dick problems.

Amelia sank onto the couch, shoulders slumping. “Great. We haven’t even made it official, and I’m already causing you problems.”

“Hey.” I moved to sit beside her, not touching but close enough that she could feel my presence. “This isn’t on you. Those two shouldn’t have been snooping. Especially Lavender. You’d think a grown-ass woman would know better.”

She nodded, but the worry didn’t leave her eyes. Her gaze drifted to the window where Atlas and Lavender had disappeared into the night. “What do we do now?”

I had no easy answer. All I knew was that our private arrangement had just gained an audience, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that our carefully constructed plan was already beginning to unravel.