Page 36 of Ignite (Iron City Knights MC #1)

Wolf leaned his head back on the couch. He was uncomfortable as hell, but there was nowhere else to be. The boys had crashed in Jazz’s bedroom, leaving the two of them to rough it in the living room. She was curled into his side and probably just as uneasy as he was.

First thing I’m gonna do when this blows over is either find a new place or expand this one .

Wolf had seen where the property lines lay, and there was room to build out some additions.

His mind designed as he shifted to find a better position.

Extend the foundation for an open great room with a cathedral ceiling.

Knock out a wall in the current living room to make it a loft.

Master bedroom suite on the other side leading to the deck facing the river.

Clear the land between the house and the street for a side yard and proper driveway.

Two small bedrooms downstairs used for guests or office space or?—

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

He’d stayed at the station longer than he wanted to, but they had to let him go when his alibi checked out. Denny seemed relieved when he opened the cell door. Yeah, there was paperwork, but his cop friend would take care of it without a big fuss.

“I hope there aren’t any bad feelings between us. Nothing connects you or anyone else to Candie’s murder. We got shit for evidence, as in nothing . Good for you, but bad for us. It’s gonna be tough to solve this. We may never find out the truth.”

No witnesses. No hair, semen, or other physical evidence. No credit card or money trail. Whoever did Candie was a ghost.

The constant uneasiness in his gut amplified by a thousand after the conversation with the two visiting bikers.

“Bruiser said he’s got his end covered. We don’t know how, but we trust him to keep himself and us safe. Can we trust you to do the same for her?”

He hoped so. It seemed like the world had turned into the latest James Bond screenplay. A hired assassin? That was some seriously far-fetched fantasy shit that’s only supposed to happen in books or movies.

He glanced down at the sleeping woman beside him.

There were deep shadows underneath her eyes, and she’d lost weight she didn’t need to lose.

The world put a huge burden on her shoulders that she carried as best as she could.

She was no Atlas, though. Wolf recalled the Greek myth of the Titan god condemned to hold up the sky for eternity.

His mouth contracted. All those other people who’d been killed had been shut off from others and isolated.

Even this guy, Bruiser, had hidden his shielder activities from his brothers.

They would have to deal with that on their own.

“We trust him to keep himself and us safe. Can we trust you to do the same for her?”

That question had only one answer. It was tough and something he really didn’t want to do, but there was very little choice in the matter.

He’d face the consequences later as long as his woman and her family stayed protected.

Carefully, he moved Jazz from underneath his arm and settled her back on the couch.

He tossed a fleece blanket with a big purple nebula on it over her and waited to make sure she stayed asleep.

Outside on the landing, he pulled out his phone and dialed Camshaft.

“I need you to come to my place and keep watch until I get back.”

The sounds of pumping music came through the speaker. “We have a full house here, brother, but I can send Tugger over there.”

Wolf didn’t particularly want the newest recruit to guard his family, but he had little choice.

Tugger was named after the winch at the mines that lifted heavy equipment from the earth’s depths.

The man wasn’t the brightest bulb in the pack, but he was available, and Wolf didn’t plan to be gone any longer than he had to. “Do it.”

Wolf waited until the younger man showed up, then left the house and headed out on his bike, crossing over the bridge and into the city.

People still roamed the streets at this hour, but he ignored them.

His focus was on a different goal, one he never thought he’d have to take up again, but circumstances had come full circle, and he needed to step up.

Once he reached the storage facility, he had to scroll through his phone to find the notes on the combination code.

The buttons beeped as he entered the numbers, and the gate rolled back.

Three minutes later, he stood in front of the unit he’d rented years ago.

He never understood why he didn’t get rid of the contents a long time ago.

Perhaps somewhere in his subconscious, he thought he’d have to open this part of his life again.

He sighed and looked up the second code.

The air in the unit was musty and warm. There was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, and he pulled the string to turn it on.

Two sets of shelves graced the walls of the narrow space; each one held locked boxes of various sizes.

With laser focus, Wolf moved between them and started opening and inspecting.