Page 33

I hit the city by nightfall, ignoring the pang in my chest. The lights of Broadway felt like a neon prison. I texted Eve from my burner phone, letting her know I was in town. Her reply came quick:

Eve: I’m at Bootsie’s. Out back in the alley.

A place I knew well, too well. Where Eve and I first met. I parked my Harley on a side street. This was all too familiar, like some twisted time loop.

I slipped into the alley behind the bar, expecting to see Eve’s blonde hair. Instead, I found Kingpin, tall, imposing, black beard, and that ridiculous looking fringe jacket. Not to mention, he bristled with quiet rage. He wasn’t alone. With his red hair, Irish stood to one side, cracking his knuckles, and Villain lurked in the shadows, knife glinting in his belt. Man looked like Prince Charming but was pure evil.

Shit. Before I could bail, Kingpin lunged, fingers crushing my throat against the alley wall.

He sneered. “What the hell are you doin’ in my wife’s phone, Pig?”

I gagged, vision flashing red. “Eve, texted, me,” I choked.

Kingpin let go enough for me to gasp.

“Let’s just say my wife lost her phone. I found your number in it, decided to see if you’d show. You just can’t stay away, can you?” He was snarling. “You think I was born yesterday?”

I coughed, rubbing my bruised throat. “Where’s Eve? You said…”

“She’s not here,” he snarled. “I needed to know if you were meeting her for some other reason. Or about Sky. ” He paused, studying my face.

“Of course, it’s about Sky,” I strangled out.

“Turns out it is, so that checks out,” he admitted, letting my neck go.

“The stuff about her being blackmailed… is it real or not?”

He finally let me stand properly, stepping back. “Oh, it’s real all right. Her mom claims Sky’s the one who lured Grinder into killin’ Dirty Diana. Says she wanted to get our attention.”

“Fuck, she got our attention, all right. What about Diana’s daughter?”

“Getty’s daughter, you mean. Apparently, the mobster had a secret. He’d been taking care of Diana and her daughter all these years. Ralph got rid of his uncle and his cousin but didn’t know there was anyone else standing in his way until he got into Alexander’s files.”

“Did Sky know that you got me involved?”

Biker’s hand twisted his neck. “No clue. But Diana was running her mouth on me, too, remember. Why I got involved in the first place. Anyone hearing her talk about me would know, I’d want to shut that whore’s mouth. Her and I weren’t exactly on good terms any more. Maybe they planned to blame Diana’s death on me.”

“But if Sky’s been forced to stay with Ralph…” I started, trying to connect dots.

“Could be Ralph is blackmailing her. Could be she’s tired of him. Or maybe she’s screwing us all over. Who the hell knows?” Kingpin belted out in frustration.

I ground my teeth. “If there’s a chance Sky’s in danger, we gotta help her.”

Kingpin barked a laugh. “We don’t know if she’s in danger. Sky’s a fuckin’ nutcase. She might be playing us. The only reason I’m not killing you on sight is because of your old ties to her. That, and maybe she’s telling the truth about needing out. And this is a favor to Maddie, not you, not Sky… But we can’t risk the Syndicate starting a war in Nashville, either. So, if she wants to run, you gotta take her somewhere else. She can’t be near my wife or my kids. That’s final.”

“So, Eve doesn’t know?”

Kingpin narrowed his eyes. “That’s none of your goddamn business.”

Relief and anger surged through me as I processed his proposal. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

He motioned Irish and Villain to stand down, then lowered his voice. “We already got a plan. Maddie, Sky’s mom, arranged a meeting tomorrow. My men will snatch Sky, see if she wants out. If she’s serious, we’ll bring her to you. Then you take her wherever the hell you want. Out of state. Out of my hair. I’m washing my hands of the woman.”

My guts roiled. Take her where, the same place as Lexi? The same place my new woman is holed up with heartbreak? I swallowed. “All right.”

He eyed me, crossing his arms. “You sure you’re not still sweet on her? Because if you are, I don’t want you half-assing it. You can’t trust her. This is about business now.”

I pressed my teeth together. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Kingpin smirked. “Good. We’ll see. You better not let your dick do the thinking. You got a new girl, right? I heard the chatter about you and Diana’s daughter. Hope she’s not like her mom. Woman couldn’t keep her mouth or her legs shut.”

Rage and embarrassment flashed through me. “Shut the fuck up, Kingpin.”

He grinned, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re done here. Let’s grab a drink.”

I muttered curses but followed him inside the bar to hash out final details over some expensive Tennessee whiskey, on him. My head was about to explode.

We made the plan. Sky would meet Maddie at a diner off I-65. Kingpin’s men would watch from unmarked vans. If Sky showed signs of wanting out, Maddy would give a signal, and Villain and Irish would intercept her. But I would be the one to take her away. No reuniting with Kingpin, no returning to Nashville. Ralph Getty and the Music City Syndicate would tear the state apart if they realized we had her. We had to move fast.

The next morning, I parked behind a rundown gas station near that diner. I felt queasy remembering I'd left Lexi behind in Kansas. She was alone and hurting while I tried to figure out if my ex needed rescuing. And Lexi wasn’t taking my calls. However, I knew from talking to Sarge she was still at the Road Monster’s clubhouse, though. Safe and sound.

Fucking hell. But if this was the only way to save Sky and Lexi, I had to do it.

Villain kept me posted over text. Sky arrived in a black SUV, stepped out, and approached Maddie. But they went inside to eat. Not until they finished and stepped out did Maddie flash a peace sign, the signal. Irish and Villain swooped in, cornering them in an empty lot. I lingered, nervous as hell, until Villain called me over, meaning she wasn’t resisting.

I found Sky pinned near a dumpster, Maddie off to the side, looking terrified. Sky’s eyes locked on mine. She looked older, harder. Fuck, it hadn’t even been a year. There was a flicker of relief in her gaze.

“Hallow,” she breathed. “You’re here. Finally.”

I swallowed, forcing a nod. “Yeah. If you want out, I’ll help you.”

She looked at Maddie, tears gathering. “I’ve been blackmailed by Ralph. He threatened my child. I had no choice. I had to keep you away, so he wouldn’t hurt little Ralph.”

“Little Ralph?”

“You think Ralph will let his son be called Bo or Caden?” she said, explaining the child now had a third name.

Caden. I’d tried hard not to think of the kid I’d been raising with her as my own when she up and left me, taking him with her. “Where is he?”

“Still with Ralph and the family. Adam,” she called me my real name. “Ralph will never let him go. Our son is lost to his real father. But I can’t take it anymore.”

A tangle of guilt and anger coiled in my gut. So maybe she never truly left me by choice. I tried to keep a blank face from the emotions that were giving me whiplash. “Then come with me. We’ll figure it out.”

Sky didn’t argue. She just sobbed once, then threw her arms around me. I stiffened, memories flooding back. I was totally confused.

Lexi, I’m sorry, I thought silently, stepping away from Sky.

We hurried to my Harley, ignoring Maddie’s sobs. She would stall anyone who came looking. If Ralph’s men showed, Irish and Villain would handle it. I gunned the engine, and Sky hopped on, her arms around my waist like old times. It was like a dream. Or a nightmare. I was a bit fuzzy on the difference. Shaking, she buried her face in my back.

Then I tore out of there, heading north, away from Tennessee, away from the chaos. My mind spun with old regrets, longing, and raw fury at Ralph. If he truly blackmailed her, forced her to leave me, fuck him. I wished him dead. But overshadowing all that was Lexi’s face, her tearful eyes when she had asked about my “wife.”

Damn it. Her safety was my responsibility, too. I saved Sky, but was it nostalgia, guilt, or love? Couldn't say.

I rode for hours, Sky silent when we stopped briefly, except for her soft, uneven breathing. Every mile brought me closer to Kansas and Lexi. But how the hell could I explain it?

Hey, princess, this is my ex, the one I used to plan a future with, who might or might not still love me. I felt sick. My ex, who set your mom’s murder into motion, all to get my attention.

But I had no other option. Kingpin had made it clear. Sky couldn’t stay in Tennessee, not with the mob breathing down everyone’s necks. My old illusions about Sky’s betrayal lay in ruins, replaced by something more complicated. If she’d been forced to leave me. That meant I never gave her a chance. I never once doubted her leaving, but on her own accord. Fuck, I’d abandoned her too.

And where did that leave Lexi, the woman who just gave me her virginity, who was now reeling from the news?

The horizon stretched before me like a question I had no answers for. Sky clung to me, her tears soaking into my cut. And all I could do was grit my teeth, tear up the asphalt, and pray that I could salvage something out of this nightmare without losing Lexi in the process.