Page 6

Ezra

E zra was outside Hawthorne’s house the next day. It was early for a Sunday, but Hawthorne would be awake. Whether he was alone was a different story. Ezra parked behind Hawthorne’s SUV and didn’t bother questioning why the guy needed two cars.

As he walked to the door, it opened, and Hawthorne met him wearing sweatpants and his body glistening with sweat. Ezra had obviously disturbed his workout.

“Get your ass in here,” Hawthorne growled out.

“What, so your neighbours can’t call the cops?” Ezra sneered.

“Exactly. When I beat the shit out of you, there’ll be no witnesses.”

Ezra laughed, but it held no mirth.

“Same goes here,” Ezra said and stepped into Hawthorne’s home, brushing past him.

Ezra didn’t bother checking his surroundings as he waited for Hawthorne to lead the way. Hawthorne glowered at his audacity but jerked his head for Ezra to follow him. From what Ezra saw of the house, it was classy and clean. Hawthorne stalked down the hallway and opened a door, and Ezra followed him into the basement.

Glancing around, Ezra let out a low whistle. Hawthorne had a first-class gym installed. Any equipment you could dream of was right before his eyes, including a boxing ring.

“Nice,” Ezra announced in approval.

“Glad you approve,” Hawthorne replied dryly as he picked up a bottle of water. “Want to hold the punching bag?”

“What, so you can miss and hit me? Think I want my face to remain unchanged. Plus, Dana likes it.”

That did it. A black scowl crossed Hawthorne’s expression. Ezra waited patiently for him to talk. Hawthorne had the issue, not Ezra.

“Thought I made it clear Dana’s off limits? Same as my sister and cousins,” Hawthorne snapped.

“Dana’s off limits to be messed around with. You said nothing about a relationship,” Ezra shot back.

“You are telling me the playboy of Rage is looking to settle down?” Hawthorne sneered.

“What do you assume you know, dude? I haven’t screwed anyone. And if you take note, considering you’re a PI and supposed to be observant, you’ll find I’ve been with no one. Casual sex, bunnies, and bar flies ain’t for me. I got a rep. Fuck, I made one mistake by getting hammered after Lindsey’s attack and slept with a club whore. Next thing, the way that bitch ran her mouth, everyone thinks I fuck anything with a pulse. That ain’t the truth, and you know it.”

“Do I?” Hawthorne challenged Ezra.

“Yeah, you fuckin’ do. Don’t make me out to be a playboy,” Ezra snarled and caught his temper before he lost it. That was what Hawthorne was looking for. An excuse for a brawl. Ezra wouldn’t back down to anyone else, but causing trouble between him and Hawthorne would put Dana in a bad position.

“Dana isn’t built for a casual relationship,” Hawthorne said, going another route.

“Good. Because she’s mine,” Ezra stated.

Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “Yours?”

“Yes, I’ve been interested a couple of years, but pinning Dana down is a nightmare. Dana’s like a shadow. Every time I made a move, she fuckin’ disappeared. The other night, she played into my hands, giving me the opening I wanted. I’m going to woo and then marry her before some schmuck comes along and she realises she can do better than me,” Ezra said.

“Don’t like it,” Hawthorne muttered.

“Ain’t for you to like. I’m here out of respect for both of you. But if you assume that you can chase me away, then no. I’m going nowhere.”

“Oh, I could make you disappear,” Hawthorne grumbled, but Ezra noticed there was no heat in it.

“Same goes here.”

“I don’t like you,” Hawthorne complained.

Ezra allowed a smile to cross his lips. Hawthorne was now simply being petulant.

“If you hurt her, Rage will never find the body. Dana is mine, too, she is family. And Hawthorne’s won’t stop coming for you if you cause her pain. Dana needs to be loved, and we adore her, but she has never been interested in one of us. Believe me, if she’d shown the slightest interest, my guys would have swept her off her feet.

“Rage may be the big bad MC, but Hawthorne’s can be just as dirty. So, treat Dana like the treasure she is. Patrick shit all over her; we investigated what happened when she turned up without her ring. Dana doesn’t know we checked up on him and then intercepted him several times when he tried to reach out to her,” Hawthorne said, rubbing his chin.

“Even though he had married her sister?” Ezra believed Hawthorne.

Patrick’s words the other day had merely proven he was in it for himself. As soon as he realised what connection Dana had, he’d fallen over himself. The problem was, for a guy like Patrick—with his sense of entitlement—no didn’t mean no. Ezra knew Patrick would keep harassing Dana until he got his own way. That was what men like him did.

The world, according to Patrick, revolved around him. Now Dana had something to offer him. And he wanted her back. Ezra was still tickled that Patrick had announced he was going to divorce her sister so he could marry Dana. Dana had been appalled. Ezra thought the asshole was funny, but he did not underestimate him, either. No, Patrick was dangerous because Dana had what he desired.

That meant Dana had trouble heading her way—and speaking of complications. Ezra held Hawthorne’s eyes. “How much danger was Dana in?”

Hawthorne didn’t bother to ask when or where. He knew what Ezra meant.

“A shitload. They were clearly after her and tried to force her off the road. My men can’t find out if it’s because she’s linked with us or they discovered her role in rescuing Irish. London and a few of us reached Dana in time, but we lost the Fangs. On those fuckin’ bikes, they go where cars can’t.”

“Fuck, I knew she was downplaying it. Rage has heard nothing about a price on her head,” Ezra muttered, dropping his chin and rubbing his neck.

“No. Neither have we, and we have shaken down every snitch we have; we can’t find out why they targeted her.”

“They’re not gonna have her,” Ezra swore, and Hawthorne nodded in grim agreement.

“No.”

“Is Dana aware she’s in danger?”

“Yes and no. She believes it was a one-off, but we’ve got her changing her routes into work every day, and she does the same going home. If someone’s in the office, we follow her to make sure she is okay. Dana’s alert but not feeling overly threatened. She’s talked herself into believing they were after her because she worked here.

“Personally, I think it’s that and more. Hawthorne’s reputation for protecting women is legendary. Fury took a swipe at us to see how quick we’d react. He clearly didn’t like our reaction time, as he’s not tried again.” Hawthorne ran his hand through his hair.

“Ezra, Dana has training; she can shoot a gun and knows how to look for signs her home may have been broken into. Dana’s timid but not stupid, and she will defend herself and has the skills to do so. It’s part of our program, even for a receptionist, and she’s more than that. But do I believe she’s in danger? Yeah. Every female in RC is. Fury won’t give a shit who they belong to, could be some poor school mom who one of his assholes takes a fancy to.”

“Why do you think Rage is going to war?” Ezra retorted. “Not because it’s fun. We can’t even get a grip on how many MCs he has fuckin’ taken over because some have kept their real names. Not everybody was forced to change to Venomous Fangs. And those we don’t know about, they’re the ace he’s holding up his sleeve.”

“We can’t do more than we’re doing, Hawthorne. Something is going to break and soon. Fury is going to get fed up of toying with everyone. Maybe it’s worth gathering the old ladies and hellions and every other female and sending them away,” Ezra mused.

“How long for, Ezra? Weeks? Months? A year? We ain’t got a time frame or anything. Shit, we don’t have anyone inside them apart from Irish’s guy, and his info is drying up. I reckon the man’s been made.”

“We’re thinking the same,” Ezra agreed. He sent Hawthorne a look. “Dana’s mine to protect and love, Hawthorne. Help me, don’t hinder me.”

Ezra waited as Hawthorne gave him a contemplative stare before the man finally nodded.

“Hurt her though, and we’ll end you long before the Fangs do,” Hawthorne said, one last warning.

Ezra let him have it. He didn’t need to wave his dick in the air.

Dana

I was nervous Monday morning when I let myself into the offices. We all had our own keys and used them when the reception wasn’t manned. Once I was in the business, it was habit to buzz everyone in. I did eight till five every day, which weren’t bad hours, and Dylan gave me three weekends out of four off. That was a very nice perk.

I’d seen Dylan, Davies, and London’s cars down in the parking lot, so I knew they were in. As usual, the coffee machine in the corner wasn’t switched on, and it was always my first job. The men were heavy-handed with it, and after Kele broke it for the sixth time, Dylan had banned them all from trying to start it in the morning. Once I had it up and running, they could fetch the fancy coffees they drank from it.

After I’d inspected the levels of everything and checked the creamers, I flipped the one switch and waited. By eight fifteen, Dylan would be down, first in line, for his coffee. That machine saved them a fortune because they drank so much of the stuff.

I was at my desk when Dylan appeared, scowling at Davies. Davies was second in command, and London third in the chain-of-command.

London trailed closely on their heels with a smirk.

“Morning,” Dylan grunted, heading straight for the coffeemaker.

“Good morning, boss,” I replied as I began loading up my office laptop. Emails were the first thing I checked each day, followed by phone messages. All emails came directly to me, and I forwarded them on to the relevant person.

“Hear you had a hot date,” London said, tapping my desk for attention.

“Hear you have one every night!” I teased, and London acted affronted.

Davies chuckled. “Dana got you there,” he stated with a smirk.

“Shut up, asshole. So, sweetness, tell me about this big, bad biker you’re dating,” London pushed.

London forgets how well I know him. Despite his teasing, there is a glint in his eye, which tells me he’s more than curious.

“Do you tell me about your dates?” I demanded and realised I’d said the wrong thing.

“Yes!” London crowed, and Davies shook his head.

“Okay.” I chuckled as Davies dumped a drink on my desk. “Only because you all come to me to whine about women!”

“That’s true,” London agreed. “So, spill the beans.”

“It was a date, a chilled one, where we ate a meal in a very nice restaurant.”

“And?” London waggled his brows.

“And he took me home, kissed me, and left!” I stated firmly.

London’s jaw dropped open. “He never tried to get to third base?”

“London!” I shrieked as Dylan laughed from the corner.

“Seriously? I thought Rage had a game. Ezra’s slow on the uptake,” London said, glancing across to Dylan.

“Remember who Ezra is trying to get to third base with,” Dylan pointed out, and London’s expression descended into a frown.

“Huh,” he muttered with a sharp stare at me.

“Exactly,” Dylan stated and walked towards me.

Before Dylan could say anything, Max and Booth entered the building. The next thing I knew, they were both standing on either side of my desk. Both glowering and looking stern.

“Jesus, did you take out a group text?” I accused Dylan as he sat at my table.

“Maybe,” Dylan drawled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Next time, don’t! You two go get coffees; we are not discussing my personal life,” I ordered Booth and Max.

They crossed their arms against their very nice, broad chests.

“See, I don’t enjoy knowing you’ve a private life,” Max complained.

“Well, honey, the virgin train left a long time ago, and I wasn’t on it,” I retorted.

“Don’t say that! I need to scrub my ears!” Booth howled as I laughed.

“As far as we’re concerned, you’re still innocent,” Max snapped.

“Dude, choo choo, the virgin train leaving now without Dana!” I teased.

“Shut up talking about you and sex!” Booth demanded.

“I wouldn’t mind hearing about Dana and her kinky sessions,” London chipped in, and moments later, Booth had him in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles over London’s hair.

“Shut the fuck up, asshole. Dana’s like a sister to us,” Max stated, pointing a finger at London.

With a shake of my head, I ignored them all as London began bouncing to try and dislodge Booth.

“Out! I have a job to do,” I ordered loudly as I saw this descending into chaos.

“You work for me. I can take all the time I want,” Dylan said smugly.

I held his gaze for several moments. “Cheating spouses,” I threaten softly.

Dylan straightened and was first through the adjoining door that led to their offices.

“Bitch,” Davies hissed, but it lacked venom.

“Two for you,” I stated, grabbing my post-it notes.

Davies snatched them from my hand and raced after Dylan. The others were on their heels.

I shook my head at their antics and continued checking emails. There were several to be redirected to the team. New jobs I would access and place an urgency rating on before sending to Dylan.

The phone messages only contained one new job. I jotted down the details and placed in Dylan’s pigeonhole. Finally, I sorted through the post that had arrived, placing it into the correct slot for each of the men. I was curious when I saw that Niko had received a scented lavender envelope with a woman’s handwriting on it.

The door opened, and Grey walked in with Nick and the twins beside him. They all grunted and headed for the coffeemaker before turning gimlet gazes on me.

“Cheating spouses and a week of the Hawthorne females,” I threatened, and they all disappeared quickly.

Sighing because I knew that, for now, this was a stopgap, that they’d soon return to try and bully information out of me, I opened the diary. There were several appointments, but one made my eyebrows rise. James Washington had an appointment with Dylan this afternoon for an hour. It was written in Dylan’s handwriting, which meant he’d booked it himself.

I did schedule their meetings on their computerised calendars, but I kept a paper copy for myself. A laptop can crash, and this way, we had backups. Plus, we didn’t risk people arriving without us knowing it in the event of a glitch.

And speaking of crashing, Casey arrived.

He was the most notorious of Hawthorne’s men for breaking his computer equipment. Despite Dylan’s repeated threats, Casey remained surrounded by broken electrical shit. It infuriated Casey and Dylan to no end, but it was true, Casey was an electronic Jonah.

“Morning, babe, you got anything for me?” Casey asked, approaching his pigeonhole.

“A few messages. I placed them in your pigeonhole. The main one is Mr Lucas has called three times saying it’s a matter of urgency,” I replied.

“Lucas is becoming the bane of my life. I’ll deal with him,” Casey said as my phone rang.

I picked it up, rolled my eyes, and placed the caller on hold.

“Mr Lucas,” I announced, and Casey groaned.

“Put it through to my phone?” Casey asked as he grabbed his coffee and headed towards his office.

I was smiling when he disappeared through the door.

Casey wasn’t wrong. Mr Lucas was a dog with a bone. It was a fairly simple case. Or so I’d thought at first. Mr Lucas owned a jeweller, which had been robbed, but Casey was digging up evidence Mr Lucas’s son was involved, and Mr Lucas didn’t like that at all.

I left Casey to it and began preparing the time sheets for the men for this week. They’d already dropped the last weeks’ off in my own tray, so it was merely a matter of adding their time to payroll.

One by one, the rest of the guys came wandering in, apart from Arturo and Kele, who were out on a job. And as time ticked past, half of them disappeared for their current jobs. London was on his way out when he stopped by my desk.

“Dana?” he said.

I looked up and smiled at him.

“Just be careful, baby girl. I know you want happiness, but make sure Ezra deserves you. If he doesn’t, then walk away. Because only a real man could cherish you as you deserve,” London spoke softly.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I sniffed. “Thank you,” I muttered, and London offered me a wink before marching his fine ass out the door.

It was rather funny how I worked in an office surrounded by gorgeous, hot, sexy alpha men. Yet none of them had ever appealed to me. I was more like their little sister. They certainly treated me as such. It was sweet. They never forgot my birthday or failed to bring me Christmas gifts, but none of them liked the thought of me as a woman with needs.

Ezra acknowledged me as a woman with desires. A shiver of joy ran down my spine as I realised that Ezra really saw who I was.

Shy and timid but strong when I need to be; I wasn’t frightened of my own shadow, despite the impression I give off. But I am wary around strangers and quite capable of defending myself and those I love.

Several hours passed as I got down to work with the diligence Dylan expected from me. I was caught up in filing a few reports when the door opened, and then Arturo and Kele walked in, dragging a man behind them.

“Help me!” he spluttered when he spied me.

I eyed him distastefully. The guy was James Jackson, a vile piece of shit who’d run out on his family. His now ex-wife had taken him to court and received a generous award of child support. Only, Jackson refused to pay it, and despite being repeatedly told by the courts to do so, he’d managed to avoid payments. Finally, after being ordered to attend court, the slimy fucker did a bunk and ended up with a bounty on his head.

The fact he also assaulted the judge at their own home didn’t help matters. Irate, the judge had boosted the award for his capture very generously.

It didn’t make sense to bring him here. Arturo and Kele should have taken him straight to the police station. But whatever.

“Are there cells available?” Arturo asked, shaking Jackson like a dog with a bone.

“Yes. Nobody’s booked into them. Is the police station shut?” I questioned.

“No. Kele wants a nice, friendly word with Mr Jackson about paying his child support on time.”

Ah, I guessed that Mr Jackson was about to meet Kele’s thunder fists. The man packed quite a punch. I walked to my desk and, pulled out a book, and began writing the details of the bounty down and who’d brought him in.

Kele winked at me as he picked up Mr Jackson by the collar of his shirt and marched him down the hallway.

“Help me!” the spineless coward shrieked.

I smiled and turned away. The one thing I did enjoy watching was people getting what they deserved. The former Mrs Jackson shouldn’t have a problem getting her child support now!