Page 33

ACE

“ H arley? Harley!”

The line went dead. The last thing I’d heard was a shriek of terror before the call cut out.

I stared at my phone for a long, stunned moment.

She was alone. I hadn’t sent an escort with her. This was my fault. I’d been careless, I’d left a gap open, and now?—

I snapped into action. Now was not the time to panic. I had to get to her. I called Striker.

“Get to the alpha house,” I said. “Now.”

“There in five,” Striker said.

True to his word, his car pulled up four minutes later. Those four minutes felt like an eternity. My dragon roared and clawed at me from the inside, demanding that I shift, take to the skies. Find our mate.

“What’s going on?” Striker asked as he walked in. “What happened?”

“Dad?” Dylan called from upstairs. “My dragon feels weird. Is something going on?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said to both of them. “I’ve got to take care of some business. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“What is it?” Dylan peered down from the top of the stairs.

I hated leaving Dylan in the dark, but I didn’t want to scare him. I sighed, then squeezed Striker’s shoulder in thanks. “I’ll be back soon.”

Striker nodded. That was why I’d called him—he wouldn’t ask questions like Hawk would, not when I was in a hurry.

I left the house with my heart racing in my chest. Though my dragon was still demanding I stretch my wings and fly to find her, I knew that would only cause more trouble.

Instead, I grabbed my motorcycle instead of my car.

At least on the bike, I’d be nearly as fast as I was on my wings.

I revved the engine and roared out of the driveway and onto the narrow, winding highway.

I zipped past slow tourist cars, urging my bike faster and faster, taking the corners hard as I raced toward my mate.

She’d said she was on her way back from Liz’s.

I knew the road. I just had to find out what had happened.

As it turned out, I didn’t have to search. I saw the red-and-blue flashing lights as I crested the hill.

There was a long row of cars stopped in the middle of the highway.

I slowed, then cut around the row, riding the yellow line up the road to where the police blocked off the road.

Two cop cars were parked sideways in the road, lights on, while the police held up traffic.

A fire engine and ambulance were on- site as well.

I cut off my bike and rushed toward the police barrier.

My thoughts matched the furious pounding of my heart.

Mate. Mate. Mate. I could feel her presence nearby. Where was she?

“Whoa, Ace, this area’s blocked off.” The Lakeview police chief, Forest, stopped me with a stiff arm to the chest.

It took every ounce of self-restraint for me not to bare my fangs at him and growl. “Let me through, Forest.”

Forest was nearly as tall as I was and a year younger, with a serious demeanor and unshakable focus. He wasn’t unlike the German shepherds he kept as working dogs at the station. “This isn’t any of your business. Now, you head back to your clubhouse and mind your business.”

That patronizing tone made me bare my teeth. “My mate’s involved, so it involves me,” I snarled.

“Your mate? The woman from Georgia?”

“Is she hurt? Where is she?”

Forest glared at me. If he had his way, I’d still be in prison.

I knew Forest had worked with the feds to try to pin down the deals going on through the garage.

Ever since I’d been released, he’d kept a close eye on me and my clan, looking for any reason to put me behind bars again.

He’d failed every time, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

But Forest had been a Lakeview cop for a long time, and he knew not to get between a dragon and his mate.

He lifted the police tape and waved me beneath it. “Make it quick.”

I rushed past the cops and the firefighters, following my dragon’s senses directly to the ambulance parked halfway on the shoulder.

The doors were open, and Harley was seated there, her legs dangling off the edge, a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

A medic stood next to her, scratching notes on a clipboard as she spoke to him.

The moment she saw me, her shoulders slumped in relief, and the corners of her lips pulled up into a tiny smile.

My dragon whined in relief. As I approached the ambulance, I sniffed the air for any trace of blood, but there was nothing. Just gas, burned rubber, and mud.

She reached for me. The medic glanced over and stepped away with a nod.

“Harley,” I whispered. I sat next to her in the back of the ambulance. The noise of the scene around us faded as my focus centered on her.

I brushed my fingers over her face, pushing the loose auburn locks behind her ears.

She was pale, with a thin sheen of sweat on her face, but there were no bruises or wounds on her.

I traced my fingers over her neck, her shoulders, then over the thin blanket to her hands.

I felt her thrumming pulse, and it slowed when I touched her.

“I’m okay. Really.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been here. There should’ve been a clan member?—”

“Don’t apologize.” She squeezed my hand. “It’s no one’s fault. Well, no one’s except the person who did that.” She nodded toward the side of the road, where the white SUV was stuck to a tree. The front of the car was a little crumpled, and the airbags had deployed, but it could’ve been worse.

It could’ve been a hell of a lot worse.

“What happened?” I asked. “I heard you scream, and then the call cut off.”

“Got run off the road,” she said.

“Jesus.” Smoke burned on the back of my tongue as my dragon’s anger grew. “It must’ve been Sean. I should’ve known he wouldn’t give up—he’s probably been waiting for a chance to do something like this.” And when I saw him, I’d rip his head off. No questions asked.

“Steph…”

Forest approached with a scowl on his face. “Miss Founty, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need you to confirm the description of the other vehicle involved.”

“Right,” Harley said. “Sure, it was red, an older model, a two-seater. Beat up.”

A beat-up old red truck? The same truck I’d seen parked outside the clubhouse for years?

My blood began to boil under my skin.

Harley’s hand found my thigh and squeezed. She glanced at me, her gaze serious, as if to say later.

“All right,” Forest said. “I’ve got my guys on it. In the meantime, the medical team said you’re in good shape. They’re happy to take you to the hospital if?—”

“No, no, I’m fine,” she said. “Just some whiplash. I need to get home. My son’s waiting for me.”

Forest raised his eyebrows at Harley, then at me. I managed to keep my fangs in my mouth. “You can have the tow truck take the rental to my shop.”

“Miss Founty,” Forest said, “Ace here runs a good body shop, but if you’re spending time together socially… Well, you have my card if you need anything.”

“I do,” Harley said coolly. “Thank you, officer.”

“You know about Ace’s history, correct?”

That made me stand up. I stood between Harley and Forest, and though I kept my dragon leashed, I felt him flashing gold in my eyes.

“Harley’s an adult,” I hissed. “She can make her own decisions. Why don’t you do your job and find the person who did this?

” The before I do was silent, but Forest heard it as clear as if I’d said it aloud.

Forest’s remarks weren’t totally without merit. I had a history. He’d handled the aftermath of some of the clan’s worst deals. In the past, I may have tried to smooth over this interaction to keep Forest on my good side. But now, my dragon’s need to protect our mate overwhelmed my logical brain.

She was my fated mate. What I’d done in the past was just that—the past.

I helped Harley to her feet. She leaned heavily on me with a sigh, and I held her close, taking her weight as we walked toward my bike. “You’re really okay?”

She nodded. “A little shaken up. What’s up with you and that cop?”

“He’s the cop, I’m the felon.” I shrugged. “Not more to it than that. He’s been around since I took over the clan, so…”

“So, he’s seen a lot of shit,” she said with a teasing edge to her voice. “Makes sense. You’ve made some less-than-stellar decisions.”

I snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Ugh, dealing with this rental is going to be a nightmare.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll have the guys at the shop cover it. You can drive one of our cars.”

“As long as you’ve got some automatics.”

“I’m sure we can scrounge one up.” As the police finished their record-keeping and began to let traffic move through, I walked Harley over to my bike.

She paused and ran her hand over the leather seat with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“I can call one of the guys if you’d rather take a car,” I said.

“No, it’s not that. Don’t worry, I remember riding on the back of this bike.”

As did I. We’d spent that summer zipping around Lakeview on this very same motorcycle. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I saw who was driving that truck.” Harley turned around and hooked her fingers into my belt loops, smirking a little. “What kind of dick were you giving Blakely to drive her so insane?”

I burst out laughing, loud enough to make the cops glance over. I shook my head in disbelief. “That’s what you’re wondering about?”

“What? It’s a normal question. She ran me off the road!”

Laughing, we leaned against each other. It was a ridiculous situation—hell, a dangerous situation—but Harley always knew how to make me laugh. These last ten years had made her tough as hell. It’d take a lot more than Blakely’s crazy driving to spook her.

I grasped her waist with both hands and pulled her close to me, still smiling. “The time I spent with Blakely is nothing compared to time spent with you.”

The color returned to Harley’s cheeks as she held my gaze. “Yeah?”

I ducked my head down, so my lips were close to her ear. “No woman comes close to you.”