Page 3

Jagger

T rudging through the tall grass behind the clubhouse, I listened to a few of the guys groaning about being up at the ass crack of dawn. Technically, 11 a.m. wasn’t exactly dawn, but these idiots had been partying hard last night, throwing back drinks with a few club girls, completely ignoring the late-night briefing Preacher had given us. Now, they were paying for it.

Duke had decided that this morning was about identifying the club’s best shooters. He and the Ghosts had set up a makeshift shooting range, complete with an assortment of targets—watermelons, tin cans, and, oddly, matchboxes perched on top of some crates. The matchboxes didn’t fit with the others, but something about their placement nagged at me.

As I scanned the setup, I realized someone was missing.Kyle .

Several of the other Ghosts weren’t present either. Maybe she was getting a pass since she’d just returned? It seemed out of character, but I didn’t see her anywhere.

Leaning against a tree, I crossed my arms and waited for the rest of the group to catch up, watching as the Ghosts methodically prepped their equipment. They inserted earpieces, checked their rifles, and fine-tuned their sights with precision. I had been looking forward to seeing Kyle in action—word was, she was a hell of a shot—so her absence was disappointing.

Not that I should care. I usually went for women who were feminine, polished, and more concerned with their looks than their combat skills. But Kyle, she had a natural femininity that didn’t need embellishment. And the fact that she was a highly trained operator? That was just fucking attractive.

“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today…” Duke’s voice rang out, catching everyone’s attention.

We all turned to him, confused as hell. His smirk widened as he glanced at the Ghosts, who were already shaking their heads.

“Now that I have your attention, ladies,” Duke continued, “I want to see your shooting skills today. Knowing each of your strengths will help us in our engagements and any planning we need to do.”

His tone shifted then, the teasing edge gone, replaced with something serious. “Two hours ago, someone kidnapped Senator Menzie’s sixteen-month-old daughter.”

Silence fell over the group like a hammer.

“The nanny was out walking her in a stroller when she was attacked. She’s now in hospital in a critical condition. The kidnappers also used a signal jammer to block all security footage in the area.”

“They were fucking prepared,” I muttered, disgust curling in my gut at the thought of some bastards snatching a kid.

Duke nodded. “This wasn’t random, it was a targeted hit on a high-profile civilian. That means we’re moving out soon to find Perry Menzie, and we need toknowwho can do what. So, let’s get started on that.”

“Where’s Kyle?” Preacher cut in, glancing around.

Duke’s grin widened. “She’s…waiting.”

The Ghosts started laughing, some shaking their heads as if they were in on a joke we weren’t privy to.

“Kyle is an experienced sharpshooter, as you know,” Duke chuckled. “Right now, she’s just waiting for us to get into position.”

The rest of the Knights started scanning the tree line, looking for her. I had already been discreetly doing the same, but I still hadn’t spotted anything unusual. She wasn’t at the compound, it was too far away, so where the hell was she?

Sighing, Preacher pinched the bridge of his nose. “Duke, man, I appreciate you looking out for her, but I’m seriously not fucking happy about what I found out yesterday. She’s a fucking girl , she shouldn’t be?—”

BOOM.

The watermelon next to him exploded, splattering his face and shirt with sticky red pulp.

Chaos erupted as the Knights immediately drew their weapons, diving behind trees and taking cover on instinct. The fact that Istilldidn’t know where Kyle was had just turned into a serious fucking problem because we now had an unknown shooter with us in their sights.

And yet, Duke and the Ghosts were laughing.

“You little shit,” Duke chuckled, shaking his head. I finally noticed that all the Ghosts had throat mics, advanced comms gear most of us were familiar with in theory but not practice.

Through his laughter, Duke turned to Preacher, reaching out to help him up. “Looks like she didn’t appreciate the shit coming out of your mouth.”

Preacher wiped the watermelon from his face, scowling.

Duke smirked. “These new mics stay live instead of needing to be activated manually. So, yeah…she heard everything.”

The Ghosts broke into another round of laughter, and even I couldn’t help the grin pulling at the corner of my mouth.

Wherever she was, Kyle Ghost had just made one hell of a statement.

We all turned in circles, scanning the treetops, rooftops, anywhere she could have set up her shot. Now that the initial panic had settled and we knew we weren’t under attack, just dealing with a sniper with a grudge against her old man, it became a different kind of problem.

“You won’t find her,” one of the Ghosts said seriously. “If she doesn’t want to be seen, you won’t see her.”

KYLE

“Shit, my bad. My finger slipped,” I muttered to Duke while simultaneously listening to Hunter over the other comms channel. One earpiece connected me to my team, the other to him. Multitasking at its finest.

That didn’t mean I hadn’t heard what that asshole had said about me earlier, like Preacher actually gave a shit. She’s a fucking girl.

Asshole.

“What are you doing?” Hunter asked, his voice calm and familiar.

“Cleaning my new scope. I had an asshole between the crosshairs.”

Hunter snorted but didn’t comment further. After we hung up, I returned my focus to the scope, watching as the men below swept away the watermelon shrapnel. I’d been lying up here on the clubhouse roof for the past forty minutes, waiting for my cue to start taking out targets.

But my focus wasn’t just on the range. The senator’s daughter had been kidnapped, and every second we wasted playing target practice made me itch to move. The idea of some bastard laying hands on that little girl made my stomach churn. I wanted to be out there, tracking them down, ending the nightmare before it even started.

At least now, with Hunter and his team working with us, I felt better. I knew how they operated—efficient, tactical, ruthless when necessary. Exactly what we needed. Because the guys I was currently watching through my scope barely looked like they could tie their own damn boots.

“Are they trying to solve world fucking debt?” Match snapped beside me, adjusting his position.

“I doubt they’d be able to spell world fucking debt,” Sharkey added with a snort.

I grinned but didn’t take my eyes off the scope.

“Kai,” Duke’s voice crackled in my earpiece.

“Yeah?”

“Right to left,” he ordered.

Shifting slightly, I double-checked the readings on my scope, exhaling slowly. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill ran through my mind, the familiar melody grounding me.

“Affirmative,” I murmured. “Might want to tell the little girls to hold onto their panties, Duke.”

Match let out a rare laugh beside me.

Without another word, I squeezed the trigger, taking out the first watermelon in a perfect explosion of red pulp. The tin can beside it followed, flipping into the air. Next came the grapefruit, then the apple. I lined up the matchbox next, sending it flying. And finally, my favorite shot of all—the matchstick itself.

Flicking the safety back on, I remained still, watching through the scope. The Knights stood frozen, staring at the now-empty shooting range. Their reactions were priceless—shocked, impressed, a little unnerved.

As I passed my scope over Preacher’s gray-looking face, I caught sight of Jagger. Unlike the others, he wasn’t in shock. He was grinning.

“Think the VP has a thing for you, Kyle,” Sharkey commented, watching through his binoculars.

I ignored him, waiting for an update from Duke.

Finally, as the Knights began setting up new targets, his voice came through my earpiece. “You can show yourself, Kyle.”

I pushed up from my position, brushing dust from my shirt and pants before slinging my rifle over my shoulder. Sharkey stood beside me, already grinning as he raised his binoculars.

“Let’s give the boys a wave,” he suggested.

Together, we raised an arm in unison, waiting for them to notice.

It was Jagger who spotted us first. From this distance, we were barely distinguishable against the bright sky, but the second he pointed, the entire group turned, their heads snapping in our direction. Shock settled over them, a mixture of awe and what-the-fuck expressions.

“Y’all can come down now,” Duke ordered through my earpiece.

Smirking, I shot one last glance through my scope right at Jagger before making my way toward the ladder.

The space from Preacher had been nice, a rare reprieve even though it hadn’t been that long, but we had a job to complete. As we had discussed this morning, if the Knights didn’t have the necessary skills, we would rely on Hunter and his team while keeping the Knights on standby as backup. This wasn’t the ideal option, though. We needed as many fighters as possible to take down these traffickers, and right now, our numbers weren’t where they needed to be.

To cover our bases, I had also reached out to an old friend, Mace. I had known him since my early training days, and his crew was anything but amateurs. They had handled cases like this before—some worse. If shit hit the fan, I knew I could count on Mace and his people to step in. One of his guys, Adam Montgomery, was always ready to move. For now, it was just a heads-up but having them as a backup plan was reassuring.

Following Sharkey and Match down the stairs and out of the clubhouse, we crossed the grass toward the group of Knights waiting for us.

“How the fuck you see so far?” one of them asked—the same guy who had spent the morning bragging about how much pussy he’d pulled the night before.

I had instantly disliked him. I didn’t have time to babysit some asshole whose brain was stuck between his legs. Actually, doing a quick reassessment, considering his phrasing and lack of basic sense, I figured he probably didn’t have a brain at all.

Bringing my rifle around in front of me, I pointed to the scope. “Well, now see,” I drawled, deliberately putting on a simpleton-style hick voice, making some of the guys laugh. “I looked in this here area and didn’t not see nuttin’. So, Match here says I should look through this lil hole doohickey. It was magic , like I was right behind y’all. Then I closed my eyes and pressed this here thingy.” I pointed to the trigger, grinning.

Laughter rippled through the group, but when I glanced up, Preacher was watching me with a blank expression. He could disapprove all he wanted, the days when he had any say over what I did were long gone.

“So, now that you know about the doohickey and the thingy, let’s break up into groups and figure out what y’all can do,” Duke clapped his hands, effectively ending the discussion.

By the end of the training session, each of us had three Knights under our command, ready to be tested. Somehow, I’d ended up in a group with Jagger. Teaching him how to use my scope meant getting in close, which quickly turned into anexperience.

I leaned over his back, guiding his hands, and adjusting his stance. It was a simple enough task—except that when my chest pressed against his back, a sharp exhale left both of us at the same time.

Fucking distractions were always dangerous.

JAGGER

It had been a long day of training, and the Ghosts had tested us on everything. We had started with shooting drills, then moved to hand-to-hand combat. Not a single Knight had been able to look away from Kyle as she took on the other Ghosts to show us some useful moves. Her movements were precise and fluid—every strike calculated, every dodge seamless. Not one of the guys had managed to take her down.

Then, we paired off. I ended up against a guy named Match, and the bastard was solid. I held my own, but by the time we called it a night around eight o’clock, I could already feel bruises forming on top of bruises.

Still, I was proud. Smug, even. And judging by the way Preacher looked, he felt the same. The Ghosts weren’t moving as smoothly anymore either. We had held our ground, and that counted for something.

Now, I had one thing left to do—catch Kyle alone.

“Kyle,” I called, following her up the stairs. She turned at the top, raising a single brow as she watched me approach. She didn’t say a word, just waited, like she knew what I wanted.

Not elaborating, I caught her wrist and pulled her toward her room.

“You know,” she drawled, amused, “I can walk in the right direction without help.”

“We need to talk.”

She opened the door and stepped inside. I followed, not giving her a chance to shut me out. The second I kicked the door closed, I caught her wrist again, spinning her so that her back hit the wood.

The sharp thunk of her rifle hitting the door echoed in the room.

I hadintendedto talk to her about something. Anything. But being this close, I was done pretending.

“What are you?—”

I didn’t let her finish. I slammed my lips onto hers, rougher than I’d meant to, but I had no control left. The need to taste her, to claim her, had taken over every rational thought in my head.

She could have broken my neck in seconds if she wanted to, but it seemed like that was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she melted against me, her hands sliding around my back, fingers gripping tight. My tongue traced the seam of her lips, pressing insistently, urging her to let me in. The second she did, I didn’t hold back, sweeping inside, groaning as her taste hit me.

This —this had to be what heaven felt like.

My hand moved, slow but firm, trailing down her side before slipping under her shirt. Her skin was warm, soft, and fuck if I wasn’t already addicted. Just as my fingers grazed the edge of her ribs, a sharp knock on the door shattered the moment.

We jerked apart, breathing heavily, staring at each other like neither of us could believe what had just happened.

“We need to talk,” I rasped, brushing my nose against hers, unwilling to pull away completely. Her breath hit my lips in short, shallow pants, and she nodded, eyes dark and unreadable. The knock came again, louder this time, pulling us back to reality.

Swiping my thumb across her lower lip, I stole one last kiss, soft and slow, something Ineverdid. Hell, kissing had never been an option for me but with her, I wanted more.

“We’ll talk later.”

Kyle swallowed hard and stepped back, straightening her shirt as she turned toward the door. I forced myself to take a deep breath, reigning in the frustration that came with ending that kiss too soon.

The second the door swung open, Duke stood there, arms crossed, an eyebrow arched as he took us in. There was amusement in his eyes and a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

“Well, now, it seems I have shit timing,” he mused, shifting his gaze to Kyle. “Hunter just pulled up, so you better put that away.” He nodded at the rifle still slung across her back, a forgotten detail in the heat of the moment.

Kyle exhaled, giving me one last glance before nodding.

“Go do it, baby,” I murmured, giving her a gentle push. “Then we’ll go see who this is.”

She locked the rifle away and turned to me in the safe Preacher had brought up earlier, expression unreadable. “I know who Hunter is. He’s my backup.”

Her backup ? The way she said it, like it was nothing, had me biting back a smirk.

I followed her through the clubhouse, but as we crossed the main room, Duke caught my attention with a subtle nod, signaling for me to step aside.

“She’s not what she seems,” he murmured as we walked toward a few of his guys.

I studied him. “What do you mean?” I had already suspected as much, but I wanted to hear him say it.

Duke sighed, rubbing a hand over his face before turning to me. “Kai will make you believe she could take on the world with one hand tied behind her back, and hell, maybe she could. But I remember the girl who showed up at my place after her mom died. She was broken . Since then, she’s never stopped. She’s always moving, always protecting, always saving someone. She never just…” He trailed off, eyes dropping to the floor. “Stopped. There are moments when she’s Kyle, an almost normal person. But, more often than not, she’s Kai. Fuck, some of the guys don’t even see the difference between the two, but I’m thinking you might.”

His words hit me harder than I expected. I wasn’t naive—I knew Kyle carried weight on her shoulders most people would buckle under. But hearing it confirmed and seeing the way Duke looked when he talked about her past? That changed everything.

I nodded, giving him the only assurance I could. “I see the difference between the two. You have nothing to worry about from me.”

I turned, heading toward the door, but Duke’s voice stopped me just as I reached for the handle.

“I never thought I would,” he muttered. Then, after a beat, “Just a head’s up, she’ll play ping pong with your balls before you can blink if you fuck her over.”

I might have stumbled slightly as I stepped outside, but I recovered quickly, catching up to Kyle and Preacher as a group of unfamiliar men approached.

Kyle had no idea, but if I ever fucked her over, Preacher would get to me before she could. Not that it would ever happen, because something about Kyle was different.

In fact, everything about her felt different.

I just hadn’t figured out why yet.

As we stepped outside to meet the incoming MC called Valiant—the club Kyle had apparently reached out to for backup—I instinctively stayed close to her. Some might call it possessive, but it was more than that. It was protectiveness.

I knew she could handle herself. Hell, I had seen it firsthand. But that didn’t stop the voice inside me from whispering that I should make sure she never had to. And these new arrivals, I didn’t know them, which meant I didn’t trust them.

Engines cut off, filling the air with tense silence as the men dismounted their bikes. Kyle didn’t hesitate.

“Glad you could join us,” she called out, her voice firm, authoritative. “Let’s get this show on the fucking road.”

Duke had been right when he said she never let herself stop. Since the moment we learned about the senator’s missing daughter, she had barely slowed down. I hadn’t seen her take a break all damn day, and considering everything we had done—physically and mentally—that was impressive as hell.

How the fuck does she keep going?

I followed them into Church, taking a seat as Kyle led the briefing for Hunter and his team. They ran through the latest intel on the traffickers, while Data worked his magic on the keyboard, flipping through images that projected onto the wall behind her.

Kyle spoke with a commanding presence, flipping between information like she had lived in this world her whole life—which, in some ways, she had.

“Who the hell are these people?” Gauge asked, finally voicing the question we had all been thinking as we listened to her recap and reviewed what images Data had managed to track down.

This wasn’t just a kidnapping, it was too perfect, too calculated. This had been planned, orchestrated for a reason.

“Assholes, that’s who,” Kyle replied, her lips curving into a dangerous smile. “That said, they dropped the ball about an hour outside of where the kid was taken.”

The screen behind her flickered to an image of a man walking into a service station.

“Look familiar?”

Hunter’s entire posture stiffened. “Fucking Demingo.”

That name carried weight. We had already been briefed on this bastard over dinner before Valiant arrived, so I leaned back, observing how they processed the information. Their reactions were subtle but telling. Every man in Hunter’s crew had the unmistakable presence of military background—disciplined, sharp, analyzing details like a second nature.

Then, there were the small gestures and the silent communication between them. The way they relayed messages with quick glances and barely-there hand signals. This was going to either beinteresting or a nightmare.

“The best news?” Kyle continued, her voice smooth but electric with tension. “Because of this screw-up, we have pictures of the car…” She clicked the images forward to a close-up of a license plate. “…and we know where it’s headed.”

The next slide brought up a map, and suddenly, the tension in the room shifted.

“You have got to be kidding me,” one of the Valiant guys clipped out, leaning forward like he was ready to come out of his seat.

I had heard Duke mention this place earlier. It’d been where they had found the bodies of a group of girls years ago, murdered, by the same monsters we were hunting now.

Kyle didn’t react to the outburst, just watched them with steady patience, waiting for them to process what that meant.

“Game on,” Match said, breaking the silence.

Kyle’s lips twitched, just slightly, before she stepped back, letting Preacher take over the rest of the briefing.

I shifted slightly in my seat, doing my best to conceal the hard-on that was now making my life difficult. It had been there all day, just from being around her. But watching her command a room, watching the way she worked—calm, confident, dangerous without needing to flex about it?

Yeah, that just made things awhole lot worse .