Page 17

Mandy

I shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden chair, scanning the crowded café with practiced precision. The Copper Kettle buzzed with afternoon energy. Every third table outside was claimed by students with laptops or older couples lingering over late lunches.

Inside was worse – packed with the post-lunch crowd who couldn't bear to return to their offices. I'd deliberately chosen the corner table against the exposed brick wall. It gave me sight lines to both the front door and the side entrance near the bathrooms. A tactical choice. Something I'd unconsciously absorbed from watching Thor operate in rooms, always aware, always ready.

"Can I get you anything else?" The server appeared at my elbow, startling me badly enough that my hand jerked, nearly toppling my untouched drink.

"No. Thanks." I forced a smile I didn't feel.

I checked my watch: 2:54 PM. Six minutes until my life potentially fell apart. The chai latte I'd ordered sat cooling, untouched. I had no appetite, no thirst – just the metallic taste of fear coating my tongue.

My eyes tracked each person who entered—a young mother with a stroller, an elderly man with a newspaper, two college girls laughing over something on a phone. None of them the person I was waiting for. None of them a threat, though every face felt like one.

At exactly 3:00, he arrived.

He didn't look like what I'd expected. No leather cut brandishing rival colors. No obvious tattoos crawling up his neck. Just a lean man with close-cropped dark hair and ordinary clothes – dark jeans and a gray henley that revealed nothing about his affiliation. Nothing except the edge of what looked like scales peeking from beneath his collar. A serpent scale. The badge of my nightmares.

He spotted me immediately and moved with casual confidence through the crowded tables. No hesitation, no searching glances. He knew exactly who I was and where I'd be sitting.

"Miss Wright." He slid into the seat across from me, his voice surprisingly soft. His smile never touched his eyes – flat and cold as river stones. "I'm Viper."

The road name confirmed my worst fears. Not some random thug, but a patched member of the Iron Serpents MC. Thor's sworn enemies.

Viper placed his phone face-down on the table between us. A silent reminder of what that device contained. Of the power he held over me.

"Let's not waste time," he continued, his voice low enough that nearby tables couldn't hear. "You know what we have. That’s not important. What matters is what we want. Copies of everything – all the bookkeeping you do for the Kings, bank account details, property records, investment portfolios. Every legitimate business front they operate."

My lungs felt too small suddenly, like I couldn't pull enough air into them. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said, the lie hollow even to my ears.

His expression didn't change, but something hardened in those eyes. "The Kings' financial woman. The accountant they trust with their legitimate operations. That's you, isn't it? Amanda Wright?"

I didn't answer. Couldn't.

"It wasn't hard to find you," he continued, taking a sip from a water glass he'd brought with him. "You do clean work. Professional. The kind that keeps the Kings looking legitimate on paper."

My hands were trembling beneath the table. I clasped them tightly in my lap, hoping he couldn't see. "Why would you think I have access to all that?"

His smile tightened. "Because Thor Eriksson has given you more access than anyone outside their inner circle. The feared Sergeant-at-Arms trusts you completely."

The mention of Thor's name in this man's mouth felt like a violation. I flinched visibly, and he noted it with obvious satisfaction.

"How did you—"

"We've been watching. Thorough investigation. You're not just their bookkeeper, are you?" He leaned forward, his voice dropping even lower. "Spending nights at his cabin in the woods. Quite the cozy arrangement."

I felt sick. They'd been watching us. Following us. My mind flashed to Thor's sanctuary, our private space away from everything. The place where I could be myself. Where we—

"I can't help you," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I just help with some basic accounting for legitimate businesses. I don't know anything about club operations."

He smiled again, that same cold expression. "That's not what we’ve observed. You and Eriksson in that back office for hours with those ledgers. The ones he wouldn't let anyone else touch."

My blood ran cold. They'd been watching that closely.

"I'd be careful with the denials, Miss Wright. They don't suit you." He reached for his phone, turned it over. "Especially given what we have."

I saw the photo before he could fully turn the screen toward me. It was from inside Thor's cabin – his sanctuary. Me, kneeling on the floor, wearing nothing but one of Thor's old t-shirts that barely covered my thighs, looking up adoringly as Thor sat in his handcrafted wooden chair. My hair in pigtails. A stuffed animal clutched to my chest. My Little side exposed, vulnerable, completely private.

"That's—" I couldn't finish.

"There are more," Viper said casually, swiping to another image. This one worse – Thor spanking me while I counted out loud, tears streaming down my face in that beautiful cathartic release that only he could give me.

"Stop," I whispered.

"Imagine your colleagues at Prestige Partners seeing these," he continued, his voice almost sympathetic now. "The rising star accountant, acting like a little girl for the Kings' enforcer. I imagine the partnership track would close rather quickly."

My career. My reputation. Everything I'd worked for.

"These are private," I managed, hating how my voice shook.

"Not any more," he corrected. "And there are dozens more. Your employers would be fascinated by the extracurricular activities of their trusted financial advisor."

I thought of Amy, my sister. Her treatments. The insurance that my job provided. Without my income, without my benefits—

"So here's what happens next," Viper said, sliding a small black burner phone across the table. "Weekly uploads of all their financial documents. Starting tomorrow. Otherwise, those charming photos go to every partner at Prestige."

I stared at the phone like it might bite me. "I can't betray them," I said, barely audible. "Thor would—"

"Thor would what?" Viper's eyes glinted. "Kill you? Beat you? Leave you? All likely outcomes if he discovered your betrayal. So don't get caught." I wasn’t going to say that, of course. I didn’t think Thor would ever beat me, no matter what I did. He might leave me, though.

Viper stood, smoothing his henley. "You have until tomorrow evening for the first upload. Instructions are programmed into the phone."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice raw.

He paused, looking down at me with something almost like pity. "Club business, Miss Wright. Nothing personal. You just happened to be the perfect weak link."

As he walked away, I remained frozen, staring at the burner phone on the table. It sat there like a live grenade, ready to destroy everything I cared about no matter what I chose to do with it.

I stumbled out of The Copper Kettle with the burner phone burning a hole in my purse. My legs moved automatically, carrying me away from the café while my mind spun in useless circles. Each breath felt shallow, insufficient, like my lungs had shrunk to half their size. I needed space. Air. Time to think before facing Thor with what had just happened—with what I might be forced to do.

Ironridge Memorial Park wasn't far. My heels clicked against the sidewalk in an uneven rhythm that matched my chaotic thoughts. I'd lied to Thor this morning, telling him I had a meeting with Amy's doctor followed by research at the library—two places he wouldn't follow me, two excuses he wouldn't question. The lie had tasted bitter on my tongue even as I'd kissed him goodbye.

The park spread before me like a green sanctuary. Dogwoods and cherry trees bloomed in scattered bursts of white and pink. On any other day, their beauty might have soothed me. Today, I barely registered them as I searched for somewhere private.

I found a secluded bench tucked away behind a cluster of pine trees. No joggers. No dog-walkers. Just me and the impossible weight of what had happened. My knees gave out, and I sank onto the wooden slats, my professional facade crumbling now that I was alone.

My hands shook violently. Not just trembling—full-body shudders that seemed to start in my core and radiate outward. I couldn't control them, couldn't stop them. The fear had moved beyond my mind and taken over my body.

The burner phone felt toxic in my purse, like it might contaminate everything it touched. I pulled it out, staring at its cheap black plastic case. Such an unassuming object to destroy lives.

"Fuck," I whispered, the rare profanity inadequate but all I could manage.

The choices before me were impossible. Betraying the Kings would make me a rat—the worst thing possible in their world. I'd seen how the club treated traitors, heard Thor's stories about what happened to those who broke trust. And beyond the physical danger was the certainty of losing Thor forever. He would never forgive such a betrayal, never trust me again. The thought of seeing his love for me transform into hatred made me physically ill.

But refusing the blackmail meant professional destruction. Those photos—Thor spanking me, me in Little space with my stuffed animals, calling him Daddy—would end my career instantly. Prestige Partners was old-school, traditional, conservative. They'd fire me immediately for "moral turpitude" or some other bullshit corporate excuse. Years of sixty-hour weeks, of sacrificing everything for my career, all gone. And without my job, without my health insurance . . .

Amy's face flashed in my mind. Without my job, her leukemia treatments would bankrupt us—or worse, force her to stop them altogether.

I pulled out my regular phone, needing to hear her voice, but stopped myself. What would I say? That I might have to choose between her health and betraying the man I loved? That I could save her treatments but might end up with a target on my back from the Heavy Kings?

My screen showed three missed calls from Thor. All within the last thirty minutes.

My thumb hovered over his contact picture—Thor laughing, head thrown back, sunlight catching in his beard. It was my favorite photo of him. Carefree. Relaxed.

Despite Viper's threats, I knew what I had to do.

I had to tell Thor everything—about the photos, the blackmail, the Iron Serpents' demands. It wasn't just the right thing; I couldn't bear the weight of this secret between us. Not after what we'd found together, the trust he'd placed in me by sharing his sanctuary, the vulnerability we'd shown each other.

Thor was dangerous, yes—terrifying to his enemies, ruthless when protecting what he loved. But he'd never hurt me. He'd be angry that I'd kept the initial blackmail attempt from him, furious that I'd met with Viper alone, but he'd protect me. We'd figure it out together.

I typed a message: "Need to talk. It's important. Can you meet me?"

I was about to hit send when my phone began vibrating in my hand. Thor's name flashed on the screen, his smiling photo a stark contrast to the dread spreading through me.

Relief flooded me as I answered. "Thor, I need to—"

"Where are you?" His voice cut me off, ice-cold and controlled in a way that made my blood freeze.

That deadly calm. I'd heard it before, but never directed at me. It was the voice he used when someone had crossed a line. The voice that preceded violence.

He knew I'd been lying.

"I'm at Memorial Park," I said, my voice small. "The bench by the eastern pine grove."

"When I text, come meet me at the parking lot."

The call ended. I stared at my phone, the screen fading to black, reflecting my own pale face back at me.

How much did he know? Had he followed me to the café? Seen me with Viper? Or had he simply checked on my story about the doctor and library, found me missing, and put together that I was hiding something?

I considered running. Considered finding a cab, going home, packing a bag, and disappearing before he arrived. The thought was there and gone in an instant. I couldn't run from Thor. Not physically, not emotionally.

And I didn't want to.

Minutes passed like hours. Every approaching footstep made me tense, but none belonged to him. I sat frozen on that bench, the burner phone heavy in my purse, the weight of my choices heavier still.

A squirrel chattered angrily from a nearby branch. Two mothers with strollers passed on a distant path. A college-aged couple tossed a frisbee back and forth on the great lawn. Normal life continuing all around me while mine balanced on the edge of a knife.

I tried to organize my thoughts, to prepare what I would say. How to explain why I'd lied about where I was going. Why I hadn't told him about the initial contact from the Serpents. Why I'd met Viper alone instead of bringing it to him immediately.

Each explanation sounded hollow, insufficient.

The truth was simpler and more painful: I'd been afraid. Afraid of his reaction. Afraid of losing him. Afraid of the violence that would inevitably follow. So I'd tried to handle it myself, thinking I could protect him, protect us, protect what we had.

Instead, I'd made everything worse.

A text message chimed on my phone: "Parking now."

Thor had arrived, and I was out of time.

I found Thor's black truck idling at the park entrance, impossible to miss—massive and intimidating, just like its owner. He leaned against the hood, arms crossed over his chest, his large frame rigid with tension. As I approached, I could see his blond hair tied back, the cords in his neck standing out, his jaw clenched tight. He didn't move to embrace me, didn't offer the smile that usually transformed his face when he saw me. His eyes, usually warm blue when they looked at me, had gone cold as winter ice.

The afternoon light gleamed off his blond hair, but his face was dark as a thundercloud. I slowed my pace, suddenly afraid—not of him physically hurting me, never that—but of the damage my lies had already done.

"Thor," I started, stopping a few feet from him.

He didn't respond to my greeting. Didn't soften his posture. He simply pushed himself off the truck and said, "Get in," nodding toward the passenger door.

No term of endearment. No "sweetheart" or "little one." Just the command, delivered in that controlled voice that made the hair on my arms stand up.

I obeyed, climbing into the massive truck that always made me feel small. Usually, that feeling was comforting. Today it felt like a judgment.

Thor slid into the driver's seat but didn't put the truck in gear. He sat there, hands gripping the steering wheel, knuckles turning white with the pressure. The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

I couldn't bear it. "Thor, please—"

"I knew something wasn’t right. I was worried about you. I called the hospital," he said, his voice dangerously soft, still staring straight ahead through the windshield. "No appointment with Dr. Patel today. Never was."

My stomach dropped. Of course he'd checked. Thor left nothing to chance, especially when it involved people he cared about.

"Then I drove past the library." His jaw clenched, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. "Funny thing—you weren't there either."

I swallowed hard, tears threatening to spill. The lie seemed so stupid now, so pointless. "Thor, I can explain—"

"Then explain." He cut me off, his voice glacial as he finally turned to face me. "Explain why you lied to my face."

His eyes burned into mine, not with passion but with hurt wrapped in anger. This close, I could see the slight shake in his hands—not fear, but rage so tightly controlled it needed some physical outlet.

In that moment, the dam broke. Words poured out of me like water through a breach, desperate and chaotic.

"I got a text last night. I checked it this morning. It was anonymous. It had pictures of us, Thor. In your cabin. Pictures of me in Little space. Of you . . . of us together." My voice cracked. "Private things. Things nobody should have seen."

Thor's expression didn't change, but a new tension entered his body. His hands squeezed the steering wheel harder.

"They said they wanted information about the Kings. Financial records. Business holdings. Bank accounts. Everything I knew." I was trembling now, the words tumbling out faster than I could control them. "They had to have been staking out your sanctuary, Thor."

His jaw tightened at the violation of his private space, the muscle ticking visibly beneath his skin.

"They said they'd release everything to my firm if I didn't meet with their representative. Today. Alone." I wiped at tears I hadn't realized were falling. "I couldn't tell you. I was afraid—"

"Afraid of what?" Thor's voice was barely audible, controlled fury vibrating beneath each word.

"Of what you'd do," I whispered. "Of violence. Of starting a war between the clubs. Of seeing you hurt because of me."

"So you lied. Went alone to meet an Iron Serpent." His eyes narrowed. "How did you know they were Serpents?"

"I didn't. Not until just now." I reached into my purse with shaking hands, pulling out the cheap burner phone. "His name is Viper. He gave me this. Said I have to upload the Kings' financial records by tomorrow night or the photos go to every partner at Prestige."

Thor took the phone, turning it over in his massive hands, examining it with the careful attention he gave to potential threats. His expression was impossible to read now—a mask of focused control that hid whatever emotional storm raged beneath.

"He knew things, Thor. About us. About your cabin. About the books we went through at King's Tavern last week." I shuddered, remembering. "They've been watching us. Following us."

Thor remained silent, processing every word, his tactical mind no doubt already mapping threats, assessing damage, planning responses.

"I was going to tell you the moment I got back," I finished, my voice raw. "I swear, Thor. I just wanted to understand what we were dealing with first. I was texting you when you called. I was asking to meet, to tell you everything."

Thor set the burner phone carefully on the dashboard. When he finally spoke, his voice had changed—still controlled, but now with an edge of something infinitely more dangerous than just anger.

"You lied to me. You went alone to meet an Iron Serpent." He paused, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Do you have any idea—" Another pause, as if he couldn't even find the words. "You could have been killed, Mandy. Or worse."

"I thought I could handle it," I said weakly.

"Handle it?" The words exploded from him, the first crack in his control. "This is the Iron Serpents, Mandy. Not some fucking corporate takeover. These men kill people. They torture people. They make people disappear."

His fist came down on the steering wheel, the sudden violence making me jump.

"The exact thing I was afraid would happen if I told you," I whispered.

His head snapped toward me. "What?"

"This. The rage. The inevitable violence." I gestured helplessly at his clenched fists. "I was trying to prevent exactly this, Thor."

"By putting yourself in their crosshairs instead? By making yourself a fucking target?" His voice rose with each word, his control slipping further. "What did you think would happen, Mandy? That you'd go meet a patched member of a rival MC, tell him 'no thanks' to his blackmail attempt, and he'd just smile and walk away?"

Put like that, it did sound na?ve. Dangerous.

"Did he touch you?" Thor's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.

"No." I shook my head quickly. "Nothing like that. It was a public place. He just . . . talked. Showed me the photos. Gave me the phone."

Thor's hand moved to my face, tilting my chin up, his eyes searching mine. The touch wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rough either—demanding truth. "Are you sure? Did he threaten you physically? Intimidate you?"

"Just with the photos," I whispered. "He said it wasn't personal. Just club business. That I was the perfect weak link."

Something flashed in Thor's eyes at that—a new level of fury, but also a flicker of pain. His hand dropped from my face.

"I'm sorry," I said, the words feeling pathetically inadequate. "I thought I was protecting you."

He laughed then, a harsh sound with no humor in it. "Protect me? By keeping secrets? By meeting an enemy alone?" He ran a hand through his hair, frustration radiating from every movement. "I trusted you with everything, Mandy. Everything. My sanctuary. My secret. Things no one else knows."

The pain in his voice cut me deeper than his anger ever could. "And you didn't trust me enough to tell me when you were in danger."

I reached for him then, desperate to bridge the growing chasm between us. "It wasn't about trust, Thor. I trust you more than anyone. I was scared. I was stupid. I—"

My phone chimed from my purse. Then again. And again. A cascade of notifications, one after another, the sound growing more insistent with each passing second.

The blood drained from my face as I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers. Email notifications lit up my screen, all from the same domain: prestige-partners.com.

"What is it?" Thor asked, his anger momentarily redirected by the fear on my face.

I unlocked the screen, opening my work email. My inbox was flooding with messages from partners and colleagues, with subject lines like "Inappropriate Photos," "Urgent Meeting Required," "Professional Conduct Violation," and "Immediate Action Necessary."

"They sent them," I whispered, looking up at Thor in devastation.

I glanced around, left and right. They must now I told Thor. Someone must be watching right now.

“They sent what?” Thor asked, face a mask of horror.

“I can’t do this,” I said, my heart racing. “I can’t do this.”

I stumbled back, and then I turned and ran.