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To my three little men,

TY: Your acceptance of everyone, your kindness.

TX: Your gentleness, the way you are so loving.

AJ: Your humor, the way you never give up.

You all make me proud every day.

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”

—Ernest Hemingway

PROLOGUE

Faye

I DON’T know if I should be disappointed in myself for allowing them to get one up on me, or proud that they had to bring in six men to take me down.

Six men.

To kidnap me.

One tiny woman.

Yeah, I’m going to take it as a compliment.

I was leaving the law firm, about to get in my car when they got me. They grabbed me from behind, one man pinning my arms behind my back and pushing me against the hood. Before I could even scream, my wrists were bound behind me, my feet tied, and a sack pulled over my head.

Yeah, I’ve had better days.

Sitting in that van, surrounded by strange masked men—with no idea what they wanted from me—was not easy. I wanted to lash out, fear taking over my senses, but I was able to contain it. I’ve been in worse situations than this and come out alive, and I know that I’ll get out of this one too. After about a thirty-minute drive, I was taken out of the van and carried somewhere. They sat me on a chair and retied my wrists behind me, also bound to the chair so I’d have limited movement.

They haven’t taken the sack off my head, yet, but it’s loose and not heavy, so it’s easy to breathe. I just wish I could see their faces. They’re going to regret the day they tried to fuck with me.

“You cowards are all going to die,” I tell them, pulling on my bindings. If they knew me at all, they’d have put tape over my mouth too, because I’m never going to shut up. I’m very good at talking my way out of situations. All I have to do is bide my time until Dex finds me.

And he will find me.

I have no doubt in my mind that the Wind Dragons will do everything in their power to save me. We don’t lose. And when someone crosses us, we show no mercy.

The sack is suddenly pulled off my head. I grit my teeth and look directly into the eyes of the man in front of me.

I’ve never seen him before, and yet I have to wonder exactly what kind of shit I’ve gotten myself into this time.

“Not even going to buy me a drink before you tie me up?” I ask my kidnapper, unable to help myself.

He makes a sound of distaste, a mixture between a sharp exhale and a scoff. Then, he smirks.

His eyes say I’ve got you now.

I don’t like them.

I’ll let him have his moment though.

I know it won’t last.

ONE

Faye

One week earlier

“WORK” by Rihanna and Drake blasts through the speakers of my iPod dock, and I do a little grinding move with my hips as I walk from the stove to the sink to wash my hands. Another set of hands grabs my hips, as Dex brings his chest up against my back.

“You’re so sexy when you dance,” he murmurs, lips softly touching my neck.

“I’m sexy all the time,” I reply, wiggling my hips against him. The song changes into “Your Number” by Ayo Jay and Fetty Wap, and I turn off the tap and spin around to face my husband, Dexter Black, aka Sin, the president of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club.

“Is Asher still sleeping?” I ask, referring to my six-month-old son. I chose the name Asher because it means fortunate, blessed, and happy. Considering my daughter’s name is Clover, I think that the two names go together quite nicely.

“Yeah, although don’t ask me how with this shitty, loud music,” he says, dipping his head for a quick kiss on my lips. This man has been mine for years and years, but every time our eyes connect, I still get butterflies in my stomach. I never tire of seeing him, being with him. It’s a love I never expected to have in my life, a rare gift that most women only dream about.

“This song is great,” I chide, but I reach back and lower the volume all the same.

He kisses me again, this time deeper, his hands squeezing my behind as he pulls me against him. I can feel the rigid outline of his cock through his jeans, and it has me wanting to drop to my knees right here and right now. I run my hand down his body, from his toned chest to his deliciously ripped abs, feeling them through his thin white T-shirt, then stop when I reach the waist of his jeans, my fingers lingering there.

Of course Clover chooses that moment to wander into the kitchen, her ponytail of black hair bobbing with each step. She pins us both with hazel eyes, identical to mine.

“Ew, Daddy, get a room.” She pauses, pulling a face, her upper lip rising. “But leave Mama in the kitchen, because I’m hungry.”

I laugh at that and say, “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

She sits down at the table, carrying her little bag with her. She opens it and pulls out her crayons and mini coloring book. Asher decides to wake up and starts crying out from his crib in his bedroom.

“I’ve got him,” Dex says, kissing me again quickly before leaving. He comes back moments later, our little bundle of joy wrapped in his arms.

“Asher is so cute,” Clover says, glancing up affectionately at her baby brother. Dex sits next to her, so she abandons her crayons and gives Asher all of her attention. She kisses his plump little cheek and says in a soft voice, “You’re going to be the most loved baby in the whole world.”

My breath hitches.

In this second I know that even in my dodgy parenting style, somewhere along the way, I’ve done something right. I might have gotten knocked up in a one-night stand with a biker, raised my daughter with said biker and his club—not the most conventional upbringing—but I did okay.

I’ve raised a little girl with a heart even bigger than mine.

I’m sitting at a table, surrounded by all my girls—the women of the Wind Dragons. We’re shooting the shit and snacking on chips and dip. Steph is also here, the girl Ronan has started dating. I don’t know her well, but I already like her. She’s a very modest, gentle type, and I like saying shit to make her feel awkward. She goes bright red at the mere mention of sex, something we’re always talking about—at least when the kids aren’t around. The men are all outside, building a playground for the kids, and the kids are watching a movie. All except Asher, who is fast asleep in my lap.

“It’s normal to feel a little satisfied when your ex-boyfriend or husband downgrades,” Tia says, shrugging. “Even if you’re super happy with your life now, it’s a moment you’re allowed to enjoy.”

“It’s not mean,” Anna adds, amusement flashing in her green eyes. “It’s a little petty, but I think if the circumstances are right, we’re allowed petty.”

I lift up my cup of juice. “To pettiness!”

Everyone laughs and cheers, lifting their cups in the air before taking a sip.

“So what did she look like?” I ask Steph, whose ex is the topic of today’s discussion. She ran into him and his new woman the other day and was telling us the story. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her when they were together, which makes this moment that much better, even if Steph is too nice to enjoy it herself.

“I don’t know,” she says, obviously not wanting to be mean. The only reason we know that her ex downgraded is because Ronan told us all.

He left Steph for that? He must be fuckin’ blind or on some shit, were his exact words, delivered with a wicked grin. His loss, my gain. I should thank the fucker.

“Why don’t you just show us a photo?” I suggest, now curious. “Do you have him on your social media?”

She nods, presses a few buttons on her phone, then hands it to Tia, who is sitting to her right.

Tia’s blue eyes widen, almost comically. “I’m sure she’s a lovely person.”

I suddenly can’t stop laughing, so much so that Lana takes Asher from my arms. “That’s it, let me see.”

They hand me the phone.

I look at the picture.

I tighten my lips. “Is she rich? She must be loaded, right?”

More laughter.

I’m being mean, I know. I’m not usually such a terrible person. At least I don’t think I am. But come on, we’ve all been there. I remember checking out Dex’s ex from head to toe when she showed up at the clubhouse one night and thinking that, yeah, he upgraded, even though I didn’t say it out loud. I think we all have a little petty in us. The difference is, when I’m with these women, I don’t need to filter what I say. I just say it. They never judge me for it, and vice versa. We’re loyal to one another, but we don’t owe that same loyalty to anyone else. If I stood up and announced that I needed to hide a body, they’d probably stand up and ask me where the shovels are.

“Oh my god, we’re all going to hell,” Steph murmurs, scrubbing her hands down her face, then dropping her forehead to the table in a dramatic gesture.

“But at least we’ll all be hot there,” I say, making her groan and the rest of the women continue to laugh. “I’d rather be sexy in hell than look like that in heaven.”

“We really are going to hell though,” Lana laughs, writing something in her little notebook with her free hand. I swear, the woman should pay me royalties with all the lines of mine she uses. I make a mental note to look into copyright protection.

“How did you and Ronan meet?” Bailey asks Steph, resting her hand under her chin.

“He saw me at a restaurant. When I was leaving he followed me outside and started talking to me. He invited me to the clubhouse.”

“Ahhh, the good old ‘come back to the clubhouse’ trick,” Anna says, grinning. “What did you say to him?”

“I said no,” Steph says, smiling. “But then our paths crossed again about a month later, and I decided to give him a chance.”

Tracker walks into the room, completely at ease with the group of us. He heads straight for Lana and wraps his arms around her from behind, gently, because she’s still holding Asher.

“I can’t get over how much he looks like Sin,” he comments, staring down at the adorableness that is my son. And he’s right: with his black hair and blue eyes, Asher is a mini Dex. I’m going to have to fight the girls off with a baseball bat. Better yet, my nunchakus—don’t want to be too predictable. Hell, Clover will probably kick their asses for me. I look at Asher’s cute little pudgy face and smirk. The poor kid is going to be a virgin until he’s in his late twenties.

Dex walks in and glances around the room before his gaze stops on me. “Where are the kids? I want to show them the playground.”

“You’re already finished?” I ask, pointing to the lounge room. “They’re all in there.”

Curious, I stand up and head out back. When I open the door and step outside, my eyes widen. They’ve put together a whole playground, complete with a slide and swings—everything a little kid can dream of.

“Holy crap,” I mutter under my breath. Clover is going to love this. Hell, all the kids are. I hear the back door opening, so I turn around and watch as they rush out, looking extremely excited. Clover squeals when she sees it. Rhett—Tia and Talon’s son—fist pumps, and Bailey and Rake’s daughter, Cara, stands there with her mouth hanging open, palms pressed to her cute little cheeks.

“I love it!” Clover yells, then rushes to it. The other two follow. Everyone comes out to watch, and Dex stands to my right, hand resting on my hip.

“You guys did well,” I say, smiling as the kids rush around checking everything out.

“I know,” my cocky husband replies, kissing my temple. He then takes Asher from Lana, holding our son against his chest. “Never thought I’d see the day, but here we are with a fuckin’ playground in our clubhouse. I’m sure Jim is rolling over in his grave right now.”

I grin at the mention of Jim, the old WDMC president.

“Would you change anything though?” I ask, already knowing his answer.

“Fuck no.”

I smile.

TWO

Faye

DO you know what love is?

Love is when your husband is the president of a motorcycle club, fucking hates that you’re going to work for the feds, but doesn’t stop you.

He might give me shit about it, but he isn’t telling me that I can’t do it. Probably because he knows I won’t listen either way, but still. He knew what I was like when he married me. If he wanted obedience, he should have chosen someone else. I secretly think he likes that I am the way I am, because it definitely keeps things interesting. He just accepts me flaws and all, and I accept him just as he is in return. When you have such loyalty, such love surrounding you, there’s nothing that you can’t accomplish.

Now I want to put my powers to good use. As a lawyer, and with my contacts, I can make a change, I can help. I can stand up for the small people, the ones who don’t have a badass MC at their backs, the ones who stay quiet to stay safe. I can be their voice, their superhero. I defend the MC every time something happens, and while I love protecting our MC family and will continue to do so, I want to do something else now. I want to give back in some way. Before I became a badass MC wife, I was just Faye, an ambitious law student with a smart mouth and a strict upbringing, but that Faye had her own dreams. Now I can make all of them a reality.

I started working for the feds as a consultant, but now I find myself wandering off into other areas. Because of my biker ties and gift of the gab, they like to put me in tight situations, and I like the challenge of getting out of them. Last month they used me as a liaison to talk to a biker in prison. He refused to speak to anyone about anything, but that was before me. Now? We have his club’s drug dealers behind bars.

Faye: 1

Drug lords: 0

The thing I like about working with them is that I never know what case I will be given next, or what they will ask of me. I’m also able to say no. I don’t have to do what they ask; it’s up to me, so I like the autonomy of it. I like networking and getting to know everyone in this city. Connections are important, especially in a lifestyle such as mine.

“Talon is coming in for a talk,” Dex says as he walks past me in the clubhouse kitchen. “So don’t kill him on arrival.”

“Why would I kill him?” I ask, wrinkling my nose. “I actually don’t mind him. He’s with Tia, and he’s Shayla’s cousin. Although, he’s never been to the clubhouse before, so what’s going on?”

It definitely isn’t normal to bring a man who is not in the MC to the clubhouse—in fact, it’s unheard of. Even though Talon seems to have a different set of rules from everyone else, this is one that should still apply to him. He’s the president of the Wild Men MC, a club that used to be our enemy, but one we’ve now made peace with, mainly because of Talon himself.

“We voted,” he says. “He’s in.”

I go still. “What do you mean, he’s in?”

Only one thing comes to mind: Talon must’ve left the Wild Men. But he’s their president? Surely not . . .

“Someone in his club betrayed him, Faye. His heart’s not with the Wild Men anymore. He made some comments in passing, so we decided that he and Ranger are welcome to join the Wind Dragons. The rest of them can do what they want. I’m guessing they’ll choose a new president and carry on.”

Dex goes on to tell me that, as everyone had begun to suspect, Talon found out he had a rat working with the Kings of Hell MC. He was selling and distributing drugs behind Talon’s back. Talon still doesn’t know who it is, but he has some ideas. Because of the mole’s betrayal, information leaked about Shayla, putting her in danger of being killed. She pretty much has a target on her, and no one is happy about how everything played out, especially when some of it could have been avoided if the traitor had stayed true to his club.

Dex and the men are helping Talon find the mole, but no one is any closer. I don’t even want to know what they will do to him when they find him. I can see why Talon would want to step away from his MC after that. The Wild Men are nothing like the Wind Dragons. They have no sense of family and loyalty. All they do is drink, fuck, and fight. No morals, no substance.

I’ve only met two of them over the years—Talon and Ranger—and they were nice enough. But now it looks like they will be coming to us. Still, it seems a little too easy. How can they just switch MCs? Nothing in our lives comes easily. We’ve fought for everything we have. And we still have to fight to keep it.

“Won’t they want revenge on Talon then?” I ask, knowing the harsh reality of MC politics. “Surely he won’t be able to leave so easily?”

“I don’t think so. Slice, Talon’s right-hand man, is staying with the Wild Men to take the lead, and he understands why Talon wants to go. He said he’d help us find the mole, ’cause he doesn’t want a rat in his ranks either. We’ll handle it,” Dex says with confidence. “Besides, all they really have is old men who don’t even know what time of the day it is. I’m not too concerned about the Wild Men anymore.”

“You need to find him,” I scoff, my hand closing and opening, itching to have a weapon in it. You think a man is scary? Try messing with the mother of two small children. Ever since I witnessed firsthand how dangerous this world was, I’ve pushed myself to train with various weapons, honing myself into what I like to think of as a modern warrior woman. I’m much more than what meets the eye, and I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am today. The women in the clubhouse look to me for guidance, and if something bad were to happen, it’s me they’d expect to handle things. Years ago, on the night that one of our women, Mary, died, I wasn’t ready for what happened. Was I brave? Yes. Did I handle the situation the best way that I could at the time? Yes. But if I could do it all over again, if I was better prepared that night, I like to think that Mary would still be alive.

Dex steps behind me and massages my shoulders gently. “Relax, babe. We’ll be one step ahead of them all the way. They aren’t going to do anything to us. Our babies are safe.”

I exhale and close my eyes. “It will be good to have Talon and Ranger on our side. Talon’s pretty much already family to some of us.”

Besides being Shayla’s cousin, he’s also Anna’s quasi-brother. And now he and Tia, Bailey’s best friend, are attached at the hip. I think Bailey is quite fond of him too. Hell, maybe I should get on board this Talon thing. He must have some redeeming qualities if he’s slowly recruiting a fan group. As for Ranger, I don’t really know him, only what I’ve heard from Shayla. I do know that he’s a pretty good-looking guy though, and extremely intelligent, so he’ll definitely fit in here fine.

Talon trusts Ranger, and Dex must see something in him too—the men wouldn’t make this offer to just anyone. It’s like inviting someone into your family, into your household, and trusting them in every way. And given our history with the Wild Men, especially with Arrow and Rake, I truly can say that I never saw this coming.

Years ago, Talon’s stepfather—Anna and Rake’s biological father—was the president of the Wild Men. We were at war with them, and one night they broke into our clubhouse, guns blazing. The men were all gone, except for Vinnie, and the Wild Men knew it. We all survived the night, except for Mary, who at the time was Arrow’s woman. Arrow and I took the loss the hardest.

Although I hadn’t known Mary for long, she was such a sweet woman and tried her best to make me feel welcome at a time when I was completely lost. It’s unfair that her gentle soul had to leave us. Talon didn’t have anything to do with the attack, and didn’t even retaliate when Arrow took his revenge for Mary and killed his stepfather. Arrow didn’t know at the time that he’d killed Anna’s biological father. Maybe that’s why Anna is so close to Talon. He’s her last connection to her father. I hope Talon is a good man.

Some people only think of themselves, of what they can get out of everything, and they go with the highest bidder. People like that don’t belong in the Wind Dragons, and they don’t belong in my life. When I look back at what I was like when I first walked through these clubhouse doors, I can see how different I am; yet I’m also the same. I don’t think I’m harder, but I’m stronger, wiser. More diligent. I’m the best version of me, physically and mentally, and yet I’m still the goofy woman who arrived here, using humor as her weapon and coping mechanism, obsessively cleaning, and pushing boundaries with the men, turning them into family.

I’m now a mother, a wife, and a woman that people look up to.

Dex tells me that I’m everything. It’s the only word he can think of to explain it. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I’m this club and this club is me.

I sit down next to Rake and lay my head on his shoulder, staring up at the sky. Talon came and went, and Dex told me he accepted their invitation. “How are you feeling about the Talon thing?”

He wraps his arm around me in a brotherly way and makes a sound in the back of his throat. “The vote was unanimous.”

My eyebrows rise, surprise hitting me. “I thought you weren’t a fan.”

“Got to look at the club’s best interests, not just mine, yeah?” he says, removing his arm. “Besides, saves me from having to worry every time Anna goes to see him, or about whether she’s taking Bailey with her. And Ranger? He’s a smart guy. He’ll be an asset too.”

I gasp dramatically. “Rake, are you . . . growing up?”

“About time, I guess,” he grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. “We all have to become an adult at some point.”

“Yeah,” I agree, smirking. “Never thought you would though.”

“Faye?” he murmurs.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

I can hear the smile in his tone.

“You shut up.”

“Make me,” he replies with narrowed eyes, contradicting his previous theory about being an adult.

I pull out my phone. “I’ll call Bailey and make her make you.”

He plucks the phone out of my hands and lifts it up in the air. “And now what are you going to do?”

When he starts going through my phone, I try to grab it back off him. “Trust me, Rake, if you go through that you’re not going to like what you see.”

He stills and flashes me a wide-eyed glance. “Nudes?”

I nod. “In all different poses and distances.”

He hands me back my phone instantly. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Because you know me?” I grin, sliding my phone into my bra. There’s actually only one photo on there I wouldn’t want anyone but Dex to see—a sexy one of me in lingerie that I sent to him the other night while he was working at Rift.

He was home in fifteen minutes.

Like I conjured him with my mind, Dex comes to sit on the other side of me. He doesn’t say anything about me sitting so close to Rake, or pay any attention to it, because he knows we’re like family. I’m like this with all of the men, pretty much. They’re like my brothers. Brothers I never expected or wanted, but ones that turned out to be everything I could possibly need.

“What’s the time?” I ask him, knowing that we have to leave to get Clover from school anytime now. I really hope the dogs haven’t destroyed the house in our absence, or I’ll never hear the end of it from Dex.

“We have to leave in twenty,” he says, then looks to Rake. “Are we still picking up Cara and Rhett?”

The kids wanted a playdate, so I said I’d have them all at my house today.

Rake nods. “Yeah, that would be fuckin’ great. I have to drop by Rift and Toxic now. We’re hiring new bouncers.”

With that, he stands, but not before kissing the top of my head. “I’ll come and get the kids once I’m done, yeah?”

“Sounds good,” I say, watching him as he disappears back inside the clubhouse. “I hate waking up Asher from his nap,” I say to Dex.

“Me too,” he answers, nuzzling my neck. “But, babe, it’s the only time we have peace.”

I laugh at that, because it’s the damn truth.

I stand up and offer Dex my hand. He takes it, even though there’s no way I could pull him up on my own. He’s a large man, and he’s made of pure muscle. He looks exactly the same as the first day I fell in love with him, although the actual date is debatable—I think I always loved him, even as a child. He used to call me his fairy, and I used to love it every single time.

He stands up and pulls me in for a slow kiss before we head back inside. It’s time to put a sleeping Asher in his car seat and pick up the kids.

Dexter Black carpooling.

It still makes me giggle.

THREE

Faye

THE next evening, Dex and Tracker take Talon and Ranger to follow a lead regarding Talon’s rat. They still aren’t any closer to finding out who it is, and I know it’s driving Talon insane. I stay at the clubhouse with everyone else, just in case something happens. Until the traitor is found, I don’t think I’m going to be able to relax. Talon is now one of us, and we could be targeted next. Not that we couldn’t take on whoever it is, but I like to know what and who we’re up against. The kids are playing outside, the dogs running around, Arrow and Irish busy on the grill. We seize any opportunity to have a barbecue, even when some of us are trying to track down a killer with ties to our newest members.

Tina sits down next to me, looking straight ahead as she speaks. “Which prison is Darren in?”

My eyes widen. “What?”

Darren is Tina’s ex-boyfriend, and he’s a cop. At least he was a cop, until Irish killed him. He was abusive, and threatening Tina, so Irish took care of it. He also lied and told her that Darren was arrested, hence the questions.

“Which prison is he in?” she asks me again. “No one really talks about what happened to him. No one even told me how many years he got. You’re the one that helped the prosecution, so could you just give me some peace of mind?”

Well, fuck.

The information I have, she isn’t going to like.

And I can’t tell her, because Irish would do the same thing to me that he did to the man in question.

Colt, Shayla’s dog, runs up to me for a pat, which I use as a distraction, stroking the top of his massive head.

“I’ll tell you what,” I say, needing to talk to Irish about how to handle this. “I’ll get the paperwork for you to read over, all right? I’m not sure where he is right now, but I can find out.”

It’s kind of the truth. I know he’s six feet under, but I’m not sure where exactly. Who knows where they buried the body. I certainly don’t. I’m a lawyer—everyone needs to be cautious about how they word things around me.

She nods, shoulders relaxing. “That would be great. Ardan changes the subject every time I bring it up, and I get it, Darren is an asshole and doesn’t deserve the mention, but I just want to know what happened, you know? It’s annoying me that I don’t. Do you think we can keep it between us? I don’t want Ardan getting upset.”

Fuckity fuck.

I can’t tell Tina the truth because Irish wants to protect her from what happened, and now Tina wants me to do the same for him? These two really need to sort their shit out.

I don’t know how Irish thought he’d get away with it anyway. Women are an inquisitive bunch, and we rarely let shit go. I can’t not tell Irish though, because I need to ask him what to do. I don’t want to lie to her, to give her bullshit documents.

How did I get myself into this? No, better yet, how do I get out of it?

I decide to evade and distract. “I think you should just tell him, Tina. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

She sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. “Yeah, you’re right. I can’t ask that of you. It’s just not a topic he wants to talk about.”

I’ll bet.

“Don’t let Darren affect your happiness,” I tell her, reaching over and touching her shoulder. “Forget him. You have Irish now; you should look forward, not behind. There’s nothing for you back there.”

Nothing except skeletons.

Literally.

“I know,” she huffs, now watching Irish. “I just want to know, is all. Then I’ll move on and forget about everything that happened. I keep replaying that night in my head, you know? I want to put it behind me, but it’s not so easy. I think if I knew where he was, I could lay it to rest.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Lay it to rest, huh? Great choice of words.

Irish has some explaining to do. Lies or truth, it’s his call. Either way, he’s kind of screwed.

When Tina finds out he lied, all hell is going to break loose. But the longer he continues to lie, and the later she finds out, the more upset she’s going to be. Surely Tina can handle the truth. She’s not a fragile flower. She’s with a biker—what does she expect exactly? Darren was going to kill her; any of the Wind Dragons would have done the same to protect their women. If I were Irish, I would tell her so it doesn’t reach that point. But hey, what do I know? I’m just the woman who apparently helped put Darren behind bars, so I should have all the information on his pretend prison sentence. I could have given her a prison name, any prison name, but her snooping wouldn’t have ended there. She’d probably go to the prison. It’s something I would do anyway.

I don’t like lying, and I don’t like being put in this situation.

Irish needs to make a decision on how to handle this.

Let’s just hope he makes the right one, because what’s done in the dark always has a way of coming to the light.

“Turn the light off,” I tell Dex sleepily, as he walks into our bedroom and turns it on. Seriously, how rude. I grab my phone and check the time—I’ve only been asleep for about an hour. Dex stayed up with Asher, who must have only now gone to sleep.

“No,” he says, and I watch through one open eye as he lifts his T-shirt off and throws it on the ground.

Oh.

I open both eyes, suddenly interested, giving him my full attention. He removes his gray sweatpants. He’s not wearing any underwear.

“Hello there,” I mutter, gaze stuck on his thick, hard cock. Someone is in the mood to fuck, and I for one am glad he decided to wake me up. Sitting up, I lift off the T-shirt of his I’m wearing, leaving me naked and ready.

He ducks his chin, intense blue eyes pinning me with a look that’s pure need. I slide the blanket aside, baring myself completely. He takes his time perusing my body from head to toe and back up again, before he stalks toward the bed and gets onto it on his knees, hands reaching for my thighs. I don’t miss the possessive look in his eyes; in fact, I thrive off it.

He spreads my thighs with his large hands but doesn’t look down at my pussy. His eyes stay locked on mine. He holds my gaze for a few seconds, my breaths getting deeper as I wait in suspense for him to make his next move. He leans forward then, kissing me deeply with no hesitation. I make a sound in my throat, then groan as he slowly slips a finger inside of me, testing. I’m wet, and have been ever since he gave me that look, the one that lets me know how much he wants me, right here and right now. He ends the kiss and flashes me a small smile, one that makes my heart flutter.

“We have at least four hours,” he rasps, kissing me once more. I smile against his lips, relieved to have even this brief uninterrupted stretch before Asher wakes up wanting his bottle.

“You going to fuck me for four hours, Dex?” I ask huskily, kissing down his jawline.

I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “You doubting my abilities, Faye? You should know better by now. Maybe I should teach you a lesson.”

He pushes me back against the pillow, removes his finger from inside me, and braces himself on top of me. I spread my thighs and take his hard cock in my hand, stroking it a few times, just enjoying the feel of him before leading it to the entrance of my pussy.

Dex is always hard, and I fucking love it. He really does only get better with age. He pushes forward, and I sink my teeth into my lower lip as I feel him slide into me. His hand cups my cheek as he looks into my eyes and starts to thrust back and forth, so slow and deep that it has me whispering his name, silently begging for more. He presses his lips against mine and sucks on my lower lip, gently biting before pulling away and burying his face in my neck, starting to kiss me there. He pushes my thighs up with his hands and goes in deeper.

“Dex,” I plead again, and this time he listens, going faster and harder, kissing up my neck just soft enough to not leave a mark, but hard enough that it drives me crazy. His hand moves from the flesh of my thigh to my clit, where he gently presses his thumb against me and rubs in a circular motion that he knows drives me fucking crazy. I don’t know how people can get bored of sleeping with one person. If you do, then it’s probably not the right person for you, because to me, there’s nothing better than being with someone who knows your body so damn well that they can give you exactly what you need every time. There’s no hit or miss here; Dex will have me screaming his name, and I will fall asleep with a smile on my face.

“I’m going to come,” I say, gritting my teeth together as I feel all the tension in me about to explode.

“Come,” my husband demands, watching my face. He applies a little extra pressure to my clit, which pushes me over the edge.

“Fuck,” I mouth, my thighs trembling and my back arching as the pleasure hits me, nothing else in the world mattering in this second. Just as I come back to myself, Dex pulls out of me and puts his mouth on my clit, pulling another shattering orgasm from me. I grip the sheets with my hands and ride it out, sagging onto the mattress when it’s over, suddenly tired, but extremely sated. Dex lifts his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I love how fuckin’ squirmy you get.”

“Squirmy?” I ask, groaning as he lies down, spoons me from behind, then slides back into me again.

He doesn’t elaborate, but I get the idea.

He grabs my nape with his hand and continues to fuck me until he comes, then kisses my shoulder.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” I reply, smiling. I turn my face and kiss him once more, a deep, hungry kiss that tells him that I’m ready for another round if he is.

“Death by fairy,” he mutters against my lips, making me stop mid-kiss and pull my lips away from him as they quirk upward.

My shoulders shake as I start to laugh. “I was just thinking about that the other day, how you used to always call me fairy. Now you call me babe more than anything else.”

He gently puts his hand on my throat, stroking my neck. “You used to complain about it so fuckin’ much, but secretly you were loving it, weren’t you?”

I narrow my eyes. “I never said that.”

“You don’t have to, fairy.”

“Dex?” I whisper, then start to kiss him again, effectively shutting him up.

Maybe I do miss him calling me fairy, although I like babe too.

He can call me anything he wants, as long as he keeps loving me like this. Dex tracking me down and bringing me back to his clubhouse was the best thing that ever happened to me.

FOUR

Faye

I SLIDE Arrow the glass of Scotch and watch as he takes a sip. “How’s everything?”

“Good,” he replies, nodding his head. He’s about to say something further, when Irish walks in and sits down next to him. I pour him a glass too.

“What the fuck are we going to do about this?” Irish asks me, his accent more pronounced than usual, meaning he’s seriously worried.

“What do you mean ‘we’?” I ask him with a raised brow. “I think you should tell Tina the truth. Do you know how much it would hurt to find out that everyone knew except her?”

“Trust me, brother,” Arrow says, grimacing. “Tell her the fuckin’ truth before she hears it from someone else.”

Irish runs a hand through his dark hair in frustration. “She’s gonna be so fuckin’ pissed I lied to her. Why can’t she just let it go?”

“Because she’s a woman.” I grin, putting the cap back on the bottle of Scotch. “Just tell her, Irish. She’ll be pissed, yes, and you’ll need to do some explaining and some apologizing, but she’ll get over it. Just let her rage first.”

“Rage?” he asks, eyes going wide. “I’m gonna lock her ass up so she can’t run off.”

I roll my eyes at him, but honestly, I think that’s probably a good idea. Bad shit happens every time one of the women gets angry and runs off. Take Anna for example. She got angry at Arrow once and left the clubhouse, only to be kidnapped by Talon. Though we didn’t know him at the time.

“Just explain you were trying to protect her and admit that you should have told her.” I pause, then add, “And that you regret it, and that you’re sorry.”

His tightened lips tell me he doesn’t like that, but too damn bad.

“Let go of your pride, Irish, if you want to keep your woman.”

That seems to sober him up.

Ronan then walks into the kitchen and joins us at the table. “I need advice on what to do with Steph. She’s pulling back but I don’t fuckin’ know why. Why are women such pains in the ass? We need to bring back the old days when we could just club them over the head and bring them home as ours.”

“You can still do that,” Arrow says, keeping a straight face. “It’s just a little frowned upon.”

“A little?” I ask, eyes going wide as saucers. “Assault and kidnapping?”

“Faye, concentrate,” Ronan groans, drinking straight from the bottle of Scotch.

“Were you raised in a barn?” I ask, grabbing the bottle back from him and wiping the top off.

Tracker storms in then, looking good, his man bun on point. “I have a huge problem. Faye, I need you, like, now.”

I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Irish—tell Tina the truth. Ronan—speak to Steph and ask her what’s going on in her head. Arrow—let’s talk just us two at some point today, because I know something is on your mind. And, Tracker . . .” I stand up and approach him. “What do you need?”

“A female bodyguard.”

He doesn’t explain any further, and I don’t ask. He can enlighten me in the car on the way. “Let’s go.”

I honestly don’t know how I became the person everyone comes to for advice and help. Me. I wing it and make light of everything, and have no clue how to navigate through life, but at least I never give up.

Maybe that’s why they come to me.

“This isn’t what I had in mind,” I admit, as I glance around Lana’s book signing. “You brought me here to protect you from fangirls? You need to get over yourself, Tracker.”

“They all fuckin’ rush at me and touch my abs,” he complains, looking down at me. “I need a woman to protect me. Lana is busy signing, and you’re badass enough to take on all these women.”

“I’m not going to hurt Lana’s readers,” I say, amusement filling me. “You never should have posed for the cover of that damn book, then none of this would be an issue.”

“I’d still come to support Lana,” he says. “So they’d still be all over me.”

He clearly has no issues with his ego.

“Stop pretending you don’t love it.”

“Don’t love the ones who try to grab my dick,” he grumbles, shoulders hunching. “It’s a very awkward situation.”

I bark out a laugh. “They grab your dick? Don’t lie. As if any woman would do that. You’re exaggerating. Come on, I want to see what they do to you.”

“You want to see random women swarm me? You’re supposed to be here to protect me.”

“You’ll be fine. Soak up the attention, Tracker. Put those pretty-boy looks to good use. Help promote your woman and break the stereotype that most bikers are old, with beer bellies.”

I spot an author I really like signing near Lana, selling books. “I’m going to get some books signed.”

I walk away, leaving Tracker standing behind me, jaw dropped. Surely he can manage alone for a few minutes. I end up chatting with a few amazing readers, and a few authors too. When I look over an hour later and see about ten women around him, I realize that, no, he probably can’t manage alone. Lana waves when she sees me pass her table, so I walk over to her. She’s been busy since I arrived, but now things are starting to die down a little.

“I didn’t know you were coming today,” she beams, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

“Wish I could say I just came to support you, but the truth is, your man brought me,” I tell her, pointing at Tracker. “I’m protecting his virtue.”

“Looks like you’re doing a great job,” she says dryly as we see a woman lift his shirt up to get a peek at his abs.

“If that was Dex, that bitch would be on the floor,” I comment, but Lana just laughs.

“Wow, they actually really like him. Do you think because he’s my friend I don’t realize how good-looking he really is? Because all I see now is . . . Tracker,” I say, wide-eyed.

After all, I’ve seen him lick beer off the kitchen table.

Then again, when I first saw him I did think he was pretty amazing. Don’t think Lana would appreciate hearing that though. I remember him catching me in their fridge the first time I met him, smelling the water to make sure it wasn’t vodka. He thought I was weird. And cute. It feels like a lifetime ago now.

“He’s delicious,” Lana says, glancing at him from head to toe. “He could be a model full-time if he wanted to.”

I smirk as I see him posing for photos, smiling away with the women. “I need to record this shit to show everyone. It’s so hilarious. He’s loving life but pretending he doesn’t like the attention. The men are going to give him so much shit.”

I pull out my phone and press RECORD as I walk closer to him, just in time to hear a woman ask him when he’s going to be on another cover.

“Okay, ladies, show is over,” I say, grabbing Tracker’s arm. “Our model needs a break.”

I drag him back to Lana’s table. “Tag, Lana, you’re it. I’m going home to my son, then I have to go and pick up my daughter.” I pause. “And I need to eat. I’m hungry and I want a burrito. Chicken, white rice, and chipotle sauce. All the veggies, jalapenos included.”

Lana pats the seat next to her, and Tracker fills it, not looking happy.

“You’ll be fine,” I tell him. “Just tell them some jokes—that will scare them away.”

I know he secretly enjoys it; no one made him come here today. I’m onto you, Tracker.

I’m about to walk away, when Tracker stands up and grabs my upper arm. “I know I’ll be fine.”

I turn and face him, tilting my head to the side. “Then why did you want me to come here under the guise of protecting you?”

He removes his hand from my arm and looks down, a sheepish look on his face. “We never get to spend any quality time together anymore. Back in the day, all we used to do was hang out. I don’t know, I guess I was just wanting some Faye time.”

“Oh,” I reply, expression softening. “We can make some time to hang out, Tracker.”

With everything going on in my life right now—being a mother, work, and the club—I guess even I’ve forgotten how all of us just used to hang out 24-7. Back then, we didn’t have kids though, and most of the men were single and had nothing better to do than harass me. I make a mental note to plan some bonding time for us. Maybe we could go shooting or something.

“Good,” he replies, vulnerable moment over. He kisses the top of my head, then returns to his seat.

I say good-bye to both of them, then take Tracker’s four-wheel drive back to my house. Dex is at home with Asher, but now he’ll go to Rift and do whatever other stuff he has to do, while I’m with the kids, cooking dinner, bathing them, and getting them into bed. When he gets home, we have our alone time, time that I really look forward to. This is what my days consist of, and it’s more normal than anyone would think. I’m not doing badass things all the time; for the most part, it’s mom and wife stuff.

“Hey,” I say, giving him a kiss when I spot him going through some paperwork on the kitchen table, Asher asleep against his chest.

“Hey, how was your day?” he asks, smiling back. “Did you get the charity run sorted out?”

“Not really,” I admit, taking Asher from him and holding him against my chest. “Kind of got distracted.”

In fact, I forgot why I had gone to the clubhouse in the first place, because everyone bombarded me with their drama the second I got there. I kiss the top of Asher’s head, breathing in deeply, loving the baby smell of him. “I missed you, little guy.”

“Do you want me to get Clover?” Dex asks, standing up and wrapping his arms around the two of us.

I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll get her; you go take care of whatever you need to. Tomorrow I have to go to the law firm, so you’ll have to get her then.”

“All right,” he says, kissing me once more, then grabbing his keys and heading out. I sit down and just enjoy having Asher in my arms. After being around so many people, it’s kind of nice to have a little peace and quiet.

It’s the best of both worlds.

FIVE

Faye

THE next day, it seems Irish took my advice and told Tina the truth about her ex-boyfriend, because I can hear the yelling the second I walk into the clubhouse.

Did he bring her here to tell her, hoping he’d have backup? I find them outside, Tina throwing things at him, her face red in fury. I sit down and open my can of soda, ready to watch the show. She’s probably going to be mad at me too, and at everyone, because we all went along with Irish’s story. She has a right to be mad. She probably feels alone right now, like no one is on her side. We all went against her.

It’s not as black and white as that though. She’s Irish’s old lady, and he decides how to handle her, not us. We support him no matter what. I’ve known Irish longer than I’ve known Tina; he’s family. And while women stick together, it’s not really my place to get involved in this shit. I usually step in when the men need to hear something, like when Vinnie was being stupid when Shayla was pregnant, but for the most part I really do try to keep my mouth shut. Try being the key word. It’s hard when everyone comes to me for advice.

“You lying bastard! I can’t believe you made me think that I saved the day, that our plan worked!” she yells, pointing at him. “When really you just killed him to solve the problem!”

I cringe. Why doesn’t she scream that just a little louder, so everyone can hear? I’m sure the police who sometimes drive past the clubhouse would love to hear it. Irish spots me and flashes a look that’s clearly asking for help. With a sigh, I put my drink down and walk over to them, just as Tina turns her back to Irish, her shoulders shaking as she starts to cry.

“Let me try and talk to her,” I tell him. He nods, but doesn’t move from his spot, just watches her helplessly. “Irish, give us a few minutes.”

He reluctantly takes a few steps back, but apparently that’s all the room he’s going to give us. I touch her shoulder, pushing aside her beautiful curly red hair. “Come on, let’s have some girl talk.”

I wait for her to throw it in my face, the fact that I knew and didn’t tell her. Why would she want to talk with me right now? But she doesn’t, so I guess she must be a better person than me. I lead her to the kids’ swings and get her to sit on one while I take the other.

“Men underestimate us as women,” I start with, swinging slowly. “Irish wanted to protect you. Yes, he lied. Yes, you have a right to be angry. But at the end of the day, you have a man who is willing to murder someone for you, cover it up, then lie about it so you don’t have to feel any guilt, so your hands remain clean while his only get dirtier. I’m not saying what he did was right—he probably should have just let him rot in prison. But that’s not what happened, and in his mind, he probably thought he was doing what’s safest for you in the long run. Darren can’t hurt you anymore. He can’t threaten you. He can’t stalk you. And now you can heal. I know it seems like what he did was selfish, killing him when you didn’t want that to happen, but he honestly did what he thought was the right thing to protect you. Do you know how many women would give anything to have that type of devotion? Look at the bigger picture here, Tina.” I stand up, offering her a small smile. “And I’m sorry that I had to lie and go along with it, but right now why don’t you surprise Irish and show him that you are the right woman for him? And that this burden isn’t too big to bear, because you’re strong enough, aren’t you, Tina?”

She listens to my words but says nothing, so I don’t know if I’ve reached her or not. Hey, I tried. I walk back inside, touching Irish’s arm as I pass.

When I turn back and see them hugging, I smile.

“Well, this is slightly awkward,” I say when I spot Talon in the clubhouse kitchen, wearing a WDMC cut. “Rocking our colors now, hey?”

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a man in the clubhouse who wasn’t like family to me. It’s not every day you see a new face around here, unless the men are bringing in their women.

Are Talon and Ranger going to respect me on sight? Or are we going to have to prove to one another who we are, show one another where we stand? I know they won’t disrespect me openly, because Dex would rip their hearts out, but that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically respect me either. Coming into this MC doesn’t automatically come with close bonds and ties—you need to make them and then work to keep them. There’s a reason the Wild Men aren’t like us; it takes a certain type of person to thrive in this environment, and you need to be here for the right reasons.

Talon glances down at his cut and grins. “What, you don’t think it suits me?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I say, tapping my index finger on my cheek. I decide to change the subject. “Any updates on the mole?”

His expression darkens, his jaw going tight. “Oh, I’ll get the bastard. He can’t hide forever. It’s only a matter of time until he pays for everything he’s done.”

“Ahhh the quest for vengeance. Always enlightening.”

“It’s never boring, that’s for sure,” he fires back.

“Is your old club going to want to kill you?”

“They can try, but no. Slice understands.”

“That badass, are you?”

“Yep,” he replies, grinning. “I know them. They don’t have it in them to come after me, Faye. Without me and Ranger, their MC is just an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.”

I burst out laughing at that. “Holy crap, the new guy has jokes.”

“The new guy? Is that how I’ll be referred to from now on?” he asks, studying me.

“Nah, Talon is a nice name. It would be a shame to waste it. It means claw, right?”

He nods and murmurs, “Yeah. A little creepy that you know that.”

I shrug. “I’m creepy for other reasons, but not that one. I have babies. I look up names and meanings. No big deal.”

He pauses, then laughs. “Fuck, you say the most random shit.”

“You have no idea. Where’s Ranger?”

“Around here somewhere. Why?”

“I want to welcome him to the family.”

“Hopefully it’s a nicer way than you’re welcoming me,” he says, arching a brow.

“This is me playing nice,” I say, batting my eyelashes. “This is us bonding, Talon.”

“Bonding? I feel like there should be alcohol involved.”

“Why, do you want to get me drunk?” I ask, focusing my gaze on him. “Do you think clouding my judgment is going to make me like you more?”

“Do you not like me now?”

“I don’t not not like you,” I reply, threading my fingers together. “I don’t really know you.”

“Everyone else loves me.”

“Bold comment considering I can name a few who don’t just off the top of my head.”

“Yet the vote was unanimous.”

“Which intrigues me,” I admit. I’m so surprised about Arrow’s and Rake’s votes. Talon must really be a badass if they want him here, when they used to all but hate him.

“I’ve never met anyone like you before,” Talon says, narrowing his eyes a little. “So light and yet so dark at the same time.”

“I’m a Gemini,” I say, shrugging my shoulders, like that explains everything. “I have two sides. One everyone likes; and the other . . . not so much.”

Talon nods, pushing off the counter, stepping toward me. “I don’t know you Faye, but all the people I care about do, and they fuckin’ adore you. You don’t need to test me. I will prove my loyalty to the Wind Dragons.”

He kisses me on the top of my head, then walks out, leaving me a little stunned.

Maybe Talon and I will get along after all.

It’s afternoon when Arrow finds me outside, while I’m practicing throwing knives into a target, with “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Chainsmokers playing in the background. I like to hone my skills and make sure I can still handle each weapon. Even though I’m a mother now, I’m still me, and I still like to know how to defend myself. In fact, after having kids, I’m more determined than ever, because the day may come when it’s solely up to me to protect them.

“Don’t fuckin’ stab me,” Arrow says in warning, coming to stand next to me. I glance to my right to look at him. His beard is even longer than usual, his brown eyes pinned on the target board.

I hand him a knife, and he takes it.

“What’s up, Arrow?”

He throws the knife, right in the bull’s-eye, before he replies. “I want to do something nice for Anna, you know? Something—”

“Romantic?” I cut in, smiling wide. “You big cutie, Arrow! Who knew you had it in you?” I pause, then add, “Certainly not me.”

He groans and puts his hand out, palm up, silently asking for another knife. I pick one up from the ground, where I have them buried in the grass in a line, and hand it over, handle first.

“Not exactly the romantic type,” he grumbles, then throws the knife. “I need help coming up with an idea.”

“Why don’t you cook her dinner?” I suggest, racking my mind. “With candles. Or take her away, on like a cruise or something? Oh, and buy her something. We like presents.”

“That simple, huh?” he says, crossing his arms over his chest and studying me. “Dinner, candles, look into a vacation and a present.”

I nod. “I can come shopping with you, if you like.”

He rubs the back of his neck and sighs. “Yeah, all right. Sounds good.”

“Okay. See, an old man can learn new tricks.”

“I’m not old,” he growls, looking grumpy, just like someone his age would.

“You’re pretty old,” I say slowly, wrinkling my nose.

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

“I won’t,” I say, rolling my eyes. “And what’s the big deal anyway? Anna’s a lucky woman to have a man who wants to spoil her a little, especially while being far out of the honeymoon stage.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles, but I just smile. Arrow is a very private person, and he doesn’t like people knowing shit about him. I’ve known the mercurial man next to me for so long, and for some reason, I just get him. We could stand like this for hours, in silence, throwing knives, and I’d be okay with it. The silence between us is more than the loud conversation between others. It’s filled with friendship, love, and acceptance, with a bond that can only form from being to hell and back with someone.

“Do you ever think about her?”

“Who?” he asks, even though I’m sure he knows who I’m referring to.

“Mary.”

He takes a few moments to reply. “Yeah.”

“Me too,” I say, my voice tinged with sadness.

And now we have two ex–Wild Men under our roof.

I guess you never know what will happen next.

“I better get to work,” I say, wiping my hands on my jeans. “The feds want my help with a case.”

“I don’t know why you want to help them,” Arrow grumbles, shaking his head.

I grin and place my hand on his shoulder. “Need more contacts, so next time you go to jail I can get you out sooner.”

His lip twitches.

I say ’bye and make my exit.

None of the men like me working for the feds, but I’ve always been a woman with a plan. The more connections I make, the more power I get, the more I’ll be able to protect my family. My ambition—it’s for everyone.

They just need to trust me.

SIX

Sin

Four hours later

WHEN Faye doesn’t answer her phone, again, I start to panic. She was supposed to be at home at six o’clock, but it’s now seven. I picked up Clover from school with Asher, as I always do when Faye is working at the firm, and Faye always comes straight home so I can head to Rift or the MC. On the off chance she doesn’t, she will always call or text.

A bad feeling settles in my gut. Something is fuckin’ wrong, I just know it. I put the kids in the car and drive to Rake and Bailey’s house. When Rake finds me standing on his front step, Asher on my chest and Clover at my side, he quickly opens the door.

“Everything all right?” he asks, lifting Clover in his arms and giving her a big hug.

“Yeah,” I say in a light tone, but the look in my eyes says something else, and Rake doesn’t miss it. “Just thought Clover could play with Cara while we have a quick chat.”

We walk into their living room, and Clover runs over to Cara, happy to be seeing her friend. Bailey walks into the room, her smile dropping as she looks between us. She walks over to me and takes Asher from my arms, along with his baby bag. Then, she says one word, a word that lets me know that Rake has indeed chosen the perfect woman. “Go.”

Go, just like that, for us to handle our shit, because she has the kids and the home covered.

Now that is a fuckin’ old lady; not even one question asked.

I walk back out front and Rake follows, closing the door behind him. “Faye is missing.”

Three words.

Fuck I love you; those three words, Faye is missing, would incite pain and fear in the strongest of men. From all the men in this club. From every person Faye’s beauty and strength has touched. Especially from me.

The queen is missing, and we need to find her, real fuckin’ quick, before I blow up this whole motherfuckin’ city. I honestly don’t know how to deal with the prospect that someone is hurting her right now. Faye is the love of my life. I’ve never really been a romantic, or one to believe in soul mates and shit, but that woman was made for me. A hundred fuckin’ percent. And without her . . .

Fuck.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life, but being terrified isn’t going to help me. I need to get her back, and right now. I need to think. I don’t need anyone to panic. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it. I can’t even wrap my head around this.

No. Not Faye.

Not my fairy.

“What the fuck do you mean she’s missing?” Rake growls, pulling out his phone and bringing it to his ear. “I’m gonna call everyone; she has to be somewhere.”

“She didn’t come home,” I tell him, goose bumps on my flesh. “I’m going to go to her work now. Can you keep the kids?”

“Of course,” he replies, brow furrowed. “Fuck, Sin. Tell me what to do right now. Maybe she’s fine; her car broke down and her phone died, or some shit.”

I clap him on the shoulder and head to my car.

The thing is, we’re never that lucky.

When I find her car still parked on the street opposite her work, door ajar, that’s when I start to really panic. In the back of my mind, I’d been hoping that maybe there was another reason for her absence. Maybe her car broke down, or she lost her phone, or one of the women needed her for something. When something metal glistening on the floor of the car catches my eye, I bend down and pick it up.

It’s her phone.

Fuck.

Shivers head up my spine. This is not good. Something has definitely happened to her. My fingers tighten around her phone.

Whoever took her is going to pay. Trust me when I say that they haven’t known pain like the pain I’m going to thrust upon them. I’ll have no mercy. And if something happens to Faye—I’ll have no conscience left. She is the good in me. She’s my fuckin’ heart, my soul, and there is no way I’m going to live without her.

I’m going to bring her home.

I call up Rake and tell him to get to the clubhouse. We’re going on lockdown. I want everyone in the same place, just until we know what we’re dealing with. Some of the men can stay to protect the women and kids, and the rest of us will do whatever we can to bring my wife back.

I’m coming for you, babe.

Everyone is in the clubhouse, trying to remain calm. With Faye in danger, the women are all over the fuckin’ place with worry, and a few of them are trying not to cry. I need them to stay calm though, because I don’t want the kids to start freaking out because of the tension in the clubhouse right now.

I’m pacing up and down while the men sit at the table, waiting for me to tell them the plan of action. The thing is, it’s hard for me to keep a level head here. I can’t. I just want her back. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do right now. I’m desperate, and it’s a vulnerable place to be. When I don’t speak, Arrow clears his throat. “Sin, why don’t you sit down? Let us do the planning. We’re going to get her back, brother. Whatever it takes.”

I shake my head, running my hand through my hair. I’m the president. Faye is my wife. I’m going to be calling the shots. They don’t know the thoughts in my head right now, and they don’t need to know.

Did I tell her I love her before she left for work today? I can’t remember. What was the last thing I said to her? I shake my head again and try to concentrate. Faye needs the MC president in me right now, not the devoted, loving husband. She needs the ruthless me, the man who gets shit done.

The man who never loses.

“Tracker, try and get camera footage from her work or any surrounding buildings. You might have to wait until tomorrow for that though,” I say, gritting my teeth. We don’t have time to waste right now. “Unless you have any contacts? Cop buddies? Any resources you have, use them. Take Irish with you. I want everyone in pairs, just in case whoever we’re dealing with has something else up their sleeves. If they want anything from us, they need to be able to contact us. I think we should close down Rift, just in case. Last thing we need is something going wrong there and innocent people getting hurt. Talon and Ranger, make sure the Wild Men aren’t behind this shit in any way.”

They both nod.

“Arrow, get in touch with the Kings of Hell. We don’t have very many enemies, so if it’s not the Wild Men, I’m thinking it has to be the Kings. Who else would fuck with us?” I look to Talon. “We need to figure out who your rat is, and fast.”

Talon nods and pulls out his phone. “I’ll call Slice.”

Dammit, if we found out who that fucker was sooner, this whole thing might have been avoided.

Who else would be that fuckin’ stupid?

Whoever it is, it’s their funeral.

“You want me to pay them a visit?” Arrow asks, an evil glint in his eyes. “I’ll be more than happy to.”

He looks a little too trigger-happy for my liking, so I say, “Rake, stick with Arrow. Keep him out of prison, please.”

Rake nods. “I’ll handle it.”

“Ronan, you and the prospects stay behind and protect the women and children,” I say, cracking my knuckles. “Vinnie, you and I are going to go drive around, see what we find, try to get some information from anyone who would know anything.”

Vinnie nods, looking solemn. Yeah, no one is happy right now. Faye means so much to everyone, and I know they’re all feeling this. But to be honest, all I can think about is myself and what she is to me. I breathe this woman, and without her, my oxygen is going to get cut off. I can already feel my chest getting tighter and tighter as time passes without knowing where she is.

This emotional pain is worse than any physical pain I could experience. It’s bringing me to my fuckin’ knees.

“Let’s bring her home,” I mutter, staring straight ahead, and everyone stands.

“We’ll find her, Sin,” Arrow rumbles, looking determined. “I’m not fuckin’ losing her.”

The thing is—I don’t miss the flash of worry in his eyes. And he has a right to be worried, because we don’t know if Faye is okay. What if they’ve hurt her? What if they don’t plan on giving her back to us alive?

The pain in my chest intensifies, the emotions—the fear—I’ve been trying to hide coming to the surface all at once. Arrow, the man who shows the least emotion, ever, the man who cares the least about anything . . . Fuck . . . He’s telling me he won’t lose her. Losing Faye isn’t an option. My whole world will fuckin’ crumble without her in it.

“Me either,” I say, my voice cracking at the end.

I’m not a man who is weak, ever.

But every man has a weakness, and right now, mine is fuckin’ missing.

My fuckin’ heart is missing.

I don’t know if I can do this anymore. This pain, I can’t go through it again. How can I? A man can only take so much. Faye might be the center of this club, but she’s my whole fuckin’ heart, and I refuse to be in this situation again.

No one can ask that of me.

The men pat me on the shoulder one by one as they pass me on the way out. Reassurance. We’ve got this, they’re telling me. We’re the WDMC, and we don’t do defeat.

We triumph, always.

But until Faye is back in my arms where she belongs, I’m not going to be able to breathe easily.

Vinnie is the last to leave the room. He puts his hand on my back and leads me out the door. “We’re going to find her, Sin.”

“I know,” I say, lifting my chin up.

Eyes on the prize.

I need to keep my head clear. I can’t miss anything. We just have to figure this out. List our enemies, or anyone with a motive, and be smart about it. There’s no point calling the cops; finding a biker president’s wife isn’t going to be first on their priority list. Besides, they aren’t exactly our favorite people. They’d probably make me a suspect, search the clubhouse, and find a reason to arrest all of us. Yes, Faye is a lawyer. But I don’t know. She has been working with the feds. Maybe this has something to do with that? I told her not to fuckin’ do it, but when Faye wants something . . . I’ll look into the case she was working on, just in case.

We have the contacts, we have the manpower, and we have the weapons.

More than anything, we have determination. We have something to lose, and we aren’t going to give up.

We can handle this.

All the women and kids are in the lounge room, watching a movie. I kiss Clover and Asher, who is asleep in Anna’s arms now.

“We’ll be back. Ronan is here with you all,” I tell Anna softly.

She nods, her eyes a little red. She’s been crying. Anna has been here the longest after Faye, and I kind of need her to step up to the plate in Faye’s absence. I know she can do it.

“Keep everyone together,” I tell her, and I don’t mean physically. We need to unite right now, be there for one another.

She nods.

I leave the room and head outside to my bike. Vinnie is already waiting for me. When he steps to me and hands me a gun, I take it. Who knows what we’re up against, and better to be safe than sorry. Although all of us are good fighters, sometimes you need to be strapped. If I find out where Faye is, I’ll be shooting first and asking questions later, that’s for damn sure.

“You ready?” I ask him.

He nods and gets on his bike. I do the same. I lead the way to our first stop, to a man who I know for a fact sees everything that goes on in this city. If you sneeze, he hears about it.

And I need all the information I can get my hands on.

SEVEN

Faye

“SO tell me,” I say, tilting my head and studying him. “Did you get all those men to take me down because you knew I’d kick your ass one-on-one?”

“You never shut the fuck up, do you?” he snarls, dark ominous eyes filled with hate pinned on me. “How does Sin fucking put up with you? You must be really good at sucking dick.”

So he knows Dex. Just who is this man?

“I am,” I agree, trying to get out of the binds at my wrists. “One of my many qualities.”

I have to wonder why I’m here.

What does he want—to use me as leverage of some kind? He has to know that Sin won’t let him live after this, no matter what he barters with to hand me over. He’s clearly an idiot.

“What’s your plan? Stop being stupid. We’re both adults here. Why don’t you just tell me who you are and what you want?”

My concern is that I’ve been here several hours and he hasn’t contacted the MC. Wouldn’t he do that if he was using me as a hostage? To demand whatever he wants from them? This doesn’t bode well for me. However, I’m not one to concede defeat. There’s a way out of this, and I’m going to find it. These assholes kidnapped the wrong woman.

Were the men who helped bring me here from an MC? They must be, right? Their faces were covered, so I never got to see them. I’ll find out who they are though, just wait and see. The only man I’ve gotten a good look at is the one standing in front of me, and he seems to be the leader. But I have no idea who he is.

He grins, a little too evilly for my liking, and says, “What I want is the Wind Dragons to leave me the fuck alone. Everyone thinks they’re so smart, but they’re all fucking stupid.”

My eyes widen. “Are you with the Wild Men or the Kings of Hell? People are just changing MCs like they’re changing their underwear, aren’t they?”

Could the man in front of me be Talon’s traitor?

He slams his hand down on the table he’s sitting at, making me jump. “We’re going to use you as bait. When Sin and the rest of those fucks come here, we’re going to kill you. In front of them. No one fucks with the Kings.”

I can’t help it; I roll my eyes.

This guy is so fucking dumb, and he clearly just likes the sound of his own voice. At least I’m funny—this guy is just a douche. I feel like I should pretend to be worried, so he thinks his ingenious plan won’t be thwarted by the real heroes in this little story—the Wind Dragon men. It would probably be smart, but the pride in me won’t let me keep my big mouth shut.

I’m a fighter.

“Are you sure you want to kill me?” I ask, keeping my tone even. “It would be a shame to obliterate such beauty. Looks like mine don’t come along every day.”

“I’m totally okay with that,” he replies, standing up and approaching me with a bottle of water. “Have a sip. Need to keep you alive until our plan plays out.”

He brings the bottle to my lips and I open my mouth. He pours a mouthful in, then takes it away. I want more, but I don’t ask. I know he won’t give it to me, and he’ll enjoy that fact. I can manage for now. It hasn’t been long, and I’m not dying of thirst, although by tomorrow I probably will be. My captor exits the warehouse, and I’m left alone with my thoughts. My wrists are now raw from trying to get out of the binds, and they’re stinging something fierce.

Well, shit.

This isn’t how I planned my night to go.

How am I meant to sleep like this?

Dex, where are you?

Sin

“It’s not the Wild Men,” Talon says when I approach him at the front of our clubhouse. “They’re too scared of me and Ranger. Slice is keeping them all under control, so it’s not them, which only leaves us one option.”

“The Kings,” I say, a muscle ticking in my jaw.

“It makes sense. They were selling drugs with whoever betrayed me,” Talon says, cracking his knuckles. “When do you want to do this?”

“They’re probably expecting us tonight,” I say, trying to think of the best plan of action. I slide my phone out of my pocket and call Arrow and Tracker, telling them to come back to the clubhouse, like, now. They tell me that they have the camera footage, but the men who took Faye had their heads covered, so we don’t know who it is. We can still analyze the footage and see if we can find anything that helps though. When I hang up, I look at Talon. “We need to see what we’re up against.”

“Few of us go in and check it out?”

I nod. “I think we should suss it out. We could run in now, guns blazing, but it’s going to be a bloodbath. I don’t want to lose any of my men. I need to be smart about this, but it’s so fuckin’ hard not knowing what the fuck they’re doing to my woman right now. Fuck!” I turn around, running my hands through my hair, then joining my fingers and resting them against the back of my neck.

I need to hit something.

How did we not see this coming?

I wait until the men return and have them all sitting at the table.

“We’re going to the Kings clubhouse,” I announce, looking at their faces. “We don’t know where they have her. Any ideas about the best way to handle this?”

“A few of us can go to scope out the situation, or we can all show up, a united front, and demand that they hand her over now,” Ranger says, glancing around the table. He looks on alert, ready to go to war, and in this moment I know I’ve made the right decision by letting him become one of us.

“This isn’t a normal fuckin’ situation. They’ve declared war by taking Faye,” I add, jaw tight. “United front. I like that. Everyone get your weapons ready. They’ll expect us tonight, so why don’t we surprise them instead.”

“Five a.m. sounds like a good time,” Arrow suggests, running his hand down his beard. “They definitely won’t expect that. They’ll all be asleep, yeah? Maybe have one or two men awake to keep guard.”

I stand up. “I’m going to get ready. You guys do the same, then try to get a little sleep, okay?”

I definitely won’t be able to sleep, but that doesn’t mean that they should stay up with me. I don’t think I’ll sleep until I have her, safe and sound, in my arms once more. Who the fuck do the Kings think they are?

They have no idea who they’re messing with. We took care of them before, and now they’re back for revenge. But they should have left it alone, because when I’m done with them, they’ll have nothing left of their club.

Nothing.

Some might think that what they did was ballsy, but it was just plain stupid. We’ll never give up. And if they’ve hurt my wife, we’ll never stop hunting them. They may as well kill themselves now and get it over with.

The Kings of Hell MC are nobodies.

And soon, no one will even remember their names.

EIGHT

Faye

I WAKE up needing to use the bathroom. I have no idea what time it is, and Douche Lord didn’t return after he left. Neither did anyone else. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing. I kept dozing in and out, so uncomfortable to be sleeping sitting up, my neck sore as fuck. Still, when he finally walks in after I call out for someone, I pretend that everything is fine.

“Sleep well?” he asks, looking smug. I can’t wait to bury my foot in his face. And his nuts. I’m going to kill him, and I’m going to enjoy it.

“Like a baby,” I lie flippantly, squaring my shoulders. “But I do need to pee.”

He comes and stands behind me. “If you try anything, I will give you to the men, do you understand?”

I nod.

Yeah, being gang-raped does not sound appealing. There’s no way I’d try to escape without checking out the area first, looking for a weakness in their security. I can’t just kick him in the balls and run, because I have every element against me.

“I won’t try anything. I just really need to pee, okay?”

He unties my feet first, then goes behind me and undoes my wrists from the chair, but leaves them bound together. Hand gripping my upper arm harder than necessary, he leads me to the bathroom.

“You have two minutes.”

“You’re not going to untie my hands?” I ask, eyes going wide. “How do I wipe myself or wash my hands?”

“You don’t,” he says, looking bored. “You’re wasting time.”

I walk into the bathroom and he half closes the door, giving me a little privacy.

“How do I undo my jeans?” I call out, not wanting him to touch me, but I really do need to go.

He curses and then comes in, studying me. He looks like he doesn’t want to touch me, so maybe he has a little bit of brains in his head after all. Reaching into his waistband, he pulls out a gun. I swallow hard, but try to keep my expression blank.

“You try anything, I shoot.”

I nod.

He motions for me to turn around, so I do, and he cuts the binds off, then walks out, again leaving the door half open. I quickly undo my jeans and pull them down with my panties, emptying my bladder with satisfaction. After I clean myself up and wash my hands and face, I drink some of the tap water with my hands so I don’t have to ask him for some, rub my sore wrists, then look around for a weapon. A few seconds later though, the door is opened fully and a gun is being pointed at me.

“Hands together,” he demands, so I hold them out. He ties them in front of me this time, and I’m silently relieved. Sitting in one position for a long time really is hell—my body is so stiff and sore right now, and putting my hands in a different position will be heavenly. With a gun to the back of my neck, he walks me back to the chair. “Sit.”

I sit down, and this time he actually ties rope around my stomach and the chair a few times. “Not like I’m going to do anything with a gun to my head.”

“I like to take precautions,” he says, stepping back and admiring his handiwork.

“Precautions? Is that what they call being intimidated by a woman these days?” I say, unable to help myself.

He backhands me across the face.

Fuck.

It hurts like a bitch, blood filling my mouth. I look him dead in the eye and spit the blood on the floor, right next to his white shoes. A few light blood splatters cover them, which for some reason gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

“Probably shouldn’t wear white shoes on the day you’re going to show how much of a man you are by hitting a woman who’s bound to a chair. A woman who would otherwise give you a fair fight.”

Lifting his lips back, his teeth clenched, he gives me a look that says he wants me dead, but stays silent—storming out of the room. I stretch my neck from side to side, closing my eyes, telling myself to think. I need to get out of here. Images of Clover and Asher flash through my mind. My kids need their mama. Dex needs me. There’s no way I’m going out like this. My only option is to try to get the gun from him. But then what? How many people will I have to shoot on the way out? How many rounds are in the gun? So many variables, but what else can I do?

I’m going to have to do what I normally do.

I’m going to have to wing it.

He walks back in seconds later, face red with fury. I can tell instantly that something has happened. Maybe now is my chance.

“Get up. We need to go. Now.”

I look down to where I’m tied to the chair and flash him a look that says, Really, idiot?

He makes an impatient sound like I’m fuckin’ keeping him from somewhere, then cuts the rope with a knife, leaving my hands and legs free. This time he just puts the knife at my neck and tells me to get up and walk, so I get up and walk. The gun is back in his waistband; I guess he doesn’t feel like he needs it. We walk past the bathroom, which is the farthest I’ve been to this point, so I eagerly scan the new surroundings, trying to take everything in so I can use it.

“Sin and the rest of them are at the Kings clubhouse,” he says, tightening his arm around my shoulder, digging the knife into my skin. “But you see, we have a secret weapon here, and to get to you, he’s going to have to get through him.”

“Through who?” I ask, completely lost. The Wind Dragons are at the Kings? Have they got the whole MC at gunpoint or what? I feel a sliver of satisfaction at knowing no one can beat our men. No one can beat my husband. Everyone who is in on this is going to pay for choosing the losing side. The smart ones—such as Talon and Ranger—joined us, because they know that there’s no better.

We come to a stop at a door, and I don’t know what’s behind it, but I know that I don’t want to find out. Taking my chance, I turn to him, lift my knee up, and kick him right in the nuts. The knife in his hand jerks and I feel it cut my neck a little, not deep. He bends over in pain, the knife falling to the floor. I grab it, lift my foot up again, and kick him in the face. He falls to the ground. I give him another kick in the face for good measure, then another one in the stomach because I feel like it, and because the motherfucker deserves it, then look around frantically. All I see are windows that are too high up and two hallways, one leading back to where I just was, and another leading to somewhere unknown. I choose the unknown. I run toward it, but come to a standstill when I see three men standing at the end of it. They spot me.

Fuck.

I brace myself, preparing for the fight of my life, when I hear a vaguely familiar voice behind me.

“Even if you get past them, there are about ten more men waiting.”

I spin and look toward the door. A man now fills it, a man I once knew very well. He looks down toward my captor withering on the floor in pain and smirks. “I told you not to underestimate her. She’s the type of woman who will do anything to get what she wants. Isn’t that right, Faye?”

“Eric?” I whisper, taking him in from head to toe. He’s changed. He looks older, more weathered, like the world has taken everything out of him.

Tired.

What the actual fuck is Sin’s brother—my ex-boyfriend—doing here?

NINE

Sin

THEY don’t see us coming.

“They should probably up their security,” I hear Ranger mutter under his breath, as he and Arrow disable the alarm to their entrance gate. “Idiots.”

They’ve probably never been raided before, like we were that fateful night Mary died. Maybe they’ll learn from this too, and do something about their protection, but for now, this helps us break into their clubhouse with ease. By the time we’re inside, it’s too late for them. Arrow and Tracker knock out the two prospects who are meant to be keeping an eye out for anything, and then we storm inside.

Time to take over what is theirs.

Working as a unit, with me at the front and the rest of the men to my left and right, in the shape of an arrow, we enter their clubhouse silently, guns pointed, minds on one thing and one thing only.

Finding Faye.

We clear two rooms before we come across Ripper, the Kings of Hell MC president, asleep in his bed. My gun is pointed at his temple before his brown eyes even open. He tries to reach for his gun, but it’s not there. Yeah, this isn’t my first rodeo.

“Get up,” I demand. “We need to have a little talk. And don’t fuckin’ try anything.”

Eyes wide, he slowly moves to sit up, pushing the blanket off him, revealing a shirtless chest I could have gone without seeing. Keeping my eyes on his, I take a step back, allowing him space to get out of the bed. “Rally your men into one room. Anyone tries anything, you all die.”

He nods and exits the bedroom, entering what looks like their club’s main living area. Ten minutes later, between my men and Ripper, we’ve gotten everyone together, guns pointed in every direction. It might seem dangerous, because we’re actually outnumbered, but each of our men could take two of theirs easily. I’m that confident in us. I glance around the room, making eye contact with each man.“I’m looking for my wife. Who here can tell me where she is? And don’t fuckin’ bother saying you don’t know shit. I’m not bluffing, I will fuckin’ kill anyone I have to, to find her.”

I then address Ripper. “If my wife isn’t returned to me, now, your men will have to vote in a new president, because I’m going to kill you,” I tell him, staring him dead in the eye so he knows how serious I am. “Then I’m going to kill the next president too. And any that come after that.”

One of the men moves to tackle Tracker, who proceeds to shoot him in the foot.

“Fuck!” the man yells, dropping to the ground and grabbing the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. I glance around the room once more, a schooled expression of boredom on my face. They don’t need to know that, right now, I’m dying inside.

I can imagine what I look like: like a man who has everything to lose, a man who will do anything to get back the woman he loves.

A dangerous man.

“As you can see, we aren’t fucking around,” I continue, cracking my neck from side to side. “Anyone else want to try anything? Next time, I don’t think Tracker will be so nice.”

“Knee next,” Tracker says, smirking. “Then farther up.”

One of the men shudders.

I wait until Arrow makes eye contact with me, then nod at him.

He punches the man in front of him in the nose. I don’t even wince at the cracking sound.

“Tell us what we need to know, or next I will break your neck,” Arrow says in a low, calm tone that is much more intimidating than if he had yelled. With Arrow, you just know that he means what he says. “One of you better speak up, or this isn’t going to end well. I don’t care who it is.” When the man doesn’t speak, Arrow moves to hit him again, until he puts his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay,” he says, throat working as he swallows. He looks to Ripper, as if asking him what to do, wanting to see what his president’s orders are.

Ripper tightens his jaw, weighing his options, but then finally nods. “Tell him.”

“She’s being held in a warehouse.”

“Give me the address,” I tell him. “Now.”

He gives me the address, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact. I look to Tracker. “Who wants to stay with him and make sure he’s not lying? I think someone should take him somewhere else, in case the men here try something.”

“They won’t,” Ripper says, but I ignore him. “I don’t know about Slice though. He’s the wild card here, but you can’t take out his actions on our club. He hasn’t even been patched in yet!”

I freeze, catching Talon’s eye before looking back to the Kings’ president. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Why the fuck would the Kings MC be talking about Slice?

I’m confused as fuck, until all the pieces start to fall together in my mind.

That fuckin’ bastard.

Slice, Talon’s former second-in-command, is the traitor?

This has to burn Talon. Fuck, he was just saying how he trusts Slice more than anyone else in the Wild Men MC.

Fuck!

“I had no fuckin’ idea, Sin,” Talon says, sounding shocked. “That fuckin’ bastard!”

“I know,” I say to Talon, my eyes still on Ripper.

I’ll let Talon handle Slice, as long as he shows him no mercy. I just want to find Faye and have her in my arms, so my heart can start beating properly again.

Slice is going to pay, that’s for sure. He’s caused so much trouble for everyone, just because he’s a disloyal piece of shit. I have to admit, even I’m fuckin’ surprised; although looking back, we probably should’ve seen this. Why didn’t Slice want to join us with Ranger and Talon? We thought it was just because he was loyal to the Wild Men, but how fuckin’ wrong we were.

“Vinnie, you and Ranger take him somewhere until all of this is over. If my wife is hurt, or if he’s lying, Ripper dies.” I nod at him. “Tell your men to stay out of our way, or they won’t make it home to their families tonight.”

I think this is the safest way to do it. If Vinnie and Ranger have the Kings’ president away from all this, we can use him as a hostage without having to worry about the other Kings coming after us. I’ll take the rest of the Wind Dragons with me to the warehouse, because we don’t know how many men are already there, waiting to fight. It can turn ugly, and we need to be prepared.

“All right, let’s go,” I say, bringing the Kings’ president to his feet and dragging him outside.

Let’s just hope this works.

Faye

“I always knew you were stupid, Eric,” I say, sitting down on the floor, against the wall. “I mean, let’s start with cheating on me—any man with half a brain wouldn’t have done that—and now this. What the fuck are you doing? You’re with the Kings now?”

Does he think that joining an MC will make him more like Dex? Will earn him respect? How deluded can he be?

His whole expression changes, and right then and there I see something I’ve never seen before on his face.

Hate.

Eric Black hates me.

No, he despises me. After all these years.

Why? I have no idea. I thought we were all good, but apparently not. Or does this have to do with him and Sin? Maybe this isn’t about me at all.

Some people need to get a fucking hobby.

“It’s been years since I’ve even seen you, Eric,” I say quietly, not sure what to make of this. “And now you want me dead? Or is it your own brother you want gone?”

We’re the parents of his niece and nephew. Not that he sees them much, but he could have—I mean, Dex’s mom still saw them every now and again. She passed away about three months ago. Does that have something to do with this? She died from a heart attack, and maybe Eric isn’t taking it well. Or is he blaming Dex for some reason? Something must have set him off, because I had no idea he was capable of something like this. He sits back in his chair like he’s a fucking king or something. I don’t get him. Does he have some complex because he will always be nothing compared to Dex? He lacks in every possible way. Looks, character, strength.

Heart.

“I think it’s time my brother is taken down a notch,” he says, and I notice that his eyes are dead. There’s nothing there. Eric is a completely different person. What’s happened to this man?

“And you’re going to do that by killing me?” I ask him, lifting my chin. “By leaving my children without a mother?”

I can take Eric on in a fight. There’s no question about that. I could kill him right now, but it won’t get me out of here. Will it save Dex from his brother’s hate though? I won’t get past the men outside—there’s too many of them—and Eric hasn’t tried to physically hurt me yet. Will he?

I wish Dex were here right now, not because I need him to tell me what to do, but because at the end of the day, Eric is still his brother, and that means something. You can not talk to your family, or have a falling-out with them, or even hate them, but you still don’t want them dead, especially at your own hands. I don’t want what happens today haunting Dex. And it will. He’s human, after all; it would haunt any man or woman with a conscience.

“Not going to kill you, Faye,” he says, lip twitching. “I’m going to kill Dex.”

“I see,” I murmur, marveling over his stupidity. You can’t kill Dex without killing me, because I will hunt you down. He’s underestimating me. He’s seeing me as the girl he knew, not the warrior woman I’ve become. “And then what?”

“And then the Kings are going to have my back against any retaliation the Wind Dragons plan. It will be war,” he says proudly, like war is a good thing. The more he speaks his idiocy, the more I want to take him down myself. The Kings have obviously used him as a pawn, a secret weapon against Dex, and he’s fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. They probably made him feel important, and they have something in common—their dislike for Dex.

I hear banging noises, followed by gunshots and men yelling, and I’m instantly on alert. I push myself off the ground, my back still pressed against the wall. Eric lifts up his gun and points it at me.

“Don’t move,” he barks, standing up and crooking his finger. “Come here, Faye.”

It’s just me and him in the room, and he still thinks he has control. I have a few moments to decide what to do. I can kill him, or I can just fight and disable him until Dex walks through that door, as I know he will. I decide to go with that. I walk toward Eric, about to knock the gun out of his hands and punch him in the throat, when the door is suddenly kicked open. I freeze as Dex storms in, gun in hand. Eric grabs me by my hair and jams his gun into my ribs. I keep my eyes on my husband’s face, on his expression when he sees who is standing in the room with me.

His own brother.

That has to hurt.

Dex looks me over first, from head to toe. His jaw tightens when he sees my cut lip from where my captor slapped me. He returns his gaze to his baby brother.

“Eric?” Dex whispers, shaking his head in disbelief. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

He takes a step forward, but Eric brings the gun to my temple. Dex’s face turns to stone. “Get the gun away from my wife, Eric. Now. Don’t be stupid. Whatever they’ve promised you, it isn’t worth it. I’m your fuckin’ brother!”

“You don’t get to make demands, Dex,” Eric sneers. “You make a move toward us, and Faye is dead. Don’t think I won’t shoot her, because I will.”

“Was it you who hit her?” he asks, hands clenching to fists. “Did you lay a hand on her?”

“No,” Eric says, sounding wary, which he should be, considering the fury I can hear in Dex’s tone. “I haven’t laid a hand on her.”

“Whoever touched her is a dead man,” Dex announces through clenched teeth. “No one puts a hand on my fuckin’ wife. And if you want to live, Eric, loosen the hold you have on her hair, or I will shove my foot down your fuckin’ throat, you little bastard.”

“Empty threats, Dex,” Eric replies—but he does loosen his hold. He can pretend he isn’t scared of Dex all he wants, but he is. And he should be.

Dex’s throat works as he swallows. I can see that he’s trying to process this betrayal, the fact that his own blood is the one with a gun to my head. Dex still has his gun in his hand, but he hasn’t even raised it. Over the years, Eric has popped in and out of our lives only a few times. We hardly see or hear from him, and I know the only reason Dex saw him was because their mom asked it of them. They don’t get along, but I didn’t see this coming from Eric. He must really hate Dex with everything he has.

“You only have a gun to Faye’s head because she’s allowing it, brother,” Dex says, sneering the word.

“Really?” Eric replies, scoffing. “I’m sure that’s why she’s been waiting here for you to come and save her ass.”

Dex just shakes his head and says, “You have about fifteen men here, Eric. Even fuckin’ Xena warrior fuckin’ princess wouldn’t try and leave if she were smart. And none of these men have honor. You’ve surrounded yourself with scum. Do you know the things they could have done to Faye? Surely, somewhere in there, some part of you must care?”

My lip twitches at the Xena reference.

My man is funny—I think he’s been hanging around me for way too long now; he’s starting to make jokes at the most inopportune times. It’s great.

The two men stare at each other from across the room, the air between them thick with hate, pain, and regret.

I take my chance.

I duck down to the floor before Eric can pull the trigger, my hair slipping through his loosened grasp, and bring my elbow up to his nuts as hard as I can. He drops. They always do. I grab the gun and leap to my feet before he even knows what’s happening. I’m across the room and by Dex’s side in a heartbeat, pointing the gun back at Eric.

“Like I said,” Dex continues. “The only reason you were the one holding the gun is because she let you. So what was your plan? Get me here, then make me swap my life for hers? Kill me in front of her? Then kill her?”

“Yes,” Eric says simply. “Mom is dead. There’s nothing left tying us together. I hate you, Dex. You have everything so easy. You were a shit older brother. It was me who looked after Mom; you hardly saw her. Too busy fucking with my sloppy seconds. Just look what you’ve turned Faye into. She was meant to be so much more than she is. I fuckin’ hate you, and I always will. The Kings hate you. We’re going to destroy everything you’ve built.”

I see it coming. I know Dex. I know the way he moves, his body language. I know his intentions before he even knows them himself.

I see it in his expression.

He lifts the gun and points it at his brother. He’s made his decision, and now it’s time to make mine.

Who says it always has to be Dex saving me?

I’m a hero in my own right.

I pull the trigger.

TEN

Faye

DEX keeps staring at me out of the corner of his eye, like he’s waiting for me to have a breakdown. After I shot Eric, he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me out of there. The rest of the Wind Dragons were waiting for me, all in a line, guns pointed at the Kings. It was like a scene from a movie.

On my way to the car, I saw my captor lying on the ground, a bullet through his head. I still don’t know who he is.

“Who killed him?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“Talon,” Dex tells me, clearing his throat. “That was Slice.”

My eyebrows rise at that.

Slice?

The same Slice that Tia and Bailey had drinks with one night?

The man Talon considered a friend?

I want to kick him, again.

I sure as fuck won’t miss him. We let the rest of the Kings live. It’s early morning, and everything we do can be seen and heard.

Slice is dead, and that’s the main thing. Talon and Ranger got their revenge. I’m safe, none of our men were killed or hurt, and no one will be doing time for these crimes. Even if anyone tried to pin Slice’s death on any of the men, or if charges are brought against me for Eric, I’ll simply claim self-defense. They did kidnap me, after all. My new connections with the feds are unsure at best, but I’m hoping that, in the future, no one will be able to touch us. I will make sure we win. Right now I get to go home to my kids, to my family, and that’s all that matters.

“I’m fine,” I tell Dex, licking my lips. “A little hungry though.”

Dex purses his lips but says nothing.

The men all hug me tightly, especially Arrow, before making their exit. It’s just me and Dex in his car right now. He told me that they have the Kings’ president away in one of their warehouses, at gunpoint, just waiting for the Kings to give them a reason to shoot him. I suggested that, instead, they make the Kings leave town once and for all. We don’t want them here. They can go somewhere else and start over, or they can end up like Slice. At this point, I don’t care. I just want to go back to the clubhouse and see Clover and Asher.

I take a deep breath, reach over, and put my hand on Dex’s denim-clad thigh.

I’m alive.

And it’s never felt so good.

“Where were you, Mama?” Clover asks, her strawberry-scented hair filling my nostrils. I kiss the top of her head, patting her gently on the back. “I had to go away for work, sweetie. I’m so sorry I didn’t call you, but it was very important, okay? I don’t want you to worry. I’m here now.”

I look to my left, where Asher is asleep on my arm.

This.

This is all I wanted to be able to do again. When people say it’s the small things in life, they mean this. Lying here in bed, my children with me, my husband cooking me something to eat—nothing can be better. Nothing. Being kidnapped really puts things into perspective.

“How could I not worry when I didn’t know where you were?” My daughter huffs, laying her cheek on my stomach.

“I’m here now, Clover,” I say softly, kissing Asher’s downy cheek.

“I’m glad,” she continues. “Everyone was worried, even though they tried to hide it. They were scared, and it made me be scared.”

My breath hitches.

Children miss nothing. It’s a little frightening at times, and very hard when all you want to do is protect them.

“You have no reason to be scared,” I assure her. “Everyone here would do anything to protect you and your brother. And Cara and Rhett. You’re so loved, Clover.”

“I know,” she says, sounding like her usual happy self. “I feel loved, and I feel safe. I was just missing you.”

I smile.

I win at this whole parenting thing.

“I almost lost you,” Dex says, closing our bedroom door. “Do you know what that feels like? The possibility of having to live without someone you love more than yourself?”

“Dex,” I say gently, sitting up onto the edge of the bed and opening my arms to him. After some food, a shower, time with my kids, and antiseptic lotion on my raw wrists, I’m feeling human again.

After being fussed over by the women, some of them even breaking down in tears, it feels good to just be at home with Dex and the kids. They’re now fast asleep, leaving Dex and me to talk about everything that happened. We try not to go to bed angry, or when there are unresolved feelings between us. And after what just happened? Yeah—we need to have a long chat. He drops to his knees and rests his head on my chest, his arms wrapped around me tightly like he never wants to let go, and I never want him to. We stay like that for a few moments in peaceful silence, until he finally speaks.

“Why did you shoot him?” he asks.

“I didn’t want you to have it on your conscience.”

“But it’s okay that it’s now on yours?”

I kiss his stubbled cheek. “He’s not my brother.”

“He’s your ex-boyfriend,” he reminds me, as if I’ve forgotten.

“I know, but that feels like a lifetime ago. When I saw him, I only thought of him as your brother. Besides, it’s not like I killed him.”

I was going to, not going to lie. But I didn’t deliver a kill shot in the end; I moved the gun lower, away from his head, and got him in the chest.

“I saw you lower the gun at the last second,” he admits.

“And?” I ask, wondering if I made the right call. What will happen to Eric now? Is he just going to come back and try to kill Dex again? Because then we may as well have just put him out of his misery. I don’t want to deal with something like this again. I don’t want to have to watch our backs, even though that’s ingrained in us already. The Kings are leaving town, so that neutralizes one threat. Eric is all that’s left.

“And I’m glad you made the call so I didn’t have to,” he admits, sighing. “I’d have killed him, Faye, and I don’t know how I’d have lived with that for the rest of my life. He may be a fuckin’ disgrace, but I keep thinking about what Mom would think if she knew. She’d be turning in her grave.”

“What’s going to happen with Eric now?” I ask, considering he was left in the warehouse, injured. He was definitely in need of medical attention. “Maybe he’ll leave with the Kings, but if he does, then he’ll definitely be back one day, Dex. You know that, right? And next time we might not be so lucky. He’s no match for us, but never underestimate the power of hate. It’s a strong emotion. It will tear him up inside until he’s desperate and will stop at nothing until he destroys you.”

“I’ll handle it somehow,” he says, lifting his head and kissing my lips.

“The worst thing is, he didn’t even give me anything to eat. Like, how fucking mean! He knows how much I love food, and the least he could have done is—”

He cuts off my ridiculous rant with his mouth on mine, pushing me back on the bed, his weight on top of me. The kiss deepens, his tongue against mine, my hands running down his bare back. My fingers run over his dragon tattoo. I can feel the slightly raised indents from the ink. His kiss is passionate and hungry. I can’t get close enough to him; I want him to be inside me.

“Dex,” I whisper against his lips, moaning as he moves his head down and gently bites a nipple through my T-shirt. “I want my skin against yours.”

He moves back and pulls me up, lifting off my T-shirt. I’m not wearing a bra, and the cool air hits my chest. Dex leans me back on the mattress, his chest pressed against my breasts, my nipples pebbling like they recognize him. I look into his beautiful blue eyes, and what I see there has me feeling like the luckiest woman on the planet. He loves me, like he said, more than himself. I’m a part of him. I’m his world. He only has eyes for me. How lucky I am to have such loyalty, not just from him, but from everyone in the club. Yes, I was kidnapped, held at gunpoint. Slapped across the face. But I knew the whole time that people were coming for me. I had no doubt. There are other people who don’t have anyone coming for them in any situation, people who only have themselves to rely on. Yes, they probably have a less likely chance of being kidnapped, but they don’t have an entire club running to their defense either.

“Hey,” Dex says, kissing my neck. “Stop thinking so much. You’re here. You’re safe. I’d have gone to hell and back to save you, Faye. Now let me fuck you, because I need to be inside you more than anything.”

“I love you, Dex.”

He looks up from between my breasts. “I love you too, fairy.”

I lay my head back, flat against the bed, close my eyes and smile.

Time to stop thinking, and feel.

ELEVEN

Faye

“HOW are your wrists feeling?” Dex asks, rubbing them gently.

“They’re okay,” I reply, snuggling up to him. “I’m fine, Dex. You don’t have to keep looking at me like I’m going to explode at any minute.”

He touches my lip, which is now barely noticeable, just a cut. “Fuckin’ bastard.”

“Dead bastard,” I remind him.

He nods, absently running his fingers down my bare back. “Yeah, he whispered something to him, looked him in the eye, and pulled the trigger.”

“Talon is savage,” I say, eyes going wide. “He’s pretty ruthless, hey?”

“Coming from someone who beat the shit out of Slice, then shot my brother in the chest?”

I roll my eyes. “I maimed, I didn’t kill.”

“Mmmmm,” he murmurs, kissing my nape, sending shivers up my spine. “You were smart. You stayed alive.”

“Are you saying that I win at being a biker’s old lady?” I tease, rolling over and kissing his lips. “When you have so much to lose, you’re going to fight, Dex. Anyone would. I’m not leaving my family. You’re going to be stuck with me for a long-ass time, don’t you worry.”

There’s a knock at the door, so I quickly throw on some clothes while Dex answers it.

“Faye,” he calls out, so I wander into the living room to see who is here. I stop in my tracks when I see them.

Arrow. Tracker. Irish. Rake. Vinnie. Talon. Ranger.

They stand in a line.

“Hey,” I say, scanning each of their faces. “What’s going on?”

“This is an intervention,” Rake says, crossing his arms over his chest.

I raise a brow. What did I do now? “I haven’t cleaned your rooms since I was pregnant. And whatever I did do, I get a pass because I was just kidnapped.”

Tracker grins, then says, “Faye, come here.”

I close the space between us, and he pulls me into his arms. “Don’t fuckin’ disappear on us again, you hear me?”

I nod against his hard chest. “It’s not like I did it on purpose.”

I hug them each in turn, then smile as I look them over. “You guys came here just to give me a hug disguised as an intervention?”

“We’re just happy you’re okay,” Irish says, smiling at me. “This club would crumble without you, Faye, and you know it.”

I do know it, but I try to be modest.

“That’s not true. You guys did fine before I got here, and you’ll do fine if something ever happens to me. Now do any of you want something to drink? Coffee?”

Asher wakes up and starts crying, and Arrow of all people mutters, “I’ll get him,” then disappears.

Look at them.

Muscled, tattooed, badass men, but all with good hearts.

Arrow returns with Asher in his arms, and I head into the kitchen to get everyone something to drink and eat. Dex follows me inside and wraps me in his arms from behind, nuzzling my neck.

“Those men would die for you, in an instant.”

I turn around and look him in the eye. “And I’d do the same for them.”

“I know.”

My expression gentles, and I lift my hand and cup his cheek. “I love you, Dexter Black.”

He lifts me onto the counter and kisses me softly. The kiss is gentle, sweet. Rake walks into the kitchen, ignoring us sitting here and staring into each other’s eyes, and opens the fridge. He pulls out a bag of green grapes, closes the fridge, and turns to watch us, crunching them in his mouth.

“Are you two gonna fuck here? Because we can leave.”

“Can you?” I ask him, smirking. “Looks like you’re going to sit there and watch, shoving grapes into your mouth.”

He throws a grape, just as Dex moves aside, so it hits me right in the face. I narrow my eyes at him. “I was just kidnapped, and this is how you treat me?”

“How long are you gonna play the kidnapping card?” he asks, chuckling and popping another grape in his mouth.

“Probably forever.”

“Noted.”

Dex kisses me again, then exits the kitchen, mock-punching Rake on the way out. Rake comes up to me and rests his head on my shoulder. “You know if they killed you, I don’t know what would’ve happened to Dex. You make him so fuckin’ happy, Faye. It’s so amazing to see, even after all of these years.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Except to make us food? Because I’m hungry and you’re just sitting here.”

I purse my lips and gently push him off me, then loudly say, “I was just kidnapped, and this is how you treat me?”

“Does anyone else feel like a skank when we play Never Have I Ever?” Tia asks, drinking from her cup. In celebration of me being alive, we’re having a gathering at the clubhouse, and we’re playing a version of the game we call Circle of Death. It’s probably our favorite drinking game, and we’ll find any excuse to play.

“Never have I ever had a threesome,” I say, then glance around the table. Whoever drinks has had a threesome before, and I’m curious to see who. Yes, this game is personal and invasive, and you learn things about one another that you probably never wanted to know. When Tia and Lana drink, I stand up with my mouth wide open. “Lana! Oh my god!”

She covers her face with her hands and tells us to shut up.

“Tracker is such a lucky man,” I say, laughing. I look at Bailey. “Not going to lie, kind of expected you to have had one with Rake. Thought he might have corrupted you by now.”

“Rake’s had enough of that to last him a lifetime, I think,” Bailey says in a dry tone, but I don’t miss the amusement dancing in her eyes. I raise my hand and give Tia a high five. “You’ll have to tell me the details later,” I tell her, then lower my voice. “I’m assuming it wasn’t with Talon?”

She shakes her head, cringing a little. “Another story for another day.”

I love Tia. I’m so glad Bailey brought her into our lives.

It’s Anna’s turn next, and when she picks up a card and mutters, “Fuck,” I grin.

“What is it?”

She puts the card down, and it’s a king.

Everyone starts laughing and cheering. All night we’ve been pouring from our drinks into one cup in the center of the table, and whoever pulled the last king would have to drink it. Anna eyes the cup filled with a mix of vodka, beer, and wine with distaste, but like a true champion, she picks it up and brings it to her nose. “It smells so bad,” she says, before starting to pound it. We all cheer until she’s done, putting the now-empty cup back on the table. She quickly chases it down with her own drink, making a face of disgust. “I’m going to throw up tonight, I just know it.”

“Meh, we’ve all been there,” I say, grinning. I lift my glass in the air. “To not being kidnapped anymore!”

We clink our glasses.

Dex walks into the room with Asher in his arms, eyeing all of us and the mess of cans, bottles, and snacks on the table. He sighs and walks back out of the room. I don’t know why, but that just makes us laugh harder.

After having our ladies’ night last night, we encourage the men to have a little fun while we have a movie night with the kids. Unlike us, who wasted our night on alcohol and food, the men all decide to go on a ride together, which I think sounds really nice. I’m making Asher a bottle in the kitchen when Ranger walks in.

“Hey,” I say to him, as he opens the cupboard and peers inside. “You hungry? There’s some quiche and homemade sausage rolls in the oven.”

He pauses and smiles at me. “Thanks.”

There’s something about Ranger. I just have a feeling that he’s not happy here. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know him well enough to butt in and offer my advice. What I do tell him though is, “Hey, if you ever need anyone to talk to, or vent to, I’m here. Just between us. No judgment.”

It must be such a change for him. Talon has Tia and Shayla, and he knows Bailey too, but I think Ranger only knows Shayla, and he doesn’t have a woman. Everyone is coupled up here, so maybe he feels a little left out. I imagine the Wild Men clubhouse is a lot different from ours, at least from what I’ve heard from Anna and Bailey after their little expedition there. It would be a big change, and not everyone likes change.

Ranger studies me, then opens the oven and grabs a quiche. I step closer to him and look up, way up, because the man is super tall. I like how he wears his dark hair tied at his nape. Kind of reminds me of Tracker’s hair before he started rocking the man bun.

“I’m fine,” Ranger says, taking a bite out of his quiche.

I stare at him, blinking slowly. “Did you just crumb in my hair?”

He puts his hand on top of my head and dusts it, lip twitching.

“You totally crumbed in my hair,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest and sighing. “It must have fallen like ten feet from your mouth to my head too.”

He laughs now, chest shaking. “I have good aim.”

I grin. “Tonight’s your first ride as a Wind Dragon, hey?”

He nods, more crumbs flying down, but this time I take a step backward. “I hear you’re super smart.”

“And where did you hear that?”

“Around.”

“I’m just a big, dumb biker, Faye,” he says as he licks his fingers, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“And I’m just a woman,” I reply, winking.

He throws his head back and laughs. “Anyone who thinks you’re just a woman is stupid. You remind me of that woman from Vikings, you know, the TV series?”

“Lagertha?” I ask, eyes going wide as saucers. I love Lagertha. She’s my fucking hero, and if that’s who he’s talking about, Ranger is going to be my new best friend.

“Yeah,” he says, smiling. “You watch the show, huh? She’s badass. Totally you.”

I step closer to him again. Fuck the crumbs. “I’m going to hug you now.”

“Okaaaaay,” he says, watching me while I wrap my arms around him. He pats my back awkwardly, with fingers he just licked, but I don’t even care. “So call you Lagertha to get in your good books. Noted.”

“See,” I say. “You are smart.”

“We’re all smart in different ways.”

“But you’re smart in the ways that count,” I joke, pulling back and letting go of him. “And you have several degrees. Don’t tell Lana that; she’ll use you like an encyclopedia for her books.”

“And you?”

“And me what?” I ask, leaning back against the counter.

“What will you use me for?”

A strange question to ask, but one that tells me a lot. Does everyone want something from Ranger? Why does he feel like that? Maybe everyone wants to pick his brain. Maybe he’s one of those people who’s good at everything. Those people always get tired of being asked to do this or that just because they will do a good job of it.

“Compliments comparing me to my fictional hero?” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

It works, going by his easy smile.

The bad thing is, I kind of was thinking of asking him for a favor. The type of cases I’ve been working on for the feds recently . . . Well, let’s just say I could use his mind. Guess I won’t be asking him though. I don’t want him to feel shitty about it, or do it because he thinks he has to. I’ve never had one of the men not willing to help me though—I guess I’m kind of spoiled that way. Arrow walks into the kitchen, and Ranger takes the opportunity to leave. When Arrow sits down and looks at me, I realize he wants to talk.

“When are you going to surprise Anna?” I ask him, taking the seat next to him.

“You think with everything that’s happened I’ve had time to think about that?” he rumbles in that gruff tone of his. “I’m just happy you’re fuckin’ okay. Let’s let that settle in before I spoil Anna and give her a date she’s never going to forget.”

“Someone sounds confident,” I tease, nudging him. “That’s the spirit.”

He makes a sound in his throat, then stands. “We’re leaving now. Stay out of fuckin’ trouble while we’re gone.”

“I will,” I say, smirking. “What trouble can I possibly get into? We’re not leaving the clubhouse, and the kids are with us.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something,” he mutters, exiting the room. When he’s at the door he turns and says, “By the way, you have what looks like quiche in your hair,” then leaves. Speaking of quiche, I dust my hair off, then open the oven and pull one out, taking a huge bite. I’m a little jealous I won’t be going on the ride tonight, but the men should have their bonding time, or whatever they want to call it. Maybe I’ll ask Dex to take me on a ride tomorrow.

Just the two of us.

Maybe we can fuck on his bike afterward.

“Why are you making your sex face?” Dex asks as he wanders in, taking the rest of the quiche from my hands and popping it into his mouth. “Ohhh,” he groans. “That’s why. These are amazing.”

“Well, yes they are, but I was thinking about us going for a ride tomorrow and then fucking on your bike somewhere.”

He stills, smiles, then pulls me up against him. “That sounds fuckin’ perfect. How did I get so lucky?”

A quick kiss, and then he’s gone.

Lucky indeed.

I’m like Lagertha.

TWELVE

Faye

“DID you pin Steph down yet?” I ask Ronan as we watch the kids play outside the next day. “Maybe you should knock her up. Then she’d have to stay.”

When he looks like he’s actually considering it, I feel the need to add, “Ronan, that was a joke.”

“I don’t know what her deal is,” he says, glancing at me. “Maybe all of this is too much for her, you know? When she heard you were missing, she freaked out. She was probably imagining herself being next.”

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t have told her that,” I say, sighing. “You have to ease her into the crazy, Ronan; you can’t just dump it on her. That’s overwhelming for anyone.”

“Ease her into the crazy? Where do you come up with this shit?” he asks, laughing. “Fuck, but you’re right. Definitely should have eased her in. I guess it was too much for her to handle. This life isn’t for everyone.”

“If you break up, do you want me to beat her up?”

“Is that a joke too?”

“Do you want it to be?” I ask, grinning.

He laughs and shakes his head. “Maybe she’ll come around? Who knows.”

“Do you want her?” I find myself asking him. “I mean really want her? As your old lady, forever, no-other-woman-will-ever-do want her?”

“Fuck. Pressure much?”

“Yes or no, Ronan. Say the first thing that comes to your head.”

“That’s terrible advice,” he grumbles. “That’s going with your head over your heart.”

“Well?” I fire back.

“Yes,” he says softly, so softly I almost don’t hear it.

“Really?” I say, surprised. I make a mental note to have a talk with Steph when I see her next, just to see where her head is at. I do like her. I think she would fit in with us too, so I wonder why she’s giving Ronan the hot-and-cold treatment.

“Mama, look at this!” Clover yells, spinning the hula hoop around her hips. She’s actually really great at it, surprising even me.

“You’re so good,” I call out to her, then cheer Cara on as she does the same. Little champions, the both of them. Rhett walks over to supervise but doesn’t join in on the fun. Maybe it’s too girlie for him. Do boys hula hoop? I’m sure they can. Genders should have no boundaries. I look at Ranger, who just sat down in the seat next to me. “Can you hula hoop?”

He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “The fuck?”

“Come on, I bet that I’m better than you at it,” I say, standing up.

“I should hope so,” he mutters, but also stands and follows me to the grass where the kids are playing.

I take one of the hoops from the ground, a pink one with green stripes, and step into it, lifting it around my hips, then moving them in a circular motion. I haven’t done this since I was a little kid, and it actually feels fun. Free.

“Come on, Ranger!”

Ranger looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, then just walks away. I smile though when I see Dex watching me, leaning against the wall, a look on his face that I’ll never tire of seeing. When a man looks at you like Dex looks at me, you feel like there’s nothing you can’t do. And in his eyes, there probably isn’t.

“Daddy, look how good she is!” Clover, always my biggest fan, beams. Dex approaches, grabs the hoop, and uses it to bring me closer to him.

“Do you know how beautiful you look right now?” Dex murmurs.

“Yes,” I reply, winking at him. The hoop falls to the floor, and he takes my hand, then looks at the children. “Cara and Rhett, your mothers are looking for you. Time for us to go home.”

They make sounds of protest, but all follow us inside.

“I’m not getting you ice cream just because you were kidnapped last week,” Vinnie says, running a hand over his head.

“Are you saying me almost being killed is last week’s news? Because that is just plain rude, Wolf.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he replies, smirking. We’re watching TV together, but not really paying any attention to it.

I throw a pillow at his face. “I remember when you used to take me for ice cream all the time.”

“Because I was babysitting you and had no choice.”

“You’re mean,” I say with a sigh, being dramatic, as usual.

“I know.”

“I don’t like you anymore.”

“Yes, you do,” he replies, sounding confident.

The jerk.

Ronan walks in and sits down on the couch. “What are you two arguing over now?”

“Ice cream and kidnappings,” Vinnie says, flicking the channel.

I ignore him and glance at Ronan instead. “I’m having lunch with Steph tomorrow. She messaged me to catch up, so I thought it would be a good chance to have a little chat with her.”

“So she messages you and not me? Just fuckin’ great.”

“Have you been messaging her?”

He nods.

“And calling her?”

He nods again.

“Ronan, surely by now you know the way to keep a woman interested is to ignore her?” I say, scrunching up my nose. “Don’t men learn these things?”

“So, what? You’re saying not to contact her at all? Won’t she think I’m not interested then?”

“She’ll question your interest, which will pique hers,” I try to explain. I glance at my watch and jump up from the couch. “Fuck, I’m supposed to be at work in ten minutes.”

When I say work, everyone assumes I mean the law firm, but I’m actually working on a new case with the feds. A woman has gone missing, and I’m going to do everything I can to find out what happened to her. I don’t know why they asked me to help with this case, but I’m thinking there must be biker ties, or something like that, for them to want me. Lines in my career are being crossed right now. The feds started off wanting me because of my skills as a lawyer, but now my curiosity is pulling me toward the investigative side of the cases. When a woman is missing, how could I not do everything I can to help find her? I say bye to the men and get in my car.

Time to be badass.

“Dude, this is delicious,” I tell Steph, practically inhaling the dessert. I look at Shayla, who also joined us for lunch. “You should have ordered what I ordered.”

“I know,” she says, pushing her dark hair back behind her ear. “Dammit. Yours looks way better than mine.”

“This is my go-to café,” Steph says, taking a sip from her milk shake. “I come here at least once a week.”

“We haven’t seen you at the clubhouse in ages,” I say, not so smoothly. I just want to know where her head is at. If she isn’t into Ronan at all, then the man needs to move on. Maybe I’ll throw him a moving-on party at Toxic.

“Honestly, after I heard you were”—she glances around and lowers her voice dramatically—“kidnapped, I knew it wasn’t the place for me.”

“You were pulling away before the kidnapping though,” I point out. “And, honey, no offense, but if you want to stay out of this world, we can’t be having lunch together or be seen out in public. It’s the same as being one of us. People will just assume.”

It happened before with Bailey. She was threatened even before she was back with Rake, just for being our friend.

Steph looks down at her food, and I feel like there might be more going on than she wants to let on. I decide to change the subject for now. “So if you don’t have any intention of seeing Ronan again, why did you want to have lunch?”

If she’s not with Ronan, I doubt we’ll end up keeping in touch. Sad but realistic. I have so many amazing women in my life. I don’t really need more. The only reason I got to know Steph was because of Ronan, and yes, I think she’s a lovely girl, but so what? My loyalty isn’t with her; it’s with Ronan and the club.

“I liked hanging out with you and the girls,” she says, shrugging. “I’ve never met a group of women so close, and . . .”

And she wanted to be a part of it.

The Wind Dragons sisterhood obviously isn’t something just anyone can be a part of. Steph got a taste of it because she was dating Ronan, but now she wants to keep us and not him.

Awkward.

I look to Shayla for help, but she just shrugs. Dammit, I should have brought Tia or Anna with me; they’d back me up.

“So it’s definitely not going to happen with you and Ronan?”

“I don’t know,” she says, ducking her head. “I need to meet up with him, have a good chat with him in person.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” I say, even though I can tell by the way she’s acting that she’s just not that into him anymore. I feel like there’s something she’s hiding though, and it has me curious.

Maybe she met someone new?

Either way, I think it’s time to throw Ronan that party.

THIRTEEN

Faye

“THE Kings clubhouse is abandoned,” Dex says when we’re in bed that night. “They’ve bailed. Bunch of pussies.”

I roll my eyes. “You didn’t give them much of a choice. Life or death. If they stayed we’d be at war, like the old days with the Wild Men. No one needs that shit.”

Dex rolls me over onto my back, pinning me to the bed. “Now we just have to deal with Eric. He’s out of the hospital and back at Mom’s old house.”

“He didn’t leave with the Kings?”

“Nope,” Dex says, pressing his soft lips against mine. “I guess they didn’t want him.”

Ouch, that has to hurt. Eric has pretty much lost everything, and he obviously isn’t in a good place. He’s a liability, but at the same time, we can’t just kill him. I don’t know how to handle the Eric situation, to be honest. Why can’t he just move away? It would make our lives much easier. Classic Eric—always a selfish prick.

“So now what? We let him plot our death, like sitting ducks?”

“I don’t know,” Dex says into my neck, his sweet breath sending shivers up my spine. “He clearly needs help, but he’s not going to listen to me.”

“A mental institution?”

Dex chuckles, running his nose along the column of my throat. “No, I don’t know. Something. He’s obviously not right, and in a bad way. We’ve been thinking life or death with him too, but surely there’s a middle ground. Maybe he needs to talk to a professional.”

“About how he kidnapped his sister-in-law for bait so he could kill his own brother?”

“Exactly. I’ll handle it, Faye. Don’t you worry about it.”

“Look at this new, mature Dex. Asking questions first, killing second,” I tease, squeezing his ass. “Are you gonna fuck me or what?”

“Demanding.”

“More like needy. You’ve had your mouth on my neck this whole time. Do you know how horny I am right now?”

“Let me see how wet you are,” he growls, running his fingers down my stomach, over my belly button, then to the folds of my pussy. He gently slides a finger inside, then groans, latching onto a nipple with his mouth at the same time. He does this thing where he hooks his finger inside of me, and it feels so fucking good; however, like I said, I’m feeling so needy right now and I want more. I spread my thighs, giving him an open invitation. He chuckles against my nipple, lifting his head, and stares at me for a few seconds. Then he rolls me over onto my stomach, lifts my knees up, and slides into me from behind in one smooth thrust.

“Yes,” I moan, pushing back against him.

This is just what I want right now.

Fast and rough.

Passionate.

Dex grips my hips and starts to fuck me.

Hard.

He slaps my ass, bringing a muttered curse from my lips, then uses the same hand to reach between us to play with my clit. I bring my hands up to my nipples, pinching them gently. Everything feels so fucking good. This is my favorite position, and with Dex’s expert fingers on my clit and my fingers on my nipples, it’s only a short time until I have an amazing orgasm.

“Dex,” I say as he suddenly stops, turns my head to the side, and kisses me, sucking on my bottom lip before pulling away.

“Fuck, you are so beautiful,” he says in a thick, gravelly tone. “I will never stop wanting you, Faye, ever.”

He continues to work me, and I bite down on the pillow as I come, my hips almost jerking with the intensity of the orgasm that hits me. Waves of pleasure take over my very soul, transporting me to another place. A very fucking happy place. My knees are shaky, and when I come back to myself, Dex has to put a hand on my stomach to hold me up and keep me in place. He comes shortly after, leaning over me and kissing the back of my neck. Even just the way he holds me, so possessively; yet he cherishes me at the same time. It’s an addictive mix. I fall to the mattress, with Dex on top of me, bracing his weight on his arms so he doesn’t squash me. His cock is against my thigh, and I can feel that it’s still a little hard. The man is a machine.

“Dex?”

“Yeah, babe.”

“I breathe you.”

I hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I breathe you too, babe.”

“Why exactly are you throwing me a party?” Ronan asks, glancing at all the strippers walking past him in Toxic. “Do the women know where all their husbands are right now?”

I wave my hand in the air. “My husband is here and I’m fine.”

“Yeah, because you can keep an eye on him,” he replies, voice laced with amusement. “I’m assuming this means that your talk with Steph didn’t go well?”

“It’s not me, it’s you,” I blurt out, which is the truth. Steph likes me, but apparently isn’t so keen on Ronan anymore. You can’t exactly say that to a man, but what you can do is distract one.

Men like distractions.

“What?”

“What?” I mimic, pointing at one of the women on a pole. “Oh look. Boobs.”

It works; he looks.

Phew.

I leave Ronan to get his ogle on and go sit next to Tracker and Rake. “Hey.”

“You said there’d be candy here,” Rake says, rubbing his hand on his stomach. “I don’t see any fuckin’ candy. Or any food for that matter. You got me here under false pretenses.”

“Rake,” I say, covering my face with my hands. “I said there would be eye candy here. Not actual candy.”

Tracker starts laughing and wraps his arm around me. “Friends that watch strippers together, stay together.”

“Is that why you and Rake have been friends for so long?”

“Are you getting Ronan a lap dance? He looks bored,” Tracker says, glancing over my head. “He’s pulling out his phone. Probably texting Steph.”

“She must have vodka-flavored nipples, I swear,” I grumble. “And we need some male strippers here.”

“Why? So you women can have ladies’ night and perve on soft dick?” Rake smirks, pulling a chocolate bar out of his jeans pocket.

“That’s exactly why,” I say, reaching out my hand. “And I want some of that.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I was kidnapped.”

“Don’t worry, they would have returned you soon enough,” Tracker adds, chuckling.

“Well,” I say, nose in the air. “I’m glad we’re at the point where we can laugh and joke about it. All of you crying over me was getting old.”

We all share a grin.

Rake gives me some of his chocolate bar, then we turn and watch boobs.

I get Ronan a lap dance, but he doesn’t seem interested. I don’t like seeing any of the men unhappy.

Plan one might have failed, but I always have a backup plan.

I duck my head in the car, hiding as I see him leaving her house. I can’t believe my eyes. I wait until he’s gone, then get out and walk up the pathway to her front door. I’d come to Steph’s house with cupcakes, hoping to surprise her and maybe talk about whatever she’s hiding that is stopping her from being with Ronan, but then I saw him leaving her house. It seems this is a little closer to home than we thought. I knock on her door, but when I find it open, I decide to just walk in. She comes out of her room in the middle of redressing herself, her eyes widening in shock as she sees me.

“Faye, what are you doing here?” she asks, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Well, you said you loved girl time, so I brought you some cupcakes as a surprise,” I tell her, picking one out of the box in my left hand and showing her the delicious pink icing on vanilla.

“Oh,” she says, looking uncomfortable. “Now isn’t really a good time.”

I throw the cupcake at her face, and it hits her right between the eyes. “What the fuck? Faye?”

“What a waste of a cupcake,” I murmur, getting out another one, but this time taking a huge bite out of it. “Now, Steph, you are going to sit the fuck down and tell me the truth about why Eric Black was just leaving your house.”

She wipes the icing off her face and sits. She looks anywhere except at me. She exhales, and then inhales. I finish the cupcake, waiting for her to explain what exactly her game is. We brought this bitch into our clubhouse, we treated her like family, and the whole time she was possibly here as a spy for Eric.

“How do you know Eric?” she asks quietly.

I pause, studying her. Does she really not know? What if she’s actually innocent? Maybe I should stop my mental plans on beating the shit out of her until I figure that out.

“How do you know him?” I ask, flashing her a look that dares her to do anything except answer my question.

“I only just met him,” she says, a dreamy smile on her face. “He’s so different from any man I’ve met before. I know you want me with Ronan, but I just don’t feel like I do when I’m with Eric. I’m sorry, Faye. I know it makes me a bad person, but I’m just following my heart.”

I think over all the new information. “Did Eric encourage you to go out for lunch with me?”

She tilts her head to the side, like a cute German shepherd puppy, and nods. “He said I should have more girlfriends and that you sounded nice. He suggested I go to the clubhouse, because it would be good for me to have strong women as friends.”

“I see,” I whisper, putting the box on the table and wondering what the best way to handle this situation is. I decide to go for full honesty.

“Here’s the thing, Steph. Eric isn’t who you think he is.”

“What do you mean?” she asks skeptically, brow furrowing.

“He’s Sin’s brother,” I say, pausing, and then deciding to clarify. “Sin, as in my husband and the Wind Dragons’ president.” She’s met him before, but I don’t think she’s the sharpest tool in the shed. “Eric is the one who orchestrated my kidnapping.”

I pause again, this time just for some dramatic flair. “You’re fucking my enemy, Steph.”

And my ex-boyfriend, but she doesn’t need to know that. “Do you know what that makes you?”

“What?” she whispers, looking shocked.

“Well, besides stupid, it also makes you my enemy. And that’s not a position I’d advise you to take. How did he explain being shot?”

“He said he was shot at work. His store was held up,” she says, looking miserable and on the verge of tears. “Oh my god, how stupid am I? He even told me I should plan a get-together with all of my friends at my house. Do you think he wanted to try and hurt you again? I’m so fucking sorry, Faye. I didn’t know, I swear.”

A great actress, or just a dumb girl believing anything a man tells her?

Either way, a little threatening couldn’t hurt. “When are you seeing him next?”

“We have dinner plans tomorrow night,” she says, swallowing hard, her lower lip trembling. “I ended things with Ronan over a psychotic kidnapper? I really know how to pick them.”

“Karma,” I mutter, stepping forward and pulling her up by the front of her T-shirt. “You don’t want to fuck with me, Steph. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“Only that he’s behind you,” she whispers, looking over my shoulder. I let go of her and spin. Eric is standing at the door, watching us quietly. How did I not hear him? Probably because of all the loud fury blazing around my head.

“Eric.”

“Faye.”

“Picking up women you know are friends with the club. Who knew you had it in you,” I say, smirking at him.

“I got you once, didn’t I?” he fires back, making me cringe.

“I was young and stupid. I’m allowed to make one mistake in my life, right?”

“That mistake would be fucking Dex after we broke up, not being with me,” he says, looking at Steph. “I like you. Don’t listen to anything she’s said. She just hates me because I cheated on her years ago.” He brings his eyes back to me, then adds, “Don’t you think it’s time to let it go, Faye?”

It hits me.

“You’re never going to stop, are you? Stupid plan after fucking stupid plan, you’re making it your life goal to hate people who don’t even spare you a second thought because we’re too busy being happy. Or maybe that is why you hate us. Feeling a little left out, Eric? Like you’re a nobody? That’s probably because you are.”

He takes a step forward but stops. He probably remembers what happened the last time he tried to fuck with me. “I let you live, Eric.”

“And that’s your weakness,” he sneers, gritting his teeth. “And I’ll use it against you, over and over again. You can’t kill me, Faye, and neither can Dex. But I have no problem taking the two of you out. I have nothing to lose, and the two of you have everything. Guess who has the upper hand here?”

Is he on drugs? I feel like he might be.

“I don’t understand why you hate us so much, Eric,” I say, pursing my lips. “I get it, you lost your mom, but so did Dex. Yes, you were closer to her, but she was his mom too. I know the two of you never really got along, but you’re still brothers. That should mean something.”

“Didn’t care he was my brother when he stole my girlfriend,” he snarls, gritting his teeth.

In this moment, I realize something in Eric has snapped. I don’t know what he’s been through, but he’s not in a mentally stable place, and somehow he’s decided that we’re the cause of his misfortune. Maybe because from the outside it seems like we do have everything—family, power, each other. What does Eric have? Nothing worth anything, as far as I can see. I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t think I can. This has nothing to do with us. These issues are his, and I’ve had enough of him trying to make them ours.

I decide to knock him out and take him home for Dex to deal with. I don’t want to kill him in Steph’s house, and to be frank, I don’t want to deal with this shit right now. I came here to be a good wing woman to Ronan—the last single man in the MC besides Ranger—and ended up in this situation.

I swear this shit only happens to me.

“I’m going home,” I announce, walking toward the door. When I pass him, he steps away, but I grab his head and smash it into the wall. Steph screams. I ignore her. One punch to the back of Eric’s head and he crumples to the ground.

Casual as ever, I turn to Steph and say, “Can you help me carry him to the car?”

Dex stares at his brother, then scrubs a hand down his face. “Tell me again, Faye, exactly how this happened?”

“He was starting some new diabolical plan! Getting Steph to infiltrate the squad, then he was going to use her for information and shit. He was at her house. I was at her house. I knocked him out and brought him here for you to deal with. But to be honest, it’s a lost cause. I think I should put him in jail. It’s the only way.”

“And what exactly are you going to pin on him? Your own kidnapping that you never reported?”

“I’ll pin something on him, don’t you worry,” I murmur, looking down at Eric in disgust. “How could Steph choose him over Ronan?”

“You know Eric; he can be charming if he wants to be. He probably gave her attention and compliments and all that other shit women love.”

“Dexter Black, romantic of the year,” I grumble.

Arrow and Irish walk into the room, and Irish whistles. “What have you gone and done, Faye?”

“Just a little fishing,” I reply, pushing my hair out of my face. “Caught myself something. But now it’s the men’s job to figure out what to do with it.” I dust off my hands. “I’m going to have a shower, then cuddle in bed with my kids. Good night.”

I go and do just that.

Let them solve the fuckup that is Eric Black.

FOURTEEN

Faye

“I DON’T wanna go on a fuckin’ blind date,” Ronan growls, moody, as you would be if you found out a girl chose Eric over you. “If I wanted a woman, I’d go out and get one. Do I look like I need your help?”

“She’s a babe.”

“Don’t care.”

“She’s a gymnast,” I add, winking at him. “Very flexible.”

She isn’t really, but he doesn’t need to know that until he’s on a date with her. He stares at me a moment, sighs, then leaves the room. “Forget Steph! She’s stupid!”

“Smooth,” Arrow says, grinning.

“Shut up.”

“I had my date last night.”

“And?”

He just smiles in reply.

“Good work, Arrow,” I say, planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek, which he wipes. “I’m sure Anna can’t walk right today.”

He shakes his head at me. “Thanks for the ideas.”

“What are friends for if not to help them get laid and plan their sex clothes?”

“What?” he asks, looking confused.

Keep up, Arrow, keep up.

I went with Anna to Victoria’s Secret, and we picked out some cute lingerie for her to wear for Arrow. With Arrow, I helped him pick Anna’s present, a diamond bracelet with a turtle charm on it, although don’t ask me why, because I have no idea.

“Never mind. Did you do the candlelit dinner?” I ask him, genuinely interested.

He nods. “She loved it.”

“Winning.”

I lift up my fist; he bumps it.

I walk out of the kitchen, but not before saying, “Remember that time I saw your penis and thought that was why they called you Arrow? Good times, right?”

I leave before he can reply.

When I walk outside the clubhouse to see where Colt is, the next person I come across is Irish. I forgot to ask him what happened with Tina in the end, about the whole Darren thing, even though they obviously managed to make up over it. “So is Darren no longer a name we can’t mention?” I ask him. “Or is he still our very own Voldemort?”

He lifts his head from where he’s working on his bike. “We talked it out. She was pissed. Whatever you said to her, it helped though. Your mouth should be labeled as a weapon.” He pauses, cringing. “Fuck, that’s not what I meant. You have the gift of the gab, is all.”

“Maybe I kissed that rock in Ireland. What’s it called?”

“Blarney Stone,” he says, looking amused. “Yeah, maybe you did.”

“I’m glad all is well in your world, Irish,” I say, crouching down and kissing his cheek. He looks a little surprised, but then smiles back.

“You know I love you like a sister, right?”

I nod, stand, and walk back inside, bumping into Tracker. I smile up at him and ask, “How did everything go at the book signing after I left?”

He shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. “Okay, fine. I like going to them. I like the attention. Fuckin’ sue me.”

“Don’t say that to a lawyer.”

“You’re the sketchiest lawyer I’ve ever met, Faye,” he replies, blue eyes dancing with mischief.

“You’re the sketchiest book-cover model I’ve ever met.”

“True.”

“Tracker?”

“Yeah?”

I hug him. “I adore you. Always have. You know this, right?”

He places his hand on my back, then asks me softly if I’m dying.

I’m about to reply, when Rake walks up and hugs me from behind so I’m a Tracker and Rake sandwich. “What’s going on?”

“Faye’s telling everyone she loves them. I think she’s dying.”

“You haven’t told me you love me,” Rake says, sounding offended. I let go of Tracker’s waist and spin in the sandwich so I’m facing Rake and my back is to Tracker. “I love you, Rake. I’m happy you found Bailey and Cara and stopped fucking random whores.”

“I love you too, Faye,” he says, clearing his throat. “But why does it sound like you’re saying good-bye? We’re all growing old together, and we already know how much you care about us. Fuck, don’t think any woman would put up with our shit with a smile on her face. And you’re everything to us too, to this club. Ever since you walked through that door, pregnant, with that mouth on you, fate decided. You’re a Wind Dragon. Now stop this mushy shit. Let’s go get drunk before the kids get home from school.”

He steps back, freeing me. I kiss him on the cheek. Rake has his random sweet moments, and I just experienced one.

I see Vinnie later that evening, and I run over to him as he pulls up on his bike. As soon as he gets off the bike, I give him the biggest hug. I remember the first time I saw Vinnie. A prospect I remember thinking was too much of a nice guy to be in the life. I remember his bravery on the night Mary was killed. We’ve always been close, Vinnie and I. To the rest of the men, he’s Wolf, but to me, he will always be Vinnie.

“Is everything okay?” he asks, hugging me back. “Faye?”

“I was just thinking about when we first met,” I say, pulling back and smiling at him. “You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, right?”

“Faye, I know,” he says gently, kissing the top of my head. “We’re family. No, family is too tame a word for what we are.”

“We’re Wind Dragons,” I say, smiling. “Did Dex tell you about Eric?”

Dex got Eric the help he needed. He is now seeing doctors and being treated for a mental breakdown—resulting from the loss of his mom—and needs to go on meds, as well as having therapy sessions with a shrink. I don’t know what will happen from here, but I’m hoping that Eric either sorts his shit out, or never comes back. Harsh, but I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.

“That he’s getting help,” Vinnie says, nodding. “In some medical facility. Yeah, we all heard. At least you don’t have to worry about him anymore; he won’t be coming back. I don’t think they’ll let him out of there. Dex told them that he was self-harming and that’s why he was so banged up, because he kept hitting his head on walls and shit.”

My eyes widen, and I feel impressed. Dex never told me that part. “Dex can be a sneaky bastard when he wants to be.”

“Bet he learned from the best.”

I laugh at that. “He was devious before he met me, okay?”

“Not as,” he replies, then places his arm around my shoulders. “Now what has you feeling so sentimental today?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, shrugging. “It feels like the end of an era. Everyone is settled down, and we have no more enemies out to get us. We just get to enjoy now, you know? Live peacefully. Our version of peaceful anyway.”

“Yeah, Ronan and Ranger are the only bachelors, aren’t they?”

“They’ll both find women eventually.”

“Apparently with you trying to set them up on blind dates,” he says, barking out a laugh. “You don’t even have any other female friends.”

“Do too.”

“No you don’t. You probably only just met them. Fuckin’ found them on the street or in a café or something.”

“This isn’t an episode of Friends,” I mutter, making him laugh harder. “I have a life outside of these walls, you know.”

“Really? Because last month you asked me to come and talk with you while you got your nails done, because you had no one else to go with.”

“That happened, like, one time. All the girls were busy!”

He laughs loudly. “You’re fuckin’ something else.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I meant it as one.”

“How cute are we right now?” I say, stopping at the kitchen. “I have to start cooking for tonight’s dinner.”

“Do you want any help?” he asks, surprising me. “By the way, have you looked in the freezer recently?”

“No. Why?” I ask, walking over to the freezer and opening the door. Inside are two tubs of my favorite ice cream. “You got me ice cream!”

“You’re a hard woman to say no to, Faye Black,” he says, smiling and continuing down the hallway. I take out one tub and hug it against my chest, grinning.

I always get my way.

Dex walks into the kitchen, spots me hugging my ice cream with a huge smile on my face, and shakes his head, his own lips kicking up at the corners.

“All of them fuckin’ spoil you,” he says, but I can tell by his tone that he loves it.

He loves that they love me.

We could change the Wind Dragons motto: Love the woman, love the club.

EPILOGUE

Faye

NEVER did I ever think Dex would want to step down as the WDMC president, but after my kidnapping, he made his mind up, and I support him in that.

“I can’t do it,” he told me, pushing my hair back behind my ear. “That feeling in my stomach when you were gone, when I didn’t know if I’d see you again, and then having to lead the men while feeling that? I can’t do it. I need to concentrate on us. I’ve done what I can for the club, but now it’s time for me to step down.” He paused, then grinned and made a joke. “Are you still going to be hot for me if I’m not the leader?”

I rolled my eyes, knowing his alpha tendencies. The man will always be a leader in his own right. The truth is, I don’t care where Dex ends up or where he wants to go or who he wants to be. I’ll always follow. People should follow their hearts, and he is mine.

We’re still going to be in the club, of course—they’re our family, and we belong here—but Arrow is going to step up and lead us, while Dex is going to take on more of an advisory role. My man—retiring before the gray hair and beer belly set in. Well, hopefully that never happens. The gray hair I can deal with—Dex is going to be a silver fox—but I don’t think he’ll ever allow himself to get a beer belly at any age. I run my hand down his stomach, just for reassurance.

“What are you doing?” he asks me, amusement flashing in his blue depths.

“Just checking something,” I say, grinning up at him. He didn’t tell me about his plans until a few weeks after the kidnapping. He said he’d decided while I was gone, and the decision stuck. The kids and I need to be his first priority, and he said I’d put myself in enough danger over the years. To be fair though, danger usually finds me, not the other way around.

I don’t need to be the queen bee anymore, although I’ll always be badass, and I’ll always be here to help the club when they need it. Stepping down was a weight off Dex’s shoulders. Less stress, less responsibility. And if he’s happy, then I’m happy.

“You’re still going to be here to help me, right?” Anna asks me softly, her green eyes full of worry.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure her, touching her arm. “Don’t stress.”

Dex wraps me in his arms from behind, and we all watch as Arrow puts on his cut, with the new president patch on it.

It’s the end of an era, our last ride.

And the beginning of a new one.

All of us in a circle around him, we cheer.

I wrap my arms around Sin and press my cheek against his soft jacket, smelling the familiar scent of leather. My hair blowing all around my face under my helmet, I close my eyes and smile, just enjoying the feeling of being on the back of his bike.

It’s a feeling that will never get old.

I laugh and tighten my hold as we gain speed, riding off into the sunset, knowing that this is where I’m meant to be.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FIRST of all, I’d like to thank all my readers for wanting more from the WDMC world, and for Gallery books and Abby Zidle for making it a reality. Marla Daniels, a big thank you to you as well for all of your help!

To my agent, Kimberly Brower, I’m so lucky to have you! Thank you for everything you do, as always. I know I can always count on you, and I’m so grateful.

Arijana Karcic—thank you for all you do for me. You’re seriously the best and deserve the world.

Natalie Ram—Thank you for being the most versatile best friend ever, from helping me proofread to making me swag, I appreciate everything that is you. I know I can always count on you to have my back, or help me when I need you. I kind of adore you, and I don’t know how I survived before I had you by my side. You’re my one woman army, and I love you heaps.

Thank you to my parents and sisters for helping out whenever I need more writing time, I appreciate everything you do for me, and to my three sons for being patient when they know their mama has to work. I love you all so much.

FMR Book Grind, thank you for everything—I appreciate all the hard work you all do for me!

Rose Tawil, I really don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t say thank you enough for all the work you put in to support my dreams, and you never ask for anything in return. You truly are one of the best people I’ve ever met. Love you infinity.

Don't want to leave the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club yet?

Read Dex and Faye's story in Dragon's Lair, on sale now!

Dragon's Lair

Being the younger sister of a Wind Dragons MC member isn’t as great as you’d think it would be . . . will Lana ever get Tracker to notice her?

Arrow's Hell

Tracker and Lana couldn't be more different. And when they finally get together, Tracker breathes a sigh of relief that she's finally his. But life has a funny way of interfering with the best laid plans . . .

Tracker's End

ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY!

About the Author

Chantal Fernando is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club series and the Maybe series, along with several other novels. She lives in Western Australia, where she is working on her next book. Find her online at AuthorChantalFernando.com, and on Twitter and Facebook.

FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Chantal-Fernando

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The Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club Series

Dragon’s Lair

Arrow’s Hell

Tracker’s End

Dirty Ride*

Rake’s Redemption

Wild Ride *

Wolf’s Mate

*ebook only

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by Chantal Fernando

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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition November 2016

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ISBN 978-1-5011-3966-6