Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Taking a last look at the fire now raging in the night, the weight in my chest eased a little. Another job done. Another threat erased. The most important one ever.
Alanna was safe. That was all that mattered.
I mounted my Harley, making the leather on the seat creak as the engine growled to life beneath me. The sound rolled across the lot like thunder gathering over water. One by one, the others joined in until the air vibrated with it—a brotherhood of machines with one heartbeat.
Kane signaled, and we rode.
Our road captain, Axle, was at the front, while I took up the rear.
I was the last man anyone would see in their mirror—and the one nobody saw after that.
The night swallowed us whole, our tires slicing through wet pavement, exhaust smoke curling into the dark. And for the first time in weeks, the rage in me settled into something steady. Not peace exactly—men like me didn’t get that—but close enough to breathe.
22
ALANNA
The hum of conversation filled the clubhouse, but it did nothing to calm my nerves. I’d been pacing for the past twenty minutes, wearing a path into the wood floor.
“Girl, you’re gonna groove that board right through to the basement,” Savannah drawled from the couch.
“I can’t help it.” I twisted my fingers together, glancing toward the door again. “They should’ve been back by now.”
“I’m sure they will be soon.” Lark’s voice was steady, calm in the way only someone who’d survived her own chaos could manage. She was curled up in one of the leather chairs, her feet propped on a stool and one hand resting absently on her still-flat stomach. “Your brother is probably just being extra careful to make sure there are no trails that can point toward you later.”
“Yeah.” I raked my fingers through my hair with a sigh. “That could be it.”
“Or Jax and Drift could be in another fistfight,” Savannah teased. “Since it wasn’t club business, Kane told me all about how they duked it out in the sand over your honor.”
“Duked it out?” Callie echoed with a snort.
“Hey, it sounded good in my head.” Savannah giggled. “And you can’t convince me you weren’t as curious as me about the bruises on Jax and Drift’s faces when they brought Alanna to the clubhouse.”
“Fair point,” Callie muttered.
“I definitely asked Jaxton about it, but he tried to act like it was no big deal,” Lark murmured with a grin.
“I’m sure he did.” My shoulders eased a little as I sank into the chair across from Lark. “I always wanted a sister, but I got Jaxton instead.”
Lark grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Hey now, he’s not that bad. Even if he did try to smash Drift’s face in for daring to touch you.”
Savannah gave me a pointed look. “And if you’d gotten that sister back then, Lark wouldn’t be pregnant now. And you never would’ve met Drift.”
I laughed, the tension in my chest breaking for the first time all day. “Yeah, that would’ve been a damn shame.”
The low rumble of engines punctuated my words, and my heart leaped into my throat.
Lark’s hand found mine and squeezed. “Told you they’d be fine.”
I was already on my feet before the first bike shut off, running for the door. It swung open just as I got there.
Chance was the first one through. Behind him came Jaxton, Kane, Edge, and Axle. Everyone looked tired but alive.
I didn’t wait for explanations. I threw myself into Chance’s arms, the breath whooshing out of me as he caught me tight against his chest.
“It’s done,” he murmured against my hair. “You’re safe.”
The words cracked something open inside me. I nodded, unable to stop the tremor in my voice when I whispered, “Thank you.”
“Unbelievable,” Jaxton grumbled somewhere behind us. “Yet again, she doesn’t even ask if I’m okay. Just runs straight for him.”
Lark crossed the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s how it’s supposed to be when you fall for someone.”
He made a dramatic gagging sound. “Gross. Can’t we at least keep the mushy stuff out of club territory?”
That earned a round of laughter from the women and a collective shake of the head from the men. Even Kane’s mouth twitched.
I twisted in Chance’s hold to glare at my brother. “You literally had your wedding reception in this clubhouse. How is that keeping the mushy stuff out?”
“Yeah, but shit’s different when it’s your sister.” Jaxton glared at Chance. “And the man who was supposed to be your best fucking friend.”
My eyes narrowed. “I mean, there was definitely a lot of fu—”
Chance clapped his palm over my mouth, cutting off my taunt. “Quit needling your brother. He’ll come around eventually, and he just helped keep you safe.”
“It was a hell of a lot more than just helping,” Jaxton grumbled.
Kane finally took pity on me and explained, “The ring’s down. Your data’s secure. Nothing left for him to touch.”