Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 142(@300wpm)
He answered on the second ring with a flat, “Yeah.”
There were many dangerous men in the world. Kane Beckett stood in a category most of them weren’t smart enough to understand. He’d built Redline Holdings from race winnings, brutal instinct, and the kind of business sense that made millionaires look like amateurs. Then he’d built the Redline Kings into something bigger than a club.
We had legal businesses, illegal races, protection routes, land, tracks, garages, crews, and enough influence across the South that people who didn’t even like us still knew better than to ignore us. Kane was our president not just because he’d founded the club, but because he’d earned our respect long before any of us patched in. When he gave an order, men followed it knowing he’d already measured the risk, blood, and cost.
“Need to make you aware of something.”
He went quieter than usual, which was Kane’s way of telling me he was listening.
I gave him the short version, leaving out the part where my body had been hard half the damn time she was in front of me. And how something in my chest had locked down on the word mine before I knew her favorite color or how she drank her coffee.
Kane could read people better than anyone I’d ever met, and I knew no matter how hard I tried, he’d pick up enough without me handing him ammunition.
When I finished, he asked, “You’re letting a stranger stay at The Pit?”
I grunted.
“A woman?” There it was, the faint thread of amusement under his voice.
I looked back at the building, my gaze moving to the upstairs windows even though I couldn’t see her from where I sat. “She needs a place to sleep for a bit.”
“You met her a couple of hours ago, right?”
“And?”
Kane let out a low sound that was almost a laugh. “Nothing. Just wondering if I should order a property vest now or wait until tomorrow.”
“Fuck off, brother.”
This time, he did laugh. “Send her name and description to Jax. I’ll have him start a background check.”
“Will do.”
“And Gauge?”
I waited.
“If she’s in trouble, find out before it gets here.”
My grip tightened around the phone. Whatever was circling her might be dangerous, but that wasn’t the same thing as her bringing poison into my shop. “Yeah.”
Kane heard what I didn’t say. I knew he did, because his voice shifted just enough to hear his humor. “Keep your head.”
“Always do.”
“Bullshit,” he rumbled. “But I’m sure you’ll keep it long enough to get the job done.”
I huffed a laugh despite myself. “You done?”
“For now.”
“Good.”
I hung up before he could say anything else annoying, shoved the phone into my pocket, and started the bike. The engine rolled to life beneath me, vibrating through my thighs and up my spine as I pulled out of the lot. The ride home usually helped clear my head. The road, the salty wind off the ocean, the steady pull of the machine beneath me, all of it worked better than sleep most nights.
Not tonight.
Every mile carried me farther from The Pit and the woman I couldn’t get out of my head. By the time I reached my house, my cock was hard again, my temper was high, and every instinct I had was pointed back toward The Pit.
Riley was under my roof.
Not my house, maybe.
Not yet.
But close enough for tonight.
And if whatever had scared her decided to follow, it was going to learn exactly how bad of an idea that was.
5
RILEY
Iwoke before the sun had fully crept through the high windows of the upstairs office. The pull-out couch was surprisingly comfortable, but I’d slept like crap anyway.
Sitting up and rubbing my face, I tried telling myself that my restlessness had nothing to do with the way Ryot had looked at me yesterday. Or the low rumble of his voice when he said my name.
Unlocking the door, I padded down the hallway to the nearest bathroom, grateful for the hot water. A quick shower helped wake me up, though my mind kept drifting back to him.
He’d introduced himself to me as Ryot, but I’d heard someone else call him Gauge. I couldn’t help but wonder what that was all about, but I figured I had plenty of time to learn since I was working for him.
I dressed in my usual black tank top, cargo pants, and work boots. No matter how much I scrubbed, there would be grease under my nails again by the end of the day. That was just how it was. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and allowed myself a moment of gratitude.
Despite still having a rough night, I’d actually felt safe enough to close my eyes for more than twenty minutes at a stretch. The building was surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. Cameras covered the important angles. The doors were heavy and well-secured. If I had to be on the run, this was probably the best place I could’ve ended up.