MC – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

MC – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png MC – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Antonio Miles (Kiss of Death MC #17) Read Online Marteeka Karland http://www.books2020.com/antonio-miles-kiss-of-death-mc-17-read-online-marteeka-karland Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:44 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/antonio-miles-kiss-of-death-mc-17-read-online-marteeka-karland Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, MC Authors: Marteeka Karland Series: Kiss of Death MC Series by Marteeka Karland
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Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)

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Tessa’s mine now, and I will put anyone who tries to hurt her six feet under.

Tessa – When Antonio Miles and his enforcers from Kiss of Death MC rescue me from a human trafficking ring out of Nashville, Tennessee, I know it’s only a matter of time before Iron comes after me. I’ve seen too much. Know too much. Nothing but my death will ensure my silence. Antonio knows, as well. He takes me to his home in the Great Smoky Mountains, where every door answers to him. He calls it protection. I know captivity when I see it, but Antonio’s control feels dangerously good, and the closer we come to destroying our enemies, the more I want things I can never have – like Antonio. Forever.

Antonio – I swore I’d never love again, but the moment Iron and his men come for Tessa, the protection I promised becomes possession. So I take her where no enemy can reach us. Home. My home in the Great Smoky Mountains. She challenges me, demands to know my plans, and refuses to hide while I fight her war. Every act of defiance only makes me want her more.

The only way to keep Tessa safe is to put Iron and his hired guns out of business. Permanently. No one touches my woman, and make no mistake, Tessa’s mine.

Warning: Antonio Miles includes scenes of graphic violence, drugs, and human trafficking which may trigger some readers. No cheating, and as always, Tessa and Antonio get their happy ending

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Antonio Miles

The Miles family estate sat thirty miles outside of Nashville, a sprawling colonial with white columns and black shutters that had been in my father’s family since before the Civil War. The private room where we brought Judge Isaiah Marlin had no recording equipment and no witnesses beyond the two of us. My father had designed this room to be a space where business could be conducted without fear of electronic surveillance or prying eyes. Soundproof walls, a single tinted window reinforced with bulletproof glass, and the door locked with a key that existed only in Seth’s pocket and the safe in my office.

The room itself was spare and deliberate. A large, polished table sat in the center, its surface gleaming. Two chairs faced each other across its width. A bulletproof briefcase lay open on the surface. The contents fanned out in neat rows was the only disruption to the room’s careful geometry.

Marlin sat in one chair, his posture rigid despite the exhaustion evident in the lines around his mouth. His cuff links were gone, his collar open at the throat. A bruise yellowed along his jaw where one of my men had caught him with an elbow during the estate raid. He’d stopped asking for his lawyer an hour ago.

My father stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, saying nothing. Even in his sixties, he carried himself with the easy confidence of a man who knew his word was law and that law was absolute. His salt-and-pepper beard was trimmed close to his jaw, his eyes calm as he watched the afternoon light slant across the hardwood floor. He’d let me take the lead on this one. As a rule, we worked together as an almost symbiotic unit. My father might be a caring person, but Seth Miles was ruthless and demanded obedience and perfection. From everyone, but most especially his son. I might be in my prime, but Seth was more than my match in any situation. I wasn’t too proud to admit he could take me.

I sat across from Marlin, my posture relaxed but alert. “The Vossberg account shows six deposits over the last eight months.” I slid a document across the table. “All matching special handling purchases from Iron’s network.”

Marlin’s gaze dropped to the paper but he didn’t touch it. “As I’ve explained, I never purchased anyone. I provided a location for transactions. A neutral ground.”

“A neutral ground,” I repeated, keeping my voice bland like I could give a damn when I really wanted to skin the guy alive just to hear him fucking squeal. “With six-figure deposits into an account under your daughter’s name.” I placed another document beside the first. “An account your ex-wife knows nothing about.”

Marlin’s jaw tightened. “Those are business investments. Nothing to do with --”

“The trust that owns the property on Lake Radnor,” I cut in, placing a third document on the table. “Where you kept the girls between transactions.”

A flush crept up Marlin’s neck. “That’s not -- you can’t prove --”

“The coded buyer logs,” I continued, sliding another page forward. “The transport manifests. The payment records.” Each document landed with a soft whisper of paper against wood. “The security footage from the club where the Garrison girl was processed.”

Marlin’s face slackened with each new page, the color draining from his cheeks. “This is circumstantial at best. A judge would never --”

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Advertisement Cipher (Black Crowns MC #2) Read Online Fiona Davenport http://www.books2020.com/cipher-black-crowns-mc-2-read-online-fiona-davenport Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:26 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/cipher-black-crowns-mc-2-read-online-fiona-davenport Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Insta-Love, MC, Virgin Authors: Fiona Davenport Series: Black Crowns MC Series by Fiona Davenport
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Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >69

Corbin “Cipher” Ralston had solid reasons to stay away from Bex Raines. She was too young for him and the sheriff's daughter, but that didn't stop the Black Crowns enforcer from wanting her with a violence that made him dangerous.

When Bex stumbles onto a conspiracy deep within her father's department, Cipher quickly gets her under his protection—and in his bed where she always belonged. Anyone who comes for what’s his is going to learn exactly why they call him Cipher

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

CIPHER

Ahead of my club president’s wedding, I had mapped every inch of the Rutledge property. I’d also done a deep dive into each guest before Stryker put a ring on his old lady’s finger. None of it demanded much conscious effort, because assessing a crowd had become as natural as breathing sometime during my first deployment.

Rebecca Raines was the only part of the evening I couldn’t reduce to useful information, because the reaction she caused in me was completely fucking unwelcome.

I’d known exactly who she was before the bride introduced us. Bex was nineteen, Jacqueline’s best friend, and Sheriff Raines’s only daughter, giving me three separate reasons to keep my hands away from her. And her father understood precisely how dangerous I could be.

Those facts should have settled the matter for a man who trusted logic. Instead, one look at her in that pale-blue maid-of-honor dress had sent enough blood into my cock to make the rest of the ceremony an exercise in controlled suffering.

The soft fabric ended above white cowgirl boots and followed a slender yet undeniably feminine body, curved in every place my hands wanted to close around. Loose honey-blond hair brushed her shoulders, catching gold beneath the strings of lights, while her hazel-green eyes seemed to shift between warm amusement and wicked curiosity depending on whether she thought she had caught me watching. Her full pink mouth made restraint even less pleasant, especially when my mind insisted on picturing those lips swollen beneath mine while I found out what sounds she made when a man stopped treating her like the sheriff’s sweet little girl.

I had spent years extracting useful intelligence from visual details, but nothing about knowing the exact shape of Bex’s ass in that dress was helping anybody survive the night.

I kept my place beside the makeshift bar, a bourbon sitting untouched between my fingers while I tracked her through the reception without moving my head enough to make it obvious. Every man who looked at her stayed in my awareness longer than he should have, and each one who made her smile produced an irrational pressure beneath my ribs that had no tactical value whatsoever. I’d convinced myself no one noticed, although Stryker glanced my way twice, looking like he was waiting for me to finish making a bad decision.

And Bex was just as aware of me, which explained why she had spent the past twenty minutes finding increasingly weak reasons to return to the bar. Her first visit had been for sparkling water, the second for a napkin she could have taken from any table, and the third because she claimed the bartender had hidden the lime wedges from her.

Each time, she stood close enough for the citrus-and-vanilla scent of her skin to reach me, gave me a warm smile, and waited as though she expected me to flirt. But I answered only what she asked and watched her walk away while my cock stayed hard enough to punish me for the decision.

A burst of laughter pulled several guests’ attention across the lawn, but mine was fixed on Bex when she stopped beside me again. She tilted her face toward mine with determination bright in her eyes and the impish curve of her lips telling me she knew exactly how closely I’d been tracking her. “You know, watching every man who asks me to dance is a lot more work than dancing with me yourself.”

“I’m not watching every man.” The lie was defensible because I was also watching the entrances, perimeter, and half the club, but the slight lift of her brows said she wasn’t interested in technicalities. My gaze dropped to the pulse at the base of her throat before moving back to her eyes, and the soft pink beginning to spread over her skin made me want to put my mouth there until the color deepened beneath my scruff. “Some of them aren’t worth monitoring.”

Her smile widened as she held out one slender hand. “Then dance with me and save yourself the trouble.”

I stared at her fingers for a second too long, imagining them tangled in my hair while I held her against a wall and dragged my mouth down her body. My restraint had already been reduced to mere avoidance, which irritated me nearly as much as the erection pressing against my zipper.

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Advertisement Smitty – Satan’s Fury MC – Little Rock Read Online L. Wilder http://www.books2020.com/smitty-satans-fury-mc-little-rock-read-online-l-wilder Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:27:51 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/smitty-satans-fury-mc-little-rock-read-online-l-wilder Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Erotic, MC, Suspense Authors: L. Wilder Advertisement

Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >86

I had nothing when I found her.
No roof. No patch. No name that meant anything to anyone.
I was just a man clawing his way out of the dark.
She didn’t see a lost cause.
She saw me. Loved me.
But I had wounds even she couldn’t heal.
So, I pushed her away.
Two years had come and gone.
I was no longer the broken guy with nothing.
I’d faced my fears and earned my patch.
I had everything I wanted. Except her.
I’d fought for a place I could call home.
Now, I would fight for her.
No matter what the cost.
Some people only get one chance at love.
I’m praying for a second

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHARACTER LIST:

Preacher- (Hudson) President

Sons- Beckett and Memphis

Tabitha- Ol’ Lady

Sergei, Viktor, and Nikolai- her sons

Creed- Vice President (Jameson)

Devin

Devin’s kids- Austin and Chrissy

Seven- (Holt) Sergeant of Arms

Tallie-ol’ lady

Ford- son

Blade- club doctor

Grim- (Lawson) Enforcer

Jenna is his ol’ lady

Luna is Jenna’s daughter

Skid- son

Sheppard- Club Hacker

Ghost- (Sutton) Brother

Casey- Ol’ lady

Toby- Casey’s son

Memphis- (Weston) Brother

Antonia- ol’ lady

Rusty- Brother

Goose- (Luke) Brother

Presley- ol’ lady

Drifter- Walker

Raelyn

Her sons- Austin and Lucas

Dagger- Brother

Garrison-his son

Duggar- Prospect

Jonesy- Prospect

Skid- (Thatcher)

Grim’s son

Ol’ Lady- Laken

Baylor is Laken’s daughter and Bunny B

Smitty- (Braden) Brother

Brooke-Ol’ Lady

Anslee- Daughter

Lil Nix- Fallen Prospect

Zeke- New Prospect

PROLOGUE

Aprospect is a nobody.

Hell, they are less than a nobody, and so was I.

I’d been on my own for years and was barely getting by. I figured I had nothing to lose. So, I became one of the guys who hauled in the booze to parties where they never got to drink, cleaned up the messes they didn’t make, and got called at all hours to fix flats, tow trucks, and whatever else came up in the wee hours of the morning.

I did what I was told.

Period.

I wanted that patch on my cut more than I’d ever wanted anything. I wanted to belong to something bigger than myself, bigger than the dark pit in my stomach, and I found it in Fury. I wanted it, and that deep-seated want was bigger than the pride I had to swallow every time I had to clean up someone’s puke off the bar floor.

So, I ran the errands, took the hits, and kept my mouth shut. And after a year of pushing every limit, they handed me what I’d been bleeding for. I’d done it. I’d gotten through it. I let out a satisfied sigh, the kind that only came after a really good night, and I glanced back up at the ceiling fan.

The damn thing wobbled with a distinct pattern.

Woosh, woosh, woosh, tick.

Woosh, woosh, woosh, tick.

It was like it was trying to work through something it couldn’t quite shake loose, and I understood that way more than I should have at two in the damn morning. I was trying to work out something myself.

Dani shifted, drawing my attention to my side. She was curled up next to me with her dark hair spread across my shoulder. Her head was on my chest with one arm draped across my stomach, and she was breathing soft and shallow, leaving no doubt that she was still fast asleep.

We’d spent the better part of the night celebrating, and we were both spent, especially me. The room was dark except for the light coming from beneath the door, and it gave just enough of a glow for me to see my cut draped over the back of the chair.

The leather was new and stiff, and the embroidery was bright. And even with the bad lighting, I could still see the bottom rocker that read, Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock. It was still hard to believe it was mine.

Woosh, woosh, woosh, tick.

Woosh, woosh, woosh, tick.

I found myself wondering what Aiden would’ve thought about all this.

The thought hit hard. One second I was staring at my cut like it was proof I’d finally made something of myself, and the next, all I could think was that Aiden should’ve been there to see it.

Especially when he was a big part of the reason why I’d landed here. It was fucked up but true. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably have graduated from some business college and be working at a desk job somewhere. But that wasn’t in the cards for me.

Not after that day.

We were twelve.

That was it. Old enough to think we knew everything, and young enough to believe nothing bad could happen to us. And everything went to hell over a damn coin toss.

I could still feel that cold coin land in the center of my palm.

I looked down, saw George’s face looking back at me, and I actually smiled. I’d won. I got to drive Dad’s four-wheeler. I thought I’d won some grand prize, but I would soon discover that it was the beginning of a nightmare I could never take back.

Aiden didn’t care who won. He was just ready to ride. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I could hear him laugh behind me as he shouted, ‘Let’s go!’

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Advertisement The Prez’s Daughter (Chaos Monsters MC #3) Read Online Sam Crescent http://www.books2020.com/the-prezs-daughter-chaos-monsters-mc-3-read-online-sam-crescent Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:27:32 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/the-prezs-daughter-chaos-monsters-mc-3-read-online-sam-crescent Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Insta-Love, MC Authors: Sam Crescent Series: Chaos Monsters MC Series by Sam Crescent
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Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45797 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >49

Charlotte Smith is used to being invisible. Bullied and lonely, she hides her pain from everyone.
Except Savage.
He shouldn’t notice her. She’s younger, his Prez’s daughter, and completely off-limits. But Savage sees the sweet, curvy woman beneath the hurt—and keeping his distance gets harder every day.
When he witnesses another man hurting Charlotte, his restraint finally snaps.
Despite knowing there’ll be hell to pay, he can no longer deny that he wants her.
She’s forbidden. She’s his. And Savage will do anything to protect her.
Because danger is closing in on the club, and it might just take the only woman he’s ever loved

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Charlotte Smith attempted to hide in plain sight, even though she knew it was pointless. Whenever Lucas and his cronies were out to cause some kind of problem, she was often their target, and it fucking sucked. She knew all it would take was to tell her parents, and the problem would be solved, no questions asked. The only issue with telling her parents was, they were currently in a good place. No fights had occurred between them, and Charlotte didn’t want to bring a reason for them to start.

All her life, even though they attempted to hide it, they did a crappy job. She was well aware of her parents’ lack of love for each other. The arguing, especially her mother, Nancy, when it came to nitpicking every little detail about her father, Doc. She knew their marriage was rocky from the start.

Charlotte loved both her parents, but once Jake, her little brother, was killed, it finally woke her parents up to exactly how toxic they were toward one another. She couldn’t stand it.

But, even after all that time had passed since the divorce, her mother, from time to time, still picked out Doc’s flaws, especially between his daughter and the club.

This would be a prime example of that—her being bullied at school for being the daughter of Chaos Monsters MC’s Prez. That was the only reason this was happening, and it was a nightmare.

Instead of enjoying the fair, she had clocked Lucas and his gang walking around. He’d find it incredibly funny to hurt her, especially with the club right here, guarding everyone. It had happened in the past.

All she had to do was get around the fair without being detected. Charlotte moved among people and didn’t dare go on any of the rides, for fear of what he might do.

She passed her father and Maeve, the makeup artist, who was a really sweet woman. She adored Maeve and one day hoped to learn to apply makeup. She tried to learn through the social media videos, but it wasn’t working, and she looked more like a clown. It’s why she had stopped buying makeup, because no one needed to see a girl with so much blush, she was like a beacon for aliens.

“Well, well, well, if it’s not little Miss Goody Two-Shoes,” Lucas said.

She’d been distracted by Maeve, watching her process, and Charlotte did what she did best, and ran.

Of course, Lucas and his friends followed, and she tried to sneak off into the girl’s bathroom, hoping that would be off limits to him. She hid in a stall, but that was not going to keep him out, as she heard him enter the bathroom. The sound of his feet and the footfalls told her he wasn’t the only one.

She had her feet up on the stall, so no one could see her, and she had locked it. Her heart raced as she heard him running his hand against the stalls, and of course, hers being locked didn’t exactly help.

All it took was two kicks and the lock sprung off the door. Charlotte cried out and tried to stifle her own scream as he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out. She was punched in the gut, then thrown against the wall.

“Now, fat girl, what are you doing hiding from me?” he asked.

“I’m not hiding. I was enjoying the fair.”

“You think you can take my fun away from me, huh? What do you say I make her suck my dick?” Lucas asked.

Charlotte felt sick to her stomach. This couldn’t be happening. The bullying, up to this point, was just punching, random kicking, name-calling, and threatening. This would go way too far, and panic flooded her body. What the hell was she to do?

They had a couple of his guys guarding the door, and Charlotte looked at the other girls in the group. She wasn’t sure if she could see them being uncomfortable, or if they didn’t give a fuck.

Lucas smirked and went to the belt of his pants. “You know, I’ve heard your mom is a real whore. She likes it rough.”

Just as he was about to pull down his zipper, the main door to the ladies’ room was shoved open. Even as there were two of Lucas’s friends guarding the door, they were no match for the strength of whoever was coming through that door.

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Advertisement Sweet Revenge for the Bikers – Screaming Eagles MC Read Online Stephanie Brother http://www.books2020.com/sweet-revenge-for-the-bikers-screaming-eagles-mc-read-online-stephanie-brother Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:27:21 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/sweet-revenge-for-the-bikers-screaming-eagles-mc-read-online-stephanie-brother Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Insta-Love, MC Authors: Stephanie Brother Advertisement

Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >79

I wanted a little taste of danger, but three sexy bikers are a whole mouthwatering feast.
One massive party. Hundreds of bikers. One broken rule: No bloodshed.

The night started off with leather, tattoos, motor oil and muscles, but a little shameless fun with three tough, sexy men from the Screaming Eagles MC ended with one person dead, another in critical condition, and me running for my life. Now I’m locked inside the walls of their compound with the murder weapon in my purse, surrounded by dangerous bikers eager for revenge.
The only thing I know for sure is that someone set me up, and if it gets out that my father’s an enforcer in the Devil’s Brigade MC, it could spark a war. I don’t think he did it, but maybe I’m just naive. I didn’t even know about his second life until Mom died last year.
Now I understand why she kept me away. Every day brings new temptations that make it hard to remember why trusting men like them is a bad idea, and resisting is even harder.
Mad Dog fights hard and plays harder, but a little spice makes the pleasure all the sweeter.
Rebel’s cool and calculating, unless he’s on top of me and control is the last thing on his mind.
Riptide lives up to his name. His passion is deep and dangerous, threatening to pull me under and leave me utterly drenched.
I’m a waitress, not a badass biker, and I can’t get out of this on my own. Luckily, with Rebel, Mad Dog and Riptide at my side, I won’t have to.
The Screaming Eagles are out for the blood of whoever shot one of their brothers, and I won’t be safe until we figure out who wants the blame pointed my way. At first this was all about their vengeance, but working together, it’ll be sweet revenge

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

MELODY

“So where’s my father, anyway?” I ask. “Was he going to meet me somewhere?”

It’s been an hour since we got to the rally, and I haven’t seen Dad anywhere. I’m sure he has better stuff to do than hang out with me, but it seems strange to finally be invited to a motorcycle event and he doesn’t even bother saying hi. Maybe it wouldn’t suck so much if I wasn’t stuck with the human version of a wet blanket.

Red shrugs. He’s staring down at his phone.

Ooookay. “You must have a better plan than me. I haven’t had a signal in ages.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Should we get drinks, or…?”

“Real fucking chatty, aren’t you?” he snaps. “Stay here, I need to go check on something and I don’t want to have to chase you down.”

“Cross my heart, hope to die.” If my fingers are crossed behind my back, that’s my business.

I wait all of thirty seconds after he’s out of sight before ducking between a tent selling handmade leather gear and another where the buzz of a tattoo gun competes with the distant rumble of motorcycles racing down the old landing strip. Freedom, finally! Time to explore.

The sound of the engines has always been nostalgic for me. It reminds me of hot summer nights with my window open, hearing Dad’s bike come down our street and knowing there’d be pancakes in the morning.

He was never the kind of father who showed up to soccer games or helped me with my homework, but he laughed a lot and Mom was happier when he was around. It took a while for me to understand that not everyone had a dad who missed stuff because he was in jail sometimes, or had uncles with names like Clutch.

It sounds bad, but until Mom died last year I thought he was just a good-natured deadbeat. It wasn’t until we talked about me taking over the house that I learned the truth about his second life as an enforcer for the Devil’s Brigade MC. If you ask me, the whole thing still sounds like something out of a TV show.

It’s hard not to gawk like a tourist at the rows and rows of motorcycles lined up on the cracked dirt and dried grass. I make my way around the grounds, feeling invisible in the crowd. I wasn’t sure what to wear to a biker rally, but it’s hard to go wrong with ripped jeans and a black T-shirt, knotted at my waist to show off a little skin. It’s more than a lot of the other girls here have on.

Crap.

Out of what must be hundreds of people here, I only know three of them, so of course one is coming my way. Uncle Clutch is talking with a tall man I’ve never met, even though he’s wearing a vest with a Devil’s Brigade patch.

I step to the side, turning my face away. A group of beefy men with back patches reading Riders of War are arguing loudly about motorcycles. It’s the perfect cover. I just ditched one babysitter and don’t want another one. Knowing my luck, he’ll ask me where Red is. I slip behind the noisy bikers, and let out a relieved breath when Uncle Clutch and the other guy continue past me without noticing.

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Advertisement Century (Redline Kings MC #12) Read Online Fiona Davenport http://www.books2020.com/century-redline-kings-mc-12-read-online-fiona-davenport Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:16:44 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/century-redline-kings-mc-12-read-online-fiona-davenport Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Insta-Love, MC, Virgin Authors: Fiona Davenport Series: Redline Kings MC Series by Fiona Davenport
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Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >50

Levi “Century” Wharton built his reputation on lightning-fast custom builds and stayed far away from drama. Until Saylor Everett walked into The Burnout, and he mistook her for her evil twin.

As soon as he realized his mistake, Century knew the pretty teacher was his. But when her sister stirs up dangerous trouble, Saylor gets pulled into the crosshairs. Century will do whatever it takes to protect the only woman who’s ever made him want to slow down

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

CENTURY

The neon sign over The Burnout glowed red through the humid Crossbend night. I parked my bike near the front, killed the engine, and sat there for a moment while the familiar noise of the place spilled through the door. Music thumped low from the jukebox inside, with enough bass to rattle the bottles behind the bar if Fury had the system cranked the way he usually did.

The place belonged to the Redline Kings MC and my club brother. Fury ran it like an extension of himself, which meant it was public enough for locals and racers to drink there, but everyone who walked through the door knew whose turf they were stepping onto.

I’d come by to drop off the keys to Fury’s motorcycle. He’d brought it to me earlier in the week after complaining that the throttle response felt off, which was Fury-speak for “I’m trusting you with my baby. Don’t make me say that out loud.”

The bike hadn’t needed much, just some fine adjustment, a little custom work on the intake, and a few tweaks because Fury liked his machines the same way as his bar—loud and not friendly to idiots.

I worked on custom bikes at The Pit, the garage owned by the club. I built the shit people remembered—especially my custom paint jobs. Customers who wanted something no one else had usually ended up in my bay sooner or later.

Inside, a scarred bar stretched along the right wall. Chrome stools lined the counter, pool tables sat beneath hanging lamps toward the back, and racing memorabilia, club photos, busted helmets, bent rims, and parts of wrecked cars mounted like trophies covered the walls. It was the kind of place where races were celebrated, grudges were buried if everyone was feeling generous, and new ones started if someone had more mouth than sense.

Fury was behind the bar when I walked in, wiping down the counter with a towel. When he saw the keys dangling from my hand, his mouth curved up. He looked like the kind of man people crossed the street to avoid, which was convenient since he usually preferred it that way. The regulars knew better than to make trouble in his bar and outsiders learned quick. Anybody short-sighted enough to disrespect a brother, an old lady, or our colors either apologized fast or found out how hard pavement felt when Fury helped them leave.

I tossed the keys onto the bar in front of him. “She’s done.”

He caught them before they slid too far and turned them over in his hand, his thumb brushing the worn leather keychain. “You fix the hesitation?”

“Yeah. Cleaned up the throttle response, adjusted the intake, and corrected the timing issue you kept pretending wasn’t there.”

His brows lifted slightly, but his mouth twitched because we both knew he hadn’t fooled me for a second. “Bike was fine.”

“Bike was annoyed you were neglecting her.”

He huffed a laugh and tucked the keys into his pocket. “You spend too much time sweet-talking machines.”

I shrugged. “Machines listen better than people.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Fury jerked his chin toward the taps behind him. “You staying for one?”

I should’ve headed back to the garage. I had a custom build waiting, three customer calls to return, and a parts order that Gauge wanted me to double-check before some supplier tried to charge us for imported bullshit that wouldn’t hold up under real speed. But a beer sounded damn good.

“Yeah.” I slid onto a stool near the end of the bar. “One.”

Fury poured a pint and set it in front of me. “Famous last words.”

“I’m not an overeager prospect trying to prove I’m not a lightweight. One means one.”

“Half the people sitting at my bar say that before they start making bad choices.”

“Half those assholes have poor impulse control.”

Fury barked a laugh. “And the other half lies.”

I shook my head, my lips tipped up in amusement before I took a drink. The beer was cold and felt good going down my throat after being out in the humidity that was always around in late August in Florida. A couple of brothers were playing pool near the back while a group of young, local racers argued over a replay on one of the big screens mounted over the far wall.

I was halfway through the beer when trouble walked up wearing too much perfume and stumbling slightly in high heels that didn’t belong in a place like this. Her body was poured into a short, tight dress that was low enough not to even pretend to be subtle. She probably would’ve attracted plenty of men but did absolutely nothing for me except make me wary of the fact that she was drunk, swaying, and headed straight into my space.

“Hi.” She drew the word out as she slid onto the stool beside mine without waiting for an invitation. “You’re hard to miss.”

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Advertisement Craving Theodora (The Aces’ Sons #16) Read Online Nicole Jacquelyn http://www.books2020.com/craving-theodora-the-aces-sons-16-read-online-nicole-jacquelyn Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:16:28 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/craving-theodora-the-aces-sons-16-read-online-nicole-jacquelyn Genre: Action, Alpha Male, Biker, MC Authors: Nicole Jacquelyn Series: The Aces' Sons Series by Nicole Jacquelyn
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >90

Curtis Harrison is finally home.
After nearly twenty years away from his club and family, he’s more than ready to put down roots.
Theodora James is desperate.
After the death of her father, she’s been raising her two children alone, doing everything she can to keep them safe from her ex’s terrifying family.
Neither of them has any idea how their lives are about to intersect…all because of a favor that the Aces and Eights Motorcycle Club owed Teddy’s father.
What starts as an uneasy agreement based on duty and necessity transforms into something deeper and the line between truth and fiction quickly blurs. But, when loyalties are tested and tragedy strikes, Curtis and Teddy must decide whether or not the reality they’ve created is one worth fighting for

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter 1

Teddy

“Three p.m.,” I confirmed. Then I hung up the phone, stuffed it in my pocket, and looked around.

Our townhouse wasn’t anything special, but we’d made it our own in small ways. It was furnished when we moved in three years before, and we’d managed to keep everything in excellent condition. Walking over to the TV stand, I pulled down the three photo frames on the shelves and stacked them on the coffee table. Behind the unit, I unplugged the TV that I’d saved for months to buy and the gaming system my kids had received as a gift. It was secondhand, but whoever’d turned it in to the pawnshop had barely spent any time on it. Sucked for them, good for us.

As soon as I’d finished wrapping up the cords, I pulled the knitted blanket from the couch, slung it over my shoulder, picked up the gaming system and photo frames, and carried them to my room. I set them on the end of the bed. My bed set, nightstand, and dresser had come with the apartment, but the painting over the bed was mine, and so was the bedding. Moving to the wall, I took down the painting and carefully propped it against the side of the bed. Then I went to the closet, pulling down the sweatshirts, coats, and dresses stored there, complete with the hangers. I stacked them on the bed and went back for more. When that was finished, I pulled out the three bins stored on the floor and the plethora of shoes. Behind all those things were the boxes I’d stashed for just that moment and a small overnight bag.

Pulling out my dad’s little pocketknife that I’d carried since he died, I flicked it open and cut the cord holding the stack of boxes together. I had packing tape in my nightstand drawer. Five minutes later, the boxes were built. I packed the overnight bag first. Then the shoes and the clothes from the closet. The picture frames from the living room and some from my nightstand and dresser. The little ceramic upside-down umbrella that held my rings at night. The small lamp that my parents had received at their wedding. After that, I emptied the dresser from the bottom up, tightly packing the rest of my clothes. I stripped the bed and packed the gaming system above the pillows and below the sheets and comforter.

I carried the last of the empty boxes and the bag into the bathroom and left them there. Then I moved into the second bedroom, pausing in the doorway to look it over. The bed was mine from when I was a kid—twin-size, dark wood, heavy. The dresser and shelf below the window weren’t anything special. Secondhand, and not that great to begin with—they wouldn’t be a huge loss. I stripped the bed first, then moved to the closet, pulling everything out so I could get to the boxes and backpack stored there. Then I packed, only pausing to jog downstairs to the garage for my tools to take the bed apart.

I was efficient. Quick. Every movement had purpose. I went from one bedroom to the next. Then the bathroom. The kitchen, where I picked through the contents, pulling out the things that we’d accumulated since we’d moved in. Cans of food. Boxes of cereal and rice. Cleaning supplies. In the end, the cupboards were bare beyond what had come with the place, and I had two boxes of kitchen supplies and two bags of garbage. It killed to throw away the contents of the fridge and half-finished containers of food, but it couldn’t be helped.

It took two hours to give the place a quick clean and take out the garbage bags—four of them by the time I was done. Half an hour to get my toolbox into the back of my truck and tied down—it was heavy as hell and awkward as fuck to push up the ramp. An hour to carry the bed and boxes to the garage, stacking them in the truck like a game of Tetris around the toolbox and folded-up ramp. I wrapped the television in a moving cloth I’d had folded in the corner of the garage for that purpose and laid it flat on top of the boxes.

I’d just finished securing the truck bed with every tie-down I had when the front door opened and footsteps thundered onto the hardwood in the living room.

I’d made good time.

“Did we get robbed?”

“We didn’t get robbed…I don’t think.”

“I think you’d know if we got robbed,” I announced, stepping through the garage door. “I doubt they’d mop the floor and dust.”

“What’s goin’ on?” my ten-year-old, Finn, asked, looking around blankly. “Where’s our stuff?”

“Moving day,” I announced, making my fifteen-year-old’s head snap sideways to look at me. “It’s loaded up.”

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Advertisement Down & Dirty – Rage (Dirty Angels MC – Next Gen #2) Read Online Jeanne St. James http://www.books2020.com/down-dirty-rage-dirty-angels-mc-next-gen-2-read-online-jeanne-st-james Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:16:12 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/down-dirty-rage-dirty-angels-mc-next-gen-2-read-online-jeanne-st-james Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Contemporary, MC Authors: Jeanne St. James Series: Dirty Angels MC - Next Gen Series by Jeanne St. James
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Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >94

Will history repeat itself? Not on his watch…

Ashton Dougherty can’t deny that his road name fits him.
Rage doesn’t know why a restlessness consumes him, but it’s always been there. Hanging over him. Because of this, his patience is short and his temper is long.
He’s the fourth generation in his family to sit at the table as an officer for the Dirty Angels MC. His club has ruled their territory since his great-grandfather founded it back in 1974. As the sergeant at arms, it falls on his shoulders to guarantee everyone is protected and to make sure their legacy continues for future generations.
Only now, new threats have emerged. To his club. To his family.
But he won’t let them destroy everything the generations before him have built and will do whatever’s necessary to defeat them.
Even if it means unleashing his rage.
Especially after they hurt the only woman who can cool the fire raging inside him.

Note: Down & Dirty: Rage is the second book in the Dirty Angels MC: Next Gen series, a spin-off of the original DAMC. It’s highly recommended to read this series in order because of ongoing plot threads. As always, each couple gets their own HEA

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Glossary of Terms

Sled - Slang for a motorcycle

Cage - Slang for a vehicle with four wheels instead of two

Strange/Randoms - Sexual partners who are strangers/random people

Bid - Prison term

Screw - Correctional officer/prison guard

SCI - State Correctional Institution

Sweet butt - A club girl. They hang around the MC and service the patched members in different ways

House mouse - Normally a young woman who lives with a member for free in exchange for cleaning and keeping up his house

Ol’ lady - A woman considered property of a club member, similar to wife or girlfriend

Scratch - Money

OG - Old Guard - The older DAMC members

Backpack - Passenger on the back of a motorcycle

DAMC - Dirty Angels MC (Angels)

BFMC - Blood Fury MC (Fury)

BAMC - Blue Avengers MC

DKMC - Dark Knights MC (Knights)

AFMC - Angels of Fury MC

The DAMC Family Lineage

You can download this list from my website here: https://jeannestjamesauthor.com/products/damc-lineage

THE JAMISONS:

Zeke (Trouble) & Zane Jamison (Chill) – Zak Jamison & Sophie’s sons

Hudson (Wheels) & Sawyer Stone (Jigsaw) – Slade Stone & Diamond’s (formerly Jamison) sons

Adrianna & Gage Lincoln – Andrew Lincoln (Linc) & Jayde’s (formerly Jamison) daughter & son

Liam & Laney Jamison – Axel Jamison (Blue Avengers MC) & Bella’s (formerly Dougherty) twin son & daughter

Alexis (Lexi) & Avery Jamison – Jag Jamison & Ivy’s (formerly Dougherty) daughters

THE DOUGHERTYS: (pronounced dock-erty)

Violet, Indigo, & Scarlet Dougherty – Diesel Dougherty & Jewel’s (formerly Jamison) daughters

Ashton (Rage) Dougherty – Hawk Dougherty & Kiki’s son

Patrick (Trick) Dougherty – Dex Dougherty & Brooke’s son

Chance (Ghost) & Boone Ryder – Ryder (Shadow) & Kelsea’s (formerly Dougherty) sons

OTHERS:

Cait Moore, Lily & Emmalee Tate – Dawg & Emma’s daughters

Phoenix (Nix) & Lyric Alexander– Crow & Jazz’s son & daughter

Asia & Caleb Moore – Magnum (Dark Knights MC) & Cait’s daughter & son

Beck & Brielle Cross-Nash - Nash & Cross’s adopted twin son & daughter

Jacob (JJ/Jagoff/Joker) & Gabrielle (Gabi) McKay - Crash & Liz’s son & adopted daughter

Jordyn & Sydney Briggs – Brick (Shadow) & Londyn’s twins

Piper Sterling – Steel (Shadow) & Kat’s daughter

Tyler & Taylor Walker – Walker (Shadow) & Ellie’s son & daughter

Leo (Grim), Cruz & Dakota Delgado - Hunter (Shadow) & Frankie’s sons & daughter

Grizz & Mama Bear - deceased – Jazz’s grandparents

Ace Dougherty - deceased – married to Janice (deceased) - Hawk & Diesel’s father

Allie Dougherty – deceased - Ivy, Dex & Bella’s mother, Ace’s & Annie’s sister

Annie Dougherty – deceased – Kelsea’s mother

“Doc” Dougherty – deceased - DAMC Founder – Ace, Allie & Annie’s father

Rocky Jamison – deceased - married to Ruby (deceased) – Jewel, Diamond & Jag’s father

Bear Jamison – deceased - DAMC Founder – Mitch & Rocky’s father

Mitch Jamison – deceased - married to April - Zak, Axel & Jayde’s father

Next Gen Character List

Note: This list will be updated after each book in the series

CLUB OFFICERS:

President - Trouble - Zeke Jamison

Vice President - Chill - Zane Jamison – Co-manager at Shadow Valley Pawn

Sgt at Arms/Enforcer - Rage – Ashton Dougherty – Manager at Heaven’s Angels Gentlemen’s club

Treasurer - Cruz Delgado – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Secretary – Chaos - Beck Cross-Nash – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Road Captain - Wheels - Hudson Stone – Works at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

OTHER CLUB MEMBERS:

Nix – Phoenix Alexander – Future Manager at Green Leaf Wellness

Trick – Patrick Dougherty – Future employee at Green Leaf Wellness

Gage - Gage Lincoln – Asst Manager at Green Leaf Wellness

Jigsaw – Sawyer Stone – Works at Shadow Valley Fitness

Hook – Carver Hanson - Tow truck driver at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

Lucky – Van Carson - Bartender at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Irish – Tiernan Cahill – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Iceman (Ice) – Flynn Wheeler – Works at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Havoc – Xavier Flores – Future employee at Green Leaf Wellness

Grim – Leo Delgado – Shadow - Former Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist

Ghost – Chance Ryder – Shadow

Reaper – Clay Wyatt – Shadow - Former Marine Recon Sniper

T-Bone – Tyler (Ty) Walker - Shadow

Jagoff - Jacob McKay Jr. (JJ) – Prospect – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Tick – Prospect – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Shrek – Prospect - Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Gerbil – Prospect – Works at Heaven’s Angels

Pugsy – Prospect – Works at Heaven’s Angels

CURRENT OG MEMBERS:

Zak – Zakery Jamison

Hawk Dougherty

Diesel Dougherty

Jag – Mick Jagger Jamison

Slade Stone – Manager at Shadow Valley Fitness

Dawg – Dawson Tate – Manager at Shadow Valley Gun Shop & Range

Dex – Dexter Dougherty

Linc – Andrew Lincoln – Asst. manager at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Crow Alexander

Crash – Jacob McKay Sr. – Manager at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

Nash – Graham Nash - Member of the band Dirty Deeds

Rig

Coop – Manager at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Rooster – Works at Heaven’s Angels Gentlemen’s Club

Jester – Works at The Iron Horse Roadhouse

Olly – Works at Shadow Valley Body Shop & Towing

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Advertisement Dull – Doormat Read Online Sam Crescent http://www.books2020.com/dull-doormat-read-online-sam-crescent Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:16:04 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/dull-doormat-read-online-sam-crescent Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Contemporary, Mafia, MC Authors: Sam Crescent Advertisement

Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >35

Boring. Predictable. Invisible.

That's how Clarissa has always seen herself.

She was never meant to marry Lorenzo Vitale. The arranged marriage was supposed to be her sister's—until a gang attack left her sister dead and Clarissa standing at the altar instead.

Crushed by grief, Clarissa buries herself in hobbies and routine, keeping everyone at a distance... especially her husband. She doesn't know how to be a wife, and trusting Lorenzo feels impossible.

Losing her almost changes everything.

Determined to earn her trust, Lorenzo vows to become the husband she deserves. But when Clarissa remembers one small detail from the day her sister died, he realizes the attack wasn't as random as everyone believed.

If Clarissa was the real target, then someone has been lying.

As buried secrets come to light, Lorenzo must decide how far he'll go to protect the woman he loves... and whether their marriage can survive the truth

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

“Old and dull.”

“Stiff as a board.”

“She’s the backup plan”.

“We planned for this.”

Clarissa sat in her sewing room and stared at the start of Lorenzo’s present she had not touched since the night of that fateful party. She got to learn how he really felt about her, and it had been an eye-opening experience.

She knew her husband wouldn’t have any feelings for her. They were not meant to marry. Life had a horrible way of crapping on everything. Her beautiful, smart, loving, amazing sister was supposed to marry Lorenzo Vitale. Not her. But that had gone horribly wrong.

“You can’t die. Don’t die.”

“I love you, Mouse. You got this. It’s on you now to make the family proud.”

Clarissa kept looking at the suit.

Her sister had been blonde, beautiful, slender. Everything came natural to her. She was only fifteen, but Clarissa saw what a light she was. For ten years, Clarissa was the mistake, the daughter their parents wished they didn’t have. She put her hands on her knees and turned to look at her sewing machine.

“No one wants me, Grandma.”

“Hush, child, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m not pretty enough. I’m not good enough.”

She reached up and touched her face as the memory of her grandmother cupping her face came back into her mind. It had been so long ago, but it felt as if it was right now.

“You’re a beautiful girl, Clarissa. Do not compare yourself to your sister. You have so much to offer.”

What did she have to offer, really? Her husband found her boring and dull.

Getting to her feet, she stepped out of the room and made her way down the small corridor, but she didn’t go to the kitchen. Instead, she went outside, into the cold autumnal air.

Halloween was once again fast approaching. It had been a year since all of this had happened. She couldn’t quite believe a year had passed since she overheard her husband’s true thoughts about her. There was no way it could be lies, could it?

Although, her three friends went through similar experiences. Liana was called a doormat. Mia was childish. Tatiana’s husband had a mistress because she was boring in bed. As for herself, she was boring, dull, and stiff in the bedroom.

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out into the night sky, hoping for anything. A sign. Some peace. This pain was too much for her to bear. Liana and Mia had been able to move on and forgive their husbands. According to both her friends, the men had lied. Clarissa didn’t believe Lorenzo had lied. She believed he’d been telling the truth.

There was nowhere for her to go. Her parents claimed they would be there for her, but the truth was, this marriage was nothing more than a business deal. It had been agreed between her and Lorenzo’s family when her sister was fifteen years old. In fact, the night before she died, this engagement had begun. Clarissa had been ten. And he had to wait ten years for her to be of age for this marriage to take place. A business deal.

She took a deep breath, aware of the guards that were always ordered to give her space and keep patrolling the grounds. There had been an attack within the past year, but Lorenzo had saved them both.

She looked up to the sky. She missed her grandparents. They were the only ones who understood her. Clarissa held her dying sister in her arms, trying to stop the blood, but it had soaked through her hands. For a long time, she couldn’t speak, could barely move. She remembered her father wanted to have her committed, and if it weren’t for her grandparents, he would have done so.

Sewing and other crafts distracted her. She no longer went out to school but was homeschooled. For six years after her sister’s death, she lived with her grandparents. The only reason she went back to her parents was because her grandparents got sick and then passed as well. Her grandmother always told her to be happy, to love her sewing, and to just take the time to enjoy life. She had tried.

She thought she might enjoy being married, until that night she heard her husband say those horrible words about her to his friends.

“You shouldn’t be out there,” Lorenzo said, surprising her as he stepped out into the cold. He was in the process of removing his jacket and as he moved toward her, she pulled back, not wanting him to touch her.

“Clarissa, you’re going to make yourself ill,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

She couldn’t feel her arms, and she looked toward Lorenzo. It had been hard to marry him. She didn’t know if her sister had any real feelings for him, but it felt like a betrayal.

“I’m just offering you my jacket,” he said. “You’re going to get sick.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >35

Advertisement Griffin (Kiss of Death MC #16) Read Online Marteeka Karland http://www.books2020.com/griffin-kiss-of-death-mc-16-read-online-marteeka-karland Sun, 16 Aug 2026 18:15:32 +0000 https://www.books2020.com/griffin-kiss-of-death-mc-16-read-online-marteeka-karland Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, MC Authors: Marteeka Karland Series: Kiss of Death MC Series by Marteeka Karland
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Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >66

Kiss of Death doesn’t scare easy. Steel Serpents want Veda? They’ll have to come through me.

Veda — I went into Enclave Éclipse looking for the truth about my missing sister. I walked out with evidence of murder, trafficking, dirty cops, corrupt judges, and a target on my back. The Steel Serpents want me silenced. Nashville’s most powerful men want my proof buried. Then Griffin, a dangerous Kiss of Death MC enforcer, pulls me out of the fire and into his world of blood, vengeance, and outlaw justice. He’s brutal, protective, and impossible to resist. And when he calls me his, God help anyone who tries to take me.

Griffin — Veda Garrison should have run from me. Instead, she aimed a gun at my chest and dared me to betray her. Big mistake, sweetheart. Now she’s mine to protect, mine to crave, and mine to keep alive. Her evidence could destroy a trafficking ring, ignite a war with the Steel Serpents, and expose men powerful enough to own the law. They want Veda? They’ll have to come through me.

Warning: Adult themes including kidnapping, sex trafficking, and political corruption, which may trigger some readers. Protective ex-con hero, HEA, and, as always, no cheating, no cliffhangers

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Veda

Four months of work fit inside a hollowed-out pen pressed against my sternum. Ten minutes ago, I decided this was the last night I would ever set foot inside Enclave Éclipse. The back office held its usual smells. Lemon furniture polish from the cleaning crew that came through Tuesdays and Fridays, the dry-paper musk of ledgers stacked four deep on the metal shelving, and underneath all of it the faint sour note of Carl Pruitt’s cologne, which he reapplied every afternoon at three like a man trying to mask his lover’s perfume before he went home to his beautiful wife.

Carl’s desk sat in the middle of the room, the dominant feature. Oversized, mahogany veneer, the leather chair behind it big enough for a man twice his size. The bottom drawer was the one I had photographed last, the one where the master ledger lived under a false bottom that any auditor with a ruler would have found in nine seconds. Carl was not bright. He’d been skimming off his bosses for a year and change, and that, I suspected, was about to matter to Carl in a very huge, very permanent way.

I crouched behind the second shelving unit with my knees pressed together, trying to keep my breathing slow and shallow when I heard the front buzzer go. Then the hallway door. Then the murmur of voices that did not belong to Carl.

I froze when the office door opened and four men walked in. Carl came first, walking on his own but not by choice. His collar was already dark with sweat and his hair stuck to his forehead. Behind him came two men I had never laid eyes on. But the man who entered last almost made me whimper in fear.

I’d seen Iron twice before, both times here at the club and only from a distance. He was broader up close. The tattoos that climbed up the side of his neck disappeared into his short beard and shaved head. His gaze swept the room and stopped at the desk. He noticed the open ledger on top of it that I hadn’t had time to put away. He noticed the chair. He didn’t notice me, because I sat very still and I had picked my hiding place in week two for a reason. Thank God I had a small, wiry frame.

“Sit,” Iron said.

Carl sat. The leather chair sighed under him.

Iron walked to the desk. He looked down at the open ledger. He looked at Carl. He did not raise his voice. In fact, he used all the inflection he might if he ordered a cup of coffee. “Someone’s been going through the books,” Iron said, still not raising his voice. He tapped a thick finger on the open ledger. “These numbers are wrong.”

Carl’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I keep everything --”

“You’ve been skimming, Carl. That’s fine.” Iron smiled, a bare flash of teeth. “Everyone’s got their hand in the cookie jar. But someone else has been keeping their own set of numbers. And that’s not fine.”

“I don’t -- I swear to God, I wouldn’t --” Carl’s voice cracked.

Iron snatched Carl by the hair and slammed his face into the desk with a wet crack. Carl’s nose sprayed blood across the ledger pages. Iron hauled him up by the hair, Carl’s feet barely touching the floor, and slammed him down again. This time the sound was different, duller, and Carl’s legs kicked once and then stopped moving entirely. Iron let go. Carl slumped sideways in the chair, his head lolling, one hand flopping limply against the desk edge before he slid to the floor.

I pressed my hand flat over my mouth and watched Carl’s hand from my hiding place. I kind of felt bad but Carl was a swine and he deserved everything about to happen to him.

Iron turned to one of the other men. “Clear the hallway.”

The man nodded and left the room. Seconds later, I heard the thud of something heavy hitting the wall, a muffled shout cut short, then the scrape of something being dragged. The door opened again, and the man returned with two of the hallway workers, a young man with a sleeve of tats and a woman with her dark hair in a tight bun. Both had their hands bound behind them with zip ties, both looked like they’d been smacked around. Terrified didn’t begin to describe the pair.

“Against the wall,” Iron said.

The two men pushed the workers to the far wall. The woman tried to speak, her words slurred through what was probably a broken jaw. “Please -- we didn’t --”

The shots came before she could finish. I couldn’t be sure because I didn’t have a direct line of sight, but I thought they’d both been shot in the head. Blood spread across the laminate wood flooring in a dark pool.

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