Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 182(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Focus, asshole.
“Start from the beginning,” I said, my voice low and even. “Know some of it already, but I want to hear it from you.”
Gemma hesitated. Her fingers fidgeted with the sleeve of her shirt before she stilled them with a breath. “Someone hacked into my archive.”
“Encrypted?” I asked, though I already knew.
She nodded. “It wasn’t supposed to be possible. I paid for a custom system. It was built by someone who came highly recommended.”
Lainie scoffed. “Yeah, well, they clearly weren’t Iron Rogues recommended. You’re ours now, Gem. We’ve got Deviant.”
Gemma gave a shaky smile and turned to me. “She’s right. I just…didn’t know where else to go. I’m scared. And not just for me. One of the images that was stolen was of a client. A very private one. And she’s…she's really fragile right now. I can’t stand the idea of her being crushed by this. The message in the email…” She paused, and I caught the way her throat worked as she swallowed, glancing at Lainie like she needed a second of courage before looking back at me.
“It said, ‘You should’ve kept your clothes on.’”
I forced myself not to react. Not to let the rage boiling in my gut show on my face. She didn’t need that kind of intensity right now. But my hands curled tighter against the table, the grain pressing into my palms as I clenched my jaw so hard I could feel it throb. Her voice didn’t shake. She wasn’t sobbing. Her hands trembled just slightly. Not from fear. From fury.
She was brave. Protective of her clients. And I fucking loved that.
But she was also watching me, wide-eyed and uncertain. I saw the question lingering there—Can I trust you with all of this?
I softened my voice. “You’re safe now. But you gotta tell me everything if we’re going to protect you.”
I didn’t rush her. I just met her gaze and let her feel my calm and certainty.
Her shoulders loosened the tiniest bit, and her lips parted. She stared at me for a long second, like she was trying to figure out why she already trusted me. I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to understand. That some things didn’t make sense on paper. They were just meant to be.
After taking a deep breath, she nodded. “There’s one more thing.”
I already knew what she was about to say, and my pulse pounded, roaring in my ears.
“There’s a photo of me,” she whispered. “In the stolen files. One I never meant for anyone to see.”
My hands clenched on the edge of the table. Hard. Wood bit into my palms. I kept my voice even, careful not to let the fury slip into my expression. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I knew it. From the second I saw that curve of hip, that dip of collarbone. My gut had gone tight, my cock harder than steel.
But she didn’t need my carnal reaction right now. She needed calm. Control.
“I’m setting up surveillance at your place and studio.” I redirected the conversation before I did something stupid. Like drag her over the table and kiss the fuck outta her in front of everyone. “Deviant’s already working on tracking the files. I’ll meet you at your house in a few hours to go over security.”
A small smile curled up the corners of her lips. “Okay.”
I didn’t want to let Gemma go. Every protective instinct in my body screamed to keep her within reach. But I had no excuse to make her stay. Yet.
Lainie nudged her. “Come on, Gem. Let’s go.”
Gemma paused, her warm brown eyes meeting mine. “Thank you, Hawk.”
“Callum.”
Her brow rose.
“My name is Callum.”
“Okay. Um, thank you, Callum.”
I nearly growled. I wanted her to say my name the same way again. Soft and breathless. Like it was a secret.
But instead, Lainie muttered, “Just to be clear, that’s two of my close friends now claimed by the club. I really should start charging a matchmaking fee.”
Gemma blinked, blushing furiously, but I didn’t miss the way she peeked up at me from under her lashes. “What?”
“Never mind,” Lainie huffed as she slid out of the booth first, tugging Gemma along with her.
Gemma looked over her shoulder as they headed for the door. There was confusion lurking in those brown pools. She didn’t understand her reaction to me.
I forced myself to keep my feet planted where they were. There was plenty of time to educate her later. After this shit was handled.
When the door shut behind them, I finally let myself breathe.
“She’s gonna wreck you,” Fox said from behind me, sounding amused as hell.
Deviant made a low whistling sound as he dropped into a chair and kicked his boots up on the table. “Heard your balls hit the floor the second she walked in.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growled.
“Big, bad Hawk. All that brooding and cold silence,” Deviant chuckled. “And now you’re walking around with a hard-on and puppy eyes.”