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“We live in a part of the country where it’s always sunny and warm,” Orion agrees. He gives me a long, curious look. “I definitely can see you owning a bed and breakfast. You’d probably handle the reception and welcoming services because you’re a stickler for details. You’d want to make sure your customers are treated properly from the get-go.”
I grin coolly. “I’d be extra pretentious about who I hire, mind you. But I would absolutely work with folks from the area: tour guides, waiters and waitresses, housekeeping professionals, chefs … you name it.”
“Look at her, thinking big and ethical at the same time,” Drake chuckles softly, beaming with pride as he gazes at me. I see warmth twinkling in the green pools of his eyes, the kind of warmth that speaks volumes to the heart of a woman who is hiding one hell of a secret. I need all the reassurance I can get. “I think you could pull off a B&B franchise, too.”
“Absolutely. I’d conquer Southern California, then I’d move up the coast, maybe to the Pacific Northwest. That whole area is rife with natural parks and incredible views. It’s got that Stephen King vibe, too. It would appeal to a slightly different market segment, but it would also sell insanely well, I might add.”
“You could be featured on a travel podcast,” Drake replies, almost laughing. “I know that whole area is a constant source of mystery and drama podcasts. I used to listen to them while driving up and down the coast shortly after we got back from the service.”
Orion can’t help but smile. “Ah, yes, your wandering days.”
“Wandering days?” I ask.
“There was a short time when I didn’t really know what to do with myself after we retired from the Navy,” Drake sighs. “Orion and Kai came down here right away and took over the club. But I went out for a while, just driving before I switched to a motorcycle. And then I was riding, hopping from one Airbnb to another … aimless, really.”
“How’d you come back from that? What made you choose the club in the end?” I ask.
Drake and Orion look at each other for what feels like a rather long and intense second. “My duty, I guess. My whole childhood and all the way into my late teens, my father never brought the club business home. But he did prepare me for my role. He had his methods.”
“Old man Ellis was the Blackthorn Riders’ enforcer. One of the hardest men I’ve ever met,” Orion says. “Even as a young adult, I swear that man scared the shit out of me.”
Drake chuckles. “Yet he was a total teddy bear at home.”
“Yeah, it’s why you were raised away from the club for the most part.”
“Unlike you and Kai,” I chime in, my gaze fixed on Orion’s slowly shifting expression. His painful memories are starting to come to the surface, but he shakes them away and smiles instead.
“Yeah. Our fathers practically raised us in this clubhouse and out on the road. Drake got to go to prep school. He wore a bow tie and everything.”
“Never got bullied for it, though,” Drake shoots back.
“That’s because everyone knew your daddy. They knew not to fuck with an Ellis because they’d have the whole MC coming down on them hard,” Orion laughs.
“Fair enough,” Drake says.
Noises in the hallway make me sit up straight, boots thudding, hushed voices. Kai bursts through the door with a dark look on his face, and it sends my heart racing in the worst possible way.
“We’ve got company,” he says. “Prospects spotted them a half mile away.”
“Are we sure they’re headed this way?” Orion asks. Kai gives him a brief nod. Orion then looks at me. “Stay here; don’t leave under any circumstances. I mean it, Nadia. Lock the door behind us and hide in the closet if you have to.”
“What’s happening?” I ask in a trembling voice.
But they’re already out the door, bolting like flashes of light.
I’m left on my own in an eerie kind of silence while the whole clubhouse comes to life somewhere below. I should do as I’m told. My instincts are screaming at me, though. I’m nervous and restless. Something is about to happen, and I can’t bring myself not to bear witness. My mind moves in strange directions, memories bubbling up to the surface. Yes, the closet is a good hiding place. I’ll use it if I have to, and I know that Orion keeps a gun in the desk drawer.
Slowly, I get up from the couch and head straight for said drawer. To my surprise, it’s unlocked. Orion left in a hurry. He didn’t even register this particular detail. I stare at the gun for a while. A Colt revolver. It’s his emergency weapon. He keeps a semiautomatic pistol on him at all times. I hate guns with the fire of a thousand suns, but I was exposed to them from a young age—my father was an avid hunter before my mom got sick.
I decide to leave the gun in the drawer, content to know it’s there if I need it. Heading over to the window, I hear the rumbling of approaching motorcycles. I count ten of them, along with a pickup truck following behind. My pulse races as my body somehow takes over what my mind knows I shouldn’t do. I go downstairs, itching to find a way out. I can’t stay here. I can’t expose my baby to what’s coming. My car is out back; I could get to it before—
“What the fuck are you doing down here?” Paddy snarls and pulls me aside just as I reach the bottom of the steps.
I freeze, only now realizing what I’ve just walked into.
The clubhouse is closed for the day. Every single member is armed and geared up, hands meticulously checking and loading weapons. My blood curdles at the sight of them.
“I need to leave,” I tell Paddy. “I can’t stay here.”
