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“I was resting.”
“Then, get back to it.”
“Are you going to be this bossy with your lessons?”
“Absolutely.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Bye, Emery.”
“Bye, Ravage.”
I made it back out to my bike, and as I slipped on my helmet, I went over it all again. I’d tried to make it clear. No feelings. No bullshit. No expectations.
Except it was bullshit. All of it. I knew it when I fucking said it. I couldn’t take the idea of some random guy teaching Emery anything, much less touching her, fucking her, and claiming her in the ways I’d wanted to for longer than I cared to admit. The rest was just me trying to convince her to let go of her crazy notion that she needed to hook up with someone.
That was the truth.
By the time I got to the garage the following morning, I’d decided it was better not to even think about it. I needed a fucking break. Thankfully, the place was quiet when I pulled in. It was still early, and most of the guys wouldn’t be in for another half hour or so.
I got off my bike and started inside. When I walked past the wall that had been tagged, I was pleased to see that the prospects had done what they were told. There was no sign of the graffiti, just bare brick where the threat used to be.
But I hadn’t forgotten what was there.
None of us had.
I unlocked the front door and made my way to my office. I’d barely settled in my chair before my burner started ringing. I grabbed it from my back pocket and the second I saw it was Ace, I answered, “What’s up?”
“They got Reaper.”
“What the fuck you mean they got Reaper?”
“Someone tagged his garage door.”
“Damn, brother. You almost gave me a damn heart attack with that shit.”
“Sorry. I figured after what happened with the garage, you’d know what I meant.”
I straightened in my chair. “What’d it say?”
“We know where you sleep.”
“Did it have the Viper tag?”
“Yeah. Just like the one at the garage.”
“So, they’re looking for a fight.”
“Certainly looking that way.”
“Well, they can have it. Any fucking day of the week.”
“Stone said the same,” he scoffed. “I just don’t get it. We haven’t had any beef with them in years. Gotta wonder what changed.”
“Got no clue, but it doesn’t take much these days.” I leaned back in my chair. “Take a turn down the wrong road or sell on the wrong corner, and you’ll end up pissing off the wrong person. Next thing you know, you’ve got assholes spray painting threats on your damn walls.”
“Sad but true.” There was no missing the concern in his voice when he said, “We’re gonna need to figure this shit out before it blows up in our damn faces.”
