Page 93

“You’ll be standing next to somebody who’s fighting the same war you are.”

I looked down at the map. It was a clear plan. Two warehouses within ten miles of each other, two clubs with the same goal, and one hard, solid hit. Stone’s eyes landed on me as he said, “We’ve gotta be ready, because once we start this, there won’t be any going back.”

The room went quiet again.

That’s when Vicious rose and said, “These assholes came into our city, our territory, and they thought they could take whatever the fuck they wanted… Well, they picked the wrong fucking club and the wrong fucking city.”

“Damn straight they did.”

I sat back in my chair, and for the first time since I’d stepped into that room, I felt something other than anger. I felt purpose. We weren’t going to chase them or wait for them to decide who they wanted to hurt next. We were going to take what they’d built and send it crashing to the ground.

And when the smoke cleared, they’d know exactly who had come for them.

16

EMERY

When I heard that knock on the door, I thought it was over. I thought we had been caught, and while it would’ve been awful to be discovered like that, at least it would’ve been out there. We wouldn’t have to sneak around and pretend none of this was happening.

But we didn’t get caught, and the secret remained.

Now, I just had to get to my room without being spotted by one of the guys. My heart was pounding as I got out of Cole’s bed and put on my clothes. I did as Cole said, and waited until the clubhouse went quiet before slipping out of his room.

I opened the door and held my breath. I didn’t hear any voices, footsteps, or any other sign of someone nearby. So, I stepped out and quietly pulled his door behind me. I stood there for a moment with my heart racing like a teenager sneaking out of the house for the first time.

But I wasn’t a teenager anymore, and I wasn’t sneaking out of the house.

This was much bigger than that, so I hurried toward my door. I was just a few feet away when I heard a man’s voice call out, “Emery?”

My heart stopped, and my breath caught. I had no idea who it was or what they’d seen. I was scared to turn around, but I had no choice. I glanced back over my shoulder and found Slim walking toward me with a curious look on his face. “Oh, hey, Slim. How’s it going?”

“Alright, I guess.” He gave me a quick once-over before asking, “What are you up to so early in the morning?”

“I was… um, about to go get something out of my car, but remembered I left it in my suitcase.”

“Anything I can get for you?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks, though.”

He studied me for a minute, then nodded and said, “Okay, then. I’ll let you get back to it.”

“Okay. Thanks, Slim.”

I whipped back around and darted for my room. Once I was inside, I closed and locked my door, then leaned against it as I let out a long breath. Damn. I needed to get a damn grip. With that thought in mind, I grabbed my things and headed for the shower. It was time for me to start acting like I had some sense in my head.

I turned on the shower, took off my clothes, and as soon as I stepped inside, the hot water cascaded down my back, taking some of the tension I’d been carrying with it. When I reached for the soap, I caught the faintest trace of Cole’s scent on my skin. And just like that, all the memories of our night together came flooding back.

Heat began to creep up my neck as I thought about his strong, deep voice ordering me to place my palms on the wall. And it just got hotter from there. It wasn’t at all what I’d planned. I’d gone to him because I was worried about that strange look on his face. I needed to know that he was okay, that we were okay, and he showed me in more than one way that we were more than okay.

He’d held me, kissed me, and made me feel safe. Then, he gave me a night I wouldn’t soon forget. He was so bossy and demanding, and my body responded in ways I’d never imagined. It was the perfect distraction from all the crazy running through my mind.

I wasn’t thinking about the break-in or the men who were going after Fury. It was just him and me, and it was unbelievably hot. I had no idea sex could be like that. But he did. He knew what I needed, and he gave it to me.

I closed my eyes and dipped my head under the water, letting the memory linger until the water started to run cold. I turned off the shower and stepped out. After I dried off, I got dressed and made my way to the kitchen. I needed coffee and a bite to eat, preferably enough of both to make me feel human again.

It felt strange to walk into the empty kitchen. There was always someone around, raiding the fridge or pilfering through the pantry, and at least one of the brothers was complaining that someone had eaten the last of the leftovers. But this morning there was nothing.

No talking. No laughing. No rummaging through the cabinets.