If she really does love me—I’m the luckiest man in the world.
* * *
“So how is he?”
“How is who?” I ask distractedly as I look over the guest list at Rift several days later. There is an event tonight, and the club is going to be full. Luckily I get to leave before the doors open and people barge in, but Rake, Bailey, Shay, and I are stuck doing the day shift, making sure everything is ready for tonight. I didn’t want to bring Shay, but she practically begged me, obviously sick of being stuck inside, so I relented.
“Did someone do stocktaking?” I ask Sian, our bar supervisor.
“Yes, I did it,” she replies, looking toward the back. “I made a new order sheet for next week, but we’re good for now.”
“Talon,” Shay continues, looking at me and waiting for my attention. “You saw him the other day but never told me how he was doing.”
I put down the list and look into her beautiful brown eyes. “He’s fine. Don’t worry about him, we need to worry about you instead.”
She rolls her eyes and sticks her straw in her mouth.
Bailey sits down next to Shay and looks between us. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No,” Shay says instantly, I guess wanting Bailey to feel welcome. “I was just about to ask Vinnie what I can do to help. If he tells me to sit here and look pretty again though, I might scream.”
I laugh at that. “I’m almost done, you just relax.”
“All I do is relax,” she grumbles.
“Shark will be here soon to take over from me, so we can go do something if you like.”
I was taking a gamble, of course, but I fuckin’ hated it when she was sad.
“Who is Shark?” she asks me, scrunching her nose up.
Bailey laughs, touching Shay’s arm and answering the question for me. “That’s Ronan’s road name.”
“How come you don’t have a road name?” she asks me, looking curious.
“I do,” I reply, smirking. “No one really uses it though, probably because Vinnie itself is a nickname. My first name is Tyler.”
“I didn’t even know that. So why do they call you Vinnie then?” she asks, tilting her head to the side. “And what’s your road name?”
“Vincent is my middle name,” I explain to her. “And it’s Wolf.”
“Wolf?” she asks, sounding surprised.
I shrug and try to explain. “I guess you can say I’m kind of a loner. Before I walked into the MC, I had no one. No family or friends, no attachments. A lone wolf. That’s me.”
I watch Shay process this, buying me silence for a few moments.
Then she blurts out, “I think Wolf suits you.”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling.
Even though I wasn’t exactly a lone wolf anymore.
Because I had her.
And I’m never going to give her up.
Is this what it’s like for the other men? How do they even go on runs? I wouldn’t want to leave Shay behind to go anywhere, although I guess knowing some of the men stay behind to watch over her would help. It’s nice having something that’s all mine. I mean, I know she’s a person and not a thing, but she’s mine all the same, and no one else’s. I’ve never had that before.
I’ve also never had a reason to go home before, but now I do, and now that I have it, I’m going to do anything to protect it.
Anything.
TWENTY-NINE
Shayla
“NOT bad for your first session,” Anna praises, pushing her hair out of her face. “You’re tiny but fast. And you’re pretty flexible, aren’t you?”
“Pilates and yoga,” I say, resting my hands on my knees. “I don’t have much strength though.”
“We can work on that,” Anna says, sitting down on the mat and stretching. “You just need to be able to use whatever advantage you have. It’s not always the strongest who wins the fight, sometimes it’s the most analytical—the quickest thinker.”
“I like learning this,” I say, smiling at her. “It feels powerful.”
“It is empowering, yes,” she replies, lying back on the mat. “The truth is there are times when shit goes down, and it’s better to know how to protect yourself any way you can. The men will always do their best to save us, but sometimes you need to save yourself, you know? No one wants to be a victim.”
“No, they don’t,” I agree, copying her and lying back. “A few more of these and a few more gun lessons will be good for me.”
“A few more? Try one every week for the rest of your life,” she says, laughing. “We try to get in here, keep fit, and learn new moves. Sometimes we get the men to pretend to attack us and see if we manage to get out of the situations.”
“You guys are so awesome,” I say, rolling over onto my stomach. “I’ve been around the Wild Men only a few times, but they’re nothing like this. Their clubhouse has men and club hos, that’s it. There’s no family environment, or nice old ladies, or anything like that. It’s like a bachelor pad.”
Anna makes a sound of amusement. “I know, I’ve been there before.”
“You have?” I ask, surprise filling me.
“Yeah, and I dragged Bailey with me, we both got into shit,” she says, sitting up and watching me. “Did you ever meet the man Talon’s mother married?”
I nod my head. “Yes, I did.”
“He was our biological father,” Anna says, quickly explaining the story to me. “Talon sees me as his family, in a weird way. Honestly I think he feels guilty that our father raised him instead of Rake and me, and was good to him, while abandoning his own children.”
“I had no idea,” I say, my eyes wide. “I didn’t even know he had other children. I’m so sorry that happened to you, Anna.”
How could I know so little? Talon never told me this. He’s never mentioned Anna to me before at all, and he apparently considered her family. I think I needed to have a talk with my elusive cousin.
She waves her hand in the air. “Shit happens, yeah? I had my brother, and that’s all that matters. Everyone has pain in their life, everyone. It just comes in different forms, but you need to look at what you do have and be grateful for it. My father might not have wanted us, but he still gave me Rake.”
“That’s such a beautiful thing to say, Anna,” I say, emotion hitting me. She really is an amazing woman, strong—inside and out.
“Don’t get all mushy on me,” she says, but her green eyes soften. “So are you still public enemy number one?”
I accept the subject change with a laugh. “I think it’s cooling down now, I don’t know. Vinnie doesn’t seem to want to tell me all the details, but security seems to have relaxed a little. The day I can go to a movie by myself, I’m going to celebrate.”
“It’s temporary,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “Whenever shit was going down with me, I’d always tell myself it’s temporary. You just have to push through for now.”
“I know. I always think about how much worse it would be if Vinnie hadn’t brought me here,” I admit. “If I didn’t have him in my life . . . He just makes everything better, you know? Gives me something to fight for.”
Anna grins, showing her teeth. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
I duck my face. “He’s just . . . everything. I don’t know. I know it’s new, and we pretty much started living together from the second we met, but it just feels right. That’s the only way I can explain it.”
I never thought I’d end up with a biker, but Vinnie is everything I could wish for in a man. He’s rough around the edges, but I kind of like that. He’s strong and takes charge, dominant, but also a total sweetheart. He can be stubborn, but so can I. He knows how to handle me, in and out of the bedroom, and doesn’t get distant when I show emotion of any kind.
He sets my blood on fire.
Anna makes a sound of amusement. “You have been living together since you first met, that’s pretty hilarious when you think about it.”
“I know.”
She pushes off the ground and offers me her hand. “Let’s work on more punches. You kind of suck.”
I grin and place my hand in hers. I really do suck. “Can’t I just slap whoever it is?”
She turns and laughs. “No, definitely no.”
Well, fine.
I guess I was going to learn how to fight like a man.
Or like a biker chick.
* * *
“Colt, sit,” I say, pointing with my index finger.
He sits.
“Good boy. Colt, down.”
He lies down.
I look to my audience and say, “Okay, he’s still working on stay, so that’s all for now.”
Vinnie, Tracker, Rake, and Lana clap.
“I still can’t believe you named your dog after one of my book characters,” Lana says, laughing. “That’s crazy.”
“She practically named him after me,” Tracker says for the millionth time.
Everyone ignores him.
“He’s going to be massive,” Rake says, patting Colt. “The kids can probably ride him.”
“I need to get him leash trained before he gets big enough to drag me,” I say, wincing. “Which will probably be very soon.”
“Should have got her a pug, or something,” Rake jokes to Vinnie.
“I’m sure a pug will protect her,” Lana says, sitting down on Tracker’s lap. “A pug with small-man syndrome. Those small dogs can be pretty vicious.”
Everyone heads back inside, but Vinnie grabs my arm. “Two things I want to talk to you about.”
“Yeah?” I ask, brow furrowing.
“The accounts you did for your dad, you didn’t mention that you did work for the Kings MC.”
He’s right, I didn’t mention that, and I’m pretty surprised that Talon mentioned it to him.
“Vinnie, when they say accounts, it isn’t some code word for dodgy shit. I legitimately did their accounting. I helped Dad with the numbers; I don’t know about anything else that went on with them.”
“Why didn’t you mention it?”
I sigh and try to explain it to him. “I just don’t want anything to do with all of that anymore. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I didn’t know my father was doing anything wrong until it was too late and men wanted me dead.” I tilt my head to the side and study him. “You knew all this, yet you didn’t say anything, and you accuse me of being a liar?”
To a man like Vinnie, loyalty is everything. Although I didn’t do anything wrong, I also didn’t tell him small details like that. I kept everything to myself, even though I wouldn’t have lied about it if I was asked. Keeping things to yourself protects people. I don’t want any more people to get hurt because of me. I just want everything to be over with.
“I go with my gut, Shay,” he says, eyes gentling. “I don’t think you have it in you to deceive me.”
We look into each other’s eyes, something passing between us.
“What else did you want to talk about?”
“Talon said you should go to your father’s house to sort out the estate and shit, figure out if you want to sell it or what. I told him I can take you out there next week. Is that all right?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” I say, my heart feeling heavy. The thought of going there . . . but it has to be done. What did I want to do with the house though? I definitely didn’t want to live there; I guess I’ll just have to put it on the market.
“Is it safe for me to go there though, won’t everyone be expecting it?”
“I’ll make it safe,” Vinnie assures me, pulling me by my hand toward him, so our bodies touch. He grabs my hair in his hand and uses it to lift my head back. “Now give me a kiss.”
He leans down and catches my lips with his, his tongue delving into my mouth and making me feel weak in the knees. When he pulls away, I grip his T-shirt for balance. He kisses my nose and then my forehead. “I have to go to Rift. Do you want to come with me?”
“Yes,” I say quickly, making his eyes smile. I look down at my shorts and T-shirt. “Let me go get changed though and do my hair and makeup.”
“It’s not like we’re actually going clubbing,” he say, eyes dancing. “You can look around, have a drink, but no one is there except staff.”
“Yeah but I still need to look decent,” I say, patting Colt and then heading inside. “Just give me fifteen minutes.”
“It better be an actual fifteen minutes,” he grumbles from behind me. “Oh, and we’re taking my bike, so keep that in mind.”
“Will do,” I say, excited to be going on the back of his bike with him. “I think I want to learn how to ride one day.”
“Really?” he asks, brows almost hitting his hairline. “I can teach you if you like.”
“Yes, please,” I say, walking into our room and pulling out a pair of jeans and a tight black top. I start to undress, throwing the clothes I was wearing into the laundry basket. Vinnie sits on the bed, enjoying the show. “You just going to sit there and watch, are you?”
“Yep,” he replies, lying back with his hands behind his head. “Can’t help it when the view is so amazing.”
“Not sick of it yet, huh?” I tease, sliding my top on and then my jeans.
“Never.”
I put on my new biker boots, brush and tie up my hair, and apply some foundation, brow powder, and bronzer on my cheeks. “See, all done. Didn’t even take me fifteen minutes.”
He checks me out from head to toe, then looks down at his crotch, where his cock is straining against his jeans. “I think we have another problem that might need attending to before we can leave.”
“If I attended that problem every time it came up, we’d never leave this bed,” I fire back, laughing.
He groans, covering his eyes with his arm. “It’s not my fault you wiggle that ass so much, trying to get it into your tight-ass jeans.”
“That’s what I have to do to get them on,” I reply, going to stand next to the bed and offering him my hand. “Come on, badass motorcycle time.”
That makes him smile and get out of bed. “All right, but for the record, Rift has a private VIP room we could always use. . . .”
I ignore him and walk outside to his bike.
And that’s when I hear the gunshots.
THIRTY
Vinnie
“GET down!” I yell at Shay, grabbing her and pinning her beneath my body. I hear her cry of pain as she hits the ground, but I’d rather her be scraped up a little than have bullets through her. The car speeds off, and I wait, covering her for a few more moments, just to make sure it’s safe. Tracker and Rake run outside, guns in their hands, ready for backup, but the cowards just shot and sped away. They were aiming right for Shay, and probably don’t know whether they hit her. I’m fuckin’ pissed that they figured out where she was and who was protecting her. Fuck, Talon was the only other person who knew she was here. Now it’s time to regroup and come up with a new plan.
“Are you both okay?” Tracker asks, racing to us, while Rake stands there, ready to shoot in case they decide to come back.
“Shay?” I ask, getting off her and helping her up. I scan her from head to toe, but she looks fine, no injuries that I can see.
“I’m fine,” she says, running into my arms and hugging me. “Holy shit, that was scary.”
She’s shaking, and I run my hands up and down her arms, looking at Tracker.
“Take her inside,” he demands, putting his gun away. “Someone might have called the cops if they heard the gunshots, which means they’ll probably drive around here at best, come visit us at worst.”
I nod, lift Shay in my arms like she’s a new bride, and carry her inside. I lay her down on my bed and just hold her in my arms.
Fuck.
That bullet just missed her.
I almost lost her.
I lift up her T-shirt, and she does have some scratches on her from when I pushed her to the ground, but other than that she�
��s fine. “Are you sure you’re okay? Fuck, Shay, they almost got you. I don’t think I’ve been so scared in my fuckin’ life. Fuck!”
I want to rage, break shit, and ride on after them.
I want to beat Talon’s ass. ’Cause her location did not come from any of us.
But more than anything, I want to make sure she’s okay.
“I’m fine, thanks to you,” she says, rubbing my back. Great. She almost gets shot, and now she’s the one comforting me. I close my eyes and just feel her in my arms.
So. Fucking. Close.
Things can change in an instant, but we’re lucky this time. Still, I could have lost her. The pain that slices through me at that thought tells me I was right the whole time about her—she’s mine. I don’t care what anyone has to say, or how long we’ve known each other, or any other fuckin’ minor details, the woman in my arms belongs to me. I’ve never followed any rules, and I’m not going to start now; I want Shay, and so I’ll have her. I know she wants me too. I know that she follows her heart, unlike me, who always listens to his head—this time though I’m listening to both.
“Those bastards are going to die,” I announce, stilling her hands. The fear and anger firing through my veins are a dangerous, heady mix.
“Vinnie—”
“No,” I say, not wanting to bother with her trying to talk me out of it and all that shit. I don’t care about the danger, I don’t care if I get hurt, as long as she’s safe. I can handle myself; she can’t. I can protect myself, but all she has is me.
And the men who just tried to shoot her—they will pay with their lives.
* * *
“I’m fine, Vinnie,” she says, over and over again, from where she’s lying in our bed. I, on the other hand, am pacing up and down while trying to call Talon, and of course the bastard isn’t answering. We can’t just sit here anymore, idly, waiting for them to make their moves. Talon and I have taken out two people who wanted to hurt her, but we need to do more, and we need to do it faster. I don’t care how high the death count goes, one innocent woman is worth more than any amount of corrupt, dirty men.
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