Tracker's End

by Chantal Fernando

  Praise for the first Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club novel

  DRAGON’S LAIR

  “Dragon’s Lair proves a badass chick can tame even the wildest of men. . . . Not to be missed. A biker book unlike any other . . . [with] a heroine for strong-willed women and an MC of hot bikers. Chantal Fernando knows how to draw you in and keep you hooked.”

  —Angela Graham, New York Times– and USA Today–bestselling author

  “Dragon’s Lair was witty and fast-paced. A delicious combination of badass biker men and laugh-out-loud humor.”

  —Bookgossip.net

  Praise for

  ARROW’S HELL

  “Cheek-heating, gut-wrenching, and beautifully delivered! Arrow’s Hell took me on the ride of my life!”

  —Bella Jewel, USA Today–bestselling author

  Thank you for downloading this Gallery Books eBook.

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  Have you ever met someone and they instantly feel like family?

  I have.

  And her name is Rose Tawil.

  Love you, honey!

  The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.

  —Ernest Hemingway

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  AS always, I’d like to thank Abby Zidle and Gallery Books. This experience has been so amazing, and I’ve been so blessed to be surrounded with such wonderful people.

  My agent, Kimberly Brower, thank you for always believing in me, and pushing me to work harder.

  Arijana Karcic—I don’t think I can ever thank you enough. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Thank you for being you. Your dry humor gets me through the day.

  Thank you to my family, I love you all and appreciate your help.

  Tenielle—My sister, my best friend. You know how much you mean to me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, nothing.

  Sasha Jaya—You’re the best friend a girl could ask for. And lucky for me, you’re my blood too. Love you always.

  Brent—Thank you for answering all my extremely personal questions and allowing me a peek into the male mind. You’re kind of great. Okay, more than great, you’re amazing. And also a huge pain in the ass.

  To all the bloggers that support me on a daily basis, I adore each and every one of you! Tara Lynn—Thank you for your hilarious messages, I’m flattered you love my heroes so much.

  Natasha Awkar—I adore you woman! Thank you for always being there for me.

  Thank you to all my beta readers, and all the girls in Chantal’s Alpha Male Support Team, especially Eileen Robinson, who is such an amazing lady.

  Aileen Day—Books brought us together, and now you’re one of my best friends. Thank you for being so wonderful.

  To my three sons. Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person, for giving me a reason to fight. I love you infinity.

  PROLOGUE

  ANNA, who is this?” a blond god calls out.

  I step closer to my best friend. When Anna moved back into town, I’d never have guessed I’d be thrust into a world of motorcycle clubs and insanely hot yet dangerous bikers. Nothing is going to be boring around here from now on—that’s for sure. The man who approaches us is probably the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m not even exaggerating. Playful blue eyes, angular features with a strong jaw covered in stubble, I can see tattoos peeking out from his white T-shirt. I can also see a muscled arm that I imagine wrapped around me.

  Yeah, maybe I will start hanging around here more often.

  Like, every day.

  “Tracker, this is Lana.” Anna introduces us, explaining, “This is one of Rake’s friends.”

  I’m still getting used to hearing Anna’s brother, Adam, being referred to by his MC name. I’ve known Adam—I mean, Rake—since I was a young girl. He wasn’t in an MC while he was in high school, but he still caused trouble wherever he went. At heart though, he’s a good guy and cares about his younger sister.

  “Nice to meet you, Tracker,” I say quietly, glancing shyly at him.

  He smiles slowly. “Pleasure is all mine.”

  I have to remind myself to breathe.

  “So you’re Anna’s partner in crime?” he asks, moving closer.

  I glance at Anna, then back at him. “No. I’m usually the one trying to keep her out of trouble.”

  He laughs, rubbing his chest absently. My eyes follow the movement, unable to stop staring at the way his shirt clings to him. “I can see that. Only known her for a while, but I can already see how she starts trouble.”

  Anna gives him the finger.

  Tracker gives me a look that clearly says See what I mean?

  A small smile forms on my lips. “It’s usually her mouth that gets her in trouble.”

  “Traitor,” Anna fires back good-naturedly.

  “Or because she thinks I need protecting.”

  Tracker studies me. “You are kind of small. Cute. It’s hot.”

  I duck my head shyly.

  “Don’t embarrass her,” Anna chastises, then pauses. “And don’t flirt with her. You have a woman, remember?”

  I’m surprised by my disappointment at hearing he’s taken, but I brush it aside. This is not the kind of guy I can trust, that is clear. His flirty, friendly demeanor is clearly a well-practiced act—it’s probably worked on countless women in the past. It won’t work on me though. Nope.

  I try to keep my expression impassive as Tracker studies me for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. As if coming to a conclusion, he nods and moves his gaze away from me. “Just being friendly.”

  “Well, don’t,” Anna replies. “Come on, Lana, we better get going.”

  “Okay,” I murmur, following behind her.

  I can’t help myself. I turn around to look back at him.

  But he’s not looking at me.

  He’s staring at the ground, lost in thought. He almost looks confused, his eyebrows drawn together, as though he doesn’t understand whatever is on his mind.

  I wonder what he’s thinking about. I wonder if he’s thinking about me. Not that it matters. He isn’t available.

  And I’m probably not his type anyway.

  My thought is proven correct when a beautiful woman walks up to him.

  His beautiful woman, I realize as she puts her hand against his chest with a seductive look on her face.

  She’s everything I’m not. Tall, slim, and dressed in tight leather pants, a black top showing off her toned flesh and shiny red high heels, she’s the epitome of a biker chick.

  I look down at my worn jeans, graphic T-shirt, and flip-flops and I keep walking.

  I may not be oozing sex appeal like that woman, but that’s just not me. Sometimes you have to know who you are, and who you’re not.

  ONE

  ONE YEAR LATER

  TRACKER

  I SEE her.

  As usual, she’s standing a little behind Anna, almost hiding. Fuck, she’s shy. It’s cute as hell. Women are usually forward with me—the same way I am with them. But Lana? Her gaze avoids mine as much as it can. I know she wants me. I know lust when I see it; but with her, there’s something more there. She wants more than a fuck. She deserves more. For the last year I’ve tried to stay away from her. I didn’t think I was good for her—oh, and I wasn�
��t really single either.

  I’m still not good for her.

  But wanting her—that has stayed constant since the moment I met her.

  She’s dressed in a blue top that hugs her petite frame, and jeans that cup her juicy ass. That ass could bring a man to his knees. Feeling myself harden, I shift uncomfortably and force myself to remove my gaze from her. I scan the room, my gaze landing on Allie.

  Fuck.

  The situation between me and Allie is a huge clusterfuck. A whole fuckin’ mess that I went along with because it was easy. She was here; she wanted me. She knew the lifestyle. Easy.

  Allie is the daughter of a fallen member of the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club. Because of this, we let her stay in our clubhouse, and we look after her. She’s hooked up with a few of the other members, I know, but when her claws landed on me, the bitch dug deep. She wanted to be my old lady, and I let her play the part for a while without giving her the official title. Looking back, I know I didn’t treat her how I would treat my old lady, how I would treat Lana if she were mine. The feelings just weren’t there—and they still aren’t. I was looking for something in Allie that I didn’t find, but I held on anyway. I led her on more than I meant to. Staying with her was me being a selfish fuck, because I should have let her go when our relationship first started going south. Which was right after it fuckin’ began. I have the feeling she knows it won’t work but is hopeful anyway. Whatever it is, it’s a fucked-up situation that needs to be over with.

  Allie is jealous, mouthy, and has a vindictive streak in her that people shouldn’t underestimate. She hates Lana with a passion and is jealous as hell of her. I mean, she’d been a bitch toward Faye and Anna as well, with her snide comments and general cattiness, but with Lana it’s different. Faye and Anna can put Allie in her place, but Lana is more quiet and unaware. I’ve seen the scheming looks Allie gives Lana, almost like she’s planning something. Maybe she senses the connection I feel toward Lana. I’ve always tried to protect Lana from her, because I know Allie can be vicious. Whenever Lana’s around, I give Allie a little more attention, just to curb her jealousy. By trying to save Lana from Allie, it pushed her away from me a little bit more each time. But it had to be done. I want Allie and me to be completely done, and I want to close that distance with Lana.

  Allie does have a sweet side, a vulnerable side, which she always tries to hide. It just isn’t enough for me to overlook the bad. Overall she is a hard bitch who was born to be on the back of a bike, just not mine.

  But Lana . . .

  I wanted her from the moment I first saw her, whether I was with Allie or not, even though I pretended that I didn’t. I tried to make sure she thought I only wanted her as a friend, but I’m not sure what message I really sent. Mixed fuckin’ signals for sure.

  My head turns, my attention on her once more.

  She’s beautiful. Sweet.

  Not a mean bone in her little body . . . and yet . . . she belongs on the back of my bike. The loyalty I’ve seen her show Anna when she and Arrow got together made me realize just how strong she is. She’s so much tougher than I’d initially thought.

  This one is mine. I wanted her then. And I want her now.

  There is no more fighting it, pretending I don’t want her. Trying to ignore her. Giving her the impression we don’t have a chance in hell. All the games are coming to an end.

  I’m going to soak all that sweetness up.

  Consume her.

  And no one is going to stand in my way—not even her.

  She’s my end.

  TWO

  LANA

  I CAN feel his gaze on me, but I pretend to ignore him. Instead, I concentrate on the beautiful little girl in front of me. Clover is the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club princess. Daughter of the president, Sin, and his kick-ass wife, Faye, Clover is protected by all and loved by many. With jet-black hair, hazel eyes, and the cutest smile, the six-year-old is a force to be reckoned with.

  And I’m her nanny.

  Today is only the second time I’m watching her, but honestly, she is a treat. It’s extremely amusing to see how this little girl has all the rough men of the MC wrapped around her little finger. Hell, I can probably learn a thing or two from her. She’s currently sitting on Arrow’s knee, waiting impatiently as Arrow pulls a piece of strawberry candy from his pocket, unwraps it, and pops it into her mouth.

  Did he just carry around that candy for her?

  The girl is good.

  “Don’t tell your mother,” I hear Arrow tell her quietly, in that gravelly voice of his.

  “I won’t,” Clover replies¸ grinning.

  I shake my head at her, amused. Arrow, who was recently elected the club’s vice president, is Anna’s man. I happen to think that they’re great for each other. As long as Anna is happy, then so am I, and it’s clear that she’s over the moon about Arrow. Feisty and strong as she is, Anna is like a happy cat when he’s around, and he’s the same. He adores her and would kill anyone who tried to hurt her. I wish I had that.

  Anna’s brother, Rake, is also a club member, which is how she met Arrow and I guess how I ended up here.

  The men in the Wind Dragons MC are intimidating, but they’ve only ever been nice to me, albeit a little overbearing. I know that they love Anna, and as her best friend, they also look out for me. I like to think of myself as extended family.

  Anna suggested to Faye that I would be a great nanny and, more importantly, that I could be trusted. She thinks I need the money, so when Faye asked me, I accepted. Really, I just couldn’t think of a reason to refuse. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Faye needed someone, and I liked her and wanted to help. It also gave me more time with Anna. Before I was Clover’s nanny, I usually saw her only once a week or so. So now I can see her more often, while getting paid to be here. Win-win.

  And then there was Tracker. As much as I wanted to deny it, I was looking forward to seeing more of him, even if only from a distance.

  Arrow stands, putting Clover down on the couch. “Gotta go, princess.”

  Clover pouts. “So soon? Why?”

  “Hey, I’m still here,” Tracker calls out, mock hurt in his tone.

  Clover turns to Tracker. “I know, Uncle Tracker, but you don’t have candy.”

  The two men both laugh, and I join in.

  “I have to go and meet Anna,” he says, patting her on the head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Arrow’s brown eyes then turn to me. “You okay, Lana?”

  I nod. “I’m fine.”

  Why wouldn’t I be? Okay, so I look out of place here. I am out of place here. My black hair is up in a messy bun and I have on my reading glasses, no makeup, jeans, and a loose black tank top. Truth be told, I usually look better than this on a day-to-day basis, but I’m proving to myself that I do not care if Tracker finds me attractive or not.

  Nope. I do not care.

  Not one bit.

  And neither does he.

  “Call me if you need anything,” Arrow murmurs, eyes darting between Tracker and me before leaving.

  “I’m here if she needs anything,” I hear Tracker say to him in a hard voice.

  I’m pretty sure I hear Arrow mutter, “That’s what I’m afraid of,” as he walks out the door. With Arrow gone, Clover runs to sit next to Tracker, taking his hand in hers. Standing there awkwardly, I shift on my feet, no idea what to do with myself. With no option but to look at him, I let my eyes take him in.

  Today his shoulder-length blond hair is tied up in a bun, a much nicer bun than the one I am sporting, and it looks sexy on him. But then again, he always looks sexy. He has a certain appeal to him that I just can’t escape. And I know I’m not the only one. His blue eyes are steady on me, and slightly narrowed. I wish I didn’t find the stubble on his face so attractive, but I do. The man belongs on a magazine cover and is well aware of his charm. He’s also a badass, dangerous biker—and the contradiction is extremely appealing.

/>   “Clover,” Tracker says. “Why don’t you go get some coloring books and crayons?”

  “Can I use one of the new ones you got me?” she asks in excitement.

  “Uh, yeah!” he says, trying to match her excitement. She whoops, jumping off the couch and rushing away in search of her things.

  Tracker turns to me. “Sit down, Lana,” he commands quietly.

  I look around the room before I sit down on the couch opposite him. “Okay.”

  “I’m not gonna bite,” he says, flashing his sharp white teeth at me in a wolfish grin.

  I think he does bite. And I want him to bite me.

  Shit, I’m so screwed.

  “What was that thought?” he asks, amusement written all over his too-handsome-for-his-own-good face.

  “Nothing,” I say with a casual shrug. I need to stop being so expressive. “Are you going to be here all day?”

  Maybe I’ll take Clover out somewhere. No point sitting here and being teased with something I’ll never have.

  “Yeah,” he replies, tilting his head to the side and studying me. “I live here.”

  “Right,” I reply, shifting on my seat.

  “How is school going?” he asks, leaning back on the couch. I’m still getting my business degree. After high school, I’d worked and helped my mom instead of jumping straight into college. Because of this, I’m twenty-five and still in college. I don’t mind though, I’m just happy to be studying something.

  “I’m on break now,” I say. “Just started.”

  He nods, eyes widening. “Right. Anna told me that; I forgot.” He flicks his tongue over his bottom lip, and I can’t help but stare at it.

  “So you’re going to be here every day watching Clover?”

  I shake my head. “Not every day. Four days a week. While I’m on break anyway.”

  I honestly don’t know why Faye wants me to look after Clover here. There are always people going in and out. Anna told me that during the day while Clover is here, the clubhouse is a family environment and everyone is well behaved, but when night falls, all bets are off. It still doesn’t explain why Faye doesn’t have me watch Clover at her own house. It would be safer and quieter, in my opinion, but Faye’s the boss. I worry that maybe she doesn’t fully trust me yet and wants there to be other people around just in case.