by K E Osborn
Julian licks his lips while flaring his nostrils. “You shouldn’t be out sans security, and especially not wearing…” he looks her up and down, “… that.”
“I was with her the entire time,” I tell him.
His head snaps to me, his eyes shooting death rays. I’m sure if this were a Marvel movie, I’d have lasers running through me right about now. But it doesn’t faze me in the slightest. “She shouldn’t have left the hotel at all, Ace,” he sneers my name like it’s acid on his tongue. “Where were you anyway? I was trying to reach you all damn night.”
Her eyes peer up at me like she’s unsure of what to tell him, so I step forward. “I took her to the clubhouse to meet every—”
“What?” Julian rises from the sofa, a vein almost popping right out of his neck. “Jesus, Neve, you have an image to uphold!”
Neve stands from the bed folding her arms across her chest. “The thing is, Julian, Cindi’s also from that club. The press, the world knows it, and they accept Cindi for it. They might have judged her a little at the start, but they know she’s just like any other per—”
“A club whore and a biker are two different things, Neve!”
I step forward as Neve scoffs in clear disgust. “Don’t you ever call Cindi a club whore again. Not to Neve, not to me, and never, ever, to Cindi. If I hear you utter those words again, Julian, you and me are gonna have an even bigger issue than we do right now. Got it?”
He scoffs. “You think we have issues? You’re not an issue for me biker, I could have you erased as a problem in no ti—”
“Is that a threat?”
Julian chortles. “No. And I don’t mean it how you’re thinking…” He rolls his eyes. “Always with the death and chaos. What I mean is I have control over who sees Neve. If I want you off my set, my word is final. So go on, rub me the wrong way…” his eyes narrow, “… I dare you.”
I scoff. “You think you hold all the cards ‘cause you run her life? But you can’t protect her with your puny muscles and weak-as-shit words. You think any threat to her you could handle?” I stifle a laugh. “You can’t look after her, Julian. And as much as you hate me being around, as much as you hate bikers, I’m here for one reason… Neve’s safety. Because with me, she feels safe, shielded…” I tilt my head. “Can she say she feels the same with you around?”
“Okay, that’s enough comparing dick sizes, guys. I know you’re both here to watch out for me. I appreciate you both, but what I don’t need is the two of you going head to head with each other when you’re both right.”
“What?” I ask.
“Huh?” Julian queries.
“Look, Julian, it was reckless to go out without alerting you and taking extra security. I know that, but at the same time, I had Ace and all his brothers to keep me safe at the clubhouse. The gates are high, no one can get in. I was protected there.”
Julian relaxes a little.
“And Ace… Julian might not be able to protect me physically, but he only wants what’s best for me, so cut him some slack. He’s taken great care of me over the years, and he does know what’s best for my career.”
Raising my brow, I fold my arms over my chest. I should be annoyed she’s telling me what the fuck to do, but in all honesty, her sassiness is kind of turning me on.
“I need you two to call a truce. If we’re all going to be working together for the next few weeks, then I have to know it’s not going to be all banging chests and seeing who can piss the furthest every time you’re both in the same room.”
I glance at Julian whose face is the same as mine—it’s like he’s having a hard time trying to keep his humor contained. So, I decide to just let it out. I chuckle, shaking my head.
Julian exhales. “Jesus, Neve, you certainly have a way with words. Never seen that in you before.”
I walk over and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her to me. “Yeah, I’ll say.”
Julian stands letting out a heavy exhale. “So, we good? I don’t have to cover any mess from last night or this morning?”
“I promise, Julian, there are no fires. We did everything right,” Neve insists wrapping her arm around my waist.
Julian’s eyes meet mine. “If you take her out again, notify me, that’s all I ask.”
I feel like maybe Julian and I have stepped over some barrier and maybe now he knows I’m here for a good reason. I’m here for her safety, but more than that, it’s because I want to be. I want to be near her, to learn everything I can about her. I’m curious by nature, and I like learning things. Neve still has so many doors left to unlock.
I put my hand out to shake Julian’s. His eyes widen like he wasn’t expecting the move. The atmosphere in the room shifts from tense to more relaxed. His grip is weak as we finally have a moment of connection.
Two guys only wanting the same thing.
The best for Neve.
We can definitely agree on that fact.
“I’ll see you both on set,” he states letting go of my hand, walking toward the door.
“Thank you, Julian,” Neve calls out.
“Thank me in a week when we’re definitely clear of last night’s shenanigans.”
Tilting my head to the side as he walks out of the door, I turn to Neve. “A week?”
She sighs slumping down onto the bed. “A week to see if anything happens in the press… photos, leaked stories, shit like that.”
I grimace. “Oh… right.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure it’s fine. I didn’t see any paps on the way there or back or any flashes of light.”
“And no one at the club’s going to sell a story, trust me, you’re safe there.”
She lays back on the bed, looking so fucking good I want to jump on top of her. “So then there’s nothing to worry about. Now get over here and kiss me.”
Striding to the edge of the bed, I crawl over the top of her, lean down, and plant my lips to hers. That fucking energy surges through me again, my cock instantly hardening against her as I spin us over, letting her straddle me. I like her on top, I like her taking charge. Hell, I like her. Probably more than I should at this point, but right now I’m going to take full advantage of Neve and me alone in her hotel room.
For as long as fucking possible.
ACE
The Next Night
Being back on set, everyone’s here. Noah and I take turns keeping an eye generally around the set. There’s something not quite right about this movie production or the people working here, but I can’t pinpoint what the issue is, so I need to make sure Neve and Cindi are kept as safe as possible at all times.
Danny Ossani, or Danny Esposito as he’s pretending to be, is still a creeper. He might be the advisor on set, but it doesn’t give him the right to snoop. I caught him this morning in Neve’s trailer. Fuck knows what he was doing in there. I made sure to do a thorough sweep after he left.
Having Brody and Grier around intermittently has helped too. It seems to have kept everyone on the straight and narrow, for now.
It was fucking great to take Neve to the clubhouse, to let her see life from my perspective. To show her it’s not the bad image some biker clubs seem to portray. We’re not all like that. Sure, we’re not one hundred percent straight all the time. Do we do underhanded shit? Yeah. But we’re not cold-blooded, callous monsters like people portray. We do what we have to, that’s all. We live for ourselves, our family, nothing more. We don’t strive for chaos and carnage. In fact, we try to keep the fuck away from it. We’ve seen enough of that shit in our lives. But if it comes knocking, you better believe we’ll come in guns-a-blazing. We fight for what’s ours, for what we believe in, for those we love.
So if I think someone’s out to harm Cindi or Neve, you bet your ass I’m gonna fight to stop it from happening. My life will be on the line, it’s in my nature, it’s a part of who I am, it’s just what I do. That’s why I’m sitting on an uncomfortable-as-fuck fold-out chair with my feet propped up on a crate, just pa
st the barrier of the set watching Neve shoot her scene. Brody’s here while Grier and Noah are off with Cindi in makeup.
I love watching Neve act.
No wonder she’s won an Oscar. She’s fucking flawless. I have no idea how she keeps going, she’s been at this for hours.
Pulling my laptop from the carrier, I place it on my lap, switching it on. I’m in a back corner and no one’s around me which will help with not only concentration but keeping a lid on anything coming in. I open the browser of the hidden area I need, some call it the dark web, but I call it my safe haven. It’s where I obtain most of the intel, all the hits on incoming noise, on information I need to give Torque, so he knows how to lead conversations with people before they even start. But it’s only one of my tools. Merely a scratch on the surface. Most of my other shit’s back at the club, and right now while I’m here guarding Neve, my eyes on the club are failing. I need to try to keep up with it while I have a spare minute, and not get too bogged down watching and being wrapped up in Neve.
I’m still a brother.
I still have a job, a duty.
My brothers need me to protect them. If I fail that, I fail my family, and I’d never forgive myself.
Typing away on my keyboard, my eyes skim the page to see what’s going down. Every day general shit’s happening in Chicago. Nothing much grabs my attention.
But then I see it.
A tiny piece of code hidden amongst it all.
I dig deeper, finding it hidden under encryption. It takes me barely five minutes to break through. Whoever tried to hide this isn’t doing a great job.
Once I break through, my eyes widen as I make out a set of plans. My feet drop from the crate as I sit taller leaning into my laptop trying to read faster. The plans tell of an imminent and catastrophic attack. My heart pummels in my chest as I look at the timestamp, then bring up my wrist to check my watch.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself. I slam my laptop shut, shove it into my carrier, jump up and race over to Brody. He’s slumped against the wall watching Neve with Harry, the security guy.
“Brody,” I call out in a lowered voice so I don’t disturb the filming.
He and Harry both glance at me. “What’s up, you look frazzled?”
Shaking my head, I glance at Neve with regret. “I have to go. I don’t know how long I’m going to be, but if I don’t come back later, tell Neve…” My shoulders slump at the thought I might not make it back to her. “Shit, I don’t fucking know, just watch over her, okay? And don’t tell Cindi I’ve gone. Make sure Noah stays here, too.”
Brody’s face scrunches up as he turns to me. “Ace, talk to me. What the hell’s going on?”
“I don’t have time. I have to go warn them—”
“Warn who?”
“I can’t stay and fucking chat, I have to go, there’s not much time left.” I have to get to Torque and tell him what’s coming, so I don’t say anything more but simply turn and start running.
“Ace!” Brody calls out.
I don’t stop—I run for my ride, I run for my life.
Roaring into the yard, I screech to a halt, my tires burning rubber as I grind my bike to a sudden stop. The brothers in the backyard all glance over at me like I’m having some kind of meltdown while I yank off my helmet throwing it on my handlebars and jump off running. My heart hammers in my chest. I know I don’t have that long. I need to tell my president what’s coming. Otherwise it could be too fucking late.
Scratch notices me and stands from the seat he’s sitting on. “Where’s the fire?” he mocks.
“Where’s Torque?” I yell, probably louder than I meant to.
Everyone outside instantly senses my panic as they begin to walk toward me. Lift tilts his head toward the door. “Chatting to Pyro about the wedding, why do you think we’re all out here?”
I don’t bother to engage in the conversation. Instead, I take off, my feet pounding hard on the concrete as I search around the clubroom to locate my president. I can’t see him anywhere, but I can hear the pounding of footsteps behind me. I know my brothers have followed me inside, obviously curious as to why I’m in such a rush.
Where the fuck is he?
“Torque!” I scream out loudly, making everyone turn as I hot foot it toward the chapel. Fuck! I need my tech gear. As I reach for the handle of the chapel doors, Torque steps out appearing annoyed, his face is scrunched up as he stares at me, but I push past him racing for my desk.
He lets out an unamused grunt. “What the fuck did you just do?”
“No time, pres, I’ll apologize later. Come… look at this,” I blurt out so fast I can hardly understand myself as I type frantically on the keyboard.
Torque and Pyro stand in the middle of the chapel staring at me like I’m having a mental breakdown, and I can’t help but notice my other brothers starting to congregate at the chapel doors as well.
Torque exhales, slowly walking over, rounding the table, then he peers down at the computer screen. I type in a few more things, then hit enter. It flashes up on the screen like a fucking glowing neon sign of carnage. I tense in trepidation as I glance at Torque. I don’t miss him side-eyeing me like he wants to punch me. “Ace, all I see is a black screen with green coding on it.”
I groan, leaning forward and point to the one sentence that’s important.
In the coding is a sentence.
It’s a fucked-up one.
It’s one that a few years ago we would have been happy about, but now, now we have to do something about it.
Torque leans forward, his eyes straining as he mutters to himself. “Mass attack, wipe out every living person on the premises at ten tonight…” he pauses, staring at me to finish the sentence, “… all Andretti locations.”
My eyes are wide as he rubs the back of his neck, his face turning pale as his pupils grow wider.
Now he gets it.
Everyone who was at the door is now slowly filtering into the chapel. They all know what we have to do. Enzo Andretti may have been our enemy years ago, but through fights, through war, then through common ground, we’ve come together.
We’re not only allies, but we’re also friends.
An attack on the Andrettis is a direct attack on us.
Torque grits his teeth like he’s thinking hard while Trax stomps up to us. “Is this legit, Ace? Can you trace it, find out if it’s a real threat?”
The vein in my neck ticks. “I already did. Whoever posted it is cleaver. They covered their tracks well. I can’t break it in time, especially not before ten tonight. Whether the threat is real or not, I can’t say. What I can say is the message has been viewed… a lot.”
Torque turns away from me letting out a huff. “Mother… fucker,” he grunts under his breath. “I don’t have time for church, boys. I’m not gonna make you do this, but we owe it to the Andrettis to help them. Trax, Pyro, I won’t hold it against you if you wanna sit this one out.”
Pyro scoffs, his head snapping back. “Why me?”
“You have a wedding coming up. You get injured or killed, you think my little sister’s gonna be fuckin’ happy with me… or you, for that matter?”
Pyro lets out a huff. “And you think she’d be happy with me letting her brothers go in without another set of eyes on their backs?”
Torque grunts staring at Pyro. “You fuckin’ die… I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you!”
Pyro chuckles. “Noted.”
Torque glances at Trax, his blood brother, the only active member in this club to have children. But Trax curls up his lip almost in a snarl. “What the kid said. You need all eyes on you. One in, all in, right?”
We all let out a cheer as Torque tilts his head. “Well then, I better call Enzo and tell him to mount up ‘cause someone’s coming in hot. Go get your gear and meet me in the yard, we leave as soon as fucking possible. Disperse.”
Brothers rush out of the chapel as Torque turns to me, with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know whether to thank o
r punch you.”
“I could have left it. I could have left them to fend for themselves. But Torque… it’s not who we are.”
He strides over placing his hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. “You did the right thing. Let’s hope we all pull through whatever this shit is.”
A sense of dread washes over me.
This is not going to be easy.
I know not all of us are going to come out unscathed. I just hope none of us come out of it dead.
Torque turns to walk over to his chair at the head of the table. “Ace… Noah?”
I shake my head. “He doesn’t know. Still at the set watching Cindi. Brody and Grier are there with security on Neve.”
“Good, let’s keep it that way.” He yanks out his cell taking a deep breath as I walk out to give him his privacy, he’s obviously going to tell Enzo he’s about to be hit.
Hard.
I wonder who the hell he’s pissed off to warrant a wipeout.
As I enter the clubroom, it’s like a mourner’s haven. Couples are saying their possible final farewells, brothers are having a beer for courage, Trax is cuddling his kids.
It’s fucking fucked-up.
Sensei and Sass are simply holding each other. Chains and Chills are talking quietly in the corner, their body language showing the love they share. I’m sure Chills is telling Chains not to get hurt, like always. Pyro and Lala are kissing, a little too passionately. Armor and Chloe are embracing tightly. It’s a damn love fest in here, but the one person I want to talk to right now, I can’t. More than anything I want to see Neve, tell her I want to be able to come back to her, to be able to kiss and fuck her when all this is done, but I can’t. I can’t even promise her that because I don’t know how bad this is going to go down. I don’t know if I’m going to make it through.
Foxy’s standing around nervously waiting. I know she wants more than anything to be spending these moments with Torque. But when you’re the boss, you have to take care of everything else first, you and your needs come last, so I walk over to her to try to take her mind off it.
