Hades

(Steel Demons MC, Book 16)

Sarina Hart

© 2026 Sarina Hart

Hades
(A Steel Demons MC, Book 16)

All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented are 18 and above.
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Table of Contents

About the Book:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-four

Epilogue

Also by Sarina Hart

About the Author

About the Book:

Three years I’ve wanted her.
One job I can’t screw up.
One secret that could destroy my brotherhood.

Raven’s the strongest woman I know—she survived hell, rebuilt her life, and now spends her days helping other survivors.
She’s also my best friend’s sister. Completely off-limits.
The one woman I can never have.

Until a Russian trafficking ring comes for her… and the club orders me to protect her 24/7.
Safe house. Forced proximity.
And all that heat we’ve been ignoring for years?
Nowhere to hide from it now.

When she ends up pregnant with my kid, I should come clean.
Tell Falcon the truth. Do the right thing.
But I’ve never been good at doing what I should.

She’s mine. The baby’s mine.
And the psychotic oligarch hunting her?
He’s about to learn that taking what belongs to a Steel Demon is the last mistake he’ll ever make.

“Steel Demons MC ”Series:

Diesel (Book 1)

Rocky (Book 2)

Maverick (Book 3)

Hawk (Book 4)

Slate (Book 5)

Gio (Book 6)

Hollywood (Book 7)

Sniper (Book 8)

Rebel (Book 9)

Dagger (Book 10)

T-Bone (Book 11)

Pike (Book 12)

Falcon (Book 13)

Sledge (Book 14)

Vandal (Book 15)

Hades (Book 16)

Grim (Book 17)

Chapter One

Raven

I looked around at the Survivor’s Support System and let out a shaky breath. This wasn’t what I pictured for my life when I came to Steel City, but it was surprisingly helpful, and the people who showed up here seemed to appreciate my particular brand of support. “Look, you guys know I’m not the touchy feely type, but surviving means you’re strong as shit. Even when you feel weak, you get up each day, do the shit that needs doing, and most days we do it without breaking down. That’s more than surviving, that’s thriving.”

Those words were met with a few smiles and that made me happy because it was better to be a survivor than a victim, and it was my job as a victim’s advocate to make sure they knew that.

“Okay, that’s it for today. If you’re not feeling strong, call on your support system. We’ll be your strength when you need it.” I stood first and the others followed along. Some shifted to the table with coffee, soda, and pastries, while others quickly shuffled to the exit.

Not that I blamed them, being around all this sadness was emotionally draining, but somebody had to be the pillar they leaned on when they needed it. I’ve been where they all are now, broken and vulnerable, jumping at shadows and unsure who I can trust. Even today, years after my own shit went down, I hardly leave the motorcycle club where my brother is a patched member because it’s hard to trust strangers. Only two people in my life knew about my role at the Steel City Community Center, Laura, Hawk’s old lady, and only because she volunteered her nursing skills here a few times each month. The other person who knew was Macy, the closest thing to a best friend I’ve ever had, and that’s because I told her about my past.

Not even my brother, Falcon, knew.

“Raven?” The soft, slightly accented feminine voice pulled me from my thoughts and mindless coffee stirring despite the late hour.

I turned and offered Katya a small smile. She was young, just past her nineteenth birthday. Her blonde hair was damaged from too much bleaching, and her eyes showed all the trauma she’d been through. I didn’t know much about her as she shared little, only that she was from Eastern Europe. “Hey Katya, what’s up?”

She crossed her arms around her midsection as if she needed to be protected. She looked over her left shoulder and then her right, as if she was being watched. “Can we talk,” she glanced over her shoulder again. “Somewhere private?”

“Yeah, of course.” I nodded and pointed to the back of the building. Just before the exit, there was another door that led to the second floor that contained four small apartments. They were all furnished for anyone in need of a few nights of peace. “Is there something I can help you with?”

She nodded, still holding herself, bracing for the next blow, whatever form it took. “I have told you about my boyfriend, but he wasn’t my boyfriend. Not really.”

I sat across from her, ready to listen. “It’s just easier to explain?”

Her smile was small and she nodded, her shoulders fell slightly with relief. “Yes. He tried to be my boyfriend, but he ended up selling me to this organization.”

I nodded, listening as my body went frigid with fear and remembrance. Her story was so fucking similar to my own. The handsome, charming man who’d taken me to a party. Waking up cuffed to a wall with a dozen other girls. Being auctioned off. Sold. “Shit,” I groaned and leaned back against the sofa.

“I am sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be. I just,” I sighed again. “I know this story. Hell, I lived it.”

“He was kind to me. He told me I could be a model. My family were poor and it seemed a good way to help them. He told me he knew people who wanted girls like me and I believed him. Except it was all lies.”

I listened in silence as she told me what happened to her, how she’d been trafficked. Trying to imagine how scared she would be so far from home.

Her eyes rounded in shock. “I escaped,” she whispered as if she was admitting to a secret. “The man he sold me to kept me on a yacht near Los Angeles, but we were there longer than expected and I needed… grooming,” she practically spat out the word. “I was dressed very nicely and wearing a lot of expensive jewelry so I ran, pawning everything I could sell along the way to get as far away as I could. But they are hunting me.”

God, this girl! She was even younger than I’d been. “What about the police?” I asked. Though I thought I knew the answer. They probably wouldn’t do a thing.

“I can’t go to them. I’m illegal, they’d put me in jail,” she said. “And I’m not sure how much longer I will stay ahead of them. I need you to take this. Please make sure they pay. No matter what.” She pressed the black USB into my palm.

My fingers closed around the black metal and in that moment, I knew the peaceful, quiet life I’d made for myself was about to change. Again. “Yeah, of course, Katya.”

She sagged against the sofa. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She shook her head. “I just want to go home to Ukraine and be with my family, but I cannot. They will look for me there and hurt my family to get me to come back to them.”

Shit. “You can stay here tonight. I’ll talk to my brother and see about getting you a fake ID so you can start over somewhere new. He knows people who can do that sort of thing.”

Katya opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped it shut and offered a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” I was lucky, having a place to land when I escaped, and the least I could do was help this girl who’d been through so much. “I’ll be just a few doors down if you need anything. Try to rest, you’re gonna need it.”

“I will.”

My mind refused to rest after leaving Katya. I was in a fog as I helped straighten up the community center and shut it down for the night. Keeping my word to stay close, I made my way to one of the apartments above the center. I hated staying here, preferring to stay at the Steel Demons MC clubhouse because that was where I felt safe, but tonight wasn’t about me. It was about Katya. The room had that slightly stuffy air from being closed up for too long and I opened the windows, letting fresh air in while I settled on the sofa.

I never slept in the bed when I stayed here, just half-slept on the sofa, waking every hour to check the door and the windows. Tonight, I had something to keep my mind occupied.

The USB.

I pulled the small laptop from my bag and inserted the flash drive because I couldn’t resist. I didn’t have the skills to do anything about whatever I found, but I knew people who did. There were gigabytes of files on the drive and I clicked through them, most were just names that didn’t mean shit to me and amounts in dollars, euros, pounds, yen, and a bunch of other currencies I never heard of. But it was the third file that turned my blood to ice.

The Kozlov Group.

It looked like an international charitable organization on the surface, run by a handsome Russian oligarch called Viktor Kozlov. But just like his organization, the looks and the charms hid something much darker. Katya had been a victim and a survivor of the same group, the same man that held me in captivity for three long years.

I went through the files, every last one of them. There were hundreds of photos of young girls, some battered and bruised, others dressed up too old for their young faces. The folders were divided by continent and then country, each one containing hundreds of girls. My heart galloped inside my chest as the picture coalesced in the early morning hours. Back then, I’d naively thought it was just me he was holding, but now I could see that it went much deeper.

And then my heart stopped cold when I saw a folder titled PROPERTY RETRIEVAL. Inside that folder were twenty photos and among them was Katya. And me. A photo of a version of me I barely remembered stared back with the words HIGH PRIORITY RECOVERY stamped in red.

I was Viktor’s pet, his favorite property as he liked to remind me, and my escape was probably a bruise to his ego more than anything else.

Shit.

It wasn’t just Katya being hunted. I was too, at least I would be if they knew where I was. That thought made it impossible to sleep, so I put on a pot of coffee and kept my gaze fixed on the door with my trusty nine millimeter on my lap.

As the sun rose, I drank another half a pot of coffee before I went to check on Katya. She probably had just as shitty a night’s sleep as me.

I locked up my apartment and headed down the corridor to the room Katya was staying in. But when I got close, I started to get a really bad feeling. The apartment door was wide open, and my heart nearly beat out of my chest as I stepped inside, expecting to see the worst. My relief was palpable when I found the place empty with no signs of blood or forced entry. On the way back out, I spotted a piece of paper with my name on it.

Raven, I’m sorry. I had to call my family to say goodbye. They were there with them, I could tell. I have to go. Make them pay. ~K

That was it. That was all the note said, but fear filled my veins and I rushed down the stairs, hoping to find her. I wanted to stop her and remind her she was safer here than on her own. I had no clue how long she’d been gone, I hadn’t even heard the door open.

At the bottom of the steps, I went right to check the alley behind the community center and that’s when I spotted her. Katya on her back, lifeless eyes stared back at me. Her throat was slit and her torso cut straight down the middle. “No! Fuck, no. Katya!”

I pulled out my phone and dialed. I know any normal person would call the cops, but after what I’d read in the file last night I didn’t know how far Viktor’s reach was or who I could trust. Instead, I called my friend and before she even got a word out, I breathlessly exclaimed, “Macy, I need you. Please!”

Chapter Two

Hades

It was early as fuck and I was already awake and at the clubhouse, which was mostly quiet. Some of the club girls were in the kitchen preparing a big breakfast for whoever wandered into the clubhouse before lunch. The patches on my vest were fresh—seven months fresh to be exact—and I was determined to make myself indispensable to the Steel Demons MC. I spent the past eighteen months as a prospect doing all the grunt work from hiding bodies, whooping ass, and any other scut work they tossed my way. I hated that shit, but I proved myself then and I wanted to be more than just one of the guys.

I wanted to be someone they knew they could rely on. Someone the club valued as more than a warm body. That’s why I came in early, helped any way that I could and did my absolute best every fucking minute of every damn day.

Walking through the main room, which held a fully equipped bar, tons of tables and chairs, plus pool tables, dart boards, and a new foosball table, I headed through the back door to check the perimeter of the Steel Demons compound. Behind the clubhouse was a half-mile stretch of undeveloped land with tall grass and wildflowers, before it hit the highway. I walked through the grass, checking the fences, the cameras and all the buildings on the compound, until I was satisfied everything was exactly how it should be.

By the time I circled back, the clubhouse buzzed with activity. Breakfast was laid out on the back table, some of the brothers, along with women and children, piled plates with eggs, bacon and toast. My stomach growled like a motherfucker, but I walked past the crowd and headed into the office where I found Slate because that dude lived in the office, and Dagger.

Slate smiled up at me, eating with one hand and typing with the other. “What’s up?”

“Just came to see if you needed anything.”

“I’m good right now,” he said before taking a big bite of bacon.

“Hey man,” Dagger began, gripping my shoulder. “Thanks for your help cleaning up Steel City Ink. That shit would’ve taken all night.”

I grinned. “Too many KP assignments finally come in handy,” I joked. “Happy to help.”

“Appreciate it. I gotta get out of here. Sinclair has a doctor’s appointment and we’re finding out what we’re having today.” Dagger rushed from the office without another word.

“Sit,” Slate ordered around a mouthful of eggs. He nodded to the screens on the wall above the screens on his desk. “You wanna make yourself useful, let’s go over surveillance.”

“Okay. What am I looking at?”

He grinned. “You tell me.”

I stared at the screens, taking in all the details I could despite the shitty resolution. “It looks like that silver Jeep is going somewhere in a hurry.”

“Exactly.” Slate showed me all the places he managed to get footage of the car. “Even small businesses have cameras these days, not all of ‘em, but enough.” He pointed out all the city and private cameras throughout town. “Knowing where they are is helpful in our line of work. Remember that.”

I nodded, still staring at the screens until I figured out where each camera was and stored it for later. “You just hack into this shit?”

He shrugged. “We put up a lot of the cameras belonging to the businesses in town, so I have backdoor access. It doesn’t hurt them in any way, and it helps us even more.”

“You gonna teach me to be you?” I asked only half-joking.

He nodded. “Yeah. It’d be nice to sleep through the night. I have kids and a wife who actually likes me. Having a backup means she’ll be pissed off less often.”

We shared a laugh, but it was cut off when Macy rushed into the office with wide eyes that bounced all over the room. “You guys seen Falcon?” Her petite frame vibrated with worry and fear.

“He’s with Rocky and Hawk taking care of a delivery.” Slate’s voice was cool and even. “What’s up?”

“Raven called,” she whispered. “She needs us now.” She shook away the urge to cry, gathered herself and met my gaze head on. “She found a body at the community center, a girl she knew and she called me.”

Raven never asked anybody for help, not even her brother, Falcon. She stayed at the clubhouse, but the safety of these walls was as much as she ever asked, and I admired the hell out of her for that. “I’ll go with you.”

“If you need more hands, call me,” Slate called at my retreating back.

“Got it.” Unlike Raven, I had no problem asking for help and I would if it was necessary, for now, that Raven needed us.

On the ride over, I allowed my thoughts to shift to Raven, the tough girl with full pink lips, a smartass mouth, and a shit ton of tattoos. She laughed and smiled, and gave everybody shit but she kept herself apart like she was afraid to get close to anyone. Except Macy. Maybe it was because they were more similar beneath the surface than most people realized. I liked Raven, probably more than I should considering her brother was my best friend. He’d kick my ass if he knew how often I jacked off to thoughts of his hot-as-fuck sister.

When we arrived at Steel City Community Center, I shoved those thoughts aside and focused on the police cars, the detectives in suits, the forensic team and an ambulance filling the parking lot. Other people milled about looking scared and worried. “Where is she,” I grumbled.

“Probably upstairs,” Macy answered when she joined me. “She stays here sometimes when people need a place to stay for the night.”

That was news to me. “She does?”

Macy nodded but she was on the move, forcing me to follow her around back and up a narrow staircase. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s to stay away from temptation and other times it’s to stay safe, but she always stays even though she hates it.”

That was interesting but I tucked it away to think about later when we stepped through the second door and found Raven on the sofa with a blanket draped over her shoulders. She looked so fucking small and so scared she barely looked like the feisty woman I knew.

“Raven!” Macy rushed to her, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around Raven. “Shit, girl. Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “No, but I’m doing better than Katya.”

I stayed back and watched the women interact. There was a closeness there that didn’t exist with anybody else. I watched her face as she told Macy about the victim, Katya, and her slit throat. Her fear was genuine, but she was hiding something.

“Ms. Marconi,” a forty-something detective sighed. “What do you know about this woman?”

“Nothing,” she answered quickly. “She came here for one of the support groups offered. All I know is her first name and that she wasn’t from Steel City. That’s it.” That was another lie, but I wouldn’t call her out in public and definitely not in front of the fucking cops.

“Look lady,” the younger detective began in a tone I didn’t like.

I stepped forward, getting between the law men and the women. “She’s obviously shaken up so why don’t you back the fuck off.”

“And who are you?” he asked.

I ignored the young asshole and turned to the older detective. “Look at her, man, she’s shaken the fuck up. You’re not getting anything out of her until she’s calm. I’ll get her to the clubhouse, and you can come by in an hour to get her statement.”

“She’s a witness, she’s not going anywhere,” the younger detective started but the older one cut him off with a glare.

“Yeah, that’s fine. If you hear anything that can help, let me know.” He handed me a business card. “This was personal.”

Fuck. “I will. Thank you, Detective.”

“Rogers,” he supplied and shook my hand.

I turned to Raven and helped her to her feet. “Come on, let’s get you back to the clubhouse.”

She looked up at me with those big brown eyes that appeared to be on the verge of tears and nodded. “Yeah. Okay. The clubhouse sounds good.”

Macy stood, her gaze bouncing between me and Raven. “Go with Hades.”

I hated that she trembled so fucking violently under my hand. “Yeah, you can finally get on the back of my bike like you always wanted.”

Some of her life returned when she glared up at me. “You wish, Hell Boy.”

I laughed. “Hold on as tight as you want. I won’t tell,” I whispered in her ear when we reached the bottom steps. I blocked the crime scene and walked her around the tape and the body covered by a small tent. “Cop all the feels you want.”

“Dick,” she grumbled before I covered her head with my helmet.

My smile faded as I started the engine and got on the road. She was hiding something and I had to find out sooner rather than later. Whatever it was, it was more than that young girl that had Raven on edge.

Chapter Three

Raven

I stood in the hot shower for far too long because every time I closed my eyes, I saw Katya. Her lifeless eyes and the ugly red slash that split her throat open. The way they left her exposed and naked to the world, cutting her down the middle for added insult. She’d been tortured, probably for the flash drive that was still plugged into my laptop. I called Macy after finding her, and she convinced me to call the cops. Not involving them might have been even worse. I still wasn’t happy about it though, because once I give a statement, my name was going to be on their computers. It might not be the name that Viktor knew, but if he had anything to do with Katya’s murder then I was sure he’d be checking out anyone she was associated with. The shower was hot and it warmed me physically but did nothing for the ice-cold chill inside.

Once I was dry and completely dressed, not to mention safe in my room at the clubhouse, my body still refused to calm the fuck down. I still trembled and my teeth chattered too, but it was shock. And fear. And most of all, it was reliving a time in my life I never wanted to live again.

A soft knock sounded before the door opened and Macy popped her head inside. “Can I come in? I brought food. And whiskey.”

“Yeah, sure.” I waved her inside, happy to see her even though I hadn’t asked her to come. “Thanks for getting there so quickly. I shouldn’t have called you to see that gruesome shit but I picked up my phone and just dialed.”

She flashed a soft smile that held not one fucking ounce of pity, which I was grateful for. “I’m glad. I never had a female friend before and I’m glad I could be there for you.” She set down the tray and wrapped her arms around me. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t fucking know, Mace. I feel bad I couldn’t keep Katya safe and I promised her I would.”

“You did what you could,” she insisted even though she couldn’t know that. “Did you hear anything?”

“That’s the fucked up part,” I said, shaking my head. “I couldn’t sleep for shit last night, like literally at all, and I didn’t hear a damn thing.” That was the part that pissed me off, I didn’t hear her or her killers.

“Shit, Raven. I’m sorry I even encouraged you to work at the SCCC. I thought it would be good for you.”

“It has been,” I insisted because that was the truth. “Helping others has been surprisingly helpful just like you said it would be,” I paused. I’d told her part of the story on the phone, but not everything. “The thing is, Katya didn’t just go through what I went through. She was taken by the same people who took me.”

She pulled back and gasped, eyes wide and darkened by fear. “Shit, are you sure? How do you know?”

I inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly before I shared the next bit with her. “At the end of the meeting Katya asked to talk, and she gave me a flash drive. That’s part of why I couldn’t sleep, I looked at the drive, and it freaked me the fuck out.”

“You still have it?”

I nodded.

“We need to turn it over to the FBI. They’re best equipped to handle it. No offense to the Steel Demons but this is bigger than that.”

“Turn what over to the FBI?”

I jumped a foot off the bed, screaming like a terrified schoolgirl too. “Shit, Hades! You scared the fuck outta me.” With my hand on my chest, I glared at him while I got my breathing back to normal. “What are you doing eavesdropping?”

“Hardly,” he snorted. “I knocked and stood in the doorway for about two minutes before I spoke.” He crossed his arms over his chest, showing off thick biceps and forearms covered in tattoos. “Turn what over to the FBI?”

Danny, one of the prospects, popped his head in the room. “Is everything okay?”

Hades flashed an annoyed look and nodded. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He took a step inside and closed the door on Danny. “Well?”

I looked away because I refused to share my past with him, or with anyone else for that matter. It was a secret I kept because I didn’t like people looking at me like I was some fragile fucking flower. But dammit, those clear gray eyes stared at me all the way down to my soul. He made it hard to keep my secrets when he stood there all big and beautiful and protective. “You’re annoying, you know that?”

He grinned. “I have been told that a time or two. What I haven’t been told though, is what we’re turning over to the FBI and why.”

I exhaled through my nostrils, still glaring at him. “I went through some shit a few years back and didn’t tell anyone. But it looks like it’s back in my life…” I sighed, letting my words fade into a heavy sigh.

Macy pushed off the bed. “I’ll let you two talk alone. Eat something,” she urged, glancing at the bag in Hades’ hand. “Don’t push her too hard,” she whispered and then slipped from the room.

“Raven,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Does this dead girl have to do with you?”

“In a way.”

“You gonna tell me what happened?” he asked.

I just stared at the floor.

He stared me down, trying to use the silence to force me to talk. It didn’t work. “Okay, fine. Talk when you’re ready.” He handed me the bag. “Sandwich and a beer.”

“Why is everyone trying to feed me?” I asked, pointing to the plate on the desk. “Macy brought fried chicken and whiskey.”

“Because we know what you’re like when you’re stressed. You forget. But if you don’t want it, I’ll take some whiskey.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his weight shifting so much I lurched forward. “Eat.”

“I’m not hungry.” That was a damn lie, I was starving because I didn’t eat anything but pastries after the meeting last night, but I couldn’t get the image of Katya’s body out of my head.

“You will be after the beer. And the whiskey.” He opened the bottle of whiskey and took a gulp before handing it to me.

I took a swig and handed it back, before attempting the sandwich, hoping that the whiskey might dial down the notch on my overactive thoughts.

Silence settled between us for a long minute, me eating my sandwich while he took another swig of whiskey. “I used to be in the Army,” he said finally.

“Really?”

He nodded but his gaze never moved from the ugly brown wall. “I thought I’d make a career out of it, that was the plan anyway.”

He carried himself like he was capable, but I just assumed that came from being a badass. “What happened?”

“I was dishonorably discharged.”

I gasped. “No fucking way!”

He let out a humorless laugh and nodded. “Yeah. I was heading to drinks with a few friends, and I heard my CO attacking one of the new recruits. I beat the fuck out of him and the higher-ups took his side because of course they fucking did. I was out and he stayed in, moved up the ranks. And now here I am.”

“Holy shit. That’s… shit, Hades.”

He laughed. “It’s been a while now so it’s all right.”

“No the fuck it’s not,” I growled. “It’s not all right. It’s bullshit and we both know it.”

He finally looked at me, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement and surprise. “Yeah, it is bullshit, but it’s also the past and I can’t fucking change it, so I’m mad but only because I didn’t kill that bastard.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, well, it’s a good thing for the Steel Demons you didn’t.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “You can trust me, Raven. I know you don’t trust anyone, not really, but I hope you know you can trust me. If you want to, but even if you don’t, I’ll still keep you safe.”

I knew that because that’s just who Hades was. I smiled, relaxing slightly. “Thanks.” I cracked open the beer once my sandwich was gone. “Can you stay for a bit and just sit with me?” I held my breath and waited for his excuses, but he nodded.

“Yeah, sure. I’m eating the fried chicken, though.”

I laughed. “That’s fine. The beer is mine, but I’ll still split the whiskey.”

He laughed, the sound was deep and rich, and for some reason, it relaxed me.

We sat together in silence, drinking and eating. He didn’t push, he was just there with me. Just being.

It was enough.

Chapter Four

Hades

You’d think pacing in the moonlight would calm me the fuck down and if you thought that shit, you’d be wrong. It was late enough that the crickets and frogs drowned out the sound of the highway in the distance. I paced back and forth, wearing out the cement like it had done me wrong, with my teeth clenched so tight my jaw ached. I couldn’t fucking stop thinking about the look in Raven’s eyes when she refused to talk about her past.

I had no right to expect her to give up the details of her past even if I shared mine. It was clear she wasn’t ready to talk about it, but whatever was on that flash drive had her spooked, which had me on edge. I didn’t have all the details, but I knew enough to know that whatever she’d seen had put that haunted look in her eyes. I had to find a way to get her to trust me enough to let me help her.

“Yo,” Falcon called out but I was too lost in my thoughts to respond. “Hades, man, what the fuck is wrong?”

I stopped abruptly and looked up, my brows dipped with concern. “What do you know about Raven’s lost years?” That’s what he called the years they were out of touch, and I didn’t ask because he never looked like he wanted to talk about it.

Falcon watched me closely, hands fisted on his hips like he was trying to figure out why I was asking. His shoulders fell slightly and he nodded. “She got this fucking boyfriend who was a problem and then she got hooked on drugs. We didn’t talk for about three years and then she just showed up in Steel City one day. She’s been here ever since.”

I heard his words, but they didn’t make sense. “Are you sure?” I knew junkies and Raven didn’t have any of the markers of a junkie. There was shame hidden in her eyes but mostly it was fear. It was goddamn trauma.

Falcon frowned at me, rubbing one side of his jaw as he thought about his answer. “Yeah,” he said but I knew him and he wasn’t as sure as he wanted to be.

Fuck. “That doesn’t make sense,” I finally said. I should’ve just told him what happened today and what I’d observed but I didn’t.

“Yeah well, she doesn’t like to talk about it. For obvious reasons.” He shook his head and I saw the guilt written on his face.

“That’s not actually true,” Macy said from the doorway. She flashed a soft, almost apologetic smile.

I hadn’t even heard her come out, which was just another fucking sound of how distracted I was.

Falcon found his voice first. “What do you mean it’s not true?” His voice roared at Macy and she visibly shrank. “Shit, sorry. What do you know?” he asked in a softer voice.

“Look,” she sighed. “I shouldn’t be telling you this since it was shared with me in confidence, but it’s not fair to Raven. After all she’s been through, it’s not right that you think she got tangled up with an asshole and hooked on drugs. It’s not close to the truth.” Tears filled her eyes, but Macy didn’t let them fall. “She survived a living hell,” she whispered as Vandal came out and put a supportive hand on her shoulder. “That’s all I’m gonna say, but the story you’ve been told is just that, a story.”

“You can’t just say that shit and leave,” Falcon called out.

“It’s not right, I know. But I can’t betray her.” She stood taller. “I won’t.”

Vandal slid between them, his glare a warning to back off. And then they were gone.

Falcon simmered with anger. His body vibrated with it, and I knew he was moments from snapping. “I need to talk to my sister.” He stormed off and I followed close behind, stopping him before he gripped her bedroom door. “What the fuck, man?”

“You’re too fucking emotional, Falcon. If you go in there angry and demanding answers, she’s just gonna shut down. She might not share anyway, but if you go in there angry, she’ll definitely shut down.”

He was still pissed, his breath heaving while he glared at me. “What the fuck do you know?”

“Nothing about the past,” I admitted but nobody told him about the dead girl at the community center, so I did. “The girl was murdered and it was brutal man. She knows more than she’s saying but that’s it.”

His face reddened and I knew he was about to argue with me. “Fuck,” he roared. “Okay, fine.”

I smiled. “Wow, Viv and TJ finally knocked some sense into you,” I teased.

“Fuck you.” He smiled and leaned against the wall beside the door. “Go.”

***

I nodded, knocking on Raven’s door before I pushed it open. “Hey. Can I come in?”

She shrugged and when I didn’t move, she nodded. “What’s going on?” Her pink hair had dried into wild ringlets that made her look years younger than twenty-three.

I thought about a dozen different ways to soften the blow but in the end, Raven was a straight shooter, and she wouldn’t want me tap dancing around the truth. “Falcon knows the truth,” I finally said. “You gonna tell me?”

She sucked in a sharp breath, her skin paled and when her legs gave out, she dropped onto the bed making the springs squeak. “What?” she stammered out. “But, how the fuck does he know anything?”

I held my hands up. “I asked him what he knew about the years you were apart and he told me about the boyfriend and the drugs. Macy overheard us and shut that shit down quickly, said it wasn’t fair to you that he go on thinking that, but she didn’t give any details other than a living hell.” I rubbed a hand over my head and down my face, letting out a heavy sigh. “Fuck, Raven, I’m so sorry to hear about it. I hate that you went through that shit.” I more than hated it; I wanted to avenge all the shit she’d gone through until that haunted look in her eyes went away.

She looked away and crossed her arms, anger simmering in her small frame. “I’m not a victim,” she insisted.

I smiled, happy to see she hadn’t lost her fire. “Hell no, you’re not,” I shot back. “You are a badass, a fucking survivor. But Falcon is your big brother and he’s feeling a whole lot of shit right now, none of it good.” I didn’t blame him one fucking bit, but he hadn’t seen her earlier, how shutdown she was.

“I can’t worry about his feelings right now.”

“I’m not asking you to. Falcon is a big boy, and he’ll calm down soon enough. Maybe. I hope.”

She huffed out a laugh, but her walls were still up and impossible to scale. “So what are you asking?”

I let out a heavy sigh and crossed the room, dropping down on the bed beside her for the second time that day. “I’m asking you to let me in, Raven. Now that I have some clue about the hell you’ve been through, I know enough to know that you need help. If you don’t want to trust me, trust the MC.”

Her gaze met mine and she let out a sharp exhale. “It’s my past,” she whispered.

“Based on what happened to that girl and that look in your eyes, I’d say it’s now your present.”

Her breath hitched again and tears pooled in her eyes, but she blinked them back and shook her head. “Shit.”

“I know it’s not easy, Raven. The shit that’s going through my head right now is making it really fucking hard to stay calm, but this ain’t about me either. It’s about you and keeping you safe, if that’s what’s needed.”

“I’ll think about it,” she whispered softly.

My shoulders relaxed instantly. It wasn’t agreement but it was as close to it as I’d get tonight. “That’s all I ask.” I did something I rarely did but had done far too much of today, I wrapped an arm around her and held her close. “If you need anything, I’ll be here tonight. All night.”

She stiffened for a quick second and then relaxed again, nodding against my chest. “Thanks, Hades.”

“Of course.” I don’t know how long I held her like that but eventually she grew heavier against my chest and I knew she was asleep. After settling her in bed, I kept the light on and left the room, finding Falcon still leaning against the wall beside her door. “She’s okay,” I told him. “But give her some time. She’s sleeping now and she didn’t tell me any details. She will,” I said with a sudden confidence that felt real.

His jaw clenched with frustration and I clapped him on the back.

“Let’s grab a beer. She’ll talk when she’s ready.”

Chapter Five

Raven

This is what I get for being a sucker for a pretty face. And Hades was a really fucking pretty face, damn him. His black buzz cut, steel gray eyes that saw too much, a chiseled jaw bracketing a straight nose and a full, kissable mouth. The memory of his words telling me I was a survivor played through my mind all night long.

Like most of the Steel Demons he was more action than emotion, but yesterday he’d been more gentle than gruff, more encouraging than annoyed. It was a mindfuck on top of a mindfuck of a day. But it was him begging me to let him help me—and being sincere about it—that stuck with me. What he didn’t know and what my brother didn’t know was that they’d be helping me again.

That part would come out soon enough, but first I hit the shower and dressed so fucking early that I didn’t hear a peep on the other side of the door. I spent nearly an hour staring out the window, mulling over Hades’ words and my past. He was right that it wasn’t completely in the past anymore, which meant I needed to figure my shit out. Quickly.

Hades said he wanted me to think about it, but I knew he wouldn’t give me too long, not with my safety potentially at risk. So after another thirty minutes of staring at cars rushing by on the highway, I made up my mind.

The last time I went through this, I was a naïve teenager with a bad attitude and a big ass chip on my shoulder, and I was alone. This time I’d have my brother and his brothers, the entire Steel Demons MC. This time I could face it, and if I couldn’t, they could.

With determined steps, I forced myself to walk down the stairs and through the clubhouse until I stood outside the office. Slate would be in there, he always was and he was the man I needed at the moment. I raised my hand, knocking as I opened the door. “Oh shit. Sorry.” I looked away from Emma straddling Slate in his office chair, making out like horny teenagers. “I’ll come back later.”

“No, don’t,” Emma insisted. “You interrupted at just the right moment,” she offered with a slow smile, her cheeks flushed.

“Right’s not the word I’d use,” Slate grumbled, adjusting himself when she slid from his lap.

“Ash starts coding camp today and we just came to say goodbye.”

“Why she needs to learn to code at a camp when I’m her dad, I have no fucking clue.”

She laughed. “So she doesn’t become a grouchy fucker like you, babe.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and waved to me as she left the room.

The room fell silent for a few seconds before Slate turned to me with a smile. “What can I do for you, Raven?”

Okay, it’s now or never. “Remember how we met?”

His smile faded and he gave a sharp nod. “Not exactly easy to forget.”

“Right.” I shook my head and told him about Katya. “Before she died, she gave me this. She said people were hunting her and she trusted me to help.” I handed him the flash drive, my hand shook like crazy. “Just look and you’ll get it.”

He took the drive and shoved it into a small laptop that looked a lot like mine. After a few minutes he nodded, seemingly relieved. “No viruses, that’s good.” He plugged it into his computer and pulled the files up on big screens. File after file he read under his breath, his eyes growing bigger by the second. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” I sighed and pointed to the folder labeled ‘PROPERTY RETRIEVAL’.

Slate clicked on it, eyes darting across each photo until he landed on my face. “Fuck,” he groaned and then frowned. “Who the fuck is Daisy?”

I looked away. “That was the name he gave me.”

“Motherfucker,” he growled.

“Yeah,” I sighed, nodding. “I don’t think they know where I am, but the fact that I’m on that list doesn’t bode well for me, especially considering what happened to Katya.”

Slate pressed his thumbs into his eyes and sighed heavily. When he looked up at me, his eyes were filled with sympathy. “I can’t keep this from the MC, Raven.”

“I know and I’m not asking you to. Macy told Falcon and Hades, not the truth but they know it’s something. Hades convinced me it was better to loop you in early, and I wanted to give you this first so that the guys all have time to digest this.”

There it was, fucking sympathy again. He must’ve sensed my frustration because the look vanished and he nodded. “Go have some breakfast. I’ll do the rest and let you know when I need you.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Slate.” I left the office and went to fill my plate with more food than I planned to eat and sat staring at it until Macy’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Don’t hate me. You hate me, don’t you?” She took the seat right beside me and stared at my face too closely. “I didn’t give away any details,” she rushed on. “I just couldn’t stand them thinking you let some asshole lure you into a life of drugs and dumbassery.”

My lips twitched. “Dumbassery?”

“Yeah. I mean it’s one thing if it was true, but the truth is different. It’s worse and it’s not fair to let that story persist.” She reached out and laid her hand over mine. “Don’t hate me.”

“I don’t hate you, Mace.” I told her about my conversation with Hades last night. “He convinced me to talk to the MC and let them help.”

Her expression brightened. “That’s good. It’ll be hard talking about this again and if you want me there to hold your hand or just be support, say the word.”

“Thanks, but I think I need to do this on my own.” I didn’t know why but it felt like something I should do.

“Well, the offer stands.” She glanced over my shoulder and her eyes widened. “I think you’re being summoned.”

I looked behind me and saw Hades standing with his arms crossed and his eyes on me. He didn’t have to say anything else.

I stood and piled a slice of toast with eggs and bacon, shoving it into my mouth despite my lack of appetite. “I’ll see you later.” My legs were surprisingly steady as I walked towards Hades.

“You good?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know but this has to be done either way, right?”

“I guess. Come on, badass.”

That put a small smile on my lips, and it gave me the strength I needed to walk inside that office and bare my secrets. I looked at Slate and he nodded before turning to the room.

“Viktor Kozlov is the owner and chief operating officer of Elite Connections, a charitable organization that’s a front for his human trafficking operation. It’s an international network that spans at least twenty countries and it’s hidden behind shell companies for the purposes of money laundering.” Slate shook his head and tapped a button to bring up the file where my photo was.

“What the fuck?” Falcon stood, his eyes wide and wild.

I nodded, averting my gaze as I spoke. “I was nineteen and looking for a job. I met this guy who told me about a job cleaning houses for rich people and I jumped on it, which was a horrible fucking mistake.” I swallowed hard and closed my eyes because I couldn’t bear to look at any of them while I spoke. “I passed out on my first day of work and when I woke up, I was chained to a wall with about nine other girls. There was an… auction but Viktor kept me as his and for three years I never left his side. Well,” I hesitated. “I ran away twice but I never got far until you guys rescued me.”

“What?” My brother flipped out again. “You all knew about this?”

“It was a small rescue operation,” Diesel said, his voice deep and cold. “The information was given to us by a friend and we moved quickly, that’s what matters. The rest was Raven’s story to tell.” His eyes met mine and he gave me a short nod.

I looked up at the photo of me from what felt like a million years ago and sighed. I wasn’t that girl, not anymore. “Katya was a member of a support group I run at the community center, and she gave me this USB. She told me she was being hunted. At first, I thought she had an abusive boyfriend, but she came and spoke to me after a meeting and told me she’d been trafficked. I assumed she escaped an organization similar to the one that took me and they wanted her back. When I looked at the information she gave me, I realized it was the same people who took me. Now, I think they were looking for the information she took.” My hands were damp and cold, and I shoved them in my pockets and finally met the gazes of the men who were now in this with me. “I’m worried they’ll realize I’m here.”

“Why?” The question came from Hades.

“I don’t know, honestly. But knowing what they’re like, they’ll probably check out anyone Katya had been in contact with. I might have changed my appearance but knowing they’re still looking for me… If they see my photo, then they’ll know it’s me… I’m scared.” Admitting it out loud made me nauseous but there was the truth, laid bare.

“I agree,” Diesel’s voice boomed from the back of the room. “We need around-the-clock protection for Raven until Viktor is behind bars or in the ground.”

“I’ll do it.” Hades never took his eyes off me.

“I’ll do it,” Falcon insisted as I knew he would. “She’s my sister.”

“You’re too emotional,” Diesel insisted, his gaze focused on my brother. “Raven won’t listen to you anyway. Hades can handle it. Right?”

He stood, chest puffed out and shoulders broad, taking up as much room as possible. “Damn right I can.” He turned to my brother and said, “If not you, me. I won’t let anything happen to her.” His gaze flicked to mine. “I promise you that.”

I nodded.

“You better not,” Falcon responded, finally giving up the fight.

I knew I was safe with Hades. He saw me as a sister, and he’d protect me like I was his own.

Chapter Six

Hades

I slept for shit last night, thoughts of Raven populated my dreams like she was hired to be the goddamn star. How could I not when I was looking at having her at my side twenty-four-seven for the foreseeable future? It was both a blessing and a curse. As long as she was just around the clubhouse, she was nothing more than Falcon’s kid sister with the big mouth and sharp tongue. But now? Now she was a fucking temptation I couldn’t keep my distance from.

“So,” Raven sighed, dropping down in the empty seat beside me. Her gaze was fixed on the kids, namely her nephew TJ, while they played together and with the MC bulldog, Chopper.

“So?”

“What’s the plan?” she asked without looking my way. “Am I just sticking to you like glue until the end of time?”

My lips twitched freely since she wasn’t looking and I nodded in silent answer to her question. “I don’t have any other instructions, so I guess so.” I took a pull from my beer and nodded slowly. “Right now, they don’t know where you are and that works for us. I assume you just exist on a list of girls who got away from Kozlov or one of his… customers. He wants you back.”

“Of course he does,” she laughed bitterly. “He always said I was his favorite piece of property. Even more than his house in Milan.”

There was no trace of humor in her voice and my blood ran cold. “That bastard.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “He was a cold son of a bitch. But he was also calculating. He could look at a room and size everyone up within a few seconds. He knew exactly where to apply pressure.” There was no awe in her voice, just the facts as she saw them.

I tucked that detail away for later. “Our biggest problem is they might accidentally find you while searching for that goddamn USB.”

She nodded and let out a heavy exhale. “Exactly what I’m worried about.” Eventually she turned away from the kids and Chopper, and watched me closely. “What’s your week look like, then?”

“Busy, but I have a feeling that’s about to change now that I’ve got a pink-haired badass to shadow.”

Raven managed a small smile. “Sorry to rope you into this.”

I leaned forward and bumped her shoulder with mine. “You didn’t rope me into anything. I volunteered. Remember?” I’d do it again, no matter how this all turned out. She deserved to have somebody fight for her. This time it would be me.

Her full lips pulled to one side, her eyes lit with amusement as she asked, “What the hell were you thinking?”

I shrugged, smiling around my beer. “Hero complex, I guess.”

She tossed her head back, long neck on full display as laughter spilled from her lips. She turned to me with a slow, conspiratorial grin. “You might end up regretting that.”

“Doubtful.” I stared back at her, probably for a beat too long before I got my shit together and let out a sigh. “You might get sick of me first.” Raven and I weren’t exactly close. She was the sister of my best friend and that was about it, despite her starring role in my dreams and my jack-off sessions.

“Maybe.” She nibbled her bottom lip, something she did when she wasn’t sure if the words were a truth disguised with a joke. “But we’re stuck with each other, so I suppose we ought to make the best of it, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s about time we became friends, don’t you think?”

Her brows shot up. “You want to be my friend, Hades?”

“Better than being your enemy, I think.” I studied her carefully, watching the flicker of emotion in her eyes before she hid it behind that sarcastic grin.

“You never know.”

I opened my mouth to say more but the clubhouse door flew open and Laura appeared with wide eyes that searched the crowd until she found who she was looking for. Raven.

Instantly I was on my feet and on edge. I got to my feet immediately and stood at Raven’s side as she rose, my hand automatically went to her lower back. Her silent support. “What’s wrong?”

Laura didn’t spare me a glance before stopping right in front of Raven with tears in her eyes. “It’s the community center,” she reluctantly pushed out. “It’s been vandalized.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “It was destroyed except the building is still standing.” Tears streaked her cheeks and then finally, a sob escaped. “It’s a mess.”

Raven’s body went completely rigid beneath my hand. Her body had gone ice cold. “What? What do you mean destroyed? Who?” She shook her head, body trembling violently now because she knew who. Same as I did.

“No idea,” Laura sighed. “Cops are crawling all over the place. Asking questions.” She studied Raven. “I heard about Katya today. I’m so sorry, Raven.”

“Yeah, thanks.” She shook her head, swiped away her tears. “Did the cameras catch anything?”

Laura hit her with a dumbfounded look. “No idea. The cops are handling that.” She waved her hand dismissively and sighed. “What are all those people who rely on the center going to do?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Raven’s voice was quiet. Quieter than I’d ever seen her, which gave me a glimpse into the woman she’d been for three years.

I took a step forward and sighed. “You need to stay away from the community center for a while.”

She folded her arms, ready to fight.

I wasn’t in a fighting mood. “I’m not asking. If I need to have Hawk tell you, I will.”

Her jaw clenched but eventually she nodded before turning back to Raven. “Is everything all right? What’s going on?”

“A lot,” Raven answered. “Shit’s about to get crazy. Again. And this time, it’s all my fault.”

“Don’t do that,” I growled in her ear. “You of all people know this is what we do. You’re in trouble and we’re here to stand between you and those assholes.” I gave her a gentle push. “Let’s go.”

She frowned, her dark brows dipped angrily. “Where are we going?”

“To see if Slate can catch a glimpse of who fucked up the community center.” Everything I knew about Kozlov said he hired professionals to do his dirty work, which meant hitmen, mercenaries, and assassins, so whoever broke into the community center probably managed to avoid the cameras, but she needed a distraction.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” she muttered, more to herself than to me.

The fact that she let me guide her told me exactly how rattled she was and I hated to see her so messed up, but it meant she would listen to me. I hoped.

I headed towards Slate’s office and motioned for Raven to come with me.

“You busy?” I called through the doorway, before walking into the office and pushing Raven into a chair.

“Nope. What’s up?”

I told him about the community center. “Chances are probably slim but if we can find who did this, we can confirm if it’s Kozlov or a coincidence.”

He nodded and handed me a laptop. “It’ll go faster if we both look, and I can see how much you retained from our last lesson.”

I wanted to glare at him but more than that, I wanted answers. I opened the laptop and fired it up, running through the steps Slate had shown me, starting with the community center and trying to follow the asshole back to wherever he started. I came up with jack shit. “He’s a fucking ghost.”

Slate chuckled to himself. “Pull back and get creative. You’re looking for suspicious activity. Patterns. Look at the people hanging around. Also see who rushes away when the cops arrive. Some assholes want to watch the aftermath and see the panic they created. If Kozlov is sending a message, then he probably knows what result it’s gonna have, so there’s no reason for whoever he sent to do his dirty work to stay.”

The room fell silent except for the clicking on the keyboard and tapping the trackpad for several long minutes while Slate and I tried to find who wrecked the community center. “Why would they think Katya left the drive at the community center?”

“I don’t know where she was staying before that last night,” Raven answered absently. “I didn’t ask because that’s not the kind of thing you do, you know?” She shrugged. “As long as she felt safe, we don’t ask a lot of questions because you never know who you can trust.”

“So someone was following her. And I’m assuming they searched her body after they killed her,” I muttered.

“Did she have any money?” Slate glanced over his shoulder quickly before turning back to the monitor.

“Not sure. Oh wait, she said she was decked out in jewelry when she ran off, and she pawned it as she went to fund her escape.”

“I’ll look at hostels and cheap rate motels,” Slate offered.

“I’ll check shelters and rented rooms,” I said, switching tactics. Suddenly I understood exactly why this type of work got Slate so fucking excited. It offered more answers or at least helped us quickly eliminate leads without spending the whole fucking day to find that out.

“They did all that damage for the flash drive, right?”

“That would be my bet,” Slate said, nodding as he tapped into all the cheap places to stay.

“And if they didn’t find it there, which we know they won’t,” she began. “They might start checking with the employees. Shit, what if they took employee files?” She got to her feet and started pacing. “We can’t let them go to their homes. We know what they’ll do just to find out that none of them have it.”

Slate froze. “You’re right. I’ll have some of the guys go around to check on ‘em.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, dropping into her chair again. “I know I’m being a little crazy, but I know what they’re capable of. They will hurt them first, maybe kill them just to stop anyone from asking questions.”

“You’re not crazy,” I insisted. “You’re worried about the people you care about, and you know better than anybody, what these fuckers can do. Slate’s gonna have some guys check on the employees and volunteers. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried, I’m terrified,” she spat out.

“Okay,” I answered. “Be terrified, it’s much more productive than worrying.”

She glared at me and then flipped me off. “Agreed.”

“We got something!” Slate’s excitement stopped whatever else I might’ve said. “There he is, shimmying up the fire escape.” He pointed to the screen, to a figure decked out head to toe in black. He was a tall fucker, well-built too, with broad shoulders and long legs. “It’s not much, but you can see he’s inside for a few hours, which means he’s working alone.”

Raven was on her feet, staring at the screens on the wall. “Look up there,” she pointed. “When he walks onto the street, he’s in a red track jacket and jeans.”

“And no fucking bag!” Slate’s grin widened. “It’s probably still in the trash.”

“We should go get it,” Raven insisted. “Come on, Hades. Let’s go!”

“Not so fast. If anyone’s watching the community center, they might recognize you.”

She deflated instantly. “Shit. You’re right.” Raven turned to me.

I pushed away from the table and stood in front of her. “This is the beauty of having a big team, Raven. Just because you can’t get it done doesn’t mean it can’t get done.” After the Army I wasn’t all that ready to trust people again either. It was hard but those long months as a prospect gave me people to trust and taught me who I could trust. “It’ll get done.”

“I trust you,” she said so softly I wasn’t sure I actually heard the words.

“And you won’t regret it.”

She looked up then, her eyes met mine without that usual steel she held up in front of her. She was all fear and vulnerability in that moment and it hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I’d protect her with my life, without a doubt, but in that moment, I knew I’d go a hell of a lot further than that. Some urge rose up within me, something I’d never felt before, and it scared the shit out of me. Whatever this was, I needed to shut it down.

She was mine to protect, that was all.

She wasn’t mine, not in any other way.

No matter how it felt.

Chapter Seven

Raven

“We’re not there yet.” I crossed my arms, pushing the words through gritted teeth while I stared down half a dozen bikers determined to keep me safe.

Diesel sighed heavily but it was the only sign of frustration, even though I felt the tension radiating from his shoulders. “If we wait until we’re there, it might be too late.”

My shoulders sank a little at that undeniable logic. “I’ll give you that,” I began, pointing at my brother with a narrowed stare, a silent warning to shut the fuck up. “But I still think there’s no need to shuffle me off to a safe house. Yet.” The truth was I really didn’t want to run off while shit brewed all around me and because of me.

“Goddammit, Raven!” Falcon roared so loud it echoed off the walls. Veins stuck out in his neck and forehead and his face was an alarming shade of red. “Stop being so fucking stubborn and just let us keep you safe.”

I let out a long, pissed off sigh and glared at my brother. I knew he wanted me safe, but I also thought they were all being too cautious. “I’m not being stubborn, I’m being practical.” My gaze bounced across my brother, landing on Diesel, and then Rocky, Maverick, and Rebel, before settling on Hades. “They haven’t found me yet, so it makes no sense to be down a man before you need to be.”

“Fuck,” Rebel grumbled. “I hate it when she makes sense.”

My lips quirked into the smallest hint of a smile, but I suffocated it and fisted my hands on my hips, feeling helpless, which annoyed the ever loving fuck out of me. “I’m not trying to be difficult, but I think we need to be reasonable here. Be cautious without going overboard.”

Falcon stepped forward, pinching his nose, which he seemed to do a lot these days. “I appreciate what you’re sayin’, but this isn’t up for debate.”

“Bullshit!” I spat, feeling my anger and frustration churn into a cocktail of pissed off woman. “I appreciate that you, that all of you, want to keep me safe.”

“Alive,” Falcon growled.

“Yeah, I appreciate it,” I muttered in response. “But I can just stay at the clubhouse around the clock just to be safe. The community center is out of commission for a while and I’m pretty sure the members of the group got spooked and scattered to the four corners after news of Katya’s death. I’m safe as long as I stay here.” My heart raced because I knew this could become a big fight. I stood tall and jutted my chin high in the air, ready for the next fight.

Diesel stared at me for a long time, the weight of his studious gaze lingered for a lot longer than I was comfortable with. Eventually, his hands unfolded across his massive chest and fisted at his hips. “Fine. You stay at the clubhouse morning, noon, and night. If you leave, you do it with Hades. Only Hades. The moment you’re no longer safe, you leave. No questions and no arguments. Got it?”

“Fine,” I answered quickly. “No problems. Thanks.” I rushed from the office before anyone, namely my brother, changed their minds. I felt victorious in that moment for no other reason than I was able to stay at home. My home. The clubhouse wasn’t much in terms of comfort, but to me, it was home, and there was no fucking way I’d give it up unless it was absolutely necessary.

After what happened when I was Viktor’s captive, I didn’t do too well with being confined to one place, even if it was for my own good and I wasn’t an actual prisoner. On day two, I finally ventured outside of my room, determined to keep busy enough that my mind wouldn’t rot from boredom. “Want some help?”

Most of the club girls spent the morning in the kitchen, prepping and cooking breakfast for the whole club. The guys and their old ladies wandered in and out of the clubhouse with or without kids throughout the day, and the girls made sure breakfast and dinner was always available.

Simone looked up from the flat grill with a smile. “I’ll never say no to help. Get the toast going, would ya?”

“Yeah, sure.” I spent close to an hour toasting bread and cutting it in half before I moved on to chopping fruit and then transporting trays against the wall. It killed about ninety minutes, so I moved on to Steel City Motors, where I spent a few hours checking in customers and working the register. The club’s auto repair shop was right next to the clubhouse, so it was deemed to be safe. During the lulls I laughed with the guys, mostly prospects, and stayed until the afternoon rush was over.

When day three rolled around I helped out in the kitchen in the morning and spent most of the day at Demon Head Guns, cleaning and putting away firearms. I was going stir crazy at the clubhouse, and Diesel finally relented, figuring that being at the gun range was probably as safe a place as any. Spending the day surrounded by gunfire wasn’t my idea of a good time, but it was something to do that kept me busy.

***

“You’re losing your shit, aren’t you?” Macy dropped down on the grass beside me and bumped my shoulder. “It’s okay, you can admit it to me. I won’t tell a soul.” Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

I watched a few of the kids running through the grass, laughing and squealing with joy. It was one of my favorite things to do, watching kids being kids. I never had a normal childhood and watching them do so in the middle of a motorcycle club was incredible. “Maybe a little but being here is better than being imprisoned in a safe house somewhere.”

“Imprisoned? Didn’t know you were such a drama queen. You hide it well,” she laughed. “Hardly a hardship to be trapped in the middle of nowhere with a hot biker.”

I sucked in a breath and turned to Macy. “Does Vandal know you think Hades is hot?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I’m not blind. And neither are you.” She wiggled her brows. “I’ve seen the way you pant after him when you think nobody’s looking.”

“I don’t pant after anyone. Not ever.” I liked men well enough, but I’d never been crazy about anyone the way Macy described. Not before Elite Connections and since escaping, I haven’t given a man more than a passing glance.

Macy’s smile dimmed a little with understanding. “I get it, believe me. But the fact is that you’re crushing on the hot biker and this is your chance to make your move.”

“Ha!” I shook my head. “I haven’t made a move on a guy in a long time. And I haven’t done anything with a man since I escaped.”

Her eyes rounded in shock. “Seriously? You haven’t… in three years?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

She clapped her hands. “Then this is the perfect time to break that dry spell, girl!”

I smiled but shook my head. “Don’t be ridiculous. First of all, I’m not going anywhere. Second of all, that’s not gonna happen.” Hades and I were kind of friends but not really and now that he was in charge of my safety, he was basically boss. Or some shit.

Macy tossed her head back and laughed. “I hear ya, but what I didn’t hear you say was that you weren’t interested in it happening.”

“Why did I think having friends was a good thing?”

She wrapped one arm around me and laughed even louder.

And dammit, it was the best part of the last three days.

Chapter Eight

Hades

This shit has to stop. That was the lie I told myself when the hot shower hit my skin and an image of Raven flashed behind my eyes. It was ridiculous, this obsession I had with her. Not only was she my best friend’s sister, she was now a woman under my protection, which made her off-limits.

Completely off limits.

None of that mattered to my mind or my cock, not once I stepped inside the shower stall. I’d caught a glimpse of her today for only a second when I went to collect cash from Demon Head Guns for the bank deposit, but I’d seen her. Her pink hair fell in soft waves around her bare shoulders, which for some reason really got to me today. Usually she wore it up in a ponytail or a messy braid, but the soft pink waves combined with the black tank top that showed off toned, tattooed arms, stuck in my mind all damn day.

The hot water didn’t do shit to calm my raging hard-on, so I leaned into it, picturing Raven in front of me in the shower, on her knees as she took my cock down her throat. “Fuck,” I grunted as I stroked my cock, picturing her moaning her pleasure as she sucked me off. Smiling around my cock like it was her favorite thing in the world to do.

My grip tightened as I stroked harder and faster, but instead of my hand it was her tight cunt, wrapped around my cock while she rode me, her body slick with sweat as she chased down her orgasm. I ran my thumb over the pre-cum at the head of my cock, growling as Raven’s pussy pulsed around me.

I could just imagine how tight her pussy is. I’d fuck her deep and suck her nipples as she squeezed my cock into oblivion. “Fuck!” I came hard, long jets of cum hit the wall, sliding down before they disappeared down the drain. My breathing was heavy and my legs were weak as I rode out the last of my orgasm, both frustrated that I stroked my cock to images of her and pissed I hadn’t gotten to taste her sweet pussy.

Not even in my fucking fantasies.

I should’ve felt bad, but I didn’t. Not even the tiniest bit because I needed it. Goddammit, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Not even for a few fucking seconds.

I needed a distraction, but the idea of fucking someone else didn’t appeal to me.

I wanted Raven.

I couldn’t have her, but I wanted her, which made me a surly bastard.

Instead of dwelling on it, I finished in the shower and dressed quickly. There was a lot of shit to do today, same as every other day, but I knew I’d get another glimpse of Raven today and that shit would fuel me through the mind-numbing errands that came with running all the businesses under the Steel Demons umbrella.

After a quick glance around my small ranch house, I opened the front door and came up short. “Danny, what the fuck?” The prospect was every-goddamn-where, like a fucking eager bunny in need of attention and reassurance.

He took a step back and slid a hand over his dark hair. “Sorry, man. I was just stoppin’ by to talk to you.”

“Well sneaking up on a man like that is a good way to get shot.” I motioned to him to step the fuck back so I could lock my door before I gave him my attention again. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I was talking to some of the guys, and they said we’d be preppin’ a safe house for you and Raven.”

“That’s not a question.” I stood in front of my bike with my arms at my side and watched, wondering why the fuck he seemed so nervous.

“Right,” he chuckled and rubbed the top of his head again. “I was wondering if you knew which one we needed to prep for you. I was hopin’ to be one of the prospects who got to help, you know?”

My brows shot up. “You want to be the one cleaning and stocking shelves, is that what you’re telling me?”

His cheeks flushed. “I mean I don’t want to do that shit work, but I’m trying to be like you, Hades. I want to prove myself and I want the patched guys to see that I’m valuable.”

My shoulders relaxed a little because I understood that more than he knew. I’d been just like him, eager to prove myself, willing to do anything just so they all knew I was someone the MC could count on. “We’re not going yet so I don’t know any details.”

He frowned. “Oh, I just thought.”

“Prospects don’t get that kind of info,” I told him. “You do what you’re told without asking questions until you get one of these.” I smacked the patch on my chest and stared him down, making sure he got the message.

“Right. Sorry.”

I waved him off. “Don’t be. Nothin’ wrong with being eager to help, just don’t be too eager. Got me?”

“Yeah,” he flashed a boyish grin. “Right. I just don’t wanna fuck up.”

“I understand.”

“Yeah. Okay. Good. Sorry to show up like this.”

“Next time, a text or call works just as well.” I didn’t wait for a response, just hopped on my bike and rode away, shaking off the unsettled feeling in my gut. I turned my thoughts to more delightful distractions. Like Raven.

She was nowhere to be found when I got to the clubhouse, but Falcon was there and within seconds he was in my face. “Talk to my sister, would you?”

I bit back a smile at how on edge he was. “Talk to her about what, exactly?”

He growled from deep in his gut. “Talk some fuckin’ sense into her, man. She’ll listen to you and she needs to listen to somebody before she gets herself killed.”

He was worried for his sister and I understood. Hell, I was worried too. “Diesel agreed,” I reminded him.

His jaw clenched tight. “I know that, man. You think I don’t know that shit? But she went through three years of hell, and I didn’t know shit about it until a few days ago. She didn’t tell me and I don’t even want to think about why.”

“Would you be rushing to tell people if that happened to you?” I hated fucking thinking about what she went through, but I got why she wasn’t advertising it to the whole fucking MC.

“Nah, I guess not.” His face was red with anger and his eyes burned with helplessness. “I’m all fucked up about this, and Viv keeps saying I need to calm down, or Raven will shut down completely, but how the fuck can I calm down when there’s an international trafficking organization after my baby sister?”

“You can because you have me watching out for her. Just be her brother while I worry about her safety. Yeah?”

He nodded. “Yeah, man. Okay. You’ll keep her safe?”

“Yeah, you know I will. Even if she’s kicking and screaming the whole damn time.”

He laughed. “Count on it. That girl was born kicking and screaming.” His smile faded as he stared off in the distance. “That’s why I’m so fucked up, Hades. She’s all sharp tongue, sarcasm and shit kicker boots, but still this happened to her. I just fucking… can’t.”

“Way to make it all about you, man.” I laughed when he shot me a pissed off glare.

“Asshole,” he swore under his breath.

“Two things can be true at the same time,” Raven’s voice sounded from behind us, an amused lilt to every syllable. “You can make my shit all about you while Hades can be an asshole.”

I turned with a frown. “Why am I an asshole?”

She shrugged, still smiling despite the dark circles under her eyes. “I haven’t figured that part out yet, but I know what you can do to make it up to me.”

My body was instantly on alert, and it didn’t give a fuck that her brother was right beside me. Her words, unintentionally seductive, brought my cock to life as if I hadn’t just stroked myself to thoughts of her. “Yeah, what do you have in mind?”

Fuck me. Raven licked her full lips, her gaze slowly raking over my body until her gaze slammed into mine. “So many things.”

Yeah, me too, babe.

Me fuckin’ too.

Chapter Nine

Raven

“I’m bored out of my fucking skull.” That was the understatement of the century. Four straight days inside the clubhouse was harder than I thought it would be. This place was my home. It was where I was most comfortable, but apparently ninety-six hours trapped on the compound or relegated to visiting the club’s businesses was my limit. “Seriously, Hades. So. Fucking. Bored.”

His lips quirked into a smile that was far too damn appealing for my peace of mind. “Read a book.”

I growled in response.

That quirk of his lips grew bigger. “Binge watch something.”

If it was possible, my next growl was even more menacing.

Hades rubbed his chin, staring at me as if he could see right inside my brain. “Have you considered—”

I reached out and grabbed his lips, smooshing them between my thumbs and forefingers. “Say anything other than ‘let’s get the fuck out of here’ I swear to the fucking lord above that I will maim you.”

He mumbled something that came out unintelligible.

“What was that?”

His brows shot up in a look I instantly understood and released his lips. “I said, you didn’t say please.”

My eyes narrowed and I reached for his lips again, but he was faster, grabbing my wrists before I made it to his lips. “Dammit.”

He flashed another smile that smacked me right in my lower belly and sent a wave of heat over me, that I put my hand to my forehead to make sure I didn’t have a fever. Down, girl, it’s just Hades. “Come on, Raven, it’s just one little word.”

“So, so bored,” I groaned.

“One teensy little word.” His eyes sparkled with joy.

My nostrils flared, in anger or arousal, at this point I wasn’t even sure anymore. All I knew was that whatever this was, I liked it. A lot. Maybe too fucking much. “Fucker.”

“Where do you want to go?”

That was better. I shrugged. “Anywhere that’s not these four walls for at least five hours.” I was feeling restless and the longer I sat around here bored, the more dark places my mind found to wander. “My brain is setting up shop in Worst Case Scenario Land.” I didn’t like the sympathy that flashed in his eyes, so I looked away.

But Hades was having none of it. He gripped my chin and turned me until my gaze slammed into his. “You’re safe, Raven. Don’t worry about those assholes until we have something to worry about.” His words were firm and his gaze was clear. “Hear me?”

I nodded.

“Good. You still haven’t said please.”

“Asshole,” I muttered. “Take me out of here, Hades. Please.” Something like heat flared in his gaze, but I refused to believe it. I did, however, tuck it away to overanalyze later.

“I have some errands to run. You can come with me.”

It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but I refused to be a bitch about it, when he was doing me a solid. “Yeah, fine. Okay.”

“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you, Hades’.” He chuckled at the murderous expression I sent him. “I need to talk to a few people and then we can get out of here.”

“Sounds good.”

“Don’t even fucking think about going there, Raven.” Falcon’s voice was a low threat that I completely ignored.

“Going where? I’m getting out of the clubhouse because I’m going stir-crazy and he’s my appointed bodyguard.” The lie rolled off my lips so easily and I wasn’t even sure who the fuck I was lying to, my brother or myself. “I’m gonna go change my shoes,” I told him as I walked away from whatever he had to say next.

Falcon was on my ass though, following me down the hall and up the stairs to my room. “Raven,” he began but the minute I heard the anguish in his voice, I turned to face him.

“No.” I shook my head. “I didn’t tell you because I don’t want you looking at me like that,” I said, pointing at the long-suffering expression on his face. “And because I don’t exactly like talking about it. It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”

“Fuck that.”

“It is. I believed the wrong person about a job I knew was too fucking good to be true and I paid too high a price for it, but it was on me. Not you. Let’s just move on.”

He stared at me for a long time, his chest heaving with angry breaths. Eventually his shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “Yeah, okay. For now. But I’m sorry as fuck you had to go through that.”

“Me too. But I’m here now, to annoy the fuck out of you until the end of time.” I changed from sneakers to boots and grabbed a jacket before heading to the door.

Falcon surprised the shit out of me when he reached out and pulled me into a hug. “I’m still sorry you had to go through that shit alone.”

“Thanks.” I hugged him back and that was how Hades found us.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I nodded and stepped back. “Falcon’s on his period and needed a hug. Ready to go?”

He nodded and followed me through the clubhouse, handing me a helmet and watching me put it on. “Hop on.”

I stepped on the peg and swung my leg over the top of the bike, adjusting in the seat until I was comfortable. I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled inside the helmet at the hard feel of his muscles beneath my palms. As soon as the bike roared to life, my eyes slid closed and I let myself enjoy the feel of the sunshine and wind against my skin. I leaned into turns with Hades and enjoyed the simple act of going along for the ride.

***

The first stop was in a neighborhood on the other side of Vegas. It looked like gang territory and though I was on alert, I knew I was safe with Hades. “What are we doing here?” I asked as soon as he cut the engine.

“Picking up some cash.” His answer was typical Hades, just enough info to answer the question without actually answering it.

“You thought it was a good idea to come here alone?”

His gaze slid over to me. “I’m not alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. I’ve got my knife so yeah, I got your back, but you should’ve told me beforehand, so I could’ve grabbed a gun.”

“Calm down, Killer. These guys are friendly.”

I shrugged and stuck close to his side as three guys in green and black appeared. One of them carried a black bag that I kept my eye on the entire time. I was so focused on that damn bag that I didn’t hear the conversation and too soon, it was over and we were back on the bike, stopping at several brothels throughout Vegas and Steel City.

The women, half naked and gorgeous, flirted with Hades like crazy in every single house. Tits and ass were on full display, but he was polite to everyone, joking with them and asking about business that week. It was a different side of him, one I hadn’t seen before and kind of wished I’d never seen. I didn’t need to see him treating the brothel workers like they were people instead of sex objects.

It was screwing with my head.

“Ready to go?”

I nodded without saying anything, waving to the girls who gathered at the front where they greeted potential new clients. “Where to next?”

He didn’t answer, he just slid the helmet on my head and fastened the clasp under my chin before he got on the bike and waited patiently for me.

I let my annoyance out by muttering under my breath as I slid on the bike, this time grabbing the bars beside me. Distance, that’s what I needed.

Distance.

After a quick stop at the bank, Hades still said nothing until we pulled into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. “We can sit outside if you want, give you more time without the walls closing in on you.”

Yep, distance was definitely necessary. “Let’s sit near the back, the windows open up to a manmade lake.”

“I guess you’ve been here before?” he asked, lips already smirking.

I shrugged. “A time or two. I love tacos and this place makes damn fine tacos.”

“Good to know.” We sat at a booth with an excellent view of the slowly setting sun as it bounced off the manmade lake. “What do you recommend?”

“You can never go wrong with steak tacos, in my opinion. But the shrimp tacos are spicy as fuck and so good.” His gaze was riveted on me, and I stumbled over my words, which made me feel like a fucking idiot. “The beer is cold and strong, another point in the win column.”

His gaze never left mine, not even when the waitress arrived and he ordered a platter of tacos with chips and salsa, and two beers.

“Add a shot of tequila too, please.”

His inky brows dipped in a frown. “You said please to her with no problem.”

“She didn’t demand it.”

He grinned, keeping up small talk until the beers arrived at the table. “How have you been sleeping?”

“Fine,” I lied easily. Smoothly, if I do say so myself.

His gaze screamed that I was full of shit and I rolled my eyes.

“Fine,” I groaned and leaned back in my seat. “I’m sleeping as well as I usually do.” I looked away because I hated that stupid fucking look of pity in his eyes. “Look, you already have to keep an eye on me. Don’t make it worse with your pity.”

He barked out a loud laugh that drew a few stares. “I don’t pity you, Raven. I hate that this shit happened to you and I would love nothing more than to get my hands on that Kozlov motherfucker, but it ain’t pity.” He shook his head, taking a long pull from his beer while he watched me. “You don’t need my pity.”

That made me feel better than it probably should have. “Thanks.”

He shrugged like it was no big deal.

But it was a big fucking deal to me. I refused to let that shit define me. “How are you doing with all of this? I don’t imagine this is your dream assignment, having me as your shadow for the foreseeable future.”

Damn that steely gaze could be intense as fuck when he wanted it to be. “I don’t mind at all. Do you?”

“No,” I admitted since I was trusting this man to keep me safe. “I feel safe with you, and I know even if I annoy you, you’ll keep me safe.”

“Good.” He gave one short nod. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know you’ll do your best.” I knew better than most people that there was only so much that could be done up against an enemy like Viktor Kozlov. I wasn’t privy to the inner workings of his business, but I knew he was ruthless, held no value for human life and more often than not, he made calls based on financial reward above all else.

Silence fell over the table when our food arrived and it was mostly comfortable, except for those few moments when my gaze darted down to his mouth. But three tacos in, Hades broke the quiet. “I won’t just do my best, Raven. I’m not gonna let shit happen to you. As long as you stay by my side and do what I say, you’ll make it out of this. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“Funny, because I did.”

I rolled my eyes, but I tucked that promise away and held it close to my heart. My brother was the only person who ever gave a damn about me, and it felt nice to know I had more people now.

“You want more tacos?”

I frowned, shaking my head. “I’m stuffed. Thanks for getting me out of the clubhouse.”

“Anytime.” He stood and dropped a few twenties on the table. “I’ll take the long way back to the clubhouse.”

Fuck. That was the opposite of distance. “Thanks.” I could hardly think when his hand rested low on my back as we left the restaurant.

We’d barely made it five feet before two men—tall, broad, and distinctly Russian—stepped in front of us. Dressed in all black suits, they stared us down.

“Not interested,” Hades said, pulling me to his side to sidestep the men.

“It is good to see you again, Daisy. Boss won’t like the new hair.”

I flinched at his use of the name Viktor had given me and my insides turned cold, but I refused to acknowledge he’d gotten to me. I blinked a few times before frowning. “You must have me mixed up with someone else because my name ain’t Daisy.” When I tried to step around him, the other one stepped in front of me.

Hades yanked me back until I stood behind him. “She said you have the wrong woman. Back up asshole.”

He simply smirked. “I heard her,” he said in a thick accent. “But I am very good with faces, and I never forget a pretty face. Not ever.” His gaze lingered on me with a menacing smirk meant to terrify me.

It worked. That was the moment I knew that everything in my life was about to change.

Hades shoulder-checked them, holding me close until we were on his bike and leaving the parking lot. He kept looking in the mirror behind him, clearly as freaked out as I was.

All I could do was curse the fucking universe for ruining an otherwise good day.

They’d found me.

Chapter Ten

Hades

Those Russian motherfuckers. There was no goddamn doubt in my mind those assholes were sent by Viktor Kozlov. She hid it well, but the way Raven flinched when that asshole called her Daisy had my protective instincts firing on all cylinders. My hands balled into fists, and I was ready to lay both of them out, but they were playing the long game. They wanted to get in her head and make her do something stupid, or worse, reckless.

They were in her head, which meant it was up to me to make sure she didn’t go the stupid or reckless route.

I gripped the handlebars so fucking tight my knuckles were white the whole ride back to the clubhouse. I kept my promise, taking the long way back but not to give Raven more time outside, this time it was to make sure we weren’t being followed.

We weren’t. Thank fuck.

My whole fucking body was wound tight when I pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, hitting the brakes a little too hard. I waited with my jaw clenched for Raven to get off the bike, and when she did, I finally let myself relax, but only for a moment. I swung my leg off the bike, carefully removing Raven’s helmet before I grabbed her hand and tugged her inside. To safety.

“That was close,” she finally whispered. She tried for amusement but the way she clutched my hand told me she was still shaken. Good, she should be.

“It was too fucking close,” I growled. My anger and worry mixed together until it was a thick concoction of furious biker. “We’re going to the safe house.” The moment I heard that one fucking word, Daisy, I knew it was true.

“What?” Her eyes went wide with shock as if she couldn’t believe this was the outcome. “That’s not necessary.”

“The fuck it isn’t,” I roared a hell of a lot louder than I needed to. “You do remember what just happened, right?”

She yanked her hand from mine and stepped back like she was just betrayed. “It was one little run-in,” she shot back, but she wrapped both arms around her midsection. Betrayed by her own body.

“Yeah?” I stepped close, leaned down until we were face to face. “And your blood didn’t run cold when he called you Daisy?”

She flinched again and I fucking hated myself for it, but yeah, I was trying to prove a point. “Of course I did!” She shoved at my chest. “But that doesn’t mean we need to let them scare me into hiding!”

“Raven,” I growled low enough that only she could hear me, even though I felt the eyes of some of my brothers and their old ladies watching us.

“Hades,” she growled back, somehow injecting annoyance into that one sound.

“This isn’t up for discussion. You agreed, remember?” I smiled but it wasn’t a real smile, it was just acknowledgement that I had her cornered.

“Yeah, of course I fuckin’ remember, but that’s because I was operating under the mistaken assumption that you’d be reasonable.” She crossed her arms as if she needed to put some distance between us.

“This is me being reasonable.” I smacked my palm against my chest. “If I wasn’t, you’d be tossed over my shoulder kicking and screaming while I whisked you away.”

Her eyes darkened and goddammit, my cock noticed and he liked that look. A lot. Down boy. “I am not a piece of property to be moved around.”

“Goddamn right you’re not.” I risked my life by reaching out to touch her in this angry state, but she didn’t pull away and she didn’t knee me in the balls, so I took it as a win. “You’re my friend and Falcon’s sister and I promised I wouldn’t let shit happen to you and I take that seriously.”

She just glared at me.

“Look, I know you’re scared and you’re wanting to take back some control, but you know yourself that you don’t mess with Russian mobsters. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me and I say we’re heading to the safe house.”

She shook her head and glared right into my eyes. “Fuck. That.”

I took a step back and smiled. “Guess we’ll do it the hard way, then.”

Confusion flashed for a few seconds before her expression shifted to disbelief. “You wouldn’t.”

I shrugged. “The Russians found us.” I said the words just loud enough that the music seemed to fade into the background as the room fell silent. “They intercepted us as we were leaving lunch. Called her by her name,” I said. “Her other name.”

Her eyes narrowed and her jaw was clenched tight, the only other sign of her anger was the red staining her cheeks and neck. “Asshole,” she mouthed the words to me.

“You did this.” I turned to Falcon first on one side of the room and then Diesel on the other. “We’re going to the safe house.”

“Damn right you are,” Falcon agreed in an angry grunt.

“It’s for the best,” Diesel answered with a short nod and a look of sympathy in his eyes because he knew, as we all did, Raven wouldn’t make it easy.

“What the fuck, guys?” She looked around the room, her eyes held a world of hurt and betrayal. “This is… bullshit.”

I knew that look. She felt ganged up on, like she was on her own. It was the same way I felt when I got kicked out of the Army.

Her brother was the first to move. Falcon was on his feet and in her face in seconds. “It’s not bullshit,” he shouted back. “It’s the best way to keep you safe. Don’t argue with me.”

“Fuck you, Falcon!” She pushed him away. “This is my life and I get some say.”

“No the fuck you don’t,” he growled. “You think I wanna find your body one day, slit from throat down? You think I want these assholes to get their hands on you?” He shook his head. “No. Keeping you at the safe house is the only way to keep you alive.”

The siblings were both red in the face, chests heaving. I stepped between them with my back to my best friend before resting my hands on Raven’s shoulders. “This isn’t up for discussion, Raven. I’m sorry that you feel like we’re taking your voice but…” I stopped at the look of hurt burning in her eyes. “That guy knew who you were and that sure as shit was not an accidental run-in.” I gave her a moment to let those words sink in.

She shook her head, still unwilling to give up the fight. “That doesn’t mean we need to take off to the middle of nowhere.”

I tried another tactic because I understood where she was coming from. Raven was a fighter, a survivor, but this wasn’t just about her. “Do you want to risk them attacking the clubhouse to get to you? What about everyone here? You want to put them at risk?” It was a low goddamn blow, and I damn well knew it, but she needed to hear the truth and that was it.

“Dick,” she grumbled and shook off my touch. She glared at me so hard I swear to fuck I felt an icy sliver crawl up my spine. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll be ready to go in fifteen.” She glared at me again and then Falcon, and then the rest of the men who would back me up, earning her wrath all in the name of keeping her safe. Then she stomped off.

Pissed off but compliant wasn’t how I wanted it, but all I cared about was keeping her safe. Raven wouldn’t admit it, not ever, but she was scared. I saw the fear in her eyes when that asshole called her Daisy, and I saw the way all the color drained from her skin.

“She’s scared and she’ll never say that shit, but I’ll make sure she’s fine,” I said to Diesel and Falcon.

“I know you will,” Diesel acknowledged. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“I will.”

***

Riding home to pack a bag gave me time to adjust to the reality of being in close quarters with Raven for the foreseeable future. I reminded myself it was for her own damn good. I needed to remind my dick too, because no matter the seriousness of what was going on, the thought of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with Raven was far too appealing.

When I got back to the clubhouse, one of our prospects, Fang, took my bag. “Me and Danny are going to the cabin now, taking all your shit so we don’t draw attention,” he explained.

“Thanks.”

He nodded and took off towards the van that probably held food and drinks, toiletries, and whatever else the girls thought we’d need.

“Hey,” Falcon called out. “Take care of her. She’s strong but she’s not as tough as she would have the world believe. Keep her close. I trust you.” His gaze locked on mine, and I knew what it cost him to say those words.

Falcon and Raven never had an easy life. Their folks bailed early and it was just the two of them, so trust didn’t come easy. I’d earned it through years of loyal friendship, and I didn’t take that shit lightly.

Except the part where I wanted to claim his sister as mine.

“I’ll take care of her, brother.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna go say bye.”

“Protect your balls,” I called out, knowing Raven had thirty minutes to build up a good cloud of anger.

He flipped me off.

I told myself everything was going to be okay, but when Slate approached me with a serious expression, doubts crept in. “What’s up?”

He held up a phone. “Gimme yours and take this. It’s clean and not registered to anybody. Use this to call us and receive messages.”

I handed him my phone, knowing he’d keep it safe. “What’s going on?”

“Just being safe,” he answered easily. Too fuckin’ easily if you asked me. “We got three different safe houses ready just to make sure you’re safe. Been digging into Kozlov and bribery is his go-to move, by any means necessary so I ain’t taking no fucking precautions.”

I nodded even though I didn’t know what the fuck that meant and I didn’t ask because my focus was on the road ahead, the enemies behind us, and long days and nights alone.

With Raven.

Chapter Eleven

Raven

The drive to the cabin was long and quiet. I took my car and Hades followed behind. When I’d asked why we were traveling separately, he’d muttered something about how it was better to have options in case we needed to get away. That did nothing to ease my anxiety. My hands shook so bad as I gripped the wheel. I refused to admit how fucking terrified I was, or that Hades was right to insist we leave Steel City. It was the right call and I knew it, but I didn’t have to fucking like it.

The cabin and the land it sat on was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen in my life, even in the middle of the night. The log cabin was a gigantic wooden beast with picture-perfect windows and a sturdy looking porch. But even better than that was the patch of forest surrounding it and the small lake just beyond the trees. The moon was the only light when we first arrived and instantly, I felt safe and at peace. The cabin itself was enormous, far too big to be a safe house. “What is this place?”

Hades flashed a wide grin. “Usually it’s a rental property owned by the MC, but for now it’s our safe house.”

“A rental property?” I knew the club had plenty of legal businesses, but this seemed risky.

“It’s owned under a bunch of shell companies and shit,” he sent me a boyish grin. “Some people have a problem renting from bikers, so we made it palatable. There’s no way it’s traceable back to the club.”

“Smart,” I grinned, looking around the place with wide eyes. “It’s nice.”

“And it’s remote, which is good. I have this if you need to reach out to Macy. Or Falcon.” He held up a phone before setting it on a nearby coffee table.

“I wondered why Slate took my phone. Is there something else I don’t know?”

“Probably,” he answered while he checked the doors and windows. “But I don’t know what it is either. Probably best for now.”

I scoffed. “How do you figure?” Having more information was always better than having less.

“Because we’d have to worry about that on top of everything else while we’re up here, and there’s not much to do other than think. Overthink.”

It was a fair point. “I guess this means I get to flex my kitchen muscles.” The kitchen was well stocked with a six burner stove and one of those fancy double door fridges.

“You have kitchen muscles?”

I nodded once. “I do.”

“Lucky me,” he grinned and I swear, I felt that grin all the way down to places I shouldn’t.

I shook off the bout of lust that caused a light sheen of sweat to cover my skin and focused back on Hades. “I need to get changed, which room can I have?”

“There are two rooms down here, take one of those. It’ll be easier to stay close. Just in case.”

Just in case. “Right.” I picked up the bag the prospects left for us and tossed it into the first empty bedroom I spotted. It was a basic room with a queen-size bed, one dresser, two nightstands and a small window with a nice view of the trees. “Good enough,” I told myself before stripping down for a quick shower.

***

“Goddamn it smells good in here.” Hades stepped into the kitchen with a smile that made my nipples harden instantly. “What did you cook?”

I smiled, letting his complimentary words wash over me. Compliments were rare in my life and coming from Hades, it felt like high praise. “The boys stocked the place nicely. Garlic and shrimp pasta with a hearty red sauce.”

“Fuck, yes.” He moved to the sink and washed his hands before joining me at the table. “When did you learn to cook?”

I closed my eyes for a moment before I spoke. Talking about the past was never easy, even if it wasn’t that part of my past. “The reason I was looking for a job when I was, um, taken, was because I had a job in a restaurant kitchen. I left because the sous chef was handsy, but he was talented so they wouldn’t fire him. I had to go.”

His jaw clenched and he shook his head. “And you learned to cook like this?”

I nodded. “The few hours that Viktor let me leave his side, I spent with his chef. She was an older woman, a classically trained French chef.”

He smiled. “You were friends.”

I nodded again, thinking about Camille. “We grew close and I told her about the Steel Demons. She’s the reason I got rescued.” I shook my head thinking about those lonely months. “She left and I was sure she’d been killed, but then I saw Rocky and he smiled and said, ‘Camille says hi’.” My heart had never felt so full, so fucking relieved in my life.

“Damn. I hope you get to see her again.”

“Thanks,” I grinned. “Me too.” I watched Hades as he dug into the food, moaning with his eyes closed after every bite. I shouldn’t be feeling turned on, hell, I hadn’t been turned on by a man for six years, and before that I was a nineteen year old with minimal experience so what the fuck did I know about arousal and sex, really?

A comfortable silence settled between us while we ate, and I was all right with that. Being quiet with Hades was better than conversation with most people and I leaned into that comfort. I appreciated that he didn’t see a victim when he looked at me, which made it easy to talk to him.

“I recognized one of those guys,” I finally admitted to him.

He froze and looked up at me, his expression patient as he waited. “Okay.”

“The bald one,” I clarified. “He’s basically a fixer for Alexei—he’s Viktor’s number two. When they need a job done but they don’t care how it gets done, he’s who they call. If the order is bring her back dead or alive, he’s who they call.” My eyes slid closed and I shook off the images in my mind. “Plenty of girls were brought back too messed up to be useful, if you get my drift.” Those girls were brought back, usually immediately tortured and then killed.

“I get it.” He pushed the words out through clenched teeth. “How are you with a gun?” he asked, seemingly out of the blue.

I smiled at the question, hoping to surprise him again. “I can shoot a rifle or a handgun. Plus I’m a damn good fighter, not that it’s a fair fight with Viktor’s men, but I know how to even the odds, don’t worry.” It would be a fight to the death, but that was on the table either way and I refused to go down easily.

“So you’re scrappy on top of being mouthy?” he said with a smile and it was a smile I’d never seen before. Hades was a serious guy, and he usually wore a bland expression or a scowl, but even when he was hanging around with my brother and the other guys, his smile never came so easily. Never seemed so relaxed.

I thought about his words and shrugged. “I’m not mouthy.”

He barked out a laugh, and I knew I’d say anything to hear that sound again. “But you are delusional. Good to know.”

We shared a laugh and for a few seconds I forgot why we were here in the middle of nowhere, eating dinner in the middle of the night. “So, what are we gonna do while we’re here?” There was no TV and I didn’t see a router anywhere.

“Hang out,” he answered as he finished his second plate of food. “Get to know each other. Maybe even become friends.”

Friends. I rolled that word over in my mouth and it seemed too bland for what we were already. “I thought we were friends.”

He smiled, leaning back in his chair. “And here I was thinking that you hated me.”

My lips parted but I bit back the smile and shrugged instead. “I hate everybody.”

“Now I know why. Beer?” He stood and crossed to the fridge, grabbing two bottles.

“Maybe it’ll help me sleep.” I already knew it wouldn’t but having a beer with Hades was better than staring at the ceiling and trying to sleep. “Maybe some fresh air will help,” I nodded to the front porch and he grinned.

“Come on, then.”

We sat out on the porch drinking our beers while the sounds of nature at night blasted all around us. We talked at times, but at others we enjoyed the silence. It wasn’t tense or awkward, it was just nice.

Really fucking nice.

After an hour, my eyelids grew heavy. Maybe the combination of the long day, the long drive and the fresh air would let me sleep at least a few hours. “I’m gonna head inside.” I stood and Hades stood with me.

“Me too. I’ll lock up the place and see you in the morning.”

I nodded and headed inside, stripping down as soon as I closed the door behind me, and climbed in bed, hoping that finally I’d be able to sleep after a week of nightmares.

Chapter Twelve

Hades

It was the middle of the night and she was wide awake. For the third night in a row, Raven was up and pacing. She tried to be quiet, but only a small hallway separated our rooms, and I was entirely too fucking aware of her not to notice.

Every night, she got out of bed around two in the morning and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Then she moved to the large windows overlooking the lake and stayed there for a few minutes before she went back to her bedroom and paced. Back and forth she went, burning a hole in the pine floors before she slid back in bed and—presumably—stayed awake until the sun came up and it was time to start the day.

Not tonight.

I let her grab her water and soak in the beauty of the lake, but as soon as she started pacing, I shot out of bed and headed to my door, yanking it open and knocking on hers.

The pacing stopped and nothing but silence met me on the other side of the door for several long moments. Eventually the door opened and there she was with disheveled hair, tired eyes, and a tank top that showed off a perfect handful of perky tits with diamond tipped nipples. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed when she saw me standing there. “Hades. What’s wrong?”

“Come with me.” The words came out harsher than I planned but the sight of her in those tiny shorts was too fucking much.

“Where are we going? Did you hear something?” Her voice followed me down the hall and into the living room.

I kept the lights off so we could see the lake, lit by the moon.

“Hades?”

“Nothing is wrong,” I finally answered, taking a seat on the sofa. “Sit.”

“What’s going on?” She sat on the middle cushion, which surprised the shit out of me, not that I minded.

“Nothing other than the fact that you aren’t sleeping.” I watched her, waited for her to deny it just to be contrary.

Her brows crinkled. “My bad. Did I wake you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t give a fuck if you wake me. Why aren’t you sleeping?” I knew the answer, but I needed to hear her say it.

“I don’t sleep much.” That was all she said. Four fucking words.

“I hear you at night, Raven. Walking around. Pacing. Keeping your mind busy.”

Her arms wrapped around her middle. “If you don’t want an apology, then what are you after?”

I turned back to the water. “Answers. Talk to me.” Our gazes collided, holding for so long I almost got lost in those obsidian depths.

She held her breath for a long time, weighing her options before she nodded. “I don’t sleep much,” she said again, but she wasn’t finished. “It’s why I like being at the clubhouse. I know I’m safe there, but even then, I get three, maybe four hours of sleep. If I’m lucky. Been that way since I got out.”

She said it like she was in prison, serving a sentence. “You mean since you escaped. Survived.”

Her eyes softened. “Yeah, that.” She offered a smile but no more words and I knew if I wanted her to open up, I had to do the same.

I stood and went to the kitchen, grabbing two cold bottles of beer because somehow beer made it easier to talk. “When I was discharged from the Army, I was lost. I felt fucking useless. I thought that would be my whole fucking life, at least my whole career, and then it was gone and I was… I don’t know, aimless.” I spoke words to her I never said out loud to another human and here I was sharing them with my best friend’s sister. “And then I met Falcon and he introduced me to the Steel Demons.”

“And you found another purpose?” There was a smile in her voice, and I couldn’t help but turn to look at her. I loved it when she smiled with her whole face.

“Something like that. The MC isn’t all that different from the Army. Brotherhood. Fighting. Protecting interests.”

“Only it’s more tangible. You know who and what you’re fighting for.”

“Exactly,” I grinned.

Silence fell between us again, peaceful and comforting. “I was stupid to believe that job was anything more than too fucking good to be true.” She shook her head, hands balled into tight fists in her lap. “I mean, what kind of job pays that much money and gives you a place to stay? Stupid.”

“No, don’t do that.” My voice was calm but intensity snaked through every syllable. “You couldn’t have possibly known a basic housekeeping job would end up like it did. Now you know.”

“Yeah,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I feel guilty sometimes, you know, about surviving. Not just because other girls didn’t.” She started to speak again and then filled the silence with a sip of beer.

“Why, then?”

“Because…” she sighed. “I was lucky, if you can call it that. The only perk that came with being Viktor’s pet, his favorite property, was that I was only with him.” She shuddered like she was reliving her time with him, and I hated that shit, so I reached out and laid my hand on top of hers. “So many girls escaped and when they came back their punishment was to be rented out to whoever was willing to pay, sometimes for sex but also torture, beatings or whatever else someone wanted to pay for.”

As she spoke, I thought of all the ways I would make Viktor Kozlov and his men pay. I’d do whatever it took to make sure the whole fucking organization paid for what they did to Raven and those girls. “I’m sorry, Raven. So fucking sorry.”

“Thanks.”

It wasn’t enough. I wrapped my hand around hers and squeezed it. “Just do me a favor and stop blaming yourself. All of that shit was horrible and none of you deserved it. Having it less bad is fucking relative.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m working on that.”

“Good.”

“Are my emotions making you uncomfortable?” She grinned, always teasing me even when we’re talking about seriously dark shit.

“Hell no,” I grunted, releasing her hand and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “I think vulnerable is an unnatural state for you, Raven. You are entirely too fucking tough, too much of a smartass, too strong to let anyone make you vulnerable.”

She let out a shaky sigh before laying her head on my shoulder. “I like that you think so, but most days I feel like a fucking fraud.”

“That’s because you had a few tough years and some assholes made you forget, but you have no problem giving me shit so I think maybe you just forgot for a little while.”

She let out a watery laugh and elbowed me in my side. “It’s so easy with you.”

I wasn’t sure if she realized what she said but those words sent a steel cupid’s arrow straight to my fucking heart. I couldn’t think straight for a full minute, not with all the shit racing through my mind as she laid on my shoulder, trusting me with her weight and her secrets. It was stupid, feeling this way about Raven. She was Falcon’s sister. She was under my protection. She was in a vulnerable position and I couldn’t—wouldn’t—take advantage of that shit. “It’s easy because that girl you think is lost is still in there. Don’t let these assholes make you forget that.”

“You trying out a side hustle as a motivational speaker?”

I laughed, holding her tighter. “Nah, that’s just for you.” Being close to her like this was playing with fire and I knew it, but having her in my arms like this only highlighted what I’d been lying to myself about.

I liked her. I fucking liked her a lot.

“Because I’m such a mess?” she asked in a quiet voice I barely recognized.

“Nope.”

“Then why?”

“Because I love it when you give me shit. And because when you’re vulnerable it makes me want to kill people. A lot of people.” That was too much and I knew it, but it was the truth.

“That’s sweet,” she whispered, letting out a watery laugh.

“Haven’t you heard? I’m a real fuckin’ sweetheart.”

Raven laughed again and wove her arms around my waist, laying on my chest as we watched the moon and the lake outside the window. It was the most peace I’d known in a long time, and I relished it. I relished holding her in my arms with her scent invading my nostrils, locking itself in my brain permanently.

We stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in each other physically but separately lost in thought. Eventually, Raven’s breathing evened out and she fell asleep. Finally.

I let her sleep where she was, glad she was finally getting some rest. At some point before the sun came up, I fell asleep too. With Raven in my arms.

Where she belonged.

As I drifted off to sleep, I knew I had a decision to make. Risk Falcon’s wrath by making her mine or keep my distance and lose her forever.

Chapter Thirteen

Raven

My body trembled with need as masculine hands peeled off my clothes until I was completely naked, the night air cooling my overheated skin. “Fucking gorgeous,” he growled in that deep, familiar timbre.

My eyes fluttered open and I pushed up onto my elbows to see the man making me so turned on that my skin grew slick with sweat. “Hades.” It wasn’t a question, more like a plea.

He looked up at me and grinned, his eyes dark with desire and somehow both smug and smiling. “Next time you say my name, shout it a little louder. I wanna make you scream.”

Holy shit he did not just say that! My belly flipped and my breath hitched. Before I could come up with some smartass comeback, his lips were on me again and I forgot what words were. His kisses were fiery and slow, every touch of his mouth on my body made me feel like I did the first time I ate an edible, like I was outside of myself watching his lips and tongue drag across my skin.

I couldn’t remember ever being this turned on in my whole fucking life. Not before Viktor and there hasn’t been anyone since.

His mouth closed around my nipple and my back bowed. A moan slipped out, echoing off the walls. When he sucked, I moaned louder because it felt so fucking good. Who knew my nipples were so sensitive? I mean, I know dudes like tits, but my C cups were nothing to write home about, and most of my experiences included a few tongue flicks and a lot of kneading. “Oh fuck!” The words were ripped from my mouth when his teeth sank into the most sensitive part of my nipple. And then he moved back and forth, from one nipple to the next until I was so wound up, I thought I might come then and there.

I knew I was dreaming but it felt so real I couldn’t do anything but lean into the experience. Until this moment I didn’t think I missed sex all that much, but my skin was hot and I felt sweat on my brow, my legs and almost everywhere my clothes touched my skin. I clamped my legs tight and reached for Hades. His cock tented his boxers and I felt bold, a little bit brave.

“Fuck, Raven.” His jaw clenched tight and I looked up to see if he was mad, but the look in his eyes was desire, plain and simple.

Amazed, I gripped him through his boxers and stroked, slow at first because he was so big, long, and thick, but every grunt and groan that came out of his mouth made me bolder. I squeezed harder while I watched him, eager to see his face twisted in carnal agony.

Another groan sounded, louder and more guttural and my eyes snapped open.

I looked around and my gaze connected with the window where trees filled the space out to the lake beyond. The left side of my body was hotter than the rest of me and I realized it was because I was pressed against a hard, heavily muscled body. Hades. Shit.

Don’t look. Do not look.

Instead of looking at him, I looked at my arm and followed it to my hand, which gripped his cock, still fully covered in denim. Looking at him after that was unavoidable. Despite my mortification, I swallowed hard before I met his eyes.

His lips were curled slightly but his face was set in stone. “Good dream?” His words were pushed through gritted teeth.

My eyes closed as humiliation and horror swamped me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I tried to move my hand from his cock, but he wrapped his hand around my wrist to stop me.

“It’s okay,” he growled.

I was really fucking confused now. I groped him without his consent, and he was clearly upset about it, but he refused to say it. “Then why do you seem upset?”

His lips tugged into a crooked grin as he squeezed my hand around his cock, which was even harder now. “Not upset, just… trying to be a good guy here.” Another low growl escaped.

His words stole the breath from my lungs and I couldn’t believe it. “You like it?”

He shook his head and I tried to tug away again but his grip tightened. “I like you, Raven, so fuck yeah, I like it when you touch me. I shouldn’t, I know that, but I do.”

His words brought a smile to my face, which was fucking ridiculous because he said he shouldn’t like me. “Why shouldn’t you like me? I’m awesome.”

He grinned wider and nodded. “Yeah, but Falcon’s gonna kill me.”

“I knew it would be some bullshit answer like that.” I squeezed his cock again just because I could, enjoying the way his jaw clenched, and his eyes went black. “Besides all that, I am a grown-ass woman capable of making her own decisions. And Falcon isn’t here.”

His eyes rolled back in his head before he sank against the sofa with an anguished growl, and I’d never felt so powerful in my life.

There were men before the Viktor Era of my life, but it had never been like this, flirty and fun and just a little bit dark. It was always perfunctory for the sole purpose of getting off, which I hardly ever did. But this wasn’t like that at all, it made me feel hungry, which made me feel bold.

He growled again and I decided to go for it, crawling up his body until we were face to face. His eyes searched mine and I let him see whatever demons and insecurities he found in there before this feeling of being on fire, of wanting and needing and—finally—being in a position to want to do something about it. It gnawed at my skin until I felt like I’d lose my shit if I didn’t just go for it. So I did, leaning forward until my lips were on the lips that made me tremble in my dreams.

His lips were full and surprisingly soft. His scruff scraped against my skin, and I didn’t give a damn because his lips were perfect. I kissed him softly at first, finding my footing after too many years without touching or kissing anyone. Hades let me lead the kiss, moving his lips and tongue in rhythm with mine until I swiped my tongue across his bottom lip.

He growled and palmed my ass, pulling me flush against the thick ridge behind his jeans. He was hard and I was wet, and I couldn’t remember ever having this much fun just kissing a man. I’d never been so turned on by a kiss before and my hips moved against him on their own, seeking the pleasure they instinctually knew could be found there. I pulled back, breathless and a little bit dizzy. “Is that okay?”

He nodded, his gaze locked on mine. “Fuck, babe, it’s more than okay.” He held me tight against him even though I liked it and wanted more of it, I gasped and pulled back. He released me immediately. “Sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be. It’s just… fuck.” I closed my eyes and turned away because I couldn’t say this to him while I looked at him. He was hard as a fucking rock and I’d done that to him, only to pull away now. He probably thought I was a cock tease.

“Talk to me, Raven.” His fingertips touched my chin and turned me to face him. “Look at me,” he demanded, not angry just firm.

I opened my eyes. “Sorry,” I said again, my voice cracked on the last syllable.

“Don’t be sorry, just tell me what’s goin’ on.”

I inhaled deeply and steeled myself for whatever reaction he had. I hadn’t put myself in this position in years for a reason. It was too difficult, too embarrassing to speak out loud. “I haven’t been turned on since before I was kidnapped. I haven’t wanted to be, and then I sleep on you for a few hours and I’m having sex dreams about you. And make out sessions.”

Hades said nothing, just slid his big body from underneath mine.

I turned onto my back and covered my eyes with my forearm, vowing to stay like that until the end of time, or at least until the embarrassment of my words faded. Instead, Hades’ big, warm hand wrapped around my forearm and removed it from my face.

“Open up, Raven. Don’t get shy on me now.” There was a hint of playfulness that had me curious enough to open my eyes.

“What?”

Instead of answering, he grabbed my hand and pulled me until I was on my feet, pulling me down the hall to his bedroom. “You wanna tell me about the dream?”

“W-what?” I heard him but suddenly I thought maybe I was still dreaming.

“Tell me about it,” he demanded as he slowly undressed me.

“You undressed me,” I said with a laugh as he pulled the tank top over my head, tossing it behind him.

“And then?” His fingers tugged on the zipper of my jeans.

“And you kissed me all over,” I answered breathlessly.

“That’s a good start,” he murmured before pushing me down on the mattress and removing my jeans and panties. “Fuck,” he growled as his gaze ate me up. He watched me until I squirmed, only removing his gaze from me to take off his own clothes.

I gasped when he grabbed my knees and parted them until I was completely exposed. “Hades,” I whispered.

“It’s fine,” he growled, sliding one thick finger through my pussy lips. “You’re already swollen and drenched for me.” His voice was low and thick with something dark I couldn’t name.

“It’s been a while since it mattered, but I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing.”

Hades said nothing as he lowered himself between my thighs, his hands gripping them possessively.

My whole body hitched when his breath touched my pussy. “Fuck,” I whispered.

He grinned. “Watch everything,” he growled as he kissed one thigh and then the other. “Don’t look away, Raven.”

I nodded, pushing up on my elbows in a now familiar position, and watched with rapt attention as his lips and tongue left no inch of my body untouched. He kissed me all over until my body was so keyed up, so hot with need that every inch of me vibrated beneath him. I was so turned on I couldn’t breathe.

“Did I stop at kissing your body?” he asked softly, pushing my legs apart with his shoulders. “Or did I feast on your pussy? Is that why you squeezed your legs together so fiercely?”

Before I answered, his tongue was right there, sliding up my slit, teasing me over and over. It was complete and total fucking bliss, the way he teased me until my nipples were so hard, they ached. And finally that magic tongue applied more pressure, parting my slit just enough that he touched my clit. “Oh fuck!” My hips bucked uncontrollably, eager to get closer to his mouth.

His big hands gripped my ass and pulled me closer, feasting on me with such intensity my eyes watered. He growled as he licked me and sucked on my clit, the sound vibrated throughout my body, intensifying my pleasure.

So. Much. Pleasure. Even though I was sweaty and breathing like an out of shape, middle aged smoker, I never felt so good in all my life. “Oh, yes, Hades, yes!” He slid one finger deep and crooked it, and that one move set off an orgasm so powerful I thought I passed out for a few seconds. When I opened my eyes, my body shook because Hades still licked me. “That was,” I breathed heavily. “Holy shit that was awesome!”

He laughed against me, kissing his way up my body, his hard body dragging against my skin.

His cock nudged at my opening and I held my breath, bracing for the invasion of his long, thick cock.

“Breathe,” he whispered against my lips before kissing me until I was soaking wet and turned on all over again.

This man was magic. Absolute fucking magic.

Chapter Fourteen

Hades

I’m going straight to fucking hell and even knowing that, knowing that my best friend is going to beat the fuck outta me, nothing in this world could tear my lips from her soft, silky flesh. Fuck, Raven was so pliable. So gorgeous. And goddammit she was so reactive. Every time I touched her anywhere, she exploded. Those tiny fucking gasps she made when I flicked my tongue over her nipple had me fucking the bed like a virgin. The throaty moans when I sucked her clit had me close to blowing my load. She lit up when I touched her, and more than that, she was vocal.

So. Fucking. Vocal.

The way she spurred me on when I feasted on her sweet cunt was etched into my brain. She dug her fingertips in my scalp so hard my eyes watered but that didn’t stop me. Nothing could have stopped me because her honey was too sweet, and every time I licked her, it flooded between us. She was addictive as fuck and even now, as I kissed her, I was still drunk on her taste.

Her moans were loud as I kissed my way up her body, stopping at her hipbones, her ribcage, and even that warm flesh under her tits. She didn’t even know what she liked and I was happy as fuck to help her discover it. She went rigid when I reached her nipples and I slowed my pace, taking my time on her gorgeous tits before I moved up to her collarbones and then her jawline.

“Raven,” I groaned before I captured her lips again. I kissed her gently at first because I was hard as fuck and ready to slide into her sweet cunt, but I didn’t want to scare her. But she was too responsive, moaning and tasting the inside of my mouth, and I deepened the kiss until I was devouring every inch of her mouth with mine.

She moaned again before wrapping her arms and legs around me, nestling my cock between her thighs where she was still wet and warm. Her hips swirled and I felt even dizzier.

I pulled back, watching as her eyelids fluttered open, her full, kiss swollen lips parted slightly. “Are you sure about this, Raven?” I’d never fucking forgive myself for pushing her.

Her desire dimmed and uncertainty took over. “You don’t want to?”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. Then I pushed my hips forward just enough that my cock breached her dripping cunt. “I’ve wanted to for a long fucking time, but after hear the sounds you make when you’re turned on, I want it even more.”

She looked away and I forced her gaze back to mine with a flex of my hips.

“The sounds you make when I eat that sweet cunt combined with the taste of you on my tongue, only intensified this fucking need I have for you, Raven. But I want you to want this too.”

She thought about it for a long time, watching me as she made up her mind. Hell, she thought so long I knew a cold shower was in my future, but I stayed still, refusing to show any reaction that might sway her decision. She licked her lips slowly. “And you’re seriously okay if I’m not ready?”

Fuuuuck! I nodded anyway because I was an asshole, but not that kind of asshole. “Yeah. When I slip into this pussy, I want her dripping with need because you can’t go another minute without feeling my cock fill you up.”

She let out a shaky breath around a slow smile. “You’re really fucking intense when you’re naked.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I can be. Especially when I’m hard as fuck with a beautiful, naked woman beneath me, her cunt begging for another long, slow kiss.”

She quivered beneath me and it took all the willpower I had not to slam deep. “Go slow?”

My heart twisted at the uncertainty in her tone, but the trust in her eyes made it worse. This wasn’t just two people fucking to get off, this was something more than that. I refused to think about what else it was because all the blood in my body was in my cock. “As slow as you need. Just tell me what you need. You want to ride my cock?”

She shivered but shook her head. “No, not this time.” She was suddenly shy and it was fucking adorable. “I’m ready, at least I think I am.”

I sat back on my haunches and grinned as I dragged my fingertips down her body until they hovered at her pussy. Two fingers touched her clit, rubbing in soft, slow circles until she gasped and leaned into my touch. I watched every flicker of emotion that crossed her face. “You seem ready,” I purred. “You feel ready.” I slid from her clit to her opening, fucking her in slow, intense strokes until a moan slipped out. “You hear that, how fucking wet you are? You’re turned on as fuck right now, dripping for me.”

She was gorgeous when she arched into my touch, flashing a dirty little smile. “Fuck, your mouth is filthy.”

I grinned. “You weren’t complaining about my mouth a few minutes ago.”

She laughed, gasping when I added a second finger. “That’s because you were doing delicious, wicked things to my body. Things I wasn’t sure I was capable of feeling. Oh!” Her hips rolled against me, and she let out a soft, husky laugh. “That feels pretty wicked and delicious too.” Seconds later she was coming around my fingers.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous when you come. I think I’ll do it again.”

She grinned as heat bloomed on her cheeks. “I don’t think I’ve ever come twice in one night. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I had an orgasm.”

I hated to hear that shit. “That’s a shame, but I guess we’ll have to make up for lost time.”

Raven shook her head. “I think I’m good for the night, but you go ahead.”

“It’s cute and a little fucked up you think that, but I’m a patient man when I want to be.” I had to take the fucking edge off a little, so I gripped her thighs and slid my cock just past her entrance, teasing her with quick, shallow thrusts that had her gasping and gripping my forearms.

“Holy shit… what is happening?”

I flashed a proud smile, still fucking her with those shallow thrusts that had her breathlessly panting. I smacked her clit with my fingertips, grinning maniacally when her body stiffened and she squirted all over us.

“Oh. My. God.” She tried to sit up but I slid balls deep before she could get up. “Oh!” Her eyes were wide with shock as she fell back against the bed, watching me like I was some kind of magical being she’d never seen before.

“So fucking tight,” I groaned because she was strangling my cock even with how wet she was. I wanted to fuck her hard and fast, but she wasn’t ready yet. “I need one more orgasm, Raven. I’m dying to paint your pussy with my jizz, but I won’t do that until I feel you pulsing around my cock, ready to milk me dry.”

Her pussy fluttered around me because she might not know it yet, but she loved the dirty talk. “Dirty, dirty, Hades.” Her eyes widened when my cock pulsed against her walls. “What are you waiting for?”

What the fuck was I waiting for? I fucked her hard and fast, slowly pulling that orgasm up to the surface until she gave me exactly what I wanted. Her cunt clamped down around me, pulsing so fiercely it was like her pussy was sucking me off. “Look at me,” I growled when her gaze drifted shut.

Her gaze slammed into mine and stayed that way while I fucked her through her orgasm, prolonging it until my cock exploded into the most powerful, dizzying orgasm of my fucking life. I slowed my thrusts, but I didn’t stop until every last aftershock was over. “Fuck, Raven. You’ve wrecked me.” I fell on top of her, kissing her until we were panting hard.

“Wow,” she breathed when she finally got some air into her lungs after I rolled off her. “I can’t believe that. I have never had sex like that in my life. Not even before, you know.”

I knew exactly what you know was and I couldn’t deny the pride that swelled in my chest at that admission. I turned to face her, my expression suddenly serious because I needed her to hear me. “I’ve never had sex like that either.”

She huffed in disbelief.

“I’m serious. I’ve fucked before but nothing was ever that intense. That fucking addictive.”

She smiled so bright I wanted to start all over again. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “Fuck, yeah. I mean if you bust a nut, you’re good, but what happened between us in this room? That was fucking insane. I couldn’t get enough of you, not eating your pussy, not fingering that tight cunt and definitely not feeling you hot and wet and pulsing all around me. Fuck,” I shivered, “you’re so tight and wet, so goddamn responsive to everything I did. Like your pussy was made just for me.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes darkened to near black. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

I smiled again because I just couldn’t help it. Raven was mouthy as fuck and shocking her into silence felt like a win. “It’s okay, just say what you feel or say nothing at all.” I pulled her close, wrapping her arms around me as she snuggled against my chest.

“I’ll think of something,” she began, stopping when a loud yawn escaped. “Clever when I’m thinking clearly again. Promise,” she said softly before her breathing evened out and she was sound asleep.

I held Raven a little tighter and slept with a woman for the first time in too many years to count.

Chapter Fifteen

Raven

I woke up not with a start, but with a lazy stretch that quickly reminded me of all that happened last night. A small smile touched my lips immediately, but it quickly grew into a big, goofy ass grin because holy shit I had sex last night! Not just any sex either, but the really good kind of sex that makes you walk funny and daydream about it to the point of distraction.

I sat up and looked around the room, frowning because it was really fucking bright outside. Usually when I woke up, the sky was still more dark than light, evidence that I only slept for a few hours, but the sun shining outside had me scrambling to look at the time. When I did, I sat back with a heavy sigh and a smile. I slept all the way through without waking up. Without nightmares too.

Hades must be my good luck charm. Or maybe it was all the orgasms.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and winced, which served as another reminder of just how sore I was from the all night sex-a-thon. Muscles I never used before were sore and every step I took to the bathroom reminded me of that fact. As if I could forget. The shower was hot and steamy, and just what I needed. And yeah, my mind wandered back to what happened last night and how much I enjoyed it.

My legs were still weak when I stepped out of the shower and got dressed in another tank top and another pair of jeans. I left the bedroom—mine, not his—and went in search of Hades with a little more energy in my steps.

I stopped just as I rounded the hall when I heard his voice, low and tense. Serious as fuck. I strained my ears to listen, but I couldn’t hear a fucking thing. I read body language fluently, though because I had to. Between living on the streets and my time with Viktor, I learned quickly. Hades’ shoulders were tense and his gaze was fixed on the floor at his feet. Tension radiated from his broad shoulders.

And that put me on edge. I stood there, rooted to the spot as I strained to hear what was being said. Ringing sounded in my ears and my blood rushed through my veins, thick and heavy. Eventually Hades turned to see me standing there and he spoke, but I still couldn’t hear him.

“Raven,” he called again, brows dipped in a blend of worry and confusion.

I blinked a few times, shaking my head to clear the fog. I looked at Hades and yeah there was lust and attraction, but the set of his body was tense and angry. “What is it?” I knew it was something and I trusted him enough not to lie to me.

His shoulders fell as if relieved to be rid of that weight so quickly. “We’re moving to another safe house.”

Those five words turned my blood cold. My breaths came in short, harsh pants I couldn’t control. “What,” I shrieked. “Why?”

He took a few steps forward, his brows dipped in disappointment and worry. “This location is fucking compromised. I don’t know how the fuck it happened or who did, yet. All I know is that it is.”

“How can we be so sure?” My hands shook as they went to the hem of my shirt, gathering the fabric in my palm and twisting hard enough to sting my knuckles.

“A few of our guys spotted some Russians heading this way. Reports of them stopping at the truck stop asking questions about vacation homes on the lake.”

My eyes went wide and my heart rate kicked up another notch. “Holy shit. That’s super specific, Hades.”

He cut a glare my way and nodded. “Yeah. It’s too fucking specific.” His jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached, and I could almost hear the gears twisting in his head. “We need to pack up and get the fuck outta here ASAP.”

I nodded absently, knowing now was not the time for conversation. Now was the time for action so I moved on shaky legs back to the room I just left and yanked my meager belongings from the closet and the dresser and shoved them back into the backpack and duffel that fit it all. It took ten minutes to pack my shit, double check the room and head back to the living room where I waited for Hades.

“Ready?” His dark brows were knitted into a dark frown that only made him look more devastatingly gorgeous, which was not something I should’ve been focusing on.

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Should we empty the fridge?”

His lips kicked up into a lopsided grin. “Nah, the prospects will take care of it soon.” He opened the door and stepped out first, scanning the area for safety before we headed to my car because a motorcycle would be too conspicuous.

I climbed into the passenger seat, fastened my seatbelt and gazed out the window as we drove. The woods became the highway before it turned into a lonely dirt road that wound around a steep hill or maybe it was a mountain. It was a mostly silent drive, which let me get lost in my thoughts, wondering if this shit would ever end. Viktor had hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars, he could search for me until I took my last breath. Living the rest of my days on the run or in hiding sounded like its own version of hell. I wondered if I should just run off and risk it on my own. That would be safer for everyone else, anyway.

As I thought about Viktor’s resources and his uncanny ability to find people’s deepest, darkest hiding spaces, another thought occurred to me, and I turned to Hades because I needed to watch him as he processed the question and responded.

“You think there’s a mole in the MC?”

The muscles in his jaw snapped tight enough that the outline was visible and his nostrils flared angrily. His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He didn’t verbalize his answer, but my body language expertise told me he agreed.

That was a small comfort, I guess, but it still left me unsettled.

It didn’t make a lick of sense. The Steel Demons MC were the most loyal group of people I’d ever met. Not even Viktor’s men were actually loyal to him. They were well paid, loyal to the salary and bonuses he offered but I knew if someone offered even a dollar more, they’d double-cross him in a heartbeat. But the Steel Demons? They weren’t like that. “That doesn’t make sense but it’s the only fucking thing that makes sense.” I hadn’t meant to say the words out loud, but my brain was too full.

Hades was still quiet. Still angry. Still thinking.

I wished like hell I knew what he was thinking about. Was his mind filled with trying to figure out how Viktor’s men knew where we were or was he busy regretting last night? This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my morning after what happened last night. We hadn’t even had a chance to talk about what we did. Was Hades okay with everything? Did he regret it? I sure as hell didn’t, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking getting involved with me was a big mistake.

***

After thirty minutes of driving in relative silence I spoke. “How far until we get there?” This was the longest drive of my life and my anxiety threatened to explode out of me.

He said nothing for a long, long time and just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, he finally did. “About forty miles. It’s a spot just over the county line. We’ll be safe there. It’s a different jurisdiction but so far away from civilization that not even the law will know we’re there.”

I let out a sarcastic half-laugh. “That’s what you all said about the place we just left.”

He reached out and his touch startled me and in the next second, it comforted me. “You’re safe, Raven. We’re together and I won’t let shit happen to you.”

“What about if there’s a mole?”

“No one other than Diesel, Rocky, and your brother know where I’m taking you. We’re gonna keep it that way. Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry. I’d heard those words too many fucking times in my life. “Oh okay,” I said. “If you insist, I won’t worry.” Yeah, I turned the sarcasm up to twenty.

“Good,” he replied, ignoring my snarky tone. “I appreciate it.”

I flipped him off and he laughed, breaking the tension that filled the inside of the car. Hades kept his hand on my thigh even after he turned his attention back to the road that was more dirt and trees than anything else.

The sounds of civilization grew fainter, which normally would’ve had me on the verge of a panic attack, but I was calm. Or maybe it was the way his hand branded me that made me calm. Even when we pulled up to what looked like a regular house, just secluded as fuck, I didn’t freak out. The house was at the top of what felt like a mountain but was probably just a big ass hill because I was pretty sure there were no mountains in Nevada. “Wow,” I sighed as the place came fully into view. The outside was rustic, a faded shade of red that had seen better days. It was much smaller than the last place, and when Hades opened the door, I realized just how small.

“It’s small, but it’ll have to do.”

Small was a goddamn understatement. There was a mudroom that took up half the space, and just beyond it was a bathroom and kitchen. “Where’s the bedroom?”

He pointed up and that’s when I spotted the ladder that seemed to jut up into the sky. I climbed up quickly and gasped at the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of an endless sea of trees. I could see all around for miles so yeah, it was safer.

But it was so fucking remote I wasn’t sure I’d get any sleep until this shit with Viktor was over once and for all.

Chapter Sixteen

Hades

The house was small as fuck, but I still took my time making sure everything was secure. This place had a lot of fucking windows, and I checked each one carefully because I needed to calm the fuck down before I went upstairs to Raven. She was shaken by the sudden move, and I couldn’t blame her because that had me fucked up too. After last night I’d expected a lazy morning of fucking. Not a phone call from Diesel telling me to get the fuck outta Dodge because the Russians were asking questions.

As I went through the routine of locking down the place, my mind kept going to the question she asked that I couldn’t or wouldn’t answer.

You think there’s a mole in the MC?

That was the only fucking thing that made any sense, but it also didn’t make one iota of sense. The MC was a tight unit and we knew each other well. We lived and worked together, knew the baggage we all came with and the hell we’d all been through, as a MC and as men. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about who it could be that was feeding info to the Russians.

It was on my mind when I finally got the house locked up tight and joined Raven up in the loft bedroom. “We’re all tucked in,” I told her, startling her from her thoughts. “If anyone comes up here, we’ll see them long before they see us.”

She nodded without turning around, her gaze fixed on the black sky and the endless darkness the trees provided. “Yep.” Her shoulders were bunched up tight, arms wrapped around her waist and her voice was shaky as fuck.

I was too keyed up to sleep, so I opened one of my two bags and pulled out my guns. Cleaning them and checking the ammo was a good way to make me feel like I was doing something useful while giving me something to focus on other than who the fuck was working with the enemy.

“Why are you doing all that?” she asked, pointing to each gun laid out on the cloth.

“To make sure it works properly when we need it to. Don’t want a gun to misfire or worse, fail to fire.”

She turned completely and I felt her gaze on me as I went through the familiar motions of taking one gun apart, cleaning it and putting it back together before moving on to the next one. “Is that a real issue?”

“Not for me,” I shot back before finally looking up at her. “Because I clean my shit.” I ran through all the probable scenarios of a security breach up here while Raven curled up on the bed with a book she found at the old cabin. The scenarios allowed me to get out some of the tension and the aggression building up inside of me.

Those Russian assholes had come really close to finding us. Too close. I promised Raven and her brother I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and I meant that, which meant I needed to focus. And stay calm because she was fucking terrified.

“You’re angry,” she finally said, tossing the book aside.

“What makes you say that?” I responded without looking at her.

She huffed out a laugh. “Because I know you. Also because I have eyes.”

“Beautiful eyes.” I looked at her then and her gaze was fixed on me with an intense expression on her face.

Shock. Disbelief. Desire. And then the wall went up and she rolled her eyes. “Who knew you were such a sweet talker?”

“Definitely not me,” I said honestly. “I’m more of a ‘nice tits’ kinda guy.”

She barked out a laugh, shaking her head with amusement. “Now that, I believe.” Her gaze shot to the windows when the pitter patter of rain began to fall, relaxing only when she realized it was weather, not a threat. “Sorry, I’m being ridiculous.”

I shook my head, tucking all the guns except one back into the bag. “A deadly, international trafficking organization is after you, I don’t think being a little jumpy is ridiculous, Raven.”

“It’s rain, I should know better,” she shot back. I guess that was where we were both similar. We liked to be in control, and all this uncertainty was getting to us. It felt like we were sitting ducks.

“Yeah, but being aware of your surroundings is an excellent defense mechanism to have when dangerous people are hunting you.” I watched her with one brow arched, daring her to challenge me again.

Raven nodded, nibbling her bottom lip the way she did when she was deep in thought. I watched her as she watched me, noticing the way her pulse raced at the center of her throat and the way her nipples beaded behind her t-shirt. I don’t know how long we sat like that, staring at each other as the rain came down harder until there was a steady stream of rain slamming against the windows and the roof.

That shit came at us from all sides.

“Were you dating that girl in the Army?”

My brows furrowed. “What girl?”

“The one your CO was messin’ with?” She wrapped her arms around her knees as if she needed to protect herself from the answer.

I barked out a laugh and shook my head. “No. Honestly, I didn’t know her all that well. She was a damn good recruit, her daddy was a preacher and hated that she liked girls instead of boys. That was it.”

Confusion marred her pretty face. “And you just risked your military career for a chick you didn’t even know?”

I shrugged. “That’s kind of the whole point of the military. Standing up for people you don’t know and keeping them safe. Even the assholes.” I let out a sigh because I knew Raven wouldn’t be satisfied with a half-answer. “I noticed how uncomfortable she was around him and I heard some of the shit he said to the guys about her. I knew there wasn’t shit to be done about it, not with the way the hierarchy was set up at the time. What the fuck was he gonna do, report himself to his CO?” My hands balled into fists just thinking about the smug prick. “He ain’t so pretty these days.”

She smiled. “You enjoyed beating his ass.”

“I sure as shit didn’t hate it.”

Something in her expression changed, but I couldn’t figure out what. “Do you regret it? That helping someone out cost you everything?”

“It didn’t cost me everything, just the life I thought I would have. The fact that they chose him over me tells me I made the right choice.”

That answer seemed to satisfy her, but she kept watching me as if she was trying to put a puzzle together.

It was my turn to ask a question. “How was it with Viktor for all those years?” The shit that I imagined was fucking my head up and I hoped her life wasn’t quite so bad.

She nibbled her bottom lip again and sat up taller, her gaze never wavered from mine. An exhale rushed between her slightly parted lips and she nodded, as if talking herself into sharing with me. “The simple answer is that it was horrible. I was a prisoner not in charge of my own life or freedom, and I wasn’t attracted to Viktor. That made it all truly terrible. But…” she began slowly, shaking her head and I knew I wouldn’t like what she had to say next. “I had it better than a lot of other girls. He dressed me up in pretty designer clothes and took me with him on his travels, and most of all, Viktor doesn’t share. Ever.”

“You make it sound like you should be grateful.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Do you know how many girls who were with his associates told me I should feel grateful for the clothes and the jewels, for being with him? I hated that shit, it felt really fucking gross.” She reached behind her for a pillow, hugging it to her for comfort. “It was a gilded cage without a doubt, but it was still a fucking cage.”

I nodded as I got to my feet, unable to stand seeing her so shaken. She was on the verge of tears and her body trembled violently, which was un-fucking-bearable. I sat beside her on the bed and held her in my arms while she finally let herself cry. She broke down in loud, soul-shattering sobs that bounced off the walls and windows. “Let it out,” I encouraged her, cradling her head in one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

One fucking eternity later, those sobs turned into sniffles, and I was so fucking grateful I could’ve cried my damn self. “God, that was dramatic.”

I laughed and dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I want to murder that asshole, you know that, don’t you?”

She laughed, nodding against my shoulder before pulling back to meet my gaze. “Yeah, I’m sensing that. Believe me, I’ve dreamt about all the ways I could kill him.”

“Yeah?” I swiped away the tears before they dried on her cheeks. “How would you do it?”

“I’d either shoot him in the head point blank or slit his throat so that my face is the last thing he sees when he takes his last breath. I want him to know it was me, his favorite property, that took him out.”

“Damn, that is both dark and hot.” I never knew how much I liked a violent chick, but Raven’s mini rant had me sporting a half-chub.

She grinned up at me. “That’s because you are a dirty, dirty weirdo.”

“And don’t ever forget it, darlin’.”

Her expression turned serious and she held my face between her hands. “I don’t want you to kill him, Hades, unless you absolutely have to. Promise me.”

I couldn’t promise that. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want more people dying trying to protect me.” Another tear slipped down her cheek.

“Who died for you, sweetheart?”

She shook her head. “I can’t talk about it. Not yet.”

I wanted to push. Everything in me wanted to make her answer, but I simply nodded and held her close without agreeing. The moment I got the chance, I was taking that asshole out. Raven would never be free, would never know a moment of peace as long as that motherfucker still drew breath.

We stayed like that for a long time, both of us lost in thought while the rain pounded down around us. Eventually Raven fell asleep in my arms and the sounds of her deep, even breathing relaxed me. I didn’t sleep, I couldn’t because my mind refused to let go of the picture she painted of her life with Viktor. I just couldn’t see it, Raven dressed up in designer threads, at his side like some fucking high priced accessory. She wasn’t meant to be tamed. She was wild, that’s how she was meant to be.

Her soft breaths turned to tight moans and fearful groans. I didn’t want to wake her, so I simply held her tighter and kissed her cheek and her head until she relaxed into a peaceful sleep again. I hated seeing those nightmares return but it filled me with pride to know that my touch, my voice, kept her calm.

Surrounded by her warmth and her scent, eventually I fell asleep too.

Chapter Seventeen

Raven

How the fuck was it possible that the past four days—on the run, mind you—had been the best four days of my life? It rained nonstop since we got up here, which meant we were stuck inside in the smallest house imaginable with nothing to do. Well, nothing except cook and talk, make love, and talk. And a few times, we fucked. Really good and hard.

I hate to be the type of girl to think this shit, but it was magical. It was like those cheesy romance movie montages of a couple smiling, eating dinner together, walking around some nondescript city, kissing, and having dinner with friends. And of course, falling in love. It was just like that, except for the part where we were falling in love.

That wasn’t happening.

At least I didn’t think it was.

“You can’t make grilled cheese with that bread,” Hades insisted. “You need sandwich bread, maybe brioche in a pinch.”

I laughed, turning to face him and finding him so close I saw the threads of gold woven in his gray eyes. “When did you become the master grilled cheese maker?”

His brows dipped in a serious expression. “Twenty-twelve.”

“Funny,” I snorted, rolling my eyes and shoving him away with my hip. “I can and I will make it with this bread right here.” It took a few tries, but I made a loaf of bread, sliced it and slathered it in butter. Ready for the skillet.

“I guess we’ll find out.” He stayed close, really fucking close, and watched me carefully. His hard, bare chest pressed against my back, so warm and dizzying but also comforting.

I loved having him this close, hovering protectively and curiously. It was nice, but I reminded myself not to get used to it every time I found myself thinking about being with him beyond this mess with Viktor. Tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed and I had no idea what Hades was feeling about me or our situation, and if I thought about it too hard my chest ached.

“Hey, where did you go?” Hades put two fingers to my chin and turned me to face him.

I shook off those sad fucking thoughts and tried for a smile. “Nowhere.”

He crowded me after that, bracketing me between his arms. “Don’t lie to me, Raven.” His jaw clenched like he was angry.

“I’m not,” I insisted.

He hit me with those arched brows and those eyes that held the barest hint of a smile. “Raven.”

I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. Again. “Fine, I maybe was getting carried away in my mind and in my feelings about us.” I held up a hand to stop his attempts at reassurance. “It’s the sex,” I tried for a laugh. “It’s too good and it’s getting to me, but don’t worry. It’s my problem, not yours.”

Hades wore a dark expression as a low growl tore through him before he reached behind me and turned off the stove.

“Hey, I wasn’t done with that!”

“Yeah,” he growled. “You were.” He pulled me against his chest, so close I felt his racing heart under my hand. “You think this doesn’t mean anything to me?” His expression was fierce.

I took a step back, suddenly nervous. “No,” I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant, just that I know it doesn’t mean that much.” My head shook and my body flushed with heat. “Like I said, this is my problem and I’m dealing with it. Or I will.”

The intensity in his gaze faded into something else, something softer and maybe even affectionate. Hades’ lips tugged into a grin as he ran his fingertips from my lips and down my chin and throat. “You don’t know what you mean because you’re too chickenshit to ask.” His voice was low and rough, and that shit was really sexy.

I notched my chin up defiantly and folded my arms, putting some distance between us. “Then consider this as me asking.”

He shook his head, sliding his palm up my throat and to the side of my face. He smiled when I leaned into his touch. “That’s not asking,” he teased. “Woman the fuck up and just ask me. Ask.”

It was a dare, damn him. The man knew I couldn’t resist a challenge. I glared at him, but it had no heat and he wasn’t affected at all. He just smiled. “Fine, tell me what does it mean?”

“It means everything,” he growled and pressed against me. “Every. Fucking. Thing.” And then his lips were on mine, hot and fierce. His tongue met mine, teasing me as he thrust in and out until my fingernails dug into his biceps and I leaned into him, hungry for more.

Hades kissed me like we were the last two people on the whole fucking planet, and I was his favorite flavor of anything. Ever. He growled and gripped my hips, pulling me against his chest. It was so deliciously possessive I had no choice but to submit to the onslaught of pleasure. A low moan escaped and before I knew it, my legs wrapped around his waist and brought him closer to where I needed him. Badly.

He pulled back way before I was ready to end the kiss and stared at me as if my eyes held the secrets of the world. He studied me, looking into my fucking soul until he was satisfied he owned every inch of me. “Fuck, Raven. I want you. I always fuckin’ want you.” With every word he spoke, he peeled me out of my clothes right there in the kitchen until I was naked and more turned on than I’d ever been in my whole life. “Gorgeous.”

“Hades.” His name fell from my lips on a moan I felt down to my bones.

He flashed a devilish grin before he took my lips again. “That’s my name. Next time you say it, scream it.”

I didn’t want to, but I shivered at that sexy as fuck command. “That part is up to you.”

Fire sparked in his eyes at that command. “It really fucking is, ain’t it?” He didn’t wait for a response because it wasn’t necessary, not when we were both so keyed up and ready to explode. His lips were on my overheated skin, dragging kisses down my throat and across my collarbone.

“Fuck, that feels good.” He moved slowly until I trembled beneath his touch. The way he kissed me made me feel cherished, like I mattered on my own, not because I was Falcon’s sister and not because I needed help. But just because I was me.

His lips smacked against one hipbone and then the other before he dropped his forehead on my stomach. “Raven,” he groaned.

“I need more. Please.”

“More…” he whispered. “More of this?” he asked, sliding his fingers down my belly until he found my core, hot and wet.

I couldn’t help but watch as his fingers played with my pussy, sliding up and down my slit with a smile on his face. A fucking smile as if getting me off was his favorite thing in the world. “Oh, fuck!” He teased my opening in slow circles that never went anywhere, just riled me up until I thought I might snap.

“So wet for me,” he whispered. “Look at that honey dripping down your thighs.” He swiped his fingers through my honey and pushed them past his lips with a moan. “Goddamn you taste good.”

I trembled under his touch. “Yes, just like that.”

He let out a low chuckle, flicking his tongue over my clit a few quick times before kissing his way back up my body. “Later, I’m going to feast on that sweet cunt, but right now I need to be inside you.”

“Fuck, yes. Right now. Please.”

He grinned like those were the exact right words to say. “Pull my cock out,” he commanded.

I did, but not before removing his shirt because his upper body was a thing of beauty. Filled with sculpted muscles, tattoos and a few scars hidden beneath the ink, I needed to see him first. “So ripped,” I moaned, tugging on his belt. His button. His zipper. I wrapped my hand around his cock and stroked slowly.

“Fuck, babe. Put me inside you,” he growled the command before gripping my waist and spreading me out on the kitchen table.

God that was so fucking hot I couldn’t even stand it. My hands shook as I reached between us and pulled him towards me. The blunt tip of his cock was already slick, and I rubbed that bead of arousal with my thumb.

“Don’t tease me.”

I smiled, feeling powerful as I dug my heels into his hard ass cheeks and pushed him forward until his cock sank deep into me. “Yes!”

“So, so good. Raven,” he growled and pushed balls deep. He froze and then shivered as his fingertips dug into my thighs.

“Move,” I urged. “Please.”

He pulled out almost all the way and thrust deep until I cried out. And then he did it again and again, until my skin was covered in goosebumps and I couldn’t catch my breath. “Damn, babe.”

Every thrust sent me higher and higher, like I was flying high above the trees outside the house. It was amazing. It was incredible. And with every thrust, every touch and every kiss, I knew I was falling in love with Hades. My protector. My brother’s best friend.

Falling in love. Me. It wasn’t something I ever thought I’d feel again and here I was falling for the one man I shouldn’t.

That thought or maybe it was just the word itself—love—pushed me right over the fucking edge into oblivion. “Hades,” I shouted the warning but seconds later I exploded around him, pulsing and shaking violently. “Oh, fuck! Yes!”

“That’s my girl,” he grunted, pounding harder and deeper into me, chasing his orgasm with the urgency of a man possessed. “So fucking good,” he growled, jaw clenched tight, his eyes focused on my face. He watched my reaction to every stroke and only when he triggered another orgasm did he let go.

And it was beautiful. He was so damn masculine when he came, a grunted roar shot out of his throat. “Raven!” He shook until he was empty and damn near collapsed on top of me, but at the last minute he picked me up and carried us both up the ladder and to the bed. He kissed me deeply before pulling back with a satisfied smile. “If you have any other questions, I’m happy to answer them for you.”

Do you love me? It was a question I would never ask, not in a million years. But I desperately wanted to know the answer.

Chapter Eighteen

Hades

What the fuck is going on with me? I must’ve asked myself that question no less than fifty times since I fucked Raven in the kitchen. Hell, if I’m being honest, I asked myself that question every damn day for the past three days. I couldn’t get enough of Raven, and I fucked her every chance I got, which was nonstop after nearly a week straight of rain.

I took her on every surface in this tiny house, in every position and as many times as I could. And she was just as insatiable, waking me up with my cock in her mouth or begging me to fuck her when my dirty talk got to her too much. God, the way she begged was forever etched into my memory and I knew I’d pull it out often.

Like now, the sound of her begging. “Please, Hades, I need to come. Please make me come. Now!” It played on a loop while I attempted to recreate that delicious as fuck grilled cheese she made after we spent the whole damn afternoon in bed. “Goddammit,” I growled when I burned the last slices of another loaf of bread.

“You’ll get it. Eventually,” she teased and pressed a kiss to the center of my back. “And if not, well at least you’re hot.”

I snorted a laugh and spun around, hooking one arm around her waist. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“No,” she laughed, flinging one arm and then the other over my shoulders. “I know I am.”

I loved it when she was confident and sassy. It was the same Raven from before. Before I knew about her past and the crazy as fuck Russians entered our lives. A different set of crazy ass Russians, which was crazy enough, but this was the Raven I knew and loved. “You’re all right,” I joked. “But at least you’re hot.”

“Me?” She shook her head. “I’m cute on a good day, but definitely not hot.”

“Bullshit,” I shot back, almost angry. “You’re gorgeous from these big brown eyes down to your sexy plump lips and these perfect tits.” My hands held her waist. “This body, fit and curvy and beautiful.” I kissed her forehead. “Every inch of you is hot. Beautiful. Gorgeous. Perfect.”

She shook her head, but every exposed inch of her skin pinkened into a beautiful blush. “Hades.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed me, but it was short lived as the lights flickered several times before the power cut completely, thrusting us into darkness and silence.

“Shit.” I gripped her shoulders to make sure she was okay. “You good?”

She nodded but the breath she released was shaky and filled with terror. “Yep.”

That was a lie, but I didn’t call her out on it. “Come on, the breaker box is at the back of the house.” I felt her right on my heels, silent but somehow still tense as fuck. Neither of us said anything as we stepped outside to check the circuits.

I checked the box, but everything seemed okay. “Nothing is fucking tripped.” That didn’t make sense. “Stay here, I’m going to check the generator.”

“Where is it?”

“On the side of the house.”

“I’ll go with you,” she insisted, giving my back a small shove.

I didn’t argue, just gripped her wrist and pulled her behind me to the generator, using the burner phone flashlight to check the old as fuck generator.

“Fuck.”

“What is it?” she asked with a trembling voice.

“The fuel line has been cut.”

“On purpose?”

“Yeah.” My jaw was clenched tight and my heart rate kicked up. “Get inside the house. Now.”

Raven heard the seriousness in my tone, and she didn’t argue or give me some smart ass comment. She hauled ass around the house and slipped into the back door with a sigh. “Someone cut that line,” she whispered. “Which means they’re here.” She froze as if she’d only just now heard her words. “Shit, they’re here!”

Yeah, they’re here.

I drew my gun as I checked downstairs. No one had snuck it while we were checking the generator. After locking the door I checked all the windows to make sure they were locked, and then I climbed the ladder where I found Raven sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed with my guns surrounding her. “You’re okay, Raven.”

She nodded absently, her gaze fixed on a spot on the floor. “Yep. I’m okay. Totally good.”

“Look at me.” My jaw was clenched, hating to see that bone-deep fear in her eyes.

Her gaze met mine, dark and filled with worry. “I’m fine,” she whispered.

“You’re not. You’re scared but I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” I realized just how much I meant those words as I stepped to the wall of windows and gazed at the world below. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her and it had nothing to do with the fact that her brother was my best friend or that my brothers assigned me to keep her safe. It was because I’d rather die than let anything happen to her.

Shit, I was in deeper than I realized.

I pulled out my burner phone and called Diesel. “Shit!”

“What is it?” she asked.

“No signal,” I muttered. I went back to surveying the surrounding area.

“Do you see them?”

I pulled my mind back to the here and now and let my gaze sweep across the land below. It was dark and raining with the moon nowhere in sight, but I spotted the outline of a car in the distance. “No, but I see a black SUV. They must have stopped by the river so we wouldn’t hear them approach.”

“Viktor’s people?” Her voice was soft and scared.

“Yeah,” I sighed. I continued my surveillance. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and three men emerged in the break between the trees wearing black tactical gear. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

“Shit,” she spat out. “How did they find us? I thought you said only Diesel, Rocky, and Falcon knew where we were?”

That question was at the top of my mind but for now, we had a bigger problem. “We’ll figure that out.” They could have followed us here. I knew that was a possibility, but I’d deliberately taken a longer, less obvious route, and backtracked on numerous occasions. I’d been sure we hadn’t been tailed. “Come on.”

“Where?” she asked, already sliding off the bed.

“We can’t be up here if they get inside.”

She nodded, snatching the handgun and gripping it tight. “Right. Got it.” Raven moved like a ghost, her limbs worked to put the guns in the bag, but she moved on autopilot. “Now what?”

I looked around. We were hemmed in. There was no way we could escape without them shooting at us. They also knew we were here, so it was pointless trying to pretend we weren’t. I glanced around the main room of the property. The door was the only way out other than the windows at the back.

“We know you are inside,” a heavily accented voice called out. “Send the girl out and we will let you live.”

I laughed at their audacity. “Over my dead body!”

“That can be arranged, my friend.” There was amusement in his voice but that wouldn’t last long. We needed a plan. A solid exit plan that would get us away from this place. Fast.

“Someone gave up our location,” Raven whispered, her voice shaky and emotional.

I didn’t acknowledge her words because I couldn’t. She was right and it was the only thing that made sense, but that was a later problem. First, we needed to survive the assholes outside. A plan started to form. It wasn’t well thought out but it was dangerous and our only shot.

“How are you with heights?” I asked.

“Love ‘em,” she deadpanned, showing signs of the old Raven buried deep in there.

“Okay, head back up to the attic. There’s a side window up there that opens halfway. We go out there and shimmy down the trellis to the ground. If they’re waiting at the front for us, we might be able to get to cover before they realize we’re gone.”

“It’s raining.”

I smiled. “Sorry sweetheart, windbreakers are in the mudroom.”

She rolled her eyes, but a ghost of a smile appeared. “Then I guess that’s my answer.” She hooked the bag of weapons around her shoulders like a backpack and stared back at me.

“You go first and when your feet hit the ground, take off running towards the trees.”

“Hades, no!”

“Yes,” I insisted. “I’ll be right behind you. Promise.”

She hesitated, but just for a second. Then she nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Good girl.” I pushed the window until it opened and helped her get out before following her out. I could hear voices around the front of the cabin, so hopefully this would give us a head start. We both made it and ran for our lives. The woods were thick and dark, our steps heavier as the rain fell. “Keep going,” I whispered as I caught up to her.

“Running is pointless,” a voice called out from a hundred yards behind us.

“Fuu-uck!”

We continued towards the trees, but the ground was so muddy our feet kept slipping. The footsteps grew closer and I knew we couldn’t outrun them. Not in this rain. I slowed and spun around, finding them closer than I realized.

One smiled. “We just want the girl. You can go back to the house. Pretend this never happened and live a good, long life.”

“Sorry, can’t do that.” I shrugged once, taking in the scene before me. There were two of them, armed better than me but they were arrogant and didn’t see the threat I was. I wasn’t sure where the third man was, but these two were my immediate concern.

“Your death,” the taller of the two said, his tone resigned.

“Nope. Yours.” I pulled out my blade and lunged forward, slicing the tip across his throat in one quick move before he had a chance to react. There was no time to enjoy watching the asshole drop to his knees and fall face first onto the wet, muddy ground.

His buddy shot at me, I saw the motion before his finger squeezed the trigger and moved, skidding in the mud, and ending up on my knees. My pride might have been hurt but at least he missed me.

“Run!” I shouted until my throat burned. Raven had to get away. If this was my last night, I wanted to die knowing she was free.

“She will not get far,” the asshole laughed, pointing his gun at me.

I got to my feet while the barrel of his gun followed me. “You really shouldn’t point a gun if you don’t intend to shoot it.”

He smiled and wrapped his finger around the trigger. “I plan to shoot it.”

“Plan better,” I grunted as I dipped low and introduced his dick to my size twelve motorcycle boot. That agonized grunt was so fucking satisfying, but the big fucker recovered quickly.

The gun fell from his hands but he still wanted to fight. Bare knuckles. My favorite type of fight.

“You are dead, biker,” he spat out.

“We’ll see.” My pulse slowed the way it always did before a fight and my focus sharpened on the details. The man was shorter than me, but he was broad as fuck. He was strong but gym strong, not functional strong and I planned to use that against him.

“Not so chatty now,” he said, his Russian accent thick.

“Don’t need to be,” I assured him, stepping forward with my left foot before I threw a right jab at his nose. When he fell back a step, I pounced with two more punches to his ugly fucking mug.

“Fuck,” he snarled, angrier now as he bent low and charged at me, ramming his shoulder right into my gut.

We both went down and the fucker was heavy, but I was stronger. I flipped our bodies, but the effort tired me out and I was breathless and breathing hard as I knelt on his chest landing blow after blow. He wasn’t getting Raven. He couldn’t have her. She was mine.

The whoosh of a blade pulled me from my thoughts just in time to see him grip the handle and aim it for my side.

I rolled off him and picked up his gun, squeezing the trigger twice as I got to my feet. I stood over him, the gun still pointed at his lifeless form until I was sure he was dead.

Two down, one to go.

Spinning in a circle until I figured out which way was up, I took off at a full sprint in the direction I was sure Raven had gone. I hoped she was still running, that she hadn’t stopped to look or to save me. I wanted to call out to her, to hear her voice, but I couldn’t risk it when I didn’t know where the third man was.

“Get your fucking hands off me!”

My heart seized in my chest at the sheer terror in her voice and I pumped my legs and arms faster and harder, desperate to get to her. Guilt washed over me that I hadn’t put the third man down before he put his hands on her. “Raven!” I called out because I had to know she was all right.

“Hades? He’s got me,” she shouted before her voice was muffled.

My lungs burned and my legs ached, but I kept going until I saw two figures in the distance. The biggest fucking Russian I’d ever seen stood there with one arm wrapped around Raven’s throat. “Raven,” I said again, breathing heavy to catch my breath.

“It is too late,” he said with a laugh. “You should have given her to us, now you will watch her die.”

“There is no us, asshole. It’s just you now. Your boys are dust.” I grinned, enjoying the oh shit expression on his face.

“I have what I need,” he said, recovering quickly as his grip on Raven tightened.

“It’s okay,” Raven whispered. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

“Yeah, listen to the whore. Don’t get yourself killed.”

I looked at Raven, at the tears sliding down her cheeks. She was so fucking scared but determined to be strong. “Can’t do that,” I said to her. “I won’t.”

“She is not worth it,” the man called out over the rain.

“She is to me,” I told him as I raised my gun.

The man adjusted, keeping one arm around her neck while the other pushed the barrel of the gun to her temple. “She will be dead before you get one shot off.”

I roared with laughter. “You think mighty highly of yourself, don’t you?”

“I know my skills.” His words were simply spoken, but the arrogance was there just under the surface.

Raven’s eyes were wide and fear filled. Her feet kicked out in front of her, inches off the ground. She was panicking.

“You give me no choice,” I told him. “I want nothing more than to use the blade in my pocket that I used to slit your boy’s throat with, but I guess I’ll have to settle for spilling your brains in the middle of nowhere.” I looked at Raven, hoping she understood.

He laughed again. “Now who thinks highly?”

“Army trained,” I assured him and raised the gun until the barrel was aimed between his eyebrows.

“I am not impressed,” he said with a disgusted laugh.

It was just the time Raven needed to pull that small switchblade from her pocket and slam it backwards. “No,” she shouted at the top of her lungs just as the blade slid into his eye.

He stumbled back, loosening his grip on her throat.

“Get down,” I shouted to her and seconds later emptied the gun into the big asshole who thought he could press a gun to my woman’s head.

Raven fell backwards onto the forest floor, screaming and crying. The sound was so agonizing, it was like a knife to my heart.

I dropped the gun and rushed to her, falling to my knees in front of her. “Raven, talk to me.” I held her blood splattered face in my hands because I needed to see her eyes, needed to know she was all right. “Raven.”

She blinked quickly, raindrops stuck on her dark lashes. “I’m okay. He punched me once.”

“Asshole,” I bit out.

She laughed, the sound was raw and sharp. “Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary,” I told her, helping her to her feet. “Unless, you know,” I wiggled my brows.

She laughed again, this time it was half-crazed. “I must be losing my mind. How am I laughing after stabbing a man in the eye and wearing his brains on my face and shirt?”

“You’re alive to wear them,” I reminded her. “Come on.” I took her hand and tugged her towards the house.

She froze. “Back there?”

I nodded. “To pack up and get the fuck outta here.”

She nodded and squeezed my hand back. “Where will we go?”

That was the question, wasn’t it. “Back to Steel City. Not only do we have Russians chasing us, but we have a traitor in the MC.”

Chapter Nineteen

Raven

Inside the car was silent but it wasn’t the peaceful, comfortable sort of silence we’d shared over the past week. This was the loud kind of silence. The kind that echoed all around you until your guts twisted up and your pulse pounded in your throat. My gaze sharpened on the details on the highway as the trees turned into fields and then into the dry, brown desert.

I saw everything without seeing any of it. Guilt weighed heavy on my shoulders, but now it was mixed in with the sadness that I’d taken a life. Or assisted in taking a life, I guess. I didn’t really care about Viktor’s men dying, they deserved it for me and for so many girls just like me. What I care about more than anything, what left me cold and shaking and so fucking terrified I couldn’t see straight was that Hades could’ve died tonight.

And it would’ve been all my fault.

I couldn’t stop that thought from looping in my brain over and over again. Every time I looked over at his strong hands gripping the steering wheel, I saw him lying dead in the woods and my heart skipped. It flipped and turned over before it sank to my belly. I closed my eyes and let out a long, heavy breath.

“Hey, are you okay?” Hades reached out and laid a hand on my thigh.

God, that big, warm hand was so comforting. So satisfying. I shouldn’t be taking that from him, not after tonight. A bitter laugh escaped. “You just killed three men and you’re asking if I’m okay?” I shook my head, before turning to face him. “Seriously?”

He grinned and it was one of those boyish grins that erased the years and the hardship that often showed around his eyes and mouth. “They would’ve killed me and taken you, Raven. I’d do it again.”

“I know,” I answered because I knew it was true. The furious way he looked when he saw that one of the Russian goons had me told me everything. He would burn down the world to keep me safe. “That’s not what I’m upset about,” I finally admitted because after what he’d done, he deserved it.

“Tell me,” he insisted, picking up my hand and bringing it to his lips. “Tell me what you’re upset about.”

His voice was soft and patient, and I didn’t deserve it. “I’m upset that all of this is happening. That you’re in danger because of me. That—” I gasped when he jerked the wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes. “Whoa!”

Hades turned to me with furrowed brows and pinched lips. “Listen to me, Raven. Listen to every fucking word I say because I need you to hear me, yeah?”

I swallowed hard and nodded quickly. “I’m listening.”

“Good.” His big hands cradled my face like I was something, someone he wanted to cherish. “I chose this, Raven. This life. This assignment. I chose you. Knowing the risks and the danger, I chose you, Raven. And I’d choose you again and again, so stop carrying around guilt that’s not yours to carry.”

His words took my breath away but not more than the kiss he laid on me. It was hot and fiery, it was so damn intense I couldn’t catch my breath for one fucking second and I loved it. And Hades was right there with his big hands roaming all over my body. His touch was firm yet gentle and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I leaned into his touch, completely intoxicated by the intensity of his kiss. “Backseat. Now.”

I nodded frantically, sucking down big gulps of breath as I squeezed my body between the front seats and launched myself into the backseat. “Hurry,” I grunted hungrily, tugging his shirt to rush him to join me.

“Somebody’s greedy.”

“For you? Hell yes!” I fitted my lips to his again, kissing him with the kind of intensity I never felt before. Kissing him with the kind of intensity that terrified and thrilled me at the same time. My breaths came out in short, sharp pants. My hands clawed at his t-shirt before I finally tore it from his beautiful body. “Fuck, Hades.”

“That’s the plan, babe.” He kissed my mouth and my neck, dragging his lips across my belly while his fingers popped the button on my jeans and lowered the zipper. “I’ll bet you’re soaked for me right now.”

I smiled, reaching for his waistband but he gripped my wrists at my side and settled between my thighs. “Find out for yourself.”

“Done,” he growled, using his shoulders to spread me wide. “Even in the darkness I can see how drenched you are for me.” His flat tongue swiped through my folds until my hips bucked off the seat.

“Oh fuck!”

“Drenched,” he growled before devouring my pussy like it was his last meal. He made an utterly masculine growling sound as his tongue lapped at my pussy before it slid into me.

“Oh fuck, Hades! Yes!” I squirmed and rolled my hips, unable to touch him because he still had my hands. “Fuck, just like that!”

He growled louder, the sound shot up my spine before my orgasm exploded out of me in one, long, fiery moment that went on forever. His tongue didn’t stop, it only slowed, prolonging my pleasure until another wave of pleasure slammed into me. “Perfect,” he whispered, kissing the insides of my thighs. My hip bones. “I need to fuck you now, Raven.” His lips danced along my belly and up my body before settling on my breasts. “God, I love your tits.” He yanked up my shirt and freed me, licking and sucking one nipple while he massaged the other.

“Yes!” I already felt like I was out of my body and it was just getting started.

Hades sat back, panting heavily and staring at me through dark, hooded eyes.

“Right. Now.”

He grinned wolfishly at me while he freed his cock, long and thick and leaking from his pants. “This what you want?”

I nodded. “You know it is. I need it, Hades. Please.” I was more desperate for him than I’d ever been.

And even better? He fed off it, slamming his cock deep in one, long stroke. “You feel so fucking good. Just perfect.”

Goosebumps skittered over my skin at his words. I pulsed around him, enjoying the look of tortured pleasure he wore as he pounded into me. Hard and fast, and so, so deep, I knew I’d ache in multiple places tomorrow and I didn’t care.

There would be a tomorrow. It was no small thing, given the night we had, and this moment in the backseat was just for us.

Our gazes met and held, while we went at it like wild animals, chasing our individual pleasure while pouring everything we had into each other. “Hades,” I panted, gripping his triceps as I matched him stroke for stroke.

“Mine,” he grunted, pounding so deep I was sure he left a piece of himself there. There was nothing gentle about the way he fucked me. It was just raw need and possession. “Mine,” he repeated the word again and again.

“Yours,” I said because it felt right. Because I was his. For how long, I had no fucking clue, but it was right. It was true.

His jaw clenched tight and his nostrils flared. “Say it again.”

“Yours,” I said, holding on for dear life as he fucked me until my mind went fuzzy. “Yours,” I said louder just because I liked the way he responded when I did.

“Again.”

“I’m yours, Hades. Only yours.” His cock thickened inside of me, the gorgeous friction was more than my overworked body could handle and I completely combusted. “Oh, yes! Hades!”

I pulsed even harder around him, unable to look away from the beautiful sight of his face drenched in bliss. His jaw clenched tight and his eyes fell shut. The moment his head fell back, a soft smile touched his lips before he let out a roar of pleasure. “Fuck!” His whole body shook as he filled me up with his seed, pumping harder during those last few strokes. “Oh fuck, Raven.”

“You feel incredible. I can feel you pulsing in me.”

He grunted, kissing my cheek. “The way you feel with your wet cunt pulsing around me is like heaven.”

My lips tipped up into a smile when he collapsed on top of me. “That was…” I started breathlessly. “Wow.”

“So intense.” He pulled back and kissed my mouth again. “Fuck I want you again already.”

“Same,” I sighed. “But we probably shouldn’t sit here too much longer.”

He smirked. “Maybe a few more miles up the road.”

He grunted as he separated our bodies. “You’re killin’ me.”

“Not yet. Better than being shot to death.”

“True enough.” He gave me one last kiss and then we hit the road.

Back to Steel City.

Chapter Twenty

Hades

The car was silent for an hour after the most fun I’ve had in a backseat, including when I was a teenager. Raven was like a woman possessed, and she wasn’t afraid to tell me when she liked what I did to her. But once we settled back in our respective seats, the car was plunged into silence.

I had no fucking clue if she was quiet because of the earlier events of the night or if it was because she felt what I did in that backseat. It was like everything, all the scattered pieces of my heart and mind clicked into place. It was fucking with my head, to be honest, feeling what I was feeling and not knowing what she was feeling.

It was a welcome distraction to nearly dying. To witnessing Raven with a gun pressed to her head. It was a lot, but it felt right.

It felt fucking perfect.

“I need to ask you something,” she said, finally breaking the quiet.

“Anything.” I risked a glance her way and found her nibbling her bottom lip, her eyes filled with worry. “Talk to me, Raven.”

“I’m just,” she started and stopped. “I don’t know, I guess since we’re heading back to the clubhouse, I’m wondering if this was just sex to pass the time. Or… not.”

I knew it took a lot for her to ask that question, which was the only reason I wasn’t angry that she thought that.

“It’s okay if it is,” she began and shook her head. “Well, not okay but if it is, just tell me now.”

“I thought it was obvious,” I said as I gripped the wheel and turned to her again. “I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

She snorted with disbelief.

“I have,” I admitted again. “But you know why I couldn’t go there.”

She laughed but the sound was filled with disbelief. “I’m still his sister and he’s still a Steel Demon.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’m aware, but now I don’t give a damn.”

“You don’t?” I heard the skepticism in her voice and when I turned, she had one brow arched.

“I mean, yeah, of course I care. He’s my best friend. But I don’t care enough to give you up.”

“For now,” she added and I wasn’t sure if it was for her sake or mine.

“Raven, I wouldn’t have gone there with you, and I would not have risked my friendship with your brother for a fuck. Even if they’ve been the hottest fucks of my life.” My words seemed to echo in the car.

She gasped and then smiled. “Yeah?”

I nodded. “Fuck, yeah.” I reached for her and squeezed her hand. “Don’t ever think otherwise, darlin’.”

“It has been pretty fucking awesome, right?” She shook her head. “It’s never been like that for me. Not even before, you know…”

I’m not ashamed to admit that my chest puffed out with pride hearing her words. “It’s my new favorite game, seeing what I can do to get you to make my favorite sounds.”

She swallowed hard. “What sounds?”

“Easy. The ones you can’t help but make, like when I slide my tongue up your slit. Or when I swirl it around your nipple. But my favorite sound is the one you make when my cock settles in your cunt for the very first time.”

She gasped. “Holy fuck.”

“Add that one to the list. I wonder what I have to do to hear that sound again.” She laughed and the sound was beautiful.

“I guess you have your work cut out for you.” Her words trailed off as if she was suddenly distracted.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Raven inhaled slowly and let it out in a quick rush of breath. “Don’t freak out.”

“I never freak out,” I answered quickly.

“I think we’re being followed.” Her words weren’t paranoid but matter of fact. “There’s a dark SUV back there. They’re keeping their distance, at first, it seemed like just a coincidence.” She shook her head, suddenly uncertain of herself.

“Don’t do that. Don’t second guess yourself. Why does it no longer seem like a coincidence?”

“Because it’s late and the roads are empty. They haven’t come close to passing us in this old ass hooptie, and surely, they’d try under these conditions.” She caught me looking at her. “What?”

I couldn’t help the smile that touched my lips. “Nothing, just good observations.” I looked in the rearview mirror until I spotted the car about a quarter mile in the distance. “Got your seatbelt on?”

“Always.”

“Good.” I hit the gas, putting more distance between us before I took the exit at the last minute.

“What the hell, Hades?”

“Need to confirm your hunch.” I sped off the exit only to slow down to give them time to catch up. “If they’re following us, we’ll find them soon enough.”

Two minutes later the car resurfaced but turned into a gas station when they spotted us.

As soon as they stopped at a pump, I sped off and jumped back on the highway. We drove a few miles before the dark SUV showed up again. “Your suspicions are correct.”

“Great. What a fucking thing to be right about.” She huffed out a bitter laugh and shook her head.

“They must’ve been sitting on the house waiting for an update from their friends.” Which meant they’d been following us for a long damn time.

Too long.

“Shit. What do we do now?”

It was a good question. “We can’t go back to the clubhouse, not right away.” I pulled out the burner and called Falcon. “Talk to your brother.”

“Ugh,” she groaned and tapped the speaker button. The ringing sounded loud as fuck inside the car.

“Yo,” he answered.

“Is that seriously how you answer the phone?”

Falcon went silent for a long moment before he laughed. “It is when a number I don’t recognize calls me in the middle of the fucking night.”

She rolled her eyes. “The Russians found us at the second safe house. Hades handled them and we’re both safe. But we now have a Russian tail following us on the highway, so we’re not coming straight back to the clubhouse.”

“Why not? The Russians probably know where it is,” Falcon muttered.

“Yeah, but I still don’t wanna lure trouble to our door unless we’re ready and waitin’.”

“I’ll speak to Diesel. He can call in some other brothers. That way if they do follow, we’ll have a welcoming party for them,” Falcon said, sounding way too pleased at the prospect of a fight.

“Okay, brother. You rally the troops I’ll try and lose these assholes and maybe we’ll be there in the morning,” I called out.

There was silence.

“I’ll keep you updated, right?”

“Yeah,” Falcon sighed. “Fucking Russian mobsters, thought the Cartel was bad enough.” He grumbled under his breath for another thirty seconds as if he forgot he was on a phone call. “I’ll let Diesel know.” The call disconnected abruptly, which was exactly Falcon’s style.

“We’re good, Bro. Talk to ya later.” Raven’s sarcastic words cut through the quiet car and a beat later we both laughed.

It wasn’t loud or energetic, but it was real. And it felt damn good to laugh. “It’s refreshing as shit when you’re the take no shit spitfire you usually are. I can’t handle seeing you afraid,” I admitted.

Raven’s grin was wide and teasing. “Does it make you uncomfortable?” She laughed out loud. “Lots of guys are uncomfortable with emotions.”

I shrugged, trying to think of the best way to answer. “I guess some of it is discomfort, but it’s more that it just doesn’t feel right. Like there’s a disturbance in the universe.”

She froze for a long moment, her stare burned a hole in the side of my face and then she burst out laughing. This time it was a long, body shaking laugh. She laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. It was damn good to see tears of joy for once. Eventually Raven got her laughter under control, but she still clutched her belly. “Oh. My. God.”

“What?” I frowned her way but kept my eyes on the road. And the mirrors.

She looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time. “You, Mr. Big Bad Biker, are a Star Wars geek! I can’t believe this. Not at all.” She laughed even harder, gripping my shoulder as the laughter overtook her.

My lips twitched, a reluctant smile trying to break free. She was gorgeous when she was light and carefree. “If you know that, it means you’re one too.” That fact was unbelievable.

“I never denied it or pretended to be some big, tough biker.” Her eyes sparkled and I knew if I didn’t look away, we’d run off the road. “I’m just learning so much about you, Hades.”

She was right. This time away from the MC gave us exactly what we needed to see each other beyond our connection to Falcon. She was more than his foul-mouthed sister and I hoped she saw I was more than a badass biker. “Josh,” I said after another moment of silence. “That’s my real name.”

“You don’t seem like a Josh. Actually, I take that back. Josh is definitely a Star Wars geek.” She laughed again and I didn’t even care that it was at my expense. “Josh. I like it, but I’ll still call you Hades because you’re more devilish than geeky.”

“Thanks,” I laughed. “I think.”

We fell into a comfortable silence as the sky grew darker and then lighter as the hours passed us by. The silent ride gave me too much time to think about everything that happened tonight. I didn’t give a fuck about killing those assholes, but what I cared about most was that Raven had a gun pressed to her head. She’d already lived through so much shit, as a kid with her and Falcon’s shitty parents. As a young woman who was plunged into the world of human trafficking. It was a lot.

It was too fucking much for one person to endure, and I worried about how long tonight would stick with her. I hoped she was able to bounce back from this.

“What’s got you thinkin’ so hard you’re grinding your molars?”

“My molars?” I barked out a laugh and flipped my turn signal to turn into a roadside gas station. “You a dentist?”

“No, but I know the names of teeth. Of some teeth,” she added quickly. “Anyway, what’s on your mind?”

“Shit,” I sighed. “There’s a lot on my mind, Raven. Mostly I’m just wondering how you’re holding up. Tonight was a lot, for both of us, and I’m worried about you.”

She smiled softly and stepped from the car, waiting for me.

“So?” I stood in front of her, staring into her eyes because I needed to know the truth.

“So, you’re worried about me.” Then she wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “Thank you, Hades. For caring.”

I held her closer and squeezed tighter. “Of course I care. Now, tell me how you’re doing. For real.”

She didn’t break the hug when she looked up with a smile. “This helps. A lot.”

“It’s here whenever you need it.” The truth of how intensely I meant those words scared the shit out of me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Raven

Home sweet home. We rolled into the clubhouse parking lot shortly after sunrise, both of us a little worse for wear. Our clothes were filthy and caked in mud, crunchy as hell with every step. We were both exhausted and I for one, was happy as shit to be back at the only place that ever felt like home.

“You ready for this?” Hades whispered in my ear and I swear, only he could make me feel anything other than tired and scared.

“Not at all,” I sighed heavily. “But I am glad to be back.”

“You say that now,” he began, pressing his palm against my back, “but you know as soon as we step inside all the girls will drown you in hugs.”

“I’ll endure it because it means we’re okay,” I said with a wry smile.

“Then, let’s do this.” Hades pulled on the clubhouse door and gave me a gentle push inside. All the noise of music and conversations stopped immediately. “Honey, we’re home!” I didn’t need to turn around because I heard the smile on his face.

Falcon was the first one on his feet, his long legs ate up the distance between him and me until he stood in front of me, glowering down like the big, annoying brother he was. “Shit, Raven.” That was it, just two words before he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so fucking glad you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

My words came out muffled against his chest. “Okay you big oaf, you’re crushing me.”

He laughed and loosened his grip, but my brother did not let me go. “Sorry.” His gaze flicked behind me to Hades before meeting mine again. “You good?”

I shrugged. “I’m not good but thanks to Hades, I am alive to work on getting better.” I smiled at him and I felt the hearts in my eyes.

Finally, my brother released me and held out his hand to Hades. “I knew I could count on you to keep her safe, brother. I appreciate it.” They did that handshake hug combo that men favored because heaven forbid they just hug.

From the moment his hand fell off my back, tension settled in. I couldn’t say exactly what, since this was my home, my safe place, but I knew something was different. With every second that passed, the anxiety twisted in my gut, churning into a thick acid that made me sick to my stomach.

“Holy shit girl!” Macy stood in front of me with big, glassy eyes. “I’m glad to see your frowning face.” She launched herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug that took my breath away.

“I’m not frowning,” I whispered in her ear. “This is just my resting bitch face.”

Macy laughed, pulling back to study my face for a long time before she stepped to the side while the other women swamped me. Ellie and Peyton hugged me so hard and for so long that the guilt resurfaced. These women had been so nice to me, welcoming me into their found family without a second thought. They’d made me a part of the family and what did I do in return? Brought an international Russian crime syndicate to their front door.

“I’m okay,” I whispered over and over as each woman enveloped me in a hug and offered gratitude that I was safe. “And I’m sorry for all the trouble.” As much as I wanted to look down at my feet and avoid their gazes, I forced myself to look each of them in the eye. They deserved that much.

“Just stop that shit right there.” Macy stepped forward and stood in front of me with arms folded, scars on full display in a Steel Demons tank top. “You are one of us. Hell, you are the sister of one of these guys, that’s blood. That fucking matters, Raven.” She pulled me into another hug, full of affection and frustration. “You’re in trouble and we’ve all got your back, however you need it.”

“But what about the danger—”

“Fuck that. Diesel told us what happened and gave us the choice to stay here or head home. He didn’t want any of the old ladies or club girls getting caught up in that shit. But we know we’re safer here. We’re stronger together. This is family,” Macy responded.

Tears pricked my eyes, the urge to cry so strong my breath hitched, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn’t cry in front of them, couldn’t make them comfort me when they didn’t ask for all this. “Thanks, I need it.”

Standing there in the clubhouse surrounded by all the old ladies and club girls and kids felt good. It felt a little bit more right than it did a few minutes ago.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, my gaze scanned the room until I found Hades. At some point he and the guys ended up on the other side of the room with him in the middle. He looked up as if he felt my gaze on him, and his eyes met mine. He smiled and I smiled back.

Things were different now. We were no longer alone in one of the MC safe houses, but that connection was still there. I felt it just now, despite the distance between us. And because of that, I gave myself permission to feel my feelings. I love him. No, that wasn’t exactly right. I mean I loved him the way I loved Falcon and Macy and all the MC brothers who accepted me as a little sister. But I was in love with Hades, at least I was pretty sure that’s what it was.

I’d never been in love before, never even confused lust for love and never imagined myself in love with the few guys I dated. But this, what I felt for Hades felt real. It was intense and genuine, and I cared about him in a way that shocked the shit out of me.

I was in love with my brother’s best friend.

What could possibly go wrong?

Only everything, the voice in my head answered automatically. I could come between the brothers and cause a rift in the MC. Hades could choose my brother over me and I’d be forced to leave Steel City and Nevada altogether to make it on my own once again.

When I blinked, Hades and the guys had their backs to us, and I knew they were headed to Church to figure out a plan to keep me safe. And put more people in danger.

“Hey ladies, you need anything?” Danny showed up out of nowhere with a nervous smile.

“We’re good,” Peyton assured him. “Where’s Fang?”

Danny’s smile dimmed. “Don’t know, probably with the other prospects, but I can handle whatever you need,” he insisted. He turned to me. “Good to have you back, Raven. Sorry to hear about the safe house.”

“Yeah, thanks. Hey, how’s your sister?”

His skin paled and he frowned. “She’s okay, why do you ask?”

“I think I need a touch up on my color and she did a good job.” Danny’s sister worked at the local salon, she was a quiet girl, but she was a genius colorist.

“I’ll let her know,” he mumbled and walked off quickly.

“What was that all about?” Macy asked curiously.

“No idea. Danny is the weirdo of the new crop of suspects, right?”

She shook her head. “Nah. He’s just quiet and a little awkward around people. He’s good,” she assured me before wrapping an arm around me. “How are you really doing?”

I shrugged again because it felt like my main form of communication these days. “Good. Terrible. Awful.” My skin flamed when she studied me a little too closely.

Her eyes widened almost comically. “Tell me everything!” She leaned closer. “I told Vandal I was picking up on some vibes between you two and he told me I was crazy.”

“First of all, what vibes?” I shook my head. “Second, does he think Hades is too good for me?”

Macy gasped. “Are you kidding? He’s worried that Falcon won’t take it well, that’s all. He’s blind but my eyes are wide open, and I saw the sparks between you two.”

I’d been secretly crushing on him for a while, but I thought it was way on the down low. I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought. “Shit. Was it super, embarrassingly obvious?”

“Not super obvious, but there were definite sparks and when you add that to being closed up together for weeks at a time, well the romance story practically writes itself.” She laughed at my shocked expression. “So, tell me what happened?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it a few times. “I need a shower and then we’ll talk.”

“Right.” Macy waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. “Of course. I’m just so fucking glad you’re here and I can see you safe with my own eyes.” She hugged me again. “But yeah, you are kind of ripe. Ten minutes.”

I laughed and made my way to my room on legs that grew heavier with each step. Despite being home and safe, everything still felt heavy. Or maybe it was just the guilt and anxiety piling up on top of my chest.

***

Inside the hot shower all I could think about was how everyone in the club was now in danger because of me. I know they had chosen to remain, but it didn’t stop the guilt and anxiety welling up in my chest. Hades and Falcon and the entire MC coming up with a plan knowing that some of them could die because of me.

It was too much and I rushed through the hottest shower I could stand before stepping out and drying off. I stopped abruptly at the sight of Macy sitting on my bed with an expectant smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t wait. And it’s been ten minutes.”

“Damn, you really did miss me,” I joked.

She folded her arms and stared at me.

“Fine. I couldn’t sleep at first because of the nightmares. They’d come and instead of letting them get too bad, I’d get up and walk around the house, which he noticed almost immediately. He stayed up with me and we talked. We got to know each other.” And we fell in love was on the tip of my tongue, but it felt too soon to share that. “He’s the first man I’ve been with since Viktor and it was way better than I thought it could be.”

Macy’s face lit up. “Aw, he brought your libido back to life.”

I nodded. “In a way, he brought me back to life. Sex was never like that for me, not ever. With him I want it bad. And often.”

“I feel ya,” she agreed. “So are you together or what?”

“No idea,” I answered honestly. “He said he wouldn’t mess around with his best friend’s sister if it didn’t mean something, but what does that even mean?”

“No!” Her eyes were so wide it looked like they might pop right out of her head. “He said that?”

“Yeah, he did. And it gave me goosebumps.” I was reluctant to admit that part, but I was working on being a better friend to my friends.

“You’ve been around here a lot longer than I have, so I’m pretty sure you know exactly what it means.”

I blinked, coming up empty.

She rolled her eyes. “These guys are serious when they choose a woman. They are grumpy and possessive. And insatiable.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “What did you say when he told you that?”

“What could I say?” I threw my hands up. “I like him, Mace. I really like him, way more than I should.” I groaned out loud and rolled my eyes. “I’ve said enough.”

Macy laughed. “You are totally in love with him. I know that terrified, ready to run for the hills look anywhere.”

I kept my mouth shut for once in my life because I had no answer, at least not one that made any kind of sense. “It’s a lot to digest,” I admitted. “With everything going on with the Russians and running from my life. It’s just… a lot.”

“No matter what, you can lean on him. Do that and also? Talk to him.”

My shoulders fell. “Ugh, do I have to?”

“Nope. You can just guess what he’s feeling and looking at things in the worst possible light and then overreact to what your imagination throws up. That always works out really well.”

“Asshole,” I laughed. “Sarcastic asshole.”

“Yep, and you love me anyway.”

“Maybe I do.”

She hugged me tight. “See that wasn’t so hard to admit. Now just tell Hades and you’ll be good.”

I rolled my eyes, but I hugged her back just a little tighter.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hades

“How the fuck did they find us at not one but two safe houses?” Now that I was behind closed doors with my brothers, my frustration poured out. I smacked the table with my palm and looked all around the room.

“Once could be good luck but I don’t buy that bullshit,” T-Bone said, shaking his head. “But twice is suspicious as fuck.”

Around the room, everybody nodded their agreement. The room vibrated with anger and fear, but also with a determination to end this shit. “I agree. We intentionally didn’t disclose which safe house Hades and Raven went to after the first one was compromised. So it means someone knows where our safe houses are,” Diesel’s voice was low, forcing us all to quiet down to hear what our Prez had to say. “That is a problem we need to address right fucking now.” He turned to Slate. “You got anything for us?”

“Not yet.” He shook his head, seeming as confused as the rest of us for once. “First thing I did was check the burner I gave Hades before they left to prevent this exact fucking thing. No one hacked it or even attempted to. The metadata is clean so however they found them, it wasn’t digitally.”

I snorted. “I guess that lack of electronics was worth it then.” Not that Raven and I hadn’t found other ways to fill the endless hours that stretched out in front of us.

“I know your bike was clean because we checked it when Fang brought it back. But what about the car?” Diesel asked in a serious tone. “Did you check it for trackers?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I checked every damn day. I even checked when we stopped for gas last night just to be sure. Nothing.” During the journey home, I’d had plenty of time to think and there was only one conclusion to draw.

“We have a mole,” Falcon said bluntly. His hands were balled into tight fists, his knuckles turned white and his face was bright red. “Right?” He looked around the room, his eyes wide and pleading. “That’s what we’re all thinking? We’re dancing around this shit because of what it means, but that’s what this is, right?”

The room fell silent, Falcon’s accusation bounced off the walls like a stray bullet. It was a heavy accusation, one none of us wanted to make, but it was the only thing that made sense. “If that’s the case,” Diesel sighed. “We’ll find out who it is and we’ll deal with it.”

“Fuck!” Falcon’s agonized roar filled the room.

“Slate, dig into everyone, starting with the prospects—Banger, Fang, Danny, and Reaper. They’re the weakest links at this point but don’t limit your search to them. Anyone who has access to our properties and knows our business. Got it?”

He nodded. “Got it.”

The room fell into silence but it wasn’t calm, and it fueled the anger and helplessness I felt. I hadn’t been able to keep Raven safe and last night she almost died. I needed to do something more. “We need to stop waiting for those goddamn Russians to attack us again. We have to stop responding and start acting.” Everything in me wanted to run out and hunt down every Russian I saw and put them down.

“You’re angry,” Rocky said. “We get it.”

“Of course I am. You didn’t see her last night with that asshole’s blood and brains all over her.” My eyes slammed shut and I took a breath. “Look, we have to do something to draw Viktor out into the open. Based on everything Raven said, he’s a powerful man who’s used to a layer of protection between him and his dealings.” He was a fucking pussy, that’s what he was. A coward.

Slate nodded eagerly. “I agree, but when we find the mole, we’ll have more intel to help us find them.”

It was a good point, but that could take days, maybe even weeks.

“We still need to come up with a plan other than waiting out the Russians.” Diesel nodded, his studious gaze bouncing around the room. “Do we have any idea where Viktor is? I know you’ve been keeping an eye on him.”

Slate rubbed his face as if he was already exhausted. “I can’t confirm if he was here when that girl was murdered, but that means nothing with the Russian mob. He could have ordered the hit and one of his lieutenants would have carried it out. He has several private jets and usually travels with two of them, so his true location isn’t revealed. But he’s definitely been in Russia, and was spotted in London two weeks ago. Both of his planes recently landed in Los Angeles, one in Burbank and the other in Long Beach, so it’s safe to say he’s back in southern California. He has a place in Marina del Rey.”

“Have we got any eyes on him?” Rocky asked.

“No.” Slate shrugged. “My guess is he left London around the time those goons spotted you two out at that steakhouse.”

“We have to move faster than we are right now,” I insisted. “Viktor and his Russian fucks are going to invade our town within a few days.” My worry for Raven was heightened because I had no fucking clue how she would react to having Viktor so close. “We gotta get this asshole.”

“Yeah,” Falcon snorted. “We realize that, man.”

“No,” I shook my head fiercely. “We have to end this soon or Raven will never have any fucking peace.” My hands curled until my nails dug into my palm.

“You’ll stay at her side,” Rocky instructed, with more than a little sympathy in his tone and his expression.

“Well that’s definitely no fucking hardship, right?” Hollywood flashed that pretty boy grin at me and I wanted to punch it off him.

Falcon frowned at him. “What the fuck, man?”

He shrugged. “I’m just saying. Whatever man.”

“I think we should use Raven.” Gio’s tone was straightforward, not one ounce of hesitation.

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth!” Falcon was more riled up than he needed to be, but Maverick put a hand on his shoulder to keep him in his seat.

“Hear me out,” Gio said with his hands up in a gesture meant to placate the angry brother. “The one advantage we have against these fuckers right now is that we know exactly what they want. So we use that, Raven, to bring him out into the open. Then we pop him.”

Falcon fumed in his seat, ready to let his anger explode wherever it came out.

I sat, feeling helpless as I listened to my brothers discuss hypothetical plans for using my woman as bait. I didn’t like it. Fuck that, I hated it, but it was out of my hands even if I did have a better plan.

Which I didn’t.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Raven

“What’s going on?” I stared at Hades sprawled across my bed looking amazing even if he was fully dressed. Just watching him walk and move was a panty melting experience and seeing him in my bed only made me want him more. But clearly something was going on. I had a feeling I knew what it was, but he needed to be a man and say it outright.

“What do you mean?” He had one arm flung over his eyes like he didn’t want to see me.

“I mean it’s been days and you’ve been tiptoeing around me like I’m some fragile fucking flower about to wilt if the temperature shifts too dramatically. Tell me what’s going on.” Whatever he said, I promised myself I wouldn’t react. I would accept it and shove it away for later, where I would then grieve it.

He inhaled and exhaled several times like he needed to summon his courage along with his words. “There’s something I need to tell you, but I’m not sure how to say it.”

I swallowed the lump that appeared in my throat and nodded. “Just say it, Hades. Rip off the band-aid.”

He grunted and sat up on his elbows, watching me carefully. “What exactly do you think I have to say?”

I uncrossed my arms and fisted my hands on my hips. “I think that now we’re back in the real world you’re having second thoughts and if you are, just tell me. Don’t prolong it.”

“Come here, Raven.” He sat up in one smooth move and crooked a finger at me. “Don’t make me tell you again.”

I pushed off the desk and slowly crossed the room until I stood between his long, powerful legs. “Okay, I’m here. Talk.” I wanted to stay strong, to keep my emotions buttoned up tight, but when he touched me, I lit up. My body was finely tuned to his touch and we both knew it.

His lips pulled into a crooked grin and his eyes lit up with masculine appreciation, so satisfied that he could get a reaction out of me. “This has nothing to do with you and me, Raven. We’re solid. This is business, well sort of.”

“I’m still listening.” The words slipped from my lips on a breathless whisper while his fingers danced along my spine.

“There’s a plan,” he began. “And I’ve been trying to work my way up to telling you about it.”

“You’re hesitating. Why?”

“Because.” He pulled back and scrubbed one hand from his forehead to his chin. “Because I don’t fucking want you to do it and I know the minute I give you the details you’ll offer yourself up like a lamb to the goddamn slaughter.”

My heart hitched in my chest, and I swallowed down my worry. “Tell me the plan.”

I listened patiently as he outlined the plan for me to be dangled as bait to catch Viktor. He finished up with, “It’s risky as fuck. No matter how much we plan, shit can go sideways and you’d be out there without us. Without me.”

“It does sound risky, but I’m guessing this is the most efficient way to end things for good?”

He nodded.

“What are the holes in the plan?”

“For one, Viktor might just want you so he can kill you for the committing the sin of escaping him. We can’t outrun a fucking bullet from a few feet away.”

My heart raced just thinking about seeing Viktor again or talking to him. Letting him too close. “It sounds like the only way.”

Hades’ response was a dissatisfied grunt.

“I don’t like it either, but it’s better that I’m the one at risk than anyone else. This is my fight, after all.”

“No.” He gripped my hips and pulled me close. “It’s our fight.” His fingertips dug into my hips. “I just found you, Raven. There’s no fucking way I’m giving you up anytime soon.”

Oh shit. My eyeballs stung and I knew if I didn’t do something fast, I’d be a babbling fucking mess in front of him. “Hades,” I whispered before slamming my lips against his. The kiss was intense and hungry, it was frantic like there wasn’t enough time in the world to kiss him the way I wanted to. Like there was a clock ticking on our time together.

There was an urgency to the kiss that was intoxicating and I leaned into it, kissing him like it was the end of the world.

Too soon though, Hades pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. “I’m not giving you up, but I do need to talk to Falcon. Sooner rather than later.”

I grunted my displeasure. “I don’t know if you know this, but I am a grown ass woman who can say and do whoever I want.”

“Of course you can,” he grinned, sliding his hands from my hips to my ass, squeezing playfully. “But if he finds out before I have a chance to talk to him, he’s gonna lose his shit and we don’t have time for that.” His jaw clenched tight, resolved to do things his way.

“I don’t like it. You’re telling me nothing is going to happen until you talk to my brother for permission or some old school ass shit?”

“No,” he sighed. “But he’s my best friend, Raven, and bro code dictates that I need to talk to him.”

I rolled my eyes. “Bro code is such bullshit.”

“It’s not.” Indecision swam in his eyes and suddenly I felt the long fingers of fear wrap around my throat and strangle me until I couldn’t breathe.

I took a step back and then another until we were no longer touching. “Fine, have your little conversation with my brother, but just tell me this, Hades.”

“What?”

I sucked in a deep breath and summoned up all the courage I could before asking the question that had the power to devastate me. “Just tell me that it doesn’t matter what he says about us. Please.”

He was silent and still, giving me nothing.

That wasn’t a good sign. “Look, I love you Hades and I’m not just saying that to manipulate you. I just… fuck, if Falcon’s feelings mean more to you than mine, just tell me before I get into this any deeper.” Tears threatened but that would be completely unfair to him, so I swallowed them down and watched him, waiting for him to answer. Hoping for an answer.

No words came.

Just tension.

So much fucking tension, thick enough to cloud my vision.

Resignation burned in his eyes and my heart sank. He was going to choose my brother over me, and I was going to have to find a way to be fine with it. At least until this mess with the Russians was over and I could find a new place to call home.

Or at least someplace new to start over. To build a life on my own. A place to rest my head.

“Never mind.” I stepped back even further until I was almost on the other side of the room once more. “Just tell the guys that I’m on board with this plan. I’ll be the bait.”

“Raven,” he began but I shook my head because I didn’t want to hear any excuses. There was nothing to be said in the face of rejection that would make it sting any less and trying would only make me feel pathetic.

“It’s fine, Hades.”

A loud knock sounded once. Twice.

“You should probably get that.” If it was Macy, she would have knocked as she opened the door. I turned my back to the door, listening to him open the door.

“Yeah?”

“Slate found something, I think. We need to meet in the office.” Sniper’s words were clipped and his boots moved before his words were finished.

The snick of the door closing made my breath hitch. “Raven,” he began but stopped abruptly.

“It’s okay. You should go.” I couldn’t look at him, not yet. If I did, I might start bawling and that wouldn’t be fair to Hades.

“We’re not done with this conversation.”

I hated that his stupid deep, commanding voice still affected me when it didn’t matter. I squeezed my knees together until my pussy tingled and held my breath for ten full seconds. “If you say so.”

“I do.”

I closed my eyes and listened until Hades was gone, and only then did I let my body sag with relief. I knew how things would play out with my brother so I vowed that I would slowly get used to the idea of not having Hades.

But first I had to mentally prepare myself to come face to face with the man who bought me and kept me like a possession for three long years. I wasn’t ready to see Viktor again and I probably would never be ready, but to keep these people safe, people who had become my family, I would do my best.

I’d try.

And if all else failed, at least the only person who got hurt in all this would be me. Macy and Peyton and Harper, my nephew TJ, and all the kids would be safe. Falcon would be safe. Hades would be safe.

It wouldn’t be forever safety, but they wouldn’t get hurt because of me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hades

It took a week, but our plan was finally in motion. I didn’t like it one fucking bit, but it was the best path forward according to Diesel and Rocky, so I went with it. Raven needed to reach out to Viktor to set the trap, but I hated every fucking letter she typed. They’d gone back and forth over a couple of days with her playing the role of the repentant pet, which was nothing like the woman I knew.

The woman I loved.

But it had to be done to set the trap. She reached out to set up a meeting and while nothing had been settled—yet—he was eager to get her back under his control, which meant he would act first and fast. We were counting on that which was why we, mostly Slate, decided to route the emails through an IP address that would send them to one of our vacant properties.

“Are we sure this is the right thing to do?” I asked for at least the twentieth time this evening. My nerves were shot and I knew it was because I was too invested in the outcome.

Dagger nodded, giving me a sympathetic look while he gripped my shoulder. “Yeah, man. This is the right plan.” He sighed and shook his head. “Or it’s the right starter plan.” His smile was crooked but still full of sympathy, which I kind of fucking hated.

I looked around the second bedroom where Dagger and I waited for the men we knew would show up sooner or later. “They left us hanging last night, why would they show up tonight?” Maybe they were watching us and knew we were here.

“Because Viktor is hungry as fuck to get his girl back, though it seems like she’s your girl.” He smirked but there was no heat or judgment in his eyes. “Falcon know yet?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Not sure there’s anything to know, anymore.” Since we got back to the clubhouse Raven had been distant. I wasn’t sure if it was because she’d decided we were a bad idea, or whether she just didn’t want to do anything before I spoke with her brother.

He laughed. “That means there’s definitely something going on and you’re at the part where shit just got complicated.”

“I don’t know.” My head fell forward and a heavy sigh escaped. “I think I fucked up and right now I don’t have the space in my head to think about it.” I had to fix it, but first I had to make sure she made it out of this shit with Viktor alive.

“If you say so. As the guy who has your back tonight, I’m happy to focus on the job at hand. But as a guy who’s recently been through the wringer known as falling in love, let me tell you that it’s never over when you first think it is. Not if it’s real.”

I wanted it to be real, so fucking bad she was all I’d thought about for the past week. Day and night, Raven was on my mind. When I woke up, it was her smiling face I saw. When I fell asleep, it was her with her eyes shut and her head tossed back with passion. She was everywhere and she hadn’t spoken to me since she told me to leave her room. “I’m not sure what it is or what it was.”

“A sure sign that it’s not over. Better tell Falcon before he finds out another way.”

I nodded and held my hand up to quiet him when I heard Slate’s voice in my ear. “Two black sedans just slow rolled up to the curb. Eyes up, people.”

“Got it,” Maverick said from where he and Hollywood waited in the living room.

“Ready and waiting,” Rocky said from the main bedroom where he and Gio waited, locked and loaded if necessary.

I fucking hoped they put up a fight. I was well past ready to put some of this aggression where it belonged. Waiting in a dark house for the second night in a row was not how I pictured this plan playing out, but it was finally about to pay off.

“Has to be them,” Dagger whispered. “This neighborhood is a lot like my own and most of the houses are pitch black by eleven.”

I nodded. “So it has to be them,” I said, my voice thick with violent hope. My hand slid to the holster on my hip and removed it. The feel of the cool metal against my palm was soothing and my heart rate slowed, ready for action.

A full minute passed in absolute silence before I heard it, the click of the front door as it opened. I inhaled sharply and let it out slowly, gripping my gun a little tighter. And then I heard it, the familiar crunching sound of fists connecting with soft tissue, with bones. Grunts cut through the silence followed by the familiar sound of two big bodies falling to the ground.

The back door opened next.

There were two of them based on their footsteps. The sound grew louder as they turned down the hall, and then they started whispering.

My eyes met Dagger’s and he nodded just as the knob turned.

We were ready.

The door opened slightly and the barrel of a gun appeared first.

I pounced, grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward and down. The gun fell from his hand and slid across the floor. He landed a blow with his other hand that grazed my cheek. It was a quick distraction, but not quick enough. My grip tightened on his wrist, tugging it back until it snapped.

“Fuck!” He shouted and dropped to his knees. “Just give us the girl.”

“Fat fucking chance, asshole.” I pulled my arm back and unleashed half a dozen blows to his face. I punched him for the shit Raven went through for three years. For the fear that’s been reignited in her since they killed that girl. For the ways I fucked up recently and felt powerless to change.

“Stop,” Rocky called out, but I didn’t stop. I was blinded by rage, white hot and burning throughout my body and the only thing that soothed the burn was burying my fists in his face. “Goddammit, Hades, stop!” he grunted.

The next thing I felt was hands gripping my arms and tearing me off the Russian motherfucker. “I’m not done!” I shrugged out of their hold and dove for him again, but all three brothers pulled me back. “He deserves…” I began but I couldn’t finish the rest of that sentence.

“I know, brother.” Rocky’s words held patience and understanding, two things I knew I didn’t deserve in the moment. “He deserves a hell of a lot more than the beating you just gave him, but this ain’t part of the plan.”

All the fight left my body at the reminder of the bigger picture. “Fuck,” I growled. I pointed at the man, bloody and gasping on the floor. “Today, you live.”

“Two others weren’t so lucky,” Gio said wearing his signature smile. “Buck up, asshole, you get to live today.”

“For now,” I spat, still glaring at him.

“Come on, we need to do this shit right.” Dagger clapped me on the back before he and Rocky picked the man up and dragged him to the living room where two of his men lay with bullets in their heads while the other was barely alive.

“What do you want?” His question came out in heavy, labored breaths and his eyes were wide with fear and something else.

“Easy,” Gio said and kicked his foot. “You just have to deliver a message to your boss.”

The man spit out a mouthful of blood and shook his head. “He does not receive messages. Only results.” His breathing was labored but he wore a smile. “You might as well kill me here and now.”

I smiled at the plea I heard in his tone. “Where would be the fun in that?”

Hollywood strolled back into the front door with furrowed brows and pinched lips. “Found this shit in the back of one of the cars.” He held up zip ties and a bottle of chloroform.

My jaw clenched tight as my mind flashed with images of what they had planned for Raven. They were gonna drug her and tie her up before carrying her off, back to that sick Russian fuck. Not on my watch.

I turned to the asshole on the floor and picked him up by his hair. “I don’t give a fuck if your boss kills you, just tell him to meet her tomorrow at noon. Lavender Leaves. Got it?”

He nodded quickly, happy to still be alive. For now.

“Repeat it back to me.”

The man nodded again. “Noon. Lavender Leaves.” He swallowed hard, as if he wasn’t sure if I would kill him now anyway or if he had another hour or two to live. “Can we go?”

I flicked a gaze to Rocky, who was staring at me like I was somebody he didn’t recognize. I held his stare until he gave the slightest nod, and the two assholes darted for the front door as fast as they could.

There was a long beat of silence once they were gone and then Rocky snorted. “We need to get rid of these fuckin’ bodies.”

“You think he’s gonna show?” Gio posed the question as we left through the back door, hopping a fence and walking the two blocks to our parked bikes.

“He’ll show,” I said with a confidence that bordered on certainty, even though there was a big part of me that hoped he smelled the trap and took his ass all the way back to Russia.

“We’ll be ready.” Gio’s confidence didn’t make me feel better about any of this. Raven’s willingness to put herself in harm’s way was something we needed to talk about.

Before she met with her former captor.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Raven

“Look!” TJ’s demanding little voice pulled me from thoughts of tomorrow and grounded me right in the present.

I gave my nephew my full attention because he deserved it. Because I needed to soak up as much time with him as I could. “Show me,” I told him with a wide smile. No matter what happened, Steel City would no longer be my home, which meant I wouldn’t get to see him grow up into a little human, a teenager, and finally a young man. Either the plan would go to shit, and I’d end up taking my last breath or it would all go as planned and I would just leave. Because I realized I couldn’t stay here if Hades didn’t want me. I wasn’t going to watch him moving on with his life if he didn’t have the guts to stand up to my brother.

TJ smiled and got to his feet, picking up his plush blocks one by one and stacking them as high as he could reach them. He was such a happy little boy, despite growing up on the run and without his father. He was constantly smiling and he greeted everyone, even the bulldog with a gas problem, with a hug. “More,” he demanded, his chubby cheeks flushed pink from joy and exertion.

I handed him another block, happy to be spending time with him. I’d been holed up in my room for nearly a week, mostly because I needed to avoid Hades but also because I couldn’t spend time with the girls and their kids knowing I probably wasn’t coming back. It would’ve been too difficult, so I kept my distance.

Staying away from Hades wasn’t difficult. Macy said they’ve been in a lot of closed door meetings, no doubt planning for my meeting with Viktor. Whatever else they were up to didn’t involve me and I didn’t ask questions. I just stayed in my room, thinking. Overthinking.

Remembering my time with Hades with a wistful smile because no man had ever made me feel the way he had. Important and beautiful. Desired. Worthy. I never felt so good just being myself. Like being me, foul-mouthed Raven with a little more attitude than the average girl, was enough.

Like being me was perfect. Exactly perfect.

“Look!” TJ pointed to his massive tower with a smile so wide it hid his eyes. And then he did the most little boy thing ever, he ran through it as fast as he could until the blocks scattered, making him double over with laughter.

My heart clamped hard in my chest at his smile, that sound of pure delight. My eyes slid closed and I let that sound burrow its way deep into my heart and my soul to make sure I could pull it out on long nights and hear it whenever I needed to remember. “Again,” I shouted, making his eyes light up in a way I hoped never faded.

“Are you okay?” Vivian’s soft voice asked the questions and when I turned, her eyes studied me too carefully.

I fought the urge to squirm under her careful assessment. “Yep,” I finally answered in a tone more chipper than I’ve ever used in my whole fucking life. Despite my fake as fuck assurance, Vivian’s gaze was heavy and too warm. I tried for a smile I didn’t feel but needed her to believe. “I’m fine, Viv. A little on edge, sure, but otherwise I’m fine. Please worry about anything but me.” I didn’t deserve it.

Vivian let out one of those heavy sighs that people let out when they’re frustrated that you won’t open up. I’ve heard that particular sigh a lot in my life. “I know you’re suspicious of me,” she began, her tone etched with sadness.

I cut her off. “You’re wrong, Viv. Dead ass fucking wrong. I was suspicious of you, now I’m not.”

Her brows shot up as if this was news to her.

“You love TJ and you love my brother, that’s obvious to anyone with eyes and that is more than enough for me.” I smiled as I handed TJ another block. “I’m not good at opening up and sharing my shit with people and I’m not sure I can change it, but I promise I’m fine.”

Her eyes narrowed as if she could parse through the bullshit I just fed her to find the truth. “If you ever want to talk, I’m here. If you just need someone to listen, I can do that too. We’re family.”

That was a kind gesture. “Thanks, Viv.” I’d never had any real family other than my brother, and no close female friends. The one time I tried to trust someone, I ended up owned by a Russian criminal.

A beat of silence passed before she spoke again. “Are you staying away from all of us because you’re angry?”

I blinked, completely taken aback by her question. I really didn’t think anyone had noticed and if they had, that they wouldn’t care much. I always knew I was only here because of my brother, so what difference did it make if I stayed in my room? I figured I was doing everyone a favor. “Angry about what?”

Her lips pulled in tightly and she shook her head. “Your brother thinks you’re pulling away because you’re planning on sacrificing yourself to that Russian fucker. Is that true?”

More or less. “No.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said, keeping her voice gentle like I was a frightened animal. “But you also don’t owe me answers, either. Just, please don’t give up. TJ loves you and so does your brother.” She smiled again, this one I couldn’t read. “We all do, whether you believe it or not, and we’d all be completely wrecked if you were gone.”

My eyes stung, which I really fucking hated. I wasn’t a crier. I mean, I used to cry often before Viktor.

“Are you going to cry?” Vivian’s lips tilted into a smile.

I shook my head. “I don’t cry.”

Her brows shot up, disappearing behind her new bangs. “Never?”

I shrugged. “I used to cry, but he, Viktor, got off on it so I trained myself to stop. It took about a year, but it happened.” And right now I really wanted to cry, but I wouldn’t let myself.

“Holy shit, Raven.”

I shrugged again. “I have no plans to give up, I can promise you that.” I would live, I knew that now. I didn’t want to die. I had reasons, well I had one reason to live, and that was enough for now. I would live, but I would be gone from their lives. From Steel City altogether.

“A perfect non-answer.” She laughed to herself. “No offense.”

“None taken.” I sighed again and turned back to TJ, handing him more blocks since he now had a stool to climb to make his wall of plushy blocks even taller. “Things are complicated right now and all I can say is that I don’t plan on sacrificing myself, but I also won’t let anyone else get hurt because of my mistakes. Katya was too much as it is.”

“Did you think that when I came here and I had all those people coming after me?” Vivian asked.

“Yeah,” I answered honestly. “I did. I was angry that you were willing to put so many people in danger, but I got it. You have a kid and you’re a good mom, so you were willing to do whatever it took to make sure he lived. I understood then, and now.”

“So because you don’t have kids, you’re not allowed to do what’s necessary to live?”

I didn’t know how to answer that. I wanted to live, but I refused to burden anyone else with my problems. Thankfully, my phone vibrated in my back pocket before I came up with an answer. The screen flashed with an unknown number, but I knew who it would be before I answered the call. “Hello?”

There was a long silence before I heard the deep timbre of a voice I often heard in my nightmares. “Your boys play a good game, Daisy.”

I flinched at the use of that name that was never mine, but it was what Viktor always called me. “Fresh as a daisy,” he would say. “Pretty as a daisy,” he would say when I got all dressed up in one of his fancy dresses and gowns.

“I will meet your demands. A public meeting. Lavender Leaves. Noon. Tomorrow. Don’t be late.” The call ended before I could gather my shit and say something. Anything.

I felt sick. Just hearing his voice after so much time brought me right back to that world and that life. To that time in my life when I was powerless. I jumped to my feet and rushed to the bathroom where I gripped the sides of the toilet and emptied everything that was in my stomach. It wasn’t much since I hadn’t had much of an appetite, but I was officially worried.

This was the third time I’d been sick this week, and the last time before that was my twenty-first birthday after about twenty-two shots. “Shit, I must be coming down with something.” I muttered, trying like hell to convince myself that this was just nerves.

Vivian laughed behind me. “Could be a nine month flu. Want me to get you a test?”

I frowned and then all the blood drained from my hands and face. “Nine month… why would you say that?” I mean, it had occurred to me but given all the fucking stress I was under, I figured that was the issue.

“Well,” she sighed heavily and pointed at the toilet. “Sensitive stomach is a key symptom. Check your period too. My offer for the test stands.”

I couldn’t be pregnant, not now. It was the worst time. I might die tomorrow. “No thanks,” I finally answered. “I’m not sure I’m ready to know one way or the other.” I had too many other things to worry about right now. Things like a Russian trafficker who’d stop at nothing to get back something—me—that belonged to him.

The meeting was set for tomorrow.

Today would be the last normal day of this life.

After tomorrow, or whenever, I’d have a different life altogether.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hades

“Where the fuck is Falcon?” He was supposed to be here at the clubhouse an hour ago, and he was still no-fucking-where to be found.

“He texted me about thirty minutes ago to say he was running behind. Promised he’d be here as soon as he could.” Gio shrugged, smiling to hide the worry in his eyes.

I was already stressed the fuck out because today was the day. The day Raven was willingly dangling herself like bait just so we could get to the asshole who spent years brutalizing her. I didn’t like it, and to make it all even worse, she was avoiding me. For six goddamn days she’d stuck to her room, not even coming out for meals.

There was no fucking way in hell I’d let her go meet with that asshole without speaking to her. There were things I needed to say to her, things she needed to hear. Today. Now.

I stood outside her door for a full minute before I knocked because I had no fucking clue what I wanted to say to her. For six goddamn days I’ve thought about nothing else but those words. I love you. Nobody ever said those words to me before, certainly not a woman and I’d been struck fucking dumb. I had no clue how to respond and thanks to all this shit with the Russians, I had no bandwidth to even think about it even though I hadn’t stopped thinking about it.

Even now I wasn’t sure what to say to her. I knew what I wanted to say, but getting those words past my lips was impossible.

The door swung open and Raven appeared, looking pale and more gorgeous than I remembered. Too much time had passed since I laid eyes on her and I drank in the sight of her for a long moment. The sadness swimming in those dark eyes hit me like a ton of fucking bricks. “Don’t worry,” she said, interrupting the tense silence between us. “I’m almost ready.” She pushed the door to close it, but my palm shot out to stop it.

“Raven,” I called out, stopping her in her tracks. “Can we talk?”

When she turned, she looked like she wanted to refuse me, but eventually she nodded and waved me inside. “Sure.”

“You don’t have to do this,” I insisted, determined that I needed to say the words. I needed her to hear them. “We can find another way.” We hadn’t found an alternative yet, because she was determined to do it this way.

She shrugged, her eyes sad and lifeless. “It’s already settled, Hades. I’m doing this.”

I didn’t like her words or the way she said them, like she was defeated and giving up. I fucking hated how blasé she was being about all of this, especially when she knew exactly what this asshole was capable of. “This is serious, Raven.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I do, but this is our best option. It’s happening.” She turned away and stood in front of the mirror, carefully applying a light layer of makeup. That’s when I noticed what I hadn’t before. Her hair was dyed brown and pulled back into a professional—boring—looking ponytail. Her makeup was light and natural, and her full lips were subdued in pale pink lipstick.

“What’s with the look?” She looked like some fucking Stepford bitch, and it made me uncomfortable.

Her eyes met mine in the mirror. “This is how Viktor likes it and he’ll be more relaxed if he feels like he’s getting his way.”

My jaw snapped shut and I ground my teeth together so intensely I was sure I’d loosen a filling. “You don’t belong to him anymore, Raven.” The thought of her submitting to him pissed me off and I felt the long fingers of jealousy grip me tight.

“I know that!” she snapped. “But he’s easier to handle when he’s happy. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” She tried for a smile that went nowhere near her eyes.

“About the other day,” I started but she shook her head. I pulled my lips in and sighed.

“Let’s not do this today.” Her gaze met mine in the mirror, full of sadness and hurt, before she flipped a switch and the blank look reappeared. “Have you talked to Falcon?”

I shook my head because there was no way I could tell her he wasn’t here yet.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I need five minutes to finish getting ready.” She turned back to the mirror, dismissing me as if the conversation was fucking over.

“Goddammit, Raven we need to talk and you’ve been avoiding me.” I hated the accusation in my voice, but I was hurt dammit.

She didn’t deny it, which should have made me feel better but it didn’t. “It’s best for everybody involved. You want me but only in secret and there are no secrets in this clubhouse. Or this MC.”

“That’s bullshit,” I growled and stalked across the room, spinning her around so we were face to face. “I want you, period. In secret. In the world. Every-fucking-where.” I gripped her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her so deeply I was sure I left a piece of myself buried deep inside. Our tongues danced together as if a whole fucking week hadn’t passed since I last tasted her. She was stiff at first, refusing to give in to what we both wanted, but eventually she gave in and kissed me back. It was like going back home after too much time away. Kissing Raven was exactly what I needed in this moment before she went to face this man who caused her so much pain.

I held her so tight I was worried I might not be able to let her go, but she pulled back first, blinking too fast before she looked away. Her eyes were glassy, but she was determined to be strong.

And that only made me love her more.

Love her.

“We’re not done talking about this, Raven. I know you don’t like it, but I have to do this my way.”

She shook her head, that damn straight ponytail mocking me. “It’s not how it has to be done, but I don’t get a say, so it doesn’t really matter. Story of my fucking life.” Sadness radiated off her and it hit me hard. Too fucking hard. “I really need to finish getting ready. I need to prepare for this, you know?”

I nodded. “I’ll be right outside.”

She said nothing so I left her alone to do whatever she needed to prepare herself to see Viktor again.

Ten minutes later she walked out in an off-white dress that hit just above her knee to complete the Stepford look. I hated everything about her look even though she looked gorgeous. And so fucking sad. “Let’s do this,” she whispered, and then with her head held high, she walked to the door and out into the sunshine.

The clear skies and sunshine should’ve made me feel better, but it didn’t.

I had a bad fucking feeling about all of this.

And where the fuck was Falcon?

“Raven.”

“Not now, Hades. Please.” Her lids closed as if listening to me or seeing me was painful. “I can’t.”

“Fine,” I grunted. “I love you. The rest is complicated, but I need you to know that I feel what you feel. I love you and I want to be with you.”

She shook her head, eyes still closed. “You care about me, sure, but you don’t love me. If you did, it wouldn’t matter what anyone thinks. Not my brother or anyone else.”

I wanted to argue, but dammit, I couldn’t. I had to talk to Falcon first, at least if I wanted to keep our friendship, which I absolutely did.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Raven

I stared at my reflection in the mirror for so long that I no longer saw my face, but just the parts that made it up. Underneath the makeup I was pale with dark circles under my eyes, which looked to be sunken in, either from a lack of appetite or a lack of sleep. Possibly both. My cheeks were gaunt, my skin was cold and I wasn’t even sure I was alive as I applied mascara and a thin layer of powder to my pale skin.

I looked awful, which I didn’t really care about, but if I did, I might chalk it up to the test I took this morning, or my broken heart. I couldn’t be sure.

But none of that mattered now. Once I was dressed in the off-white dress I borrowed from Harper, I wiped all evidence of emotions from my face and stepped into the nude pumps I knew Viktor would appreciate and I left the room.

The clubhouse was quieter than I’d ever heard it, as if the whole MC knew what lay ahead. I felt dozens of pairs of eyes on me as I stepped into the bar wearing an outfit that I’d never be caught dead in, with hair and makeup that made me almost unrecognizable.

Slate stopped in front of me, his hair messy as if he’d been running his fingers through it for hours. “Are you wearing the hair elastic I gave you?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m wearing it.” I turned to one side to let him inspect it.

“Good. There’s a tracker in it. It’s got a long range and it’s difficult to spot. But this,” he produced a silver charm bracelet and fastened it on my wrist, “is the perfect decoy. It’s a listening device. It’s obvious and they’ll spot it quickly. They’ll feel smug and stop looking.”

I swallowed around the big ass lump in my throat, his words were the reminder I didn’t know I needed about what exactly I was—willingly—walking back into. I’m doing this for me. To free myself of Viktor. To keep the Steel Demons family safe. “Yep. Got it.” My smile wobbled but I stretched it bigger as if that would make it more fucking genuine. “Even if they strip me down, I’ll probably still be wearing a ponytail.” The part I didn’t say out loud? Even if they killed me, at least the elastic would let them find my body so my brother didn’t spend the rest of his life worrying.

“Dark,” Slate murmured, offering up a sympathetic smile. “But I get it. You’ll be fine. Don’t go off script and stay calm. You got this.”

My lips tugged into something that looked like a smile, but I wasn’t sure if it really was, and I honestly didn’t give a damn.

***

I spent the ride to the restaurant in total silence, mentally preparing to see Viktor again without freaking the fuck out. This man had defined our relationship for years and this was the first time I was meeting him on somewhat equal footing, and I needed to remember that.

He wasn’t my boss. Not my owner.

He was just a man.

Hades sat beside me, jaw clenched tight enough to crack every tooth in his head, worry vibrated off his broad shoulders.

I wished I didn’t care that he cared so much, dammit. What difference did it make if he cared when it wasn’t how I wanted him to care? How I needed him to care? He cared more about what Falcon thought about our relationship than anything else, so yeah, it was nice that he cared.

It just wasn’t enough.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered when we arrived at Lavender Leaves, just before I slipped from the backseat.

The coffee and tea shop was busy but not too busy, just enough people to notice if he dragged me out of here against my will, but not enough to make him start shooting. I sat at the empty table right in the middle of the shop, taking the chair that faced the window while my heart pounded out of my chest.

It felt like several eternities passed before the door opened and the wooden wind chimes sounded, but really it was just a few minutes.

I laid eyes on Viktor for the first time in years and sucked in a sharp breath. He looked the same but older. His dark hair now contained thick streaks of silver at the temples and the lines around his eyes and mouth were more prominent. He still dressed impeccably in a crisp suit and a stark white shirt, no doubt fitted with expensive cufflinks. I was sure he’d send Alexei instead, but here he was.

“Daisy.” Those two syllables had the power to make my heart drop down to my stomach, but I kept my expression unreadable while he took in my appearance with an appreciative smile. “I trained you well,” he said in that slightly accented tone as he took the seat across from me. “You’ve changed.”

I nodded to let him know I was listening. I’d changed more in the last three years than in the time I’d spent with him. “You haven’t,” I said in a bland voice that lacked all the heat I wanted to aim his way.

Viktor grinned, a low chuckle escaped the way it did when he found something amusing. “I am not as young as I used to be.”

No, but he was still handsome. And wicked.

“You ran away,” he stated plainly. “Why?”

I laughed. “You are not seriously asking me that question.” I knew he lived in another world, but I didn’t realize he lived on another goddamn planet.

“I was good to you,” he insisted with a straight face.

I bit back the words that were on the tip of my tongue, only because I didn’t want to antagonize him. “Other than being a prisoner and a possession with no freedom, yeah you treated me well.” I rolled my eyes because I couldn’t help myself, and then I smiled because I realized that I was nervous to be here with him, but I was not the same scared girl I was before.

Viktor’s icy gaze narrowed and anger flashed hot and quickly before he got it under control, replacing the frown with a surface level smile. “Yes, well, when you return, things will be… different.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the shiver that tried to work its way down my spine. I didn’t even want to think about what he had planned for me. Nothing, I reminded myself. He didn’t have anything planned for me because I wasn’t going back.

Period.

He sat back and studied me carefully. “Why now, Daisy?”

I fucking hated that name more than I hated any other word in the English language. Even more than that, I hated that Hades and several other Steel Demons were listening to all of this. “I’m tired of running,” I answered easily, which wasn’t entirely untrue.

One brow arched, highlighting his incredible bone structure. “I don’t believe you. In the years since you ran away, you’ve managed to stay off the radar.”

“True, but it’s always a matter of time. I understand your skepticism, but it’s exhausting wondering when your goons might find me.” Even from the safety of my room inside the Steel Demons clubhouse, it was always a concern. It was the reason why I didn’t sleep more than a few hours every night.

“Maybe so. Or maybe your biker friends are waiting nearby to ambush me.” He flashed a smug smile as if he’d already clocked every last one of them.

“I had thought about looping them in,” I admitted with a grin. “But they aren’t around. I left without letting anyone know because I didn’t want them to worry. This is my fight. Not theirs.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. They’ve inserted themselves into this by killing two of my men.”

I didn’t know that, but it didn’t surprise me. “Well I’m here now and they’re not.”

His brows lifted. “So you’re really giving yourself back to me? Freely?” The gleam in his eyes terrified me and that satisfied, victorious smile spelled danger for me.

I nodded. “As long as you promise to leave the Steel Demons alone. Them and everyone associated with them. For good.” I was going off script a little and I knew the guys listening in were probably losing their shit, but this was the best option.

“No trap?”

I shook my head. “No trap.” Those two words tasted bitter on my tongue, but I smashed my teeth together and tried for a smile I didn’t feel.

Viktor nodded slowly, his eyes studying me to the point I wanted to squirm. “That’s good to hear,” he began slowly, leaning forward to show me his phone screen. “But just in case your boys are thinking of trying something, you should see this first.”

My gaze was riveted to the screen as a pit of acid formed in my belly. And then the screen changed. My brother tied to a chair. My brother with a split lip and a black eye. “Falcon!” I squeaked. “Why?”

“Insurance,” he answered easily. “Just in case you think of trying anything.” He shoved the phone into his jacket pocket as if he was just finishing up a business deal. “Come now, and don’t make a scene.” He got to his feet and paused for a moment. “Oh and leave your bracelet behind, your new friends must think I am an idiot.”

My heart raced inside my chest and breathing grew difficult as I unfastened the bracelet and placed it on the table. This was it. The moment I knew would come, but somehow still hadn’t expected it to actually come.

“We’re leaving the country first thing in the morning. So be a good girl for me and your brother will live to be reunited with his biker friends.”

My heart was stuck in my throat. He had my brother. A ruthless international criminal had my brother and was threatening his life. “I don’t believe you,” I finally said because this was no time to be scared. “I’ll comply and you’ll kill him anyway.” That was how he operated. I’d seen it and heard about it often enough to know that was the case.

Viktor was not a man to be trusted. He didn’t keep his word, and he killed with reckless abandon.

“Yes, well, if I have to kill you right now then know that your last thoughts will be of all the ways I will make him suffer before I take his life.”

It didn’t matter whether or not I trusted Viktor, not now. He had my brother, which was the exact fucking thing I was trying to avoid, which meant I had no choice but to do as he said. “Fine,” I grunted as I got to my feet.

I needed to play the role just long enough for them to track me, and hopefully that would lead them to Falcon too.

“Good girl,” he said softly before he grabbed my arm and yanked me out of Lavender Leaves.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Hades

He’s taking her. He’s fucking taking her!

My heart raced in my throat as Viktor’s hand wrapped around Raven’s arm and yanked her out of the coffee shop.

Diesel’s voice came through my earpiece, loud and strained. “Hawk. T-Bone. Follow whatever car Raven gets into and don’t let them out of your fucking sight.”

A shot rang out and my gaze immediately went in search of Raven. Where the fuck was she? Scanning the area through my scope, my eyes finally found her and my shoulders relaxed. That asshole still had his paws all over her, but she was okay. She was scared as fuck, her skin was pale, but she was doing her best to look unaffected.

Another shot rang out, followed by a loud cheer from Sniper who was set up about two hundred feet to my right. “Got one of the fuckers,” he cheered through my earpiece.

Then shit got crazy. More shots rang out from both sides. Two black SUVs pulled up quickly and six men stepped out with the guns aimed at the rooftops. Sniper took another one out with a direct shot to the head and I switched on my focus because Raven and my brothers needed me to.

I picked off one of Viktor’s men with two to the chest. I found another acting as a shield for Viktor and hit him right in the side of the head. Bullets flew in both directions. Shit was too crazy to focus on Raven but every once in a while, my gaze landed on her just to make sure she was all right. Because I couldn’t not do that.

I loved her. Yeah, I fucking loved her even if she didn’t believe it.

Yet.

“That’s five,” Sniper called out. “There’s just one more.”

“Driver,” I called out and swung my gun to him just as Diesel’s voice sounded in my ear. Again.

“Leave him. We need to follow them back to find out where the fuck they’re keeping Falcon.”

Shit. Falcon. My finger inched away from the trigger, and I watched with my heart in my throat as Viktor shoved my woman in the car and drove off.

Carrying her away from me.

“Fuck!” I couldn’t fucking think or breathe. I couldn’t do anything but feel just how scared she was being whisked away, back to the life and the man that tried to break her.

“Get off your ass,” Sniper shouted. “We need to follow them!”

I nodded and lowered my gun. “I’ll take care of this. Go get your girl.” Reaper’s hands gripped my gun carefully, but with the kind of certainty that gave a distracted man no room to argue.

“Thanks.” My legs moved like I was trudging through thick mud or maybe quicksand. Every step required effort and I swear a fucking eternity passed before I made it to the bottom with Sniper at my side.

“Come on, brother. We’ll get them.”

“We don’t even know where the fuck we’re going,” I grumbled, kicking one leg over my bike as I settled onto the seat. This was where I belonged and where I did my best thinking. The roar of the engine beneath me settled something within me, letting clarity take over. I had a fuckin’ job to do, save my woman and my brother. That was the goal, the only thing I needed to focus on right now. Once they were safe and back where they belonged, I could worry about the rest of it.

Sniper punched my shoulder, showing off a wide smile. “That’s what we got Slate for. The bracelet decoy worked, he didn’t frisk her, so she’s still got the tracker. He’ll find ‘em and we’ll get ‘em. Stop worrying.”

Easy for him to say when his woman was safe and sound at the clubhouse. “I’m not worried,” I said instead, because I was an asshole, but not that kind of asshole.

“Right,” he replied, drawing the word out to four syllables with a smug fucking smile on his face. “We’ll have them both safe soon, so you don’t have much time to figure out what you’re gonna say to Falcon.”

I froze for a beat too long to pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I kept my fucking mouth shut. “Don’t have time to worry about that right now.”

“Then let’s take care of business, yeah?”

I nodded before revving the engine and taking off with one of my brothers at my side. The road wove through Vegas proper before it turned to residential streets lined with trees, manicured lawns, and evidence of happy families all around. Then, the residential neighborhoods turned into something else entirely, big ass mansions hiding behind tall fences. Where the fuck were we going?

Sniper pulled ahead and waved his hands to indicate I should follow him, which I did. We circled the block twice and then drove a few blocks away, close to a park. “You turned off your fucking headset,” he accused the moment he jumped off his bike.

I blinked because it took a fucking second for his words to register. The headset. “No I didn’t.” I pulled it out and inspected it. “What did I miss?”

He shook his head and fisted his hands on his hips. “Asshole took her to some mansion in that neighborhood. Slate’s got the address but he’s trying to hack into the surveillance systems in the area, so we don’t go in blind.”

A mansion? That made no fucking sense. “Why would he bring her here? And is Falcon there too?”

Sniper nodded. “I’d bet money on it. But we need to know.”

“Yeah,” I sighed because I did. If we went in there with guns blazing and Falcon wasn’t in there, whoever was holding him would absolutely kill him. “So we just wait?”

He nodded. “We just wait. You could tell me what’s going on with you and Raven while we wait.” His lips spread into a wide, knowing smile. “And don’t even tell me nothing because it’s pretty obvious to everybody, but Falcon.”

My nostrils flared and my jaw tensed in an effort to hold the truth within me, but I crumbled under the weight of Sniper’s gaze. “It just sort of happened.”

“Bullshit,” he shot back. “You’ve been crushing hard for a while.”

I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t dammit. “Even if that was true, I kept my distance.” I had to. Even though I didn’t know what she’d been through, I knew Falcon would lose his shit if I tried anything with his sister.

“Until you didn’t.”

I nodded and looked away, staring at the empty park across the street. “She was so fucking vulnerable. So real when we were alone at the cabin. Still a smart ass but underneath, there were layers. I shouldn’t have touched her, but I did.”

“And it wasn’t just scratching an itch. You felt something.”

I nodded. “She did too.” And there was a good chance I already fucked it up.

“She’s been stuck in her room until today.” It wasn’t a question, but an opening for me to keep talking.

“Yeah.” I shook my head to erase the image of her so fucking sad today. “Shit is complicated, man. I don’t know what’s going on but I know what I want, and as soon as this is all over, I plan to do something about it.”

“Good for you. I’m sure saving his life will go a long way to softening the blow once he finds out you’re in love with his sister.”

In love with his sister.

Hearing it out loud from someone else’s mouth was less scary. In fact, it gave me the confidence I needed to do what needed to be done. After this shit was over.

“How long are we supposed to wait?”

Sniper shrugged. “As long as it takes.”

I hated that fucking answer more than anything.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Raven

My heart had raced as Viktor’s SUV had woven down residential streets that quickly turned into wider streets with ten foot fences that hid giant mansions. I’d almost laughed to myself when we coasted through wrought iron gates and right into a Mediterranean style mansion with terracotta tile roofs, and a stone and stucco exterior. It was over the top. It was massive. It was also exquisite.

Another gilded prison.

I’d been here for almost an hour now. I just hoped that the Steel Demons were coming to save me and Falcon. Though I had no idea if my brother was here too.

“What are you thinking about, Daisy?”

I cringed at the sound of that name. If I never fucking heard it again it would be too fucking soon. “Nothing much,” I answered softly. “Just this place. This is your specialty, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

“This,” I waved my hand around. “The beautiful mansion and the designer clothes and shoes. The travel. It’s all supposed to be everything a woman could want, so that she forgets that she can’t leave.”

There it was again, that flash of anger. He wasn’t as good at keeping it in check as he used to be. “Why would you want to leave all this?” He asked the question without a trace of sarcasm or irony.

“Never mind.” I didn’t want to get into a philosophical debate with a psychopath, and I didn’t want to piss him off too badly before the Steel Demons came.

“You are just being contrary,” he decided with a heavy sigh.

“No, I’m not. I’m just stating a fact. If you had everything you have now, but there was a man bigger and more powerful than you in charge of your freedom, would you be all right with that?”

He laughed, but he didn’t answer.

Just what I thought.

“Your friends killed five of my men.” He spoke through gritted teeth, which revealed that he cared more than he would ever admit. “That cannot go unpunished.”

My shoulders almost fell, but I tensed every muscle in my body to stop the instinct even as unease settled low in my gut. He would punish me and he would enjoy it, but this time I wouldn’t just take it. I planned to fight back every step of the way.

If it came to that.

“You lied,” he said in a voice so low I wasn’t sure I heard it.

“I know you, Viktor. Of course I lied.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Your lie cost me five good men, Daisy.”

Suddenly, the door opened. “Ah good, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” he said to me with an evil smile on his face.

Two of his men walked through the door, each supporting one of my brother’s arms as they dragged him in. They let him go and he slumped to the ground. His eyes were wide, but his mouth was taped, muffling what I knew would be angry, shocked words. “Falcon,” I said softly.

Tears threatened but I swallowed them down. I couldn’t show any weakness, or it would be used against me. I gasped when Viktor’s hand landed on my shoulder.

He squeezed it almost gently. “I have not decided who will be punished for my men, you or him. But to show you that I am not completely without compassion, I will let you two spend your last hours together.” His tone suggested he was trying to be magnanimous, but I didn’t buy that shit for a second.

Ice shot through my veins at those words. Your last hours. My gaze narrowed at him. “So you do plan to kill him?”

“No,” he answered without equivocation. “But we leave first thing tomorrow so either way, this will be the last time you two see each other.” I didn’t trust the gleam in his eyes, but I kept it to myself. As long as Viktor thought he was winning, he would be calm.

That gave me and Falcon time to think. To plan our escape. I still had the tracker hidden in my ponytail, and I knew Steel Demons would try and rescue us, but I couldn’t just rely on that. Right now I had to focus on survival, and that meant trying not to anger Viktor.

There were a lot of things I wanted to say to him in that moment, most of them of the four-letter variety guaranteed to piss him off and kickstart his violent streak. Instead I smiled sweetly up at him and nodded. “Thank you, Viktor.”

Viktor offered a tense smile to me before he turned to Alexei with a quick, almost imperceptible nod.

Alexei ripped the tape off my brother’s mouth with a devious smile before he joined Viktor, and they left the room together.

I waited thirty seconds before rushing across the room and wrapping my arms around Falcon. “Oh, thank fuck.” I hugged him the way I used to when I was a little girl. Every single time he came home, I was so happy to see him, even if he’d only been gone a few minutes. “How the fuck did you manage to get yourself picked up?”

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “Good to see you too, Raven.” He squinted. “Though I’m not sure if that is you. You sound like my annoying little sister, but you look like someone else.”

“I had to dress the part,” I whispered, shooting my eyes to the door where Alexei and Viktor left from. “He’s calmer when you keep him happy.”

Falcon’s eyes flashed with anger and his nostrils flared quickly. “This motherfucker doesn’t own you, Raven.”

“Yeah, I know,” I shot back angrily. “But I couldn’t exactly piss him off when he showed me video of you tied to a fucking chair, now could I?”

“Yeah, I guess not.” He flashed that crooked smile that I missed every day when we were apart. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I don’t like it either, but we are where we are.”

He nodded. “And exactly where the fuck are we?” He looked around the mansion as if he was only seeing it for the first time now.

“Some mansion on the other side of Vegas. We might be in Henderson or beyond. The driver took a lot of turns, probably to confuse me.”

“Not like you know the area all that well,” he said sarcastically.

“Right.” I nodded, running my fingers along the split in his lip and the bruise that was forming around his eyes. “Are you okay, Falcon? I mean really, and don’t give me any of that tough guy bullshit.”

“But I am a tough guy.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, what the fuck happened?”

He sighed. “Danny, the prospect? He fucking sold me out. The fucker stopped me at the gas station. I was filling up the bike when he approached me, distracting me from the guy who came up behind me and knocked me out.” He shook his head, anger taking over. “They didn’t knock me out completely, so I heard Danny talking to one of them like they knew each other.”

“Shit.” My mind raced to all the weird vibes I got from Danny over the past few weeks. “He must’ve been the one who gave us up at the safe house. Both times. I couldn’t figure out how they found us, but now it makes so much sense.”

“The prospects got the houses ready for you. They got multiple houses ready, which means they probably hit ‘em all looking for you.”

“That asshole,” I growled. “But, why?”

“Who knows,” he spat. “Who fucking cares? Could be blackmail or extortion. Anger. Dissatisfaction. Could be a lot of reasons, none of them make this shit all right.”

“Why are you so fucking calm?” It was unnerving, especially when I was freaking out on the inside.

“Because I’m thinking. I can’t think straight when I’m fucking furious, which I am, by the way.” He glared like it was my fault that he was furious.

“Oh. Okay. Good. I thought maybe you were losing your mind.” I scanned his body just to assure myself he was fine, while he kept on glaring at me. “Are you hurt badly anywhere?”

“No. Just what you see.” He studied me for a long minute before he shook his head. “How did it go at the coffee shop?”

I shrugged. “It was going to plan until he showed me the video of you tied to this fucking chair.” I told him about the deal. “He promised he would leave you alone, all of you, if I go with him.”

“No way, Raven. No fucking way.”

I sighed. “I knew you’d say that. I knew everyone would say that, which was why I didn’t ask. This is my decision.” It wasn’t like I wanted to hop on a plane to god only knew where with him, but I knew the carnage he’d leave in his path if they tried to protect me. “What other option do I have?”

He let out a bitter laugh. “So you’re just going to give yourself back to that asshole? To endure the same hell as before? Un-fucking-believable.”

“It won’t be the same,” I whispered, just in case Viktor was listening. “This time I won’t be as docile or as accepting.”

He scoffed. “So, what? Your plan is to get yourself killed in exchange for all of us?”

I looked away. “This is all my fault, which means it’s my problem to fix.”

“Bullshit. That’s not how we do things.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, that’s not how you all do things, but we both know they only tolerate me because of you. This is a fair deal.”

“You are full of shit, and you know it.”

I refused to meet his gaze. “Fine, think whatever you want. Maybe I just need a change. This is happening.” If the Steel Demons didn’t come through for us before morning, I would get on that plane with Viktor to keep my brother alive. “Try not to do anything to get yourself killed before morning.”

“What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” I answered quickly.

“Seriously, what’s up? You’ve been weird all week, staying in your room and avoiding everybody.”

I rolled my eyes. “Viv told me you think I’m distancing myself. Who knew you were into head shrinking.”

“Don’t be a dick.”

I grinned. Fighting with him like this felt normal. Like we weren’t inside a mansion where one or both of us would die. “I’m not being anything, Trav. I’m just trying to be realistic here. I know the risks of this plan, and I didn’t want to see everyone’s sad eyes. Plus I got to spend time with TJ.”

His expression sobered at the mention of his kid.

“Don’t be stupid, okay? You have a woman and a kid who need you to come back to them, and that’s the only thing I want you to focus on. Not me. Not Viktor. Just getting back home to them.”

“I can do both,” he insisted, his tone arrogant as hell.

“No, you can’t. I’m doing my part because I don’t want him to kill you to punish me. Don’t give him a reason to kill you. Please.” I pleaded with him because my brother was tough. He was a protector and he wasn’t easily intimidated, but he didn’t understand how high the stakes were.

“Don’t look at me like that, little sister. I’m not letting you just hand yourself over to that freak show.”

“You’re not letting me do anything. This is a done deal because you’re here. If I don’t hold up my end of the bargain, he won’t hold up his, damn you.”

“He’ll probably kill me anyway.” He wore a smug smirk as if he thought he’d cornered me in this argument.

“Maybe, but it’d be nice if you stayed quiet long enough to stay alive until the MC comes. If he has to kill you tonight, we’ll leave before morning and that’ll be that.”

“Fuck,” he groaned as his shoulders dropped. “You don’t play fair.”

“Good. Remember that. This isn’t easy for me, either. I never wanted to be back here or in this position, but here I am. Just keep your mouth shut until we get a rescue or until I’m gone, yeah?”

He nodded. “You can’t get on that plane, Raven. If you do, nobody will ever see or hear from you again.”

I swallowed hard because I knew that. More than anyone, I knew what Viktor was capable of doing. “Then don’t do anything that will force me to get on that fucking plane.” My stomach lurched and I smacked both hands over my mouth, running around the room until I found an expensive vase to throw up in. My stomach lurched and hitched as I filled the vase until my throat burned, my eyes watered and goosebumps covered my skin.

I had another reason why everything had to go to plan. It wouldn’t take Viktor long to realize I was pregnant, and unless he made me have sex with him as soon as we left, then he’d know the baby wasn’t his, and we’d both be dead. I didn’t think I had a life back at the clubhouse anymore, but the only way for me and my baby to survive all this was if we got as far away from Vegas as possible.

I put my hand over my belly, instinctively trying to protect the life growing inside me, but I felt my brother’s gaze on me, full of concern and curiosity and I pulled my hand away.

“What’s going on Raven?”

“Nothing,” I replied. “Nothing at all.” And as soon as we were free of his place, I’d take my nothing and build a life away from Steel City.

Away from Hades, who would choose my brother over me.

Chapter Thirty

Hades

“How much fucking longer?” I’d probably asked the question at least fifty times over the past hour while we waited for Slate to get eyes inside Viktor’s humongous fucking mansion. Diesel ordered us to wait until after sunset because this was a respectable fucking neighborhood, and we didn’t want to draw stares from nosy people inclined to bring in the law.

“Sun’s down,” Sniper said with a shrug. “So probably not much longer. You need to get your fuckin’ head on straight.” His brows knitted as he hit me with a worried stare.

“Yeah,” I grunted a response because I couldn’t get my head on straight. How the fuck could I possibly when Raven was in there? My mind wouldn’t stop flashing images in my head of her scared out of her fucking mind and trying not to show it. Images of Viktor touching her, of him hurting her. Was she worried we wouldn’t come for her? I could have kicked myself for not having that talk with her. She’d been distant since the other day. I knew the whole thing with me wanting Falcon’s approval to date his sister was fucking with her head. I should have told her that even if he’d threatened to kick my ass out of town, I wasn’t gonna give her up. And now it might be too late…

My hands tingled with the need to do something. I wanted to rush inside that oversized house and kill everyone in sight until I found Raven. But I couldn’t. Not alone.

So I had to fucking wait.

“We’ll get inside soon enough. There’s no other way out of this block, so we know they’re in there.” He was trying to reassure me, to keep me from diving headlong off the deep end.

Finally, my phone buzzed. “I’ve got eyes,” Slate’s message read.

My shoulders relaxed instantly.

“You ready?” Sniper eyed me cautiously.

“Beyond fucking ready,” I growled, checking my guns as Slate’s voice sounded in my ear.

“Viktor is a paranoid motherfucker,” he warned. “There are cameras everywhere. This is a fucking dream,” he murmured, almost to himself.

Sniper and I looked at each other with knowing smirks. Our brother was damn good at what he did, but man he could geek out over the weirdest shit.

“So,” he sighed. “Falcon and Raven are inside, both in the main lounge.”

Something inside my chest eased at those words, but it wasn’t calm or relaxing. It was a slow readiness to action. My heartbeat slowed and my vision sharpened as Diesel handed out orders.

“We go inside in teams of two. Get Falcon and Raven, do whatever you have to do to get it fucking done.”

That was the order I’d been waiting a fucking eternity for. “Let’s do this,” I told Sniper.

He nodded and fell in step beside me as we walked down the street in long, purposeful strides. We weren’t wearing our cuts, so to anyone paying attention, we looked like two dudes just passing through. At the end of the block, we slipped between two dark houses and crossed to dead end road where the mansion sat. “I’ll get Falcon. Focus on your girl.”

I nodded slowly and as soon as Slate gave the okay, we waited for the keyless entry light to flash green, and then we stepped inside.

The house was pitch black when we entered, which meant they probably saw our approach. Sniper kept his gun while I switched for a knife and followed him through the front hall. “Right,” he called out and stepped to the left.

I lunged forward, leading with the blade. With six quick, successive jabs to his gut and throat, I neutralized the first guard. “Clear.”

We made it another few feet before Sniper called out, “Left.”

The second guard put up more of a fight, landing a blow to my jaw before he found my blade buried deep under his arm. I couldn’t see him, but I felt the way his body stiffened. I heard the way he gurgled before falling to his knees. When the thud sounded, I sighed. “Clear.”

We passed something that looked like a library and Sniper ducked his head inside, sweeping left to right. “It’s clear. Switch out the blade,” he whispered and kept moving forward.

I paused at the living room entrance, not because I was afraid but because I knew Raven was close. I felt it in the room, which seemed darker than the rest of the rooms. Sniper’s hand landed on my shoulder and we moved forward together.

“Over here,” Falcon whispered.

Sniper switched on a flashlight, sweeping the beam across the room until it landed on Falcon, who was bound to a fucking chair. “Fuck,” he growled and stepped around me.

“Good to see you,” Falcon said, somehow finding his smile despite the situation.

“Where’s Raven,” I barked because though I was happy to see my brother, I was desperate to find my woman. “Falcon, where is she?”

“Here.” Her voice was quiet and soft, coming from somewhere behind me.

I spun quickly, finding her before Sniper’s beam landed on her. My footsteps froze at what I saw. It wasn’t just Raven. She was flanked by Viktor and his right-hand man, Alexei, who held a gun pressed to the side of her head.

My hands fisted and my jaw clenched tight as rage coursed through my veins. My vision blackened around the edges, and I let the anger bubble over, using it to do what needed to be done in the moment. “Raven.”

She gave one short, sharp nod. It said, I’m good, even though her eyes were filled with pure terror.

Alexei’s laugh boomed in the silence. “You didn’t think it would be so easy, did you?” His shit-eating grin pissed me off almost as much as the gun pressed to my woman’s head.

Easy? No.

“You can’t let them take her,” Falcon demanded, his voice angry and pleading.

I wouldn’t let them take her. I would die preventing her from enduring that hell again. I took stock of the room, eyes darting around to take in the exits—French doors near Falcon, the way I entered, and I’d bet there was a door that would allow them a quick exit—and then I let out a slow breath. I could take out either Alexei or Viktor cleanly, but that would give the one left standing a chance to kill Raven.

My grip tightened on my gun, itching to shoot up the whole fucking house.

“Don’t be stupid,” Alexei warned as if the Russian bastard could read my mind.

My mind raced, too many fucking bad outcomes possible. “Fuck it,” I said to myself and quickly raised my arm, taking aim before I squeezed the trigger. The gunshot rang out, echoing in the silence. I watched the short journey to the center of Alexei’s fucking forehead.

Raven gasped and dropped to the floor as Alexei crumpled to the ground. Viktor, ever the survivalist, dropped to the floor and for several long seconds they were both out of my sight.

“Raven!” I called out, my heart slamming hard against my chest.

“Hades…” My name came out on a strangled sigh and then she appeared with Viktor’s arm around her neck, Alexei’s gun pressed to her head.

“Don’t be a hero or I will put a bullet in sweet Daisy’s head.” He kissed her temple gently. “I don’t want to do it, but I will. She is mine.”

“Wrong, asshole. She’s mine.” My gaze met Raven’s for a long moment and the heartache I saw in her eyes gutted me. “Don’t give up, babe. I got you,” I promised. It was a promise I planned to make good on.

No matter what.

Viktor’s expression darkened, possessiveness sparked in his eyes even in the dark. “Daisy is mine. I bought her. I groomed her and turned her into exactly what I want.”

I barked out an evil laugh, shaking my head. “It’s pathetic,” I snarled. “A man with so much money can’t get a woman so he takes a woman like Raven, removing her sparkle and her fire. A perfect robot too frightened to run away.”

“Fuck you,” he spat, taking a step back and pulling Raven with him.

“Nah, fuck you,” I shot back with a laugh. “Except she wasn’t too scared to run away, was she?” I laughed again and advanced another step. “She couldn’t get away fast enough.”

He opened his mouth and then slammed it shut. “She won’t get away this time.”

My smile faded. “You’re a dead man, Viktor.”

He smiled but there was no humor in it before he backed out of the room, dragging her with him.

I took off after them, knowing my brothers would catch up when they could. It was what we did. It was how we operated. I followed the dark silhouette down a narrow hall before it opened up to an open door that led to a big ass backyard with a pool.

Viktor hadn’t spotted them yet, but Rocky and Hollywood were on the other side of the pool, effectively trapping him between us. He finally looked over his shoulder and froze when he saw there was no way out. He gripped Raven tighter, his gun hand shaking like it was his first time holding the cold steel. “Don’t come any closer,” he shouted, head swiveling back and forth between me and my brothers behind him.

“There’s no way out of this for you, Viktor. Let Raven go and you might live to walk out of here too.” There was no way I would let that happen, but I needed to get Raven away from him.

His lips pulled into a tight smile that didn’t meet his icy gaze. He was daring me to risk it, to risk her. “Do you want me bad enough to risk harming Daisy?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know who the fuck Daisy is.”

He arched a brow, silently calling me out for not answering his question.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to risk Raven for anything.”

“Then back the fuck up,” he growled.

I shook my head. “I don’t, but she does.” I looked at Raven then. There wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes. Worry was there, but no fear. Worry and a hint of resignation because she knew that what mattered to me was what she wanted. I couldn’t take this from her.

More than that, I wouldn’t.

“You know what I want,” she said to me, her gaze steady as one arm gripped his forearm.

“Do it, Hades. Do it now.”

I knew what she wanted me to do. She wanted me to shoot with no fucking regard for her life. I would never do that, risk her life. Not for any-fucking-thing.

“Raven!” Falcon’s voice was a roar behind me. “Fucking shoot him,” he demanded, his voice raw with fear for his sister.

I didn’t flinch in the face of the chaos that surrounded me. Instead, I found absolute peace in the effort it took to focus on just one thing. Not Raven. Not my brothers. Just Viktor.

He sneered as if he was disgusted at me for being so sentimental about a woman he viewed as property. Triumph filled his eyes because he couldn’t imagine a world in which he didn’t emerge victorious. “That’s what I thought—”

His words were cut off, first by the echo of a gunshot and then by the bullet that blew half his face off. The second bullet landed in that sweet spot between his eyes, and he was dead before his body fell directly on top of Raven.

My legs took off instinctively in Raven’s direction, the sounds of her screams had my legs and arms pumping faster until I was there, on the ground beside her, helping her shove the dead Russian off her. “Raven, baby, talk to me. Are you okay?” I checked her body with my eyes and hands, making sure she wasn’t injured by my bullets.

“Hades!” she cried, the sound like my name had been ripped from her throat.

“I’m here, baby. Talk to me, tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m not hurt,” she answered when I pressed my forehead to hers, cradling her head in my hands.

“Fuck,” I growled as relief pulsed through me. My heart hammered so hard I could hardly breathe. “Fuck,” I said again and held her even tighter.

“I was so scared,” she admitted barely above a whisper.

“I got you, Raven. I got you. I’m here.” I held her close, chest to chest with no regard for the blood that splattered her clothes and her hair. Her face. In that moment, my heart settled. The world was right again.

The peace was broken by the sound of my best friend’s angry voice. “Just what the fuck is going on here?”

Sniper stepped between us, pushing Falcon back. “Now ain’t the time, man.”

“Fuck that,” Falcon shrugged away his touch. “Now is the exact fucking time. What’s going on with you two?”

“None of your business,” Raven said, her voice quiet but I heard the fire and steel in every syllable.

Anger spiked in his eyes as they met mine, daring me to tell him that I’d been fucking his kid sister behind his back. “Well?”

I couldn’t find the words to explain what I felt. How did you tell your best friend that you loved his sister and didn’t want to spend another day away from her? I froze for too fucking long, and that gave Raven time to find her anger again.

She shoved out of my embrace and got to her feet. “Nothing,” she said to her brother, but her gaze never left mine. “Nothing at all.”

My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched her walk away with Hollywood at her side. Comforting her.

It should be me.

It should be me, but I fucked up.

Chapter Thirty-One

Raven

Nothing. Hades had the chance to tell the truth to my brother’s face and he said nothing. He had the opportunity to prove that I was wrong about his hesitation, about his priorities, and all he’d done was prove me right. I never wanted to be wrong so much in all my life.

He was either a coward or really good at faking emotions he didn’t feel. Had never felt.

“Hey, you okay?” Hollywood joined me and wrapped a big, muscular arm around me, guiding me around the side of the giant mansion.

“No,” I answered with a sigh. “But I will be. Eventually.” Right now my heart was in so much fucking pain I could hardly breathe, but I knew it would get better. Pain always did… in the end.

Hollywood flashed his impossibly beautiful, yet sympathetic smile at me when we reached the front of the house. “You sure you don’t wanna wait for Hades? Or Falcon?”

My lips twisted into a bitter laugh. “Nope. I’m good.” I accepted the helmet he offered, fitting it on my head and snapping the clasp under my chin while he got settled on the seat. When he gave me a short nod, I climbed on back and I didn’t look over my shoulder once. Not for Hades or my brother, not for Viktor or Alexei. Not for any of the men who had betrayed me or let me down in the past twelve hours.

“Hang on,” he shouted over the roar of the engine. “I’ll go fast enough that you forget your worries for a little bit.”

I didn’t think that was possible, but I did as I was told and held on tight as the bike took off like a rocket, leaving the mess of my former life behind. I should have felt relieved that this nightmare was over, and I was, but more than that I felt like I’d lost something more important.

I let out another heavy sigh while my mind stared, unseeing, at the world as it whipped by. It’ll get better, I told myself with every mile we passed. I didn’t just believe it, I’d lived it for the past few years. Sure, the wicked shit Viktor did to me stuck with me, it probably always would, but every month it got a little easier to deal with. The bruises healed. The wounds closed. And every night when I fell asleep each night, the dreams were a little less vivid.

Scenery whipped by too quickly for any details to settle in my brain and before I knew it, we were pulling into the clubhouse parking lot.

I was home. This place was the only real home I’d ever had since I was a kid. It was just too damn bad I couldn’t stay.

“Raven!” Macy’s voice called out and her small body slammed into me from the side before I looked up to seek her out. “Holy shit, girl! I’m so glad you’re okay.” Her hug was almost suffocating, but I sank into it, absorbing her warmth and her love.

“I’m fine, Macy. Promise.”

She pulled back and studied my face for a full minute. Her eyes were wide with an emotion I couldn’t quite name. “I’ll need a few more hugs before I can believe that, but you’re here and you’re in one piece.” Macy hugged me again, this time tighter before she pulled back. “You look like you lost your best friend.”

“Impossible,” I deadpanned. “She’s right here squeezing the life out of me.”

She laughed but it was more muted than I expected. “Okay fine, you look like you lost something else. Something that really fucking matters to you.”

I swallowed down a sob and nodded. “I’ll be okay, Macy.” If I said it enough times, I might actually believe it.

She tilted her head to the side as if that gave her a better angle to study me, before squeezing my shoulders. “Are you sure?”

“No, but I have to be because I don’t have any other choice.” Things were over with Hades. I was too angry to talk to Falcon. I was too big of a mess to deal with either of them, particularly when I had something else to worry about. “Can we talk later? I really would like to wash this day away.”

“Of course,” she screeched, wincing at her own volume. “Sorry, I just needed to hold you myself to know you’re all right. I’m so glad you’re safe, Raven.”

“Me too,” I whispered and then took off before she saw the tears I was too exhausted to fight any longer. Tears fell like summer rain once I was locked inside my room, turning to sobs once I stepped under the hot, steaming spray of the shower. I stayed in the shower, crying until the water turned icy cold. When I stepped out, my mind was made up.

It was time to leave the safety of the Steel Demons clubhouse and the comfort of the familiar. I’d caused the people here enough problems and I didn’t want to cause any more, on the off chance that Viktor’s successor showed up to make trouble. And there was the small matter of the baby. If I left, I could land someplace where nobody knew me and wouldn’t ask questions about the absent father.

I had a few dollars saved to help find an apartment until I found a job, which was my first order of business.

After I took a nice, long, dreamless sleep for the first time in years.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Hades

“You can’t avoid me forever.” Falcon stood with his arms crossed over his chest, brows dipped in a dark scowl and his whole stance screamed, don’t fuck with me.

It was too fucking bad for my best friend that he was the least of my worries. I took my time tearing my gaze from the grassy field where colorful flowers had popped up, and met his gaze. “Not avoiding you,” I told him honestly before turning back to the field that eventually met the highway. The truth was that I hadn’t thought much about Falcon since I watched Raven walk away from me without a backwards glance. She wasn’t just pissed off, which was a damn shame because I could deal with her anger. But hurt? I couldn’t deal with that. It gutted me completely.

“Bullshit.” He took a few steps forward and dropped down on the bench beside me with a heavy sigh, fixing his gaze on the cars zooming by in the distance. “I haven’t seen you since shit went down two fucking days ago, man.”

I nodded just to acknowledge his words. “I know, but I’m not avoiding you.” I’d been camped out at the clubhouse for days just to catch a glimpse of Raven, but I haven’t spotted her once. She hasn’t left her room, at least not as far as I could tell. She was actively avoiding me, and I couldn’t fucking blame her. “I have bigger things on my mind, I’m afraid.”

He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Raven.” It wasn’t a question, but he wanted answers. He wasn’t owed answers, but he was my best friend, and I was involved with his sister. Sort of.

Hopefully still involved.

“Yeah,” I sighed after a long, tense pause. “Raven.”

Falcon turned his head to face me, but I kept watching the cars on the highway. “So what the fuck is going on between you and my baby sister?”

I could’ve lied, could have told him it was none of his goddamn business, but that would cause even more tension, and I had enough to deal with. I decided to just give it to him the way we always did for each other, straight up. “I love her.” I didn’t have to look to know those three words took all the steam out of his anger.

Several long ass minutes passed in silence. Neither of us said anything because what was there to say in that moment? This was the exact conversation I didn’t want to have, what I’d been avoiding and what had, ultimately, cost me a future with Raven. “Fuck,” he finally settled on, blowing out a long breath and he shook his head as if that was the last thing he expected to hear. “You love her?”

I smiled. “Yeah.”

Falcon whistled low and shook his head again. “You sure? She’s a fucking handful.”

Another smile spread across my face, bigger than the last and eventually it turned into a grin. “I’m sure. Trust me, I thought long and hard about it, and the only conclusion left is that I fucking love her.”

“I want to be pissed at you, man. She’s my fucking sister.”

“I get it. I really do, but she’s also a grown ass woman.” A gorgeous, wounded, smart, feisty woman with a big heart.

“Don’t talk about my sister’s ass.” His brows furrowed almost comically, like she was a teenager who needed his protection.

I laughed, elbowing him in the side. “I’m serious, Falcon. She’s been through a lot of shit, and she deserves to feel happy and loved.” And I wanted to be the man who gave her all that and more. “I always had a thing for her,” I admitted because it was time to come completely clean. “I never acted on it because she was your sister. A pain in the ass. And plenty of other reasons.”

“And then she was convenient?”

I turned, glaring at my best friend like he’d lost his fucking mind. “First off, nothing at all is fucking convenient about Raven. She’s not an easy woman to get to know, but she let me get to know her. She showed me the vulnerable parts she doesn’t let anybody see.” I found my smile as I met his gaze. “She’s all sharp wit and sarcasm on the top, but underneath? She’s got layers and emotions and she’s more than just a smart mouth.”

“Holy fuck.” He scrubbed both hands down his face and sighed. Then he scraped his hands up his face and sighed again. It was a lot to process, and I gave him time to do that. He raked both hands through his hair and shook his head. “You’re in love with my sister. Holy shit.”

“Yeah, I am. And I’m pretty sure I fucked it all up.” So badly that she hadn’t come out of her room for days.

His brows dipped and his anger returned. “What did you do?”

“I fucked up. I should’ve chosen her and I didn’t.” It was so fucking stupid in hindsight. “I told her I needed to talk to you first, to let you know what was happening before you found out another way. It was a matter of respect for our friendship, but she didn’t care. It pissed her off, and she accused me of choosing you over her.” My chest ached and a heavy sigh escaped. “The last time I talked to her was the night I killed Viktor. She’s been avoiding me since then. Have you spoken to her?”

He shrugged. “She’s not responding to my calls or texts, and I’ve been too chickenshit to approach her.”

“Asshole,” I murmured. “She’s your sister, she has to forgive you.”

“Eventually, yeah. But that could be tomorrow or three years from now.”

I laughed. “Possibly even ten years.”

He punched my shoulder. “Don’t be a dick.”

“Hey boys, sorry to interrupt.” Macy didn’t sound sorry at all, in fact she sounded worried.

“What’s up, Mace?”

“I’m looking for Raven.” She wrung her hands and nibbled her bottom lip.

“Did you check her room?” Falcon asked, his tone dripped with annoyance.

“Obviously,” she said. “I checked in on her after breakfast. She needed some time alone after everything that happened, so I’ve been giving her space. I went back just now to see if she wanted me to bring up some lunch and her room is empty. Well, her belongings are gone. She didn’t have much, but what was there is now gone.”

“She’s running away.” The words left my mouth before my brain fully processed them. I knew she was. I just fucking knew it.

Macy and Falcon stared at me like I’d lost my shit.

“She’s running. I knew this was a possibility, but I didn’t think she’d really do it, especially not now that Viktor’s dead.” And not without talking to me first.

Macy nodded. “She was talking weird the other day so…maybe?” There was more in her expression that she wasn’t saying, but whatever it was she kept it to herself. “Good luck, Hades. Just bring her home. Please.”

I damn well would bring her home.

No matter what it took.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Raven

Just tell me you’re okay because I’m kind of freaking out.

Macy’s message sat on my phone, taunting me and twisting the guilt that churned like acid in my belly. She was worried about me and not knowing was eating her up.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard on screen, desperately wanting to respond but knowing if I did, I would get sucked back into a life I wanted but couldn’t have. That thought was why I’d snuck out three days ago after breakfast, before the clubhouse was fully awake and bustling with activity. I’d thought long and hard about it, but in the end, I knew I couldn’t stay. Part of me wanted to talk to Hades, to hear what he had to say, but the way he paused when my brother confronted him told me everything I needed to know. He was always going to choose his best friend, and I couldn’t stay and watch Hades move on and find another woman, fall in love with her. I couldn’t stay and watch the fracture I’d created between my brother and his best friend.

So, I packed my two meager bags and walked a few blocks away from the Steel Demons property and called a rideshare that took me to a shitty motel packed with tourists too cheap—or too smart—to pay Vegas prices. In the chaos of crying children, elderly tourist groups, and harried parents, I started cobbling together a new life.

That new life began with a place to live, which was how I’d found Bettie. She was a seventy-eight-year-old widow who lived in a big house where she’d raised four children who now lived all over the country. She was lonely and liked to rent out rooms for cheap just to have a little bit of company, and that suited me just fine.

“We’re having pasta salad today,” Bettie said, her soft voice cutting through my thoughts. “Want to make the dressing?”

I smiled and nodded. “Sure. Do you like creamy dressings or a vinaigrette?”

Bettie shrugged her delicate shoulders. “Surprise me!”

I smiled. Bettie was the grandmother I’d never had but always wanted. She was a petite firecracker of a woman with a kindly smile. We’d gotten to know each other a little over the past few days, and her presence steadied me. Made me think that maybe I could do this, rebuild my life.

Again.

I spent all day looking for work and sketching out plans for the future. I had no fucking clue how I’d work and take care of a brand new baby, especially with my limited work history. But it had to be done, which meant I had to figure it out. Alone.

I made a creamy dressing for the pasta salad and tossed it while Bettie pulled the salmon from the oven. She set two cups of fresh strawberry lemonade on the table while I set out the flatware, and minutes later we were seated at the table with a feast before us. “This looks delicious, Bettie.”

She beamed proudly and picked up her fork. “I love to cook and for the past few years I haven’t had many people to cook for.”

I frowned. “Your kids don’t visit?”

She shrugged. “They each visit two or three times a year, and I go crazy in the kitchen,” she laughed to herself. “But it’s not the same as cooking meals daily for the people you love.”

I took a big bite, savoring the flavors. “I’ll bet your family loved it. You’re a damn good cook.”

She blushed. “My Arnie loved to eat, he had such a passion for life… and for me,” she added with a conspiratorial whisper. Her eyes glazed over as if she was staring at the past. “Oh, he was a handsome devil and an outrageous flirt. Hooked me from the first wink.” She sighed as if she still saw him in her mind’s eye.

“No wonder you miss him. A man like that is a unicorn.” He loved her so good she still missed him a decade after his death.

“What about you, Raven? Do you have anybody to love you?”

I laughed, but the sound was bitter even to my own ears. “I have a brother, and there was someone… only I don’t think he felt the same.” Over the next twenty minutes, I spilled my entire ugly life story to the kind old woman who listened with wide, shocked eyes. “I’m rebuilding here,” I said, trying for stoic and failing miserably.

“Oh, you sweet girl!”

My cheeks heated and I held my face in my hands, completely humiliated. “Oh my god, Bettie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to unload all of that on you.” I shook my head and pushed away from the table. “You’re so easy to talk to and I’m, I guess I’m just emotional.”

Tears pooled in her eyes as she reached out and laid a hand over mine. “You’ve been through more than any one person should be expected to endure, and you’re still here. Still standing.”

I offered a sad smile. “Wobbling, but I’m trying to get back to standing. Your ad was just what I needed.” I didn’t tell her that it was perfect because I didn’t need a background or credit check, which would make it harder for Slate to track me down if anyone decided to come looking for me. I kind of left that bit out of my story. Along with the dead Russians…

“I’m happy to pay some of my good fortune forward, honey. You and the baby can stay here as long as you need.”

I gasped. “How… how did you?” I couldn’t finish the words, my mind raced to think of what I’d done to give away my secret. “I won’t disturb your life, I promise. I’m looking for a job so I can find a place before the baby comes.”

Bettie grinned. “I was pregnant six times in my life and gave birth to four children. I know pregnancy when I see it.”

I nodded and looked away when tears welled in my eyes.

The doorbell rang and Bettie perked right up. She loved visitors so much she’d had a thirty minute conversation with the mailman yesterday. While Bettie went to the door, I cleared the table, ready to make myself scarce, while she traded stories with someone else.

I heard her voice from the hall. “My aren’t you a tall, handsome drink of water.”

I smiled and shook my head. Guess Arnie wasn’t the only outrageous flirt.

But then I heard a familiar deep voice respond, “Now, ma’am, I’ll have you know I’m spoken for. That’s if she wants me.”

Hades.

How had he found me? My mind raced as I packed away the leftover pasta salad, ready to head up the back staircase and hide in my room when Bettie’s voice sounded behind me.

“You have a visitor. A very handsome visitor.” She moved aside as if I couldn’t see Hades’ giant, looming frame behind her.

My gaze slammed into his and my breath stopped in my chest. He was just as gorgeous as ever, but the pained look in his eyes nearly knocked my knees out from under me. Instead, I steeled myself against those soft feelings and squared my shoulders. “How did you find me?” I crossed my arms and waited.

And waited.

Hades studied me. “Did you think I was gonna let you go? Do you really think I wouldn’t look for you?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “That’s exactly what I thought.” It didn’t matter that I dreamed he might come after me, because those were just fantasies of a little girl. “What are you doing here?”

He crossed those giant arms, mirroring my defensive stance. “I’m here for you.”

I stood a little taller and rolled my eyes. “As you can see, I’m fine. Learning to stand on my own for once.”

His brows shot up and pride flashed in his eyes. A second later, his posture relaxed, his arms fell to his side and his expression softened. “You hate me now, Raven?”

I shook my head. “No,” I answered softly. “It would be a lot easier if I did.”

He got to his feet, crossing to me and trapping me against the sink between his thick arms. “Good, because I don’t hate you either. I love you, Raven. I fucking love you.”

Don’t be swayed, I told myself as my eyes slid shut. I wanted to hear those words from his mouth, but more than that I wanted those words to be true.

Hades kept going without any input from me. “I was a coward, and I’m so fucking sorry for that. Your brother is my brother, and his friendship means a lot to me, but not more than you. Nothing matters to me more than you. You never gave me a chance to explain.”

I couldn’t look at him because I knew if I did, if I saw the same emotions in his eyes that I heard in his voice, I’d crumble. I’d give in. I wanted to give in because I loved the big idiot, but I knew the truth. He felt guilty for hurting me, which was just another reason to love him. But guilt wasn’t love. “You’re here now because you talked to Falcon and he’s okay with our relationship.” It wasn’t a question.

He shook his head. “No.”

“So you didn’t talk to him?”

Hades said nothing.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I shoved his chest, but he didn’t budge because he didn’t want to.

“No,” he said, his voice firmer this time. “I told him that I was in love with you. I didn’t ask for his permission or even his fucking blessing, because I don’t care if he gives it. I’m here because this is where you are that is always where I want to fucking be, at your side.”

I closed my eyes again, trying really fucking hard to be unaffected by the words I was desperate to hear.

“That’s what I wanted to tell you. Yes, I wanted your brother to know, and I wanted him to be happy with us being together. But if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t give you up.”

He was saying everything I wanted to hear.

He continued, “I talked to him because I needed to let him know I wasn’t just fucking around with his baby sister. That it was serious.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “The truth is that I was trying to work up my courage to talk to you when Macy came freaking out because you left. You fucking ran away.” He sounded hurt and that caused another ache in my chest.

“I needed space. I needed…” I paused. “I don’t know what I need.”

“You need me and I need you,” he insisted, gripping my arms firm enough that I couldn’t walk away. “I fucking love you and I want this to work. I want to make it work so I can go to sleep with you in my arms and wake up to your smiling face the same way.”

My breath hitched, making it hard to swallow.

“I mean it,” he answered quickly, pressing his forehead to mine. “I mean every damn word.”

“I’m pregnant.” I blurted the words out before I lost my nerve. “I figured you should know. In case it changes how you feel.”

“It does,’ he said, and kissed me with the ferocity of a starving man. “I wasn’t planning on giving up on you, on us, anyway. But now, fuck, this changes everything Raven. Everything.”

“It does?”

“Fuck yeah, it does, darlin’. I want you to come live with me in my house.”

I stood open-mouthed at his request.

“There are two extra bedrooms so you don’t have to stay in my bed, though I’m hoping you will. Eventually.” His smile was so hopeful, so fucking earnest my breath got stuck in my throat.

My head was swimming at the rapid change of circumstances. I expected him to reject me and the baby, to tell me he wasn’t ready, or worse. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect him to be happy about it. My heart was screaming ‘Yes!’ but was it enough? “I need to think about it.”

“Yeah, of course,” he whispered, kissing the corners of my mouth. “Move in and think about it there. I promise to give you the space you need to decide what you want and need from me.”

“I want that…” I started. I saw the hopeful look in Hades’ face. I had to be strong, though. This was my future—our future—that was at stake. “For the last three years I’ve been hiding, running away from a past I couldn’t escape from, because even if I was out of his control, Viktor was still in my head. Now I can start to live again and think of the future. I have to think of the future for the baby’s sake. I just need some time to get my head around all the changes, and being with you or at the clubhouse, isn’t gonna let me make peace with what’s happened,” I paused, hoping he realized this wasn’t me running away, just taking a step back. “When you left the Army did you feel lost for a while?”

Hades looked thoughtful, “I guess…”

“It’s like that. It’s not that I don’t want to see you, you can come and visit me here if Bettie says it’s okay. It’s just I need a few days to decompress, okay?”

“A few days?” he asked.

“Just a few days. I’m not talking weeks or months.”

He let out a sigh. “Yeah, sweetheart. Okay, if that’s what it’s gonna take.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Hades

I understood where Raven was coming from. I really did. But the three days since I tracked her down felt like an eternity.

I know she told me she needed to decompress, but part of me worried that it was all still down to me. That maybe that one moment of hesitation would haunt me forever and cost me the future I’d just started dreaming of. So every day I turned up on the doorstep with flowers in my hand and hope in my heart.

Bettie pulled open the door with a wide, knowing smile, and a twinkle in her eye. “The good Lord must be shining down on me, gracing me with your pretty face for another day.”

“You’re looking well, Miss Bettie. These are for you,” I told her, thrusting one of the bouquets at her.

“Well, thank you. They sure don’t make ‘em like you anymore.” She stepped back and waved me inside. “Raven told me about her past and well, if you don’t mind an old woman meddling.”

“I don’t mind,” I answered quickly.

“She’s been hurt, badly. Too many times.” Bettie sighed as if she was carrying some of Raven’s pain. “I think she’s afraid to reach for what she wants. She’s worried she doesn’t deserve it. You’re not the type to run off at the first difficulty, are you?”

I shook my head. “I’m in it for the long haul.”

“I can see that. Just giving you something to think about.” She smiled sweetly and nodded to the staircase. “She’s up in her room.”

“Thank you,” I pressed a kiss to her cheek and marched up to Raven’s door. It was open but I still knocked. “Hey.”

She looked up with a soft smile. “Hey. Fancy meeting you here. Again.”

My shoulders relaxed. She seemed happy enough to see me and I relaxed, handing her the flowers. “Saw these and thought of you.”

She laughed. “You just happened upon my favorite flowers and thought of me?”

I shrugged, lips curling into a teasing smile. “Yep.”

She took them, burying her face in the floral bouquet and inhaling deeply. “Thank you.”

I looked around the room and took a seat in the plush chair beside the window rather than beside her on the bed where I really wanted to sit. “I love you, Raven. I love you and I want to be with you.” I waited until her eyes met mine. “I didn’t expect you, Raven. I mean I wanted you for a lot longer than I even admitted to myself, and then getting to know you? It moved beyond want to need and then to love.”

“Hades,” she whispered, as if she didn’t want to hear the words. But she needed to hear these.

“I know you’re worried I’m only saying this now because Falcon gave me the go ahead, but that’s not true. I was never gonna give you up and I need you to believe that. I’ve never been in love before, and from the first moment you rolled up into my life I was hooked. I guess that’s why I was always a bit of an ass with you. And in my head, I used your brother as an excuse to slow-roll shit because I was scared of how I felt and didn’t want to do anything that might fuck up the MC.”

She glanced over at me. “So, what’s changed?”

“Me,” I answered clearly, my voice firm and sure. “I’ve changed. I sat with myself and with my feelings for you, and what I wanted my future to look like, and you know what?”

“What?” That one word came out soft and gentle.

“You’re all over it, Raven. Every version of the future features you. The thought of spending the rest of my life without you is un-fucking-bearable. I’ve never been happier than I am when we’re together. Even on the run from Russians, it was the best weeks of my life.” I smiled, unable to believe I fell in love under such crazy fucking circumstances. “And now my baby is growing in your belly? I am over the goddamn moon. In love and about to be a father. I couldn’t ask for more. That’s if you still want me?”

Her cheeks flamed a beautiful shade of red as her lips tugged up at the corners. “I love you too, Hades.” Her breath hitched, tears streaming down her face faster than she could wipe them away. “I love you and it scares me.”

“Why?” I was on my feet and at her side in a moment. “Tell me, darlin’.”

“I don’t know. There have been so many changes in my life, people taken away, sometimes it feels like nothing is permanent.”

“Babe, we can never know what’s gonna happen, but I swear I’m gonna be at your side. You and our baby. You ain’t gettin’ rid of me.”

She pressed her hands to my chest, not to push me away, like she just needed to reassure herself that I was here. That I was real. “Guess you’re stuck with me, then.”

“Thank fuck,” I said a second before my mouth came crashing down over hers. I kissed her hungrily, like the starving man I was. It had been too fucking long since I held her in my arms and enjoyed the taste of her. A growl escaped as I leaned over her, pressing my chest to hers until her back was flat on the mattress. “Raven,” I whispered.

“I’m right here,” she whispered with a smile, stroking her fingertips down my face. “Waiting.”

I didn’t need her to say more, because I knew what she was waiting for. It was what we both had been waiting for, too long. “You sure?”

She nodded.

I kissed Raven with every fucking drop of love I had for her, while my hands moved possessively over her body until she was naked and panting underneath me. “You are so fucking beautiful. The ink, the scars, the curves.” I kissed every inch of her, worshipping her body until she trembled against me.

“Please,” she moaned with her head tilted back, mouth parted slightly.

I kissed a trail of heat down her chest and her belly, stopping only when I was face to face with her sweet, slick pussy. “Does she want a kiss?”

Raven nodded. “So fucking bad.”

I smiled, leaning forward until lips brushed hers, making her hips jump up. When I pressed my lips against her whole pussy and French kissed her, she cried out her pleasure. I knew what my girl liked and I loved showing her.

“Oh shit, that’s so intense,” she whispered through clenched teeth. “Fuck, Hades.”

She loved it when I feasted on her pussy, spreading her legs and pushing her hips up, serving herself up for me to feast until her heels dug into my back, until her fingers tangled in my hair, until my name was ripped from her chest.

“Yes!”

I smiled and spread her open, dragging my flat tongue over her swollen clit again and again. She was still gripped by her orgasm, my tongue drawing it out with every flick.

“Hades,” she groaned.

“I’m here, baby. Right fucking here.” I wrapped my lips around her clit and sucked hard while I dipped two fingers in her pulsing pussy until they were fully coated, pulling them out slowly before sinking them between her cheeks.

“Oh. Fuck,” she whispered as one knuckle sank deep and then two. “Wow.”

I sucked her clit and pumped into her ass, loving the wild sounds she made while she bucked back and forth, owning the pleasure at both ends. I gave her more than she needed and she took it all until her body erupted in a powerful orgasm that shook her body violently. I licked her gently until she came down.

“Holy shit, Hades. What was that?”

I gave her one last, long lick before I sat up and looked at her with a full heart and a stiff cock. “That was the beginning of forever, Raven.”

She laughed sweetly. “That’s a good start,” she said, reaching for me.

I pulled back, hating the way her smile dimmed just a bit. “Not yet,” I told her, licking two fingers on the other hand and sliding them into her still pulsing pussy. “Fuck, I love the way you feel when you clench around me. You’re already dripping down my hand,” I moaned.

“Imagine how it’ll feel when it’s your cock.”

My cock jumped at her words, but I ignored him. Down boy. Instead I leaned forward and kissed her clit while two fingers plunged deep in her pussy and two more fucked her ass. “I can’t wait to slide my cock into this dripping wet pussy.”

She squirmed, mewling greedily. “You don’t need to wait,” she pleaded.

“Oh, but I do,” I told her, kissing her clit again.

“Fuck,” she moaned, pushing herself against my mouth. “Hades!”

I smiled as I pulled back, still fucking her with my fingers. “I can’t wait to fuck you, Raven. To stretch out that sweet cunt with my cock. Even now, he’s crying to get inside you.”

She growled.

I laughed. “But the next time I slide here,” I split my fingers inside her, making her eyes roll back in her head. “And here,” I pumped deeper between her cheeks. “It’ll be at our house. In our bed.”

“No. Fair,” she grunted as her body tensed for yet another orgasm. “Fuck, Hades!” She was beautiful as she shattered around my fingers, a small smile on her lush lips.

I finger fucked her until her body went slack, melting against the mattress.

She laughed and reached for me. “You don’t play fair, but I can’t even be mad about it.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” My eyes slid closed as her nails scraped against my scalp, soothing as much as anything could in that moment.

“Let’s go home, then.”

Home.

Was there a sweeter fucking word?

Epilogue

Raven

Three Months Later

“You look happy.” Macy stood in front of me with a smile so big it almost matched my own. Almost, but not quite. I was happy. Really and truly fucking happy, and honestly? I didn’t know what to do with it. I’d never been this happy in my life and I had no clue how to navigate it.

Did I just keep living life and basking in this joy? Did I have to do regular maintenance checks or kick the relationship tires? I was operating mostly blind, but I had the best man possible by my side. My face split into a bigger grin. “I am happy,” I told her with a short laugh before leaning in. “It’s terrifying.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Yeah, it is. But it’s also pretty fucking great. Right?”

I nodded, looking around the party at the clubhouse. Loud music blared, conversations swirled all around while drinks flowed and food was piled up on two long tables. Everybody wore joyful smiles because the MC was safe. Danny was still missing, his sister hadn’t heard from him since the night everything went down. I believed her. She had no idea why he did what he did. I knew for sure if he showed his face back in Steel City he was going to regret it.

But for now, the danger was gone. That’s the thing about MC life. You had to accept the uncertainty. I knew this life was one full of danger. One threat was handled but another would crop up soon enough and we’d have to deal with it. Together. That was the key, I was learning, was that we had to handle it together.

“Yeah,” I finally answered. “It is pretty fucking great.” My heart was so full and when my gaze landed on Hades, it damn near exploded. “Really great.”

He nodded before saying something to Dagger and Pike with a smile, that incredible smile that sent a bolt of lightning through me. His gaze met mine again, full of love and heat as he crossed the patio until we stood face to face. “Hey, beautiful.”

My cheeks heated. “Hey yourself, handsome. Come here often?”

He nodded slowly. “Every chance I get. There’s a stunning brunette here and I’m working up the nerve to shoot my shot.”

I threw my head back and a loud laugh exploded out of me. “I don’t think shooting your shot is the problem.”

His smile dimmed and then a loud bark of laughter sounded louder than the music. “You ready for this?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

His chuckle was deep, and when he pulled me close and pressed his lips to my hand, the sound pulsed through my body. “I’ll be right here.”

I snuggled closer to his chest and inhaled his earthy scent. “I like having you right here.”

“No place else I wanna be.” He leaned forward, pressing his tantalizing lips to mine with a groan. “Let’s do this.”

I inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, nodding. “Let’s.”

Hades nodded to the prospect handling the music and suddenly the party was plunged into silence. “Raven and I have an announcement to make.”

“Too late,” Gio called out. “We already know you guys are together, because we, you know, have eyes.”

I laughed to myself and Hades glared at him.

“We’re not just together,” he said with that smile that was just for me. “We’re having a baby.”

There was a beat of silence and then thunderous applause, loud cheers and back smacking hugs that stole my breath. It was a relief, knowing everyone was happy for us. But as my brother approached, I held my breath.

“Pregnant.” He let the word hang in the air for a long beat, his gaze bouncing between me and Hades, and then his face split into a grin. “I’m gonna be an uncle!” The smile that lit his face was so big I couldn’t help but lunge forward and hug him tight.

“You’re gonna be an uncle.” I squeezed tight. “You’re gonna be the best uncle, even with your mouth.”

He laughed and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m happy for you, sis. If you have to be with someone, at least I know he’s a good dude and I won’t have to smash his face in if he steps out of line.” Falcon hugged me the way he used to when I was a little girl. It always made me squirm and squeal with delight, even as I tried to get away. “But if he talks to me about your sex life, I will maim him.”

“Don’t worry,” Hades added with a huff of laughter.

I buried my face in his chest and let out a loud, body shaking laugh. “Does that mean you don’t want to know about this thing he does with his—”

“I’m not listening to that shit, Raven. Not ever. Please, fuck!”

I laughed again and shoved at his chest. “I was just gonna say he’s handy with his hands. Like around the house. He put a crib together last weekend.”

“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents,” Hades said, giving his eyebrows a wiggle.

Falcon rolled his eyes at that, then they clinked their beer bottles together and shared a long gaze that said so many things, none of which I could decipher before they broke apart, and Falcon joined Viv at the bar.

Hades finished off his beer and handed it to a passing prospect before wrapping his arms around me. “Are you happy, Raven? Really and truly happy?”

I didn’t even need to think about that answer. “Absolutely! Happier than I ever thought I would be.”

“Good, because I am deliriously fucking happy with you. It’s kinda fucked, to be this happy. Right?”

I laughed. “I know, right!” I shook my head and ran my fingers through his hair. “I thought it was just me.”

“Nope.” He pressed a kiss to my lips that was soft at first but grew more heated with every swipe of his tongue.

It was crazy, just how quickly he made me lose my mind and forget myself. When my man pulled back with a grunt, I was dizzy and smiling. “I am disgustingly happy with you.”

He laughed, holding me close to whisper in my ear. “You sure you don’t want to be out in the world, now that you’re free to go anywhere you want?”

I shook my head. “I’m beyond sure. Right here with you is exactly where I want to be.” I hooked my fingertips into his waistband and stared deep into his eyes. “All my life, all I wanted is this. Someone who saw all of my ugly parts and my crazy parts, and who still wants to be here at my side.”

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead. “Babe, trust me when I tell you that you don’t have any ugly parts. I’ll have a word with anyone who disagrees with me. Just point them out.”

“My own personal bodyguard, huh?”

“Damn straight, darlin’.” He hugged me tight before pulling back to kiss the tip of my nose. “I’m fond as fuck of this body and I will guard it with my life for as long as I have breath in my fucking lungs.”

A tear slipped down my cheek and I gripped his face. “My little romantic.”

“And I can’t wait to see you round with our baby.”

I couldn’t wait to see that either. I never imagined that I’d get my own happily ever after. This man stood by me while I fought my demons—literal and physical—and somehow still managed to find love. It wasn’t a perfect life or a perfect love, but it was mine. It was a love that found me despite all the fucked up twists and turns life had tossed in front of me, and it was a love I would fight for, tooth and fucking nail.

I’d protect this life, this man, and our baby, with my whole life.

If that’s what it took.

“I love you.”

His gaze darkened and his grip tightened on my hips. “I love you too, more than I knew I could love a person. You know, I’m never giving you up, right?”

“Good,” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Because you don’t want to know what I’ll do if you try.”

“It’s really fucking hot to see you jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” I insisted with a smile that was almost a laugh. “I’m just telling you that you’re mine and I’m keeping you.”

Hades let out a low growl. “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

It was the easiest promise I ever made.

THE END

Hope you enjoyed the book!

The next book in the Steel Demons MC series is  Grim

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Also by Sarina Hart 

“Steel Demons MC ”Series:

Diesel (Book 1)

Rocky (Book 2)

Maverick (Book 3)

Hawk (Book 4)

Slate (Book 5)

Gio (Book 6)

Hollywood (Book 7)

Sniper (Book 8)

Rebel (Book 9)

Dagger (Book 10)

T-Bone (Book 11)

Pike (Book 12)

Falcon (Book 13)

Sledge (Book 14)

Vandal (Book 15)

Hades (Book 16)

Grim (Book 17)

Satan's Angels MC “Series: (Lily L. James)

Tyrant

Raiden

Gunner

Crow

Bullet

Security Romances:

“Griffin Security & Protection” Series:

The Hunted Surrogate (Book 1)

The Protected Secret (Book 2)

The Unknown Child (Book 3)

The Forbidden Code (Book 4)

Mafia Romances:

Wicked Arrangement: A Russian Mafia Romance

Cruel Bet: A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

Echoes of Sin: A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

Devil’s Retribution: A Russian Mafia Romance

Stolen Innocence: A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

Surprise Quadruplets for the Mob A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

Forbidden Bloodline A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

The Mob's Secret Twins: A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

The Mob's Stolen Baby: A Secret Baby Russian Mafia Romance

Hunted by the Mob Boss: A Russian Mafia Romance Standalone

“Deadly Empire” Russian Mafia Romance Duet:

Heir for the Bratva King (Book 1)

Queen for the Bratva King (Book 2)

About the Author

An author of captivating and addictive bad boy romance tales, Sarina Hart writes books filled with intrigue, danger, and hot-blooded anti-heros.   

An avid biker, Sarina, used to go for the bad boys - until her geeky Prince Charming swept her off her Harley Davidson. They now reside in Silicon Valley where her husband builds his digital empire out of their garage while Sarina creates kingdoms full of dark and twisted characters in her books - all while raising her twin daughters and tending to a truckload full of foster cats.

If you'd like to be notified of updates, teasers, and promotions, subscribe to Sarina’s newsletter