Chapter 11
ALANNA
The only time I’d been at the Redline Kings compound, the clubhouse was strung with white lights and filled with laughter and champagne.
Now, the space was stripped back to its usual state, looking more like what I’d expected from a motorcycle club with its brown leather couches and chairs and flat-screen televisions.
The rumble of conversation dimmed as we stepped inside. Eyes turned our way—some curious, others concerned. A few of the guys I recognized from the wedding nodded or murmured hello.
“Glad to see you again, Alanna.” Rev lifted his drink in greeting from his seat near the pool table. “Didn’t think we’d see the maid of honor back this soon, with your brother still off playing newlywed and all.”
The teasing warmth in his voice made the tension in my shoulders ease a little. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to be here either.”
Chance stayed close, his hand firm at the small of my back as he steered me through the room.
“Hey, Alanna.” Edge leaned against the long bar built from reclaimed lumber, arms crossed. His gaze flicked from me to Drift and back again. “You good?”
“Getting there,” I replied, managing a shaky smile.
“Good.” His gaze shifted to Chance. “My brother’s waiting for you two in his office.”
“Headed there now,” Chance confirmed.
I probably should’ve felt self-conscious under the attention, but mostly I felt…anchored. Every step deeper into the clubhouse took me farther from the echo of Ethan’s voice.
A few more familiar faces offered quick smiles or quiet heys, but no one pushed for details as Chance led me past the long bar and down a hall I hadn’t explored during the wedding. The low hum of conversation faded behind us, replaced by the steady thump of my pulse.
I swallowed hard. “They’re all being really nice.”
“They know who you are.” His voice was gravel and warmth all tangled together. “You’re family here, baby.”
That word landed deep. Family.
It wasn’t one I’d heard much lately without it being followed by disappointment or judgment.
Before I could say anything, we stopped outside a closed door. A deep rumble carried through it, followed by a voice I recognized from years of listening in on my brother’s calls.
Chance knocked once, then opened the door and guided me inside.
Kane sat behind a massive desk, glancing up from the laptop in front of him. Calm and steady—that was my first impression. The second was the quiet power that filled the room without him moving a muscle.
He leaned back, assessing me with the same careful look he probably gave every man who walked through his door. Then his mouth curved into a faint smile.
“Good to see you again, Alanna. Sorry we didn’t get much time to talk at the wedding. I almost didn’t recognize you.” A faint grin tugged at his mouth. “Last time we saw each other, you had knobby knees and a mouth full of braces.”
Despite everything, a startled laugh escaped me. “That was at least a few years ago. I’ve changed a lot since then.”
“Guess so,” he agreed, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Not so little anymore.”
I couldn’t stop the warmth that crept up my neck. If only Chance would notice that.
Kane gestured toward the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat. You look like you could use a minute.”
“Thanks.” My legs didn’t stop trembling until I sank onto the chair.
He studied me for another heartbeat, then asked, “Still keeping your brother out of trouble?”
That was the same thing he’d said to me at the wedding reception—right before Jaxton had shot back that keeping him out of trouble was a full-time job. The memory pulled a smile from me despite the knot of tension still coiled tight in my stomach. “I try.”
“Sure you do,” Jaxton rumbled from the computer. Kane shifted his laptop so I could see the screen, and my brother’s expression was all sharp edges and fury until his gaze landed on me. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’m good.”
“You hurt?”
I shook my head.
“Did he touch you?”
I shook my head quickly. “Not like that.”
Relief flashed across his features, but only for a second before the anger returned. “You want to tell me what the hell is going on? And why I’m only hearing about it now?”
The edge in his tone made me shrink back in my chair, but Chance’s hand settled on my shoulder—a steady weight that grounded me more than it probably should have, given everything between us.
Kane lifted a hand in quiet warning. “Easy, Jax. She’s safe now.”
Jaxton blew out a harsh breath, rubbing a hand over his face. “Doesn’t mean I’m not pissed.”
I swallowed hard, bracing myself to explain everything I’d been too stubborn to tell him before tonight.
I laced my fingers together in my lap, willing myself to stay calm. “It was just a misunderstanding. A classmate who got a little too pushy about our project timeline. I think it’s all—”
Chance’s voice cut through mine like a blade. “Bullshit.”
My head snapped toward him. His voice was low and controlled, but every word vibrated with fury.
“It wasn’t a misunderstanding. He’s been harassing her for a while now.
A fuck ton of calls and texts, and he showed up uninvited to her apartment tonight when she didn’t give him the address. Grabbed her wrist.”
The air in the room grew heavy.
“He what?” Jaxton’s jaw ticked once on the screen. “You said he didn’t touch you.”
I swallowed hard. “He didn’t hurt me. It just—”
Chance cut me another look, sharp enough to silence me. He reached out, tracing a finger over the faint bruise on my wrist. The contact sent a shiver through me. “No ‘just’ about it. He dared to lay his hands on you.”
Kane leaned back slowly, folding his arms. “You mentioned texts. How bad are we talking?”
Chance didn’t hesitate. “Obsessive. Possessive. He’s watching her, or at least trying to. The guy’s spiraling.”
That was when I noticed the way both Kane and Jaxton were looking at him. Like they’d just realized something important.
I finally caught on to the implication of what he’d just told them. “I didn’t show those messages to you.”
Jaxton narrowed his eyes. “How exactly do you know what they said?”
Chance didn’t flinch. “Doesn’t matter right now. What matters is he’s stepping it up.”
A long silence stretched between the three men, taut and dangerous. Then my brother exhaled slowly, his expression hardening into something all business.
“Fine. We’ll handle the kid.” He leaned closer to the camera, his eyes hard. “But we’re not done talking about this, Drift.”
“Didn’t think we were,” Chance muttered.
My brother’s tone gentled for me. “Get some rest, Alanna. I’ll call in the morning.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Talk soon, Drift,” Jaxton warned.
Chance didn’t respond—just stood there with his eyes locked on the screen until Jaxton disconnected the video call.
That was when it hit me…whatever line he’d crossed to protect me tonight, he wasn’t planning to step back from it. I just didn’t know if I was reading too much into it.
Kane’s voice broke the silence first. “You’ve had enough for one night. Get some rest, Alanna. There’s a spare room you can use.”
I nodded, my throat too tight for words.
Chance started to move beside me, but Kane’s gaze cut to him—one sharp look that said more than any words could. I didn’t understand the meaning behind it, but whatever message passed between them made Chance nod.
“Come on,” he finally murmured, his tone softer now. “I’ll show you where it is.”
He led me down a narrow hallway lined with closed doors.
When we reached the last one, he opened it and stepped aside for me to enter.
“You’re safe here. No one gets through that door without going through me first. And they’d have a hell of a time getting this far with my brothers in the clubhouse. ”
I managed a small smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Thank you.”
He hesitated like he wanted to say more, but instead, he just nodded and turned away, his footsteps fading down the hall.
I stood there for a moment, the silence pressing in before I closed the door and leaned back against it, squeezing my eyes shut. I wished Chance hadn’t left me alone. Or had at least given me a sign that he wanted to stay.
Opening my eyes again, I took in the room.
It was furnished simply—just a neatly made bed, a dresser, a bedside table, and a small lamp casting warm light across the dark wood floors.
It should’ve felt impersonal, but instead, the space felt like safety.
As if it still held the echo of the man who’d just left.
I crawled under the blanket, exhaustion creeping in even though my mind refused to slow. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Ethan’s voice. Saw the fury in Chance’s. Felt the weight of everything that had changed tonight.
The clubhouse was quiet now, but I could still hear the faint rumble of bikes outside. And I didn’t feel quite so alone.