1. Harper
HARPER
“That woman just tried to fucking shoot us!” I screamed as I was dragged out of the restaurant.
Today was supposed to be all about relaxing and pretending I hadn’t almost died last night.
Only that was blown all to hell within moments as our waitress and another stranger tried to kill my best friend.
I didn’t get the sense they planned to let me or the others at the table live either, but thankfully, Dax was fast on her feet and tossed me out of the way.
Finding out your best friend was also one of the most feared crime lords of the West Coast had turned my life upside-down.
Granted, it had only been a day, if that, since I discovered this bit of news.
I went from being a fashion designer with a quirky best friend to a fugitive on the run, forced to stick with a group of sexy assassins and a biker chick named Tilly from the Phantom Saints MC.
While I was by no means a fighter, I wasn’t one to turn my back on my best friend, who was practically a sister to me.
Getting the hell out of the restaurant was priority number one, but I realized I was being dragged further and further away from the pier.
Looking around wildly, I found Tilly and the other two guys but no Dax.
Digging my feet into the sand, I tried to slow down the sexy triplet who had a firm grip on my arm.
“We have to go back,” I demanded. “You assholes left Dax behind to fend for herself! What kind of friend does that?”
Magnus turned on me and gripped my chin, locking me in place with his hazel eyes. “She asked us to get you somewhere safe, and that’s what we’re damn well trying to do. Dax can handle herself just fine, but not if she is worrying about you.”
“How is she going to get out of there? What if the cops get called? Tilly’s the one who drove us,” I blurted, pointing at the woman. My mind wasn’t coping with everything that was going on right now. “What if she gets hurt, and I left her?”
Magnus growled but turned to Jaxson. “Get the keys from Tilly and head back to Dax. Tell her we are implementing plan Smoke and will contact when it’s safe.”
Without hesitation, Tilly tossed him the keys, and Jaxson darted off, back in the direction we came.
Ghost came up beside us, his chest heaving, a frown creasing his brow.
“Why did we stop? We need to get out of here. Those were the Priest’s kids, meaning he’s still out there,” he explained, turning his frown on me, clearly upset I wasn’t following what he’d just said.
“Harper, we need to get you to the Hummer. It’s bulletproof.
You’ll be safe there no matter who’s after you. ”
I looked between the two men I’d known for all of an afternoon. They were asking me to trust they would keep me safe when Dax was the only person I’d ever believed could do that. My mind raced at what to do next, but I froze, unable to speak or even think clearly about this situation.
Magnus nodded to Ghost, and the next thing I knew, I was hoisted over Ghost’s shoulder, face smacking into his ass. Damn, what a firm ass it was. Then they were off running, which was when my mind finally caught up to what was happening.
“Put me the fuck down, or I’m going to punch you in the dick!” I yelled.
A firm slap descended on my ass, making me yelp in surprise. “Enough, Harper, let us get you safe, then you can yell at me all you want. The last thing we need is to draw the cops’ attention with your yelling.”
While I wasn’t at all pleased by how this was turning out, I couldn’t argue his logic.
When shit went down, I froze, and if someone was really after us, I didn’t want to die.
There was still too much I wanted to do in this life, and getting taken out at the beach wasn’t on the list. I placed my hands on his ass and pushed up slightly so I wasn’t smashing into him as he ran, trying to ignore the looks people were giving us.
Hell, this was LA, like they hadn’t seen stranger things before.
When we reached the blacked-out Hummer, Magnus already had the door open for Ghost to hop right in with me. Tilly was right behind us, closing the door as Magnus got the car running.
“I should have fucking known this day wouldn't go as planned. First, she calls in a helicopter as a distraction. Then assassins show up to hit on her best friend. Why wouldn’t the day end with someone trying to kill us all?” Tilly muttered as she buckled herself in the back seat.
“Just know that if I don’t get returned in the same condition I left, my husbands…
yes, you heard me right with an S, will be fucking pissed. ”
Magnus and Ghost looked at her like she was overreacting, but I was right there with her. The events of the day started so normal. Now, it was chaos.
“Tilly, I’m sorry this day has gone to shit for you, but we’re going to drop you off at the meet point in perfect condition.
Dax should be along soon enough to take you back home.
Right now, we need to grab Jaxson and get the hell out of here before that plan changes,” Magnus shared, throwing the Hummer into gear.
Ghost plunked me down in the seat next to me, then buckled me in like I was a child. “I can do that myself, thank you very much,” I snapped, shoving his hands away. “Also, what do you mean you’re going to drop Tilly off? I’m going back with both of them to the compound.”
A hand gently wrapped around my jaw, turning me to meet a pair of green eyes. “Sorry, angel, but you’re not going back to Dax until all this is over. It’s too dangerous for you to be out there on your own with no idea how to protect yourself.”
“Oh, so you think I’m just going to leave with you? Three mysterious strangers who are known assassins?” I spat, furious they thought they could just decide for me. “Yeah, and you say I have no self-preservation skills. Well, allow me to prove you wrong as I exit this vehicle with Tilly.”
A thumb stroked along my skin as Ghost bit his lower lip. “God, you are so sexy when you’re pissed.”
My brows shot up as the tires squealed while Magnus peeled out of the parking spot.
He didn't slow down when we came to the spiral ramp leading us to the lower level to leave.
Instead, he whipped around the steering wheel as if he were a driver from the Fast and Furious movies.
I let out a scream as I felt the car shift like it was almost tipping on its side as we hugged the inside curve of the road down.
“Oh my God, you’re going to get us killed!” I yelled, clinging to the oh-shit handle above my head.
Ghost laughed at me as he reclined next to me like nothing could possibly be going wrong.
Tilly didn’t seem all that bothered either, her face blank, but her eyes were bright with determination.
Was this what everyday life in the criminal world was like?
Please let the answer be no, or I’m not sure I could survive this new direction my life has gone.
Magnus didn’t even try to slow down as we came rocketing out of the parking garage into ongoing traffic as horns blared and tires went up in smoke as they slammed to a stop.
“I thought the goal was to keep me alive! Right now, all I’m seeing are new ways I am going to die in a slow and painful death,” I whined as I tried to keep from going into a full-blown panic attack.
This was too soon after everything that happened at my house last night.
I’d been yanked out of my bed, tied up in my own home, and held at gunpoint.
If Dax hadn’t come to get me, they would have taken me back to their base in Nevada, never to be seen or heard from again.
What was happening now was too similar. Even if they didn’t intend me harm, none of this was happening with my consent.
“Ghost, I think Harper is going to need something to help her relax. She looks like she’s about to snap,” Magnus commented, his voice cool and calm like he wasn’t in a high-speed chase in LA.
Ghost let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’d been hoping we didn’t need to go that route, but it seems it might be the least stressful thing for her.”
“I’m right fucking here! What the hell are you two talking about?” I demanded.
I didn’t get my answer right away, seeing as we jerked to a halt and the front passenger side door opened. Jaxson appeared and gave me a wink as he put on his seat belt. “Mag, why does Harper look like she’s about to puke?”
“Because your brother drives like a maniac,” I answered in a shrill voice.
He looked back at me with a surprised expression. “Things are going well, I see. We thinking it’s time for a cocktail?”
“Just suggested it, but then I spotted you,” Magnus explained. “Dax good on the plan?”
“Yup, I have a feeling she is gonna take the long way to make sure no one is tailing her. The Priest isn’t someone I’d like to fuck with after killing both his kids. Man’s fucked in the head, but they mean everything to him,” Jaxson said as he rummaged through a duffle bag at his feet.
He pulled out a small glass bottle and started to shake it. Then I noticed the sealed syringe resting on his thigh. “What are you doing with that? Did you get hurt?”
“No, I’m fine, but I have to say I truly love that you care so much already if I were wounded.
You have such a big heart. People don’t see it since they have to look past the outward appearance, and damn, is that hard to do with how good it looks.
That’s how you know if they are really into you, you know?
They have to look through the bangin’ body, lush hair, and blue eyes that could stop a truck to see the real you,” Jaxson rambled as he unwrapped the syringe and filled it with whatever was in the small glass bottle.
“What are you even saying right now?” I asked, feeling like he was talking gibberish to me.
We pulled up to a stop light, and Jaxson reached out and took my hand as he held my gaze.
“I just want you to know that no matter what happens in this moment, you might not know us from Adam, but we know everything about you. We will make sure you get through this alive and come out the other side glad all this happened.”
Something about what he was saying made me tense up, unwilling to break eye contact with him.
That was my second mistake, the first being I thought I could trust these men.
The second was not keeping an eye on what the other brother was doing next to me.
I felt the needle pierce the skin of my neck and realized he’d handed it over to Ghost while he’d been holding onto me.
“Bastards, wait till I tell Dax about this.” I snarled as whatever they gave me flooded my system, and the world started to go dark.
“Sleep, angel. When you wake up, you’ll be safe where no one can find us… not even Two Tricks.”