Chapter Fourteen
Jed was outside my door on Sunday afternoon at two-twelve.
We were naked by two-fifteen.
When we grew hungry, we ordered dinner in, neither of us in the mood to get dressed. We spent our time together lounging, having sex, and talking. It was one of the most enjoyable Sundays of my life.
Monday dawned, and I was sated, happy, energized, and ready to face the day.
Though, getting out the door was proving to be a challenge.
“Papi,” I laughed as I tried not to poke myself in the eye with my mascara wand.
I was in my underwear, standing at the bathroom sink, a portable mirror in my opposite hand. The wall mirror was too fogged up from the steam of our showers. Jed had just gotten out and was still wet as he stood behind me and slid his big hands down the bare skin of my sides, the feel of his callouses giving me goosebumps.
“You’re going to make me late. Go get dressed.”
He didn’t go get dressed. Instead, he pressed a kiss against my shoulder and asked, “You givin’ your notice today?”
Sobering a little, I looked back at him and replied, “Maybe. Might not be until tomorrow. I haven’t written my letter yet.”
“Any idea where you plan on settin’ up shop? How much collateral do you need for somethin’ like that?”
“Oh, gosh, I don’t know, actually. I haven’t even begun to think about an office space. Until a week ago, I thought I had years to figure all of that out. But I don’t have to rush it. I’ll get my head wrapped around the Stallions and I’ll go from there, I suppose.”
“Alright. When you’re ready to go down that road, you say the word. I know a real estate agent who can help.”
I felt a weightlessness at his words. But this time, it wasn’t on the inside—it was on the outside, like he lifted a burden I didn’t even know I was carrying from off my shoulders.
“Thanks, papi,” I murmured.
He responded with a kiss. Then, still close enough for me to feel his breath against my lips, he smacked the side of my bum and muttered, “Best hurry up, or you’ll be late.”
I shook my head at him, and he winked at me as he left to go get dressed. I saw I was grinning when I lifted my mirror to finish my makeup.
As I considered my reflection, I decided falling in love looked kind of good on me.
I was only five minutes behind schedule when Jed and I parted ways with the promise of seeing each other later. Since Steel Mustang was closed on Mondays, and he wasn’t on dad duty, we planned on meeting back at my place as soon as I was done with work. I made the case that his house was better, but he countered by pointing out him staying the night required a lot less packing.
He wasn’t wrong, so I’d see him at my apartment at six o’clock.
My Monday turned out to be a typical one—just busier, since I spent my Sunday evening having sex rather than getting ahead on work. I barely had the chance to draft my resignation letter, which meant I’d have to polish it at some point before I found sleep so I could hand it in the next day.
But I wasn’t bothered by this.
In fact, nothing bothered me the entire day.
I was in the greatest mood, still buzzed from my Jed-high.
It was five-thirty when I left the office. I was walking across the parking lot, typing out a text for Jed, when an SUV screeched to a halt in front of me. I stopped short, irate at the carelessness of the driver, and then—the next thing I knew—I felt terror in the form of a gun pressed against my spine.
“You scream, and you’ll regret it,” he said, plucking my phone from my grasp.
The back passenger door opened, and a familiar face appeared. It was one of Rocco’s cronies. The scary one. Only, unlike the previous times I saw him, he was sporting a black eye—or what was probably a black eye a few days ago. I also noticed he had a splint on his wrist.
He didn’t look any happier to see me than I was to see him.
“Get in,” said the man at my back, increasing the pressure of the barrel against my spine.
“Okay, okay!” I muttered as I did what I was told.
As soon as I sat, the door closed after me, and the guy with the gun climbed into the front passenger seat. Relieved as I was to no longer have a weapon pointed at me, I was still shaking as we pulled out of the parking lot. I opened my mouth to ask where I was being taken, but I didn’t get a word out before I had a hood thrown over my head.
That was an answer in and of itself.
This was really happening. Again .
At least I hadn’t been shoved into a trunk.
I hadn’t spoken to Alejo since the last time I was kidnapped, and no one had heard from him since he ransacked the house looking for cash. Bella was keeping tabs on him via Felix, so we knew he was alive—but this? This meant he was alive but still making stupidly selfish life choices. I couldn’t explain it any other way.
My mind raced as I sat there, speaking not a word. I wondered how I was going to get out of it this time—whatever it was. I hadn’t even been warned or beckoned or whatever. The only thing that kept me marginally calm was the fact that Jed was expecting to see me in thirty minutes. He would know soon enough something was wrong. He would come for me. I knew he would.
The car ride lasted fifteen minutes, maybe longer. I knew we reached our destination when we stopped, and the driver cut the engine. I swiveled my head from side to side. While I couldn’t see anything, I was trying to listen for any sound that might have given me a clue as to where I was.
My door opened, and one of the guys took hold of my arm.
The sound of neighing horses hit my ears, and I frowned in confusion as I stumbled out of the SUV. From the smell of it, we weren’t in town or anywhere close.
I was escorted away from the vehicle and into a building. I could tell by the way the click of my heels changed once inside. Then I was shoved down onto a seat. I was on the verge of ripping the hood off my head when someone else did it for me. I looked around and realized I was seated in the middle of a horse stable.
“Alexia Torres.”
I jerked my gaze toward his voice, and there he was—Rocco, with a smug look on his face.
“Was the hood really necessary?”
I glanced to my right and saw an older, white male exiting one of the stalls. Unlike Rocco, he was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt underneath a quarter-zip. He had a brush in his hand, the kind used to groom horses.
“Inside joke,” jeered Rocco, addressing the horse groomer.
“What is going on?” I asked, no longer able to hold my tongue. “What am I doing here? And who are you?”
“I thought we should have a chat,” he said nonchalantly, as if I hadn’t been brought wherever I was completely against my will. “I didn’t know Rocco would be so dramatic about it. I apologize for the hood.”
“The hood? You apologize for the hood? ” I asked incredulously. “I had a gun to my back. That’s not dramatic, that’s insane! Who are you? What do you want?”
He came to stand in front of me and folded his arms across his chest.
“I’m Fred Hoffman, the Wild Stallions’ general counsel.”
I gapped at him, at a loss for words, not having expected that.
“Wh—what?” I stammered.
“It’s come to my attention the Stallions have recently procured your services. I’d like to know, what is your involvement with them?”
I looked from Fred to Rocco and then back again.
“This isn’t about Alejandro?”
“No,” Fred clipped. “It’s about you providing legal services for my employer. Services of which I am not aware.”
“What I do for my clients is none of your business. And, quite frankly, from what I know about them, I don’t think any of the Stallions will be too pleased to hear you have kidnapped me for this little chat ,” I stated confidently. “If you have questions about why they’re working with me, why don’t you just ask them?”
“I’ve been working for the Stallions for more than twenty years. I’ve never had to worry about competition. Don’t quite know what they see in you, other than a pretty face. I’ve been at this almost as long as you’ve been alive. And yet, here we are,” he said, not at all answering my question.
“Preferred it when Scorpion was running the show, but the glory days never last forever. Bull can be a fucking prick. The fact that you’re sitting here is proof. But they aren’t the only ones who help me pay for all this.” He paused and looked around before he continued. “If they’re double dipping, then so must I.”
It was like he was speaking in riddles.
“What?”
“Hoffman and I—we report to the same guy. I know you know that guy expects results, or else,” answered Rocco.
I coughed out a startled, humorless laugh as I stared wide-eyed at Fred. “I’m sorry…you’re telling me you’re in cahoots with the drug cartel, and you’re somehow surprised the Stallions don’t trust you?”
“So long as the Wild Stallions stay in their lane, there will be no trouble. The deal I have with the cartel is not a betrayal. It’s business . But it requires me to be in the know—and right now, I’m on the outside and you’re not.”
I shook my head at him, deciding I didn’t like Fred Hoffman. Not merely because he forced me at gunpoint to meet with him, but also because his integrity was worthless.
“You should know, as well as any lawyer, what I discuss with my clients is confidential. I won’t tell you anything.”
“Here’s how this is going to go,” he replied, his voice pitched low, his face suddenly a mask of anger inches from mine. “You have two choices: respectfully drop any and all Stallions as clients and walk away; say nothing, and we’ll pretend none of this ever happened. Or cooperate with us. I have no interest in making you a middle-man, but I haven’t been left with much of a choice. I’m paid for information—but you are currently a bottle neck that’s stopped up. I’ll cut you in, five percent. It’s perfectly fair.”
I jerked my head back, aghast.
Partly because he thought I was such an idiot that I’d consider five percent of anything fair, but mostly because he thought I was just flat out stupid.
“I’m not a dirty lawyer. I respectfully decline your offer. Now, can I have my phone? I’d like to leave.”
Fred grimaced.
“Seems I forgot to mention there’s a third option,” he said, returning to full height. “It’s the default choice, should you decide to discard your other two. If you remain a problem, I’ll get rid of you.”
At this, Rocco barked out a laugh and said, “And he thought I was dramatic.”
“Is this a joke?” I murmured, my bravado gone as if it never existed.
The memory of a gun at my back was so strong, I could almost feel it.
“No, my dear, it’s not. The world is full of pretty faces. It won’t miss yours. I’ll give you twenty-four hours to decide.” Jerking his chin, he instructed the men behind me, “Start the clock. Take her back.” Then he said, “I’m sure you can figure out how to reach me,” before he disappeared into the stall from which he’d come.
Rocco’s men did Fred’s bidding. The one with the gun took hold of my arm and forced me to my feet. I didn’t need encouragement to follow him. Glancing back over my shoulder, I looked at Rocco who stood there watching me, his hands tucked casually into his pant pockets. I didn’t know what I expected him to do, but he didn’t do or say anything. He called Fred dramatic, but he didn’t overrule him. His threat met no resistance.
I couldn’t stop hearing what he said to me.
‘If you remain a problem, I’ll get rid of you .’
It played on a loop in my head as the cronies took me back to the office.
They didn’t bother with the hood, but now I found no comfort in that.
‘If you remain a problem, I’ll get rid of you .’
I knew it was too good to be true. Jed. The Stallions. My future.
I wasn’t life’s victim, and I didn’t have the luxury of wallowing—but it couldn’t be denied, life had a way of being cruel.
That morning, I was on top of the world.
Now, I had a target on my back.
‘The world is full of pretty faces. It won’t miss yours .’
Fred Hoffman didn’t know he was about to be sacked and replaced by me.
He didn’t know kidnapping me made getting rid of him so much easier.
He didn’t know—and yet he ruined it all anyway.
‘If you remain a problem, I’ll get rid of you .’
I was ready to leave Williams, Pritchard and Pratt. I wanted to start a new chapter. I wanted to venture out on my own—but I didn’t actually want to die trying.
I didn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t betray the Stallions or my integrity. The idea of being cut in was repulsive. But the thought of walking away and saying nothing wasn’t an option either. It would have been just as much of a betrayal—to the Stallions. To Jed. To myself.
I replayed our conversation from the beginning, and I tried to piece together what he knew.
Rocco had seen Jed at my office. And I had not one, but four Stallions come to my rescue the night he’d taken me to that storage unit. Fred must have learned all of this and grown suspicious—but he couldn’t have known I wasn’t just working for the Stallions.
Even if I told the club I was done, it wouldn’t be as cut and dry as Fred thought it was. If he’d known that, he probably wouldn’t have been short-sighted enough to kidnap me for our little chat .
But his ignorance made things worse, not better.
‘ If you remain a problem, I’ll get rid of you .’
He gave me three choices, but I really didn’t have any .
My head was spinning.
I’d been kidnapped twice in the span of two weeks.
Now, it wasn’t my brother who had brought trouble to my doorstep, it was me.
And this time, it came complete with a death threat.
How had this become my life?
“Make him stop calling,” grumbled the man from the front seat.
I looked up from my lap and saw him holding out my phone. I took it right away. It was still buzzing, Jed trying to reach me.
I knew I couldn’t pick up. I wouldn’t be able to keep it out of my voice. The truth. So, I waited until the call rang through to voicemail, and then I opened our text thread.
So sorry. Lost track of time. Be there soon.
I hated lying to him, even via text. Though, it wasn’t all a lie.
I would be there soon. I hoped.
It was six-thirty when I was returned to the parking lot at the office. I was quick to get behind the wheel of my car and lock myself inside, but it took me a moment to start the engine. Sixty minutes earlier, everything was so clear. Now I was at a total loss for clarity.
My phone buzzed with a text alert, and I didn’t need to look to know it was Jed.
It was time to go home.
Autopilot got me there, my thoughts adrift as I drove. I barely had a chance to push the button to kill the ignition before Jed was at my door, opening it. I screamed, not having seen him, and the startled look on his face made me feel unhinged.
“Sorry. I’m sorry. You scared me.”
“Lex, what’s wrong?”
“Um, can we just go inside?” I asked, moving to step out of my car.
He gave me room, but only just enough to stand. He then took my hand, pulled me out of the way, shut my door, and started for my unit.
He let me go when we reached my door so I could free my locks, waiting until we were inside before he repeated his question.
“Lex, what’s wrong?”
My back was to him, and I wanted to turn and look into his eyes, but my emotions had caught up with me. I knew if I saw him, I wouldn’t be able to hold it together.
“Um,” I managed, trying to swallow the knot in my throat. “So, I met Fred Hoffman today. It’s why I was late.”
“Darlin’, look at me.”
I shook my head and kept going. “A couple of Rocco’s guys, they picked me up, gave me a ride. Couldn’t tell you where we went—although, they didn’t put me in the trunk this time, so that was nice. And there were horses. It didn’t seem like a ranch, but maybe it was. I don’t know. I really should learn to pay more attention when kidnapped.”
“Damnit, darlin’, look at me .”
“I can’t,” I breathed.
“Alexia—”
“I don’t—I don’t know what to do. Any way I look at it, there’s trouble. And I can’t fix it. I can’t fix anything . And I’m so tired of trying to keep it together all the time. For the love of God, can I not just be happy?”
When Jed got sick of waiting for me to turn around, he came to stand in front of me. Taking hold of my arms, his gaze found mine as he asked, “Lex, darlin’, what the fuck is goin’ on?”
That’s when I burst into tears.
“I think maybe you should go,” I squeaked.
“Like hell.”
“I’m a magnet for trouble. And the happier I am, the bigger the trouble, so—it’s probably best if we just quit before I’m totally in love with you.”
“Lex, I’m not goin’ anywhere. Tell me what the fuck happened?”
“Jed, I—”
He grabbed my jaw, holding my chin firmly as he got in my face and said, “I’ve known you three weeks, and you’ve already got me wrapped so tight around your little finger, it’s a wonder I’ve still got balls to speak of. I take what you said to mean I make you happy, and I’m glad to hear it, darlin’, cause I’m not goin’ anywhere.
“I’m also gatherin’ Borrero took my woman for another ride today, and that pisses me right the fuck off. Hearin’ Hoffman had somethin’ to do with it doesn’t calm me down one bit. But I’m gonna need you to stop cryin’, gorgeous, and quit tryin’ to get me to leave, cause when I do, you’re goin’ with me—but I’d like to have the facts before we go. So, Lex—what happened? ”
My knees went weak, and I had to grab hold of his kutte to keep myself from falling into him. I don’t know which part of what he said made me stop crying, but I was able to draw in a breath and nod my understanding.
“I don’t think Rocco is Fred’s client. He said they work for the same guy and that whoever it is expects results or information or whatever—information on the Wild Stallions. He said, um, something about if you stay in your lane and how it’s not a betrayal, just business. But he wanted—he wanted me to tell him what business I had with the Stallions.” I hiccupped, still trying to calm down. “And when I said I wouldn’t tell him anything, he said I had three options. Stop working for you, keep working for you but funnel him information, or—or—he said—Jed, he said if I remained a problem, he’d get rid of me.”
My tears came back, but I kept going anyway.
“He gave me twenty-four hours to make up my mind, and if I don’t—the third option is the default. And I want this. I want you and the job and the chance to hang my own shingle, but I can’t hang my own shingle if I’m dead !”
“Fuck,” Jed muttered, pulling me into his chest.
I closed my eyes as I rested myself in his hold, and I remembered the first time he took my hand. I’d felt so safe. Safer than I ever felt. He’d been my Prince Charming then; and as he held me, absorbing my fear, I acknowledged he was now, too.
It wasn’t until he spoke next that I realized he pulled out his phone.
“We need to round table, right fuckin’ now.”
I shifted so I could look up at him while he listened to whomever was speaking on the other end of the line. I had a pretty good guess what that meant. The table in the conference room at the clubhouse was round.
“Hoffman,” was Jed’s short reply.
Not two seconds later, he disconnected the call without a word of goodbye.
“Clothes. Change ‘em. We’re ridin’,” he told me.
I hesitated, wanting to ask questions, but the look in his eyes made me change my mind. I hurried to my bedroom, drying my cheeks as I went.
Not much thought went into my outfit. In under two minutes, I was headed back to the living room in jeans, a gray tee-shirt, and black ankle booties. Jed held out his hand, I took it, and we were out the door.
Fifteen minutes later, I was trying to keep up with his stride as he led me through the clubhouse doors. The first time I was inside, the place was sparsely occupied. Now, the workday done, there were a few more bodies present—not all of them fully clothed. But I didn’t have time to take it in. We were there for a reason, and Jed wasn’t slowing down for anyone.
When we entered the conference room, it appeared we were the last to arrive. Roy stood on the far side of the room, his arms folded across his chest and an impatient frown on his face. Mustang stood next to him, with his shoulder propped against the wall. Kade was in a chair, pushed back far enough for him to rest his booted feet on the table, his long legs crossed at his ankles. Hank and Benson were at the table, too. Then there was one other Stallion I didn’t know. He sat with his chair turned backwards, his arms folded across the top.
Round table.
When used as a verb, it meant all the ranked members of the club in the same room.
Jed shut the door behind us.
“Who’s the stunner?” drawled the man I didn’t know.
“Why the nine-one-one?” asked Roy.
Jed ignored the first question and looked to me in response to the second. “Tell them what happened.”
I took a deep breath and nodded, hoping I’d gotten all my tears out earlier. When I looked around the room, all eyes were on me. I squeezed Jed’s hand, he squeezed back, and I told them as much as I could remember. Clearer headed than I was at my apartment, I was able to recall a few more details I didn’t hesitate to share. By the time I was finished, Kade’s feet were no longer on the table, Mustang was no longer leaning against the wall, and Bull was pacing.
“Hoffman’s a fuckin’ mole?” muttered Benson. “How long do you think he’s been feeding information to Alvarez?”
“Probably since Scorpion started stirrin’ shit from the inside,” replied Mustang.
“But it’s been quiet since we dealt with Viper,” added Kade.
“Yeah, cause we don’t got beef with the cartel,” said Hank. “At least, we didn’t .”
I was doing my best to keep up, but it was obvious there was a whole lot of history, and what happened to me was only a fraction of the story.
“We don’t ,” interjected Roy, coming to a halt. “This all started with Scorpion tryin’ to piss on Alvarez’s turf.”
“Hold on a second,” said Benson, turning to face Roy directly. “You gonna stand there and say Alvarez is innocent in all of this? Who knows what Hoffman has told him?”
“Nobody said he was innocent. But he doesn’t have shit, either. If he did, he’d act on it. The only way Alvarez could touch us is if he were in this room. Seein’ as I was lookin’ to replace Hoffman in the first place, safe to say I haven’t trusted him in months. He ain’t got dick. Alvarez has that fucker in his pocket to make sure we stay out of his way. But we’ve kept our word, even if he doubted we would.”
“So, we’re gonna sit on our hands? Do nothing?” asked the man I didn’t know.
“We lost two brothers last summer, and I don’t plan on losing anymore,” barked Roy.
My heart dropped at his declaration.
Two men had died.
I didn’t have the context, but I was overwhelmed with all I was hearing. Jenna said by accepting the general counsel role, I was going to be like an inside man. If this was what it meant to be an inside man, I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore.
“I’m not startin’ a war over this, it’s not even worth it,” Roy continued. “We cut his source, and we walk away. Hoffman’s theirs now. Exclusively . Twister—I want his access to our shit shut down as soon as we leave this room.”
“Heard,” he answered.
“Everyone else, keep your ears to the ground. You catch wind of the cartel tryin’ to start shit, then we’ll have a problem.”
“Wait, that’s it?” I murmured, unable to keep quiet any longer.
They were talking as if getting rid of Fred was all that mattered; like they forgot what he said to me. But two men had died last summer, and I didn’t want to be an inside man.
“What about the part where he said he’d get rid of me?”
“Torres, you’re one of us now,” said Roy calmly. “That means you’re under our protection.”
“I—I don’t know. I’m sorry, I just—I’m not sure if taking the job is such a good idea anymore.”
He stared at me for a moment, nodded, then cast a quick glance at Jed before returning his gaze to me.
“You can change your mind about the job if you want. We can find someone else. But that wasn’t what I meant.”
“You’ll stay with me,” said Jed, earning my attention. “Until we’re sure you’re safe, you go anywhere, I’ll be right behind you. If I can’t be there, I’ll send someone from this room.”
A part of me wanted to tell him that was too much, that I couldn’t ask him to do that—but I couldn’t find it in me to say it. I now knew what it was like to have a gun to my back, and I was scared. Plain and simple.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay,” Jed echoed. He then looked to Roy and asked, “We done here?”
“Go,” was his reply.
And so we did.
Jed took me home and told me to pack a bag, enough to get me through the rest of the week. I didn’t argue but gathered what I thought I might need. It was comforting having something to do—something to redirect my thoughts away from everything that had happened since I left work. Unfortunately, the distraction didn’t last.
I drove to his house in my car, him riding behind me on his hog. That was all the reminder I needed that for the time being, he wasn’t merely the man I was dating, he was my bodyguard.
He had me park in his garage, next to his SUV, and he carried my bags inside. While he disappeared into his bedroom, I stood in the middle of the house, remembering what it felt like only a few days before. This was where his kids slept. Would my being there put them in danger?
“You okay?” asked Jed, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I don’t—I don’t know. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but I was wrong. Maybe I was being na?ve to think I could do this. Maybe I didn’t ask enough questions, or maybe I asked all the wrong ones.”
“Darlin’, Hoffman’s bullshit is just that. Bullshit,” he said, gently sweeping a bit of hair behind my ear. “He’s playin’ a game he can’t win, and that’s not the job. That’s on him.”
“But the threat is real. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here, right?”
“He got greedy. Must have. It’s the only thing that makes sense. For him to betray the club like this…he threatened you, gorgeous, but now you’re not the only one with a target on your back.”
“Wait, are you saying—?”
“We won’t touch him. We won’t have to,” he assured me, pulling me into his arms. “By now, he knows he’s not employed by the Wild Stallions, which means he belongs to the cartel. They wanted him, they can have him. What they’ll do with him remains to be seen. Doubt he’ll be of much use now. He’d be a fool not to sleep with one eye open. Gabriel Alvarez is a wild card.”
I rested my hands against his chest and confessed, “I feel like there’s so much I don’t understand.”
“All you need to know is I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Standing in his arms, in the middle of his living room, I knew he meant it. So long as he was close, I didn’t need to be afraid. But, much as I wanted it to be, his protection wasn’t all I needed.
“Jed?” I murmured, anxiously grabbing a fistful of his shirt.
“Lex?”
“I—I know what I said back there, about the job. About changing my mind. And I know there’s a lot I don’t know about the club, things Roy didn’t want to tell me without an NDA. But…but I need to understand. I need more context.
“Why does the cartel want to know what you’re doing? And why did you need this Scorpion guy out of your way? How is this all connected?”
He didn’t answer me right away. Instead, he studied me for a long moment. So long, I thought maybe he wouldn’t tell me anything. I gripped his shirt tighter, refusing to look away or back down. Finally, he freed a sigh and began to speak.
“When I started with the club, things were different. Anyone with rank had been a Stallion since the beginning. Scorpion was the man at the top. Man named Lasso was his VP. Bull was Sergeant-at-Arms. Almost everyone else you saw at that round table was just a brother, along for the ride.
“Code of the brotherhood and Stallion law were the same as they are now—but we were all younger and dumber. Except for Bull. He’s always been a hardass,” Jed added, a hint of a smirk causing his mustache to twitch. “Officially, we made our money at the garage. Unofficially, the Stallions have always been in the business of protection. Back then, we partnered with Alvarez and his crew. He had drugs he wanted to move across the border, we were the muscle backin’ him up.”
This news was heavy—heavy enough to make my heart sink.
Jed didn’t stop, though, leaving me no time to process as I tried to keep up.
“It was good money. Good enough that the number one rule of the club was no drugs. We didn’t mix business with pleasure. The Stallions know how to party, but we didn’t need addicts makin’ us unreliable. For a good long while, we didn’t have any trouble. Then Scorpion decided he wanted to expand. We opened the auto-parts store, but that wasn’t enough. Not for him. So, he started a stable.
“Thing about Scorpion—he was a leader, but he didn’t know dick about how to treat a woman. He let Johns do what they wanted with the prostitutes. Miserable as some of them were, it wasn’t a surprise when they brought in drugs. But that shit spread like a cancer. The disease went all the way to the top.”
We were standing perfectly still, but the more he said, the shorter my breaths became—like we were sprinting.
Still, he pressed on.
“Things went from bad to worse real quick after that. Scorpion had the club traffickin’ women, and there was more than a few of us who were not down with that fucked up shit. Couple of brothers left on their own. Some refused any work outside of the garage. Things got ugly. It was Bull who stepped up and got us out of that mess.
“Took him about a year to recruit enough of us willing to fight. His takeover was hostile. We had our own civil war. Three brothers died. It wasn’t what any of us wanted, but Scorpion refused to surrender. Only reason he’s not dead is because Bull refused to resort to murder. Best he could do was some trumped-up drug charge to get him behind bars and out of the way.
“That was five years ago. Since then, Bull has done his part to clean up the club. Most of the work we do is legit. No women. No drugs. No cartel. When we broke ties with Alvarez, it was messy—but only because he was mad we were leavin’. Seein’ as we weren’t tryin’ to compete, he had no reason to come at us. Until last summer.
“Scorpion reached out to Hoffman. Hoffman relayed a message to a weak link down in Cheyenne, and suddenly Alvarez got the idea the Stallions were lookin’ to get back into the drug business. You heard Bull earlier. Lost two brothers tryin’ to set the record straight. As far as we knew, a truce had been called. It seems that truce was one-sided bullshit.
“As for the rest—you were there, darlin’.”
I didn’t know what to say.
To label the Stallions’ backstory as sorted was putting it mildly, but I wasn’t so na?ve that I could say I was shocked. A little disturbed, maybe, but not shocked.
Given my twin brother was a drug addict, the fact that the Wild Stallions used to be in the business of trafficking illegal substances across the border was a hard pill to swallow. The trafficking of women was even worse.
Yet, knowing that was in the past and not at all in the present was a truth as significant as the rest of what I learned.
Whoever this Scorpion guy was, he was bad news. Roy, on the other hand, was different. I’d spent enough time with him to know he was trustworthy. Not to mention, the man who held me in his arms wasn’t corrupt. Not even close.
I asked for context, and I got it; but it also opened the door for more questions. Except, I didn’t think I could handle anymore answers. Not at the moment.
“Know better than to think the truth could break you—but I’m gonna need you to say somethin’, Lex.”
“Thank you.” I flattened my palms against his chest, releasing his shirt as I willed myself to relax even as my thoughts swirled. “Thank you for telling me all of that. I, uh, I’m just not sure what to do with it yet.”
“I get that,” he replied gently.
Without even trying, I relaxed a little bit more.
His words reminded me of his patience, and for the second time that evening, I thought back to the night at the storage unit. Then, I’d been unraveling before his eyes, and he didn’t even flinch. Now, his calm and steady demeanor—his quiet, reassuring presence was everything.
I pressed up onto my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tucking my face against his neck. I breathed him in—sandalwood and leather, with a touch of smoke—and I let it all go.
All I wanted was Jed.
“This isn’t how I pictured tonight,” I murmured.
“Night’s not over, gorgeous. You hungry?”
I paused to think about it, food having been the last thing on my mind. Now that he mentioned it…
“Yeah, actually.”
“Sure I’ve got somethin’ I can throw on the grill.”
Pulling away enough to see his face, I offered, “I can help. I mean, not with the grill part, but I can put together a side dish.”
“Anything you can find in the kitchen is up for grabs.”
“Okay,” I said, smiling for the first time in hours. “And do you think, maybe, we could eat out by the fire?”
“If I start one,” he teased.
“Will you? For me?”
“It’ll cost you,” he said with a smirk.
I didn’t bother asking what it might cost.
I just went ahead and paid up.