20. Chase
20
CHASE
The thing about bikers—they love showing off. Which is why I’m sitting at this shitty bar outside Wolf Pike, pretending to be interested in some prospect’s new ink while actually watching four Death’s Head members huddled over their phones.
“Check this out,” one says, tilting his screen. I catch a glimpse before he swipes—our gallery’s storefront. The next photo shows Rick locking up. Then Zane with Owen and Violet outside the school.
My fingers tighten around my beer bottle, but I keep my expression neutral. Just another tattoo artist having a drink. Nothing to see here.
“Nice work,” I tell the prospect about his mediocre tribal sleeve, buying more time to observe.
“Thanks, man. Got it in Nevada.” He preens like I’ve handed him gold. “You do ink?”
“Here and there.”
A burst of laughter draws my attention back to the Death’s Head table. More photos are being passed around. This time, I glimpse Evie through our gallery windows, bent over paperwork.
Something cold settles in my gut.
I finish my beer and head out, pulling my phone once I’m clear. Rick answers on the first ring.
“They’re watching us,” I tell him. “Got photos of everyone. Including the girls.”
His silence speaks volumes.
The gallery’s quiet when I arrive the next morning, but tension crackles beneath the surface. Rick’s been in his office since dawn. Zane keeps finding reasons to check the street.
Evie notices, of course. She’s too sharp not to.
“Everything okay?” she asks when we break for lunch. “You’re all acting strange.”
“Just business stuff.” I kiss her temple when no one’s looking. “Nothing to worry about.”
But later, I find her in the back office surrounded by our books. Ledgers spread across the desk, her finger tracing numbers with frightening focus.
“Looking for something specific?”
She doesn’t startle at my voice. Just keeps studying the pages. “These numbers don’t match.”
“How long have you known?”
“About the money laundering?” Her lips quirk. “Since my first week. You’re good, but I’ve seen better hiding places than the safe behind Tank’s photo.”
I study her face—this woman who’s turned our world upside down. Who handles a bike like she was born to it and sees through our careful facades like they’re glass.
“You’re not just a bookkeeper, are you?”
“You’re not just tattoo artists.” She touches my hand. “We all have secrets, Chase.”
Before I can respond, we hear bikes roar past—that distinctive Death’s Head growl. Evie tenses slightly, though she tries to hide it.
“That’s the third time today,” she notes casually. Too casually.
“Probably just passing through.”
“I don’t completely believe you.”
“Evie…”
“Don’t.” She starts gathering ledgers. “I get it. You’re protecting us. Just like I…” She stops, something flickering across her face.
“Just like you what?”
“Nothing.” She stands, smoothing her dress. “I should get these filed right away.”
I catch her wrist gently. “Hey. You know you can tell us anything, right?”
Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Same goes for you three.”
Death’s Head prospects circle the block twice more before the close of the workday. Rick fields calls from Teller about increased activity at local bars. Zane reports more photos being passed around.
Around closing, I find Evie in the storage room organizing old photos. Club runs, brother moments, the history of what we’ve built here.
She holds up a shot of us three with Tank, taken the day we bought the gallery.
“He believed in us when nobody else did.” I move closer, drawn to her like always. “Said we needed roots to grow straight.”
“He was right.” She traces Tank’s face in the photo. “Sometimes roots are all that keep us standing.”
“That’s why you chose Wolf Pike? To put down roots?”
Something shadows her eyes. “Maybe I was just tired of running.”
I want to ask what she’s running from, why she flinches at certain sounds, and why Rose watches her like she might disappear.
Instead, I wrap my arms around her from behind, breathing in her scent. “You’re safe here. You know that, right?”
She leans back against me. “Are you?”
Before I can answer, motorcycle engines roar past again.
“Chase?” Her voice is soft. “Whatever’s coming…don’t shut me out. Please.”
I turn her in my arms, needing to see her face. “We’re handling it.”
“I know. But maybe…” She cups my cheek. “Maybe you don’t have to handle it alone.”
The kiss starts gently—comfort and reassurance. It quickly turns heated.
“Take me home?” she whispers against my lips.
I text Rick and Zane while she locks up. They’ll meet us there, drawn by the same need to hold what’s ours close.
The girls are at Rose’s for a sleepover when we arrive at Evie’s house. She leads us inside without turning on the lights, like we’re all carrying enough shadows already.
“Wine?” she offers, but none of us want to dull our edges tonight.
Rick moves first, pulling her into a kiss that’s more possession than passion. Zane and I watch, understanding the need burning through our older brother. The need to claim her as his.
“Missed you,” Evie whispers when they break apart. Her fingers trace the tension in Rick’s jaw. “All day, watching you worry…”
“We’re fine,” he starts, but she presses fingers to his lips.
“Liar.” Her smile is soft. “Let me help. Let me…” She kisses him again, then reaches for Zane and me. “Let me take care of you.”
She leads us upstairs to her bedroom, which has become our sanctuary these past weeks.
I catch her wrist before she can start undressing. “Your turn to let us take care of you.”
My brothers move in practiced synchronization—Rick behind her, Zane at her side, and me in front. We’ve learned her body language and how to make her sing.
Rick unzips her dress while Zane and I kiss patterns across newly exposed skin. She shivers between us.
“Beautiful,” Rick murmurs into her neck. “So fucking beautiful.”
The dress pools at her feet. The black lace underneath makes my mouth go dry. She’s been wearing this all day?
“Like it?” Her voice is husky as I drop to my knees. “I thought of all of you when buying it. I’ve been thinking about all of you. All day.”
“Fuck,” Zane growls, palming her breasts through black lace. “Show us how much.”
She’s already wet when I press my mouth against lace-covered heat. Her hips buck, a desperate sound escaping her throat. Rick holds her steady from behind, his cock hard against her ass.
“I need to see you properly,” I murmur, my voice thick with desire. I slide the delicate lace down her legs, revealing inch by inch of smooth, flushed skin. Her breaths quicken as I linger, my hands brushing her thighs.
Zane steps in, his hands slipping over her shoulders to strip away the rest of her clothes, leaving her bare before us.
“On your knees,” Rick commands, his voice low but firm. She doesn’t hesitate. Slowly, gracefully, she sinks down, her eyes flicking up to meet ours, dark with want and mischief.
Her fingers find Rick first, wrapping around his cock. She strokes him a few times before leaning forward, her lips parting to take him into her mouth. His groan fills the air as she swirls her tongue around him, savoring the reaction she pulls from him.
“Fuck,” Rick mutters, his head falling back as her mouth works him expertly.
Meanwhile, her free hands reach for Zane and me. Her soft palm wraps around me, stroking in rhythm with her movements on Rick. Zane’s sharp intake of breath tells me she’s found him too.
“That’s it, baby,” Rick groans as she takes him deeper, her lips stretching around him. “Just like that. You’re so fucking good at this.”
The sight of her kneeling there, pleasuring Rick with such devotion while her hands stroke us, has me throbbing in her grasp. Every wet sound, every muffled moan she lets out around him drives me closer to the edge.
When she finally releases Rick with a soft pop, she turns her attention to Zane. She leans forward, taking him into her mouth while her hand continues to work me.
Zane curses under his breath, his hips jerking involuntarily as she swirls her tongue around the head of his cock before taking him deeper.
“Fuck, she’s incredible,” Zane growls, his voice tight with restraint.
Her moans vibrate around him, sending shivers through all of us. She pulls back slightly, teasing him with soft, slow licks along his length before plunging forward again.
Her hand tightens around me, her strokes picking up speed. My breaths come faster, and I can’t take my eyes off the way her lips move, the way her body shifts, completely focused on giving.
“Switch,” I say, my voice rough with need.
She shifts her attention to me, her lips curving into a playful smile before parting. When she wraps her mouth around me, the heat and wetness are almost unbearable.
My hand tangles in her hair, guiding her as she takes me deeper. She hums softly, the vibrations shooting through me.
“God, you look so good like this,” I rasp, watching her every movement.
Her tongue flicks and swirls, her rhythm alternating between slow, teasing strokes and deep, desperate pulls that make my knees weak.
When she pulls back to catch her breath, her hand continues to stroke me, slick with precum.
Rick steps closer, guiding his cock back to her mouth, and she takes him eagerly. The way she alternates between us, moaning softly as she does, is almost too much to bear. Zane watches, his jaw tight as she reaches for him again, her hands never faltering.
“You’re fucking perfect,” Rick growls as she deep-throats him, his hand gripping her hair to steady himself.
Her eyes flick up to meet his, full of heat and challenge as if daring him to lose control. When she pulls back, gasping for air, her lips are swollen, glistening in the dim light.
“Bed,” she pants, her voice trembling with need. “I want to feel all of you.”
Rick positions himself behind her while she straddles me. When she sinks down onto my cock, we both curse at how perfectly she fits. Zane feeds his cock into her mouth again as Rick works her ass with his fingers.
“So fucking tight,” I groan as she rides me. Her pussy clenches every time Rick adds some lube and another finger, preparing her.
“Ready for more, baby?” Rick’s voice is rough with need as his fingers work her ass. “Want to feel how well you take all of us?”
She pulls off Zane’s cock with a gasp. “Yes…please…need all of you.”
Rick enters her slowly, inch by inch, while I feel every movement through the thin wall separating us. Her whole body trembles, caught between pain and pleasure. When he’s fully seated, her orgasm hits without warning. Her pussy clenches around my cock as she throws her head back against Rick’s shoulder, crying out our names.
“That’s it,” Rick soothes, holding still while she shakes. “Take what you need.”
Once her tremors subside, we start moving. Slowly at first, finding our rhythm together. She’s impossibly tight, taking both our cocks while Zane feeds his back into her eager mouth.
“Fuck, look at you,” Zane groans, fingers tangling in her hair. “Taking all of us so perfectly. Such a good girl.”
Every thrust drives her forward onto Zane’s cock. She moans around him, the vibrations making him curse. Rick and I move faster, harder, chasing our own pleasure while she writhes between us.
“Close,” Rick grits out. “So fucking close.”
Her walls start fluttering again, another orgasm building. When it hits, she screams around Zane, her whole body convulsing. The feeling of her coming apart triggers my own release. I thrust up hard, emptying inside her as Rick pounds into her ass.
“Gonna come,” Zane warns, trying to pull back, but she holds him deep, swallowing everything as he shouts his release.
We stay joined for long moments, all of us breathing hard. When Rick finally eases out, she whimpers.
“You okay?” I murmur, brushing hair from her face.
She gives a satisfied smile. “Never better.”
After, we curl around her like protection. Rick strokes her hair while Zane traces patterns on her hip. I press kisses to her shoulder, tasting salt and satisfaction.
“Talk to me,” she says into the quiet. “Please.”
We exchange looks over her head. Rick sighs.
“Death’s Head is making moves,” he admits finally.
“I know.” She turns to study his face. “They’ve been watching the gallery. Taking photos.”
Zane tenses. “How long have you known?”
“Does it matter?” Her hand finds his, squeezing gently. “I notice things. Like how you check exits more often. How Chase studies every stranger who comes in.”
“We’re handling it,” I tell her, echoing my words from earlier.
“Together,” she corrects. “We handle things together.”
Something in Rick’s expression shifts. “It’s not just territory they want.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, looking between us. “I’m not afraid.”
“You should be.” Rick’s voice roughens. “They’re dangerous.”
“So am I.” The words come out fierce. “So is anyone protecting what they love.”
She isn’t wrong.
I pull her back down, needing her close. “No one’s taking anything from us.”
“Damn right.” Zane nuzzles her neck.
Rick just watches us. Then his phone buzzes.
“Teller?” I guess.
“Another bar fight.” He starts to move, but Evie catches his arm.
“Stay. Please.” She kisses his palm. “Just tonight, stay.”
He hesitates, duty warring with desire.
“Clay’s handling it,” Zane reminds him. “Let someone else fight for once.”
Slowly, Rick settles back beside us. Evie immediately curls into him while keeping in contact with Zane and me.
“Tell me about Tank,” she says softly. “About how you built all this.”
We tell her stories of our early days, of learning to be brothers instead of rivals, of Tank’s patience and Mrs. Wilson’s guidance.
She listens with her whole body, asking perfect questions and drawing us deeper into our memories, making us remember why we fight so hard to protect this life.
None of us sleep much. Too aware of dangers circling our town, of secrets still unspoken.
Just before dawn, I catch her watching the window. Something haunted crosses her face before she notices my attention.
“Chase?” Her voice is barely a whisper.
“Mm?”
“Promise me something?”
“Anything.”
She turns in Rick’s arms to face me. “Promise that no matter what happens, you’ll remember this moment.”
The request raises alarms, but her kiss silences questions. When she pulls back, the haunted look is gone.
“Sleep,” Rick murmurs, tightening his hold.
She does, eventually.