SIX
Harper
Family dinners in their house were always a big production. They were sacred, and no one refused. You’d have to be a walking corpse for Zara Marinos to forgive a no-show.
They were noisy, people talking over each other, and lots of food served in big foil pans so everyone could help themselves. In Knox and Zane’s case, that was any food that wasn’t already in someone else’s mouth.
Regardless of busy schedules or if you had prior plans, you got your butt on a chair.
With her belly full and a takeout container of leftovers in her arms, she kissed her parents and climbed into the Escalade. With Angela’s case awaiting her at home, she knew she needed a caffeine fix to combat a potential carb coma; thus, stopping at her favorite coffee shop was necessary.
She’d visited that location several times that week, in the hope of seeing Cain. Elation surged as she stepped out holding a coffee and saw him astride his motorbike a moment later. Looking right at her like he’d been waiting this whole time.
The flurry of butterflies warmed her stomach as she stepped closer to the curb.
“Fancy meeting you here.” She remarked with a half-smile.
“Not really. I was hoping to see you.”
God, he really was a nice guy.
And she loved how his eyes didn’t waver from her face, even as two good looking women crossed over the street.
“Come for a ride with me,” he stated in a tone that sounded more demand than suggestion. Harper’s heart thumped three extra times, and a spark of excitement rushed through her middle.
“I only just got a coffee.”
“Ditch it,” he smirked, and she audibly gasped right there on Main Street, like a fair maiden had just been compromised by someone touching her bare ankle.
“You don’t know me yet, Cain, but what you just suggested is on the same level as telling me to stab babies in the neck.”
His mouth twitched at each end, giving him a darker appearance as his eyes crinkled.
“Don’t mess with a woman’s coffee. Noted,” he remarked. And then added. “I’ll get you a better coffee. Come and take a ride with me, Harper.”
His pronunciation of her name, a slow, deliberate tasting of each letter, spoke volumes.
The decision had been finalized in her mind.
It might be reckless, but after a few sips of the scalding coffee and seeing it in the trash, she couldn’t think of anything to stop her from hopping on his motorcycle. Not when it felt perfect sitting there.
With him not being in the biker world, sitting backpack probably meant nothing to Cain as it did to Harper. In her family, the men viewed placing a woman in that role as a sacred ritual, marking her as his exclusive partner.
It was always understood by Harper she’d meet a man in the lifestyle. An outsider wouldn’t fit in.
But as Cain patted her hands as she latched them around his trim waist, checking she was sitting comfortably, she wondered if her thoughts on that needed to be amended.
Riding a sports bike for the first time was like flying, smooth and weightless, altogether different to the Harleys she was used to. She clung to him as he weaved through traffic; the wind whipping against her face while his solid frame shielded her from the worst. Every move, every shift of his body, showed how effortlessly he controlled the machine. And damn, she loved it.
She was a biker girl through and through—nothing hit quite like the rush of the ride.
While her friends were doing drugs and having one-night stands for excitement, all Harper had to do was ask one of her biker clan to take her for a ride on the back of a Harley to get the same feeling.
She was beaming when they eventually stopped. But she was also freezing. Something Cain noticed as his eyes darkened with a scowl, and he brought the back of his knuckles to her cheek, stroking lightly. “Shit, you’re icy. I should have stopped a while ago.”
“Hell no, that was a great ride. She moves like water.”
Harper felt a rush of warmth as she saw his expression get softer.
He was all man. Nothing about Cain was boyish.
He wasn’t a bumbling idiot around her.
Each move he made, brimming with self-assurance, fascinated her.
“Let’s get you a coffee.” He took her hand—no hesitation, just confidence—like he knew she’d want it.
The coffee shop was fancy and way more expensive than back in Laketon. That’s when she realized she had no idea where she was.
“Where are we?” she asked, sitting at a middle table once he’d placed a steaming cup in front of her. He named a town that vaguely sounded familiar.
“If this is a hostage situation,” she joked, savoring the sweet coffee with slow sips. He’d remembered her order.
“I know you have a taser. You don’t need to remind me,” he smirked devilishly, and Harper laughed. “This is the town my parents grew up in.”
“Yeah? How is it being in old haunts?”
“Everywhere associated with my father has long since gone, but the house my mother grew up in is here. It’s the estate I’m taking care of.”
“How long will you be in Denver for?”
“For as long as it takes.” He answered. His tone was level, but there was something forceful in his eyes when he looked across at Harper, which made her stomach muscles flex.
It was like he was saying a lot without saying much.
Over coffee, they chatted.
Well, she chatted, and Cain listened intently.
She spoke about the work she wanted to do once graduated. She told him a little about her family and even shared her love of the MC. Boys typically scoffed, thinking they were experts on MCs despite knowing nothing. They heard rumors about Harper’s MC connections, making them assume she was trashy and easy.
But Cain didn’t react in the way she might have expected.
He appeared genuinely interested in hearing all about it and laughed when she told him some of her more outrageous stories about growing up.
“Little spitfire,” he remarked.
Unafraid to ask questions, as was her nature, Harper seized the lull in conversation to ask one. “Why aren’t you in a relationship, Cain? You’re in your thirties, right? Have you ever been married? Someone with that face is usually always attached by now.”
“I’m thirty.” He confirmed. “And as for being married, I will be soon.”
“Oh,” she replied. Of course, there must be a woman in Palm Springs.
“Why isn’t she here with you?” she asked, accusing. What was his deal with pursuing her if he had a woman already?
She didn’t play like that.
But he had tried nothing, not even a kiss. Maybe they were all just friendly men from California, but something told Harper Cain had been interested in her this whole time. There was nothing pleasant in his shadowy, penetrating stare. It was the look of a man who wanted something, and he wanted it from her.
He was in for a rude awakening, if that’s what he was doing.
When he canted his chin down an inch and laced his long fingers on the table, looking relaxed, she didn’t have any reason to get an icy shiver sweeping down her spine. Or the tightness in her stomach. But both sensations were there as he smiled.
And it was because the smile wasn’t friendly, unlike all the other times Cain had smiled at her.
“Who said she isn’t here with me, Harper?”
She lost all humor. If Cain was trying to fuck around on his woman, Harper was not the woman to do it with. She wouldn’t stand for that. She was all about sisterhood, women looking out for each other.
“Then why are you here with me if you have a soon-to-be wife? That’s a shitty thing to do.”
He laughed like they were alone. It was low and devious. And once again, the cold slid down her spine.
It was a warning, but she didn’t know against what.
“You misunderstand, sweet baby. I am here with my soon-to-be wife. It’s you.”
Had Harper been conked on the head by a falling satellite, she couldn’t have been more surprised as she gaped across at the man who, until this very minute, seemed like a sane person.
Color her fucking pink for her intuition being off-kilter.
“Well, this is where I get off this train. I’d say it was nice knowing you, but yeah, that would be a lie.” She popped to her feet, and he shot out a hand, grabbing her wrist. He didn’t hold her too hard, but she was caught by him. “Let me go.”
“I suggest you sit down and not draw attention to us, Harper. That would be a wrong decision, and right now, it’s up to you to make the right call. Are you listening?”
Her heart pounded; his stony stare was like a stranger was looking back at her. “You’re crazy. Now get your hand off me before I scream.”
He held on tight, but she felt his thumb against her wrist while she tried to pull away.
“Be the spitfire I’ve come to know and think rationally here, Harper. You’re probably going through your options, and all of them would be wrong. So, sit back down and finish your coffee. Do you want a piece of cake?”
“No, I don’t want a piece of fucking cake, you lunatic. I want to leave and pretend I never fell for your innocent act. Or whatever this joke is.”
“Sit.” He repeated more forcefully and she dropped automatically because her legs were jelly.
Was this a game?
Everything she’d thought about him was wrong.
Cain smiled at her act of obedience. He could go fuck himself right in the ass with a chair leg. She looked over his shoulder, hoping to catch the attention of the older lady serving.
“She works for me,” he said, and she glared at him.
“What?”
“Cheryl. You’re hoping to catch her eye to signal you need help, aren’t you? She works for me. This is my coffee shop. And the patrons? You could scream, sweet baby, but they’re paid to be here.” He leaned forward, and Harper recoiled from his proximity even as he smiled that handsome smile, though now her stomach was turning with fear and not excited butterflies. “They think it’s an acting gig, and I’m surprising my fiancée. So you see, Harper, your only choice was to sit down, and you’ve done that. Good girl.”
“Fuck you.”
“In good time,” he smirked, and she nearly threw up.
Was he telling the truth, or was it all part of his fucked up act? A glance around the room showed that no one was looking their way.
If she screamed, would anyone help? Would they call the cops? Was it even that serious? Did she need the cops? Cain hadn’t hurt her—yet. And aside from his sudden personality flip, he hadn’t exactly set off her danger alarms. That was on her. Next time, she wouldn’t be so quick to trust a pretty face.
“What do you want?” she tried, keeping her voice unruffled.
“I’m glad you asked. That’s what I like about you, Harper. You find yourself in a dicey situation and don’t go to pieces. You remain calm.”
“I’m glad you approve. Does that mean I passed your psycho test and I can leave?”
He chuckled and leaned in over his clasped hands. “Would you like to go home?”
“Yes.”
“You will eventually. I’m not going to hurt you, Harper.”
“Forgive me if I believe nothing you say. You just flipped a switch on me. I thought you were a decent guy.”
She watched a tick working manically in his carved jawline. He didn’t like the truth? Tough shit. He’d played her. What did he want her to do, sit there drinking coffee and giving him simping eyes?
He was wrong, though.
Harper didn’t feel calm.
While Cain assessed her with his scarily focused, darkening eyes, she gripped her fingers beneath the table while her thoughts raced through various options.
Each option circled a terrifying thought, placing her in a situation her mom had been in years before Harper was born.
She felt sick to her stomach about it as the thoughts built.
Sex trafficking existed.
It even existed in the States.
He said he wasn’t going to hurt her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t pass her to someone who would hurt her.
While Cain watched her, she kept her chin high and defiant, staring back.
“What’s all this about? You have an agenda or wouldn’t have fabricated these chance encounters. I’m right, aren’t I?”
Cain grinned. “Yes. We never met by accident.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re going to help me, Harper.”
Like hell she was. But now wasn’t the time to get mouthy. “With what?”
“Look how well we’re working together already.” He rasped. “That’s good. If I step over there, will you try to run away?”
Of fucking course she would.
Cain puffed out a sigh. “Of fucking course you will.” He repeated her exact thought. Slipping his phone from his inside pocket, he called someone. “Send the photo.” And then he hung up. A moment later, the phone beeped. “I’ll give you the incentive to do everything I say, like a good girl, without argument. Look.”
Her world spiraled until she had to blink the flashing dots away from her vision.
The photo was straightforward, making it easy to understand what she was staring at.
It was taken from a height, like the camera was on top of a building overlooking the lit basketball court where her youngest brother was shooting hoops with college friends.
Zane’s grin was unmistakable. The lens captured her brother up close and in focus.
Also visible in the photo was the tip of a long-range rifle featuring a silencer at the end.
It was pointed right at Zane.
With shaking fingers, Harper’s head reared up. “What’s this shit? You think I’d believe AI?”
“Call your brother. Ask him where he is, Harper.” Cain said.
She didn’t want to call Zane. The thought of the photo being real terrified her as it would mean the man across from her was an actual psychopath, and her hope of it being a twisted prank would be shattered.
“Make the call.”
She dropped his phone to use her own, and Zane answered after seven long rings.
Her gaze was fixed on Cain’s face, her heart pounding, unable to discern whether he found her torment amusing.
“Kinda busy, Harps,” Zane said as a way of greeting. He was all of eighteen and full of himself. But god, she loved that kid and would die if anything happened to his cocky self.
“Where are you right now?”
“Why? I ain’t picking your ass up.”
“Zane! Where the fuck are you?”
“Chill out, sis. I’m throwing some balls with the boys. Why?”
“Go home.” She told him, and her stomach swooped when Cain reached out and grasped her chin, shaking his head.
“What? Why? What’s going on? Is Mom okay?”
What could she tell him? That Cain had a long-range rifle trained on his head to keep her in line?
“Mom is fine. I didn’t know if you were supposed to be working.”
“Nah, I got done ages ago. You sound weird.”
Harper had a powerful bond with her brothers. They were practically triplets, only a year apart, sharing an intuitive connection.
“I’m fine. I gotta go.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Hero.”
Bile was sitting in the lower recess of her throat as she knocked Cain’s fingers off her chin.
“You’re a sicko, you know that?”
“Indeed. I take it you’ll sit like a good girl for a minute?”
She could only nod, unable to risk Zane if Cain’s threat was genuine.
Cain rose to his full height. His size was more imposing now than it had been ten minutes ago. Those ten minutes previously, she would have admired his dimensions. Now, it felt more like a weapon to be used against her much more petite stature.
Harper fell into the abyss of internal panic as he moved with a ground-eating pace up to the counter, making the middle-aged server smile at whatever he shared.
Did she have enough time to text someone?
What would happen if Cain saw her? Would he give the go-ahead for the madman to pull the trigger? Her fingers gripped the phone, not knowing how to proceed.
Could she survive whatever nefarious shit he had planned?
If every meeting with him had been schemed, it was bigger than she could imagine. Since he showed no romantic interest in her, she dismissed the possibility of him developing a stalker love.
No, her brain brought her right back to sex trafficking, and she had to swallow to stop herself from throwing up.
Harper had been in her early teens when she overheard a late-night conversation between her parents. It wasn’t a secret that her mom saw a therapist twice a month, but the reason had always been a mystery—until that night. Amid their discussion, Harper had been shocked to the core to overhear details of a time in her mom’s life when she’d been held captive for three long years.
Never could she have suspected such darkness in her mom’s past. For many days, the conversation swirled in her mind, and her parents finally noticed the withdrawn change in her. They confronted her, always honest with their kids—except in this case. Harper had been furious and heartbroken over her mom’s anguish. She eventually broke down and confessed what she’d overheard. That’s when they shared the truth with their kids.
To this day, Harper always gave her mom extra-long hugs, hoping that love would somehow wash away the horrors she’d endured.
Would Harper be put in a similar situation if she didn’t escape soon?
When Cain suddenly looked over, as if he sensed her racing thoughts, he cocked a half-smirk and winked like they were an average couple out on a date.
She knew then she had no control of this situation.
Whatever was happening was under Cain’s say-so.
No matter what, she had to remain calm in order to figure a way out of it.
“Time to go, sweet baby.” He announced when Cain rejoined her, and her initial thoughts of keeping her head went into free fall.
He wanted to take her to a second location. Oh, hell to the no. Murders happened in second locations. She wasn’t dying by his hand today.
“No.” she snapped. “Be a psycho right here. You’ll have to drag me out kicking and screaming.”
His smirk was born from a nightmare, and Harper knew she was really in the shit because he didn’t look disturbed by her threat.
Not at all.
Not even a tiny bit.
It was when Cain smiled she knew she was in deep trouble.
And her heart plummeted.