Chapter 15 Aiden
I had slapped one more rule on myself, but all that did was remind me that I was now failing at all five.
My bike lurched forward, the engine roaring under me as I gunned it faster, weaving between cars on the highway. The metallic scent of exhaust, the rush of wind, the steady vibration of the road beneath me—all of it should have been grounding.
We were working and all I needed to do was stay focused, but I was too busy scolding myself for how weak I had been last night.
I shook the thoughts off for the thousandth time, looking at the road ahead.
We were following three cars in total. All stolen vehicles and all had every possible space inside filled with drugs. It wasn’t the drugs we were after this time, but the cars.
A local chop shop was losing their cars daily, each one customized for running illegal drugs.
But when cars that were sent out to run drugs started to suddenly disappear, the boss got pissed.
He called us in, and after a full day of back-and-forth over our price, we had a job—find out who was stealing the cars and where they were going.
Apparently, he thought it would be polite to give us a little bonus if we also found out where the drivers were going, too.
The crime bosses and drug lords of the city couldn’t exactly call the police for these things, and the shady fucks didn’t trust their own people enough to have them investigate, so they called us.
None of them were stupid. They didn’t trust anyone—and they weren’t the kind to be trusted, either—but they knew that money encouraged loyalty, so we get paid excessive amounts to take care of their issues.
The cars ahead lined up, moving in sync as Rook waved to us.
“Hero, speed up. Take Zack and Kane to get ahead of them. We are going to break apart and get behind. We’ll let you know if they get off the highway anywhere.”
“Why would we get ahead?” Zack asked. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of following to see where they go?”
Hero weaved through traffic without question, speeding up to pass them, with Zack and Kane following. Mason dropped back, sitting up to ride next to us.
“We have to make sure there’s no police waiting,” I said, already knowing how this goes. “We can’t risk them getting pulled over when we need to see where they are going.”
“So what do we do if there are police waiting?” Kane asked.
I grinned, looking over at Mason and Rook even though they couldn’t see me through the helmet.
“You get yourself pulled over,” I said. “Run for a mile or two, so there’s a gap. Then there’s no attention on the cars.”
“Hold on, you expect all of us to get pulled over? We are bait now?” Zack asked.
“Oh, no,” Hero said, and I could hear the excitement in his voice. “Only one of us is getting pulled over. Who that will be depends on which one of us is the slowest. I suggest pushing that cute little bike of yours to the limit, Zack.”
“Fuck you, Hero. I don’t want to be bait for some fucking drug runners.”
“Too bad.” Rook threw his bike back and forth between the lines. “We take turns running, so no one gets too many hits. Your record is clear enough. Play a good boy and they won’t hit you with many charges.”
Groans and mumbled threats came through the helmet, but Zack moved, not willing to go against our orders.
It took us another twenty minutes of following before they split off, all three getting off at different exits and making us split up to follow. I stayed with the last one, pulling off into a warehouse three buildings down as they idled the car around the back of the old metal building.
Without a sound I walked down to the car, slipping a tracker on the back panel and walking away without anyone noticing me. Sometimes these guys would spend so much brain power thinking about how to take the cars, they forgot to worry about everything else happening around them.
The ride back to Maverick Moto was longer than I would have liked, my chest already tightening at the thought of seeing Evie for the first time since last night. I barely parked before my gaze snapped to the office.
And there she was.
Or, at least, her blonde bun, bobbing right above the desk where she was undoubtedly plotting my untimely demise.
Which, fine. Fair.
Because I had touched her and I wasn’t supposed to.
I ripped off my helmet as her head lifted, eyes locking onto mine immediately.
Fuck.
The slow, knowing curve of her lips made something tighten low in my stomach.
I had covered everything that night—tattoos, voice, face. She shouldn’t know.
She couldn’t know.
But that devious little smile made me second-guess it.
If she knew and wanted to pile on, her blackmail threats would only be stronger.
Not that she could prove it. I still didn’t know what else she wanted to keep those pictures hidden, but I didn’t care nearly as much now because now I actually did deserve the blackmail.
I could handle one more random errand if it kept her quiet.
I could also use her little secret of hiding out and crying to romance movies against her, but for some reason, I liked the idea of keeping that information all to myself.
I had given myself a small bit of satisfaction at Hero’s party. I had touched her, taken from her, and for one night of my fucking life, had something I had wanted for years.
And now I had to deal with any consequences when that bit me in the ass.
“Well, well, well,” she said, smirking as she stepped out of the office. “If it isn’t my favorite errand boy. Did you get the trackers on?”
I had thrown punches, taken bullets, outridden cops, and outrun dealers, and yet somehow, nothing rattled me more than the way she was looking at me right now.
Still, I forced my voice steady. “Yeah. We got them on all three.”
The teasing curl of her lips stretched, and I hated that my brain was currently engaged in a full-on war to stop picturing her mouth doing other things.
“You always know how to get the job done, don’t you, Ace?” She sighed, dramatic. “Reliable, obedient, and oh-so-efficient.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Obedient? That’s what you think I am?”
She tilted her head, eyes flashing with mischief. “Well, you do seem to follow orders pretty well. Especially when they come from me.”
Fuck. She was playing dirty. I stepped closer, searching her face for any hint that she was bluffing. If she knew it had been me last night, she was hiding it dangerously well.
“I don’t remember following any orders from you,” I said, my voice lower than it should’ve been.
“No?” She blinked up at me, mock innocence dripping. “I’m sure you’ve followed a few.”
There was a weight in the air now, thick and humming, pulling me toward her like gravity had shifted.
My fingers flexed. I needed to get my shit together. I needed to think logically, breathe normally, pretend I didn’t want to back her up against the office wall and—
Fuck.
I couldn’t have it. We were back to our reality.
The one where keeping my hands off her was the number one rule, so I couldn’t exactly force her to listen and drop to her knees again.
Blood rushed through me and I fought to get control over my thoughts, which were quickly wandering to Evie on her knees in front of me.
“I always do what needs to be done. Including ridiculous things you ask.” I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing she understood I was talking about the blackmail. “Like you said, it’s your game. I’m playing nice, but don’t push your fucking luck.”
Her gaze trailed over me like she was sizing me up. “Who said I wanted you to play nice?”
I grit my teeth. The teasing in her voice was driving me wild. I wanted to see how far I could take it before that smug look of hers faltered. But I couldn’t afford to lose control again. I gave myself one time, and it would have to be enough.
It had been enough to ruin me and I couldn’t get so close again.
She pushed off the doorframe, stepping closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. “I’m just saying, you’ve done everything I’ve asked so far. Maybe you’re more obedient than you think.”
“Or maybe I’m waiting for the right moment to break all your rules.” The thought sent a wave of pleasure down my back.
Her eyes flickered, something dark and dangerous flashing behind them, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. For a second, neither of us moved, the tension between us making me wonder if there really was something there from both sides or if it was all in my head. Then she grinned again, playful and wicked.
“You haven’t already?”
My heart stopped, my breath caught in my throat as I waited. Did she know?
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged. “Just saying. You can play good boy all you want, Ace, but I’m really starting to think you don’t follow the rules all the time.”
“I do. Isn’t that why you call me Ace to begin with?”
“I guess you’re right. A girl can dream, though, right?”
“Is that what you’re doing in here all day?
” I asked, eyes narrowing. “Dreaming. You know, a day ago, I would have said that Evie dreams of murder and chaos, but now . . .” I let my words die off for a second, leaning in further.
“I think you sit in there all day dreaming of cute little love letters and sweet little declarations of love.”
A deadly scowl flashed across her face.
Her phone pinged, and she looked down, frowning as she read the screen.
“Break-up text?” Hero asked, walking over and throwing himself back onto the couch near us.
“She’s not dating anyone,” I snapped.
Hero’s eyebrows jumped up, but Evie cut in before he could argue more.
“No. I don’t know what it is. A threat?”
She turned the phone around to face me as Hero came to my side.
“You look lovely in white. Be careful who you wander off with—some of us have far worse plans in mind.” I read the text out loud, my heart racing as I took it in. “What the fuck?” I asked, grabbing the phone from her hands to look at the number.
“Sounds like you got a creeper,” Hero said. “When were you wearing white?”
“At your party,” I answered for her. Evie’s eyebrows shot up, not hiding her surprise.
“How would you know? I thought you didn’t go.” Hero crossed his arms, cocking his head in my direction.
Fuck.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut ever.
“I was there for a few minutes.”
Hero shoved me, obviously offended. “You came to my birthday party and didn’t even say something to me, but talked to Evie? Asshole.”
“He didn’t talk to me, either, which is why I’m surprised he knew what I was wearing.”
Hero’s shove barely registered, even Evie’s words didn’t hit me. My mind too focused on the message that showed up on her phone. Someone had been there, watching her, and it wasn’t only me. They even went as far as finding her number and texting. All the tension in my shoulders grew tighter.
“They are following us closer now.” I shifted on my feet, ignoring Hero’s glare. “They’re getting bolder.”
“If they’re to the point of texting their threats, they’re already too fucking close for comfort,” Hero said.
Evie, her teasing grin long gone, looked between the two of us. Her face paled slightly, but she didn’t lose her composure. “Do you think it’s someone from the party? Like someone who was there and hanging out? Someone had to have gotten close enough without us noticing.”
“It’s possible. It’s not like I knew everyone who actually showed up,” Hero said. “But I couldn’t imagine all of us not noticing some weirdo creep lurking around.”
I didn’t care to add that no one had noticed me creeping around.
“They don’t have to look the part to play the part,” I said.
Whoever sent that message knew more than they should. It wasn’t some random creep—they were watching our movements, keeping tabs, and we had brushed it off. I should have dug into this sooner. I should have dealt with it when that fucking guy said they would come after her.
I let it get too far now.
“We need to find out who it is before they get any closer.” Hero’s voice dropped, the menacing tone conveying exactly how pissed off he was. “I don’t need any more people coming around poking into my business. We have plenty as is. Can you check into that phone number?”
Evie nodded as I pulled out my phone, clicking into our group chat.
Aiden: Everyone back at the garage. We have another problem.
Evie glanced down at her phone, groaning when she saw the text.
“You really sent out the bat signal immediately?” Her eyes met mine, the glint back in them now. “What am I saying? Of course you did, Ace. I’m going to figure out who owns the phone number before the wolves descend.”
She disappeared into the office and I stared after her, not sure if I wanted to follow or not.
Evie has always felt like mine in some way.
I would always be there to protect her, to save her, to be her Ace.
As much as she wanted to give me shit for being loyal to her brother, I was loyal to her.
I wanted, and constantly tried, to stand between her and anything that could hurt her, and now, right when I should be backing off, the need to keep protecting her felt stronger than ever.
Someone was threatening her, and now I would do anything to stop them.
I had a taste of Evie, and I had hoped it would be enough. But now, someone else wanted her, too—and they were already too fucking close.
If they thought they could take what’s mine, they were already dead.