Chapter 13
AUbrEY
Iwas curled up on the couch at the beach house with a glass of lemonade I’d made that morning, enjoying the view of the water. The waves rolled gently into the shore, and I felt completely relaxed and happy. Life with Canyon had fallen into the sweetest rhythm. I was exactly where I wanted to be.
When my phone rang and Tripp’s name flashed across the screen, pure joy lit up inside me. I hadn’t talked to him in too long. I missed my big brother so much.
I answered quickly, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. “Hi, Tripp!”
“Hey, baby sis. How’re you doing?”
“I’m so great.” I’d been dying to tell him everything, and now that I finally had him on the phone, I couldn’t hold back. “Tripp, I met someone. Even though we haven’t said it yet, I’m in love. And I’m basically already moved in with him.”
For once, I got to share good news with him instead of just listening to his vague updates about work. I wanted him to know that I’d finally found someone who made me feel cherished.
I leaned back against the cushions, grinning like a fool as I waited for my brother’s reaction.
Unfortunately, he went straight into overprotective big brother mode, which I probably should’ve expected. “Whoa, hold on, Aubrey. You’re in love? And basically moved in with this guy already? That’s way too fast. You barely know him.”
I laughed lightly, still riding the high of my own happiness. “Tripp, relax. I promise it’s good.”
“Who the hell is he? I need a name, a job, something,” he demanded.
“His name is Canyon.”
“Canyon?” he repeated.
“Yeah,” I replied dreamily. “Most people call him Blitz, though. He’s a patched member of the Redline Kings MC.”
The silence that followed stretched on so long that my smile slowly faded. I sat up straighter on the couch, suddenly aware of how quiet the line had become. “Tripp? Are you still there?”
I could hear him breathing, but he didn’t answer right away. The happiness I’d felt just a moment ago drained away as an uneasy knot formed in my chest. Gripping the phone tighter, I waited for my brother to say something.
“But he told you to call him Canyon?” Tripp finally asked.
I sat up a little straighter, eager to explain something I thought was sweet about the man I’d fallen for.
“Yeah, people in the club call him Blitz, but he told me right from the beginning to call him Canyon. I think it’s kind of romantic, actually.
Like he wanted me to know the real him, not just the biker version everyone else sees. ”
I kept talking, completely missing the shift happening on the other end of the line. “It made me feel like he was letting me in closer than most people get—”
Tripp cut me off. “Aubrey. Stop.”
His tone had completely changed to the clipped one he used in work mode.
“When did you meet him?” he asked.
I blinked, caught off guard by his sudden intensity. “A few weeks ago. At the park while I was nannying.”
“Who asked out who?”
“He did,” I answered, starting to feel defensive. “Why are you asking like this?”
He ignored my question and asked another of his own instead. “How fast did things get serious?”
My stomach tightened, and I frowned. “What is this? Why are you interrogating me?”
“Answer the question, Aubrey.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “It got serious pretty quickly, okay? But it felt right. He’s been good to me, Tripp. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
I hated that my big brother treated my happiness like a problem to be investigated.
I answered his questions, but every answer came out more defensive than the last. The excitement I’d felt at the beginning of the call had vanished, replaced by confusion and a growing sense of unease.
Tripp’s voice was serious when he finally explained, “I need you to listen to me very carefully, Aubrey. I’m undercover inside the Redline Kings.”
That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. I felt a chill race down my spine as I whispered, “What are you talking about?”
Tripp let out a harsh breath. “I think Blitz figured out who I really am. And he’s using you to get back at me.”
I sat frozen on the couch, my heart hammering in my chest. “No. That can’t be right.”
“Think about the timing,” he continued. “I mentioned you a couple of times to the guys. Nothing specific, but enough. Their tech guy, Jax, is damn good. He could’ve found you easily.
Then Blitz suddenly appears in your life, gets you to fall for him, and starts moving you into his house?
It’s not a coincidence, baby sis. He’s using you as leverage. ”
My stomach twisted into knots as I tried to process what he was saying. It was impossible to believe the man I loved might have only been with me to hurt my brother. Not after I’d given myself to him so completely.
“You’re wrong.” My voice shook, but I meant it. “What we have is real. The way he looks at me, the way he treats me…there’s no way he’s faking it.”
Except even as I said the words, doubts began creeping in.
He had never taken me to the compound. Or introduced me to any of his club brothers. We’d never even gone on a single public date in Crossbend—always somewhere private or out of town.
Looking back at our time together, I realized he’d been careful about keeping me separate from that part of his life. And he had to have a reason for it.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to breathe through the ache forming there.
“Don’t blame yourself, Aubrey.” Tripp’s voice softened, but it only made it worse. “You couldn’t have known. Blitz is smart and patient. If he knows I’m a fed, this would be the perfect way to fuck with me.”
Tears stung my eyes. I felt shattered. The beautiful love story I’d been living suddenly looked twisted and calculated.
But deep down, beneath the hurt and confusion, a stubborn part of me still refused to believe it. What Canyon and I had felt too real. The way he touched me, how he spoke about our future, the way he looked at me like I was everything…that couldn’t all be fake.
I sat there with the phone pressed tightly to my ear, tears slipping silently down my cheeks. I was torn between the devastating theory my brother had just handed me and the unspoken love I still felt for the man who had claimed every piece of my heart.
When Tripp finally spoke again, his voice was heavy with what sounded like genuine disappointment. “I didn’t think Blitz was the kind of man who’d use a woman either.”
Those words didn’t sound like they were about the investigation. I couldn't help but wonder if they were friends. If my brother had trusted Canyon.
That somehow made the betrayal feel even deeper.
“This is serious, Aubrey,” Tripp continued, his tone turning urgent. “The club world is dangerous. You don’t belong in it. Please, get out now. Pack your things and leave before you get hurt. I’m begging you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I sat there feeling hurt, angry, and so confused I could barely think straight. Part of me wanted to scream at Tripp for ruining the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to me. But I was terrified he might be right.
And even through all the pain and doubt, one thing remained crystal clear—I was still deeply in love with Canyon.
“I have to go,” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“Aubrey, wait—”
I hung up before he could say anything else. Then I just sat there on the couch, staring blankly at the water through the windows while my head spun.
Everything I thought I knew about us suddenly felt uncertain, yet my love for him refused to die. I couldn’t sit here wondering. I needed to know what the heck was going on, and only one person could tell me.
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I stood, grabbed my keys, and headed for the door. I was going to confront him. Right now.
I had to look Canyon in the eyes and hear the truth from him—whatever it turned out to be. Because no matter how devastatingly Tripp had laid it all out for me, I still believed in us. I needed to know if I had fallen in love with a lie.