INK: Best Friend's Little Sister, Friends to Lovers, Found Family Romance (SCORPIONS MC Book 6)
Chapter One
Grace
Dogs are better than people.
That’s my hill. I’ll die on it.
That’s also why I’m crouching in the dirt beside a dusty New Mexico highway, trying to coax this hairy pup out of the ditch.
The tiny bundle of matted fur is terrified, so I’m taking things slow to ensure he doesn’t run into traffic or bite me—though I’d prefer the latter if I had to choose.
I slowly pull the ham out of my sandwich and toss a piece it toward him. Curiosity sparks in those beady black eyes, and he starts to creep forward.
“Come here, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you.” I settle on my butt in the dirt. “Let me help you.”
He snatches the meat but doesn’t hurry back. I’m finally making progress.
“It sucks to be all alone.” I tear off a more significant piece and toss it forward. “I’m alone too. We can keep each other company.”
Hunger overwhelms fear, and the tiny creature leaps forward and snatches the ham from the ground; he moves closer, swallowing it in one gulp.
“There you go,” I say, tossing another piece beside my leg. “I’ve got you.”
Step by step, the little guy gets braver, moving forward until he’s almost on my lap. Distracting him with some bread, I scoop him up with one arm. He immediately goes limp.
“Poor baby. Someone hurt you, didn’t they.” I kiss his filthy head as we stand. “I know what that’s like. I’ll keep you safe.”
He watches me closely through the matted strands of hair but doesn’t try to escape. Eventually, his tiny pink tongue licks my hand, and I know we’ve come to an understanding.
“You’re a tough little guy,” I tell him as I place him in the cab of my pick-up. “Most pups wouldn’t have survived out here.” As he settles in the seat, he whimpers, so I toss him the rest of my lunch. “I’m going to call you Harley.”
Now that Harley is beside me, I slip on my seatbelt and turn on the engine. My body hurts from driving eight hours straight, but hopefully, I’m almost at my destination.
Deep Run, New Mexico, isn’t on any map I’ve found, but I know it exists.
It has to.
The only thing that’s kept me going after losing my mother is the hope of reconnecting with my brother. After running into a member of his former squad, I’d found out Brian and his marine buddies had formed a motorcycle gang when they’d left the service. That gang bought a ghost town, brought it back to life, and named it Deep Run. It”d taken some searching to find, but once I was on the scent, I wasn’t giving up.
He”s all I have left.
I don’t know why he didn’t come back to me after he was discharged. At this point, I don’t care. I want to be a family again.
Harley gets my best shaky grin. “We’re on a treasure hunt without a map.”
He gifts me with a happy bark that helps me smile. Unfortunately, that bark quickly morphs into a growl as a motorcycle roars to a stop behind us.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
I close my eyes and say a quick prayer. It’s probably nothing, just a kind-hearted stranger wanting to make sure I’m okay.
I’ve almost convinced myself of that until I glance out my back mirror and recognize the man strolling toward us.
My heart drops into my stomach.
It’s not Brian. No way would I be that lucky.
A gloved hand settles on the frame of my open window, soon followed by a face that has haunted me for eight years.
I don’t know who is more stunned. Seconds of silence stretch to minutes until I finally find my voice.
“Sean. If you’re here, I must be in the right place. It’s been a while.”
Face white, he lets go of my truck and steps back like he’s seen a ghost.
Ink
I trust my gut, so when it tells me to pull over and check out the beat-up truck on the side of the road, I listen.
But as I peer into the cab and stare into the eyes of my best friend’s dead sister, I’m pretty sure I stepped off my bike and into the Twilight Zone.
It’s impossible not to stare. She looks exactly how I remember, down to the scar that circles her neck. And I’d remember because those wild curls and piercing green eyes still haunt my dreams.
But Grace fucking died, this can’t be her.
“Grace?” I manage as I step back toward the truck. “Is that you?”
Her laugh is forced. “Who else would it be? Brian had to know I’d track him down eventually.”
Shit. She doesn’t know.
I try to talk, but the words don’t come. All I can do is stare.
“Why are you being so weird?” she asks. “We’re near Deep Run, right? Isn’t that where Brian lives?”
I know her well enough to read her tells. She’s terrified.
“Grace.” I manage. “We thought you were dead.”
The color drains from her face. “Dead?” she repeats, dumbstruck. “You thought I was dead?”
I pull open the truck door and move closer, gently removing her white-knuckled hands from the steering wheel and turning off the ignition.
“Your Dad wrote to Brian. He told him you and your mom were killed in a car accident. We tried to get leave to come home and go to the funeral, but your Dad said he’d already taken care of everything.”
“Oh my god.” She hides her face in her hands. “That fucking bastard.”
I want to touch her, to pull her in my arms and let her cry it out, but I lost that right a long time ago. Things had been rough between us when I’d shipped out, and time didn’t heal every wound.
Still, I’m damn glad she’s alive.
Grace looks up at me, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Is Brian okay?”
I nod. “Bear. He goes by Bear now.”
“Bear.” She turns the word over in her mouth. “I like it. It suits him.”
“You’re going to give him a fucking heart attack.” I’m not going to sugarcoat things; I’ve learned better.
She pales. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
“I know.”
And I do. She’d idolized her brother since we were kids, but Bear wasn’t the Brian she said goodbye to back in Texas. He was an entirely new animal; she was about as ready for him as he was for her.