Chapter 12
KANE
I t was barely past ten in the morning, but I already wanted to break something. Preferably the nose of the smug prick—Edge—who thought it was a good idea to schedule a “meeting” for today, of all fucking days.
The job couldn’t wait—he had made that clear.
It wasn’t a favor or a check-in. It was an enforcement call.
Someone with a foot in our territory was late on a payment tied to a private security contract we ran behind the scenes.
Not a huge deal on its own. But the motherfucker had dragged his feet twice before, and last week his name came up in whispers at one of our speedways.
This wasn’t a coincidence. It was a problem.
And problems in our world had a way of festering if you didn’t handle them fast and loud. We had to shut shit down and make a statement doing it.
So yeah, the call was legit. But it didn’t mean I was happy about it. Not when it meant leaving Savannah.
When I came into the tech room this morning, dressed and scowling, ready to head out, she’d looked up from Jax’s monitor with wide eyes.
She didn’t say anything but didn't need to. Her bottom lip tugged between her teeth said enough. She didn’t want me to go, and I didn’t want to leave.
Not right now. Not with all the bullshit tainting our relationship at the moment. But that wasn’t how this life worked.
I’d tossed her my extra cut and told her to wear it if she left the room or she’d be wearing my handprint on her ass. Then I kissed her hard and left before I gave in to the temptation to drag her back to our room.
Now, I stood in the middle of a dusty auto yard about an hour north of Crossbend, arms crossed, boots planted, and staring down a man who thought “I forgot” was a good enough excuse for stiffing the Redline Kings MC.
Wrench, one of our enforcers, had already cracked two of the guy’s fingers.
Rev, the Redline King’s captain, stood watch near the front gate with Drift.
Edge leaned back against a stack of rusting metal, flipping his knife end over end like he was bored out of his mind.
Nitro was pacing near the gate to the office trailer, his arms crossed and expression tight.
“We’re generous men,” I said flatly, ignoring the asshole’s whimpers. “We offer protection. We keep your fucking doors from getting blown off. We don’t ask for much in return. Just a little respect. A little follow-through. But you thought maybe we were bluffing.”
“I-I didn’t think. I—” the man tried, clutching his broken fingers and sagging to his knees.
“You didn’t think,” I cut in coldly. “That’s your only accurate statement today.”
Wrench hauled him up by the collar and tossed him against the side of the trailer. The impact left a dent. The man crumpled again, wheezing.
“You have seventy-two hours to pay what you owe,” I growled. “You miss the deadline again, it won’t be my brothers you’ll deal with. It’ll be me. And you won’t walk away with just a couple of busted fingers. Now get outta my sight.”
The bastard stumbled to his feet and took off as fast as he could manage, limping toward the gate.
Edge finally pushed off the stack of scrap and slipped his knife into the sheath he wore beneath his cut. “That coulda gone worse.”
“Felt like a waste of a fuckin’ morning,” I muttered.
I shot him a look, and he grinned as he fell into step beside me while we walked toward our bikes. “Just saying. At least we got to knock something loose.”
Drift snorted behind us. “Prez is just pissed he had to be away from his little blonde.”
Wrench chuckled low under his breath. “She’s got claws. I like her.”
“She’s not for you,” I snapped.
“No shit,” Wrench said, grinning. “Didn’t say she was. Just sayin’ I get it.”
Rev was already on his bike but turned to glance over. “She got you all twisted up, Prez?”
“Fuck off.”
Edge’s grin went wider. “You order a vest yet?”
I didn’t answer. Just swung a leg over my bike and pulled on my gloves.
“Holy shit,” Nitro said, whistling. “He did. He fucking did.”
I’d ordered the damn thing four nights ago. She didn’t know it yet, but her name was already on a leather cut hanging in the back of the supply closet. When I gave it to her, it’d be more than a promise. It’d be a fucking claim.
She was mine now. Completely.
“You boys done gossiping like little old ladies?” I growled, flicking the ignition and letting the rumble of the engine drown out their laughter. “Let’s ride.”
The trip back was fast and silent, the miles disappearing under our wheels. A few minutes from the compound gates, my phone buzzed. I thumbed it open at a red light, and my pulse kicked up at the message.
Jax
Got something. Big.
I didn’t respond. Just hit the throttle harder, eating up the pavement until the clubhouse gates came into view. The second I parked, I stalked straight to Jax’s office.
The door was cracked, so I shoved it open—and stopped dead in my tracks.
Savannah was perched on the corner of Jax’s desk, bent forward in one of his oversized chairs, laughing so hard her eyes were watering. Her cheeks were pink, her head tilted back, and the sound of her giggle cracked straight through my chest.
Jax grinned at her, clearly proud of whatever the fuck he’d said.
My blood pressure spiked, and a growl rumbled in my chest.
“Prez,” Jax said, looking up.
Savannah turned, still breathless from laughing, her eyes bright and smiling wide. And all of it was for another man. Before I could control it, red filtered into the corners of my vision.
I reminded myself that we needed Jax, and he hadn’t technically done anything wrong. And he wasn’t after Savannah. So I couldn’t fucking kill him.
Rather than lose my shit, I didn’t say a word. Just stalked across the room, wrapped a hand around Savannah’s upper arm, and yanked her up off that desk—though I was careful not to hurt her.
Her brows lifted in surprise. “Kane?—”
“Quiet,” I barked as I led her from the room.
In the hallway, she opened her mouth again, no doubt to say something that would piss me off.
I pushed her back against the wall.
“You so much as smile at another man like that again,” I said low, voice raspy like I’d been swallowing nails, “I’ll put you over my knee until your ass is cherry red. You hear me?”
She blinked, stunned—and then, slow as sin, her pupils widened. Her thighs shifted and lips parted as she caught her breath, and she flushed.
Not with embarrassment.
With…interest.
Son of a bitch.
I fucking snapped.
Hauling her over my shoulder in one fast move, I ignored her yelp and the sound of Jax's laughter.
“What are you—hey!” she protested, squirming. “You can’t just—Kane!”
My hand came down hard on her ass. Sharp enough to make her gasp.
“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” I said, voice thick with fury and need. “You’re mine. And just to be clear, that wasn’t a spanking, it was a warning.”
Her voice was breathless, stunned. “I wasn’t smiling at him as an invitation, Kane! It was a joke. He said someone labeled the server’s backup ‘deep penetration protocol,’ and he’s been terrified to open the folder ever since.”
I didn’t slow down or stop walking, just carried her past a few curious looks and stunned expressions, upstairs, and down the hall to our room. Then I kicked the door shut behind us and finally let her slide down my body, landing her on her feet but keeping her trapped between me and the wall.
“You don’t get it yet, do you?” I grunted, gripping her jaw and tilting her face up. “I want all of it. Your smiles. Your smart mouth. Your sass. Every sound that comes out of you. I want it for me. Only me.”