Leah
His massive frame practically dwarfed the chair beneath him as a coffee mug sat forgotten near his elbow.
His attention was fixed on the pictures as though he was studying them—analyzing them, even as if he was looking for something.
The sight made her chest tighten because no one had ever taken her safety this seriously before—not even the police.
Hulk looked up, and their eyes met. He immediately closed the laptop, causing the photographs to disappear from view, as though he didn't want her seeing them, or reliving them.
"What are you doing up?" he asked. His deep voice rolled through the quiet room.
"Bad dreams?" he asked.
She looked away. "Something like that." Hulk nodded as though he understood. Hell, maybe he did.
She walked farther into the room. "You couldn't sleep either?” she asked.
A muscle jumped in his jaw. "No." His answer was simple and honest. Leah lowered herself into the chair across from him, and for a moment neither of them spoke.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd sat in silence with a man and not felt nervous, but then again, Hulk wasn't like most men.
He was intimidating. Sure, he was dangerously terrifying when he wanted to be, but he'd never once made her feel threatened.
It was the opposite, actually, and that scared her more than it should have because trusting people had nearly gotten her killed once before.
"What are you looking for?" she finally asked.
Hulk glanced at the laptop. "Patterns."
She frowned. "In what?"
"The photos,” he admitted. Leah immediately felt sick, and Hulk seemed to notice. "Sorry."
She shook her head. "It's okay." That was a lie because none of this was okay. Nothing might ever be okay again. She stared at her hands. "Derek doesn't give up." The words escaped before she could stop them.
They sat in silence, and Leah was sure that their conversation was over until Hulk cleared his throat. "Tell me about him."
Leah laughed bitterly. "Why?"
"So I know what we're dealing with,” Hulk said. He said we, and that single word settled somewhere deep inside her chest.
"He owns businesses,” she said.
"I know,” Hulk mumbled.
"He has money,” Leah continued.
"I know." Hulk seemed to be getting more frustrated by the minute with her answers.
"He knows people,” she said.
"I know,” Hulk growled.
"You don't understand,” she started.
Hulk's gaze locked onto hers. "Then explain it to me." Leah swallowed hard as memories rose quickly.
"He doesn't hear the word no,” she whispered.
Her voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.
"He thinks people belong to him." Hulk's expression darkened.
"He controlled everything that I did and said.
" She stared at the table, not able to look at Hulk again. “He told me what clothes to wear.” Her fingers twisted together. “He determined who I could be friends with, and how much money I had at my disposal. He wanted to make sure that I didn’t have enough money or friends to leave him.”
A dangerous silence filled the room. It was the kind that made the hairs on her neck stand up. When she finally looked up, Hulk's expression had changed, and something cold lived there now—something deadly.
“Did he hit you?” he asked.
Leah nodded, and the room felt smaller. It felt harder to take a breath.
"He almost killed me." Hulk's chair scraped against the floor, and the sudden movement made her jump.
Regret instantly crossed his face, and that realization stunned her.
Most men would've been offended, but Hulk looked angry with himself.
"I’m sorry,” he growled. The apology sounded rough but sincere, even though Hulk had nothing to apologize for.
Leah blinked. "It's okay."
"No.” His voice was quiet. "It isn't." The conviction in those three words nearly broke her.
Nobody had ever reacted like that when she'd told them about her ex—not even when she'd explained.
Most people looked uncomfortable, and some looked sympathetic—but others looked at her like she was making it all up.
Hulk looked furious—not at her, but for her, and that distinction mattered more than she wanted it to.
He moved around the table, stopping beside her. He was close enough that she could feel the heat coming off him, and close enough that her pulse began acting strangely. Leah hated that—mostly because she liked it.
"Hulk,” she whispered his name. His eyes met hers, and she sucked in a breath. "If Derek comes here—” The words were calm and controlled even though she felt anything but those two things.
"If he comes anywhere near you—” Leah couldn't look away from him. "He won't touch you." The promise settled around her like armor. He made her that promise as if protecting her wasn't even a question—as if it was already decided, and that made something inside her chest squeeze painfully.
"You can't know that,” she whispered.
His expression never changed. "Yeah, I can." Leah stared at him. His confidence should have annoyed her. Instead, it made her feel safer than she had in years, and that was dangerous because safety led to trust, and trust led to heartbreak. She knew that better than anyone.
Before she could say anything else, laughter drifted into the room. Both of them turned to find Buck walking into the kitchen carrying a fresh cup of coffee. Ghost followed behind him, and the two men immediately stopped. Ghost's grin appeared first, followed by Buck's. Oh no—Leah knew that look.
"Huh," Ghost said.
Buck nodded. "Huh," Hulk growled—actually growled.
Leah nearly laughed. "What?" she asked.
Ghost looked between them and then back at Buck. "You knew, didn’t you?" he asked.
Buck smirked. "Everybody else figured it'd take longer."
Leah frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Ghost leaned against the counter. "Hulk's been making moon eyes at you for months." Leah slowly turned toward Hulk, and the massive enforcer looked ready to commit homicide. Buck took a sip of coffee as though he wasn’t intimidated at all.
"Honestly, we started taking bets,” Buck said.
Ghost nodded. "Thought it'd take another six months.
" Leah stared them down, trying to decide if she was angry or not, and for the first time since the package arrived, she laughed.
The sound filled the kitchen, and Ghost grinned.
Poor Hulk looked like he was deciding whether burying his brothers in the Manitoba wilderness would be worth the paperwork.
For the first time all day, Leah felt something she hadn't felt in years—hope.
And for some reason, every time she looked at Hulk, that feeling only grew stronger.
The next morning felt strangely normal, which was ridiculous.
A stalker had found her. The man who'd nearly killed her knew where she was, and she was currently living in a biker clubhouse.
Nothing about that should have felt normal.
Yet somehow, sitting at the large kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes almost made her forget the hell she was going through.
The smell of coffee filled the room while several club members moved in and out of the kitchen.
The Kings of Anarchy clubhouse was already awake and busy.
Leah tried not to think about the fact that she'd barely slept.
Every time she'd closed her eyes, she'd seen the photographs and the note.
They were reminders that Derek Beaumont was no longer a ghost from her past—he was here in Manitoba, and he was watching her.
The kitchen door opened, and the cold Manitoba air swept through the room.
Leah glanced up and immediately wished she hadn't.
Hulk walked inside with snow-dusted shoulders.
His dark hair was damp from melted flakes, and his leather kutte stretched across a chest that looked entirely too broad for a normal human being.
The man was unfairly attractive, especially for someone who spent his free time terrifying criminals.
Leah looked away quickly, but unfortunately, her eyes seemed to have other plans. By the time Hulk reached the coffee pot, she was staring again. His gaze met hers instantly as though he'd felt her watching him. Something warm flickered through his eyes before disappearing.
"Morning." His deep voice rolled through the room, and Leah smiled despite herself.
"Morning,” she breathed.
"You eat?" he asked. She looked down at her plate and then back at him. Was that his version of concern? The realization was oddly adorable.
"I did,” she said. He nodded, apparently satisfied, and then he poured himself coffee.
Black—of course. Everything about Hulk screamed black coffee.
The thought nearly made her laugh. Before she could say anything else, Gorgon entered the kitchen.
The Kings of Anarchy president had a presence that demanded attention.
He was tall, with broad shoulders, and intimidating in his own right with the way that he carried authority naturally.
Buck followed him a moment later, and the club's vice president looked entirely too amused about something.
Leah immediately became suspicious, especially when Ghost appeared behind them wearing a grin that suggested trouble—lots of trouble.
All three men noticed Hulk sitting across from her, and their expressions changed immediately.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Hulk muttered.
Leah bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "What?" she asked, playing dumb.
Ghost dropped into a chair. "Nothing."
Buck sat beside him. "Absolutely nothing." They were liars—every single one of them. Fortunately, Gorgon looked slightly more professional—at least until he sat down. That was when his expression turned serious, and the shift sent anxiety crawling through Leah's stomach.
"What happened?" she asked. The room grew quiet, and Hulk set down his coffee.
"We found where one of the photos was taken,” Gorgon said.
Leah's pulse jumped. "Where?” she asked. Buck reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph and slid it across the table. Leah stared at it, and recognition came instantly.
"The coffee shop,” she said.
Buck nodded. "We matched the angle." Her stomach tightened as the familiar feeling of fear returned immediately. She hated how easily it happened. Leah hated how Derek could still affect her even after all these years.
"There's more," Gorgon said. There was always more—always another problem or another threat. There was always another reason to run.
"What now?” she asked.
This time, Buck answered. "We talked to the owner of the coffee shop."
Leah waited him out, trying to be patient. "And?"
Buck leaned forward. "Nobody remembers seeing anyone with a camera."
Confusion flickered through her. "I don't understand."
Ghost scratched his beard. "Means they weren't using one.
" Then it clicked—whoever was stalking her had been using a phone.
They had been watching her and probably looked completely normal.
Like they were just another customer or another person walking down the street.
That realization made her feel sick because she'd probably walked right past them, too.
Maybe she stood beside them in line, or held the door open for them, all while they were documenting her life.
Someone was watching her and waiting for her to make another move so that they could report back to Derek.
Leah wrapped both hands around her coffee mug, trying to stop the shaking and trying to stay calm and not panic.
The familiar spiral threatened to drag her under until Hulk spoke.
"We'll find him." Leah looked at him, and the confidence in his voice shook her.
Not because she didn't want to believe him, but because she did—desperately.
The problem was, she'd learned a long time ago that confidence didn't always win.
"What if you don't find him?” she asked.
The question escaped before she could stop it, and silence followed.
Hulk stood, and the movement immediately drew her attention.
He rounded the table and stopped beside her.
He stood close enough so that she could feel his warmth.
He was close enough that her pulse started behaving irrationally.
"Hulk—"
"We will find him,” he promised. He spoke with the voice of a man who rarely doubted himself.
God. The man believed it, entirely, without hesitation or fear.
It was as though protecting her was simply a fact and not just a possibility.
The dangerous thing was how much she wanted to trust him and how much she already did.
Before she could say anything else, her phone rang and every muscle in her body locked.
The sound seemed deafening as she slowly reached into her pocket.
Her hands shook when she saw that it was an unknown number.
She stared at it as the ringing continued.
Leah couldn't answer it because she couldn't breathe or even think.
She simply stared at the screen, and then the call ended.
Relief hit briefly before a text message arrived seconds later.
The notification sound echoed through the room, and her blood turned to ice.
Everyone was watching her now, and the entire room felt frozen as Leah opened the message.
The moment she saw the words, her stomach dropped, and her vision blurred as a terrified sound escaped her throat.
Immediately, Hulk was beside her. His large hand closed gently around the phone, and his eyes scanned the screen.
Then something terrifying settled across his face—pure rage.
It was the kind that frightened monsters.
"What?" Gorgon asked.
Hulk looked up, and his voice was dangerously quiet. "It says—a" He paused. "'You should've stayed hidden, sweetheart.'" Leah couldn't breathe because she knew that phrase. Derek had used it before, years ago, right before she'd run. Right before she disappeared and became Leah Sinclair.
The tears burning behind her eyes weren't from weakness—they were from realization. After five years of hiding, Derek Beaumont had finally found her, and judging by that message, he wasn't planning to let her go again.
Property of Hulk Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/mewrWE
What’s coming next from K.L. Ramsey? You won’t want to miss Book 1 of the Agents of STARR series. Caging Lark is coming in July 2026!