Rebel (Hounds of Hellfire MC #11)

Chapter 1

REBEL

The Hounds of Hellfire MC clubhouse was filled with relief when we returned, the tension from earlier finally giving way to laughter and easy camaraderie.

My muscles were still taut from the confrontation we’d just come from, my hands flexing instinctively as the adrenaline slowly faded.

I stood slightly apart, observing quietly as my brothers spread through the space, each drawn toward their women like magnets, the embraces that followed unmistakably possessive.

The comfortable intimacy between the couples created a sense of envy in my chest. Not that I’d admit it out loud. It had been a damn long time since I’d let myself think about settling down or wanting someone that close.

Ace, our treasurer, moved immediately toward Poppy, his stride swift and purposeful. The intensity in his eyes told anyone watching exactly how much he needed to see her after what we’d just handled. We’d eliminated the threat against her, and I could only imagine his relief.

He caught her face in his big hands and kissed her deeply, unapologetic about his claim as he pulled her tight against him.

Our president, King, approached them, a tiny lift at the corners of his mouth as he handed over the leather property vest he’d probably had for weeks.

Ace had made it clear that Poppy was it for him right after they met.

Poppy’s eyes widened, her cheeks flushing with pure happiness as Ace settled the vest over her shoulders. It was impossible not to notice the way they looked at each other—raw, fiercely protective, and completely in love.

My gaze drifted slightly to the left, and every muscle in my body suddenly locked tight. Standing beside Poppy was a woman I’d never seen before, but in a single breath, she owned every ounce of my attention. A strange, possessive heat rolled through me as I took her in.

Thick chestnut hair was loosely braided and hung over one shoulder.

The low lighting in the lounge was just bright enough to catch copper highlights threaded through the strands.

She had the kind of curves that made my pulse spike hard.

Her lush hips were wrapped in worn jeans that hugged her like they were made just for her.

A simple flannel shirt was knotted loosely at her waist, accentuating those curves and drawing my attention exactly where it shouldn’t linger in public.

She wasn’t just beautiful, she was fucking captivating.

Her skin was kissed by the sun, a delicate warmth that made my fingers itch to touch.

She seemed completely unaware of my eyes tracking her every move.

Her smile was bright and effortlessly radiant as she spoke with Poppy, her eyes dancing with animated laughter as she admired the newly presented vest. She had no idea I was watching, completely oblivious to the possessive heat coiling through me with every passing second.

The intensity of my reaction caught me completely off guard. As I watched her, that unexpected longing tightening my chest wasn’t envy anymore. It was something deeper, more primal—a fierce, instinctive recognition that she belonged to me.

She took a step back and bumped directly into my chest. Instinctively, my hands shot out to grip her arms, steadying her.

Heat sparked through my fingertips at the contact, catching me off guard.

When she spun around, those amber eyes met mine, wide and startled for a brief second before her full, pouty lips curved into a bright smile that sent another shock wave straight to my groin.

“Oops! Sorry about that.” Laughter bubbled beneath her voice as her gaze moved over me, curiosity and surprise clear in those mesmerizing eyes.

I managed a stiff nod, but words failed me.

A brooding scowl tugged automatically at my features, masking the turmoil inside me.

As my stare swept slowly over her face, the subtle flush on her cheeks, the curve of her neck, and those lush curves, I couldn’t hold back the muttered curse under my breath. “Fucking hell.”

Her smile faltered slightly, her brow furrowing in confusion as she turned back to Poppy and rolled her eyes in amused frustration. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to belong to one of these guys.”

Something possessive snapped inside me, instantly accepting what my body already knew—she was mine. Before I even realized what I was doing, the words were growling out of me, low and rough with irritation. “You’ll know soon enough.”

She whipped around to face me again, her hands landing firmly on those curvy hips, her chin lifting stubbornly as her brows rose. The defiance in her stance sent another hot rush of desire through me, nearly stealing my breath. “Pardon?”

I didn’t answer right away as my eyes held hers for a long, tense moment. I was acutely aware of Ace’s gaze on us, and the surprised silence that had fallen over the others nearby. But I was too caught up in this overwhelming certainty to care.

My gaze darted to King, knowing he would read exactly what was written all over my face.

The club prez’s eyes met mine, recognition and amusement flashing there for a second before he let out a laugh that startled everyone around him.

I knew King understood enough to order a vest without needing anything else from me.

King shook his head slightly, laughter still in his voice as he murmured, “I’ll take care of it.”

Beside him, Flint gave a resigned sigh and muttered, “And I’ll order more tests.”

My jaw clenched in irritation, but I jerked my chin at them in silent acknowledgment. When I swung my gaze back to the woman, she was watching me with wide, curious eyes, her lips slightly parted as though she wasn’t sure if she should laugh or yell at me.

“We’ll talk later,” I promised.

I needed to get the hell out of there before I did something stupid, like haul her against me and claim her mouth right there in front of everyone in the damn clubhouse.

Before she could say anything else to derail my control, I turned and stalked away from the gathering. My pulse was still pounding fiercely as I left the clubhouse, needing distance from the woman who’d just flipped my world upside down.

When I left the compound, my boots crunched heavily on the gravel path to where I’d parked my hog.

The ride into town should’ve cleared my head.

The steady vibration of my bike and the familiar rhythm of the road were usually enough to quiet whatever noise was rattling around up there.

It didn’t do a damn thing tonight, though.

Every time I blinked, I saw her. The way her eyes lit up. The curve of her mouth when she smiled. The feel of her body when she’d bumped into me—soft, warm, and real.

Mine.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath as I pulled into the underground garage of my building.

I killed the engine and sat there for a second, my hands still wrapped around the grips, and my jaw tight as I stared straight ahead.

I’d walked away from her for a reason. The middle of the clubhouse lounge, with old ladies and my brothers watching, wasn’t the place to grab her and take what my instincts were already claiming.

Didn’t mean I liked it.

Pushing the thoughts aside, I swung off the bike and headed upstairs.

My condo was exactly how I liked it—clean, controlled, and everything in its place.

Dark wood floors, low lighting, nothing unnecessary.

A space that didn’t demand anything from me when I walked through the door. But tonight, it felt too damn quiet.

I stripped down, tossed my clothes in the hamper, and dragged a hand over the back of my neck as I moved through the routine of getting ready for bed. Shower. Brush teeth. Lights off. Same shit, different night.

Except my head wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen counter instead of heading straight to bed and dropped onto the couch, leaning forward with my forearms braced on my thighs as the screen lit up.

It didn’t take much to get what I needed.

Between what I already knew and what was stored in our systems, it was easy enough to find her name, where she worked, and where she lived.

Clara Winslet. The name settled into my chest like it had always belonged there.

I leaned back slowly, my eyes scanning the basic information and committing it all to memory without even trying.

Winslet Orchard and Farm. Family business.

Small apartment above the store. Everything about her life painted a picture that didn’t fit anywhere near my world—and didn’t change a damn thing about what I felt when I looked at her.

If anything, it made it worse.

I closed the laptop and finally headed to my bedroom, dropping onto the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. The silence pressed in around me, and for the first time in a long while, it didn’t feel like peace.

It felt like something was missing.

I lasted maybe five minutes before I swore under my breath and shoved off the bed, grabbing the laptop again as I went back out to the living room. If I couldn’t shut my brain off, I might as well make it useful and get some work done.

The Hounds had their hands in more shit than most people realized, some of it clean and some of it sitting in that gray space where the law didn’t quite reach or didn’t want to look too closely.

We didn’t operate by anyone else’s rules unless it suited us.

Our code came first, always had. When something needed to be handled, and the system couldn’t—or wouldn’t—do it, we stepped in. Lines got crossed. Problems got solved.

Sometimes the people in charge looked the other way.

Other times, they quietly appreciated the outcome.

Didn’t hurt that money flowed where it needed to, smoothing things out without anyone having to say it out loud.

We didn’t buy politicians, didn’t play those games, but we had allies—people who understood that what we did filled the gaps the law couldn’t cover.

What we were best at, though—what brought in the real money—was making people disappear.

Not the way outsiders would think. We didn’t take contracts to end lives.

We erased them. Built new ones from the ground up.

New names, histories, and paper trails so clean they could stand up to any scrutiny.

We gave people a way out when staying where they were would’ve gotten them killed or worse.

Between Wizard’s tech, my security builds, Ace’s financial wizardry, and the rest of the club backing us, we didn’t miss details. We couldn’t afford to. Once someone stepped into that new life, it had to hold. And it did.

Most of the time, we charged. Sometimes we didn’t. Depended on the situation and the person. Those calls stayed inside the club, locked down tight. The last thing we needed was a flood of bullshit sob stories from people looking to game the system.

I worked through a few files, tightening protocols and double-checking a couple of active cases, forcing my mind to stay on the screen instead of drifting back to a pair of amber-brown eyes that had no business getting under my skin this fast.

It didn’t fucking work. Her laughter echoed in my head anyway. The way she’d looked at me. Curious, not scared. Like she wasn’t sure what to make of me but wasn’t backing down either.

Mine.

The word hit just as hard now as it did every time it flared in my mind, settling deep and solid in my chest.

I finally snapped the laptop shut and leaned back, scrubbing a hand over my face.

My body was tired, my muscles heavy from the day, but my mind was still wired tight.

But I needed some damn sleep. I forced myself back into the bedroom and dropped onto the mattress again, this time closing my eyes and not letting them open.

It took a while, longer than it should’ve, but eventually the exhaustion dragged me under.

The last thought in my head before sleep finally took me was the certainty that tomorrow, I was going to find her. The last thing I saw was her face.