Chapter Ten
Shadow
We head back to the club in silence. Something has shifted between us, and she does everything in her power to make sure no part of her body is touching mine.
The second we stop, she jumps off the bike and heads inside. And by the time I go in too, she’s vanished.
I take the brick of coke into the office and dump it on Axel’s desk. He eyes it for a moment before meeting my glare. “Explain.”
“It belongs to the Steels,” I tell him.
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Tell me, how did you come into contact with it?”
“I stumbled upon it while having a talk with someone.”
“And by someone, you mean?” He stares, waiting for me to continue.
I wince, knowing this is going to get me into trouble. “Dean.”
Axel inhales deeply. “And Dean is . . .”
“Look, I’ll level with you, Pres. I went to speak to a guy who put his hands on a woman without her consent.”
“The woman being?”
“Remi,” I mutter.
“And you cleared this with Grizz?”
“Should I have?”
He narrows his eyes. “Well, you sure as shit didn’t clear it with me, so I’m assuming you went directly to my VP.”
“Pres, look, I’m sorry. It was a last-minute thing. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
He scrubs his hands over his face. “And he told you this belonged to the Steels?” he asks on a sigh, prodding the coke. I nod. “I’ll pass it to Ragnor when he’s finished.”
“Finished?”
Axel smirks. “I saw him heading off with Remi. She looked upset.”
I rush from the office, ignoring Axel’s laughter as I race up the stairs. I pause outside my room. If I walk in to find them . . . fuck. I shove the door hard, and Remi sits up quickly. I stand in the doorway, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of him. “You alone?”
She frowns, then shrugs like I’m stupid and clearly blind. “Axel said . . .” I trail off, realising he was having me on. “Never mind.”
Remi pushes to stand. “I have to start my shift,” she mutters, passing me to leave.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods, but her smile is forced. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“You just seem, I dunno, off?”
“I’m fine, Shadow.”
“Logan,” I snap as she heads out the door.
“Whatever,” she calls back.
“What did you do?” whispers Atlas as he eyes Remi.
It’s the second drink she’s slammed down in front of me. The first I thought might have been a mistake, so I ordered the second on purpose just to see, and as I wipe up perfectly good sparkling water, I shrug. “Fuck if I know, brother.”
“You’ve upset her,” Kasey states.
“No shit,” mutters Atlas.
“Are you two a thing?” she asks.
“No,” I mutter, shaking my head. “I’m just helping her out.”
“Does she know you’re not interested?”
“It hasn’t come up,” I say while my mind races for the right words. Because I never said I wasn’t interested, but I’m not. Am I?
“Hey, Remi,” Kasey calls. I exchange a wary look with Atlas, who mutters something about her being a bull in a China shop. Remi comes over, her eyes avoiding me. “Are you into Shadow?”
I glare, my mouth falling open.
“What are you, twelve?” Atlas snaps.
“Honesty is the best policy,” Kasey defends.
“I’m busy,” Remi mutters, heading away again.
Atlas grabs Kasey. “Let’s get back to work,” he insists, dragging her off.
I wait for Remi to move back closer, and as she grabs a bottle, I say, “Sorry.”
She slowly turns. “For what?”
“Kasey and her big mouth.” When she goes to walk away again, I add, “And whatever else I did to upset you today. Maybe the cuffs were a bit much.”
“I don’t like being tied up, held down, or cuffed, fluffy or otherwise. I just don’t . . .” She takes a shaky breath. “It brings back bad memories. Nothing good ever comes from being secured.”
I stand. “Jesus,” I mutter. “I’m so sorry, Rem. I didn’t even think.” I groan. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just being sensitive.” She adds an unsure laugh like she’s trying to convince us both it’s fine.
“I feel like a prick,” I mutter. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“Is he causing you heartache already?” I glance over my shoulder as Ragnor enters. He shakes my hand then takes a seat at the bar. “A water, please, gorgeous.”
“It’s just Remi,” she says bluntly, and I almost smile.
“Hey, did you go speak to Amy about the job?”
She places his water on the bar. “Yeah, it didn’t work out.”
“Why?”
Remi sighs heavily, like her patience is all out. “She was a cow,” she says, arching a brow, “and she told me there were no positions.”
“Shit, sorry, Remi,” he says sincerely. “Leave it with me and I’ll find something else.”
“It’s fine. Don’t bother. I’m thinking of moving on anyway.”
I frown. “What?” I’m surprised how much her words bother me.
“There’s nothing for me here. And if I stay too long, trouble will find me.”
Her words hit like a sucker punch. Moving on.
My throat goes tight, and I hate that it does. I cover it with a scoff. “And where the hell would you go?”
“Anywhere,” she says with a shrug that looks casual but feels like a blade to my ribs. “Doesn’t matter. Just not here.”
“Running again?” I press, knowing my words will get a reaction.
Her eyes flash, wounded and defensive all at once. “Surviving,” she corrects, her voice cold. “There’s a difference.”
Before I can push back, Ragnor leans his elbows on the bar, eyes flicking between us with that easy grin that always makes me want to put a fist through his teeth.
“She’s right, you know. This city eats people alive if they don’t belong.
But I could help you land on your feet, Remi. Different kind of work. Safer.”
Her chin tips up, suspicion warring with temptation. “What kind of work?”
“The kind that pays,” he says smoothly. “And the kind where you don’t have to watch your back every second.”
I slam my water bottle down hard enough to rattle the glasses. “She doesn’t need your fucking help, Ragnor.”
His grin widens, lazy, taunting. “Funny, brother. From where I’m sitting, it sounds like she just said she does.”
Remi sighs, rubbing her temples. “God, you two. Do I look like a prize in some pissing contest? Because newsflash, I’m not.” She shoots me a glare before throwing the towel on the bar and stomping outside.
Shadow
I watch Remi head out and fight the urge to rush after her. It’ll only fuel Ragnor’s need to challenge me. I wait for him to get distracted with Axel before getting off my stool and heading out.
I see her standing against the wall, her head tipped back against the brickwork, eyes shut like she’s trying to block the world out. Relief that she didn’t run hits so hard, it’s almost painful.
She looks up when I move closer, her voice sharp. “I just need a minute.”
I nod, keeping my tone light. “I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.” I take the spot beside her, close enough to guard but far enough to not crowd.
“You really don’t have to watch me all the time,” she says, folding her arms. “I’m not going anywhere yet.”
“Yet,” I echo. “It’s that part I’m worried about.”
She turns, exasperated. “Why do you care? Axel doesn’t even want me here.”
“I do.” The words come out before I can stop them. Too honest, but it’s the truth, and she needs to hear it.
Her eyes catch mine, wary but curious. “Why are you being so nice to me, Logan?”
I huff a quiet laugh. “You’re growing on me. And maybe helping you will get me some angel wings or something.”
She smirks, a tiny spark of the girl she could’ve been. “You plan on reaching those pearly gates anytime soon?”
I glance towards the gravel, kicking a loose stone. “Probably never. I’m more likely to go down than up.” A beat passes before I add, “Ragnor’s not offering a good job with a pension and a picket fence, Rem. This life drags you down, same as the one you came from.”
Her jaw tightens. “And I swore I’d never go down a dark path. But the more I try to stay on the right track, the harder it gets. It’s not like I haven’t tried.”
“You’ve got a place now,” I remind her. “Clothes. Food. A roof. A job. It’s not much, but it’s safe.”
She looks away. “You don’t get it.”
“Then tell me,” I say quietly. “Make me understand.”
She hesitates then whispers, “He knows where I am.”
My stomach drops. “Who?”
“My stepdad. Colin.”
“Why’s that a problem?” I ask, though the look in her eyes answers it for me.
“It just is,” she says. “He tramples over anything good in my life. I can’t bring that trouble here. Axel already hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“He doesn’t want me here,” she says softly, “and I don’t blame him.”
I take a step closer. “So, what’s the plan, Rem? Keep running? Sleeping rough again? Eating out of bins?”
Her shoulders sag. “I’ve been doing alright on my own since I was sixteen.”
I move in front of her, forcing her to meet my eyes. She flinches, but she doesn’t back away. Slowly, I reach out and cup her cheek, my thumb brushing the soft skin there. She’s trembling, and I can feel her rapid pulse under my fingers.
“You don’t have to do this alone anymore,” I murmur. “Not with me here.”
Her lips part. “You’re only watching me because Axel told you to.”
I shake my head, leaning closer until my breath catches hers. “That’s not true,” I whisper. “Trust me.”
Her tongue darts out, wetting her lower lip, and I swear, my restraint snaps clean in two. I pause, giving her a chance to move, to shove me away.
She doesn’t, so I close that final inch and kiss her.
At first, she’s still, testing, waiting, so I keep it gentle. Slow. Careful. Just a promise. Then she exhales, shaky, and her hand fists my shirt, pulling me down. I groan, the sound low and rough, and angle my mouth over hers.
The world drops away. There’s no noise, no club, no ghosts from her past. Just her. The taste of her. The way she fits against me like she’s always belonged there.
Her lips part, and the kiss deepens with hunger and heartache and everything I didn’t know I’d been missing. I cradle her face between my hands, holding her like she might vanish if I let go.
And then, just as quickly, she breaks the kiss. Breathless and shaking, her forehead presses against mine.
“I can’t,” she whispers, voice cracking. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
My chest tightens. Every instinct screaming to pull her back, to convince her, but I force myself still.
“Then don’t think about tomorrow,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her jaw. “Just know you’re not alone tonight.”
She nods faintly, and for a heartbeat, I feel her lean into me.
Remi
The second his mouth touches mine, I swear, the ground disappears.
It’s soft at first, testing, like he’s giving me every chance to run. But I don’t. I lean in, tugging at his shirt, needing him closer.
The way his hands frame my face is like a promise and a drug all in one. Pulling me in, I get a hint at the kind of lover he might be.
The creak of the door grabs my attention. We spring apart just as Ragnor steps out, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. His grin widens the second he clocks us.
“Well, well,” he drawls, smoke curling from his mouth. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Mortification burns up my neck. My lips still tingling, I shove past Shadow before either of them can say another word.
“Remi––” Shadow calls, but I don’t look back.
I duck inside, cheeks flaming, heart racing. I don’t stop until I’m at the bar, hands braced against the counter, trying to breathe like I wasn’t just kissing the one man I swore I’d never let past my walls.
And the worst part?
I already want to do it again.
The bar is busier now, and I immediately get back behind it to help Shooter. It’s a free bar, and I don’t know the logic behind it, but Axel prefers to have someone work the bar so it doesn’t descend in complete chaos with brothers helping themselves.
“What can I get you?” I ask Kasey, who’s waiting patiently amongst the big bikers.
“Remi, we need to talk.” Shadow leans across the bar, close enough that I catch the storm brewing in his eyes.
I keep my eyes fixed on Kasey and repeat, “What can I get you?”
“A water, please,” she says, offering me a small, awkward smile.
“Remi, please,” he insists, voice low, rough.
“I’m busy, Shadow. Drop it.”
His huff is sharp, frustration bleeding through as he pushes back from the bar and stalks towards a cluster of bikers. My chest aches, but I shut it down, twisting the cap off a bottle and sliding it to Kasey.
“Everything okay?” she asks gently.
“He’s just taking babysitting duty too seriously,” I mutter.
Kasey leans in, smirk tugging at her lips. “If he’s crowding you that much, I know a place you can hide.”
My gaze flicks up, curious despite myself. “Really?”
“Yeah. Find me on your break, I’ll show you.”
Relief flutters through me. A few hours without facing up to the kiss? Without his eyes tearing into me like I’m his problem to solve? Yes, please.
Of course, that’s when Ragnor saunters up, all dimples and trouble. I groan inwardly.
“So, does this mean I gotta back off?” he asks, eyes narrowing like he’s trying to read the truth straight from my soul.
“Would you listen if I said yes?”
He grins slow. “That’s why I like you, gorgeous. You get me.”
I pour a whiskey, sliding it across the bar before he can ask. My smile is sugar, my words sharp. “My job is to make customers feel special. Don’t get it twisted.”
His laugh is low, knowing, like he’s already planning his next move. And I force myself to keep smiling.
By the time my shift ends, my nerves are shredded. My cheeks still burn every time I think about that kiss, about Shadow’s voice chasing me across the bar.
I duck into the back room, strip off the damp apron, and sling my bag over my shoulder. Kasey’s waiting near the hallway, twirling a set of keys on her finger. When I approach, she quirks a smile.
“Still want that hideout?”
“Yes,” I breathe, maybe too quickly.
She grins, tilting her head. “Follow me.”
We head down the corridor and past the office until she stops in front of a narrow door half-hidden behind a stack of crates. It looks like nothing, just a storage cupboard. She fishes out a key and pushes it open.
Inside, it’s nothing like I expect. A single lamp throws warm light over a small space she’s transformed. There’s a battered loveseat against one wall, a low table stacked with magazines, even a string of fairy lights draped haphazardly overhead. A blanket lay folded neatly in the corner.
“Ta-da,” Kasey says with a little bow. “My own secret room. Whenever I need to get away from the noise, or the men, I come here.”
I step inside, my chest loosening for the first time all day. “It’s perfect.”
She drops onto the loveseat, curling her legs beneath her. “And no one comes looking. Not even Axel. They all think it’s just where the spare cleaning supplies are.”
I sink down beside her, pulling my knees to my chest. “You’re a genius.”
“Obviously.” She smirks, then softens. “Seriously, though, if Shadow’s crowding you, you don’t have to face him until you’re ready. Stay here as long as you want.”
Still, a part of me knows it’s only a matter of time before Shadow comes tearing through walls to drag me out.