Chapter 5
TYRE
Iswung my leg over my bike, my thoughts drifting toward my plans with Cecily tonight. For the first time in days, a sense of anticipation hummed beneath my skin.
Just the thought of her was enough to quicken my pulse, every detail from our earlier exchange at the pool replaying vividly in my mind. My dick hardened at the thought of her smile, the heat in her gaze, and the way her breath caught when I’d stepped into her space.
I was looking forward to dinner in a way I hadn’t anticipated, enjoying the idea of finally having her entirely to myself.
And even though I knew it wouldn’t happen tonight, I was also looking forward to when I’d finally have her under me.
Her pretty, freckled skin flushed with desire, her hair spread across my pillow as she tossed her head back, and her perfect lips opened while she screamed my name.
Shit. I needed to think about something else or the ride would be really fucking painful.
The buzz of my phone cut into my thoughts, drawing me reluctantly back into the present. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced down at Jax’s name flashing on the screen. He rarely reached out unless he had something worth talking about. I quickly tapped open the message.
Jax
Why aren’t you in your office? Get to the compound now. Move your ass.
I rolled my eyes as I tucked the phone away, instantly shifting my focus from Cecily back to business—which helped me relax the situation in my jeans.
While the club had plenty of interests, Jax had been digging deeper into the betting irregularities I’d flagged earlier this week.
The underground races were too critical to Kane’s empire to risk anything slipping under the radar.
I turned on the engine and let it idle just long enough to warm up before I headed toward the clubhouse.
When I stepped into the common room, pool balls clicked in the background, and darts thunked softly into the board. On the large flat screens mounted behind the reclaimed wood bar, a motorcycle race flashed silently.
Jax, Kane, and Edge had gathered near the bar, their conversation low, their postures relaxed but alert.
I’d brought Kane and Edge up to speed on the betting discrepancies a couple of days earlier, letting them know that Jax and I were looking into it.
Seeing the way Jax’s eyes sharpened as I approached, I knew we’d found something significant.
“Tyre,” he greeted, glancing at his watch and then lifting a brow at me. “Glad you made it.”
“Couldn’t resist your charming invite,” I drawled as I joined them.
Jax’s eyes narrowed. “If you’d been in your fucking office when I found this shit—”
My eyes narrowed, and I cocked my head to the side and cut him off. “We aren’t all workaholics like you, brother. Besides, as I recall…couldn’t find you anywhere near the compound for weeks. When was it? Oh, right. Last July. Around six weeks after Lark gave birth, wasn’t it?”
Edge smirked and flicked his gaze toward Kane, amusement glinting beneath his casual exterior.
Jax couldn’t contain the cocky smirk that curled his lips. “Point taken.” Then he looked at me pointedly. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
“Moving on,” Kane drawled as he inclined his head slightly toward the hallway. “Let’s take this to my office.”
We moved through the common room into the space our president had made his inner sanctum. Jax settled his tablet on the desk, turning it toward us so we could clearly see the streams of encrypted chatter and burner phone data scrolling across the screen.
“Been monitoring encrypted communications,” Jax began, his voice cool and precise. “They’re not explicitly stating race locations or times. Instead, they’re burying coordinates within coded drops. Structure and phrasing never change, always identical and through the same sender network.”
Edge leaned casually against the desk, his lips twitched faintly as he spun his knife lazily between his fingers. “Whoever’s pulling our money isn’t sloppy. Interesting choice of strategy—careful but ballsy, setting up in our backyard without knocking.”
Jax nodded, scrolling through more data. “Exactly. Found clusters in the communications matching the same high-stakes bettors and drivers Tyre flagged. Consistently showing up in the same places, on the same nights we’ve seen betting dips at our races.”
I folded my arms, contemplating the implications carefully, annoyance rising within me at the thought of someone testing our limits so openly.
“Ghost races. Short runs, quick pools, and no overhead. Siphoning money quietly, hitting fast and disappearing before we catch wind. It would explain the dips I’ve been seeing. ”
Kane’s ever-present scowl deepened, something steely settling behind his dark eyes. “Not a direct challenge, not yet. They’re testing our boundaries, gauging how far they can push before we shove back.”
“That’s exactly how it feels,” I agreed with a nod. “Seeing how much money they can divert, how many drivers they can lure away, and just how long it takes us to notice. They’re smart enough to stay mobile and careful enough to avoid confrontation.”
Edge’s mouth curled into something dangerously amused, a dark gleam entering his gaze. “Guess they didn’t get the memo—Redline Kings’ territory isn’t negotiable. Anyone trying to push that line deserves what’s coming their way.”
Kane’s voice was calm but deadly. “We’ll wait for now. Let ’em believe they’ve flown under our radar. We observe first, then shut it down decisively when the time is right. Don’t want any questions left about our control here.”
His plan was solid, which wasn’t a surprise since Kane was smart as fuck.
He turned his gaze toward Jax and me. “Figure out the next race. We’ll have to find a way to infiltrate it. Need to gather intel and pinpoint who’s behind this, so when we move, it’ll be with absolute certainty. Bastards’ll learn the consequences of testing us.”
Nodding my agreement, the tension eased just slightly now that we had a clear direction forward. “Understood. On it.”
I checked my watch briefly, impatience scratching under my skin. The clock had felt like it was crawling toward dinner.
“If we’re finished here, I have plans to get ready for,” My tone was deliberately casual as I straightened and glanced toward the door.
Edge’s attention sharpened instantly, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face. He leaned back, tossing his knife lightly from one hand to the other. “Plans, huh? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about plans involving a woman, would you?”
His voice was heavy with dry amusement, clearly expecting a denial. I didn’t blame him, though. It had been a damn long time since I had something even resembling a date. But I didn’t feel like confirming or denying, so I merely grunted and offered him a brief, inscrutable glance.
Jax chuckled softly, crossing his arms as he leaned a hip casually against Kane’s desk. “Give it up, Tyre. We’ve all noticed you’ve been a grouchy bastard lately. Of course it’s about a woman.”
Even Kane raised a brow at that.
I glared at Jax, but he just kept talking like he wasn’t in danger of losing his teeth. “Cecily Hayes, wasn’t it?”
His tone was teasing since he knew damn fucking well who I’d been obsessing over.
“The swim teacher for the kids?” Kane asked.
“Yup,” Jax replied, ignoring my irritated growl. “She’s been out of town, which explains the transformation from man to beast.”
Edge snorted, his movie-star worthy smile widening, and his eyes gleaming with amusement.
“Is that so? Guess it turns out Mr. Ice-in-the-veins isn’t immune after all.
Been waiting years to watch you finally lose your cool like the rest of us.
Karma’s sweet.” He shrugged. “Or a bitch, depending on how you look at it.”
I was tempted to shoot back a biting retort—or put a bullet in his knee—but I just shook my head, grudgingly conceding their point. They weren’t wrong, even if it grated on me to admit it.
When my brothers had found their women, I’d often taken the opportunity to give them shit over being whipped. Now they were returning the favor, and I probably deserved every damn second of it. “You fuckers done?”
“Not even close.” Edge smirked, tilting his head slightly, his eyes glinting. “Gotta admit, it’s gonna be real satisfying watching you finally tumble headfirst into the same madness the rest of us went through.”
“Oh, he’s already there,” Jax snickered. “Considering the lengths we went to keep his sanity intact while Cecily was gone.”
I gave him a warning glance, but Kane looked up, intrigued. “What lengths?”
Jax’s mouth curved into a faint grin, enjoying himself entirely too much.
“Knew he wasn’t gonna survive without some way to keep tabs, so I hacked her phone’s GPS.
But unsurprisingly, that wasn’t enough. And when I saw him on the edge of doing something stupid, I tapped into the security feeds at her training facility and dorms.”
“Had to make sure she was safe,” I grunted, even knowing they would see right through that bullshit and that it wasn’t the only reason.
Edge barked a laugh, shaking his head. “Tyre Costa—club financial genius with a terrifying strategic mind—reduced to stalking security cameras over a girl. That’s a new one.”
I let out an irritated breath, knowing arguing wouldn’t change a thing. “Pretty sure none of you has room to talk when it comes to stalking your woman.”
Kane chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. “True.”
It was the worst kept secret around that my brothers still “kept tabs” on their wives—a tame way of saying that they had eyes and ears on them at pretty much all times.
Although, I’d come to understand the reason for it now.
The need to protect what was ours was nearly overwhelming, and this was the only thing holding us back from locking them in a tower to make sure they were always safe and untouched by the darkness in the world.
Luckily, the old ladies seemed to find it amusing rather than overbearing.
I turned toward the door, hurrying to make my escape.
“Kane,” I heard Edge say over my shoulder, his voice deliberately casual but his amusement was clearly implied. “Might as well put an order for another property vest. Looks like our treasurer is off the market.”
I kept walking since there was nothing for me to say because Edge was right.
Kane should order a vest for Cecily. I’d already accepted my claim on her.
She had gotten deep under my skin, and now that she was back in town, my restraint was dangerously thin.
But I wasn’t about to fight the pull. Cecily was worth every bit of the obsession I’d allowed to consume me.
She was mine. And tonight, I intended to make damn sure she knew it.