AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We have your woman, whichever one it is.” The demand was ludicrous, yet terrifying in its implications. “Sign over Royal Road in exchange for her life.”
My hands shook as I held the paper, the bloodstain a sick reminder of the seriousness, the danger, of the situation. The gore in my hands felt like a physical manifestation of the nightmare I’d been living since Eve’s disappearance.
The ambiguity of “your woman” was a deliberate taunt, a way to twist the knife deeper, playing on the unresolved fate of Sky and the immediate terror for Eve’s safety. It was a brutal, psychological game designed to exploit my worst fears. My initial reaction, horror and disbelief, morphed into rage.
Anger rushed through me, hot and fierce, chasing the heels of my initial shock. The very idea that someone would dare to threaten what was mine, to use Eve or any woman connected to me as leverage to get a goddamn piece of property, ignited a fury that burned away any semblance of helplessness. This wasn’t just an attack. It was a declaration of war, a challenge that struck at the very heart of what we Royal Bastards stood for.
The note, with its bloodied message, became my catalyst for action. It confirmed my worst fears but also crystallized my resolve. Whoever was behind this had not only underestimated the bond that held my club together, but also the lengths to which I would go to protect my own. The clubhouse, a symbol of our brotherhood and freedom, was not just a building or a business. It was a testament to our way of life, and everyone knew I wouldn’t sign it away, not for threats, not for blackmail.
And the note revealed so much more. There was no doubt in my mind about who was behind it. After all, the newspaper clipping had been the article about his minion dying in jail. Noah Fond. The man had been a thorn in my side, buying up land around my property, making expansion impossible. Nevertheless, it was more than just a mere battle over land. He saw me, my club, and our success as a threat to his empire.
Fond had his hands in every shady deal in Nashville, yet my clubhouse and arena bore witness to a different kind of power, one built on loyalty and brotherhood rather than fear and corruption. And now, he was using Eve, the woman I loved, as a pawn in his twisted game. Sky too.
Would I sign Royal Road over to save their lives? The weight of the decision bearing down on me, I knew it wasn’t that simple. Surrender was not an option. Giving Fond what he wanted wouldn’t give me Eve. The game had changed, and with it, the rules.
We were no longer just searching for Eve. I knew who had her. We were fighting back against the shadows that always sought to envelop us. With the bloodied note as a grim reminder of the stakes, I rallied my brothers, ready to confront Noah Fond. The battle lines were drawn, and I was ready to wage war for Eve’s life, for our future, and for the very soul of our club.
But the involvement of the mob was another angle I couldn’t ignore. The possibility that Ralph Getty and his goons were also entangled in this mess was something I had to explore, to either confirm or rule out.
With a resolve that cut through the despair, I mounted my Harley with my brothers at my back, Mateo, Villain, Pagan, Irish, Riff and Opry. The roar of the engine beneath me was the only thing that pierced the heavy silence of my raging thoughts. Riding through the streets of Nashville, I was a man on a mission. If there was even a sliver of a chance that the mob was involved in Eve’s disappearance, I needed to know. I had to get to the bottom of this, to peel back the layers of deceit and find the truth hidden beneath.
The road stretched out before me, a path that led towards answers, towards confrontation. As the city blurred past, I steeled myself for the battle to come. This was beyond a mere rescue mission. It had become a fight for our very existence, a battle against the shadows that sought to engulf the life I’d built, and the love I’d found.
Chapter 15
Eve
From that night at Bootsie’s.
The recognition hit me like a punch to the gut. Lordalmighty.
Hallow.
My heart skipped a beat, then sprinted. My ex stood there with a look of nostalgia and something darker. I hadn’t seen him in years, not since he left the club after he found out my baby wasn’t his and that I had been with his club’s president, Kingpin. After he’d seen it with his own eyes. And Hallow, he took Kingpin’s wife at the time, kidnapped Sky and ran. The shock of seeing him here, now, on the eve of my wedding, sent more than a chill down my spine. I fucking froze solid.
Trying to mask my turmoil, I attempted to head back to my friends, but the crowd seemed to swallow me up, steering me toward the back of the bar instead. I needed a moment to collect myself, to steady the shaking in my hands and the racing of my heart. And I knew the back of Bootsie’s like the back of my hand.
But Hallow followed.
I realized he knew it too. And I found I was cornered when I felt the wall of muscle against my back, the stark light of the back hallway casting shadows that felt too close. Turning, I caught a whiff of him first. Saw he was drunk, his movements unsteady, his eyes too bright with unshed emotions.
“Eve,” he slurred, his voice thick with alcohol and something unspoken. “I don’t want you back… I need you back. You and me, we’re meant to be.”
“Hallow, I’m getting married. I am married,” I stated the obvious.
“Eve, come away with me. Just like our song says. We’ll run away together. Just you and me.”
His words were a jumble of desperation and desire, but all I could feel was fear. His presence, his persistence, it was all too much. Too close. Too wrong.
“Hallow, you need to stop,” I managed, my voice steady despite the panic rising inside me. “Lordalmighty, this here is my bachelorette party. I’m getting married in the morning. Hell, like I just told you, I’m already married.” I shoved my ring in his face. “Kingpin and I have two youngins.”
He laughed, a sound that once would’ve warmed me on the coldest day but now only sent a shiver down my spine. Reaching out, he stole my arm, his hold unshakable, his intention clear. “That doesn’t matter. We belong together, Eve. Always have. Always will.”
The fear that had been simmering in me turned sharp, urgent. I had to get away, had to put distance between us. “No, Hallow. It’s over. It’s been over for a long time. Even before it was over.”
Hallow howled, “Sky’s left me. Disappeared. And all I can think of is the road not traveled.”
My struggle with Hallow was brief but intense. My heartbeat thundered in my chest as I tried to remove myself, my brain running through a billion options. I could hit him in the balls, but I decided against getting physical, in case he repaid the gesture.
