The following day, I stepped out of Kane’s office at the clubhouse, tension knotting the muscles in my shoulders and burning like acid beneath my skin. Kane and I had just finished laying out a plan for dealing with Shawn. One that involved diplomacy at first, or at least as close as we ever came to that.
The club had decided it was necessary to give the asshole one chance to settle things quietly before we resorted to more aggressive methods. My gut clenched as I walked toward my bike, the conversation with Kane replaying in my head. I had to fight to keep my temper from boiling over before we even reached our destination.
By the time I made it back to The Pit, the shop was already bustling. Riley stood near one of the lifts, her attention fully focused on the bike she was tuning, completely oblivious to the intensity of my thoughts as I watched her.
I crossed the shop toward her, and the mechanics quickly gave me space, sensing the tension radiating off me as I approached. Riley glanced up, her eyes warming the moment they met mine, and something tightened in my chest.
Without giving a damn who might be watching, I gripped her hips and kissed her, not bothering to disguise exactly how badly I wanted her. Riley’s lips softened beneath mine, her mouth opening on a soft, eager sound, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to simply drag her off to my office and see just how sturdy my desk was.
“I have to head out for some club business,” I murmured reluctantly against her lips, keeping my voice low enough that nobody else could hear me clearly. “Not sure what time I’ll be home, but it could be late. Don’t wait up.”
Riley’s brows furrowed slightly, worry flickering briefly in her gaze before she carefully masked it with a casual smile. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded, sliding my thumb gently across her cheekbone. “It will be. Trust me to handle it, yeah?”
She held my gaze for a long moment, then finally nodded, letting out a slow breath as she relaxed against me. “Always. Just be careful, okay?”
I kissed her once more, sealing the promise between us before stepping away. “I always am. I’ll see you when I get home.”
Minutes later, I was climbing onto my Harley alongside Edge, Century, Fury, and Axle. The engines roared to life, vibrations surging through the frame beneath me, a familiar thrill that usually settled my mind. But this time, it only sharpened the restless tension humming under my skin.
We rode out together, the low rumble of bikes creating a unified sound that echoed through the streets of Crossbend. I tried to clear my head, forcing myself to remain calm as I pictured what was about to happen. But every scenario kept coming back to the same thing—my need to wrap my hands around Shawn’s throat and make him regret ever breathing near Riley.
We parked the bikes discreetly in the back lot behind the garage where Riley used to work, far enough away that we wouldn’t draw attention until we were ready. Edge moved beside me, clearly reading the tension radiating off me. Century, Axle, and Fury were quiet, waiting patiently as we watched the garage’s rear exit, anticipating Shawn’s arrival.
“Gauge.” Axle kept his voice low as he watched me closely. “You going to keep it together, brother? Because your jaw looks like it’s about to break.”
I shot him a glance, feeling the weight of his question settle over me, and slowly unclenched my fists. “I’ll keep it together long enough to deliver our warning. But he better choose his words real fucking carefully.”
Edge’s mouth curved into a faint smile as he looked toward the door. “If he doesn’t do what we want, all bets are off.”
I nodded, almost hoping Shawn didn’t give in to our demands. Then I’d have permission to put the asshole through a world of pain.
It wasn’t long before the back door opened, spilling a narrow pool of fluorescent light onto the pavement as Shawn stepped out, completely unaware of what was waiting for him. I moved quickly, closing in with the others until we’d surrounded him, trapping him neatly against the wall of the building. Shawn’s eyes widened, his breath catching audibly in his throat as he took in the ring of bikers around him, his gaze landing directly on me.
“You remember Riley Mercer, don’t you, Shawn?” I asked, my voice deceptively quiet. “Because you and I are about to have an important conversation about exactly what you did to her and what your next move is gonna be.”
He shifted nervously from foot to foot, his eyes darting nervously between Edge, Fury, Axle, and Century before returning to me, clearly understanding the severity of his situation. The fear radiating off him was stark enough that itshould’ve satisfied me, but instead it only added to the anger simmering beneath my surface. This man had nearly destroyed Riley’s life, and no amount of excuses or pleading would ever erase that fact from my mind.
His voice was probably shakier than he intended when he spoke. “Look, whatever she told you?—”
“You might wanna choose your next words very fucking carefully,” I interrupted, stepping into Shawn’s space, close enough that he instinctively flinched backward. “Riley is mine, and if I don’t like what you say next, it’s not gonna end well for you. You understand me?”
Shawn hesitated, visibly weighing the risks as he clearly recognized he was far past the point of talking his way out of trouble. He finally nodded, his throat working convulsively as he struggled to find the right words. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Good.” I stared at him coldly, my voice dropping even lower. “Now, I’m gonna tell you what’s gonna happen next. If you do exactly what we tell you, just maybe, you won’t have to worry about what the club does to motherfuckers who mess with a Redline Kings’ woman.”
Shawn’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as he tried to gather enough composure to respond. He glanced toward the other men with me, taking in their unyielding expressions and realizing there was no escape route available. But his gaze lingered longest on Edge and Fury before returning to me. Smart. He’d correctly identified which men in the group looked most likely to enjoy what happened next.
He dragged a shaky breath into his lungs before finally speaking, his voice strained. “I swear, man, I didn’t know she was yours?—”
“I don’t give a fuck whether you knew or not,” I cut in harshly, my patience quickly fraying. I leaned in closer, making sure every word landed exactly how I intended. “You framed aninnocent woman, threatened her, scared her so badly she ran from everything she knew. Then you sat back while she spent weeks wondering if somebody was gonna find her and finish the job. You nearly destroyed her life, asshole, and for that alone, you’ve earned yourself some broken bones, at the absolute fucking minimum.”
I watched whatever hope he’d been clinging to die in real time. The back lot had gone quiet around us. The sounds of traffic from the road beyond the building seemed distant, muffled beneath the steady rush of blood in my ears. I’d spent some time imagining what I’d say to this asshole if I ever got him in front of me, and none of those imagined conversations had ended particularly well for him.
Sweat glistened at Shawn’s temples, and he kept shifting his weight like he was considering making a run for it. That would’ve been entertaining for about three seconds, until one of us caught him.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked.
