“There you go. That’s the first smart thing you’ve said all night.”
I folded my arms across my chest and held his gaze. “You’re gonna turn yourself in. Tell the fucking truth about what happened and make damn sure Riley’s name gets cleared in the process. And you’re gonna do it before this gets any uglier than it already is.”
He flinched visibly at my words, his eyes darting again toward the men standing behind me, clearly sensing the seriousness of my promise. His voice rose slightly with desperation. “I can’t.”
“You fucking will,” I growled.
“No,” he whined. “You don’t understand.”
I was not in the mood for his bullshit, but I’d promised Kane to keep my shit together…for now. “Explain it to me.”
Shawn dragged both hands through his hair, his breathing getting faster with every passing second. Whatever bravado he’d possessed was long gone. Standing here surrounded by Redline Kings had apparently reminded him that actions came with consequences.
“The money wasn’t for me.” At my skeptical expression, he rushed on. “Look, if I turn myself in like you want, it’ll expose dangerous people. They’ll kill me without thinking twice about it.”
I let his words hang between us for a moment, then I smiled. Not pleasantly. The kind of smile that made grown men reconsider life choices. “Let me make sure I have this right. You’re telling me you’re afraid these people will kill you if you tell the truth.”
He nodded. “I know they will.”
“Then you’re not understanding the situation, Shawn.”
He was genuinely afraid, but it meant absolutely nothing to me. He’d made his choices, and now it was time to pay the consequences. When I finally spoke, my tone left no room for negotiation. “If you don’t turn yourself in and clear Riley’s name, by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll wish I’d simply let them kill you. You think these people are dangerous? I promise you, Shawn, you’ve never experienced danger like you’ll face from me if you don’t make this right.”
A heavy silence fell once more, Shawn visibly shrinking back, his eyes wide with genuine terror. He seemed to realize fully then that I wasn’t bluffing, that his options were rapidly dwindling, and he had no room to maneuver.
Century crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded Shawn with casual disinterest that somehow felt even more threatening. Fury and Axle stood quietly, their eyes locked firmly onto Shawn, waiting patiently for whatever order came next.
Edge had pulled out his favorite knife and was casually flipping it through his fingers, his movie-star smile curving his lips. But it was impossible to miss the slightly psycho glint in his eyes. Then he took a single step closer, and Shawn swallowed so hard his body shook with the effort.
“I’ll tell you one more time,” I growled. “Here’s how this is going to go. Turn yourself in, clear Riley’s name completely, and now you’re also gonna tell the police exactly who you’ve been funneling money to.”
I closed the small distance between us and the stark terror in his eyes satisfied a tiny part of my blood lust. “Fuck it up, and it won’t matter who else you owe—because nobody else will get the chance to lay hands on you before I do.”
Shawn nodded, clearly understanding there was no alternative. I stepped back, allowing him room to breathe but making sure he fully understood just how close he’d come to crossing a line he’d never recover from. Edge and the others remained silent, their presence alone backing up every word I’d spoken.
“All right.” Shawn finally found his voice again, even though it trembled noticeably. “I’ll do it. I’ll turn myself in and make sure they know Riley had nothing to do with it. I swear.”
“You better,” Edge added quietly. “Because if Gauge has to come back here, it won’t be pretty. And trust me, we’ll all be coming with him.”
Shawn nodded quickly, his expression shaken as he took in the full weight of the threat. I turned away without another word, heading back toward the bikes parked behind us. The others followed silently, none of us speaking until we reached our hogs, far enough away that Shawn wouldn’t overhear.
“Think he’ll do it?” Century asked, glancing back toward the garage, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Or should we prepare for the worst?”
Edge let out a soft, humorless laugh, shaking his head slightly. “I think he knows what’ll happen if he doesn’t. Gauge didn’t exactly leave a lot of room for confusion.”
“Good.” My voice was tight with lingering anger as I climbed onto my bike. “Because if he fucks this up, there won’t be any more conversation. He’ll be done. Permanently.”
I started the engine without another word, the vibrations calming some of the lingering tension in my body. As we rode back toward town, my thoughts turned back to Riley. I’d promised her protection, and nothing—especially a coward like Shawn—would ever make me break it.
16
RILEY
Iwiped my hands and straightened, rolling my shoulders with a satisfied stretch. The suspension job I’d just finished looked solid. My back popped, but the real attention-grabber was the demanding growl that came from my stomach.
I’d been craving a burrito bowl from a local place one town over all morning. I could practically taste the queso and cilantro ranch. Luckily, it was officially time for lunch.
Piston was under a hood nearby. “Hey, you seen Ryot?”
