PROLOGUE
RO- 4 YEARS AGO
“Talkto you real quick?” Imumble to Khan, the president of the Midnight Syndicate.
One thing I never thought I would be doing when I joined my club, even more so when I became the Prez, is that I would be friends with another club. At least, like I am. That’s before I found out the girls, who I swore to protect before I came to my club, were fucking half of the Midnight Syn. Okay, maybe not half but definitely half of the officers in the club. In fact, that’s the reason why I’m here right now… and the only reason why I was allowed in. Granted, I had to wear a goddamn bag over my head until we got up here from Joshua Tree, but given that Caroline had been hiding out when she went into labor, I completely understood the bag. This is their safe house and also their lab, it’s hidden in an old mine shaft out in the desert and it’s much fucking bigger than I would have even thought it could be. In pure Caroline nature she went into labor and tried to play it off as if it was nothing. Well, it was fucking something. Lucky for her Remy was here and was able to take care of her. I got the phone call shortly after Ash and the rest had left my clubhouse, so I headed out here as well. Since she is like my little sister… well, in a really fucked up way, like my little sister that I used to fuck back in the day and who broke my heart when she ghosted me after I had finally confessed to her that I was in love with her, I was willing to move with her, and leave everything behind, type of way. I woke up one morning and she was gone… like I woke up in her fucking bed and everything was cleared out or at least everything she took.
I had to fucking figure out how to sneak out of the house without the rest of the girls seeing me. When Billie and Lucy popped up 2 years ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before Caroline was going to be around. I knew I still wasn’t over her and what she did. After a decade, I was still in love with her, but when I heard her voice come over the speaker of Ash’s phone and then saw the way that she looked at him, I knew she wasn’t the same girl that left that day. Not only that, but the way that she was looking at him was a way that I had never seen her look at anyone else. Possibly, a way that I’ve never seen anyone look at another person.
In reality, she’s one of the many foster sisters I had over my childhood. And she saved my goddamn life, which is why I thought I was in love with her. Turns out, I just couldn’t distinguish between obligation and being in love with someone.
Khan nods at Ash as we both follow him into a room, and he stops. Ash closes the door behind me, and Khan leans against the desk in the small make-shift office which sits concealed in the mountain. Something about the mountains makes a perfect hideout, a perfect place to simply disappear.
“What’s up?” I exhale, loudly. I’m sure he’s fucking confused cause he just left my clubhouse a few hours ago. But until I came out here, I couldn’t really talk to him about this, or I didn’t feel comfortable with it, at least.
“I want to ask you for an understanding. Not as a Prez to a Prez but as some weird, connected family shit.” He looks at me confused. “Our deal, it’s only valid with me.” His confusion spreading further onto his face. “If something happens to me and this club. The deal never existed.” Both of the men in the room with me give me a strange look and step forward closing in the distance to me.
“Ro, what’s going on?”
“Parent charter is fucked right now.”
“They’re coming for you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Yeah Ro, whatever you need.” Based entirely on the look that Khan is giving me as he talks to me, I’m sure my face isn’t doing a good job at hiding my apprehension. “You need a place to stay for any reason…” He trails as he looks over at Ash, waiting for his agreement.
“Speak for yourself.” Ash says under his breath in response to Khan’s glare. “Look, I love ya bro, and I’ll let you crash in my room at the clubhouse, but you used to fuck my wife, so my house is pushing it.” It actually makes me laugh out loud which is something I haven’t been able to do in sometime.
“Yeah, I can understand that.” A grin quickly replacing the worry.
Khan laughs out loud at our exchange. “Oh, how far the two of you have come.” He can’t help but bring up our first drop when Ash landed a fist to my face. Sure, we have come far, but it took a long time and one intense conversation after he totaled his bike, but we’ve gotten there. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised that when I walk back out and grab my phone out of the lock box I would have a missed call from Ash to tell me the birth of the twins. “But yeah, man, our deal if only good if you’re here.”
SADIE- ONE YEAR AGO
The music hums as I walk through the door of the clubhouse, regardless of how much time that I’ve spent around bikers… well one particular biker, this is my first time inside of one. Although, I am well versed on the rules of them. Anything that is seen here, fucking stays here.
Just to come to the party we had to be vetted by a member, I’m not really sure who, I didn’t care to ask. I just hoped that I didn’t know who he was.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.” A man slides up to the bar next to me, smiling.
“There’s a first time for everything.” I respond causing a laughter to bubble out of him.
“How is it that a woman as beautiful as yourself is here, all alone.” He leans into me, while signaling to the bartender. “Don’t you know you’ve just walked into a cave of wolves, defenseless.” Shaking my head as the drink is placed in front of me, his arm snakes around my back as he pulls me into him. All I can think about is everything thathetaught me. Ways to defend myself. I only wish that at this current moment I gave a shit. Or at least enough of a shit to actually use any of them, as the alarms in my head are sounding over the man flirting with me. Something about him just doesn’t seem right, but I also don’t really care. “Come have a drink with me.” He says to me as he ushers me towards the couch across the room. “What’s your name?” he asks as he hands a glass over to me and I take a sip. It’s been so long since I’ve drank that I’m sure one drink will be enough to get me tipsy.
“Sadie.”
“So, Sadie,” he pauses as he looks at me over his glass, “what brings you to a place like this? Everyone who looks like you, they all have a reason.”
“I just want to forget.”
Chapter One
RO
The sound of the metal sliding as I stand up. My cellmate, as well as yet another Midnight Syn member, Trip looks at me, nodding. I can’t wait to fucking get out of here.
Four fucking years in here and I’m finally free again.
