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River raised a brow. “You want to call the cops? Please do. I’ll even hold the phone for you. I’m sure they’d love to hear how your pal here repeatedly violated my sister. I have proof of the terrible shit you’ve done to her. So here’s the deal: If you give Raine back to me and disappear from her life, I won’t tell the cops everything I know. I’ll take care of her from now on.”
Hammer got up in his face, pressing nose to nose. “Over my dead body.”
“Mine, too,” Liam snarled. “Go fuck yourself.”
River shook his head and backed away. “Stupid bastards. I’ll make you sorry.”
“Get the hell out of my club and forget Raine ever existed. She’s finally happy, and no one—especially not some dickless pus-bubble like you—is going to screw that up for her.” Hammer unleashed all the menace churning inside him. “You’ve got ten seconds to disappear. If I see you again, I’ll kill you.”
“I am not leaving without Raine.” River planted himself in the middle of the room, daring Hammer and Liam to forcibly remove him.
Since he and Liam were both volcanically angry, Hammer was pretty sure he’d enjoy that.
“You’re sure as hell not leaving with her, either,” Liam vowed.
Together, they seized the jackass. Raine’s brother resisted, fists flying, arms flailing. He braced against doorjambs and walls—anything to remain inside Shadows.
Damn, the fucker was strong—but outnumbered. Hammer and Liam hauled a cursing River out of Raine’s room, down the hall, past startled construction workers and the wide-eyed club members who’d spent the night.
With a chorus of grunts, a vicious struggle, and more than a few insults, he and Liam shoved River out the back and into the alley.
As the door slammed behind the bastard, Hammer turned and glared at the foreman, who stood gaping in shock. “River Kendall might work for you, but if that piece of shit ever shows up at my club with your crew again, you’re all out the fucking door.”
“I’ve never seen the guy in my life,” the foreman assured. “One of my employees called in sick today. Maybe that guy took his vest and—”
Hammer didn’t stay and listen to the rest.
Turning on his heel, he followed Liam back to Raine’s room. Her photos lay scattered over the dresser, smudged with the man’s huge fingerprints. Macen’s fury bubbled at River’s violation of his property and her privacy.
“You know he’s no intention of giving up, right?” Lines of worry bracketed Liam’s face.
“He’s just getting started. Seth needs to give us some usable info on that sack of shit now.”
“And the bastard’s been gathering information on us. He’s got a two-month head start.”
Hammer whirled, paced, cursed. “If he’s been poking into our lives for that long, how can he be so wrong?”
“Because he’s a spanner.”
“What the hell is that?”
“A gowl. A gimp.” When Macen still didn’t understand, Liam sighed impatiently. “A fucking idiot.”
“Yeah.” Hammer couldn’t agree more.
Problem was, River wasn’t just an idiot. He was a potentially dangerous one.
Suddenly, Liam stiffened. “Fuck me. We’ve got to go. I put the house in Raine’s name. If River looks into property records—”
“It won’t be long before he finds her.” Hammer’s blood turned to ice. “Let’s go.”
As they zipped around to leave, Liam snatched the photo he’d come for, then they both raced toward the parking lot. As they cut through the dungeon, Beck strutted out of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand.
“What the hell was all that shouting about? You two fighting over a box of tampons?”
“No time to explain,” Hammer barked. “If we don’t get back here tonight, keep an eye on the club or find someone who can.”
“Sure,” Beck called, his brows furrowed in concern. “I’m off today.”
“Thanks,” he shouted over his shoulder. “And if a man with Raine’s eyes shows up, don’t let him in.”
“Actually, skin the bastard,” Liam growled.
Beck smiled. “Sounds like fun! I’ll go sharpen my knives.”
Once outside, they raced to Hammer’s sedan. A scan of the parking lot proved Raine’s brother had gone—for now. He made a mental note to see if his tech, Lewis, could pull footage and come up with a license plate to trace.
Liam piled into Macen’s car, leaving his SUV at the club. With a screech of tires and a burst of gas through the first yellow light, they wove through traffic. Hammer honked and cursed, swerving past slower cars. Desperation to get home and lay eyes on Raine gnawed at him. Beside him, Liam looked equally tense. If River figured out where they lived and tried to take her, medical examiners would be hauling his corpse to the morgue. In fact, Bill’s death would look downright pleasant by comparison.
Hammer tried not to think that he might already be too late. He could not fail her again.
“Call her!” He gestured to Liam with an impatient hand. “Tell her we’re on our way home and to make sure the doors are locked. Fuck!” He laid on the horn at the slow-moving car in front of him, then bypassed the vehicle and stomped on the gas. “Get off the road, asshole!”
