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But it had been my job.
And I protected the people I was responsible for.
“So, Rachel…,” Viper’s eyes flickered over to the camera and then back to mine. “What’re you gonna do about that? Because I get complication—Hannah and I were complicated… But it wasn’t like this. I’ve never seen this kind of scenario play out well.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I thought you’d pull me away from it and that would be that.”
“You can’t run from a connection that’s there. You break her heart, and she’s a lot more likely to turn against us.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I want you to forge ahead and make her trust you. Charlie wants his money. You want to fall in love with the kidnappee, go for it. I don’t know what kind of fucked up mess it’ll cause, but knowing who youreallyare, I think you can handle just about anything that could happen.”
Ah, so I’ve gained respect now.
I nodded, wondering if the sole truth about my identity is what saved my ass with the club. “I don’t want her hurt.”
“Wewill not hurt her, but I can’t promise that other people might not try. We know that Victor Sanchez has his sights on her, and I don’t know what that’ll mean for her once she’s free from here.”
“I’ll keep her safe.”
He studied my face for a few long moments and then took a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll help you the best we can. He’s at another level—well, I guess more likeyourlevel,” Viper added with a chuckle and wicked smile. “I knew there was something downright dirty about you—I just never knew it was mob boss bad.”
“I don’t want to be treated any differently.” I drummed my fingers on the kitchen table, my past flashing back to my mind. I was almost there, sitting just beneath my father on the totem pole. People respected and feared me…
But I never wanted that status again.
“Okay, I’ll take that into account, Axle,” he said. “And for the record, I donotcondone a sexual relationship with Rachel. It could come at a high cost, and you know what that is. She could get free and then point the finger at you. You can build the trust and feelings from her without crossing lines.”
“Yeah…,” I trailed off, clearing my throat.
“Yeah, I know you already have probably already crossed that line,” he chuckled. “But I see one big ass cock block down there right now,” he gestured to Tyson, who struggling in his binds, attempting to get loose.
“No fucking kidding,” I grunted, pushing back from the table and standing to my feet as I heard the roar of motorcycles. The guys were early, but that wasn’t surprising. “We do have to consider the fact that they know where she is.”
“I know that, but where else are we gonna go with her?” Viper countered, shrugging his shoulders. “We have cameras all over the place. I just want the money, and then she’s more than welcome to walk right out of here. We’re assholes, but not killers of the innocent—though I don’t think Rachel is all that innocent. You can’t forget that she might just be playing you.”
I nodded, already having it in the back of my mind. “I know, but if she is, that’s her fucking problem.”
“Right,” Viper said, just as the door to the cabin burst open and in walked Gunner and Will. Both of them looked windblown, but something on their faces grabbed my attention—and Viper’s too.”
“What’s up?” Viper demanded.
“We caught eyes on the clubhouse. I don’t know who they are, but…,” Gunner’s voice trailed off as they jumped to mine. “They had a Las Vegas tag on the back of the SUV.”
Shit.
“You catch a good look at any of them?”
“No,” Will quipped. “But someone better fucking tell me what’s going on, because I can tell by the look on you guys’ faces that I’m not in the loop right now—and I don’t like that.”
“Well,” Viper turned to me. “Why don’t you tell him,Trevor?”
Will looked even more confused. “Trevor? What?”
I took a deep breath and recalled the story for what felt like the hundredth time. It had been years of keeping it locked away, and assuming the identity of someone completely new… And now I had talked more about who I really was more than I had in the last decade.
And I was starting to feel like my old self again.
