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She thought she heard faint footsteps outside, but when she looked out the window, there was no one there. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being targeted.
Unable to stay still any longer, Riley decided to take matters into her own hands. She looked for potential weapons. Riley grabbed a baseball bat from the closet, clutching it tightly as she walked through the house, searching for any sign of an intruder.
Suddenly, she heard a noise from the backyard. Her breath caught in her throat as she cautiously approached the back door. When she peered outside, she saw a dark-haired man on a motorcycle. He spotted her and gave her a friendly wave. Riley set the bat down. This must be Cross, the bodyguard Breaker assigned to her.
Feeling foolish, Riley set her bat down and walked to Cross to greet him and perhaps invite him inside for some coffee.
****
As Breaker dismounted from his Harley, he noticed the parking lot attached to the Black Vipers’ clubhouse was mostly empty. At least Snake hadn’t lied about keeping their meeting private.
Rage got off his motorcycle. Breaker lingered in the parking lot a little while longer, because he had something to discuss with Rage.
“Slight change of plans,” he told his VP. Rage narrowed his eyes when Breaker mentioned the addition to their agreement with the Vipers.
“Breaker, is this woman really worth risking our alliance with the Vipers?” Rage asked him.
“I don’t break my promises. You know that,” Breaker told him.
Rage swore and finally grunted. “Fine, I’ll back up your play but if this meeting goes south, it’s all on you.”
They entered the mostly empty clubhouse and found Snake seated at a table. Breaker studied their surroundings in case Rage and he needed to make a hasty exit.
Apart from Snake and the bartender, there were only two other associates seated at a nearby table. Rat, Breaker noticed with some satisfaction, was nowhere in sight. Good. That was one less complication.
“Breaker, Rage, welcome. Have a drink with me,” Snake said as a way of greeting.
Breaker and Rage warily sat down. The bartender dropped three cold beers on the table. Breaker picked up his and took a long pull.
“Let’s get on with business,” Rage said. “I’m sure you’re a busy man.”
“Fine with me,” Snake agreed.
They discussed the terms of their alliance at length. Finally, Breaker said, “There’s the issue of Riley.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice. “You’ve forced her to work for you, and that has to stop. If we’re going to continue this temporary alliance between our clubs, you’ll have to let her go.”
Snake laughed, his gaze never leaving Breaker’s. “She’s my insurance, in case you decide to double-cross us. I can’t just let her walk away.”
Breaker nearly reached for the gun tucked in his belt, but at Rage’s warning look, Breaker forced himself to relax. He took another sip of his beer. Breaking his composure now wouldn’t help anyone.
“This alliance won’t work if you don’t trust us,” Breaker stated. “Riley has nothing to do with your disputes. She’s innocent, and I won’t let you use her.”
Snake scoffed. “I can’t believe you’d even bring that bitch up in an important discussion like this.”
“You’ve heard what happened to the Devil’s Kings MC?” Rage asked. Breaker was surprised and pleased his VP had decided to back him up.
Snake’s expression darkened as he considered both Breaker and Rage seriously.
“After we killed off their president, the club disbanded,” Rage pointed out.
“We don’t want something like that to happen again, do we?” Breaker added.
Snake clenched his jaw. It wasn’t wise, pressuring a man like Snake to comply with their demands but Breaker had no other cards.
“You dare threaten me in my own clubhouse?” Snake asked in a quiet and deadly voice.
Breaker noticed the bartender and the two associates had their hands on their guns. This wasn’t looking good. Breaker had to diffuse the situation fast.
“Look,” Breaker said, trying to reason with Snake. “Riley means nothing to you. This alliance, on the other hand, determines the future of our clubs. Together, we can crush the cartel and go merrily on our separate ways.”
