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“No more games, Eric,” he said. “I want to branch out. I want to expand my business.”
I huffed a dry laugh. “You’re nothing but a jumped-up meth head, Lars. A drug dealer. There’s only so far you can expand before the cops will catch you.”
“That’s the kicker. I’m moving up in the world. Turns out guns-for-hire are a much more lucrative business and I know just the man for the job.”
I swallowed. I’d killed a few drug addicts during my time with Lars. People who challenged him. People who didn’t pay up. I never forgave myself for it either.
Lars lowered his face, a manic gleam in his eye.
“I want to be the big bad wolf around here. And I can’t do that with you and your biker boys breathing down my neck. Prove your loyalty to me, Eric. Play the hero to your pretty girlfriend and save her.”
“You keep talking but I haven’t heard you say what you want,” I countered.
Lars gave my head another yank that jerked my whole body, sending the chains rattling.
“Torch the clubhouse belonging to the Alpha Riders MC.”
A cold spike of dread shot through my heart. My throat worked as I tried to keep my expression neutral.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?” Lars asked.
“You’re out of your goddamn mind,” I hissed.
“The choice is yours, Eric. Burn your MC to the ground and rejoin my ranks. Or your girlfriend’s family business goes up in flames. And then I put a bullet in her brain, just to tie up loose ends, you know how it is.”
I couldn’t choose. It was impossible. I told Jules to go to the clubhouse. I told her she would be safe there. My brothers would protect her. I couldn’t betray my MC. And I couldn’t turn my back on Jules.
But what choice did I have? Lars was trigger happy. He was ready to ensure I lost everything until I was forced to come back to him.
Swallowing the sour bile in the back of my throat, I spoke.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll burn the clubhouse.”
Chapter Ten
Jules
The night dragged on with agonizing slowness and still there was no word from Tank. My family was camped out in two of the back rooms of the clubhouse. Brewer tried to nudge me toward getting some rest, but I knew there was no way I would sleep until I knew Tank was okay.
Alexandra took a seat next to me, sliding a cup of chamomile tea in my direction. I cast her a grateful smile.
“Bear is all stitched up,” she said. “He’s doing fine. Bullet passed through his shoulder with minimal damage.”
“What about the farm?” I asked.
“Firefighters are still working to put out the flames. They have it contained though. The house took a bit of damage but not much. A few acres of the orchard were hit hard. Otherwise, everything else should be safe.”
I nodded, fiddling with my cup’s handle. Everything went south so fast and I was still reeling from it all. My family could have been hurt. I could have lost my home and my business. Alexandra took my hand from the cup, cradling it in her palms.
“Talk to me. What’s going through your head right now?”
A thousand things. Too many to count. I sputtered a laugh of disbelief with a shrug.
“Absurd as it is…even after all of this, I love him. I love Tank with my whole heart and I can’t…I could have lost everything today because of that.”
Alexandra nodded. “That’s the cost of living.”
I shook my head. “Not like this. This is…this is dangerous, Alexandra. This isn’t a life I’m used to. I dodged bullets today. Actual, real bullets. My siblings could have been hit. My parents could have…”
