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CHAPTER1
Brick
The chillin the air seeps into my bones as I stand in the stark silence of the cemetery, my gaze focused on the headstone in front of me. The weather is a fitting reflection of my mood—gray, dreary, and heavy with sorrow.
“Ace,” I say aloud, the words swallowed by the low rumble of distant thunder.
As the president of the Cascade Reapers, I’ve seen my share of grave markers, but this one... this one hurts in a way the others don’t. Ace wasn’t just another member of the club; he was my best friend.
Ace and I were like two sides of the same coin, having grown up together, carving our identities within the Cascade Reapers. We were the same age, but our childhoods couldn’t have been more different. I was the son of the club president, bred into the life of the Reapers. Ace, on the other hand, was an outsider, a greenhorn with everything to prove and even more to learn. His induction into the club was more like a rebirth, and I found myself as his guide, showing him the ropes, the codes, the unspoken rules of the Reapers.
It’s been six weeks since Ace’s death, and not a day has passed when I haven’t kept an eye on Ava, watching over her from a distance just like Ace asked me to. I see her every day, going about her life, putting on a brave face even though I know she’s hurting inside. I want to comfort her, to tell her she’s not alone, but there’s this barrier of guilt and responsibility between us. I feel like I’m lurking in the shadows, like some creeper, instead of stepping forward and offering the support I know she needs. It feels like I’m betraying Ace in a twisted way, simply by feeling this pull toward Ava while honoring his last request. My duty to my fallen brother and my growing attraction to Ava are at odds, and I don’t know how to navigate this minefield of emotions.
The few times I’d seen her before, it was when Ace would bring wounded members to her to patch up, when Bones, our resident doc, was too tied up. And each of those times, despite the turmoil around her, she had a calmness, a strength that was hard to miss. I’ve always found that strength sexy as fuck—magnetic.
“I’ll look after her, buddy,” I’d said, my voice barely a whisper over the sterile beep of the hospital monitors. His sister, Ava. Innocent, sweet Ava who deserved better than to be dragged into our world, a world filled with violence and chaos, a world that had cost Ace his life.
My promise to him was simple—to protect Ava from the dangers of the MC, to keep her safe from the life her brother had lived and died for. And it’s a promise I intend to keep, no matter what it takes.
I kneel beside Ace’s grave, pressing my fingertips into the cold, damp earth as I think about Ava. She’s the spitting image of her brother, with the same fiery spirit and stubborn determination. But where Ace chose to embrace the MC life, Ava deserves something different—something safer.
The promise I made is as binding as any oath I’ve sworn to the club, maybe more so. Because this is personal. This is about honoring my brother’s dying wish, about doing right by the man who’d always had my back. I could’ve done more, should’ve done more. Maybe if I’d been faster, smarter... maybe he’d still be here. But I wasn’t, and he isn’t, and now all I’m left with is a headstone and a promise to fulfill—a promise I made to him in his final moments.
But fulfilling this vow is a delicate balancing act. Ava can’t be part of the club’s world. She can’t know about the violence, the danger, the constant threats we face. For her to live a normal life, she has to remain separate, disconnected from everything the MC represents.
I’ve seen what our world can do to people like Ava—innocent people who get caught in the crossfire. I won’t let that happen to her. I can’t.
So, as much as it kills me, I know I need to keep my distance. She’ll be protected, watched over, but from a distance. From the shadows. It’s the only way I can ensure her safety without drawing her into the very danger I’m trying to protect her from.
As I rise from my knees and brush the dirt off my jeans, I cast one final look at Ace’s grave. The promise hangs heavy in the air, a silent vow between two brothers—one living, one not. And as I turn to leave, I feel a renewed sense of purpose. I will protect Ava. For Ace.
With that, I walk away from the cemetery, leaving the silent tombstones behind. The weight of my promise to Ace settles in my chest, a solemn reminder of the mission I have ahead of me. It won’t be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.
And as I mount my bike and rev the engine, I can’t help but feel that somewhere, Ace is watching over me, trusting me to keep my word. And I won’t let him down. Not again.
* * *
The ride back to the Cascade Reapers clubhouse is a familiar one. Tucked away in the secluded foothills of Mount Rainier, our compound stands as a testament to our way of life—hidden, off the grid, yet majestic in its own way. The scent of the surrounding pine trees fills my nostrils as I navigate the winding road leading up to the gate, a scent that’s become synonymous with home.
As I pull up to the clubhouse, I’m greeted by the sight of our insignia—a skull with ram’s horns—painted on the side of the main building. The sight of it fills me with a sense of pride and belonging. This is my family, my blood. The men I would die for, and who would die for me in return.
But with that sense of belonging comes a heavy weight. As club president, I’m in command, responsible for the safety and wellbeing of everyone within these walls. It’s a responsibility I take seriously, and it’s one that’s grown heavier with Ace’s death and the promise I made to protect Ava.
I kill the engine of my bike and swing my leg over, my boots crunching on the gravel as I make my way inside. The clubhouse is a cacophony of noise—the low rumble of voices, the clatter of pool balls, the occasional burst of laughter. It’s a comforting sound, a reminder of the brotherhood we share.
The main room is spacious, filled with worn leather couches and a pool table. The walls are adorned with road signs and memorabilia from our rides and exploits. A huge stone fireplace dominates one wall, the fire crackling and adding a sense of warmth to the room. Above it hangs a portrait of our founding members, a tribute to the legacy we’re all a part of.
Despite the camaraderie and the shared sense of purpose, I can’t shake the heaviness that’s settled over me since Ace’s death. I carry my guilt and my secrets like a second skin, a constant reminder of the mistakes I’ve made. I can laugh with my brothers, share a drink, ride side by side, but there’s a part of me that’s always isolated, always alone.
The burden of my past, the promise I’ve made to Ace, and the secrets I keep, they all make me feel like a man standing on the edge of a precipice, caught between the brotherhood I love and the promise I’m determined to keep. It’s a delicate balance—one I’m constantly striving to maintain. But for Ava’s sake, and for Ace’s memory, it’s a balance I’ll keep fighting to uphold.
* * *
The days blend into each other as I watch over Ava, keeping my distance as much as possible. I know the line I’m walking is thin and fraught with risk—both to her and to my place in the brotherhood. But it’s a line I’ve committed to walk, a promise I’ve made to a brother I lost.
For this, I need eyes and ears that I can trust, brothers who understand the weight of what I’m asking. I turn to the likes of Hawk and Rigger, men who’ve been around long enough to know when to keep their mouths shut. I tell them only what they need to know—that Ace made me promise to keep his sister safe. I don’t tell them the rest, the depth of the guilt. That’s mine to carry.
They take on the job without question, a testament to the bond we share as Reapers. Hawk’s good with technology and security. He’s the one who sets up a discreet system to keep an eye on Ava’s place, cameras that feed directly to a laptop in my room. Rigger, on the other hand, has contacts all over the city—bartenders, shop owners, cab drivers. His network provides eyes and ears on the ground, people who can watch Ava’s routine, ensuring she’s safe without her ever knowing she’s being watched.
