“Which is?”
“You,” Jace said. “We agreed to give you to him…”
I never moved so fast in all my life. One second I was on Jace’s chest, the next I was flying through the house. I went out the backdoor and stood on the porch. I slammed against the railing and thought I was going to flip over it. Luckily I caught myself and just stood there staring out to the night.
Give me up?
Glen wanted me for one thing. To kill me.
I heard the door open behind me.
“Sweetie, you know damn well I would never let anything happen to you.”
“What if I say no?” I asked without looking back.
“Then the deal is off. Glen is on the hunt. The MC could only do so much. If you turn your back on the MC…”
I looked back at Jace. His face looked worn.
“And you’re okay with this?”
“No,” he said. “I hate this. I fucking hate this. But to me there’s no other choice in the matter. It’s the only way to isolate Glen. And confuse him. The second he sees you, Ava, he’s going to lose his mind. That’s where we come in.”
“Where is this happening?”
“The store,” Jace said. “It’s the most logical place. It’s the only place. Play into everyone’s emotions.”
“Including mine!” I yelled. I turned and leaned against the railing. “I hate you for this, Jace.”
He stepped toward me. “I know you do, sweetie. I hate me for it too. Look, I care about you, Ava. Goddammit, the feeling…”
I threw my hand forward and covered his mouth. “It’s my turn to talk for a second. I feel it too, Jace. Whatever this is. I hate you for making me trust you so much. But I do trust you. Whatever you need from me.”
I slid my hand away.
Jace grabbed my waist and lifted me, sitting me on the narrow railing. “Sweetie, I’ve had nothing in my life. The MC was a last resort that worked for me. Until I met you, I never knew what real was. All I did was chase the reaper… or let the reaper chase me… Bouncing around the club. Taking my orders. Taking my hits. I ended up with this fucking house and nothing to do with it. Now your shit is all over the place. The house smells like you. Smells like a woman. I’m okay with that. I’m okay with all of this happening right now. I want you to understand that.”
“Okay. I’m sorry I stormed away. I feel like everyone in my life is suddenly letting me down. Pushing me away.”
“I would never push you away, sweetie,” Jace said. “But I have a loyalty to the patch. To the cut. I have honor there. You see criminals, I see freedom. Glen was a criminal. He took your mother’s life. I’m going to take his freedom away.”
“What about my father?” I asked. “With your club…”
Jace shook his head. “He’ll have to figure it out for himself.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You wondering if they’re going to hurt him?”
“Yes. He’s my father. No matter what.”
Jace pulled me close for a hug. I loved the way he smelled. Leather, steel, and man, all wrapped up into one.
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re a good person, sweetie. A damn good person. I’m going to take care of everything. No matter what.”
There was plenty left to say but I didn’t want to ruin that moment.
An outlaw with his arms around me. Holding me.
Inside my heart, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.
chapter twenty-seven
(jace)
NOW
I ended the call and felt my heart race. I never got nervous going into a deal. Shit, there were plenty of times when talks broke down between us and other crews and shit got violent. All I could think about was Ava. She didn’t deserve to be thrust into this position. But it was the only way to draw out Glen.
I turned and looked at Sid. He was ready to go. Bandana wrapped around his head like he was ready for war. Black sunglasses on his face. A snarl to match. We were keeping the clubhouse on lockdown with prospects out on the road, keeping things protected in town.
Intel provided us with everything we needed about Glen. He was connected but not running with a crew. That meant whatever he did was on his own. Anything he earned he kicked a little up as a tribute. If we took him out, it would stir up some bad blood. Having heavy powered suits come through Bishop would be a nightmare but we didn’t have much of a choice. Sid wanted final revenge on this guy.
So did I.
Glen was the guy behind the wheel of a SUV that tried to kill me. He was the one who ordered the lunk of a moron Arnie to shoot me. And if I hadn’t played dead or gotten to my cell phone fast enough, I would have been killed that night.
And just thinking about it… while I was on the road, broken and bleeding, Glen was hurrying to his second destination of that night. To the store. To murder Ava’s mother.
“We need to move,” Sid said.
He let out a whistle and a black car came from around the side of the building.