Page 95 of Snared Rider

“I’ll get sacked.”

The look he gives me tells me this is not an issue.

“You’re not leaving.”

And he is serious. Deadly serious.

Shit.

Panic replaces the frustration I’m feeling. How long am I going to be stuck here for? I can’t handle another day in Logan’s presence, let alone anything beyond that. My chest suddenly feels tight and it’s hard to pull in air as the walls seem to close in around me.

“I need to get back,” I say, and I hear the fear in my voice. I hate that it is there and I hate that Dad clearly picks up on it because I see the distress in his eyes. He thinks I’m scared of Wilson, of what he’ll do to me; I’m not—although I should be because the man is a lunatic. I’m scared of Logan, of the feelings he’s stoking in me, of the pain I know he will cause me if I let him in even just a little.

“Surely the safest place for me is anywhere but Kingsley,” I continue to challenge. I’m not letting this go without a fight. Unfortunately, neither is my father.

“Do you think I’m letting you out of my sight until this situation is taken care of?” His hand goes up to stop me as I start to speak. “It’s not up for discussion, Beth. You stay. End of story.”

This grates on my nerves because I am an adult—an adult who has been living perfectly fine on my own since I was twenty-years-old. I don’t need my father to protect me.

“I can’t just sit here indefinitely.” I sound sullen, but I don’t care. I’m not staying.

Dad runs a hand over his chest, as if his heart hurts.

“I know it’s a shitty situation, love, believe me, I know. But I want you safe. The Club wants you safe.”

“I am safe!” I say this even though I know it is a lie. I heard Logan and Wade talking; I know I’m at risk. I also want to get the hell out of town.

“Darlin’, you’re not safe. Not at all. You were seen on the back of Dean’s bike. This guy might put two and two together and come up with an answer he thinks is right. He might, based on shit he knows about the Club and how we operate, consider you being on the back of Dean’s bike means you mean something to him.”

I do mean something to Dean, although not in the way Wilson thinks.

Shit, fuck, bollocks.

I know what Dad is saying, but I can’t stay here. Even if I didn’t have the ex-boyfriend situation, I have my boss, Jan, who will kill me if I’m not at my desk by eight-fifteen a.m. Monday morning. How in the hell do I explain to her that I can’t come home because some maniac is trying to kill me?

Jan does not know about my Club affiliation. The only people in London who know about my family are Alistair and a couple of friends. I’m not ashamed of my roots, but there is never really a good time to confess that my family runs a criminal enterprise. I kept that part of my life separate and secret.

And then there is Alistair.

I don’t know how he will react either. He was pissed off I left in the first place; adding more time to this trip is not going to go down well. I’m not sure even the threat of death will be enough to convince him I should stay.

Truthfully, I don’t know what I should do either. Things aren’t usually this intense. It’s rare Club business touches anyone outside the brothers, so rare I’ve never experienced any trouble that wasn’t of my own making, or my mother’s.

But Dad’s right: a job is just that—a job. There’s no coming back from dead.

“Fine,” I mutter. “I’ll stay.”

I feel guilty as I watch Dad’s shoulders slump with relief.

“Good girl.” He leans down and presses a kiss into my hair, like he used to do when I was a little girl. I must admit, all the other shit aside, I’ve missed being with my dad. “Do you need anything? Clothes, electronics?”

“I would love a shower.”

“Use my room.” He digs into his pocket and pulls out a huge set of keys. How much stuff does he need access to? I have house keys and a key to my office on my ring, that's it.

I watch as he slides a small silver one off the ring and hands it to me. This means I can give Logan his back, thus avoid him further.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I should have left this with you before I went. I hope you managed to find somewhere to bed down.”

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