Page 6 of Ride or Dies

Panic flared in me, bright and hot. I needed to figure out how to handle this, but I didn’t have much time. Jenna and Isabel’s house was only halfway down the street. Did I want to pull in and hope that whoever was following me would move on when they saw I wasn’t alone? Or should I keep driving, go around the block, and head to the police station? I was leaning toward the latter when I realized that if Jenna saw me drive by, she’d think I got lost or something and try to call or even come after me.

And then it was too late to come up with another option, so I turned into the driveway and hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake.

I got out of my car with my phone in hand and called to Jenna, “Get in the house!”

She looked confused for a second, but then her eyes widened as she looked past me. I turned to see a car pull into the driveway. A car I now recognized. My stomach sank. I didn’t want to do this here, not with my friends watching. Hell, one of the reasons I left Nashville was because I didn’t want to see him, let alone talk to him.

“Evie, what’s going on?” Jenna’s voice was full of concern, but I didn’t look back at her.

“It’s okay,” I said, my voice calmer than I felt. “It’s my ex. You and Isabel go inside. I’ll handle this.”

“Evie…”

“I’ve got it,” I repeated as Randall Downs got out of his shiny, expensive car.

Seven years older than me, he’d seemed so wise and worldly when I first met him. And with his dark brown hair and deep brown eyes, he had his fair share of women fawning over him. He wasn’t as crazy hot as the Bradshaw boys, but I’d found comfort in that fact. Like I wouldn’t have to worry about people thinking I was dating someone out of my league.

“Evelyn, what the hell are you doing?” Randall used that same condescending tone he always used with me, and I was done tolerating it.

“It’s none of your damn business anymore, Randall,” I said pleasantly. “Get back in your car and go back to Nashville.”

“I’m not leaving without you,” he said. “Come home with me.”

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “Hell, no. We’re done. Personally and professionally.”

Dating my publicist for two years had been a stupid mistake that I now regretted, and I’d own it, but I wasn’t going to keep doing it.

“You can’t do that.” His smile faltered, and I caught a glimpse behind that mask he wore. “We have a contract.”

“Now, you see, the fact that you went to business first just tells me that’s what it’s always been for you,” I said. “We. Are. Done. And in case your firm hasn’t told you, they agreed to let me switch to a new publicist when I told them I’d leave altogether if they didn’t.”

The smile completely disappeared now, and he took a step toward me. “You’re my fucking client, and I won’t be giving you up to anyone else.”

I shrugged, knowing he hated when I did that. “You’ll have to take that up with your boss. I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

“Well, I have some things to say to you.” Randall’s voice was low and dark, and there was something on his face that I’d never seen before.

He’d done a lot of stupid shit, and I knew now that he wasn’t the man I once thought him to be, but the sliver of fear that went through me was new.

“You’re gonna stand here and listen to me,” Randall continued. “And then the two of us are gonna get back into my car and we’re going home. You’re gonna stop this nonsense, and we’re going to work on promoting your next album.”

“I’m not—”

“I’m still talking,” he cut me off sharply. “Now, are you gonna close your mouth or do I have to make you?”

This was not good.

Chapter Four

Levi

Ieyed the man sitting across from me. With long, greasy gunmetal-gray hair and a long, straggly beard, Harley Quinn was the stereotype people thought of when they thought of bikers. He was into all the dark shit too. Weapons, drugs, human trafficking. I wasn’t always on the right side of the law, but the Black Cobras were everything that was wrong with MCs.

“We got a deal?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, arms crossed like I didn’t give a damn what Quinn did.

“Yeah, we got a deal,” Harley said. “For now anyway.”

“Next time you wanna talk territory—or anything else—you set up a meet with me like you would any other prez,” I said. “None of this showing up on my doorstep making demands. The Riders won’t be so nice.”

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