Page 61 of Taken By the Biker Daddies

Jake shook his head. “I doubt it. You know we don’t share the same circles.”

Right. I supposed I just didn’t want to think any of the men who I’d been treating like family for the past few years would betray Jake. Or me. I had thought the bond between the members of Black Storm was just as tight as the one I shared with the members of my unit back when I was a Marine, which was one of the reasons I joined.

We faced danger together and we fought together, and we tried to create our own little piece of paradise together in the midst of all the craziness of the world. Then again, betrayal had a way of seeping into the tiniest cracks and breaking apart even the most tightly knit families, and I supposed it was possible for a member of Black Storm to have sought out a Devil before and even struck some kind of deal.

“Who are you suspecting?” I asked.

“Everyone except you and Max,” Jake replied.

My eyebrows arched. “Even George?”

Hadn’t George been in Black Storm as long as Jake?

Jake touched his nape and sighed. “I don’t know. Everything is just a mess right now.”

Especially with Lauren’s past being tossed into the mix.

“Are you also suspecting that someone from Black Storm told Clyde Roarke about Lauren?” I asked.

“It could have been the Devils,” he answered. “I just know they were there at Billie’s. The way the Black Storm icon was destroyed just felt personal. And Sam’s picture, too. But I can’t rule out the possibility of a traitor. If someone already betrayed us to the Devils, what’s stopping him from selling us out to someone with much more to offer?”

True. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Also, I wouldn’t put it past Clyde Roarke to pay someone for information about Lauren. I’d checked his social media, and he made no secret of the fact that he had money to burn. Based on what Lauren said about him, though, he was more likely to use violence than money. He could have threatened someone from Black Storm just to find out who she was hanging out with or where she lived.

I’d have more information on him soon, but even now, I knew he was a piece of shit who would do anything to get his hands onwhat he wanted, and unfortunately, what he wanted right now was Lauren.

I gritted my teeth. Well, he wasn’t going to get her.

“Anyway, at least, Lauren’s safe for now,” Jake said. “Only you, Max, and I know where she is, so Clyde shouldn’t be able to find her even if he’s working with someone in Black Storm.”

I nodded. “It’s a good thing Max has a spare mansion.”

I couldn’t care less that he was as rich as Elon Musk, though I had to admit it did come in handy. Money always did.

“And that he’s made up with Lauren,” Jake remarked.

Oh, they definitely were on good terms now.

“What about you?” I asked Jake. “When I spoke to Lauren before, she said you were ignoring her.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Did she?”

“And that you were treating her like a child.”

Jake touched his temple as he pursed his lips. Clearly, that bothered him.

“Is everything all right between the two of you?” I asked. “I mean you seemed fine last night, but you also left quite quickly.”

By the time I’d finished tucking Lauren into bed, Jake was gone.

He drew a deep breath. “I…wasn’t sure if I was right to join in. I mean I wanted to, but there’s just this persistent voice in my head telling me I should keep my distance from her, that she’s better off without me.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Because of what happened in your past? Because you were in prison for something you didn’t do?” Jake didn’t answer, but I knew that was the reason. It was something that had always bothered him, like a thorn lodged in his chest.

“We all make mistakes,” I told him. “Lauren isn’t going to judge you for that.”

“She might when she remembers who I am,” Jake said.

---