Page 40 of Rock Chick Bonus Tracks

Luke halted and locked eyes with Mace.

The man was right. He needed to check it.

No.

What he needed to do was go out and run—hard—to burn off the emotion. He’d learned that dealing with his dad while growing up. There was only so much shouting you could do. Only so much shit you could eat. When you hit your limit, you had two choices, and both were physical, but only one would allow you to sleep at night.

He didn’t need to come face-to-face with the man Lee had told him was in the office and go the wrong way of physical.

He needed to check it.

He took in breath through his nose.

Mace watched him and didn’t move a muscle.

He took another breath. When he let it out, Mace relaxed.

The door behind Luke opened. He twisted and watched Vance walk in.

Luke knew Lee was there as well as Mace and Monty. If they needed to lock him down, they’d have a time of it, but those men could do it.

So Vance didn’t show for that.

Vance showed because he knew who was in Lee’s office.

And as he’d noted, these men were his brothers.

Luke dipped his chin to Vance then turned back to Mace.

Mace opened the door for him.

Luke felt Mace and Vance at his back as he walked into Lee’s office, but they didn’t go in.

He knew they’d stay close, though.

When Luke entered, Lee stood from sitting behind his desk, his eyes on Luke keen, alert.

Luke spared him a glance to let him know he had it under control.

Then he turned his attention to the man sitting in a chair in front of Lee’s desk.

And that control slipped.

He looked good. Tan. Healthy. Happy.

So much so, he appeared five, ten years younger than he really was.

A total turnaround from the man Luke knew fourteen years ago.

Looked like life was good for Adrian Barlow after he walked out on his family.

He watched Adrian slowly take his feet, his eyes widening as they moved up Luke from boots to face, then a broad smile spread on his face.

“Whoa. I mean, I knew you’d grow up to be something, but wow, son, just…wow,” Adrian said, still smiling. “You’re not something. You’re something else.”

It was clearly positive what that “something else” meant, but Luke had zero fucks to give a compliment from the man who’d left Ava a helpless kitten to fend for herself in a feral cat’s den.

“You wanna tell me why you’re here, Adrian?” he asked.

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