Page 12 of Mace

“Why are the fucking Sons here?” Bella murmurs under her breath, her arms wrapping around her stomach as if she’s nauseous.

“Who are the Sons?” I ask, unable to drag my gaze from the scene unfolding in front of us. Nothing hashappened yet, but the weight of expectation has me on edge.

“Bikers you don’t fuck with.”

That ominous answer does nothing to appease the unease growing into outright fear.

Sensing she needs it—and because I need it too—I slip my hand into hers and squeeze her fingers as we wait to see what unfolds.

Steve says something to them, but I can’t hear what. It’s enough for the one in the middle to throw his head back and laugh. It’s not a jovial sound, and I hear the ice coldness threaded through it.

Without warning, his hand snaps out and grabs Steve around the throat. My stomach lurches at the sight of violence against a man who is usually dishing it out.

What is happening?

Bella gasps, her fingers flexing in mine and crushing my bones. I suck in my own breath, my chest suddenly constricted so much, I can’t inflate my lungs.

“Oh,fuck.” Bella’s fear increases my own terror.

Every instinct in my body tells me we should run. I know Bella won’t leave Steve, and I can’t leave Bella, but I also have two kids at home who rely on me, so I tug her hand.

“We need to go.”

Steve and the other bouncers aren’t fighting back, which is the biggest warning flag of all. I’ve seen these men throw down night after night in this club. They know how to defend themselves, and the fact they aren’t means they fear these bikers too.

That’s enough for me to know we can’t stay.

“Steve told us to go if things got bad, and they’re about to, Bella.”

Her mouth curves down into a grimace of pain that I know isn’t physical but visceral as she nods.

Slowly, we inch towards the end of the bar. No one is paying even the slightest amount of attention to us, but we still move carefully.

“Where’s your boss?” the guy gripping Steve’s throat demands.

“Take your hands off me and maybe we can have a civilised conversation.”

The men laugh.

“Do we look fuckin’ civil to you?” the blond one asks.

We reach the opening between the counters and move along the wall towards the staff area. Just as we’re about to slip through the door and out of sight, it opens, and a looming figure fills the frame.

My stomach clenches even as my heart rattles an unsteady beat beneath my ribs.

Move.I need to move, but my legs have suddenly turned to stone, so I do the only thing I can. I tip my head back, and then tip it farther because the man in front of me is like a fucking tree. I barely reach the slope of his shoulders.

He’s wearing a bandana across his face and neck, covering everything below his nose so all I can see is his dark eyes. Like the other bikers, he’s wearing a leather vest, and he smells of cigarettes beneath his aftershave.

This time, I do step back, bumping into Bella and knocking her against the wall behind us. My heart races as he mirrors our movement, and the coldness in his eyesawakens some primal instinct inside me that has all the warning lights on my internal dashboard flashing.

Bella squeezes my hand so tight, I can feel her fear through the gesture.What the hell is this guy going to do to us?

“I’ll scream,” I warn, but there’s no response to my threat. His eyes remain cold and empty. “Please, just let us pass.”

He doesn’t, and his eyes are brighter at our fear. That fear turns into something more potent as I back up, taking Bella with me, my hands as sweaty as hers.

“Are you scared?” he asks, and I flinch. “Run, little rabbits. I like the chase.”

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