Page 13 of Mace

My stomach bottoms out, cold filling every part of me as he steps towards us, encroaching on our space.

“Blade,” a deep voice snaps from behind us.

I twist so hard, I nearly crack my neck as another biker looms at our back and our situation goes from bad to worse. Now, we’re sandwiched between Mister Emotionless and whoever this new guy is. Bella clings to me as I press us both against the wall, trying to make myself even smaller than I already am.

Fuck.I can’t die. Toby will go into foster care, and my sister will run off with Link. I want to squeeze my eyes shut and block everything out, but I can’t. My brain won’t let me.

Flicking my gaze between the two men, I notice only the new guy has a patch on the front of his vest that gives him a title.

‘Road Captain’.

What the hell is a road captain?

Ignoring the images that conjures, I lift my lashes to hisface and my breath lodges in my throat. I could not have created this man in my deepest and wildest dreams.

He’s gorgeous.

I know it’s not right to want to mount someone who may or may not be trying to kill me, but this guy is sin wrapped and packaged in denim and leather—and also plaid, which I didn’t know I liked until this exact moment.

His dark hair and trimmed beard that circles his top lip and chin before spreading up his jaw line gives him a roughened edge, and although Blade is bigger than him, he’s still huge. His shirt fits tight across his pecs, and the sleeves are rolled up in that sexy way men wear them, revealing thick forearms covered in a patchwork of tattoos.

Beneath all of that, I sense the deadly danger rolling off him. The promise of violence ripples just beneath the surface of his stormy eyes, and the other guy—Blade—seems just as pissed. Are they going to fight each other? Two giants facing off is never going to end well.

“Go to Nic,” tall, dark, and handsome says, and although Blade’s face is covered, I’m pretty sure he’s scowling.

For a moment, neither man moves, and the tension is so thick, it could be cut with a knife. Then Blade leans towards me and hisses, “Maybe next time,” in an ominous voice that sends chills skittering down my spine.

The relief I feel when he moves away, giving me and Bella some room to breathe, is short-lived when the Road Captain’s gaze snaps to me.

And then my heart stops dead.

FOUR

MACE

Temptation is a shithole.Granted, it’s nicer than a lot of the Pioneer businesses we’ve taken over in the past few months, but the dark walls and crushed velvet seats don’t scream upmarket establishment. It means the clientele—and the staff—are likely to be shitty and cause problems.

I hang back, watching Nicky, Dash, and my foster brother, Riot, confront the security staff, half-expecting tempers to erupt. Luckily, our reputation precedes us, and these fuckers don’t seem like they are going to fight back, not even after Nic grabs the biggest one around the neck.

I watch my best friend, ready to jump in if needed, safe in the knowledge we have more men to call on if we need backup.

Diesel and King are positioned to come through the back to make sure the manager—a weaselly fucker named Sam—doesn’t escape. That little prick has been dodging us for a week since we told him this business is now Sons’ property. Dash, our money man, reckons he’s been movingcash out of the accounts and into his own—something he’s going to pay for.

It’s been six months since Desmond Richardson was murdered. Six fucking months since our nightmare with those Pioneer cunts ended. In that time, we’ve gone through the city, flushing out the last of the remaining members of his gang and cleaning up the mess he left behind. That involves seizing assets that once belonged to their shitty little crew.

Temptation is the last of those businesses we’ve absorbed, and good old Sam thought that since it’s been so long since the former management was murdered, he could keep hold of it.

He’s about to realise that mistake is going to cost him everything.

As Nicky talks to the guy, movement behind the bar draws my gaze.

Where I’m standing, I’m hidden behind one of the booths, but I have a full line of sight from my position. Two girls are shifting step-by-step towards the end of the counter, their terrified faces locked on my club brothers and the scene unfolding before them.

As they reach the end of the bar and disappear around the corner, I come out of my hiding place, passing the boys.

Nic, who has released his hold on the big bouncer, slides his gaze to me, question in his eyes, but I shake my head, telling him to stay where he is.

As I follow their footsteps, I see Blade towering over the two girls. Fuck. He might wear a Sons kutte, but he fucking puts me on edge.

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