Page 2 of I Should Hate You-but I Don't

"Don't question me," snapped his dad. "If you can't do it for me. Do it for Gem Haven."

He remained quiet for the last ten minutes of the visit. As he left the prison, walking beside Kingsley, he processed everything mentioned. His dad still tried to run the club from the inside. But as the eldest son, Zane made all the moves for Ridge Stafford.

Outside the gate, Kingsley lit a cigarette. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know." He strode to the two motorcycles at the back of the parking lot. "Dad must owe that Pruit guy something big."

"The guy is on death row. How will he know if we find his daughters or not?" Kingsley blew a stream of smoke at Zane before grabbing his helmet off the seat of his Harley. "I don't want to spend all my time tailing two girls—unless they're hot."

"I don't know what the fuck is going on." He straddled the bike. "I guess we'll find out when the information gets to us."

"Dad looked okay, though. Right?" Kingsley snubbed out his barely smoked cigarette. "He's holding his own."

There were no worries about his dad not being able to take care of himself in prison. It wasn't his first stay, but it would be his longest.

Running the motorcycle club was never something Zane wanted to do. Not yet, anyhow. He and Kingsley were the youngest members. They earned their patch just like every other member. If anything, it was harder for them. Ridge Stafford refused to raise pussies.

"Dad will be fine." He met Kingsley's gaze. "But we need to watch our back."

"Why?"

"Because any of the Gem Haven members will be looking for a chance to step up and sit in Dad's seat at the table." He toed the kickstand. "Don't trust anyone. From now on, it's just us."

His brother met his gaze. For the first time since they watched the cops haul their dad away, Kingsley looked scared.

He started the motorcycle and rode away from the prison. His obligations grew, and he had no idea how he'd take care of everyone when running the compound and keeping the members of Gem Haven alive was more than he could handle.

Chapter One

Zane

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River pushed through the swinging kitchen doors in Gem Haven's bar. She slipped her arms through the straps of her backpack and cast her worried expression at the full room of bikers until she settled her gaze behind the counter and darted forward. Zane set down the full glass of beer he planned on enjoying and braced himself for the energy directed at him.

As a kid, his brother dared him to touch the electric fence behind the house. The same excitement and anticipation filled him now as he prepared for the high-voltage zap of River's attention aimed at him.

She stopped in front of him, holding onto the straps of her backpack. He motioned his chin toward Big John, kicking him off the stool.

River slid onto the empty spot and leaned against the counter. "Did you really tell Taylor no?"

"Yeah."

Her brows lifted until he saw the light blue ring around her pupil. "Why?"

He refused to let her disappointment sway his answer. "If you want to visit Taylor, you can borrow a car, or I can drop you off in town. But she's not driving you into town, not in that beater she owns. Only last week, she had the tow truck called because she landed in a ditch."

"She said it was an accident. Her foot slipped off the brake."

"Well, she's not going to get a chance to have an accident with you in the car." He shrugged. "End of discussion."

Her chin tilted, and he could make out her heart-shaped face better. High cheekbones, dimples, black hair, and striking blue eyes—she had everything to get her way with him, but he held firm.

His attraction to her went beyond physical looks. She was soft-spoken, responsible, and thoughtful. Despite losing her entire family and the state of Idaho shuffling her from one foster family to another, she retained her vulnerability.

When she was seventeen years old, he stole her from the state's care, brought her to Gem Haven, and made sure no one would find her until she became a legal adult.

If he had his way, he wouldn't subject her to the influence of her friend, who he'd caught in bed with Snake two nights ago.

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