Page 45 of Property of the Hellfire Riders

Gotcha.

"Izzy," I mutter under my breath, half-exasperated, half-worried. The girl's got a knack for trouble, I’ll give her that.

She drops to the ground with a soft thud, her movements sleek and a little too practiced for comfort. I know in that split second, I can’t let her slip away—not tonight. With a quick glance around to ensure no one else is in sight, I break into a run. My boots slap against the wet concrete, heavy and urgent.

She hears me, of course—hard not to—and her head snaps up, those quick, calculating eyes of hers widening just a fraction as they meet mine. There’s no time for niceties, no time for a gentle "what in the hell do you think you’re doing?" Instead, I do what needs to be done; I tackle her.

We hit the ground hard, but my arms kept her from the hard impact. She lets out a grunt, the air knocked from her as I pin her beneath me, my weight an advantage I don't squander. "Going somewhere, love?" I growl.

Her chest heaves under me, and for a moment, there’s this fire in her eyes that says she might just try to take me on.

"Get off me, Tank," she snaps, the fight in her voice clear. Good thing, I’m in a mood to get rowdy.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." My voice is low, firm, the kind I use when I’m not in the mood for games. "You running from something, or someone? You know you can tell me."

For a heartbeat, she’s silent, her eyes darting around like she’s calculating her chances.

"It’s not what you think," she says finally, her voice a mix of defiance and resignation.

"I don’t think, I know," I retort, easing up just a bit but not enough to let her slip away. "You’re sneaking out a window in the dead of night. You’re up to something. And it’s my job to keep shit from hitting the fan around here."

There’s no denying the thrill of having her pinned underneath me. It courses through my veins like a heavy liquor. She’s different from any other woman I’ve come across, and I’m in no mood to let Hawk keep her all to himself.

Selfish fuck.

“Tell me what you’re doing, and I’ll be nice.” This is her one shot before I lose my patience.

Her gaze doesn’t waver, and that’s when I know—this isn’t just some small-time trouble. Izzy’s mixed up in something bigger, something that could spell trouble not just for her, but for all of us.

"Talk, Izzy. It’s your only way out of this mess," I insist, the urgency not just for her sake but for the club’s too.

She swallows hard, and I feel her resolve waver under me. "Alright," she whispers. Then a sharp stabbing pain rises up through my groin as her knee slams into me.

11

IZZY

“Oh, that was not nice,” he winces.

The ground beneath me is unforgiving, the chill of the wet asphalt seeping through my clothes as Tank’s grip on me tightens down. A knee to the groin should’ve had him doubled over. I should’ve known basic self-defense wasn’t going to work on him.

My heart is hammering in my chest.

In the small window I had, I was hoping to get those keys and unlock the basement. But they weren’t there. There was nothing. Nothing for me to connect with Laina, and now I’m seriously beginning to doubt if any of this was the right move, because based on my current state, I haven’t gotten anything except for a pissed off Tank.

And I’ve been caught red-handed. The gigs up.

“Tell me what the hell you’re doing," he growls, his voice a low growl that should send shivers down my spine for all the wrong reasons. I squirm underneath him, wreathing, pressing myself against him.

He breathes out, laughing.

“God damn, you’re a feisty one,” he says.

"Get off me, Tank," I warn, my voice steady despite the rush of adrenaline sharpening my senses. Who knows what they’ll do to me now that they have direct proof I’m up to no good. Will they even believe me if I tell them the truth?

“No. I don’t think,” he clicks his tongue.

The old instincts kick in,muscle memory from days spent training with the police academy mats. Even though I’m just a forensic photographer, my dad wanted to make sure I knew a thing or two on how to protect myself before I joined the force.

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