Page 66 of Property of the Hellfire Riders

“So, what’s your play?” I ask.

Hawk takes a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “We tighten ranks. No one gets in or out without my say so.”

“And Izzy?” Vance asks, his voice like gravel.

“The damn thorn in my ass.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her. She’s scared, but I don’t think she’s lying. Someone’s trying to make her look guilty,” I say, stepping forward.

“And put a cock in her,” Vance mutters.

“Jesus Christ, really?” I snap.

He winks with a dark smirk, snapping his blade back into his pocket. “Out of all of us, you break the quickest, and your dick clouds your judgment.” He points to my crotch then.

“Both of you can suck my cock,” I mutter. “I’m not the only one hard for this woman. At least I don’t pretend to be above it.”

Hawk glares us both down, his voice icy cold.

“Settle down, you two. We’re on the same damn side here. We don’t know if Izzy is involved with this or not, so don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

“My gut says she doesn’t have the balls for this shit,” I say, folding my arms.

“And your gut’s never been wrong before,” Vance drawls.

“Hey, none of you can stand here and tell me you don’t feel the same way. Because if any of us thought she was lying we wouldn’t be protecting her,” Hawk says then.

Neither one of us says a word as we stand outside. The wind whispers through the tall redwoods overhead, carrying with it a cool breeze.

“If we figure this out, Vance says he wants to share Izzy,” I confess. Hawk’s brows pull together, and he lets out a sharp, breathy laugh.

“Did you two shitheads figure out dibs wasn’t going to work on a girl like her?” he asks.

“I honestly have no idea what the hell’s going on,” I say, taking my joint back and giving it another long hit. “I just want it to be over.”

“We wait, we see what the next move is. There has to be another coming soon. Keep an eye on everyone in this goddamn place. It’s a game of chess and they think they’re about to wipe the board. We can’t lose. The two of you are the only ones I can trust right now. I need you to keep it together,” Hawk says. “Do you understand me?”

“What about you?” Vance asks. “You need to take care of yourself too. We can’t afford to have you burning out.”

Hawk’s lips twitch in a humorless smile. “Don’t worry about me. Just focus on keeping this club together. We’ve got too much at stake to let it fall apart now. Losing three acres set us back, but it’s not permanent damage. Not by a long shot.”

Vanceand I make our way back to the apartment, leaving Hawk at his workshop.

Each step feels heavier than the last, and the silence around us only amplifies the anxiety gnawing at my gut. Hawk's warnings echo in my mind. We can't afford any more slip-ups.

Vance glances at me, his worry mirroring my own.

I push open the door to the apartment, my senses on high alert. The place is dim, the early moon light filtering through the curtains casting long shadows across the floor. I step inside, calling out her name softly. "Izzy?"

No response.

Fuck me.

The uneasy feeling intensifies as we move through the apartment, checking each room—all empty. My pulse quickens. This can't be happening again. If Hawk finds out she's gone, he's going to lose his mind, and the fragile thread of trust we've managed to maintain will snap.

Vance curses under his breath. “Why the hell would she leave?”

“Before I left her, she told me she was going to fix this,” I say. “I don’t know what the hell that means, but I think Izzy might be headed down a dangerous path.”

---