Page 26 of A Christmas Surprise for the Biker

“Everything okay?” she asks, setting down the folder she was holding.

I force a smile. “Yeah, just club shit. Nothing to worry about.”

She doesn't look convinced, but thankfully she doesn't push it.

Instead, she gestures to the neat stacks of papers on her desk. “I've been going through some of these old case files. If we can get past these initial hurdles with your parole, I really think we can make this work.” Her enthusiasm should make me happy, but all I feel is a gnawing sense of guilt.

Here she is, working her ass off to help me rebuild this business, and I'm potentially about to throw it all away by getting involved in some serious shit.

Climbing out of her chair, she moves across the room to me.

“You're amazing, you know that?” I admit, pulling her into my arms.

She laughs, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I have my moments. But seriously, I think I found a few leads on some old skips that might still be worth pursuing. Want to take a look?” I nod, grateful for the distraction.

As the day wears on, the weight of the club's potential new venture hangs heavy on my mind. I find myself checking my phone more often than usual, half-expecting a text from Viper or someone else signaling we’ve got trouble.

“Nico?” Braelynn's voice pulls me from my thoughts. “You've been staring at that same page for ten minutes. What's going on?”

I sigh, knowing I can't keep everything from her. “Just... club shit. It's complicated.”

Her brow furrows. “Complicated how?”

I shake my head. “I can't talk about it, baby. It’s club business, and as much as I know you don’t like it, you’re not going to know more about it.”

She nods, but I can see the hurt in her eyes. “I thought we were past keeping secrets from each other.”

My back goes up. “It's not fucking like that, Brae. Club shit will never be your shit. Got it?”

She flinches when I snap at her, and I feel like an asshole. “Fine.”

Going to her, I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t want to fight.”

“Promise me something,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Anything,” I reply without hesitation.

She lifts her face from my chest to look at me. “Promise me that whatever you’re doing, you'll be careful. That you won't do anything stupid or reckless. That you'll always come home to us.”

Fuck. I don’t deserve her. “I promise, baby. You and Ryder are my world now. I won't do anything to jeopardize that.” As I say the words, I send up a prayer to the gods that it’s a promise I can keep.

Chapter Nine

Legend

The sound of someone beating on the door downstairs jolts me awake. Groggy as hell, I glance at the clock and groan. Who the fuck is knocking on the damn door at 6:30 in the morning?

“Fuck.” Braelynn stirs beside me, her eyes fluttering open.

“What is that?” she mumbles, still half-asleep.

“Stay here,” I tell her over my shoulder, already pulling on a pair of jeans. “I'll check it out.”

Taking the steps two at a time, I start to get real fucking pissed when the knocking intensifies. “Hold the fuck on!” I growl, looking through the peephole.

Who I see on the other side makes my blood boil even hotter.

Officer-fucking-Turner.

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