Page 13 of Shadow

“I’m resourceful,” I said, leaving it at that. I didn’t want him to know Rurik existed, and I wasnotpondering overthat. “I was hoping we could meet and talk.”

He grunted, a clear sign his mood was souring again. “This about the Ghost Born bullshit?” he asked. “Got wind you were part of their club now. Bunch of pussies if you ask me. If you were looking for somewhere to belong, bro, I could’ve brought you into the Savage Dreams.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, already over this conversation. “It’s a lot more complicated than that,” I admitted. I didn’t want to belong to any club, but I did. And my hands were tied. And to be honest, yeah—the GBMC had kept my ass out of prison and kept my hands virtually clean so my parole officer couldn’t come after me.

I knew most of that had to do with the man next to me, but I refused to dwell on that too much. Shit was already complicated between me and Rurik, and last night had blurred too many lines in my mind, leaving me on edge and feeling like a ticking time bomb.

“We can meet,” Kaleen finally agreed. “Got to be by yourself though, Malik. You bring someone along, and we’re gonna have problems.”

I grunted. “Understood. I’ll drop you a set of coordinates.”

With that, I ended the call and tossed the phone toward Rurik. It hit the leather seat with athump. I crumbled the phone number in my fist before flicking that his way, too. It hit his arm and bounced off into the seat. He arched a brow at me, clearly unimpressed.

“Childish much, Shadow?” he murmured. I hated the way a shiver rolled down my spine at his use of my road name—a road namehe’dgiven me. Didn’t know why. I’d asked Hutch once why I had that name, and when he told me it’d come from Rurik, I let it drop. Because like fuck was I digging into that.

“Send him coordinates of where to meet. He’s expecting them.”

With that, I turned to look out the window, not giving him another bit of my attention. And thankfully, he didn’t push me any further. I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him. I just wanted to get this meeting over with and move on with my life, which would hopefully mean going the fuck home so Rurik could return to Washington.

And leave me the hell alone.

11

Malik

My boots crunched over the gravel as I made my way across the lot toward where I’d be meeting Kaleen. Rurik had chosen an abandoned chicken factory as our meeting point. The factory had clearly been abandoned years ago. Grass was growing between the cracks in the sidewalk closer to the building, and there were potholes in the gravel lot from years of just sitting untraveled on.

The heavy, steel door creaked when I pushed it open to walk inside. My steps were audible as I walked inside, echoing off the walls and the long-ago abandoned equipment. Pausing, I took in the room, scanning for anything out of place before I walked further inside.

A red light caught my eye as I turned, and I looked up, gritting my teeth at the sight of the camera. This place shouldn’t have had power, which meant that camera shouldn’t have been working.

This had Rurik written all fucking over it. I bet it was wireless, operating on a battery, and I could probably place money that the fucking thing sent the video feed right to his damn phone or laptop.

Was he trying to get me fucking killed?

Growling, I stepped back outside and yanked my burner from my pocket, calling Kaleen. BecausefuckRurik. If Kaleen caught sight of that camera or any other camera that Rurik might have in that place, I’d be a dead man walking.

Kaleen didnotlike being watched.

“I’m almost there,” Kaleen said, his voice almost muffled by the sound of his bike. “Keep your panties on, Malik.”

“Not meeting here,” I told him as I made my way to the SUV Rurik had sent me with today. “But I need you to come pick me up first. I think I’ve been compromised.” IknewI had been, but if I confessed that much, Kaleen would turn around and wouldn’t meet with me at all. And even though I hated that Rurik was calling every fucking move I made, I couldn’t abandon my club brothers.

Despite how much of a piece of work I was, they’d stuck by me and invited me into their fold. They’d given me a place to belong, and even if we clashed heads, I knew without a shred of doubt that I always had a home with them.

“Fuck,” he growled. “I’m almost there. Be ready.”

Oh, I fucking would be. And I’d be sending Rurik a message while I was at it. Did I still have to deal with him after this? Yeah. But did I give a fuck? Not a single bit. And I knew he’d come huntme down. And I also knew he’d find me easily. But I wouldn’t be hiding either.

This explosion between us was long fucking overdue. And maybe—justmaybe—he’d realize I was too much work, then fuck off back to Washington and leave me the fuck alone. For good, this time.

I hung up the phone, ignoring it when it began to ring with a call from Rurik. Grabbing some dry weeds from near where I’d parked the car, I walked over and opened the gas tank. It had one of those that didn’t need a cap, but that was fine. I could work with that, too.

I found a crowbar in the back and shoved it inside, forcing the little metal door to stay open, and then, I shoved the grass inside. My phone was vibrating constantly now, but I continued to ignore it. Gripping my lighter from my pocket, I flicked it, watching the flame spring free. I set it to the grass, and then, I sprinted from the SUV, running like hell.

Kaleen pulled up just in time, and I jumped onto the back before he even came to a full stop. “Go!” I shouted at him.

He spun out of the lot just as the SUV exploded behind us, shaking the ground beneath the bike. Kaleen wobbled for a moment but quickly regained control, flying out of the parking lot and down the highway.

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