Page 2 of Claimed By the Biker Brothers

Knox clears his throat. “Again, I’m sorry we showed up unannounced and with our bikes so close to the house. I know Kyra doesn’t like the sound—”

“Actually, she doesn’t seem bothered by it anymore,” I mutter, having just noticed it myself. Kyra is busy swooning over Jagger and sipping what’s left of her hot chocolate, holding the mug with both hands. “But yeah, we weren’t expecting you.” I pause and give Diesel a curious look. “Diesel, what are you doing?”

He glances back at me, and it’s enough to make my skin feel tight. “Watching the road.”

“Why?”

“Calvin is out,” Knox says without pretense.

Those three words are all it takes to knock the air out of my lungs and throw me into the eye of a storm I thought was long past. My knees feel weak. I take a deep breath as I fall back into the kitchen chair, trying to wrap my head around what he just said.

“What?” I manage, my voice barely a whisper.

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” Diesel says.

I hold up my hand before he can say another word. With trembling fingers, I phone my neighbor and trusted sitter, Ellie. She picks up on the second ring. “Hey, Ellie… I need a favor.”

Five minutes later, Ellie is at the door, and Kyra has her overnight bag packed and ready.

“Again, I’m so sorry about this,” I tell Ellie while she helps Kyra put her shoes on. “I’ll pay you double for the whole night.”

“My gosh, you don’t need to do that!” Ellie replies. “I’ll stay with Kyra until you sort out whatever you need to sort out. If you want, I can take her to school tomorrow morning, too.”

“You are an absolute lifesaver, but I’ll be by to get her for school,” I tell her.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” she asks, her eyes darting between the three large men in my kitchen.

“Just an unexpected situation, that’s all. I just need to figure a few things out.”

Ellie nods and thankfully doesn’t ask any follow-up questions. “Well, whatever you need, I’m here. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I say and give Kyra another kiss on the forehead. “You know the drill, princess.”

“Do what Ellie says. Go to bed. Eat my breakfast.”

“Perfect.”

Once the girls are out the door, I brace myself for what’s coming. Diesel, Knox, and Jagger have moved to the living room, quietly waiting for me to return.

For four years, I’ve had peace and quiet. Now, it’s all about to come crashing down around me.

I walk into the living room with a soft smile.

“Ellie doesn’t like us,” Diesel concludes, still standing by the window. He watches the girls as they make their way over to Ellie’s place across the street. “But she’s good people.”

“Ellie likes you,” I reply. “She’s not a fan of the bikes and leather, I guess. But yeah, she’s good people. I’ve had nothing but good people in my life since I left Calvin. Is he really out?” I slip rather quickly into shock and despair.

“We didn’t see it coming, either,” Jagger sighs deeply. “But yeah, he’s out.”

“Since when?” I ask, shaking like a leaf as I lower myself into the armchair.

“Yesterday morning,” Knox replies. “We’ve got a buddy working security at the prison. He called us earlier and told us about it.”

I shake my head slowly. “How is Calvin out so quickly? They gave him ten years, didn’t they?”

“Good behavior,” Diesel mutters. “No priors.”

“No priors,” I scoff. “We all know he’s got plenty of priors.”

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