Page 5 of Claimed By the Biker Brothers

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Robyn

Caffeine isn’t even necessary with my blood still buzzing from last night. I barely slept, and as I walk out of the house, careful to lock the door behind me before I walk to Ellie’s place, I realize I don’t feel tired. I’m too scared to be tired.

Yes, the Rogue Riders’ devastatingly handsome and downright dashing leadership promised protection, safety, and all that. Yes, I believe them. I trust them. I know they’ll come through for Kyra and me like they did four years ago and every day since. But when they’re not around, doubt rears its ugly head and tricks me.

“Are you okay?” Ellie asks as she opens the front door.

“I look horrible, huh?”

“Not horrible, but not that great either,” Ellie sighs. “Kyra’s almost ready. She’s just putting her shoes on.”

“Thank you so much for last night,” I say and hand her an envelope with cash in it.

“You’re kicking back into that fight-or-flight instinct, aren’t you?”

I give her a troubled look. “How can you read me like an open book?”

“I’ve known you long enough,” she giggles, showing her dimples.

In the two years that Ellie’s been our neighbor, we’ve grown extremely close, and she knows me like few others do. “What’s going on?” she asks me. “It’s serious. You can’t lie about that.”

I nod once. “It is serious.” I briefly glance over her shoulder and into her house to make sure Kyra isn’t too close. “Calvin got out early on good behavior.”

“Oh, shit,” she whispers, eyes wide with genuine surprise. “That can’t be good.”

“It’s not. I don’t want him anywhere near Kyra or me. He’s out to hurt us, Ellie. And he will if I give him the opportunity.”

“Is that why you had the Riders over?”

“Calvin used to be one of them,” I say and shrug. “Knox is the club president. Jagger is his VP. Diesel is the head of their security. I mean, they’ve been around, looking after us, making sure we were never without. In some ways, those three have been better dads to Kyra than Calvin ever was.”

Ellie crosses her arms and frowns. “I never understood why they stayed close to you, though. You quit the life, didn’t you? You quit your job at the clubhouse, you sold the bike as soon as you got pregnant. From what you’ve told me, Calvin pretty much got you out of that circle altogether.”

“Yeah, but then the abuse started. The guys helped. I reached out to them because I had nobody else to talk to about Calvin,” I reply. “They took action straight away. Kicked his ass and banned him from the club.”

“And he put a guy in the ground the same night,” she says, shaking her head. “Manslaughter, my ass. Ten years wasn’t even enough for what he did.”

“It was part of a deal he signed with the DA. He cooperated with them on another investigation. Whether it was related to the Riders or not, I don’t know. They’d turned legit by then anyway. The state didn’t have anything on them to begin with.” I end the conversation here as Kyra comes out with her backpack on one shoulder and her overnight bag on the other. “Good morning, sunshine!”

“Morning, Mommy.” She winks at me, and I could melt.

Ellie takes the overnight bag away. “Don’t worry about this one, kitty-cat. Your mom’s gonna pick it up in the afternoon when she finishes work. No need to carry it around all day. What have you got in that backpack, anyway?”

“My coloring books, my snacks, and my favorite blankie,” Kyra replies.

“And you’re looking awfully pretty today,” I declare.

“Thank you, Mommy,” Kyra replies, her brow slightly furrowed as she looks up at me. “You didn’t sleep good, did you?” Ellie chuckles.

“Okay, I’ll put some concealer on before I go into the nail salon,” I mutter, only half-joking.

Kyra follows me to our Prius, while Ellie watches us go. “You be safe out there, okay?”

“I will, I promise,” I shout back. “I’ll call you if there’s anything. You’d better do the same!”

“You bet!”

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