Page 49 of King

“That’ssucha good idea!” she gasped. “This could be exactly what we need to fill the gaps. But… Are you sure the MC wants to go through all that trouble? This is supposed to be my project to manage.”

He reached out and cupped her chin. “You’re part of the MC. And the MC is part of this community. We care about the people here, so if we can do something to make Shadowridge a better place for families, we’ll be on board.”

Tears filled her eyes as she beamed at him. “What can I do to help?”

King smiled, pleased by her genuine reaction. “We’ll start planning tonight. We’ll go over logistics, make a list of what we need, and get the word out fast. Steele has already reached out to some vendors. Don’t worry, baby. We’ve got this. As a team.”

Ella wiggled in her seat. “Maybe I can talk to Mayor Winslow about promoting it, too.”

“Good thinking,” King said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

She grinned at him. In that moment, he was remindedagain how much he loved this woman.

“I’ll let you get back to work. I’m gonna head back to the clubhouse. It’s supposed to start raining in a few hours, and I don’t want to be riding when it starts.”

“Okay.” Ella stood and walked around her desk, then threw her arms around his waist. “Thank you, Daddy. You’re the best ever.”

“Anything for you, Little girl.”

He kissed the top of her head one last time and headed back outside, only to stop short when he reached his bike.

His front tire wasflat.

King’s eyes narrowed as he crouched down to inspect it. A slow, uneasy realization crept through him as he inspected the obvious slice in the rubber.

Someone had done this.

Jaw tightening, he pulled out his phone and dialed Kade.

“Brother,” Kade answered. “What’s up?”

“Need a tow and a ride,” King muttered, scanning the street around him. “Someone’s slashed my tire.”

There was a pause, then a sharp exhale. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” King confirmed, standing up, his shoulders tensing. “And I think I was being followed earlier.”

“Stay put. I’m on my way.”

Just as King hung up, the skyopened up, and rain poured down in huge, heavy drops.

King let out a low, humorless chuckle, shaking his head. “Figures. Fuck.”

TWENTY-ONE

ELLA

Ella smoothed out her skirt, clutching her notepad as she knocked on Mayor Winslow’s office door.

“Come in,” the mayor’s familiar voice called out.

Ella stepped inside, offering him a warm smile as she approached. He looked up from his paperwork, his sharp but kind eyes meeting hers. “Ah, Ella. What can I do for you?”

She took a seat in front of his desk and set her notepad on her lap. Working for Mayor Winslow had been wonderful so far. He was as kind as he seemed, and he truly cared about the citizens of Shadowridge. He also gave her a lot of freedom, telling her he trusted that she was fully competent to do the job in her own way. It was nice to work for someone so down to earth.

“I wanted to run an idea by you—something that could help bring in more donations for the food drive and possibly even donations to get an early start on the summer drive for school supplies.”

The mayor leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him. “I’m listening.”

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