Page 34 of Property of Spike

I nod.

“Lose the cut,” he orders. “Meet me outside the gate in thirty minutes. Bring Bones with you in case shit goes sideways.”

Then, without another word, he swings his leg over his bike, revs the engine, and speeds off towards the gate.

I stand there, fists clenched, staring after him. My mind is a storm, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Riley is in the hospital.

Hurt.

Probably scared.

Where’s Asher?

And if Chuck had anything to do with this, I will burn his fucking world to the ground.

Turning on my heel, I stalk toward the clubhouse, already yanking off my cut.

Time to get my girl back.

Twenty-five minutes later, I’m outside the gate with Bones, both of us in civilian clothes. The night air is thick, heavy, like it knows shit’s about to go sideways. Bones leans against the gate, arms crossed, one boot propped up against the metal. He looks calm and collected, but I know better. His mind is a million miles away.

“What’s up?” I ask, my voice steady, even though my insides are anything but.

Bones doesn’t answer right away. Just exhales slowly through his nose, his gaze locked on something in the distance. Then, without looking at me, he says, “Maybe you should stay here. I’ll collect them both and bring them back.”

My whole body goes tight. “Not fucking happening, Bones.”

“Don’t trust me?” he asks, finally looking my way, one brow arched.

“You know that’s not true,” I glare, my patience already razor-thin. “What the fuck is up with you?”

He shifts, dropping his boot and standing up straight. “Just a bad feeling,” he admits. “My gut keeps telling me to keep you the fuck away from the Commissioner.”

I let out a dry chuckle, shaking my head. “Don’t you ever just ignore it?”

Bones gives me a look, the kind that says I should know better. “You’d be dead a dozen times over if I had.”

He’s right.

Bones isn’t just my enforcer. He’s my shield. The one who steps between me and the bullets I don’t see coming. Which is exactly why Maverick wanted him here. I’ve got a list of enemies a mile long.

And after tonight?

Chuck Landry is gonna be at the top of it.

“I have to go, Bones,” I sigh, running a hand down my face. “I can’t explain it, but there’s something inside me, something clawing at my fucking chest, telling me I need to get to her and that baby. I need them inside the compound walls where they’re safe.”

Bones watches me for a second, his face unreadable, then nods. “I know.” His voice is steady, but there’s something behind it. Something that tells me he gets it, even if I don’t fully understand it myself. “We’ll make it happen.”

A set of headlights cuts through the dark as a gray car pulls up the short driveway and rolls to a stop several feet away. My body tenses instantly, my hand twitching toward the gun at my back.

Seconds later, Maverick steps out of the driver’s side, and my eyes immediately snap to the passenger door as another man, one in uniform, climbs out.

My blood runs cold.

“What the fuck, Maverick?” My voice is low, dangerous.

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