Page 16 of Property of Spike

“Two days ago, Asher was born,” she continues, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes never leave him. “But I was alone in the hospital. As I nursed my baby for the first time, I realized I couldn’t stay. I had to leave.” Her voice trembles, butshe pushes through. “So, I checked myself out, ran home to grab a few things, and I haven’t been back since.”

“What about going to the police?” Bones asks, his tone cautious but firm. “Surely they know of a battered women’s shelter that can help hide you.”

A single tear slips down her cheek, landing on the edge of the carrier. She brushes at it quickly, her hand trembling.

“I can’t,” she says, her voice breaking. “Chuck is the Police Commissioner of Palm Springs.”

No. Fucking. Way.

That bastard hates me.

“And Chuck,” she adds bitterly, a hollow laugh escaping her lips, “happens to despise all of you. He’s been trying to get your entire club disbanded for years.”

She’s not wrong.

Crusher steps forward, his expression hard as steel. “Did you come here to gather intel?” His voice is deadly, the accusation cutting.

“What?” she shouts, her wide eyes snapping to him before darting back to me. “No, I swear. I’m not a spy. Please, believe me.”

I hold up a hand to stop Crusher, my eyes locked on Riley’s. Her fear is palpable, but there’s something else. Determination. She’s terrified, but she hasn’t broken.

“Crusher,” I say, my voice low but firm. “Stand down.”

He hesitates, then backs off, muttering something under his breath. Riley’s shoulders relax a fraction, but her grip on the baby carrier tightens.

I take a few steps forward and look down at her. “Riley, you’ve got to understand where we’re coming from. Chuck’s been gunning for us for years. You showing up here? It’s a huge risk for us. Not one we can take. But I’m not about to throw you out without hearing the whole story.”

She nods slowly, her lips pressed together as if to keep her emotions from spilling out.

“I know it looks bad,” she says. “Coming here. But I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I thought... I thought if anyone could hide me away for just a few short hours, it would be you.” Her voice cracks on the last word, and she looks down, blinking rapidly.

I exchange a glance with Tank, who shrugs like he’s just waiting for my call.

“Why us?” I press. “Out of everyone you could’ve gone to, why a club of dangerous men?”

Her lips quirk into the faintest of smiles. “Because Chuck is scared of you. He talks about you like you’re the monsters of Palm Springs and not him. But I don’t see monsters.” Her eyes flicker up to meet mine, and for a moment, I can’t look away. “I see people who might actually fight for what’s right regardless of the illegal stuff you do. And I was so exhausted. I just needed a place to rest where people weren’t afraid of him. A place he would never expect me to hide.”

The room falls silent, her words hanging heavy in the air.

Tank clears his throat, breaking the tension. “What do you need from us, Riley?”

She hesitates, her fingers trembling as she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. Her gaze flicks to the baby in her arms before returning to Tank. “You already gave it to me,” she says softly, a small, tired smile tugging at her lips. “I honestly just needed some sleep. Now, I really should get going.”

Her words catch us off guard, and the room goes still.

“I don’t want to bring trouble to your doorstep,” she continues, her voice steady but laced with resignation. “If Chuck finds out I’m here, he’ll use every bit of power at his disposal to get me out of here and have you all thrown in prison. He’dprobably spin some lie about the scary biker club kidnapping his wife and baby. And the worst part? People would believe him.”

“Not if we’ve got the truth on our side,” Bones says, his tone sharp.

Riley shakes her head, a sad laugh escaping her lips. “You don’t know Chuck like I do. He doesn’t lose. He’ll twist the truth until it looks like something else entirely. He’s good at it. Too good.”

“Maybe so,” I cut in, my voice low and deliberate, “but we’re good at what we do, too. And we don’t back down from a fight.”

Her eyes widen slightly, searching mine as if looking for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, she exhales shakily.

“But this isn’t your fight.”

“Riley,” Maverick says from across the room, his voice softer than usual. “You came here for a reason. If you didn’t think we could handle this, you wouldn’t have walked through our gate, right?”

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