Page 7 of Property of Spike

His expression hardens, and for a second, I think he’s going to tell me to get lost. Instead, he enters a code and opens the gate, his voice gruff but steady. “Come on in.”

I hesitate, glancing back toward the leering man in the booth.

Spike follows my gaze and scowls. “Don’t worry about him. He won’t be a problem again.”

Something in the way he says it makes me believe him, and for the first time in what feels like years, I take a shaky breath.

I step through the gate, clutching my baby like a lifeline, and follow Spike toward the largest building inside the compound, praying that I’ve made the right choice.

***Spike***

“That’s the same woman from yesterday,” Tank says, nodding toward the gate where a figure approaches.

“What’s that she’s holding?” I ask, squinting as I study her.

“I can’t say for sure, but yesterday, I thought it was a baby.”

“A baby?” My glare sharpens. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I thought I took care of it,” Tank shrugs, unfazed. “It’s my job to handle the little things around here. You’ve got so much shit on your shoulders as it is. You don’t need some woman’s issues.She looked scared, sure, but I told her that if she needed help, the best place for her would be the police station.”

“Not sure she took your advice, brother,” I mutter, rising to my feet. “Come on, let’s go see what she wants.”

As we approach the gate, I hear Pinkie’s grating voice, loud and slimy as always.

“He won’t waste time on you. But I’d be willing to help you out if you’re willing to pay me back on your knees.”

I freeze in my tracks, my fists clenching instinctively. Pinkie has been on my last fucking nerve for the past two months. He’s prospecting to become a member, but with shit like this, he’s not going to make it.

“Fucking bitch,” Pinkie shouts when the woman turns to leave.

Actually, I might kill him for sport.

“Hey,” I call out, my voice carrying enough weight to make the woman pause mid-step.

When I reach the gate, I glance back at Pinkie. His smirk falters, and fear fills his eyes.

“What the hell did you just say to her?” I growl, directing all my anger at him.

Pinkie stumbles over his words like the coward he is. “Nothing, Spike. She was, uh, she was leaving anyway.”

“I’m not fucking blind.” I step closer, towering over him even as he sits in the security booth and the color drains from his face. “You think I don’t know what kind of shit comes out of your mouth when you think no one’s watching?”

Pinkie stammers something, but I’ve already turned my attention to the woman. She looks exhausted, clutching the carrier against her chest like her life depends on it. Dark circles shadow her eyes, and she stands there with the kind of defiance that only comes from sheer desperation.

“You okay?” I ask, keeping my voice steady.

She nods, though her grip on the carrier tightens. “I just... I just needed to talk to someone in charge.” Her voice cracks on the last word, and it’s like a punch to the gut.

“You’re talking to him,” I reply, studying her. She’s nervous but not fidgeting. Alert but not aggressive. She’s running from something, and whatever it is has her scared out of her mind. “What’s your name?”

“Riley,” she whispers.

“And what do you need, Riley?”

Her throat works as she swallows, and it takes her a moment to answer. “A safe place to sleep. Just for a few hours. I... I have a baby, a newborn, and we’ve been on the run. I understand if you can’t help, but... I didn’t know where else to go.”

Her words hit me like a freight train. A baby. Running. No one comes to the Iron Shadows lightly, and from the look of her, she’s already been through hell.

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