Page 23 of Hunter

The tension bled out of her, and she relaxed back into the seat. I didn’t move my hand, and after a few seconds, she flipped hers palm up and laced our fingers together.

Even with the bullshit swirling around us and danger just on the edge of our horizon, I felt more at peace than I ever had. Only thing better had been being inside her, knowing no one else ever had and never would.

We drove in silence. It was comfortable and easy, like we’d been doing this for years. As though she was made just for me.

When we reached the compound gates, she perked up, straightening in her seat and looking around with curious, bright eyes.

The gate swung open, and as I approached the guard shack, Phoenix stepped out. I arched a brow and rolled down the window. Patches didn’t normally do security duty. It was one of the jobs we farmed out to prospects because it tested their loyalty, determination, quick thinking, and other skills we looked for in new members.

He scowled before I said a word. “Probies weren’t available. Was Viper’s turn, but the asshole pulled the pregnant old lady card.”

“She’s two weeks from her due date,” I pointed out, barely suppressing a grin.

Phoenix crossed his arms. “Badass bikers turn into fucking pussies the second their old ladies get knocked up.”

He wasn’t wrong. But as I fully intended to have Sadie bred as soon as possible and knew I would be just as bad as my brothers, I shouldn’t give him shit. But fucking with him would be so much more satisfying.

“Tick tock, asshole,” I drawled. “Sooner or later, some sweet thing’s gonna own your balls—and you’ll be beggin’ her to squeeze.”

Phoenix narrowed his eyes but didn’t miss a beat. “If she squeezes hard enough, maybe I won’t turn into a whipped bitch like the rest of you.”

I smirked and leaned an elbow on the open window, voice low and smug.

“Keep talking, brother. One day, you’ll be on your knees and calling it foreplay.”

From the passenger seat, Sadie choked on a laugh and turned her face toward the window, pretending to be interested in the pine trees.

Phoenix flipped me off without a word and stalked back into the shack.

I pulled forward, my hand still resting over Sadie’s. As we neared the clubhouse, there was a familiar shift in my shoulders as the solitary weight of the outside world slipped off.

After spending one too many years being knocked around by my dad, my mom had signed the paperwork for me to join the Army at seventeen. I was focused, determined, and talented, so I’d become a Ranger in just under twenty months, when I was still eighteen. After serving two years, I was accepted into Ranger school.

I spent five years in elite operations—giving me serious combat and tactical experience that earned me advanced Ranger and sniper roles. After gaining some experience, I’d been assigned to high-level special missions. People didn’t often realize that certain roles within the military could be very solitary. Especially snipers. I had to rely on only myself. Which had served me well when I left to join the FBI.

With a highly decorated military career—even though it had only been eight years—I moved up the ladder at lightning speed. The skills and experience I’d gained in the Army set me on the path to become a high-level tracker, sniper, and interrogator—eventually earning a reputation as one of the best in the country. But once more, I’d been working in a job where I spent more time working solo than as part of a team.

I hit my limit when I was thirty-two. After fifteen years of service and some hard lessons about corruption and times when the laws were just flat-out fucking wrong, I needed a change. One that didn’t involve following orders, being isolated, or following the letter of the law.

I’d never intended to return to Tennessee. My parents were dead. I had no family, nowhere to live, and no fucking purpose in life.

I’d known Maverick and Fox when we were kids, but I hadn’t kept in touch with anyone.

So I was shocked when Maverick reached out to me after I’d been back for a few months. We fell easily into our old friendship, and he’d eventually encouraged me to check out their MC. Thought it would be a good fit for me. I’d balked, opposed to the idea of being caged again.

Ultimately, he talked me into meeting with Fox and seeing the compound.

When I passed through the gate for the first time, that same weight began to lift from my shoulders. By the time I left that night, I understood.

I hadn't realized I’d been struggling to acclimate to a life without structure. I was lonely and too damn tired to have complete control of my life. In the Iron Rogues, I’d found a leader I trusted, who had earned my obedience. And a family—even if they were a pain in the ass sometimes.

Sadie’s fingers tightened around mine when she spotted the clubhouse in the distance—two stories of weathered wood and concrete, a garage big enough to hold dozens of bikes in bad weather. Though she couldn’t see it, there were also other buildings, like a clinic built in the back. And after Mav’s old lady had their little girl, Luna, we’d put in a playground and barbecue area.

Patched bikes lined up out front like a wall of warning. The place wasn’t flashy, but it was fortified. It was blood, loyalty, and fire-forged brotherhood. A fortress we’d built together. For ourselves. And eventually, for the women we couldn’t live without.

Sadie sat quietly beside me, but her eyes were wide, taking it all in like she’d just stepped onto another planet. I didn’t blame her. For outsiders, the clubhouse could feel like stepping into the lion’s den. But this lion didn’t want to eat her. I wanted to keep her.

Permanently.

---