Page 57 of Boulder's Weight

Something's gone down.

I slip out of bed, pulling on my jeans as I step into the living room to call back.

Amara answers on the first ring. "Where the fuck have you been?" she demands, her voice tight with fury.

"I had a situation," I say, keeping my voice low. "What's going on?"

"Andrés's men hit Emilio's garage last night. Beat him half to death, trashed the place. We've been trying to reach you for hours."

My blood runs cold. "Fuck. Is Emilio okay?"

"He's alive. Broken ribs, concussion, missing a few teeth. Python and Razor are at the hospital with him now." Amara's voice hardens. "Get your ass to the clubhouse. Now."

"I'll be there in twenty," I promise, already mentally planning the fastest route.

I hang up and stare at my phone for a moment, torn between my duty to the club and the woman sleeping in the other room.

If Andrés's men are escalating to violence, he might target the café next… which means Kelsey could be in danger.

"Boulder?" Her voice catches me off guard. I turn to find her standing in the bedroom doorway, wrapped in a sheet, her eyes still heavy with sleep. "Everything okay?"

"No," I say honestly, running a hand through my hair. "Club emergency. I need to go."

She nods, tightening the sheet around herself. "I understand."

I step closer to her, my eyes searching her face. "Kelsey, about last night... who do you think was following you? That truck you saw—who would it belong to?"

Her eyes immediately shutter, that familiar guardedness returning. "I told you, it was probably nothing. Just me being paranoid."

My frustration begins boiling over. "I can't help if I don't know what the fuck I'm protecting you from."

She looks away, chewing her lower lip.

The silence stretches between us, and I'm about to give up when she finally speaks.

"It's family issues," she says quietly. "My father... he's controlling. Dangerous. I left to get away from them and they don't like that I'm gone."

It's not much, but it's more than she's shared with me before.

I study her face, knowing there's more to the story, but decide not to push.

Not now, when the club needs me.

"Okay," I say, reaching for my cut. "I have to go, but I'll be back later. Lock the door behind me, and call Astra if anything feels off before I get back."

She nods, not meeting my eyes. "Be safe."

I hesitate, then cross the space between us and capture her lips in an intense kiss. "Always am."

Twenty minutes later, I roll into the clubhouse parking lot to find it buzzing with activity.

Members are loading gear into trucks, checking weapons, speaking in low, angry voices.

I park my bike and stride inside, bracing for Amara's wrath.

She's standing at the bar, deep in conversation with Axel.

When she spots me, her eyes narrow dangerously. "Nice of you to join us, prospect," she says, emphasizing my status in a way that makes it clear how thin the ice beneath me has become.

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