Page 24 of Diesel
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Morning light spilledacross the streets of Steelhaven as Diesel pulled the truck to a slow stop outside Petal & Stem.The engine idled low, thrumming under Sophie’s feet like a restless animal.
She sat in the passenger seat, fingers twisted tightly in her lap.She hadn’t said much during the drive back.Sophie was too full of restless energy, her heart still tangled up in what had happened between them the night before.
Now, staring at the familiar brick façade of her shop, the dread returned.Diesel shifted the truck into “park” and glanced at her.His jaw was tight, a faint furrow between his brows.She could see it.He didn’t want to let her go.
“Beast said another Sentinels member will be posted nearby,” she reminded softly, trying to sound steadier than she felt.“I’ll be fine.”
Diesel’s knuckles flexed on the steering wheel.“Doesn’t mean I like it.”
“I know.”She touched his arm.“But you’ve got club business, right?I can’t ask you to babysit me all day.”
Diesel gaze’s sharpened at that.“Not babysitting, Sophie.Protecting,” he corrected.
The quiet intensity of those words made her breath hitch.Without another word, Diesel reached for her, cupping the side of her face with one large, calloused hand.
He leaned in and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her lips.It wasn’t rushed or rough, but full of silent meaning.When he pulled back, his eyes were dark.
“Be careful.You hear me?”
“I hear you,” she promised him.
“Anything feels off, you call me.No hesitation.”
She nodded, heart thumping against her ribs.“I promise.”
Still, he hesitated, thumb brushing her cheek once more before he finally let her go.She grabbed her bag and slid out of the truck.The engine rumbled low as Diesel watched her cross the sidewalk.
Even as she unlocked the shop’s door and slipped inside, she could feel his gaze burning between her shoulder blades.The moment the door clicked shut behind her and the little bell chimed, Sophie exhaled a shaky breath.
She was alone.Or ...mostly.Beast had sent someone to watch from a distance, but still.The nerves stayed sharp.
Pushing aside the twisting knot in her gut, she turned on the lights, bathing the shop in soft warmth.Sunbeams caught on glass vases and colorful petals.The sweet, familiar scents of roses and eucalyptus wrapped around her, normally a comfort.
But not today.Today, something felt wrong.She couldn’t place it.It was just a prickle at the base of her neck, a faint tension in the air that refused to fade.
Sophie shook her head, forcing herself to move through her usual opening routine.She flicked on the espresso machine in the back, watered the new shipment of tulips, adjusted the front window display.The unease only grew.
She tried to shake it off as residual nerves.After everything with Brandon, with the club, with Diesel, it wasn’t surprising she felt on edge.
It wasn’t until she returned to the front counter that her blood ran cold.A plain, unmarked envelope sat there.Right in the middle of her workspace.
Sophie froze.She hadn’t seen it when she came in, and no one else had entered the shop.Her pulse spiked.With trembling fingers, she picked up the envelope, her throat dry.Inside, a single sheet of paper.Blocky letters, scrawled in heavy black ink:
TOM HAS BEEN TAKEN.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE HIM ALIVE, COME ALONE TO WILLOW CREEK BRIDGE AT 11.
NO SENTINELS.NO MC.
OR HE DIES.
The paper fluttered in her hands as her breath left her in a rush.Tom.Oh God, Tom.For a few seconds, her mind blanked with pure, raw panic.Then the words sharpened again, hammering into her skull.
Come alone.No Sentinels.No MC.Her first instinct was to grab her phone, to call Diesel.No, to call Beast, the cops, anyone who could help.But then another thought hit her like a gut punch.Tom.
If they were watching, if she tipped anyone off ...they would kill Tom.She briefly touched her phone screen with her fingers.Then, with a shaking breath, she forced them away.
