Page 29 of Property of Max
His grin is instant. “What can I say? The man’s a jerk. Didn’t even recognize sexy when it was standing right in front of him.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it, the tension in my chest loosening just a fraction. “He’s married,” I remind him. “To awoman.”
“Sure…” Cody drawls, eyes dancing. “A‘woman’.If you ask me, that Adam’s apple tells a different story.”
I shake my head, but my smile lingers. “You have an unhealthy attraction to straight men.”
“Don’t I know it.” He squeezes my hand once before letting go, his voice dropping back into that steady, resolute tone. “Anyway…we’re here.”
The truck rolls to a crawl in front of a massive iron gate. The black bars block most of the view to the inside. Concrete walls rise up on three sides, tall and unyielding, like they’re daring me to try and run. My pulse pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears. This isn’t just a clubhouse. It’s a fortress.
A shadow detaches from the wall, broad shoulders, heavy boots, a beard thick enough to hide secrets in. His arms relax at his side as he approaches the truck.
“Evenin’, brother,” the man says, voice rough as gravel. His eyes flick to me, sharp and assessing. “Who’s your friend?”
Cody leans out the window, relaxed like we’re not sitting in front of a steel barrier designed to keep the world out. “Relax, Mike. This is Lila. Spike knows we’re coming.”
Mike studies me for a beat longer than I’d like, then gives a curt nod. He whistles, and the gate shudders to life, groaning as it slides open.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” Cody murmurs with a smirk, easing the truck forward.
We roll inside, and my breath catches. I expected chaos…rowdy men, smoke, the clang of bottles…but what spreads out before me looks…different. Houses line the concrete walls. Some with bright and colorful doors. To the left, a pool glimmers under the lights, a couple of men lounging on the edge, talking low.
And in the center of it all rises the biggest building. Massive. Solid. Brick and wood, crowned with a wraparound porch and guarded by a line of gleaming bikes like sentinels at attention.
My stomach twists so hard it’s a wonder I don’t double over. I grip the doorframe as Cody throws the truck into park. His hand finds mine again, steady and sure, and I hate how much I need it. How much I want to lean into the steadiness instead of fighting my way through everything alone.
“Ready?” he asks, that damn grin tugging at the corner of his mouth like he already knows my answer.
“No,” I whisper. My head tips forward, and before I can stop myself, I nod.
“Don’t be afraid,” Cody says softly, his hand squeezing mine. “Not a single person inside this compound would hurt you.”
“How do you know so much about this place?” I ask, suspicion edging into my voice. “About these people?”
He turns toward me, mouth tugging into that secretive grin. “Do you remember a few years back when I said I was trying something new?”
“Yes,” I say slowly. “You refused to tell me anything, and then one day you just…stopped bringing it up.”
“Well,” he says, dragging it out, “I was in the process of becoming a Shadow.”
I blink at him. “I’m sorry…what?”
“It’s true.” His grin widens. “The rule was we couldn’t talk about the Shadows outside the compound, or whichever chapter we were prospecting in. That’s why I kept my mouth shut.”
Shock makes me laugh. “You? I’m stunned. But…you’re not a member, so what happened?”
“I spent several months as a Prospect,” he explains. “Basically, the bottom rung. You want to be a member, you earn your way up by doing the grunt work for at least a year. And, don’t get me wrong…” his eyebrows waggle, “we all know I love being the bottom.”
I groan and shake my head, but I can’t stop my smile.
“But after a while, I realized being a biker wasn’t for me. For one, I hated the cut. Sure, it made me look badass, but I didn’t want badass. I wanted sexy-as-sin.”
“And second?” I press.
“It just didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel likeme.And we both know how much I love being me.” He shrugs, softer now. “So, I walked away. But I picked up a lot in those months. These men,” his tone shifts, serious now, “they don’t always play by the law, but they’re loyal to the bone. And they hate assholes like your ex-boss.”
I stare at him, trying to picture Cody in one of those leather cuts, hauling beers and scrubbing floors just to prove himself. The image makes me want to laugh and shake my head all at once. But the look in his eyes when he talks about loyalty, about values…that sticks.
