Page 27 of Bear

He came closer until we stood nose to nose. Every muscle in my body tensed.

“It’s Shelby’s decision,” I said, my voice carefully measured to prevent escalation. “She chooses who she wants to be with.”

Justin snorted. “She’s the mother of my child. That makes her mine. Not yours.”

I curled my hands into fists at my sides. God, I wanted to tear into him for everything he’d put Shelby through.

Where were you when Shelby was evicted?

Where were you when Maisie didn’t sleep the night through and Shelby was exhausted?

Where were you when Shelby had to pack up her life and her meager savings and figure out life on her own with a baby on her hip?

Instead, I growled through gritted teeth, “The moment you walked out, you lost her. And you know it.”

Justin’s eyes darkened. Then he lashed out, shoving me in the chest. I stumbled to regain my balance. My instincts flashed to strike back, but I couldn’t. Not for something as juvenile as a shoving match.

“Come on, big man,” Justin said. “Let’s settle this between us.”

He cocked his arm back, ready to throw a punch. I could have dodged it. I could have blocked it.

But I didn’t.

His knuckles struck my face with a sickening crack. White-hot pain exploded through my head. Justin threw another punch. And another.

I dug my heels into the dirt and I held my ground. If I started hitting back, if I put a single mark on Justin, the odds were that the cops would believe his word over mine. I was in a motorcycle club with a few petty crimes on my record from my teenage days. Justin was a former football player who had fallen just short of a promising career. I was the one with the history of causing trouble, not him.

Finally, Justin stopped, chest heaving, knuckles bruised.

I spat blood into the dirt. My jaw throbbed. My ribs felt tender but I’d had worse.

“You want a fight?” I said, my voice dry, rough.

His gaze flicked over me. I hadn’t budged. But it seemed he was finally beginning to realize that I hadn’t thrown a punch of my own yet either.

“The Alpha Riders clubhouse,” I added. “Wednesday night. Nine o’clock. There’s a cage fighting tournament. Anyone can sign up if they’re willing to get their ass kicked.”

Justin huffed a humorless laugh.

“Too scared to fight me here? You need a referee to call the shots?”

I didn’t rise to his taunting. The referee was there for his safety more than mine. Witnesses were my priority. A lot of them.

“The loser,” I continued, “walks away and never speaks to Shelby again. So if you truly care about her, fight for her.”

The corner of Justin’s mouth twitched and a greedy gleam brightened his eyes. It was a risk - a huge risk - but even if I lost, even if I couldn’t be around Shelby, I knew my MC brothers would protect her.

“Deal,” Justin said.

Chapter Ten

Shelby

When Bear showed up at my door sometime after dinner, a surge of warmth flooded through my chest. I was so grateful to see him after the altercation with Justin that had left me rattled and shaky.

Then I noticed the look on Bear’s face and a rush of cold dread washed over me. His mouth was set in a grim line, his eyes darkened with a solemn shadow.

And he was sporting bruises. Again. Fresh ones, judging by the black-and-blue swelling.

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