She grins at me. “Tell me about it.”

We spend the next hour talking, and it warms me to know I have someone else like me around. I don’t honestly know how long I’ll be here, but knowing I have the chance to make a friend out of Santana is enough to keep me at ease.

We just don’t know when the next move will be made, or what kind of affect it will have.

And that scares me.

CHAPTER TEN

TRISTAN

I pace up and down the small length of the office, my hands pressed behind my back, my mind spinning. This all went wrong. It didn’t go to plan, and now everything is fucked up. Ash is missing, and no doubt has every intention of revealing anything she knows when she comes back. I knew I should have never let her near Dawson; it was a stupid move on my behalf.

I won’t make that kind of mistake again.

“I’m late, I know.”

I turn to see Officer Davies entering the room. I call him that here, but to me he’s just Dan. Dan Davies. Criminal. Police officer. The kind of man people fear. He’s tall, over six foot, and is as broad as a linebacker. His powerful frame and deadly cold eyes make him a fantastic cop, a fantastic corrupt cop.

He’s been a part of this from the start. He’s been friends with Howard from the Tinman’s Soldiers MC since they were just kids. It’s an operation so big, so deadly, that they have cops running against cops, guards gone wrong and people on the inside in places they shouldn’t be. Tinman’s Soldiers is a lethal club, and shit is about to get worse.

“I don’t have time to fuck around in here,” I mutter, running my hands through my hair. “We need to sort this shit out.”

Dan walks over to his desk, his large body casual, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. As if he isn’t running a criminal organization while fighting crime like a pretend hero. People around this place would have no idea that he’s corrupt. He’s cherished, loved and damned good at what he does.

“Where’s Luke?”

“Here.”

We both turn to see Luke entering the room, his eyes darting around. Dan nods at him and he shuts the door, locking it, before joining me at Dan’s desk. We all sit. Tension is thick in the air.

“We have more than one problem,” Dan begins. “But the first problem is the girl that got away. If the club has fed her any information she could blow this out of the water.”

Ash. He’s talking about Ash.

Sweet, loyal Ash.

I’d love to say she wouldn’t bring it all into the light, but that wouldn’t be the case. Ash loves her job, she’s loyal and fierce, and there is no way she would let this go unnoticed. I considered her a friend, but I have no doubt that if she knows about me now, all of that has changed.

“Do you think she’s alive?” Luke asks.

Dan nods. “She is. A phone call was made from her to Claire, her roommate, just days ago. We are still trying to track the location, but I have no doubt the girl is breathing.”

“If we can get her back, I’m sure we can talk her around—”

“No,” Luke says, cutting me off. His eyes are hard and empty. “Ash is a risk to us now; there’s no way she’s going to just let it go. We can’t risk her being involved. Everything is planned out, and we can’t afford another blowout.”

“What are you saying?” I ask, already knowing the answer, but needing to hear it anyway.

Luke shrugs. “It’s simple. We have to kill her.”

“And we have to make it look like it was them,” Dan adds, his face equally as stony.

Fuck.

I’m sorry, Ash.

ASH

It’s been five days since the bikers arrived, and it’s been quite chaotic. If they’re not drinking, they’re fucking, and if they’re not doing both of those things, they are plotting shit we don’t have any idea about. My injuries are mostly healed now, and I’m able to walk without any pain. Santana and I spend the days wondering around in the trees surrounding the house, just exploring nature and getting to know each other.

She hasn’t revealed a lot about her story, but I’ve no doubt it’s something life-changing. You can see the pain behind her eyes; it runs deep. Krypt spends most of his time with Maddox, formulating a plan to take down the Tinman’s Soldiers. It would appear a war is on the way, and I have no doubt it’s something I don’t want involvement in.

Krypt and I are full of sexual tension. I can’t look at him without feeling it sizzling between us. I’m doing everything I can to avoid it, to stay away from him, to find some inner strength, but each day it gets harder and harder. I don’t want to involve myself with a man I know I could so easily fall in love with.

“Ash!”

I’m out in the trees, just weaving through them. The sun is out today, bright and beautiful, sending rays of warmth through the thick leaves that are poking out from the gorgeous stumps of the trees. I’m soaking it up, loving the outside air. At the sound of his voice, however, I find myself turning, and squinting to see what the problem is.

“Ash!”

It’s Krypt. His voice sounds frantic. Why is he frantic? I rush out of the trees and I notice him right away. He’s standing on the patio, his eyes scanning the area to find me. When his gaze falls on me, I’m sure I can see him breathe a sigh of relief. He charges down the stairs, stopping when he reaches me.

God he looks good today, like he belongs in a museum for women to fawn over. His big shoulders are covered with a tight, black T-shirt and his jeans hang low on his hips. There are no chains today, but he is wearing those sexy-as-sin black boots that make everything inside me clench. His eyes are darker than usual, which I’ve noticed happens depending on his mood. If he’s angry, they almost go as blue as Maddox’s, but when he’s relaxed, they’re a dark, stormy grey.