CONTRACT BRIDE OF THE ALPHA BIKER

**ZARA**

“Hey beautiful, how much would l have to pay for you to spend the night with me.” A guy in a black leather jacket asked, grinning at me like an idiot.

Beside me, Maya slammed a tray of glasses onto the rack so hard the whole shelf rattled. She glared at the guy in the booth, her nails tapping hard against the metal.

"You heard her," Maya said, pushing her dark hair over her shoulder. "Keep your hands to yourself or I’ll let her hit you with the bat on the counter. And trust me, she hits harder than I do."

The guy grumbled, but he slunk back into his booth.

I let out a long breath and wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my arm. Rust & Bone club was packed for a Tuesday midnight. Usually the crowd was always rowdy, but tonight the air felt freezing, with the cold Chicago wind blowing right through the cracked front windows.

"You okay?" Maya asked softly, leaning against the counter. "You look like you haven't slept in days."

I had already called the garage twice, checked the apartment he sometimes crashed at, and messaged two of his friends. Nothing. Jake could be reckless, but disappearing for days without answering me wasn't normal.

Maya’s face softened. She reached out and squeezed my arm. "He’s probably just pulling extra shifts, Zee. You know how badly he wants to join Blackthorn MC. He panics whenever he thinks he's slacking off."

"It's not just shifts, Maya," I whispered, my stomach twisting into a tight knot. "I saw his notebook. He owes a lot of money to some biker enforcers on 47th Street. I'm scared for him."

Since Dad died, Jake had been trying to fix everything the fastest way he knew how to survive —usually by making things worse. I had spent the last seven months cleaning up after him, and I was already getting exhausted.

Before Maya could answer, my phone loudly buzzed in my apron pocket. My heart leaped straight into my throat. I pulled it out, praying to God it was Jake.

It wasn't.

City of Hope Medical Center

My hands shook as I hit answer and stepped back into the quiet hallway by the ice machine. "Hello? This is Zara Bennett."

"Miss Bennett," a harsh voice came through the speaker. "This is Nurse Henderson from the oncology wing. I’m calling about your mother’s account."

Cold sweat broke out across my back. "Yes, Nurse Henderson. I know the payment was due on Friday. I'm working double shifts all week, I'll bring the money by…"

"Miss Bennett, we’ve already given you an extra week," she cut in cold. "The doctor has been nice because of your mother’s condition, but hospital rules are clear. Her treatment costs forty-two thousand dollars. If we don't get at least ten thousand dollars by 8:00 AM tomorrow morning, we’ll have to send her home."

"No!" My voice cracked. I pressed my back against the cold brick wall, tears stinging my eyes. "No, you can't do that! She needs those machines to breathe! Please, just give me a few more days…"

The line went dead.

I stood there in the dark, the phone pressed to my ear, my chest tight as fear washed over me. Ten thousand dollars by morning. Forty-two grand total. And I had just three hundred and eighty-four dollars in my bank account and thirty-two bucks in my tip jar.

How do I get ten thousand dollars in eight hours?

It was impossible.

No, impossible isn't going to change the fact that Mom needed the money. I have to find a way—borrow it, work for it, beg for it, sell something if I had to. I need to figure something out.

"Zee?" Maya stepped around the corner, her face pale. "Zee, what happened? Was that the hospital?"

"They're going to send her home," I choked out, wiping my nose with a shaking hand. "If I don't give them ten grand by eight tomorrow morning, they're taking her off life support."

"Oh, God," Maya breathed, pulling me into a tight hug. "We'll figure it out. We can ask Mr Roswell for a loan…"

"You know how Mr Roswell is about his money, Maya," I said, pulling back. "And Jake... Jake is out there hiding or gambling his life away while Mom dies!"

I grabbed my phone again and dialed Jake's number for the twentieth time.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Jake, answer the damn phone!" I shouted into the receiver. "Mom is getting kicked out of the hospital tomorrow morning! Where are you?! Call me right now!"