LOGINRyanThe crack of the gunshot shattered the window.My body moved before my conscious mind even fully processed the threat. The years of violence, the deeply rooted, lethal instincts that I had tried so desperately to bury all week, took over."Get down!" I roared, lunging forward off my knees.I tackled Mila around the waist, twisting us violently mid-air so my back would take the brunt of the impact and the falling glass. We hit the hard floor, sliding under the desk just as a second barrage of bullets tore straight through the drywall.Wood splintered violently above our heads. The aggressive roar of automatic gunfire erupted from the front lot, echoing through the walls of the clubhouse.I covered Mila's body completely with my own, tucking her head beneath my chin and wrapping my arms tight around her trembling shoulders and the swell of our unborn child.The Skulls. They had brought a full-scale war directly to my front door."I have got you." I rasped directly into her ear. "
MilaI stared down at him. He was kneeling on the floor of his own club.He looked completely wrecked. The scars from his violent past standing out against his skin under the glare of the desk lamp. His knuckles were bruised black and blue, the sign of the violence he had committed just hours ago.He was right. He was in the mud.And seeing him like this, completely surrendered, utterly terrified of losing me… tore my heart entirely down the middle.A violent tremor shook my entire body. Fresh, hot tears spilled over my lower lashes, tracking slowly down my frozen cheeks.I didn't want him on his knees. I never wanted him to break."Ryan." I sobbed.I took a trembling step forward. I wanted to drop to my knees right there beside him. Every instinct, every cell in my body, was screaming at me to close the distance, to bury my face in his neck, to hold him until the terror in his eyes finally faded.But my feet refused to move."You still don't understand." My voice was shaking so badl
Ryan“… I was fighting myself. But looks like I did it all for nothing..."A agonizing pause stretched through the air. My chest tightened so painfully I could barely stand."You know what I have went through, Justin." She continued. Every word drove a knife straight through my heart. "My last marriage almost killed me. Yeah, Ryan didn't hurt me… physically but didn't he do the same thing I tried so hard to escape from? The manipulations, the lies, keeping me in the dark."I stopped breathing. The blood roared in my ears, completely drowning out the noise of the clubhouse.Caleb. She was comparing me to Caleb. The abusive monster I had ripped her away from. The man who had locked her in a cage and broken her spirit. I had spent every waking moment trying to prove I was nothing like him, trying to build a safe haven for her and my own lies had just put her right back in that headspace."Justin… I… I feel like I am back in Caleb’s cage again." Mila sobbed softly. The sound alone physic
RyanI took the final corner leading to the southside industrial district so fast the Porsche's tires screamed in violent protest, the rear end fishtailing over the cracked asphalt before I forced it back into a straight line.My heart was hammering against my ribs like a sledgehammer. My eyes scanned the dark, gritty streets until the high chain-link fences of the Midnight Reapers compound finally came into view.And right there, parked directly across the street from the main gates, was my matte-black armored SUV.I slammed my foot on the brake pedal. The silver sports car screeched to a halt mere inches from the SUV’s rear bumper. I didn't even bother turning the engine off. I threw open the driver's door and vaulted out into the freezing night air.Aaron was leaning casually against the hood of my SUV. He was still holding his ceramic mug of coffee, looking completely unbothered by the fact that he was surrounded by hostile gang territory at four in the morning."What the fuck did
MilaJustin looked entirely paralyzed as his bloodshot eyes darted from my pale face down to the oversized, familiar black hoodie I was drowning in."Mila…" Justin breathed out and instantly stood up, pushing his chair back. "What the hell are you doing here? It's four in the morning. Where is Ryan?"I didn't answer him. I stepped fully into the dimly lit office and click the door shut behind me.Then I looked at the scattered ledgers on his desk. I looked at the dark grease staining his knuckles."Mila, talk to me.” Justin demanded softly, stepping around the desk. His hands were raised slightly in a placating gesture, like he was trying to calm a startled animal. "Why are you out here? Is it the baby? Did something happen to…"I shook my head and stepped away from him. "The dirt is packed tight?" I quoted the exact words he texted him. "Feral dogs won't find the body?"Hearing what I said, all the color completely vanished from Justin's face. He stared at me in pure terror. He knew
RyanThe cold woke me first.Though my mind was still clouded with sleep, I swept my hand across the expanse of the king-sized mattress, expecting to pull Mila’s warm, soft body back against my chest.I expected the familiar scent of vanilla and the gentle curve of her pregnant belly pressing into my side.Instead, my knuckles brushed against smooth silk.She wasn't there.My eyes snapped open. The velvet curtains were still drawn, keeping the massive suite in total darkness. But there was no else except for me."Mila?" I murmured.The only response was Silence.I pushed myself up onto my elbows. The bathroom door was wide open, completely pitch black inside. She wasn't in there.A sharp prickle of unease crawled up the back of my neck. The instincts I had spent the last week actively trying to bury… instantly flared to life. I threw the duvet off my legs and swung my feet over the bed.My bare heel came down on something hard resting on the floor.The phone.Without wasting a second
ReaperThe screen flashed with a text.Mila: Fuck you.Me: You wish.I leaned back, resting the phone on my chest. I should stop. I should maintain professional distance. But the memory of her taste was still on my tongue, and the anger at her leaving was still a fresh wound.Me: Tell me what you’
MilaFrom the gate, it took me exactly thirty seconds to walk to the house. I knew this because I used to count those seconds, a trick to calm myself from panic attacks.One. Two. Three. Each second was a tiny anchor.Caleb stood beside me. He seemed to be a little nervous even though he tried to
Reaper “I am going back to him.” Mila had announced.As soon as her words crashed into the room, sverything seemed to freeze. Then Justin blew up, “No way in hell you are!” He swiped his arm across a table, sending a bottle of Jack and a couple of glasses flying. They smashed on the floor, glass
MilaI woke up with a nasty taste in my mouth, like I had swallowed something rotten. Before I even opened my eyes, the nausea hit me, twisting my insides into knots.I practically leaped out of the guest bed and bolted toward the bathroom. I barely made it before I was on my knees in front of th







