My phone

Knox POV

I woke up to an empty bed and the fainted scent of her perfume clinging to the sheets. Tiana was gone. Just like that. There was no note, no number, nothing but the crumpled bills she'd left on the table. I didn't know whether to be pissed off or impressed.

It was a bold move I had to admit...walking out on the President of the Royal Riders MC after he'd just given her the ride of her life. Most women would have stuck around, hoping for a relationship or see what more they could get from me. I was used to chasing them off the following day.

But not her. She’d taken what she wanted and left.

I ran a hand through my hair, a frustrated growl escaping my lips.

That little fiery woman had gotten under my skin. The fire in her eyes...the sharp wit, the way she'd surrendered to me last night... it was a combination I hadn't encountered before and now she was gone.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced at the caller ID.

It was Bolt,my VP.

"I swear I'll kill you if it's nothing important," I grumbled, my voice still thick with sleep.

" It's time to go back. The chairman called." Bolt informed me. For a moment, my brain stopped thinking. That happens when you finally get the news you've been waiting for.

"Is there a reason why he called us back?" I asked, even when I knew that was the only possibility that summon was made.

" New Intel on Ice. He made contact in South Carolina." Bolt explained.

Two years ago, our MC club ended up in this small coastal town chasing a trail by Ice and now he was making contact in South Carolina?

"Assemble everyone. We are going on a ride." I announced, jumping off my bed.

Thirty minutes later, we were all gathered outside the club,each one of my crew already mounting their bikes.

" Are we chasing someone? A one night stand who escaped after a wild night?" Zero, our enforcer teased me.

" I indeed got used and dumped last night but that's not the reason we are riding. We have a mission in South Carolina so you know the drill." I announced. Everyone knew what this mission meant to us and the club. After two years of chasing ghosts, we were finally getting a solid lead on the bastard.

"Let's ride." I commanded and a thunderous roar of over twenty engines filled the air as we tore out onto the highway, the salt spray a fleeting memory.

Tiana POV

The bus ride was eight hours of pure torture. Every bump in the road was like a cruel reminder of the soreness between my legs. I kept my headphones on, blasting angry music into my ears and trying to drown out the replay of the weekend in my head.

From Milan's face...Carey's smirk to Knox's hands on my skin and the guttural sound of my name on his lips as he came. It was a chaotic mess and I was caught in the middle of it.

By the time the bus rolled into the city station, I was a wreck. My clothes were wrinkled and my mood was foul.

All I wanted was a long, hot shower and my own bed. But fate seemed to not be done screwing with me yet.

After hailing a cab and being dropped at my small apartment, the first thing I noticed was my lock being interferer with. After running and hiding all your life, the first lesson you learnt was to notice even the smallest changes.

My heart picked it's race. I pushed the door slowly, preparing myself to go attack. I didn't get that chance because I was pulled inside before I could react and pinned against the door.

" Longtime no see sweetheart. Did you miss me?" A rather familiar voice greeted, sending goosebumps throughout my body.

The lights came on, revealing a smirking face I had tried so hard to forget.

It was a face from a life I had left behind, a life I thought I'd escaped.

" What are you doing here, Roman?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. I tried to act normal though, like his presence here didn't affect me.

Roman, my ex-boyfriend and the man I had faked my own death to get away from.

" That's not a warm welcome for a man who crossed states to find you. You look good Tiana, but I like it better when you have no clothes on." He said, running a finger down my cheek. I flinched away from his touch.

" Get your dirty hands off me.

I'm not Tiana anymore. I have a new life now." I corrected him, trying to sound brave even when my insides were already churning with fear.

Roman laughed, as if whatever I said was funny.

" Now don't be like that. You used to like it when I touched you and made you scream my name underneath me." He said, leaning close until his unappreciated breath fanned my skin.

I mustered all the courage I could get and pushed him away.

" Stay away from me. I don't want to be part of your twisted life." I snapped.

Roman didn't get man. He laughed instead.

" You can never escape me,Tiana. No matter where you hide or run to, I'll always drag you back even if it means crawling to hell." Roman declared, a twisted possessiveness laced in his tone.

" Why are you here?" I asked, frustration bubbling inside me.

" To hunt of course. I have a group of amateurs coming after me. I figured this would be a good playground for us while we rekindle our past love." Roman declared.

" You are sick in the head!" I snapped.

" I have always been sick in the head whether it was four years ago or four years later." Roman declared, walking back to the sofa.

" I need your help tracking those pesky ants. After all, you are the best I know." Roman declared smiling as if he just asked me to buy groceries from the store.

" I left that life behind. What makes you think I'll do what you said just because you asked?" I fired back. Roman smiled in that sadistic way I loathed.

" I am not asking, Tiana or should I call you, Ice. It's either you do as I say or I leak your location. Do you know how many people want to put you down?" Roman threatened.

" You set me up to control me!" I snapped, anger bubbling me.

Ronan shook his head.

" Don't be malicious.That's not what happened Tiana and you know it. You agreed to run all those missions to prove your love. I never forced you." He reminded me. He was right. I messed up. I was young and stupid and believing that I was in love. In that era of stupidity, I did things that I could never erase.

My hands balled into fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. "How did you find me?" I asked. This was the question that truly mattered. The one mistake I needed to identify so I could never make it again. I could swear I kept my tracks well concealed so how did my past come biting me in the ass?

Roman stretched leisurely on my sofa, his boots.

" I have to admit, you are good at hiding. I almost believed you were dead. I even cried for you can you imagine?" Roman scoffed.

" Then...you forgot to lay low because of another man. You booked a plane for a vacation and bingo, you were caught in my system." He finished, laughing. He then threw his phone to me and I caught it.

" That man on my phone. I want you to track him down." He ordered. When my eyes landed on the image, I almost dropped the phone, my heart missing a beat and blood turning cold.