LOGIN“Hey, now,” Dux said gently. “Don’t ever bet against Wolf Connor, Briley. I mean never. OK, yes, we’re all worried about him and for him – but if he’s managed even this much, then we have to believe in him. He’s the smartest guy we’ve ever known, with more survival skills and street smarts than anyone in the club.”“Including Ice?”“Hands down,” Drake confirmed. “Look, darlin’… none of us like what Wolf is doing, not even slightly. We know why he’s doing it, though, and we trust his judgment, more than we trust our own on most things. If he says that he’s given The Highway Hellions enough to get them to back off us – all of us – then that’s exactly what he’s done.”Briley looked at them and saw their worry for Wolf, but she also saw those astonishing, vulnerable looks that meant that their good, shining hearts were beating on the outside of their bodies, that they were being as open and generous and honest as they could possibly be. These were the looks that made her love them, a lit
“So, babe.” Dux smoothed Briley’s tumbled hair back off her face, loving how sated and satisfied she looked. “What are you doing this weekend?”“Ummmm.” She cocked her head at him. “I hoped more of what I was just doing… unless you guys have other plans?”“We do.” Drake gave her a lingering kiss on her sweet lips. “We’re going to a wedding.”“Oh, right!” she exclaimed. “Zoe and Scars! How did I lose track of time like that?”“You’re a bit distracted by the timing of other things,” Dux said, his large hand running over her stomach before lowering his mouth to the babies, giving them a quick kiss. “Only a few short weeks to go before we meet you two in there.”Right away, his son and daughter kicked at him, and he laughed. He loved when he could feel them against his palm and his lips – he and Drake both did, and Drake also set his hand on Briley’s abdomen. Briley smiled, despite the manic disco that was now happening inside her. It wasn’t terrifically comfortable, but she loved seeing
Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaOne Week LaterDux dried the last dish, put it back in the cupboard, then glanced over at Briley. She was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of green tea that Drake had made her. She looked good today, well-rested and happy, and Dux caught her eye and returned her smile.“So,” he said, closing the cupboard door. “That’s dinner all cleaned up. We brought over some ice cream for dessert, so when you’re ready for that, just say the word, babe.”“Ice cream, huh?” Briley said. “What flavor?” “All the flavors we could get our hands on,” Drake said. “We learned from the whole ‘we brought chocolate, but Mama was craving salted caramel’ debacle.”Briley laughed. “I was happy to eat the chocolate, and you know that damn good and well. It wasn’t my idea to go out at eight p.m. looking for salted caramel ice cream at every corner store for thirty miles.”“And in the end, we got back here at ten o’clock, with no salted caramel ice cream,” Dux said morosely. “We
Victoria ‘Vixen’ Shaw looked up from wiping a bar table, saw Ice striding down the hallway from the conference room. She knew that all the boys had been called back there, and even though she obviously wasn’t privy to Road Devils business, she knew that things had been incredibly rough lately. Anyone with eyes could tell that Wolf and Scars were stressed beyond all belief, nor could anyone miss the fact that everyone was still reeling from the tattoo parlour burning down, and Elle and Violet escaping a cult, and Violet disappearing, and Rebel being killed, and then the twins being released from their MC obligations to be fathers… and that was only the stuff that Vixen had a clue about. She knew enough about the club to understand that her knowledge was barely scraping the surface of what was really going on.She’d been trying to talk to Ice alone for weeks now, ever since Rebel’s funeral, but he’d been studiously ignoring her. He hadn’t even invited her to join him in one of the back
“Not quite.” Wolf managed a quick grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’d be more of a canary down a coal mine.”“Not making me feel any better,” Cain muttered. “The canaries died, Wolf.”“Better me than all of you. Or the women. Or the kids.” Wolf stared around the room. “I offer myself up to Viper and work with him in exchange for everyone’s safety. I act like I’ve come down to heel, and the whole time, I’m workin’ with Denton and King to finish The Hellions once and for all.”“Jesus, Wolf,” Holt blurted. “You’d be a triple-turncoat, or something equally messed up. And what do we do in the meantime, with you gone, with Rebel and the twins gone? Our numbers are dropping and we’re losing people left and right… how do we deal with all of that?”“You follow Scars, and Scars leans on all of you. You all get to stay on the straight and narrow, and you’ll be safe. So will the ladies, so will Keira and the babies out in Pennsylvania. Everyone will be OK.”“How the hell can you say that?” Scar
“And Jolene,” Silver added with a despairing tone. “We came back here because she wanted to face down what happened with her fucking ex-husband… but she knows that he was mixed up with Crusher’s boys, and if they come after us now, it’ll be partly because of her ex. That’ll kill her.”“We’ve got some time,” Wolf said. “Viper Grant ain’t the brightest bulb in the box, and my intel says that he doesn’t have the trust of his own people, so he’s got some shorin’ up and strengthenin’ to do in-house. Maybe even some clearin’ out, bringin’ in some new blood that will be loyal to him from the jump. We’re in his sights, make no mistake, but he can’t do much for a while. That gives us an opportunity.”“To do what?” Arrow asked.Wolf looked around the room and his eyes settled on Ice. The other men watched Ice’s face flicker with comprehension, then disquiet.“To make Viper an offer he can’t refuse,” Wolf said slowly. “Right, Ice?”“Yeah.” Ice nodded reluctantly; it was clear to the other men th







