Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE BIKERS FORBIDDEN CLAIM: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

LISA'S POVThe morning after the fire, I woke up alone.Jackson's side of the bed was cold. I found a note on the pillow:"Had to meet with Diesel and the senior members. Stay inside. Hawk is outside if you need anything. -J"I crumpled the note in my fist. So much for being partners.But I understood. They were planning the trap. Figuring out how to use me to catch whoever was destroying everything we'd built.I should have been terrified. Instead, I felt strangely calm.Maybe because for the first time in my life, I had some control. I'd chosen this. I'd volunteered. That had to count for something.A knock on the door made me jump."Mrs. Kane?" A woman's voice. "It's Sarah Chen. May I come in?"I wrapped a robe around myself and opened the door. Sarah stood there in her usual professional attire, briefcase in hand, looking like she'd already worked a full day despite it being barely eight AM."Sarah. What are you doing here?""Jackson called me. Asked me to come talk to you about l

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE CALM (FINAL VERSION)LISA'S POVThe house was too quiet.I sat on the couch staring at the clock. Midnight. Jackson was still out doing final preparations for tomorrow. I'd tried to sleep and failed.Tomorrow I would walk into a warehouse knowing someone might try to kill me.My phone buzzed. Ruby."Can't sleep either?" I answered."Are you kidding? My best friend is about to be used as bait in some crazy biker trap. Of course I can't sleep." Ruby's voice was tight. "Lisa, are you sure about this?""No. But I'm doing it anyway.""That's not reassuring.""It's honest." I pulled a blanket around my shoulders. "If something happens tomorrow—""Don't. Don't do that goodbye speech thing.""Ruby, listen. If I'm not okay, I need you to know you're the best friend I've ever had. The sister I chose."She was quiet for a moment. "I love you too. Now stop being morbid and get some sleep. You need to be sharp tomorrow."After we hung up, I noticed an envelope on the counter.

JACKSON'S POVReaper was gone by the time I reached the street.Vanished. Like he'd never been there at all. But I'd seen him. Seen that smile. That goddamn smile that said he knew. He knew exactly what was about to happen."Jackson!" Viper's voice cracked through the chaos. "We need to move! Now!"Right. Move. Get out before more shooters arrived.I jumped in my truck. Viper threw himself into the passenger seat. Behind us, the warehouse was still erupting with gunfire. How many men had come through that wall? Ten? Fifteen? Too many.Way too many for a simple grab job."Where's Torch?" I demanded, peeling out."Don't know. Lost sight of him when the explosion hit." Viper was breathing hard, checking his weapon. "Could be dead. Could be captured.""Or he could be working with Reaper."Viper's head snapped toward me. "What?""Think about it. Torch is Lisa's cousin. Iron Wolves blood. What if this was his play all along? Get inside our operation. Feed information. Set us up.""That's...

JACKSON'S POVReaper was fast for a man his size.He ran through alleys, jumped fences, moved like he knew exactly where he was going. Which he probably did. He'd been planning this.I was faster.I caught up to him in a dead-end alley behind an abandoned warehouse. He turned to face me, pulling a knife."Took you long enough," he said."Why?" The word came out as a growl. "Why betray the club? Why betray me?""Betray you?" He laughed. "Jackson, I never betrayed you. I've been trying to save you.""Save me? You tried to kill Lisa. Burned buildings. Killed our people.""Collateral damage. Necessary to wake you up." He pointed the knife at me. "You've gone soft. That girl has made you weak. You were supposed to be the future of this club. Cold. Hard. Effective. Instead, you're playing house with an Iron Wolves princess.""Lisa is my wife.""Lisa is a distraction. A weakness your enemies will exploit." He moved closer. "The Nevada MC offered me a deal. They get control of the territory.

JACKSON'S POVThe holding cells at county jail smelled like piss and despair.I sat on a metal bench with my father on one side and Marcus Wood on the other. The three of us. Presidents and heirs of two motorcycle clubs. Behind bars."This is your fault," Marcus said to me."My fault? You're the one who raised a daughter in a war zone.""Boys," Diesel said tiredly. "Shut up. Both of you."We shut up.Hours passed. No one came. No lawyers. No bail. Just us sitting in the dark wondering what came next.Finally, Sarah Chen appeared outside the cell."Gentlemen. We need to talk."They brought us to an interrogation room. All three of us, which was unusual. Sarah sat across from us with files spread out."Here's the situation. Detective Barnes has you on multiple charges. Weapons violations. Reckless endangerment. Conspiracy. The list goes on." She paused. "She wants to make examples of you. Put you away for ten to fifteen years."My stomach dropped. Fifteen years. I'd be almost fifty when