One month later: AlexCelina face-plants again. Rack puts his hand out and helps her to her feet. I think she may be the worst fighter I’ve ever seen.“You’re going easy on me. Stop it,” she growls.“I just knocked you to the mat again. How is that going easy on you?” Rack grunts in mock disgust.“It didn’t hurt,” she whines between gasps for breath. Even with her hair pulled back severely, sweaty tendrils curl around her face and turn me on. Hell, everything about this woman makes me hard no matter what she looks like. I’ll take her sweaty, clean, or covered in mud. Right now and every minute of the day, I want her.They’ve been going at it for an hour. I tried to train her weeks ago, but I was worse than Rack. At least he leaves her with some bruises.“I like gun training better,” she complains.“Firearms training,” Rack corrects her. “Come on. You need to block and strike without landing on your ass.”“I bet you say that to all the girls.”Rack rolls his eyes and gives me a look. T

Nine years later: Dax My damaged hog rattles between my thighs. Add the hot pavement rising up to sizzle the lower half of my body and the sun cooking my shoulders and I fucking guarantee it’s hotter than hell. If I manage to survive the next few hours, I’ll need to repair my bike, which will be costly. That’s really the least of my worries right now, and I shake off those thoughts. I should feel some form of redemption for saving the little girl who I just placed in safe arms. Kiley never deserved the drugged out mother who gave her life or what Fox, the president of the Desert Crows MC, had planned for her. The uncaring fog that’s been with me for almost ten years cleared when I looked into Kiley’s eyes. I didn’t think my plan to remove Kiley from the house would succeed, and I expected to die. Sadly, Kiley would have died too, but death was better than the alternative. I made it out alive with the help of unlikely friends and now Kiley has a chance. The truth—it will take much mor

DaxFox laughs. It’s a low, throaty sound that rises from deep in his chest. He’s so pompous and I want nothing more than to wipe the smile off his face. Hell, I want to take the smile and cram it down his throat, push it past his belly, and down farther until it shoots from his ass. My body twitches with the need to attack.His smile flips to a scowl. “You think you can take me, kid?”I pull the knife from the table and slide it back in its sheath. “I’m counting on it,” I say between teeth clenched so hard my jaw aches.Fox takes his eyes off me like my challenge is nothing. “What d’ya think, Clutch?”Clutch doesn’t smile, ever. “Shoot ’em and clean the floor with his body. You boys behind Dagger got a death wish too?” Clutch asks.Skull takes a step to my left side. “A challenge has been made. Which one of you wants to put in your tampon and accept it?”My lips twitch. Skull always has a quick wit. He’s also a mean fucker when he needs to be. I’m glad he’s on my side.Fox nods at Sk

DaxIncluding six women and one prospect, there are twenty-two of us. Two members didn’t show. A side room off the main area has a table where the club officers usually meet. It won’t hold everyone we have here tonight, so we’re set up in the main room. The men are restless and the women appear their normal strung-out mess if you don’t count Red. The women start at around twenty years old. There have been younger ones, but it was bringing heat to the club, so Fox started sneaking the young ones in for gangbangs. They were anywhere from sixteen and up and he’d hand them drugs and send them on their way when the brothers were through with them. That’s never been my scene. I like fucking women, grown women. But, I stood by knowing it was happening and that makes me just as guilty.Fuck, this needs to work. I can no longer travel the path of the man I was.We’ve pulled the tables into a loose circle on the main floor of the clubhouse. The only cool air we have comes from an old evap-coole

SofiaI stay the night in a small Las Cruces hotel. It’s clean, comfortable, and meets my needs.I call Lorene, the only phone number in my new phone. She answers in a whisper. “Hey, can’t talk right now, girlie. I’ll call you back tomorrow.” The call ends.Lorene has no idea I’m coming for Frank. She’s been part of the Desert Crows since Frank got my mother addicted to drugs. She also helped my mom escape. She’s a strange one and the closest person I have as a friend. We’ve never met in person, but I know she would try to stop me if she knew my plans. I stare at the phone in my hand before resting it on the nightstand. I need sleep. I close my eyes and think of revenge. The statue of the Virgin Mary and the peace of the mission creep into my mind.I’m tired. Tired of being angry. Tired of living a half-life and tired of hatred. I fall asleep cradled in the serenity from the church.I sleep better than I expected and wake up easily. Today’s the day. I should go for a run, but I decide