Chapter Six

NYCTO

The sun starts to rise in hues of pink and orange, sending prickles over my skin as I stub out my cigarette and climb onto my ride. Glistening rays streak through the plush, white clouds like some fucking beacon of hope, making my lip curl in annoyance. The encroaching daylight ensures I am more anxious than I want to be. A tightness forms in my chest as heat inflames my skin. Yanking my dark-tinted aviators out of my cut’s inside pocket, I pull them over my eyes to stop the assault of light that will inevitably come this morning. My accelerated breathing slows a little with the tinted lenses now shading the light from my eyes, but it doesn’t help my nerves much.

I’ve been up all night dealing with this drama. First, rescuing Eva and Ivy. Now, I have to deal with Andrés and the repercussions of our change of plans. I haven’t heard from him yet—not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Maybe deadly.

Whatever the fallout, I need to see Andrés and stop him from coming to the clubhouse to possibly find the sisters.

I start my ride, but Spark rushes out before I have a chance to take off. He steps up beside me, narrowing his eyes. “Pres, you can’t head over there on your own. Let me come as backup.”

Spark is part of the disaster response team for the military. No one is sure about what exactly it is he does while on deployment, but when shit goes down, he’s the one you want there. He knows what it’s like to be in intense situations. Still, I’m not certain he understands what it’s like to be face-to-face with a powerful asshole who’s probably going to shoot me for losing two of his damn packages.

“You sure, brother?” I say. “Shit could get problematic.”

“Exactly why you need me there. With Void occupied, you need someone at your back—”

“Watching it or making sure I don’t do something stupid?”

He chuckles. “Well, I wasn’t going to put it that way, but if you’re gonna put words in my mouth…” He shrugs.

I glare at him but tilt my head to his bike. “Keep up.”

Spark turns, throws a leg over his ride, then pulls on his dome. The roar of our Harleys echo along the concrete barriers as we take off toward the gate. Ominous pulls it open for us, and we drive through, then hammer down, riding off toward Andrés’ hideout.

I don’t wear a dome. They restrict me too much. I like to feel the wind whipping at my face, the danger of the open road. You’re not a 1%er if you’re not willing to die on your bike like a real man. It might be stupid, but who the fuck cares? I break the rules every single day. It’s why Torque, the National Club President, and I butt heads all the time. He makes the rules. I damn well break them. But in all honesty, I like the guy. He’s tough but fair, even when shit doesn’t go my way.

I pull back on the throttle, and my back tire slides out a little with the speed as I push my engine to the max. I hardly know Eva, yet she ignites something inside me—some sort of protective instinct I’ve never had before. It’s as unsettling as it is exhilarating. She could be dangerous to me and my club. I need to keep my wits about me. Get my head in the fucking game.

Right now, I have a task to accomplish. I need to fool Andrés into believing Eva and Ivy got away, and I didn’t have a hand in it. This shit’s going to be tough. A tall story with an ending I’m not sure how it will play out.

The vibration of the engine sends a soothing calm through me. The adrenaline coursing through my veins fuels me to make sure I get this right, not just for Eva but for my brothers.

Everything is on the line.

I have to be convincing.

For the sake of my club.

If I don’t and we go to war with Andrés, I’ll also have Torque from Chicago to deal with. Of that, I can be sure.

As I pull up to Andrés’s hideout, his guards notice Spark and I approaching. The guns resting at their sides don’t aim at us or move in any kind of threatening way, so for now, we’re okay. I pull up to the gate, my engine rumbling at a dulcet tone.

“Nycto, Andrés is expecting you. Head on through to the main room. He’ll be waiting,” the guard instructs.

Shit.

I tilt my head without saying anything, then hammer down. My tires slide along the pebbled path as I pull into the driveway of the lavish mansion. A short ride later, we park in front of the concealed-from-view two-story home—a hideout in plain sight.

The sun is now rising in all its sinister monstrosity. Some might call it beautiful. I call it the death of darkness. The light only causes to bring me chaos.

I slide off my ride, and Spark steps close, his gaze focused on me. Like the rest of my club, he knows how uneasy the light makes me. I can get a bit… unpredictable .

“You good, Pres?”

I roll my shoulders. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

The front doors fly open, and Andrés barrels through them, appearing fucked off to high hell. “Nycto, you wanna tell me what the hell happened? And why the fuck it’s taken you this long to come to me?”

I raise my hands, placating him. “Before you start… we’ve been out searching.”

Andrés licks his lips, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Well, did you find them?”

“No. After they escaped, they fled into the water. Hell, they’re probably dead by now, drowned or frozen to fucking death.”

“You expect me to sit on this, Nycto? They were paid for. How am I supposed to inform the buyers their packages aren’t being delivered? That they were lost in transit ?”

“Fuck, man, you have girls shipped in all the time. Find replacements.”

Andrés exhales. “They were both special . But one… one was a rare diamond. Hard to come by. In fact, nigh on impossible. She’s irreplaceable, Nycto.”

Eva.

“Why?”

Andrés scoffs. “Is that your biggest concern here? It should be how you’re going to compensate the buyers for their lack of delivery.”

“Me?”

“You lost the packages…” Andrés chuckles, “… in a way I’m yet to understand.”

“The older one, she was feisty. She kicked my prospect in the balls, while he’s still recovering from a gunshot wound, slipped from his grip, and took off, grabbing her sister as she went. They were nimble. Quicker than us. Slipped every man I had and fled into the water before we could nab them. After the water, we couldn’t find them.”

Andrés grunts under his breath. “Why the fuck did you have an injured prospect with you?”

“An oversight.”

He rubs his chin like he isn’t one bit impressed and exhales. “This isn’t good enough, Nycto. Never have we had a problem with your transportation services. The one time we have truly precious cargo, you’ve screwed it up.”

“I’ll transport a couple more packages for you. You get them, I’ll deliver them personally to the two buyers who missed out, free of charge, to make up for the two we lost.”

He scoffs. “Like I said, they’re irreplaceable. The buyers will need cash compensation.”

Maybe me buying them is a good thing. Them being with me is the only way, and if their debt is paid, the buyers can’t come asking for them back if it’s discovered they’re alive.

“Fine. How much?”

Spark’s gaze shifts to me, but I ignore him. He knows like I do this is dangerous fucking territory.

“The special one, she was worth a hundred and fifty. The other, a hundred.”

That was unexpected, but I try to keep my shit together. “A quarter of a million dollars? For two girls?”

He shrugs. “I guess next time you won’t let a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of merchandise drown, will you?”

“I’m gonna need some time to pull that kind of cash together.”

Andrés’s eyes narrow in on me. “Defiance is huge. I don’t for a second think you won’t be able to pull that kind of cash. If you want to keep our business relationship going, then I suggest you fall in line. You have one week to get your affairs in order. I’ll text you the details and hold off the two buyers for as long as I can, but honestly, Nycto, I can’t be held responsible if they want to come after you.”

Anxiety runs through me, an immediate tension headache forming behind the back of my eyes. I’m in too deep.

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll be in touch.”

Andrés dips his chin. “Make sure you do. And make sure your prospect is dealt with.” He turns and heads back inside, the doors closing behind him as I let out a groan.

Spark huffs. “Where the hell are you gonna get that kind of cash? The club only has so much. And to be honest, Pres, I’m not sure this is the kind of cause that calls for the club bailing you out.”

Anger rages inside me as I spin, grab Spark by the front of his shirt, and glare into his eyes. He doesn’t flinch, just lets me manhandle him.

“I’m your president. Fall in line or get the hell out of my club.” I shove him away from me with a solid push.

Spark pulls his shirt back into place. “Just trying to look out for you, Pres. This is dangerous territory you’re treading.”

“Shut it. There are ears everywhere.” We leave the way we came, and I slide onto my ride as Spark pulls his dome over his bald head.

He’s right. I know it. The road I’m heading down is a destructive one, but every time I think I’m making a bad move, Eva’s image comes to my mind. The thought of her being sold off to a man for a measly hundred thousand makes me sick to my stomach. I don’t know what it is about her that has sunk so deep under my skin—hell, I’ve hardly had a second to sit with her or even think about the why—but I need to figure this shit out. What is my end game with Eva?

For now, I need to make a pit stop. I turn to Spark. “We’re heading to Miami.”

He nods like he knew this was coming. “I’ll text Hawk and tell him to expect us.”