Chapter 3

3

ECHO

“ M oving in?” Violet squeaked, her hands fluttering at her sides.

Satisfaction swept through me when I didn’t see a speck of fear in her gaze. There was apprehension but also a spark of excitement. I was confident that she felt the same chemistry as I did when I touched her.

I nodded as I took a step closer to her. “I need you.”

Violet’s breathing kicked up, and I held back a wicked smile. “Need me?”

I didn’t want to scare her away by going too fast, so I backed off even though it was the opposite of what I wanted to do. “I need your help to take down that asshole.”

Violet’s brow furrowed, and she cocked her head to the side. “Pardon? Take down Jeff?”

“Yeah. He’s dangerous, and he’s fucked over the wrong people. We’re gonna nail his ass to the wall, and it will go a fuck of a lot faster if I’m as close to him as possible.”

She raised her eyebrows and pointed at the floor. “Here?”

Grinning, I took a step closer, forcing her back against the counter, then caged her in by resting a hand on both sides. “Can’t get any closer than next door, and you’ve given me the perfect opportunity. I’m thinking it’s a fair trade,” I said with a wink.

“A trade for what?”

“I get to use your proximity to your neighbor, and you get him to stay away from you by thinking you have a live-in boyfriend.”

“I see your point,” she conceded.

My smile faded, replaced by a frown as I explained the situation. “Jeff is a conman. He’s been praying on women with money, getting close and then stealing everything they’ve got.”

Violet rubbed her lips together as she digested what I’d told her. “No wonder I always got such a creepy vibe from him when he hit on me,” she murmured.

My hands clenched into fists at her comment. It wasn’t like I hadn’t known he was pursuing her, but it still made me furious to hear it out loud.

Her expression turned puzzled, and she asked, “But why is he bothering with me? I’m not rich.”

I hesitated to tell her my conclusion, knowing it would probably freak her out. Still, it honestly seemed the best route, especially if it kept her guard up around Jeff.

“I don’t think it’s about money, baby,” I told her softly.

“What else could it be?” Her genuine confusion made me frown. Didn’t she know how gorgeous she was?

I gestured up and down her body. “Your sexy-as-fuck body, for starters.”

Violet’s cheeks turned adorably red as she dropped her eyes to my chest. “It’s not that I’m unhappy with how I look. But I don’t think guys…”

She trailed off when I put a finger beneath her chin and raised her head so she was staring at my face. “ Trust me , Violet.”

Her blush deepened, and her dimples appeared, her eyes sparkling with pleasure when she nodded. “Okay.” After a few seconds, her nose wrinkled as her expression soured. “You think he wants to date me? Ew.”

I chuckled and barely resisted the urge to brush a kiss across her plump lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him get near you.”

Violet’s eyes swept down my body before meeting mine again, and she snickered, her smile making her sexy dimples deepen. “I doubt he’ll try anything if he thinks you’re my man.” Damn, I loved the sound of that. “I mean…a huge, badass, sexy biker guy seems like the sort he would run away from.”

“You think I’m sexy?” I asked with a smirk.

She scoffed, “Like you don’t know that. I’m sure you have women falling all over themselves to be with you.”

“Only interested in what you think, baby. Don’t give a fuck about anyone else.” I grinned when she blushed again and teased, “I’ll trust you not to try to take advantage of me while I’m crashing here.”

“So you can get evidence to get Jeff arrested?”

“Actually, we’ve already got enough on him to put him in jail, but we recently realized he’s not the one calling the shots. We set up surveillance so we can get access to the big fish.”

Violet nodded. “That makes sense. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Needing my apartment to get close to Jeff…that makes sense.” She looked bewildered when she continued, “It doesn’t make sense that I’m actually going to let a stranger move into my apartment.” Her shoulders bounced in a shrug. “Or why I feel so safe with you after meeting you less than ten minutes ago.”

I wanted to tell her it was because she was mine, but I’d wait until I’d moved my shit in so it would be harder for her to run from me.

“Good instincts.”

Violet smiled. “I hope so.”

Reluctantly, I shoved away from the counter and took a few steps back. “I need to go get my shit. If Jeff comes over after I leave, don’t open the door. I’ll deal with him when I get back.”

She nodded, and I pressed my lips together, telling myself it was too soon to kiss her and spun around. “Lock up behind me,” I called over my shoulder as I marched out of the kitchen and over to the front door.

When I was in the hallway, I waited to hear the click of her deadbolt sliding into place and shot a threatening glance at Jeff’s door in case he was looking through his peephole.

I’d parked my bike in the lot next door, so once I walked outside, I made a beeline for my ride. It only took ten minutes to reach the compound, and I put my motorcycle in the garage since I intended to take my Jeep back to Violet’s place.

When I strolled into the clubhouse, my vice president, Blaze, was in the lounge with his old lady, Courtney.

“Didn’t expect to see you around today,” Blaze said with a raised eyebrow. “Thought you were gonna be busy with that”—he shot a look at Courtney and chose his words carefully since my activities were club business—“situation you were handling.”

“Had to come in and grab some shit because I’m moving in with my woman today,” I explained as I continued stalking across the room.

“Your woman?” Blaze echoed.

“Long story, man.” I slapped him on the back as I passed by. “But don’t worry, she’s not gonna interfere with what I have to get done. In fact, it’s the opposite.”

Before he could inquire further, I disappeared down a hallway leading to a section of the first floor with rooms for club brothers to stay or live in. They were reminiscent of a dorm with a bed and sitting area, but the ones intended for permanent living space also had private bathrooms.

Since I was single and the club’s road captain, it hadn’t made sense for me to live in my own place. That was gonna change now that I’d met Violet, but I’d deal with it after we caught the head of the con ring.

When I reached my room, I unlocked it and opened the door, flicking the switch on the wall to turn on the lights. I had a black duffel bag stowed in my closet, so I grabbed it and shoved clothes and underwear inside before adding my toiletries.

I was already wearing my gun, but I had a backup piece in a safe on the top shelf of the closet. It was disassembled and in a case, so I entered the combination and took it out, adding the weapon to the duffel. I wanted Violet to have a gun in her apartment for when I was gone. If she didn’t have a safe, I’d order one so I could keep it assembled. I had a feeling she didn’t know how to shoot one, but in an emergency, all she had to know was point and click.

After everything was packed, I zipped up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, then stepped into the hall and locked my door. Hurrying down the hall, I heard more voices in the lounge. King stood just inside the front entrance with his woman, Stella. He held an infant carrier, and several people gathered around oohing and aahing over their newborn baby boy.

“Congrats, Prez,” I murmured as I approached them.

“Thanks,” he replied with a giant grin.

“Need to give you an update,” I said in a low tone.

He nodded and bent to give his old lady a kiss before setting the baby on the nearest couch. “You good for a few minutes?” he asked her.

She glanced at me, then back at him and nodded. “Of course.”

King and Blaze had both won the jackpot with their women. They were strong and independent but understood club life and their place in it. There would always be things they wouldn’t know about, and in front of most other clubs, they played the submissive, obedient role. Otherwise, they were spitfires who gave as good as they got. My instincts told me that Violet would fit right in with them.

I followed King to his office and wasn’t surprised to find Blaze right behind us. The prez leaned back against the front of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Where are we at?”

Quickly, I filled them in on the developments, and when I was done, King was smirking at me—somehow visible through his perpetual scowl. “You needed to be closer to Jeff?”

I shrugged as I confessed, “Not gonna pretend there wasn’t another ulterior motive.”

“Figured,” Blaze said with a chuckle.

Glancing at him, I tilted my head and asked, “Think you could add a vest to your order for Courtney?”

King grunted, his expression somewhat amused. “I’m thinking we should start doing what some of our allies have done and just order a stash to have at the clubhouse.”

Blaze grinned. “Probably a good idea. Need to find a local place to do the patches and embroidery, though. I…”

I stopped listening and gave them a wave—which was returned by a lift of their chins—and headed back to my woman.