Chapter 11

ELEVEN

KYLE

Riderand I go our separate ways, but only after eating a late lunch, and only after he follows me to work. Pushing the car door open, I unfold from the front stead and turn to face him. He's straddling his bike, his engine still rumbling low.

He doesn't make a move to stand from his machine and walk over to me. Instead, he waits and watches. My feet carry me toward him without a single word. As soon as I'm close enough for him to reach, he extends his arm and hooks my waist, hauling me toward his side.

My back arches as Rider dips his chin and touches his lips to mine. His tongue sweeps through my mouth, tasting all of me in one swoop. He lifts his head, breaking the kiss, but he doesn't release me.

His gaze searches mine, and his lips twitch into a smirk. "Have a good night at work, baby."

"Okay," I whisper.

Staring into his eyes, I wonder if I really have to walk away. If I really have to go to work. But I know that I do, even if I want to stay here with him. I'm not sure how I've fallen for this man so quickly.

Maybe I feel so safe here, so comfortable, that I've finally let my guard down. Or maybe this is how it was always meant to be.

"I'll see you later," he rasps, his lips brushing mine one more time before he releases his hold on me.

As I take a step backward, I think about asking him if he'll be here when I get off for the night, but then I decide against it. I don't want to seem needy and pathetic, even though that"s exactly how I feel.

"See you later, Rider," I call out as I take a few more steps backward.

Lifting my hand, I wave to him lamely. Before I trip and fall flat on my ass, I turn around and make my way inside of Sal's Bar. It's quiet. Dennis is behind the bar already and gives me a two-fingered wave without looking up as I step into the room.

Sal steps out of his office after I've put my bag beneath the bar. Dennis is focused on whatever it is he has on his clipboard in front of him and doesn't seem to care who is coming or going, even if it's Sal from his office.

"Everything okay?" I ask Sal, straightening my legs.

Sal frowns. His gaze finds mine, and he seems as though he's aged ten years just in one evening. I start to ask him again if he is all right, but he begins to speak, and when he does, my heart slams against my chest, and the hairs on my arms stand in fear.

"The bar was broken into last night," he announces.

My body freezes, and ice fills my veins. I stare at him, not knowing what to say, but my entire body wants to run. I want to climb into my car, shift the car into Drive, and get the hell out of here, out of Pineville, out of Texas, out of the United States altogether.

"What happened?" I ask on a whisper.

He shrugs a shoulder. He appears to be unbothered by the situation, but I can tell he's upset deep down.

"Nothing was taken or damaged. But it was a clear warning."

"A warning?"

He hums, nodding a few times, then clears his throat. "Yes, but for me, not you. I just wanted to keep you informed so you can keep an eye out. Don't go anywhere alone. Dennis or one of the bouncers from the back room can walk you to your car at the end of the night."

"I'm safe?" I ask on a whisper, even though I'm not sure I would even believe his answer. I know deep down that I won't ever be safe, not if Xavier is alive and chasing me.

"You're safe," he confirms.

He jerks his chin, his eyes finding mine and holding my gaze as he silently stares at me. I don't know if he's trying to talk me into that safety or if he truly believes it. I don't question him, though. I can't.

My entire body is on edge, and I don't know what to think or do, so I decide to stay busy.

"Please let me know if there is anything I can do," I murmur.

I don't mean it. I can't help, and even if I could do something, I would probably just freeze in the middle of it. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with Xavier, but considering that is where my focus is, I can think of nothing else.

"Just stay safe, and don't be alone."

Sal turns around and walks away. I think about telling him that Xavier could have been the one who broke in, but I don't. Xavier would have taken something. He would have stolen something, everything. He would have torn shit up. He's an asshole through and through. Without a doubt, he would have left his mark.

I spend the rest of the night working hard. I try to forget about the break-in, about Xavier. But as busy as I am, I can't quite forget about Xavier. He's right there in the back of my mind. I'm unable to shake him from my thoughts.

When Dennis shouts out the last call, I'm surprised. I wasn't sure how late it was, but I didn't think it was already closing time. My mind has been completely gone, lost, and in a faraway land… living in fear.

I wish I could have spent the whole evening daydreaming about Rider and all the delicious things he did to me this morning. But once again, Xavier has ruined it all. I hate him—more than I've ever hated anyone on this earth.

The last drinks are served, the last tabs are paid, and the people have begun to file out of the main floor. Then the men begin to come out of the back in almost a steady line until the last few trickle out.

I count out my till and gather my things, pocketing my tip money and placing the rest in the bank bag. Once I'm finished cashing out for the night, I grab my belt bag and throw it over my shoulder as Bren appears.

Her eyes find mine, and she stops in her tracks immediately.

I do the same, my entire body completely frozen. She narrows her gaze on me, then marches toward me, stopping directly in front of me. I suck in a breath and hold it for a moment as she reaches her arm out, her fingers curling around my shoulder, and she jerks it gently.

"Bren?" I ask.

"Kyle. You got laid," she whispers. My eyes widen, and I stare at her for a moment. Her face changes, she smiles, and then she laughs. "At least it was good."

"At least?" I ask, breaking my silence. She hums, nodding her head a couple of times before she responds.

"Those men are hot as shit. They all know what they're doing. It was good, right?"

"It was amazing," I whisper.

She hums. "But?"

Shaking my head, I look to the side, then shift my attention back to hers. "No buts," I murmur.

"You fell in love with the dick, didn't you?"

Pressing my lips together, I shift my gaze up, past her shoulder and toward the door. He's standing there, in his leather and boots, his focus on me and only me. I feel like the only person on this whole earth.

"I did," I say, my eyes staying focused on his and only his. "Completely."

GNAW

"The Southern Mafiais going to be a problem," Atomic announces as soon as I step into his office after dropping Kyle off at work.

"Why?" I demand.

Atomic hums, leaning back in his chair as his eyes find mine. He clears his throat and lets out a heavy sigh before he speaks. "They broke into Sal's Bar. They didn't take anything."

"Why not?" I ask.

He snorts. "They wanted to show us that they could. It was a show of power."

My back straightens thinking about Kyle and the bar. "What else are these assholes willing to do to show their sense of power?" I demand.

I suck in a breath as I wait for him to answer me. I already know what he's going to say, that it doesn't matter because we're going to end this before it even begins.

And that is exactly what Atomic says.

"So, what now?" I ask.

He shrugs a shoulder and stands from his chair, and I watch as he makes his way over to the window. His back is to me, and he rocks back on his heels before he spins around to face me again.

"We wait. If we strike too soon, we'll do nothing but fuck up the whole thing."

Nodding, I take a step backward. "I have some shit to do with warehouse scheduling," I murmur.

"Gnaw," Atomic calls out after I've already turned my back to him and started walking toward the door.

I stop to look over my shoulder at him. He's watching me, but I can't quite read his expression, which is odd for him. Considering I've known him for decades, and I can pretty much read each expression he wears on his face, this strikes me as odd.

I open my mouth to ask him what the problem is, but he shakes his head, and the expression vanishes.

"I'm ready to take the Southern Mafia down, but at the same time, I'm not going to make the first move. They broke in to establish dominance. We cannot let that go unchecked."

Grinning, I can't stop myself from thinking about the ways we could establish our dominance when it comes to the Southern Mafia. I would absolutely fucking love to start some shit with them.

"We can't take them down yet, but we can play," Atomic says.

"The game is fucking on," I chuckle. "Just let me know what you want me to do. I'm ready," I say as I begin to think of all the ways I would love to take those assholes down. I could think of some serious scenarios, too, but I don't get the chance because Atomic speaks.

"Get King and a couple of the guys together, and we'll come up with a plan. I don't want to rush into anything, but I do want to make it clear that we know exactly what the fuck is up."

"Do we?" I ask on a muttered voice.

He hums. "We do. Crystal fucking clear."

"Then we'll have a meeting and set a plan," I state. Atomic's eyes almost light up at my words. "I'll make sure I invite you when we make a plan."

"Good," he grinds out.

A few minutes later, I have gathered the men, and we all meet up in the conference room. We only have to wait for Atomic to get started, and when he finally arrives, I find it comical that all of us have a list a mile long for ways we would like to fuck with the Southern Mafia.

It is a plentiful list, and by the time we end the meeting, we've come up with a plan. It's also time for Kyle to get off work. We've been so focused on this shit I didn't even realize that we'd been locked in this room for hours on end.

Leaving the group, I ride straight to Sal's Bar, and thankfully, the doors aren't locked yet, and I'm able to step right inside. I see Bren with her arms outstretched and her fingers grasping Kyle's shoulder.

Her gaze finds mine, and I jerk my chin. Kyle says something to Bren, and a few seconds later, Kyle is at my side. Reaching out, I slide my arm around her waist at the same time. I lower my face and touch my mouth to hers.

"Let's go back to your place," I murmur against her lips.

Her body melts against mine. "Okay."