11. Luna

11

Luna

Rider : You’ve been MIA. Everything all right?

SnoOwl : I’m fine. Things just got complicated around here.

Rider : Anything I can help with? Getaway car? Escape plan?

SnoOwl : Maybe. Do you happen to know anywhere with cheap rent and good security?

Rider : You’re moving?

SnoOwl : Not sure yet. I might need to.

Rider : I can keep an eye out. And I’m here if things get bad.

SnoOwl : It’s not like that. I’m fine. I’m just keeping my options open. But I appreciate you looking out for me.

Rider : Anything for you, little owl. Just give me the word, and I’ll come get you.

I close my gaming app on my phone and step outside onto the back patio. It’s still early in the morning, so the temperature is perfect. I’m comfortable in a T-shirt and jeans, but the second the sun hits midday, the heat of Vegas will be overwhelming. It’s only a matter of weeks before it’s too hot to spend much time outside, and I’m dreading it.

But that’s not the only thing that has me on edge today.

I’ve been keeping my distance from Rider because if the club finds out I’m communicating with him, they could kick me out. But I broke down and contacted him this morning because I miss him.

If I were smart, I’d cut ties, but I can’t.

Rider is my only friend outside the club, and he might be all I have left if things turn sour here.

“You’re here early.” I smile at Tempe.

She’s sitting at a picnic table on the clubhouse’s back patio when I step outside. Her honey-brown hair is tied in a messy bun, and she’s wearing one of Steel’s sweatshirts, shrinking her already tiny frame.

She smiles when she sees me walking up. “Just enjoying the show.”

I follow her gaze across the yard to see Steel, Ghost, and Legacy carrying large planks of wood to the edge of one rock area. Tempe’s four-year-old brother, Austin, and Legacy’s daughter, Bea, run in circles around them, playing tag.

“What are they building?” I drop into the seat beside her and kick my feet up on the table to watch.

“A mini clubhouse for the kids.”

“Making bikers out of them already, huh? ”

“Apparently.” Tempe takes a sip of her coffee. “I told Jameson it’s fine so long as Austin knows he’s not getting a cut until he’s at least eighteen.”

“Does he want Austin to follow in his footsteps?”

“Yes and no.” Tempe shrugs. “Jameson’s family started this club, so I think deep down it would mean something if Austin carried on that tradition. But he also understands the pressure that creates, so he wouldn’t want Austin to take on anything he doesn’t want himself.”

“How do you feel about it?” I know her father also comes from this world, but that soured her to the lifestyle until she met Steel.

Tempe watches Steel stack wooden planks, wetting her lips. “I’m fine with whatever Austin chooses. I trust Jameson, and I know he’s building something different here than what I remember growing up. So if Austin wants to follow in Jameson’s footsteps, I’ll support him.”

“That man better know how lucky he is to have you.”

She grins. “He does.”

“Austin too.” I look over at where Steel is giving Austin a high five. “You guys bring out a whole other side of Steel. A whole other side to this club. You’re good for them, and I’m glad you stayed.”

“You’re partly to thank for that.” Tempe nudges my arm with her elbow. “I never really thanked you for how welcoming you were when I first came here. You made this place feel like home.”

Home .

That’s what this place has been for me, and now I feel it slipping through my fingers .

“You okay?” Tempe’s eyebrows pinch.

She must have noticed me flinch at her comment.

“I’m fine.” I force a smile. “I’m thankful for you too, Tempe. And I hope you know that even if I’m not here, I’m always here for you if you need it.”

“Are you leaving the club?” Her eyes widen.

“Undecided. But it might be time.”

“Don’t tell me this has to do with whatever has Jameson on edge lately. I knew something was off ever since I overheard him and Ghost talking about you being in church. What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.” She smirks. “This mini clubhouse is going to take them all day.”

I adjust in my seat, watching the guys across the yard. “You know how I told you I used to do freelance tech work before I came here.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, apparently, one of those jobs had me hacking the club.”

“ Apparently ? So, you didn’t know?”

I shake my head. “I responded to an anonymous posting on a job board. I had no idea. I thought I was just digging up some account info for a tech firm. And that’s how Ghost found me.”

“Found you?” Her eyebrows pinch.

“He caught me trying to break through his firewalls, and he shut me down.”

“So, whoever hired you never got the information?”

“Nope.” My lips pop with the word .

“So why do you sound like something’s still wrong?”

“Because all this time, Ghost knew I was working for the enemy, and he didn’t say anything.”

“To you?”

“To anyone.”

Her eyes widen, and I watch her process what I’m saying. “That’s why Jameson’s been so upset.”

“He lied to them.”

“For you,” Tempe points out.

“He didn’t do me a favor if that’s what you’re thinking. They brought me in and basically interrogated me. It feels like I’m the enemy, but I had no idea about any of it.”

Tempe leans forward, setting her coffee mug down and reaching for my hand. “If the club actually thought you were the enemy, do you think Jameson would let you stay here?”

“I guess not. But still, it feels like everything has changed.”

“Nothing’s changed.” Tempe squeezes my hand. “And I swear if Jameson tries to kick you to the curb, I’m going to be standing right beside you. You’re family, Luna. I don’t care what brought you here. You’d never do anything to hurt the guys or the club.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Exactly.” She smiles, and I feel pressure building behind my eyes. “We’ve got you.”

Even if I appreciate her trying to mend this situation, there’s more to it than that. Like the fact that the person who hired me a year ago is trying to find me again, and I don’t know what lengths they’re willing to go to. I’m bringing danger to her, Austin, and the entire club.

I swallow that thought and keep it to myself. She has enough on her plate without adding my problems to it.

“Now that that’s out of the way…” Tempe releases my hand and leans back in her chair, eyeing the guys across the yard. “Are we going to talk about the fact that Ghost risked everything for you?”

“No.”

“Luna.” She glares at me. “That man is obsessed. How do you not see it? And why are the two of you still not doing anything about it?”

“He was helping me out of a bad situation. That’s all.”

She ticks an eyebrow. “He lied to his club. The club he vowed his loyalty and life to… Luna, that man is in love with you.”

I frown, watching him pick up another plank. His arms flex as he lifts it overhead, carrying it across the yard. “Let’s say you’re right… he still wouldn’t ever do anything about it.”

“Then why don’t you do something?”

I think about the party. How he cornered me against the wall. How our lips almost brushed. So close I could taste the whiskey he’d been drinking.

I leaned in, and he pulled back.

“I’ve tried.”

“Then try again.” Tempe swats at my arm. “These men are stubborn and difficult, and it makes it hard as hell to get them to see what’s right in front of them. But if he was willing to lie to his club—his president — for you, then that means something.”

“I guess.”

“Girl, I have seen you take a punch from a drunk local who was getting too rowdy. You have no fear. Don’t start being scared now.” Tempe smiles, picking up her coffee and watching the guys.

Austin tags Bea, and she stops in her tracks. Turning, she starts to run after him, but her foot catches on the ground, and she stumbles, landing on her hands and knees.

Tears immediately stain her cheeks as she stands up, clutching her hand.

Legacy turns, but he can’t get a good look with the large stack of planks he’s holding, so Ghost drops to a knee in front of her to look at it.

Whatever he says makes her smile through her tears. She wipes them away with the back of her hand while he picks her up. Legacy moves to set down the planks, but Ghost shakes his head, carrying Bea toward the clubhouse.

“You okay, Honey Bea?” Tempe asks when they reach us.

“I fell.” Bea frowns. “Uncle Marcus is going to fix it.”

Uncle Marcus.

Being a mom isn’t something I’ve spent much time thinking about. The concept of building something permanent is terrifying, especially when I know what happens when it all falls apart. But when Ghost looks down at me as he holds Bea in his arms, I can’t deny that my heartbeat kicks up a notch. Or that I dare to picture a different world, where we’re different people, and we could have something resembling this.

Ghost sets Bea down on the picnic table facing me. “You good with Luna and Tempe while I grab you something to wrap that up?”

She nods, and he wipes a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Ghost is a man with blood on his hands, but when he leans down to kiss Bea on the top of the head, all I see is a man who cares. I see someone who found a family with Legacy when he lost his own. Someone who treats Bea like his own flesh-and-blood niece. Someone who makes me think love is possible, even if I know better than to think he’d ever hand his to me.

Ghost’s eyes meet mine, and my spine tingles. One glance and my entire body is on alert for him. But like always, the moment I feel anything is the moment he pulls away.

Ghost turns, walking into the clubhouse.

Maybe Tempe is right, and he brought me here for a reason. Maybe this isn’t one-sided. I need an answer, and I’m going to get it.