“Do you want anything to eat?” Bri asked as they shut the front door behind them in the living room. It was a large space with wooden floors, recessed lighting, and a flat-screen television on the wall. A large photo of Spencer, Bri, and Ava presided from a large picture frame on the wall across from the window. “I went grocery shopping yesterday, so there’s plenty in the fridge and the pantry. Help yourself to whatever you might need.”

  “That’s okay.” Why could she be so demanding and argumentative in front of Torque but feel so shy and intimidated when she talked to Bri? It was no wonder the two of them had been so distant with each other, even though Bri seemed like a genuinely nice person. Blue was just too weird, and it made her want to cry.

  “No, I’m serious.” Bri lifted Ava into a playpen and headed into the kitchen. “I meant it when I said you could stay with us, and I didn’t just mean a couch to sleep on. There’s a guest bedroom upstairs, so you’ll have your own place and some privacy. I have to keep a pretty steady meal schedule because of Ava, so there’s no reason you can’t sit down and join us. Did you have breakfast yet?”

  “No,” Blue admitted, feeling guilty. She had known she was pregnant for less than a day, and already she wasn’t doing a good job taking care of herself.

  “You’ll need plenty of protein, calcium, and iron,” Bri explained as she yanked open the fridge door and began pointing out its contents. “I’ve got some sliced turkey and cheese for sandwiches. I’m a big fan of yogurt, so I have about ten different flavors in here. And this bottom drawer is always stuffed with fresh vegetables.” She pulled several items from the fridge and laid them on the counter.

  Blue blinked at the fare on the counter and what was still left in the fridge. “I had no idea you were into all this health food.” She had a sudden memory of opening the fridge at home when she was a child. Mother had rarely gone to the grocery store, opting instead to run to the corner market when she needed her cigarettes and grabbing whatever small thing she thought might get them through the day. They had subsisted on gas station pizzas and occasional handouts from the soup kitchen. Even at her own home, she didn’t have much more than a few frozen meals and some peanut butter.

  Blue felt guilty at the idea of eating such quality food when she hadn’t bought it. “It must be so expensive.”

  Bri grabbed a frying pan from a nearby rack and set it on the stove. She lit the burner underneath it and began cracking eggs. “It’s really a lot cheaper than going out and buying fast food or eating at a restaurant, plus you know exactly what you’re getting. I might pay a few extra dollars here and there, but it’s not enough to notice. Don’t think I don’t still like to grab a frozen pizza now and then, but I really started thinking about what I eat once I found out I was pregnant. Some of that was because I wanted to be healthy, and some of that was because the hormones can completely change your habits.” Bri sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic, and some red powder over the eggs.

  “What’s that?”

  “Paprika,” Bri explained. “It adds that little extra something, and I just love it on my fried eggs.”

  The eggs began to sizzle in the pan, and the scent was making Blue’s mouth water. It also made her stomach turn. When was the last time she had eaten anything? She was pretty sure she had skipped more than just breakfast. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she whispered. “You have no reason to be so nice to me.”

  Her host thought about that for a moment as she flipped the eggs, then turned toward the fruit bowl and began preparing a side dish to go with the protein. She quickly sliced a banana into a bowl and followed it up with few mandarin oranges before pulling a carton of strawberries from the fridge. A fruit salad was appearing in only a few minutes. “I know you and I haven’t really talked much. If I’m completely honest, I was a little jealous when Spencer took you under his wing. You’re young and beautiful, and you’re so freaking talented. He was so excited about having you there, and he talked about you all the time. I was worried that he might decide he wanted someone like you instead of someone like me.”

  Blue was taken aback by that idea. “I never thought of Spencer that way, and I wouldn’t have done that to you. And I’ve always thought your artwork was amazing.” She felt horrible that her presence had made Bri so uncomfortable. It was no wonder it had taken them such a long time to finally start to get to know each other.

  Bri reached out and patted Blue’s hand. “I know you didn’t. It was my own insecurities doing that to me, and unfortunately it kept me from really getting to know you. But I know now that Spencer and I are solid, and if he cares about you then I do, too.” She turned away to flip the eggs out onto the plate and put it in front of Blue. “Now have a seat.”

  Blue did as she was told and kept her eyes tipped down toward her breakfast so that Bri wouldn’t see her tears.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Torque

  Torque had cleaned his gun and sharpened all of his knives. He had ensured that his motorcycle had a full tank of gas. He had checked with the other members of Satan Seed to see how they were doing and if they had their weapons at the ready and their bikes tuned. There wasn’t anything left for him to do, and he hated it.

  When he had sent Blue out into the morning to gather everything she needed, he had hoped she would return within the hour. But half the day had slipped by without any word from her, and it sat like a stone in his chest. Something was wrong.

  “Torque, come in here for a minute.” Acer had been in and out of the clubhouse all day, and he now beckoned Torque into his office.

  Just off the bar, where he could still be in the center of things, the president’s office was a shrine to the days of the biker gang’s past. There were black-and-white photos of his parents and shots of rows upon rows of bikes at meetings. A framed leather vest hung on the wall that had belonged to the founder of Satan Seed back in the fifties. Someone had constructed a coat rack out of numerous wrenches welded together, and there was even a clock made from an old wheel. Acer dropped down into the chair behind his desk and picked up a miniature motorcycle made of nuts and bolts soldered together. “I talked to the cops today.” His voice was quiet, solemn.

  “You what?” Torque had expected discussion of the war, but not news like this. No biker gangs worked closely with the police and preferred to avoid them entirely. This couldn’t be good news. “Why?”

  Acer sighed. “This town isn’t big enough to support both Satan Seed and the Dirty Bastards. As much as I’d like to carry on as usual, this war has been coming for a long time. I went down and talked to one of the officers that was at the scene the other night, because I needed to know for sure who shot that cop. If it was one of us, then we’d have to deal with it. I might not exactly be a law-abiding citizen all the time, but I sure as hell don’t condone that.”

  “What did he say?” Torque leaned forward, his elbows on his knees to keep himself in his seat.

  “They don’t know the exact identity of the man who did it, but by the description it was a Bastard. I’m sure you know how relieved I was to hear it, but the incident has made the citizens far more aware of the fact that they have a town full of bikers. They’re not pleased about it, and neither are the cops.”

  Torque shifted, uncertain where this was going. “I guess this means we’ll have to be looking over our shoulders for both the police and the Bastards.” It was a heavy burden to bear. How could they win at all if everyone was against them?

  “That might have been the case,” Acer agreed, “except I explained to the officer what I wanted for this town. Satan Seed has agreed to work closely with law enforcement to eradicate the Bastards. They’ve been the cause for too many incidents around here. I told him we were on the side of the town, and that we didn’t want a fight on our hands.” Acer laughed softly. “I think he was about ready to shit his pants. It surprised them enough to see me walking into their headquarters, but I’m sure they never expected that.”

  “So, what do we do from here?” Torque was eager for a plan. Waiting around at the clubhouse didn’t suit him well.

  “I’ll be sending our members out in teams on patrol duty. Apparently, the Bastards have been causing problems all over town. The cop showed me reports of burglaries, fires, and small riots like they’ve never seen before. We have to agree not to engage with the DBs if at all possible and to report what we see to the police. Now, I know.” He held up his hands to stop Torque from interrupting. “We’re the kind of guys who don’t wait around for someone else to help us, but this is the only right thing to do. The citizens, if they know we aren’t the bad guys, are going to feel safer if they know there are that many more sets of eyes watching out for them. The cops will be happy because they know we’re on their side. This alliance unifies everyone in town against the Bastards, and we couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

  Torque leaned back and studied the vintage Indian Motorcycles sign on the wall behind Acer’s desk. It had been there as long as he could remember, with its splotches of rust around the edges. Never in his life would he have imagined that Satan Seed would unite with the cops. It was a sign of just how bad things were, and the stone in his chest dropped down into his gut with a thud. “Blue isn’t back yet. I’ve got to go find her.”

  Acer nodded, not arguing this time about the safety of Blue now that Satan Seed was protecting the whole town. “I’ll arrange a patrol to go with you.”

  “No,” Torque argued. “I’m going alone. I’ll be too conspicuous otherwise, and I still don’t want the Bastards to follow me to her. I’ll get her and bring her back. Once I know she’s safe, then I’ll join in the patrols.”

  The president opened his mouth to argue, but he just sighed instead. “Go, then. I sure hope this girl is as important as you make it sound.”

  “Trust me, she is.”

  Torque roared out of the garage a few minutes later, still kicking himself for letting Blue go alone. The Bastards hadn’t settled down as they had expected, and there was no telling what might have happened to her in the few hours since she had been gone. President or not, he never should have let Acer talk him into something so foolish. Once he found Blue, he would keep her in his sights at all times. She might not be very happy about being confined to his quarters at the clubhouse, but at least Torque would know she was safe.

  Blue’s house was closest, so it made sense to check there first. Her driveway was empty, the lights were off, and there were no signs of a struggle. With no more time to waste, he headed for the shop.

  He wasn’t anywhere close to it when he saw the black plume of smoke rising into the air, and his gut clenched. The Bastards had lit another fire. He would have to report it to Acer later, once he had found Blue. He wasn’t officially on patrol duty yet.

  But as he turned into the parking lot, he quickly realized that it was Spencer’s Shop that had been set ablaze. Brilliant flames licked at the glass across the front of the building, tinting it black. One of the windows had been broken, and smoke poured out through the hole. The roof of the place had caught flame, sending up the charcoal-colored cloud he had seen before.

  With his heart pounding, Torque leapt off his bike and grabbed the door handle. It was too hot, and he ripped off his vest to wrap around his hand. Once inside, he wrapped it around his face to keep too much smoke from getting inside his lungs. The shop, once a clean place filled with beautiful artwork, was now nothing more than a box full of flames and toxic gases. He shoved aside the curtain that led to Blue’s booth, but nobody was inside. Torque moved to the next booth and immediately spotted the body lying on the floor.

  With a growl of anger, Torque grabbed Spencer by the armpits and threw him over his shoulder. He deposited him in the parking lot before running back inside to finish checking through the place. A firebomb had been thrown through the window and had caught the upholstery of the waiting room furniture on fire, evidenced by the melted plastic arms of the chair and the intense heat at the front of the building. He searched through the other rooms, but he couldn’t find Blue.

  When he returned to the parking lot, Spencer was waking up. The thin man rolled over on his side as coughs racked his body and his eyes watered. Burn marks seared his clothing, and the bottoms of his shoes looked as though they had melted slightly. He blinked up at Torque for a second, a look of fear in his eyes, before trying to crawl off across the parking lot.

  “Hey!” Torque put a heavy hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Where are you going?”

  Spencer swiped at his eyes and squinted up at the biker once again. “Oh, it’s you. I thought it was one of them.”

  “Did the Bastards do this?” Torque already knew what the answer was. Nobody else would feel the need for that sort of action. “Was it Rat?”

  The tattoo artist shook his head as he coughed again and gasped for air. “I think it was one of them, but it wasn’t Rat. I only got a glimpse of the guy, but he was wearing the vest of a Dirty Bastard. Is this the war?”

  “Just the beginning of it. Where’s Blue?” Torque demanded as he retrieved a bottle of water from his saddle bag, opened it, and handed it over.

  Spencer took the drink with a shaking hand and tipped it into his mouth. He swished the liquid on his tongue for a moment before spitting it out onto the asphalt and doing it over again. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat barbecue again.”

  “Where’s Blue?” Torque repeated. Spencer had surely suffered from smoke inhalation, but there was no time to waste. Whoever had done this was no doubt taking out Rat’s revenge.

  The water had helped, and Spencer pushed himself up to a sitting position. “How do I know I can trust you?” he wheezed. “For all I know, this is what you’ve been planning since the beginning.”

  Torque grabbed him by the front of his shirt and only managed not to strangle him with the utmost self-control. Spencer had the information he needed, and he was important to Blue. “Are you fucking kidding me? I could snap your neck in a second.”

  “Then go ahead,” the shop owner replied sleepily. “If that’s what it takes to protect Blue from someone like you, then I’ll do it. But we never had any trouble until you came around and confronted Rat. Now Blue’s knocked up, my shop is burning down, and I doubt there’s any safe place around this city.”

  As much as Spencer was pissing him off, Torque had to give the man credit. He wasn’t big enough to fight a biker, but that didn’t mean he was just going to give up. He was protecting Blue, and that meant a lot to Torque. “You and I are on the same side,” Torque growled. “Satan Seed are on the side of the town. We’re doing our best to go out there and stop these guys. I don’t need you to get in my way.”

  “You don’t see me stopping you,” Spencer muttered. His eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp.

  Torque picked up the bottle of water and poured it over his head. “I’m trying to find her so I can keep her safe. Now just tell me where she is!”

  Spencer sputtered and swiped at his face, but he managed to crease his eyebrows at the big biker. “She already is safe, and she doesn’t need any more help from you.”

  His patience was wearing so thin it was practically transparent. “Just because you think she’s safe doesn’t mean she actually is. The Bastards are hunting her down. I’ve got a place for her where she can be protected by my men around the clock. There’s no telling what might happen if you don’t help me.”

  His dark brown eyes cleared a little as Spencer studied Torque’s face. “All right, but I’m only telling you this because I think you’re the best choice out of a lot of bad options. She’s at my house, with my family, over on Greer Street.”

  “Why did she go there instead of coming back to the clubhouse like she was supposed to?” As relieved as Torque was to know that Spencer had not only seen Blue but knew where she was, he didn’t understand why she would have gone back on her word.

  “Why do you think?” Spencer spat. “You’ve been nothing but trouble for her. You think you can protect her, but all you do is get her into trouble. You aren’t what she wants, Torque, and you don’t belong in her life.”

  Torque let go of Spencer’s shirt. “We’ll let her be the judge of that.” Just as he turned toward his bike, he heard the roar of another motorcycle. He looked up just in time to see one of the Bastards zooming out of the parking lot. He knew in his gut that it was probably the same biker who had set fire to the shop. He also knew that the Bastard had overheard every word. “Shit.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Blue

  “You can have this room while you’re here.” Bri had Ava on her hip, but she opened the door at the end of the upstairs hallway with her free hand to reveal a full-sized bed, a dresser that looked as though it had been around since the eighties, and deep blue carpeting. The walls were empty, and the open closet door revealed only a few spare coats that had been stashed away. “I know it’s not very welcoming right now. It’s just sort of been our guest room, and I haven’t taken the time to decorate it. But we can put a pretty vase of flowers on the dresser, and maybe we can hit up the junk shops for some cute framed prints this weekend.”