When the clock ticks close to midnight, I put my pencil down and decide it’s time to give up. I’m sure by this point, my creepy new friend has already come and gone and is probably pissed off that I’m not tucked in my bed for him to play his fucked-up little games. But there’s no denying that I can still taste him on my tongue, and I hate that I want so much more.

  Packing up my station, I hurry through my sanitizing routine, making sure everything is perfect for the next day. Then making my way into the back, I double-check the doors and windows are locked before turning out the lights and making my way back to the lobby.

  Digging in my bag, I find my keys, and after glancing back into the shop to make sure I’ve done everything right, I finally push out into the night, a yawn tearing out of me. Pulling the door closed behind me, I shove the key in the lock, and just as I crouch down to lock the floor deadbolt into place, a shadow looms over me.

  I gasp, throwing myself back up as I twirl around, and for a moment, I think I’m seeing the ghost of Crew standing right in front of me. My jaw drops, and I suck in a breath, my heart racing, but as he creeps a little closer, I realize that this isn’t quite the friend I once knew.

  It’s Crew’s face, but older. Fewer tattoos and not quite as built.

  I wonder if this is the mysterious brother I never knew he had.

  “You Kyah?” he grunts, his tone deeper than Crew’s but still somehow so familiar.

  An ache settles deep in my chest, and I have to keep myself from reaching out to him. “You look just like him,” I breathe, trying to remind myself that in the end, Crew was an asshole and doesn’t deserve my pain. I shouldn’t miss him like this, but goddamn it, I miss him more than ever.

  “That’s the funny thing about sharing genes,” he mutters, slowly inching closer and making my skin crawl. Even though he shares Crew’s face, there’s something much darker within his eyes, and something tells me to run as fast as I can. “You never showed up to his funeral. What kind of woman skips out on her friend’s funeral?”

  “The kind who knows what’s good for her,” I say, backing up a step.

  He steps right with me, only he takes a much larger stride, closing the gap. “I don’t think you have any idea what’s good for you,” he says, his gaze trailing over my face and then down my body. He reaches up, his fingers brushing across my jaw. “You really are pretty, aren’t you? My brother might have been a sick bastard, but he always had good taste.”

  Slapping his hand away, I back up again with venom in my eyes. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

  Crew’s brother laughs, his eyes lighting with excitement. “He told me you had a feisty side, but for some reason, I never quite believed him,” he says. “But it’s nice to be proved wrong every once in a while, don’t you think?”

  “What the hell do you want with me?” I demand, knowing damn well that despite how things ended between me and Crew, he never would have stood for something like this. He always wanted to protect me, you know, except that one time he didn’t. “There’s nothing here for you.”

  He inches toward me again, and I scold myself for staying back tonight. I should have let Big Jim drive me home and everything would have been fine. But then he might have shown up at my apartment. Though, then he might have had to deal with my new creepy friend, assuming he was there, of course. Who am I kidding? After last night, he was definitely there for more. Unless this is the asshole who’s been sneaking into my room.

  “Oh, there’s plenty here for me,” he says, leaning closer, trying to intimidate me, and damn it, it’s working. “It’s a real shame my brother didn’t introduce us sooner. We could have had a lot of fun with a sweet thing like you.”

  “Back off. Otherwise, you’ll find out just how much fun I can be.”

  The corner of his lips lifts into the smallest grin, and despite his face only moving the tiniest bit, the change is enough for his whole demeanor to shift and show me the true devil inside.

  I was right. I need to run.

  Not waiting another moment, I barely take a step before crashing into a solid wall of pure muscle, and a set of warm hands grip my hips. My gaze tilts up, and I have to crane my neck, more than ready to scream, but I let out a heavy sigh of relief finding Viper. “You good?” he spits, his gaze locked on the man over my shoulder.

  I nod, ready to keep running, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, I grip his cut as though it could offer me some sort of protection. “This ain’t your territory,” Viper growls, a tone I’ve only ever heard once—when a member of a rival club wandered into the store. “You’re crossing a line.”

  “I’m collecting a debt,” Crew’s brother says.

  Viper’s hand shifts behind his back, and in a flash, a gun appears in front of me, and without giving even the slightest warning, he pulls the trigger. Only as I scream, the two men remain ridiculously still, with a chunk of concrete torn from the ground directly between the asshole’s feet. “Leave. Otherwise, the next one is going between your eyes.”

  Crew’s brother holds Viper’s stare a moment longer, his jaw clenched, but Viper is relentless and unforgiving, and it’s clear to everyone here that he’s not about to give up anytime soon. The asshole’s gaze quickly flickers to me, and that wicked smirk widens. “I’ll be seeing ya, Kyah.” And with that, he turns on his heel and stalks off into the darkness.

  The second he disappears, my body crumbles, and Viper holds me up. “You good, babe?”

  I swallow hard and nod, turning in his arms to meet his calculating stare. “What the hell was that about?” I demand, realizing he knows much more than he’s willing to let on.

  “The fuck do you think you’re doing leaving work alone at midnight?”

  “What?” I say, my eyes widening. “How the hell is this my fault? I’m not the asshole lingering in the streets trying to talk to vulnerable women.”

  “No, but you’re the fucking idiot putting herself in a vulnerable position. Now get on my fucking bike. I’m taking you home.”

  I clench my jaw, shaking my head. “I need answers, Viper,” I growl. “And while you’re at it, you can tell me why the fuck you’ve been following me everywhere for the past two weeks.”

  Viper’s only response is to grit his teeth tighter. “Bike. Now.”

  I hold his stare, and just like with Crew’s brother, I know I don’t stand a chance in hell. “Tomorrow,” I tell him, trying not to shrink under his lethal stare. “I’m giving you tonight to cool down, and then tomorrow, I expect answers whether you like it or not, and I don’t care whether I have to get them from you or directly from that asshole.”

  He looks at me like a child having a tantrum, but I just stare back. “I mean it, Viper,” I add. “I’m fucking sick of you big-ass beefy assholes thinking you can dictate my life and keep me in the dark. All of this shit that’s been going on with Crew and his brother has something to do with me, so you have two choices, Viper. You tell me or he does. Take your pick.”

  “I don’t take kindly to ultimatums.”

  “Him it is then.”

  Viper’s hands ball into tight fists, anger pouring through his dark stare. “Fine. If I come by the shop tomorrow, will you get on the back of my fucking bike so I can take you home?”

  I give a firm nod. “Yes, I will.”

  “Tomorrow it is then.”

  And with that, he curls his strong hand around my upper arm and pulls me away.

  25

  KYAH

  Standing by my apartment door, I wait until Alex has left before slipping out and making my way to work, immediately feeling like a piece of shit, but last night with Crew’s brother was just another blinding reason why I shouldn’t be getting involved with anyone right now.

  My life is a mess. I have a stalker who is more than willing to cross boundaries, and now Crew’s brother has made his intentions disturbingly well known. I hope Viper honors his part of the deal because while I’m aware of the asshole’s intentions, I don’t know the extent of it, and something tells me Viper has been keeping a tight lid on this shit, and I’d really hate to have to go searching for answers somewhere else. Besides, if I weren’t in some kind of danger, there’s no way in hell Viper would spend his days following me around.

  Making my way into High Voltage Ink, I sit down at my table, listening as Big Jim talks on the phone, clearly having a conversation with one of the new applicants who’ll be interviewing for Crew’s position. As I listen to the one-sided conversation with gritted teeth, I stare down at the designs I spent the night working on and immediately deem them all shit.

  My head hasn’t been in the game these past few days, and it’s showing in my work, which really fucks with my head. I set a high standard for myself when it comes to my art. I don’t exactly get off on earning myself the title of being one of the best tattoo artists in Brooklyn, but I do like to ensure that I am offering a quality service and delivering on my clients’ expectations.

  Hence why it’s time to call it quits with Alex.

  I really don’t want to. Hell, just the thought of it has been tearing me apart all morning, but I would never forgive myself if I were to put him in danger just by being close to me. I need to wait until all this bullshit has passed, and then hopefully he’ll still be there when I come out the other end . . . assuming I can somehow survive, of course.

  Who knows what kind of plans this stalker has for me. If all he wants is to get off while watching me, then I can live with that. He’ll eventually get bored and find someone else to torment, but if he wants something more, something vile and wicked . . . I don’t want to drag a good guy like Alex into that.

  Letting out a heavy sigh, I grab the designs from last night and tear them out of my sketchpad before scrunching them up and tossing them into the trash. I drop down into my chair, a heaviness weighing on my shoulders as I take my phone and peer down at the screen, trying to work up the courage to actually do this.

  Ending things with Alex is the furthest thing from what I want.

  With him . . . everything is easy. He makes my heart race, makes me swoon, and the attraction is like nothing I’ve ever felt. It’s astronomical. Not to mention, the way he gets me worked up. I know that when it comes time to being physical with him, the wait is going to be well worth it . . . assuming I ever get the chance after this.

  God. He’s probably going to hate me, and running into him in the hallway after this is going to be awkward and weird, just as I knew it would be. Which is exactly why I made a rule to never date my neighbors, especially the hot kind who live directly across the hall from me.

  Knowing if I don’t do this now, I’m never going to find the lady-balls to end it, and I swipe my thumb across the screen, unlocking it. I open a new text to Alex, feeling like a piece of shit for not being able to end it in person.

  Kyah - I’m sorry. I can’t do this.

  Alex - I know you’re not trying to end this before it’s even gotten started.

  Kyah - That’s the point. I need to end it before I get too deep. I really like you, Alex, but this can’t work right now. It’s just not the right time. I’m sorry. It’s over.

  Alex - The hell it is.

  Fuck.

  Something tells me ending things with him isn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped. Hell, he’s so demanding that I should have known he wasn’t just going to accept being told no without a fight. Though I’m not going to lie, the fact that he’s not willing to just accept me pushing him away kinda makes me feel a little tingly inside.

  Hearing the bell chime above the door, I abandon my phone on the table and get busy with my work. I’ve got a lot to get through today considering I need to re-do these shitty designs and talk with Viper, assuming he actually shows up, of course. Otherwise, I’ll be hunting the bastard down. Though I’m sure he won’t take too kindly to me showing up at his clubhouse uninvited like that. Nor is that really somewhere I want to be.

  I keep myself busy over the next few hours, and when the bell chimes over the door again and Viper comes in with a hard expression and a clenched jaw, I don’t know whether to be anxious or relieved.

  He holds my stare from across the shop, and I quickly clean up my things. My last client was done ten minutes ago with the next not due until after lunch. “Hey Big Jim,” I say, grabbing my phone off my table and trying to figure out where I left my bag. “I’m heading out for lunch.”

  Jim glances up, his gaze flicking between me and Viper, a deep suspicion flashing in his eyes. He’s always had respect for Viper and appreciated his business, but there’s no denying that over the years, he’s made it clear what he thinks about the idea of Viper wanting to make me his old lady.

  “Alright,” Jim says slowly, his tone low as he settles his gaze back on Viper. “If she doesn’t return the way she’s leaving, I’m coming for your fucking throat.”

  Viper simply nods, but I don’t think Big Jim’s threat is necessary. Viper has made it clear that he has no ill will toward me. He goes to extreme lengths to protect me, but he can’t exactly be trusted. If I was to push his boundaries a little too far, he’d snap without warning. There’s no flex when it comes to Viper. He’s not like an elastic band that can be stretched a million different ways. He’s like tempered glass; he can handle the weight and stress, but if pushed the wrong way, he’ll break.

  Walking out of the shop with Viper, he presses his hand to my lower back, leading me down the street. “What do you want to eat?”

  “I don’t,” I tell him, stopping halfway down the street and looking up at him. “I didn’t ask you to meet me today so we could go out for some romantic lunch date. I want answers, Viper. I want to know why the fuck Crew’s brother is cornering me in the middle of the night, and I want to know what kind of bullshit Crew was involved in.”

  Viper presses his lips into a tight line, his gaze shooting up and down the street, making sure our conversation can’t be overheard. “Fucking hell, Kyah. Lower your goddamn voice,” he says, gripping my elbow and pulling me across the road toward a small café.

  Viper pushes through the door, and the lady behind the counter widens her eyes, clearly terrified of the big guy. “Two coffees and a turkey sub,” he barks at the woman, continuing past her to the table in the back, dragging me along.

  I let out a heavy breath and am delightfully surprised when he pulls the chair out for me. “Sit,” he demands, instantly ruining the appeal of his gesture.

  Not willing to push his limits just yet, I do as he says, taking my seat and watching as he drops down on the other side of the table, barely able to fit his large frame into the chair. “You can’t be talking about this shit out in the open like that,” he says. “You don’t know how many eyes and ears Mason has on you.”

  “Mason? Is that Crew’s brother?” I ask. Viper nods, and I swallow hard, unsure why my hands are shaking beneath the table. “What’s he involved in?”

  “Have you ever done a Google search on Crew? You didn’t hear anything on the news after he was killed?”

  Viper pauses, waiting for my response, and I shake my head. “I could barely get out of bed after Crew was attacked, let alone turn on the TV to listen to the news,” I tell him, unsure where he’s going with this. “I don’t understand why the news would want to cover anything to do with Crew’s death. It was a robbery gone wrong.”

  “Was it?” he questions, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back in his chair. “Mason Ledger is a piece of shit. He deals in stolen goods.”

  My brows furrow. “What kind of stolen goods?”

  Viper holds my stare, his gaze quickly flicking around the small café again. “I need you to understand that what I’m about to tell you can not come back on me,” he tells me. “This ain’t my business, and if it gets back to Mason that I opened my fucking mouth, it’s gonna come back on my club, and I can’t have that.”

  I nod. “I won’t say a word.”

  “I’m fucking serious, Kyah,” he says. “This is the type of shit people lose their lives over. Once you know, there’s no going back, and it’s going to change the way you see Crew. All those memories over the years will be replaced with nothing but vile ugliness.”

  I clench my jaw, feeling an intense pressure settling over my shoulders, but how can I back out now? I need to know what the hell is going on. “Just tell me, Viper,” I say. “What kind of stolen goods is his brother dealing in?”

  “The human kind.”

  I suck in a breath, my eyes widening in shock. “What do you mean?” I ask. “Are you saying he’s involved in human trafficking?”

  “Exactly that,” Viper tells me. “The Ledger family has created the biggest and most profitable human trafficking ring on this side of the fucking globe, and Mason stands at the head of it.”

  My face falls. “No. No, that can’t be right. I would have known if Crew was involved in something like that.”

  “Why do you think he never told you who his brother was, huh? He wanted to protect you from that part of his life, keep you hidden from it. He knew exactly what his brother would have done to such a beautiful young thing like you. For a long time, he resisted working with his brother, but over the past year, he started to take on more of an executive kind of role.”

  “No, you’re lying.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you, Kyah, especially not about something like this.”

  My heart races, and my whole world flips upside down. He has to be lying. I would have known if Crew was involved in something like that. In those last few days, he was an asshole, but I knew his heart beneath that, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. I would fucking know.

  I shake my head, my chest heaving. “I . . . I . . .” My words fall away, not knowing what to say, but the proof is right there in the way Mason cornered me last night. “I don’t understand how he could do something like that.”