Mason clears his throat, quiet but sharp enough to cut the room still. “We’ve got a situation getting worse by the day.” His gaze sweeps the table. “Those college kids are selling drugs in our club and our town. It’s moving through Perdition fast. Too clean. Their too organized for street punks.”
Tank nods once. “We’ve had two overdoses this week. High-grade product. Stronger than anything we’ve seen around here before.”
“And they aren’t operating alone,” Rev adds. “Someone with real connections is backing them. Probably thinks we’re too distracted to notice or we wouldn’t think twice about college punks selling in our town.”
A humorless laugh comes out of me. “They picked the wrong damn town.”
Mason shifts his stare to me. “What’s been going down at Perdition?”
“Same group sniffing around for weeks,” I say. “Entitled assholes with daddy’s money and no survival instinct. They think if they throw enough cash around, no one’s gonna check the package it came in.” My jaw tightens. “They’re not here to party. They’ve been testing the boundaries.”
“And the boundaries of this club don’t move,” Switch snaps, voice sharp as a blade.
He’s not wrong. But that edge in his tone? Has nothing to do with drugs. He’s been watching me. Watching Bri. Watching the way I react when someone so much as glances at her. That tension’s been building too long to ignore.
“They’re pushing their luck,” Mason says. “We need to figure out who’s backing them and send a message. One clear enough they won’t come back.”
Dagger cracks his knuckles. “My favorite kind of message.”
“We handle it calculated,” Mason counters. “Eyes everywhere this weekend. No solo acts. No explosions. Not yet.”
I nod. “Got it.”
That should end the meeting. But Mason’s stare doesn’t move. It lingers until the shift in the room clicks into place like a loaded round chambering. His tone drops lower. “Now. Blade. You ready to tell us what’s going on with Bri?”
Chairs creak as heads swivel toward me. Rev’s grin spreads slow and wicked. Tank leans forward like he’s got popcorn. Piston mutters “finally.” Even Dagger looks almost entertained. Switch? He’s already standing. Shoulders broad and ready for war.
I sit up straighter and decide I’m done dancing around this. I’m done pretending she doesn’t matter. “No bullshit. Bri’s mine.”
The reaction is instant. Rev throws his fists up. Tank barks a laugh. Piston nods like he saw this coming a mile away. Even Dagger’s expression shifts to something like approval. Switch on the other hand stalks around the table. He stops right in front of me and stares me down. “You show up with her on the back of your bike,” he says, voice low and sharp. “You kiss her in front of all of us. You walked her in like she’s under your protection.
I stand toe to to with him, close and unmoving as I give him a hard stare. “She is.”
“You sure you wanna say that out loud?” he asks, low and dangerous.
I don’t even blink. “Pretty fucking sure. I’m making Bri my old lady.”
Silence detonates and then chaos floods in. Rev punches my arm. Tank whoops loud enough to shake the walls. Piston startsplanning drinks for a claim party. The room shifts from shocked to celebratory in a heartbeat.
Except Switch. He just looks at me. Measuring every inch of my intent. Every flaw. Every past mistake. Finally, he sticks out his hand. I take it. Tight and steady. “You hurt her,” he says, voice just for me, “and I’ll bury you under this shop. I don’t care if you’re my best friend or not.”
“Fair,” I reply without hesitation. “But I won’t. Ever.”
His shoulders drop a fraction.
Mason lifts his beer and gives me that rare nod of approval. “To Blade and Bri.”
“To Blade and Bri,” the guys echo, bottles clinking loud and proud.
Something deep inside me, welded shut for years, finally unlocks. The noise around the table returns to chaotic normal, but none of it touches me. My entire focus is already outside this room. On her.
As soon as we adjourn, I’m on my feet, helmet in hand. Mason claps my shoulder. “Go check on your girl.”
I nod and head out. I swing my leg over my bike, engine rumbling alive beneath me. The vibration churns through me like purpose and fire. I’m not questioning. I’m not second-guessing. I’m not running. I’m riding straight toward the one thing I want more than anything.
Bri’s mine. I’m hers. And if anyone’s got a problem with that, they can take their shot. Face to face. Tonight I claimed her to my brothers. Next, I claim her to her face.
I shoot Bri a text.
