Chill taps the table. “So tomorrow, Hunter, Rattler, and I will accompany Bianca, Viper, Zara, and Tony? How many ways in and out of the loft? Do we have enough to cover them?”
“There is a freight elevator that’s the primary way in,” Arson says. “There is also a stairwell. I took a look around the place earlier, and those are the only two entrances I found.”
“Okay, we should be good, then. Hunter and Rattler can stand guard at the entrances. I’ll walk the space. Viper and Bianca can focus on their roles.”
Zara is splitting her attention between Chill and Tony. She smiles at the progress of her two newest models, but she doesn’t ignore the seriousness of the situation. When we first brought her here, I worried. Worried she’d see too much. That the clubhouse would intimidate her. That the weight of what’s coming with the Bushrangers would crack that confident exterior. But she’s solid.
She listens when Chrome and Chill discuss security. She asks smart questions. She doesn’t flinch when Randy mentions visiting CPD in the morning.
Randy wipes his mouth with a napkin. “I’ll swing by the Twelfth District first thing. You mentioned having a contact there, so I’ll check with him. You said he’s aware of the situation with the Bushrangers?”
Chrome nods once. “Detective Dyson Teller, he’s Torque’s brother. He knows we suspect trouble from them, but he doesn’t know all the details. I told him Bush rode with them back in Adelaide before moving here. Knowing Dyson, he probably did some research and knows more by now. However, he won’t file an official report unless we ask him to.”
Tony falls back into his chair, as do Viper and Bianca. Rattler pulls Bianca close to kiss her temple and whisper in her ear. Her giggle speaks volumes.
“Tomorrow is going to be amazing,” Tony says, lifting his beer bottle and tipping it towards Viper and Bianca. “You both are going to add some spice to the show! You’re the perfect models for Zara and me. Our styles are different, but both need strong women to display them.”
“Our pleasure,” Viper says, tipping her beer in response. “I can’t wait to see what you two created.”
I slide my hand over Zara’s knee under the table, squeezing once. She glances at me, and for a second, the noise around us fades. There’s pride in her gaze—but there’s something else too. Gratitude.
Hunter leans forward. “What about show night?”
Tony grins. “Controlled chaos. Lights, music, packed house. Buyers, bloggers, influencers. If everything goes right, we celebrate. If it goes wrong…” He shrugs. “We pretend it didn’t.”
Zara bumps her shoulder against Tony’s. “It won’t go wrong.” The certainty in her voice makes my chest tighten. I like her confidence.
“Not the show,” Hunter says, shaking his head. “I don’t doubt that it will go off without a hitch. I was asking about security. Are we bringing in more men?”
Chrome nods. “Yeah, we’ll be there in force. I’ll assign men outside, too. They’ll stay out of the way, but I don’t want to take risks since there will be a crowd.”
As they drink, I watch her laugh, watch her thank them, watch her talk easily with Bianca about fabrics and with Viper about posture, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
She belongs here.
I grin as I watch her face glow with happiness. She’s all grown up, and she grew up into a gorgeous woman. Something shifts inside me as my mind catches up to my heart. She’s no longer a fifteen-year-old child, but a stunning woman. I hadn’t thought of her since the day I left Australia, but now that she’s here in Chicago, I can’t stop thinking about her. Sitting in my clubhouse with her at my side feels right. In fact, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve struggled since moving to the States. I always felt like a visitor, but tonight, I feel like I’m home.
Since my eyes are on Zara, I see the yawn she tries to hide. Leaning over, I whisper into her ear.
“You’re exhausted. Ready for bed?”
I can tell she wants to argue, but she can’t deny that she’s exhausted. It’s been a long, stressful, and chaotic day. It’s finally caught up to her.
“I am tired,” she admits.
I stand and help her up, but Chrome gets our attention.
“We didn’t have enough rooms, so we had to do some shuffling,” he says. “Tony’s in Zara’s room.”
I freeze and glance at Tony, who seems okay with the arrangement. Glancing at Zara, she shrugs. “That’s fine. We’ve shared before.”
I know Tony isn’t romantically interested in Zara, but the thought of her sleeping with him has me clutching my hands into fists.
I follow Zara up the stairs to the top floor. When we reach my room, I stop her by putting my hand on her arm. She turns to me with a questioning look.
“Are you okay sleeping with Tony?”
She shrugs. “He’s not interested in me that way, so it’s fine. I get that you have a full house.”
