"You've been watching the yard.Any cars parked on the street that don't belong?"I kept my voice level as I moved toward the bar where I'd left my cut, sliding it on with one hand while keeping the phone pressed to my ear.
"No, nothing like that.The neighborhood looks normal.Just...the silence.The movement in the trees.And—" she hesitated again.
"And what, Ophelia?"I pressed, signals firing through my system, readying for action.
"I can feel it, Cruz."She'd started using my real name more often, a sign of the growing trust between us."Someone's watching us.I'm certain of it."
That was enough for me.In my world, you didn't question when someone you trusted said they felt eyes on them.You moved.
“You see anyone?A face, a figure, anything?"I signaled to Loch, who immediately picked up on my change in demeanor and set down his pool cue.
"No.Nothing concrete."The frustration in her voice told me she wished she had more to give me.
"Any strange sounds?Cars idling too long?Someone walking past the house multiple times?"I grabbed my keys from behind the bar, checking the gun holstered at my hip automatically.
"No, nothing like that.I'm sorry, I—"
"Don't apologize," I cut her off, already mapping the fastest route home in my head."Get inside.Lock every door, every window.I'm ten minutes out."
"Okay."One word, but I heard the relief in it—relief that I believed her without question, that I wasn't dismissing her concerns or making her justify her fear.
"Stay on the phone until you're inside," I instructed, moving toward the door with purposeful strides.Loch fell in beside me, questions in his eyes but smart enough not to interrupt.
"We're going in now," she said, her voice changing as she turned her attention to Dante.I heard her mention a race inside, her tone forced into bright cheerfulness.
"Good.Text me when you're locked down."I waited until I heard the sliding door close, her breathing slightly elevated from the quick movement.
"We're in.I'll text you."She disconnected.
I shoved the phone into my pocket, turning to find Loch, Socket, and J.D.already gathered around me, reading the situation from my body language.
"Ophelia thinks someone's watching the house," I said without preamble, moving to the weapons locker in the back room."Might be nothing.Might be her ex or his people finally tracking her down."
"How many bikes you want?"Socket asked immediately, already reaching for his cut.
"Three.You, me, Loch."I pulled out my backup piece, checking the magazine before tucking it into my ankle holster."J.D., call Mustang.Let him know what's happening."
I didn't need to explain further.The prospect nodded, already pulling out his phone.The beauty of the club—when it worked right—was this immediate response to a brother's need.No questions, no debate, just action.
"Her ex is connected, right?"Loch asked, strapping on his own sidearm."Cops, judges?"
"Yeah."My jaw tightened as I grabbed extra magazines."Which means we need to be smart.No cowboy shit.We check the perimeter, secure the house, get eyes on any potential surveillance."
My movements were controlled, efficient, but inside, rage burned hot and dangerous.The thought of someone watching Ophelia and Dante, stalking them, calculating how to take them—it awakened the primal violence I'd kept carefully leashed for years.The cold, analytical part of me stepped back, making room for the predator that lived in all of us who wore the cut.
"If we find someone?"Socket asked, his voice low as we headed for our bikes.
"We have a conversation."My face must have shown what kind of conversation I had in mind, because Socket's eyes widened slightly before he nodded.
Outside, the afternoon sun hit my face as I mounted my Harley, the familiar vibration of the engine doing nothing to calm the storm building inside me.One week.We'd had one week to build a life that finally felt like a real family, and already the past was reaching for them with greedy hands.
Not today.Not ever.
My phone buzzed with Ophelia's text—a simple "We're secure"—as I pulled out of the lot, Loch and Socket flanking me.Ten minutes.In ten minutes I'd be home, and God help anyone who thought they could threaten what was mine.
Ophelia
"Race you inside, baby!"I called to Dante, injecting false brightness into my voice as I stood from the sandbox."Last one in is a hungry shark!"My son's eyes lit up at the challenge, his small body immediately abandoning his sandcastle as he scrambled to his feet.I made sure to let him win, my eyes scanning the tree line one last time as he giggled his way through the sliding glass door.My hands didn't shake until we were both inside, until I'd closed the door behind us and reached for the lock.Then the tremor started, a fine vibration in my fingers that I hid by clenching them into a fist as I pressed my back against the cool glass.
