Page 57 of The Ache That Stayed

I tapped the side of the helmet.

“They’re connected with Bluetooth. So try not to scream in my ear.”

“Relax,” she replied. “This isn’t my first ride.”

I smirked. “First one with me though.”

“And?” she rolled her eyes.

“That makes it different.”

She moved toward the bike; that’s when I heard it. An engine rolling slowly onto the road outside the gates. Too slow to be normal traffic.

The road outside the gates was usually busy at this hour. Delivery vans. Workers leaving. Someone always passing through.

A black SUV turned through the entrance and crawled toward us before stopping a few yards away. Roxanne stilled beside the bike. Something about the quiet felt off. The back of my neck prickled.

Three men stepped out wearing all-black suits. The bigger one cracked his neck and smiled when he saw me.

“Finally caught up to you.”

Great. Just what my evening needed.

“Boss sent us for payback,” the other one said.

I shrugged.

“I won fair and square. Not my fault your boss doesn’t know how to bet on the right man.”

The bigger man stepped forward. Up close, I recognised him immediately—Big Bob’s brother. I’d seen him at the ring. Same thick neck. Same ugly temper.

“You remember my brother?” His mouth twisted.

I scrunched my nose. “Hard to forget. He screamed a lot.”

His smile vanished. “You bastard.”

His friend stopped him. Then his eyes slid toward Roxanne.

“Well,” he said slowly, “until we get the money… we’ll just take this one as compensation.”

My entire body went cold.

Then he lunged. My fist cracked against his jaw hard enough to spin him sideways into the gravel. The second guy came fast. Sloppy. Too angry to think. Too stupid to be afraid.

I caught him by the throat before he could swing again.

One sharp twist. A wet crack split through the air. His body dropped instantly. Dead weight.

Roxanne sucked in a breath behind me.

The third guy froze. Smart. Fear finally caught up to him.

“If you even step toward her,” I warned, “I’ll rip your arm out of the socket and beat you with it.”

I grabbed Roxanne’s wrist. “Hop on.”

She didn’t argue. Didn’t even hesitate. Just swung onto the bike behind me.