Page 3 of Cole

“I’m afraid the only card I have for you is this one,” I said evenly, despite the immense fury roaring in my gut. I slid the plain black business card across the table, hoping that my father might not recognize it.

Maybe my plans could still come true. Maybe the Pres of the Harbor Hounds going to jail could mean the end of it, and I could make my escape. I’d run the auto shop, and do my woodwork, find someone to love, have a family. Maybe I could still choose my life, instead of it choosing me.

But my father’s face crumpled at the sight of the business card, and I knew…

I was never, ever getting out.

“It was never meant to get to the point that it did,” he said, swiping at damp eyes. Prison had done a number on Frank Bailey. He was defeated, and with all his shit being dragged out into the light, he had nowhere to hide.

“How much?” I asked in a dead tone. Maybe I’d be dead from now on. A dead man walking, at least. The MC life either got you killed, or thrown behind bars.

“Too much. Too much to pay back. With the interest.” Frank swore and swiped at his eyes again.

“How long you been borrowing?”

“Decades,” Frank admitted. “I should have known The Lion was the type to come after families. That fucker would stoop to any low to keep the Hounds on his chain. He took Beatie to send a message, and now he’s looking for a new one.”

“Took Beatie?” I repeated. Beatie’s death had weighed on me every single day since it happened. “The Lion was responsible for Beatie?”

My father just nodded. I pulled my rage together enough to get words out.

“The Lion,” I asked. “Who is he?”

Frank sighed. “A dangerous man, well connected, really fucking rich. The kind you see at a country club. The last person you’d think would make their money running guns, but maybe that’s the point. People like you and me are easy to accuse. One look at us, and the jury, pigs, and people alike make up their minds.”

Did it hurt that my dad already assigned me to the same fate as himself? Maybe, if I allowed my heart to feel anything other than cold resolve.

“Well, whoever this country club fucker is… this card was delivered with a photo of Marcus attached.”

Frank shook his head. “Same old tactics, then.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, they used you against me, and now they use your little brother against you.” Frank mulled it over a moment and then seemed to collect himself.

“Anyway, why does it matter that much? You inherited the MC. You were hardly going to shut down my legacy. So, you take less of a cut on some deals, and pay off the interest on the debt. Live with it, like I did. Life won’t change that much.”

A chuckle left me, unbidden. Frank flinched.

The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. My father looked bewildered as my laugher continued. Fate had a funny way of fucking you, just when you finally had a sliver of hope. Destiny was really a sadist, at the end of the day.

“Yeah, you’re right.” I finished laughing as reality hit hard. “Life won’t change that much.”

And that was exactly the problem.

one

ISABELLE

Now

My ass was sweating. Literally. I could tell because the pleather mini I’d shimmied into earlier was stuck to my thighs like it was superglued. Great. That was the look every guy went for, right?

I wiped at the sweat beading my upper lip, and smacked my lips together. Hoping I hadn’t sweated my lipstick off. Dark red lips were about the most rock-and-roll thing I had going on right now.

I slammed the door of my car, parked at the very edge of the lot, and crunched across the gravel toward the bar, trying not to look too much like a baby deer in my unfamiliar heeled boots. Walking in heels was a skill I’d yet to master.

The Clutch was lit up like a Christmas ornament against the dark highway in the background. Bikes were lined up at the front, shiny and well loved. Around the back, I knew that there was a mechanic’s shop. Tonight, the bar was busy. The lot was nearly full, and music spilled out from the swinging doors as people came and went. Something low and sexy, with a soulful voice enticing passersby inside.