Violet I was practically buzzing with excitement as I drove home. I had just picked up my third-anniversary gift for my husband, Paul—a Camaro. He'd wanted this car for a long time. I'd caught him looking at it more times than I could count. Either scrolling through pictures on his phone or pulling up listings on his laptop. What Paul didn't know was that I'd spent the last year working a second job at night just so I could buy it for him. He thought I was putting the extra money away for when we eventually had children. We both knew kids were expensive, so he'd never questioned why I was working so much. I couldn't wait to see his face. I'd even bought one of those ridiculously huge bows to put on the hood. Pulling into our driveway, I looked at our little house and smiled. It wasn't anything fancy, and we'd eventually need something bigger if we had children, but it was ours. And I loved it. I climbed out of the Camaro, grabbed the giant bow from the trunk, and carefully placed it on the hood. Perfect. Paul had texted me earlier saying he wasn't feeling well and had left work early. I felt bad that he was sick, especially on our anniversary, but at least his present might brighten his day. I walked inside. The living room was quiet. "Paul?" Nothing. He'd probably gone to bed. I made my way toward the back of the house and quietly opened our bedroom door. I froze. My cousin Stella was n@ked, riding my husband in our bed. For several seconds, I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't even comprehend what I was seeing. Then something inside me snapped. "Yeah, I can see you're sick." My voice shook. "It must be terminal." Both of their heads whipped toward me. Stella scrambled off Paul with a startled shriek and grabbed the sheet. While Paul practically fell over himself trying to find his boxers. "Violet, baby, it's not what it looks like." I stared at him. "Oh, really?" My voice rose. "Because it looks like my cousin was riding your di'ck. Am I seeing that wrong?" "Vi—" I turned around. I couldn't stay in that room. I couldn't look at either of them. Tears burned my eyes as I headed for the door, but Paul caught my arm. "Please, baby. We can talk about this." I ripped my gaze toward him. "Let go of me." "Yeah, Vi," Stella added from behind us. "It was an honest accident." I slowly turned toward her. "An accident?" Stella pulled the sheet tighter around herself. Something inside me shattered. "I defended you." Her face changed. "Every time the family talked about you, I defended you." "Every time they said you'd never amount to anything or called you a wh0re because you slept around, I stood up for you." " Even to your own sister." "Violet—" "No." Tears spilled down my cheeks. "I defended you because I thought you deserved a chance. I thought everyone was judging you unfairly." I looked between my cousin and my husband. Apparently, I was the fool. "Now I see you're exactly who they said you were." Stella flinched. I turned back to Paul and yanked my arm from his grip. "Happy anniversary, honey." Paul's face went blank. Then realization hit. "f'k-!" He'd forgotten. Of course, he had. I walked out of the house, marched straight to the Camaro, and ripped the giant bow off the hood. Paul followed me outside, still pulling his shirt over his head. "Whose car is this?" I stopped. Of everything that had just happened, that was what caught his attention? "Mine." His eyes widened. I opened the driver's door. "It was going to be yours. Happy anniversary." Paul stared at the Camaro like I'd just kicked him in the chest. "But now it's not." "Violet, wait—" I climbed inside and slammed the door. The engine roared to life. "Violet!" I backed out of the driveway and hit the gas. Within two minutes, my phone started ringing. Paul. Decline. It rang again. Decline. Tears streamed down my face as I drove. I didn't know where I was going. I only knew I needed to get away. Paul f'k-. All I'd wanted was to f'k- Stella once and get her out of my system. I'd wanted her since the wedding. She'd worn this tight purple dress that hugged every curve, and I'd thought about her more times than I wanted to admit. I knew it was wrong. Violet was my wife. But I'd tried ignoring it, and that shift hadn't worked. Not long after, Violet started working nights, supposedly so we could save money before having kids. Stella stopped by the house to drop off some keys. Her sister was going out of town, and they'd asked Violet to check on the place. They trusted Violet. Everyone did. Stella had always been the irresponsible one in her family, but my sweet Violet defended her constantly. That first night, one thing led to another. Stella and I fked. It should've ended there. It didn't. We started hooking up at least once a week. Sometimes I felt guilty. Violet was busting her @ss working two jobs because she thought we were building a future together. While I was having fun with her cousin behind her back. But I never thought she'd find out. Now she had. And I'd forgotten our fking anniversary. Then I walked outside and saw the Camaro. My dream car. Violet had bought my fking dream car. For me. And just as quickly as I'd realized it was supposed to be mine, she drove away in it. "Oh God. What are we going to do?" I turned toward Stella. She was crying. I didn't have time for this shift. I went back into the bedroom and searched through the clothes scattered across the floor until I found my jeans and pulled my phone out of the pocket. I called Violet. No answer. I tried again. Nothing. "Are you listening to me, Paul?" I looked at Stella. "Shut the hll up, Stella. We never should've started this shift." Her mouth dropped open. "My cousin hates me now!" "Yeah, because you slept with her husband!" "You slept with me too!" I dialed Violet again. Voicemail. "You knew exactly what you were doing," I snapped. "So did you! You wanted me. I saw the way you looked at me at the wedding." I glared at her. She wasn't wrong. That only pissed me off more. "Get out." "What?" "Get the fk out, Stella." "Paul—" "Now. I don't give a flying f'k- where you go. Just get out." I tried Violet again. She had to come back. I could fix this. I had to. Violet I'd been driving for more than an hour. My phone wouldn't stop ringing. Calls. Texts. More calls. I refused to look at any of them. There was nothing Paul could say that I wanted to hear. I'm divorcing him. The thought should have terrified me. Instead, it felt like the only thing I was certain of. I pressed harder on the gas. My phone rang again. "Just stop!" I glanced down for only a second. When I looked back up, my light was green. I entered the intersection. Headlights suddenly appeared from my left. Too fast. My eyes widened. The other vehicle blew straight through the red light. There wasn't enough time to react. Metal slammed into metal. My body jrked violently against the seat belt as the Camaro spun. Pain exploded through my head when it struck the frame. Then everything went black.

Doom "f'k-!" Metal screamed as I plowed straight into another cage. I blew the fking red light. I was too busy getting my @ss out of a shift situation, and now I had an even bigger one on my hands. The other cage tipped onto its side and skidded across the pavement. "shift!" I slammed to a stop and stared through the windshield. This was the last fking thing I needed. Then I saw liquid leaking from the other vehicle. Gas. "f'k-." I ran a hand down my face and got out. Normally, I wouldn't stick around for this shift. But we were in a secluded area, and whoever was in that cage didn't have anyone else coming to help them. I couldn't call the cops either. Not with the product I had in my vehicle. I ran toward the overturned Camaro and looked through the window. A woman hung unconscious from her seat belt. "shift." Blood ran down the side of her face. I grabbed my phone and called my VP. "Steed." "Doom?" "Need a van, Doc, and two tow trucks at my location. Now." "What happened?" "I blew a fking light and hit a cage. Woman inside is unconscious." "Ambulance?" "Can't involve the cops. I've got product in my cage." There was a brief silence. "We're coming." I ended the call and shoved my phone back into my pocket. The smell of gas was getting stronger. I busted out what remained of the window. "Lady?" Nothing. I reached inside and tapped her cheek. "Lady, can you hear me?" No response. At least she was breathing. I pulled my knife from my pocket and reached through the broken window. "All right, woman. Let's get your @ss out of here." I cut through the seat belt and caught her as her body dropped. Carefully maneuvering her through the window, I pulled her against my chest and carried her away from the Camaro. One spark and the whole Dam thing could go up. Once we were far enough away, I lowered her onto the grass. "Come on, lady." I tapped her cheek again. "Wake up." Nothing. Her chest continued to rise and fall, but she was completely out. "f'k-." I dragged a hand through my hair. This shift needed to get cleared up before someone came along and called the cops. Thankfully, my brothers didn't take long. Two tow trucks arrived first, followed by a van carrying Steed and Doc. "Doc!" I shouted from the grass. "Woman needs you." Doc hurried over and dropped beside her. "Was she awake at all?" "No." He c*********r pulse before looking over the wound on her head. "She's breathing fine." "No shift." Doc shot me an irritated look before carefully examining her. "Need to get her back to the clubhouse so I can take a better look at her." I nodded and bent down. "Careful," Doc warned. "Her shoulder's dislocated." I looked at it. Sure as shift. I carefully slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her. She was fking tiny. Especially in my arms. I carried her to the van and laid her down as carefully as I could. "Get this shift off the road," Steed ordered the brothers. Then he looked at me. "Head back too, Doom." My eyes narrowed. "I'm the one who gives the orders around here, Steed." "Yeah, yeah." He pointed at my face. "Your @ss still needs to be checked. You've got one hll of a bruise forming." I reached up. My fingers came away with blood. Huh. Hadn't even noticed. Adrenaline was a bltch. Violet Pain. That was the first thing I noticed. My entire body hurt. I slowly opened my eyes and tried to move. Bad idea. A g***n escaped me. " You all right there, woman?" My eyes snapped toward the deep voice. A massive man was leaning over me. And by massive, I meant massive. "Oh, f'k-. It's the Mountain from Game of Thrones." The man's l**s twitched. My eyes widened. Oh no. I'd said that out loud. "I think I'm $exier than that fker." Heat rushed into my cheeks. "Oh, cra'ap." I tried to cover my face, only for pain to shoot through my arm. I hissed. "Calm your @ss down," the giant ordered. I stared up at him. He had to be close to seven feet tall. He wasn't just big either. The man had muscles on top of muscles, but somehow it didn't look ridiculous on his massive frame. His brown hair was cut short, and his eyes were this strange, beautiful grayish blue. There were scratches across his face and a bruise forming along one side. I glanced down at the black shirt beneath his leather vest, then back at him. "I'm sorry. Are you a doctor?" His eyebrow rose. "Nah, woman. Doc's checking your films." I looked around. I appeared to be lying in some kind of small clinic. "Where am I?" "My club." I frowned. "I'm having Doc check your @ss out," he added. My heart started beating faster. "How do you know me?" "Don't." That wasn't reassuring. "I'm the one who hit you." My eyes widened. "Then why didn't you call an ambulance?" "Couldn't involve the cops." My heart rate kicked up another notch. "Wha—what do you mean?" "Relax, lady. Nothing's gonna happen to you." Easy for him to say. "Cops aren't getting involved. Once your @ss is up for it, we'll talk. Until then, you need to chill." I stared at the enormous stranger. "So, just to be clear, I'm not being held against my will?" "No." "I'm just getting checked by your doctor?" "Yeah." "And if I had the strength, I could walk out of here?" His expression didn't change. "You've got my word. Though I doubt your @ss is in any shape to fking move right now." He leaned a little closer. "No one's gonna t***h you here." Something about the certainty in his voice settled some of my panic. Which probably wasn't smart. I didn't know this man. Still, I believed him. "Can I have some water, please?" "Yeah." He grabbed a glass and held it to my l**s. I took a few slow sips before signaling that I'd had enough. "Thanks." He set it aside. "I'm Violet." If I'd apparently been kidnapped by a giant biker after he crashed into me, I could at least be polite about it. "Doom." I blinked. "Doom?" "Yeah." "As in...you'll meet your doom?" His mouth twitched again. "Meaning if you piss me off, you'll meet your Doom." I slowly nodded. "Got it. Don't piss off the Mountain." Silence. Why did I keep saying these things? "I am so sorry." I closed my eyes. "Seriously, I have no idea why I'm saying this stuff. I must've hit my head really hard." "You're pretty ballsy." I opened one eye. "I'm usually not this rude." Doom merely nodded. Then his expression changed. "That Fucker's been blowing up your Dam phone." My stomach dropped. For a few blissful minutes, I'd forgotten. "Apologizing for being a piece of shift," Doom added. I winced. "Yeah, I doubt he means it." Doom's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure he just wants his gift back." "What gift?" I glanced away. "The car you hit." Doom stared at me. "It was supposed to be his third-anniversary present." His eyebrows pulled together. "I worked nights for a year to buy it for him." I hated how much my voice shook. "Then I came home today and found him in our bed with my cousin." A tear escaped before I could stop it. Doom immediately looked uncomfortable. "Come on, woman. I can't see your @ss crying. Stop that shift." I stared at him. "Considering I found my husband with my cousin in our bed on our third wedding anniversary." "Then you hit me with your vehicle, I think I've earned a couple of tears." Doom considered that. "Say the word and I'll order a beat down." I blinked. Was he serious? Something told me he absolutely was. "I owe your @ss," he added. Despite everything, the corner of my mouth almost lifted. "Thanks." The door opened before either of us could say anything else. An older biker walked in. Gray hair, gray beard, brown eyes. I noticed the name on his vest. DOC. "Well, good to see your @ss awake." "That makes two of us." He came closer and began checking me over. "Need pain meds?" "Yes, please. Everything hurts." Doc walked over to a locked box and punched in a code before removing a bottle. "Percocet. With what you've got going on, you're gonna need two." I nodded. Doom handed me the water again while Doc gave me the pills. I swallowed them. I wasn't entirely sure why I trusted these men. Technically, they'd brought me here unconscious without my permission. Yet when Doom told me no one would t***h me, I'd believed him. The man was dangerous. I didn't need to know anything about motorcycle clubs to figure that out. Danger practically radiated off him. The door suddenly opened again. A blonde woman walked in wearing little more than a bra and a pair of incredibly short shorts. I blinked. Okay. Apparently, clothing was optional around here. She walked straight to Doom and pressed herself against him. "Baby, I want to give you a blowjjjob." My eyes immediately went anywhere but at them. Well, this was awkward. "Your @ss doesn't fking approach me, June." Doom growled. "I approach your @ss when I want something." Doc continued examining me as though absolutely nothing unusual had happened. I stared determinedly at the opposite wall. What the hll had I gotten myself into?

Doom I had to admit, the pretty little thing had a mouth on her. I found that shift fking hilarious. Nobody talked to me that way. Most people took one look at my size and my patch and got the hll out of my way. Women like Violet especially tended to keep their distance. Not her. She'd called me the fking Mountain. More than once. Then apologized every Dam time like she couldn't believe the words had come out of her own mouth. She blamed the concussion. Maybe she was right. Didn't make it any less entertaining. I left the clinic and headed into the clubhouse. June was sitting there sulking like a godаm child. That shift pissed me off all over again. I stormed toward her. "Doom—" "You listen to me." Her mouth snapped shut. "You're a fking club wh0re, June." "You're not my woman, and you sure as shift don't get to open your mouth to my guest or step toward her like you're gonna put your hands on her." "She insulted me." "Don't give a f'k-." June's face tightened. "That woman is here because of me." "I put her in that clinic. That makes her my responsibility until Doc clears her." "While she's under my roof, nobody fks with her." I stepped closer. "Stay in your fking lane, June. I won't tell your @ss again." June lowered her eyes. "Yes, Prez." "On your knees." Her eyes immediately came back to mine. She knew what I expected. This wasn't affection, and June Dam well knew it. This was me reminding her exactly where she stood. My Ol' Lady would never be treated like this. A woman wearing my property patch would have my respect, my protection, and a place beside me. Not on her knees in the middle of the clubhouse. June wasn't my Ol' Lady. She was a club girl who had just forgotten the difference. "Take care of me." Message fking received. Violet When I woke again, the room was quiet. For a moment, I didn't know where I was. Then everything came rushing back. Paul. Stella. The Camaro. The accident. The Mountain. I g*****d. Still painful, but at least now it was manageable. I reached for the water beside the bed and took a slow sip. Doc walked in a few seconds later. "Yep. Figured your @ss would be waking up about now. How are you feeling?" "Like I got hit by a vehicle." Doc snorted. "Fair." "But the pain's manageable." I noticed my left arm was now secured in a sling. I shifted, trying to sit up. "Whoa." Doc moved toward me. "Slow your @ss down. Where are you going?" "I need to use the restroom." I probably didn't need to be embarrassed, but I was. Doc helped me sit up, which I appreciated more than I wanted to admit. The room tilted slightly. "Easy, Flower." I stopped. "Flower?" "Your name's Violet." I stared at him. "That's actually kind of cute." Doc grunted. "Don't tell anybody." He helped me to my feet. "With that concussion, you need to take it easy. Call me when you're done." "I will." I slowly made my way into the restroom. Afterward, I washed my hands and finally looked into the mirror. Yikes. I had several small cuts on my face, a bandage along the side of my head, and bruises already beginning to show. I looked like I'd been through hll. Considering my day, that seemed appropriate. "Doc?" He walked in and found me holding onto the sink. "Come on, Flower. Let's get your @ss back in bed." He helped me back toward the clinic bed. "Um, Doc?" "Yeah?" "Not to sound ungrateful, because I really do appreciate everything you've done." But could I have my phone? I can call my brother and ask him to come get me. Then I'll be out of your hair." "Prez's orders. Your @ss doesn't leave until you're better." I frowned. "But Doom said if I could walk out, I could leave." Doc laughed. "Flower, you can barely walk to the bathroom without holding onto something." Fair point. "We're not holding you against your will. We're making sure you're good before you go anywhere." I bit my l*p. "Okay. Can I at least call my brother? He'll worry." Doc considered me for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Just don't do anything stubid." "I'll try." He handed me my phone. My eyes widened. Fifty text messages. Around thirty missed calls. Most were from Paul. I ignored every single one and called my older brother. Ethan answered after two rings. "Baby sis, where are you?" "I'm at a small clinic right now." "What?" "I was in a car accident." "What the fk? Where?" I winced and moved the phone slightly away from my ear. "I'm not entirely sure." "How the hll are you not sure where you are?" "It's complicated." Ethan wasn't going to like that answer. My brother was a woodworker—and one of the best I'd ever seen. People from several states approached him for custom pieces. He was normally pretty laid-back. Until something happened to me. "I'm fine," I assured him. "I promise. Please calm down." "Why the hll is your husband calling me looking for you?" I closed my eyes. Here we go. "He slept with Stella." Silence. "In our bed," I added. "I found them when I came home with his anniversary gift." Ethan exploded. I pulled the phone away as my brother cursed so creatively that even Doc raised an eyebrow. Eventually, I put it back to my ear. "You finished?" "No." "Okay." "I'll put that аs hole through a wood chipper." A small laugh escaped me. Doc looked over. "Yeah, well, he got to see his anniversary gift for about two minutes before I backed it out of the driveway." "What did you get him?" "A Camaro." "You bought that аs hole a Camaro?" "Apparently, I bought myself a Camaro." That got a laugh out of him. "Then I crashed it." Ethan stopped laughing. "Seriously, V. Are you okay?" The humor disappeared from my face. "In pain. Tired. And..." I swallowed. "I'm hurt, Ethan. Not just physically." "I know, baby sis." "But I'm okay." "You sure?" "No. But I will be." There was a pause. "Can you call Naomi for me?" "Yeah." "Tell her she was right about her sister. I should've listened." Ethan sighed. "V—" "I know." "I'll call her." "Thanks." "Tell me where you are as soon as you figure it out. I'll come get your @ss." "I will." We said goodbye, and I ended the call. I looked at Doc. "See? No information given. Just the basics." He nodded and held out his hand. I gave him the phone. "Trust me," he said. "I've seen a few of those fucker's messages. Don't read that horseshit." "I wasn't planning to." Doc studied me. "You're not putting up much of a fight about staying here." "Not really." His eyebrows rose. "There's no point. You guys haven't hurt me. You've actually helped me." I adjusted the sling. "Plus, I'd prefer not to piss off the Mountain. The man looks like he could make someone die of fear just by staring at them." Doc burst out laughing. I frowned. "What?" His eyes moved toward the doorway. My stomach dropped. Oh no. I slowly looked over. Doom stood there. "Glad you're smart enough to read the situation." My eyes widened. "cra'ap." Doc laughed harder. "I didn't mean that as an insult," I rushed out. "It's more like...a factual observation." Doom stared at me. "Still not trying to be rude." Nothing. I sighed. "I'm just going to shut up now." Doom gave a single nod. "Probably smart." Doc was still laughing. Doom stepped farther into the room. "Ready for that talk?" I nodded. He came to stand beside the bed. I tipped my head back. And back. And— Ow. "Before we start, could you please sit down?" Doom's eyebrow rose. "Why?" "Because looking up at you hurts my n**k. You're really tall." Doc looked between us like this was the most entertaining thing he'd seen all week. Doom pulled over a chair and sat. "Better?" "Much. Thank you." His expression became serious. "What happened today didn't happen." I listened. "You tell anyone about that accident, you won't like the outcome. As Far as anybody's concerned, someone hit your @ss and ran." I nodded. "Understand?" Another nod. "Words, Violet." I jumped slightly. "Yeah, I understand. Relax." Doom's eyes narrowed. I probably shouldn't have told the giant biker to relax. Again. "I won't tell anyone." "Good." I thought about the Camaro. Then shrugged. "I'll just tell people it was revenge." Doom frowned. "What?" "For my soon-to-be ex." His eyebrow lifted. "I'll tell everyone I smashed the car he'd always wanted because I caught him sleeping with my cousin." For several seconds, Doom simply stared at me. Then the corner of his mouth moved. "That's fked up." "Maybe." I settled carefully against the pillow. "But it's believable."

Violet Doom laughed his @ss off. "Your story's better. How much did you pay for the cage? I'll cover that shift." I bit my l*p. "$30,000. I have the receipt if you want proof." Doom coked a brow. "You spent thirty grand on that аs hole?" "Yeah." I frowned. "Until today, I didn't realize how stubid I was." I rubbed my aching head. "The Camaro was in practically perfect condition. They originally wanted forty, but I talked them down ten." Doom nodded. "Thirty it is." "Okay." I hesitated. "And I'm not questioning your finances or anything, but if you don't have all of it right now, we can work out payments. I don't care." Doom's expression immediately hardened. "Know your fking lane. Don't assume my @ss doesn't have it." I felt my own irritation rise. "I didn't question your bank account." His eyes narrowed. "I said I don't want to put you in a financial strain. I worked my b*tt off for that money, so I know thirty thousand dollars isn't pocket change for most people." Doom stared at me. "I don't assume things about people based on what they have or don't have. I wasn't disrespecting you." After a moment, Doom gave a single nod. Apparently, that argument was over. Thank God. "Can I call my brother and have him come get me now that we've had this conversation?" "No." I blinked. "No?" "He doesn't come to the compound. I'll have someone drop your @ss off." "Oh." I nodded. "Okay." Doom walked out. I looked at Doc. He was very obviously trying not to laugh. "What?" "Flower, your @ss has been interesting." I g*****d. "I have no idea what's wrong with my brain. I normally don't talk to people like this. But today?" "I swear my mouth might need to be sewn shut." Doc laughed. He grabbed a prescription pad from the counter and started writing. "Muscle relaxers and pain meds. You're gonna need both." "Okay." "Stay the fk home for the next few days." "I will." "I'm serious. I find out you don't, I'll have a talk with Prez." My eyes widened slightly. Was that supposed to be a threat? Because it worked. "Okay. I'll stay home." I adjusted my sling. "It's not like I can teach in this condition anyway. Or pour drinks." At least Doom was making things right by paying me for the Camaro. I hated losing the car, but getting my savings back meant I wasn't starting completely over. Doom returned carrying a manila envelope. He dropped it onto my l*p. It was heavy. "That's fifty grand." I looked up. "What?" "Thirty for your cage. Twenty for putting your @ss in danger." I immediately shook my head. "No, thank you." Doom went still. Doc suddenly became very interested in something across the room. I opened the envelope and looked inside. "I'll take the thirty thousand I'm owed. That's it." Doom glared at me. "You weren't gunning for me on purpose," I continued. "It was an accident. You got me medical attention, and you're paying for the car. We're even." "Your @ss is in no condition to argue with me." "I'm not arguing." "the fk you're not." "I'm stating a fact." Doom stepped closer. "Thank you for trying to make it right, but you already are. I just want what I paid for the Camaro." His expression darkened. "That's it." Doom moved. Suddenly, he was looming over me, one massive hand planted on the bed above my head. My heart jumped. "I don't tolerate this kind of shift." His face was close to mine now. "I'm not a patient man." I swallowed. Yeah. I'd figured that out. "Please, Doom." I kept my voice soft. "I'm not trying to disrespect you." "Sure fking feels like it." "I'm just not that kind of person. I won't take advantage of someone because I can." His jaw clenched. "I believe fair is fair." Doom dragged a hand down his face. "Your @ss is pissing me off." "I'm sorry." "Don't sound like it." "I am." He stared at me. "But I'm still not taking the extra twenty thousand." Doc made a strange choking sound. I glanced toward him. He immediately looked away. Doom opened the envelope. He counted out four stacks of cash and tossed the extra money toward Doc. I looked at what remained. Thirty thousand dollars. Exactly what I'd paid for the Camaro. "Thank you." Doom glared. "May I leave now?" His glare somehow got worse. I kept my expression neutral. Men like Doom were all about control. I was beginning to understand that. Finally, he nodded. Before I could attempt to stand, Doom bent down and scooped me into his arms. "Oh." Apparently, walking wasn't part of the agreement. He carried me outside like I weighed nothing. Considering the man appeared to be made entirely of muscle, I probably didn't weigh much to him. It was dark now. Gravel crunched beneath Doom's boots as he carried me across the compound. I looked around, careful not to appear too nosy. Then something beside one of the buildings caught my attention. A large wooden art piece. I knew that work. "I know that piece." Doom stopped. "My brother made it." His eyes went toward the large oak piece. "Your brother made that?" "Yeah. He's a woodworker." Doom looked down at me. "Ethan Brinks is your brother?" I frowned. "Yeah." "f'k-." "What?" "Your brother's gonna be fking pissed." "About what?" "Your brother happens to be my friend." My eyebrows shot up. Oh. "He's gonna be pissed at me," Doom finished. I shook my head. "No. Right now he's pissed at my soon-to-be ex-husband." Doom stared at me. "Like I said, I crashed the Camaro because I was angry." "I'm not lying to my fking friend." I gave him a sheepish smile. "Okay. Well, if he's your friend, he might be upset that I got hurt, but you don't have to tell him you caused it. It was an accident." Doom's glare returned. Right. "I'll just shut up." "Best fking idea you've had." Doom started walking again. He carried me toward a large SUV and placed me carefully in the passenger seat. Before I could reach for it myself, he grabbed the seat belt and pulled it across me. I stared at him. He clicked it securely into place. Apparently, the man who'd blown through a red light was suddenly very concerned about seat-belt safety. "Get out of the cage, Prospect. I got this." The prospect immediately climbed out. Doom slammed my door. I winced. Ow. A moment later, Doom got behind the wheel and shoved his seat all the way back. Even then, he looked like he needed another few inches of legroom. The Mountain really was ridiculous. "Can I call my brother and tell him I'm on my way?" Doom nodded. My phone immediately started ringing again. Paul. I g*****d and sent him to voicemail before calling Ethan. He answered almost immediately. "V?" "Hey, Ethan. I'm being brought to your house now. I just wanted to give you a heads-up." "How far out are you?" I looked at Doom. "How long until we get there?" "Forty minutes." I returned to the phone. "About forty minutes, E." "Who was that?" There was an immediate edge to Ethan's voice. Before I could answer, Doom reached over and took the phone straight out of my hand. I stared at him. "It's me." Silence. Then I heard Ethan's voice. "Doom?" "Yeah." "Take care of my baby sis, Doom. That girl means everything to me." Doom ended the call. Then, instead of returning my phone, he shoved it inside his vest. I blinked. "Um..." "Your @ss ain't getting this shift back. I'll hand it to your brother." I stared at him for a moment. "Okay." There was absolutely no room for argument in his voice. And I seriously didn't want to make the Mountain angry again. Actually... That was it. I'd officially decided. Doom had a new nickname. The Mountain. Not that I was stubid enough to tell him that. The drive took exactly forty minutes. The second Doom shut off the engine in Ethan's driveway, my brother's front door flew open. Ethan came toward us with purpose. Doom got out while Ethan rushed to my side and opened the passenger door. "shift, baby sis." The worry on my brother's face hurt almost as much as everything else. "I'm okay." "You're not fking okay." "No broken bones," I assured him. "I dislocated my shoulder, but Doc put it back in. I have a concussion, bruises, and a few cuts from the glass. That's it." "That's it?" Ethan reached inside and lifted me from the SUV. "E, I can walk." "Not happening, baby sis." I sighed. Apparently, I was being carried everywhere today. Doom followed us inside. Ethan carefully lowered me onto the couch and made sure I was comfortable. "Does your @ss need anything?" I thought about it. "Pizza would be nice." Ethan laughed. "Of course it would." "I've had a bad day." "Yeah, baby sis. You fking have." "I think that earns me pizza." "I'll order it in a minute." Then Ethan straightened and turned toward Doom. His entire demeanor changed. "How did you end up with my baby sis?" Doom didn't hesitate. "I'm the one who hit her @ss." Ethan went still. "Blew through a red light getting away from some shift." My brother slowly turned toward him. "You hurt my baby sis?" Ethan was a big man. I'd always thought he was huge. Standing in front of Doom? My brother suddenly didn't look nearly as big. Doom didn't back up. Didn't apologize. Didn't even look concerned. He stared Ethan straight in the eyes. "Yeah." Ethan's fists clenched. Oh, cra'ap.

Violet "Ethan, it was an accident." My brother's fists were still clenched as he stared at Doom. "The man didn't gun for me. It was literally the wrong place, wrong time." "He got me out of the car and made sure I was checked over." Ethan took a breath. Slowly, he nodded. Doom looked at him. "You know what that piece of shift did to your baby sis?" "I just fking found out not too long ago." Ethan's jaw tightened. "Might put his @ss through my wood chipper." "Yeah, well, the fucker's been blowing up her phone." Doom pulled my phone from his vest and handed it to Ethan. "I'm giving this shift to you." Ethan took it. "Want a beer?" Doom shook his head. "I'm outta here." "All right." Doom headed toward the door. "Hey." He stopped and looked back at me. "Thanks for the ride. And for getting me out of the car. I appreciate it." Doom gave me a single nod. Then he walked out. A few seconds later, I heard the SUV pull away. Ethan looked at me. "I'll order pizza. Then we're gonna talk." I sighed. "Okay." I picked up the manila envelope. "Hey, E? Can you put this somewhere safe for me?" He took it. "What's this?" "The money Doom gave me for totaling the Camaro." Ethan opened the envelope. "Holy shift, V." His eyes snapped to mine. "How much is in here?" "Thirty thousand." His expression changed. "You spent thirty fking thousand dollars on a car for that piece of shift?" I looked down at my l*p. "I loved him, Ethan." That took some of the anger out of his face. "I thought we were going to be together until death did us part." "I wanted Paul to have something he'd always wanted." Ethan dropped the envelope onto the table and immediately wrapped his arms around me. Carefully. "You deserve so much more than that аs hole, baby sis." I rested my head against him. "I know that now." My stomach growled loudly. I pulled back. "Pizza, please." Ethan laughed. "Yeah. Pizza." He ordered from Genaro's, one of my favorite pizzerias. While we waited, I shifted carefully on the couch. "Ethan?" "Yeah?" "Doc told me I had to take a few days off. Would it be okay if I stayed here?" His expression immediately turned offended. "You're seriously asking me that?" "I don't want to intrude." "hll yeah, you're staying here. No fking way are you going back to that piece of shift." Relief washed through me. "I'll go over there tomorrow and get your clothes." "Thank you." The pizza eventually arrived, and I managed to eat more than I expected. Ethan told me he'd get my prescriptions filled in the morning. He'd also pick up my car from the dealership since I'd left it there when I drove Paul's present home. I'd originally planned for Paul to drive me back to get it. Funny how much could change in one day. By the time Ethan helped me settle into his guest bedroom, I was exhausted. I fell asleep almost immediately. .......... The next morning, I discovered something important. Yesterday's pain had apparently been the preview. Today was the main event. Everything hurt. My head. My n**k. My back. My shoulder. Muscles I hadn't even known existed were screaming at me. Moving seemed impossible. A knock came at the bedroom door. "V?" "Ethan?" "Yeah." "Can you come in, please?" The door opened. One look at me and his face changed. "Dam, baby sis. You look like you're in a shift ton of pain." "I am." My eyes watered. "It hurts so bad, Ethan." He immediately came to the bed. "All right. Easy." He helped me sit up. Even that nearly brought tears to my eyes. After helping me to the bathroom, he got me settled on the couch. "I'm gonna give you some Tylenol to take the edge off, then I'm going to the pharmacy." I nodded. "You need something stronger than the shift I've got in my medicine cabinet." "Please." He brought me the Tylenol and some water before making sure I had everything I needed. "Don't move." I stared at him. "Trust me. Wasn't planning on it." "I'll be back." Ethan left. I carefully settled against the couch. My goal was simple. Do not move until my brother returned with better drvgs. I reached around for my phone before remembering Ethan still had it. Probably for the best. I didn't want to talk to anyone anyway. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. After flipping through channels, I landed on the cooking network. Giada was making some kind of pasta dish that looked incredible. For a few minutes, I managed to forget how much everything hurt. Then someone knocked on the door. I stared at it. No. Another knock. "You've got to be kidding me." I waited. Maybe they'd leave. Knock. Knock. Knock. I g*****d. Apparently not. Getting off the couch was torture. Every movement sent pain radiating through my body. By the time I reached the door, my breathing was labored. I opened it. And immediately wished I hadn't. Paul. My cheating husband stood on Ethan's porch looking freshly showered and shaved. The аs hole didn't even look like he'd lost sleep. I immediately tried to shut the door. Paul shoved his hand against it. "Baby, what happened to you?" He reached toward me. I jrked away. "Don't t***h me. God only knows where those hands have been." "Violet, please. It was a one-time mistake." I glared at him. "That's the same line every cheating аs hole uses." "Baby—" "And it was my cousin, Paul! Now I have to get an STD test because, apparently, I don't even know where my husband's been putting his di'ck." His face tightened. "Just tell me what happened to you. Please." "I was in a car accident yesterday." Paul looked me over. "shift." For half a second, I thought he might actually be concerned. Then— "Is the car okay?" I stared at him. Surely I'd heard that wrong. "What?" "The Camaro. Is it—" "Are you fking serious?" Paul stopped. I gestured toward myself with my good arm. "I look like this, and you're asking me about the car?" "It's not like that, baby. I don't care about the car." I scoffed. For the first time, I realized how easily Paul had played me throughout our relationship. That soft voice. That caring expression. I'd always believed it. Now I could hear how fake it was. "For your information, the Camaro was totaled." Paul's face fell. Actually fell. He looked devastated. Not because his wife had been hurt. Because the Camaro was gone. I felt a sense of justice with his look. Before something inside me hardened. "Leave, Paul." "Vi—" "I'll have divorce papers sent to you. Ethan's coming by later to get my clothes." I tried closing the door. Paul stuck his foot in the way. "No. Baby, please. You can't throw away a three-year marriage over one mistake." My anger flared. "I didn't throw our marriage away." "Violet—" "You did that when you slept with my cousin in our bed." "It was a mistake." "No. Forgetting to pick up milk is a mistake. Sleeping with my cousin is a conscious decision." Paul's face tightened. "Now leave before I call Ethan." I tried closing the door again. This time, Paul grabbed me. His hand wrapped around my injured arm. The same arm still secured in the sling. Pain shot through me. "Paul, let go!" "We need to work this out, Vi. I'm not losing you over this." "You already lost me!" I tried pulling away, but my entire body hurt too much to fight him. "I'm not staying with you. Now let me go!" Something changed in Paul's face. Anger. He yanked me toward him. Agony exploded through my shoulder. I screamed. Pop. Oh God. My shoulder. He'd pulled it out again. "PAUL!" He yanked me forward a second time. My legs gave out. I started falling— Then Paul disappeared. One second his hand was wrapped around my arm. The next, someone ripped him backward so violently he flew away from the doorway. A massive arm caught me before I hit the floor. Doom. I looked up. The expression on his face terrified even me. Pure rage. His eyes went from my face to my shoulder. Then to Paul. "Doc." Doc appeared behind him. "Check Violet." Doom transferred me carefully into Doc's arms. Then he turned. Paul was trying to get back to his feet. Doom stalked toward him. Oh, cra'ap. "Wait—" Paul never finished. Doom hit him. Hard. The sound of the punch made me flinch. Paul went down. Doom grabbed him and hauled him back up. "DOOM—" The door closed as Doc pulled me inside. A second later, I heard Paul scream. I stared at the door. Doc didn't even look concerned. "Doc..." "Yeah, Flower?" "I think my shoulder's dislocated again." He examined it. "Yeah, Flower. You're fking correct on that one." I whimpered. "This is gonna hurt." "Ready?" "No." Doc moved anyway. One quick maneuver— Pop. Pain exploded through me. My knees nearly gave out. Doc caught me. "Easy." "God..." "I got you." He helped me to the couch and carefully lowered me onto it. "Where are your pain meds?" "Ethan went to the pharmacy to get them." I tried taking slow breaths. My head had started pounding again. I could feel my pulse beating behind my eyes. "Flower, look at me." I did. "Slow breaths. This shift will pass." I nodded. "In." I breathed in. "Out." I released it. "Everything hurts today." Doc chuckled. "Yep. That's why my @ss wrote those scripts." Another muffled yell came from outside. I looked toward the door. "Should we..." "Nope." "But Doom—" "Prez has it handled." Another thud. I winced. Doc didn't even blink. Apparently, around here, Doom beating the hll out of my husband counted as having the situation handled. I leaned my head carefully against the couch. Maybe I didn't want to know what was happening outside.

Violet The door opened. Doom walked in looking pissed. Really pissed. His eyes immediately landed on me. "You good?" Before I could answer, Doc did. "Her @ss is in a hll of a lot of pain. Had to reset her shoulder again because of that piece of shift." I nodded weakly. "Pretty much that." A moment later, the front door opened again and Ethan hurried inside carrying a pharmacy bag. He looked between the three of us. "What the hll happened?" "That fker showed up at your house," Doom growled. "Then had the fking balls to put his hands on your sister." The look on Doom's face made me think Paul was lucky he was still breathing. If he was still breathing. "Yo." Doc held out his hand toward Ethan. "Pass the meds over. Your sister needs them." Ethan immediately handed him the pharmacy bag before going to the kitchen and getting me some water. Doc checked the bottle and shook two pills into his hand. "Here, Flower." I took them and swallowed them with the water Ethan handed me. "This shift might knock your @ss out," Doc warned. "But at this fking point, you need it." I nodded. "I didn't mean to answer the door." Ethan looked at me. "I thought it was just...normal to answer someone's door." "I didn't think Paul would be stubid enough to come here." Ethan's expression darkened. "The fucker's definitely stubid as all hll. Now that he's laid hands on you, his @ss apparently has a taste for violence." I shivered. "I don't even want to think about that." "You need food with those pills," Doc interrupted. Ethan looked at me. "What do you want, baby sis?" "Cold pizza's fine. I just need something in my stomach." "Got it." As Ethan headed toward the kitchen, I looked at Doom. He was still standing there looking furious. "Thank you." His eyes met mine. "For helping me again." Doom gave me a short nod. "Why the fk didn't your @ss call me when you realized it was him?" Ethan demanded from the kitchen. I blinked. "Doom gave you my phone." Ethan stopped. "You never gave it back." He scratched the back of his head. "shift." "Yeah." Doc chuckled. Ethan came back carrying a slice of pizza. "Well, not that I'm ungrateful you guys showed up when you did, but what brought you over here anyway?" "Doc wanted to check on her." Doom pointed at Ethan. "And I've got shift to discuss with you." Ethan's expression changed slightly. I noticed it. "Out back?" he asked. Doom nodded. Ethan handed me the pizza. "Eat." "Yes, Dad." "Smart-@ss." I smiled and took a bite. Doom and Ethan headed outside. Once the door closed behind them, I looked at Doc. "Thank you for helping me again. Seriously. I really appreciate everything you've done." Doc gave me a nod and sat down. "You haven't been fking around, have you?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "No! God, no." I nearly laughed. "Ethan helped me out of bed. I went to the bathroom, then came out here and sat on the couch." "I didn't do anything until Captain Cheating аs hole knocked on the door." Doc burst out laughing. I gave him a small smile. "Flower, your @ss is an interesting one." "So I've been told." Doom I followed Ethan into the backyard. I was still fking pissed. "Your @ss shouldn't have left your sister alone." Ethan's jaw tightened. "I didn't think the fker would pull this shift. It was a lapse in fking judgment." "One that got her hurt again." "I fking know that." I glared at him. Ethan didn't back down, but he knew better than to give me too much fking attitude. "Won't happen again, Prez." That was better. I looked toward the house. "Your sister doesn't know what your @ss is up to?" "hll no." "Nothing?" "She knows the front. That's it." His woodworking business. That was what Violet knew. "Her @ss ain't finding out either," Ethan added. I nodded. His business. As long as whatever shift he was hiding didn't bring trouble to my club, I didn't give a f'k-. "I need to go get her clothes later," Ethan said. "Can you send a couple prospects to watch her @ss?" "Yeah." "No way I'm leaving her alone again." "Smart." Ethan's expression darkened. "We need to make sure she divorces that piece of shift." "She's already said she's divorcing him." "Good." "Then after that's handled, we deal with his @ss." Ethan looked at me. There was no confusion over what I meant. He nodded. "I appreciate you stepping in, Prez." His fists clenched. "That fker will pay for hurting my baby sis." I couldn't fking disagree. "I'll send a couple prospects with you when you go to her place. They can help pack all her shift." "Appreciate it." "Shipment's coming tomorrow." Ethan nodded. "You'll be needed." "I'll be there." "Then you'll have a prospect sitting here with your sister." "Yeah. I'm not fking risking leaving her alone again." Neither was I. My eyes moved toward the house. That beautiful little woman was going to be protected. Whether her @ss knew it or not. The second I'd heard Violet scream, I'd seen fking red. I'd gotten her away from that аs hole, made sure Doc had her, then my fist had started flying. I was a miserable f'k-. Always had been. I wasn't a nice man. Didn't pretend to be. Someone looked at me wrong, I'd put their @ss on the floor and wouldn't lose a second of sleep over it. But hearing Violet scream because some motherfvcker had his hands on her? That did something different to me. Something I didn't fking like. And something I wasn't interested in examining. Didn't matter anyway. Paul had put his hands on her. That meant his @ss was living on borrowed fking time. Violet The medicine hit me fast. My eyelids became heavier with every passing second. "Come on, Flower." Doc stood. "Let's get your @ss into bed." I nodded. Or at least I thought I did. "I got her." Doom. My eyes were already closing. I felt his arms slide beneath me before he lifted me from the couch. My head fell against his chest. For such a hard man, he was surprisingly careful with me. "You'll be fking safe." His voice was quieter than I'd ever heard it. "I swear it." Something about those words settled me. Which was probably stubid. I'd known Doom for barely a day. He was terrifying. Bossy. Crude. Apparently violent. And had technically kidnapped me after crashing into my car. Yet... I believed him. My body relaxed against his chest. Then darkness pulled me under. ......... When I woke again, I was in the guest bedroom. For the first time all day, I wasn't in unbearable pain. The medicine was definitely working. Thank God. I slowly got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. After washing my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror. I g*****d. "Beautiful." I looked horrible. Bruises. Cuts. Bandage. Sling. My hair was a disaster. I desperately needed a shower. First, I needed clothes. Hopefully Ethan was back. I carefully made my way out of the bedroom. Doc was sitting on the couch drinking a beer. Another man I didn't recognize was standing nearby. "Hey, Flower." "Hey." "How you feeling?" "Still a little sore, but nowhere near what I was earlier." "Good." I looked around. "Um, Doc? Is Ethan here?" He shook his head. "Went to pack your shift." "Oh." "I'm here to make sure your @ss doesn't do anything stubid." I looked toward the other man. "And so are the prospects." "Prospects?" I carefully sat on the couch. "What does that mean in your club?" "Their @sses are trying to become brothers." I nodded slowly. "So they're not actual members yet?" "Nope. They earn their patch." "Okay." I thought about something. "Do all of you know my brother?" Doc nodded. That still felt strange. "I saw one of Ethan's pieces at your club last night." "Yeah?" "It was really cool seeing it there." Doc looked amused. "Why's that, Flower?" I smiled. "Because I watched him make pieces like that growing up." "I used to love sitting there and watching things slowly take shape." I looked down at my sling. "He's a true artist. So whenever I see his work somewhere, it makes me happy for him." "I'm proud of what he's accomplished." Doc studied me for a second. "You never disappoint, Flower." I smiled. "Thanks." One of the prospects approached us. "Lady, Prez said to make sure your @ss ate when you woke up." I started to stand. "Okay. I can go make something really quick." The prospect shook his head. Doc pointed at me. "Your @ss ain't doing shift, Flower." I stopped. "Prez ordered the prospects to cook your food. They're gonna cook your food." His tone reminded me of a father warning a child not to test him. I slowly sat back down. "I honestly don't know what Ethan has in his refrigerator, so I don't know what you should make. Sorry." The prospect nodded. "I'll take a look. Figure something out." "Thank you." He headed toward the kitchen. Doc shook his head and laughed. "What?" "Flower, now that I'm pretty Dam sure your @ss is gonna be around us, you need to learn something." I frowned. "What?" "Prospects get an order, they do it." "But I don't have the right to order them around." The other prospect laughed. "I'm not a member of your club," I continued. "Wouldn't that be rude?" Both men laughed harder. I looked between them. "What?" "You'll learn, Flower." Doc settled back against the couch and took another drink of his beer. I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you keep calling me Flower anyway?" "Your nickname." "From you?" "Yep." I thought about it. Violet. Flower. That made sense. "Okay." Doc lifted his beer. "Glad I have your approval." I smiled. "You're welcome." He laughed again. Apparently, I was entertaining these men without even trying.