I watched as Lucy and the familiar face of the man I’d come to assume was her father exchanged words. She seemed so tense as he spoke, regardless of the impassive expression on his face, and yet somehow I could detect the slightest trace of malice in his eyes. I didn’t need to be reminded just how much I disliked him, especially the way he’d treated me and my brothers while we’d taken up residency in an old motel just inside the town limits. Even without his terrible disposition toward us—which I could almost forgive, since we’d come there to extort the townsfolk for as much money as they were willing to fork over—there had always been something not quite right about him.

Back when the club had rolled into town, this guy had been the one to come out and greet us. It was almost like he came as a representative of Pleasant Lakes, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out just who the hell he was to all those people. Initially he had been almost accommodating, telling us that we were “welcome guests” and that anything we needed would be provided. It seemed almost too good to be true.

And it turned out that it was.

His second visit a week later wasn’t nearly as pleasant, and the way he’d talked to Jackal, our prez, was close to downright threatening. At first Jackal was all in favor of giving that son of a bitch the kind of hell we reserve for people who get on our bad side, but a few words whispered into his ear and suddenly we were bugging out faster than we’d arrived. No one knew what had been said, but for the first time since I’d known him, Jackal actually looked a little shaken.

There was, of course, more to the story of my time here, most of it involving my whirlwind of a romance with Lulu. But as far as her father went, those were my scant interactions with him. Each one of them had left me with a slimy, unclean feeling that I desperately needed washed away. It wasn’t until my final days in town that I’d even learned of the familial bond between Lucy and her father, and before I could ask her why she’d never told me, we were already rolling out of town.

I should have taken her with me, I thought for the hundredth time since I’d left the Hounds of Hell.

I knew, realistically, I couldn’t have stolen Lucy away that night. If I had, there’d have been hell to pay—especially from our newly instated president. The moment we’d gotten into town, we’d had the law laid down for us, the most important tenant of which was “don’t fuck the locals.” And it was for exactly this reason that rule was even in place: the fact that I was back in this one-horse town, chasing after a girl I hardly even knew from years before.

And I’d abandoned my brothers to do it. Maybe some rules weren’t meant to be broken.

I tensed as I watched the two of them walking right toward the door to my room, Lucy’s eyes turned down to the floor as she walked, hands clasped in front of her. I already didn’t like how this was turning out and it hadn’t even begun. I swallowed nervously as the click of the door sounded and the two of them entered. Did he know what Lucy and I had done together all those years ago? Why was I even being kept here when last I’d shown my face here, I was considered a menace? I never trusted the unwarranted hospitality of others, but then again, I was always told never to look a gift horse in the mouth, either.

“Leopold,” the older man said, his voice smooth as silk, yet hard at the edges. Like steel wrapped in velvet. “I’m glad to see that you’re awake, and apparently regaining your strength.”

“Don’t call me that,” I said through my teeth. I could feel the muscle in my jaw twitching. “It’s Leo.”

“Leo it is.” He spread his hands wide in an almost mocking display of acceptance. “I don’t believe we had much in the way of a… personal relationship, the last time you were here. But it would surprise me if you didn’t remember my name.”

I snorted. “Delfino.”

“Father Delfino, to most. I’m the minister of this town.”

I looked him up and down. You’ve got to be shitting me.

But for once, I needed to hold my tongue. I needed to pick my battles.

“I’m concerned about your recovery, Leo,” Delfino continued, slipping his hands into the pockets of his well-pressed slacks. “You see, your time here at Pleasant Lakes Memorial is about to come to an end, and after that, you’re to be remanded to bed rest until your ribs have fully healed.”

“Fuck that,” I said, glancing over at Lucy, hoping to catch a glimpse of those gorgeous eyes of hers. But she refused to meet my gaze, her eyes still fixed on her feet. It didn’t suit her, that rigid, simpering pose that reminded me of a reprimanded child. “I’m riding out of here as soon as I’m released.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Delfino said evenly. There was no emotion there, no trace of humanity in his tone. Whatever sentiments he voiced—whatever attempts he made at empathy or sympathy—seemed to come from a man who’d never actually experienced those things, only heard of them. He was a magpie. A mockingbird. Mimicking the human condition.

At last, I understood why Jackal hadn’t wanted a damn thing to do with him. You can’t manipulate people like that. Can’t even touch them. They have nothing you can take from them. No weakness you can exploit.

When you have no soul, you’ve got nothing to lose.

“Your motorcycle is quite badly damaged,” he continued, “and I don’t think that it’ll be operational for some time. But not to worry—we have our town’s mechanic working on it to make sure you are able to leave as soon as you’re well.”

I hadn’t realized until now that I could be any more uncomfortable with this situation. But the idea of Delfino giving me something—the idea of owing him—was almost enough to make me squirm.

“And where am I supposed to go until then?” I snarled, winding my fingers around the bedrails until my knuckles whitened. Seemed everyone in this damn town wanted to keep me on some kind of leash.

“That’s the main reason I’ve come to talk to you,” Delfino said, his smile returning in earnest. “Until you’ve recovered from your ordeal, you’ll be staying in the spare room at my home.”

I couldn’t believe it. Literally could not believe it. This guy wanted me, the dude who damn near abducted his daughter right out from under his nose, living under his roof?

Not that sleeping in the same house as Lucy wasn’t a dream come true…

No. No way. Something was wrong here. It was like Delfino was deliberately tempting me, like he was offering me this respite solely to break me. Putting me in such close quarters with the girl of my dreams, without me being able to touch her—that was torture. Even now it was the hardest thing I’d ever done, not to reach out to her despite her father being in the room, staring right at me. Was he hoping I’d fuck up and go for it? If so, what would that accomplish? What the hell would it prove?

I stole another glance at Lucy, and this time her eyes flicked up to mine for just a second. She looked as uncertain and wary as I did. She’d always been a smart girl, though. It didn’t surprise me that she might sense something was up.

“You’ll be staying with the two of us while you recover,” her father repeated, plucking my chart from the foot of my bed and flipping through it as if he understood the information there—and as if it wasn’t private. “You’re in no condition to care for yourself, and we have more than enough room for you.”

“I can’t see this working out in my favor,” I told him, making sure not to let my eyes linger on Lucy for too long. Dragging my gaze back to the old man, though, was a task that bordered on Herculean. “I can just find a motel or something—”

“And pay for it with what money?” he asked, his tone infuriatingly patronizing. “There was very little cash in your wallet when they found you, and no credit cards. For all intents and purposes, you’re destitute, Leo.”

Fine. So I was more or less broke. Still didn’t mean I needed charity—especially the kind that came with a set of invisible strings attached.

“I’ll find my own way, thanks,” I told him again. Even though Delfino was handing me a gift-wrapped excuse to spend some quality time with Lucy, I just wasn’t willing to risk it. There had to be something nasty going on beneath the surface here. No one opens their home out of the goodness of their heart, especially to a man like me—doubly so when it came to being so close to Lulu. What the hell kind of minister was this guy?

“You have little choice in the matter,” he said. “In a few days when the doctor has cleared you for discharge, we’ll bring you home to continue your recovery. It’s already been arranged.”

“You can’t just force me to stay with you,” I protested, but that only drew a dismissive wave of the old man’s hand.

“You’ll find that I can do a great many things, Mr. Richards,” he said, his smile growing more malicious with every syllable. “You’ll be brought to my home for your recovery, and when that has finished, you will be allowed to leave. Until then, however, I suggest that you refrain from stressing yourself overly.”

I watched as Lucy’s father guided her away, his hand clenched around the curve of her slight, delicate shoulder. All the while she kept her eyes down, not even sparing me a backward glance. I wanted to shout, to scream, to remind her that things weren’t always this way. To give her some kind of hope in whatever darkness this bastard was obviously imposing on her. My heart raced as I watched her be ushered out of the room like a placid little sheep, herded away without a single thing I could do about it.

That wasn’t the Lucy I remembered. Fury boiled in my veins as I realized just what my leaving had done to her. What I’d let happen in my absence.

It was like I’d traveled all this way just to watch her get taken away from me. Dread pulled at my guts and my heart. Why? When it came to Lucy, why did I feel so goddamn helpless?

It wasn’t just her, though. It was this whole damn town. It was like there was something in the very earth that was pulling me down. From the moment I’d crossed the town limits, the very pavement had seemed to lurch up and try to drag me to my doom. First the accident. Then the nurses. And now Delfino. I wasn’t the kind of man who did well inside a cage, and that’s all Pleasant Lakes was for me: a set of bars.

But what if what looked like a cell ended up being a golden opportunity? What if bondage could actually lead to freedom?

Maybe this bullshit about being forced to live with this Delfino guy would work out, especially since I’d also be sleeping just feet away from Lucy. I’d see her every day while I was getting well again, and that meant I had just as many days to convince her to get the hell out of here once I was in any kind of condition to ride again. God only knew what the hell this guy had planned for me in the interim, but those potential little victories meant something. If I could secure enough of them, I might be able to tip the scales.

I had to play this smart, and that meant stowing thoughts of a great escape… for now. It also meant acquiescing to a situation that rubbed me the wrong way. One that made the worry in my gut churn and my skin crawl at the very thought of it.

What was I willing to sacrifice for a second chance with Lucy? I’d asked myself that question time and time again, even before I left her, and the answer was always the same: damn near anything.

I’m comin’ for you, baby, I thought as I watched her and her father disappear from view. Even if it kills me, I’m finally gonna save you.