I’d always known there was a chance my father would find me, and I knew if that day ever came, he’d expect me to come back home. He would want me to go back to the way things were and forget about the new life I’d created for myself. I couldn’t let that happen, so I tried my best to formulate a plan. At first, I thought I’d try to reason with him, explain how truly happy I was, and show him how successful I’d become, then maybe he would simply let me stay. But there was just one problem—my father wasn’t a man who could be reasoned with—ever, so I had let go of that fantasy. I had to focus on the reality of my situation—my father was a cold, ruthless killer who would use any means necessary to bring me home. Having no other choice, I tried to prepare myself for the worst, thinking of all the different ways he’d make his appearance, and after going through scenario after scenario, I’d devised several plans for my grand escape, none of which included me ending up at the Satan’s Fury clubhouse. And yet, there I was, lying in Shadow’s bed trying to decide my next move.

As much as I wanted to believe that he might be able to help me, I couldn’t expect him to take on my problems as his own. Dealing with my father would be dangerous, a life-on-the-line kind of dangerous, and it wasn’t fair to get him, nor his brothers, involved in my screwed-up situation. While I hated the thought of leaving him, especially after the moment we’d just shared, I knew I had no other choice but to go. With great reluctance, I pulled myself out of his bed and put on my clothes. Once I was done, I collected my things and stepped out into the hall. I was relieved to find that there was no one around. Trying my best not to be noticed, I hurried towards the exit. Just as I was about to reach the door, I heard Shadow call out my name.

“Alex?”

Surprised by his sharp tone, I stopped dead in my tracks. Without turning to face him, I replied, “Just let me go, Shadow.”

“Can’t do that.”

“Why not? It’s the best thing for everyone concerned.”

“You’re wrong about that, Alejandra. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

I felt the air rush from my lungs at the sound of my name. There was only one way he’d know that name, the name that connected me to my father and all the lies I’d told. As I slowly turned to look at him, I tried to brace myself for the anger I expected to see on his face. Only I didn’t see anger, nor anything like it. Instead, there was that same look of longing I’d seen in his eyes just a few hours earlier. Thinking I must’ve misheard him, I asked, “What did you say?”

As he continued walking towards me, he replied, “I know everything, Alejandra.”

“You do?” I asked with my voice trembling with surprise. “Then, why are you trying to stop me from leaving? Aren’t you furious with me for lying to you?”

“Not exactly happy about it.”

“Then, why wouldn’t you want me to just walk out that door and never come back?”

He was just inches away from me when he answered, “Because I don’t want you to go.”

“But why?” I couldn’t believe my ears. After discovering the truth about my past, I thought he’d hate me, but there he was telling me to stay. I simply didn’t understand. I knew I was pushing him to say things he might not be ready for, but at that moment, I needed him to tell me exactly what was on his mind. “This is something I need to know, so you’re going to have to explain what’s going through your head, or I’m walking out that door.”

He inhaled a huge breath and slowly released it with a deep-seated growl. After several long, torturous moments, he answered, “I never thought I’d find someone who could make me feel the way you do, and now that I’ve found you, I’m not just going to let you walk out that fucking door. Is that enough of an explanation, or do you need more?”

“Um … that will do for now.”

“Good.” He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close as he leaned down and pressed his mouth against mine, kissing me so deeply, so passionately, that my knees started to buckle. Nearly losing my balance, I let my duffle bag drop to the floor before wrapping my arms around him and melting into his arms. I relished the feeling of security when I was close to him, and even though I was terrified by it, I wanted it more than anything else in the world. Just as I was getting lost in the moment, he took a step back, releasing me from our embrace, and as he reached down and picked up my bag, he said, “Gus wants a word with you.”

“Gus?”

“He’s the president of the club.”

“Wait … the president of Satan’s Fury wants to talk to me? About what?”

I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet when he answered, “Your father.”

“He knows about my father, too?”

“He knows everything that I do, Alex, but there are some things that you don’t know … things that only he can explain.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will.”

He motioned for me to follow as he headed back to his room. After dropping my bag off in his room, he led me down another long hallway and my stomach twisted into a knot when we entered a large office. I was only expecting to meet Gus, the notorious leader of the Satan’s Fury, but when we stepped inside the room, three, big, burly bikers were sitting there waiting for us. They turned and looked at us, and the way they looked at me made me feel like a tiny rabbit surrounded by three hungry wolves. I wanted to get the hell out of there, run and never look back, but then, I felt Shadow’s hand drift to the small of my back and suddenly my racing heart started to calm. The older man sitting behind the large, wooden desk with his thick, salt-and-pepper goatee and dark, brooding eyes eased back in his chair and smiled as he said, “Her pictures don’t do her justice, Shadow. I can see why she caught your eye.”

Before Shadow had a chance to respond, the large man sitting directly in front of the desk, stood up and motioned me over to his seat. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Alejandra. I’m Moose, the VP of the club. The fella behind the desk is our president. You can call him Gus, and I think you’ve already met Riggs.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well … all of you,” I replied as I walked over and sat down. I was too nervous to even think about small talk, so I said, “Shadow mentioned that you wanted to talk to me about my father.”

“Hmph … Straight down to business. I like a girl with spunk.” Gus chuckled. “But yes … I would like to hear more about your story, including your father. We know ya left California eight years ago. Cut all ties with your family. Changed your name. Met up with Hallie and ended up at the book store. What I don’t know is … why?”

“Is this sudden interest in my father because of me or something else?” I asked boldly.

“Both, but we will get to that later. Right now, I want to know how you ended up here in Memphis.”

“I’ve got plenty to say where he is concerned. I’m guessing you want to know more than just the fact that he’s a horrible human being, so I’ll tell you what I know, and we can go from there.”

I spent the next twenty minutes telling him everything I knew about my father, and I was amazed by his reaction or better yet, his lack of reaction. He didn’t seem surprised by anything I told him. Hell, he didn’t even bat an eye when I told him about my mother. It was like he expected something like that from him. I wish I had been so intuitive to know what a monster he could be, but I couldn’t fathom something so horrific coming from my own flesh and blood. Once I was done, he said, “I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for you. It had to be hard, even harder to get away from him. How did you pull it off for all these years?”

“You’re right. It was hard. It took months of planning.” I sighed as I thought back over those months of anguish. “It was just a few days after Christmas when I heard him talking about my mother. After that, I knew I had to get away from him. I pretended like everything was normal right up until the day I left for college, but nothing was normal. I was filled with hate and anger, and that’s what kept me going. I managed to get a new social security card, a fake id, and everything else I’d need to disappear. Since I’d paid my tuition to USC in advance, I was able to get a refund when I withdrew. I used that money to get out of town. I traded my car and left for Memphis. That’s when I met Hallie. You know the rest.”

“Hmmm. Smart girl.”

“I was desperate.” I shrugged. “I would’ve done anything to get away from that man.”

“Can’t say I blame you there,” Moose scoffed.

“So, now you understand why I can’t go back there.” I looked up at him as I said, “But please know … I never intended to bring my problems to your doorstep, and if you want me to leave, I’ll go right now. I would certainly understand.”

“Your father has been looking for you for years, right?”

“Apparently.”

“How did he find you?”

“A photograph was taken of me during a concert at one of the local bars. He used that to track me down. I’m guessing he sent Berny to bring me back home.”

“Is that the guy you tangled with at your book store?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I gotta say, it was pretty impressive the way you handled him.”

I smiled as I replied, “Marcus trained me well.”

“Marcus?”

“He was one of the men who worked for my father, but he was one of the good ones. He was always looking out for me.” I thought back to his visit and groaned when I remembered the envelope he’d given me. “He actually came to warn me that my father was coming for me. I should probably let him know what happened.”

“Sorry, doll, but I can’t let you do that. In fact, I need your cell phone and any other devices you might have on ya?”

“But why?”

Riggs turned and answered, “Because they can use them to track you. It will be even easier now that they know you’re here in Memphis.”

“Damn. I didn’t know they could do that.”

“Not many people do, but don’t worry. Riggs will take care of it.” He leaned forward with a serious expression on his face as he said, “I know today hasn’t been easy for you, Alejandra and I don’t want to add to that, but the club needs your help.”

“My help? With what?”

“Dealing with your father.” I could see the concern in his eyes as he explained, “Your father might be a heartless sonofabitch, but he’s smart. He’s spent his life making his business what it is, and now, he’s got his sights set on Memphis.”

I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice when I asked, “You know why I don’t want him here, but why is it such a big deal for you?”

“Because his presence here endangers everything the club has worked for, and I can’t let that happen.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Your father has to be dealt with before it’s too late, but he hasn’t been an easy man to track down. That’s where you come in.”

“So, you want me to help you bring down my father?”

“Yes.” Before I could give him my response, he added, “But, let me be clear. I know you are important to Shadow, and that makes you important to me and all the brothers of Satan’s Fury; so no matter what you choose to do here, we’ll help you any way we can.”

Without hesitation, I answered, “I’ll do anything you want me to do.”

“I need you to be sure about this.”

“I’m sure,” I assured him. “After what he did to my mother, he deserves whatever he has coming to him and more. I just need to know what you want me to do.”

“Glad to hear you say that.” He ran his hand over his thick goatee, slightly tugging on the end as he said, “Now, we just have to come up with a plan to draw him out, and then we can take things from there.”

“That should be easy enough. Just use me as bait.” The thought of seeing my father again made my blood run cold, but I knew it was the best way to get him to come forward. “I can reach out to him and tell him that I’m ready to come home.”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence before Shadow stepped forward, and the room fell silent when he growled, “No fucking way.”

“But …”

“No buts, Alex. I’m telling you now, there’s no way in hell that’s gonna happen.”