Once I’d informed Gus about everything Boon had told me, he called everyone into church. Since our runners were under the gun, Gus made the call to up our watch on our boys. In hopes of deterring any further hits, he instructed us to have eyes on them any time they were on the streets. After assigning our rotations, he gave the order for Murphy, T-Bone, and me to bring in Hoss, hoping that he would lead us to Jasper. As soon as we were dismissed, Murphy and I headed out to our bikes while T-bone followed us in his SUV. We’d tried to track him down for over an hour when Murphy spotted his shiny, souped-up 2018 silver Chevrolet Dually parked by the front door of Newman’s. With its lift kit and oversized tires, the damn thing was like a flashing neon sign, making him impossible not to be noticed. When we pulled into the front of the bar, the last thing I expected was to find the girl from the bookstore standing all alone in the parking lot.

Seeing Alex there was a distraction I didn’t need. I should’ve been focused on the task at hand, but the mere thought of something happening to her while she was out there all by herself had me coming unglued. The gut reaction confused me. At the moment nothing seemed as important as making certain she was safe. I wasn’t sure why I was so driven. Actually, the feeling came as a shock to me, but I didn’t hesitate. I just started towards her.

When I reached her, I noticed just how beautiful she looked. Her dark, thick hair fell softly around her face, and I was completely spellbound by her flawless olive skin and captivating dark eyes. Somehow, I gathered my wits enough to ask her if she was okay. Once I got her back to her car, I thought that would be the end of it—but I was wrong. As I stood there watching her tail lights fade into the darkness, I found myself longing for just one more moment with her. It was a feeling I wasn’t accustomed to. Hell, I wasn’t a man who longed for anything, and it was fucking with my head. I was lost in my thoughts when I heard, “Yo, Shadow. You coming or what?”

“Yeah. I’m coming.”

As soon as I made my way over to them, Murphy asked, “She a friend of yours?”

“Not exactly.”

“I don’t know about that. She was looking pretty friendly to me.” T-Bone snickered, but his smirk quickly faded when he noticed the expression on my face. “Hey, man. I was just saying.”

As soon as we stepped inside, my brothers’ interest in Alex was quickly forgotten, and their focus returned to finding Hoss. The band’s music was blaring as we started shifting through the crowd, and as I listened to the lyrics, I found myself thinking about what Alex had said. She was right. They were loud, obnoxiously so, and I was relieved when Murphy turned to us and yelled, “He’s at the bar.”

T-Bone and I followed him over to Hoss, and when he noticed that we’d come up behind him, he bowed his broad shoulders and gave us a smug look. With his country accent in full swing, he snickered. “Well, lookie here. It’s the brothers of Satan’s Fury. What brings you fellas down here? You checking out the band.”

“Don’t give a shit about the fucking band, Hoss.” Murphy took a step towards him as he continued, “We came here looking for you.”

“Well, how ‘bout that. I’m honored. What can I do you fer?”

“You can tell us where we can find Jasper.”

He inhaled a quick breath, and it was clear from his expression that the question had caught him by surprise. “Fuck if I know.”

“Now, we both know that’s not true,” Murphy growled. “So, let’s just skip the bullshit and tell us where he is.”

He adjusted his ball cap and asked, “And why would I do that?”

“Cause you’re going to be in for one hell of a night if you don’t,” T-Bone warned.

His eyes narrowed as he grumbled, “You threatening me?”

“You know us well enough to realize we don’t make threats,” Murphy barked. “So, I’m gonna ask you this one last time … Where the fuck is Jasper?”

He stood up and stuck out his chest as he replied, “Well, I guess you’re gonna have to make good on your fucking threat, cause I ain’t gonna tell you shit.”

Murphy gave T-Bone the nod and said, “Alright, then. Have it your way.”

Even though Hoss was a fairly big guy, trained to handle situations just like these, he was no match for T-Bone. With one hard blow to the jaw, he had Hoss flailing backwards. He was trying to regain his footing when I reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt. People started to scatter as I pulled him forward and slammed my knee into his gut. He hurled forward, clutching his stomach as he gasped for breath. Before he could regain his composure, Murphy grabbed his head and slammed it against the counter, knocking him unconscious. When he dropped to the floor like a two-ton weight, T-Bone looked over to me and said, “Let’s haul this motherfucker to the truck and get the hell out of here. This fucking band is giving me a headache.”

We got him restrained and loaded into T-Bone’s SUV, then Murphy and I jumped on our bikes and followed T-Bone out onto the main road. Hoss was still out of sorts when we reached the clubhouse, but he could walk, which made it easier to get him down to the holding cell. Once we were inside, Hoss’s eyes widened with panic. “What the fuck?”

“You ready to tell us where we can find Jasper?” Murphy asked as he shoved him further into the room.

While it was similar to the one where I’d worked on Boon, this room was bigger with a wider variety of restraints. Even though it was clear from his expression that he was freaked out, Hoss shook his head. “Fuck, no.”

I reached for one of the chains that were mounted to the wall, then fastened the cuff around his wrist. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

T-Bone took the chain from the opposite wall and secured it to his other wrist, binding him into a standing position with his arms extended from his sides. He tugged at the restraints, trying with all his might to break free as he shouted, “You can’t do this!”

With a gloating smirk, T-Bone relayed, “We already have.”

“Let me out of here!”

“You tell us where we can find Jasper, and then we’ll think about it.”

“Fuck you!”

T-Bone lunged forward, punching Hoss square in the mouth and again in his gut. “You’d do good to remember who you’re talking to, motherfucker.”

Blood trickled from Hoss’s bottom lip as he grumbled under his breath, “This is bullshit. I don’t even know where Jasper is.”

“We’ll give you some time to remember,” I told him as we started walking towards the door, but before I left the room, I turned the heat up as high as it would go. Since it was already sweltering outside, it wouldn’t take long for the place to feel like a sweatbox. By morning, he’d be fighting heat exhaustion, and every muscle in his body would be screaming for a reprieve.

Once we were in the hall, Murphy turned to me and asked, “He’s a stubborn one. You gonna be able to make him talk?”

“Yeah, he’ll talk,” I assured him.

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” As he started towards the front door, he ordered, “I’ll let Gus know we got him. You get your ass some sleep, brother. Something tells me you’re gonna need it.”

He wasn’t wrong. I would definitely need to bring my A game in order to get the intel I needed from Hoss. So, I made myself a sandwich and had a hot shower, then fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I pulled my ass out of bed, got dressed, and headed out to my bike. Before I went to see about Hoss, I needed to make a run to the hardware store for a few necessities. I had all intentions of going straight there and back, but after I’d gotten everything I needed, I took a detour and wound up over at the bookstore.

As I rode up to the front of the store, there was a delivery truck pulling away from the curb, so it was no surprise when I walked in to find Alex sorting through several large boxes of books. Hearing the door close behind me, she looked up with a bright smile. “Morning, Shadow.”

“Morning.”

“Did you enjoy the band last night?” she asked as she bent down to pick up one of the boxes.

Before she could lift it, I stepped over and took it out of her hands. “Where do you want it?”

“Oh … um. Thanks.” Then, she pointed to the front counter. “You can place it over there.”

“What about the others?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

I cocked my eyebrow. “And if I want to?”

A light blush crept over her face as she smiled. “Well, then … it would be great if you could put them over on the counter, too. I should’ve had the delivery guy do it, but I just didn’t think about it.”

I picked up the next two boxes and carried them over to the counter as well. “This all of them?”

“Yes. That’s it, and thanks. I really appreciate it.”

I nodded, then ambled over to make myself a cup of coffee. Just as I was about to head to my spot in the back, I heard her say, “You never told me what you thought of the band last night.”

“You were right. They weren’t all that great.”

“Yeah, I was really hoping they would be better. Do you go to Newman’s very often?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “They usually have pretty good music. You should check them out sometimes. My friends and I hang out there all the time.”

“Might just do that,” I lied.

“Good deal. Oh, I umm … wanted to thank you again for making sure I got to my car okay last night. That was very thoughtful of you.”

When I turned to reply, I found her standing right behind me. She looked so fucking cute in her oversized Def Leopard t-shirt and ripped jeans. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and for the first time, I noticed that she had tiny freckles on the bridge of her nose. I had to fight the urge to reach for her. “Not a problem.”

Standing close to her was fucking with my head, so I quickly turned and headed to the back of the store. After I’d grabbed a book, I sat down on the sofa and started reading. I could hear her up front sorting through the boxes, and something about knowing that she was preoccupied helped me to relax. By the time I finished my coffee, I was feeling recharged and ready to face the long day ahead. I was just about to put my book away when I heard a loud bang. It wasn’t until that moment when I realized I hadn’t heard Alex in several minutes, and as I made my way up front, I had an uneasy feeling after I saw no sign of her anywhere. That feeling was only made worse as soon as I heard a second loud thud coming from the alley entrance of the store. Concerned that something might be wrong, I rushed over to the back door, and when I eased it open, I found Alex cornered between the dumpster and the back of building. Two young thugs, wearing blue bandanas around their heads, stood in front of her, and when I noticed that one of them was sporting a knife, my blood ran cold.

Unlike me, Alex seemed unphased by her perilous situation. Her voice was void of expression as she warned, “I’m going to say this one last time … back away.”

The motherfucker with his pocketknife aimed at her throat, cocked his head to the side and asked, “And if we don’t?”

Her voice remained eerily calm as she answered, “Trust me. You don’t want to find out.”

“Look at this stupid bitch trying to be all tough.” The other one laughed, but when he saw me advancing towards them, his smile quickly faded. “Hey, man. We’ve got company.”

“Let the girl go,” I demanded as each of them turned to face me.

The punk with no weapon took a step back and mumbled, “Look man … we don’t want no trouble.”

“From where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve already found it.”

I reached out and grabbed the kid holding the knife at Alex’s throat, and as I slammed him against the wall, he cried, “We weren’t gonna hurt her. We was just trying to score a few bucks, man.”

“You’re about to score a whole lot more than that, asshole. Drop the knife. Now.” When the cheap metal hit the ground, his buddy took off running, leaving him alone to deal with the consequences of their actions.

“Please, man. Let me go.”

I tightened my grip on his throat, making it difficult for him to breathe, and he was growing limp when Alex put her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her, and she whispered softly, “Let him go.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can.” Her expression lightened as she added, “I’m fine. He’s just some stupid kid who’s trying to be something he’s not.”

I loosened my hold on the kid’s neck, but before I let him go, I pulled him closer and said, “You show your face around here again, and you’re done.”

“Yes, sir.”

As soon as I released him, he darted down the alley like a bolt of lightning. Once he was gone I stepped towards Alex, who was looking up at me with those beautiful dark eyes, and I knew I was in trouble. My need to reach for her was almost too much to bear, and I was about to lose the last of my restraint when she moved in front of me and placed the palms of her hands on my chest. “You were pretty amazing.”

I inhaled a deep breath as my eyes dropped to her hand. I couldn’t remember the last time someone touched me, and it took me a moment to collect my thoughts. After several seconds, I finally managed to ask her, “You okay?”

“Yep. I’m all good.”

“Have you had trouble with these guys before?”

“Well, not them … but there have been a couple of others. It’s not a big deal. It just comes with the territory, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

I took a quick glance around the deserted alleyway and wasn’t happy when I noticed there were zero security lights and not a single camera in sight. To make matters worse, the locks on the backdoor were as old as the building itself. “You gotta step up your security.”

She shrugged. I could hear a hint of embarrassment when she said, “I know. I just can’t afford it right now.”

Seeing that it was a sensitive subject, I motioned her towards the door. “Let’s get you back inside.”

“Okay.”

I followed her back into the store, and as she was locking the door behind us, she turned to me and said, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. The neighborhood isn’t exactly the best, but there are lots of great people who live around here. Some have been really great customers.”

“I get it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to be safe.”

“You’re right, but I’ve been doing okay.” She gave me a half-smile as she continued, “I’ll try to be more careful.”

“If you ever get in a bind …”

Before I could finish my thought, my burner started to ring. I took it out of my pocket, and when I saw that it was Murphy calling, I quickly answered, “Yeah?”

“You in with Hoss?”

“Not yet. Had to take care of something.”

“Does this something have to do with that chick from last night?”

“Not exactly.”

“Um-hmm,” he taunted. “I’ll let you get back to it. Just let me know if you need a hand with Hoss.”

“About to head that way now.” After I hung up the phone, I turned to Alex and said, “I gotta get going.”

“I kind of gathered that.” She smiled and said, “But before you go I wanted to ask … would you like to come over for dinner tonight?”

My back stiffened. Her invitation caught me off guard, and my tone was almost harsh as I answered, “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not? It would give me a chance to thank you for your help today … with the boxes and you know … those guys out back and all.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“What if I want to?”

I was going to tell her no. The words were right there on the tip of my tongue, but then I looked into those beautiful dark eyes and I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. “It’ll be late before I could get here.”

She grabbed a piece of paper, and after she wrote her number down, she handed it to me and said, “Doesn’t matter what time. Just text me when you’re on your way.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and when you get here, just ring the buzzer outside the door. It’s the one right next to the bookstore entrance. You can’t miss it.”

Even though I knew it was a bad idea to spend time with her alone, I nodded, then immediately turned and silently cursed myself as I walked out of the store. I needed to get a fucking grip before things got out of hand, but it wasn’t going to be easy. I couldn’t deny the fact that Alex had an effect on me, and it was my own damn fault. When I was around her, I let the memories of all those horrible nights of my childhood slip to the back of my mind. I didn’t think about how I’d let my only friend down, how I hadn’t been there in the way that she needed me to be. I managed to block out the sounds of her cries, the aching in my heart, and how my very soul was plagued with regret. I didn’t think about the war, the countless explosions, the stench of death that lingered in the air, or the pain and starvation I’d endured while in captivity. All of those things were forgotten when she was close to me. Alex brought me out of the shadows, and even though I was being selfish, I wanted to remain there in the light with her. She deserved more than a man riddled with regret, a man who didn’t know how to love or be loved, but I was helpless to resist her. Even though I’d tried to fight it, I’d let my guard down, and I wasn’t sure I had it in me to put it back up. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to. Damn. I was fucked. I jumped on my bike and started back towards the clubhouse, knowing exactly what I had to do. There was only one way I was going to get Alex Carpenter out of my head, and one way only. It was time for me to visit Hoss.