“Jesus fucking Christ.” Beast leans back in his chair, just as his cell phone starts screaming from his pocket. “Yeah?” he answers.

There’s a long pause, so I pull out another smoke. Blazing it up.

“He just filled me in. All right.” Then he disconnects the call. “Raze has taken ownership of The Operation. Now he’s in full swing of The Army, The Underworld, and The Operation.”

I shrug. “Figures. Can’t think of anyone else who is good enough for the job.”

“Yeah, but Millie,” Hella mutters, shaking his head. “Pretty sure she’s gonna want out.”

Beast catches my eye. “You over doing your nomad shit?”

I grin, putting my smoke out in the ashtray. “I’m home, aren’t I?”

Beast chuckles and leans back. “Touché.”

“There’s something else.” I take out the little glass pipe that’s tucked in the pocket of my jeans. I toss it onto the table and watch as Beast’s eyes harden. I point. “The serum. Don’t ask how, ‘cuz I don’t know, and before you ask me if I’m going to find out how, I am also going to take this time to say no, but I got it from Ella.” The room goes quiet, and we all watch as Beast grabs it.

“This the final shit?” Beast asks, staring at it. It’s as though memories are flashing through his eyes.

I dip my head. “Yeah, brother. So she says.”

“Does Raze know about it?”

“No. Ella didn’t tell them either. Are you going to?”

Beast pauses and seems to think over his next words. “Leave it to me.”

“You gonna bin it, brother?”

“Maybe,” he mutters, and then his eyes come to mine. “Or maybe not.”

Later that night, I’m riding back to my house when I pull up to a stop at a red light. My bike rumbles beneath me and as I inhale the cool, familiar air, a sense of uneasiness leaches onto me, and I snap my head directly to the dark shadow standing on the corner near the lights. With a hoodie pulled over her head and her hands hidden in the pockets, I can make out the long strands of hair, but not the color, and a small petite frame. My eyes narrow as I try to get a glimpse of who it is, but her head angles, so I can’t see her face, only the outline of her jaw and all though she doesn’t look familiar from here, I can’t see her well enough to make that judgement. The light turns green and just as I’m about to gun it forward, she turns her back to me, the hood dropping around her neck to display her red hair, and she runs forward getting lost in the dark street. I rev my bike, then boost forward with the thoughts of hoodie girl wrapped up in my head.

Pulling into my driveway, I shut off my bike. Fuck, it feels good to be home, much less back in my club. Being nomad was alright, but it defeats the purpose of belonging to a club. A brotherhood. I live close enough to the clubhouse, around a fifteen-minute drive once you hit the main road, and my house isn’t anything over the top, but it’s mine. I bought it with the first chunk of money I got from owning the strip joint Red Moon. Originally, the club owned it, but Meadow made Beast sell it asap once she found out he was tapping Shelby, the girl who manages all the girls. Shelby and Layla run it together now, and they might not know this, but I know all there is to know about the two of them. From their messed up past to what they do during the day. I’ll use it against them one day, but for now, they’re too useful.

Anyway, my crib is a three-bedroom single story house. It has two big pillars at each side of the stepping entrance and a swing seat on the front porch. Admittedly, it looks like a family home. In a decent part of Vegas too, and my neighbors are about as normal as green folk, but it’s home to me, as fucked up as it might sound. Pushing open the door, I walk into the lounge, tossing my keys onto the coffee table and going straight for the fridge. All my appliances are stainless steel, and the kitchen was updated just before I moved in, with marble countertops and cupboards. Taking out a beer, I pop it open and head back into the sitting room that heads straight to my bedroom. Taking a seat, I lean back on my bed and think over the past fucking few weeks, and before that, since I’ve known Ella. Her ass better be at NYU.