As he said, in less than thirty minutes he pulls off the road down a dirt track. It appears to go on forever and the only sight is of trees, stretching endlessly in front of me. We pull in through some large, heavy gates and I note the name above them.

Rubicon.

My heart beats a little faster and I swallow hard. Rubicon - The Point of No Return.

I whisper, “What is this place?”

Tyler answers with a hard voice.

“To the outside world it’s an MC Club. They are feared and avoided as a result. Nobody comes here willingly and for the most part, they are left alone.”

My mouth goes dry and I lick my lips nervously.

“Why are they feared?”

Tyler laughs hollowly.

“Because they are the untouchables. They deal in things most normal people would never dream of. Even the Devil would crave a look inside their little black book and they have more dirt on the high powered than a shit factory. They know things that would make Washington burn. Most of them are ex-military and the place is run as such. These men are hard and crude and there are no manners or pleasantries. They are known locally as the Twisted Reapers and as their name suggests, they deal with their problems in a despicable way. If anybody seeks out the Reapers, they end up regretting it.”

I fall silent. Bikers. I’ve heard of such clubs and feel the fear grip me. This is well out of my league. How on earth will I survive living among them?

We pull up outside a large barn. Motorbikes litter the yard and my heart hammers in my chest. This is not what I expected. Tyler takes my hand and looks at me reassuringly. “Trust me, Ash. These men may be rough but they won’t hurt you. I wouldn’t place you in danger, you know that.”

Nodding, I follow him to the great doors. I look up and see another sign which makes my heart race.

 

‘Abandon hope all who enter here!’

 

I sigh to myself. I abandoned all hope years ago. Tyler is right, this is better than the alternative and whatever lies within these walls can be nowhere near as bad as what’s waiting for me at home.

Tyler knocks loudly on the door and the sound travels around the yard. I start to shiver but it’s not from the cold. This is it, my fate awaits me and I try to stop myself running back to the safety of the car. I need to be strong to see this through. It’s fine, Tyler will have thought of everything.

The door opens and my heart hammers in my chest. The man who stands there is huge in every way. His head is shaved and a tattoo of a cobra runs from his neck to his wrist. He has muscles on muscles and his vest does little to cover them. I look into his dark, glittering eyes and see the interest spark in them. A lazy smile breaks out across his face and he turns to Tyler.

“He’s expecting you. Follow me.”

My heart beats so loudly I think they could hear it back home. This place is scary in every way.

We are led to a large room that’s crowded with people. Bikers litter the area and surround what appears to be a large bar. Some are sitting at tables playing cards and others on couches with scantily clad women all over them. A few are stood around a huge pool table and some are watching the game on possibly the largest television I’ve ever seen.

As we walk, I feel the stares. I must stand out like a neon beacon in a dark sky. I’m wearing a smart skirt and a shirt with a well-cut jacket. I look like I’m heading for a job interview and I suppose I am. My blonde hair is pulled neatly behind me and my heels click on the tiled floor. To say I look completely out of place is an understatement, and I feel exposed as I absorb the stares that follow me inside. The silence is tangible and all eyes are focused on us as we follow snake arm to a man seated at the end of the room.

As we draw near my breath hitches as I see him. He watches our approach with a hooded expression and I can’t take my eyes off him. I have never seen such a man in my life. His hair is black as the night and his eyes even darker. His muscles strain against the vest he is wearing which makes my heart flutter. He is wearing combats and watches us approach with a predatory gaze. I feel stripped to the bone by that look. He commands attention and draws you in. The world fades away as he becomes the only thing in it. My attention is on him 100% and he steals the breath from my body.

A woman sits at his feet and stares at me with hate pouring from her eyes. She is beautiful and her hard stare unnerves me. I watch as she grips his leg in ownership and flashes me a warning from her icy gaze. I try not to stare but I can’t help it. These people are beautiful, magnificent and powerful. They captivate me and I have never seen anything like them in my life.

 The man looks at us with a closed, hard expression and then stands up and approaches. He shakes off the girl at his feet with no regard and walks towards us.

As he stands before me I feel his interest. His gaze rakes me from head to toe and leaves me panting inside. What is happening here? He turns to Tyler and fixes him with a hard look.

“Does she know what’s involved?”

Tyler nods. “Yes.”

He swings his gaze back to me and smiles. I think I must openly stare at him because I see the amusement in his eyes. He looks me up and down and nods in approval.

“Yes, she will do just fine.”

Then he snaps.

“Snake, get Bonnie.”

The large man moves off and we all stand silently. I feel uncomfortable as every pair of eyes in the place appear to be trained on me. I feel exposed and stripped bare and want nothing more than to high tail it out of here. Tyler stands beside me expressionless and unemotional. He has his business hat on and is as far removed from me now as he will be later. No words are spoken as we wait for Bonnie.

Then she arrives and stands next to the man who has captivated me in the most dangerous of ways. He looks at me with interest and then speaks without tearing his eyes from mine.

“Take her and settle her in. We have business to discuss.”

I feel the panic set in. This is it. My Rubicon. I don’t want to leave Tyler but know I must. I look over at him nervously and his eyes reassure me. “Go with her, Ashton. I won’t leave without saying goodbye.”

Swallowing hard, I turn to face a pretty redhead who is looking at me kindly.

“Come on, honey. I’ll show you around.”

I am grateful for the kindness and smile at her nervously. She starts to head off and I follow her on shaky legs. This is it, there’s no going back now.