At five until seven, I pulled my car into the clubhouse parking lot. Well, the late-model Honda Accord wasn’t actually my car. I had borrowed it from a buddy, since it better suited the lifestyle Bishop would expect than the usual Mercedes convertible I drove.

After killing the engine, I remained seated, twirling the keys on my finger while staring ahead. My mind whirled with thoughts from the past. Most of all, I thought of the last time I had been here with Gavin—the night I had first laid eyes on Bishop Malloy. I couldn’t help marveling how much had changed in so little time. Since getting to know Bishop better, I thought of him in an entirely different light than I had at our first meeting. But when my thoughts went to Gavin, I had the usual searing pain of agony go through my heart. It was just the focus I needed to keep my eye on the prize, which was finding out the truth about the Raiders.

A knock on the car window sent me jumping out of my skin. When I composed myself enough to glance over, a small dark-haired girl stared curiously at me. “Samantha?” she asked through the glass.

“Yeah,” I croaked.

A grin spread across her cheeks. “Uncle B sent me to get you.”

“Willow?” When she nodded, I smiled. Bishop had spoken many times about his niece. The love he had for her was evident from the way he talked about her. I turned in my seat and grabbed the gift bag for Rev. Then I cracked the door. After Willow backed up, I opened it and stepped out of the car.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Uncle B told me to be looking out for you.”

“Where is he?”

“He said he had an emergency club meeting with Daddy, Uncle Rev, and some of the other guys.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “I see.”

Taking my free hand, Willow tugged me along. “Come on.”

I followed behind her. This time there were two bouncers at the front door, which I figured was because they needed more crowd control tonight. The two men didn’t give me a moment’s glance, considering that I was with Willow. She waved to them before pushing on through the front door.

Just like the time before, I was met with thumping music, loud conversation, and hazy smoke rings. “Do you come to a lot of the parties here?” I asked. I couldn’t help asking the question.

“Mommy and Daddy only let me come to some of them.”

“I see.”

“I get to come tonight, since it’s Uncle Rev’s birthday.” She crooked her finger to beckon me closer. When I leaned down, she added in a low voice, “I think people act naughty after my bedtime. Mommy gets mad if Daddy stays too late. She says there’s nothing he can be doing but getting into trouble when he stays.”

I had to bite back a smile at her words. “She’s probably right.”

Willow smiled happily as she swung my hand back and forth in her own. “Uncle B said to take you over to Mommy and the other women.”

“Okay. That sounds good.”

After Willow led me through the wall-to-wall crowd inside the roadhouse, we went out the back door. As soon as we got outside, we entered what could only be classified as birthday party overload. Clear and multicolored Christmas lights were strung up all around the clearing, along with Chinese lanterns. My nose picked up the delicious smell of hamburgers and hot dogs cooking. When I looked to where the aromas were coming from, I saw several bikers, with beers in their hands, stationed at three commercial-sized grills.

Willow then steered us over to where a multitude of picnic tables had been set up. Some of the tables, with their red-and-white-checked tablecloths, were overflowing with food and drinks, while others were set with plates and plastic forks. In the middle of all the tables, there was a towering, three-tiered birthday cake with a motorcycle on top. “Wow,” I murmured.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Willow questioned.

“That’s the biggest birthday cake I’ve ever seen.”

“Uncle Rev promised me I could have the motorcycle on top.”

“Do you like playing with toy motorcycles?” Considering that she was outfitted all in pink, I hadn’t pegged her for a fan of cars.

“No. I wanted it because it’s made of chocolate.”

I grinned down at her. “Now, that sounds like my kind of motorcycle.”

A feeling of apprehension came over me when I glanced down the grouping of tables to where several of the Raiders women were setting up some of the food. Once again, I recoiled slightly at the sight of some of the ladies wearing cuts with “Property of” patches on the back. But I knew from my research that a lot of the women considered the patches a badge of honor, just as their husbands or boyfriends did their patches.

When Willow and I walked up to the group, all conversation silenced at the sight of me. Although I had met several of the women when I went on the run, all of these faces were new. “This is Uncle B’s girlfriend, Samantha,” Willow introduced.

At the mention of the word “girlfriend,” several of the women gasped in surprise while a few narrowed their eyes at me. Almost instinctively, my hands flew up in front of me. “Friend, not girlfriend. Bishop and I are just friends.” My explanation did little to lighten the animosity flowing through the air.

A busty brunette, who was outfitted from head to toe in black, stepped almost toe-to-toe with me. “Willow, will you run to the kitchen and get us some more ketchup?”

“Sure, Miss Annie. Be right back,” Willow replied before sprinting off toward the house.

I felt like a real chickenshit after Willow left me alone with the women. I glanced nervously around the group. Where the hell was Kim or Alexandra and Annabel? The better question, though, since most of these women were new to me, was whether the Raiders had a revolving door of women. A large part of me didn’t really want to know the answer.

When I remembered the gift bag in my hand, I thrust it out lamely. “This is for Rev.”

Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “You got Rev a present?”

I nodded. “It’s his birthday, isn’t it?”

Annie pursed her lips. “That’s not the point.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t get what you mean.”

After sweeping her hands to her hips, Annie questioned, “Do you often buy presents for other women’s husbands?”

Annie’s tone had me swallowing hard as I glanced at the other women. “Um, well, I didn’t think—”

“I don’t know where you come from, but around here, we don’t take too kindly to floozies trying to flirt with our husbands.”

Once again, I held my hands out in front of me. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to flirt with Rev. I just—”

I was interrupted by a familiar voice behind me. “Okay, Annie, that’s enough yanking Samantha’s chain.”

Relief flooded me when I realized it was Kim. With a friendly grin, she threw her arm around my shoulder. “If anyone gets to give her shit, it’s me.”

I laughed. “Thanks a lot.”

“You both better cool it. If you keep up the ragging, she’ll be running for the hills the first chance she gets, which I’m pretty sure would have Bishop on your ass.”

When I whirled around, I saw Alexandra Malloy standing behind me. This time she was without her adorable son. Instead, she held a platter of cheese in her hands. She gave me a warm smile. “It’s good to see you again.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Annie, who winked at me. I exhaled a long breath. “So all that jazz about the present was just you fucking with me?”

Annie laughed. “Consider it a little initiation rite into the Raiders women.”

“Jesus, you scared the hell out of me.”

“Need a clean pair of panties?” Kim asked teasingly.

“Yeah, I do. I was just waiting for you all to jump me.”

Annie laughed. “Sorry about that. We like to see what a girl is made out of before we invite her into our circle.”

“They just didn’t know you had passed the most important test already,” Kim said.

“And what would that be?”

“Why, the Kim test, of course!”

“I see. Glad I managed to pass it with flying colors.” Nodding at Alexandra, I asked, “Did she do the same thing to you?”

“My situation was a little different, since I was coming here as Willow’s teacher, rather than just a hookup with one of the guys.” When my eyebrows shot up at her summation, she quickly added, “Not that you’re just a hookup.”

“No. She’s far more than that,” Kim said knowingly.

“I am?”

Kim grinned. “Bishop has never, ever invited a woman to a Raiders party before.”

“Isn’t that because he usually gets his pieces of ass from the pool of women here?” I countered.

While the other women snickered, Kim’s blue eyes widened. “Damn, girl, I can’t believe you went there.”

“Truth hurts, right?”

She shook her head. “It might’ve been true six months ago, but it sure as hell isn’t true now.” Reaching over, she cupped my chin. “I’ve known Bishop since he was a little kid, and I’ve seen a change in him since he’s been seeing you.”

“Well, we’re not really seeing each other,” I argued.

“Then whatever it is you’re doing.” Kim turned to Alexandra. “Aren’t I right?”

Alexandra smiled. “I haven’t known Bishop as long as Kim has, but he is certainly different.”

At that moment, Rev’s wife, Annabel, joined the group. “I would say he’s positively smitten.”

Kim snorted. “As much as a man like Bishop can be.”

Annabel crossed her arms over her chest. “Just what would you call it, then?”

“I don’t know, but I sure as hell wouldn’t call it smitten.” Kim tapped her chin. “Maybe pussy-whipped?”

“Uh, that’s not the case, I can assure you.”

“Don’t worry, Sam. Bishop’s and your sex life is strictly your business,” Kim said.

Before I could argue that we didn’t have a sex life, Alexandra said, “That’s utter and total bullshit.”

“It is not,” Kim countered.

Alexandra wagged a finger at Kim. “You know as well as I do that nothing is sacred, especially when it comes to sex. Everyone has their nose stuck in everyone else’s business.”

Kim sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”

“After we caught Annabel and Rev screwing in the pantry, you had to tell them all about seeing Deacon’s ass when he and I had done the same,” Alexandra said, her eyes twinkling.

Annabel groaned. “Thank you for that commentary, Alex. Now anyone who didn’t know about Rev and me does.”

“That must be one hell of a pantry,” I mused.

Kim winked. “Maybe you and Bishop can take a turn in there.”

“Once again, we’re just friends.” I knew regardless of how many times I said that, the women were not going to believe me. I tried ignoring the voice inside me that couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if Bishop and I were more than friends. At the same time, my libido, which was limping along after an extreme dry spell, couldn’t help getting hot and bothered about the thought of having sex with Bishop in the infamous pantry.

“And there’s nothing wrong with them being just friends. Right, ladies?” Annabel said.

“Of course,” Alexandra replied.

When I looked at Kim, she wore a surprisingly somber expression. “I know it’s probably hard for you to think of more with Bishop after what happened with Marley.”

I sucked in a harsh breath as her words took me off guard. “Yes. It is.”

She cupped my cheek tenderly. “Your Marley was a good man, and I know you miss him bad. But just don’t forget that life is for the living. I lost a lot of time I could have had with Breakneck by hiding in my grief for my Case. I finally had to realize that Case wouldn’t want me to be unhappy the rest of my life. He would want me to have a good life, and to make his brother, who had been through a rough patch, happy.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

Kim smiled. “Just know that we’re all here for you and want you to be happy . . . especially if it’s with Bishop.”

I laughed along with the others. “Okay.” Realizing I was still holding the present, I handed it to Annabel. “I hope you know I didn’t mean anything by getting Rev something. Bishop said he loved nonfiction books on history.”

She smiled. “It’s fine. In fact, it would be pretty rude to show up at someone’s party without a gift.”

Kim snickered. “Of course you would say that, Miss Manners.”

Waving her hand dismissively, Annabel replied, “Whatever. Besides, Rev loves gifts. I swear he acts just like a little boy again on his birthdays.”

“So, what did you get him?” I asked.

“Eggs,” Annabel replied, with a dreamy smile.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Does he like to eat them or something?”

Alexandra and Kim busted out laughing at my remark, which earned them a disapproving look from Annabel. “They’re not chicken eggs to eat. They’re my eggs,” Annabel replied.

With a shake of my head, I said, “You guys like to give some strange gifts around here. I’m not sure he’s going to enjoy the book I got him.”

“Trust me, Rev’s a major history nerd.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

Annabel smiled. “You want to hear why I’m giving my husband eggs for his birthday?”

Although I knew a lot about Annabel, this was certainly something that hadn’t been recorded. Teasingly, I said, “I’m not sure I want to, but I really need to get the whole story.”

After drawing in a deep breath, Annabel proceeded to tell me things that brought tears to my eyes. While I had known from the file that she had been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking, I had no idea the full extent of what had happened to her. The miscarriage that led to an emergency hysterectomy had been left out of the file, as well as the emotional toll it had taken on her.

When she finally finished, all I could say was “Wow.” Although I wasn’t a crier, especially when I was around others, I found moisture blurring my vision.

“Annabel is the strongest woman I know,” Alex said as tears sparkled in her eyes.

“All the credit for my strength goes to Rev. If it wasn’t for him . . .” She forced a tight smile to her face. “Well, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here in more ways than one.”

“That’s really sweet,” I murmured. It was hard imagining how the version of Rev that Annabel painted could also serve as the president of an MC. He seemed more like a college professor than a gun-toting vigilante. Once again, I realized that my preconceived notions were far off the mark.

“He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever known. That’s why I didn’t want to wait anymore. Rev thinks we’re waiting two more years for me to finish vet school and start a practice before I have my eggs harvested. But since I’m not carrying the baby and we have tons of helpers around, I see no reason to keep him waiting any longer.”

“Well, I have to say that my gift certainly pales in comparison to that,” I teased.

Annabel laughed. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t get to know about the eggs until later tonight when we’re alone. He has a simple gift from me in the pile.”

“That’s good to know.”

Willow returned with her arms laden with ketchup bottles. “Is this enough?” she asked as she started setting them down on the table.

“Yep. I think we’re good,” Annie said.

Once she was free of the ketchup, Willow turned her attention to Annabel. “Has Poe come by today?”

Annabel grimaced. “Shoot. I totally forgot to feed him today.”

Willow’s face lit up. “I’ll go feed him.”

“Thanks, sweetie.”

The next thing I knew, Willow had grabbed my hand. “Come on, Sam. I want you to meet Poe.”

“Okay,” I replied. Considering all the stories that Bishop had told me about Poe, I was pretty anxious to meet him. “See you guys later,” I called over my shoulder.

“We’ll let Bishop know where you are,” Alex said.

“Thanks.”

Willow dragged me down the hill at almost warp speed. I barely got a chance to take in the compound that I had read so much about. Of course, I had seen pictures in the files, but it wasn’t the same as seeing it for myself. It made everything so much more real to see it in person. It once again emphasized the fact that the Raiders were people.

When we reached the cul-de-sac, we veered off to a house on the left. Instead of going up the stairs to the front porch, Willow took me around the side of the house. The backyard ended where the woods began.

In a singsong voice, Willow called, “Poe! Come out, come out, wherever you are, Poe!”

I watched in amazement as some of the bushes at the edge of the woods began to rustle. Within a few seconds, the large rack of a deer became visible through the foliage. Willow clapped her hands. “Come on, Poe. Come and get your corn.”

She then abandoned my side to go up on the back porch. When she reappeared, she had a cupful of dried corn in her hand. “He loves this stuff.”

“He does?”

Willow nodded. “It’s funny to listen to him eat it, too. He chomps it so loud,” she said with a giggle.

I couldn’t help laughing at both her enthusiasm and the fact that I was about to meet the pet deer of hardened bikers. It was all just too bizarre. It was sure as hell not something I would’ve found in any of the files on the Raiders, nor would anyone at the bureau have believed me if I told them.

Poe started slowly out of the woods, putting one long leg in front of the other. But then, as if he sensed a stranger, he momentarily faltered. Willow shook the cup at him. “Come on, Poe. Samantha won’t hurt you.”

His love of corn overrode any remaining fear. He quickly made his way across the backyard. When he was in front of us, Willow reached over and scratched along the ridge of his nose, which he appeared to enjoy. Then she poured out the cup’s contents onto the grass in front of her. Poe immediately dipped his head and began to eat. At the loud crunching, Willow laughed. “See?”

I smiled. “Pretty funny.”

As Poe continued to chomp on the corn, Willow asked, “Wanna pet him?”

“You think he’ll let me?” I questioned.

“You won’t know unless you try.”

“True.” I reached out my hand and brushed it down Poe’s flank. “Interesting.”

“What is it?”

“He feels different than I thought he would. He’s soft but not as furry.”

“His coat is pretty thin now that it’s summertime. It’ll thicken up again in the fall,” Willow said matter-of-factly.

I grinned down at her. “My, my, aren’t you the deer expert?”

“After Aunt Annabel rescued Poe, she and Uncle Rev bought me lots of books on deer.”

“I hear Uncle Rev loves to read.”

Willow nodded. “Yeah, he loves books almost as much as my mommy and I do.” She ran her hand down Poe’s spine. “Aunt Annabel knows the most about animals because she’s in vet school, but she likes all kinds of books, too.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. I got Uncle Rev a book for his birthday.”

“He’ll love it.”

“But I didn’t tell you what it was about.”

Willow gave me a little huff. “You don’t have to. He loves all books.”

“Yeah, well, what if it’s a book about doll collecting?” I countered with a smile.

Wrinkling her nose, Willow said, “No. He wouldn’t like that one very much. He would probably end up giving it to me.”

I laughed. “You don’t have to worry. I skipped the one about doll collecting and got him one about military strategies in the Revolutionary War.”

“It sounds boring, but I know Uncle Rev will love it.”

“Thank you. While I would like to take all the credit for picking it out, your uncle Bishop gave me some suggestions.”

“Hello there,” a voice called behind us.

I whirled around to come face-to-face with Bishop’s mother, Elizabeth Malloy. After reading about her in the bureau’s files, I couldn’t help being intrigued by her. As a child and teenager, she had been the epitome of a Goody Two-shoes. Just as she graduated with honors from high school, she had met John Malloy at church. It was an unlikely match, considering that she was one of the deacons’ daughters, and John was fresh out of prison for armed robbery. Of course, by the time they met, John had rehabilitated himself from a former biker hood to become a born-again Christian. Later he would become a preacher and start his own church, Soul Harbor. But then, thirteen years into their marriage, John seemed to snap one day. He went from loving husband, father, and minister back to outlaw biker. While they had never officially divorced, he and Elizabeth, or Beth as she was known, never lived together again.

I had learned most of the information from the files, but Bishop had also talked to me some about his parents. We both could commiserate on the loss of our fathers. While I had to fudge some of the details about my dad, I was pretty honest with Bishop. After I’d kept my feelings buried for many years, it felt good to talk about my dad to someone outside my family.

In her arms, Beth held baby Wyatt. Beth glanced from Willow to me. Without missing a beat, she extended her hand to me. “I’m Beth Malloy.”

“Samantha Vargas,” I said as I shook her hand.

“Samantha is Uncle B’s girlfriend,” Willow added.

Beth’s blue eyes, the ones Bishop had inherited, widened to the size of dinner plates. “Oh, is that right?”

“Actually, we’re just friends.”

Like the other women, Beth appeared tempted to call bullshit on the “just friends” argument. But instead, she plastered on a welcoming smile. “It’s very nice to meet you, Samantha. I’m glad you’ve come out to celebrate Nathaniel’s birthday with us.”

“Me, too. I can tell how much Bishop loves his brothers from the way he talks about them.”

A loving expression came over Beth’s face. “Although they have their fights and arguments, it’s such a blessing how much they love each other.”

“You must be very proud of them,” I said.

Beth laughed. “I am. They’ve given me far too many gray hairs trying to be the death of me, but I love them with all my heart and soul.”

I tried for a moment to imagine what it must be like to be the mother of three MC men. I was sure they did give her gray hair from worrying with the type of shit they were involved in. I wondered just how much she knew about their illegal dealings. A part of me figured she wasn’t the type to turn a blind eye, but rather just not to ask too many questions.

“Hey there,” Bishop called as he jogged up to us. I could barely hide my surprise when he gave me a quick hug. Although we often exchanged hugs at the end of our dinners, it felt different here on his home turf, so to speak. Not to mention that it happened in front of his mother.

“Sorry I wasn’t able to meet you,” he said.

“That’s okay. Willow has been a wonderful hostess.”

Bishop grinned. “I figured as much.”

“Your meeting go okay?” I asked.

A dark look flashed in his eyes before he quickly covered it up. “Yep. And now we’re ready to have some fun.” He bent down to tickle Willow. “Are you ready to party?”

Bouncing up and down, Willow replied, “Yes!”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Turning to me, he asked, “Sam?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

He nodded and then turned to his mother. “Mama Beth, are you ready to put on your party hat and dancing shoes?”

She swatted his arm playfully. “I don’t know about dancing, but yes, I’m ready to celebrate Nathaniel’s birthday.”

Bishop groaned good-naturedly. “Don’t be an old party pooper. You can break it down with the best of them.”

Beth chuckled. “If I tried to ‘break it down,’ as you say, I would end up with a broken hip at best.”

Bishop and I laughed along with her. It was nice seeing the easy rapport between the two. After my father had died, my relationship with my mother became stronger, but it wasn’t the same as it had been. I couldn’t help wondering if Bishop and Beth’s relationship had changed after his father’s death.

“Will you carry me up the hill, Uncle B?” Willow requested.

“Don’t you think you’re getting too big for that?” Bishop asked teasingly.

She huffed out a frustrated breath. “No, I’m not!”

“Fine, fine.” He turned around to where his back was facing her. “Okay, rug rat, jump up.”

Willow jumped onto Bishop’s back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. “Come on, let’s go! I’m hungry!” she exclaimed.

“You’re so bossy,” Bishop grumbled as he started up the hillside.

Beth and I fell in step beside him. “What do you want to eat, Willow?” Beth asked.

“I want a giant piece of cake with lots of icing.”

“Not until you eat your dinner.”

“Okay, then, I want a hot dog.”

“What else?”

“Just a hot dog.”

“Not some of your mom’s delicious chili?” Bishop asked. He then cut his eyes over to me. “You need to make sure you try some. It’s amazing.”

“I certainly will,” I replied with a smile.

“I just want a hot dog . . . and some cake and ice cream.”

“Ah, just the sweets, huh?” Bishop asked.

“Yep.”

“No cake until you’ve eaten a good dinner, Willow,” Beth instructed.

When Willow began to pout, Bishop leaned back to whisper in her ear, “Don’t worry, rug rat. I’ll hook you up with some cake and ice cream.”

She giggled. “Thanks, Uncle B!”

As Bishop and Willow started ahead of us to make a beeline for the food table, Beth grunted next to me. “Willow’s uncles love to spoil her.”

I laughed. “I can see that.”

“And it’s not just them. Most of the men in the club and even their wives are complete pushovers when it comes to her. By the way they act, you would think she’s the only little girl running around.”

“It doesn’t seem to be going to her head. She seems like such a sweet child.”

“She is. In spite of all the spoiling, she is still well-mannered. Sometimes I think the spoiling doesn’t affect her because of the hard start she had in life.”

I knew all about Willow’s “hard start” from reading her file. Her former life with a drug-addicted mother had been hard to read about, especially the part where her mother had been murdered in front of Willow by the now-deceased leader of the Nordic Knights.

Bishop brought me out of my thoughts. He had put Willow down, and now he beckoned us with his hand. “I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I started before you two.”

Beth gave him a sly smile. “My, you must really be someone special, Samantha, if Bishop is letting us go first. Usually, he’s elbowing people out of the way to eat.”

I couldn’t help laughing, especially when Bishop scowled at his mother. “Well, if it is a side he’s showing just for me, I guess I’ll appreciate it.”

“Women,” Bishop grumbled before thrusting a plate into my hands.