Pulling up to the movie lot, Jake gripped the steering wheel. His agent wasn’t happy with him pulling out of the job with Javier, but then his agent was the first to admit he sat in a safe, warm office all day. Pushing anyone in the stunt business too far too fast was a recipe for . . . well, for what happened to Sarah. Switching off the engine of his truck, Jake sat a moment, listening to the noise of the films in production through his open window. The studios were mostly silent, except for the steady flow of people in and out, but ahead, in the road lot, he could see a line of motorbikes ready to go, the flaming mess in the distance clearly their target.

“Jake. Good to see you.”

Jake spotted the head mech from the last film he’d worked on. Ed was an old-school guy, well over twenty years in the business. “You too.”

“Glad you’re coming back. Always liked having you around.”

Jake’s heart swelled at the compliment and he got out of the truck, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Thanks. That means a lot. Been a while since I was last here.” The pause was a little too long and Ed slapped him on the shoulder.

“I get it.”

“You do?” Jake asked.

“A break away is good for a guy like you. It’s easy to get caught up in this world. Start to think this is all there is. Start to think that this”—he waved at the bikes now revving through the fire on a second pass—“is real.”

Letting out the huff of air in his lungs, Jake took his hands out of his pockets. He’d come here to tell Javier thanks but no thanks, but what about the next offer, or the next? “I don’t know if I am coming back.”

“Figured.”

The two of them stood silently for a moment, both looking at the melee of fire, cameras, broken cars, and motorcycles in front of them. “It’s a crazy job,” Ed said eventually. “But I get why you love it. Must be a huge buzz. Like flying. Not for me though.”

Jake nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“My daughter thought about doing it for a while. Do you remember? But then she realized she was hooked on making engines, not breaking them.”

“Like her old man,” said Jake and a lightbulb flickered on above his head. “She works in your shop now, doesn’t she?”

“Yep. Her and the youngest. Girls make the best mechanics, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I know I’m biased, but they have such a delicate touch, and the patience of . . . I don’t know, a patient person.” His laugh was warm, loud. “Working here when you guys are always wanting more torque or for me to fix some crazy crack in your gasket, my girls, well, they’re the best.”

Jake thought immediately of Lucy. “I have a friend who’s like that. Figured she might fit in here, but she’s set on getting back into a mech shop. Finding it hard to catch a break though.”

“Why?”

“A lot of reasons, I guess.” Jake flapped his hand at the query, but what did he know about her really? She made his body sing, sure, but she was reckless, and he didn’t know if he had it in him to protect her from herself, let alone the hordes of bikers she seemed set on antagonizing. Yet he couldn’t get her out of his head. Not even here, surrounded by the ghosts of his past life.

“If she’s good she’ll work the rest of it out,” Ed said and slapped Jake on the shoulder again. “Anyway, great to see you. Don’t worry about this crew. You’re good. People will want you back when you’re ready. If you’re ready.” He walked off.

Was that all he needed? More time? Jake watched his ex-colleague walk away and tried to put himself back into this world with Lucy by his side. Would that make a difference? She kept him focused, that was for sure, and that helped when stunts required every ounce of focus.

As if drawn to the drama, Jake started walking toward the set. A security guy put up a hand then recognized him and waved him through. The clapper board said RETURN FROM BROKEN BAY, a sequel to the film Jake had worked on when he was just starting out. High action, part thriller, tons of testosterone, the film had been a big part of what hooked him into this career in the first place.

Jake watched as four guys and one woman circled the fire on motorbikes before the lead’s double, a guy, tall for a stunt guy, drove through the flames and under a wrecked car.

The director called cut and Jake clapped along with the rest of the cast. It was a good setup. Solid. And the guy had pulled it off without being flashy about it, but with enough flair that it would look incredible on camera. Jake looked at his hands. No shakes. No adrenaline pumping through his veins. No sweat starting to break out on his forehead. His body had watched the stunt as passively as if the guy had stepped onto a bus and driven around the lot instead. That was good. Wasn’t it? Maybe he was being too hasty thinking he didn’t want to be here anymore.

When the director called action again, and the team pulled the same stunt, this time Jake saw the faint pause in the lead’s takeoff. Enough of a pause that would have been seriously dangerous in a bigger move, with a moving car in the mix as well.

What are you doing? He wasn’t sure. After standing there for almost an hour, he discovered he could see all of the faults in the moves the guys pulled, but saw none of the glory. Was this what happened when you were at it too long, or when you came face-to-face with the waste of a young life? Maybe both? Maybe working on a different type of film with different people would be good. Shake him up a bit. See if he could work out a different way of being on-set.

Walking away from the fire-street set, he sought out Javier, now unsure of what he wanted to do next. But the actor was on a closed set, and even Jake’s previous experience couldn’t get him in. Heading back to his car, Jake looked around him again, trying to pretend this was it, his last time here. It didn’t fit right. The breakaway had been good, mostly, but never coming back here, he just couldn’t imagine it. Trouble was, there wasn’t much call for a stunt-ready actor who didn’t know if he could do any stunts. Jake knew he couldn’t just act, he wasn’t talented enough for that. Without the stunts he was nothing.

Back at Wilde’s he walked through the bar and nodded at the dozen or so bikers already drinking. Whatever he did, Jake wasn’t about to end up at the bottom of a bottle of bourbon, not at 11 a.m. Time to shake it up a bit. But when he got into the office he found a note pushed under the door.

YOU SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR YOUR GIRL. SHE STARTS WORKING FOR THE MENACE AND SHIT WILL GET REAL. WATCH YOUR BACK. AND WATCH OUT FOR BRI.

The context of the note was clear. Maybe Martinez had been right and Lucy had done the break-in. But surely she wouldn’t go as far as working for the Reapers of Menace? That was beyond reckless. And stupid didn’t really cover it either. His blood heated so he could almost hear it pumping in his ears. Wait, you might have gotten it wrong. Get the facts sorted first.

Walking out into the bar, Jake nodded to one of the guys settled with an early beer. “Just hypothetically, what would happen if one of your ladies went and worked with the Reapers of Menace?”

For a moment, Jake didn’t think the other guy had heard him. Then, he turned his bloodshot eyes toward Jake. “Don’t be that guy. No one likes that guy.” The answer was more of a growl than a sentence.

“What guy?” Jake asked, hoping he’d kept his face neutral.

“You know how gangs work. Figure it out. Although fucked if I know why anyone would join the Menace by choice. They’re mean bastards.”

Jake nodded and walked away. Okay, so if she was swapping sides, it was going to get nasty. And why would anyone bother to leave him a note unless it was legit? The thing with Martinez, her obvious history of frustration with the gang, and now this . . . ? Lucy was reckless, more than reckless. He was stupid thinking that he could . . . could what? Could love her? He could hardly love himself at the moment. And worse, if this was true, she was putting everyone else in danger. His heart darkened, a solid hand clenching around the organ and squeezing it, hard.

WATCH OUT FOR BRI. That’s what he was supposed to be doing. And now, had he gone and screwed that up too?

Looking at his watch, he worked out that Briony would most likely be awake, and not coupled with her new husband. So heading back to the office, he dialed her cell.

“Hey there. You okay? Everything okay with the hotel?” Briony’s voice was instantly on the alert.

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Mostly. There was a bit of a fuckup with one of the Dumpsters, but no harm done.” She didn’t need to hear about the fire right now. Not after nothing had been burned down. He took a breath. “I need some advice. About gang stuff.”

“Advice? Stay well out of it and let them sort their own shit. Hade and Rocco know that I don’t get in the middle of it.”

“It’s about another gang.”

“Oh. Fuck. Which one? The Menace?”

Jake nodded then shook his head. “There’s rumors of something starting. With your friend Lucy Black in the middle.”

“Luce? In bed with the Menace? Shit.”

“I only know what I’ve heard. That she’s going to work for them. She hasn’t said anything to me. Yet. We sort of . . .”

He heard the intake of breath before she spoke. “Get out of town. You and Lucy? Jesus, can’t leave you alone for two seconds.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to—”

“Phft. I’ll get over it. Have to say I wouldn’t have picked it though. But then again, I’m shit at picking it, look how long it took me to realize Cole was a nice guy.”

Jake heard a laugh in the background and realized Cole was likely listening in. Time to get to the point. “Do I call her on it? She’s staying here. Working here. Last thing you need is some sort of gang war starting out with Wilde’s in the middle.”

There was a pause. “Lucy’s had plenty to deal with. She’s a fighter for a reason. I can’t see her getting into anything dangerous with the Reapers of Menace on purpose, not unless someone pushed her to do it. Or unless she feels like she’s run out of options. But if it has happened, it’s time to be careful. Real careful. Those guys don’t fuck around. Have a chat with Hade about it. A quiet one.”

“Right.”

“Just be careful, okay? You’ve got some stuff to deal with too, don’t go adding to your pile. Iceman you may be, but Luce has enough fire to melt you right where it hurts.”

Jake found a smile. Finally. His stepsister always had a great way with words. “Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll see you soon anyway. Just keep the hotel together ’till then and then it won’t be your problem anymore. Call me back after you’ve talked to Hade or I’ll be up all night, fretting.” She hung up.

Jake looked at the phone in his hands. It wouldn’t be his problem anymore? He hoped that Briony would always be in his life now. And that he’d be there for her problems in whatever way he could. Adding Lucy to Briony’s pile though hadn’t been the idea.

Rubbing his face, Jake stood to go and find Hade. Lucy being in his life had been exciting, invigorating even. But she was trouble, Briony had just told him as much. And he didn’t need any extra trouble now. If he didn’t do something to stop the danger lurking around the corner, he’d be back staring fear in the face and unable to stop it from taking out the ones he loved. No, he didn’t want that. He might not have stopped Sarah, but he could help Lucy. He would make sure nothing put Briony and her life’s work in danger, and stop Lucy before she fell down the wormhole of recklessness she was obviously standing at the edge of.

The quiet word with Hade didn’t help much. As soon as Jake mentioned the Reapers of Menace, Hade’s face darkened and he shut down most of the conversation. “Lucy needs to be careful. Real careful. She might not be in Hell’s yet, but I’ve told her I’m working on it. And she’s connected to us, whether she wants to admit it or not. She knows it, everyone knows it. Needs to think hard about that before she does anything. And about what it means to other people.”

More concerned than ever, Jake headed to his room when a familiar voice caught him off guard.

“Jake.”

Turning he saw Lucy, beaming, a low-cut white top showing off her soft skin and freshly washed hair, tumbling in waves from the dampness. His body wanted to pull hers to him. To stroke the hair from her cheek, to tell her to stop doing whatever it was that was getting the gangs riled up. But Briony’s words echoed in his head. He was going to be careful. And protect his family, like he was supposed to be doing all this time. Letting his body get overly excited was not what he was here for.

“I was just coming to look for you.” Her smile was lopsided, the warmth of it immediate, lascivious, heart melting. Briony had been right about that too.

This you can do. “Good. I needed to talk to you too.”

She stiffened at his cool, measured tone and her smile slipped. But she didn’t adjust her posture. “I got a job.”

Good, she isn’t going to pretend. “I heard.”

“Really? I can’t believe it’s happened. And with people who don’t give a fuck that I’m a woman.” She beamed, but when he didn’t respond in kind, the smile slipped.

“You sure about that?”

“What? That they offered me a job? Or that they don’t care that I’m a woman?”

He shrugged. “Maybe both. You sure you’re not getting stuck in the middle of something that’s bigger than you? It’s not going to go down well.”

“With who? The Hell’s Boys? Screw them. They had their chance. I’ve been trying to get Hade to let me open up shop for them for almost a year and it was all, ‘Nah, Luce, we’re just not ready.’ Then some guy turns up for two seconds and boom, it’s all on. What part of that doesn’t suck hard?”

“Getting into bed with someone else isn’t going to make it any better, surely. Those sort of guys don’t really care whether you’re good on the bikes or not. They want to use you.”

“Excuse me?” Her face was a mask of incredulity. And right there he saw the change in her. Her whole body shifted, going beyond stiff, becoming rigid and cool. Damn. That wasn’t what he’d meant to do. Really? And what part of kicking her out of your sister’s hotel is going to keep her coming back to your bed?

“I’m just saying you should be careful.”

“Right. ’Cause you have a bodyguard complex and need to make sure you’re the hero all the time.”

That cut. Deep, but Jake refused to let it show. Channeling his Iceman center he squared his shoulders. “Hardly. But if you’re not going to be smart about it, it’s probably best you find somewhere else to stay.”

“Just like that? I don’t need your protection anymore and boom, I’m out? Shit, man, and I thought I had issues.”

“That’s taking it a bit far. I’m looking out for Briony. She’s just got things steady with Wilde’s. There are regular people staying here now, not just the gang. The kind of trouble you bring is not what she needs. Not what either of us need. That fire almost destroyed the hotel. Next time we might not be so lucky. I can’t afford to sit back and let you bring that sort of drama here.”

“Seriously? You’re going to lay all of that on me? I’m not even in the gang.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I know that’s a bone of contention for you. Hade told me. But this isn’t about you being a woman this time. This is about me looking out for my sister. For my family.”

She laughed but without any humor. “Typical. It’s just like a man to lay all of that at my feet and then walk away. It’s you idiots who can’t get used to a woman being better than you at something. I’m good on bikes. But no one wants to let me really show them because they’re scared of how their precious ego will react. Well, this new place doesn’t give a shit about that. They’ve seen me work. I got a trial on the spot. So I’m out of here. It’s been swell and all, but screw you too, Iceman. You’re no better than the rest of them.” She turned to walk away but he caught her arm, unwilling for it to end like this.

“Lucy.”

“No. Save it.” She shook him off. “I thought you were different, that we had something, but I guess I was wrong about that. See you around, Iceman. I’m outta here.”

He watched her stalk down the corridor and out a fire exit. His heart sank. More than sank, it filled itself up with fast-set concrete and started sinking through all his other organs until it settled, hard and cold at the bottom of his stomach. Guess you care about her more than you thought. He shook off the thought. So what if he’d had feelings for Lucy? Last thing he needed was being with someone reckless enough to work for a rival gang and then brag about how great they were in the middle of the Hell’s hotel. If he was ever going to get working again, he needed evenness, calm. And calm Lucy Black was not.

* * *

Storming outside, not sure where she was going, but determined to get away from Wilde’s, Lucy’s heart was pounding almost out of her chest. Jake might think she wasn’t worth the butter on sliced toast, but she had a new life to dive into. Screw him. But as she walked a short distance from the hotel, she became aware of the throb of a motor following her. A bike on a joyride should have passed her by now. Maybe the bike needed work. She stopped and looked around but couldn’t see anything so she shrugged it off.

Work! What a nice four-letter word. Her body expanded into the night as it tried out the sensation of glee. The warmth of the day was gone and a chill wind was just starting to pick up; it seemed the end of her time at Wilde’s might just coincide with the end of summer. Heart racing, eyes focused, she tried to let the wind come at her and whip her darkness away.

The other four-letter word, the L one, rattling round in her head, however, didn’t fill her with anything like joy. Jake doesn’t deserve any more of your energy. True. But it was hard to let go of the thought of him, of the vision of his cold impassive face, when Katie had spurred her on to seek him out, to try to build something with him.

She’d thought he was impressed with her, that he believed in her, that they had an understanding. And then he turns up and spits vitriol all over you like spent oil. His face floated out into the night and she punched out at the air to try to make herself feel better. He might think he was doing her a favor, telling her she should wait for Hade to give her a go, or trying to get her work on his film so he could keep an eye on her, but it was just controlling. Like most of the men around here. And half the women, she thought, thinking about her mom.

She hiccupped. No. She would not do this. She would not get upset over a guy who might have been. She set off again, the pavement illuminated by a streetlamp. He wanted her out of Wilde’s? No problem. She was going to leave, tonight.

But looking behind her, Lucy saw a bike swing into view. A bike she didn’t recognize, and on it, a guy with a jacket that didn’t have a Hell’s patch.

He headed toward her and as he got closer she made out the silver scythe logo with a long black lightning bolt. Oh. Fuck.