I stood there before Dermott as he spilled his heart out to me, and all I could think about was Cain. How much I missed him. How much I wished it were him standing before me, expressing his innermost feelings. But Cain was thousands of miles away, moving on with his life.

Dermott and I had known each other for so long, and at one time I had thought we had a chance at making things work just like he had admitted not so long ago. But not anymore. Admittedly, since meeting Cain, I had been spoiled for any other man. I couldn’t imagine any man making me feel the way Cain did. And I don’t just mean sexually—though if anyone could even come close to that, it would be Dermott. But Cain had captured my heart, and in him I had found the other half of my soul. It was something that I couldn’t really explain. But it was something that I knew. Suddenly things clicked into place as thoughts about Cain and Dermott rampaged around my head. The sex between Cain and me was so amazing because he was the yin to my yang. Because he was my other half. Because he had captured my heart. I gasped at the realisation and closed my eyes briefly, almost forgetting Dermott was standing before me.

I opened my eyes as guilt washed over me and Dermott pleaded at me with his vivid green gaze. Saltwater welled up, and my lip began to tremble. He caught an escaped droplet, and his own eyes began to glisten.

He smiled sadly. “I… I think maybe I should go.”

“I’m so sorry, Dermott,” I whispered as my heart squeezed in my chest.

He shrugged. “You can’t help who you fall in love with. The heart wants what it wants. On paper we’re a perfect match. But in real life… I guess in real life we’re perfect as friends.”

I nodded and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Dermott. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. If I could change how I feel, believe me, I would. I don’t want to feel this emptiness that I’ve been left with. And I wish I could love you the same way, I really do.” I sniffled into his shoulder.

“Yeah… Maybe I should have said something a heck of a lot sooner, eh? Although I’m guessing it wouldn’t have made much difference. Would it?”

I shook my head as more tears sprang forth. “No. I’m sorry, but no, it wouldn’t.”

“Well… sometimes these things have to be said out loud. I just wish the outcome had been different.”

Panic suddenly knotted my stomach. Was I about to lose one of my best friends? “Will you still keep in touch with me?” I widened my eyes but feared for his response.

He kissed my forehead and then looked into my eyes. “I’ll always be here for you, Kelly. I think I sold myself short where you’re concerned. I acted all casual for so long when deep down, all I wanted was to admit how I really feel.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “There’s no wonder you don’t want me. I talked about us as fuck buddies, for God’s sake.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. Please. It’s just not meant to be. But I do love you. Just not in that way.”

He cupped my cheek. “If you ever change your mind… I’d move to Skye for you. I’d gladly leave everything here behind for you. Just so you know.”

How many more revelations were coming? This was all too much. And all it did was compound the sense of loss inside of me. I began to sob, and Dermott enveloped me in his arms. A place where I had always felt safe—but now it just made me realise how much I missed being held… by Cain.

Living in the apartment above the café with Rosa wasn’t ideal, but it was necessary until things had calmed down. Colt and Six kept contacting me and trying to convince me to move north of the border into Canadian territory. But as much as I loved the scenery up there, I didn’t feel connected to the place in the slightest. It could never be home. Not for me or Rosa.

Rosa continued with her studies and was doing so well. She made me proud. And I was in awe of her determination. Staying out of sight was becoming impossible for me. I was going stir-crazy again. My love of the outdoors had returned and being stuck in a poky little two-bed apartment just didn’t cut it. Plus I wasn’t happy to be relying on two old folks to feed me. I needed to get the hell out and back to normal life.

But Colt was still reluctant for me to be seen out in public. I’d grown my hair and let a full beard grow in, but apparently it still wasn’t enough. He kept in touch via text messages mostly but made the odd visit up too. Sometimes Six came along for the ride.

The final straw came when Rosa was late home from school and I began to worry. It wasn’t so far to walk from the school bus, but when we discovered that she hadn’t even gotten on the bus, Ellen and Hank insisted that they go looking for her; and once again I was rendered fucking useless. The whole situation was at a point of no return.

They had been gone twenty minutes, and I could stand it no longer. I pulled my bike out of the yard around back and set off in the direction of the school. I passed Ellen and Hank as they were returning in an empty fucking car. My heart rate spiked and fear knotted my guts. Where the fuck was she? What had happened to her?

As soon as they realised it was me, they spun their car around and began to follow me. Hank was at the wheel, and he kept on flashing his lights to get my attention, but I forged ahead. No one was going to stop me from protecting Rosa now.

No one.

Later that day we all sat around the large gnarled oak kitchen table in Hank and Ellen’s rustic home. The mood was sombre and the atmosphere thick with apprehension. In the heavy silence that hung over the room, I could almost hear the cogs turning in everyone’s minds.

Rosa hadn’t been found.

It was four hours on from when she hadn’t returned from school, and everyone who could possibly know her whereabouts had been contacted several times. Colt was refusing to inform the police, saying it would only make matters worse. He was sure the Legion had her. And all I knew was that when I got my hands on whoever it was that had her, I would fucking rip them limb from limb.

The phone rang and Hank answered it in a hushed tone. With a worried expression, he handed the receiver to Colt, who listened with a frown. His knuckles became white where he gripped the handset. I stood, fists clenched, and walked to stand before him. I could see his jaw muscles ticking under his skin.

“Okay. We’re on our way.” He handed the phone back to Hank and rubbed his hands over his face.

“Where is she? Who the fuck has her, Colt?” My words came out in a rush.

“Up state. Old Legion warehouse. The bastards have gone too far this time.”

His words sent the cold hand of fear trailing down my spine, leaving shivers in its wake. “W-why? What have they done?”

“You’d better sit down.”

I shook my head. “Just fucking tell me. Please.”

“She’s been dating a guy in school. Some kid called Tyler. Turns out he was the son of one of the Legion. He’s been getting close to her to find out about you. She must have told him you were back. Apparently she got on his bike after school. She told one of her friends that she would let you know where she was. Clearly that’s not happening, and my guess is that’s because they won’t let her call you.”

A wave of nausea washed over me and I felt the colour drain from my face. “Fuck. I have to find her, Colt. We have to go now!”

“I know, son.” His expression was grim. “I know.”

The warehouse was in darkness and I was glad Colt had returned my forty-five to me. Although I knew I had shot someone before, I couldn’t piece together the memory of it. But if it’s what was necessary to get my sister out of there, then I would do what I had to.

Colt, Six, and some of the other guys had the place surrounded, but I had told them it would be me who went in after her. They protested, saying I’d be a walking target, but she was my sister. She was my responsibility. My flesh and blood.

My reasoning prevailed. I would go in, and they’d wait for my signal if and when I needed them to back me up.

I tried a rotten old door and it creaked open. I cringed and hoped that the bastards hadn’t heard me coming. But who was I kidding? They were lying in wait for me.

I crept through the minimal space I’d created and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness. The place stank of old diesel oil and there was a thick heaviness to the air—the kind of atmosphere that occurs when something really bad is on the verge of happening. The combination created a sensation and stench that made my gut churn. I held my gun aloft with the safety off. I wanted to be ready. I could hear raised voices coming from the office at the back of the warehouse and so I slowly crept toward it.

“You lied to me, Ty. I can’t believe you’d do that. Not after everything you said.” Rosa’s emotion-filled voice rang out, and my heart clenched. I’ll kill the bastard!

“I’m sorry, Rosie, really I am. They made me do it. I wanted to tell you but… well, you can imagine what would have happened if I’d done that.”

“At this moment in time, Ty, you can fucking drop dead for all I care!” she screamed at her captor, and I found myself first cringing at her language and then feeling proud of her for standing up to him.

“Aww, come on, Rosie. Please. I meant it when I told you how much I like you. I’m sick of this fucking shit with the clubs sparring all the time. All’s I want is to have you as my girl and the rest of them can go fuck themselves. But… it’s like we’re Romeo and Juliet, you know? It’s not allowed and stuff.”

I snorted from my hiding place. Oh yeah, very articulate, bro. You’re putting Shakespeare to shame. Dumb fucking idiot.

“No, Ty. We are not Romeo and fucking Juliet. We are nothing like them. Although there is one similarity. You could end up fucking dead if my brother finds me here.”

I couldn’t help chuckling to myself at her comeback. No doubting that she was my kid sister, that’s for sure. I got the distinct feeling that this Tyler kid was under duress about the whole situation, and I calmed a little. He wasn’t out to hurt her, and no one else seemed to be around.

“You… you think Cain would really kill me? I mean… I heard he was a badass, but I hoped he might go easy on me. I don’t want to be doing this, Rosie.” The kid sounded panicked. And I was glad.

“So let me go. Let me walk out of here, and I’ll talk to Cain. Maybe I can make him go easy on you.” Her voice had softened and I got what she was trying to do.

As for going easy on him? Huh! Not fucking likely.

“I… I can’t. If the others come back, I’m dead if I let you go.”

“You’re dead either way then.” She sounded defeated and I took that I my cue. With my gun held tight, I turned and kicked the door with a force that knocked it from its top hinge. The crash made Tyler spin around to face me, and when he saw me, he dropped to his knees, covering his head.

“Aww, fuck! I’m sorry, man. Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry! I didn’t wanna do it. I like her!” he sobbed.

I walked over and pointed the gun at his head. Rosa gasped from the chair where she sat. Only when I got a closer look at her, I saw she was tied with her arms behind her back. I glanced over and shook my head slowly, hoping that she understood I wasn’t going to hurt the asshole. Just scare him a little. Well… maybe rough him up a bit.

“Get up, you fucking little ass-wipe,” I growled.

He made a little girly squeak. “I’m really sorry. Really sorry.” He slowly got to his feet.

I glared at him, hoping I came off as menacing. “I suggest you untie my sister.”

“Y-yes, sir.” He walked behind her chair and began fumbling around. Just as he got the rope untied, I heard shouting outside. Then the crack of gunfire. My heart almost jumped out of my chest. Rosa screamed.

I turned to face my sister’s kidnapper. “You, come with me. Do anything stupid, Romeo, and I will blow your fucking brains out. Understood?”

He nodded, wide-eyed, and a large wet patch appeared on the front of his jeans. I could smell the reek of piss.

I shook my head in disgust. “Rosa, follow close behind.”

We made our way out of the little office and toward where the battle had broken out. I could see fists flying, and thankfully no more shots were fired. Sticking my thumb and forefinger in my mouth, I blew out a high-pitched, piercing whistle and everyone stopped dead.

I brandished my gun in the air. “I have your boy here. How does that saying go again? An eye for an eye? Well how about a teenager for a teenager? I’ll be taking this little shit with me. Any of you try to follow, and he may just wind up dead in a fucking ditch. You reading me?”

One of the Legion stepped forward, hands held up in surrender. “Whoa, man! He’s my son. Don’t you fucking hurt him! Please, don’t hurt him.”

“I’ll do you a deal, shall I? You keep away from our clubhouse and our members and we’ll let him live.”

The leather- and denim-clad middle-aged man sniggered at me. “You do know that you’re dead when Deak hears about this, don’t you?”

I grimaced at him. “I doubt that. He’s getting old now. I reckon I could take him on.” I was pretty damn sure that provoking the fucker wasn’t the best way to go, but I couldn’t resist. I shoved Ty away from me. “Weasel, get this asshole on the back of your bike.” Well, come on, I didn’t want my bike stinking of piss. “Rosa, you’re coming with me. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

The prick from the rival club laughed darkly and called after me, “He wasn’t gonna harm your sister, dude. It was you Deak wanted. Can’t say that will be the case anymore. I would think seriously about your next move, Somers. Reckon you’re both gonna wind up dead now.”

“I wouldn’t go making threats if I were you, shithead,” I told him as I pulled on my helmet and straddled my bike. The rest of the crew followed suit, and we peeled off down the long road. Rosa clung on to me and leaned into my back. Even over the rumble of the engine, I was sure I could feel the vibrations of her sobs through my cut. Poor kid. I bypassed the turnoff for Hank and Eleanor’s home and headed straight for Rose Acres. There was no point going back into hiding now.

I was pretty sure I was done for.

It was just a matter of how long I had left.