Music infiltrated the bedroom. Jett rolled over in bed and came instantly awake. Johanna was gone.

Sitting up, he grabbed his jeans off the end of the bed and was halfway to the bathroom before he zipped.

Before he reached the door, Freddy came out of the restroom, swaying. "Hey."

He pushed his hair back. "Have you seen Sydney?"

The party downstairs was still going hard. He'd taken Sydney upstairs around eleven o'clock before things started going crazy and the drinking got out of control.

Between a couple drinks, Sydney's warm body, he'd fallen asleep deeper than he thought possible. He hadn't felt her leave the bed.

"Nah, man. I thought she was in your room." Freddy belched. "Did you lose her?"

"Yeah." He eyed his MC brother. Already shit-faced, Freddy would be no help. "Who's manning the gate?"

"Uh." Freddy scratched his head. "Chano...no, that prospect. What the hell is his name? Bano? Bango."

"Banter." He walked back to the room, finished dressing, and called the prospect as he took the stairs two at a time.

"Yeah?" answered Banter.

"Has Sydney tried to go out the gate?" He weaved his way through the members, the women, and pushed out the front door of the clubhouse.

"Nah, man. I know she can't go out. I wouldn't lose her twice."

"Call me if she tries to leave." He disconnected the call and spotted Olin walking to his motorcycle alone.

"Hey," he shouted.

Olin turned and walked toward him. He met his brother halfway. Sydney couldn't have gotten far. He couldn't sleep without her beside him. She had a five, maybe ten-minute lead on him.

"Have you seen Sydney?" he asked.

Olin shook his head. "Aren't you two getting along?"

After she'd spent the day with Johanna while he'd dealt with business in the garage and helped strip parts of the stolen motorcycles, Sydney had stuck right by his side. He thought having her company meant she was finally getting used to being with him and after spending the day apart, she preferred to be with him in a clubhouse full of men.

"She has to be here somewhere." He gazed at the parked cars in the field. Would she be desperate enough to hide in one of the vehicles, hitching a ride as the visitors to Brikken left?

The floodlights attached to the clubhouse and the garage only lit up the area so far. There were forty acres she could wander off in, but would she in the dark?

"The members know to keep their hands off her." Olin stepped away. "I'll go find Keeffe and get a group together to ask around. Someone had to have seen her."

"I’m going to walk the perimeter, where I can see. Use the phone if you find her or if you find someone who knows where she's at." He jogged toward the gate and veered off into the field.

All week, Sydney had seemed okay with their agreement. She'd questioned the activities at the clubhouse but seemed content with the little information he gave her.  He'd asked the men to let him know if she tried to bargain her way off Brikken property and he'd warned them that he'd rip the patch off anyone who took her up on a bet—because he expected her to try and con them out of their money or give her a ride into Tacoma. But, she'd minded the rules.

He worked his way over to the garage, used his keys, and walked inside. Flipping on the light, he studied the area. All the bikes were parked ready to be picked up tomorrow night. The only way Sydney would've been able to get inside was if she'd stolen keys from him or Chief. They were the only two who could get in during the twenty-four-hour period before pick-up.

Locking the door, he left and headed back to the clubhouse when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen.

"Chief?" he answered.

"Missing your girl?"

He stopped walking. "Do you know where she's at?"

"She's over here, talking to Johanna in the living room."

"What the fuck is she doing there?" It was almost four o'clock in the morning.

"Johanna got up to feed the baby and spotted Sydney out the kitchen window sitting on the step of the porch. I opened the door, and she asked to see Johanna, and then the little shit asked me if I wouldn't tell you she came over here."

"Fuck," he muttered, turning around and heading toward the walkway between clubhouse and garage. "I'm coming over now."

"Doors open, son," said Chief.

He disconnected and called Olin, gave him the message that he'd found Sydney, and walked the worn path up to the footbridge and crossed the creek. His father had built a house for Johanna in the same spot Rollo, Jett's grandfather, had lived with his grandmother. He barely remembered his grandparents' old home as it'd been burned down by an enemy of the club, killing Rollo's wife. The same enemy later shot Rollo in the back and killed his grandfather.

Enemies, outside and inside Brikken, were a constant threat that followed Chief, and someday Jett would inherit when he took over as president. There would always be someone trying to take away what Rollo had built.

He walked up to the front door and stepped into the house, latching the door quietly so not to wake the kids. Soft murmurs came from the living room. He went through the house and stopped in the archway.

Johanna turned sideways on the couch and caught his eye. He stayed at the edge of the room. Sydney's back faced him and considering she never moved, she hadn't heard him come in the house.

"I don't want to tell him." Sydney rocked back and forth on the couch. "He won't understand, and he'll tell me no."

"If you talk to him like you're talking to me, I think he'll understand whatever you're keeping secret." Johanna paused. "I grew up with him, and Jett isn't a cruel person."

"Maybe not to you but he can be to me," said Sydney.

His chest tightened, and he stepped forward ready to show her exactly how mean he could be for even thinking he'd hurt her. Johanna shook her head, stopping him.

"I can't take you into the city, honey. If I do, I'll have Chief and Jett angry at me for going against the rules." Johanna held her arms out. "Let me take the baby and put her in her room."

It was only then that he realized Sydney rocked because she had Stassi cradled against her chest. Seeing her holding his baby sister eased his anger at finding Sydney gone. It was easy to forget that she was a sixteen-year-old girl, still trying to figure out life. Leaving his bed was a mistake that someone Sydney's age would make.

She had lived on her own, but the circumstances that led up to her supporting herself through illegal means remained a mystery to him.

"You're so good with her." Johanna kissed Stassi's head. "Hopefully, she'll be out for the night and won't wake up if I try and put her down in her crib."

Johanna walked toward him on her way to the hallway and mouthed, "Be nice."

He wasn't going to give her the benefit of answering. Sydney should've gone to him with any problems. There was no reason why she couldn't trust him.

Stepping over to the couch, he put his hands on Sydney's shoulders.

Her body stiffened. He leaned over and said, "Time to come back to the clubhouse."

"I want to stay here." She tried to break loose of his hold.

"You belong at the clubhouse with me." He inhaled deeply. "We need to talk."

"Are you mad?" she whispered.

"What do you think?"

She crossed her arms in front of her. "I’m not going back with you until you promise that you're not mad."

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"At the clubhouse."

"Where?"

"In bed."

"Right." He rubbed his beard along her neck. "I'll tell you this only once because you're young. When I brought you into my life, I expected you to do everything I asked of you. Disobey me, and my trust disappears...for good."

Her shoulders sank lower and lower until she slouched on the couch. There were a lot of things he'd put up with. Her smart-ass mouth, her desire to switch moods and personalities to fit in with everyone—even now, she played to Johanna's sensitive need to help others with her little girl act.

But, he refused to have someone in his life he couldn't trust or control. And, he wanted to know what kind of con she'd tried to run in Chief's house. Brikken enemies came from far and wide to take out the club. He wouldn't pass off the idea someone would send a child in to do their dirty work.

"Get up. Let's go." He hooked his hand under her upper arm and hauled her to her feet.

She walked around the couch, refusing to meet his eyes. He followed her, spotting Johanna in the hallway, staying back, and lifted his chin.

Knowing the path to the footbridge by heart, he led the way back to the clubhouse in the dark. The whole way, Sydney stayed quiet. He'd lost any desire to crawl back in bed and catch more sleep. The sun would be up in an hour.

He opened the front door of the clubhouse to a mess of bodies—some still partying, others asleep. He followed Sydney, pushing her through the room. She was too young to view the condition of the men and women as the party wound down. Before she could walk up the stairs, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the kitchen, pointing at a chair.

Amy had already started the coffee pot, and he poured himself a cup. Stepping over to the table, he sat down across from Sydney.

"Start talking." He drank and set the mug on the table, keeping his two fingers wrapped around the handle.

She rubbed her bare arms. "Just forget it."

"That's not going to happen." He leaned back in the chair. "After what I did to your boss, I don't think I have to tell you that any threat or breach against the club won't end well."

Her eyes widened, and she pressed her back against the chair. "I didn't do anything against Brikken."

He stared at her, letting her come to her own conclusions on what would be done if she'd gone against the club, against him. He'd learned long ago that everyone had a breaking point.

Sydney's lasted ninety seconds.