For as long as I could remember, I’d always had this unexplainable feeling that something was out there waiting for me that I had been missing in my life—something life altering—but it was just out of my reach. Over the past few weeks that feeling had grown stronger, making me feel restless and on edge. As I lay in bed and thought back over my night with Shadow, I realized that when I was with him, that restlessness just wasn’t there; I felt whole and at peace—like I could truly be myself. Yet, as much as I liked that feeling, it terrified me, mainly because it could never last. Shadow had no idea who I really was. He knew nothing about my past and what I’d run away from, and even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t. The risk was just too high. Besides, it wasn’t like he would understand. How could he? There were times when I didn’t even understand it myself.

For the past eight years I had been Alex Carpenter, the bookstore owner whose past wasn’t lined with deceit and heartbreak, but it was all just a farce. She was just a fictional character I portrayed so I could escape the darkness I’d left behind. It wasn’t difficult to play the part. Hell, I’d been pretending my entire life. It was something I’d learned from the person I loved most in the world, my mother. She’d gotten so good at acting that, not only did she have me convinced, she’d convinced herself. Like me, she wanted desperately to believe that the stories she told me about my father were true, but unfortunately, they weren’t. In actuality, my father wasn’t a typical business man. He worked long hours, attended late night meetings, and flew all over the world; but doing so wasn’t simply a means to provide for his family—not even close. The truth was, my father was one of the most infamous drug traders in California, and his so-called business was filled with secrets, lies, and illegal activity that he kept hidden from everyone around him, including my mother and me.

I believed the stories my mother told me, mainly because I had no reason not to. I rarely laid eyes on my father. He spent every waking moment locked away in his office or traveling, and we rarely even crossed paths. If I did happen to run into him, it was only for a fleeting moment. There were times when it troubled me how he didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he didn’t really know me. He had no idea what I liked, my favorite color, or favorite foods. My father was clueless as to who my friends were or that I was an honor student. Mom would try to assure me that he loved me, but it was just a lie. The truth was: My father was a monster who was driven by his thirst for power and money, and when it came to me, I was simply one of his many possessions—nothing more than one of his portraits that hung on the wall. The revelation that my father was nothing more than a low-life criminal was difficult to accept, but it was even harder when I discovered just how cold-hearted and malicious he could truly be.

I hated him with every fiber of my being for what he’d done. I left home and never once considered going back. As much as I wanted to forget my father and the heartache he’d caused, I lived in constant fear that one day he’d come looking for me and find a way to force me back into his world. The thought of that alone made me realize I would always be looking over my shoulder. I could never truly be free, and falling in love just wasn’t an option. As much as I wanted to let my guard down with Shadow, I couldn’t, not even for a second, for I feared that once I let him in, I’d only end up hurting us both. The thought of it saddened me.

While I was wallowing in my self-pity, I heard odd noises coming from just outside my building. I lay there listening to the different banging sounds until I eventually rolled over to check the time. It was a little after six in the morning, which was way too early for my neighbors to be up. Overcome with curiosity, I got out of bed and threw on some clothes. Once I was downstairs, I looked out the window and was shocked to see a man standing on a ladder while two men stood on the ground next to him, handing him equipment as they talked back and forth. I hadn’t been notified of any maintenance work, and certainly didn’t order it myself, so I had no idea what they were doing. I leaned forward for a better look and noticed they were all wearing a Satan’s Fury cut.

Confused and wondering what they were up to, I quickly unlocked the door and stuck my head outside, then asked the guy up on the ladder, “Who are you, and what exactly are you doing up there?”

“Hey there, doll. The name’s Riggs.” His lips curled into a smile, and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief as they skirted over me. “You must be Alex.”

Riggs was one of those tall, dark, and handsome types, and while there was no doubt that plenty of women would find him attractive, I was too preoccupied to care what he looked like. “Okay, Riggs. You want to tell me what you are doing up there?”

“What? You mean Shadow didn’t tell ya?”

A curious look crossed his face as I answered, “Umm … no. I guessed it slipped his mind last night. He mentioned that something important was going on with his brothers, and the next thing I knew he was gone. I haven’t heard anything from him since.”

“Yeah, well … things like that happen from time to time.” I didn’t miss how he hadn’t confirmed or denied Shadow’s allegations that something was going on, and even though I was tempted to push the subject, he didn’t give me a chance. He motioned his hands up towards the camera he was mounting to the side of my building and said, “We’re installing a new security system for you. Lights. Cameras. Locks. The works.”

“And why are you doing that?”

“Cause Shadow asked me to,” he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Any idea why Shadow would ask you to do that without telling me?” I grumbled.

“‘Cause he’s Shadow,” he snickered.

“I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean, but that’s beside the point. You need to stop, ‘cause there’s no way I can afford all this.”

“It’s all good. There’s no charge.”

“What do you mean no charge? This has to cost a fortune!”

“Yeah, but that’s not for you to worry about.”

Becoming aggravated, I snapped, “What do you mean ‘it’s not for you to worry about’? Who do you think is paying for all this?”

Just then, his phone started ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket and answered, “Yeah?”

After a three-second conversation, he climbed down from his ladder and rushed towards his truck then said, “I’ve gotta jet, but my guys will get this finished up.”

“Wait.” I started to follow him as I shouted, “You haven’t answered my question!”

“You’re asking the wrong man, doll.” He turned and gave a few orders to his biker buddies then climbed inside his truck. He started to pull away from the curb but stuck his head out the window to inform me, “Once they get done installing everything out here, they’re gonna need access to the inside.”

Before I could refuse, he’d already hit the gas and disappeared into the flow of traffic. I let out a deep breath and turned to the younger of the two men Riggs had left behind. “Can you at least tell me what you’re going to be installing?”

“We’re putting up two cameras out here and two more in the back of the building so you can monitor all the entrances.” He started up the ladder as he continued, “Then, we’re gonna add a couple of security lights and new locks on all the doors, including upstairs in your apartment.”

“My apartment?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ll mount a camera and security lights up there, too.”

“Is all that really necessary?”

“You never know.” The sun was starting to bear down on us, and sweat trickled across his brow as he shrugged. “Better to be safe than sorry and all that.”

“But ... I didn’t ask Shadow to do all this.”

“He’s just trying to make sure nothing happens to you, and I can’t say I blame him.” He looked down at me with his eyebrow cocked high. “If I was Shadow and had a hot girl like you living and working in an area like this, I’d be doing the same damn thing.”

Before I had a chance to comprehend what he’d just said, his buddy handed him a long cable of wires and said, “Hey, man, if we wanna get this shit done before the store opens, we better get rolling.”

“Yeah, Skeeter, I know. I’m working on it,” he complained.

“I guess I’ll let you get to it,” I told them as I started towards the door. “But I expect you to leave me a bill when you’re done. There’s no way I’m letting Shadow pay for all of this.”

He nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. By the way, my name’s Turnpike. If you need something, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Turnpike. I will.” As I turned back towards my door, a thought crossed my mind. Even though it was early, the temperature was already scorching hot and the humidity was climbing by the second. I glanced back over to the two bikers and couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t chosen something more comfortable to wear. Curious, I asked, “Hey, Turnpike. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“This may sound like a crazy question, but why are you wearing those hot leather vests? It’s like ninety-five degrees out here. Aren’t you miserable?”

“Honestly, they aren’t as hot as you might think, but even if they were, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my cut,” he answered proudly. “Besides, wearing them today helps you just as much as it does us.”

More confused than ever, I mumbled, “Huh?”

“People see members of Satan’s Fury out here working on your store, they’re gonna think twice before fucking with you,” he explained. “And they sure as hell aren’t gonna get in our way while we’re working. Simple as that.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll let you know when we need to get inside.”

“Okay,” I answered as I started upstairs.

I contemplated everything he’d said as I headed to the bathroom and started my shower. I’d never really thought of myself as a judgmental person, but there was something about his answer that stuck out in my mind. When he mentioned people seeing Satan’s Fury working on my store, it made me wonder if that was actually a good thing. Like most folks who lived in the city, I’d heard the stories about Satan’s Fury, and while I had no idea if all of it was true, it had made an impression on me—a not-so-good impression. I had no doubt that the same was true for lots of people in the area, and I had to consider the ramifications of my store being associated with the club. Everything I had was wrapped up in the success of my little business, and if it went south, I’d have nothing. That image terrified me, but at the same time, something told me it wasn’t necessarily all that bad either, especially when I thought about all the money I’d lost from thugs who’d stolen from me. Theft and vandalism were big problems in my neighborhood. As much as I hated the thought of losing the little bit of Hallie that still lingered in the bookstore, I’d often considered moving to a new location. Starting over would take money, lots of money, and it simply wasn’t an option. So, I figured my best bet was to just pay for the new security system and pray that my loyal customers wouldn’t be steered away by the presence of Shadow’s brothers.

Once I was dressed, I went downstairs to let Turnpike and Skeeter inside so they could finish installing the new locks. After they were done, they headed upstairs to work on whatever they needed to do up there. While they were busy, I set about getting everything ready to open the store. I’d just finished making the coffee when Turnpike came in. He walked over and handed me a new set of keys and said, “We’ve got everything up and running.”

“Okay. Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

“Can you do me a favor?” I asked as I headed over to the counter.

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

After I filled out a check, I handed to him and said, “Can you give this to Shadow? It’s all I can afford right now, but I’ll get him the rest as soon as I can.”

His face twisted into a grimace as he glanced down at the check. “I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to him about this first.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m going to pay for everything. It’s just going to take a little time,” I answered firmly.

“Okay, but he’s not gonna like it.”

“Maybe not, but that’s the way it’s going to be. Anyway, I really do appreciate you and Skeeter doing all this today.”

“It’s been a pleasure.” As he started for the door, he shouted, “Hope to see ya around!”

“You too!”

Once they were both gone, I strolled over to the front door and turned the Open sign around then glanced out the window. I wasn’t surprised to see that Shadow was nowhere in sight. Even though he had my number, he hadn’t used it, and I hated that it bothered me so much, especially since I’d spent my entire morning going over all the reasons why getting involved with Shadow was a bad idea. While mine were totally justifiable, it irked me to think he might’ve had the same doubts I’d been having. Maybe it was all just in my head. Maybe he was just busy, but even so, he could’ve touched base to at least warn me that his brothers were coming by. Something. The whole thing was getting under my skin, and seeing how he hadn’t shown up for his morning coffee just added salt to the wound. Thankfully it was Saturday, the busiest day of the week, and without Debbie here to help me with the customers, I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Things started to slow down as lunchtime rolled around, and I was able to finally catch my breath.

I was just about to grab myself a cup of coffee and a bite to eat when I heard the front door open. At first, I thought it was just another customer coming in to browse, but a peculiar sensation suddenly washed over me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. Without even looking, I knew it wasn’t just some random customer. Instead, it was someone from my past, someone I’d hoped that I’d never have to see again. With my heart pounding against my chest, I slowly turned around, and my worst fears were confirmed when I saw him standing there. Other than a few defined wrinkles and gray hairs, he looked exactly the same. The same body. The same intense, dark eyes. Even his voice sounded the same as he said, “Hello, Alejandra. It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has. I wish I could say that it’s good to see you,” I spat. “What are you doing here, Marcus?”