Ryker's apartment brought new meaning to the word boredom. There was nothing, I mean nothing, to do. No TV, no magazines, no books. Just me and my cell phone after I cleaned up the two dishes I'd used. The man was the epitome of a minimalist, and with nothing in the apartment, being a neat freak didn't take a lot of effort, either. I'd entertained myself on my phone for as long as humanly possible and started to get restless. When I glanced at the time, I groaned. It was barely eleven in the morning, and I still had seven hours to fill before Ryker came to relieve me. With nothing to do other than cook and eat, I went back to the kitchen to see what I could rustle up for lunch. I didn't know how I'd missed them before, but there on the counter, like a glowing, neon sign, gleamed a set of shiny, silver keys. I made my way across the living room and peeked out the blinds into the parking lot, praying I didn't see a Harley in front of the building. To my chagrin, the bike was gone, and

When five o'clock rolled around and I hadn't heard from Nikki, I tried to call her to see if she wanted me to pick up something for dinner or if she wanted to go out. I wasn't in the mood to cook. By the time I got home and showered, I'd have no desire to spend another hour working in the kitchen. It'd been a long day with more shit to show up in the shop than I cared to work on, and I just wanted to unwind before we met up with Jesse. When she didn't answer, I assumed she'd gotten bored and fallen asleep. I should have known better. I came around the corner in my complex and immediately noticed the empty spot where the SUV sat this morning when I had left. I shouted a string of expletives that couldn't be heard over the roar of my bike, but they made me feel better just the same. One day. One fucking day. I asked her to sit tight, not do anything stupid for one goddamn day, and she couldn't follow that simple request. I ripped the helmet from my head after putting down the kicks

"Diamond is special." He spoke to me, staring directly at her. "And she's in the service of the Union." Jesus, he sounded like a psychopath. I'd known the man my entire life. Never had I heard him sound like a lunatic as if he'd fallen off his rocker. If I could have sunk my fingers into his eyes, I would have gouged the motherfuckers out just for looking at her. That wouldn't get either of us anywhere, though. I took a deep breath and threw down what we all knew I was here to say. "I'm calling in my mark."Nikki hadn't made a peep and stood just far enough behind me that I knew she was there, but I couldn't see her face. I'd kill to have her in front of me so I could witness the emotion cross her cheeks and see her irises change color. Jesse sat up, putting his feet on the floor. His eyes narrowed on Nikki. "This is how you want to use the debt of the Union?" His tone not only depicted his surprise, but there was an element of disgust behind it as well. He returned his attenti

I wasn't his to claim. I didn't belong to anyone, much less someone affiliated with Jesse Silvano. And to top it off, Ryker had stayed behind for God knew what in that office. "Just let me go," I hollered at the man who still held my bicep after we'd walked into the lobby. I jerked away with little effort.The man held up his hands in surrender. I didn't stay to figure out what happened next. I wanted the hell out of Dodge, and the only way to make that happen was to start walking. I wasn't far from my apartment. When I burst through the doors at the Warehouse, the wind outside hit me with brute force. It was colder than it had been in days, and my jacket did little to ward off the bite of the night air. It had been daylight when Sam dragged me in there, but after hours of waiting on Ryker, the sun had dipped low, and darkness had taken its place in the sky. I hated being on the streets at night. Even after my shifts, Jerry always dropped me off. I groaned at the thought of my bos

Once I'd cried all the tears my eyes would form, Ryker leaned down, placing his lips to my ear. "Get your shit, babe. All of it." There was no room for discussion in his tone. He'd given an order, and I didn't dare disobey...not this time. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and I inhaled the scent of lemons before letting him go. I felt the weight of his stare as he tracked my movement down the hall, and just before I stepped into my bedroom, I made eye contact with a man who should have scared the shit out of me. His eyes were narrowed and stormy and his jaw set in a hard line, but somehow, I found security in his broodiness. I held his stare for a beat, and the connection I'd felt to him on the stage-before I'd even known his name-wrapped me up like a warm blanket. I didn't wait for him to tell me again to get moving and disappeared into my room. Ryker didn't try to keep his voice down as he kicked Ralph out, nor did he quietly close the door when he slammed it. And as he