a string of swear words and looked up at the sky for a second, the sun nearly blinding me. The bright light was enough to get all the spiraling, disordered thoughts in my head in line. “She’s going to be really hurt if she finds out she’s being used, even if it is for her own good.”
I wanted to date her for real. Well, maybe not date-date. I wasn’t a dinner-and-movie kind of guy and Presley had already told me she didn’t know a good date from a bad one. But I wanted to see her, and only her. I didn’t like the idea of playing this kind of game behind her back at all. I also didn’t like the thought of making her angry enough that she might walk away from me for good if she found out what I was really up to. She was so hesitant and careful when it came to getting close to someone else, I didn’t want her to doubt my feelings were real, and if she knew what Case and Hill were scheming that was exactly what would happen. I already felt like I was chasing after someone who was reluctant to be caught. I knew I was close to catching her and didn’t want to give her a reason to slip through my fingers.
“I can deal with her being hurt.” Case’s voice was hard and unyielding. “I can’t deal with her being dead. Can you?”
Realistically, the longer Ashby was left unfound and unchecked, the higher the probability someone I cared about, even if it wasn’t Presley, would be taken away. The club dabbled in a few different gambling ventures both legal and not, so I knew odds and when they weren’t in my favor. I hated that Case had a point, and I was begrudgingly impressed he and Hill had come up with a plan that was just on the right side of devious and dangerous.
“All right. I’m game.” What other choice did I have? It wasn’t like I could step aside and let her be interested in another man. Even if it was just for show. “But I can’t make her fall for me. I can’t force her to feel any particular way about me.” I wanted her to want me the way I wanted her. But love was a different ball game. We were still very different people, and she didn’t have any idea what my life was actually like, and I wasn’t sure I had the first clue about hers when it wasn’t in danger. There was a long way to go before we could start throwing around words like love and forever. Not to mention neither of us really had any experience when it came to having something serious, something you would kill to protect.
Hill shrugged as if Presley’s feelings were irrelevant. “All you need to do is make it look like she’s stupidly in love with you. Whether she actually is or not doesn’t matter in the big picture.”
Of course, it didn’t matter to him, but to me that seemed like a huge sticking point. I really wanted her to actually like me. The idea of her falling head over heels for me made the inside of my chest warm, and it had all kinds of soft, tender feelings I’d never experienced before sparking to life. My relationship with Presley was almost innocent and pure compared to most of my others. I loathed the idea of anything tainting it.
“Fine. I’ll do what needs to be done.” I paused for a second, before offering up my own caveat. “I’m telling you now if this crazy woman comes after me or my club, I’m dealing with it my way. If she comes anywhere near Presley while I’m around, I’m dealing with the threat however I see fit. I will not wait for the heroes in her life to ride in on their white horses to save the day.”
Hill automatically moved to argue. Surprisingly, Case intervened. He nodded his dark head and met my serious gaze with his own. “We asked you to get involved. We knew the risks.”
I was ready to call this meeting done, but I stopped from turning toward my bike when Case continued. “However, if I catch you blatantly breaking the law with no regard for innocent civilians, I will take you down, Palmer.”
I flinched at the use of my given name. I didn’t hear it often, and I didn’t like the way Case said it,