Ink's Second Chance - Carol Dawn Page 0,5

a fucking stalker. I follow Rachel until she makes it home and safely inside. Since when do I give a fuck about making sure a woman gets home safely?

Maybe it’s because I’ve known Rachel since we were in Elementary school. Yeah, that’s probably it. It’s an inner need to protect those that I know. That’s all.

Rolling my eyes, I turn and head back to the store. Following behind her on my bike would have been obvious. So, I walked. I almost reach my ride when my phone rings.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Get back here,” Bear says, sounding pissed. “We’ve got a fucking problem.”

Hanging up, I check the time. Looks like I’m not going to open the shop today.

◆◆◆

Something big is going down. The second I made it to the clubhouse, Bear had us all rushed inside and told us to stay quiet. Now, Slim and Hawk are walking around the room with devices looking for something.

“We’re all clear” Hawk says after fifteen minutes.

“What the fuck is going on?” Trigger asks the question on all of our minds.

“Someone is threatening the club,” Brick says.

“Not just the club,” Bear interrupts. “Our whole fucking family.”

Bear tosses a folded slip of paper onto the table. Trigger grabs it and reads it aloud.

“I’m coming for you, Sons. You better enjoy your last days in this life because I’m going to fucking kill each and every one of you. But, before I do that, I’m going to tie you down and make you watch as I kill each and every one of your fucking family members. Starting with all of those damn women and kids.”

“Who the hell thought it was a good idea to threaten us?” Chains asks.

“We look like a fucking kindergarten club these days,” I grump. “The only thing this club is focused on anymore is making a family. Whatever happened to throwing parties and having fun with the Bunnies?”

“We are a family, you fucking idiot,” Bear growls. “We’ve always been a family.”

“I love all of the girls and those kids,” I admit. “But having them and those babies in our lives have made us weak.”

“That’s not true,” Slim says, heated. “If anything, they’ve made us stronger. These men will fight tooth and nail to protect their women. Their children. How dare you call them weak.”

“It’s alright, sweet boy,” Hawk says, rubbing his man’s neck. “He just doesn’t understand.”

“It’s not that I don’t understand, brother,” I say. “I would die protecting them, too. But this fucking letter just proves how vulnerable we are now. Besides, what we need to focus on now is how to keep everyone safe without causing a panic.”

“I’m not sure another lockdown is the way to go,” Bear says. “I’m still having nightmares from the last one.”

I take a moment to remember our lost Princess. She had a bright future in front of her before it was taken away.

“Yeah,” Brick whispers.

Seems like I’m not the only one remembering.

“Anything I should know?” Wolf asks.

“Not at the moment,” answers Bear. “For now, we need to find out who the fuck is threatening our whole family.”

“Where did you find the note?” I ask.

“I found it tucked under the edge of my bike seat an hour ago when I stopped to get gas,” Bear informs us. “I already checked, and the store didn’t have any working security cameras.”

“The doesn’t mean the surrounding buildings don’t as well,” Slim says, pulling out his ever-present laptop. “Which gas station was it?”

While Slim and Bear work on searching for security cameras, the rest of us compile a list of any family member that could be in danger.

It’s a fucking long list.

“What about you, Ink?” Wolf asks.

“What about me?” I ask, feeling pissed.

“Your family?”

I shove the chair back and walk over to the mini bar in the corner of the room. I need a drink.

“I don’t have any family,” I tell him, tossing back a shot of straight vodka. “Parents died years back. I was an only child and didn’t have any grandparents or aunts or uncles.”

I look back and glare at the group of men looking at me with sympathy.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I warn. “I’ve lived my life just fine without them. I have you fuckers as a family. That’s all I need.”

The mood in the room lifts slightly as everyone returns to what they were doing.

“Anyone else apart from your sister here, Wolf?” I ask.

“No,” he answers. “Just her and her son. My family lives a good distance away.”

“This is one hell of a list,” Bear