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Which is why I’ve been avoiding Shane like the plague ever since.

Even so, I can’t help staring when I catch a glimpse of him from afar, riding through our small town with his inked forearms on display. His helmet shields his eyes, but I remember them clearly. Dark, endless pits of trouble.

He straddles his bike, and I know exactly what it feels like to be sitting behind him, to have my arms wrapped around solid muscle.

“You know what they say about getting over someone?” Nora peels the curtain wider as they disappear down the other end of the street. “It’s a hell of a lot easier to do when you’re under someone else.”

“That’s not how the saying goes.” I walk away before she spots the heat crawling up my cheeks. “The last thing I need is more trouble.”

I’ve got enough of that on my own.

5

SHANE

At the Las Vegas clubhouse, we have a room dedicated to holding church. A large wooden table with the Twisted Kings crown and skull carved into the surface sits at the center of the space. Years of scratches and dings mark the spot where brothers have gathered for decades.

But at Ironside Ridge, we settle for the rickety kitchen table. A magazine is shoved under one of the legs, and it’s still uneven, wobbling when anyone bumps it.

Lawson sits directly across from me, keeping an eye on Max, who is watching cartoons in the living room, while Aiden and East are in the chairs on either side.

“What’s this?” I grab the notice Aiden hands me.

“More trouble.” He drags a hand through his hair. “The city council is putting pressure on the contractor. They’re delaying the next phase of the build by another month.”

“It’s already been delayed for a month.”

“Yeah, and they’re doing it again.”

“Fuck, this shit is getting old,” East grumbles, pulling his lip ring between his teeth.

“This is just the beginning,” Lawson warns. A strand of blond hair falls over his forehead, so he blows it away.

“No, Jackson was the beginning. This is phase two of whatever they’re planning,” East argues, his expression turning grim at the mention of the man who led them before I showed up.

Jackson was a member of the Twisted Kings Boston chapter for twenty years before being offered his position at Ironside Ridge. He earned his role running this place through loyalty and blood. And now, because a few ranchers were pissed off about bikers moving into their town, he’s in the fucking hospital.

It’s why Steel sent me here to take care of the problem.

The Vegas club is the original chapter of the Twisted Kings, and as such, they oversee any unofficial chapters or club outposts, which is technically what Ironside Ridge is. But since we’re states away, Steel needed someone with boots on the ground he could trust to keep an eye on the issues being thrown our way.

Setting down roots shouldn’t be this difficult—especially when there aren’t rival clubs in the area. Whatever’s going down here needs to stop, and it’s my job to vet the men sitting at this table and determine if we’ve got the right group in place for when I return to Vegas.

While this is temporary for me, a way to prove myself to my club, the rest of these men relocated permanently. This is their home now, and Steel wants me to make sure they’re ready.

Glancing around at my brothers, there’s nothing outwardly concerning about this group. I don’t know them well. The first time we met was when I arrived in town a couple of weeks ago. We’re from clubs all over the country, and all want the same thing—to build something here in Texas. Still, I know better than to take anything at face value.

We haven’t battled side by side. We haven’t had loyalty or trust tested. I don’t know who has the club’s back when it comes down to it.

“It doesn’t matter what happened before today or who started it. All that matters is that we’re going to put an end to this shit.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. “This notice is a stall tactic, that’s all. Delaying the clubhouse is inconvenient, but it won’t push us out, and they know it. They’re trying to pause the clock until they can come up with a plan that will actually do some damage.”

“How do you know they don’t already have a plan?” Aiden asks.

I plant my finger on the paper. “Because if they did, they’d have gotten rid of us already. From what Dean said, this ranch is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in oil. The second Zander and his buddies figure out how to edge us out of here, they won’t hesitate. He’s convinced the city council that if the town can absorb the land, they’ll all be loaded, and now all they see are dollar signs. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Didn’t this land just go through a legal battle?” Lawson’s eyebrow lifts.

“Yeah, and it’s our job to make sure it doesn’t end up in another one.”