Page 55 of Tick Tock, Boom!

The store was almost empty, the fluorescent lights humming low overhead as I pushed the cart down the cereal aisle, Gabriel skipped a few paces ahead. I was scanning the shelf for something without twenty grams of sugar when I caught the shift in the air behind me.

The male voice put me on edge, and the words that came out of its mouth made me cringe.

“Didn’t think I’d find something so sweet on a day like this.”

I stiffened and tried to ignore him, but he wanted to make himself known and walked around my cart. Blonde hair slicked back, sky-blue eyes gleaming, and a cruel smile that was easy, too easy, and when I saw the cut on his leather vest, my stomach flipped.

A Bloody Scorpion.

One of the most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs in the South. Wherever the Bastards went, they were sure to follow. They were the kind of men who ran guns, peddled flesh, and settled their debts in blood. Ruthless rivals to the Royal Bastards, the two clubs had been at war for years. They were definitely not the type of men you wanted to get stuck with late at night at an almost empty grocery store.

“Excuse me,” I muttered, moving to push past him.

He didn’t budge. “Hey now, don’t be rude, sweetheart.”

I gritted my teeth, tried to wheel around him. His hand shot out, resting against the handle of my cart. His fingers drummed once, a slow motion.

“I said, excuse me.”

He tilted his head, eyes dragging down the length of me. “Didn’t think the Royal Bastards left girls like you out in the wild.”

“I’m not a Bastard.”

He smiled. “No, but I bet you’ve been ridden by one.”

I clenched my jaw. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

He reached out and touched my hair, letting the strands fall through his fingers. I jerked back before he could go further, but his smirk widened.

“Relax, baby. Just want a taste.”

He plucked an apple from my cart, brought it to his mouth, and bit down with a slow crunch. Juice dripped from the corner of his mouth.

I moved to step past him again, and he blocked me. His hand shot out, brushing too close to the side of my breast. I slapped it away.

He laughed low. “Feisty. I like that.”

I tried to push the cart forward, but he held it firmly. His eyes dropped, full of heat and threat. “Come on, baby. You got me curious now. What’s it gonna take?”

I shoved the cart, hard. “It’s gonna take you backing the fuck off before you lose your teeth.”

His hand clamped around my wrist before I could move again, pulling me in closer, breath hot against my cheek.

“Don’t talk to me like that, sweetheart.”

“I talk to whoever the fuck I want like that,” I hissed, my voice low and sharp. I twisted my arm, broke his grip, and stepped back. I wasn’t scared. I couldn’t afford to be. Fear was fuel to men like him.

Gabriel was watching now, frozen a few feet away, his little fists clenched. Then, with more courage than his ten-year-old frame should’ve held, he marched up to the man, jaw tight, eyes fierce.

"Let go of my mom!" he shouted, and before I could stop him, he balled his fist and punched the man in the stomach.

It didn’t do much, barely made the man flinch, but it sure as hell got his attention.The man booked down at him, tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he spotted Gabe.Then he just grinned, let go of me, and crouched down.

“Tough little man, huh?” he asked with a slow smile. “That your momma?”

I grabbed Gabriel by the shoulders, wrapping my hand protectively over his chest. He held his ground, though, as he scowled at the man.

“What if someone took her, huh? What would you do then?”

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