Page 54 of Emmy's Ride

Some of the guys nodded at that. The garage was already profitable—it wasn’t a hard sell.

“Then we open something new. A gym, maybe. Somewhere kids can go instead of the streets. A place where we teach them how to fight, defend themselves. Give them discipline, guidance.”

More murmurs, this time less resistant.

“Think about it,” I pressed on. “How many of you had someone to look out for you when you were kids? How many of you could’ve used someone in your corner?” I glanced at Eagle. “Someone who wasn’t just another asshole out for himself?”

A few of the younger guys looked down, clearly remembering their own rough upbringings.

“We ain’t saints. We never will be. But that doesn’t mean we have to be the villains of this town either. We build something real, something that lasts, and we do it our way. With our rules. No government bullshit, no red tape. Our terms.”

The room was quiet now.

Then, after a long moment, Tank blew out a noisy exhale. “Shit.” He shook his head, then smacked a big palm on the table. “Never thought I’d see the day we’d be talking about running a goddamn after-school program.”

Laughter broke some of the tension.

I smirked, but my tone was still serious. “It’s bigger than that. It’s about our future. About having a future.”

Roach grunted. “And what about our other business? You really expect everyone to just give up the life?”

I met his gaze. “Some things will take time. Some things we’ll have to cut off immediately. No more gunrunning. No more muscle jobs for hire. Those are what put us on the radar in the first place.”

A few groans of disapproval, but no one outright protested.

Riot, however, stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “This is bullshit.”

I stayed seated, watching him carefully. “Got something to say, Riot?”

He sneered. “You’re talking about gutting this club…”

Without another word, he turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Silence filled the war room.

I maintained my composure while taking stock of the men still seated. “Anyone else?”

No one spoke.

I nodded. “Then it’s settled. Noah starts coming here after school. We start thinking bigger. We change. I’ll meet with the core Kings, and we’ll come up with an implementation plan.”

“Fuck, next thing you know, he’s going to have us wearing suits,” Eagle complained, causing a round of laughter to erupt.

And just like that, the Kings of Chaos had taken their first step toward a new future.

Emmy

A full week had come and gone since the shooting.

Seven days of frustration with no new leads on Luke. Seven days of worry as the search for my brother dragged on longer than I could bear.

And seven days of Austin. I sighed, heavily.

My days were filled with my patients, each session an attempt to focus on their pain instead of my own. My nights, however, belonged to him—Austin’s arms holding me close, his sheets tangling around our bodies, his touch unraveling mepiece by piece. I was getting in so deep and couldn’t seem to do a thing to protect my heart.

He made me feel too much, and I had no idea how to stop it. Hell, did I even want to?

It scared me how easily I surrendered to him, how naturally I let him take. And God, did he take—his hands, his mouth, his body, all of him consuming me until there was nothing left but Austin.

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