Page 2 of Ace

I took a deep breath and forced myself to move.I veered to my left, away from the two thugs.Weaving my way as quietly as I could between the ornamental shrubbery, I stayed low to the ground.I didn’t dare stand up and make myself an easy target.That damn full moon was not helping me now.The thought of being outlined against the sky terrified me, and the bullet wound on my side hurt like hell.

The distance between me and the assassination squad widened.They were following the path, but headed in the other direction, presumably directly out of the park.Which meant I needed to circle around and exit by a different route.

Thug number two raised his voice.“Come on out and discuss this, girl.It’s not what you think.We can explain.”

That would be interesting.How did he think he could explain shooting someone at point blank range?And the fact that he’d taken a few potshots at me didn’t inspire much trust on my part.Not to mention their talk of ending the problem, with me being said problem.

I worked my way in the opposite direction, lengthening the distance between me and them.It felt like forever before I reached the edge of the park, not too far from where I’d originally entered.Seemed I’d been walking in a circle.

I took a careful look around to make sure it was safe to emerge before scurrying across the road and into the sheltering darkness of an alley.I reached into my pocket for my cell phone to call for help.Not that I had a whole pile of friends who could come to my rescue, but the cops needed to know there was a dead body in the park.Maybe, if they were quick enough, they could catch the murderous twosome before they escaped the area.

Crap!The phone wasn’t in my pocket.I knew I’d tucked it in there when I left work, which meant it had fallen out somewhere in the park.

An icy river of fear trickled its way down my spine.If the murderers found it, they’d know who I was.Sure, there was a password, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think it couldn’t be hacked, and guys who committed murder wouldn’t balk at illegally hacking a phone.Even if they didn’t manage to bypass the password, my home screen picture showed me grinning like an idiot while standing in front of the bar where I worked, the name of the bar clearly visible above my head.I thought it was cute when I tagged it as the home screen picture.It might as well say,come and get me!

Dumb.Dumb and Dumber.

Now what?I couldn’t very well go home and wait for the bad guys to figure out where to find me, and I definitely couldn’t go back to the bar.

The rustling of bushes in the distance made me jump.Sitting here stewing wasn’t helping any.Sooner or later, those guys would double back to find me.

Where to go presented an issue.It wasn’t like I had a loving family waiting to protect me.I only knew one person who might be able to help me.Then again, I’d dated his little brother in high school.I might have burnt that bridge behind me.

Justin Maclean and I had been close once upon a time.Friends close, not lovers close, although we had dated.It kept the other guys away.It was a tough neighborhood, and we’d had each other’s backs.I’d had a crush on his older brother James though.Tall, dark and brooding.Just what every teenaged girl longs for.

Turned out the younger Maclean and I had very different dreams.I wanted to make something of myself.I enrolled in college and was on track to get a degree.I was determined to forge a life I could be proud of.

Justin hadn’t been as optimistic.He’d gotten in trouble with the law and opted to join the Army instead of going to prison.As far as I knew, he was still there.

His older brother, James, joined the Navy right out of high school and became a SEAL.That just made him hotter.Nothing like a man in uniform to give a teenage girl wet dreams!I’d kept tabs on him.Just for fun, or so I told myself.I knew he mustered out after several tours.When he got back home, he patched into the Riptide Motorcycle Club.That was about as far from respectable as you could get.Still, I knew where he lived, where the Riptide’s clubhouse was, and he had recently become president of the club.

Just the thought of his hands on me, touching me, stroking me could still make me melt, but I no longer fantasized about being his lover.I couldn’t reconcile my dreams of respectability with the choices he’d made.The Navy SEAL thing -- sure.That was kind of hot, although waiting to see if he came home from missions in one piece would be nerve-racking.

A tattooed, leather clad member of a motorcycle club, however?Not a chance.

Now, though, his bad choices just might be my salvation.

* * *

Ace

Someone pounding at my door after midnight was never a good thing.

Flinging the blankets off, I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt and pulled them on.Swiping my phone off the night table beside the bed, I opened the security app and checked the surveillance camera.

Yeah, I had cameras covering every inch of my property.Came with the territory when you were the Prez of a motorcycle club.

Staring at my front door, panic written all over her face, was my kid brother’s high school sweetheart, Emma.Odd to see her here, since they hadn’t been an item for at least half a dozen years now.

She looked terrified.What the fuck?

Disengaging the locks, I threw the front door open and grabbed Emma’s arm to pull her inside and behind me.I visually searched the area for whatever had put that look on her face, but the quick glance around revealed nothing.The darkness could conceal a multitude of sins, though, as I knew well from experience.

I slammed the door shut and made sure the deadbolts were in place before I pivoted to face her.Want and lust slammed into my gut as I stared into her terrified eyes.

Somewhere between high school and banging on my door, she’d turned from a scrawny kid into a woman with lushly captivating curves.

I’d found her amusing as a kid and admired her feisty attitude.I’d never allowed my feelings to go any further than that.Her home life had been shitty, but she didn’t let that stop her.I’d questioned her choice of my brother.I loved the little brat, but he’d been bad news back then.Running wild, drinking, stealing cars.If it was on the wrong side of the law, he’d do it.