Page 57 of Property of Legend

And then I see her.

Becki.Perched like a damn queen bee on my front step, black hair short, eyes of two different colors, sharp and smug.

“What are you doing here?”I ask, stepping outside with ice in my voice.

She grins like she’s been waiting for this.“Didn’t ya’ll had rules on who could sit on the porch.”

“This ain’t the clubhouse,” I snap.“And you’re not welcome.”

Her smile sharpens.“Guess you really think you’re in his world now, huh?”

“I don’t have to be in his world.He was in mine.”

“For a minute,” she drawls.“Till he remembered who he really is.”

I fold my arms, trying not to let her see how bad I’m shaking.“And who’s that, exactly?”

“The kind of man who likes a fight.Not a tea party,” she says with a shrug.“You’re a silk-and-lace girl, Sophie.Sweet.Polished.Breakable.He needs someone who doesn’t cry when the whip cracks.”

I laugh, sharp and bitter.“And that’s you?His perfect match?”

She rises, eyes flashing.“I’ve patched him up from gunshots, dragged his drunk ass outta bars, kept his secrets.I know what he likes, and it ain’t candlelit dinners and flirty glances over bourbon.”

I step closer, my voice steel now.“He kissed me like I was the last thing keeping him human.He held me like he never wanted to let go.So whatever sick little game you two played before?That’s over.”

Her smile falters, just a twitch.For a second, I see it.The fear behind the fangs.The way she needs him to be hers.Maybe because if he’s not, she’s got nothing left.“He was with me just the other day, right before the attack at the race track.”

My breath catches.

She notices.

“Don’t worry.Legend was probably thinking of you while he was deep inside my pussy.Doesn’t bother me none.”

She heads down the steps, but her voice follows me like smoke.“He’ll come back for more.He always does.”

The second she’s gone, I sink to the porch swing, shotgun resting across my knees, tears stinging but never falling.

I don’t know what to believe.But I know what I felt in that bed.I know what I saw in his eyes.

Legend might think he’s doing the noble thing, but I’m not some damsel waiting to be tucked away and forgotten.

If he thinks he can protect me from the fire by walking away, he’s dead wrong.

I’m already in the flames.I don’t wipe the tears away.I let them dry on my cheeks like war paint.Let her talk about lace and leather.I’ve got scars of my own, and I’m not afraid to earn more.

Chapter 33

Sophie

Every biker in the barn office watches me like I might break.But I don’t flinch.I channel every blue ribbon, every press interview, every time I’ve stood tall in heels and high society and pretended my world wasn’t crumbling.Let them see a steel spine under the silk.

Legend stands off to the side, arms crossed, eyes dark under the brim of his cap.He hasn’t said more than two words to me since he told me we couldn’t be together, and those two words were "stay safe."Ironic, considering what we’re up against.

Fighting the urge to confront him about Becki, I face the full table, Oaks, Rye, Derby, Royal, Whiskey, Bullet, Vandal, Lex, and a few others, Wildcat, Holler, Bluff, Ash.Kernel and Whip, linger in the background, too green to speak but smart enough to listen.Even Critter’s here, cleaned up and quiet, trying to earn back slivers of trust after what he did.Seems Legend can give him a second chance but not us.

“So,” I say, clearing my throat.“Derby Week is officially upon us.”

That gets a few grunts, a few nods.Derby flicks his lighter twice before actually using it.

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