Page 149 of Jagger's Remorse
Eduardo wanted me to rule through fear.
In the end, I'll do all three. Just not how any of them imagined.
Scarlett Delgado. Little dragon turned queen.
And anyone who threatens my kingdom will learn what that means.
Starting with one obsessed prosecutor who's about to discover that sometimes, when you stare into the abyss, the abyss doesn't just stare back.
It swallows you whole.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
To everyone holding this book—thank you.
As a new voice in the MC romance world, I know you had plenty of other books to choose from. The fact that you picked up mine means everything. I've spent my life getting my hands dirty—turning wrenches, working the land, living in the world I write about. Now I'm putting that same sweat and honesty into these pages.
This story comes from a real place. I've known brotherhood forged in garage bays at 2 AM. I've seen what loyalty looks like when it's tested by fire. And I've learned that the hardest men often love the deepest—they just show it differently.
My wife likes to joke that I went from fixing bikes to writing about the men who ride them. Truth is, both take the same thing: understanding what's under the hood. What makes something run. What makes it break. What makes it worth fighting for.
I don't write pretty stories. I write real ones. Raw ones. The kind that leave marks.
So thank you for taking this ride with me. Thank you for giving a grease-stained mechanic turned author a shot. This isjust the beginning, and I promise you this—every story I tell will be worth your time.
Buckle up,
Ryan Storms
EPILOGUE
Scarlett
Six Months Later…
"No, that shipment goes through Tucson, not Phoenix." I shift in my chair, trying to find a position where my swollen belly doesn't press against the edge of the table. "Because Phoenix has that new DEA task force,pendejo. Do you want to lose another hundred kilos?"
The man on my laptop screen pales. "My apologies,Señora. Tucson it is."
"Good. And next time you question my routes, remember what happened to the last lieutenant who thought pregnancy made me soft."
"Of course. My apologies again."
I end the call and lean back, rubbing my lower back.
Six months pregnant and still running the largest cartel operation in Northern California.
Eduardo would be proud. Or horrified. Hard to tell with dead men.
"You know," a familiar voice says from the doorway, "most women use pregnancy as an excuse to take it easy."
I look up to find Raven watching me with that expression she gets when she's about to do something that'll annoy me.
Behind her, I spot Mel, Joker’s old lady, trying to look casual.
"Most women aren't running a criminal empire," I point out. "What do you want, Raven?"
"Oh, nothing much." She steps aside, and the others flood in carrying boxes, bags, and what appears to be a cake shaped like brass knuckles. "SURPRISE!"
