Page 41 of Ride Hard
“The catch is me having a chance to fight back and not rely on you. If I know who I’m looking for, it might be the difference between living anddying.”
Chaser ran his hand over his face and glancedaway.
“I can fire agun.”
“I’m sure you can,” hesaid.
“I’m not the kind of woman who just sits back and waits for thecavalry.”
He turned his gaze on me, and they burned right through me.Damn, thoseeyes.
“Fortitude is in something,” he said slowly, choosing his words precisely. “Something big. It stretches beyond the normal dealings of a motorcycle club. Your father saw an opportunity… Now they’re coming back twice ashard.”
“I knew it,” I exclaimed. “Power hungry son of abitch.”
“There’s a debt to be paid, Sloane. I’m sorry you had to be dragged intothis.”
I snorted and shook my head. I was the payment owed?Fuckinghell.
“Blood for blood,” I mused aloud. “After seven years, they think I’m important tohim?”
“I’m here,” Chaser said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. “If he didn’t give a shit, I’d be someplace else, and you’d be deadalready.”
“Thanks for the sunshine andrainbows.”
“You’rewelcome.”
He spoke to me plainly for what felt like the first time since we’d met. Like I was an actual person and not a piece of cargo. Maybe the kiss had dislodged a little of the asshole in his brain. He was softening toward me, and it made all my lady bitstingle.
“You saved my life twice. It’s time to start playing the game.” I sat beside him. “Sloane has arrived.Boom.”
“What was your name before?” heasked.
“You’re changing the subject. Don’t be such a blatantasshole.”
He raised his eyebrows andwaited.
“Didn’t my darling daddy tellyou?”
He shrugged. “Guess he knew it wasn’t important to youanymore.”
“Betty,” Idrawled.
“You’rekidding?”
“Biker Betty.Lame.” I rolled my eyes. “He chose it, not mymom.”
“Your mother… Yousaid…”
“I know what I said,” I drawled. “He killed her. Not directly, but he may as well have. A little bit of historyrepeating.”
Chaser tensed but didn’t ask for an explanation. He was a good soldier. Keeping his mouth shut and his nose out of other people’s business was the hallmarks of a career criminal. Chaser probably had his eye on leadership. Second-in-command.
“It’s just one thing after another,” I went on. “This isn’t anything new. Not really. Gravitate around my dad, and after a while, you’ll end up as collateral damage. It’s just reality. I’d hoped byleaving…”
“Iknow.”
Maybe it was time to resign myself to the fact I wasn’t going to escape all of this chaos. Being pulled back into Fortitude business was inevitable. If it weren’t Chaser and the mystery murder men, it would be someone or somethingelse.
