Page 3 of Ace's Legacy
His fist comes fast, but I'm faster. I dodge to the side, letting his momentum carry him forward before I drive my elbow into his kidney. He grunts in pain, and his friends immediately move in.
Sarah jumps back from the table as chairs scrape and glasses topple. "Stop it!"
I feel the loving rush of adrenaline as I face multiple opponents. The dance I know all too well. The first guy reaches me, and I block his punch, countering with a jab to his throat that sends him staggering back. The second swings a bottle that misses my head by inches.
Then Viper's there, his massive presence changing the equation instantly. He grabs one guy by the neck and slams him face-first into the table.
"Time to go, Ace," he growls, using my road name.
Mike is getting to his feet, rage in his eyes. "You're dead, biker."
I wink at him, blood singing in my veins. "Not today."
The bartender is shouting for everyone to calm down as bouncers push through the crowd. Viper has a hand on my cut, physically steering me toward the exit.
I look back at Sarah, whose face is a mixture of shock and something else. Disappointment, maybe? "Sorry about your night," I call to her.
She doesn't respond, just watches as Viper drags me outside into the cool night air.
The moment we're clear, he shoves me against the brick wall of the bar. "What the fuck was that?"
"He started it," I say, checking my knuckles for damage. Not even a scratch. Mike didn't land a single punch.
"You always find trouble, don't you?" Viper shakes his head. "Or it finds you."
I shrug, the high of the fight still humming through me. "It's a gift."
"It's gonna get you killed. Or worse, get one of your brothers killed trying to save your stupid ass." His voice drops low. "You think this is a game? And you're in there trying to get your dick wet."
The words sting because I know they're true. I've been a member for a year and a half, and sometimes I still feel like I'm trying to prove I belong. Viper was the one who brought me in after beating the shit out of me for causing trouble in my hometown. He saw something in me worth saving, even when I didn't see it myself.
"I know," I say, more soberly. "You're right."
He looks surprised at my admission, then sighs. "Come on. Reaper's waiting for our report, and now we've got nothing to tell him except how you almost started a bar brawl over some chick."
We head toward our bikes parked in the shadows of the lot. I glance back at the bar entrance, half-hoping to see Sarah emerge, but the door remains closed.
Women like her—good women, honest women—they deserve better than what someone like me can offer. I learned that lesson early watching my old man destroy my mother until there was nothing left of the woman she used to be. Love is just another word for control in my world, and I refuse to inflict that on anyone.
I swing my leg over my Harley and fire up the engine, letting the rumble vibrate through me, clearing my head. This is where I belong: on my bike, with my brothers, chasing the next rush.
Viper kicks his bike to life beside me. "Ready?"
I nod, pushing thoughts of Sarah and her curves out of my mind. "Always."
We pull out of the parking lot, accelerating into the night. The road stretches before us, dark and empty, a perfect mirror for what's inside me.
But even as the wind whips past and Pine Haven looms in the distance, I can't quite shake the memory of hazel eyes that seemed to see right through me.
For the first time in longer than I can remember, I'm afraid of what they might have found there.
Chapter 2 - Sarah
Two months later
I clutch my coffee mug tighter as Emily slides into the booth across from me, her eyes wide with that look she gets when she's about to launch into a lecture.
"Sarah Collins, I cannot believe you've been hiding this from me for three whole weeks!" Her accusatory tone carries just enough concern that I can't be mad at her.
