FIRE & RUIN
Chapter 17
SCRATCHES
Brews N’ Crews sat quiet. Chairs empty. Lights low.
Chugs stayed back, wiping down the bar like he wasn’t listening.
Don was already seated. Alacrán across from him.
No drinks touched. No small talk.
Alacrán leaned back slightly, eyes on Don.
“Wasn’t my war.”
Don didn’t move.
“I was losing my men or my club to something I didn’t sign off on. That’s why I just let him run with it.”
Silence held.
“Severino tied us to Talamantes. He’s gone now, so… no ties left.”
Don gave a small nod.
“Good.”
Alacrán leaned forward, steady. “There’s still money on that road.”
Don let it sit.
“We take north. You take south. Your trucks pass through, they pass clean.”
Don’s gaze sharpened just a touch. “You offering protection going north?”
“As a sign of good faith. At a good price.”
A beat.
“I’ll run it by Mondragón,” Don said.
“Ta bueno.”
Alright then.
Silence again, but it was settled now.
Don stood. Alacrán followed.
They stepped in and shook.
Firm.
Brief.
“I guess we can call it a truce then,” Don said.
“Sounds good to me,” Alacrán answered.
And that was it.
DON AND LORAINE’S HOUSE
Kait knocked once and stepped in.
The house smelled like sage and something sweet burning low.
Loraine was by the window, barefoot, moving slow between her plants. Sunlight came in warm, catching dust and smoke in the air. Little bowls of stones and crystals lined the sill. She shifted one, then another, like she was listening to something no one else could hear.
“You radiate as much energy as these things,” Loraine said without turning.
Kait shut the door behind her. “Do I?”
“And then some.” Loraine said looking at her through a blue crystal.
Kait leaned against the wall, arms loose. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
“No… we never know that, Kaitydoll,” Loraine murmured.
She picked up one last stone, held it to the light, then set it down like it finally felt right. Then she turned.
Her eyes went straight to Kait’s hair.
There it was.
The uneven break.
The missing piece.
Loraine didn’t react big. Just a soft exhale.
“Come here,” she said.
Kait didn’t move right away. “Maybe I should keep it like that.”
“Mm. No.” Loraine walked past her, already reaching for a chair. “Sit.”
“I can just go to Becky’s, don’t worry.”
“Come on.”
“I’m in a time crunch. I gotta—”
“It will only take a second.”
Kait watched her for a second, then pushed off the wall and crossed the room. Sat.
Loraine moved behind her, fingers sliding into her hair, separating it gently. Finding the torn section without asking.
“You go seen Kolton yet?” she asked.
Kait stared ahead. “No.”
Loraine reached for a comb, slow, working through the strands.
“You really should. He asks about you.”
Kait’s expression didn’t change.
“He’s not well,” Loraine went on. “Body’s trying to clean itself out. His mind’s… not keeping up.”
Kait shifted slightly in the chair. “That’s on him.”
A soft hum behind her. Not agreeing. Not arguing.
“Is it, though?”
Kait’s eyes flicked to the mirror. “Yes.”
Loraine gathered the uneven section between her fingers, holding it steady.
“Well, you misled him too, baby,” she said. “You should’ve been clear from the start.”
Kait let out a quiet breath through her nose. “I was crystal clear. We were just fucking. Didn’t mean anything.”
The shears came up.
A clean, soft snip.
“It meant everything to him,” Loraine said gently. “You’re the love of his life.”
Silence settled.
Another section. Measured.
Snip.
A wind chime outside tapped softly against the frame.
Kait crossed her arms tighter now.
She was not expecting this.
“You don’t just step out of something like that and leave the other person bleeding,” Loraine added.
Kait’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know the whole story. He did some shit.”
The comb paused.
Then kept moving.
“No,” Loraine said. “It wasn’t him. It was the drugs.”
That sat there.
Heavy.
Another snip. Even. Controlled.
“He started using since before you got here. It was LeeAnn stressing him out,” Loraine continued. “Thank God she’s in prison. He’s detoxing. He’ll be different. You’ll see.”
Kait’s gaze stayed forward, but her eyes hardened.
“You just have to give him another chance.”
Loraine worked the other side now, balancing it out. Making it match like nothing had ever been torn out.
“You should go see him,” she said. “Just once. You’ll realize how sorry he is.”
Kait didn’t move.
“He’s gonna be so happy,” Loraine went on softly. “So motivated.”
Kait’s eyes flicked toward the door, then back to the mirror.
Loraine lowered the shears, running her fingers through the ends, checking the line.
Perfect.
Like it never happened.
“He’ll be out soon,” she said, almost absent.
Kait stilled for a fraction of a second.
Didn’t turn.
Didn’t ask.
Loraine stepped back.
Kait stood.
Ran her fingers lightly through her hair once.
Then headed for the door.
Loraine didn’t stop her.
“Energy has a way of coming back around, you know? Good and bad,” she said softly.
“Thanks,” she said and walked out.
HEDRICK RANCH
The cross was still there under the same tree, weathered but standing, the grass around it packed down from years that hadn’t changed anything.
Lane didn’t kneel. Didn’t say anything. Just stood there, looking at it like he always did.
That story never sat right with him. His old man putting a gun to his mom, then turning it on himself.
That’s what they said happened.
That’s what it was on paper.
But Lane had lived with that man long enough to know something about it didn’t line up. He couldn’t prove it. Never tried to. Just carried it. Same as always.
Suddenly he heard an engine in the distance.
He smirked and headed to the barn.
Kait didn’t slow when she turned onto the dirt road.
Hedrick Ranch sat quiet. Wind moving through dry grass. The barn doors half open.
Empty.
Randy was at Snake Eyes and Blaze at a protection run.
She cut the engine and swung off the bike.
Then she saw it.
The Hardline.
Parked off to the side like it owned the place.
Her mouth tightened just slightly.
Of course.
Kait headed straight for the barn.
Inside, it was dim. Dust hanging in the air, light cutting through the slats. The smell of hay and old wood, horses.
No one.
She stepped in deeper, boots crunching lightly over dirt and straw.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
She turned—
A hand caught her.
Hard.
Pulled her back.
She didn’t fight it.
Didn’t need to.
Lane.
He had her pressed back into him, grip firm at her waist, breath already close to her ear.
“You took forever,” he muttered.
“Had to stop by Loraine’s,” she said with a quick kiss.
He backed into one of the stalls.
Hay shifting under their boots.
Then his mouth was on hers.
Her hands moved just as fast, pulling his belt off and letting it drop on the hay.
He moved her back until she hit the wood.
Hands everywhere now—her waist, her hips, dragging her closer, tighter.
Boots and pants sliding off as they shifted deeper into the stall.
Hay gave under their weight.
They rolled once, bodies finding position without thinking about it.
His hand caught her thigh, pulling her in.
Her breath hitched—sharp, quiet.
One deep move and he thought it would be over as soon as it started.
He stilled for half a second, trying to find some sort of control.
Kait arched her back, her mouth half open feeling every inch of him.
Then he began to move.
Eyes never off hers.
He kept going.
Faster each time.
Her nails sliding down his back, finding his hips to push him in deeper.
His hand moved up her side, then back down, gripping tighter when she shifted under him.
A low sound caught in her throat.
He felt it.
Every bit of it.
She pushed at his shoulder just enough to flip him.
Now she was on top.
Breath uneven, eyes locked on his.
He didn’t move.
He let her do it.
Her hands pressed against his chest, then dragged down slow, deliberate this time.
Not rushed.
Not for a second.
He watched her like he was memorizing something.
“I’m fucking crazy about you,” he murmured.
“You don’t know the half of it,” she said and kissed him.
His hand slid up her back, pulling her down into him.
“I know all of it.”
That pulled the smallest reaction out of her.
Not a smile.
Close.
She kissed him again.
Slower this time.
Still intense. Just… controlled.
For a second.
Then it slipped again.
Hands tightening.
Bodies shifting.
Hay moving under them.
Time gone.
They didn’t rush the end of it.
Didn’t jump up right away.
He was on his back again, one arm behind his head, the other resting low along her back where she was half draped over him.
Her hands all over his chest.
Quiet now.
Breathing still not fully settled.
“You waited long?” Kait asked.
“Not really. Just went to say hi to Overkill to make time.”
Kait looked at him and caressed his face.
“You visit him?”
Lane nodded.
“I thought you might—”
“Hate him?” he said and sighed. “Nah. I never really believe he would—”
“What.”
He stopped himself and shook his head.
“Never mind, what’d Loraine want?”
Kait didn’t answer right away. She looked up at him, like waiting for him to go back to what he was saying.
He didn’t.
“She fixed my hair, actually.”
His hand moved slightly, brushing along the ends without looking.
“Oh, shit. Didn’t notice.”
“It was just an excuse. She was trying to make me go see Kolton.”
Lane’s jaw shifted once, then exhaled through his nose.
“She will not let it go,” Kait added.
“Of course she won’t.”
Silence again.
He looked up at the ceiling beams.
Thinking.
Not avoiding.
Just… processing.
“Well,” he said finally, “war with Reyes is over. The sooner we make it known, the sooner we stop hiding.”
Kait didn’t answer right away.
She pushed up slightly, looking down at him.
“Yeah,” she said low.
“You don’t sound too sure.”
She held his gaze.
“Kolton’s gonna flip his shit.”
“I know. And he’ll want to fight.”
Kait exhaled, tension creeping back in.
“It won’t be just one fight. He’ll hate you. Probably forever. And because of that, there’s gonna be problems in the club. And that means problems with your family.”
Lane stayed calm. Controlled.
“So what—” he said, lifting a hand slightly, glancing around them, “—we keep doing shit like this. We keep hiding? You good with that?”
Her hand slid back over his chest. Slower now.
“You want this?” she asked. “You and me?”
Lane looked at her.
Held it longer this time.
“Let me make something real clear, Kait,” he said. “I’ve never done anything like this before. This is all new territory for me.”
Kait brushed his hair back with her fingers.
“But what I do know is that this is dead serious.”
His hand tightened slightly at her back.
“And I don’t care who likes it or not.”
It didn’t sound simple.
And neither of them pretended it was.
Outside, the wind moved through the ranch like nothing had changed.
Inside, they rolled around the hay one more time before reality came back in.
DON AND LORAINE’S HOUSE
Don’s home office was quiet.
Door shut. No noise from outside. No one else in the house.
Just Don and Klaus.
Don stood behind the desk, a few folders open in front of him. Notes, names, numbers. Nothing rushed.
Klaus sat across from him, reading through a page, glasses low.
“Otto confirmed,” Klaus said. “He’ll be here.”
Don nodded once.
“Ulver as well. He’ll tell us more about Timo.”
“Good ‘cause I ain’t buying all that shit about ports freezing and harsh winter.”
Klaus shrugged and turned a page.
“Yuma’s seeing slower movement,” he said. “More checks.”
Don didn’t look up.
“They adjust.”
“Yes.”
Another page.
“Las Cruces is asking for support again.”
Don leaned back slightly.
“They always are.”
“They’re stretched.”
“So they fix it.”
Klaus closed the folder in his hands.
Set it down.
Didn’t push it.
“We’re a few days out,” he said.
Don finally looked up.
“Plenty of time.”
“For most of it,” Klaus said.
Don’s gaze held.
“For all of it.”
Silence.
Klaus adjusted his glasses slightly.
“Some of them will start reaching out early,” he said. “Testing the ground.”
Don gave a faint nod.
“Let them.”
“And when they start asking.”
Don didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll make them sweat it.”
Klaus studied him for a second.
“You sure you want to wait for day of?”
Don’s expression didn’t change.
“That’s the point. Make them work for it. Wait their turn.”
Klaus gathered the papers, stacking them neatly.
“No surprises, then.”
Don looked back down at the desk.
“There’s always surprises.”
A pause.
“We just decide how they end.”
That sat there.
Klaus gave a small nod.
And the room went quiet again.
THE NEST
Lane’s room was still humid from the shower.
Door cracked. Steam hanging in the air.
He sat on the edge of the bed, jeans on, belt halfway through, boots planted in front of him.
No shirt.
Water still running down his back in slow lines as he leaned forward, lacing up.
Knuckles steady. Movements precise.
A knock.
Soft.
He didn’t look up.
“Yeah.”
The door opened just enough for Melanie to slip in.
She closed it behind her carefully, like she didn’t want to make noise.
“I brought you some clean towels,” she said, even though he clearly didn’t need one.
Lane didn’t stop lacing.
“Thanks.”
She stood there a second.
Watching him.
Always did.
“I can… make you something to eat,” she added. “Or I can—”
“I’m good.”
Flat.
She stepped closer anyway.
“I can stay,” she said softer. “If you want.”
Lane pulled the lace tight, tied it off, moved to the other boot.
“I’ll let you know if I get hungry.”
Same tone.
Same answer.
Final.
Melanie swallowed, trying to hold it together.
Her eyes moved over him again—
And then she saw it.
She froze.
Scratches down back.
Not small.
Not accidental.
Her breath caught before she could stop it.
Lane didn’t react.
Didn’t turn.
Didn’t even ask.
He already knew she saw.
Melanie took a small step closer without thinking.
Fingers lifting—
then stopping just short of touching.
“Kount, what…” she whispered.
Nothing.
He stood.
Reached for his shirt.
Turned toward the bathroom.
And that’s when she saw the front.
More marks.
Faint in some places. Deeper in others.
Fresh.
Her chest tightened so hard it almost hurt.
Everything in her face shifted in a second.
Confusion.
Realization.
Then something worse.
He walked past her like it wasn’t even there.
Came back out with a pile of clothes in his hand.
Dropped them on the bed.
“Got stuff in the bathroom,” he said. “Needs washing.”
Melanie blinked fast.
Hard.
Forcing it back.
“Okay,” she said, voice barely steady. “Yeah, I’ll take care of it.”
She moved quickly now.
Too quickly.
Gathering the clothes, not looking at him again.
Didn’t trust herself to.
“Right away,” she added.
Like it mattered.
Lane was already pulling his shirt on.
Didn’t answer.
Didn’t watch her leave.
Melanie opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind her.
The second she hit the hallway, her eyes filled.
But she didn’t stop.
Didn’t slow down.
Just kept walking.
KLEBERG COUNTY JAIL
Kolton didn’t sit.
He paced.
Back and forth. Hands in his hair, then dropping, then back again. Energy with nowhere to go.
Grant stood by the small table, folder open, flipping through papers like this was just another case.
“What the fuck was that?” Kolton snapped. “Not guilty? Two words? No argument? That’s what you came up with? That’s all you said?”
Grant didn’t look up. “That’s not what an arraignment’s for.”
Kolton let out a harsh laugh.
“You should’ve asked for release, house arrest, something. I can’t be in here.”
Grant turned a page.
“Mm.”
Kolton stepped closer, voice rising.
“I’ve got a kid, man. I need to be home. You should’ve said that. You should’ve told the judge that. You should’ve let me talk—”
That’s when Grant looked up.
Finally.
Calm. Flat. Not impressed.
“Yeah, no,” he said. “We’re not doing that.”
Kolton blinked. “The fuck you mean—”
“I mean you don’t get to freestyle in a courtroom like it’s open mic night,” Grant cut in. “You talking would’ve made it worse.”
Kolton took a step forward. “Worse than this?”
“Yes,” Grant said, not missing a beat. “Much worse.”
Silence snapped for half a second.
Then Kolton scoffed, shaking his head, pacing again.
“This is bullshit. I shouldn’t even be in here.”
“And yet—here you are.”
Kolton stopped. Turned on him.
“I’m paying you to get me out.”
Grant closed the folder.
Now he was paying attention.
“You’re paying me to make sure your rights under the Constitution aren’t violated during the legal process,” he said. “That’s the job.”
Kolton stared at him, jaw tight.
“You don’t get it,” he said. “I can’t sit in here waiting around. I’ve got shit to handle.”
“Everybody in there’s got shit to handle,” Grant said, nodding toward the door. “You ain’t special.”
That hit.
Kolton didn’t like it.
“You could’ve asked for an own recognizance release,” he pushed again. “House arrest. Something.”
Grant exhaled once, slow.
“You learned from a law book from the Kleberg County Jail Library, or you watch Law & Order? Listen to me… Your first hearing is not where you get favors. It’s where you enter a plea and buy time.”
Kolton didn’t like the answer.
“Buy time? I don’t want more time here.”
Grant went on anyway.
“We need your bloodwork back. That’s part of this. That doesn’t happen today, tomorrow, or because you ask nicely.”
Kolton frowned. “What bloodwork?”
“The one they took when you got booked,” Grant said. “That gets sent out to Corpus. Lab’s there.”
Kolton’s patience was gone.
“So call them. Speed it up.”
Grant gave a short, humorless smile.
“Yeah. Good luck getting a county office to move faster just because you’re in a hurry.”
“This needs to move faster somehow.”
Grant shook his head once.
“That’s not how this works.”
Kolton stepped closer again, voice dropping, sharper now.
“This fucking sucks.”
“Well next time, make sure you go do all that stupid shit in Dallas or Houston where they don’t have to send shit out, alright?”
Kolton’s chest rose and fell, breathing uneven now. Anger sitting right under the surface.
“This system’s fucked,” he muttered.
Grant picked the folder back up.
“Welcome to my world,” he said.
Kolton looked away, jaw clenched so tight it showed.
Grant flipped a page like the conversation was already over.
“We’ll start talking deals once we have everything. Might take a couple days. You’re gonna have to be patient,” he added. “Until then, keep your head down and your nose clean,” he said with a wink
Kolton let out a sharp breath through his nose.
Didn’t answer.
Didn’t agree.
Just stood there, trapped in it.
And hating every second.
lake house
The blankets were spread out across the floor this time.
Not neat. Just enough to keep the cold from coming through.
Kait lay on her back, one arm tucked behind her head, the other resting loose at her side. Hair fanned out slightly, catching the low light.
Lane was on his side beside her, propped up on his elbow.
His fingers moved slow across her stomach, tracing absent patterns—figure eights, over and over, like muscle memory.
She noticed.
The Krait symbol.
“Did you ever want to be anything else?”
Lane’s hand didn’t stop.
“What.”
“Besides Krait.”
He exhaled lightly through his nose.
“No.”
Simple.
Kait turned her head slightly, watching him.
“Nothing?”
His fingers slowed for half a second, then kept going.
“Everything I’ve ever done in my life was to be in the club… Marines. Game Warden…”
Her brow shifted faintly.
“That’s right, Randy told me about that.”
“Yeah.”
No hesitation.
Her lips pressed together faintly, not quite a smile.
“That’s intense.”
“Had to be. What about you?”
“Same. Even though, even back then you told me Krait doesn’t allow girls.”
“We still don’t.”
Kait chuckled.
“So this is what you always wanted?”
“Yeah, I wanted to be just like Rokkstar. Even before Denmark.”
“That young?”
“Yeah.”
A faint smirk pulled at her mouth.
“Blaze and Kolton had their rodeo dreams,” she said. “Bulls, horses, buckles, all that shit.”
Lane huffed lightly.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t care about any of that,” she said. “I wanted this.”
“And here you are. Full patch. Riding and Biting with the best of ‘em.”
“Damn right.”
His hand drifted slightly higher along her ribs then stopped.
There.
Just under her left breast.
Not pressing.
Just… noticing.
His eyes flicked to it.
Then back to her face.
Careful.
“Is that from combat?”
Not blunt.
Not soft.
Just controlled.
Kait didn’t answer right away.
Her chest rose slowly with a breath.
She looked at the ceiling like it might have the right answer.
“No,” she said.
Just like that.
Lane didn’t react.
Didn’t flinch.
But his hand stayed there a second longer.
“Krait Denmark shit?”
She shook her head slightly.
“Russia shit.” *
That got him.
His eyes narrowed just a fraction.
Then she glanced at him.
“What happened?”
Kait let out a slow breath through her nose, still staring up.
“It’s a long story. A lot of moving parts.”
“Don’t matter. Tell me.”
She took a deep breath.
“So… once I turned eighteen, Rokkstar decided not to let me prospect after all.”
Lane’s hand stopped tracing. Shifted lower. His hand caressing her thigh now.
“I had no idea.”
“Yeah,” she went on. “So I got pissed off… got on a plane… went to Russia looking for my mother.”
That pulled his attention fully.
“Alone?”
She gave the smallest nod.
“If Rokkstar wasn’t gonna let me patch in Krait, I was gonna—”
She stopped.
A smirk tugged at her mouth.
Lane caught it.
“What.”
Kait huffed quietly.
“I was gonna go work for my grandfather.”
Lane tilted his head slightly.
“Doing what.”
She finally looked at him.
“He was a Captain then.”
Lane’s eyebrow lifted.
“Captain…”
“Bratva Captain.”
“Goddamn.”
Kait looked back up at the ceiling.
“But it wasn’t as simple as I thought. Took me forever. Then I had to find the right people to get me close to him…”
She caressed his jaw with the back of her fingers.
“Then of course, I got mixed up with the wrong crew.”
Lane’s hand tightened slightly at her thigh.
“And that’s where that came from.”
“Shit…”
She nodded once.
“Yeah. Got my ass shot.”
Lane watched her.
Didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t rush it.
“I’m guessing there’s a lot more to it than that.”
“Yeah, there always is.”
A beat.
“But at least my mom found me… bleeding out. Then she took me back to Denmark.”
Her voice stayed even.
“And Rokkstar felt so bad he let me prospect after that.”
Lane exhaled quietly through his nose.
“Out of guilt.”
“Yeah… and a year later I took the Bite,” she said. “Patched in.”
She turned her head slightly, meeting his eyes again.
“And here I am.”
Lane studied her for a second.
Then shook his head faintly.
“And I thought I was cool.”
Kait smirked.
“Nah.”
He leaned down, brushing his mouth against hers—short, easy.
“Well,” he muttered against her skin, “I’m glad the shooter missed.”
Kait let out a quiet breath.
She ran her fingers through his hair just looking at him.
“So, what’s with ‘Lokken?’ Why never Kait or Toast?” she said.
He kissed her shoulder.
“Well, I thought Kait was too personal and… I think ‘Toast’ is stupid.”
Kait chuckled.
“And you can’t say Dødsstraf.”
He kissed her.
“No, but I could hear you say it all day.”
“It’s Danish for—”
“Death sentence.”
Kait raised her eyebrows. “Wow. How did you know?”
“Oh, I know everything.”
Kait rolled her eyes.
“Klaus told me. He said you did the hits over in Toastland.”
“I did. So, where did ‘Kount’ come from?”
Lane exhaled lightly through his nose.
Didn’t answer right away.
His hand moved again, tracing that same figure eight across her stomach.
“From ‘count.’”
Kait frowned slightly.
Lane chuckled.
“What? That’s what it is. Just ‘count.’”
She studied him.
“…like royalty? Like the noble title?”
Lane glanced at her.
That faint, almost amused look.
“That’s what you thought it meant?”
Kait shrugged a little.
“I mean… Don’s King. Kolton’s Prince. You’re his cousin, so, I figured you were the Count.”
Lane let out a low breath through his nose.
Not quite a laugh.
“Yeah. No.”
“Really? It’s not after Count Dracula then? I thought it was ‘cause you’re so serious and cranky all the time.”
“Ha-ha. No.”
“Then what?”
“I got in Iraq. Gulf War. Diablo came up with it,” he added.
Kait’s eyes flicked back to him.
“Wait, Diablo, Diablo? In Iraq?”
That shifted something.
He nodded.
“No shit?”
Lane nodded once.
“Shit.”
“I didn’t even know Diablo’s a Marine, what the fuck? And you met in the Gulf War?”
“Yeah, then one day he decided to grow his hair out and started worshipping the devil.”
Kait laughed.
“No, but tell me…”
Lane didn’t expand.
Didn’t need to.
His hand moved from her stomach to her side, resting there.
“It’s after my body count.”
Flat.
It sat there.
Kait didn’t react right away.
Just looked at him.
Reading it.
She let out a quiet breath, something between a smirk and disbelief.
“Really?”
Lane didn’t respond.
Didn’t soften it.
“You kept track?” she asked.
Lane’s gaze didn’t shift.
“No, they did.”
She held his eyes a second longer.
Then leaned up just enough to give him a quick kiss.
Short.
Controlled.
“The unit would do it for me. It was a whole thing,” he said nodding.
He leaned down and kissed her stomach.
“So? How many?”
Lane held her there a second longer.
Then drew the number on her stomach as he said it.
“Thirty-one.”
Didn’t sit up, didn’t make a thing out of it.
Just mouthed it.
Quiet.
Like it wasn’t for anyone else.
Kait stared at him.
She scoffed.
“What? Goats? Yeah, okay.”
Lane’s eyes didn’t move.
“I’m serious.”
She shook her head, already pushing up on one elbow.
“No, you’re not,” she said, half amused. “You’re such a liar.”
She started to sit up—
Lane caught her.
Hand at her waist. Firm.
Pulled her right back down.
“Hey—” she let out a breath, caught off guard, a quick laugh slipping through it.
“I’m not lying,” he said, still calm, still right there.
Kait twisted under him, trying to get loose.
“Thirty-one?” she shot back. “What, Diablo was following you around with a little notebook— one towelhead, two—”
He shifted with her.
Didn’t let go.
Pinned her just enough.
Not rough.
But not letting her up either.
“You think I’m making shit up?”
Kait pushed at his shoulder, trying to roll out from under him.
“You are so full of shit—”
He moved with her again, blocking it, their legs tangling in the blankets as they shifted.
The fabric bunched under them, sliding, dragging as they rolled slightly.
“You think so? Well, guess what?”
“What”
“Bratva doesn’t allow girls either.”
“You asshole.”
She tried again—
He caught her wrist this time.
Pulled it down.
“No, you are for not believing me.”
Now she was flat again.
Breath a little quicker.
Eyes locked on his.
“Let me up, liar,” she said, but there was no real bite to it.
“No.”
That landed different.
Not harsh.
Just… final.
“So, did you hiss every time?”
Kait stared at him.
A second too long.
Then she pushed again—
Harder this time.
He didn’t budge.
“No… maybe.”
Just adjusted, closing the space instead.
Their bodies lined up without either of them planning it.
Close.
Too close.
“You see? You don’t remember because you’re lying.”
She felt him so close now.
His eyes flicked to her mouth.
Then back to her eyes.
“I would never lie to you,” he said.
Quieter now.
Kait held his gaze.
Something in it shifting.
Not backing down.
But not pulling away either.
She believed him.
Then he leaned in and kissed her.
She reacted instantly, like she’d been waiting for it anyway, her free hand sliding up into his hair, pulling him closer.
The tension snapped clean through them.
Whatever they were saying didn’t matter anymore.
Her leg hooked around his, dragging him in.
The blankets shifted under them, bunching, sliding as they moved
Whatever was left of the conversation disappeared completely.
And then they were one again.
the nest
Kait’s room was empty.
Bed half-made. Window cracked. Night air slipping in slow.
Melanie stepped in with fresh sheets folded over her arm.
She moved to the bed, pulling the sheets off, replacing them quick, smooth, like she’d done it a hundred times.
Didn’t think about it.
Didn’t need to.
Until—
She reached for Kait’s clothes on the chair.
Melanie gathered them up automatically.
Then stopped.
Her fingers brushed against something rough.
She frowned slightly.
Looked down.
Strands of hay clung to the fabric.
Small pieces caught on one side of the sleeve.
Her breath slowed.
Just a little.
Melanie picked it up and rubbed her thumb over it, like she could figure it out that way.
Just like on Kount’s clothes.
She thought of the scratches on his back.
Were he and Kait—
She shook the thought off her mind.
They could’ve all gone to the ranch.
They did all the time.
Nothing weird about that.
Nothing…
But who left those marks on him?
Her grip tightened.
Her eyes moved over the rest of the clothes.
More of it.
On her jeans.
Just enough.
Her chest tightened anyway.
Melanie shifted the pile in her hands and then she saw the shirt.
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then lifted it slightly.
She inhaled.
And froze.
There it was.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
Her throat tightened.
His scent.
On her clothes.
Melanie lowered the pile of clothes slowly.
Like it burned.
Her eyes blinked fast, trying to clear it.
No.
No, that didn’t make sense.
It didn’t.
She shook her head once, quick.
Too quick.
“They were probably all out there,” she muttered under her breath. “They all go to the ranch all the time.”
That had to be it.
Had to.
She gathered the clothes tighter against her chest and turned, moving for the door.
Out into the walkway.
Her steps picked up.
She peaked into Lane’s room from the window.
Empty.
Bed untouched.
No sign he’d been back.
Her stomach dropped.
Melanie stepped back and headed downstairs.
Faster now.
Out into the night.
The parking lot stretched out under low lights.
She scanned it.
Bikes lined up.
The Hardline and Kriger gone.
Then she looked again.
There were others missing too.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” she whispered.
She looked toward the road.
Dark.
Quiet.
Nothing.
Her mind tried to put it together anyway—
The hay.
The shirt.
His back.
Melanie swallowed hard.
“No, no way.”
LAke house - NEXT DAY
Morning came in too fast.
Light cutting through the unfinished windows, dust floating in the air.
The place still smelled like fresh wood and paint still.
Kait didn’t move at first.
Then…
Voices.
Outside.
Low at first.
Then closer.
A truck door slammed.
Her eyes snapped open.
She shot up halfway, blanket sliding down as she looked around, disoriented for half a second—
then it hit.
“Lane…”
He didn’t move.
Still on his back, one arm behind his head, the other resting across his stomach, eyes half-open like he’d been awake already.
“You hear that?” she whispered, sharp.
“Yeah.”
Too calm.
Kait turned toward the window.
Another voice.
Louder now.
“They’re here early. They’re not supposed to be here ’til later.”
Lane finally pushed himself up on one elbow, slow, like he had all the time in the world.
“We were not supposed to fall asleep.”
Lane’s mouth twitched.
“Guess we did.”
She grabbed at the blanket, pulling it tighter around herself as footsteps hit the porch.
“Shit.”
The door opened.
Marcos stepped in first, stopping immediately.
His sons right behind him.
All three froze.
Especially the two sons when they saw Kait trying to cover herself.
They were barely in their twenties.
Then Marcos looked away fast, lifting a hand slightly.
“Oh. So sorry, miss Kait,” he said. “Didn’t know you and your husband were going to be here.”
Kait’s head snapped toward him.
“My—”
Lane cut in before she could finish.
“You’re good,” he said, already standing, adjusting his belt. “We’ll get out of your way in a sec.”
Marcos nodded quickly, still not looking directly at them.
“We can come back later,” he added.
“No,” Lane said, trying to find his shirt. “You’ve got work. We’ll clear out when we get dressed.”
Marcos hesitated, then nodded again and noticed the bruises on their faces.
“You guys okay?”
Kait realized what it looked like.
“Oh, no… this was just…”
Lane jumped in.
“Bar fight…”
“Really? Wow… Okay, we’ll start outside.”
He turned, ushering his sons back out just as fast as they came in.
The door shut.
Kait covered her face for a split second.
Then turned on Lane immediately, voice low and sharp.
“I can’t believe we fell asleep.”
Lane was already grabbing his kutte, completely unbothered.
“Well, we were at it for a while.”
She closed her eyes tight for a second.
Lane smirked faintly.
“Who cares.”
Kait grabbed her clothes, moving fast now, pulling things on with way more urgency than him.
“You’re acting like we broke in,” Lane said, stepping closer just enough to catch her by the waist for half a second.
“I just wanna leave.”
“It’s your house.”
They stepped out a few minutes later.
Marcos was already unloading tools, his sons moving around the house.
He looked up when they came out, giving Kait a polite nod.
“Morning, miss Kait.”
“Morning,” she said, trying to recover some composure.
Marcos wiped his hands on his jeans.
“House should be ready by Friday,” he said. “You can start bringing furniture in today if you want so y’all don’t sleep on the floor. We’ll be done with the inside this afternoon.”
Kait nodded.
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Lane stepped up beside her, adjusting his belt.
“Good,” he said. “We definitely need a bed in there, honey.”
Kait went completely still.
Then turned her head slowly toward him.
“Why don’t you just—”
Lane was already walking past her toward his bike.
Smirking.
Like he didn’t hear it.
Kait stood there for half a second longer, wanting to disappear.
Then followed him out, shaking her head under her breath.
snake eyes
Snake Eyes was already moving.
Phones ringing. Printer spitting with that awful electric saw sound. A couple people at the counter, voices low but constant.
Loraine was working the front.
Hair up. Glasses on. Moving through paperwork, answering questions, taking payments like she’d done it her whole life.
Lane stepped in and didn’t break stride.
Randy was at one of the desks with a client, going over paperwork.
Lane gave him a quick nod.
Randy glanced up, nodded back, didn’t stop talking.
Lane kept moving.
Back office.
Kode was already there, hunched over the computer, screen glowing in the dim light.
He looked up when Lane stepped in.
“Hey.”
Lane shut the door behind him.
“What you got.”
Kode leaned back slightly, lowering his voice without being told.
“No one’s touching the shootout. Not the state, BP, feds, no one.”
Lane’s expression didn’t change.
“Nothing? They were all over Laredo. This was way bigger.”
Kode shook his head.
“They botched Laredo so bad. That’s probably why they’re sweeping it. News killed the story too. Didn’t even make it past a mention.”
“What, bad for tourism?”
“Too ugly,” Kode added. “And no clean victims to hang it on.”
Lane absorbed and nodded once.
“Good.”
Kode studied him for a second.
“Yeah. Other than that, it’s just been me and my girl.”
“Fang chick?”
“It’s Daphne, and yes. She’s my girlfriend now.”
“Well, that’s cool, man.”
“Yeah, I’ll bring her over for Krait Day.”
“Hey, baby,” Loraine said behind Lane.
“Morning.”
Then, to Kode—
“Can you give us the office?”
Kode glanced between them, then stood.
“Yeah.”
He grabbed a cigarette and slipped out without a word.
Loraine stepped into the small office and closed the door behind her.
The noise outside dulled instantly.
Loraine didn’t sit.
She looked at him like she’d been waiting.
“What’s up?” Lane said straight to it.
Loraine took a small breath.
“My son’s in a cage.”
Lane held her gaze.
“Yeah.”
She stepped closer.
Not dramatic.
Just enough.
“He doesn’t belong there.”
“He does right now,” Lane said.
Calm.
Firm.
Loraine didn’t flinch.
“No, he’s just sick.”
“At least he’s not getting high in there.”
“He’s not going to get better in there alone like that. He needs his family’s support.”
“We’ve tried all that, Loraine.”
That bothered her.
Loraine studied him.
Different now.
“You’ve always been strong. More than the rest of them. So disciplined… straight as an arrow…”
She took a long look at him.
“But Kolton just doesn’t have that. So, he uses drugs to cope with everything. Look at all that’s been happening to him. It’s a lot”
“You mean the consequences of his own actions?”
Lane didn’t move.
“Be that as it may. We can’t leave him alone in there… Don listens to you.”
Lane already knew what she was going to ask.
“No.”
“Lane. He respects you.”
Lane’s jaw shifted slightly.
“He was pretty clear about this, Loraine.”
“You could insist. Tell him that it’s different because now he has Kait.”
There it was.
Lane didn’t react.
Didn’t give her anything.
Lane’s eyes stayed locked on hers.
Loraine’s expression softened.
Not backing off.
“If he gets out,” she continued, “and they fix things… if she moves in with him and Kyle, gets him steady again, that will be all he needs.”
Lane’s eyes hardened.
Just a fraction.
Enough.
“He needs to take some accountability. He needs to face his problems.”
Quiet.
Controlled.
“He will. Once he gets back with Kait—”
Loraine held his gaze.
Searching.
“Seems like you don’t agree,” she said.
Lane didn’t answer.
Didn’t step into that.
“I mean, they’ve loved each other since they were five. They were Kyle’s age when they started walking around holding hands.”
He took a step back instead.
“I’ll go see him right now. See what’s going on with him,” he said.
Not what she asked for.
But not nothing.
Loraine nodded slowly.
“Alright. Just try to talk to Don, please.”
Lane didn’t wait.
He turned and walked out.
Back through the noise.
Out the door.
Didn’t hear Randy or Kode saying goodbye.
He was pissed.
Lane rode straight there.
Didn’t push the speed.
Didn’t slow it either.
Just steady.
By the time he pulled into the county lot, his jaw was already set.
Sunglasses and kutte off. Keys out. Walked in without looking around.
Kolton came out a few minutes later.
He didn’t look good.
Pale. Eyes sunken. Skin transparent.
Sweat sitting where it shouldn’t be.
Restless even standing still.
He dropped into the chair across from Lane, already talking.
“This place is a fucking joke,” he said, rubbing his face hard. “Takes forever to do one fucking—”
He stopped.
Looked at Lane.
Really looked.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“The fuck happened to your face?”
Lane didn’t move.
“Had to handle something.”
“Something or someone?”
Lane looked around him for guards.
“Reyes.”
Kolton straightened slightly.
“Oh shit—”
“It’s done,” Lane said. “Squashed.”
Kolton blinked once.
Processing.
“Yeah?” he said. “Just like that?”
Lane didn’t elaborate.
Kolton leaned back, shaking his head faintly.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I miss everything. You get that fucking freak?”
Lane put his down for Kolton to lower his voice and nodded.
“Good. I was gonna get him myself as soon as I got out.”
He was watching him now.
The way Kolton couldn’t sit still.
The way his hands kept moving.
The slight shake he couldn’t hide.
The sweat.
The eyes.
Withdrawal.
No question.
Kolton rubbed his face again, groaning under his breath.
“Court was bullshit. Dumbass lawyer didn’t do shit. Just stood there, said two words, and that was it.”
Lane didn’t react.
“That’s how it works.”
“Yeah, well, it’s fucking stupid. Could’ve got me out. Didn’t even try.”
Lane leaned back slightly.
“He’s keeping you from making it worse.”
Kolton scoffed.
“Doesn’t feel like it.”
A beat.
Kolton leaned forward again.
“Don say anything about getting me out?”
Lane held his gaze.
“No.”
Kolton’s jaw tightened.
“Figures.”
Silence for a second.
“How’s Kait?”
There it was.
“What’s she been up to?”
Lane swallowed.
Seeing the real answer playing in his head.
“Usual shit. I don’t know.”
Kolton leaned back, exhaling hard.
“Yeah, I’m sure, since the Alley burned down…”
Then his tone shifted.
Different.
Quieter.
“I fucked that up…”
Lane didn’t react.
Kolton rubbed his hands together, restless.
“You were right… about everything.”
Lane watched him.
Didn’t step in.
Didn’t agree.
Kolton shook his head.
“I treated her like shit… I disrespected her.”
Lane’s expression didn’t change.
“I mean it… I’m gonna fix everything when I get out. I’m gonna get my girl–”
Lane cut him off.
“Worry about getting out of here first.”
Flat.
Direct.
Kolton blinked.
Thrown off for half a second.
“I will. I am. As soon as I get Kait to move with us into the house everything’s gonna be—”
“Dude. Just… one thing at a time.”
“I know, But still… I gotta make it up to her as soon as I get out.”
“What about that teacher you were bangin’?”
Kolton rolled his eyes.
“Nothing, man. Just somewhere to put it ‘til I fix things with Kait. I shouldn’t have said anything to Kait about her or that buckle bunny. I’m so fucking stupid.”
A guard’s voice echoed somewhere down the hall.
Time.
Kolton leaned forward slightly.
“Hey. When you see her…”
Lane didn’t move.
“Tell her to come see me.”
Lane held his gaze a second longer.
“Yeah.”
The wind hit him as soon as he stepped outside.
He didn’t stop.
Kept walking.
Past the doors.
Past the staff parking.
Until he hit the edge of the lot.
There was a dumpster there.
Metal.
Sun-beaten.
Lane stopped in front of it.
Then…
His fist slammed into it.
Hard.
The metal rang out sharp, echoing through the empty space.
He stood there a second.
Breathing.
Jaw tight.
Then hit it again.
Once.
Shorter.
Controlled.
After that, he just stood there.
Let it settle.
Then he got his kutte out of the saddle, threw it on, and got on his bike.
Like nothing happened.
Like he had it all under control again.
CACTUS STOP
The pump clicked steady in her hand.
Kait leaned against the bike, one boot hooked on the concrete, eyes somewhere else.
The overhead speakers crackled—
Will You Be There in the Morning
Her grip loosened slightly on the handle as her mind slipped back…
To his hands, his weight on her, his kisses… the way he looked at her like nothing else mattered…
A faint smile pulled at her mouth.
She felt silly relating to the lyrics.
Her head dipped just a little, breath slowing, just… drifting.
“Ms. Lokken.”
It snapped clean.
She turned.
Officer Michael Richter stood a few feet away, one hand resting on his belt, like he’d been there a second already.
Her expression reset instantly.
Neutral.
“Officer.”
He gave a small nod.
“Didn’t expect to see you up and around this quick.”
“No?”
He glanced at her face.
The healing bruise.
“You know, from being in the hospital.”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“Yeah. Looks like it. That’s good.”
Kait pulled the nozzle out as the pump clicked full, setting it back in place.
“Yeah. All good.”
Richter nodded once.
“Anything new come back to you from that night?”
Kait didn’t miss it.
“No.”
She screwed the cap back on, movements steady.
“That was probably it, really.”
He watched her for a second.
Not writing anything down.
Richter held her there a second longer.
Then gave a small nod.
“Alright.”
Not agreement.
Not disbelief.
Just filed away.
The song kept playing overhead.
Soft.
Out of place now.
She came around to get on her bike.
Richter stepped back slightly, giving her space.
“Well, if anything does come back to you…”
Kait nodded.
“I’ll reach out.”
Not sharp.
Just certain.
He studied her.
“Alright… Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Yep.”
“See you around.”
He turned, heading back to his car.
Kait didn’t watch him go.
Didn’t look back at the speakers either.
But the song stayed there, in the back of her head.
And she couldn’t wait to see him.
the burn barrel
The Burn Barrel sat low and mean on the edge of the northside.
A sign painted in red as if blood was dripping from it.
Inside—
it hit immediately.
Heat. Sweat. Chemicals.
Music too loud, but somehow still dead.
Lane stepped in and didn’t slow down.
Eyes moving.
Clocking everything.
Girls too thin. Too wired. Too eager.
Men worse.
A couple of them noticed his kutte right away.
Didn’t like it.
Didn’t say anything either.
Couple Chrome Union patches nodded at him.
He nodded back.
Two girls broke off from the bar the second he walked in.
Fast.
Too fast.
One grabbed at his arm.
“Hey, baby—”
Lane didn’t even look at her.
“Don’t even… fucking crackwhore.”
The other one tried anyway, sliding in closer, hand brushing his chest.
He turned his head just enough.
“Fuck off me, nasty bitch.”
That did it.
They peeled off quick.
Not even offended.
Used to it.
Lane kept walking.
Didn’t look back.
He found Don in the back.
Table pushed into the corner like it owned the place.
Ram and Mack were already there, beers in hand, mid-laugh about something.
They spotted Lane.
“There he is,” Mack said, lifting his bottle.
Ram nodded toward him. “About time we see you around here.”
Lane made a face.
Then his eyes shifted.
Movement under the table.
Subtle.
Not subtle enough.
Lane didn’t react.
Just stood there.
A second later, Don leaned back in his chair, adjusting his belt like nothing in the world was out of place.
“Alright,” he muttered.
The girl came up from under the table, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, ready to move on to the next one.
Didn’t look at anyone.
Didn’t say anything.
Don reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled five, and dropped it on the table.
“Get out of here.”
She took it and left.
Fast.
Lane watched her go.
Then looked back at Don.
Didn’t say anything.
Didn’t need to.
The look said enough.
Don caught it.
Dismissed it just as fast.
“Stop judging,” he said, waving it off. “She earned it.”
Lane didn’t respond.
Ram smirked into his drink.
Mack just shook his head, amused.
Don leaned forward, resting his arms on the table like they were in a normal place having a normal conversation.
“How’d your day go.”
Lane pulled out a chair and placed it at a safe distance from the table.
He looked around at the place again and lit up a cigarette.
“Talked to Blaze, they should be back by seven from the run. Stopped by Snake Eyes too and talked to Kode a little. No one’s saying shit about Falfurrias. Too messy.”
Don let out a satisfied laugh.
“He told me. That’s fucking great.”
“Went to see Prince too.”
Don whole face changed.
“Don’t even ask.”
“I wasn’t. He knows you ain’t changing your mind.”
That got a small shift out of him.
“Good.”
Don reached for his drink, taking a slow pull before setting it back down.
“Krait Day’s coming up. I want everything tight.”
Lane nodded.
“It will be.”
Don glanced around the place once.
Didn’t care for it.
Didn’t show it either.
“We’re gonna have a lot of eyes on us… Presidents, problems, all of it.”
Lane leaned back slightly, eyes still scanning the room without looking like he was.
“Wouldn’t be Krait Day without it.”
“Listen, though, you may get a break, Gila, Ketzal and Krok want a private meeting so you can still have some fun. Maybe get in the Pit and make us some money?”
“Maybe.”
Don smirked faintly.
“That’s what I like to hear.”
Somebody yelled across the room.
Glass broke somewhere near the bar.
No one reacted.
Don looked back at Lane.
“I’m staying here a bit with these two. Go on and get home. I know how you feel about this place.”
Lane didn’t hesitate.
“Ain’t gotta tell me twice. I don’t know how y’all can stomach this.”
Ram clicked his tongue.
“Ya cállate, Kount.”
“Yeah, see y’all later. Gonna go get a shot of penicillin.”
the nest
The chapel was dim.
Quiet in a way the rest of the Nest never was.
The Judge lay coiled under the heat lamp, black and white bands barely moving, watching.
Kait stood at the tank, focused.
Gloves on.
Tongs steady in her hand.
She didn’t rush it.
Didn’t flinch.
The strike came fast.
Clean.
She sealed the lid, locked it, checked it twice.
Only then she felt him behind her.
She didn’t turn right away.
Didn’t need to.
A small smile pulled at her mouth anyway.
Then she glanced back.
“Hey, Thirty-one.”
Lane stood in the doorway.
Still.
Watching her.
Something in his face shifted when she said it.
Not big.
But enough.
The day dropped off him in pieces.
“Hey, Bratva.”
He stepped inside.
Came up beside her.
She handed him the gloves without a word.
He put them on, checked the seal, the latch, the edges.
They moved through it together.
Automatic.
Finished in seconds.
Silence settled.
Easy at first.
Lane pulled the gloves off slower than he needed to.
Set them down.
Didn’t step away.
“What’d you do today,” he asked.
Kait leaned back against the table, crossing her arms loosely.
Took a deep breath.
“Ran a couple errands,” she said, “Bumped into that one officer again at the gas station…”
Lane rolled his eyes.
“And… I thought about you. That’s what took up most of my day.”
That last part made Lane grab her face with both hands and plant a hard kiss on her.
“I couldn’t wait to be done so I could see you. Seemed like such a long day.”
That part was true.
But it didn’t sound clean.
Kait rested her head and hand on his chest.
“What happened.”
Lane kissed her head and exhaled through his nose.
“Had to deal with Loraine, then Kolton.”
That was enough.
Kait’s expression shifted and she looked up at him.
“You saw him.”
He nodded.
“How is he doing?”
Lane shrugged.
“Withdrawing, so… not well.”
She didn’t ask more.
Didn’t need to.
Lane leaned back against the table across from her now.
Hands resting on the edge.
Thinking.
Not talking.
Kait watched him.
Then her eyes dropped.
His knuckles.
Swollen.
Raw.
She pushed off the table and stepped in, reaching for his hand.
Careful.
“What’s that for?”
Lane didn’t pull away.
“Nothing.”
Kait looked up at him and narrowed her eyes at him.
Not buying it.
He let out a quiet breath.
“Got in a fight with a metal sign at the jail.”
That was closer.
Her thumb brushed lightly over the bruised skin.
“Who won?”
Lane looked at her finally.
A small, crooked smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“I just… got frustrated, I guess. Kolton and Loraine… they said the same shit, and it just pissed me the fuck off.”
Kait stilled slightly.
“What did they say?”
He held her there.
“That everything will get fixed once you get back with him.”
That landed.
Hard.
Kait’s hand slowed on his.
“He said that?”
Lane nodded once.
“And so did Loraine.”
Kait’s jaw tightened.
“Well, that’s not happening.”
Lane didn’t answer right away.
Didn’t challenge it.
But something in him shifted.
Settled.
“No?”
She shook her head.
Firm.
Lane studied her.
Longer this time.
Reading it.
Making sure.
“That’s all I need to know.”
Silence.
Thick.
The kind that doesn’t ease, just changes shape.
What had been pressure from the outside…
Loraine.
Kolton.
All of it turned inward.
Focused.
On her.
Lane stepped in.
His hand came to her waist.
Her hand found his face and she passed her thumb on his chin.
“I missed you.”
That did it.
Not soft.
Not gentle.
Something in him snapped into place.
Everything about his shitty day.
Every word, every look, every suggestion that she belonged to someone else…
Gone.
Burned off.
It was barely a whisper…
“I missed you.”
Then his mouth found hers.
Hard.
She answered just as fast, grabbing onto him, pulling him in just as eager.
The table hit behind her.
She didn’t step away.
Didn’t even think about it.
Lane’s hands were already lifting her up onto it—like that was the only place she belonged.
He moved in, caging her against the edge, one hand braced beside her, the other holding her in place.
Close.
Locked in.
Every movement sharper now.
Hungrier.
Something underneath it.
Not just want.
Not just heat.
But the need to hold on to her.
Because he could already feel everyone was trying to pull her away.
Every scar has a story…
Read KRAIT STORIES – MOSCOW 1995: A Kait Lokken Tale to learn how Kait got that scar on her ribs.
