Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
Harley didn’t look too pleased, but she nodded and wrapped her arm around Dylan’s shoulders.
I walked away until I was out of earshot but still had Harley and Dylan in my line of sight. I knew Sean and his lackeys wouldn’t show up again, not with so many enforcers around, but my dragon was still loath to take its eyes off them.
I scrolled through my contacts and pulled up a number I didn’t want to call. But I was running out of options and fast. The call connected after a few rings. “Ace?”
“Levi,” I said. “I need to speak to you about Sean.”
The wolf shifter on the other end huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I figured. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help you, though.”
I paused. “What do you mean?”
“I’m on Sean’s shit list,” Levi said. “He’s not telling me jack shit. Did he pull something today?”
I said nothing.
“Guess so,” Levi continued. “Well, whatever it was, I can’t tell you a damn thing about it. He’s icing me out. I guess I’ve been asking too many questions.”
“He wasn’t working alone today,” I said.
“He’s got some new clan members. They’re bad news. Worse than the guys he paid. I don’t know how he roped them in, but it’s not looking good.”
I frowned into the phone. New clan members… Having a clan would make him a little more mentally stable, I assumed, but that might not be a good thing. It might give him the fortitude to make good on all the threats.
“Since you called, I guess I’ll let you know I’m on the road,” Levi said. “I’m leaving town.”
“Seriously?”
“Sean’s crazy. I never should’ve gotten wrapped up in this mess.”
“Where are you going?”
He laughed. “Like I’d tell a dragon that. I learned my lesson. You should know that Sean’s plotting something. I don’t know what it is, but I do know I don’t want any part of it. You’d better keep your guard up.”
“I’ll handle it. Thanks, Levi.”
“Don’t call me again,” Levi said. “I’m done with all this.”
The line went dead. I didn’t blame him. If I were in Levi’s position, I’d also be trying to get as far away from this mess as possible.
What he’d said had unnerved me. Where the hell was Sean finding clan members? Across the border? And what the fuck was he planning?
I shoved my phone back into my pocket. Hawk approached me, hands tucked in his pockets. “Everything good?”
“I think so,” I said. “Take my bike back for me. I’ll take Harley and Dylan to the house.”
In the car, Harley seemed relieved to take the passenger seat. I drove back to my house, and inside, Harley said she needed to lie down for a little while. Dylan retreated to his room.
Alone, I sat down at the dining room table and scrolled through my emails about tomorrow’s event.
We were supposed to be celebrating. Not only Dylan’s shift, but the new business, too. Things were moving in the right direction-I just had to keep ahead of Sean.
But he seemed to be catching up to me much faster than I’d expected.
That night, Harley slept in my bed. Small gifts. She hadn’t spent the night in her bed in ages. I was grateful she still wanted to sleep next to me, even if she was hurt and frustrated.
My dragon whined. He was disappointed with me. Disappointed with himself. I had to fix this.
I barely slept and slipped out of bed early the next morning, careful not to wake Harley when I dropped a kiss on her forehead. I made coffee for her and left a note that I was at the clubhouse. Four guys were posted outside the house. I didn’t think Sean would be foolish enough to show up at my home in broad daylight, but before yesterday, I wouldn’t have thought he’d show up in Lakeview at all.
It was barely nine in the morning, but the clubhouse was already bustling with activity. A crew of guys from Night Shift Distillery were already on-site, in their branded denim button-ups with cases and cases of product. There were clan members around, too, mopping the floors and tending to the weeds in the lawn around the clubhouse. I shook hands with the Night Shift guys, then headed into the clubhouse.
“Morning, Ace,” Striker said. He had a spread of coffee and breakfast sandwiches on the bar. In the back, Hawk and Mia were hanging up a big Night Shift banner, while Bella was babbling to herself in her stroller. “Everything all right from yesterday?”
I grabbed a sausage biscuit. “As good as they could be. Having the official launch finished will make everything easier.”
“Does Harley know about it?” Striker asked.
“Not exactly. I didn’t want to give her the details until all the paperwork was signed.”
“And now it is,” Striker said with a grin. “I saw those projected profits.” He whistled, impressed. “You and Hawk really found something amazing here.”
“It was all Hawk,” I said. “I merely signed off on it.”
“End of an era,” Striker said. “Good work, Ace.”
It really was the end of an era. After today, the Lakeview clan would be out of the weapons business entirely. No more special orders at the shop. No more cross-border shipments from Michel. No more hiding evidence when Forest decided to pay a visit. With the profits from this shifter distillery investment, the clan would be set for life, and then some.
Outside, Zoey started barking playfully, and the sound was echoed by Dylan’s familiar laugh. My dragon snapped into alertness, and Striker chuckled at the speed with which I whipped toward the clubhouse door.
Harley stepped inside. Her jeans accentuated the curve of her hips, and she was wearing one of my button-up shirts tied into a knot to reveal a tiny strip of her tan skin. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail.
Gorgeous. Even after she’d been so shaken up yesterday, she was still effortlessly beautiful, effortlessly graceful.
“What’s going on in here?” she asked, glancing around at the bustling clubhouse.
“Little celebration later today,” Striker said with a smile. “New business venture.”
“Business venture?” She blinked at me. It was a cute gesture that made her look like the twenty-year-old I’d fallen in love with.
I nodded. Striker stepped away to help Mia and Hawk hang the banner evenly, but it was really to give us a little space. She leaned against the bar next to me. “What kind of business?” she asked.
“Booze for shifters,” I said with a half-smile.
“I thought shifters couldn’t get drunk.”
“Exactly. So, there’s a hell of a market for it. Hawk found some guys who figured out how to distill spirits and brew beer that works on shifters, and we jumped on the investment. Projections look really good.”
“So, it’s a legitimate business,” she said slowly.
I nodded. “Yep. More than that. This is the clan’s way out of the criminal life. Permanently.”
“Seriously?” Her eyes widened. “You’ll be done?”
“I didn’t want to tell you before everything was locked in,” I said. “Just in case something fell through. But all the paperwork is signed, the soft launch went insanely well, and now…” I gestured around the bar. “Now we’re celebrating the beginning of the rest of our lives.”
