“He went through a lot of trouble to do this,” I said, picking up one of the other pages and eyeing it carefully. “This shit looks legit.”

My brothers nodded in agreement.

“No shit. This ain’t Photoshop. This is a document that has been altered by someone within the state who has access to this kind of shit,” Wrench explains. “I rang the prison on Leo’s info. It says they have no record of him ever being incarcerated there, so obviously they changed it back when they had the proof they needed.”

“Motherfuckers,” I muttered under my breath. “There’s a game going on here that we are very unaware of. We need to sort this shit out and now.” My voice slowly rose, my anger clearly evident to my brothers.

“That’s not the only problem,” Blizzard said solemnly

I scratched at the scruff on my face. “Fuck me! What?”

He lifted off the chair and pulled something from the back pocket of his jeans, holding it up for me to see. There were pictures. The first was of me dragging Chelsea possessively from the club after her night out with Rose. I reached over and took it from his hand, examining it closer. Flicking through the other three photos, they were all taken within minutes, even seconds of each other, but the look in my eyes was unmistakable. Even an idiot could see that I was basically staking a claim, and if they had possibly been watching from inside they could’ve even seen or heard what I’d done when I’d seen her rubbing up on that fucking bastard.

“Where were these found?” I demanded.

“Were left on one of the tables at X-Rated,” Leo growled. “I was there last night, didn’t notice anything off. One of the girls picked it up. She thought it might be significant so she gave it to me on her way out.”

“You check the camera footage from inside?” I asked, still not taking my eyes off the photo. It must have been taken with a reasonably good camera because I could see and read both our expressions and body very clearly.

The hold I had on her screamed caveman—it was dominant, strong and full of ownership.

“Cameras only showed an average looking guy. Gray suit, short hair, mid-thirties. Nothing set him apart from any other businessman that comes in. Hell, he could’ve just been another guy that had been paid to drop off a message,” Leo described. “He came in, watched a couple of the girls dance and then as he left he pulled it from his pocket and dropped it on the table.”

“He wanted to show us that it didn’t matter where she goes. He has eyes on her,” I said more to myself than my brothers as I attempted to fit together the pieces of a completely fucked up puzzle. “He wanted to prove that the connection between us is undeniable. And that I was protective of her.”

“He’s trying to scare you,” Wrench observed as he reclined back in his chair, rolling the tension from his shoulders. “Instead of taking that picture, he could have been looking down the scope of a gun and taken Chelsea out in a second. But instead, he’s sitting back, taunting and pushing buttons. It’s a damn game.”

“And we’re sure this is Anthony DePalma we’re talking about?” Blizzard asked.

“Who else?”

He shrugged. “The guy has balls of steel. He rocked up to the compound with just the big ugly bodyguard, knowing there would be ten to fifteen men here that could fill them both full of lead in milliseconds.” He folded his arms across his chest. “He doesn’t seem to be the game playing type.”

Blizzard’s observation mirrored my own thoughts. Anthony DePalma hadn’t become one of the most feared men on the east coast by making soft threats. He never waited around to play with his prey, he went straight for the jugular.

“This just proves that Chelsea is his primary target. He’s shown that he’s willing to use her to get to you,” Wrench said pointing at the photo. “She needs more protection.”

“Protection from me.” My boys all frowned and I sighed. “She wouldn’t be in this position if I’d been capable of just staying the fuck away from her.”

I saw Blizzard shake his head. “Don’t be an idiot, Op.”

“I’m being realistic.”

“No, you’re being fucking stupid,” he growled, slamming his hands on the table with a loud thud. “You’re going to give the girl fucking whiplash, and sooner or later she’s going to get tired of your fucking shit.”

I pointed at him angrily. “Watch your fucking mouth, VP.”

He shook his head but glared at me.

I knew he was right.

I’d thought about last night. We had yet to talk about what was going on, but we’d shared a night full of passion and sex and in that moment I know we’d both felt things shift.

But with this information fresh in my mind—the pictures proof—I needed to keep the fuck away from her if I wanted her to stay alive. No matter how much it would rip the two of us apart.

I wouldn’t lose another person I loved because of my own selfishness and stupidity.

Waking up to find Optimus gone wasn’t surprising but it was disappointing. There were things we both had to say, but neither of us was doing a good job of saying them. I wondered if we were both thinking the same thing.

Once it was out there, there would be no stopping. No taking things back. So instead, we just avoided the conversation that we both knew was coming and traded it for the one way we could show our emotions. The one thing we felt the most comfortable with.

Sex.

Our chemistry had always been off the charts. Ever since the first time we’d met, standing at the bar inside the clubhouse. It was like I was a sparkler and his body was the match. Every time he touched me it set me on fire. There was no other way to describe the heat that burned inside me, just by having him near.

Last night had been different to the others. He’d handed me control, even if just for a moment. It was something Optimus never did. Optimus loved to control, and if we’re being honest, I loved to give it to him. There was power in submitting yourself to someone and allowing them to dictate your movements and actions. It was about trust and respect. Last night, he’d shown me that the feeling was mutual and while we hadn’t talked about it, I’m hoping that means that we were moving forward.

The thought made me smile.

I decided that I’d spent enough time moping the last few days. My body ached, it needed to run. Just thinking about going the last few days without running was making my body feel anxious. I dressed in my running shorts, sports bra, and a loose Adidas shirt. I picked up my running shoes and carried them out to the main room in search of a brother or prospect. Ham was restocking the bar and there were a couple brothers playing pool.

“Hey Ham. Have you seen Op?” I asked, hefting myself onto the barstool and propping my foot up on the one next to it, so I could slip my shoe on and tie my laces.

“He’s in church with Blizzard, Leo, and Wrench. Seemed important.”

I nodded. I was used to Op being called away at a moment’s notice and being tucked away in meetings with the boys. I knew not to disturb him. “Do you think you could take me to the gym? Op mentioned the other day that he didn’t want me running up the street anymore.”

Ham looked a little apprehensive. “All good if I just check with a brother first?”

I smiled, the kid was good. He was going to make an awesome brother. “Sure.”

I continued to concentrate on doing my shoes before jumping off the barstool and stretching out my legs and shoulders. If I stretched now, it meant I could jump on the treadmill as soon as I got to the gym. I didn’t use a gym very often, opting to run outside. It made things a lot more interesting and I enjoyed the feeling of the wind and the elements against my skin as it heated.