Zane’s hands slid down her slick body and he cupped her ass, lifting her easily to his hips. And then he slid inside her with one hard thrust, startling her with the fullness and the sense of complete possession.

He let out a low groan. “Ah, Evie. So good to be with you this way. Like the first time we were together.”

No, it was better. More. She had never felt this close to him before. Not in the forest when they’d made love, nor in the bedroom when she’d locked away that part of her that might get too involved. But now, with the water washing away all her barriers, his body hot and hard against hers, his cock throbbing inside her, with nothing between them, she felt the last of her control slip away.

“Zane.” His name on her lips was more a plea than a request, but he was already moving, lifting her hips in time to his thrusts. She tightened her arms around his neck and held on for the ride, her back slick and wet against the cold tile wall.

Her inner walls tightened around his cock as he hammered into her, sliding her up and down his hard, wet body, giving her the friction she needed to hit her peak. He stroked his finger over her clit and her climax came in a rush, pleasure flooding through her veins in a molten wave. Zane grunted and pounded into her, coming hard and fast just as her pleasure began to fade.

He held her against him as the water beat down, washing away their sweat and tears. Then they washed each other all over again, and rubbed each other dry.

*   *   *

Evie slipped out from under Zane’s arm and texted Connie to meet her downstairs. She had applied salve to all his wounds and bandaged the worst cuts. Exhausted and clearly in pain, Zane had fallen asleep holding her cradled against him. She didn’t want to leave, but she needed time to think. How could she be with a man who led a life that scared her?

Connie met her downstairs with Ty, still wired after hours of gaming.

“Sparky’s bringing the SUV. He’ll be here in a couple of minutes.” Connie gave a quick glance down the hallway, then lowered her voice. “I got downstairs and played some pool, checked the place out. It’s a game room. Pool table, dartboard, foosball table, bar in the corner, but there were three steel locked doors with cameras above them, and they wouldn’t let Ty come down, so I figure there’s something there. I asked but no one would tell me.”

“I don’t think I want to know what’s down there.”

“You looked wrecked,” Connie said softly.

“I am wrecked.” Evie’s shoulders slumped. “I told Zane I couldn’t do this, that I needed some time. I couldn’t handle seeing him hurt like that. It made me angry and ill at the same time. If Arianne hadn’t been in the way I might have done some serious damage to Jagger, and yet I’ve never hit anyone in my life. It’s how I would feel if someone hurt Ty. I wanted to protect him and care for him, but I also wanted to get him out of here. But he’s a man, not a boy. And this is the life he loves. I love him, Connie, but not this world—not for me, and not for Ty. I don’t know what to do.”

Connie’s face crumpled. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry. I guess you probably don’t want to go back to the safe house.”

“I’ll get a hotel until I figure things out. And we’ll have to find somewhere else to set up shop.”

“You can stay with me.” Connie picked up Ty’s electronics bag and put an arm around him. “I’ve been trying to rent out my spare room forever. And before you start worrying about putting me in danger, Jagger already arranged to have two guys watching you wherever you go. He says it won’t be for long. They’re already waiting outside.”

Sparky honked the horn and Evie reached for the door.

“We’re leaving?” Ty shook himself, his eyes wide. “What about Zane? I didn’t see him yet. I haven’t seen him for a long time!”

“He’s sleeping,” Evie said gently. “And he’s not feeling well so we don’t want to disturb him.”

“But he didn’t say hello. And he was going to show me all the bikes.” His bottom lip quivered. “And I was supposed to teach him how to play World of Tanks.”

Guilt curdled her stomach. “You can do those things with him another time. Maybe Connie can bring you back here tomorrow.”

A tear rolled down Ty’s cheek. “Doesn’t he want to see me?”

“Hey, bud.” Wincing, Zane eased himself down on the stairs leading to the second floor. He wore a long-sleeved shirt under his cut that hid all the bruises, save for the one on his cheek and the fresh cuts on his hands.

Ty ran into his arms. “Mom said you were sleeping and you weren’t feeling well.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t be Batman all the time.” He ruffled Ty’s hair and his eyes flicked to Evie. “We got time to check out the bikes?”

“Of course.”

Zane clasped Ty’s hand and led him outside. Eyes tearing, Connie watched them go and shook her head.

“They’re so good together. You can’t…”

“I won’t.” A sad smile tugged the corner of her lips as she watched them go, walking with the same gait, Ty’s small hand clasped tight in Zane’s palm. “I don’t think I could even if I tried. I was so worried that Zane wouldn’t want to be involved in his life, but I have a feeling he would follow Ty no matter where we went. He said he would hand in his cut to be with us … leave the life…”

“Speaking of which…” Connie pointed to the floor. “Do you still want to find out about the mysterious woman in the dungeon? There’s nobody downstairs right now.”

Evie clenched her hands by her side. Did she want to go down there? Did she really want to know? She could just ask Zane, but it would bring up all the issues and emotions again. And yet woman’s life could be at stake. After confronting Jagger, feeling the power of her anger, she wasn’t as afraid of the Sinners as she had been before. She wasn’t a victim. If she was even going to consider being part of this world, she needed to understand it. And if they were doing something that was morally wrong, if they were hurting innocent people, she needed to know that, too.

She reached out, gave Connie’s hand a squeeze. “I need you to run interference. I’ll just be five minutes.”

Connie raced outside and Evie headed into the kitchen and then down the stairs to the basement. The lights were still on, illuminating the open space. She skirted around the pool table, taking care not to knock over the beer bottles lining the edges and the ashtrays full of butts. Smoke lingered in the air, and the floor was awash with hoodies, pizza boxes and crumpled newspapers.

Heart thudding, she made her way to the far end of the game room and knocked on a metal door beside a long, dark hallway. “Hello?” She waited and knocked again.

No answer.

She moved down to the second door and knocked, speaking louder this time. “Hello? Is anyone in there?”

“Who’s that?”

Evie startled at the sound of a woman’s voice and fought back a wave of nausea.

“Evie. My name is Evie. Are you okay?”

She heard the scrape of iron on concrete, the thud of feet, and then the woman’s voice, louder now.

“Evie? You a sweet butt? House mama?” She had a harsh voice, grating and hard. “Did they send you to look after me in case I’m on the rag or PMSing or some other woman thing that’ll scare the shit out of them?”

“No. I’m just … visiting.”

The woman barked a laugh. “Visiting? This ain’t no tourist attraction. You coming in?”

“No. I can’t.” She drew in a ragged breath. “What’s your name? Did they hurt you?”

Silence. And then the woman’s voice softened. “I’m Doreen. What is this? Why are you here?”

“I just…” Why was she here? “I heard they had a woman in the dungeon and I wanted to know if it was true, and maybe, I thought I could get you out.”

“Ah.” Doreen gave a heavy sigh. “You’re not part of the MC, are you?”

“No.”

“Didn’t think so. You sound like a good person. You got a nice voice, sweet and soft. Kinda innocent like. You got kids Evie?”