“Ty!” She thumped on the door. “Are you in there?”

“Mom. Mom. Get me out of here.”

She found the key on the cabinet down the hall and unlocked the door. Ty flew out and into her arms.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry I ran away. I don’t hate Zane. Really. I don’t.” He hugged her so tight she could barely breathe, his body shaking with sobs. She wanted to hold him and never let go, but they didn’t have time to linger.

“Shhh, baby. It’s not your fault. But we have to get out of here quickly.”

“There’s a bat inside. I’ll get it. Just in case.” He grabbed a baseball bat and they ran down the stairs only to find Viper and one of his bodyguards blocking their way. Evie stopped short and pushed Ty behind her.

“You had a knife in your back. How can you be walking around?”

“I always wear a vest, kitten. Even to dinner. Never know who’s going to stab you in the back.”

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out and saw the picture of Arianne with a little boy who looked to be just over a year old.

Finally.

“I’m leaving with Ty.” She held up the phone so Viper could see the picture of his son with Arianne. “Once we’re safe I’ll let Arianne know she can end her visit with her stepbrother … your son.”

“I don’t have a son.”

“You do. Doreen’s boy. He’s your son; not Axel’s. And now he doesn’t have a mother.”

A multitude of emotions crossed his face, from disbelief to anger, but not fear. Evie’s heart sank. If he didn’t fear for his son, then he had no reason to let her or Ty go.

“Arianne won’t hurt him.” Viper snorted a laugh. “She suffers from compassion, which is why she didn’t kill me when she had the chance.”

Evie pushed Ty backward, step by step. There was a door leading out from the living room. If they ran fast enough, they could get outside. “You’re right,” she said. “Arianne won’t hurt him. But the Sinners can arrange for him to disappear. You lost one son. Do you want to lose another?”

“I could say the same to you. One of my brothers is behind the door, waiting for me to tell him what to do. Stalemate, kitten.”

“I think the word is checkmate.” Zane stepped into the room, a semiautomatic weapon in each hand, and wearing more guns than the soldiers from Ty’s video games.

Evie heard shouts outside. Gunfire.

“You both okay?” Zane’s gaze slid from her to Ty and back to her.

“I knew you’d come.”

“Sorry about the delay,” Jagger said, walking into the room behind Zane. “We were up on the mountain when you drove in. Took us longer than we thought to get down. Then we had to clean up the yard.” He looked over at Ty. “You can put down the bat, Ty. Looks like your dad has got things in hand.”

“I’m his backup,” Ty said. “Just in case.”

Zane’s jaw tightened and pride shone in his eyes. “Good man. You get your mom out of here. There are Sinners outside waiting with a cage. Jagger and I got this one.”

Evie clasped Ty’s hand and tugged him toward the door. “Don’t kill him.”

“Evie…” The square set of Zane’s shoulders told her that was exactly what he planned to do.

“He would have let us go.” She met Viper’s implacable gaze, trying to read his face. “He has a son, too. One he hasn’t met. Arianne is with him. She’s waiting for me to call to tell her what to do. What if Ty never got to meet you?”

“This isn’t the time for compassion,” Zane snapped. “This is our chance to win the war. If our roles were reversed, I’d already be dead. People don’t change, Evie. He is who he is, and if we don’t deal with him now, he’ll come after you.”

“I changed. So did you.” She crossed the room toward Jagger and the exit, leading Ty by the hand. As they passed Viper she looked back over her shoulder mentally urging him to say something to save himself. But he remained silent. No assurance that he would leave Evie alone. No begging for his life. No refuting the fact he would have killed Zane if he had him under his gun. And yet she saw pain flicker across his face, so fleeting she wondered if she’d missed it.

“Jesus Christ,” Jagger spluttered. “I knew Arianne was up to something. Damn old ladies sticking their noses into club business. But this is my call, Evie. I heard what you had to say. You take Ty out and Zane and I will—”

Viper moved in a blur, darting around the counter as he pulled a gun from the holster beneath his vest and aimed it at Jagger. But Ty was in the way.

“No!” Zane dove in front of Ty as the shot echoed in the room. He hit the floor hard as momentum carried him down. Viper barreled through the back door and Jagger took off in pursuit.

“Dad!” Ty raced to Zane’s side. “Mom! Call 911.”

“I’m okay.” Zane wrapped his arms around his son. “The bullet went over my head, and Viper won’t get far. We’ve got men all over the yard.”

“Lean on me, Dad. I’ll help you up.”

Zane put a hand on Ty’s shoulder, although he didn’t need the help. He looked over at Evie and smiled.

“He called me Dad.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Once you figure it out, try to return the favor. Spread your repair knowledge around.

—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL

While waiting for the preliminary hearing, Zane rented the house across the street from Evie and Ty. Although Evie said she understood why he handcuffed her to the radiator, she wasn’t quick to forgive. The stunt cost him, but as long as he could be near her and Ty, he was willing to pay the price. And it was just a matter of time. He knew this because she let him sleep at her place at least five times a week. Not that he was counting, but he’d managed to push it up from one night, undoubtedly because of his skill in bed. Yes, he could make his Evie scream.

Of course he’d had a bit of a setback when he erected a giant fence around her property. He’d also installed a security system in her house and changed the locks, all with the landlord’s consent, of course. Evie hadn’t been pleased he’d gone over her head, yet again, and his weekly nocturnal visits were reduced to two. But now he was back up to five, so that was an improvement.

The car had been another setback. Evie wanted her own transportation so she went out and bought an old junker from a used-car dealer without consulting Zane. He checked out her purchase while she slept and decided it was a piece of crap. The next day, while she was at work, he and Gunner hot-wired her car and drove it back to the dealer. After a brief discussion, and only two broken fingers, the dealer switched it out for a brand-new, safe, red Volvo. Evie liked the Volvo, but not the subterfuge. She also didn’t like it when he said vehicle selection was a man’s job because women didn’t know shit about vehicles.

Arianne showed up at his house the next day with her new SIG Sauer P226.

Zane spent the night at the clubhouse with his door locked.

He hadn’t been invited to spend the night at Evie’s place for an entire week after that, so he’d spent his evenings sitting on his porch watching her house, wondering if she was wearing that silky nightgown she’d bought to celebrate the one-month anniversary of the opening of her new shop. Damn, he loved the feel of that silk, the way it covered her, hinting at what was underneath—which was nothing, just the way he liked it.

Today was going to be another one of the days where his sex quota would likely be reduced, but he was ready to do what had to be done, and if he was cut back to two nightly visits, he’d just have to work his way back up.

His closest brothers and their old ladies had arrived at his place earlier in the afternoon to get ready for the party. Tank had the barbecue going in the backyard, and Connie was helping him marinate the meat. Zane had asked Tank to bring her along, just in case things didn’t go as expected, but Connie hadn’t shared his sense of doom.