Chapter 1
838 Words
The rain hammered down on the cracked asphalt like it was trying to wash away the sins of the city. Lila Voss pulled her thin cardigan tighter around her shoulders, her sneakers splashing through puddles as she hurried down the dimly lit side street. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Her roommate had begged her to pick up a forgotten textbook from a friend’s apartment on the bad side of town, and Lila—ever the reliable good girl—had agreed.
Big mistake.
Her phone battery had died twenty minutes ago. The streetlights flickered overhead, casting long, menacing shadows. She kept her head down, heart pounding, repeating the directions in her head like a prayer.
Just a few more blocks. Just get to the main road.
A low rumble cut through the rain—the deep growl of motorcycles. Multiple. Lila’s steps faltered. She pressed herself against the brick wall of an old warehouse, trying to disappear into the shadows.
Too late.
Headlights sliced through the downpour. Three blacked-out bikes rolled into the alley ahead, followed by a large panel van. The riders killed the engines but didn’t dismount. One of them, the biggest, swung a leg over his matte-black Harley and stood at his full height. Even from a distance, he looked dangerous. Leather cut stretched across broad shoulders, patches declaring “President” and “Iron Vipers.” Rain slicked his dark hair and ran down the hard lines of his face. Tattoos crawled up his neck and over his knuckles.
Jax “Reaper” Kane.
Lila had heard the name whispered in fearful tones around campus. The Iron Vipers weren’t just a club—they owned this part of the city. Drugs, guns, violence… and worse.
She should have run. Instead, she froze.
Shouts erupted from the van. Two men dragged a third out, his face already bloody. The prisoner was begging, words slurring.
“Please… I didn’t talk… Reaper, you gotta believe me—”
Jax’s voice was low, calm, and terrifying. “You know the rules, Snake. You run your mouth to the cops, you pay.”
A single gunshot cracked through the night.
Lila slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, but a tiny whimper escaped anyway.
Jax’s head snapped in her direction. Gray eyes, sharp as knives, locked onto her hiding spot.
“f**k,” he muttered.
One of his men started toward her. “Want me to handle the witness, Prez?”
Lila’s legs finally obeyed. She turned and ran, sneakers slipping on the wet pavement, rain blinding her. She didn’t make it ten steps.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist like a steel band, lifting her clean off the ground. She screamed, thrashing wildly, but it was useless. The man holding her was massive—hard muscle and heat against her back.
“Easy, little rabbit,” a deep, gravelly voice growled in her ear. His breath was hot against her rain-soaked neck. “You just saw something you shouldn’t have.”
Lila’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Please… I won’t tell anyone. I swear. Let me go.”
Jax turned her in his arms so she faced him. Up close he was even more overwhelming. Rain dripped from his lashes. His scent—leather, smoke, and something darkly masculine—invaded her senses. One large hand came up to grip her jaw, tilting her face up.
“Too late for that, sweetheart.” His thumb brushed her lower lip, rough and possessive. “You’re coming with us now.”
“No—please—”
He didn’t bother arguing. With terrifying ease, he tossed her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Lila pounded her fists against his broad back, but it was like hitting stone.
“Put me down! This is kidnapping!”
Jax’s hand came down hard on her ass—once, sharp enough to make her yelp. “Keep fighting and I’ll give you something real to cry about when we get back to the clubhouse.”
His men laughed darkly as he carried her toward his bike. He swung onto the seat, settling her in front of him so her back was pressed to his chest, his thick arms caging her in. The engine roared to life beneath them, vibrating through her entire body.
“Name,” he demanded, lips brushing the shell of her ear.
“L-Lila,” she whispered, trembling.
“Lila,” he repeated, tasting it. His big hand splayed possessively over her stomach, holding her tight against him. “You’re mine to deal with now. Try to run again and I’ll ruin that pretty little innocence of yours right here on the side of the road.”
The bike shot forward into the night, the rain whipping against them. Lila squeezed her eyes shut, terror and something far more dangerous—unwanted heat—pooling low in her belly.
She had no idea just how thoroughly Jax Reaper Kane was about to ruin her.
- Writer
