Claimed By The Biker King

Chapter 4

Ryan

I don't like women who are too loud, too proud of themselves, and I certainly don't like women who stand in front of me and challenge me like they have something to prove.

It's not like I haven't dealt with people like that before, I have, more times than I can count, but there is something about this woman that doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it's the way she looks at me like she has already decided I'm wrong, or maybe it's the way she speaks like she doesn't care what happens next. Either way, she is too fierce for my liking.

When I started tracking her, I didn't expect this. I thought finding her would be simple. Her father disappeared after taking a huge sum from the club account, and the only way to get through him was his daughter.

I thought people like her won't make things difficult. They panic, they cooperate, they try to save themselves. That was what I expected. That once I got to her, she would talk, and be useful.

But when I finally saw her for the first time, she was smashing a car like a maniac and instead of fear, there was anger.

That set my first impression of her.

I only put her in that room because I didn't trust that she could help me find her father. Not with the way she immediately denied him. Said she didn't have one.

That part didn't make sense. So either she's lying... or she's hiding something.

And I don't like either. Now here she is, standing in front of me, not just talking back, but trying to make a deal.

I glanced at Luke, irritation still there from the fact that he brought her out without telling me, but I let it go for now. That can wait.

My attention goes back to her.

She was waiting for my answer. With that confidence again.

It's annoying.

But also...Interesting.

Maybe this is worth testing. I allowed a smile to form on my lips. "Sure. Go ahead. Get her a bike."

Luke eyes snapped towards me, not expecting the response from me.

Now I want to see if all that talk actually means something.

Luke whistled, calling for one of the bikes. And it was brought out. She stepped forward, took the helmet, and hopped on it, roaring the engine to life like it belonged to her.

That made my eyes narrow a little.

In seconds, the place filled up. Riders gathered, watching, murmuring.

"Where did she learn that?"

"She looks like she's done this before."

Luke let out a laugh beside me. "Seems like she's really good at this. She didn't even ask anything."

I didn't respond. I just kept my eyes on her.

Something about that annoyed me.

I fished out my phone and set the stopwatch. "One lap. You have five minutes."

"Three minutes," she shot back with a wink.

I stilled. Wait... what?

Before I could say anything else, the bike shot forward, smooth and fast, and she was gone.

The murmuring continued.

"Damn..."

"She's actually good..."

"I like her fierceness," Luke said with a grin.

I threw him a look.

Fierce or not, she's still boasting. Just like him.

My gaze returned to the track. Let's see if she can actually back it up.

Time stretched and the sound of bike filled the ear followed by her coming into view

Fast. She crossed the mark and stopped clean.

I looked down. Three minutes... ten seconds.

Claps broke out around us.

"Wow," Luke said under his breath.

She pulled off the helmet, her hair falling loose, and then she looked straight at me with a smirk. Knowing damn well she has won.

**

I tapped my pen absent-mindedlymid on my desk as my mind replayed the image of Rhea on the bike. I still didn't trust her.

But I couldn't deny it. She was good. Maybe she could be the solution to what I have been trying to bring together. The club.

Ravenstorm MC was everything my father built from nothing. Every race, every rider, every name we carried it all came from him. And yeah...even though mistakes were made along the way that cost the downfall of th club. That doesn't mean we will let it go like that.

A knock came on the door and Luke walked in making his way to the visitor's seat and crashed into it, stretching his legs out. "What's up bro?"

I dropped the pen on the table and leaned forward, resting my arms on the desk. "I'm thinking of a new strategy,"

Luke nodded. "Okay....So what are we getting at now?"

"I'm thinking of putting Rhea on the coaching team."

Luke blinked. Then let out a short laugh. "Wait...Rhea? That girl? You're joking."

"I'm not."

His posture changed instantly.

"You saw one ride and now you want to throw her into coaching?" he said, voice rising.

"I saw enough. And last time I checked you said she is good," I replied, my tone firm.

"Yes she is but that's not how this works!" He pushed to his feet. "We're trying to revive this club not tarnish it more. We don't just hand positions to strangers—"

"She's skilled. More than half the riders out there."

"That doesn't mean she gets to coach them!" he fired back. "And don't act like this isn't about more than that. You don't even trust her."

My jaw tightened. "That's my concern."

"No, it's not," Luke said sharply. "It's ours. This is the club, Ryan. Not just your decisions."

"And I'm the one running it," I slammed my fist on the desk "So when I say something needs to change, it changes."

Silence hit for a second. Luke shook his head, frustration clear on his face. "You're making a mistake Ryan."

"Then watch me make it. Because all I know is I'm doing what's best for the club."

His eyes held mine for a moment before he scoffed, turning away.

"This is a bad call,"

"Well...my decision is final."

He stopped and looked at me. I didn't miss the way his jaw clenched. "Don't say I didn't warn you when this backfires." With that he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Silence filled the room. I leaned back in my chair, my jaw tightening He wasn't wrong. Neither was I. But I wasn't going to change my mind.

A few minutes later, I stepped outside, pulling my phone out as I dialed a number.

It rang twice before the call connected.

"Any update?" I asked, my voice low.

"Nothing solid yet, Sir," the man on the other end replied. "We're still tracking his movements."

My grip on the phone tightened.

"I want everything," I said. "Every contact, every place he's been. He doesn't just disappear."

"We're on it."

I ended the call. Rhea Carter.

She said she didn't know where her father was so I can't just rely on her giving me an information.

Movement caught my attention. I lifted my head finding her few feets away. She was a few feet away, crouched beside one of the bikes with one of the guys. Her sleeves were pushed up, fingers already deep into the machine.

Where did she learn all this? And why did she act like none of this mattered?

Most people would be careful around me. Measured. Watching their words.

She didn't.

She pushed. Challenged. Like she had nothing to lose. That alone made her dangerous.

She must have felt my gaze because she looked up.

Our eyes met.

For a second, I didn't look away. Then she stood up, wiped her hands on a rag, and walked toward me.

She stopped in front of me, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know you don't trust me," she said.

Direct.

She gestured to the bike. "I learned all this from working at an auto repair shop. Been there for a while. That's how I know my way around bikes and engines."

It sounded genuine but still I feel like she wasn't saying everything.

"And that's all?" I asked.

Her lips pressed together for a second before she shrugged.

"More or less."

Not convincing.

"You're holding back," I said.

She tilted her head. "Or maybe I just don't see the need to tell you everything."

There it was again. That attitude.

She held my gaze for another second, then turned to leave. Her foot slipped making her to lose her balance.

I reached out without thinking, my hand catching her arm, pulling her back before she could hit the ground.

Her hand pressed lightly against my chest for balance. My grip on her arm was firm.

We held each other's gaze and for some solid second, the background noise faded with only the sound of my chest thumping for a reason I don't know.