Claimed By The Dark Rider

Chapter Four - The Edge of Control

ELARA

The call came at eight in the morning. I was in the clubhouse kitchen, pretending to care about breakfast prep while actually monitoring the security feeds on my phone. Old habits.

Elijah's voice carried from his office, sharp and controlled. "How many?"

I couldn't hear the response, but I watched his body language through the doorway. Tension in his shoulders. Hand clenched around the phone.

Something was happening.

He ended the call and turned, his eyes finding me immediately. "Get dressed. Riding gear. Five minutes."

The other women looked up, curious. I set down the coffee pot and moved toward him without question. Playing obedient while my mind raced through possibilities.

In his office, he closed the door. "Volkov's coming. He crossed into our territory twenty minutes ago with eight of his brothers."

My pulse jumped, but I kept my face neutral. "What does he want?"

"Me. Us. You." Elijah's smile was sharp. "He's making a statement about the prospect I had arrested. But we both know what he really wants."

I waited. Let him say it.

"He wants to see you. To understand what he saw at Laughlin." Elijah moved closer, studying my face. "So you're going to give him exactly what I tell you to give him. Nothing more."

"And what's that?"

"A scared woman. Elijah's loyal old lady who got lucky one time and regrets it." His hand cupped my jaw, thumb pressing against my cheekbone. "Think you can play that role convincingly?"

I'd been playing roles my entire life. One more wouldn't kill me.

"Yes."

"Good. Because if Volkov thinks you're anything other than what I say you are, this turns into a war neither of us can afford." He released me. "Get ready. We're meeting them at the border in an hour."

Twenty Iron Wolves brothers flanked the highway where Arizona territory began. Bikes lined up like a wall, men armed and ready for violence. Elijah positioned me on his bike, his arm around my waist in a gesture of ownership.

I played my part. Eyes down. Body language submissive. Just another old lady standing behind her man.

But through my sunglasses, I was cataloging everything. Escape routes. Weapon placements. The way Elijah's brothers were positioned—too aggressive, too clustered. If this went bad, half of them would be in each other's way.

Amateur hour.

The sound of approaching bikes cut through the desert heat. Eight Harleys, riding in perfect formation. Dark Riders patches catching the sun.

And at the front, unmistakable even from a distance, was Cole Volkov.

My breath caught. I forced it steady.

He pulled to a stop fifteen feet from Elijah's position. His brothers fanned out behind him with military precision. No wasted movement. No unnecessary aggression.

These were professionals.

Cole pulled off his helmet, and I got my first real look at him outside of chaos. Sharp features. Cold eyes that missed nothing. The kind of face that belonged to someone who'd seen violence and delivered worse.

He looked at Elijah first. Protocol. Respect between leaders.

But then his eyes found me.

The air between us charged like lightning before thunder. Three seconds at Laughlin. Now this. I felt the weight of his attention like a physical thing.

I kept my eyes down. Playing the role.

"Volkov." Elijah's voice was controlled. "You're a long way from Vegas."

"Had business in the area." Cole's voice was rough, controlled. "Thought I'd check on my prospect. You know, the one you had arrested on bullshit charges."

"That was a legitimate traffic stop. Your boy should know better than to ride dirty in my territory."

"We both know that's not what happened." Cole shifted, his attention still partly on me. "You made a call. Had him picked up because he was asking questions you didn't want answered."

Elijah's arm tightened around my waist. Warning or possession, I couldn't tell. "What happens in my territory is my business."

"Usually I'd agree. But you arrested one of my prospects. That makes it my business." Cole took a step forward. One of Elijah's brothers moved to intercept, but Cole's cold stare stopped him. "I want him released. Today."

"That's not how this works."

"Then we have a problem."

The tension ratcheted up. Hands moved toward weapons. The desert heat suddenly felt suffocating.

I could feel it about to break. Could see the moment before violence erupted, the way you can see lightning before you hear thunder.

"He'll be released by end of day." My voice cut through the tension, quiet but clear.

Every eye turned to me. Elijah's grip on my waist went painful.

"Elara—" His voice was a warning.

I looked up at him, playing frightened but brave. The woman who'd speak up despite consequences. "He came all this way. Eight brothers. If this turns into a fight, people die. Over what? A traffic stop?"

Elijah's eyes flashed with anger, but I could see the calculation too. I'd given him an out. A way to back down without losing face.

"She's right." Elijah said it like the decision was his. "This doesn't need to escalate. Your prospect will be released tonight. But Volkov—" He pointed at Cole. "This is the last time you ride into my territory without permission. Next time, I won't be this understanding."

Cole's eyes hadn't left my face. "Understood."

The tension held for another breath. Then Elijah nodded. "We're done here."

But Cole didn't move. "One more thing."

Elijah's patience frayed visibly. "What?"

"I want to hear it from her." Cole's focus was entirely on me now. "That she's safe. That she's here by choice."

The audacity of it shocked everyone. You didn't question another president's claim on his woman. It was disrespectful. Dangerous.

Elijah's whole body went rigid. "You're out of line."

"Maybe. But I saw what I saw at Laughlin." Cole took another step, and this time I felt Elijah reach for his weapon. "I saw a woman move like a trained operative. Then I saw her disappear behind you like she was hiding. So I'm asking—is she safe?"

For a moment, nobody moved. The question hung in the superheated air between us.

I could feel Elijah's rage vibrating through his body. Could see his brothers ready to back his play. This was the moment. One wrong word and the desert would run red.

I stepped forward, out of Elijah's grip.

"I'm safe." I met Cole's eyes directly. Let him see past the sunglasses to the truth underneath. "I'm exactly where I choose to be."

The words were true. Just not in the way anyone thought.

Cole held my gaze. Three seconds. Four. Five.

Then he nodded slowly. "All right then."

He turned to Elijah. "Your prospect. Tonight. Or next time I come back with more than eight brothers."

"He'll be released."

Cole mounted his bike. His brothers followed his lead with the same precise coordination. Before putting on his helmet, he looked at me one more time.

"Ma'am." A nod of acknowledgment. Then he was gone, eight bikes disappearing into the heat shimmer of the highway.

The silence they left behind was deafening.

Elijah grabbed my arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. "What the f**k was that?"

"Damage control. You were about to start a war over a pissing contest."

"I was about to defend my territory. You undermined me in front of my brothers."

"I gave you an out. You took it." I met his eyes, unafraid. "You're welcome."

He shoved me toward his bike. "Get on. We're leaving."

The ride back was silent but electric with his rage. When we reached the house, he was off the bike before it fully stopped, stalking inside.

I followed at my own pace. Calculating.

Inside, he turned on me. "You spoke out of turn. Made me look weak. And then you stepped away from me. away from my protection, to talk to him."

"He asked if I was safe. If I'd said nothing, it would have looked suspicious."

"You should have let me handle it."

"You weren't handling it. You were escalating it." I pulled off my sunglasses, holding his stare. "Cole Volkov came to make a point. We made ours. Everyone walks away. That's a win."

"Is it?" Elijah moved closer, crowding me against the wall. "Because from where I was standing, it looked like you were communicating with him. Like you wanted him to see you."

My heart hammered, but I kept my voice level. "You're paranoid."

"Am I? Because I saw the way he looked at you. And I saw the way you looked back." His hand slammed against the wall beside my head. "You're mine, Elara. You wear my ring. You sleep in my bed. You don't look at other men like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you recognize them. Like you see them." His other hand gripped my throat, not squeezing but threatening. "Whatever you're thinking, whatever game you're playing, stop. Cole Volkov is dangerous. More dangerous than you understand."

I let fear show in my eyes. Let my breathing quicken. Playing the role.

"I'm not playing anything. I just didn't want anyone to die today."

He studied my face, searching for lies. Finally, he released me. "Stay inside tonight. I need to deal with releasing that prospect and calming my brothers down. They saw weakness today, and that's on you."

He left without another word.

I stood against the wall, hand rising to my throat where his grip had been. Not hard enough to leave marks. Never hard enough.

But the threat was clear.

My phone buzzed. Text from Marcus: Well that was interesting. You handled that perfectly.

Was he watching?

Everyone's watching now. Cole's obsessed. Elijah's threatened. You're playing with fire.

I typed back: Fire only burns you if you're not careful. Send me everything on Cole. Movements, patterns, where he'll be tonight.

Why?

Because he gave me something today. Recognition. Acknowledgment. And I'm going to use it.

Elara. Be careful.

I pocketed the phone and moved to the window, watching Elijah's bike disappear down the road.

Cole Volkov had come looking for answers. He'd asked if I was safe. If I was here by choice.

He'd seen exactly what I wanted him to see, a woman trapped, playing a role, hiding something worth finding.

And now he'd go back to Vegas thinking about me. Wondering about me. Planning his next move.

Perfect.

The ghost rider was becoming real. And Cole Volkov was going to help me do it.

Whether he knew it or not.