OWNED BY THE BIKER KING

Chapter 3

Every pair of eyes in the room instantly turned toward the dark corridor where I was standing.

My heart did a violent flip in my chest. One of Zack’s men smirked slowly, his eyes glinting with a sickening curiosity. “You got company tonight huh, Ryder?”

Ryder didn’t answer immediately. His expression remained deadly cold as he took a slow, deliberate step to the side, placing his massive frame directly in front of the hallway entrance. Like he was protecting something—or someone—priceless.

Zack noticed the movement instantly. A dangerous, mocking grin spread across his scarred face. “Well, well…” he mused, tilting his head. “Didn’t know the great Ryder Kane was hiding something in there. Now I’m really curious.”

I froze behind the wooden wall, my breath catching entirely in my throat. The dim, narrow hallway suddenly felt like a coffin. It was too small, too silent.

“Check it,” Zack ordered coldly, nodding toward the man next to him.

Heavy, menacing footsteps echoed across the floorboards, coming closer.

One. Two. Three.

Panic clawed at my throat. On the floorboards, the elongated shadow of a large man slowly stretched into the hallway.

But before the shadow could reach me, a massive figure suddenly blocked the dim light of the corridor. It was Ryder. In one swift, silent motion, he stepped backward into the darkness, pinning his entire body flush against mine and pushing me deep into the furthest corner.

Before a gasp could escape my lips, his large, warm palm slammed gently but firmly over my mouth, stifling my ragged breathing.

My eyes widened in the dark. We were trapped together, chest to chest, thighs to thighs. The heat radiating from his broad frame in that freezing hallway was dizzying, completely overwhelming my senses. I could feel the rapid, powerful thudding of his heart beating hard against my own chest. His dark eyes locked onto mine from mere inches away, commanding me to be utterly still. I nodded weakly against his hand, my fingers instinctively digging into the damp fabric of his leather jacket for dear life.

The heavy footsteps stopped right outside our small alcove. I held my breath, my life hanging by a thread.

Then—

“Ryder!” a loud, frantic voice suddenly burst from the main floor. “The cops are here! Flashing lights down the block!”

Chaos exploded instantly.

Chairs scraped against the floorboards. Men started shouting over one another. Someone cursed loudly near the front, while another rushed toward the emergency exits. The heavy shadow outside our corner disappeared as the man turned away immediately.

“s**t—move, move!” Zack barked.

Ryder slowly removed his hand from my lips, his dark gaze lingering on my face for a fraction of a second before his fingers slid down to lock tightly with my wrist. His grip was tight and unyielding.

“Come with me if you want to live," he commanded, his deep voice slicing through the noise.

I stumbled, my boots slipping slightly on the floor as Ryder yanked me through the pitch-dark hallway.

“What the hell is happening here?!” I whispered harshly, my voice shaking.

“No time.”

BANG!

A gunshot suddenly echoed from downstairs, the deafening sound piercing the walls. I flinched, a scream catching in my throat. My heart pounded like a caged animal against my ribs as Ryder shoved open a hidden back door disguised behind an old, heavy storage shelf.

Cold, biting night air and heavy rain hit my face instantly.

“Move,” his voice came out sharp, cutting through the roaring wind.

The alley behind the building was narrow, dark, and drenched from the storm. Smears of green neon lights flickered above us, while the distant, wailing sirens of police cars screamed through the night, closing in fast.

I struggled to keep up with his long, urgent strides, the rain blinding my vision.

“Wait…wait!” I gasped, water filling my mouth. “Why are the cops here? Who called them?!”

Ryder stopped walking for the first time, turning his head just enough so his dark, lethal eyes could meet mine.

“Because someone betrayed me.”

Before I could respond—

BANG!

A loud spark flew as a bullet struck the metal dumpster right beside us.

“Down!”

Ryder immediately threw his weight over me, pulling me hard against his chest as another gunshot rang out, echoing like thunder through the narrow alleyway.

“Oh my god—” I cried out, my hands gripping the damp fabric of his leather jacket as he shielded my body entirely with his own.

“Stay behind me,” Ryder’s voice shifted, turning into a terrifyingly calm whisper.

Two armed men suddenly stepped into the light at the end of the alley, their faces masked by the shadows.

“There he is! Get him!”

Ryder cursed under his breath, his muscles flexing as his hand reached inside the hidden pocket of his jacket. My eyes widened in sheer terror as he pulled out a sleek, black handgun.

A gun. He had a gun.

Without a second of hesitation, Ryder raised the weapon and fired back. The sound exploded through the confined space of the alley, deafening me. One of the attackers dropped to the wet ground instantly, while the other scrambled, disappearing behind a parked car to seek cover.

“Ryder!” I cried out, my fingers digging into his arm. “We have to go! Now!”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed my hand again, locking his fingers tightly with mine, and started running.

Fast. Too fast.

Rainwater splashed wildly beneath our feet as we sprinted out of the alley, disappearing deeper into the labyrinth of the sleeping, dark city.

But as the adrenaline surged through my veins, my mind couldn’t stop circling back to one terrifying thought.

Who exactly was Ryder Kane?

And why did it suddenly feel like meeting him tonight was the biggest, most dangerous mistake of my entire life?

To be continued