Claimed By My Outlaw Stepbrother

Chapter 2

GAGE pov~

The roaring sound of the Satan’s Jacks’ engines finally faded into the distance. The thick cloud of dust and gravel settled back onto the driveway, but the air inside my garage remained completely frozen.

I slowly let go of Sienna’s waist, feeling the lingering warmth of her skin through my calloused fingers. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, but my face remained a hard mask of stone. I stepped back, running a heavy hand through my messy black hair. My gray eyes scanned the quiet shop, checking the tool racks and the open bay doors to make sure the road was completely clear.

"What the hell did you just say to him?" a sharp voice hissed.

I turned my head. Sienna was standing three feet away, her breathing fast and ragged. Her blue eyes were flashing with pure fury, and she was still gripping her heavy iron wrench like she wanted to crack my skull open with it. She looked beautiful when she was angry, with a streak of dark oil accentuating her jawline and sweat slicking her collarbone under the hot California sun.

Before I could answer her, a loud gasp broke the silence.

Thomas Vale stepped forward from the office doorway, his face completely pale and his hands shaking in the air. My mother, Vera, was right behind him, her eyes wide with absolute shock as her silver jewelry clinked loudly against her wrists.

"Gage! Sienna!" Thomas stammered, his thin voice cracking with panic. "What is the meaning of this? You two... you just met this afternoon when we brought the bags over! Why did that man say you have been sleeping in his bed?"

I didn't look at Thomas. I despised the weak man my mother had chosen to marry, and I despised the massive twenty-grand debt that had just brought a rival gang straight to the Reapers' border line. Instead, I looked directly at my mother.

"It was a tactical play, Ma," I said, my voice dropping into a low, calm gravel. "Creed Vance had a signed paper from this coward. He was going to seize the commercial garage and drag Sienna into the high desert as payment. If I drew my weapon and took Creed down right here, the state troopers would lock the President in a federal cage before midnight. The treaty between the charters would shatter."

Vera stepped closer, her sharp eyes moving between her son and her new stepdaughter. She was a tough woman who had raised two outlaw boys, so she understood the club bylaws perfectly. "The Property Claim. You used Bylaw Four to protect the territory."

"I used it to save the girl's skin," I growled, clenching my split knuckles into tight fists. "Under the desert treaty, an Old Lady in training is completely off-limits. Creed can't touch a single hair on her head without starting a blind war with every patched Reaper from here to the border. It buys us time."

"But it’s a lie!" Thomas cried out, grabbing Vera’s arm like a shield. "They will find out! If Creed tells the President at the table tonight, Raymond will strip your VP patch for breaking family rules!"

A dangerous smile crossed my face as I stepped directly into Thomas’s personal space, my massive frame completely towering over the smaller man. The heavy scent of my leather cut, asphalt, and cheap tobacco crowded out the room.

"The only reason my father won't strip my patch is because he isn't going to find out it's a lie," I whispered, my gray eyes pinning Thomas to the floorboards. "You brought this mess to my gates, old man. You signed away a vital strategic border post to save your own throat. If you say a single word to the President, I will personally throw you to the Jacks myself."

Thomas swallowed hard and stepped back, his mouth shutting completely.

"I am not moving into your room," Sienna’s voice cut through the air like a sharp blade.

I turned around to face her. She hadn't dropped her wrench, and she wasn't backing down. Her chin was held high, and she looked straight into my eyes without a single hint of fear.

"You don't have a choice, Sienna," I said, my voice dropping into a dark, rough register. "Creed Vance is unhinged, but he isn't stupid. He is going to send his prospects to watch the compound house tonight. If they look through the windows and see you sleeping comfortably in the guest wing while I am across the hall, the lie dies instantly. And the second that lie dies, the Jacks will abduct you from your own shop floor."

"I can protect myself," she spat back, tapping the iron tool against her palm. "I don't need a fake boyfriend, and I don't need a biker stepbrother telling me where to sleep."

"You think a wrench makes you bulletproof?" I stepped closer until my chest was inches from her face, forcing her to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact. The clean, soapy scent of her skin was trying to break through the heavy smell of gasoline in my lungs, driving my mind completely wild. I remembered the feel of her waist in my hands four years ago in the back of my truck. I had been looking for her ever since, and I wasn't going to let a rival gang take her away now. "You are in Reaper territory now, sis. You play the part, or you die. Go to the house and pack your bags."

Sienna stared at me for a long, silent moment, her breathing fast and her blue eyes burning like hot flint. She knew I was right about the danger, even if she hated my dominance.

"Fine," she whispered, her voice steady as iron. "I will move my things into your room to trick the outlaws. But let’s get one thing straight, Vandal. You sleep on the concrete floor. If your hands touch my skin without my explicit permission, I will dismantle your custom chopper piece by piece before the sun comes up."

A slow, dangerous twitch hit the corner of my mouth. "Deal."

Sienna turned on her heel and marched out of the garage bay doors, her heavy work boots slamming against the gravel as she headed toward the residential house. I watched her through the bright sunlight, my eyes tracking the confident swing of her hips until she disappeared inside the compound gates.

"Gage," my mother said quietly, stepping up beside me as the driveway went empty. Her hard eyes were searching my face, looking for the truth. "You look at that girl the same way your father looked at me before he claimed me. Tell me you aren't doing something reckless."

I reached into my vest pocket, pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes, and lit one up with a steady hand. I ran a hand through my messy black hair, blowing a long stream of grey smoke into the hot afternoon air.

"I'm keeping the club safe, Ma," I lied, my voice tight. "That's all this is."

I walked out of the shop and mounted my custom chopper, the heavy engine roaring to life with a predatory thump that shook the concrete floor. I kicked the kickstand up and tore out of the driveway, heading toward the main clubhouse. I needed to get to the table before Creed Vance arrived, and I needed to make sure my story was perfectly locked in. I was going to break every rule in the book to keep Sienna Vale inside my bedroom, and I didn't care who I had to ruin to do it.