Chapter 1

Colt

I closed the apartment door behind me and emptied my pockets onto the side table. My skin and clothes were smeared with grease after a long day at the shop, and I was looking forward to climbing into the shower and spending a long night with Katrin.

We’d moved in together at the beginning of the semester. The odd pairing of philosophy major and engineering major, both with sordid pasts and crazy Senior-year schedules, but all she had to do was give me that subtle smile and my blood boiled through my veins. I couldn’t wait to wake up next to her in the morning, but even better, I couldn’t wait to take her to bed. I finally found a place in life free of my past, free of addiction, free of the “family” who tried to ruin my life.

I’d never known exactly how Mom guaranteed my escape from Ashville, but as soon as I’d graduated high school, I was free. And lost. I spent the first few years trying to figure out where I was going, who I was, while repairing cars and doing odd jobs. All I had to do was stay out of the riptide that could drag me back to my roots. I snagged a part-time job with a mechanic who finally convinced me to put my talents to use and enroll in the university across the street.

Before climbing into the shower, I laid my phone on the counter and stripped off my clothes—leaving them in the separate hamper that Katrin had designated for my work clothes the first time I’d gotten grease on her favorite sweater. Years before, I would have been the guy snickering at anyone in my position. Anyone ready to cater to the whims and needs of an emotional and sometimes picky woman. But through every disagreement, every bad night, I remembered the first time I’d seen her in freshman English. The first time she’d sat down in front of me and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

The first time I’d ever felt like I was in the right place.

She didn’t flaunt herself like every other girl, but she was gorgeous. Simple, quiet, hardworking, and finally, she was all mine. And since I hadn’t seen her all weekend, I was going to show her what that meant.

By the time I’d scrubbed off all the filth and grease and shaved the stubble from my face, I’d expected her to be home, but our apartment was still quiet—except for the sound of the girl practicing violin next door. I got ready for dinner, pulling on a pair of khakis and a black button-down shirt. Dressing up wouldn’t ever be something I was fond of, but I still wanted to show some effort. For her, it was always worth it.

Across the room, my phone buzzed. I picked it up expecting it to be Katrin and hoping she wouldn’t be much later. If so, we’d have to skip dinner and head straight to bed. Maybe bed then dinner.

Bed, then delivery, and back to bed.

Jace’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hey,” I said absentmindedly listening while I laced up my boots.

There was silence.

“Jace?” I wondered if he’d mistakenly called me.

“Yeah. You need to get down here.”

For a second, I thought he had to be kidding. “I can’t really think of anything that would convince me to come there. Fuck, even you told me to never come back. And I have plans.”

No response again.

“What the fuck is going on, Jace? This isn’t—”

“It’s Katrin.”

“Katrin’s there?” My chest collapsed preventing me from drawing in air. How? Why? Nothing. There was no possible explanation for her going to Ashville. And even if there was, I would have never let her go alone. “Don’t let her—”

“She’s at the hospital,” he whispered.

My brain went in two directions at once, half chasing the worst-case scenario, and the other half reassuring me that it was probably nothing. A coincidence. A misunderstanding. “What happened?”

“I’m not supposed to be—”

“Yeah.” I cut him off. “You weren’t supposed to call me in the first place.” Jace was working a pre-med internship at the hospital, and although he wasn’t supposed to, it never stopped him from giving me the scoop on Ashville’s finest idiots. I sure as hell wouldn’t let it stop him from giving me the details this time.

“She was left in front of the hospital.”

“Left?” The worst-case won out. Left at Ashville Hospital? My throat went dry. I had more than a suspicion who would do such a thing, but why? How the hell did Katrin end up in my hometown? And how would she have ever gotten wrapped up with my family?

She couldn’t.

That couldn’t have been what happened.

Maybe I should have told her the whole story to begin with. I protected her from my past by shielding her from it.

Jace’s voice interrupted my panicked thoughts. “I don’t know the details or what has happened since then, but she was unconscious when they brought her in.”

I disconnected the call, grabbed my keys, and drove straight to Ashville Hospital, breaking every speed law along the way. But speed and time were both useless. Beyond useless.

I could rebuild or replace almost anything on a car. Start over and put it back together from the ground up if I had to. But people are different. There are only so many replaceable parts. Once the mind fades, the soul disperses, and the body wears out, there’s nothing left to put back together except the pieces of the lives left behind.

And mine was totaled.

I stared down at my phone as the screen blinked indicating the disconnected call, then faded back to my home screen.

“Fuck.”

I should have expected it. Predicted that eventually Devlin would play dirty. He always had.

But no. Instead, I’d spent the better part of the last few weeks preparing for this boost. A stupid boost. One that would pay a shit-load of money, but I’d left the door wide open for Devlin to get the upper hand again. And that was always a fatal mistake.

Now, I had another epic mess to clean up.

The engine of Buck’s sedan rumbled in the background, but I tuned it out and opened my contacts to E.W. If Wilson was holding up his end, maybe I could hope Devlin had given him a clue to what he was up to, but the call went straight to voicemail. The dam broke open in my mind for a split second, like the chaos of cracking open Pandora’s Box for the first time, but I snapped it closed again. I had to keep everything locked away behind that dam, or the resulting flood would destroy everything.

I’d destroy everything.

And it’d destroy me.

But I didn’t close it off fast enough to hold in the anger. Once again, I’d let Devlin get the jump on me. The chance to destroy my plans and everything I had.

“Mother—” I reared back to throw my phone, but out of nowhere, Buck caught my hand.

“He fucking took Aubrey,” I yelled, jerking away from him. “He broke our deal.”

“Well, breaking your phone ain’t going to fix that, is it?”

Unfortunately true, but I needed something to do with my anger. I pulled up Devlin’s name and pressed call. It rang several times—for what seemed like an hour—but he didn’t answer. Not that I really expected him to.

She’s mine. We had a deal.

I sent the text.

Delivered.

And likely ignored. He only lived by his own damn rules. But he’d crossed my line. He had everything he wanted—Wilson, the money. Aubrey was nothing to him except a way to exert his power.

Every part of my plan would be left in shambles if he got away with this, but he could be anywhere—fucking anywhere. Climbing on a plane, heading for the border, right in the center of town, hiding in any number of places.

By the time I checked through every possibility, she could be dead.

Or worse.

Far worse.

I could name off the top of my head a dozen or more things worse than death, and Devlin was capable of inflicting every one personally. I could write her off. Cut my losses and start again, but then I’d be no better than the twisted man I’d set out to destroy. I told her I’d get her away from him, but I screwed up. I had to make up for that.

“I have to go,” I said, spinning toward the door of my car.

Buck grabbed my arm and jerked me around. “Damn straight. We have to do this job tonight.”

“Fuck the job,” I yelled far too loud. The sound waves echoed off the brick structures around us. I didn’t have the patience or focus to work tonight. To give Devlin even more of a head start.

“Thought she was only entertainment.” There was a glint in his eyes when he said it. He wasn’t sadistic enough to support anything Devlin did, but everyone around me seemed to take pleasure in seeing me over my head because of a girl. History always repeated itself. I always said I’d stay away. That I’d never let it happen again. And everyone I knew yearned for the opportunity to see me proven wrong on that account.

I sneered. It was business. She was mine. Mine. And I didn’t take well to broken deals. Protecting her was my responsibility. My end of our bargain.

“I have to take care of this. I don’t have time.”

Buck stepped in front of me. “We break this deal, and you’ll have far less time. A few more enemies as well, and I suspect that’s not something you or Aubrey need.”

I jerked away from him. “Buck….”

“Colt!” He crossed his arms over his scrawny chest. Buck didn’t look intimidating, but anyone who knew him knew better. And he knew how to push my buttons. “Get your ass in the damn car. Get your head on straight and let’s this over with. In thirty minutes, you can be off saving any damn damsel in distress you like.”

I knew he was right, but I turned away again and dialed Jace’s number.

Finally, I got someone to pick up. “What’s up?”

“Devlin took Aubrey.” I didn’t waste a second—not that I had one to waste. Buck was going to drag me to this job one way or another, but I couldn’t put Aubrey on hold that long.

“Goddamn, prick.” The phone cracked, and Jace mumbled another string of expletives I couldn’t quite make out. “What does he want now?”

“Didn’t tell me anything.” I groaned and rubbed my forehead. “Can you make come calls… see if you can find a lead somewhere. Where he’s been hanging out. Anything. I have a job and—”

“Right,” he cut me off with a grunt. “Because I have so many contacts and won’t send up any red flags by asking around.”

I clenched my jaw. The “good doctor” had far more contacts than he wanted to admit to. “Anything, Jace. Anything.”

He gave me the exact same exasperated sigh he always gave me when he gave in to one of my ridiculous requests. But this wasn’t so ridiculous. This was Aubrey’s life on the line. “When will you be done?”

“Hour. Tops. I’ll go pay a visit to Merc after.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

I resisted the urge to chuck my phone at a wall again when Jace disconnected.

“Shall we get on this, then?” Buck asked, holding out his arms and gesturing toward his car. He was the calm immovable one—my traditional role. But that rupture Devlin’s phone call had created in my self-control wasn’t going to close itself.

I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat, but I fisted them and shoved them in my pockets instead, reserving my anger for its true target. “I’m going to fucking kill you if anything happens to her, so yeah, we best get the job over with.”

He threw up his hands. “Dude, I’m just saving you from getting your face fucked until you’ll be worthless to save her as well.”

Most of the cars I was hired to steal were impossible to get by any other means. They were expensive, limited edition—sometimes even one-of-a-kind—and always irreplaceable. Luckily most of the people in this town with such cars were so cocky or ignorant they thought they and their precious commodities were untouchable.

Like Merc.

“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath.

“Dare I ask?” Buck muttered, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Wouldn’t be the best idea at the moment.” No one knew about Merc’s car outside of Wilson, Aubrey, and me. And now two of those people seemed to be missing.

After our theft, Merc had gone on a silent rampage. Silent because he didn’t dare announce any weakness that left him open to losing his pride and glory. But the turmoil had been there—and not, fortunately, aimed at me.

But what if he had figured it out?

What if Devlin had figured it out? Or was he just a stewing mess because he hadn’t driven me to heroin?

He knew I had Aubrey to curb my hunger, and now he’d taken that away. It would never end. Devlin would never give up.

Not until one of us was dead.

Buck stopped the car and killed the headlights. “Ready for this?”

“Don’t have a choice.” All we knew about this boost was that it was peculiar in every way, and it had a very strict timetable. If I fucked it up, I was dead either way. My life was like standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower in an ice storm where one wrong step in any direction meant the end—and I couldn’t always see the holes or trap doors.

“In and out,” Buck said. “Then, I’ll do what I can to help find your girl.”

My girl. The possessive sounded weird coming from someone else’s mouth. I gave Devlin shit about his priorities—well-deserved shit. But I had to wonder what had happened to mine as well.

Revenge.

Cars.

Drugs.

Sex.

Nowhere in that list was concern for anyone else but myself. Even that was questionable. I wanted to keep it that way.

I wanted to change.

Fuck no.

Change would kill me.

It would kill her.

I needed to get this job done and get rid of her as soon as possible.

I pulled on my gloves, beanie, then pulled up my hood and slung the bag over my shoulder.

In and out.

Aubrey

Focus on the job.

Not how she’s going to get you killed.

The car that’s going to get you killed.

A supercar. Not the rarest, but one of the fastest. And with Koenigsegg’s very recent return to the U.S., they were still few and far between. Reserved for those who could not only afford the 2.1 million dollar asking price but also the trouble of tracking one down. For those interested only in the latter, I supposed, I got the job.

What the hell anyone actually did with these cars and how they kept them under wraps, I’d never know—or care. I just filled the orders, collected my payment, and kept my mouth shut.

This one was worth enough to get Aubrey out of my hair.

Aubrey.

Concentrate.

I’d spent the last four weeks obsessed with planning this boost. Learning the traffic, the area, the habits of Desmond White—the car’s tennis playing, high-class hooker buying, too much whiskey drinking owner.

He begged for a little too much attention, and he was about to get it. Someone’s idea of revenge, possibly.

His wife would be home—the big catch with this one. Supercars aren’t exactly designed to be quiet and discrete. Neither was this job. I was getting paid big bucks with specific instructions not to get caught, and not to be discrete.

Why did these people do this to me?

Knowing that I had to cause a ruckus made everything ten times harder. A challenge I usually reveled in. When I could keep my thoughts in one place.

This would not be that night.

This would be the night for rookie mistakes and getting my ass hauled off by the police.

I guessed that might at least draw my “family” out of the woodwork. Just like the insects they were—flies always swarm when the shit hits the fan.

The only way I had to judge dubious wifey’s position was by the lights. The pale flickers in an upstairs bedroom assured me she was watching TV.

I hoped.

Hope.

Damn hope. Not something I wanted to rely on.

I knelt by the back door to the house, aside from the main garage door, according to the directions we’d been given and information I’d gathered, it the only way inside to the car.

I popped open the door and quickly scanned the room. I had fifteen seconds before the alarm on the wall alerted Mrs. Dubious and the police to my presence. I raced across the back of the room, grabbed every set of keys off the wall rack and rushed through the next door.

House keys.

Useless keys.

Two fobs remained, and I pressed unlock on both. The lights flashed, and I climbed in, threw my bag in the passenger seat, and pressed the start switch.

Seconds left, I looked for the garage door switch.

The shrill siren from the alarm system filled the air, just as I hit the switch on the back wall. Then, I jumped into the car and gunned it backward down the driveway. I hit the street, squealed the tires and sped down the road past where Buck waited.

He’d give it a few more minutes before heading to our meeting point while I cruised down the suburban back roads and into town, praying not to see any flashing lights.

As soon as I entered the city, I saw a black car in the oncoming lane with low profile lights mounted on the roof. My heart stuttered, and I took the next turn, opting for a long detour around the back of the city. I scanned every car and every corner expecting to see another cop at any moment. The thousand horsepower engine growled around me—as intoxicating and distracting as the best drug. I really hated to give this one up, but given the turning heads, it was impossible to get rid of fast enough.

I blasted through the next stop sign, and sure enough, lights lit up behind me.

“Fucking hell.”

He’d be easy enough to outrun on a straight, but through town was a death wish for everyone.

He was still a few cars back, so I jerked the wheel, turning up the next road and then around into the next alley. I killed the lights and waited. My hands digging into the wheel.

The siren approached. I watched the mirror, but the car never appeared.

Holding the top of the steering wheel with my gloved hands, I dropped my forehead against them.

Two near disasters.

Both innocuous, but damn close calls.

Another siren sped by, followed by a third. I could only hope that wherever they were heading would keep them all busy for a while, but it wasn’t shaping up to be a good night.

I hit the lights and crept out of my hiding spot. A Koenigsegg in this town easily turned heads, but one hiding in an alley was even more suspicious.

Why is everything about this boost so off the wall?

I didn’t normally ask those questions. It was always best not to, but at this point, my brain would go crashing down another icy road of questions if I didn’t find something to think about.

Drop off the car and find Aubrey.

I’d never had so much trouble concentrating.

A car behind me honked, and I jumped, realizing the light had turned green. Way to draw even more attention.

I wondered how long I’d keep fighting the losing battle.

Against Devlin.

Against Heroin.

Against Fate.

Against Aubrey. Aubrey and the madness-inducing things she did to me. Worse than heroin and promising to be twice as dangerous.

On the south end of town, I drove over the viaduct and through the narrow back roads to the old stadium where a hauler waited to encase the vehicle. After securing the load. I set off on foot, walking down the river, past the small unused park, under the bridge, and up to the old motorcycle club building where Buck waited in the shadows.

He was leaning against his car when I came around the corner and straightened when he saw me. “Couldn’t find anyone who knows anything about what Devlin’s been up to.”

I raised my eyebrows, shocked he’d bothered to do anything.

“I put in a call to Sasha. She’s tracing his phone—or attempting at least.”

Sasha was a genius with anything electronic and made her “above the table” money in repairs. While her “below the table” fortune came from helping assholes like me track down people who didn’t want to be tracked.

I snorted. “What’d you tell her?”

“Nothing she didn’t already know—he has something you want. I may just drive the getaway car and keep lookout, but I ain’t as stupid as I look.” He squinted.

To be honest, I never really thought about him much at all. I was always in my own little world when it came to doing a job, and every word spoken between us pulled me out of the focused mindset I needed and grated on my nerves.

“Thank you.” I meant it, but I still had to force out the words as I jerked open the passenger door and collapsed.

There still wasn’t a single new message on my phone, so I rested my head back and closed my eyes.

“There was a big accident on the other side of town,” Buck said. “Seems all the upstanding protectors of the town are headed that way, while a few are stuck with Mrs…. What’s her name?”

“Dubious wifey.”

He snorted. “Let’s hope anything she has to say is dubious as well.”

The car eased forward, and I pulled off my beanie and tucked everything away into my bag.

“Any idea where you’re going to start?” Buck asked.

I pressed the heel of my hand into my temple. His voice was grating on my nerves again, but I tried to remind myself he was trying to help.

“Merc.”

He whistled and shook his head.

“I’m going alone,” I said. I didn’t know if he’d offer, but I didn’t want him to. “Just get me back to my car.”

After pounding on Merc’s front door for nearly fifteen minutes, I gave up and climbed back in my car. The place was dark and quiet, and neither he nor Devlin were answering their phones.

No surprise.

I slammed my head back against the headrest. Think.

It didn’t help, so I dialed Jace’s number. “Anything?”

“Uh, no.” He sounded hesitant. “Nothing on Aubrey, or Devlin.”

I started my car, preparing for another race across town. The call reminded me of something distant and buried. I could feel it coming. “Aside from the obvious, why don’t I like your tone?”

“I went by your place. Found Isabella—”

“What?” I half shouted, and half growled into the microphone. I didn’t need to wait for him to finish before the worst flashed through my head.

“She has a broken leg and a couple of contusions, but she’ll be fine. I’m at the animal hospital—”

“Mother fucking….” My anger was too thick to let words through. “I’m going to kill him this time.”

“Watch what you say, Colt. It could get worse.” He sounded like an annoyed parent, but the words barely registered. This was my last straw.

I pulled into traffic, nearly missing a pickup that blared its frustration. “It will. I guarantee it.”

I disconnected the phone, then tried Devlin’s number again. I’d find some way to track him down. Or Tank—surely they were in on this together. But both phones went straight to voicemail.

The young redhead behind the desk at the animal hospital eyed me. Probably for good reason since I assumed I looked strung out of my mind—I was, but not in the way anyone would guess. “My friend brought in my Saint Bernard, Isabella.”

After another long look, she finally typed the name into the computer. “You haven’t been here before?”

I clamped my hands onto the edge of the counter. “I just want my dog.”

She pressed her lips together and slid a clipboard across the counter. “She’ll be ready soon. I need you to fill this out.”

I stared down at the multi-page paperwork. This was why I avoided dealing with the rest of society as much as possible.

I scribbled down answers—mostly bullshit—and slid it back to her.

After glancing over it, she gave me a forced smile. “The total will be eight hundred forty-seven.”

I almost swallowed my tongue, but I tossed her a credit card instead. I didn’t care what the fuck she wanted if it got me—and Isabella—out of here. By the time she handed me my receipt, Jace stepped out of the back with Isabella limping next to him. She had a thick blue cast on her left front leg and looked about as spaced out as I could get on a good joint.

I squatted in front of her, and she nudged me with her nose, sitting down as I scratched around her neck. “Now we have to find Aubrey,” I whispered.

“Her phone was on your bed,” Jace said, pulling it out of his pocket and handing it over with Isabella’s leash. “I also called Lex. She hasn’t seen or heard from Devlin in days. He left someone in charge of the club and said he’d be away on business for a while.”

I sighed and led Isabella out to my car. “He could have taken her anywhere by now.”

“I’d wager he’s still in the city.”

I grunted and opened the back door of the car. Before I could reach down to help Isabella in, she had already hopped into the seat. Not too badly banged up, I thought. “Why would you think that?”

Jace cocked his head. “From knowing the bastard as long as I’ve known you. This is all about fucking with you.” He shoved his finger at me. If it had been anyone else, I would have broken it. “It doesn’t require an elaborate plan, and taking her out of the city... Well aside from distance, what would it accomplish? It’d only make it harder for him to fuck with you.”

“But at least travel would give her some time,” I muttered under my breath.