The place was called the Boneyard, and it drew bikers from all over the region. At any given time, it was packed. Tonight was no exception, though it was getting late, and when the fight had started, most had either left on their own or had been encouraged to leave. Given the fact that Stunner was one big motherfucker, all but the true hardasses had left, fearful that he might turn on someone else. Fights weren’t unusual, but they weren’t always this serious.

  Once Arkham had hoisted Pig over his shoulder and left with him and Kickstand, Cain kicked everyone else out but Pops and snagged a beer from the bar. He sat across the table from Stunner and offered him the bottle.

  “Wanna tell me why you nearly popped Pig’s head like a fuckin’ tick?”

  “No,” Stunner growled, taking a long pull from the bottle.

  “Tough shit. Tell me anyway.”

  Stunner met Cain’s gaze for long moments. Did he tell Cain what Pig had said? If he did, would Cain see through him? Would he finally know?

  “Stop fuckin’ stalling, Stunner.” Cain scrubbed a hand over his face. “I need to get home. Angel’s fretting over if she’s going to just drive up to Cambridge and drag Suzie home or wait for her to call and tell her what plans she has.”

  Immediately Stunner sat up straighter. “Suzie’s comin’ home? She OK?”

  “She’s fine, Stunner.” Cain gave him a quizzical look. “Haven’t you talked to her?”

  Stunner grunted. “Couple of times.”

  “Just tell me what happened.”

  Yeah. He wasn’t getting out of this one. “He insulted her.”

  Cain narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Who insulted who?”

  “Pig. He insulted Suzie.”

  Silence.

  “OK. I can see how that might upset you. You’ve been her best friend for a very long time.” When Stunner offered nothing, Cain dropped his arms to the table in an exasperated motion. “So? What’d he say?”

  Stunner sighed. Surrender was sometimes the better part of valor. Or some shit. “He implied Suzie was a coward ‘cause she don’t like to be around crowds.”

  Cain’s expression went instantly hard. “Those his exact words?”

  Stunner shrugged.

  Again, when Stunner offered nothing else, Cain prompted him. From the look and sound of him, Cain was rapidly losing his patience with Stunner. “So? What’d he fuckin’ say?”

  “He called her…” Stunner cleared his throat, tilting his head as if he were the one choking. “He said she was a fuckin’ pussy who wasn’t worth a shit for nothin’.”

  Cain had his cell out and was texting one-handed as he stood, knocking the chair over backward in his haste. Naturally, Stunner followed. Without a word Cain stalked out to the parking lot where Arkham had a slightly groggy Pig half sitting against Arkham’s bike seat. Arkham had just pulled out his cell and looked back to the door of the Boneyard. Whatever Arkham saw in Cain’s face made him raise his hands in surrender and back away. Pig glanced up, saw Cain coming for him, and immediately knew he was in trouble.

  He proceeded to squeal like his namesake.

  No one in the parking lot stood in Cain’s way. Even Arkham stood back, though Stunner got the feeling Arkham thought this saved him from having to beat Pig himself. It was apparent someone had to do it. But, Goddammit, Stunner wanted to! Cain, as president, had the final say in everything to do with Bones. He usually weighed the others’ opinions very carefully, but this was completely on him. Suzie was, after all, Cain’s daughter, if not by birth, certainly of the heart. At this point, the only person who was going to save Pig’s life was Angel. And she wasn’t there.

  Stunner had mixed emotions as Cain threw the first punch. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was loud, even in the open parking lot. Surprisingly, no one said a word. Not of encouragement. Not for Cain to stop. Instead, to Stunner, it seemed like they were bearing witness to a punishment. One Pig might not survive, and no one really cared. They trusted Cain to do what needed doing.

  Pig begged and screamed over and over. Each time Cain punched or kicked the other man, Stunner grew more and more disgruntled. He needed the violence to release some of the tension inside him. Besides, Suzie was his to defend, dammit!

  Just as Stunner realized Pig was unconscious, a bike pulled onto the gravel parking lot of the Boneyard and Angel jumped off the back as best she could, headed toward Cain at a dead run. A quick glance, and Stunner saw that Shadow had brought her to the bar.

  “Cain!” She called. “Cain, stop! Please!”

  Heaving, blood splattered up his arms and over his face, Cain obeyed his tiny wife. He was a better man than Stunner was. Even if Suzie had begged him to stop, he wasn’t sure he could have pulled himself off Pig. The man had tormented Suzie from the day she’d set foot on the place. Stunner had watched it and discouraged Pig many times. But it wasn’t until the Christmas when Pig had berated her for decorating and putting glitter in Stunner’s beard that he’d finally snapped. He’d beaten the kid to within an inch of his life that day. Right in front of Suzie. She should have been terrified of Stunner, but she’d allied herself even more closely. He’d done the same with her.

  After that first beating, Pig had pretty much steered clear of Suzie when Stunner was around. But sometimes, especially after he’d been drinking, the man lost his Goddamned mind.

  Instead of acknowledging his wife, Cain turned to Arkham, pointing a finger at the other man. “I don’t fuckin’ care if he’s related to you. Get him gone or the next time he does or says anything remotely disparaging to or about Suzie, I’ll fuckin’ kill the little cunt where he stands.”

  No one was watching Pig or paying attention to Stunner. Everyone had turned to Cain and Arkham, waiting for instructions. Because there would be instructions. Probably from Arkham, telling them where to dump Pig. Stunner used that time to advance on Pig and grab him by his collar, intending to drag him off into the woods and finish the job.

  “Stop!” That was Cain. Man didn’t miss much. Stunner kept hold of Pig but looked back over his shoulder at the Bones president, not saying a word. “You ain’t killin’ him this time, Stunner.”

  Every muscle in Stunner’s body tensed. He wanted to bare his teeth and growl. He’d already been denied a kill once, and he had no desire to be denied a second time.

  “Stunner,” Angel said, pulling away from Cain and going to Stunner. “Please do what Cain says.” She looked so filled with anguish Cain couldn’t possibly deny her. He wanted to, but just couldn’t.

  “He’s not a good person, ma’am,” he murmured. “Suzie doesn’t deserve to have him talking about her like he does. He doesn’t do it where you or Cain can hear. Most of the time he doesn’t do it where I can hear. But Suzie hears. Ain’t havin’ him be mean to her.”

  “I know, Stunner. And I appreciate you protecting her like this. You have no idea how much. She loves you like a brother. Probably more than she loves me and Cain or Cliff and Daniel. I don’t want you killing. Not like this. I know you can take care of yourself, but it still worries me. And Suzie? If you get rid of Pig and Cain’s people can’t cover up the killing, you’ll be put away, and Suzie would be devastated. I won’t have that for her. She tries to be strong and in many ways, she is. But inside her heart, she’s fragile. I’m not certain she’d survive it if you left her to go to prison.”

  Just like that, Stunner’s heart plummeted. Not only because he couldn’t kill Pig, but because he was destined to cause Suzie pain no matter what he did now or in the future. If the only way he could be worthy for Suzie to be his was to kill her tormentor, then he was royally fucked. Because now he couldn’t kill Pig any more than he could outrun his past. His past would catch up to him one day, and he’d hurt her no matter what role he played in her life, for two reasons. One, he’d already killed. So fucking many times. He’d killed until he’d thought he was dead inside. Two, if Cain knew the extent of his past and who it was linked to and why he’d come to Bones to begin with, Cain would kill him. And Stunner wouldn’t lift a finger to stop him.

  No. Better he let Suzie be. She was starting a new life for herself at one of the best universities in the country. The best thing he could do was to stay away from her.

  Giving Angel a sharp nod, he dropped Pig and strode to his bike. He kept his shoulders back and his head up. He didn’t look at anyone and did his best to keep his expression neutral. Inside, though, he was raging. His heart was breaking into tiny pieces at what he’d lost before he’d even known he wanted her. With a quick kick of the starter, Stunner put his Harley in gear and took off, racing into the setting sun. If he was lucky, maybe he could hurl the nightmares into the fiery ball before they could take hold of him once again.

  Chapter Two

  Suzie lay on the small couch in her apartment staring at the computer chat screen. She’d debated whether or not to call her parents all afternoon. Everyone in the building was gone. She was the only holdout. She’d thought most of the grad students would want to take advantage of the lab space and vacant library to work, but she’d been wrong. Maybe they were just trying to get away from her. More than one of them had referred to her as “Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes” on more than one occasion. Also among the insults were brown noser, suck up, kiss ass, and several other things she just ignored. It wasn’t her fault she’d rather work than hang out with people she didn’t know in bars that weren’t nearly as safe as the Boneyard. Maybe she was a wimp.

  Finally, unable to take the isolation a moment longer, she pulled up her mother’s name from the contact selection. It took several seconds but Angel answered the call, Cain right beside her.

  “Hi, sweetheart!” Angel’s eyes were bright and excited and so full of love Suzie had to blink several times to keep the tears at bay.

  “Hi, Mom. I miss you guys!”

  “We miss you too, honey,” Cain said, his smile warm and engaging. When Suzie had first met the man, she hadn’t thought him capable of such a look. He was so hard and rough, but he was a protector through and through. That meant he protected her physically as well as emotionally. Which meant he’d learned to genuinely smile on occasion. For her and Angel. “How’s school?”

  She tried to keep the uncertainty out of her expression and her voice. “It’s OK. Taking some getting used to. It might be MIT, but people are mostly interested in partying.”

  Angel gave her a puzzled look. “And you’re not?”

  “Not really. I’ve got several projects going on and classes to teach. It’s hard to keep up with all of it.”

  Cain immediately took up the camera. “If you’re not ready for this, Suzie, I’ll come get you.”

  “No! It’s not that! I love the work. The more I do, the more the professors put on me. I think they like that I follow through. I’m actually doing more math-related classes than astronautics.” She smiled brightly. “But math makes the world go ‘round.”

  Angel giggled. “It certainly does, baby.” There was a small pause as Angel glanced up at Cain. Her dad was about to say something, but Angel interrupted him. “So, you wanting to come home for Fall Break?” The question was asked casually, but Suzie could tell her mother wanted her to come home. Suzie did, too.

  “No. I have a lot of work to do. I just wanted to touch base with everyone. How’s Cliff and Daniel?” It was a deflection. She could tell Cain saw it, but Angel just wiped her eyes once and plowed on.

  “They’re good. Both are coming home next weekend and starting their training with Cain, Bohannon, and Sword.” Angel beamed, obviously proud of the boys, but mostly just glad they were coming home.

  “They do well enough, I’ll hire them at ExFil.” Cain looked even more proud than Angel.

  “What about Hannah and Gunnar? They managed a takeover yet?” Suzie was still deflecting, but, like everyone else in the club, she loved the little ones more than life itself. When she was home, she spent most of her time with the babies, especially Willa, Helen and Trucker’s baby. She was surprised none of the other ol’ ladies had children yet, but she knew most of them were now actively trying. They all giggled about it -- and the fun in trying -- every time they got together.

  Cain laughed. “Not yet, but it was touch and go for a while. I actually expect Hannah to break off and start her own chapter soon. Might even start an offshoot of ExFil.”

  “That sounds about right,” Suzie agreed, smiling affectionately.

  “They’re definitely positioning themselves for either that or a hostile takeover,” Angel added. “Could be either.”

  Again, there was a silence, her parents still smiling but looking at her expectantly. Finally, she took a breath, careful to keep her smile in place. “Stunner wouldn’t happen to be around, would he?”

  Angel looked up at Cain, her smile faltering. Cain’s grin remained firmly in place, but Suzie knew enough to see the strain and worry in his eyes. “He’s fine. Had a small scuffle last night but walked away without a scratch.”

  Suzie knew her dad well. He was telling her the strict truth, but was holding back more than he wanted her to know. If she pushed, they might figure out her interest in Stunner was more than that of a treasured friend. If she didn’t, she’d worry herself into a panic attack.

  “I-I tried to call him, but he wasn’t answering his phone.”

  Angel gasped slightly, and Cain turned the camera away from her, moving a little distance away so Suzie couldn’t see her mother. “He’s probably got a lot on his mind, baby. Don’t take it personal. He’ll see you called and get back with you.”

  “What’s going on?” No way she could keep herself from asking. Something was way wrong, and her heart sped up, her mind going in a thousand different directions. Most prevalent was the question as to if there was a woman involved.

  “Pig showed up at the Boneyard last night with Kickstand. Pig and Stunner got into a bit of a scuffle. You know how Stunner hates Pig. Anyway, I finished it. Pig won’t be back, Kickstand is on probation, and Stunner decided he needed some space.”

  Suzie felt the blood drain from her face. “Where’d he go?”

  “Didn’t say. I suspect he’s on his way to Palm Beach. Got a call from Thorn this morning asking if everything was good. Stunner probably reached out to them as a courtesy. Thorn finally got the deal closed on that old firehouse he wanted to buy a few months ago. They’re moving the club, and Stunner will be a big help to them in the muscle department.”

  “H-he went to Florida?”

  Cain frowned. “Yeah, baby. But he’ll still be there if you need him.”

  Suzie wasn’t so sure. Stunner had barely spoken to her since she started MIT. Had he decided she was grown up enough he could finally get on with his life? That she didn’t need his protection anymore?

  “O-OK. Just…” She took a breath. “If you talk to him, tell him to call me?”

  “You got it, sweetheart.”

  She gave everyone her love and made them promise to hug and kiss all the babies for her. The second she could, Suzie signed off and took several deep breaths.

  Immediately, she clicked Stunner’s profile icon and clicked the “call” button. It rang several times. No answer. She picked up her cell and called him. Again, no answer. She tried again. Same result. The third time, it went straight to voicemail. Suzie felt like she’d been gutted. That was deliberate. He’d turned his phone off. He was avoiding her. Last thing she did was send off a text.

  Whatever I did, I’m sorry.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked. Her mind was in chaos. Her heart in shreds.

  Stunner… was gone.

  * * *

  Suzie’s text made Stunner want to howl in anguish. He’d just pulled into Salvation’s Bane’s new compound when he’d gotten the text. He’d known she’d called, but, being on the road, couldn’t answer. Sure, he had a Bluetooth earpiece and mic hooked to his phone, but it was still hard to hear with the wind and the noise of the pipes.

  On the other hand, he had been avoiding her. At first because he missed her so much he wasn’t certain he could hold himself together. If he lost it, he was liable to drive his ass to Cambridge, throw Suzie over his shoulder, and carry her sweet ass home. That would sure make school comfortable for her. She’d hate him, and rightly so. Then the whole thing with Pig had happened, and he knew Angel’s feelings about the whole situation. She and Cain expected Stunner to be Suzie’s best friend. Nothing more. He couldn’t blame them for it, because he knew he was nothing but trouble. Had been since he was thirteen.

  But the pain in those five words in that text…

  He could practically see the tears in her lovely eyes, streaking down her pale cheeks. Caused by him.

  His immediate reaction was to call her. Fuck, to get to her. But he doubted he’d fit in on any fancy college campus. He was a scruffy, rough biker. He doubted anyone at MIT looked like he did.

  Stunner resisted the urge to text her back. For about five seconds.

  Sry. Ridin.

  There. That would satisfy her. And keep him from having to interact with her.

  She didn’t text back. At first, he was relieved. His blowing her off had discouraged her from continuing to call or text. But when she hadn’t called back that night, or the next day, he realized he was going to have to make the first move. Because he was a fucking idiot.

  * * *

  “Stunner!” Vicious, of Salvation’s Bane, called to him across the common room. As with Bones, that was where they all hung out when not working or riding. It doubled as a party room, and there was a party planned that night. Shadow, a man he’d prospected with and taken his oath as a patched member of Bones alongside, had told him once that he needed to get laid. Desperately. Stunner had planned on it tonight. The party would have plenty of women to choose from, and all of them willing and eager to fuck the biggest, baddest biker among them. Stunner qualified on all counts. “Cain called. Asked you to give him a call when you got the chance.”

  Fuck. Cain had to have known calling Stunner’s cell would get him nowhere. Instead of swearing out loud, however, Stunner nodded at Vicious, acknowledging the man without actually agreeing to anything. Not that he’d ignore his president.

 

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