I can't run from my past, no matter how hard I try. Charlee I knew the second I'd arrived back in Portland he'd know I was here within days, so it wasn't a shock to me that he came knocking on my door, literally. Kaden was my first love, but he isn't the same man anymore. These days he goes by another name, Kinetic, one he was given when he went overseas. Now he's in a biker club and living a totally different life. Hell, I roll my eyes thinking about it. I came back here to take care of my elderly mother because she just had a full hip replacement, but I didn't come alone. So much has changed over the last decade and as soon as I saw him, everything came rushing back. Will I be able to get out of Portland unscathed, or is Kinetic going to weasel his way into my heart like Kaden did? Kinetic Years ago, I enlisted in the Marines and thought my life was going just the way I planned. Had the girl and the career I always wanted. We were kids, just starting our lives and had so much to look forward to. I had it all figured out, but the kicker is it never happened. I've lived the last twelve years mainly overseas working alongside my brothers. Men who I'd laid down my life for. Coming home we started the Deathstalkers MC and I never looked back. Now I'm standing on the front porch of Charlee's mom's house, glaring down at her as she holds onto the one thing she knew I always wanted. My kid. Decisions have to be made and something's going to give. Either way she'll be mine again.

She was nothing more than a friend, until she was ripped from my clutches. Falcon Over my entire life, I always saw my fair share of action. I saw more of it than most between my time serving in the United States Marines, and being the Prez of the Deathstalkers MC. After a while, I became accustomed to it. But, there was only one thing I never got used attacks on the people I cared about. A good friend came to me and let me know Hermione was missing. Hermione, the owner of the local coffee shop, who I’d been friends with for years. She was the type of woman who always showed up to work and never called out, so the fact the coffee shop was closed for a week alarmed everyone. I had a member of my club look into Hermione’s electronic footprint, and I retraced every step. But, her cell went off near a tower and I had nothing else to go on except hope. I knew I’d find her, because I didn’t have another option. Foul play was involved. I could sense it in the very fiber of my being. Low and behold, I find her in the last place I expected her to be—in my enemy’s clutches. Hermione My life has always been simple. I went to college, saved up money, and started my business. It wasn’t anything overly special, but The Java Zone was my pride and joy. I worked every day of the week and long hours, which left little time for dating. It was the only thing I ever wanted, and one day my entire life changed. A motorcycle club came into my coffee shop and I didn’t think anything of it. My good friend, Falcon, was the Prez of the Deathstalkers MC and I knew these men might be rough around the edges, but deep down they’re good people. At least, I thought they were. But, nothing about the men that came into my coffee shop was kind. Little did I know, I was lied to my entire life. The man I called my father wasn’t actually my father. If that wasn’t enough of a shock, the men who came into my shop hit me on the side of my head and took me with them. I woke up in a place I didn’t recognize, and I was riddled with fear. I only wanted one to leave. But how was I going to do that? No one knew where I was . . . and after a while, I was convinced I would die there.

She was nothing to me, until she became everything. Horseman So much had happened with the club and the people my brothers’ loved. I thought we were for sure going to be getting a break from the chaos for once. After being in the military, and then dealing with all the crap that followed, I thought we deserved a break. Just like always, life didn’t believe we earned one. Hawk’s sister showed up at the clubhouse one day out of the blue. I remember the look of pure exhaustion weighing over her soft features. She was defeated and none of us knew why. Eventually, she confessed that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She rented out her house when she went back to college for her Master’s degree and followed the proper procedures to notify her tenants that she was canceling their lease. Now she was essentially homeless with no place to go. The club had a vacant house at the back of the property, so we agreed to let her move in and we’d help her fix it up. It would be a safe place for her to rest her head in the meantime until she figured everything else out. But just like always, trouble was stirred up one way or another. Scarlett The last thing I wanted to do was go crying to my older brother. I mean, I wouldn’t say I was crying, but I was stuck. I didn’t know what to do anymore and the one person I’ve always been able to count on was Hawk. Even if I haven’t made the best choices in life, he would never ever tell me ‘I told you so’. I thought it would be a great idea to rent out my house while I was away at school. It would cover the mortgage payment, plus a couple other bills. My renters seemed like decent people, too. They made all of these promises which I ended up finding out were complete and utter lies. I was stuck because I didn’t know what to do with them. I tried doing everything legally, and they didn’t even act like they received my letters, emails, or text messages. I even sent them certified mail in the hope that would be enough for the Judge to rule in my favor . . . but I was sadly mistaken. They avoided showing up to court, and it prolonged the judgment. I was trying to do the right thing by handling this in court, but going through the legal system wasn’t working for me. I had no other choice to ask for my brother’s club’s help. What I did have a choice in was flirting with Horseman . . . a man I’d always admired from afar. I’d spent most of my life helping other people, so didn’t I deserve to be a little bit selfish?