IRE
I stood in the glittering lo
ple, backles
ack pantsuit, playing th
from out of town, thanks to a few seconds of a secu
eked of perf
ed seating card
teve backstage fo
k to the bal
, strong rhythm as I a
ct mask, hiding all t
ess about to
or doors c
lready o
head down, tryin
e closing, a hand sho
ther glove, all sharp
ntered, leaning
seemed to giv
in, the light chatte
urned thi
e lock onto him, a mi
into th
a glanc
t underneath, I could see the collar of a b
he hadn't taken o
t jacket, had "Iron Serpents MC" and
ing his identi
ing over everyone in the elevator l
on me, it paused for
tant, I fel
in pr
t they held a probing heat that see
iately, my heart kickin
sident of the Iron Serpents, the tr
blurry photos of hi
ce, the only sound the soft tap...
the frantic be
d smel
ething else... a clean, c
dare look
y black heels, feeling th
ed, arriving at t
ed out as if granted a pard
erson di
e waiting for
e of his silence,
ed pas
ble, sounded right beside my ear, so
gan
tered, but I
n't a
y fled down
es on my back until
vice alcove, pressing my back flat against the
e slick with
possibly kn
dread crawled up t
ied al
in Coyote Creek
en girl who barely registered in local memory, compl
ticket in cash, booked the motel under an alias, and used Ste
loom jewelry or carrying anything
ntentionally minimal and muted, and half my fa
every inch of me, wouldn't h
n hadn't hesitat
family's bloodline in a whisper that sounded less
s watching the
acked Steve's
keeping tabs on the Morgan name long
nt a tremor th
y mind: Leo bragging about scheming against
personal vendetta might be colliding head-on with a
rcing the rising panic down i
s, C
ing at
target toni
my nerve shatter before
dress, wiped my damp palms
son's angle was, th
ballroom entrance, a heavy, suff
every piece on the board-and unlike the Tuckers, he seeme
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