Chapter 1
Sienna
Twenty-one days.
I wiped down the bar for the one-hundredth time today, my eyes always tracking every face in the roadhouse, always keeping an eye out for trouble. The Desert Rose sat exactly between Bakker and Savage Kings territory: neutral ground by mutual agreement, which meant both clubs drank here, and I got to serve whiskey to men who’d kill each other the second they stepped outside.
Lucky me.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I didn’t reach for it. Couldn’t. Not with Tommy “Reaper” Valdez from the Bakker MC watching me nearby, and definitely not with my father’s enforcer, Snake, posted up at the bar as he drank his fourth beer. Instead, I smiled at the trucker who’d been trying to catch my eye all night and refreshed his Jack and Coke.
“Thanks, darlin’.” His smile was hopeful. Sweet, even.
“No problem.” I moved away before he could mistake my attention for interest.
The phone buzzed again, this time with the tone from Agent Brooks that meant call me when you’re alone. My stomach knotted. Three weeks. I just needed three more weeks of playing this part, of pretending I was nothing but Myles Cross’s innocent daughter slinging drinks and keeping her head down. Three weeks until the feds extracted me, gave me a new name, a new life, and I could finally stop looking over my shoulder.
Twenty-one days, and I would be free. But I didn’t know if I could survive that long. Especially today, there were too many eyes on me.
I knew the only way to survive this was to run.
I’d learned that lesson young, watching my mother fade into the background of my father’s life until she was just another old lady in a club full of them. Watching her die inside every time he came home with blood on his hands. Love and loyalty were chains in this world, pretty words that kept you trapped until you forgot what freedom tasted like.
I wasn’t going to forget. I was getting out.
The door opened, letting in a blast of desert heat and cigarette smoke. I glanced up out of habit, cataloging the new arrivals the way I’d been trained since I could walk. Two men. Bakker MC cuts. My hands stilled on the glass I was drying.
I knew the one on the left: graying beard, scarred knuckles, the VP patch on his cut. But the one on the right made my breath catch in my throat.
Cade Bakker.
I’d never seen him in person before. Seen photos, sure. Heard the stories. Everyone in Copper Ridge knew about the Bakker MC president who took over at twenty-four and turned a chaotic crew of outlaws into a disciplined operation. Who’d lost his wife three years ago and became something harder than the desert sun. A man who showed no mercy to his enemies and even less to traitors.
He was tall. Six-two, maybe six-three, all lean muscle and tamed aggression. Dark hair cut short, a scar bisecting his left eyebrow, a look that swept the room like he was calculating threats and exits in the same glance. He was terrifying.
He was beautiful.
And I’d given Agent Brooks his schedule for the next month. A schedule that took me months and more than a little persuasion from one of his men to obtain when he was too drunk to think better of it.
My phone buzzed again. I finally pulled it out, angling away from the bar. The text was brief: “We are moving forward. Stay safe.”
The room tilted. Moving forward. The information I’d provided about Bakker MC movements, about Cade’s meetings. I’d told myself it was just surveillance data, that the feds needed it to build a case, that no one would get hurt. I’d convinced myself I was doing the right thing, that bringing down both clubs would save lives in the long run.
But standing here watching Cade Bakker scan the room with those cold eyes, I felt like I’d just loaded a gun and handed it to someone else to pull the trigger.
“You gonna stand there all night, or can I get another drink?”
I jerked my attention back to Snake, who was grinning at me like he knew a secret. My father’s enforcer had a smile like a knife. All edge, no warmth.
“Sorry. Long shift.” I grabbed a fresh beer, popped the cap, set it in front of him. “You good?”
“Peachy.” He took a long pull, eyes never leaving my face. “Your old man’s been wondering what you’ve been up to.”
My stomach tightened. “I’ve been here. Working. He knows that.”
“Yeah, I told him that. But you know Myles. Likes to keep tabs on his little girl.” Snake’s smile widened. “Especially lately. Seems like you’ve been sneaking around.”
Did he know about my plans? Knowing my father’s gang, I wouldn’t be surprised.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I bluffed anyway. I grabbed another glass to dry, trying to look unbothered.
“Sure you don’t.” Snake drained the rest of his beer. “Just be careful, Sienna. You’re playing a dangerous game.”
He slid off the stool and headed for the bathroom, leaving me standing there with my heart trying to punch through my ribs. The Savage Kings were watching me. My father was definitely watching me. And I was supposed to wait three weeks? And why, exactly? When they were already on to me, I had a feeling my time was up.
I was so tired of being scared.
“Excuse me.”
The voice was low and rough. I turned, and Cade Bakker was standing in front of me, close enough that I could see the scars on his face. A tattoo crawled up his neck from beneath his shirt. His hands were scarred across the knuckles. They were the hands of a man who’d broken bones and faces and never lost sleep over it.
“What can I get you?”
“Whiskey.” His eyes dropped to my collarbone, to the small circular scar that my V-neck shirt didn’t quite hide. Cigarette burn, courtesy of my ex-boyfriend before I finally got smart and left. Cade’s jaw tightened. “And whatever the lady’s having.”
I blinked. “I’m working.”
“So take a break.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. I should’ve said no. Should’ve poured his drink and moved on to the next customer. Instead, I reached for the good whiskey we served just for the club presidents and poured some for him, and then I poured myself a Coke, no ice. He touched my hand for a second as I set his whiskey in front of him, and his eyes met mine. For a second, I forgot where I was.
“You’re Myles Cross’s daughter.” Not a question.
“Sienna.” I took a sip of my Coke. “And you’re Cade Bakker.”
“Yes, I am.” He lifted his glass in a mock toast and drank. His throat worked as he swallowed, and I found myself staring at the tattoo that disappeared beneath his collar. A crow’s wing, maybe, I wasn’t sure. “You work here long?”
“Three years.” Three years of saving every tip, every spare dollar. Three years of planning my escape while pretending this life didn’t bother me. “I’ve never seen you here before.”
I almost saw a smile. “You wouldn’t. This kind of place is not my usual scene.”
“Then why tonight?”
The almost-smile vanished. “Meeting someone.”
His VP appeared at his elbow, muttered something too low for me to hear. Cade’s expression went flat. He knocked back the rest of his whiskey and set the glass on the bar.
“What do I owe you?”
“On the house.” I told him.
Cade’s eyes locked on mine again, and this time there was something predatory in his gaze. Something that set me on edge. “Appreciate it.”
He turned to go, his VP already moving toward a booth in the back where two other Bakker members, Reaper and someone else I didn’t know, waited.
“Well, it was nice to meet you. Be careful out there.”
Cade stopped. Turned back slowly, his full attention on me. “What did you say?”
“I said it’s nice to meet you. And to be careful out there.” I repeated.
For a moment, he just stared at me, trying to make sense of what I said. Then he nodded. “Thanks.”
He didn’t say anything else, just turned and walked away. I watched him slide into the booth, watched his VP lean in close, and watched the way he interacted with his men. Everything about him screamed danger, from the scars on his hands to the ice in his eyes.
He was terrifying.
I was terrified.
But I was running, and I would no longer have to worry about men like him.
My phone buzzed. It was another text from Brooks, and this time I looked: “The team is pleased with your help. Good work. Phoenix set for next week.”
The whiskey glass Cade had used was still on the bar. I picked it up, my fingers tracing the rim.
I realized I could get Cade killed with the information I sent to Brooks.
The thought bothered me. I’d been telling myself this was about justice, about stopping the violence, about helping with an investigation that would save lives. But looking at that empty glass, I wondered if I was just kidding myself.
Could I really trust the feds to do what they told me they would do? All I could think was that it was a trap. That Cade Bakker was going to get hurt or killed, and it would be because of me.
The bathroom door opened. Snake emerged, saw me staring at the Bakker table, and his smile turned sharp. He made an I’m watching you gesture, pointed at me, then headed for the door.
At that moment, Cade Bakker pulled out his phone, his expression hardening as he read whatever message just came through.
The VP leaned in, said something urgent. Cade’s jaw clenched. He stood abruptly, throwing cash on the table, already moving toward the exit. The other Bakker members scrambled to follow.
Something was wrong.
I caught a fragment of conversation as they passed the bar: “... Phoenix... moved up the timeline... tonight...”
My blood turned to ice.
Tonight? The meeting was tonight, not next week?
The intel I gave to Brooks was wrong, which meant whoever was planning to meet Cade decided to change the time or I got wrong information. I knew I had to tell Brooks about the change, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved with this anymore.
Cade got to the door, his VP holding it open.
“Wait!” I yelled suddenly.
He looked back at me. I froze, having no idea what else to say.
After a moment, waiting to hear from me, Cade turned and left with his men.
Then my phone buzzed. I pulled it out, having a sinking feeling. It was another text from Brooks: “Unexpected change of plans. Phoenix meeting will be tonight. Did you know about those changes?”
I answered: “No.”
This didn’t make sense. How did Brooks find out so quick? Someone else must have been giving him information.
I had a bad feeling about this. Something wasn’t adding up from what I knew.
I was supposed to have twenty-one days until I disappeared into witness protection.
I knew I wasn’t going to make it that long. I had to leave tonight.
Outside, the motorcycles roared into the night, carrying Cade Bakker toward whatever hell I suspected was waiting for him in Phoenix. And I stood there, not knowing what was going on or what was about to happen, but it felt heavy.
The only way to survive this world is to run from it, and I couldn’t wait any longer.
