"They found Joey," Bones tells me as we sit in the office in the dark.

The Royal Suns will kill him. I don't actually care. It's business. I know it, Joey knows it, anyone in this lifestyle is aware of the risks. Silvie is not in this business though. She's going to be devastated.

"There's more," Willy holds up a hand. "The Suns are getting into cartel shit."

My eyes dart up to them, but I doubt they can see me in this lacking light. We're pulling out and they're digging in deeper. Thank fuck we don't have ties with them.

"Anyone see you two?" I ask.

"Nah," Bones sniffs.

"Good." Steepling my fingers above my chin, I need to decide what I'm going to do. A lie by omission is still a lie. But not telling Silvie the truth about her brother may hurt her worse. If they get a hold of him, he'll become a missing person. A missing brother is worse than a corpse of one. There's some measure of closure you get with a casket.

"You still going on the ride west?" Bones asks, I hear the pull tab crack on a beer. It sizzles and he takes a slurp.

"Yup."

Six months ago I planned a solo ride to Arizona and back. Now though, I think it'll be a good chance to lay low with Silvie for a while. The thought of a vacation with her makes my dick hard and my heart happy.

The prospects are patching in tonight. It's going to be a huge party. I need to be there, but really I just want to lounge in bed with Silvie.

The parties are starting to feel like trafficking drugs and smuggling guns- it's getting old. When I imagined my life in the wolves, I just wanted brothers to ride with. Now, shouldering everyone's burdens is starting to feel like weights around my ankles.

"Come on," I say, taking Silvie by the hand and leading her to the garage. "Let's go for a ride."

She looks unsure, the only other time she's ridden with me is when I brought her here. Her little hands snake around my waist, and I feel her head on the back of my vest. "Good girl," I say before we take off.

The air is salty and warm. It clings to our skin as we ride into the dusk. Vibrant colors melt into the night sky and for a moment, I can just let it all go. Nothing matters. No responsibilities are waiting for me at the compound. It's just her and I.

We pull over at the beach and dark waves lap the shore. The sky is hazy from the remnants of the sunset. It will be fully dark soon. Drinking her in with the last bit of light left, I savor every bit of this woman. "God, you're beautiful," I cup her cheeks.

She smiles. Not shy. Not playfully. But genuine. It's like she really sees me and she still has the decency to smile in my face.

"Kiss me," she whispers, and for once I'm happy to obey.

Back at the compound, it's the usual chaos. Loud music, jello shots, porn playing on the TVs in the living room. Logo and Zed are getting patched in tonight. Silvie sits by my side like the fucking pixie queen she is. Small and commanding, she's a force to be reckoned with.

The prospects both take their shirts off and tip up their bottles of Jack Daniels. When the iron comes out, they both bare their teeth, preparing for the pain. I look down at Silvie, well aware that she might not want to see this. She doesn't look away though. When the iron meets their flesh, she barely blinks.

She turns, big eyes looking up at me. "Where's yours?"

I nod across the fire. Brick drops the iron that's just been pressed between their shoulder blades. "Same spot."

She looks thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes go from me to the men across the way. The newest members of our club. There are cheers and shouts and groans as they drink more alcohol.

"Good job boys," Rod says, clinking his bottle to theirs.

"I want one," Silvie's soft voice says.

For a moment, I think I don't hear her correctly. "No," I snap. She needs to keep quiet before someone hears her say that.

She licks her lower lip in a slow motion. "You always say I'm yours. I want to be yours."

My eyes rove her body. Fuck if she doesn't make hard. "Silvie, baby, you don't know what you're asking."

She looks at Brick and then stands like she's about to ask him.

"No." I say again and it gets her attention. "Brick," I shout across the fire. Holding out my hand, I flick toward me, motioning for the iron.

A hush falls over the crowd. Holding it in the flame, I watch it start to glow red. Someone hands Silvie a bottle of liquor, but she doesn't drink it.

"Give me your wrist, baby."

"No," she says and I think she's backing out. Then she lifts her shirt up, pulling it over her head. "Here," she points to a spot on her chest near her heart.

In that moment, it's like the party has disappeared. There's no noise except for my clapping heart. It's like a drum in my ears.

Our eyes lock together. "Be brave," I say, before raising the branding iron to her chest. The small symbol, a howling wolf in a circle, is now a part of her forever.