“Or they’re drunk,” he said wryly, reaching between us to pull the phone out of his vest pocket. “Ah fuck.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a level-one fire evacuation notice,” he said. “For the whole county. Emergency alert system.”

“Oh crap,” I said, closing my eyes. “Has the fire grown?”

Using his thumb, he typed something on the phone, shaking his head. “No, looks like there’s a new one. They’re calling it a complex now, because it’s so big that the different fires are merging in some areas. They’re also asking farmers to get in touch if they have earth-moving equipment.”

I shivered.

“They must be running out of firefighters and bulldozers,” I said. “I hope Randi’s grandparents are okay.”

“I’m sure they’re fine. They’re just evacuating people to be cautious. And a level one isn’t that serious—it just means to be aware. You might want to pack a bug-out bag, just to be safe. But even if the fires keep growing, they’ll protect the town. It’s the farmers and ranchers who need to worry.”

He was probably right.

“So are you gonna go to the party with me tomorrow night?” he asked, tugging me close again. I shrugged against him.

“No,” I said, but my heart wasn’t in it. He smells too good. It’s distracting.

“Yes, Gage, I’d love to go to the party,” he corrected wryly. “Give it a try—it’s a much better answer.”

“Will Talia be there?” I asked.

“Not even she’s that stupid. With any luck she’s left town already. If not, she will soon. We’ll keep an eye out for her. You’re under my protection now.”

“Like I was at Jack’s?” I asked. “All things considered, I’d prefer not to go through that again—I’m so embarrassed. I’m still thinking about this criminal thing, too. You said your hands aren’t clean. What does that mean?”

“You know I can’t answer that,” he said.

“Do you . . . hurt . . . people?” I asked, swallowing. What I really wanted was to close my eyes and bury them in his chest. Pretend he was a nice guy like Joel.

Except Joel bailed on me when an angry biker showed up at my door.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “But here’s something to think about. Nobody lands in my world by accident. We don’t go after civilians, it’s strictly opt in. Having said that, you fuck with us, we’ll fuck you back. Always. You have to be tough to survive, but the rewards are worth it.”

“What rewards?” I asked. “Money?”

“Money’s nice,” he said. “But it’s really about riding our bikes. Brotherhood. The Reapers are a family, and if you show up tomorrow you’ll see that for yourself. Give it a chance, Tinker.”

“I need to think about it. You should probably go.”

My brain knew it was for the best, even if my body didn’t quite agree. He patted my back, then let me go, stepping away. Our eyes met in the darkness.

“You really want me to go?” he whispered.

I shook my head, then said, “No, but you need to. I should pack a bag. Dad and I are headed to Seattle day after tomorrow anyway, and it seems like a good idea given the evacuation alert.”

“Tell me you aren’t staying with your ex again.”

“No way. Dad has an evaluation with a specialist, and I need to drop off some deliveries. With luck we’ll come back the same day, but I figured I’d take enough for us to spend the night if we need to. Hotel room, I promise. And I’ll sleep better knowing we’re ready to evacuate—I doubt it’ll come to that, but better to be safe.”

Gage leaned down, giving me a soft, lingering kiss. The low hum of desire that’d been running through me all night flared to life, and I tamped it down firmly.

“Tomorrow night,” he said.

“Let me think about it.”

“I’ll pick you up at six.”

A smile tugged at my mouth, despite my better judgment. He smiled back at me.

“Said I wouldn’t give up. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, go pack a bag. Just in case. Oh, and if you change your mind and want me to stay over, just text.”

Rolling my eyes, I flipped him off and he laughed. So the night was crazy, he’d all but admitted he was a criminal, Brandon was on the take, and there were huge fires in the hills all around us. Strangely enough, at the end, it was still one of the better dates I’d ever had.

Carrie was never, ever going to let me live this one down.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next morning I didn’t wake up until after eight, a luxury I hadn’t had in years, and one I certainly couldn’t afford at that point.

“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I’d forgotten to set my alarm, but usually the sun woke me up before it went off anyway. The light in the room was weird, though. Dim and sort of yellowish.

Forcing myself to get up, I wandered over to the window and opened the semitranslucent curtains.

“Well, that sucks,” I muttered. The sky was deeply overcast with smoke, giving everything an orange tinge. Very post-apocalyptic. We’d had it happen before during fire seasons, so I knew it wasn’t necessarily a big deal. Still, it was a little unsettling, given the evacuation warning.

I grabbed my phone and searched for the county’s Facebook page, then sighed with relief. Still just a level one, although it looked like the fires had grown. Reaching for my robe, I pulled it on over my sleep shorts and top, then started down the stairs in search of coffee.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Dad said when I walked into the kitchen. He had a piece of toast in front of him, along with the newspaper. Blessedly, he’d also made coffee.

“Morning,” I said, giving him a kiss on the head.

“Fires are getting bad,” he told me. “They’ve put out a level-two alert for Lamont. Still forty miles away, though. We should be fine.”

“I was thinking you should pack a bag this morning just in case,” I replied. “I know they’ll protect the town, but we have to go to Seattle tomorrow anyway. Kills two birds with one stone. Oh, and we need to send in your medical history today, too. Let me grab the paperwork. Can you go get your prescriptions?”