Chapter 5 Dangerous Territory

I didn't sleep.

Every creak of the building, every car passing outside my window, every shadow that moved wrong had me reaching for my phone to call... who? The police? And tell them what-that someone had made vague threats about car accidents?

By morning, exhaustion and fury had crystallized into something sharp and unbreakable. Someone thought they could scare me off with anonymous phone calls and veiled references to my mother's death. They were about to learn exactly how wrong they were.

I dressed for battle-my sharpest suit, heels that could double as weapons, hair pulled back in a bun tight enough to give me a headache. If Kane Drax thought he could keep playing games while someone threatened me, he was about to get a reality check.

The courthouse felt different today. More eyes tracking my movement, more whispered conversations that stopped when I passed. Paranoia, maybe, but after last night's call, I wasn't taking any chances.

Kane was already waiting when I entered the interview room, and the sight of him made my carefully constructed armor waver. He looked exhausted too, dark circles under his eyes like he'd spent the night pacing his cell. When those hazel-gold eyes met mine, something electric sparked between us-the same impossible connection that had been burning me alive for days.

"You look like hell," he said by way of greeting.

"Funny. I was about to say the same about you." I set my briefcase down harder than necessary, the sharp sound echoing off concrete walls. "We need to talk."

Kane's posture shifted, subtle but unmistakable. From casual to alert in the span of a heartbeat. "About the case?"

"About the phone call I received last night."

The change in Kane was immediate and terrifying. His entire body went rigid, hands clenching into fists on the metal table. For a moment, his eyes flashed with something that wasn't quite human-too bright, too predatory.

"What phone call?"

I pulled out my notepad, reading from the notes I'd made immediately after hanging up. "Unknown number, refined voice, mentioned my mother by name. Suggested I might follow in her footsteps if I didn't drop your case."

Kane's face had gone absolutely white beneath his tan. "Son of a bitch."

"So you know who it was."

"I know the type." Kane stood abruptly, beginning to pace the small room like a caged animal. "This is exactly what I was trying to prevent. This is why I told you to walk away."

"Well, I didn't walk away, and now someone's threatening me." I kept my voice level despite the fear and anger churning in my gut. "So you're going to tell me exactly what I've gotten myself into."

Kane stopped pacing, his back to me. I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands flexed like he wanted to hit something.

"You want the truth?" His voice was rough, dangerous. "Fine. But you're not going to like it."

"Try me."

Kane turned, and the look in his eyes made my breath catch. Raw, desperate, like he was about to confess to sins that would damn us both.

"The Iron Fang isn't just a motorcycle club. We run high-stakes street races-illegal, underground, big money. Real big money."

My legal mind immediately started cataloging the implications. "How big?"

"Big enough that politicians look the other way, cops get paid to patrol other neighborhoods on race nights, and the city's elite place bets they can't afford to lose."

I scribbled notes, but part of me was focused on Kane himself-the way he moved when he was agitated, the barely leashed power in every gesture. Even discussing something that could destroy him, he commanded the room.

"And Victoria?"

Kane's jaw tightened. "Victoria's daddy has gambling debts. The kind that get people killed if they're not paid. She thought if she could control me, she could control the races. Fix outcomes, guarantee wins."

"And when you refused?"

"She decided to destroy me instead." Kane's smile was sharp as broken glass. "If she can't have the races, she'll make sure nobody can."

The pieces were falling into place with sickening clarity. This wasn't just about a spoiled princess's wounded ego. This was about money, power, and control of something worth killing for.

"Who else is involved in these races?"

Kane's hesitation was telling. "There are... other clubs. Rival organizations who'd love to see Iron Fang eliminated."

"Names, Kane."

"The Blood Fangs." Kane's voice dropped to something almost like a growl. "Led by Marcus Blackthorn. We've got history-bad history. He's been trying to muscle in on our territory for years."

Marcus Blackthorn. I made a note to research him, though something about the name sent an inexplicable chill down my spine.

"You think he's behind the threats?"

"Marcus doesn't make phone calls. He makes bodies disappear." Kane moved closer, and I caught that intoxicating scent that made my mouth water despite everything. "But he's got connections, people who do his dirty work from the shadows."

"Then we go to the FBI-"

"With what evidence?" Kane leaned over the table, his face inches from mine. "You think the feds are going to care about some biker's word against a senator's daughter? About illegal races half the city government profits from?"

He was right, and we both knew it. But having him this close was scrambling my thoughts, making it hard to focus on anything except the way his lips moved when he spoke.

"So what do you suggest?" I managed.

"I suggest you do what I told you from the beginning." Kane's voice was soft, but there was steel beneath the silk. "Walk away. Let them assign you another lawyer and forget you ever met me."

"No."

The word came out stronger than I felt. Kane's eyes flashed with something between admiration and desperation.

"Calla-"

"No," I repeated, standing so we were eye to eye across the narrow table. "I don't back down from fights, Kane. Especially not when someone threatens me with my mother's memory."

Something broke in Kane's expression. For a moment, his careful control slipped, and I saw raw hunger flash across his features before he shuttered it again.

"You don't understand what you're up against."

"Then help me understand." I leaned forward, matching his intensity. "Stop trying to protect me and start trusting me to do my job."

Kane stared at me for a long moment, and I could see him fighting some internal battle. Finally, he reached across the table, his fingers stopping just short of touching mine.

"If you get hurt because of me," he said quietly, "I'll never forgive myself."

The confession hung between us like a live wire. This close, I could see gold flecks in his hazel eyes, could count the individual scars mapping his knuckles. The air felt charged, electric, like the moment before lightning strikes.

"I'm not afraid of you," I whispered.

Kane's breath hitched. "You should be."

"Why?" I challenged, my voice barely audible. "What are you hiding, Kane?"

For a heartbeat, I thought he might tell me everything. His lips parted, his eyes dark with secrets and want. Then footsteps echoed in the hallway outside, and the moment shattered.

Kane jerked back like I'd burned him, putting distance between us just as the guard appeared in the doorway.

"Time's up," the officer announced.

I gathered my things on unsteady legs, hyperaware of Kane's gaze tracking my every movement. When I reached the door, his voice stopped me.

"Calla."

I turned, and the intensity in his expression made my knees weak.

"Be careful going home tonight. Vary your route. And if anyone approaches you-anyone at all-you run. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

Kane's eyes closed like I'd hurt him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

When he looked at me again, his gaze burned with something that made my core clench with need.

"For what I'm about to do to you."

What was he about to do to me? Before I could ask what he meant, the guard was escorting me out, leaving Kane alone with his cryptic warning and the electricity still crackling between us.