She’s a fucking cop.
The realisation hits me as I watch her work the room. She’ s good - real good. Doesn’t make the usual mistakes. Knows the life, moves like she belongs. But after fifteen years of catching rats, I see the patterns. The quick checks of her burner when she thinks no one’s watching. The way her eyes track exits and club members in between serving drinks.
Rage burns through my veins. Three months of her in my bed. Three months of her soft sighs against my neck, her fingers tracing my scars, asking their stories. Three months of her looking at the blood on my hands like she sees something worth saving.
All a fucking lie.
“You look like you’re ready to kill someone.” King moves next to me at the bar. “Everything good?”
I take a slow pull of my beer as I meet his gaze. “Yeah.”
But I’m not. Haven’t been since the night she walked in here with her fake name and real fire. Since she first stepped up close, fearless, and told me to go fuck myself when I got in her face.
No one talks to me like that. I’m the club’s hitman. The shadow they don’t talk about. The one they send when shit needs permanent handling.
But she did.
And instead of putting her in her place, I got hard.
“Mercy.” King watches her laughing with Devil. “Something’s off with her.”
My jaw clenches as Dodge grabs her arse. Before, that would’ve earned him a broken hand. Now, my hesitation could get her killed.
“Keep her close,” King orders. “Watch her.”
I down my beer. “Already am.”
I’m pissed off that I’ve missed seeing the truth all this time. Either she had me by the dick more than I realised or something’s changed for her, causing her to fuck up now.
Later, I slam her against the wall in the hallway to my room. Cage her with my body, breathing in the scent that’s embedded itself in my sheets, my skin. The scent I’ll have to wash away with her blood.
“You stupid fucking woman.” The words come out like gravel. Like the dirt I dig to bury club problems.
Fear flickers in her eyes. But there’s fierceness there too. Always has been. “Steel—”
“Shut. Up.” I grip her throat. Not hard. Never hard with her. Even now, when I should be dragging her to King. “A cop who doesn’t check her burner might live. One who checks it too much ends up dead.”
She doesn’t fight my grip. Doesn’t run. Just like she didn’t run when she saw what I really am.
“You gonna kill me?” Her voice is steady. Brave. Like when she faces down prospects twice her size.
I should.
Instead, I crush my mouth to hers. Punishing. Brutal. Wanting to hurt her like she’s hurt me. Finding out she’s a cop has ripped my fucking world apart.
She kisses me back just as hard. Like she has since that first night. Like she’s trying to prove something.
“Why?” The word tears from my throat when I finally let her go.
“Because I had to.”
“Bullshit.” I slam my palm into the wall beside her head. “You had a choice. You chose to fuck with my head. Make me think—” I can’t finish. Can’t admit what she made me feel.
“Steel—” Her hand comes up to my face. I knock it away.
“They’ll kill you.” My voice comes out raw. Haunted. “And I’ll have to watch. Maybe even do it myself.”
Where lesser women would cower now, try to flee, she pushes her shoulders back, defiant. “Then do it now. Better you than them.”
Christ.
I step back. Put distance between us before I do something stupid. Something that’ll get us both fucking killed.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours.” My words taste bitter. “After that, I tell King.”
I walk away. Let her run.
But we both know I won’t tell him. Won’t ever hurt her.
Because somewhere between the lies and the truth, she became mine to protect.
Even if it means betraying everything I am.
Even if it means watching my world burn.
Fuck.
🖤🖤🖤
I write flash fiction to warm my writing brain up. Sometimes, well once so far, I turn a piece into a book. My books, Hurricane Hearts and Battle Hearts started off as flash fiction and became the story of Winter & Birdie in my Storm MC Reloaded series.
I'm going to start sharing more of these on my blog, so if you love a quick hit of something, check here for more as I post them!
And if you ever read one that you'd love to see turned into a book, let me know in the comments!!
Nina x
