The compound sat at the edge of town like a fortress. High fence. Guard at the gate. Rows of motorcycles gleaming under security lights.

Colt's bike rumbled through the entrance, and I felt every eye on us. Men in leather vests stopped mid-conversation. A woman smoking by the clubhouse door crushed her cigarette under her boot, watching me like I was a ghost.

Maybe I was.

The girl who left this town died somewhere between Texas and California. What came back was something else entirely.

Colt killed the engine and swung off. He did not offer to help me down. I climbed off awkwardly, my legs shaking from the ride and everything else.

"Inside," he said. "Now."

The clubhouse was exactly what I expected. Bar along one wall. Pool tables. Worn leather couches. The smell of whiskey and motor oil and violence barely contained.

A massive man with a gray beard looked up from the bar. "That her?"

"Yeah, Hammer. That is her." Colt's voice was ice.

"Well, hell." Hammer laughed, but it was not friendly. "The runaway bride returns. This ought to be entertaining."

I wanted to disappear. To run again. But Colt's hand closed around my wrist, holding me in place.

"Everyone out," Colt said. "Church in ten minutes. Spread the word."

The room cleared fast. Too fast. Within seconds, it was just us.

Colt released me and walked to the bar, pouring whiskey into two glasses. He downed his in one swallow, then turned to face me.

"Sit."

"I would rather stand."

"I was not asking." His eyes were flat. Dead. "Sit down, Jenna."

I sank onto the nearest couch, my ribs protesting. Everything hurts. My body. My heart. My soul.

He stayed at the bar, studying me like I was a puzzle he wanted to break apart. "Tell me about the bruises."

"There is nothing to tell."

"Wrong answer." He poured another whiskey. "You have three seconds before I lose my patience. One."

"Colt, please-"

"Two."

"His name is Derek!" The words exploded out of me. "His name is Derek Monroe. I met him in Nevada two years ago. He seemed nice. Normal. By the time I realized what he was, it was too late."

"What is he?"

"A monster." My voice cracked. "He hits me when he is angry. He tracks my phone. He threatened to kill me if I left. So I left anyway. But he found me in Tucson three days ago and-" I touched my ribs, wincing. "I barely got away."

Colt set down his glass very carefully. Too carefully. "He is going to come looking for you."

It was not a question.

"Yes."

"Good." His smile was sharp. Deadly. "I want him to."

Fear spiked through me. "Colt, you do not understand. He is dangerous. He-"

"I run the Devil's Reign MC." He crossed to me in three strides, crowding me against the couch. "Do you know what that means? It means I own this town. It means when someone hurts what is mine, I make them bleed."

"I am not yours anymore."

"You were always mine." His hand cupped my jaw, thumb tracing the bruise on my cheekbone. "From the first day I saw you in Mrs. Henderson's history class. Remember that?"

I did. God help me, I did.

Sophomore year. I was the new girl, trying to be invisible. Colt Richardson was the boy every girl wanted and every guy feared. He sat behind me, kicked my chair, and said, "You have pretty hair."

I told him to leave me alone.

He grinned and said, "Not a chance."

"That was a lifetime ago," I whispered.

"You are right." His grip tightened. "That boy would have begged you to stay. Would have forgiven you for running. But he is gone, Jenna. I killed him the day you did not show up at that church."

"Then let me go. Please."

"No." He released me and stepped back. "You are staying here. In the compound. Under my protection. You do not leave without permission. You do not talk to anyone I have not approved. You belong to me now."

"You cannot just-"

"I can do whatever I want." His voice dropped to something dark. Dangerous. "You came back to my territory. That makes you mine by default. Unless you want to leave? Go back out there where Derek can find you? Because I promise, he will. Men like that always do."

He was right. I hated that he was right.

"How long?" I asked quietly.

"How long is it?"

"How long do I have to stay?"

"Until I say otherwise." He walked to the door, then paused. "There is a room upstairs. Second door on the left. Shower. Clean clothes in the closet. Someone will bring you food."

"Colt-"

He looked back, and for just a second, I saw the boy I loved. The one who held me when my father got drunk and mean. The one who promised we would escape this town together.

Then it was gone.

"Welcome home, Jenna," he said softly. "I hope it was worth it."

The door closed behind him with a final click.

I sat alone in that empty clubhouse and finally let myself cry. Not because I was trapped. Not because Derek was still out there hunting me.

But because the boy I loved was gone.

And the man who replaced him terrified me more than any monster ever could.

A phone buzzed somewhere in my jacket pocket. I pulled it out with shaking hands.

One new message. Unknown number.

"Found you. See you soon, baby. -D"

I stared at Derek's message until the screen blurred.

He knew. Somehow, he knew exactly where I was.

My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone. I should tell Colt. Show him the message. But the thought of facing those cold gray eyes again made my stomach twist.

The door burst open.

I jumped, shoving the phone into my pocket.

A woman strode in-tall, blonde, curves poured into tight jeans and a leather vest. Her patch read "Property of Razor." She looked me up and down like I was something stuck to her boot.

"So you are the famous Jenna." She set a plate of food on the table. "The girl who broke our president's heart."

"I did not mean to-"

"Save it." She lit a cigarette, blowing smoke toward the ceiling. "I am Candy. I run the girls here. Colt says you are staying, so we need to establish some rules."

"Rules?"

"Rule one: You do not talk to the members without permission. Rule two: You do not leave the compound without an escort. Rule three:" Her eyes went hard. "You do not mess with Colt's head. He is finally over you. Finally running this club the way it should be run. You screw that up, and I will make your life hell."

"I am not trying to mess with anyone."

"Good. Keep it that way." She headed for the door, then paused. "The shower is upstairs. You look like you need it."

The door slammed behind her.

I sat there, frozen, until my stomach growled. The food was simple-burger and fries-but I could not remember the last time I ate. I forced down half before my ribs screamed in protest.

The phone buzzed again.

"I can see the fence from here. Nice place. Lots of security. Won't matter. -D"

Ice flooded my veins.

He was here. Outside. Watching.

I ran for the door, yanked it open, and nearly collided with a solid chest.

Colt.

His hands shot out, gripping my arms. "Where are you going?"

"He is here." My voice came out strangled. "Derek. He is outside. He sent me messages-"

"Show me."

I fumbled for the phone, hands shaking so hard I almost dropped it. Colt took it, read the messages, and his expression went deadly calm.

"Razor!" he barked.

The big man from earlier appeared within seconds. "Boss?"

"Double the guards. Lock down the compound. No one in or out without my authorization." Colt's voice was steel. "And find me a white pickup truck. Nevada plates. The driver is male, thirties, probably watching the fence line."

"On it." Razor disappeared.

Colt pulled me back inside, kicked the door shut. "Why did you not tell me the second you got that message?"

"I was going to-"

"Liar." He backed me against the wall, his body caging mine. "You were going to run again. Just like you always do."

"No, I just-" The words died when I saw his face. Fury. Raw and barely controlled.

"Do you have any idea what I went through that day?" His voice was quiet. Dangerous. "Standing in that church. Waiting. My mother is crying. Your friends are whispering. And you were just gone."

"My father threatened to kill you." Tears burned my eyes. "He showed me his gun. Told me exactly how he would do it. I could not let that happen."

"So you saved me by destroying me instead?" His laugh was bitter. "Real noble, Jenna."

"I was eighteen! I was terrified!"

"And now?" His thumb traced my jaw. "Are you still terrified of me?"

Yes. But not the way he thought.

I was terrified of how much I still wanted him. How much I still loved him, even after everything.

"Colt-"

Glass shattered somewhere outside. Shouting erupted. Gunfire cracked through the night-sharp, brutal, final.

Colt's entire body went rigid. "Stay here."

"What is happening?"

"Stay. Here." He pulled a gun from his waistband, checked the clip. "Lock this door behind me. Do not open it for anyone except me. Understand?"

"Colt, please-"

He kissed me. Hard. Desperate. Nothing like the sweet kisses we shared as teenagers. This was possession. Claim. Warning.

Then he was gone.

I locked the door with shaking hands and backed away from it. More gunfire. Shouting. The roar of engines.

My phone buzzed.

"Come outside, Jenna. Or I start killing your new friends. You have sixty seconds. -D"

No. No, no, no.

Another message.

"Fifty seconds."

I looked at the locked door. Heard more shots fired. Someone screamed.

This was my fault. Derek followed me here. He was hurting these people because of me.

"Thirty seconds. Your choice, baby. You or them."

My hand reached for the lock before I could think. Before I could stop myself.

I knew what would happen if I went out there. Knew what Derek would do to me.

But I could not let innocent people die because I was a coward.

The lock clicked open.

I stepped into the hallway just as an explosion rocked the compound. The lights went out. Emergency reds kicked on, bathing everything in blood.

And at the end of the hall, silhouetted against the red glow, stood a figure I knew too well.

Derek smiled.

"There is my girl," he said softly. "Did you miss me?"

Behind him, I saw Colt round the corner, gun raised.

Their eyes met.

And I realized with horrible clarity that tonight, one of them was going to die.

Time stopped.

Derek stood ten feet away, his smile cold and familiar. Behind him, Colt's gun was already aimed at Derek's head.

"Step away from her," Colt said. His voice was death itself.

Derek laughed. "Or what? You will shoot me in your own clubhouse? In front of your girl?" He looked at me, and I saw the madness in his eyes. "Tell him, Jenna. Tell him what happens when people try to protect you."

My mouth was too dry to speak.

"Jenna." Colt's voice cut through my terror. "Get behind me. Now."

"She is not going anywhere." Derek's hand moved to his waistband. "Are you, baby? Because if you do, I will kill everyone in this building. Starting with the blonde in the kitchen. Candy, right? Pretty name."

"You son of-" Colt started forward.

"Ah, ah." Derek pulled out a detonator. Small. Black. His thumb rested on the button. "See this? There are three more explosives planted around your compound. One near the garage. One by the dorms. One in the bar where all your brothers are having their little meeting."

My legs nearly gave out. "Derek, please-"

"Please?" His voice turned sharp. "You left me, Jenna. You stole my car. My money. You made me look weak." He took a step closer. "Do you know what happens to men who look weak? They lose everything."

"I am sorry." The words tasted like ash. "I am so sorry. Just do not hurt them. Please."

"Then come here." He held out his hand. "Come with me. Right now. And I will let your biker boyfriend and his crew live."

"Do not." Colt's voice was a command. "Jenna, do not move."

But Derek's thumb pressed down slightly on the button. Not enough to trigger it. Just enough to show he meant it.

"Ten seconds," Derek said. "Then I blow this place to hell."

I looked at Colt. Really looked at him. Saw the boy who kissed me under the bleachers after football games. Who held my hand through my mother's funeral. Who promised me forever in a voice that did not know how to lie.

And I saw the man he became. Hard. Dangerous. A king in leather and steel.

"I am sorry," I whispered to him. "For everything."

I took a step toward Derek.

"Jenna, no-"

Derek's hand shot out and grabbed my arm, yanking me against him. The detonator pressed into my side.

"Good girl." His breath was hot against my ear. "Now we are leaving. You try anything, biker boy, and everyone here dies."

Colt's gun never wavered. "Let her go."

"Not a chance." Derek started backing toward the exit, dragging me with him. "She is mine. She has always been mine. You were just a stupid kid with stupid dreams."

"Colt." My voice broke. "Please. Let us go."

His eyes met mine. Steel and fury and something that looked like heartbreak.

Then he lowered his gun.

Derek laughed, triumphant. "Smart man. See, Jenna? He does not really care. If he did, he would have fought harder."

We were almost to the door when Colt spoke again.

"You are right about one thing," he said quietly. "I was a stupid kid with stupid dreams. But that kid is dead." His smile was terrifying. "And you just made a mistake coming into my territory."

"Your territory?" Derek scoffed. "Your territory is about to be rubble."

"Is it?" Colt tilted his head. "See, while you were busy making your dramatic entrance, my VP was checking your explosives. Turns out, they are fake. Just road flares and duct tape. Real cute."

Derek's arm tightened around me. "You are bluffing."

"Am I?" Colt's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then smiled. "Razor just confirmed. No explosives. No detonator. You are just a coward with a fake bomb and a death wish."

The world tilted.

Derek's hand shook against my side. "You are lying. You have to be-"

The door behind us exploded inward.

Razor and four other MC members poured in, guns drawn. Derek spun, jerking me in front of him like a shield.

"Stay back!" His voice cracked. "Stay back or I will kill her! I swear to God-"

"With what?" Colt walked forward slowly. Deliberately. "You have no explosives. No backup. No plan." He stopped five feet away. "You have nothing."

"I have her!" Derek's arm crushed my throat. "I have her, and you want her. So here is the deal. You let me walk out of here, or I snap her neck."

"Derek, please-" I choked out.

"Shut up!" He squeezed harder. Black spots danced across my vision. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Colt's expression went blank. Empty. "You know what? Go ahead."

Everything stopped.

"What?" Derek's grip loosened slightly.

"Snap her neck." Colt shrugged. "She left me once. Destroyed me. Why would I care if you kill her? Go ahead. Do it."

"Colt-" My voice was barely a whisper.

"In fact, you would be doing me a favor." He looked at me, and his eyes were dead. Completely dead. "One less problem to deal with."

Derek laughed, but it sounded wrong. Uncertain. "You are bluffing."

"Try me."

For three seconds, nobody moved.

Then Derek made his choice.

His arm loosened completely, reaching for something in his jacket. A gun. A real one.

And Colt moved.

Fast. Brutal. Perfect.

His fist connected with Derek's jaw. Derek stumbled back, and I fell forward. Razor caught me as Colt descended on Derek like a wolf on wounded prey.

"You want to hurt her?" Colt's voice was inhuman. "You want to put your hands on what is mine?"

His fists rained down. Again. Again. Again.

"Colt, stop!" I screamed. "You are going to kill him!"

"That is the plan."

Derek's face was already pulp. Blood everywhere. He was not even fighting back anymore.

"Colt, please!" I broke free from Razor, grabbed Colt's arm. "Please stop!"

He froze. First raised. Blood dripping.

Slowly, he looked at me.

And what I saw in his eyes made my soul ache.

"You are defending him," he said softly. "After everything. You are defending the man who beat you."

"I am defending you." Tears streamed down my face. "If you kill him, you will go to prison. And I cannot lose you again. Not like this."

Something flickered in his eyes. Then died.

He stood, leaving Derek broken and bleeding on the floor.

"Lock her in the room upstairs," he told Razor. "Post two guards. She does not leave. She does not talk to anyone."

"Colt-"

"And get that trash out of my clubhouse." He looked down at Derek with pure disgust. "Take him to the warehouse. I will deal with him later."

"You cannot just-"

He turned on me so fast I flinched. "You made your choice ten years ago when you ran. You made your choice tonight when you went to him. You do not get to make choices anymore, Jenna. I do." He leaned in close. "And I choose to keep you alive. Whether you like it or not."

Razor's hand closed around my arm.

As they dragged me upstairs, I looked back at Colt one last time.

He stood in the blood-soaked hallway, looking more alone than any person I had ever seen.

And I realized that coming back to Redemption Creek was not a mistake.

It was a curse.

One that might destroy us both.