Riptide MC (#1)
Motorcycle Club Romance
Date Published: 1/3/25
Publisher: Changeling Press
Someone took a shot at my Emma – and signed his own death warrant. No one hurts my woman and lives.
Emma:
After witnessing a cold-blooded killing, I run to the only person I can think of who can protect me. Ace is my high school fantasy turned big bad biker. Did I mention sizzling, sexy, and hot? He’s everything I know I should stay away from, but his touch makes me melt and when his lips devour mine, I forget why I shouldn’t let him near me. But he’s more than just a one-night stand. He makes me feel safe. Loved. Wanted. All the things I’ve never had -- and that’s addictive as hell. Ace makes it clear he wants to claim me, make me part of his biker family, and keep me by his side. And I want him. Forever.
Ace:
I’ve always had a thing for Emma, but back in high school, she dated my little brother. So I moved on. Joined the Navy SEALs. Re-upped a few times, but when that last mission went south, I knew it was time to bail. Feeling lost and adrift, I came home. And patched into the Riptide MC. Finally felt like I had a home and a family. I didn’t think life could get any better. A knock on my door in the middle of the night changed everything. Emma fell into my arms, terrified and wounded. Some asshole shot my Emma. He may not know it yet, but he just signed his own death warrant. Once I’ve taken care of her, I’m going to convince Emma to stay with me. Forever.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024 Anne Kane
Emma
It was midnight by the time I left work. My shitty excuse for a car had crapped out on me yesterday and transit didn’t run this late, so I had to walk home. Short enough walk, but this wasn’t the safest part of town for a woman alone to traverse after dark. I knew better than to take the shortcut through the park, especially at night. The bad guys came out when the sun went down, clinging to the shadows in the park as they went about their illegal activities. Drug deals, illicit arms sales and who knew what else. Still, that route would cut the length of my walk in half, and after slinging drinks at the bar all night, the temptation was too much to resist.
My aching feet won the argument with my common sense, and I risked it.
It was dark under the towering trees. The heavy branches blocked out the majority of the moonlight, making it feel eerily like the setting of a horror movie. More than half of the lights on the concrete path had been knocked out by kids throwing rocks. I stepped up my pace.
I was halfway through the park when the sound of a gunshot rang out loud in the still night air. I jumped, automatically turning toward the sounds.
In the clearing off to my left side stood a big guy holding a gun. He had it pointed at another guy who had a splash of red spreading from a hole in his chest. The shooter took two more shots, hitting the other guy right between the eyes. The victim crumpled to the ground as blood and brains splattered from the back of his head. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. A thin trickle of blood trailed from the corner of his lips and splashed the ground. In the light of the full moon, I could see the life fading from his eyes as he stared at the man holding the smoking gun.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, desperately trying to stifle a scream. I wasn’t successful. I stood rooted to the spot, my mind trying to process the horror of what I’d just witnessed.
The murderer swiveled and looked straight at me. He was a huge monster of a man, with tattoos covering every available inch of skin on his heavily muscled arms. His chest was wide, and no doubt just as muscled beneath a skintight shirt.
His eyes were cold and hard as he brought the gun around and pointed the deadly weapon straight at me.
Survival instinct kicked in. I turned and ran.
Shots rang out behind me. One. Two. The bullets went wide, the shooter’s aim hindered by the moving target.
Me.
I was the moving target. He was trying to kill me. The third shot scorched a fiery path across my side. When I brought my hand down to my ribs, I could feel sticky dampness oozing from a ragged hole in my jacket. A coppery smell filled the air. Blood.
No time to stop and assess the damage. That wasn’t a warning shot -- it was meant to kill. Hopefully, that was a regulation gun, with a six-shot magazine like you see in the movies. Three shots to commit murder, and three fired at me. The asshole was going to have to reload before he could finish me off.
Enough time for me to escape? I had to hope so. One hand pressed to the throbbing wound on my side, I plunged into the heavy shrubs lining the pathways. I’d be an easier target if I stayed on the paths. Better to get a few scratches. At least it was too dark away from the path to follow the trail of blood I was undoubtedly leaving behind.
The murderer didn’t waste any time coming after me. His progress was marked by heavy thumps of his boot as he charged down the path. Hopefully he hadn’t seen me dart into the bushes. “You can’t escape, you little bitch,” he snarled. “You’re pissing me off, and that’s going to make it worse when I catch up. Give up now and I’ll take it easy on you.”
I doubted that. Considering I’d just watched him kill someone in cold blood, he wasn’t likely to pat me on the head and send me on my way. I paused and crouched down beside a flowering shrub. My heart beat so loud it was a miracle he couldn’t hear it. Looking around, I tried to figure out the shortest way out of the park.
“Did you see which way she went?”
“No, but she didn’t pass us, so she must be heading for the road.”
Shit! There were two of them. I hadn’t seen a second man, but then again, I hadn’t stuck around long enough to take in details.
“Makes sense. We need to stop her.” The sound of branches snapping filled the air.
About the Author
Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all with a happily ever after.
She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when she’s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar, singing and of course, reading.
Contact Links
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