Chapter 1 - Tank
The wind tears at my leather cut as I push the Harley harder down the county road. My patch "TANK" over my heart and the Iron & Blood insignia covering my back have seen better days, but they're still intact. Just like me.
The rustic wooden sign welcoming me to Sweetheart County seems like a bad joke as I roar past it. Nothing sweet about why I'm here. The text message from my baby sister Lilly still burns in my mind: *He won't leave me alone, Tank. I'm scared.*
That's all it took. Twenty hours on the road, stopping only for gas and the occasional protein bar. The club understood. Family first, always.
The fairgrounds appear ahead, a patchwork of colored tents and flashing rides against the afternoon sky. I can smell the mixture of fried dough, livestock, and cotton candy from here, precisely the kind of place Lilly loves and exactly the kind of place I'd normally avoid.
I ease off the throttle as I approach the entrance, ignoring the stares my bike and appearance attract. The parking attendant, a teenager with acne and a nervous smile, points me to a spot near the entrance.
"Five dollars," he stammers, trying not to stare at my tattoos or the visible outline of the knife strapped to my leg.
I hand him a ten.
"Keep it," I grunt, not waiting for his thanks as I swing my leg over the bike.
My boots hit the dirt, and I roll my shoulders to work out the kinks from the long ride. The fairground buzzes with activity—families with children, teenagers on dates, farmers showing prize livestock. Everyone seems carefree. Everyone except me.
I check my phone for the hundredth time. Lilly's last message reads: *Meet me by the ferris wheel at 3. Bringing Katty.*
Katty. Lilly's best friend since high school. I've heard the name for years but never met her. Lilly says she's the only one who believes her about her ex, Dylan. That makes Katty good people in my book.
The ferris wheel isn't hard to find. It towers over everything else, its colored lights already blinking despite the daylight. As I make my way through the crowd, people part like the Red Sea. I'm used to it. Six-foot-four, two-forty, covered in ink, with a face that hasn't smiled in years. I'm not exactly county fair material.
I spot Lilly before she sees me. My little sister, all grown up at twenty-three, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a sundress that makes her look younger than she is. She's laughing at something, her head thrown back, and for a second, I see the kid she used to be.
Then I see who's making her laugh, and my steps falter.
The woman beside Lilly is nothing like I imagined. In my mind, Katty was a carbon copy of my sister—small, blonde, delicate. The reality is something else entirely.
She's tall, with curves that her jeans and tank top don't hide, and wild dark hair that falls past her shoulders. When she turns, I catch sight of a half-sleeve tattoo on her right arm, intricate roses and thorns disappearing beneath her shirt.
But it's her smile that hits me the hardest. Wide and genuine, lighting up her whole face. I've seen a lot of smiles in my time, most of them fake or fear-based. Hers is neither.
Lilly spots me then, her face breaking into relief. "Tank!" she shouts, waving frantically.
I close the distance between us, and she launches herself at me. I catch her easily, holding her tight, feeling how small she still is in my arms.
"You came," she whispers against my chest.
"Of course I came," I reply, setting her back on her feet. "That's what big brothers do."
When I look up, Katty is watching us, her expression unreadable. Up close, she's even more striking—green eyes that seem to see right through me, a small scar bisecting her left eyebrow, full lips pressed together in assessment.
"So, you're the famous Tank," she says, her voice lower than I expected, a slight rasp to it. "Lilly said you'd come. I told her you'd probably break the sound barrier getting here."
There's no fear in her face as she looks at me, just calm appraisal. It's... unsettling.
"Katty," I acknowledge with a nod, extending my hand. "Thanks for looking out for my sister."
She takes my hand, her grip firm. "She'd do the same for me."
Lilly looks between us, something like relief in her eyes. "Now that you're both here, I feel better already." Her voice drops. "Dylan said he might show up today. That's why I wanted to meet here. Plenty of witnesses."
My jaw tightens. "Tell me everything about this asshole."
"Not here," Katty interrupts, scanning the crowd. "Too many ears. Let's walk."
