This Time, The Serpent is Mine

I don't know how long I rode before I finally reached Gideon's clubhouse.

My leather jacket was coated in dust, and my hair was a tangled mess. I looked like a lone rider who had spent days tearing up the highway.

The new prospects guarding the entrance clearly thought so too. The moment they saw me, they swarmed, their expressions hostile.

But I was a former Marine. These rookies were no match for me.

Within seconds, I had them on the ground, my movements practiced and efficient.

I stood at the entrance of the clubhouse and yelled, "Where's your president, Gideon? Tell him to get his ass out here."

Before long, a sickly-sweet voice cooed from nearby. "Ugh, look at this stray. She's filthy. Gideon, get rid of her."

I looked up to see a delicate-looking woman wrinkling her nose in my direction as she whined to the man beside her. The man was tall and imposing, his expression a mask of cold indifference. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes.

"You must be Gideon," I said. "I'm Blake Maverick, your fiancée. This is the family token. Proof of our pact. Now, show me to a room where I can crash."

I tossed my backpack at him without a second glance at Cassie and strode straight past them.

"Gideon!" the cloying voice cried out again. "She has to be an imposter! How could a Maverick heiress be so coarse? Look at her—covered in dirt, hair like a bird's nest, and she reeks of motor oil... She looks like some fraud who stole the token."

"And you are?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Me?" She smiled, draping herself over Gideon's arm. "I'm Cassie. Gideon and I grew up together. I'm his childhood sweetheart. You'd better get lost before you embarrass yourself any further, you fake."

I snorted. "Oh? Childhood sweetheart?"

I raked my eyes over her, my gaze landing on the hand clinging to Gideon's arm. "Then why does the marriage pact name a Maverick and not you?"

"Well..." Cassie's face froze.

"Am I wrong?" I shrugged. "Or maybe you just think he cares, when he obviously couldn't give a damn?"

"You!" Tears welled in Cassie's eyes as she turned to Gideon. "Gideon, did you hear her? She's bullying me!"

Gideon finally spoke. "Enough."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that tolerated no argument. Everyone around us instinctively lowered their heads.

Everyone but me. I straightened my spine and met his gaze head-on.

His intimidating presence didn't work on me. It never had.

Gideon's gaze flickered to the prospects I'd taken down, then returned to my unflinching stare. Something shifted in his expression—surprise, maybe even a flicker of interest.

He pulled his arm free from Cassie's grasp, examined the family token I'd brought, and then spoke. "I received news of the marriage pact a few days ago. I expected to make the trip to pick you up. I didn't think you'd come on your own."

I grinned. "I couldn't wait."

The corner of his mouth twitched, the barest hint of a smile. "Then we'll hold a welcome party in three days."

"But Gideon—" Cassie protested.

I cut her off, my voice flat. "Shut your mouth, or I'll sew it shut for you."

Cassie bit her lip, shot me a venomous glare, and stormed off.

As she walked away, she muttered just loud enough for us to hear, "You'll regret this, Gideon. This woman doesn't deserve you."

After she left, Gideon turned to me.

"Follow me."

He picked up my backpack and helmet and started walking toward the back of the clubhouse in silence. I followed, knowing this quiet, reserved man would never voluntarily explain what had just transpired. No wonder Paige's life had been so miserable. With a manipulative bitch like Cassie around and Gideon's refusal to explain himself, of course she would suffer.

Too bad for them. I wasn't the type to suffer in silence. If I was happy, great. If I wasn't, I'd drag everyone down into the mud with me.