Book Junkiez

(Riptide MC)

Motorcycle Club Romance

Date Published: June 13, 2025

Her ex wants her dead. I’ll make him wish he’d never been born.

Piper — Discovering my ex was heir to the Las Vegas mafia totally freaked me
out, but we parted as friends. Or so I thought. Now he wants me dead. I barely
made it out of my house alive. I knew I couldn’t go back, so I called my
father in Georgia for help. His solution? He sent a biker to bring me home.
Imagine my surprise when the biker turned out to be my one-night stand from a
few months back.

Beast — A one-night stand with a sassy stripper in Las Vegas left me wanting
more. I couldn’t get her out of my mind, so a few months later I went
back to find her. That didn’t go so well. She’d disappeared, with
no forwarding address. Fate’s way of telling me to forget her?

I was getting ready to head home to Georgia when Ace called and asked me to do
a favor for Riptide’s FBI contact. His daughter was in San Diego, and
some thugs were gunning for her. She needed protection and transportation. I
was close enough to offer both in a hurry. Turns out Fate has a sense of
humor. I’m not sure how happy my little stripper was when I showed up to
rescue her.

Warning: This book contains violence, adult situations, bad language, and a
very protective alpha male hero. It is part of the Riptide MC series but can
be read as a standalone. There is no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a
guaranteed happily ever after.

EXCERPT

Having a stripper in Vegas as your mom, you grow up fast. And cynical. All the
time I was growing up, my mom swore she had no idea who my father was, and I
believed her. I’d seen the endlessly changing parade of bed partners
while I was growing up. The list of possibilities for my father was probably
longer than the line up for free booze at a frat house party. When I turned
legal age, I did one of those DNA ancestry things, though, and I’d found
him.

An FBI agent. How ironic is that?

Turns out he was a pretty good guy though. He didn’t bat an eye when I
confronted him, just asked why he’d never heard of me before. I have a
feeling he already knew the answer to that one.

I wasn’t a “Daddy’s little princess” kind of girl —
too late to go down that road. He wasn’t the doting father type either,
so we got along okay. It helped that I lived in the West, and he lived in
Georgia. We’d only met in person once, but we kept in touch, and just
knowing I had one stable parent kind of made me feel almost normal. Almost.

Now it was time to find out just how much he cared. I tapped on his number in
my contact list and waited for him to answer.

“Hello, Piper. What’s up?” He sounded relaxed. Given the
time zone difference between coasts, he was probably settled in for the night
and watching whatever sport was currently being broadcast.

“Hey, Dad. Funny thing happened when I got off work tonight. Got a
minute to talk?”

“Sure.”

“Remember me telling you I’d been dating a guy named Drake, and it
didn’t work out so well?”

“Yeah. You’re not pregnant, are you?”

I rolled my eyes. “No. That would be really bad. See, what I
didn’t mention was the reason I bailed was because I found out Drake had
mob connections.”

“Mafia? Are you serious?” He didn’t sound relaxed anymore.
“Exactly what kind of connection are we talking about?”

I gulped. “He’s being groomed to take over his father’s
operations. As in he’ll be the next don. They run most of the illegal
activity in Vegas.”

Dead silence greeted my statement.

“Dad?”

“I’m here. Just trying to digest this. Ignoring the part where you
were dating a mafia kingpin, you split with that guy months ago, so what
happened tonight?”

“Someone tried to kill me. They said Drake ordered it.”

“That doesn’t make sense. He let you go and ignored you for
months. Why would he suddenly want you dead? No offence, but my experience
with those kinds of guys is they’re pretty casual about their affairs.
Once they’re done, they’re done and they move on, especially if
you were never involved in family activities.”

“Exactly what I thought we’d done. We said goodbye and both moved
on. I even took a gig in San Diego and left the area so I’m nowhere near
him. Haven’t seen him since the break-up. I have no idea what the hell
is going on, or why he suddenly wants me dead.”

“Did he ever discuss his business dealings with you, or did you ever
overhear anything you shouldn’t have?”

“No. I was clueless, until he suddenly decided to fess up. I had a
feeling he wanted out. He knew I wouldn’t hang around once I found
out.”

“Okay. We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to get you safe.
Where are you?”

I looked around. “Hiding under a willow tree a couple of blocks from my
house. Empty lot on the corner.”

“Right. I’m going to send someone to pick you up and bring you
here. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll call you back with details.”

“Thanks.” I let out a sigh of relief. Glancing down at my phone, I
realized it had been less than an hour since I’d left work. Amazing how
quickly life could change.

Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. Dad. I hit accept.

“Good news. One of the groups we use for security happens to have an
agent in your area. He should be there to pick you up in twenty minutes or so,
depending on traffic. Just a heads up, he’s on a bike. You okay with
that?”

“A bike, as in a motorcycle?”

“Yeah. He’s a big guy, lots of leather and tattoos. He looks a
little rough, but he’s decent and I told him to get you a helmet.
Luckily, he was out there on personal business and was just getting ready to
head back here to his home base. There’s a hamburger joint two blocks
east of your position. He’ll meet you there. I sent him a picture so
he’d recognize you. He’ll ask if you like the ocean. You answer
yes, but the riptides are dangerous. Got that?”

I knew the place he was talking about. I stopped in there occasionally for
takeout. Despite the shabby exterior they made damn good hamburgers. This was
starting to sound like a B-rated movie, though, with code phrases and
clandestine meetings. “Are you serious? About the ocean question?”

“You need some way to recognize each other. Code phrases work just fine
for that.”

“Okay. I got it. Yes, I like the ocean, but the riptides are
dangerous.” I paused. “Dad?”

“Yeah, Piper?”

“I appreciate this. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’m glad I can help.” He made a sound
halfway between a chuckle and cough. “Not like I have a ton of kids
running around, and we’re just getting to know each other.”

“Thanks anyway.” I stood up and brushed the dried grass and dirt
off my backside.

“Call me when you’re safe with Beast.”

“Beast?” That didn’t sound comforting.

“Just what the guys call him. He looks like someone you’d cross
the street to avoid. Might look scary if you don’t know him, so Beast.
He’s an ex-SEAL and they tend to come with muscles.”

“Okay. A beast on a bike.” I tried to sound cheerful. “Talk
to you soon.” Disconnecting the call, I slung my purse across my
shoulder. I tucked the phone into my hip pocket so I’d feel it if it
vibrated. It occurred to me that Drake had this number. Once I was safely out
of California, I’d have to do something about that.

The burger joint was packed, but I managed to squeeze into a booth toward the
back. I had a good view of the parking lot out the window, and anyone looking
for me would have a hard time seeing me through the crowd at the front.

I ordered fries and a coke. Having someone take shots at me had killed my
appetite but I needed to order something to justify taking up a table. I was
pushing the food around on the plate when the sound of a motorcycle penetrated
the chatter of the dinner time crowd.

The biker pulled his machine up to the front of the building and dismounted.
Dad was right. That guy was huge. Tossing his helmet onto the seat, he raked
his hands through his hair and grabbed a duffel bag from under a cargo net on
the back seat before heading inside. The door hadn’t closed behind him
before his gaze rested on me, pinning me in place.

Picking up a toothpick from the counter, he stuck it in his mouth like a
cigar. A grumpy frown marred his rugged features as he strode between the
tables to where I was sitting.

Shit. I knew that face. And that body as well, although there were a lot fewer
clothes on it the last time I saw it.

And the last time I’d seen him, his name was Johnny, not Beast.

He slid into the seat across from me, his gaze pinning me in place. “So,
how do you like the ocean, Piper?” he asked.

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.

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