Tracey spent the next hour unleashing her frustrations on the man who had taught her that her body, though small, was a weapon, not a battering ram. With every strike, every knee and kick, she shattered those ridiculous dirty dreams, regaining her resolve to show Diesel Black exactly where she stood.

Later that afternoon, she took her time picking out the perfect outfit to solidify her plan, settling on a red-and-black plaid miniskirt, a black Whiskey Bro’s T-shirt with capped sleeves, and her favorite black chunky lace-up boots, which Izzy had given her last Christmas. She added the leather bracelet she’d splurged on at the spring festival and sat down on the edge of her bed to make the phone call she’d been putting off all day.

Tracey’s stomach knotted as she navigated to Red’s contact information. Once she made the call, everything between her and Diesel would change. She was stepping out from beneath his protective wings. She tried to imagine a world in which he wasn’t always looming over her. She knew she could handle herself, but there was no denying the nervousness moving through her. She drew upon what Lior had taught her, that strength came from within. If she didn’t believe in herself, how could anyone else?

Gathering her courage like a cloak, she made the call.

“Hi, Tracey. How are you, sweetheart?”

Red’s warm greeting brought a pang of guilt. Red had become the mother Tracey had missed so desperately, doling out hugs and advice, making sure she knew her door was open anytime, day or night, and always—always—having Tracey’s back, which was more than Tracey could say for her own mother. Although that wasn’t a fair assessment. If Tracey had learned anything in the past few years, it was that she was responsible for her own decisions. She knew exactly what she’d been giving up when she’d walked out of her mother’s house six years ago.

She pushed those thoughts away, focusing on the conversation ahead. She knew the Dark Knights watched out for everyone, and she hoped Red wouldn’t take what she had to say the wrong way. “I’m well, thanks. How are you?”

“Doin’ great, hon. Bear and Crystal were here with Axel, and we had a wonderful visit.” Bear and his wife, Crystal, had named their baby boy after Biggs’s youngest brother, Bear’s late uncle and mentor, Axel. “I still can’t believe he’s a year old already. It’s funny how the little ones are getting older, but I just stay thirty-five forever.” Red laughed. She was a young Sharon Osborne lookalike, from her short red hair to her penchant for wearing black, and she had the energy of a woman half her age. She babysat all her grandchildren—biological and surrogate, like Hail, Kennedy, and Kennedy’s younger brother, Lincoln.