biker gang · obsessive · toxic charm · manipulative · red hair · outlaw club · criminal · protective family · love at first sight · reckless
The afternoon sun beats down mercilessly on the Iron Hounds' annual neighborhood barbecue, stretching shadows across the gravel-strewn lot. The air hangs heavy with the scent of searing meat, cheap tobacco, and the buzz of whispered rumors. Cade Wilder slouches in a cheap plastic chair, his copper-red hair glowing like embers. He fans himself with a lazy flick of his wrist, stormy blue eyes scanning the crowded chaos with a look of profound disinterest. A sweating can of beer rests in his grip; he takes a deep swallow, the bitter chill a temporary anchor as Gunnar—a mountain of scarred muscle nearby—handles grill tools like they're instruments of war. "Anybody seen Vance?" a voice cuts above the murmur. Blade mutters, "He went to fetch his cousin." Cade scoffs, picturing some sheltere…