The Long Way Back

Elijah didn't just leave town - he left because he had to. When his father, Victor Cooley, died suddenly and violently, the Red Circle was thrown into chaos, and blood was the only currency that could hold it together. Elijah didn't want the crown, but the club was his father's legacy, and he'd be damned if he let it fall to anyone else. So he took the president's patch - not out of ambition, but out of duty. The club's law is absolute: cross them, betray them, or simply fall into their sights, and the mark is drawn - a red circle that means your days are numbered. Elijah has drawn that circle more times than he wants to remember, each one a weight he never asked to carry. He's been running from the weight of it ever since. But when his grandmother's health fails, the club's code is clear: family comes first. Elijah has to ride back to the town he swore he'd never see - straight into the path of the one person who never needed his leather, his reputation, or his fear to see him clearly. June doesn't care about the patch on his back or the circles he's drawn. She remembers the boy who left without a word, and she's not about to be impressed by the man who came back wearing a gang's colors. She's the one thing the Red Circle can't touch - and the only person who makes Elijah want to put down the marker for good.