Chapter 1

• Olivia let herself into her apartment and dropped her bag on the floor as she closed the door, locking it behind her. It had been one of those days, and she only wanted a glass of wine and a hot bath. She grabbed the bottle off the counter, not even bothering to get a glass as she headed for the bathroom and kicked off her shoes.
• Maybe a good session of self-love would help get her mind off things. Some bubbles and candles...a dirty little fantasy and an orgasm… yes, that sounds lovely, she thought as she started the water and poured in a generous amount of bubble bath before pulling her phone out of her pocket and setting it on the edge of the tub while she stripped down, tossing her clothes in the hamper.
• She rolled her eyes as her phone buzzed, assuming it was her mother once again demanding to know how her article was coming along for the weekly paper she ran. Olivia always wanted to be a journalist, and right after graduation, she was offered a job at the Herald, which she jumped at immediately. She felt proud to have the career she preferred, even if it was for her mother.
• However, Olivia soon learned that as overbearing as Amy could be as a mother, it didn’t even compare to her as a boss who shared the same name as her mother. Boss Amy is terrifyingly formidable, relentless and demanding in her pursuit of a story with no care or qualm as to whom she may hurt, or anger, or offend. Honestly, how Olivia has managed to work for her as long as she has is a mystery in itself, one that not even she has the answer to.
• But now, eight years later, the news in their town has gone stale. A big difference from when Olivia had started, and the town had been hopping with stories and scandals, from murders to cults to gangs and corruption. Now all that remained was one gang, the Bozers, or Bridge trash, as her mother so lovingly coined them, while ignoring that she herself had grown up on the Bridge and had, in her youth, been a part of their group.
• And even though they were more of an MC than anything else now, her mother’s disdain for them has not wavered, and she continues her never-ending mission to bring them down, completely dismissive of the fact that, at least to Olivia’s knowledge, they don’t really do anything wrong. But harmless or not, Amy had fabricated enough shit over the years to get the entire town thinking they were some evil force out to ruin Parkstone and corrupt their children.
• Olivia disagreed with her mother and therefore stayed far away from any news about the Bozers. She didn’t want any part in defamation and written lies. She left that to her mother. Besides, Olivia kind of liked the Bozers. Granted, she didn’t know any of them and had never interacted with them, but they thrilled her. In a town full of pretentious idiots, they were unabashedly rebellious and greatly enjoyed being shit disturbers. They were real; they did what they wanted and didn’t care what anybody thought, and Olivia was jealous of their freedom to live life how they saw fit.
• Olivia wasn’t sure what turned her mother against them as Amy had always refused to talk about her past, especially when it came to the Bozers, but what Olivia did know...was that their leader, Ace Walker, was hot as hell, and there wasn’t a woman in Parkstone that didn’t lust after him in one way or another. He was the epitome of the bad boy fantasy, dark and dangerous with an air of mystery; and the fact that he was basically walking sex wrapped up in leather and sat atop a Harley definitely worked in his favor.
• She had seen him earlier in the day when he had rolled into the HotSpot parking lot with all his buddies. They were standing around their bikes when she had left the diner with her and her mom’s lunch, and she had watched him as he leaned against his bike; booted feet crossed at the ankles, leather clad arms crossed over his chest, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and that ridiculous hat he always wore on his head. He was a perfect combination of scary and sexy, and when he’d caught her looking, his mouth had quirked up in a smug smirk, making her flush red as she glanced away and hurried to her car. She had felt his eyes on her as they followed her out of the parking lot, and she was sure he knew exactly what she had been thinking.
• Yes, Ace Walker was a great illusion...but in reality, completely unacceptable.
• She was still too controlled to let herself go crazy. Too worried about how others will see her. Something that her mother had drilled into her since birth.
• Always be at your best. Never let people see you crumble under pressure. Stand up straight. Control your thoughts. Control your actions. Control, control, control.
• Maybe one day Olivia would get out of this shitty town and be a real journalist somewhere else. Or maybe just be whatever, somewhere else. Olivia didn’t know why she stayed in Parkstone; there was nothing really keeping her here besides her friends, whom she loved and liked having so close, and her mom of course, who, despite her craziness and control, loved her and she loved in return. Maybe one day, she’d break free and run from this hell hole.
• Olivia lit some candles and turned off the light, leaving the bathroom in a peaceful glow as she lowered herself down into the bubbles. She leaned back and grabbed the bottle of wine, pulling the stop and taking a long drink before settling it on the edge. Getting drunk sounded good too. Something she only ever did in the privacy of her apartment when she knew she wouldn’t be seeing anybody. Got to keep up appearances, Olivetta. God, she was pathetic.
• Her phone buzzed again, and Olivia rolled her eyes, grabbing it to see what her mother wanted, her brow raising in surprise as she noticed two different message notifications on her screen. The first was her from her mother, of course, which she dismissed, but the second was from a number she didn’t recognize, and she swiped to open the message.
• Finally, got that poem you wrote tattooed on my side.
• “Picture file attached…”