“Word on the street is he pissed off Viper.” Bill waggled a finger at her. “I hope you finally got the message not to get involved with him, or it will be you lying in the county morgue.”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’m done with outlaw bikers. I had my wake-up call last night.” Evie didn’t know where she stood with Zane, but she did know that a man who would hurt her once would do it again. And Viper … Well, no question that relationship was over.
“I had a wake-up call, too,” Bill said. “That’s why I’m here. I’m gonna tie up a few loose ends and then I’m taking some of those guns up to Great Falls. Got a Canadian buyer who can get them across the border. You’ll be in charge.”
“I think I’ll start off giving myself a raise.” Evie gave him a half smile. “Since I’ll be doing twice as much work.”
Bill laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. “You already do all the work. That’s how I can be as relaxed as I am. I know the shop will be in good hands.”
“Why are you still skimming, Bill?” She followed him to the door. “If Viper really killed one of his own men, imagine what he’s going to do to you. Is it really worth the risk?”
“Got nothing much in my life except the thrill of living on the edge.” Bill traced one of the worry lines on her forehead. “It’s a gamble, darlin’. Just like at the tables. Maybe I’ll win. Maybe I’ll lose, but at least I’ve enjoyed the game.”
The rumble of motorcycle engines reverberated around the building, and Bill paused, half in and half out of the shop. “Anyone expecting a client or six?”
“Two Man Crew are coming in today for a tune-up.” Stan called out. “I think they said they were bringing in five bikes.”
“Must be them.” Bill let out a relieved breath. “For a minute there I thought it was the Jacks. I’ll be in my office. Back in five to say goodbye.”
After he left, Evie headed to the paint rack for some matte black Honda paint. She tested the paint against the fender and waited for it to dry. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Something nagged at the back of her mind, and she felt a growing sense of unease. She checked her client book to see who was next on the list and made a few calls for pickups. After half an hour, she left her work and went to talk to Stan.
“Did Two Man Crew show up?”
“Not yet. They’re probably out front talking to Bill and Connie. They always buy new gear when they come in.”
“They’ve been out there a long time,” Evie said. “I’ll go check on them.”
She tidied her equipment away and then pushed open the shop door, her nose wrinkling as the familiar scents of paint and gasoline, morphed into the sharp, tangy odor of … blood.
A moan broke the stillness. The sound of rapid, panting breaths, the crack of flesh on bone. Bill. Shirtless and on his knees in front of the helmet display, his hands and feet tied, blood trickling down his chest. Black Jacks scattered around the shop. Connie. Near the rack of leather jackets. A Black Jack with his arm around her waist. One hand over her mouth.
Viper. Holding a knife in the air.
Everyone turned away from her, watching the show.
“Please.” Bill groaned. “I don’t know nothing about missing weapons. I swear it.”
Viper sliced the knife across Bill’s shoulder, leaving a thick red trail down to his heart. Bill shrieked, the pain in his voice stabbing through Evie’s chest. Without thinking, she ran for the cash register where Bill kept his shotgun.
“Morning, kitten. I was just coming in to see you.” Viper turned, wiped the sweat from his brow with bloody fingers, leaving a smear across his forehead. His dark, soulless eyes froze her mid-step. He sheathed his knife and stretched out his hand, gesturing her forward as Bill keened to the side.
“Please stop. Don’t hurt him anymore.” She saw no point asking why he was beating on Bill, or even pretending she didn’t know. Time was of the essence, the shotgun was in reach, and she had no interest in games.
Viper mocked a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid we have to hurt him. Then we have to kill him. He tried to cheat us and steal our weapons. No one disrespects the Jacks. I thought you got that message last night.”
Oh, she got the message. Loud and clear. He didn’t need the veiled threats to remind her that she’d made the biggest mistake of her life the night she agreed to that first date. She reached under the counter and felt around for the gun.
“Come give me a kiss, Evangeline.” He cupped his groin and made a lewd gesture with his hips. “Nothing gets a man off more than a good beating. And there’s no point looking for the weapon. Your friend already tried that, and you can see the result.”
Evie glanced over at Connie, spotted the bruise on her cheek, tears rolling down her face, her Big Bill’s shirt torn at the neck. Nausea roiled in her belly and she gripped the counter to hold herself up. “I know where the weapons are. If you let him go, I’ll take you there.”
“I gave you an order; I expect you to obey.” Viper snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor beside him, a thin smile gracing the merciless slash of his mouth. “Now. Or I’ll kill him in front of you.”
So this was the side he had hidden from her beneath a veneer of civility. His cold, dark, malevolent gaze sent a chill through her body, but not as much as the implacable resolve on his face. Bill was going to die unless she saved him. And yet, without a gun, what could she do?
She trailed her hand along the shelf under the counter as she walked, her fingers brushing papers, pens, and, finally, the packing knife Connie used to open boxes. She closed her hand around the wooden handle, and slid it under her sleeve, the five-inch serrated blade pressing against her wrist. It was nothing compared to the blade Viper carried, and she doubted she would be able to do much damage, but maybe she could cause enough of a distraction to call for help.
“Please.” She begged when she reached him. “Don’t do this.”
“There’s a good kitten.” Viper put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Evie bent as far back as she could, trying not to touch his shirt, even as the acrid scents of blood, sweat, and leather assailed her nostrils. But Viper tightened his grip and pulled her closer, grinding his erection into her stomach. Evie fought back the bile that rose in her throat. God, the violence turned him on.
“After I’m done here, I’m going to take you back to the clubhouse and I’m gonna fuck you the way I wanted to fuck you when I first saw you out in your shop.” Viper threaded his hand through her hair and yanked her head back. “I wanna hear my name on your lips when you scream, kitten. And then I wanna hear you scream just for fun.”
“I thought you wanted me because I was different from the others.” Evie wondered how much of this was posturing and how much was real. She couldn’t reconcile the beast of a man who held her now with the charming biker who had wined and dined her over the past four weeks.
“But you’re not,” he said. “You made the wrong choice last night when you got on that Sinner’s bike. I did warn you, sweet Evangeline. Now I’m gonna have to beat that sweet outta you, which is the last thing I wanted to do. You’ll wind up as hard and rough as an old lady, and I already got one of those.”
“You have an old lady?” She looked at him aghast and laughter erupted from Viper’s chest.
“Yeah, I got an old lady. And a clubhouse full of sweet butts to soothe the ache from playing games with you. Did you think you were the only one? Or that you could get me all wound up and then walk away? Man like me has needs, kitten. Booze, drugs, women, sex, and goddamn justice for what the Sinners did.”
Evie swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I told you last night … I’m not with them.”
He pulled her hair so hard she feared he would rip it from her scalp. “That why you jumped on that Sinner’s bike last night, Evangeline? After I laid my claim, and made it clear that you belonged to me, you invited him over for a quick fuck anyway? You think I wouldn’t be watching? I’d say that’s cheating, but to be f
air, I hadn’t fucked you yet so maybe you didn’t understand. I’ll be taking care of that problem right after I take care of your boss.” He took her mouth in a bruising kiss, his teeth scraping over the tender skin of her lips, his tongue ravaging her mouth until she fought for breath.
“That damn pussy you’ve been keeping under lock and key better be as sweet as your fucking mouth.” He held her against him and drew a weapon from beneath his cut. “Now stay right here while I teach Bill what happens when you fuck with Jacks.”
She turned her head, gasping. “I’ll come with you if you let Bill go.”
“Only place Bill is going is to ground,” he growled. “And you’re going with me because I say. There is no negotiating.”
“No!” Heart pounding, she slid the knife from her sleeve and plunged it into his shoulder.
“Fucking bitch.” Viper shoved her away and ripped out the knife. His face contorted in a snarl and then he tossed the knife to the side and stalked toward her. Evie scrambled to her feet, but before she could run, he was on her, his hand around her throat, his body coming at her like a freight train. He slammed her up against the wall so hard, her vision blurred and then he pressed his lips to her ear, keeping his voice so low only she could hear. “Why the fuck did you do that? Why? I thought you learned your lesson last night. Nothing you do is gonna change the fact that Bill’s a dead man. And now I gotta punish you and I gotta do it in front of my men or I lose face ’cause I got stabbed by a fucking bitch. I didn’t want this, Evangeline. I wanted you the way you were when I met you. Sweet, soft, and untainted. Now I gotta break you, and when I do, what I wanted from you is gonna be fucking gone.”
Sweat trickled down her breasts and she heard Connie sob. He seemed totally unaffected by the stab wound, although blood seeped through his shirt. With a disgusted snort, he released her neck and then shoved her forward until she was only a few feet away from Bill.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered when Bill looked up at her, his eyes glazed over with pain. “I tried.”
“S’okay.” His voice cracked. “Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Take care of my store, love. Look after yourself.”
The crack of the gunshot came so close she caught her breath, stiffened. Bill slumped to the ground and Evie screamed, her knees shaking so hard, she would have fallen if Viper hadn’t grabbed her with his free hand.
“Love that sound,” he murmured.
She didn’t know if he was referring to the gun or her scream, but either way she wanted his filthy, murdering hands off her. She twisted in his grasp, only to find herself facedown on the counter, her hands pinned behind her back.
“Your turn for punishment, kitten.” Viper leaned over her, pressing her hips into the counter with the weight of his body. “What’s it gonna be? My dick or my belt. Either way, you’ll be getting both by the end of the night, but the boys here need to see what happens when you disrespect your man.”
“Go to hell.”
“You might want to do as the lady asks.” T-Rex stepped through the door to the shop with a semiautomatic rifle in each hand. “Get away from her. She’s Sinner property.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Viper’s face. He pulled Evie up and held her in front of him like a shield. “This doesn’t involve you, pup. And put those guns away before you shoot off your fucking dick. She’s my property. I marked her and right now I’m gonna fuck her. You want in on the action, stand in line.”
“Let her go.” T-Rex leveled his weapons and Evie squeezed her eyes shut. She had no idea if T-Rex was a good enough shot to hit Viper and miss her, but she hadn’t missed the brief flicker of indecision in his face, and she suspected Viper hadn’t missed it either.
“You know what I’m gonna do with her after I’m done here?” Viper taunted. “I’m gonna take her back to the clubhouse, chain her to my bed, and fuck her till she’s all used up. Then I’ll give her to my boys to play with. There’s nothing they like better than sweet, used civilian pussy.”
“She’s got a kid. Take me instead.”
“No!” Evie stared at him in horror. “Don’t. Please. I can take care of myself.”
“Shut it, girl.” Viper clamped a hand over Evie’s mouth. “You got a name, junior patch?”
“T-Rex.” The guns wavered in his hands and Evie’s heart sank. He couldn’t pull the trigger, couldn’t cross the line that Zane had clearly managed to cross. And Viper knew it.
“T-Rex.” Viper chuckled. “I like it, although you don’t look like a T-Rex to me. Well, T-Rex, why the hell would I want a junior patch with more balls than brains?”
“We got your old lady.”
“Hmmm. And you think they’ll trade her for you?”
Oh, God. Viper was actually considering the trade. She clawed at Viper’s hand, trying to get her mouth free to warn T-Rex not to deal with Viper, to run while he still had the chance.
Please don’t sacrifice yourself for me.
“What do you think, kitten?” Viper’s breath in her ear sent a chill down her spine. “Can you wait another day for my dick? ’Course by then I’ll have been fucking hard for you for so long, I won’t be able to go slow and gentle. We’ll have to skip the foreplay and get straight to the tears and screaming.”
Evie shook her head, but Viper caught her earlobe between his teeth and bit, stilling her. “I’ll bet if I took my hand off your mouth,” he murmured against her ear, “you’d beg me to fuck you to save him. But this will be so much more fun. I get a Sinner to play with in my dungeon, and then I get to hunt you down all over again and make a sinner of you, too. Nothing is more exciting than the chase.” He released her and pushed her away so hard, she stumbled toward Connie.
“Today’s your lucky day, T-Rex. You got a deal.”
“No. I don’t want this. I don’t agree.” Evie moved to intercept T-Rex, and Viper yanked her back by the hair.
“Bitches don’t deal. Now shut the fuck up and appreciate what young T-Rex has done for you. Gotta respect a man who will sacrifice his life to save a woman who doesn’t even belong to him.”
One of the Jacks took T-Rex’s weapons and two more grabbed his arms.
“T-Rex!” Evie lunged toward forward as they dragged him through the store. “I’ll call Jagger. He’ll get you back. I’ll make him do the trade.”
“There won’t be any trade.” Viper tucked his weapon into his holster. “I don’t give a damn about the old lady. If the bitch is stupid enough to get herself caught, then I’ve got no place for her in my club. Jagger can do whatever he wants with her.”
“But … that was the deal.”
“The deal was him for you,” Viper said. “What I do with him is my business. And the deal was for today. Nothing was agreed about tomorrow when I’m coming for you. He bought you a day, kitten. Better enjoy it.”
He brushed past her and jerked his chin at the remaining Jacks. “Burn the shop down.”
“No!” She stared at him aghast. “Please. It’s all I have to make a living.”
“After tomorrow, you won’t need a job.” Viper licked his lips and the darkness in his eyes made her skin crawl.
“You’ll be making a living pleasuring me.”
TWELVE
When repairing a bike, always expect the unexpected. This goes for life, too.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
Zane saw the smoke before he saw the flames, a great pillar of black rising up into the clear blue sky. Already pushing one hundred miles an hour, he accelerated his bike down the highway and prayed they weren’t too late. Jagger matched his speed, and in the distance he could hear the rumble of the Sinner bikes behind them.
Thank fuck for T-Rex. He had been the first to volunteer when Zane had put out a call for brothers to watch Evie’s house last night, and he must have followed her to the shop. How else would he have been able to send that warning text?
Viper and 6 Jacks at Big Bill’s. Evie in danger.
Within minutes,
Zane had rounded up every brother in the clubhouse and then he hit the road at full throttle. He could only hope T-Rex hadn’t done anything rash. The junior patch had courage beyond his years but often his sense of honor and duty were misguided in the context of the biker world. More than once he’d questioned T-Rex’s decision to follow the outlaw life.
The world became a blur as he raced toward the burning shop. Was this Viper’s payback for the restaurant, or something else? The Sinners had no ties to Big Bill’s business except through Evie.
A wave of heat hit him as they pulled into the parking lot. The fire was well and truly out of control, no doubt accelerated by the gasoline in the bikes, and the various paints and lubricants in Evie’s shop. Sirens wailed in the distance, and Zane’s heart thrummed in his chest. Evie’s car was at the far end of the parking lot alongside T-Rex’s bike, safe from the flames. But where were they?
“Evie!” He parked his bike and ran toward the burning building.
“T-Rex!” Jagger headed to the back of the garage at a safe distance from the flames.
Zane took a step forward with every intention of running inside, but the flames surged as he approached and part of the roof caved in, crashing into the building.
“Evie.” Over and over again, he called her name, until his voice was hoarse and his face singed with soot. Jagger emerged from the opposite side of the building, just as the rest of the Sinners pulled into the parking lot.
“I didn’t see anyone, and the fire is spreading into the trees,” he said. “Too hot to get in. Maybe she left with Connie.”
“What about T-Rex?” Zane scrubbed his hands over his face. “He would never go anywhere without his bike.”
Two fire engines pulled up across the street and Zane ran over to the driver. “You got a spare suit? I worked for the fire department in Sioux Falls. There may be people inside. I’ll go take a look.”
“No extra suits, and even if we did, we couldn’t let you go in.” The fireman gave him a sympathetic look. “Legal issues, first of all, and it’s too far gone. You wouldn’t make it.”
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