Chapter Twenty-Three

Jag

“Jag, we have a big fucking problem, man.” Lasso’s deep voice and southern twang sent a chill down my spine.

“What?” I stood in the doorway of the ballroom where Rocky promised me Vivi would be as she took down Blaise. The good news was that Blaise and his family were hurrying off the stage while his security and the event coordinators ran helter skelter trying to stop the images on the screen. I could tell they didn’t even know where they were coming from. That was my girl. But where was she?

“She’s not here,” Lasso said.

Rocky had promised she would be in the ballroom, which meant I just missed her.

“Max has eyes on Vivi with some brown-haired dude who looks like a cop.”

“Max? What the hell is he doing here?”

Lasso grinned. “You didn’t think we’d let you come alone, did you?” I had actually, but I was grateful that it wasn’t just me and Lasso.

“Shit.” Lasso had his phone glued to his ear. “He’s got her in a car. Black Nissan, Nevada plates.”

My heart stopped but my feet were already moving toward the door. To Vivi. “Shit, we need to move fast. Who knows where he took her? Or why?”

It was the whys that were driving me fucking crazy. If that dude was working for Rizzoli, then he’d hand Vivi over to that asshole and let him act out every sick fantasy he’d ever had.

“Fuck! If I’d just been there with her.”

“Jag, man come on. Worry about that shit later. Right now we need to get your girl.” Lasso clapped me on the back and we hauled ass to our bikes, Lasso still on the phone with Max who was close behind the car.

My phone rang but I was already speeding up Las Vegas Boulevard, so I tapped the headset in my helmet. “Yeah?” It was Vivi’s voice and a man’s. The man was angry.

“What the fuck do you care about a bunch of bikers? They’re scum.” His voice was dark and angry.

Vivi laughed. “You’re working with Rizzoli who’s the scummiest of all of them.” He made a strangled noise that pulled another laugh from Vivi. “Yeah Agent Ryan, you’re not the only asshole who can dig. No matter what you do to me, you’re in deep shit.”

He laughed. “You’re full of shit, little girl. If you had anything on me, you would’ve known who I was.”

“I did know. I just didn’t realize you were crazy enough to kidnap me in public. It’s a good thing I found those not-so-secret emails with Rizzoli about trying to start a gang war. And those payments for trafficking those poor young girls. And you know who appreciated it most of all? Agent Hewitt.”

There was a smack or maybe it was a punch, but if it was a punch I would fucking put him in the ground. Vivi’s grunt hit me right in the gut but my girl, she was too tough to cry.

“Bitch,” the Fed muttered under his breath.

“I’ve been called worse but I’m sure that’s what the boys in Cell Block C will call you when they pass you around, filling your tight little asshole with hot sticky come.”

I could hear the tremor of fear in her voice, so I knew the asshole Fed could too.

“Keep talking, bitch, and you’ll end up just another body in the desert.” He sounded serious and I hoped Vivi heeded his warning.

But of course she didn’t as she continued to give him shit. “Either way, you’re going down. Sure, you got me by showing up here at the casino, but the damage has been done. My guess is that right now your entire field office is searching for you. Probably already tracking this monstrosity.”

Damn, she was taunting that unstable asshole. Didn’t she realize he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate?

“You’re bluffing,” he accused.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I have contingency plan upon contingency plan. Do you?”

Vivi let out a grunt as that fucker landed another blow but it slowly morphed into a laugh. “Did you know your wife, Camille, is fucking the professor that lives two doors down from you? Probably you suspected, but did you know that she’s been fucking him since before little Adam was born?”

Stitch zoomed past us in the SUV with a wave, speeding so fast that we lost sight of him quickly. I nodded to Lasso and we sped up too, pushing the next half-mile until the Nissan came into view. And like the good fucking soldier he was, Stitch was in place ready to ram them off the road. He straddled both lanes while Vivi had Agent Ryan distracted. Stitch pitted the car, making it spin and kick up dirt until it came to a stop at a weird angle, nose first into the ravine.

Two gun shots sounded, and my heart stopped just as I dropped the kickstand on the bike and rushed to get Vivi. I was either going to rescue her or murder a federal agent. Either way, that motherfucker was dead. My feet moved faster than they had since I was a scrawny assed-kid running away from bullies, pulling her from the car and frantically checking her for injuries.

“Christ, Vivi. Say something.” She had a large gash on her forehead and her pulse was racing so I knew she was fine. “Dammit, Vivi!”

“Quit your bellyaching Jeremiah, I’ve got a massive fucking headache. You ever been hit with a gun?”

“Yeah. Hurts like a motherfucker, don’t it?”

“Even worse.” She smiled and only winced a little when I cupped her face to make sure she was all right.

“Nice wig. Maybe you can keep it?” It was inappropriate and the wrong timing, but it made her smile brighter and she opened her eyes.

“Blue?”

“I’m undercover.”

I smirked at her words and helped her stand. “You scared the hell out of me.” Vivi sagged against me, proof of just how much this whole day had affected her.

“Watch out, Jag!” I turned at the sound of Lasso’s voice, and sure enough, Ryan had his sights set on me or Vivi. Maybe both of us. His gun was already pointed at us, finger dancing with the trigger. I didn’t have enough time to get to my gun before he shot but Vivi didn’t think twice about pulling her blade and aiming it at Agent Ryan.

The knife sliced the air with a wicked zinging sound and landed in his gut.

“Cunt!” he barked, then grinned, lifting the gun again but not before shots rang out. Two of them, hitting him right in the chest, sending that asshole to hell where he belonged.

With a gasp, Vivi turned and a small smile lit her face. “Agent Hewitt, I presume?”

He nodded and walked closer to us. I pulled Vivi closer and slightly behind me. “I am. Nice to meet you Vivi and I’m sorry it took so long but bureaucracy can be a real bitch.”

“Thanks for the assist back there.” She began to sag against me even more as shock set in and the adrenaline began to wear off. Realizing her display of vulnerability, she stood straight. Shoulders squared.

“It’s me who owes you a thanks. That guy would’ve gotten me killed and probably a bunch of your friends, too.”

She nodded, skin looking paler by the second. When the EMS arrived and rushed to her, Vivi tried to brush them off. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Vivi, let him check you out. Please.”

She nodded and followed behind the paramedic. “I will but only because I’m feeling a little woozy,” she said, her voice breathless.

I followed, not liking how unsteady her legs were and the way her words began to drag. “Wait!” I ordered.

She turned with a smile. “You gonna carry me, Jag?”

“Damn straight.” My feet began to move as a shot rang out and everyone ducked. Everyone but Vivi, who looked at me in shock.

“Jeremiah, I think—” she looked down at her shoulder and the growing red circle and then back to me. “Damn.” Then she collapsed right before my eyes.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Vivi, even as shots flew out all around us. A crash sounded in the distance and more shots sounded but my concern was her.

“You have to move,” the EMS said as he shoved me aside, ripping Vivi’s jacket to get to the wound in her left shoulder.

They stopped the flow of blood and got Vivi on a gurney and into the ambulance. I sat beside her in the back, looking at the smoking red pickup truck smashed against a guardrail as we sped past on our way to the hospital.

Good fucking riddance.