No vigilantism and no heroics. Threats to the club and its members will be dealt with by the club as a whole. No one goes it alone.
Last night in Conundrum.
Maybe.
Arianne sat at the counter in Banks’s newly renovated bar and fiddled with her bike key. Slipping away in the early hours of the morning while Jagger slept was the hardest thing she had ever done, but she needed time to think. Last night hadn’t been planned. At first, she’d just meant to say good-bye, but when Jagger walked into the bedroom, and she’d seen her own hurt and confusion reflected in his handsome face, she realized parting ways wouldn’t be so easy.
So she’d given him her trust. A test. And she’d never felt safer in her entire life than when she’d been bound in his arms.
“You gonna stare at that key all night, or you gonna do something useful like work the bar?” Banks threw an apron on the counter. “I have thirsty customers who need drinks. If you don’t get back to work in ten seconds, you’re fired.”
Arianne laughed. “You can’t fire me. I already quit.” Then her smile faded. “I’m going tonight. I called my trucker friend, and he’s meeting me in Whitefish. I’m going to hide in the secret compartment of his truck, and he’ll take me right across the border. Not as good as a passport, but he’s smuggled people before, and this is going to be his last run because he’s retiring next month. He even has a friend who can sort out some paperwork for me in exchange for some mechanic work.”
Banks looked unimpressed. “Thought you were made of stronger stuff.”
She shoved the apron out of the way and glared. “I thought you, of all people, would understand. I’m leaving my friends, my life, my job … everything.”
“Runnin’ away.”
“I am not running away.” She slapped the counter, startling herself at the intensity of her emotion. “Leaving Conundrum has always been my dream. You know that.”
Banks slid the apron over her neck. “It was your dream when you had no options. Now you do. Jeff is outta the picture and you got Jagger to watch your back. Your friends are here. Your work is here. That tiny place you call an apartment is here. What are you looking for out there that’s so much better?”
“You aren’t a biker like me. You couldn’t possibly understand.” She slid off the stool, pushing past him as she rounded the bar. She had some time before the rendezvous. Might as well earn a little cash. Better than having an uncomfortable discussion with someone who hadn’t lived the life.
He looked up and his lips twitched in a smile. “I understand that’s the first time you ever called yourself a biker.” Seemingly pleased with himself, he winked and headed past the bar toward the stockroom.
“By the way, I’m only working the bar ’cause I feel sorry for you with your bruised-up face,” she called out as he pushed open the door. Her fault. Banks was hurt because of her. Another reason why leaving was the right thing to do. So why wasn’t she already gone?
He looked back over his shoulder. “Fired again. I’ll be up to my eyes in damn paperwork ’cause of you.”
“Someone is in a bad mood tonight.” Arianne looked up when Dawn slid her tray across the counter and handed her a drink list.
“He’s upset you’re leaving.” She forced a smile, but her voice wavered. “So am I, but I’ll just tell you to your face.”
“I have to leave, Dawn. What Jagger did to Banks was pretty unforgivable. I know he did it to protect me, but that’s the kind of protection I don’t need.”
“You still don’t get it.” Dawn ran a hand through her soft, blonde curls. “Yes, Jagger would do anything to protect you. But he’ll also stand with you. That night Axle crashed my birthday party and you pulled your gun on him, Jagger was beside you. He could have taken over, but he didn’t. And that was a hell of a message. You had his support and he would kill anyone who hurt you, but it was your damn show.”
Arianne smiled. “He was furious because I wouldn’t hide in the kitchen where it was safe.”
“But he respected you for taking a stand,” Dawn said. “You’re his equal and he knows it. Viper knows it, too. You and Jagger together must be his worst nightmare. He could barely deal with each of you alone. Now you’ve found the part of yourself you lost chasing after something that was always here. You always had the strength to carve out any kind of life you wanted. Jagger just makes it that much easier. Having him by your side only makes you stronger; it doesn’t take anything away.”
“When did you get so smart?”
Dawn’s eyes lit with a warm glow. “Observant, not smart. And I’ve got a particular weakness for watching people fall in love.”
Love? Arianne didn’t know much about love but she did know Dawn was right about one thing. She was stronger, physically and emotionally. Only a few months ago, she would never have had the confidence to stand up to Viper, shoot Leo, or hit the president of the Sinner’s Tribe MC with a pool cue to save her friend. At sixteen years old, she’d found her way around the biker code and forced Viper to let her go. If she really wanted to be with Jagger on equal terms and spare Jeff’s life, she’d find her way around those rules again.
Whatever you want; whatever you need, I’ll find a way. Jagger’s words drifted through her mind. Maybe he’d been telling her he would find a way, too.
A cough drew her attention, and she looked up and smiled. “Wheels.”
He didn’t return her greeting. “I gotta talk to you. It’s important.” He glanced around the bar, and then gestured to the stockroom. “You got a minute? Can we talk back there?”
“Sure.” Her pulse kicked up a notch as she led him into the stockroom. Was this a trap? An ambush? Had Jagger sent Wheels and his men to take her back? She felt the familiar weight of her .38 on her lower leg and her tension dissipated. Although not an easy draw, the gun was there if she needed it.
“What’s wrong?” She turned to face Wheels, carefully positioning herself with her back to the wooden shelving, and within steps of the door.
Wheels raked a hand through his blond hair, his face haggard with worry. “It’s Jagger. Viper’s got him. I know you’re leaving tonight, but I thought you should know.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Have the Sinners gone after him? Do they know where he is?”
“They know.” Wheels exhaled an irritated breath. “The executive board is getting the brothers together for a rescue mission, but they’re taking so damn long. They wanted to hold a meeting first to decide on a plan.”
“A meeting?” Her voice rose to a shriek. “Viper’s not going to keep Jagger around long enough for them to have a meeting. And that doesn’t sound like Zane. When it comes to Jagger, he acts quickly, decisively. Maybe I should call and tell them there’s no time to waste—”
She cut herself off, her head jerking to the side when she heard a sound behind the shelving near the door to the parking lot. But before she could investigate Wheels coughed, and she turned away.
“Phones are turned off during meetings,” he said. “But I’m sure they’ll get going soon. I just thought … maybe you’d want to know before you left. Not that you can do anything…”
Not that you can do anything?
There was a hell of a lot she could do: She could ride faster than any of the damn Sinners; she could shoot better than most of them, too; and she knew Viper. She could offer herself up if he let Jagger go.
But that meant she would miss her chance to escape. And the Sinners were probably already on the road.
She looked through the window of the stockroom door to where Dawn was serving drinks to a table of rowdy college kids in the corner. The same table where Jagger had watched her and almost stabbed a Devil Dog for pinching her ass. Even now she remembered the thrill of seeing him, the take-your-breath-away moment when he’d winked and she realized he wasn’t there by chance. He’d come to see her.
Banks was making the rounds, weaving his way among the tables as he greeted the regulars. When anyone gestured to his face, he just shrugged, seemingly unconcerned that he looked like he’d been in a car wreck.
Just for show.
Jagger had hurt Banks to protect her. Claimed her to keep her out of Viper’s clutches. Professed his love, then broken her heart to keep her safe. If she asked him to spare Jeff’s life, he would find a way.
Memories came back, all in a rush—Jagger’s warmth and gentle teasing, his protectiveness, his body so strong and hard and firm against her. And the indescribable feeling of being safe and cared for in his arms.
Mine.
Last night he’d bound her hands the way Leo once bound them, and then he had made love to her. Sweet, tender love, driving away every fear and every thought except how much she wanted him, needed him, loved him.
Mine. From the moment they met, he had been hers as much as she had been his, but it had taken her until now to understand. Just as it had taken her years to realize she was a biker. And the sooner she stopped denying who she was, the faster she would be able to save Jagger’s life.
“Do you know where he is?”
“I’ll get in a shitloud of trouble, but I can take you there.” Wheels’s eyes glittered and he licked his lips, smiling, a curious reaction given they were likely riding into a situation they might not survive, but one she put down to his lack of experience. Well, she wouldn’t put him at risk. She would send him back as soon as they reached their destination.
And then she would face Viper one last time.
* * *
“How was your meeting with the sheriff?” Jagger watched a heavily bandaged Gunner ease himself into a chair in the meeting room. Last fucking place he wanted to be after hunting for Arianne all day. He’d posted T-Rex at Banks Bar in case she showed up and sent a few brothers to her apartment and Dawn’s place, but so far no one had called. Where the hell was she?
“Good. Gave him the money we got from trunking to smooth things over. Told him we’d get those weapons back or replacements in the next two weeks.”
Sparky laughed, gesturing to the bandages covering Gunner’s shoulder, chest, and arm. “Gunner played the suffering martyr so well, sayin’ he took the hits to protect the weapons, the sheriff forgot to be pissed off and offered to buy him lunch.”
Jagger couldn’t even force a smile. He had a Mexican cartel riding his ass for the weapons they’d been promised and the reputation of the club was at stake. “We need to get our weapons back. Word on the street is that Axle sold them to the Jacks, which makes two loads of weapons they’ve taken from us. Anyone got a line on a fresh supply to keep our buyers happy?”
“I called in favors two states over but no one has weapons to spare.” Zane leaned back in his chair. “The Koreans aren’t getting a shipment in for at least four more weeks so they can’t help us out.”
“And the Irish have had to cool things off because they’re being watched by the ATF,” Sparky added.
Cade huffed his frustration. “How about the Mexicans?”
“The Pueblos Cartel were our buyers,” Jagger said. “They’ve expanded their drug operation to include the fruit trade and have gained a foothold in Michoacán. They’re trying to control the entire supply of mangoes to the U.S. and they needed the weapons to scare off international importers.”
“Don’t like mangoes.” Gunner wrinkled his nose. “Gimme an apple or banana any day. I eat simple, but tasty.”
“I thought you only ate pussy.” Sparky jabbed him with his elbow and Gunner was already halfway out of his seat before Jagger shut them down with a scowl.
“Enough. We have more important things to discuss than Gunner’s eating habits.”
“Yeah. We also gotta talk about this.” Zane flipped his laptop around, and a picture flashed on the screen. “I have a friend who’s got experience with digital photography. I got him to fill in the missing detail on the surveillance tapes from the night the Jacks burned down our old clubhouse. He did a bang-up job.” He clicked and zoomed in on the scene. Four men were now clearly visible. A blond near the weapons shed, two tall dark-haired Jacks with gas cans near the truck, and another blond-haired man with a load of Sinner weapons in his arms.
“I’m only showing you a few pics. But basically it looks like the truck drove into the yard through the trees. Jeff stayed at the weapons shed and loaded the guns into the truck. He’s the one who shot Gunner. The two tall guys were guards and one of them shot Cole. And this bastard blew up the clubhouse.” He zoomed in on the blond with the gas can. “Anyone recognize him?”
“Wheels!” Gunner spat out the name. “Goddamnit. He’s the fucking rat I’ve been chasing around. I’ve been going through all our data on the brothers, but I hadn’t gotten to him, ’cause he was new and I figured our screening systems are tighter now than they were before.”
A Black Jack rat. In his club. Jagger’s gut twisted. He wasn’t surprised so much as outraged. He’d known something about Wheels wasn’t right, but he’d been too preoccupied with Arianne to heed the warning niggle in his mind. No wonder Viper was always one step ahead of the game. With a roar, he rose from his seat and slammed his fist into the table.
“I want every brother in the club on the road and looking for him.” He gritted the words through clenched teeth as rage suffused every cell in his body. “I want every mark pulled, and word spread to every gang or club we know. But tell them I want him alive. He is going to fucking curse the day he was born when I get my hands—”
A sharp rap on the door cut him off and Jagger scowled. Everyone knew they weren’t to be disturbed during official board meetings.
“Come.”
The door opened and T-Rex stumbled into the room, his face a mask of horror. He stared at Zane, who was seated across from the door. “They have him,” he panted. “The Jacks got him.”
“Who?”
“Jagger.”
Zane motioned to the head of the table. “He’s standing right there.”
T-Rex glanced over at Jagger and jerked back, reaching for the open door to support himself. “You’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay.” Jagger shot Zane a puzzled glance and then his gaze slid back to T-Rex. “But I thought I assigned you to Banks Bar. Clearly that job isn’t being done if you’re standing in my boardroom interrupting a meeting.”
T-Rex sagged against the door frame and let out a breath. “I was there like you asked. Arianne came in to say good-bye and Banks got her doing some work. I told Banks you wanted me to keep a low profile, so he said I could hide out in the stockroom. I texted you a coupla times and Banks called…”
Jagger reached beneath his cut for his phone. “Went for a run when I got back to the clubhouse and then came straight into the meeting so I haven’t checked my messages.” He saw four messages from T-Rex and a missed call on his screen and gestured for T-Rex to continue.
“Wheels came in. He brought Arianne to the stockroom and told her Viper had kidnapped you. He said the executive board was in a meeting deciding how to rescue you. Something didn’t feel right, so I stayed put. I figured if you were gone, Zane woulda been in charge, and everyone knows he hates meetings. I just couldn’t see him hearing Viper had you and then sittin’ around the table, trying to decide what to do.”
“Damn right.” Zane thumped his fist on the table. “If that had happened, I woulda be on my bike and halfway to hell before you’d even finished saying what you had to say.”
T-Rex grimaced. “That’s kinda what happened with Arianne. She didn’t hesitate. When Wheels said he knew where Viper was holding you, she told him to take her there right away. I was torn whether to go after them or come here, but when I heard Wheels tell her where they were going, I thought I’d better come straight here. I couldn’t believe anyone could take you, Jag, and since no one was answering the phone, I wanted to see with my own eyes if Wheels was telling the truth.”
“You did good.”
T-Rex scrubbed his hand over his face. “I was thinkin’ all the way what would we do without you, Jag? Nothing would be the same. And then when I walked in the door—” His voice broke. “Fuck. It’s good to see you. But we gotta go get her, man. Wheels betrayed us. It’s a trap.”
* * *
Stay strong. Stay strong.
Arianne carefully worked the lock on the handcuffs binding her hands behind her back. Bear had tied her to a chair in the center of the dimly lit warehouse, and she had to take care that no one realized she’d grabbed a loose nail when he’d thrown her to the floor.
Jeff was hunched against the wall a few feet away, clearly suffering the effects of withdrawal. “You got anything on you, Ari?” He spoke in a low whisper. “Even a joint? Or a prescription? Painkillers?”
“Unlock these cuffs, and I’ll take care of you the way you took care of me at Bunny’s.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice. Trusting Wheels, desperate to save Jagger, she’d walked right into a trap. Although she’d had her gun ready when she walked into the warehouse, Bear and Jeff had been waiting for her. Taking her by surprise, they’d grabbed her from either side, disarmed her, and thrown her to the floor.
She glanced around, assessing her best route for escape. Light filtered through dirty, broken windows dotted around the perimeter of the ten-thousand-square-foot space. Concrete floor. Boxes and barrels in the corners. Delivery truck in the far corner, back open, crates of guns on the floor. A second door at the back. Her weapon lay on the floor, only a few feet out of reach.
She had to get out before Viper arrived, because she knew what was going to happen. This wasn’t meant to be a family reunion. It was an execution.
A pained expression crossed Jeff’s face. “I’m sorry, Ari. I was tweaking and I couldn’t think straight. I just wanted to go to Bunny’s place to get some meth. It was Axle’s idea to sell you.”
“You could have stopped him. You could have taken the drugs and gone.” She made no effort to hide the bitterness in her tone. “But you couldn’t, could you? Because you didn’t have any money to pay. But you had me.”
“I was trying to save you.” Jeff scraped a hand through his hair and whined. “Viper wants you dead. I figured at least you’d be gone and alive that way. I did it for you and I paid the price. He punished me for it. He beat me so bad, I was coughing up blood, and he cut off my supply. He cares about you more than he cares for me.”
Her lip curled. “He punished you because you tried to sell his property. That’s how he thinks of me. Property. And you’re pathetic. You’ve let the drugs and your need for his approval destroy your life. If you’d come with me that night you picked up the passports instead of going to the Sinner clubhouse, you’d be clean by now, and we’d be in Canada, living a better life.”
“I don’t deserve a better life.” He slid farther down the wall and moaned. “You don’t know what I did, Ari. I’ll never forgive myself, and the drugs are the only thing that takes away the pain. That and Viper’s approval.”
“Well, you’re going about it the wrong way.” The lock released with a soft click, and she stilled. If the cuffs slipped off her wrist, her efforts would be wasted.
The door opened and closed, and the air chilled. She didn’t need to look up to know Viper was in the building. His hulking presence sent a shiver down her spine, and she had to swallow back the bile that rose in her throat when he stalked across the warehouse toward them.
“Shut the fuck up.” Viper cuffed Jeff on the head. “Don’t get too cozy with your sister. She’s done. And you’re gonna be the one holding her down when I slice up that pretty face as a message to Jagger when I dump her body at his fucking gate.”
He grabbed Arianne’s hair and yanked her head back. “You disappointed me, girl. Thought you had balls, but it turns out you’re as weak as your brother. A man waves his dick in your direction, and you drop everything and run. Honor. Loyalty. Family. They mean nothing to you. Before you dishonored our club, if I had to choose between you and Jeff, I woulda chosen you ’cause I thought you had a spine of steel like your old man. But now I know you’re just like your whore of a mother, willing to throw everything away for a bit of cock.”
“Fuck you.” She braced herself for a blow, but Viper just laughed.
“Not me. But Bear’s earned a reward, and I gave him my word: You’re his after I’ve marked you until he doesn’t want you anymore.”
Her heartbeat thrashed in her ears, and her defiance trickled away. No one knew she was here. Wheels had betrayed the Sinners. Dawn and Banks would have thought she’d gone. Jeff was totally lost to her. And after last night, Jagger wouldn’t be looking for her.
She had never felt so alone.
* * *
He ran.
Up the stairs, through the house, and then he was outside. Arianne.
Heart thudding. Lungs burning. Thighs aching. Arianne.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had run—really run. Not the casual jog he took every morning, but a full-out sprint, his feet barely touching the grass as he raced toward his motorcycle.
Even as his mind screamed for him to go faster, and his heart pounded against his ribs, memories assailed him. A barren desert. A helicopter hovering just outside the range of enemy fire. The crack of weapons. Bullets pinging around him. But he wasn’t in Afghanistan now. And he wasn’t carrying an injured man on his shoulders. And the enemy fire … it came from within. But this time he drew strength from the past, from the pain. This time he would not fail.
Pounding his way over the grass, he heard shouts and yells behind him. And he knew. Knew. Every brother in the house would be behind him, streaming to their bikes as if they tasted his urgency, felt his despair, heard his heart thundering in his chest. His brothers. His friends. They would have his back the way he should have had hers.
Arianne.
Without slowing down, he threw himself on his bike, punched the ignition, and peeled out of the yard. For the first time in his life, he wished he had a foreign bike. Nothing matched them for speed—and speed was what he needed.
The roar of bikes starting up followed him down the long drive, but when he hit the highway, he kicked into gear and left the rumble behind. Too many speeding bikers would attract trouble. One would escape detection.
Arianne. Arianne. Arianne.
Her name was the beat of his weakened heart, the rev in his engine, the light in his soul. Nothing in his life had prepared him for the powerful emotions raging through his body. Not Christel, not the wars he’d fought, not the devastation he had felt upon being discharged and discovering he had nowhere to go and no skills beyond what he’d learned in the army.
No one to help.
No one at his back, until the Sinner’s Tribe took him in. Even now he could hear the thunder of their bikes, the rage in their souls.
Family. Freedom. Brotherhood. Loyalty. Honor. This was his world. Their world. Arianne was part of them—part of him. And he would move hell and earth to protect her.
He would not fail.
By the time he turned off the highway, he was running on pure adrenaline, liquid rage sliding through his veins. If they so much as touched her, he would rain down a fury like the world had never seen.
But first, he had to find her.