Shep, E.Z., and Benz met me just outside of town. They’d been riding all night. News of my close call with Gina had the entire club stirred up. Dealing with the DiSalvos’ mess was one thing. If word got out about what happened, it was the kind of thing that would make us vulnerable to some of our rival M.C.s like the Devils Hawks over in Laredo. If they smelled blood in the water, even if they hadn’t drawn it, it could make them bold enough to move in on our territory.

“Deacon and the rest of ’em get to you?” Shep slapped me on the back. As road captain, Shep was in charge of planning all of our rides. He was the one who would have decided who to send out to the Abilene safe house. I’m glad he sent Deacon. He at least had a chance to be a calming force on Gina.

“All’s quiet,” I said. It was true enough as far as the threat on Gina’s life went. A storm raged inside of me though. This wasn’t just club business anymore. Gina was starting to matter to me on a whole other level. It wasn’t the kind of thing I was ready to clue the rest of the guys into at the moment. Shit, maybe not ever. Things were way too stirred up right now.

We’d met at another truck stop just off the freeway. We drew some dirty-ass looks as the four of us went inside and grabbed a table at the lunch counter. Shep put a hand on E.Z.’s back to quiet him as he took a posture that spelled trouble we didn’t need. Shep widened his eyes and made an expression that reminded me of his mother, Mama Bear. Bear’s wife.

“Yeah,” E.Z. said, raising a hand to placate Shep. E.Z. had twenty years on the rest of us, but even he was careful to show the club president’s son the respect he’d earned over the years.

“Are we any closer to figuring out who the fuck wants Gina dead?” I asked.

E.Z. shifted in his seat. Shep waved off the waitress. Benz excused himself and headed for the can.

“Order us some burgers and drinks,” E.Z called to him. “I don’t want to be interrupted. We’re going to keep this short and sweet.”

Shep tapped his ring against the countertop. He and E.Z. didn’t always get along. Hell, E.Z. rubbed everyone the wrong way every once in a while. His road name was ironic and a play on his full name, Ezekiel. Legend was, Bear gave it to him thirty-some years ago on account of the million times he had to tell him to take it easy on any given day.

“You know that’s not our job on this one,” Shep said, answering my earlier question.

I swiveled toward him on my stool. A fucking booth would have been better, but this place was too small for those. “Yeah. But I also know Bear. He doesn’t trust Gino Sr.’s sons to handle anything this big without fucking it up.”

E.Z. laughed. “You gotta point there.”

Shep and E.Z. got quiet. Benz came back and Shep shot him a look that told me all three of them were in on whatever intel the club had gathered on the DiSalvo situation. It was high past time to clue me the fuck in.

Shep read my unease and turned to me. “Look,” he said. “Bear doesn’t want this to become public knowledge, all right?”

My back stiffened. “You think I’m planning on taking out a billboard? Jesus, Shep. I’m the one out in the field on this one. Two nights ago I damn near caught a bullet in my spine over it. I need to know what’s going on.”

“What do you think?” E.Z. leaned forward. The waitress set out a pitcher of water and quickly turned to leave us.

I shut my eyes tight and let out a breath. Something had been nagging me about the hit attempt on Gina for two days now. We’d been caught off guard. The shooter had been too damn close. And yet, neither one of us got hurt.

“You think it’s Georgio.” I meant it as a question but as soon as it formed, there was barely need to ask it.

“Bear thinks it’s a distinct damn possibility,” Shep said.

“Jesus.” I leaned back and ran my hand across the three days’ worth of stubble I had on my jaw. “It was close, Shep. Damn close. If that shooter was told to miss, he wasn’t too worried about making mistakes. We really thinking Georgio or one of the other brothers is trying to shake shit up like that? I mean … I thought somebody shot at Georgio too?”

Shep shrugged. “Right. But that account came straight from Georgio. As far as we know, nobody else was there. The running theory is that Georgio wants control of the family business for himself. Only way that’s going to happen is if Christine lets go.”

“Man,” I said. “Gino Sr. had a line of shitheads for sons, didn’t he? First Junior’s mess last year, now this.”

“It’s just a theory,” Benz chimed in.

“So what do we do about it?” I asked.

“For now? We do what Christine DiSalvo paid us for. We keep baby sister close.”

“You want me to have her cool her heels in the safe house?” As soon as I said it, I wasn’t sure how I wanted E.Z. to answer. Sure, staying in Abilene would keep Gina out of trouble. But there was no way I was letting anyone else but me stay by her side. The more time I had alone with her, the harder it was going to be to keep my hands off her. It was a fucking catch-22 any way I looked at it.

“Bear thinks we should split the difference,” Shep said.

I poured a glass of water. It was cool and clean going down. My stomach rumbled but E.Z.’s phone rang and I knew on instinct it was going to mean we weren’t staying for the burgers. He seemed to know it too. E.Z. rolled his eyes as he slipped the phone out of his pocket and slid off his stool. He paced at the other end of the counter, listening more than talking. It could only mean that Bear was on the other end of that call. Benz, Shep, and I were already on our feet by the time he came back.

“Trouble?” Shep asked.

“Seems like all we get lately,” E.Z. said as he jabbed his phone in his back pocket. “We gotta cut this short. Maddox and Chase ran into some trouble down south with one of our shipments. Bear wants muscle down there. A lot of it.”

Even though our food hadn’t come, Benz laid two twenties on the counter as the four of us headed out the front door. E.Z. slid his sunglasses on and mounted his Harley.

“What about Gina?” I asked. “You said something about Bear wanting us to split the difference.”

“Dammit,” E.Z. said. Whatever trouble Maddox and Chase hit near home, it had momentarily knocked the DiSalvo bullshit right out of his head. “Bear wants you to bring her in.”

“Bring her in? You mean to the clubhouse? What the hell’s he planning to do, hold her hostage?”

A look passed between E.Z. and Shep. I realized I hadn’t guessed too far off. I knew what Bear was thinking. Bring Gina to our turf. Make Christine and her sons deal with us on our terms. That was all fine and good unless Gina didn’t want to go. It was going to fall to me to make her agree.

“Can you handle this?” E.Z. asked. “The DiSalvo cluster fuck is one we have to deal with. But we’ve got bigger fish to fry for the next day or two. Bear’s counting on you to keep shit from blowing up any further. And I hate to do this, but I gotta pull Deacon and the others off her. I need ’em to help cover this shit near Dallas.”

I put up a hand in surrender. “I got it. I’m on babysitting detail until further notice. Don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way to get Gina to the clubhouse.”

“I don’t know,” Shep said. “I don’t think it’s such a great idea to have Zig riding solo. Let me talk to my father. Maybe I can get him to leave at least one of the prospects with you.”

E.Z.’s look hardened. Shep might be Bear’s son, but E.Z. outranked him. Shep seemed to realize his mistake and his face turned whiter.

“No,” I answered, trying to put out that particular fire. “I got this. E.Z. and Bear are right. The DiSalvo shit is a problem, but it’s a manageable one so far. We start catching heat on our regular runs, we’ve got real trouble. Tell Bear not to worry.”

“Good,” Shep said. His eyes darted back to E.Z., then he reached for me and put a firm grip on my arm. I’d just saved him from some shit with E.Z. I knew the time might come when he’d need to return the favor.

“Tell your mother I’ll be back under her roof by tomorrow,” I told Shep. He let out a laugh as he and Benz mounted up. They fired up their Harleys and peeled out of the parking lot headed for the interstate. I’d do the same, but heading in the opposite direction. I hoped like crazy the shit Maddox and Chase got into wasn’t too hot. My fingers twitched near the holster of my gun. I’d been keyed up for days. Pretty soon I was gonna need either a good fight or a good fuck to help chill me out. I should be down in Dallas with the rest of my crew.

I started my bike and headed for the same highway. By the time I got back to the safe house, I figured Deacon and Kade would have already lit out. They’d leave Toby behind. He’d want to ride with me. I had half a mind to let him, but that would be selfish of me. I knew Bear wasn’t too happy with him for letting Gina out of his sight the other night. Hell, I wanted to run my fist through his jaw for the same reason. But Toby was a good kid. He deserved a second chance. I’d send him after Deacon and Kade to help with whatever was going on down in Dallas. He’d get his shot at redemption under Bear’s watch.

That left Gina for me to deal with alone. My blood heated as I counted off the miles to Abilene. A switch had flipped inside of me last night when she lost her temper. God, why did I always have to go for the complicated chicks?

I’d be better off with something easy. Hell, there was never any shortage of tail at our main hangouts in Port Azrael. There was a particular hostess at one of the DiSalvos’ sports bars, Cups, who threw herself at me every time I walked in. Wendy. She was blonde, stacked, and loved to shake her ass in my direction. I’d been thinking about taking her up on her offer for a while now. Yeah. That would be the wisest decision. Quick, dirty, no strings attached. Anything to take the edge off.

As I got closer to the little farmhouse, my balls started to tighten. When I closed my eyes it wasn’t Wendy I saw though. It was Gina. Those curves. That fire in her eyes. The way she looked at me like she wanted to throttle me. It even turned me on when she threw shit at me. How fucked up is that? It didn’t help that she was just about the most forbidden fruit I could sample. Acting on any of my urges with her would rain fire on both of our heads. It wouldn’t be good for her with her family, it sure as shit wouldn’t be good for me with mine. Except when Gina was standing two feet away from me and I felt her hot breath against my cheek, I didn’t seem to care.

The farmhouse was quiet when I finally pulled up. My heart damn near pounded outside my chest as I cut my engine and climbed off the bike. Just as I expected, Kade and Deacon had already left. Toby had driven one of the club’s SUVs. It was parked at an angle on the side of the house.

Sweat poured down my back as I took the porch steps two at a time and opened the front door. Toby stood in the kitchen. His face dropped when he saw me and for a second I feared the worst. Then Gina came around the corner, and my heart pumped double time. She wore a pair of Daisy Dukes she probably found downstairs. Mama Bear stocked the place for all shapes and sizes. Gina had on a black tank top that showed off the ample swell of her breasts. With no air conditioning, anywhere but the basement in this house was hotter than hell.

“Can I see you outside for a second?” I said to Toby. He looked scared and I knew he figured I was going to rip him a new one again for what almost happened the other night. I didn’t even mention it. That was Bear’s job.

“Look man …” Toby started, probably trying to cut me off at the pass.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “Bear wants you to hightail it for the warehouse outside of Dallas. I don’t know the details, but Maddox and Chase ran into some trouble with the gun shipment coming up from the port. We need muscle down there. I’ve got to figure out a way to get our little package here back to Port Az undamaged.”

Toby looked back toward the house. “Fuck. You sure you don’t want to be in Dallas instead of me?”

I laughed. It was a loaded question all right. “Nah. Go do Bear proud.”

Toby cleared his throat. God, he reminded me a little of me when I was his age. He was still a little scrawny. The club had saved his life just like it had mine. Like a lot of us, Toby had no real father to speak of. In my case, I’d lost mine at thirteen. Toby’s had gone up for voluntary manslaughter after a bar fight. Toby was only nine years old at the time. His mom had been a friend of Mama Bear’s and she gave him a job in the salvage yard we ran behind the clubhouse. He’d been a fixture with us ever since.

“She’s hopping mad, Zig,” Toby said. “Barely sat still since you left. Deacon tried talking to her but she wouldn’t have it. She talked to her brother, I think. She wants to go home.”

My heart lurched. Well, at least half my problem had been solved. I wouldn’t have to do much to convince Gina to come back to Port Az with me.

“You know what her brother said to her?”

Toby shrugged. “Nothing good. We all kind of tried to stay out of her way, but she was sure yelling a lot. Something about how much he’s been lying to her.”

“Well, it might help me convince her to come back to the club instead of taking her to her mother’s house. That’s what Bear wants.”

Toby scratched his head. “Maybe. I don’t know. She’s something else though. Kind of hot when she’s pissed, you know?”

My fists curled at my side as my protective instincts flared. God. I had to get a hold of myself. Toby was twenty-one years old. He was a hell of a lot more appropriate for Gina age-wise than I was at thirty-one. I’d been out on my own since I was fifteen. By the time I was Gina’s age, I’d already hooked up with the Saints and been on a few dozen runs with them. What the fuck was I thinking where she was concerned?

“Yeah,” I said. “I know. Look, you’d better get going. Call Shep on the way and make sure your orders are still the same. I need to get going too. Gina’s not going to like what I have to say, but it’s a long, hard ride between here and Port Az. If I want to make it before morning, I need to get gone.”

“You want me to stay at least until you break it to her?” Toby curled his upper lip as if he’d just tasted something sour. I had to hold back a laugh. Yeah. Sour. That’s exactly how this might go.

“No. Get going, man. I’ll call in if I run into any problems.”

I slapped Toby on the back. I had to give him credit for at least offering to help me out with this one. But given a chance, he hot-footed it for the van and got the hell out of there. Gina was waiting for me on the front porch with her arms crossed in front of her. I checked to make sure her hands were empty before I started toward her.

“I didn’t think you’d come back,” she said, her voice cracking. Of all the things she could have told me, I wasn’t expecting that. I couldn’t help it, my face broke into a smirk. Something about it unsettled her because she sucked in a hard breath and took a step away from me.

“Look,” I said. “I’m going to cut the shit. I figure you’re probably sick of people lying to you. So here’s the deal. Bear wants you back in Port Az. You’ll be safer if you come to my club with me. I said I wouldn’t lie, but that doesn’t mean I can tell you everything. I’ve been straight with you up to this point. I hope you can see that. So I’m hoping that’s at least earned me a little of your trust.”

Then I waited. I hadn’t made a conscious choice to do it, but I widened my stance as if I expected something to try and knock me off my feet. Gina noticed and her own posture shifted. She broke into a cute little half-smile that melted me.

“I’m not going to slug you,” she said.

I laughed. “You can’t blame me for thinking it.”

Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. The sunlight caught it and for the first time I saw it wasn’t pure black at all. She had little flecks of amber and gold running through it. Her eyes though, those were dark, the irises almost matching her pupils. She fixed them on me.

“I’ll go back to Port Azrael with you. It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.”

Her tone gutted me. This girl had been through so much in the past few days. Her entire world had been upended. As tough as she pretended to be, I knew she was hurting. She had to be. After all, she was barely more than a kid.

“We can make stops along the way. You’ve never been in the saddle for as long as we need to be. I’ll take it easy on you.”

Gina’s cheeks flamed red. I swear to God I hadn’t meant anything sexual about it, but now that I’d said it, my own desire flared. The truth was, if the day ever came that I did have her ride me like that, I wouldn’t take it easy at all.

“Come on,” I said, my voice going hoarse. “Grab a few things. Long pants. A sweatshirt maybe. We need to get started before dark.”

Gina didn’t argue. That probably should have sparked concern. Again, it tore at my heart a little the way she dropped her shoulders and grabbed the things I told her from the house. As she followed me down the steps to the bike, I turned to her. She looked up at me with those big, beautiful, dark, trusting eyes and I read the sadness edging them. Her fucking family had put it there. God, I knew what that felt like too.

She climbed on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I handed her a helmet and started the engine. The vibration of it rumbled between my legs. I felt Gina’s thighs squeeze against me and it damn near did me in. We had hours ahead of us. It was going to take all the willpower I had to get through it as she held me so close. I drew courage from the fresh air, the open road, and the power of the Harley roaring beneath us.