“Sure.” She opened and closed cupboards on the pretense of looking for more glasses. For the first time ever, she considered not answering Viper’s summons. Usually he sent Leo when she’d done something wrong. This time she’d done something unforgivable, and it wasn’t just her at risk, but Jeff, too.
“What does Viper want with me?” Still playing for time—what the hell was taking those Sinners so long to notice the Black Jack sitting at the bar?—she added a few more glasses to the tray and placed the whiskey bottle in the center. Then, to keep Leo distracted, she threw a few ice cubes into a glass and shoved it across the counter.
“What do you think he wants?” Leo’s eyes narrowed in contempt. “He wants to know what the fuck you were doing at the Sinner’s Tribe clubhouse, fucking up Jeff’s job. The truck came back half empty, and Jeff has disappeared. The Triad is riding Viper something fierce ’cause he made them pay in advance for those weapons.” Leo leaned toward her, his body thrumming with menace. “Viper’s wondering if you and Jeff got together and decided to do a little business on the side. And even if you didn’t, you know how it works: Someone has to take the fall—and he’s decided on you.”
“He can get more damn guns.” She dropped her hand to the counter, just above the hidden emergency call button. She’d seen Leo angry and agitated, but never like this. Viper must have blamed him in some way for what happened.
Leo’s mouth crimped in annoyance. “There are no more AK-47s in any of the four neighboring states, and he can’t take the risk of bringing them direct from Mexico. He’s so fucking pissed, Vexy, he’s destroyed half the clubhouse and put the three men who went with Jeff in the hospital.”
Arianne rearranged the glassware beneath the counter to hide her trembling hands, but she couldn’t stop a shudder from coursing up her spine.
“Yeah.” Leo’s gaze crawled over her. “You know what I’m talking about. This time when you go back to the clubhouse, you won’t be coming out again. At least not in one piece.” His lips twisted in a cold leer of a smile. “Not unless you ask me for help. And you know the price.”
Not a price she was prepared to pay. Arianne stared down the tray and then over at the rowdy group of bikers. Should she bring the tray over and ask for help? Technically she was a Black Jack and MCs as a rule didn’t interfere with the business of other clubs. Given Jagger’s duty was first and foremost to the Sinners, a request for assistance might put him in a difficult position, and her, if he refused.
And since when had she ever needed help? Arianne grabbed a bottle of Scotch and poured it into Leo’s glass. She still had the .38 strapped to her leg, and Banks kept a .45 in the drawer under the cash register in case of emergency, which this was. Still, Leo wouldn’t have come alone, and if she drew a weapon, civilians might get hurt.
“At least you remember my favorite drink,” Leo said, after his first sip.
As if she could forget—the smell of Scotch on his breath as he threw her on the bed that awful night had ruined her for Scotch forever.
Leo turned thoughtful as he threw back the rest of his drink and shoved toward her. “Viper’s looking for Jeff, too. He might show you some mercy if you give him up. You know where he’s at?”
“I haven’t seen him, and I have nothing to say to Viper.” A sliver of relief shot through her heart. At least Jeff had the sense to stay hidden. She held up the bottle, offering a refill. Maybe if he was drunk, he wouldn’t notice when she slipped out of the bar. “I got there after the fire started. Then someone knocked me off my bike. The Sinners took me. They let me go. End of story.”
“You forget how well I know you.” Leo reached across the counter and squeezed her fingers around the bottle so hard her eyes watered. “And I can tell when you’re lying.” He released her with a satisfied smirk. “You always thought you were better than me, Vexy. That was always your problem. Too much thinking, not enough fucking.”
She didn’t know why she felt so bold. Maybe it was because she knew that within the next few days she would be leaving Conundrum for good. Or maybe it was because Jagger was in the corner and he’d almost sliced off a Devil Dog’s fingers for pinching her ass. Whatever the reason, she met his gaze full-on. “I fuck, Leo. Just not with you.”
Even as the words left her mouth, she knew she would pay a heavy price. And she did. He backhanded her so fast she didn’t have time to defend herself. She staggered back, her head hitting the shelf so hard, bottles crashed to the ground, splintering on the wooden floor in a cacophony of sound.
“Fucking bitch. I was trying to be nice, letting you finish your shift, having a little talk. But clearly I was wasting my time. Just ’cause you don’t ride with the Jacks doesn’t mean you aren’t bound by the rules. You’re coming with me now, even if I have to drag you out of here, screaming your little ass off—”
And then he was gone.