“We’ll put her in the safe house above Sparky’s shop until we’ve dealt with Axle and figured out where she stands with the Jacks.” He opened the back door, and a cool breeze ruffled his hair. He didn’t ask Zane if he was coming. Except for the years they’d been apart, Zane always had his back, and he returned the favor. That’s what best friends did.
“Viper’s gonna be fucking pissed when he finds out you’ve got his daughter. What if she doesn’t want to get on her daddy’s bad side?” Zane followed him into the parking lot.
“She doesn’t have to agree.”
“She’ll agree.” A slow smile spread across Zane’s face. “Never met a woman who could resist your charm.”
*
“Faster, Dawn.” Arianne’s chest pounded as the bikers rapidly closed the distance between them. Dawn’s Ford Fiesta was no match for 1,500 cc’s of raw Harley horsepower, but maybe they could find somewhere to hide.
“My foot is down to the floor.” Dawn gripped the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white. “My Fiesta is a good car for safe city driving, not for high-speed getaways. If I’d known y’all were going to be chased by crazed bikers, I would’ve brought something sportier. Maybe you should give me a set of your keys so that next time we have to make an escape, we can take your car, although I doubt even your ancient Mustang convertible could outrun these guys.”
“I’m so sorry about this.” She reached over and squeezed Dawn’s arm. “I should have just gone with Leo. Then none of this would have happened. You’d be safe. Banks would be safe. The bar wouldn’t have been trashed.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “God, what have I done? I’ve never defied Viper like this before. I don’t know why I ran.”
She looked back at the string of motorcycle headlights and groaned. “I’m sure that’s Leo and the Jacks. Maybe you should pull over and let me out. He won’t hurt you, because it’s me he wants.”
Dawn gave an exasperated snort. “I saw what he did to you tonight. And I’ve seen you come back from the Black Jack clubhouse covered in bruises. I’m not leaving you to their mercy, because I know exactly what that means. You were so close to getting out this time. I’ll keep you hidden until you find Jeff and get your passport.”
Arianne checked the rearview mirror and her mouth went dry. “They’re almost on top of us. I thought at first there were only two, but a third one just came out of nowhere.”
One of the choppers accelerated and pulled up beside them. The driver motioned to the shoulder of the road, his face obscured by the glare of headlights.
“Oh damn.” Dawn’s shoulders sagged. “That’s it. I gotta pull over, honey. They’re gonna run me off the road.”
“And scratch their paint?” Arianne barked a laugh. “Not likely. But pull over. This is my fight. I shouldn’t have taken the ride.”
Dawn pulled the Fiesta onto the gravel, and the bikers parked around them, one on each side and one in back. All too soon, a leather-clad fist pounded on Arianne’s window.
“Bastard.” Dawn lowered her window. “We hear you. But I’m telling you now, you touch my girl, and it’ll be the last fucking thing you ever do.”
“Dawn, no. I don’t want you to get involved. I’m going out.” Arianne reached for the handle, but before she had a firm grip, the door swung open, and she was yanked out of the car.
“Jagger.” His name came out with her breath as she hit his rock-hard chest.
He stared down at her, his body vibrating as if he might fly apart any moment, eyes blazing with sensual fire. She could almost feel the blood pounding through his veins and when she placed a hand on his chest, his heart hammered against her palm.
“Get on my bike.”
She stepped back, startled by his abrupt tone. “I’m going home with Dawn.”
“You gonna put her in danger?” He stroked his hand down her hair and bowed his head briefly, as if relieved. But why would he be? He’d just found out she was Viper’s daughter. More likely he and his men were going to imprison her again, this time for real.
“Leo doesn’t know where she lives.”
“And if you’re wrong about that?” He dropped his hand to her shoulder. “He gonna treat you to more of the same if you go to the Jacks’ clubhouse?”
“Actually, Viper’s the one who beats on her at the clubhouse.” Dawn stepped out of the vehicle with a can of pepper spray in her hand. “Leo just gets to shove her around outside.”
“Dawn. No.”
Dawn rounded the vehicle, holding the pepper spray aloft. “Y’all planning to kidnap my girl again? ’Cause I’m telling you now, it ain’t gonna happen.”
Almost immediately, two shadows emerged from the darkness: Cade, and the darkly sensual Zane, whom Arianne recognized from the clubhouse.
Dawn took a brazen step toward them and then faltered when she caught sight of Cade. “Got you covered, honey. Anyone tries anything, I’m taking them down. I don’t care how hot they are. Nothing’s hotter than pepper spray.”