“Make sure it’s always within reach.” Jagger flipped his kickstand and gestured for Cade to join them after he parked his bike.
Although Arianne had tried to dissuade Jagger from coming to the meet, he had flat-out refused. Not just because Peelers wasn’t safe, he’d said, but also because he didn’t trust Jeff after what had happened at the vacant lot. As far as Jagger was concerned, Jeff was a Black Jack, and he insisted on taking the same precautions he would take for any meet with the enemy.
“You don’t have to tell me. I always have a weapon within reach.”
His concern warmed her, as did his tacit acceptance of her skill with her weapon, especially after he’d been so cold and dismissive over the last two days. She couldn’t believe how quickly things had disintegrated after their heated night together and the intimacy they’d shared at her apartment.
After returning to the clubhouse the next morning, Jagger had gone into a meeting, and when he came out, he was a changed man. He hadn’t stopped her from returning to Banks Bar to take on a couple of shifts, nor had he complained when she’d told him she was meeting up with Dawn for a drink. Although she had found his protective streak stifling at times, now she wished he would show up and boss her around, just so she knew he cared.
“Get changed.”
Arianne startled at his harsh tone. What the hell was going on with him? Did he think she was going to meet Jeff, do the exchange, and take off right away? Despite his change in demeanor, her heart still ached at the thought of leaving him. But she needed to see Jeff one last time. She needed to assure herself she had done everything she could to help him and that he was committed to staying with Viper. Only then would she truly be free to decide what to do.
“Maybe she shouldn’t go in with a gun,” Cade said. “She might get stopped and draw attention to herself. Plus, I’d feel safer being in an enclosed space if Arianne was armed with something less dangerous, like a blade.”
“If I threw a blade at you, Cade, I guarantee I wouldn’t miss,” she said in exasperation.
“No blades,” Jagger snapped, without even a glimmer of humor in his tone. “Especially if you’re planning to throw them at Cade.” He motioned for T-Rex and Wheels, who had been waiting patiently near the bikes, to check the perimeter.
“I wouldn’t be throwing it at Cade.” Arianne pressed her lips together and glared, but Jagger was distracted, checking out their secluded corner for a possible ambush.
Arianne unfastened her jacket, shivering as cool air blew through her fine silk shirt, and then tugged off her leather trousers, handing them to Jagger to put in his pack. True to form, Jagger had pawed through the duffel bag she’d packed at her apartment after giving her standard jeans and T-shirt attire a thumbs-down, given they were trying to attract as little attention as possible in the strip club.
“This.” He’d tossed a black skirt and a slinky gold top, cut low and draping down the back, on the bed, then walked out of the room.
So she’d worn them. Not simply to avoid another confrontation so near the end of their time together, but also because he had been uncharacteristically subdued, almost angry when he returned from his meeting with Zane.
She traded her biker boots for a pair of stilettos from Jagger’s bag and then watched as he paced around the parking lot, his muscular body fading in and out of the shadows. How could she let him go? How could she leave Conundrum when her heart was here? What if everything she had been looking for was standing in front of her, wearing a Sinner cut and an angry scowl? In her heart, she knew Jeff had made his choice. And she had made her choice, too. She just hadn’t been able to accept it. Maybe now was the time.
“Jagger. I need to talk to you before we go in. I need to tell you something.”
He held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
Without thinking, Arianne handed over her phone, fully expecting him to add more numbers to her address book in case of an emergency. Instead, he tucked the phone in his pocket and gestured for Cade and T-Rex to precede them into the club.
“Hey, I need that.” She reached for his pocket, and Jagger slapped her hand away.
“So you can text your brother and tell him how many of us are here?”