“I changed. So did you.” She crossed the room toward Jagger and the exit, leading Ty by the hand. As they passed Viper she looked back over her shoulder mentally urging him to say something to save himself. But he remained silent. No assurance that he would leave Evie alone. No begging for his life. No refuting the fact he would have killed Zane if he had him under his gun. And yet she saw pain flicker across his face, so fleeting she wondered if she’d missed it.
“Jesus Christ,” Jagger spluttered. “I knew Arianne was up to something. Damn old ladies sticking their noses into club business. But this is my call, Evie. I heard what you had to say. You take Ty out and Zane and I will—”
Viper moved in a blur, darting around the counter as he pulled a gun from the holster beneath his vest and aimed it at Jagger. But Ty was in the way.
“No!” Zane dove in front of Ty as the shot echoed in the room. He hit the floor hard as momentum carried him down. Viper barreled through the back door and Jagger took off in pursuit.
“Dad!” Ty raced to Zane’s side. “Mom! Call 911.”
“I’m okay.” Zane wrapped his arms around his son. “The bullet went over my head, and Viper won’t get far. We’ve got men all over the yard.”
“Lean on me, Dad. I’ll help you up.”
Zane put a hand on Ty’s shoulder, although he didn’t need the help. He looked over at Evie and smiled.
“He called me Dad.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Once you figure it out, try to return the favor. Spread your repair knowledge around.
—SINNER’S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL
While waiting for the preliminary hearing, Zane rented the house across the street from Evie and Ty. Although Evie said she understood why he handcuffed her to the radiator, she wasn’t quick to forgive. The stunt cost him, but as long as he could be near her and Ty, he was willing to pay the price. And it was just a matter of time. He knew this because she let him sleep at her place at least five times a week. Not that he was counting, but he’d managed to push it up from one night, undoubtedly because of his skill in bed. Yes, he could make his Evie scream.
Of course he’d had a bit of a setback when he erected a giant fence around her property. He’d also installed a security system in her house and changed the locks, all with the landlord’s consent, of course. Evie hadn’t been pleased he’d gone over her head, yet again, and his weekly nocturnal visits were reduced to two. But now he was back up to five, so that was an improvement.
The car had been another setback. Evie wanted her own transportation so she went out and bought an old junker from a used-car dealer without consulting Zane. He checked out her purchase while she slept and decided it was a piece of crap. The next day, while she was at work, he and Gunner hot-wired her car and drove it back to the dealer. After a brief discussion, and only two broken fingers, the dealer switched it out for a brand-new, safe, red Volvo. Evie liked the Volvo, but not the subterfuge. She also didn’t like it when he said vehicle selection was a man’s job because women didn’t know shit about vehicles.
Arianne showed up at his house the next day with her new SIG Sauer P226.
Zane spent the night at the clubhouse with his door locked.
He hadn’t been invited to spend the night at Evie’s place for an entire week after that, so he’d spent his evenings sitting on his porch watching her house, wondering if she was wearing that silky nightgown she’d bought to celebrate the one-month anniversary of the opening of her new shop. Damn, he loved the feel of that silk, the way it covered her, hinting at what was underneath—which was nothing, just the way he liked it.
Today was going to be another one of the days where his sex quota would likely be reduced, but he was ready to do what had to be done, and if he was cut back to two nightly visits, he’d just have to work his way back up.
His closest brothers and their old ladies had arrived at his place earlier in the afternoon to get ready for the party. Tank had the barbecue going in the backyard, and Connie was helping him marinate the meat. Zane had asked Tank to bring her along, just in case things didn’t go as expected, but Connie hadn’t shared his sense of doom.
“It’s not gonna be as bad as you think,” she said to Zane, as she brushed Tank’s secret sauce over the tray of steak. “I mean, the Ty part will be bad. But the Evie part … I don’t think you’ve got to worry. Of course you will have to worry ’cause she’ll be pissed about Ty, but I think you’ll get her to come round. I hear you can be very persuasive once you get her out of her clothes.”
Zane didn’t want to think about what she and Connie discussed regarding his intimate time with Evie, so he stared at his watch. “Did she say what time she’s leaving the shop today?”
“She was just waiting for a shipment of new bikes and then she was gonna pick Ty up from his friend’s house. She should be here soon. You want me to text her?”