“What the fuck?” Banks grumbled. “I’m gonna be fucking shut down before I get this place going.”
“Girl’s looking for Benson.” Gunner gave her a gentle shove in Benson’s direction. “Here he is but he’s not Deputy Sheriff anymore. Now he’s our slave.”
Jagger lifted an eyebrow. “Didn’t think you were the type to go for teenagers, prospect.”
“I’m not,” Benson said. “I’ve never seen her before in my life.”
Tank joined in the raucous laughter. How many times had women come to the club or the bar and a brother threw out that line? Hell, even he and T-Rex had used it a couple of times when a few skanky bitches tracked them down after a wild night.
“What do you want with our prospect, sweetheart?” Jagger finished his drink and nodded at Banks to pour him another.
“I met a guy in Missoula.” She stared at the floor, twisted her hands as she talked. “He … rescued me from a bad situation and told me to come to Conundrum and look up Deputy Sheriff Benson. I was supposed to ask him to take me to the Sinners. I went to the address he wrote down, but when I got to the police station, they got angry and told me I’d probably find him here.”
“Well you’ve found him.” Benson pointed to his chest. “But what business do you have with the Sinners?”
Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. “He said I should ask for Tank, and he would hook me up at the club.”
“He knew Tank?” Jagger turned his full attention to the girl. “Did he tell you who he was?”
She shook her head. “Didn’t know much about him. He was about his height.” She pointed at Tank. “But a lot thinner. Long, blond hair. He was wearing a shirt with a beaver on it.”
Tank’s heart skipped a beat. “Dark blue? Yellow beaver?”
“Yeah. I think so,” she said. “I mean it was kinda dark when I met him, and I wasn’t paying much attention. He had a kick-ass bike though. It was huge. All chromed up. I think it was green.”
“It’s him. It’s T-Rex.” Tank’s body shook as if he’d just been shot with adrenaline. “Fuck. Jagger. That was him I saw in Still Water. Same bike. Same shirt. Same description. He knew my name.” He grabbed Jagger’s cut in his fist. “He thought Benson was still a Deputy.”
“Tank.” Jagger’s voice was low with warning. “Hand.”
Tank jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned. “It sounds like T-Rex. He’s got a big heart. This is exactly the kind of thing he would do. We gotta go get him, Jag. Now. We need to send a team to Missoula…”
“Tank.” Jagger cut him off with a bark. “Slow it down. This could be a trap. If it was T-Rex, and he got out, why isn’t he here? Why is he driving around Missoula dressed in a sweatshirt picking up hookers instead of giving you a call?” He lifted the girl’s chin with his finger. “Isn’t that right, sugar?”
Tank startled when tears spilled down her cheeks. “I didn’t want that life,” she sobbed. “He got me out. He said Benson and the Sinners would help me.”
Jagger gave her a sympathetic look. “Benson’s not in a position to help you any more. It’s me who decides what happens to you, and I’ll be needing a lot more information about your meeting with that guy on the bike before I make any decision.” He stared pointedly at Tank as he emphasized the word “any.”
Tank felt the refusal like a punch to the gut. “But—”
Jagger shook his head. “I’m not saying we don’t go check this out. If T-Rex is out there, I want to find him as much as you, but we need to know what we’re up against. My job is to keep my brothers safe. There are pieces to this puzzle that make sense and pieces that don’t. Snake said he was dead. Now I got a girl who met a guy who knows your name, rides a fancy bike, got long hair and a beaver shirt. Maybe she’s making it up. Maybe she’s a Black Jack rat. I’m not sending anyone out on the road until I know for sure what’s going on.”
“Let me go,” Tank begged. “Just me. I’ll take the risk. If it’s a lie, I’ll find out. If it’s a trap, I’ll spring it. If he’s lost, I’ll find him and bring him home. If someone’s gonna die, let it be me.”
He couldn’t go against Jagger or the club. But how the hell could he stay here when T-Rex was out there? Needing him. Just the thought of T-Rex alone and hurting made him feel sick inside.
“Christ.” Jagger scrubbed his hand over his face. “If you feel that strongly about it, then go. But you’re not gonna find him in the dark. Wait until morning, so I can talk to this girl and make some calls so you got some support clubs behind you if things go wrong. And I’ll want your word that if anything feels off, or you see any Jacks about, you turn around and come home.”
Tank let out a relieved breath. This is why he respected and admired Jagger, would follow him no matter what. He listened, not just to a brother’s words, but also to his heart. He was firm but fair. And he cared about his brothers.