I watched him go and prayed he’d return in one piece.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Roman

  “Remember, if the job goes sideways, you don’t know anything,” Ulfric reminded me for the thousandth time. “Above all else, keep my club’s name out of your mouth,” he said casually while he screwed a silencer onto the business end of his pistol.

  I didn’t need the gun pointed at my head to understand the threat.

  “Wolf Knights, who?” When he didn’t respond to the joke, I added, “I’m not a snitch.”

  He grunted in acknowledgement.

  His biker brothers, Merlin, Whisper, and Hudson, crowded around us and my nostrils filled with the scents of sweat and gasoline.

  Why had I agreed to this again?

  Money. Right. The job would put a lot of dollar bills in my pocket. More than I saw after a month of working at the drive-in.

  Here’s where I should probably ask some questions. Stuff like, what’s with the gun? Should I have a gun too? How sideways could this possibly go?

  I kept my mouth shut.

  “Vipers got no idea who you are.” Merlin patted my cheek with a grease-stained hand. “They’ll still be suspicious. Won’t like a stranger knocking on their door.”

  “You look too young to be a cop,” Hudson added. “So they shouldn’t get too worked up about it.”

  Whisper side-eyed the younger brother and Hudson shrugged. “What? It’s true.”

  None of this boosted my confidence.

  Ignoring his brothers, Ulfric continued explaining the plan. “Knock. Whoever answers, ask if you can use their phone to call a tow truck.”

  “What if they offer to help?” I gestured toward Ulfric’s white pedo-van we’d driven to Ironworks in.

  He snorted. “They ain’t gonna offer to change your tire.”

  I was eager to end the conversation, do the job, and get back to Juliet. “They’ll probably say no, right? So, then what?”

  “Get me a head count. How many bikers in the building? Let me know if they got women in there.”

  Merlin snorted. “Who gives a fuck?”

  “I do,” Ulfric growled, shooting a sharp look at his biker brother.

  “Okay.” Head count. Make sure it’s just patch holders inside. I could handle that.

  “Look for crates of coffee beans while you’re at it,” Merlin added.

  Ulfric sneered. “That ain’t his concern.”

  “Make our job easier,” Merlin grumbled.

  “Once we get inside, we could use his help carrying the shit out. If we know exactly where to go, we can get gone quicker,” Whisper added.

  “Guys, the whole conversation’s gonna last about fifteen seconds,” I said. “I won’t have time to get a count on bikers and do your grocery shopping.”

  “Just let us know how many we gotta deal with.” Ulfric thumped his hand between my shoulder blades a few times. “And once we go inside, keep the van running. Ready?”

  “As I’m gonna be.” I clenched my fists a few times and jumped up and down, much like I had before a fight at the Castle. The two situations felt oddly similar.

  I left the four bikers leaning against the van and walked with purpose down the cracked, uneven sidewalk. A light spring breeze kicked up, swirling bits of trash along the curb. My gaze landed on a two-story garish red snake insignia painted on the side of the painted-white brick building. The clubhouse of the Vipers MC.

  What a dump.

  While it looked unappealing from the outside, they must’ve had something to hide. An eight-foot-high chain-link fence surrounded the parking lot attached to the building. Barbed wire and security cameras lined the top. Motorcycles and a few cars were tucked safely behind the barrier. Out of the corner of my eye, I studied the parking lot and estimated there were at least twelve bikes.

  Fuck.

  Jamming my hands farther into my pockets, I hunched my shoulders and continued to the front door. Painted the same shade of red as the aggressive snake on the side of the building, it was wide and covered with iron hardware. I gripped the rough metal bar of the door knocker and rapped a few times.

  When that didn’t yield any results, I threw my fists against the hardwood planks.

  Locks clicked on the other side and the door swung open.

  A beefy biker a few inches taller and a lot of inches wider than me filled the space. His black leather cut was adorned with too many colorful patches for me to decipher. But I caught the Sergeant-at-Arms one and groaned.

  He crossed his inked-up arms over his chest and glared without uttering a word.

  Better make this story as convincing as possible or there’s a good chance this guy snaps me like a matchstick.

  My heart thudded but I stuck to the script. “I’m so sorry to bother you, sir.” I gestured wildly toward the sidewalk. “My van broke down. Do you mind if I give my dad a call? No one else would answer their door.” I prayed like fuck he hadn’t used any of the cameras lining the fence recently or he’d catch me in my lie.

  “We ain’t gotta phone. Get lost.”

  Jesus, did this dude gargle with rocks instead of mouthwash in the morning?

  “You sure?” I tried to peer inside. My gaze snagged on at least four other people in the room. “I swear I’ll be quick. I don’t need to come in. If you got a cell or—”

  Slam.

  I stumbled backward to avoid the door smashing into my nose. Well, at least they didn’t shoot me.

  Crack! Splinters of wood flew past my face.

  Fuck, they shot at me. They actually fucking shot at me!

  Frozen in fear, I stood there for a second, my brain frantically flipping through my options. Which way to run? What path would lower the odds of getting a bullet in my ass to zero?

  In a burst of speed, I darted across the street in a diagonal line from the Vipers’ clubhouse. By the time they’d be able to see me from one of the small, high windows, hopefully I’d be out of range. I didn’t hear any other shots, but I kept hauling ass.

  Ulfric was waiting by the van and approached as soon as he saw me. “What happened?”

  Heart hammering, I took a moment to catch my breath. “They fucking shot at me.”

  “Shit. You all right?” he asked, looking me over for fresh blood, I guessed.

  “I’m fine.” I shook off the fear and sucked down a lungful of air, willing myself to calm down and act cool. No need to prove I couldn’t handle myself in front of these guys.

  “Motherfuckers,” Merlin grumbled. “Let’s go. Right now.”

  “Calm the fuck down,” Ulfric urged. He lifted his chin at me. “How many?”

  “Big dude, their SAA, answered the door. Saw about four other bikers in the main room. But they didn’t let me in and I don’t know who was upstairs or anything.” I squeezed my eyes shut, replaying the last few minutes of my life. “Twelve bikes in their parking lot.”

  Whisper and Ulfric shared a look. Ulfric nodded and Whisper pulled out his cell phone.

  “They’ve got cameras all over the place,” I added.

  “Hudson’s got that covered.” Ulfric jerked his thumb toward the van. “He’ll jam the signal or whatever the fuck he does to shut ’em down. Park your ass inside the van. You did good, kid.”

  I hoisted myself into the driver’s seat and stared out the windshield. We were maybe fifteen miles away from the drive-in, but I might as well have been on another planet.

  Not even ten minutes later a horde of Wolf Knights MC brothers rumbled down the street.

  Nothing like announcing your presence in another club’s territory.

  “Let’s go get our shit.” Merlin jammed a pistol in the back of his pants and zipped a plain, black sweatshirt up over his cut.

  No one bothered to introduce me to the new arrivals but I didn’t take offense. I was too busy rethinking a lot of my life choices. Making new friends was low on my list of priorities.

  The entire neighborhood remained eerily silent. I studied the dark, shadowy buildings around us. The curtains in one of the windows rippled. “Guys, even if you cut the cameras, people are watching. Someone’s gonna let them know we’re here,” I said.

  Ulfric grunted at my warning but everyone else ignored me as they slipped on sweatshirts and tight-to-their-skulls knit caps.

  “You got this?” Merlin slapped me on the arm.

  My gaze strayed to Ulfric. “I’m ready.”

  “Just back the van down the alleyway like I taught you,” he encouraged in a paternal sort of way. Well, paternal for an MC president.

  I should’ve known all those driving lessons would serve a purpose one day.

  “Put that on.” He flung a heavy vest against my chest. “Keep the van running and pay attention to your surroundings. You see cops or more Vipers coming, hit the horn.”

  “Got it.” I shrugged into what I assumed was a Kevlar vest and zipped it to my chin. Would’ve been nice to have this earlier.

  Ulfric and half his crew jumped in the back of the van. The rest of the brothers thundered over the sidewalk, running toward the front of the clubhouse.

  I climbed into the driver’s seat and adjusted my mirrors. Last thing I needed to do was announce our arrival by backing into the damn clubhouse.

  “We ain’t got time for ya to fix your makeup,” Merlin shouted.

  “Fuck off,” I grumbled.

  Ulfric told him to shut it, then leaned over the seat and clasped my shoulder. “You got this, Roman. Ease it in nice and slow.”

  Beads of sweat popped on my forehead as I turned the steering wheel and guided the van into the narrow, trash-filled alley.

  “Keep going,” Hudson murmured.

  With painful slowness, I continued until the chain-link fence of the Vipers’ parking lot appeared on my left.

  “Little closer,” Ulfric said. “Closer. Okay, stop.” He reached over and patted my shoulder again. “Stay here. Keep it running.”

  For a big guy, Ulfric moved with extreme stealth, silently hopping out of the back of the van and landing on the pavement without a thud. The rest of the guys filed out behind him. They left the wide doors open, but it was too dark to see much. I slid my window down so I could hear what was going on and kept my eyeballs glued to the wide side mirror. Hudson and Whisper wielded what looked like a large black log, slamming it into the back door with a thundering crash.

  Well, they’re gonna know we’re here now.

  A similar crash came from the front of the building.

  Ulfric used two fingers to motion his guys through the door. He followed right behind them.

  Gunfire exploded through the air.

  Are Kevlar hats a thing? I should probably invest in one if they exist.

  I slid down in my seat but kept watching the mirror.

  A shadowy figure darted out of the back door and ran in a crouch toward the van. Something scraped over the metal cargo area and the van rocked. More guys scurried out of the back of the clubhouse, each one sliding heavy barrels into the back.

  Gunfire and shouting continued.

  The urge to ask if everything was okay burned my tongue. But I kept my mouth shut. They were having a shoot-out. Things were obviously not okay.

  Sirens pierced the air.

  Cops. Shit.

  My hand strayed toward the horn. But I didn’t actually see any cops. Yet.

  Screams and more shouts.

  “Wrap it up!” Merlin yelled. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

  “Ulfric’s down!” Whisper yelled from behind the van.

  I jerked the door open and slid out, running toward the danger before I knew what I was doing. He might have brought me into this nightmare of a job tonight, but Ulfric had been good to me. If he’d been shot, I needed to help him, no matter what.

  I stumbled over him just inside the door. He had one arm wrapped around a cannister. His other hand was pressed to his leg. Blood seeped out from under his fingers.

  “Shit!” I knelt next to him and grabbed his arm. “Come on. Cops are coming.”

  He blinked at me. “You’re s’posed to be in the van.”

  “Whisper said you were down.”

  He groaned as I helped lift him off the floor. Noise and shouting from the rest of the clubhouse increased. Gunfire sounded closer. We needed to get the fuck out.

  I half carried, half dragged Ulfric to the back of the van. Merlin and Whisper helped me bundle him inside.

  “Go grab his stash,” Merlin said.

  “Cops are coming. We gotta get out of here.”

  “Hurry up.” Merlin shoved me toward the open door.

  I crept inside again. The cannister was right where we’d left it. I snatched it off the floor.

  As I stood, there was a click behind me.

  Something hard pressed into the back of my skull. “Set it down. Slow.”

  Fuck.

  It couldn’t be a Viper. They would’ve just blown my brains out.

  “Lace your fingers behind your head.”

  Nope, it was worse.

  “You’re under arrest.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Juliet

  Ulfric and Roman never returned to the drive-in.

  Worried, I finished closing down the ice cream shop. Usually Roman waited right outside the back door and we’d catch the rest of the second movie together.

  “Where’s your boyfriend?” my co-worker, Chris, sneered at me. “He’s gonna get fired for taking off in the middle of his shift.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He went to help the owner with something, so I think his job is fine.” I shooed him out of the way with the dishcloth in my hand. “Are you working or yapping?” If I didn’t stay on top of him, he’d let me do all the closing work myself.

  “Working,” he grumbled.

  We finished our tasks in silence and Chris left without slinging any more attitude. I checked the windows and locked the door on my way out. Outside, in the cool night air, I hesitated. Should I go home? Or wait for Roman? My gaze landed on a few other employees scattered over the grounds. There seemed to be more employees than customers.

  Another horror movie was playing on the big screen to my left. I stood in the darkness watching the poor hapless babysitter hide from a knife-wielding madman for a few minutes. A chill ran down my spine. I’d been alone at the house before. But for some reason, tonight the idea of going home alone left me jittery.

  I pulled out my cell phone and sent Roman a text.

  Do you want me to wait or go home?

  I stared at the screen for several minutes.

  No answer.

  He probably couldn’t check his phone. What had Ulfric roped him into?

  I sat in the car, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel. Finally, I took out my phone and dialed Dex. He answered and by the background noise, I assumed he was at a party.

  “Dex?”

  “Give me a second, Julez.”

  Eventually the noises faded and he came back on the line. “You okay, sweetheart?”

  “I’m fine. I’m still at work. Roman took off with Ulfric tonight and they haven’t come back yet.” I swallowed hard. Directly asking about “club business” wasn’t allowed. It was an unspoken rule, and I’d always followed it. Until now. “Do you know where they are?”

  A long silence stretched over the line. He didn’t like the question. Well, too bad. I wasn’t a little girl anymore. If Roman was involved, I was involved and Dex would just have to suck it up.

  “I don’t know what Ulfric had him working on,” he finally answered. “But I’ll make some calls. See what I can find out. Do you need me to come over to the house?”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  That was a lie. I’d be up all night worrying about Roman.

  Dex must have heard the anxiety in my voice because when I pulled into my driveway forty-five minutes later, he was waiting for me. Casually leaning against his bike, the bright light of his phone’s screen lit up his face in an ominous way. Thank God it also helped me recognize him.

  I slid the car in next to him and turned off the ignition.

  He opened my door.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, grabbing my bag and stepping out. Fear trembled down my legs. “Is Roman okay? Did you find out something?”

  Employer or not, I’ll kill Ulfric if he got Roman hurt. The savage thought stopped me cold. Roman was mine and I’d protect him as fiercely as he protected me.

  “I can’t get ahold of Ulfric,” Dex explained, walking me to the front door. “And no matter how friendly our two clubs are, none of his brothers are gonna give me details about what they’re up to without Ulfric’s approval.”

  That was a lot for Dex to share with me. It didn’t ease my concerns, but I appreciated him talking to me like an adult. “Roman’s never been out this late without me.”

  The corners of Dex’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. “He’s an adult, Juliet.”

  Heat blasted my cheeks. “I’m just worried about him.”

  “Roman’s smart. He’ll be fine.”

  That Dex seemed so laid back about the situation helped calm me as well. Maybe I was overreacting. Dex probably did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted and found my fussing strange. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Nah. I didn’t come here so you could wait on me.” He reached out and roughed his hand over the top of my head. “You want me to stick around until he gets home?” He lifted his chin toward the couch.

  “You don’t have to do that.” I wanted him to stay but I’d never ask. “I’m sure you have other things you’d rather do tonight?”

  I’d never asked Dex many questions about his personal life since Debbie died. Part of me didn’t want to know if he’d started dating. The other part of me wanted him to find someone and be happy.

  He was slow to answer. “I’m going to stick around. Maybe lecture him when he walks in.”

  I snort-laughed. “As long as it’s not with your fists.”

  “Nah.” A slow smile spread over his face and an evil gleam that I wasn’t used to seeing shone in Dex’s eyes. “That’s only if he ever hurts or disrespects you.”