The Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club, Books 1-3 (120 page)

Jagger lifted an eyebrow in silent query.

“I wanna join your MC.”

“It's not an open door policy,” Zane said, no small bit impressed by the cop's audacity. “Everyone goes through the process.”

“We'll need a new prospect after Shooter's patched in.” Jagger's lips twitched at the corners. “You know how to polish a bike, Benson?”

“Until it shines.”

Jagger's phone vibrated in his hand and he checked the screen. “Got a message from Shooter. I'll text him, and tell him to get the brothers together and bring out the trucks. Then we'll go get T-Rex.”

Zane shook Benson's hand. “Welcome to the club.”

*   *   *

Not happening. Not happening. Not happening.

Evie turned onto the highway heading south out of Conundrum. They'd stopped at four traffic lights and two stop signs and so far she hadn't managed to draw anyone's attention to the woman holding her at gunpoint in the vehicle. Where were the police who always seemed to catch her when she drove a measly five miles per hour over the speed limit? They hadn't passed one single cruiser during their ride through the town.

The Sinners would be behind them. Somewhere. She had no doubt about that. But what were they going to do if she was in the Black Jack clubhouse? From what she'd heard around the club, the Jacks lacked even the semblance of humanity she'd been surprised to see in Zane's biker brothers.

“I'm not with them,” she said as they passed the last of the residential areas.

“Yeah. I got that when I saw you standing there all innocent and pretty.” Doreen snorted her derision. “You gotta be hard to be a one-percenter biker chick, and that goes for lays, sweet butts, house mamas, and old ladies.”

“So let me go.” Evie clutched the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She'd briefly considered crashing the car, but she didn't have the courage to do it. What if she died in the crash, or was so badly injured she couldn't care for Ty? Alive she could maybe talk her way out, or find a way to escape. Doreen's decision to kidnap her had to be opportunistic at best. Maybe Viper wouldn't be interested now that he knew she was with Zane.

“This world is about survival.” Doreen lowered the gun when a minivan overtook them. “And if there's one thing I know how to do it's survive. Being Viper's old lady has got its perks but Viper is one sadistic bastard and I need a fucking break. You're no threat to me and you'll keep him busy so I don't gotta be bustin' my voice box screaming every night so he can get off. Viper will let me take a little vaycay 'cause I brought him a present, and I can go to Ennis to see my boy, JC. Turn here.”

Evie drove down a narrow road that led into the foothills. Dry grass and scrub brush gave the area a desolate feel. “You don't care if he sleeps with other women?”

“It's gonna happen so why kick up a fuss? It's worth it for the old lady status and it means I don't gotta share the love with anyone else, if you know what I mean. Viper might fuck other women, but he's crazy possessive about the ones that belong to him. He killed his first old lady when he thought she was having an affair.”

Evie felt a flicker of anger at the thought of Zane sleeping with other women while she wore his cut. No way would she allow it. And she was damn sure Arianne wouldn't allow it with Jagger either. Arianne was one of the strongest women she had ever met. She was pretty sure Arianne wouldn't have allowed anyone to kidnap her at gunpoint. And she'd bet anything Arianne would have crashed the car rather than drive like a good little girl to the big bad wolf's lair.

So what was she doing? She might not be good with a gun, but Zane thought she was strong and brave. Was she really any less of a woman than Arianne? She just needed time and more information to come up with a plan.

“Arianne said you were lying about having a son.”

“I lied about pretty much everything else, but not that, and not Axle.” Doreen raised the gun again. “Needed something to tug on the heartstrings that had a ring of truth to it. Except JC isn't really Axle's son.” Her voice tightened. “I'm telling you this 'cause I feel sorry for you since you won't be leaving that clubhouse until you're too broken to talk. Axle and I were together before he joined the Jacks. Not the best of guys, but not the worst 'cause he had ambition. He wanted to lead his own club. And since it couldn't be the Sinners, he set his sights on the Jacks. He kissed up to them something fierce until finally Viper agreed to patch him in.”

“He wanted to take over from Viper?” Evie's gaze flicked to Doreen. “Was he crazy?”

“Go big or go home, that was Axle's motto.” Doreen sighed. “First night Axle brought me to a Black Jack party, Viper called me to his room. He told Axle women in the club were shared and if he had a problem with that he'd take back the patch. I did what old ladies do, which is what their old men tell them to do. Not that I was complaining. Everyone wants Viper's attention. If you're wearing his cut, you get a shitload of respect. So I went with Viper. He wouldn't join the “no glove no love” party, so nine months later…”

“Viper's son?”

“I told Axle the boy was his and I put Axle's name on the birth certificate. I fucked up my life but I didn't want to fuck up his. Viper wouldn't have given a damn about his son, but Axle did. He wanted kids. He was good with JC. He would have been a good dad. But the minute I found out Axle was dead, I took JC to my mom's place, and I did what I had to do.”

“You became Viper's old lady.”

Doreen didn't miss a beat. “You gotta look out for yourself in this life. You gotta be strong. You get caught, you figure your own way out. That's the biker way. It's all about self-reliance. It's all about doing what it takes to survive. It's a fucking rush, I gotta tell you. Now I got power, respect, and soon I'll have enough money to get him away from my mom and give him a good life.”

Evie studied the road ahead. All signs of civilization slowly disappeared until they were deep into the low rolling foothills of the Bridger Mountains. She had no doubt if she drove into the Black Jack clubhouse she wouldn't survive—at least, not emotionally. So why was she looking in her rearview mirror every five minutes hoping to see the Sinners? Why couldn't she handle this on her own? Was she that afraid to take a risk?

She caught a glint of metal on the road ahead, and slowed the vehicle. Doreen stabbed her in the side with the gun. “Keep driving. Whatever it is, go right through it.”

“Get that thing out of my side.” She'd had enough of Doreen and her rough voice and her harsh words. She'd had enough of driving and worrying about what would happen to Ty. She'd had enough of wondering if she had what it took to cut it in this world. Because dammit, despite her best efforts, she was in this world. She would do what it took to survive, and that meant there was no fucking way she was going to let Doreen take her to Viper.

Closer now, she could see motorcycles parked across the road, blocking the way. But she didn't give a damn who they were. All she knew was that she was finished with this bullshit. Doreen might think she was a kitten, but she had claws.

Evie pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, and turned off the ignition.

“What the fuck?” Doreen poked her again. “Start that vehicle up and get going.”

Evie's heart pounded in her chest and she dropped her left hand to the driving console and felt for the window button. “Shoot me.”

Damn, it felt good to take a risk, just like she'd done when she was young. Except Zane had always been there to catch her if she fell.

“Stop playing games,” Doreen snarled.

Evie pressed the button and the window rolled down. She reached for the key. “Okay. Okay. I'll get going. The heat is getting to me. I needed some air.”

“Now.”

Swallowing hard, Evie yanked out the key and threw it into the bush. “You aren't going to shoot me because Viper wants me, and I'll bet he won't be happy if you bring me back dead.”

“You fucking bitch.” Doreen slammed the butt of the gun into Evie's head. “Yeah, he wants you, all soft and pretty. But you pull this kinda shit and he won't want you anymore I promise you won't be wanting what he dishes out to women at the club who he doesn't want to pet.”

Dazed, her head throbbing, Evie gripped the steering wheel and tried to regain her focus, but Doreen was already pushing open the door.

“Climb over the console toward me. Nice and slow. We're gonna go get that key.” She stepped out of the vehicle and gestured Evie toward her.

Still stunned from the blow to her head, Evie climbed over the console toward Doreen. In the distance she heard the rumble of an engine, the thud of feet, and then …

“Evie.”

She knew that voice. She had heard it in her dreams since she was eight years old.

Taking advantage of the distraction, she brought up her knees and slammed Doreen in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Doreen stumbled back, falling to the ground. Evie dove after her and grabbed the gun. She pointed it at Doreen, lying sprawled in the dirt and smiled at Zane and Jagger as they jogged to a stop.

“I want to deliver her to Viper. All wrapped up in a pretty bow.”

*   *   *

“No.”

Zane hugged Evie to him and glared at Doreen, now securely trussed in the back of the 300C and out of earshot. After what Doreen had pulled, he could think of a dozen other things to do with her rather than drive her back to the Black Jack clubhouse, and none of them involved leaving her unharmed.

He tightened his arms, pulling Evie into his chest. He couldn't think about what would have happened if they hadn't been on the road, planning the raid on the Black Jacks clubhouse. Of course if they hadn't been on the road, they would have been at the clubhouse, and Doreen wouldn't have had the opportunity to take his Evie captive.

“It's our best chance.” Evie looked up at him from the circle of his arms. Zane hadn't let her go since he'd rescued her from Doreen. Okay. Maybe not rescued. Evie had been doing fine on her own. More than fine. In fact, she'd reminded him of Arianne when she delivered a couple of kicks to Doreen's stomach, stomped on her hand and threatened to blow off her head before Jagger had taken away her gun. Maybe she'd been hanging around the club too much.

But at least she was talking to him now, holding him, letting him hold her … He startled when he caught the tail end of Evie's sentence and realized she'd been laying out a plan.

“I'll put on your bandanna and sunglasses and drive up to the gate with Doreen,” she continued. “They aren't going to feel threatened by a woman. They'll have to open the gates to let her in, which means the electric current will go off. I'll stall them as long as I can. You can cut through the wires at the back and go with Cade to get T-Rex, since you know the layout best. No need for sniper guns or people getting hurt.”

“I like it,” said Jagger, leaning against the vehicle beside them. “Except for the part about not getting to shoot any Jacks.”

Betrayer
. Zane weighed the likelihood of another disciplinary session against the pleasure he would get from punching Jagger in the face to stop him from moving forward with Evie's ridiculous plan.

“I don't like it,” Zane said. “So it's not happening.”

“Baby, relax.” Evie nuzzled his neck. “I'm okay. Better than okay. I nailed that bitch and it felt so damn good. I want to do this.”

He growled low in his throat, feathered kisses along her jaw. “Wouldn't have happened if I was there. Won't happen again.”

“But if it does, I can take care of myself.” She leaned up and nipped his earlobe. “And you know what?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “It makes me hot.”

“How hot?”

Evie pressed her lips to his ear and murmured. “So hot I want you to strip off my clothes, spread me out on the hood of the 300C, and then lick me until I scream. Then I want you to flip me over and fuck me hard, one hand in my hair pulling me back, one hand on my hip, holding me tight, as my nails scratch the paint and my hips smack against the grill, and the whole car shakes from the force of your thrusts as you hammer in to me with all the brothers watching.” Then she ground her hips against his hardened length. “That hot.”

He slid his hands down her back, cupped her ass and lifted her against him. “You talk dirty like that to me, sweetheart, prepare to have your wish come true.” He carried her away from the brothers to the front of the vehicle and settled her on the hood. Then he eased himself between her parted legs, held her face between his hands and kissed her hard. “You're on the vehicle. What comes next?”

Evie's eyes sparkled with the challenge, and she licked her lips. “You strip me.”

He slid his hands under her shirt. Although he had no intention of letting his brothers see what was for his eyes alone, he wanted to know just how far she would take this. Pretty far, he guessed, because in this moment she reminded him of the Evie he had left behind—the risk taker—confident, wild, fun and free.

“I do this, that mean we're good again?” He smoothed his hands over her warm skin. “Can you deal with Jagger occasionally taking out his frustrations on me when I bend the rules?”

Evie mocked a frown. “If you put yourself in that position again, you'll get no loving for all the nights you're hurting. So before you make any stupid decisions, like putting your life at risk, just think about that.” She covered his hands with hers and pushed her shirt up to the bottom of her bra, baring her midriff.

A dark possessive growl left his lips and he tugged her shirt down. “Not here. Otherwise, I'll have to kill all the brothers for looking at you and then we'll never save T-Rex.”