The Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club, Books 1-3 (96 page)

Zane handed an envelope to the pathologist on their way out. Small payments to the local businesses smoothed the way for the Sinners to get things done quickly and quietly. Benson would get his envelope at the end of the month since he was now on a permanent Sinner retainer.

Shooter and Gunner were waiting curbside beside the bikes. Zane insisted on a security detail for Jagger whenever he left the clubhouse, but pride meant Jagger would accept their presence only on the pretense they were there to watch the bikes. Zane briefed them about Axle while Jagger called Arianne. Axle had threatened her life on more than one occasion and Jagger had promised her justice. Now, he owed her an apology.

Zane caught the reflection of sun in a mirror as he waited for Jagger to finish his call. The skin on the back of his neck prickled. What the hell? It was probably just a reflection from the vehicle behind the Jeep parked across the street, but the angle was wrong, and with the war on, they couldn't be too careful. Especially not with the Sinner president out in the open and only three brothers to guard him. He'd tried to dissuade Jagger from coming out to the morgue, but Jagger wasn't the type of man to sit still when there were things to be done.

“Gun. Shooter. Stay with Jagger. I'm just gonna check something out.”

“Get back, sir!” Shooter whipped his weapon from beneath his cut and slammed Jagger in the chest with his arm in an attempt to push him back from what he clearly assumed was an unseen threat to the president's life.

“Christ, Shooter. I'm on the fucking phone.” Jagger shoved his arm away.

Damn overzealous prospect was in for one hell of a beating when they got back to the clubhouse. No one touched the president, and especially not a prospect who hadn't even earned the right to wear a Sinner patch.

Zane crossed the street to the fading cacophony of curses and Gunner's sharp admonishments. He kept to the grassy verge of the sidewalk, and beneath the trees along the edge of the park that fronted the morgue. He made his way past the Jeep, and stopped when he saw a biker between two parked cars, peering out into the street, his Black Jack patch on display.

Son of a bitch
. Zane withdrew his weapon and bit back a growl. Conundrum was Sinner turf. Black Jacks were not just unwelcome, but risked death if they chose to cross the border. He aimed his weapon, a Sig Sauer P226, just as the biker leaned back in his seat, giving Zane a clear view of the top rocker on his cut, “Property of Viper.”

Well damn. Not a he, but a she. Viper's old lady. Had she come to see the body or was she watching the Sinners? Not that it mattered. Aside from Viper himself, or one of the Black Jack executive board members, there was no greater prize.

With his weapon aimed and ready, he came up behind her bike, then veered slightly to the side. He tensed, then lunged, wrapping one arm around her throat while he pressed the gun to her head.

“Don't move, princess.”

She stiffened, pressing her head against his chest to relieve the pressure on her throat. When she looked up, her soft brown eyes pleading, Zane's stomach twisted. She was younger than he thought, early twenties if he had to guess, and pretty, if you liked long, platinum blonde hair and a truckload of makeup. Young for Viper, who had to be in his late forties, too young to be taken prisoner, but he'd made his decision and damned if he would go back on it.

“Off the bike. Nice and slow. Hands out front where I can see them.”

She complied with his instructions, her body shaking, but she didn't put up a fight and minutes later he had her in front of Jagger.

Jagger looked down at the prisoner, bemused. “What's this?”

“Present from Viper. Looks like he sent us his old lady.” Zane released her throat, but kept his gun to her head while Gun called the clubhouse for transport.

“Welcome to Conundrum, love.” Jagger grinned.

Her face paled when she saw Jagger's “president” patch, but damned if she stood her ground. “I was on my way to see my sister in Hardin. Took a wrong turn. Didn't mean to wind up here.”

“But you did and it would be bad manners if we didn't offer you some hospitality, Sinner style.” Zane led her into the alley beside the morgue to wait for the cage. Gunner patted her down. As expected, she was armed—two guns, three knives, and a throwing star—Viper's old lady was no shrinking violet and she knew better than to scream for the police..

“So…” Zane stared at the patch on her cut. “Doreen. You're Viper's old lady.” A statement, not a question, and not something she could deny since she wore Viper's patch on her back.

“What if I am?” She looked up at him and glared. “You think you can use me as bait? Do you really think Viper is the kind of man to care about a fuck toy?”

“He gave you his patch. Makes you more than his fuck toy.”

“You don't know shit about me or Viper.” Doreen morphed from helpless young woman into hard biker bitch in a heartbeat. “Just do what you're going to do. I'm tired of yapping with you morons.”

Jagger grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. “Respect, love. You're in Sinner territory now. I'm not inclined to hurt a woman, but Zane here—”

“Yeah, I know about him.” She cut Jagger off and turned to face Zane. “You're the one who shot Axle in the leg up in Whitefish. And I know you're after Viper's girl. Axle saw you together before he…” She choked up and looked away, a strange reaction given she was Viper's old lady.

“The cut says
you're
Viper's girl.” Jagger's lips twisted in a smile. “Or has he started a harem?”

“I'm payment for Axle's debts. So whatever you think you're going to get outta holding me, it's not going to happen. He won't give a damn. And the only man who did is lying in that morgue.”

Zane and Jagger shared a glance, and Zane frowned. “You were Axle's old lady?”

“Went to pay my respects to my old man and you damn Sinners snatched me.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “Viper will kill me if he finds out I came here. So if you take me, do me a favor and kill me. Don't leave me to his mercy.”

Zane's mind whirled as he tried to put the pieces together. Was she talking about Evie? Was Viper the reason Evie couldn't see him tonight? Or was Doreen talking about one of the other women he'd seen over the past week? Damned if he could keep track. “What girl are you talking about? I got lots of girls.”

“I'm sure you do, looking the way you look,” Doreen said. “But that information will cost you. I want to see Axle before they take him away. I want to say goodbye.”

Jesus Christ
. The bitch had balls of steel. “Not gonna happen.”

“Then I guess you gotta call up all the girls you've been with and ask them if they've got the hots for Viper. Or you could just wait for Viper to take you out, 'cause he knows you touched her, and he doesn't like anyone messing with his property.”

His property? But how could Evie be with Viper? He was the antithesis of everything Evie stood for—a normal, comfortable civilian life. It made no sense. She had her son and a job and a life in Conundrum. From what he could see, she was happy. No way would Evie go out with an outlaw biker. Or was she still after the adrenaline rush she'd used to fill the emptiness in her life?

“Well then he'll be happy to pay to see your pretty face again.” Zane folded his arms and leaned against the brick wall. The alley had the same sickly sweet disinfectant scent of the morgue, and his nose wrinkled. Death definitely had a smell. “How about you give us some more information about this woman I have that Viper wants, and I'll give you my word you'll make it through this alive?”

“Viper gave me his word, too.” Her bottom lip trembled, belying her bravado. “He said he'd let me go after Axle died. Instead I got this cut and the pleasure of being chained to his bed.”

Zane smoothed his face, hiding his surprise. An old lady cut was akin to a civilian wedding ring, a sign of commitment, not bondage. “I've never broken my word.”

She studied him intently and then she smirked. “The redhead from Big Bill's shop. Only reason I came to Conundrum today is because Viper is away tonight. He's meeting her at a bar in Red River, since he can't come into town.”

He didn't need to look at Jagger. They'd been through this drill before. Protecting Evie. It was what they had always done. “Jag, you got Evie's number?”

“I'm on it.” Jagger bashed the screen on his phone, waited. “No answer.”

“I'll head out to Red River.” He walked down the alley, his heart thudding in his chest. Evie and Viper. Christ. And he'd thought Mark was no good for her.

“Gun can take over here. I'll go check Evie's house.” Jagger hesitated, called out. “Zane … she might not be happy to see us.”

Zane kept walking. “She never was, but we saved her anyway.”

 

EIGHT

Things are going to go wrong when you're dealing with complex machinery. Don't give up. Just do a better job each time you try.

—SINNER'S TRIBE MOTORCYCLE REPAIR MANUAL

“Well, look at you.” Connie looked over her shoulder from her seat on Evie's couch and put down her video game controller. Beside her, Ty groaned.

“You're dead. Now I have to reset.”

Evie grimaced at Connie's slow perusal of her date-night outfit, a sleeveless black sheath dress that buttoned up the back, knee-high boots, a silver chain belt, and chunky silver earrings. The neckline of the dress dipped low, but not too low, showing only a hint of cleavage.

“Nice with a naughty twist,” Connie concluded. “Old Vipe's gonna have a heart attack when he sees you. But then that's the problem with dating an old man.”

“He's in his mid-forties. That's not old. He was in his late teens when his daughter, Arianne, was born. Same age as I was when I had Ty.” She straightened a pile of magazines on the glass table behind the couch. She and Ty had chosen glass and beige leather when they decorated the living room to brighten up the small space. Ty had picked out a few shaggy beige cushions and a matching area rug that were a nightmare to clean, but he said they reminded him of the sheep from his favorite video game, and she didn't have the heart to refuse.

“Maybe he's after you because he's having a midlife crisis.” Connie picked up her controller, turning her focus to the screen. “Although what do bikers do when they have a midlife crisis? They already have the young girls, fast cars, and hot bikes. Maybe they buy a minivan and waist-high jeans, slip on some socks and sandals, get an office job, and start mowing the lawn.”

“You're dead again, Connie.” Ty fist pumped the air. “You want to start again or play something else?”

Connie stood and ruffled his hair. “How about a board game? You know about those things? From the prehistoric age? They don't have a controller and no one dies a painful death, especially me. Just good, clean, old fashioned fun.”

“I think I've got one of those.”

“Now who's sounding old?” Evie laughed as Ty raced to his room.

“Wish I was coming along on your date,” Connie said wistfully. “My dry spell is getting drier every day and I'm guessing Vipe's not gonna show without his mouthwatering biker posse to keep him safe. Maybe I could have some Black Jack fun. Although Tank was kinda cute. And he gave me his number.”

“I might end it with him tonight,” Evie said, fiddling with the links in her belt. “That's why I picked this dress. I thought maybe he'd change his mind about me. I like him, but the whole shooting thing outside the shop scared me. And Zane … I mean it's over between us, but if he's going to be part of Ty's life, things could get complicated since they're from rival clubs. I just don't know what to do.”

“If you were going for the matronly look, you haven't succeeded. You'd look hot wearing a burlap sack.” Connie lifted an over-tweezed eyebrow. “And do you really think a man like Viper hasn't already figured out what you've got going under that dress? Or that he isn't interested when he sends one of his men to set up a date? If you don't want to see him anymore, you'll need to tell him flat out, otherwise I don't think he'll be turned off by the way your boobs are busting out all over the place.”

Evie glanced over at the hallway leading to Ty's room and lowered her voice. “They aren't busting out.”

“Honey, if I flipped a coin at your chest, it would definitely get stuck between your girls. With me, on the other hand, that baby would sail right through my nonexistent cleavage, bounce off the floor, and come up and hit me in the chin.”

“Now I think I'm too dressed up.” Evie sighed. “I've never been to the Riverside Bar. What if it's a rough, dress-down kind of place?”

Connie put a hand on her hip and sashayed toward the door. “I think you should work it. If you decide you want him, he'll be drooling all over the floor. If you don't want him, he'll never forget you. Either way, you'll leave an impression. Although, I have to say, the couple of times he came into the shop, he didn't strike me as a man who took ‘I don't want to see you any more' for an answer. And since you're not interested in getting involved with Zane again, he's your best option for getting a little biker down 'n dirty.”

And wasn't that part of the reason Evie had agreed to see him the first time? After years of dealing with Mark's insecurities, there was something utterly compelling about a man who dripped power and confidence. She had been flattered by his attention, intrigued by his charm, and slightly awed by the fact he had so many men to do his bidding.

A tiny part of her had thrilled at having captured his interest, and there was no danger of getting caught in the trap of thinking her relationship with Viper was anything more than a fling. Viper was a statement to herself that she'd gotten over the emotional abandonment issues that had driven her to seek safety and security with Mark despite knowing he was wrong for her. She could look after herself, face the world on her own terms. And what better way to prove it than to play with the biggest baddest biker in town?