Chapter 10
Ronnie watched herself in the mirror at the far end of the indoor track where she ran in the summer.
It was almost cool enough to switch to outdoor runs.
She could probably do it now, but she hated the heat.
And she knew herself. If she insisted on running outside, she’d use the heat as an excuse not to go and she had to get her workouts in.
She ran five miles, three times a week, after her weight routine. That wasn’t the same every session, like the running was. But if she skipped even one session, she worried she would lose her edge. Lose the drive she needed to keep going.
As she made the turn, she pushed the thought of how much she hated running from her mind and turned to something else.
She and Gavin had gone through all the files, narrowing it down to two that he thought were likely the dangerous skip that whoever his informant was had told him about.
He’d told her he was going to do some more digging and then they would come up with a strategy on how to do this.
When he’d left, she’d been confident they could do this, that between the two of them, they would manage to succeed at what Dad was convinced would be the final straw that made her give up and leave the business.
Now though, she was second guessing everything they’d decided.
What if it wasn’t that one of the skips was dangerous, not that she doubted it was possible, but what if instead of just giving her a dangerous skip, Dad had paid off one of the seemingly innocuous ones to keep her from getting suspicious and somehow being prepared?
What if there was no danger and the entire thing was a rumor with no truth to it? That was the least scary option. At least then she’d be prepared, just in case, but if nothing happened, then other than her worry, nothing was wasted.
She kept running.
As she finished the last lap and slowed to a walk to cool down her muscles, she wondered why she hadn’t heard from the biker she’d followed, why he hadn’t called her with where his cousin was, if he’d ever intended to that was.
It wouldn’t be the first time someone lied to her, but that wasn’t the feeling she’d gotten from him.
She still had all the research she’d done before she’d followed Demon and confronted him, on the wrong person it turned out, but she remembered that he’d worked in a bar.
She still wasn’t sure how she’d managed to end up doing all that research on the wrong person, but why not take advantage of the information she already had?
What was stopping her from just happening to turn up there?
The odds were low that if she was looking for a drink, she would happen upon the one where he worked, but it wasn’t impossible.
When she finished her cool down lap, she picked up her towel and water bottle then headed for the locker room. She needed a shower. And there was no reason she couldn’t stop for a drink on her way home.
Thirty minutes later, after a shower and dressing in the jeans and tank she’d worn on her way to the gym, she climbed into her SUV and locked the doors, and started the engine before she plugged her phone in and input the name of the bar into her GPS.
She refused to consider that she might be pushing things as she pulled out onto the road.
Following the electronic voice that Jack insisted on calling the bitch in the box, she turned off the road and into the parking lot next to a small building with several motorcycles backed into a row in front.
There weren’t a lot of signs advertising different beer brands like she’d frequently seen at different bars around town.
She parked the truck and sat there for a minute, staring at the building.
Was this the best idea she’d had? Probably not. Could it be considered impulsive? Definitely. Stupid? Maybe. Too soon to tell on that one.
What could she do to make it less stupid?
Let someone know where she was, just in case.
But who? Her father was out. Not only because he would use it as just another reason to push her out of the family business.
She couldn’t tell Jack for the same reason.
He was looking to push her out, just like her father.
She knew his motivation, he wanted the business for himself and with her out of the picture, he was the obvious choice.
Not that Dad even saw her as an option. Not that it mattered here and now, except that left her with only a few people she could trust to know where she was, just in case something happened, but at the same time wouldn’t swoop in and try to rescue her, whether she needed it or not.
The only person she knew would always have her back was Gavin.
Gavin. Why hadn’t he occurred to her first?
Because she wasn’t used to him being around.
But he was right now, so she could let him know.
Ronnie: Decided I want a drink. Going to a new bar. If you don’t hear from me in an hour I’m at Drifters.
She included the address, then hit send and shoved her phone in her bra.
She’d learned long ago that carrying a purse only made her a target, whether for being mugged or as someone who would be an easy mark.
She’d long ago given up on carrying a purse, unless for some reason she was in formal wear, but she avoided that shit like the plague it felt like.
Nope, if you didn’t like her in jeans, then you could just haul your ass in the other direction.
Deciding she’d delayed long enough, she opened the door and got out. Hitting the lock button she stashed the truck key in her bra, next to her phone, then headed inside.
She stepped in the door then off to one side while she waited for her eyes to adjust. It only took a moment or two, then she realized that nearly every person in the place had turned to look at her.
Glancing around, she saw that she wasn’t the only woman, but she was the only one not wearing one of those leather vests that were so synonymous with motorcycle clubs.
Never one to back down, she ignored all the curious looks and went to the bar. Thankfully, nearly all the stools were empty, and she was able to slide onto one without anyone on either side of her.
She looked up and met the bartender’s gaze. Something tingled low in her belly as she met eyes so dark they reminded her of rich bright blue. She licked her lips at the thought.
“What can I get for you, firecracker?”
She frowned. Why was he calling her that? Did he not remember her name?
“I’ll have Jack Fire, on the rocks, please.”
He lifted one brow and watched her for a split second before picking up a glass and adding ice, his gaze never leaving her until he turned around and pulled the bottle of Jack Daniels from the shelf behind him.
As he poured a couple of fingers of whiskey into the glass, she couldn’t help but notice he was wearing that vest thing again, but it didn’t keep her from noticing how well his jeans fit.
Her hands itched to cup and squeeze that ass.
Instead, she pulled her phone from her bra and pulled out a card to pay for the drink with.
He turned back and set the drink on a napkin in front of her. “Want to start a tab or just want the one?”
“Just the one. I’m driving tonight.” She couldn’t help but watch him, noticing how much his full beard reminded her of Opie, even if he didn’t wear the knit cap like her crush did.
He nodded, took the card, and turned away again. She picked up the glass he’d put in front of her and took a sip, her gaze taking in every inch of what looked to be a nicely toned body. She wouldn’t mind taking him for a test ride.
“Here you are.” He set the card, receipt, and a pen on the counter in front of her. “You manage to walk in here on accident or were you looking for me?” He gave her a come hither smile that made her belly flutter.
Ronnie dropped her gaze to the receipt and focused on calculating a tip and signing the sheet.
By the time she slid the pen and paper back across the table, he’d drifted down the bar to pour a drink for someone else.
Using the opportunity to look around, the first thing that caught her attention was a set of twisted and mangled handlebars mounted on the wall over the bar.
She stared at them wide-eyed, wondering if whoever had been riding was still alive and if they were still riding after a wreck like that.
She couldn’t imagine being involved in an accident like that and getting back on a bike.
Then again, she’d never been on a bike and as badly as she wanted a chance to ride, seeing the bent handlebars made her think twice.
Not that she would let that stop her, should she get a chance.
She’d decided long ago that fear wouldn’t control her.
She glanced at the dartboard on one wall and turned her attention to the men moving back and forth from the table near the corner to one of the two pool tables that took up most of the center of the room.
There were several men in the same vests as everyone else.
Everyone but Joe and maybe one other had patches on them.
She didn’t stare because that would have been rude, she also didn’t venture close enough to read them because she didn’t want to advertise that she was watching them.
She could see several small patches on the fronts of the men facing her, and the ones who had their backs to her had larger ones, that were easier to read.
The men had a logo with a bike, skeleton and scythe, with the words Demented Souls on top and Arizona on the bottom.
The women were different though. She frowned when she realized that top patch on the women’s vest read Property of and the bottom patch read different things, she assumed these were the people they belonged to but with things like ‘Sadist’ and ‘Maverick’ she could only shake her head and wonder what kind of woman would let someone put ‘property of’ and someone else’s name on their back.
She could not think of anything that would make her willing to wear someone’s name or let them declare her his.
“How you doing with that whiskey, firecracker?” Joe’s voice from behind her startled her, making her jump. She twisted around and frowned at him.
“Why do you call me that?”
“What? Firecracker? Cause I can’t imagine any other kind of woman would get into bounty hunting, much less have the balls to follow me through traffic and confront me at the gas station.
” He leaned close and lowered his voice, almost as if what he was about to say was a secret.
“Rumor is I’m not small, and some people are intimidated by that. ”
She chuckled and shook her head. Was he flirting with her?
She wasn’t sure, but she had a hard time taking her eyes off him as he smirked, winked, and made his way back to the other end of the bar.
She continued to sip her drink, watching him and wondering if or when he’d come back down her way.
She’d told him she only wanted one, would that make him not come check on her again?
Several people had left, including one of the couples by the time there was only a couple of sips left in her glass. She stared down at the amber liquid and wondered if maybe she had miscalculated. Maybe she shouldn’t have come in here tonight.