Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
The idea of leaving her, even for a shift, made my jaw lock so tight it ached. But I nodded once.
When one o’clock in the morning rolled around, I was still behind the bar at Midnight Rebel. My patience was gone. The register jammed, one of the taps sputtered, and I hadn’t stopped checking the clubhouse camera feeds on my phone. I’d kept tabs on Tamara through security footage and brief check-ins with my brothers. She’d spent the day with Lainie. Met the wives. Played with the kids. Seeing her with my friends’ babies made me think about putting my kid in her, and I’d had to adjust myself several times.
I was in the back storeroom, cussing out the ancient register and grabbing a case of whiskey to restock the shelf, when my phone buzzed.
Deviant.
“Got something?”
“Clinic’s a front,” he said, low and clipped. “Flash drive’s files were buried behind multiple security layers. Took me a while to untangle it all. The clinic is being funded through a shell corporation. It traces back to a pharma group flagged twice before for unauthorized biotech trials. We’re talking illegal testing. Unlicensed, black-market level shit. It’s fucking bad.”
My blood turned to ice. “Name.”
“I’m sending everything I have now. But I’ll keep digging.”
I hung up, forgot about the whiskey, and stalked toward the front. Wrecker glanced up from where he was serving a Jack and Coke to some college kid who didn’t know better than to be here this late.
“You look like you’re about to go full scorched earth,” he grunted. “This about your girl?”
I gave him a short nod before running a frustrated hand through my hair.
He didn’t hesitate. “Go. I have it. I’ll pull in someone from the schedule.”
“You sure?”
“I’ll let Riot know he’s gonna be pulling doubles for a few days. You handle your shit.”
I didn’t stop to thank him. Just grabbed my keys, walked out the door, and headed straight for the one place I wanted to be.
Back to Tamara.
5
TAMARA
Ibarely saw Talon yesterday, but every time I turned a corner, I found myself hoping he’d be there. He hadn’t said much during breakfast, but I could still feel the brush of his lips across my forehead when he left. I missed his broody presence. Even while hanging out with a bunch of the old ladies in the great room, I kept glancing at the door every time someone walked in. Which was often because a lot of people popped in to see Lainie.
I met Ellery, who brought Corinne and Porter with her. They were dropped off by Whiskey, who’d been on his way to the Iron Rogues’ tattoo shop. And Elise with her adorable toddler Toby Jr., who had explained her husband was a doctor pulling a shift at the hospital. Molly and Dahlia were also there with their children.
With six little kids running around, the women were too distracted to notice how often I looked for Talon. Except for Lainie, who’d shot me a knowing glance a couple of times but didn’t tell anyone.
As I padded into the kitchen the following morning, I immediately searched for him. I found him seated at the far end of the table, a mug in his hand and his attention locked on the doorway the second I stepped through it. His gaze tracked every step I took.
Lainie steered me toward the coffee first. “We should eat before I leave.”
I understood that she had to leave early to make it back to campus in time for her first class of the day, but I wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t want her to feel guilty, though. Not after she had dropped everything to bring me to the Iron Rogues for help.
So I pasted on a smile and quickly agreed, “You’re not going to get an argument from me.”
“Yeah, it’s gonna be hard to go back to eating on campus and from our freezer,” she grumbled.
Sheila patted her shoulder. “I guess it’s a good thing I packed a cooler full of home-cooked meals for you.”
“Did you really?” Lainie bounced on the balls of her feet. “Have I mentioned lately how awesome you are?”
“It never hurts to hear something like that.”
Tank came up behind Sheila and wrapped his arms around her waist, brushing a kiss against her cheek. “Just so long as I’m the only one who shows you how fucking great you are in our special way.”
I was still in awe of how the Iron Rogues men weren’t afraid of showing how much they loved their women, no matter who was around. They completely shattered everything I thought I knew about how bikers treated their old ladies. And I found myself wondering more often than I should if Talon would be the same way with me if we were ever to get together. I mentally snorted at that. As if that would ever happen.