Rough Justice (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #1)(28)
“Spit it out.” He needed to get to Arianne. Protect her in case there were Jacks outside. Zane, Cade, and Sparky could organize the Sinners who had since joined the fight.
“It’s Axle. He and his boys are out looking for Vexy. Weasel tipped off Tank, hoping to win his way back into the club. He told Tank that Axle blames Vexy for getting him kicked out of the club. Axle still thinks if he offs her, the brothers will kick you out and vote him in as president.”
“Jesus f*cking Christ.” Jagger pounded his fist on the counter. “Does Axle seriously think the Jacks would vote him in? Or that I would ever let him get his hands on her?” He glanced around the bar. With many bikers now lying on the floor groaning, the fight had lost steam, and no doubt the police would be on their way.
“Have you seen her? She’ll need protection until we deal with Axle.”
“Wheels saw her getting into a cage out back.”
Jagger holstered his weapon and made a mental note to reconsider his reservations about Wheels. Damn prospect was everywhere.
“Tell Gunner to clear our people out of the bar, then meet me out back with Cade. We’ll have to find her. She’s got f*cking Black Jacks after her, too.” He paused, reluctant to share her secret, but he’d given in to desire one too many times in the last week—from defending Arianne when he wasn’t certain of her innocence to holding his meeting at her bar—and duty reared its ugly head. “’Course if Axle hurts her, he won’t have just me to deal with. She’s Viper’s daughter.”
“Viper’s daughter? And we let her go?” Zane’s lips pressed thin. “So are we gonna catch her and hold her hostage this time? Maybe get some of the Jacks’ secrets out of her?”
Jagger gave an irritated huff as he rounded the bar and headed toward the stockroom door. “Axle’s actions are our responsibility, and until we deal with him, she’s under our protection. We’ll take her somewhere safe.”
“So now we’re protecting Jacks?”
“Zane…” He paused in front of the door. One word was all the warning he usually needed. Jagger’s best friend since they were five years old, and fiercely protective of those closest to him, Zane was the only person allowed to challenge him, but only when they were alone and only if he thought Jagger had overlooked something fundamentally important.
Which was the case now, apparently, since he kept right on talking.
“What if she’s a plant and the whole thing is a setup?” Zane threw open his hands. “I mean, how did it happen that a bunch of Black Jacks showed up when we were here?” He sidestepped to avoid a pair of grappling bikers as they fell against the bar. “Seems like too much of a coincidence. Maybe she called them. Staged a little drama to see what you’re made of.” He gritted his teeth and his voice came out harsh with emotion, flavored with bitterness. “Women don’t think like we do. They’re conniving and manipulative and can twist a f*cking guy in knots without feeling any sort of remorse.”
Jagger slammed open the door, his face hot and pinched with annoyance. “One day, you’re gonna have to tell me what happened to you after I left for the army—’cause those years changed you, made you bitter as hell. Not all women are the same. And this situation has f*ck all to do with the fact she’s a woman. We owe her our protection. You’ve overstepped. There’s nothing more to say.” He brushed past Zane and stormed through the stockroom toward the back exit.
“Where do you want to take her?” Zane followed him, seemingly unperturbed by Jagger’s reprimand or his quick dismissal of Zane’s concerns. But that had always been Zane’s way. Even when they were kids, Jagger had never known what Zane was thinking or how he was feeling unless Zane chose to share, which he almost never did.
“We’ll put her in the safe house above Sparky’s shop until we’ve dealt with Axle and figured out where she stands with the Jacks.” He opened the back door, and a cool breeze ruffled his hair. He didn’t ask Zane if he was coming. Except for the years they’d been apart, Zane always had his back, and he returned the favor. That’s what best friends did.
“Viper’s gonna be f*cking pissed when he finds out you’ve got his daughter. What if she doesn’t want to get on her daddy’s bad side?” Zane followed him into the parking lot.
“She doesn’t have to agree.”
“She’ll agree.” A slow smile spread across Zane’s face. “Never met a woman who could resist your charm.”
*
“Faster, Dawn.” Arianne’s chest pounded as the bikers rapidly closed the distance between them. Dawn’s Ford Fiesta was no match for 1,500 cc’s of raw Harley horsepower, but maybe they could find somewhere to hide.
“My foot is down to the floor.” Dawn gripped the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white. “My Fiesta is a good car for safe city driving, not for high-speed getaways. If I’d known y’all were going to be chased by crazed bikers, I would’ve brought something sportier. Maybe you should give me a set of your keys so that next time we have to make an escape, we can take your car, although I doubt even your ancient Mustang convertible could outrun these guys.”
“I’m so sorry about this.” She reached over and squeezed Dawn’s arm. “I should have just gone with Leo. Then none of this would have happened. You’d be safe. Banks would be safe. The bar wouldn’t have been trashed.” She scrubbed her hands over her face. “God, what have I done? I’ve never defied Viper like this before. I don’t know why I ran.”