Rough Justice (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #1)(45)

Crack. The sound of the bullet tore through the silence, sending crows squawking and flapping in the air. Jeff’s hand dropped, the gun hanging from his finger, his face contorted in anguished despair.

“No.” Arianne shrieked and took a step forward, but Jagger held her back. Too late. They were both too late. And if she went to Viper now, the poor soul on the grass would have died for nothing.

“Problem solved.” Viper glanced over at Arianne. “Come, girl.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at the ground beside him.

Arianne didn’t move, her gaze fixed on Jeff, her face reflecting his despair.

“Jesus, bitch. You never listen.” Viper took two quick strides toward Arianne, fingers outstretched as if to grab her. Arianne stepped back, closer to Jagger, her hand flying to Jagger’s arm to rest at the crook of his elbow.

And in that second, everything changed.

Mine.

Her small, unconscious gesture, a statement of trust that he would keep his word, keep her safe, roused in him a protectiveness so fierce, he was powerless to stop his reaction. Shifting his stance, he positioned himself between Arianne and Viper, shielding her with his body as he met Viper’s furious glare.

“Black Jacks broke the truce,” Jagger snapped. “I lost a clubhouse and a good man.” He looked back over his shoulder and lifted his chin in Arianne’s direction. “Now I got compensation. Since she’s your daughter, I’ll call it even. I claim her as the blood price for the debt you owe us.”

Beside him, Zane hissed his disapproval, but Jagger had made his decision. He had, in fact, made the decision when he’d first received the call from Viper about the meet. But the part of him that put duty above everything else, coupled with Arianne’s insistence that she was going to the exchange, had almost convinced him he would be able to give her up.

Growls and a buzz of anger rippled through the Black Jacks.

Leo’s brow furrowed and he scratched his head. “Viper’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

“You’re taking Viper’s daughter as a blood price?” His voice rose in disbelief. “You gonna kill her?”

“She’s mine. If I want to kill her, I will. If I want to keep her as a house mama, I’ll do that, instead.” And then, because he knew Leo wanted Arianne, and Viper was already bearing down on him, he said, “And if I want to use her, I’ll keep her chained to my bed.”

Arianne clutched his arm, anger radiating off her in waves, but she stayed silent. Jagger let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. She understood he was saving her from whatever punishment lay in store if Viper thought she’d gone with him of her own volition. And he was giving her a way out. They had both been aware of the risk that night on the roadside. As she’d said, she had a choice. And she’d chosen him.

“Take her.” He shoved her back toward Gunner and was ready when Viper struck. He had already braced himself for the blow. But he hadn’t anticipated the flickblade Viper had concealed in his palm. The blade sliced through the front of his shirt, leaving a gash four inches across. Jagger grunted at the pain in his chest and grabbed Viper’s wrist, twisting it back and away until the knife dropped and they faced each other man-to-man.

“She’s dead to you.” Jagger spat out the words as Sinners and Jacks threw themselves into the fray. “You don’t touch her. You don’t look at her. You don’t call her. You don’t hunt her. She belongs to me.”

Viper jeered. “You’re thinking with your dick, boy. Are the lives of your men worth a bit of *?”

Shaking with rage, Jagger slammed his fist into Viper’s face, following the punch with a kick that sent his opponent staggering back.

In the distance a siren wailed. The shrill sound of a whistle cut through the smack of flesh on flesh, grunts and groans, and the crack of bone. A warning.

“Jag, gotta go.” Zane raced toward him, his cheek cut and bruised. “Wheels is on lookout. He says there’s at least ten cop cars on the way. Maybe more. Not sure how they found us. None of our lookouts reported cars or people in the area, and I’m sure the Jacks had lookouts of their own.”

Gritting his teeth, Jagger turned back to his opponent, but Viper was already on the move, the Jacks swarming around him as they headed for their bikes.

“Arianne.”

“Over there.” Zane pointed to the pile of rubble where Arianne knelt beside the fallen man.

“Grab Gunner and go round up the stragglers.” Jagger said, as he raced over to join her. Arianne looked up when he knelt down beside her.

“He’s still alive.”

“We gotta go.” Jagger tugged on her arm. “Cops are on the way.”

She pulled away. “I can feel his pulse. We need to call an ambulance, and his family…”

Still alive. Jagger’s head fell back in relief. “The police are only minutes away. They’ll take care of him. There’s nothing you can do.”

“I don’t want to leave him alone.” She looked up, her eyes glittering with tears. “He’s hurt because of me.”

Jagger stood, tugging her to her feet. “He must have done something pretty bad to the Jacks or they wouldn’t have caught him in the first place. And it was Jeff who hurt him and Viper who pulled the strings. Not you.” He kissed her lightly on the forehead, puzzled when she pulled away. “You know what happens if the cops catch you here,” he continued. “Either you walk or I’ll carry you, but you’re coming now. We can watch from the hill, where it’s safe, to make sure they find him.”