Sinner's Steel (Sinner's Tribe Motorcycle Club #3)(26)

“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 f*ck toy?”

“He gave you his patch. Makes you more than his f*ck 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.”