Ride Hard (Raven Riders #1)(50)

By the time she sat, her face was on fire, but she felt good for having come.

“You came,” Cora said in a low, excited voice. “I’m so glad.”

“I’m here,” Haven said, her gaze flicking to Dare, who was still looking at her. “And I’m kinda starving.”

“Well, we have the perfect cure for that,” the big guy next to her said. He passed her a platter filled with scrambled eggs and bacon. “I’m Joker, by the way.”

The guy who’d tried to talk to her at the party that first night. She should’ve recognized those friendly green eyes and the dark beard. “Hi Joker, I’m Haven.” As she scooped some food onto her plate, other words threatened, and then she decided to throw caution to the wind and just say them. “I’m sorry I freaked out at the party when you tried to introduce yourself. I’m kinda ridiculously shy, and big groups like this . . .” She shrugged. “. . . well, they’re usually too overwhelming for me.”

“Don’t worry about it, darlin’,” he said with a wink. “We have a knack for being intimidating.”

“You do,” she said with a little laugh.

“Here, you gotta have one of these, too,” he said, passing her the plate with her cinnamon buns.

“I’d love to,” she said, biting down on her lip to try not to smile. She took one and then passed the plate to Phoenix, who was waggling his fingers for it.

Cora elbowed Haven in the ribs, and Haven threw her a look.

“Too bad you’re already taken, Bunny,” Phoenix said. “Because I’d marry you in a heartbeat for making these buns.” Raucous exclamations and agreements circled the room.

“You’d break those vows in five minutes,” Bunny’s husband, Rodeo, said with a wicked grin.

“Yeah, probably,” Phoenix said, not seeming to mind the ribbing at all. “But I’d be deep in love for all five of them.”

Shaking her head, Bunny laughed. “Well, I’m just glad you’re all enjoying them. Now stop all the yammering and eat.”

It didn’t take long for all the platters and plates to be licked clean, and then Cora and Haven helped Bunny and a few of the guys clear the table.

When they came back out for another haul of dirties, Dare waved Haven and Cora over. “Can I talk to you two for a minute?”

“Uh, sure,” Haven said, following him into the lounge with Cora.

“A contact sent us some photos, and I want to confirm identities with you two before sending them out to our people.” He punched a code into his cell phone.

“Okay,” Haven said, standing next to him. God, he smelled good. Like Ivory soap and leather and something all Dare.

He tilted the phone toward them. “Is this your father?”

“Yes.” Haven stared at a photo taken of him when he was out in public somewhere. He wore the same angry-at-the-world expression he always did, and just seeing it rushed a shiver that was part dread and part relief that she’d escaped him over her skin. “Did you have someone take these?”

Dare nodded, and thumbed to the next photograph. “All I know of some of these men is that they’re in his organization. Any names you can add would be helpful.” He showed them three pictures, and Haven was able to identify them all as people who worked closely for or with her father. “How about this one?”

Cora gasped. “That’s my father, Hank Campbell.”

Haven nodded, though something in Cora’s tone made Haven study her friend’s face. Cora gave her a small smile when she noticed, but Haven felt like she’d just watched her friend don a mask.

“Okay,” Dare said. “Are we missing images of anyone you think we should know about?”

Haven and Cora exchanged glances. “The men you showed us are my father’s right-hand men, so I don’t think so. Do you, Cora?”

She shook her head. “Those are the most obvious guys.”

“Good,” Dare said. “Thanks. I’m gonna send these out to the club and a broader circle of contacts we have, just to get some other eyes on this.”

“Okay,” Haven said, the precautions Dare was taking making her nervous about just how much her father might know about her whereabouts.

Dare frowned and, for a moment, looked like he was going to say something more. Then he shook his head and backed away. It was almost like he’d had a whole little conversation—with himself. “Catch ya later, then,” he said.

Haven nodded, and, when Dare was gone, she turned to Cora.

“He is so into you,” Cora said, eyebrow arched.

“You got that from that weirdness just now?” Haven rolled her eyes, even though everything inside her wished it was true.

“No,” Cora said. “I got that from watching him watch you looking at his cell phone. His eyes were on you the whole time.”

Butterflies whipped through Haven’s belly. “Well, who knows what that means.”

“Only one way to find out,” Cora said, pointing toward the hallway down which Dare just disappeared. “And he just went that way.”

Haven shook her head. “I’m not following him. Come on, we have to help Bunny finish cleaning up.”

“If you say so,” Cora said, giving her an amused, challenging look.