“Watch your fucking mouth.” Bear brandished the spatula like a switchblade. He might be a big guy, but he had reflexes like someone half his size. “I like to think of myself as more of a sexy Jamie Oliver.”
“Oh, the naked chef. God help us, please keep your clothes on. Nobody wants your pubes in their pasta, bro.”
He wrapped his arm around my neck and squeezed. His biceps pressed against my throat. “Be a nice motherfucker and take that back.”
I put my foot in between his and shifted my weight, throwing him off balance. “Never.”
He stumbled, but caught himself before falling. Then he charged me.
“So this is what it’s like around here, huh?” Bambi stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
I looked up just as Bear’s shoulder connected with my chin. The impact tossed me back against the cabinets. “Watch it, asshole.”
He held out his hand to help me up. “Dude, I thought you were going to jump out of the way.”
“Forget about it.” I ran my palm over my chin. Yeah, that was going to leave a bruise.
“I suppose boys will be boys no matter how grown up they might look.” Bambi took her empty plate to the sink and turned on the water.
Bear eyed me over the top of her head. We were both old enough to have outgrown the need for a pissing contest, but that didn’t prevent us from horsing around every once in a while. Especially when tensions ran tight and everyone was looking for a way to blow off some steam.
“Is that my coffee?” Bambi eyed the mug on the counter.
“It’s not ready yet.” I grabbed the milk from the fridge and topped off the mug. “Sugar’s on the counter. Bambi, this is Bear. He’s the one who made your breakfast.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
“You’re welcome. Did you get enough to eat?” Bear scooped most of the remaining eggs onto a plate. “There are eggs left if you want them.”
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
“No offense, but I’d hardly say you’re good.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the counter. “Are you ready to tell me what happened to you last night?”
“And then what?” The tremble in her voice matched the hint of vulnerability that passed through her eyes. “They’re going to come looking for me. You keep saying I’m safe here, but no one gets away from them. The best thing you could do would be to put me on a bus or even better, a plane.”
“Who?” I was ninety-nine percent sure she was talking about Savage Bones, but I needed her confirmation before I could call the rest of my MC brothers to arms.
Bambi closed her eyes and wiped the back of her hand across her cheek. “You know who.”
Bear made eye contact. I’d filled him in on what happened, and we’d spent hours tossing theories back and forth about why she’d been out in the woods. The way he looked at me led me to think he believed she was on the run.
I was a bit more skeptical. What if Savage Bones had set her up as a runaway so we’d pick her up and bring her in? If I was trying to get intel on a rival club and willing to use a woman to do my dirty work for me, it wouldn’t be a bad plan. I’d searched her last night but hadn’t found anything on her. Didn’t mean I believed a single word coming out of her mouth, though.
The legs of the chair scraped over the wood floor as I pulled it away from the table and motioned her over to take a seat. “The only way you’re getting out of here is by telling us everything.”
Bear sat down and dug into his eggs. The rest of the guys were watching New Year’s Day football on the TV in the lounge or keeping watch outside. Sensing that surrounding her with a dozen of my biker brothers who were hellbent on avenging the recent attacks on Mustang Mountain might discourage her from talking, I made the call to fill them in later. Hopefully she’d spill her guts to me and Bear and we’d have a better idea of the situation before the sun started to set.
If she really had broken free from the Savage Bones, they would come looking for her. I had complete faith in my brothers’ ability to defend our home and the innocent people of Mustang Mountain, but we’d do better with a full picture of what we were up against.
A bit of the fight seemed to drain out of her as she slid onto the chair I’d pulled out for her. “I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. If I tell you my real name, will you stop calling me Bambi?”
“I don’t know. I’m kind of getting used to it.” She reminded me of a wide-eyed doe. Behind the brave front she’d propped up, she was scared. I could smell her fear under the faint sweet scent of flowers that lingered on her skin. Whatever she’d done to get herself mixed up with a group like Savage Bones was a story she might not be ready to tell. But she rolled her eyes as she leaned forward, and I hoped she’d give us something we could use.
CHAPTER4
GINGER
I didn’t trust eitherone of them, but I believed they were telling me the truth about not letting me go until I started talking. So, I took a long sip of coffee and set it down on the table while I tried to think of what to say.
