With limited options available, listening to Juice seemed like a good choice. I slid onto a chair and scooted it close to the table while Juice headed behind the bar.
“How do you take it? I can do a latte, cappuccino, flavored syrup, whatever you’d like.”
Ruby hadn’t been kidding when she said they had a pricey coffee maker at the clubhouse. “Can you do a caramel latte?”
“Coming right up.” He offered a reassuring smile as he pressed a few buttons, and the machine whirred to life.
While I waited, I scanned the room. Memorabilia and pictures decorated the walls. It looked more like a family hangout than a club for dangerous bikers. My shoulders relaxed. The Mustang Mountain Riders weren’t anything like the club Beast belonged to. I was safe here.
“Here you go.” Juice slid a mug toward me.
“Thank you. Now will you tell me where Crank went?” I hooked a finger through the handle and pulled the mug closer, eager to take a sip. I didn’t want to come off as suspicious andcontrolling, but I’d feel so much better if I knew when he’d be back.
Juice rested his elbows on the table and eyed me with a look that made my stomach clench. “He’s headed to Vegas.”
“Vegas?” My heart revved. “Why would he go to Vegas?” I asked. What I really meant was why would he go anywhere without me?
“He’s intercepting the Hellfire’s Reapers who are on their way here. He figured it was better to cut them off than let them reach Mustang Mountain. We’ve got enough hell breaking loose here.” Juice pushed back from the table. “I promised him I’d keep you safe until he got back, so you’re stuck with me for a few days.”
I pushed back and got to my feet. “Who’s with him?”
“No one. He didn’t want to pull manpower away from what’s happening here.” Juice pushed back from the table and stood as well. “But he’s going to be okay, I swear.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You don’t know what Beast and his crew are capable of.” And my man was heading straight for them. Alone. I needed to get to him before he did something stupid. “How long ago did he leave?”
“You need to stay here.” Juice’s fingers wrapped around my wrist. “He’ll kill me if I let you out of my sight, even for a second.”
“Then I guess you’ve got a decision to make because I’ll kill you if you don’t let me go. I need to get to Crank. He has no idea what he’s walking into.
CHAPTER 11
POPPY
There weren’tmany options on commercial flights out of the small local airport, so I booked the next flight out. Thankfully, it was headed to Phoenix. From there, I’d be able to easily catch a plane to Vegas. Juice wasn’t happy about driving me to the airport, but I’d told him I was going with or without him.
“I feel like I should be going with you. Crank’s going to kick my ass for letting you get on a plane.” He stopped in front of the building and shifted his truck into park.
“You’re needed in town where you can do the most good. I feel bad even having you take me this far. You should be keeping an eye out for the Savage Bones, not following me to Vegas to take care of something I should have done years ago.” I grabbed my bag and got out of the truck before he could change his mind. It was bad enough that Crank had been pulled into my past. I wouldn’t let anyone else risk their life for me.
“Do me a favor?” Juice asked.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t tell Crank I was the one to take you to the airport?” He smiled as he said it. “He’ll be pissed enough knowing I let you go.”
“I won’t.” In the long run, it wouldn’t matter. I’d either vanquish Beast and make Crank forget all about the promises he’d forced from Juice, or neither one of us would make it back and it wouldn’t matter.
“Good luck, Poppy.” Juice lifted his hand in a wave.
I turned my back on him and headed into the airport, eager to be on my way.
After two flights, a three-hour layover, and waiting in line for forty-five minutes for a rental car, I pulled onto a remote road outside of Henderson, Nevada. Juice had called ahead to let his friends know I’d be showing up to look for Crank.
Even still, my hands shook, and my breath caught when I came to a stop at a guardhouse sitting outside the fence line of a huge industrial-looking warehouse. The guy manning the booth looked over my license and checked it against the papers on his clipboard before waving me through.
I passed into the secure area, eyeing the razor wire sitting on top of the fence. Hopefully it was intended to keep people out instead of penning them in. Before I even got out of the car, Crank stalked out of the metal building in front of me.
“Poppy, what the hell are you doing here?” He didn’t look happy to see me, but he still pulled me into his arms and caught my lips in a kiss.
