Another crack of thunder boomed, and we all looked upward. When the ceiling didn’t come crashing down on our heads, everyone went back to contemplating the desk once again.
I slid in next to Will.
Anotherboom. This time the lights went off for a few seconds before popping back on.
“This is bad weather for everyone to be out on their bikes,” I grumbled.
“They all know how to ride or they wouldn’t be part of the club,” Will snarked, but I could hear the underpinnings of our old argument in his tone, so I shut my mouth. I could read a room. Or at least, I could read Will. The last thing I wanted was to be in the doghouse. I’d much rather be in his ass.
Will nodded at me, thanking me for dropping the subject, but keeping my mouth shut was an act of self-preservation.
The warmth in his gaze lit me on fire and my face flushed. God, I wanted to fucking please him all the time, but we’d always had the type of relationship where we fought once in a while. It was worse now, though. Now that I’d been inside him, had his lips on mine. I didn’t want to fall into the same old habits.
I had some serious motivation on my side to make the lessons I’d learned stick.
Dallas glanced at me and raised his dark eyebrows. “These are more detailed than what you texted to everyone else.”
I shrugged. “Yeah. I keep remembering things. Not enough, though.”
King rested his hip against the desk and tugged Dallas’s ear lightly to get his attention. “Everyone else is out scouring the city for the golden ticket. Why are we farting around here?”
Dallas sighed and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blue hoodie. “Because whoever did this isn’t going to be sitting in the middle of the road counting singles. The person who finds the money will be the one who uses his head.” He tapped his temple.
King blew out a puff of smoke, then slid behind Dallas and wrapped his arms around him. “Maybe we could think on the road.” He bounced on the balls of his feet, jostling Dallas.
“We’re making this too hard,” Will said, clearly as fed up with trying to make a plan as King. “They’re bikers. Let’s check bars. Not places the Kings hang out, since no one in our club did this.”
“We don’t know that,” Dallas said, but his words were more contemplative than combative.
Will grunted out a noncommittal sound.
“Okay, I love your plan.” Dallas smiled at Will. “And it shouldn’t be someplace in town because you don’t plan and celebrate a heist gone right close to where you pull it off.”
“You don’t if you’resmart.” I rolled my eyes. “But I’ve met my fair share of morons.”
“Well, Quain can probably give Barber an alibi, so that’s one idiot accounted for,” King said. He finished off his cigarette, then walked over to toss the butt in the fireplace.
Will burst out laughing, and I wanted to live in that sound, but I settled for sliding my arm around his solid waist.
“Could’ve been the Demons.” I stared down at my sketches.
“I don’t recognize anyone,” King said for probably the hundredth time with a frown. “Or any of the bikes.”
“Only a real dumbass would use his own bike.” Dallas walked around the desk, like maybe looking from a different direction would help.
“Yeah, but how many people can afford more than one bike?” King slapped the desk and shoved the sketches. “Let’s check out Bullet. It’s outside of town. What’s left of the Warriors hang around there. They get a rough crowd. Might be our spot.”
Dallas pouted at King. “I thought the Warriors were all killed or run out of town.”
King rolled his eyes. “All the worst ones, yeah. But we didn’t exactly salt the earth. Cut off a few heads and the rest of them duck and cover.”
“Works for me.” I noticed Will tuning out of the conversation. He anxiously glanced at the office door. He’d never been much for talking things to death—one of his best qualities.
We were the last ones in the clubhouse because Dallas had insisted we shouldn’t roll out without a single fucking clue as to what we were doing. The silence was eerie, especially at night. The club should be packed. Our boots on the black floor tiles echoed as we crossed the empty barroom to the hallway that led to the front door.
King was the leader of the parade outside into the pelting rain, and we hustled over to my truck. We were all soaked by the time me, Will, and Dallas were inside the warm cab. King closed the door behind Dallas, but his boyfriend was speedy at putting down the window.
“What are you doing?” The rain was barreling down so hard Dallas had to raise his voice. “If you catch wet gravel or too much road grit, you’ll be dead! We’ll never find you in the dark!”
