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“No secret. I don’t believe she was involved. She took advantage, but she wasn’t the cause. I want the motherfucker responsible, not a stand-in.”

“Reaper and I have been busting our asses figuring that out. It would have been nice to know it was a dead end.”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure. I could be wrong. Until we talk to the girls, we won’t know for sure who set The Last Riders up for a fall.”

“True. With any luck, we’ll find out tonight.”

Wizard echoed the sentiment as they headed out of the club, followed by Puck, Burn, and Buck. Riding to the secluded spot took twenty minutes. Fortunately, none of the partygoers had arrived. Blue was setting up the bonfire with two Last Riders who appeared younger than they were. All three of them gave the appearance of college students out for a good time.

Divvying up the available hiding spots where they could remain unseen while still having a view, they took their positions and waited for the sun to drop.

Taking out his phone, he once again tried to call Natalia. Instead of hanging up, he texted her a message: I’ll be able to go to the ball with you. Sorry I answered late. Been stuck handling something. I’ll explain tonight.

Pocketing his cell phone, Wizard studied each of the arrivals as they exited their cars. Hours passed slowly. He was shifting positions when headlights came into view. Holding his binoculars in a loose grip, he tightened his fingers when he saw three girls get out. Changing the magnification, he zoomed in.

He quickly reached for his phone, letting the brothers know the girls were here. Burn’s spot was closer to their car, so he texted him to cut them off if any of them tried to escape, then gave the rest of the brothers their orders as he patiently waited for Blue to follow his instructions.

Wizard watched as Blue casually struck up a conversation with one of the girls. Trap, the other Last Rider he had planted, wandered over to the small group to chat with one of the other girls.

Time crawled by until Blue pointed to a copse of trees. Wizard knew he was asking them to come and help him carry firewood for the bonfire. The group of five started walking toward the pile of firewood they had chopped.

Puck and Buck had moved from their original positions and were waiting nearby. As they drew closer, Wizard recognized each of the young women. Courtney Black was the oldest at twenty; Jena Rogers and Ellie Dole were both nineteen.

When they were within touching distance of the firewood, The Last Riders made their move, surrounding the three women in a circle. None of the partygoers by the bonfire could see the women who had walked into their trap.

Wizard spoke before any of the women could make a noise. “There’s going to be no need to scream. None of us are going to touch you,” he promised in a calm voice.

“I’m going to call the police,” Courtney threatened, grabbing her friends by the arms to pull them closer to her.

“I already have.” Wizard inwardly smiled at their surprised reaction. “The Last Riders have permission to be here. The owner of the property sent us here to investigate fires that have been set on his property recently. We’re just detaining whoever set the fire until the police get here. The owner is also on his way to verify why we’re here.”

The women looked at him in confusion.

“We didn’t set the fire.” Courtney looked toward Blue and Trap, as if expecting them to back her up. “We were invited to the bonfire.”

Wizard gazed at Blue and Trap. “You invite them?”

“I didn’t invite them,” Blue answered. “I’ve never seen them before in my life. Cody and I were driving by and saw the fire from the road. We pulled over to see if we needed to call the fire department. The girls told us they had started the bonfire for a party and no one had shown. They invited us to stay and asked us to get more firewood. We would have called the police and fire department, but Courtney told us her family owned the property.”

Wizard was proud of how easily Blue had recited the lie he had been told to say. The women, on the other hand, weren’t as appreciative.

“He’s lying!” all three women screeched in unison.

Wizard shrugged. “I believe him.”

“I don’t care if you believe him or not.” Jena raised her chin defiantly. “The other people at the bonfire will back us up. They’ll tell the police we just got here.”

Wizard gave her a confused frown. “What other people?”

The three women turned around to face the bonfire, their mouths dropping open when they saw they were the only ones still there. Finding it hard not to laugh at their expressions, he raised his eyebrows at them.

“Where did they go?” Jena turned to her friends.

“They were just here …” Courtney took a step forward as if to run, but The Last Riders blocked her path. None of them touched her, their menacing presence stalling her forward momentum.

Courtney swung back around to confront him. “When the police get here, I’ll tell them the truth …”

“That’ll be a first.” Wizard laughed in her face. “Why should they believe you? This is twice you three have been caught where you’re not supposed to be. I don’t think your parents are going to be happy about having to fork over more cash for your legal fees.”