I kept my mouth clamped shut. Anything that came out of my mouth directed at Bear would start a fight, so best not to say anything. If Tate was gonna get rid of Bear, he needed to step up and do it.

Tate stood and walked to where Bear was standing. "Naw, go outside and make sure the guys are in good spirits. I think we've got it handled in here."

Bear's eyes darted to me and then back to Tate. His jaw may have twitched, but it was hard to know under the thick beard. "That's fine, I have a date."

The only thing that stopped me from vaulting over the table and smashing his head into the floor was knowing that Krista was either safe in my room or safe among a group of guys who would stand up for her. They'd done the right thing out there when Bear and I squared off, even if I hadn't.

The door clicked shut as he left and I let my fist fall onto the table. Or I slammed it down. Either way, it was better than going after Bear. Not as satisfying, but better in the long run.

"You showed restraint," Tate commented.

I narrowed my eyes at him. His time had come. "Yeah, so did you. You f.u.c.king forgot to tell me that Krista was a bartender and a prost.i.tute."

Tate had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah, well, she's on my payroll as a bartender. There isn't a box to check that says 'prost.i.tute' on federal employment records. Besides, how long have you been in a club? A woman who hangs around like she does is bound to have a side business. You know that."

Yeah, I did. My old man had helped found the Demon Horde. I'd grown up in the life and I should have known. My mom and old man wouldn't let my sister hang out at the club. They knew what everyone would a.s.sume. I should have known too. G.o.dd.a.m.n it.

"So enough about p.u.s.s.y. Where did you guys disappear to this afternoon?" Tate asked.

Skeeter and I filled Tate in on our conversation with Robby.

Tate shrugged. "Well, based on Robby's slipup, Bear is our skimmer. His day job is towing abandoned vehicles for me, so I know exactly how much he makes, and it ain't enough to play loan shark.

"It's just a waiting game right now, see if he breaks into the warehouse. I've got a notification system set up on my email as soon as he gets inside. We just have to sit around and wait until he makes a move." I rubbed my hands. I didn't have time to sit and wait. "Can we get another shipment underway? Bear wouldn't be able to resist all that cash-he'd move fast for sure. I'm looking at a warrant just as soon as the paperwork goes through. We need to tie this up quick."

I blew out a breath as I tried to come up with something, anything that might speed this along. "I could go back to Cali," I suggested. It wasn't the most sophisticated of plans, but it was easy and fast. "Get me out of the way so Bear feels more comfortable. Business as usual, then you guys take him down on your own."

Tate ran his fingers through his beard. "It could work. But the theft could already have happened. You boys go through the security footage tomorrow. But, what if your security system failed? What if the theft has already happened? Why don't you boys go down to the warehouse tomorrow, see what's up. If we come up with nothing, Colt, you're headed home and we hope that will encourage Bear."

I hurried through the rest of the discussion. I didn't have much time left and I needed to talk to Krista.

After our meeting, I took the stairs two at a time to see if she was in my room. In my head she would be on the bed, waiting for me. But instead there was nothing. She wasn't there.

But there wasn't silence. There was a rhythmic knocking sound. Someone was having s.e.x. f.u.c.k.

The colors of the world faded until I only saw shades of red. I went room to room, flinging open doors until I found one that was locked. I kicked it in.

A hairy white a.s.s pumped away against the wall. f.u.c.k. I could see the back of Bear's cut, a skeleton with a crown, as he drilled himself into her. I grabbed his mop of hair and pulled him off. He came out swinging. I ducked the punch and tried to grab Krista's arm, pull her to safety. But the woman against the wall was a brunette with brown eyes and a b.l.o.o.d.y lip.

A blow hit the back of my neck, but the aim was wrong, so it just glanced off. I spun and Bear caught me in the nose. Blood gushed down the front of my shirt, but I couldn't stop to think, I just punched. Bear went down and I followed.

I went in for another hit, but my knuckles wouldn't reach. It was because I had been hauled up by Skeeter and Rip. Tate and the entire club stood behind them.

"Where's Krista?" I asked. My tongue was thick-I must have bitten it at some point during the fight. Skeeter, who had hold of my left arm, turned me to toward Tate.

"Krista went home for the evening." Tate glared at me. "Someone get Bear patched up and take Colt to my office." He looked me square in the face. "You sit your a.s.s down until you cool off. Then we're gonna have a little chat."

My lips burned to tell Tate to go f.u.c.k himself, but he was right. I needed to cool off. All the guys were gathered in the hall and staring at me. An argument with Tate in front of the whole d.a.m.n club would not be good for anyone.

Tate left me sitting in his office for almost an hour. I was glad for that time. I needed to get my head together. After thinking Bear was having s.e.x with Krista, my nerves were raw and I just needed a d.a.m.n break.

Finally, Tate stomped into his office and slammed the door before he sat behind his desk.

"Have you lost your G.o.dd.a.m.ned mind?" he asked. His anger was cold and quiet, running just under the surface.

I groaned. "Yeah, I f.u.c.ked up. I saw Bear, thought it was Krista, and lost it. I went crazy. It won't happen again."

Tate nodded. "You're d.a.m.ned right it won't happen again. I called my buddy Volk in Cali, and he and I had a chat."

Dropping my head into my hands, I imagined all of the awful possibilities of what was coming next. Volk was the Demon Horde's president and I was in some serious s.h.i.t.

Tate let the silence stretch between us.

"I like you, kid. You're respectful-most of the f.u.c.king time. And you were doing pretty well, up until tonight." He leaned in. "But here's my problem. I can't have you f.u.c.king up this patch-over. If they drum your a.s.s out of the club, it don't much affect me. But if I can't patch in, my little club is gonna be easy pickins for everybody on the West Coast. I've got prime territory and a G.o.dd.a.m.n brotherhood that I'm not willing to give up. I can't patch in if all the guys hate you. You're the face of the Demon Horde and I gotta get my guys to say yes, to want to become your brother.

"So, you need to get your s.h.i.t together and get this patch-over moving, because you have three days to close the d.a.m.n deal. Volk heard they issued your warrant today, so state troopers could be at our door any moment. I'm not willing to get raided because you got picked up at a strip club sniffing after p.u.s.s.y."

I cringed. He was right. Everything he was saying was correct. I had failed, and if I didn't get this patch-over completed, my a.s.s was gonna get kicked out of the club. I had grown up in Horde, prospecting when I was fifteen. My old man would roll in his grave if he learned they stripped my patch. I couldn't fail. But three days? That was some fast turnaround time.

"Yes, sir." What more was there to say? "You're right."

Tate leaned back in his chair. "So, here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna prove Bear is the one stealing. You've got three days to figure this s.h.i.t out. After that, Volk wants you home for a full report. Then you're turning your a.s.s in." He crossed his arms over his chest.

I nodded numbly. All I had left were three days of freedom.

Chapter Thirty-Three.

Krista A G.o.d-awful blaring noise shrieked in my ear. I pounded on my alarm clock a few times, but it kept going. It was my phone, not the alarm.

"h.e.l.lo?" It was seven in the morning. I had spent the entire night moping around the strip club trying to forget about my life. My feet hurt, my head pounded. Someone had better be dead or on fire.

"Uh, hi. May I speak with Krista Hartley?" The voice was a woman's and very professional. What the h.e.l.l could she want from me? My bills were all paid up, at least until tomorrow, so it wasn't a bill collector. "I'm sorry to wake you. I'm calling about a position with the accounting firm of North and Shearer."

I'd never been so awake in my life. I scrambled but managed to put on my best "I wasn't up all night" voice. The call was short, she was just doing the scheduling. But I had an interview today. Entry-level accounting.

Becks crawled into bed with me. The phone had woken her up. "Mommy? Why are you laughing?"

She snuggled into my pillow. Her hair was full of tangles, but she was beautiful. My little bit of morning sunshine.

"I'm laughing because I'm excited. I'm going to get a new job."

Yeah, okay. I didn't have the job yet, but I needed to dream. I needed that little bit of surety that my future was going to get better, soon.

It was a three-story brick office building, green gla.s.s windows all the way around. Nothing special, but it looked like heaven. My sensible heels clicked on the wet sidewalk and I reached the front door. Then I heard a rumble. Low and savage, a motorcycle.

My traitorous heart jumped. I wanted it to be Colt. But as the noise grew closer, I saw the motorcycle pa.s.s by. It was just a kid on an Asian-style bike.

I stared at the doors. Two gla.s.s doors that would lead to my new life and I couldn't open them. I was still waiting for Colt.

It was quiet now, the motorcycle had pa.s.sed. My time with Colt was over. I thought he was the guy I could depend on. I thought we could change things and make a new life together. I opened the big gla.s.s door. I was the only one who could change my life.

North and Shearer was in Suite 201. I walked in and went straight to the receptionist's desk. "I'm here for an interview."

The interview started out with a test on my accounting skills. I must have aced it because they took me right into a conference room. Karen, the office manager, talked to me about my school courses and experience at the club. Once the questions were through, she put down her notepad.

"Would you be able to start as soon as one week?"

It was hard to breathe. Maybe this wasn't what I really wanted? Leaving the club had never been this real before. It had always been a concept, an idea hanging inside my head.

But Becky wasn't a concept. She needed a stable life where Mom came home at night and where I could always pay my bills. When she was old enough to ask me what my job was, she deserved an honest answer. I needed to set an example for my daughter. That was real.

"I can start as soon as tomorrow, if you need me to."

"We'll need to get your desk ready. How about Tuesday? Next week?" Karen smiled. "Welcome aboard."

By the time I finished filling out paperwork and reference requests, I had to go pick up Becky from the bus stop. I stepped out of my car in my dressy pants and nice blazer. Becky's eyes were wide as she hopped off the bus.

"You look very smart, Mommy."

She nodded at her proclamation, and I laughed. I felt very smart.

I just had to get through one more week at the club.

Chapter Thirty-Four.

Colt After Tate yelled at me, he ordered me to sleep. According to him, I needed to calm down before I started my hunt for the skimmer. When I woke up, my shirt was dried and caked with blood from the fight, so I showered and changed and headed downstairs. I found Skeeter sitting at the bar eating a plate of eggs.

"Morning." He grinned. "You look like s.h.i.t."

"Thanks." I laughed and it hurt my face. At some point last night, Bear must have landed a few punches I was too irate to remember. I had a pretty awesome bruise on my cheek. I poured myself some caffeine and sat at the bar next to Skeeter. "I'm gonna go take a look at those security tapes. You in?"

He nodded. "h.e.l.l yeah, let's go."

Hours and hours of recordings, and nothing. The cameras themselves were motion-activated, so everything we watched should have some footage of Bear stealing the club's money, or at least checking on it. This was supposed to be our smoking gun, but instead we came up with hours and hours of squirrels.

The warehouse was infested with f.u.c.king squirrels. Every time one of the G.o.dd.a.m.n things ran in front of the camera, it would start recording. An eternity of squirrels running back and forth in front of our cash. Nothing had been touched, no one came in to take a peek and see what was there. Just boxes stuffed with fake cash, and squirrels.

Skeeter threw the remote down onto the little table in the warehouse office. "Well, this is a f.u.c.king bust."

"How many hours do we have left?"

I looked at my laptop. s.h.i.t. "About six hours. Wanna get a pizza?"

After we stuffed our faces, Skeeter turned to me. "So, that was a s.h.i.tty thing you did to Krista."

I threw the half-eaten slice of pepperoni back in the box. I wasn't hungry. "Who the f.u.c.k are you? Dr. Phil?" Skeeter was worse than a chick, always badgering me about my relationship. But he was right. I tapped on my chin and turned my head to give him a good angle. "Just a take a swing and get it over with. I know you want to. Right here."

Skeeter laughed. "You talk to Krista yet? Tell her you love her?"

He dragged out the word "love" when he said it. It sounded comical, just like this whole situation. I had finally found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my days with. She was s.e.xy, smart and independent, and I didn't deserve her. I wasn't good enough for someone like her, not by a long shot.

I didn't answer him. I couldn't make things right with Krista. I'd f.u.c.ked up so many times, and last night was the worst. I couldn't expect her to wait for me to get out of prison when I couldn't even stand up and make a commitment to her in front of the club.

"I'm gonna tell her goodbye, head back to Cali." I turned to Skeeter. "Will you keep an eye on her? Make sure she's safe?"

Skeeter nodded and was quiet for a while. He smoked and we watched the tapes. "I'll keep an eye out for her," he promised. "But it's gonna be hard with her new job."

I paused the recording. "What?"

"Yeah. She didn't tell you? She told Tate she got a new job." He grinned. "You guys too busy f.u.c.king to talk much?"

I was stupid. Of course. She'd just graduated from school a few months back. It all made sense. She was gonna make something of herself and she didn't need me around to do it. I wanted her to succeed, I just wished I would be there to see it.

Maybe there was a way I could still help her. I stopped paying attention to the security footage. I didn't have to be in her life to help her out. She'd need money to get things started, and I had plenty of that s.h.i.t. I'd spent the last few years trading stocks and building up a nice offsh.o.r.e bank account. I could make sure she and Becky had a good life.

We finished up the rest of the recordings. Toward the end, we got a surprise when a racc.o.o.n showed up for about two minutes, but nothing incriminating. We couldn't get Bear for anything. d.a.m.n.

"Well, this was a bust," Skeeter griped. He threw away the empty pizza box and I packed up my laptop. Time to head back, I needed to talk to Krista.

It was pouring rain by the time we got out to our bikes. Dammit. Skeeter unpacked a nylon wad from his saddlebags.

"What's that?"

"Rain gear." He started putting on the jumpsuit.

"No one wears rain gear. That's for p.u.s.s.ies." s.h.i.t. I didn't mean to insult the guy, he'd just solved all of my problems with my d.a.m.n relationship. "Sorry, man, I didn't mean it that way. It's just no one wears that in California."

Skeeter laughed and zipped up his waterproof jumpsuit. "Welcome to Washington State."