“Fuck.” Jagger yanked open the door and yelled for Sinners who had accompanied them to the Riverside Bar. “We got a fight.”
“Evie. Come.” Zane pushed himself to his feet, keeping some distance between him and the monolith in front of him as he held out one hand and drew his weapon with the other.
If he thought she’d throw herself sobbing into his arms with gratitude like she’d done when he saved her from Derek, her livid expression quickly dissuaded him of that notion.
“I’ve got this, Zane. Thanks. This isn’t high school. I don’t need you running to my rescue.”
“You gotta respect a woman with her own mind, Sinner. She wants to be with me.” Viper nuzzled her neck. “Let’s go, kitten. Your new chariot awaits.”
“I’m not going with you either.” She twisted out of Viper’s grasp. “I’m not a damn chew toy to be fought over. Give me my keys. I’m going home.”
Zane saw the flash of a blade, felt the slight disturbance in the air. Adrenaline surged through his body and he mentally kicked himself for not seeing the danger. While Viper kept him distracted, he’d left Jagger unprotected and at the mercy of the bodyguards who had taken the advantage of the cleared-out bar. Viper had baited a trap and Zane had fallen right in.
With a shout of warning, he flung himself to the side. The blade sliced through the sleeve of his shirt, cutting his arm, before it deflected and hit the wall only inches from where Jagger stood.
Jagger drew his weapon just as the door slammed open and Sinners poured into the bar. T-Rex fired a warning shot at the ceiling, covering Jagger while Gunner and Sparky pulled him to safety, despite his growled protests. The club was nothing without their president, and for all Jagger wanted to have his back, Zane would do anything to protect him.
“Zane!” Evie ran toward him, her face twisted in anguish. She threw her arms around his waist, her momentum carrying him back toward the door.
Zane put one arm around her and caught Viper’s hard gaze.
Mine. He mouthed the word at Viper, clenching his fist against Evie’s back in triumph.
Viper’s mouth tightened and he met Zane’s silent challenge with a derisive snort. Then his bodyguards closed in around him, and Zane pulled Evie away.
* * *
Evie handed Zane a beer and sat beside him on her front steps. Moonlight glinted off the chrome on his bike, parked in her driveway where her car should have been. She pulled the key fob Viper had given her from her pocket, and ran her thumb over the smooth, black surface. On their third date, Viper had asked her about her dream car, and they’d had a fun evening checking out pictures of luxury vehicles on her phone. She’d never thought he would buy the Mazda for her, nor had she ever considered that he’d take her car.
Damn Viper and his stupid gift. She wanted her car, rusty and worn as it was. She’d bought it with the last of her savings from Stanton the morning after Mark pushed her down the stairs in a drunken rage. Only quick thinking and years of daredevil stunts with Zane had saved her, and she managed to grab the railing on her way down. Although Mark was horrified at what he’d done, Evie had finally had enough. She’d put up with his insecurities, affairs, and controlling behavior to give Ty a family and to fill the hole in her life that had consumed her after losing everyone she cared about. But the price had become too high.
“What’s that?” Zane gestured to the key fob.
“Viper gave me a vehicle—a Mazda MX5—and he took the keys to my car. He said it wasn’t safe. The Mazda is still in the parking lot at Riverside Bar. I didn’t want it, or I wouldn’t have taken the ride home with you.”
“Hate saying this, but he’s right. Your vehicle wasn’t safe.”
“Do you seriously think I would drive Ty around in an unsafe vehicle?” she snapped. “It might not look like much but I had it all checked out. Bill’s mechanics said it was running fine.”
Zane sipped his beer. “So … you and Viper?”
“I’ve been on a few dates with him, although he’s never acted like he did tonight. Obviously. Because if he’d twisted my arm and pulled my hair on our first date, I wouldn’t have gone out with him again. Although he said what he did was all for show.” She twisted her lips to the side, considering. “If I tried to slap Jagger in front of his men, what would he do?”
Zane choked on his beer, wiped his mouth. “Pretty much the same thing Viper did. A one percenter president can’t let any disrespect slide. Makes him look weak, and a weak president is a dead president.”
Did that excuse Viper’s behavior? If she’d understood biker culture, she wouldn’t have made that mistake. And except for that one incident, he had been nothing but charming and kind. Although his jealousy had frightened her. Was that the real Viper behind the mask? The man who had so crudely called her a piece of pussy and wanted to take her to bed just so Zane couldn’t have her?
“What about you?” She tucked the key fob away and opened the first aid kit she’d brought from the house. Although the cut on Zane’s arm wasn’t deep, there was still the risk of infection, and she suspected he wouldn’t be running to the hospital with a knife wound on his arm.
“I could never hurt you, Evie.” His hesitated, as if he had more to say. “In any way.”
She dabbed antiseptic on his wound, remembering how many times she’d treated his injuries over the years. From school fights to reckless stunts, she had always been there to pick up the pieces. And he had done the same for her. They’d missed so many years together because they were too afraid to destroy their friendship, and yet, in the end, they destroyed it anyway.
“Then why did you leave me?” Her voice tightened as nine years of heartache bubbled over. “What happened that night?”
Zane covered her hand with his, drawing it away from his arm, threading his fingers through hers. “Your dad warned me away from you down by the creek after he sent you home. He said I wasn’t good enough for you. Later that night, he came to the trailer. He … saw … all the drugs and cash. There was a fight. He shot my dad. I ran at him, knocked him down. He dropped the gun. My dad grabbed it and shot him. I didn’t think anyone would believe I wasn’t involved. Maybe shot them both. Everyone in the trailer park knew how my dad beat me; they heard us shouting at each other every night. And I figured your dad had told people I’d been with you and everyone would think I’d decided to get him out of the way. The town would need a scapegoat and I was an easy target.”
Evie’s skin prickled with awareness. He wasn’t telling her everything. Even after all these years, she knew he was holding back, whether it was the way he stumbled over his words or how he stared out into the darkness, or from the set of his jaw. There was more to the story than he was letting on.
“The police thought my dad went to arrest your dad for drug dealing,” Evie said. “They figured there was a fight, my dad shot yours in self-defense, and then you picked up the gun and shot my dad in revenge for killing your dad. Your prints were on the gun. Your footprints were all over the scene. Witnesses had placed you there…” She pressed her lips together, fighting back a wave of anger. “They didn’t want to go to the expense of doing an autopsy or getting forensic reports. They just issued a warrant for your arrest.”
“Figured as much.” He squeezed her hand. “Small town. Saving money. Taking the easy way out.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” She leaned her head against his shoulder, closed her eyes against the images of her father dying alone, tried to come to terms with what really happened that night. “I was waiting for you. I waited all night.”
“I was worried you wouldn’t believe me either.” He said the words so quietly, she almost didn’t hear them.
She supposed she could understand his concern. Her father had ripped Zane off her, thrown him to the ground, shouted harsh, cruel, horrible things. Then he stood over him and ordered her to go home. He said he and Zane were going to have a talk, but she would never be allowed to see him again. At first she refused to leave, but Zane begged her to go. Promised he’d see her later. Seventeen years old, innocent, trusting, unsure of herself in the world, she’d made the biggest mistake of her life and did as he asked.