Page 20 of Cole (Dirty Misfits MC 4)
“All right, but he’s not here anymore. So, where’d he go?” I asked.
Tanner pointed to the surf and turf place. “In there. My guess is to get some food since he walked in about fifteen minutes ago.”
“And he hasn’t come out yet?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“So, what makes you think he hasn’t—”
Tanner continued to drag me toward the small restaurants before we perched ourselves at a window. And when he pointed, it was almost glorious, the kind of karma that was about to come down on that man’s head. There he sat with a stiff drink in his hand at the bar, bellied up like the asshole he was and flirting with the bartender serving him alcohol. I felt sorry for the woman, having to entertain someone like him for tips. The thought made me sick simply thinking about it.
Especially with his stance on women in the first place.
“That’s him, all right,” I murmured. “Looks like he got his arm patched up.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tanner said.
I peeked over at him. “Did you call anyone else?”
He nodded. “Already called Brooks. He told me to lay low, even when you got here, and not to make a move until he arrived.”
“And when did he say that would be?”
“He’s about twenty minutes behind you.”
I sighed as I looked back through the window. “Let him stay - oh, boy.”
“What?”
I watched as Chops’ eyes locked with mine. “He sees us.”
Tanner peered through the window at my side. “Fuck.”
“He’s gonna run. Watch him.”
“I’ll swing around back and try to—”
I watched Chops leap off his stool. “He’s making a break for it! Inside, now!”
The two of us slammed through the restaurant doors as Chops knocked over people to get to the emergency exit. People squealed and screamed. Glasses dropped and shattered with every step we took. I shoved men out of the way and kindly pivoted women as gently as I could. And with Tanner hot on my heels, I pointed toward the wall and peered at him over my shoulder.
“Skirt the outside. I’ll tear through the middle!” I exclaimed.
Tanner nodded, and without another word he took off like a bat out of hell toward the left side of the restaurant.
I kept my eyes on Chops the entire time and not once did I draw my gun. If I had, I risked shooting at him and possibly hurting an innocent civilian in the process. I knew I had good aim, but when I was this worked up? With this many people around?
I could control my actions, but not theirs.
And for all I knew, someone would step in front of that fucking bullet.
“He’s out the door!” Tanner exclaimed.
“Shit,” I hissed.
I leapt over a table with food on it as the couple shrieked. I jumped onto an empty booth seat and launched myself over the divide between one part of the restaurant and the other. I met Tanner at the emergency exit Chops had torn through, which caused a massive, ear-piercing scream of an alarm to fill the restaurant.
And as people were ushered out of all orifices because of the alarm, I had a sinking feeling slap me across the face.
“Crowds. That was his plan,” I murmured.
“Where is he? Do you have eyes on him!?” Tanner exclaimed.
I raked my hands through my hair as my eyes darted around. I pushed through people, not caring who I knocked over as I tried to locate that absolute asshole. This had been our one chance; our one lucky break. And if we screwed this up, we risked never getting our hands on that treasonous bastard.
But as the crowds continued to gather, rushing out of the restaurant and gawking at the scene unfolding, neither of us could get our eyes back on Chops.
And the anger that filled my gut muted every other sound around me.
Ten
Molly
“All right, Bridget, what do we think of this one?” I asked.
I turned around and revealed the outfit to my best friend on FaceTime, holding out my arms before I gave her a little twirl. The dress was black and flowing, and I had bright yellow heels and jewelry to accent the outfit and bring out the soft undertones of my skin.
But Bridget wrinkled her nose. “You look like one of those robot women in that one movie or some shit.”
I blinked. “The Stepford Wives?”
She snapped and pointed at me. “That’s the one.”
I tossed my black clutch onto my bed. “They weren’t robots, were they?”
She shrugged. “The point is, it’s not you. It’s like you’re trying to be someone else.”
I rolled my eyes and got undressed. “Fine. I’ve got a few more outfits I can try on, but that’s it. We’ve practically gone through my entire closet already.”
“You know what that means, then.”
I sighed. “No, Bridget, you’re not taking me shopping.”
“Oh, come on! When was the last time you treated yourself to anything new? I swear, it took me months just to get you off the tirade of buying all of your outfits in thrift stores.”
