Page 95 of Riot’s Revenge

Maria rolled her eyes before slipping back to my side, threading her fingers through mine. “You boys are ridiculous.” She smiled, squeezing my hand as we followed everyone inside.

The clubhouse was louder than it’d been in years. Music thundered from the speakers while prospects rushed around with trays of beers. Brothers crowded around Tiny and Ripper, desperate to hear prison stories, while Lucy and Kate disappeared with Noah upstairs to settle him for the night.

I leaned against the bar where I could watch everyone without looking like I was watching anyone. More importantly, I could still see the front gates through the clubhouse windows. The same feeling had been crawling beneath my skin for days, wrong, something was off. It’d been quiet since Kate’s parents were locked away, almost too quiet.

I watched Tiny and Ripper get swarmed by club girls. Two climbed onto Ripper while three all but dragged Tiny toward the back rooms.

Hell, if I’d been locked up for years, I’d probably be doing the same thing. A smile tugged at my mouth as I lifted my glass toward both idiots.

“See something you like?” Maria appeared beside me.

“What?” I finished my whiskey before setting the empty glass on the bar.

She folded her arms. “I think they’re a little young for you.”

I followed her gaze to the girls.

I couldn’t help laughing. Sliding an arm around her waist, I pulled her against me until her back rested against my chest. “I wasn’t looking at them.”

“No?”

I shook my head. “I was looking at those two idiots.”

Tiny had somehow ended up carrying one club girl over his shoulder while another tried stealing his kutte. Ripper was just disappearing with his trio. “I wasn’t sure they’d ever make it home.”

Maria’s shoulders softened. “You still think about that night?”

“Every time one of our brothers leaves.”

She turned in my arms, wrapping hers around my waist. “They’re home now.”

“Yeah,” I kissed the top of her head, “they are.”

My eyes drifted back toward the window. The daylight was fading and streetlights flickered to life . . . and parked half a block away was the same dark saloon, there was no mistaking it. “I’ll be right back.”

Maria said something, but I barely heard her.

I pushed through the clubhouse doors, lit a cigarette and wandered slowly around the perimeter like I didn’t have a care in the world.

The car stayed exactly where it was.

I took another drag before casually opening the gates and crossing the road. The closer I got, the clearer I could see the driver. Middle-aged, short dark hair, and clean-shaven. His face tugged at something in the back of my mind. I’d seen him before. Somewhere. I just couldn’t place him.

He didn’t look away or start the engine. Just watched me through the windscreen.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. When I was only a few yards away, the engine finally rumbled to life. The driver held my gaze for another second before pulling away from the curb.

I memorized the registration before the taillights disappeared around the corner.

“Everything okay?” Reaper asked quietly from somewhere behind me. “Maria looks like she’s chewing glass in there.”

I turned to find him watching the road I’d been staring at. “Not sure, Pres.” I flicked ash onto the ground. “Same two cars, for weeks now.”

He looked at me then to the road where the car had disappeared. “Tell me.”

“Different drivers. Different times of day. Always close enough to see the clubhouse, the clinic, even the betting shop.”

“You got plates?”