“Do you want another drink?” Blaire asks, thumb hitching toward the bar.
“No, I’m not drinking tonight…”
Ryan grabs his girlfriend’s hand and waltzes toward me.
I nod at Lan by my side to take care of the girls who now surround us. He steps up into theshowmanrole as my brother sidles up to me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, speaking low.
“I’m not sure… Just something.” I slip out of the ring of people and pat him on the shoulder as I leave. “I’ll be back.”
In the hallway behind the band, there’s some privacy, and the noise is muted.
Pulse hammering in my neck, I punch Ashlyn’s contact on my phone. Hope makes me hold it to my ear, drowning out the fear that she won’t answer me.
To my elation, she does. Voice muffled and shaky, she speaks as if there’s someone else she’s addressing in the room. “It’s my dad. He’ll want to know why we’re back here and not out at the party. Yeah, Dad?”
She’s out of breath and sounds weird. My heart drops to my stomach.
“Are you okay?” My teeth clench. “Are you in danger?”
“Oh. Alright. Mm-hmm…” Her tone is lilted. Far away. Shuffles cover some of the microphone.
I can’t fucking breathe. “Give me a yes or no. Are you in trouble?”
“I’m with Talon. But you…you talked to the designer? Any updates on the new poker clubcrest?”
Fuck…
The safe word.
It slams into my chest like a bullet.
I’m already moving. The crowd noise fades, heartbeat raging in my ears. Focus. Mission mode. Snapping my fingers frantically at Henry, Ryan, and Lan… Henry grabs Bo and Duke. My suit coat flares out at the sides as I hurry toward the exit.
“I’m on my way, baby girl. I’m coming for you.”
Red flashes behind my eyes.
“Where we heading?” Ryan snaps out, the crew rocking toward their cars.
“Gnarled Pine Hollow. Strapped. Loaded.White Wolf Lodge and Casino.”
Duke’s step hitches for a moment. “The casino? Uh…aren’t they stacked with armed mafia guards?”
“Yes,” I say, grabbing my motorcycle helmet. It’s going to be cold enough to freeze my balls off, but it’ll get me there the fastest.
Lan gets a deranged grin on his face. “Good.” Raising his Glock in the air, he racks it while licking his lower lip. “I’m ready…”
“Let’s go.”
The engine screams as I tear into the night, toward the girl who said my name in code.
I cut the hour drive in half. And I know my boys still need to catch up, but I’m not slowing down.
When I turn the corner of South Street, entering the bustling city, growling motors rumble up behind me. My heart skips a beat. Then, I recognize my crew. All the Vipers. Except each one has a passenger.
With a nod, I aim for a parking lot behind a diner close to the neon lights of the casino, and the boys follow me there.