the hell? He barely knew her, and he was acting like her opinion mattered. Better she knew he was a happily blooded member of the MC than a man who regretted every life heâd had to take. Scowling, he spun away and stalked toward the door without a second glance at the woman on the bed. Regret was a weakness. As was compassion. And heâd extended too much of that already.
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THREE
The mission of the club is to foster the ideals of honor, truth, loyalty, and brotherhood through a common interest in motorcycling.
Handcuffs.
Arianne pressed her lips together to keep her laughter in as she worked the lock with the underwire from her bra. How often had she and Jeff timed each other as they each took a turn escaping from her fatherâs handcuffs? Biker kids didnât play with normal toys. They didnât learn normal skills. They were patched in at birth and expected to learn how to survive in the biker world. And she had taken those lessons to heart.
With a soft click, the lock gave way.
Free . Well, sort of. And it had taken her a disappointing hour and a half, according to her watch. Jeff would have laughed.
She tried the door first, but it was securely locked and bolted from the outside. The window yielded more success. After pushing it open, she looked out over the porch overhang, fighting back the memories of another night, another roof, and a fear so overwhelming, her knees shook. She could almost feel Jeffâs small body shivering in her arms as they plastered themselves against the cold brick chimney, and prayed someone would hear the screams and yelling inside and call the police.
Yes, she could escape, but where would she go? Small perimeter lights revealed a vast overgrown lawn, dry flower beds, and a crumbling brick wall around the property. A moonlit forest stretched as far as she could see in front of her, and the shadows of the Bridger Mountains lay to her east. Isolated, as Jagger had said. Definitely miles from town. But at least she had her bearings. Conundrum and the highway lay to west.
Still, she couldnât see any city or traffic lights. She had no clothes, and although she could hot-wire a bike, the Sinners would be riding 1,200cc hogs, heavy to push, slow on the road, and hard to manage without shoes.
Drawing in a deep breath of crisp autumn air, she stared out into the night as a cloud passed over the moon. God, she hated the darkness. Almost as much as she hated her father.
âLooking for something?â
Panic shot through her and she whirled around to face the intruder. How had she not heard the door open? An unforgivable loss of concentration, and one that could have cost her life.
He flicked the light on and she blinked as her eyes adjusted. Youngâmaybe twenty-two or twenty-threeâand handsome in a baby-faced way, the biker who stepped into the room had long blond hair cut to hang across his face, rock-star style. But with a gun in one hand and a girl tucked under his arm, he clearly wasnât there to entertain her.
âNameâs Wheels.â He motioned to the curvy redhead beside him. âAnd this here is Sherry. Sheâs in charge of keeping house. Iâm in charge of looking after bikes, guests, and doing whatever it is the bikers need doing. Jagger sent us up to make sure you were okay.â He gestured to the cuffs still hanging on the bed. âLooks like you made yourself more comfortable.â
Ah. He had to be a prospect. Only club pledges were given the menial task of looking after the clubâs bikes and doing the dirty jobs no one else wanted to doâlike looking after prisonersâto earn the respect of the club and their full-patch status. And yet he didnât have the officious attitude the usual prospect showed when talking to someone from outside the club.
âI needed some air.â She pressed her back to the window, wary of being alone with two strangers in the room, and disconcerted that she