Page 27 of Nevada

Is this guy for real?

He looks out of place here. Too friendly, for one, and I’ve never seen a biker wear eyeliner or rock the George Michael cross earring quite like this dude.

“Star and Halo, we’re here to see Cash.”

He looks us up and down, tapping his finger against his chin. “Wait, I’ve seen you,” he says to me. “Priest’s wedding?”

Halo makes a little cough/laugh in her throat, which I ignore. She told me not to gatecrash and I didn’t listen. I never listen, so I don’t know why she was surprised.

I clear my throat. “The very one.”

“Nevada said you were a ball of fire, but he didn’t tell me you were this pretty.” He gives me a lopsided smile, then winks at Halo. “With a cute friend.”

“Something smells amazing.” Halo tries to peer over his shoulder, but there’s only the bar and some pool tables behind him.

He claps his hands together. “I just made a fresh batch of cookies because I heard you were coming for a meeting and I thought it might cheer up the boys before you go in. Come.” He turns and we find ourselves following him through the expansive space.

I’m impressed.

I always thought biker clubhouses were the pits of Hell. Dirty. Smelly. Probably with bikers lazing around at all hours drinking and smoking, strippers hanging off poles at the ready. As I glance around the space, nobody else is around. I know everyone works in this club, so I guess most of the meetings and parties and stuff probably happen at night.

“Do the boys need cheering up?” Halo whispers to me.

I shrug.

Manny hears, turning over his shoulder he says, “Don’t mind them. Brew and Haze are a little annoyed with the club because they were away when the raid went down with the mob. I’m sure you’ve heard about it, it’s been all over the news.”

For the last few months, it’s all that’s made the headlines. “We have,” I say. “That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to talk to the club.” I take a deep breath. “I need information on my sister, Tilly. I heard Brew and Haze might know something as they were the last ones seen in the underworld before the raid. They have connections and I need answers.”

Manny turns in the doorway. “Your sister?”

A lump forms in my throat. The concern on his face is endearing, his sympathetic smile a stab to my heart. I should be used to this by now, I’ve been saying it for long enough. “Yes. She went missing recently and I’m looking for her.”

He reaches out and squeezes my forearm. I look down at his hand, surprised I let him touch me. He’s a good guy, I think. I don’t get any strange vibes coming off him, and he baked us cookies, for heaven’s sake. “I’m really sorry.”

I nod.

“The recent trafficking ring was busted wide open,” Halo goes on. She knows when to take the lead. “And we have good reason to believe that when Tilly was snatched, she ended up in a holding cell ready for transportation either out of state or out of the country, the details were sketchy. We thought when the feds intercepted a shipment during the raid she’d be there, but she wasn't.”

I look away. I can’t bear it.

“Where was she taken?” Manny’s voice is softer. His hand leaves my body and I can breathe again.

“A club called Viper’s Engine,” I find my voice. “She went for a night out with her girlfriends, somehow during the night they got separated and the guy she was dancing with — we believe — slipped something into her drink which is usually how it goes down, and she was never seen again. Her purse was found a few blocks away, all of her ID removed.”

Manny stares at me. “I’m sorry, Star. That must be incredibly difficult to come to terms with. I admire your courage.”

I snort. “I don’t feel like I have much of it. Knowing your sister could be dead or being used in the worst possible way is like living in Hell every single day. The slight chance that she could be alive is what keeps me going. That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, if anyone can help, it’s the club. Despite what you may think or have heard, this club is legit and we don’t do illegal shit.” He holds up his hands. “That’s not to say the club don’t carry out their own justice — hence the recent takedown. The feds may be assholes in this city, but none of them wanted the mob back in town.”

This guy certainly is chatty.

“What’s your biker name?” Halo asks.

Manny turns to the baking tray behind him, picks up a spatula and starts piling the chocolate chip cookies onto a plate. “I don’t have one. It’s just Manny. Nobody dares piss me off because if they do, they know that I’ll take my culinary skills with me and open up shop somewhere else.”

That makes me smile. He knows his worth, I like that.

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