Page 28 of Hell Bent

“Well, get her in bed and get past it so you can get your head back on real business,” Player suggested as Vicious slapped his hand on the door.

Vicious walked back toward the restaurant as Player pulled away. Stepping inside the establishment, he didn’t miss the looks the patrons shot his way. Ignoring all of them and the hostess, he headed straight for the little table in the window. Shrugging off his leather jacket, he hung it on the chair and sat down. “Hello, Sway.”

“Vicious.” She liked the way the sound of his name rolled across her tongue. “Why have you been following me?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes. I think honesty is best.”

Vicious eased back in his chair. Taking a moment to look around, he waved over the hostess. When the girl stepped up, he asked for the server. “While we’re waiting for the server, I’ll give you some of that honesty you want. Jerome Michel. How much do you know about him?” Sway needed to know whether Jerome was involved with the men who attacked her.

The server walked over, cutting off the conversation. It gave Sway a moment to think about her answer.

“Can I get a scotch? Monkey Shoulder, if you have it,” Vicious ordered. When the server walked away, he looked at Sway.

“He’s a snake. Jerome and my brother were mates in school. Jerome is trouble.”

“You said he’s the reason your brother died.”

Sway noticed he’d been paying attention, keeping mental notes about her. The man must have been watching her longer than she knew. She didn’t know whether to be alarmed or relieved that someone was looking out for her. “The night my brother was attacked and left for dead, Tesh said he was coming to the clubhouse for a poker game. Did he ever arrive there?”

“No. Tesh never made it to the game.”

Sway nodded as she toyed with her wine glass. “I begged Tesh not to go. Something in my gut said he had something else going on.”

“Why did you think that?”

“We’d been hassled by men trying to extort money from us for protection.”

“Those men are the ones who hurt you.” He watched Sway raise her hand and touch the scar on her face. It was fading, but still, it was there, reminding her how close she came to possibly dying.

Sway looked at Vicious. He wanted to know about Jerome, but she’d tell him what she knew about the night Tesh died. “Jerome was the only witness to what happened to my brother. And Tesh never regained consciousness, so I won’t ever know unless Jerome tells me.”

She brushed her fingers gently over the scar. “The two men were dirty, smelling of booze and pot. One watched the door, and the other . . . did this.” She pointed to the scar. “They wanted me to know they’d be around every month for money.”

Vicious didn’t like what he was hearing. “Have they come back since that night?”

“Not yet. But every day, I worry they’ll show up and hurt me again or one of my employees.”

“Could you describe the two men?”

“Possibly. I did see a logo on one of their jackets. It was green. Maybe a snake. I’m not positive.”

“Could it have been a Scorpion?”

“Maybe.”

Vicious was putting a few things together. That little weasel might be in bed with the Bloody Scorpions. He came across as a bumbling fool wanting to hang around the clubs, but his gut said Jerome was in bed with Dawson Franks, and that they both had a hand in what had happened to Tesh. It also made him think the two werebehind more than one hit on the businesses the chapter owned.

If Vicious found out the fucker was behind what happened to Sway, he’d do worse to Jerome. “I’ll have to keep my eyes on you, beautiful. You and your brother may have been unwilling participants in something to do with the Bloody Scorpions.”

That was just great, Sway thought. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried stemming the tears, but she was just exhausted. “Are the Bloody Scorpions a motorcycle gang?”

“Club.”

“What?”

“It’s a club, not a gang. To answer your question, the Scorpions are a gang, not a motorcycle club.” Vicious reached across the table, taking her hand in his.

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