Page 4 of Gio

“Not today, Satan.” Not tomorrow either.

Diesel, Maverick, Rebel, and Slate joined us, and Hawk approached from the other side with a tray of shots. Diesel turned to me with a grin. “You got everything all mapped out for this trip?”

Part of my new job as road captain was to handle all road trips. Planning and routes, dangers on the road, and all the rest of it. Even though I wasn’t going on this trip, the responsibility was all mine. Usually the position went to older brothers, but apparently, I’d impressed them so much when I was prospecting that they decided I’d be perfect for the role. “Yep, all done, Prez.”

“Good.” Diesel nodded, satisfied even though he was a man of few words. “When the guns are with the Mexicans and the weed is with the Russian dispensary owners, I want Rebel andCole to head to Lompoc to pick up Hollywood. He was paroled and he gets out in seven days.”

“Holy shit, no way!” Hollywood did a half-dime in Lompoc for a fight that went sideways, and I loved that asshole. He was big and burly and grumpy as fuck, but he was a damn good shot.

“Yep. Got word an hour ago.”

Rebel nodded. “Got it. We leave in two and a half hours,” he said to Cole. “Just enough time for one more drink and to pack a bag.”

Cole nodded and the group dispersed. “I’ll see you in a week or two,” he said to me and fist bumped me. “Congrats again. Try not to celebrate too hard without me.”

“I make no promises, man. How about I party for you while you’re gone?” We shared a few more laughs and one more drink before Cole hit the road and I hit the sheets.

With Cindy.

Chapter 3

Harper

One day to go. That was my mantra for the past thirty hours as I scrambled around the hotel and casino making sure all the invites had rooms, comped tickets for shows and anything else they needed to show up and put some of their money to good use. Still, it was all part of my job, so I did it with some semblance of a smile on my face.

My feet hurt, my hair needed a deep conditioning, and I was overdue for a full night of sleep. As soon as I got back to Santa Barbara, I planned to sleep for twelve straight hours. Until then, I was running at full speed.

“Harper! Ms. Davis, stop. Please!”

I turned and found Carl running full speed across the casino floor. His face was red and slightly damp, his collared shirt seemed tighter today than yesterday. His light brown eyes were filled with worry. “Carl, where’s the fire?” He’d avoided me yesterday and now he was making a big show of chasing me down.

He held up a finger for me to wait while he sucked buckets full of air down his lungs. Minutes later he was finally able to speak. “Ms. Davis,” he began.

“Harper,” I insisted.

He nodded, “Harper, please tell me that you didn’t hear any part of my conversation with my associate the other day?”

Associate? Yeah, right. I fixed a smile on my face and nodded. “I didn’t hear any part of your conversation with your friend, Carl. I wasn’t close enough to hear anything but voices and that’s why I headed that way, to get help navigating this giant maze.” It was mostly true, but Carl didn’t need to know that I’d heard a hell of a lot more than I should have. Or wanted to.

“I mean it Harper.” He shook his head and raked a hand through his hair. “These guys don’t fuck around. If they think there’s even a chance you heard us, you’re as good as dead.”

Shit, I knew that. Viper wasn’t the first biker I ever met so I knew the deal, I’d just never been on the receiving end of the trouble. “Right. Of course. Well you can assure your buddies that I didn’t hear anything. I’m here to work and as soon as this gala is over, I’ll be gone. Out of state. Never to return.”

“Okay. That’s good. Really good.” He nodded, his gaze and his focus already on something else.

Probably the gun deal he was working on. “Yep. See you around, Carl. Thanks for your help.” I rushed off even though the ballroom was behind me, desperate to get away from Carl and this scary situation.

Hours later I gave the ballroom one final glance and let out a long, satisfied sigh. Everything was perfect. The place looked beautiful and elegant, perfect for the crowd that would fill these seats tomorrow.You got this, Harper.

I totally got this. I felt lighter and happier when I turned out the ballroom lights and closed the door behind me. Tomorrow would be a long day, but it would go off without a hitch because I would make sure it would. The day was over, and tomorrow was the event.

Nothing else to do but relax.

The hotel was packed, and the casino was even more packed, so it was easy to blend in with the crowd. And then I spotted two bikers wearing Blood Reapers MC patches. They scanned the crowd, and I had a feeling that they were looking for me, not Carl.

Shit.Double shit.I scanned the area and ducked down low, which wasn’t all that difficult since in heels I topped out at five-foot-five, blending in with a bachelorette party as they headed to their waiting limo. I skirted along the long line for valet and dipped into the parking garage while my heart raced. Fear spiked but I refused to look over my shoulder, refused to see if danger was quickly approaching.

Sweat dripped down my spine and by the time I was nestled in the safety of my rental car, my body was drenched in it. I started the engine and raced from the parking garage, punching the gas to get back to my rental as quickly as possible. A red light stopped my progress, and it forced me to rethink the intelligence of not staying at a hotel where there were security cameras and guards and people in general.

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