Page 28 of Sophia, Property of Tracker

Smiling, I reply, “Okay, sure. What time and where?”

She looks at me with a blank face. “Really, Sophia? There is only one bar.”

“True,” I reply.

“Vixen Bar,” we say in unison, knowing that this town is incredibly small.

“How’s eight?”

“Sounds good to me,” I reply. “See you at eight.” I lean down and hug Annie before grabbing my bag and heading to my car.

RYAN

Past

Waking up to the sun cascading through the window, I take a moment to look at my surroundings and remember that I slept in Hawke’s room after I had had a few drinks with Quill

My phone rings, and I grab it from the side table. Checking the time, it’s seven forty-five.

“Hello?”

“Ryan, it’s Sam. Where are you?”

“Morning, Sam,” I say, stretching and getting up off the bed. “I’m still at the clubhouse. I’m going to see Tate today. He’s been found.”

“That’s great news, Ryan, but District Attorney Johnson is on my back. He’s asking that you and I report to him tomorrow morning at nine. You gotta head back today.”

“Fuck.” I growl into the phone and run my fingers through my hair. “I can’t. I have to see Tate. He’s my brother. I need to make sure he’s okay.”

Hearing a sigh on the other end of the phone, I know Sam agrees with me. “Look… maybe I could hold him off for another day, but Ryan… you need to get back here ASAP. You know what Johnson is like. When he says he needs us, he means it.”

“Yes, sir,” I playfully tease. “I owe you one, Sam.”

“Yeah, just add it to the list, Ryan.”

Smiling, I reply, “What list?”

“Ha…” I hear him huff. “Now go see Tate and get your ass back here.”

“You got it.”

We end the call, and I walk to the bedroom door. Needing a coffee, I head out to the main room where some men are asleep on the floor, the pool table, and on the couches with women. Looks like they partied damn hard last night.

“Hey, darlin’, you new here? Can I get you anything?” A lady stands behind the bar. She looks middle-age with a face full of makeup. She’s blonde and has large breasts—something you can’t help but notice in her incredibly low-cut top. Her smile is genuine, though, so I make my way to the bar.

“Hi, I’m Ryan,” I reply, pushing out my hand in a gesture to shake.

She smirks, then walks around the bar and faces me. “We don’t shake here, darlin’, we’re huggers. The name’s Daisy.” She grabs and embraces me. She smells of cigarettes and strong perfume. Not wanting to offend her, I hug her back. Daisy pulls back and looks me up and down. I didn’t think when I left the room as I hadn’t expected company, so I’m wearing only my track pants.

“Baby, you have got a body on you, that’s for sure. If only I was twenty years younger. Where have you come from?” she asks, giving me a wink.

I smile and reply, “I’m from LA.”

“Well, that figures.”

Tilting my head to the side, I ask, “Figures?”

“Figures why I haven’t seen you here before. Are you a prospect?”

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