Page 23 of Dodge

“Nope,” “Nope,” and “Hell no” were the answers he got. She wasn’t interested in school or working for any of the Dragon Runners.

“Them people ain’t gonna hire me. Never liked me much, and I don’t like them. They ain’t gonna change their minds this time an’ I ain’t neither.”

She was probably right, he mused. He had no illusions that Mallory had taken advantage of his goodwill. Shit, she probably didn’t recognize she did it, but the need to protect and help her was so ingrained in him that he allowed it to happen over and over again. Yeah, he wished like hell he could muster up the balls to kick her out, but until then, he’d keep kicking his own ass. Best for him to spend his time away from home and stay at the garage working overtime or up at the Lair.

His thoughts turned to Fauna. Her ex was a piece of work. Anger flashed through his body as Dodge thought about that accusatory finger in Fauna’s face.

“You’re gonna fail, like you do with everything else in your life.”

Dodge found that hard to believe. The woman he saw at the hotel bar so many weeks ago exuded a strong personality and smart instincts. She wasn’t afraid of hard work or getting her hands dirty. Starting a business from scratch in a town you’d never lived in around people you didn’t know was very risky, yet she’d taken the bull by the horns and was making a go of it. Everything about her was worthy of admiration, and he wished like hell that he’d get to be a small part of it.

Her words back to her ex echoed in his mind.

“Wanna bet, asshole?”

CHAPTER12

Peggy Jean Hartlessstrutted into the Saddle Up club in her bright pink fringed boots. Bobby Jessop had broken up with her, and she was sick of his shit. She’d caught him again with Lacie Clodfelter, but instead of begging her forgiveness, he told her he was in love with the other girl and wanted to be with her. This was the same scenario with Sierra Mock, Kathy Carter, and Maggie Phelps.

Not this time!Peggy fumed. Tonight, she was fixin’ to dance her ass off and find a new man. A better one. She twitched her rounded behind as she paid her cover charge and entered the club.

Even in this one-horse town, tourists were thick. The club was the biggest draw next to the casino and some other scattered roadside attractions. Some people were there for the big horse stables her grandfather’s club owned and operated. Peggy grew up around the large creatures and regarded them as pets rather than working animals.

“Hmph, I’d like that no-count Bobby to meet Vanilla Bean. My girl would buck him off and stomp him good for me,” Peggy muttered as she ordered her first beer of the night.

“Hey, sweet thang. You here alone?” a half-drunk cowboy wannabe asked as he approached her with a super smarmy grin on his face.

Tourist, Peggy thought. He wasn’t the most handsome man in the world, but he fit her sour mood. “I ain’t alone no more.” She took his sweaty hand and led him straight to the dance floor.

More beer, more men, more flirting—just more. Peggy danced and drank in a continuous cycle. She caught a glimpse of Bobby and Lacie and shot them both the bird. Another beer found its way to her hand, and she gulped it down.

“Fuck him and fuck her!”Oops.She’d said that last part out loud and giggled. She tried to do a pirouette but wobbled and almost fell. The club was hot and getting hotter.

Air. I need air.

Faces blurred as she stumbled to the door. A hand grabbed her elbow as she fell against someone.

“Hello, pretty lady. Do you need some help?”

The voice was singsongy and a bit strange. Not a local nor a Southerner, but then again, she was drunk.Fuck, how did I get soooo bad?“I needa go outside ferrah bit.”

The man, whoever he was, allowed her to lean on him as he guided her through the crowd. The air was plentiful but still thick with humidity. She tripped, and the man jerked her up.

“Dzorry.”

He didn’t say anything, just pulled her to the back of the parking lot to a camper van. The inside smelled musty, and the mattress there was one of those thin camper ones. Peggy’s brain locked on to that detail, and her anger over Bobby subsided as fear for herself took over. She tried to fight and push the man away, but he was too strong and she was too drunk.

No, she wasn’t drunk. All that dancing should have burned through the beers in her system. She’d been drugged.

“Rellllaxxxxx. I’ll bbbbbeeeee donnnnnnne soooonnnnnnn.”

Peggy whimpered once before the blackness took over.

CHAPTER13

Brick stared unseeingat the Dragon Runners circling the meeting room conference table. Dodge noted the grim expression on the man’s face and the clenching and unclenching of his fists. Something bothered the president of the club, and it showed.

Dodge pinched the bridge of his nose against the headache that bloomed behind his eyes. The weekend had been full of grunt work for his father, and he hadn’t had a chance to get back over to Fauna’s place to help her like he said he would. Guilt ate at him over it. The other bikers had spent the day after the big acquisition getting everything in their proper places. Rafter texted him a selfie of him and Fauna resting against a random stack of booth pieces, insane grins on their shiny faces.

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