Page 89 of Ricochet

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

It wasn’t often that Lenora worried. She wasn’t sure that she knew how. But she’d quickly categorized the emotion when her feet touched back in Iowa and she couldn’t reach Tex. That spelled a hundred kinds of trouble and revamped her lobby-for-Adelia plan on the fly.

First things first, Lenora needed the facts, and Mayhem was ground zero. The compound was cold and dark.The lights were off in the parlor room. She powered through the empty space.

Where the hell was everybody? There wasn’t a single person here, though at least half a dozen Harleys were lined up outside. None were her man’s, and that continued to eat at her. If Lenora found out Tex was looking for Adelia for the wrong reasons, she’d be the first one to put a bullet in his ass. That old son ofa bitch had better be doing the good Lord’s work in looking for Adelia.

The door to the meeting room was sealed, and on the off chance that Mayhem leadership was in there, she banged as politely as she could manage.

“Yeah?” Hawke called.

Color her surprised. Lenora twisted the knob on the ornately carved door and let herself in. It was just the club president sitting at the head of the table,papers in front of him in the dim light. “Mind if I join you?”

Hawke leaned back in the old chair, its leather creaking. He ran his hands to his worn leather coat. “Hey, hon. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for Tex.”

“Everyone bailed. Keeping a low profile.”

“What are you going to do about Ethan?”

Hawke shrugged. “Hell, if I know.”

She pulled a chair near the corner of the dirty, scarredtable and joined him. “Been a while since it was this quiet.”

He tilted his head. His eyes narrowed in the way he studied people, saying volumes without muttering a whisper.

“I saw her.”

“And?”

“She was alive when I left.”

Hawke nodded. “You know more than you’re saying?”

“Don’t I always?”

“Have you talked to him about this?”

“About which part?” She tapped her fingernails on the table.“And would it matter, because I wouldn’t tell you.”

He barely cracked a smile. “Sorry that it has to come down like this.”

Lenora nodded. “Can’t take money from the club and not face the consequences.”

Hawke ran his hand across the scruff on his cheeks. “You’re not acting concerned for Tex. Why’s that?”

“Have you ever seen him do something he shouldn’t for Mayhem? Whatever happened betweenhim and Ethan? It’ll pan out.”

“A mother’s love.” Hawke leaned back and stroked his chin.

“Bullshit, I’m not her mother.”

“You know, I remember that day we found her all the way down there in Brazil.”

“I didn’t meet Tex too long after that,” she added.

“Seems like it was just last week.” Hawke’s deep laugh rumbled. “Man, talk about wrong place, wrong time, and the wrong dickhead to do businesswith, but then there was this wisp of a girl. Just a kid.”

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