Page 43 of Beast

“What if this is a trap?”I whispered the thought.

My father shook his head.“It’s not.Drake has a reputation to uphold, especially since he just took over as don.If he breaks his word on this meet, no one will ever trust him.He’ll be finished before he gets started.”

I tilted my head to look up at him.“Honor amongst thieves?”

“Something like that.These guys have rules, and anyone who breaks them doesn’t survive long.”

I felt a chill go down my spine at his words.These guys played for keeps.

A movement at the far side of the clearing caught my attention.Drake and three men I didn’t recognize strode into sight.

The Riptide team hopped off their bikes and strode to the center of the pavilion, Beast in the lead.I noticed the other three fanned out behind him as if preparing for an assault.

Drake stopped a few feet from Beast, and his minions stayed back from him, matching the Riptide guys.From this distance I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the body language of both groups was telling.

Drake, dressed in business casual in all black, looked as flamboyant as I remembered.After the initial handshake that I took to be standard meeting protocol, he started to talk.I might not be able to hear him, but I could see him as he gestured wildly, looking more and more agitated.

In contrast, Beast was wearing his jeans and well-worn chaps, with his leather cut showing his Riptide affiliation.He stood at ease, his hands on his hips as he occasionally nodded or shook his head in reply to something Drake said.I felt a wave of warm affection calm the butterflies in my gut.That was my Beast.He didn’t feel the need to impress anyone with expensive clothes.He was confident in his own abilities, and woe betide anyone who underestimated him.

Drake reached for his pocket and immediately Rattler, Deuce, and Thor tensed, their hands going to the guns holstered at their hips.Drake stopped, holding his hands up in surrender and saying something.

“Wish I could read lips,” I muttered.

“Probably better that you can’t.”My father gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.“I doubt he was going for a weapon.Highly unlikely a kill shot would come from the main negotiator.If it was intended to be a trap, one of the other guys would be doing the shooting.They’d wait for their shadow to glance away, and bam.Target down.”

I frowned up at him, and he shrugged.“Not my first time at one of these things.They rarely go bad, but when they do, it’s pretty much scripted.”

I glared at him.“Not helping me feel better.”

I looked back at the pavilion and saw Drake hand a piece of paper to Beast.Probably what he’d been reaching for in his pocket.Beast unfolded it and studied it for a few moments.Lowering it, he nodded his head and the two talked for a few more minutes before he handed the paper back then reached out and the two men shook hands.

A few more words were exchanged before Drake turned and headed back the way he’d come, followed by his henchmen.I noted that two of the three men in the mafia group walked backwards, keeping the Riptide gang in sight until their leader disappeared into the tree-lined trail.Turning they hurried after him.

Beast and his group didn’t move until the mafia contingent was out of sight.Then Beast looked up to where I was standing and gave me an open-handed salute before mounting his bike and heading straight toward me.

My father withdrew his arm, and I ran toward my lover.

* * *

Beast

The information Drake shared at the meeting cleared up so many of the inconsistencies I’d noticed ever since I’d picked Piper up that day.Not that I was okay with the asshole, but at least I now understood what was going on.And of course he’d brought proof of what he’d said, not expecting me to take his word for it.Smart.Frankly, the whole thing was twisted.I should have demanded to keep that paper to hand around at church.It was going to be fun explaining it.

I throttled back, hitting the brakes when I reached Piper.She threw her arms around my neck, and I swear she hugged me tight enough to strangle me.I used one hand to hit the kill switch and kicked the stand down so the bike wouldn’t fall over when I dismounted.

“Easy, babe.It’s over.You’re safe.”I held her gently against me.

Her head came up and she glared at me.“Safe?Watching you and Drake do a Mexican standoff was the worst time of my life.I kept imagining one of his goons pulling a gun or a knife on you.Why I ever agreed to this is beyond me.You are not going to put yourself in harm’s way again.Not ever!”She burst into tears.

I looked helplessly over her head at her father, who had come up behind her.He just shrugged and shook his head.No help there.

“Shh.I’m fine.You’re fine.It’s going to be okay.I’ll explain it all once we get back to the clubhouse, okay?Ace will want to know the whole story and I don’t want to have to tell it half a dozen times.”I gently untangled her arms from my neck.“You want to ride with me?”

Piper sniffled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt.“Well, I’m not letting you out of my sight, so yeah.I’m riding with you.”She glared at me as she grabbed her helmet off its perch on the back seat and jammed it on her head.

I swear her father was laughing as he turned away and headed back to his snipers.

I took it easy on the way back to the clubhouse, giving Piper time to pull herself together.The fact that having her snuggled up against my back helped soothe the rage I felt when I contemplated what I’d just learned was a bonus.

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