Page 12 of Pearl
Carver doesn’t respond but guides me to the bar with a hand to my lower back. “Glass of ice, and a clean rag.”
The bartender looks down as he grabs a glass of ice and hands it to Carver along with a folded white cloth. “Use this. I’m sorry you got the brunt of his drunk, little lady.”
Carver places the cool pack against my skin. “It’s going to hurt like hell for a while, baby.”
“Get something for the pain,” he tells the bartender who grabs a bottle of over-the-counter pain relievers and doles out two into the palm of my hand. “That should help a little but it’s going to be a hell of a ride back home. I can get you on the truck and have your bike brought home. You go with the ladies, and I’ll ride behind.”
My eyes narrow at the well-meaning but impossible man who has somehow gotten the impression that now I need a protectoror a savior or whatever the hell he thinks he is. That only lasts so long though, then they all turn into assholes with big mouths, and not one loyal bone in their bodies when the bunnies are around. But his eyes, they tell a different story, one I want to believe, one that may even work.
“The ladies can ride in the truck. I’m no quitter. I started this mission to get those ladies returned, and I’m going to be riding right behind that truck with you, come hell, high water or whatever else is in store for us, we’re riding this storm together.”
His lips shift.
My eyes narrow. “And just what the fuck are you smirking about?”
Chapter 10
Carver
Ipull her to me, my hand snaking beneath her silky golden hair, drawing her close, leaning down and whispering in her ear. “I didn’t expect anything less, baby.” The warmth of my mouth slides along the length of her creamy neck, causing her to shiver in my arms.
I’m decisive, determined, and don’t make her wait for what I know we both want, capturing her lips with a kiss that sparks a fire and flares into red hot desire in a minute.
When I break our kiss, her eyes are hazy with lust. I push a piece of hair from her face and tuck it under the bandana. “Stay on my hip, I don’t want you getting into any more trouble.”
“If you don’t stop bossing me around…” she huffs.
I stroke a finger across those beautiful lips. “Shhh … do what I ask, I want you safe.”
Pearl hops astride her Harley without another word, buckles her helmet and stays close, sexy as fuck as she rides beside me, leaning in at the exact same time, as though in a secret dance with the long open stretch of road that only the two of us know.
The truck follows us and the minute we’re at the bar, we drive around back, and true to Larussio’s word, the two drivers aremore than helpful. We get off our bikes, and both men jump out of the cab and roll the back door all the way up. “Get the girls and let’s get on the road,” one of them says.
Pearl’s eyes narrow. “Who sent you?” she asks the tall one who hasn’t yet said a word and keeps looking off into the desert. She clearly doesn’t trust anyone no matter that they followed us out.
The man doesn’t mince words and looks mean as fuck. “Renzo Larussio, and it sure as fuck didn’t come down the chain of command like always. Personal favor to him so get your asses in gear and let’s get loaded up. This job goes well or it’s my ass, not yours.”
Pearl’s seen what happens when Renzo Larussio has a problem with you, and she doesn’t waste another minute. “Stay here, we’ll be right back,” I tell the guys, following Pearl into the building.
She talks quietly with the older lady behind the bar and then turns to me. “This is Millie. She literally saved our asses and that of the girls. She was just telling me a couple bikers stopped by, sniffing around, but they didn’t find anything, and she sent them on their way.” Pearl pulls out a wad of bills. “Can’t thank you enough, Millie.”
Millie shakes her head, with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. “Keep your fucking money, sweetheart. Those bastards come round again and I’m going to blow them out of here with my fucking shotgun. Lousy fuckers. Best be getting on the road, before they circle back.” Millie heads to the back with Pearl right on her heels and a few minutes later they guide a string of women who look to have seen better days behind them.
Concern registers in their eyes when they see me, and my jaw clenches. If I lay hands on the fucks who took them, they’re going to wish they had never even looked at these young women. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of,” I tell them, leadingthe way to the back of the truck outside, but who knows if they believe me or not. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t trust anyone either.
The back door is already open and a small set of metal stairs has been pulled down. I gesture for them to get up in the truck. “It’s going to a be a long drive back to Arizona, then we’ll get you wherever you want to be. You have to trust someone sometime, okay?”
They don’t look at all fucking convinced that they’re not getting rescued from one bad situation and put into another, but they do as I ask, and get in the truck. I feel like the lousiest fuck in the world when the guys hoist the stairs up and the truck door comes down, but I know they have food and water. I also know that this car has air conditioning pumping into the back to keep them as comfortable as we can until we cross the state line and get them to safety.
I shake hands with the two guys before they jump in the truck. I recognize one of them as one of the Larussio soldiers but haven’t seen the other one around. No doubt, both of them intend to get the job done without issue. “Pearl and I will ride behind you. I tap the rifle in my duffle bag and the Glock on my waist. “We’ve got you covered. If you see anything suspicious at all, you call this cell, and let it keep ringing. I’ll have it on vibrate in my pocket.”
The ride back to Arizona isn’t as fast as the ride out, but we make it without incident just the same. Even stopping at an out of the way roadside to give the girls a break and let them go to the bathroom, we make good time.
Whoever those bikers are may be looking for us in the future, but we’re safe for today. Traffic is a bitch when we get close to the city, but the drivers know where they’re going, how to stay away from 5-0, and we get there an hour before the deadline.
The minute we pull up to the Phoenix Crew’s club and Larussio’s men open up the truck, Hawg comes out. He glares at Pearl and then gives me a nod. “Thanks for going after her, and them.”
Pearl rolls her eyes. “I didn’t need a babysitter, fucker. I’ll call Duchess and let her know we need safe haven for a few more ladies. She won’t mind. Can you get them all on the truck?”
