Last Mile

After I took a seat next to him, he asked, “You okay?”

“Never better.” Knocking his hand away, I took his beer and downed the rest in one foamy gulp. When Gavin’s eyebrows shot up questioningly, I shook my head. “Look, it was exactly as I said. I just needed a minute to get my shit together. You have nothing to worry about.”

He grinned at my forceful tone. “Never said I was worried.”

“You didn’t have to. I could tell by your face and the fact that you called me Sam.”

Gavin took his beer back from me. “Ready?”

“More than ready. What happened while I was gone?”

“Bishop got me a beer on the house and told me to have a seat. I thought he was coming over to talk, but then he got called away.”

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Some backdoor meeting?”

With a chuckle, Gavin replied, “More like some hot piece of ass with her tits hanging out of her top asked him to dance.”

I rolled my eyes in a huff. “Men. Don’t you ever think with anything besides your dicks?”

“Nope,” Gavin replied with a wink.

Turning away from Gavin, I focused my gaze on the dance floor. It took only a second to spot Bishop through the crowd of other bikers. Gavin had adequately described the woman Bishop was with. At the moment, they were bumping and grinding to where they might as well have been having sex on the floor. Out of nowhere a flush of warmth spread over me, the same way Bishop’s hands ran over the woman’s body. It seemed to get even hotter when I watched the expert way his hips pumped against hers.

Leaning forward in my chair, I continued to study my target. The pictures the bureau had shown me didn’t quite do Bishop justice. Although it should have been the last thing on my mind, I couldn’t help thinking he was far more good-looking in person. He certainly appeared more built—his muscles more defined, his chest broader, and his thighs thicker. His body exuded power and strength—two things that came in handy for him as a boxer and the sergeant at arms.

I couldn’t help snorting at how I felt like an airhead sorority girl with these lustful thoughts running through my mind.

“He’s completely fuckable, isn’t he?” Gavin asked in a low voice.

Oh hell yes. Very, very fuckable, I thought as I fought the urge to squirm in my seat. Needing to hide my illicit thoughts from Gavin, I said, “Just what the hell are you talking about?”

Gavin waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were just looking at him.”

“I was assessing the target, smart-ass.”

“Bullshit. Your panties were getting wet as you thought about what it would be like if you were that woman.”

What woman wouldn’t? “You’re out of your fucking mind,” I countered.

Leaning in to whisper in my ear, Gavin said, “I may bat for the other team, but I still know when a woman is hot for a man.”

Rolling my eyes, I shoved him away. In a low voice, I growled, “He is the target in our case—not to mention the enemy.”

“Yeah, and hate sex can be hot as hell.”

“You are impossible.”

Gavin grinned wickedly at me. “Even though it’s frowned upon, I see nothing wrong with getting a good fuck or two out of him to gain information.”

“I would slap the hell out of you right now if we weren’t supposed to look like a loving couple.”

After bestowing a kiss on my cheek, Gavin winked at me. “There’s nothing more I love in life than to irritate the hell out of you.”

“Asshole,” I replied, although I smiled in spite of myself.

Nodding at Bishop, Gavin asked, “When he finishes humping that chick, you want me to get the ball rolling and introduce you?” When I cocked my eyebrows at him, he held up a hand. “I meant the ball rolling for the case, not for you to actually get busy with him. Jeez, Vargas, I can be serious when I have to be.”

“Yeah, and part of you really enjoyed the double meaning in all that.”

Gavin grinned. “Maybe.” The song started to wind down. “So, do we make a move now?”

My gaze once again returned to Bishop. “No. Not yet.”

“You got something in mind?” Gavin questioned.

I finally tore my gaze from Bishop to look at Gavin. “I need to unsettle him a bit before I make my move.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a plan.” Looking back at Bishop, I smiled. “It’s more like a game. One that I know just how to play to win.”

With a wink, Gavin said, “You know your game, Vargas. Go roll the dice.”

FOUR

BISHOP

For the hundredth fucking time, I felt eyes on me, stalking my every move. The extra scrutiny sent the hair on the backs of my arms tingling. If I had been anywhere else but inside the safety of the clubhouse and among my brothers, the freaky feeling would have had me reaching inside my cut to palm my gun. But in this case, I knew I wasn’t in any real danger.

Casually, I glanced over my shoulder to take in the crowd. The clubhouse was at full capacity for a Saturday night. The house band was cranking out tunes, and couples were in the middle of the floor bumping and grinding. With Rev gone on his honeymoon and Deacon off on a Brownies’ camping trip with his daughter, Willow, I was the only Malloy in residence. Though our president and vice president were gone, it didn’t stop the remaining Raiders from having one of our weekend parties.

Even without looking, I could have guessed who was eyeballing me. A month ago, a new mechanic had started at the garage where I was apprenticing. His name was Marley, and he was former army. That alone made me respect the hell out of him, but then that respect grew one day when we were eating lunch and shooting the shit. I discovered he was a motorcycle enthusiast whose knowledge of bikes could put some of the Raiders to shame. Then a week ago he gained my complete and total respect by saving my ass.