Jaci Burton (2 page)

labeled him an outsider.

“Stil an asshole as always, aren’t you, Bo?” Rick said as he

got off his Harley.

Bo’s head shot up, then recognition dawned. His face split

i n a wide grin. “Rick? Son of a bitch. It is you.” He grabbed

Rick in a bear hug. “How long has it been?”

Rick hugged him back, then separated. “Ten years, man.”

They headed inside the bar and ordered two beers. Rick

noticed only some of the Hel raisers had come in with Bo. The

others stayed outside. Watchers, no doubt, keeping an eye

out for rival gangs the Hel raisers might have a beef with. The

last thing the Hel raisers would want is to be cornered inside

the bar. The ones outside would give a heads-up if Bo and

others needed to make a quick exit.

Bo took a long pul from his bottle of beer, then settled his

gaze on Rick. “Last time I saw you, you were getting arrested.”

Rick laughed. “Same for you, since we were getting

arrested at the same time for the same thing.”

Bo shrugged. “I did six months and got three years’

probation on that one. But never saw you again. What the hel

happened?”

“You know as wel as I do that wasn’t my first arrest like it

was yours.”

Bo grinned. “I was sneakier than you. And a faster runner.”

“So you say. I think you threw me under the bus.”

Bo laughed. “So, you did time?”

“They sent me down for three years.”

Bo winced. “Ouch. That’s rough.”

“Yeah. After that I took to the road. Prison was damned

confining. I needed some space.”

“So where’ve you been?”

“Chicago, mainly. But mostly I just ride al over. Settling in

one place too long usual y means problems for me.”

“Why are you back?”

“Figured I’d been gone long enough. I wanted to come

home for a while.”

“Missing family?”

Rick snorted and took a drink of beer. “I think we both know

better than that. We don’t have family. Except each other.”

Bo tipped the top of his beer to Rick’s. “Amen to that.

Useless fucking families is what we had. But we did have

each other. Hey. I’m sorry I didn’t know about you doing time.

You know how it is.”

“I know.” When you got arrested you were on your own. If

you disappeared, the gang figured you were either in jail or

dead. No one bothered to check up on you. You were family

as long as you were in the gang. If you left, you were history.

End of story.

“So are you back for good?”

“Maybe.”

“Interested in rejoining the club?”

“Maybe.”

Bo nodded. “So that means yes.”

Rick smiled over the rim of the beer bottle. “Maybe.”

Bo laughed. “You’re such a dick. I’l have my people check

you out. Make sure you’ve been where you say you’ve been.

Not that I don’t trust you . . .”

“But nobody gets into the Hel raisers—or back in—without

being investigated. I know.” And that’s why Grange had set up

a phony background for him, including a drug bust in Chicago

and the prison record he’d just told Bo about. If there was one

thing the Hel raisers loved, it was a badass with a reputation.

And Rick wanted to make sure he had the rep to ease back

in. Which was probably why Senator Vargas was pissing

himself over his daughter’s involvement with the gang. Not

exactly a club fil ed with choirboys. If Rick had a daughter

riding with the Hel raisers, he wouldn’t be too happy about it,

either. Not that he was ever going to get married and have a

kid. But if he did, he sure as hel wouldn’t al ow her to run with

a group like this.

“In the meantime, you can ride with us. Background check

should only take a day or so. If you want back in, that is.”

“I might. What are the Hel raisers into these days?”

“Mostly trouble.”

Rick laughed. “Just my kind of action.” He figured it would

be easy to get back in the gang again, especial y with Bo at

the helm. Now he’d just have to find Ava Vargas and get close

enough to her to figure out her angle.

Ava Vargas stared at herself in the mirror of her bedroom.

“I don’t think leather is a good look for me.” She turned this

way and that, unused to seeing herself decked head to toe in

leather jacket, chaps, and boots.

“Are you kidding? You’re hot.” Lacey came into the

bedroom and studied Ava, then shook her head. “I’d kil for

boobs like yours.”

“These things are what I’m afraid of. Does this top real y

have to be so . . . tight?” She plucked at the clingy spandex

that seemed to want to mold to her breasts and outline them

like the neon signs on the Vegas Strip. Her breasts were large

enough. She didn’t need to advertise their existence.

“Al the girls wear their tops like that. Trust me, you’l fit right

in.”

That’s what Ava was going for, wasn’t it? To fit into this biker

gang that her best friend Lacey had immersed herself in for

the past year. The one that had ripped Lacey away from

school, that had changed her best friend’s life, her personality,

everything.

A year ago, Lacey had been a graduate student. She and

Ava had done everything together. But then Lacey had met a

biker and had al but disappeared from Ava’s life. Lacey had

quit school and become a biker babe, spending al her time

riding with her boyfriend. Even worse than that, she’d become

a slacker, and that wasn’t Lacey at al .

And Ava would know, because she and Lacey had been

friends since kindergarten. They knew everything about each

other. They’d been in each other’s classes al through school,

and

room-mates in col ege. After they’d gotten their

undergraduate degrees, they’d shared an apartment while

they’d studied for their master’s degrees. And that’s when Ava

had lost Lacey to the biker world.

Ava had completed her master’s this year. Lacey indicated

zero interest in going back to school, saying she was “over it.”

There was something just not right about that. Was this

biker gang some kind of cult? And had Lacey drank the Kool-

Aid? With Lacey so out of touch and unwil ing to communicate

about this new lifestyle other than waxing poetic about the new

guy in her life and singing the praises of life riding on the back

of a Harley, Ava figured the only way to find out what was

going on in Lacey’s life was to join it.

So she’d started hanging out at the biker joints over the

past couple months—especial y since it was the only way she

could spend time with Lacey. She’d meet her at bars and

clubs that catered to the bikers. She didn’t see anything

unusual going on there, other than beer, pool, smoking, and

just general mayhem. Stil , Ava wasn’t convinced. Because the

Lacey she saw there was so . . . different from the one she’d

always known.

She had to make sure Lacey was safe, that the decisions

she was making were from her own free wil . And right now,

Ava just wasn’t certain that was the case. She was a little

suspicious of Lacey’s boyfriend, because as soon as Lacey

had started up with this gang, she had packed up and moved

out of their apartment, tel ing Ava that life in the biker gang

was nomadic and it didn’t seem fair to stay in the apartment

with Ava. She’d suggested Ava find another roommate. Cold,

harsh . . . cutting ties just like that.

And that wasn’t like Lacey at al . Lacey was warm, family-

oriented, and friendly. They’d been thick as thieves since

childhood.

Ava didn’t want another roommate. She didn’t need one,

could certainly afford the place on her own.

She wanted her old friend back. Or at least she needed to

know that Lacey was okay, that the decisions she made were

her own. Because whenever she saw Lacey—infrequently as

that was—there was just something not quite right about her

friend. Something in her eyes . . .

Which was why she stood in front of the mirror decked out

in a skintight top, body-hugging jeans, and leather.

“I’l fit right in, huh?”

Lacey giggled and threw herself on Ava’s bed. “Wel , at

least physical y. It’s a unique lifestyle, Ava. It might take some

getting used to. It’s not al five-star hotels and room service.”

Ava glared at Lacey in the mirror. “I’m hardly spoiled, Lace.”

Lacey rol ed her eyes. “Please. Senator’s daughter. Only

the finest schools. And the idea of sawdust and peanuts on

the floor, not to mention spil ed beer, probably makes you want

to faint. Look at this place. No knickknacks or art on the wal s.”

Lacey ran her finger over the bare tabletop next to the bed.

“Not even a speck of dust. You have no clutter. You’re a clean

freak.”

Ava lifted her chin. “I am not. I just like . . . order in my life.”

Lacey laughed. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. A

biker lifestyle is anything but orderly. Are you sure this is what

you want?”

Lacey used to like things orderly and neat, too. Ava went

and sat next to Lacey on the bed, surprised that the leather

she wore was soft enough to give when she sat. “Yes. It’s what

I want. I’l give it a try, anyway. I think it’l be fun.”

Lacey grabbed her hands. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re going to

be riding with us. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too. We don’t see each other enough.”

“I was afraid we’d drift apart. But you’ve been busy with

school, and that’s just not my life anymore.”

Ava wanted to ask her why it wasn’t, but Lacey had made it

clear she didn’t want to talk about school anymore, so she let

it pass. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

Lacey grinned. “He’s on the Strip now. Probably getting

drunk with al his friends.”

She said it with such pride. Ava resisted wrinkling her nose.

“Uh, great.”

Lacey looked at her watch. “We should get going. We’re

meeting them at eight.”

“Okay.” Despite only being here for Lacey, Ava ran into the

bathroom to take one last look. She had no idea if she looked

appropriate or like a fish out of water. She supposed she’d

have to take Lacey’s word for it.

Final y she’d get a chance to see Lacey’s world. Spend

more time with Lacey’s boyfriend.

Then she’d find out if she had anything to worry about.

Riding again with Bo and the Hel raisers was a lot like old

times, and then again not. Last time Rick had ridden with Bo

and the gang, they’d been kids and low on the totem pole. Ten

years later and Bo was in the upper echelons of the

organization, riding lead in this particular group.

That said a lot about what Bo had been doing for the past

ten years. And that meant whatever the Hel raisers had been

doing, Bo was real y good at it. They rode the Strip for a while,

and Rick realized it real y had been ten years since he’d been

there. A lot had changed. Growth had exploded the Strip.

There were more casinos, hotels, and a lot more to do than

just gambling now. He gawked while he rode, barely noticing

the throng of Hel raisers adding to their numbers until the

congested group pul ed to a stop in the older part of town.

Bike upon bike pul ed into the parking area. It looked like a

freakin’ parade. There must have been a hundred Hel raisers

by the time the last one parked.

“Damn. The Hel raisers have expanded.”

Bo nodded as they walked from the parking area to the

street. “Membership grows by about ten to fifteen every year.

We’ve gotten real y popular.”

“Yeah? What do you attribute that to?”

Bo grinned. “We get laid a lot. Guys notice al the chicks

that have joined the club.”

Rick laughed. “I guess I came back at just the right time.”

Bo slung his arm around Rick’s shoulder. “Yeah, you did.”

They got to the corner and a flash shot by Rick. A skinny

female leaped onto Bo, wrapped her legs around him, and

planted one hot, tongue-involved kiss on his lips. Bo grabbed

the woman by the ass and held onto her, returning the kiss.

When he broke the kiss, the woman squealed. “I missed

you today, baby!”

“Missed you, too,” Bo said, letting the woman slide to the

ground. He wound an arm around her waist. “Lacey, this is my

cousin, Rick Benetti. Rick, my girlfriend, Lacey.”

So Bo had a girlfriend, huh? Interesting. And a pretty one at

that. Not at al like the skanky girls he used to hang out with.

This one had straight brown hair, a nice body, and pretty blue

eyes.

“Your cousin? Wow. I didn’t know you had a cousin.” Lacey

held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Rick.”

Rick shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, too, Lacey. And