After a couple hours of shopping Bo had had enough and dragged Lacey away from the booths, saying it was time for some guy fun. They were burning rubber at an exhibition at the end of the Strip—where bikers could trash their tires by revving up their engines in one spot and see who could bring up the most smoke. That’s what Bo had wanted to see. Some of the Hellraisers had gone off to do other things, while a group hung with Bo to watch the burnouts.
Rick glanced over at Ava, who seemed fascinated by all the smoke and noise of the screeching tires. She lifted up on her toes to see the wheels, so he pushed his way into the crowd, pulling her along with him to give her a closer view.
“This is awesome,” she whispered when he drew her in front of him.
“Yeah, it can be.”
“They’re ruining their tires.”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head back, her hair brushing his chin. “Why?”
He laughed. “Because they want to win.”
She shook her head and waved at the smoke wafting their way. “Men. Testosterone. Competition.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
The next bike pulled up to try his burnout, and Bo came up behind Rick. “Got a second?”
“Yeah.” He leaned down to Ava. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Ava nodded, her gaze fixated on the biker who revved the throttle and started spinning his wheels. Rick moved through the crowd with Bo and they rounded the corner, away from the smoke and noise.
“What’s up?” Rick asked.
“I need you to make a delivery for me tonight.”
“What kind of delivery?”
Bo’s lips lifted. “I think you know.” He pulled a small padded envelope out of his pocket.
Yeah, Rick knew exactly what that was. “Okay, what’s in it?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
Rick frowned. “I don’t make deliveries unless I know what I’m delivering. You tell me what’s in there or I walk.”
Bo studied him for a second and Rick read the anger in his eyes. Tough shit. Rick wasn’t going to be played by anyone, including his cousin.
“Coke.”
“Fine. Where’s it going?”
Bo gave him the name and address of the delivery—some liquor store in the city, but not on the Strip.
“Ask for T-bone. Buy a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He’ll meet you around back and hand you the money.”
Bo was specific about the amount of money Rick was supposed to get.
“I want you in my hotel room with the cash right after that.”
“What, you don’t want me spending some of the profits at the Venetian?”
“Funny. Just bring it to me and you’ll get paid.”
Rick took the package and slid it inside his jacket. “Sounds easy enough. When do you want the drop made?”
“Before midnight when the store closes. Meet me back at my room at the hotel.”
“You got it.”
Rick pivoted around the corner and went back to find Ava. Along the way, he pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text message to General Lee, letting him know he’d just been recruited by Bo to make a drug drop. He had to maintain cover, so it wasn’t like he could tell Bo what he really did for a living, which meant he was going to have to break the law. But everything he did gathered evidence against the Hellraisers.
Not ideal, considering Bo was his cousin, but Bo had made his own bed. There wasn’t much Rick could do about that. Just like the Hellraisers had cut ties with Rick after Rick disappeared, a bond only went so far.
And it wasn’t like he could have turned down the job. To get back into the Hellraisers he had to be a Hellraiser, 100 percent. He felt a momentary shadow of guilt over what he was doing, but brushed it aside. Bo was dirty.
He dug into the crowd by the burnout demo to find Ava. She hadn’t moved, but a couple bikers had muscled in and flanked her. She was talking to them—laughing as they pointed out what was happening.
Rick pushed back his irritation at seeing the guys trying to muscle in on his woman.
He stopped himself. Ava wasn’t his woman. She didn’t belong to him. He was on a case. She wasn’t his girlfriend.
Jesus. He really needed to get a grip and remember his priorities.
Still, seeing one of the guys rub her back made him want to break the dude’s arm. Which meant he was getting closer to Ava than he should.
But wasn’t that the assignment? He just didn’t want another guy stealing her away. Then he couldn’t do his job. That was it, and that’s all it was. Nothing more.
He nudged a few people aside and elbowed the back-rubber out of the way, moving to Ava’s side. Her face brightened with a smile.
“Oh, hey, I thought I’d lost you.”
He leaned in and pressed a long, soft kiss to her lips. “Not a chance. Sorry I was gone so long.”
She licked her lips, her pink tongue darting out to sweep along her bottom lip. His dick noticed, quivering to attention.
“It’s okay. Axe and Roger kept me company.”
She seemed comfortable enough with the two guys. Did she know them? Had he been wrong about how naïve she was about the gang? Maybe she knew more than he thought. And maybe she didn’t. That’s what he was here to find out.
Either way, he didn’t like the guys being so close to her. Rick slung his arm around Ava’s shoulder and sent a very clear signal to the two men, who backed away instantly. “I’ll just bet they did.”
“No, really, they were very nice.”
“Uh huh. Let’s go.”
He’d been planning to leave her here to hang out while he ran the errand for Bo. But now that he saw two guys moving in on her? No f**king way was he leaving her alone.
He moved them out of the crowd and headed down the street where his bike was parked.
“Where are we going? And why are you so angry?”
“For a ride. And I’m not angry.”
“Yes you are. You’re all tensed up and your teeth are clenched.”
He relaxed his muscles, turned to her, and gritted out a smile. “There. Better?”
She laughed. “Not really. But nice try.”
She didn’t seem upset, instead looped her arm through his while they walked, which helped to dissolve his anger. They climbed on the bike and took off.