“What the fuck?” Rory blinked rapidly to adjust to the light.
“We’re looking for Jewell and Arin,” Viper told him as Shade and the man he didn’t know looked around the empty bedroom then rushed to the bathroom.
“Jewell went to meet Arin”—Rory looked at the bedside clock—“three hours ago.”
“Fuck!” Viper snarled. “He hasn’t seen Jewell for three hours,” he informed them when they came out the bathroom.
“Let’s go.” The man who Rory had no idea who he was had Viper and Shade taking off after him as he stormed out of the room.
“What in the fuck is going on?”
Dragging his exhausted ass out of the bed, Rory dressed as fast as he could then hurried out of the room as soon as his boots were on. With his phone in his hand, he went in search of Viper, taking the basement steps two at a time.
Finding the kitchen packed with Last Riders, Rory had to push himself past Rider, Razer, and Nickel to reach Viper. “What is going on?”
Viper turned to him. “We can’t find Arin and Jewell. Hennessy and Shade just went to the security room to help Moon go over the security footage.”
Rory immediately checked his phone to see if he had any missed messages from Jewell before looking at the app he had installed when they had come back from Fort Mills. Rory turned the phone so Viper could see. “You want me to call her?”
“No,” Viper snarled, reaching for his own phone. “Hennessy, they’re at Mick’s.” He disconnected the phone and told the brothers they could go back to bed before furiously leaving the kitchen.
Rory followed him to see Viper reaching for a bottle of whiskey.
“I can go get them,” Rory offered.
“Don’t bother. Hennessy and Shade will go after they get finished beating the fuck out of Moon for not telling us they slipped out.”
“Hennessy the one who came to my room with you and Shade?”
“Yes.” Opening the bottle of whiskey, Viper poured himself a generous amount.
“Call them and tell them I’ll go.”
“Don’t bother. As mad as he is, Hennessy won’t lay a hand on them. He’s afraid of them when they’re drunk. We all are. You think Sex Piston and her crew are bad when they’re drunk, they can’t hold a candle to Arin and Jewell. The best thing to do is let Shade and Hennessy handle them. That way, you can hide until they sober up,” Viper advised.
It went against his grain to not get Jewell, but he decided to take Viper’s advice. He would step in when they came back and take her back to his room.
“Mind sharing?” Rory asked, taking a stool.
Viper reached under the bar, bringing out a beer to give him as the room started to fill with The Last Riders. Instead of finding their beds, they grouped around them.
Rory twisted the cap off the beer, astute enough to recognize the chilly attitude coming off the brothers.
“I didn’t know Jewell and Arin were planning to take off. I assumed they would hang out here.”
The opening of the front door had Rory glancing over his shoulder, unable to see who had entered with all The Last Riders behind him. Lead settled in his stomach when Shade came around them to go behind the bar with Viper. If he had any doubt that his ass was riding on a thin line, Shade’s deadpan gaze revealed how close to the edge he was.
Viper gave Shade a glass then poured some whiskey into it. “I thought you would go with Hennessy?”
“Mick dropped them off as we were getting into the car. Hennessy and Moon are bringing them.”
Rory heard feminine laughter as the front door opened again.
“I told you they would be mad.”
Jewell’s bragging tone had Rory wincing.
“She’s drunk,” Rory tried to excuse Jewell’s drunken laughter.
“No shit.”
Rory didn’t make a move to go get her, becoming boxed in on his stool.
“Viper …” a male voice called out from the doorway. “I’m going to take Arin to bed.”
Looking upward, Rory saw Hennessy carrying a woman over his shoulder as he climbed the stairs.
“Is that safe?” Rory questioned, seeing the long lengths of the woman’s dangling legs over Hennessy’s shoulder.
“Safer than her walking on her own two feet.” Jewell slid between the brothers to stand next to him. “Whatcha all doing?”
“Waiting for you,” Rory answered when the rest of the men remained mute.
“Well, I’m here.” She held her arms out, as if to give each of them a hug then gave a yawn. “You ready to go to bed, Rory? I’m tired.”
Rory felt the stares boring into him. “You go ahead. I just woke up.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure. Go ahead.”
Jewell nodded. “Wake me up when you come to bed.”
“I will,” he promised. He was going to wake her by paddling her fanny bright red.
“Ew. I don’t like the way that sounded.” Jewell hiccupped. “Don’t bother to wake me. I’ll see you in the morning.” Blinking owlishly at Shade, she said, “I’m going to need a week off. Can you fill in for me?”