Thunder.
CHAPTER TWELVE
TWO HOURS.
Two fucking hours he’d been rooted in one spot, monitoring the entrance to the CDMC clubhouse. Makenna had yet to reemerge. What the fuck was she doing in there? Drinking? Dancing? Fucking?
Fuck! He dragged a hand through his hair, almost ripping the strands out.
Had he pegged her wrong? Maybe this was her thing. Maybe she played the part of hardworking, doting big sister really well. Perhaps she had the innocent act down pat, reeling in schmucks like him who bought her performance while she was partying it up and fucking her way through a bunch of psychotic motherfuckers. Christ, was she like his mother, portraying a character she thought a man would want? He’d grown up with women like that and sworn one would never get the drop on him.
No. His gut rejected the idea with a violent lurch. Mak wasn’t fake. He could recognize fake from a mile away, and she was as genuine as it came. No one could fake their personality that well. He’d spent enough time with her over the past few weeks to know she was the real deal. Authentic. Gorgeous. Sweet.
Which left one other option. She had no idea what the hell she walked into. And that meant she’d be fresh meat—a guppy in an ocean full of hungry sharks.
Christ, the thought of it had him nearly parting the chain-link fence with his bare hands and charging forward. He gripped the metallic rungs so hard, the metal bit into his finger joints, but he welcomed the discomfort. The ache fueled his growing rage.
The guys in the CDMC were straight-up assholes. Fuckers who had no problem using—and hurting—anyone man, woman, even a fucking child to advance their agenda.
But wait, hadn’t she mentioned a high paying job for the night?
Oh, fuck. Was she working in there?
“Dude,” Mav said as he strode back from where he’d been scoping out the rear side of the building since Thunder refused to leave his spot. “What the fuck is up with you?”
“Nothing,” Thunder bit out, attention on the thug standing sentry at the entrance.
“T, you got it bad for this one, huh?”
“What?” He finally tore his gaze away and pinned Mav with it. “No. The fuck you talking about? She just works at the diner, and she’s too fucking sweet for this shit. I’d feel this way about any of the ol’ ladies.”
“Uh-huh,” Maverick said, and Thunder swore he could hear the smirk in his voice. “Look, she’s been in there for two hours. Might as well face facts. She ain’t coming out anytime soon. We’re here to do a job, T. That side door has been clear all night. Now’s the time if we wanna scope it out. Everyone’s fucking wasted and too busy trying to find someone to suck their tiny dicks to pay attention to us. I don’t wanna pull rank on you, brother, but…”
Shit. As much as he hated, hated, to move, Mav was right. Copper hadn’t sent them to babysit Makenna, a full-grown woman who sure as hell didn’t look as though she’d been dragged in there against her will. The prez had sent them on a fact-finding mission. The intel they collected would be used to avenge Viper. He needed to keep his head in the game.
Mak would be fine. Plus, she had Kristy with her, and if anyone could navigate that shit, Kristy was it.
Whatever you need to tell yourself, man.
Fuck.
With one last clench-jawed look at the entrance, Thunder nodded. “All right, let’s do it.” But he’d sure as hell be checking back before they left.
Together, they tromped around the perimeter of the building, not bothering to soften their steps or temper the noise. The loud music pumping from the CDMC clubhouse drowned out any ambient sounds their boots made. Hell, the volume would have drowned out a Category Five hurricane.
As they reached the spot Mav had chosen to ascend the fence, Maverick slowed down. On the other side of the fence, about fifty feet in waited the two closed doors they’d seen on the grainy surveillance videos.
“One on the right leads into the main level of the building. At least as far as I’ve been able to tell. The other one is a mystery. See those low windows?” Mav pointed to the left side of both doors, where somebody had blacked out three low to the ground rectangular windows.
“Yeah.”
“Thinking that’s a basement. And I’m thinking they got a damn good reason for darkening those windows.”
Thunder ran a hand through his hair. “And you’re hoping that door will get us there?”
“Mm-hmm.” Mav nodded.
“What are the chances it’s open?”
With a shrug, Mav said. “Slim to none. Never stopped me before.”
Thunder smiled for the first time all night. “Well, that sounds fun. Okay, ready?” He glanced up with a wince. “Damn, that barbed wire is gonna suck.”