Annihilation Road (Torpedo Ink 6)

She put her hand on her hip. “Do I need protection? From what?”

He shook his head. “I don’t understand why you’re making this difficult. I’m trying to do the right thing. Work this out.”

“Like you did the right thing, setting me up when you asked for the video? You kept asking and I kept saying no. You guilt-tripped me the night you came to my restaurant and pointed out I kept missing our dates. You did that on purpose. Answer me why you would do that to me, Pierce.”

“Damn it, Alena. I didn’t distribute that to everyone.”

“It just jumped off your phone.”

“Will you at least think about it? Marrying me? I’m serious.”

“I’m going on the run, Pierce. We can talk more then. Right now, I don’t know what to think. Betrayal is really ugly. It feels ugly. Two of your boys sat next to me in the bar and made a show of playing that video. Being your old lady and having to put up with that crap would be very hard for me after the respect I’m used to having in my club. Even my old man wouldn’t be giving me the same level of respect I’m used to getting here. Trading respect for what? Having my man getting blow jobs and whatever else when he’s away from me doesn’t sound like a great trade-off, but I’ll give it thought. Thank you for the offer. I know it came from a well-meaning place.”

Pierce stared at her for a long time and then he shook his head. “Damn it, Alena. I don’t feel so easily. It just doesn’t happen. You coming along was unexpected. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She studied his face. Savage studied it as well. He was fairly certain Lana and Scarlet were doing so from their positions on rooftops as well, each trying to figure out Pierce’s real motives. Had Plank put him up to something else? Why have Alena stay away from the run? Insist she marry Pierce when he wasn’t the kind of man to be faithful? Nothing about what Pierce was saying or doing made any sense.

“Maybe if you told me why you think I’m in some kind of danger it would help, Pierce,” Alena said, her voice very quiet.

Pierce took a deep breath as a loud whistle cut through the night. “I’ve got to go. Unblock me. Talk to me on the phone.”

Alena shook her head. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to forgive the video thing yet, Pierce. Until you explain that to me, there isn’t a way to talk.”

“I can’t explain it if you won’t let me talk to you.”

They stared at each other for a long time. Pierce sighed. “If you’re going on the run, will you at least think about what I said? We can talk there.”

“I’m going on the run with Torpedo Ink,” Alena affirmed. “But I’m not making any promises about revisiting this very bizarre conversation. We’ll see what transpires.”

He stepped toward her, and she stepped back. “Don’t. Don’t even think about touching me. I have standards, Pierce. Tawny’s leftovers leave me with a very bad taste in my mouth.” She turned and sauntered off, hips swaying suggestively, Pierce cursing inventively.

Savage was proud of her. Alena never once showed the devastation Pierce had left behind. She looked classy, regal even. She walked right past the two Diamondbacks standing behind Shari and Melinda and went straight to Seychelle to wrap her arm around Seychelle’s waist. Savage could have kissed her for that alone.

“You sing like an angel, girlfriend,” Alena greeted as if she didn’t notice the tension.

The two Diamondbacks reluctantly responded to the second whistle calling them back to their bikes. One of them he recognized as a man going by the name of Trade. He was a good friend of Pierce’s. Code had done a little background work on him just because he seemed to be Pierce’s closest friend. They’d been in the service together. Both had been on a SEAL team before they got out and eventually joined the Diamondbacks together. It was Trade who turned back to look at Seychelle before he reluctantly went around the corner to join the rest of his friends leaving the premises with their president.

Savage knew it wasn’t just Seychelle’s body. Her looks could definitely attract dozens of men, but she had a siren’s voice, one that could tempt the devil. She’d clearly drawn Brandon Campbell to her. And Joseph Arnold. Now was he going to have to contend with Trade from the Diamondbacks as well? That was always going to be the downside to her singing. When she used that voice of hers to sing her love songs, she could cast a spell without trying.

“She’s no angel,” Shari snapped.

The smile faded from Alena’s face. “Excuse me? Just who are you? I don’t think I was talking to you. How did you even get into the conversation?”