Page 32 of Dutch

"I would love that. Hey, have a good day," I told him.

"You too."

I stepped out into the alleyway and slid inside, locking the door. I put my bag down and got busy turning on the lights and unlocking the front door for my client. I was anxious to finish a sleeve I'd been working on for months.

I was wiping down my station when the bell on the door jingled.

"Hey, Makari."

"Hey, come on in, girl." I smiled and gestured to my chair after my client Rita had removed her jacket. "Are you ready for this badass tattoo?" I joked.

"Hell yeah," she stated, propping her arm up on the side table.

I wiped her arm down with an alcohol wipe and turned on the machine, allowing the noise to drown out my thoughts, at least for a little while.

"What's been up with you? I see you're still dating that overgrown guard dog?"

I kept my hand steady. "I've just been focused on the shop and a few personal matters. Wait, what?"

"The guy you dated was outside when I came in," she said. "Yeah, I noticed a few bikers outside your shop. I thought maybe you two were still dat?—"

My eyebrows shot up. I hoped like hell Jahlil wasn't here again to piss me off. "No," I cut her off. I put the tattoo gun down and stood up to look out the window. I was relieved to see it wasn't Jahlil, but why was Dutch back already? "It's complicated. We're not dating."

Rita laughed. "Girl, it's always complicated, but it's like that when you date those ex-cops."

"Girl, what the fuck are you talking about?" I inquired as my stomach did a weird flip. "Ex-cop? No, he was a code enforcement officer," I corrected her.

"No, I dated his friend back in the day and distinctly remember the man with the scar over his left eye. He was a cop. Word is he left the force after some shady shit happened. Something had gone wrong, and his partner was killed."

Suddenly, Dutch's attitude and overprotectiveness made sense. Except why had he lied about his profession when we dated?

"I can't believe you didn't know he'd been a cop, but I heard they sometimes don't disclose that information because it can be risky if they're on a case," Rita insisted.

I let out a shaky breath. I thought I knew everything about Dutch.Who the hell was I dealing with?

I'd barely tappeda few keys on the computer when the burner phone buzzed on the desk.

"Talk," I answered.

"Makari's not at the shop, boss. I checked everywhere, but it was dark inside."

Blood drained from my face, and my heart slammed against my rib cage. Fuck, no, this couldn't be happening.

"Fuck you mean she's not there? You just said everything was okay. Did you check the coffee joint on the corner?" I asked.

"Yeah. She's just gone."

Damn, that stubborn ass woman. I thought, wondering like hell where she'd gone. "Keep searching, I'm en route. Call me if anything changes." I ended the call, grabbed my helmet, and exited my office.

I barked out orders to the few lounging around. "Saint, Trigger, you're with me. I need the rest of you to fan out and keep watch.

Saint and Trigger were already moving. They knew what Makari meant to me and what could happen if Jahlil had gotten his hands on her.

Outside, I swung my leg over my Harley as Saint and Trigger mounted up next to me. I realized I was holding my breath and finally took a breath.

"Boss, we'll find her," Trigger assured me, kicking on his engine.

I nodded, unable to speak. I didn't know what I'd do if anything happened to Makari. The wind whipped by as we weaved through traffic. Blowing through red lights, I had tunnel vision, only seeing the asphalt in front of me.

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