Page 8 of Darlin'

My jaw locks. "Well, do you knowwhenhe'll be home? Orwherehe might be?"

Another shrug. No one is useful. No one!

"He might be staying at the clubhouse."

I blink. "Clubhouse?"

Doesn't-know-how-to-use-deodorant nods down the street. "Five minutes up the road. Hard to miss." He gives me a smug grin. "Want me to show you?"

"I will manage myself," I huff, yanking the handle of my suitcase. "Thanks for your help..." I pause, waiting for his name.

"Lucky," he says, tossing me a greasy wink. "As in your lucky day."

"If today's my lucky day, then I wouldn't mind misfortune for the rest of my life," I murmur, giving him a fake smile. "You take care now."

"What wasyourname again?" he calls out as I dang near run off the front porch, my poor shoes scraping against dirt and broken glass. "Hey!"

"It's Savannah," I holler back, trudging up the sidewalk in a huff. I should've called ahead! Damn it. "Savannahmother truckingKingsley."

This is not at all going according to plan. I was meant to show up, have Beau answer the door, hug and cry and then drag his idiotic ass back to 'Bama. Instead, I amdraggingmy ownidiotic ass up an unpaved road toward what looks like a prison yard.

Oh, Beau…what did you get yourself into?

A few townspeople stare at me from their front yards as I pass, and I force myself to ignore their hushed whispers. I am here for one reason and one reason only. The clubhouse comes into view, and I skim the fenced-off building, taking in the rows upon rows of parked Harleys and pick-up trucks until I find what resembles a front gate.

A defeating combination of fatigue and irritation swarm around my belly as I march over to the chained gate and scream, "Hello? Anyone home? Hello?" I rattle the fence aggressively, repeating myself until a man who looks like a dang Yeti with tattoos comes striding over, a pair of dark sunglasses sitting on the tip of his nose. He crosses his arms, pursing his lips at me as I ask, "Are you the owner of this..." I pause, blinking. "Establishment?"

"You're trespassing," he grunts, spitting chewing tobacco on the grimy ground. "You should leave."

"You own the sidewalk now?" I cock my head, glaring at him through the crisscrossed wires. "I'd only be trespassing if I wereinsidethe fence, not out here."

Boulder-man takes off his sunglasses, looking somewhat baffled. "What do you want, little girl?"

"I want my brother," I state confidently, straightening out my posture to make myself look tall, powerful, and strong. Not so little now, am I? "I want B—" I stop, clearing my throat. "Radley King."

"Your brother?" He frowns, looking over his shoulder as a few more bikers emerge from the main building, beerand cigarettes in hand. Great, an audience. "Rad's your brother?"

"Yes," I say, losing my patience as the distant rumblings of a motorcycle engine grows louder. What a noisy mode of transport. “Is he here?"

"Nope," he says, unlocking the gates. I spin around, narrowing my eyes at a black motorcycle speeding directly toward us. "You might wanna move. Gate opens out."

"What—" I wince, the rusty hinges of the chain link piercing my eardrums as the gates open. My hair flies off my shoulders as a biker zooms past me, nearly knocking me off my feet. Before the man can close the gates on me, I grab my luggage and bolt through the closing doors. "Hey!" I call out, marching toward Speedy Gonzales and the Yeti. "Hey!"

"Now youaretrespassing," Yeti says, crossing his arms as he smiles down at me. He glances over at the dangerous man straddling the motorcycle. My word, what a large specimen. Maybe the water is different out here. “What do you say, JP? Should we shoot the princess?"

Shoot? They gonna shoot me?!

I balk, unable to form words as "JP" dismounts his bike, removing his helmet and sunglasses. A pair of amused hazel eyes skim across my flustered face, and my pulse skitters under his scrutiny.

"I don't know..." JP cocks his head, grooming his beard as he soaks in my discomfort. "Shewouldlook nice hanging over my mantle." He smirks at me, raising a brow. "What do you say, babe?" He wipes the pad of his thumbacross his bottom lip as he arches over and meets my stunned gaze. "Wanna be my focal point? Hmm?"

I swallow, my heart racing as I take a step back.Not today, Satan. Not today."I just...I just want my brother."

"She's Rad's sister," Yeti mentions, elbowing JP. "Did you know the kid had a sister?"

"So she says," JP muses, leaning back against his motorcycle. He crosses his arms over his broad chest. "Other than the accent, I don't really see a resemblance."

I scoff, shoulders relaxing. "Seriously? Then you must be blind as a bat." I tilt my head, nodding at the bike. "Probably shouldn't be riding that thing if that's the case,JP. You could cause a lot of unnecessary injuries."

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