Page 56 of Desert Heat

Her face colored crimson.

Good.

Her eyes were glassy her pupils dilated. But now it’d be hard to tell from a concussion or from the images I had just put in that pretty, little head.

I pulled back, clipped her seat belt and went back to the front cab. “We have another forty-five minutes according to the gps on the burner. Hang tight.” I turned the radio on… “Tank, if they start getting drowsy pinch them to keep them awake.”

“I’m good,” Savvy snarls. “I can pinch myself.”

I said nothing as I pulled back out on the road. In my mind I was already devising a plan to keep her with me… for good.

CHAPTER 15

My bare feetpaced back and forth over the wide plank wooden floor all night. I had a mild concussion… no internal bleeding… well except for my crushed, shattered fucking piece of shit heart.

It betrayed me.

Bled for my enemy.

“Fuck,” my fists balled, I landed another punch into the stupid large pile of fluffy pillows on the bed.

The pounding in my head started subsiding about thirty minutes after the doctor gave me a few pain pills. She also left a Z pack, so my cuts and lip don’t get infected. But unfortunately she had nothing; no cure for betrayal with a side of broken heart.

“So, stupid,” I muttered, swiping yet another tear from my cheek. I was so enamored by the new me; so busy conning Hunter that I never saw his con coming.

“Savannah?” Tank softly rapped his knuckled on my door but his voice was still soft thunder when he spoke. “I’m coming in doll so I hope you’re decent.”

“Decent but mad as hell,” I warned while picking up a decorative glass orb and tossing it in my hand.

“Easy there girl, I’m not the one you want to take out.”

“Maybe you are. Brandi is my first real girlfriend. You hurt her. Lied to her. Conned her. I might just cut off your balls after I go after his.”

He sighs, walks over to the set of French doors that I had tried opening in vain all night. He stares out onto the same barren snowy landscape I already have memorized. “If you mean what you are sayin’ about really caring for her… you’ll tell me what you wouldn’t tell him.”

My fingers twist in the hem of the clean shirt that appeared on my bed after I had showered. “I saw someone from the Outlaws last night. He taunted me. He turned on the Club. Betrayed all is us. He was the one who murdered your friend, Danny. Not my father.”

“Your father didn’t pull the trigger? It’s still his Club. His orders. His man.”

“No, you don’t understand.” By this point the T-shirt was destroyed and my hands stung from twisting the fabric. “He went rogue. There were no orders. My father sent me up here under a new identity. He knew a coupe was about to go down and I could be used as collateral. He just never saw this play… frankly neither did I. I was so busy waiting, watching for Line to find me like the freaking boogeyman. Instead he found me. Hunter… River whatever the fuck name he wants to go by.”

“He got caught in his own game. He’s in deep with you… something he didn’t see coming. You two need to hash this shit out.”

“There’s nothing to figure out. It was all a lie. Both of us were pretending to be people we aren’t. It’s over. We can’t ever really be together as who we actually are.”

“That’s about to the two of you and no one else, sugar. I won’t stand in your way. Thanks for the info about Line. I’ll need more details about him so our guy, Hacker can start tracking him down.”

“I hate being locked in this room. Please, I’m going crazy.”

“He needs you safe. Secure. Until we eliminate the threat and figure out what in the hell is going on.”

“Is he too afraid to face me?” I spin, finally looking Tank in the eye.

“He left before dawn. Heading to a meet to make sure everything from yesterday was handled as well as take care of some shit back on campus. The team and coach was pissed when I just took off like that.”

“River’s gone? He just fucking up and left?” My voice raised to an almost nuclear level.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be back. I’ll send Brandi in with some breakfast, The two of you can keep company. I also have Club shit to handle myself.”

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