Page 57 of Savage Lust

It was there, so smooth I’d have missed it had I not been watching so closely. There was no way anyone else would have seen it. But a thick envelope passed between them and disappeared inside Cam’s cut. It made the hair prickle on the back of my neck.

“Savage, good to see you.” He released him and turned to me.

All good humor vanished from Cam’s face and stayed standing, proof there were at least two apex predators at the table.

“You must be Riley, Archer’s daughter. I’m Santos Garza.” He extended a hand, his expression warm despite Cam’s warning glare. “My condolences on your loss. I was saddened to hear about Archer, I considered him a friend—and I don’t have many of those.”

I felt like I was tossed into The Godfather—Desert Redux and shivered despite the warmth of the crowded diner.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“And if you ever needanything, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I owe Archer a few favors.” When he released my hand he took a card from the other man and handed it to me. There was something in the way he emphasized the wordanythingthat made me dizzy and panicked.

As if he sensed that, Cam tore some bills from the roll in his pocket and tossed them onto the table. “Good to see you, Garza, but we were heading out.”

I hadn’t even touched my coffee, but I didn’t dare say that. Not when the tension around us was so thick.

Garza just smiled big like the Cheshire Cat as he backed from the table. “Tell your new president I need to speak with him on a personal matter.”

“Will do.” Cam pulled me from the booth and held my hand all the way to the bike. He handed me the helmet and leaned close, brushing his lips across mine before whispering in my ear. “When we get home, burn that fucking card.”

Frazzled, annoyed, and more than a bit freaked out I climbed on the bike behind Cam. From inside, Garza looked out and saluted us with his coffee.

Cam turned to me a little bit. “He shouldn’t have known who you were.” Then he fired up the bike.

Judging from the tension in his body as I wrapped my arms around him, it was a miracle he didn’t sling gravel all the way out of the parking lot.

twenty-two

Cam

We’d been on the road for fifteen minutes when I saw the rusted out, jacked up truck the first time. I couldn’t get away from the prickling sensation on the back of my neck when I’d seen Santos had known Riley. That distraction meant I picked up the tail later than I should have.

Paranoia had me making several bullshit turns. I was thankful Riley wasn’t familiar with the area. She already asked too many questions—I didn’t want to scare her more.

Fuck me.

“What’s wrong?” I could barely hear her shout over the roar of my bike.

We were being followed. The money in my vest throbbed hotly. I’d face ten different truckloads of rednecks trying to steal this shit before I’d show up empty-handed at The Black Cat.

And the cartel was worse. I should have never brought her, even if she had been a smoke screen. Nobody would notice acouple on a bike, eating pie in a diner. Hell, I hadn’t expected Santos himself. That on its own was fucking bizarre.

My life wasn’t made for someone like Riley. She could get hurt, or worse.

Guilt left me shaky, so I flexed the fingers of one hand and looked for a place to exit. Get her off the bike, back home safe, while I handled this.

The roar quieted to a throb as I let off the throttle and nodded toward a roadside bar with cars in the lot. I needed a public place to ditch Riley. “You hungry?”

Annoyance furrowed her brow as I deflected. It was better if she got a little pissed at me. I needed to get her out of here before she got attached—before I did. I was stupid to put a label on us. Santos had been a grim wake up to that fact.

But I wanted that one piece of peace, something untainted—and Riley was it.

Fucking stupid.

There were too many dangerous people sizing her up. Archer had been a fool bringing her here when he wasn’t around to protect her. And me, an even bigger one. Sex had never done that to me before.

Two banged up pickups, with straight piped exhaust, sputtered past as I parked. The rednecks inside looking anywhere but at me. Yeah, right. I climbed from the bike and texted Merc while Riley took off her helmet and used the mirror to tame the auburn fly-aways.

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