“And the reason you chose to call them first over the police?”
Domino doesn’t even seem put out by it, but I see Mack and Bane both glare at Ryan for asking. “New in town. Wasn’t sure if the local PD could be trusted. Had some issues with bad seeds back in Kansas where I’m from, so I asked them to let me know if you lot were clean, and once they did, I put in the call.”
“You didn’t invite them over here?”
Now Domino smirks, and I cross my legs to squeeze my thighs together so no one can tell that his smile is making me wet. Leggings are great most days, but they can also showsome things that you don’t want others to see. Not all brands, but I don’t buy the type with a designer label. Mine are comfy and probably not leakproof quality.
“Can’t help that my boys are curious.”
Ryan huffs, and I can’t tell if he’s laughing or not. If he did laugh, I bet he caught himself last-minute. Cops aren’t supposed to get along with bikers, right? Or can they? I’m not really sure if the Hounds of the Reaper are affiliated with the one-percenters who usually end up in jail and on the news, or if they’re the type of people who you smile and wave at when they pass. They look scary, but so far, none of them seem like douchebags. At least not to me. Bet Summer has a different opinion on at least a few, if not just a singular one.
“Now, before coming back, you were both out together, right?” We both nod at the officer’s question. “Where were you coming from?”
“We went to Four Corners food truck stop and then to the Silver Bullet bar.”
Ryan stops writing and looks up at Domino, then me, then back to Domino. “Silver Bullet, huh? You wouldn’t know anything about a fight that broke out there tonight, would you? Cops were called, but when they showed, the Delany brothers said it was nothing. A witness stated some woman kicked ass against a few guys and then picked the cute one to keep. You ain’t by chance the cute one, are you?”
I have to hand it to Ryan. He’s keeping a straight face despite his eyes twinkling with laughter.
Domino balks at the compliment. “Cute? Really? Not hot as fuck or sexy god?”
I roll my eyes. “Please, your ego is big enough that you can handle being called cute.”
“Just like something else is big, right, sweetheart?”
My mouth flies open, and I squeak at his quick jab followed by a wink and another smirk thrown my way.
“What?” Summer hits me. “You slept with him already? You hussy! High five.” She literally holds her hand out, and me, being the amazing friend I am, smack hers on instinct. I’m still a bit thrown that he just laid it all out there for, well, everyone. I’m not ashamed we had sex, but I wasn’t prepared to tell people a minute after it happened. Wasn’t going to hide it, but he basically put it on a billboard blast and then some.
“You think any of the men who you took down would have had enough time to come here and drop this off?” Ryan points to the table of the pictures of me.
I shake my head, but it’s Domino who answers. “No. Viv pretty much knocked everyone out, and the one who was still standing didn’t seem like he would be for long.”
“Always the menace,” Ryan mumbles under his breath, but I feel no annoyance or anger from it. Almost like a kinship.
“You know it.”
He raises his eyes from his notepad to grace me with a small smile. I wanted him to know I heard it, and I’ve got no ill will toward him. He might be Mack’s brother, and I might owe Mack, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be nice to someone because of their beef with another. Not till I understand it. I’m not saying I won’t be mad at someone on behalf of my friend, but I need all the details first.
He coughsand gives himself a shake, as if he realizes he’s meant to be asking questions and not letting on that he knows I fight in an illegal underground ring. Most people around here know I do it, but as long as the cops don’t catch me in the act, I can skate under the radar.
“Anything else? Can you think of anyone who would do this? Who would be interested in you like this? Maybe an ex-boyfriend or a client who wanted more, and you turned them down?”
I shake my head even before he finishes talking. “No, no one comes to mind. Without sounding pathetic, I’m actually a really boring person. I haven’t dated a guy in years, and the last guy I slept with was when I was out of town about eight months ago when I was at a metal convention. I work downstairs, work out upstairs, and sleep. Most of my clients are from online orders; I only do face-to-face at trade shows or with the neighbors who come in. But they’re all regulars since I started three years ago. Nothing in the pictures looks older than a year ago. If it’s someone I know, I think they would have had older pictures.”
“What makes you say less than a year?” Ryan asks as he steps up to the table and looks at the pictures without touching them.
“I had a walking boot almost all of last year because I brook my toes twice with dropping the metal on my foot, and none of these show that.”
He nods but doesn’t look away from the pictures, as if he’s searching for clues that might pop out at him that I missed somehow. Or that Domino did. And I already figured out that he and his club looked into all of this. I bet they analyzed every picture while I was in the bathroom. If they didn’t findanything, then neither will Ryan, but I keep that to myself. Because there could be a chance that Domino and his boys found something, but they’re holding it back. And I’ll let them, at least till the cop leaves and I demand answers.
“I’m not the fussy type either. I don’t get people asking to date me or flirt with me. I keep things simple. I like it that way. I have a family, and while we aren’t close, we aren’t estranged. I’ve got less than a handful of friends, and I pay my way for everything. I don’t go outside my bubble, not because I’m afraid, but because I don’t need to. I’m basic. Beyond the occasional night activity Mack sets up, I’m a solitary type of person.”
“Anything from that side that could be linked to this?” Ryan finally looks at his brother, who shakes his head.
“Don’t know. But I’ll find out.”
Ryan snorts. “Yeah, and try to take care of it yourself, right?” Mack opens his mouth, but Ryan is already pulling on gloves and getting a few evidence bags out. “Save it. I don’t want to know.” He turns to Domino before he talks again. “If you want to file an official report about these, then we need to call in a team to do a proper evidence retrieval.” Domino is already shaking his head before he finishes speaking, and Ryan nods. “Based on what Pauly said when he called me over here, you aren’t looking for the official stuff on everything. I’ve got no issue with running these in the system, but all I ask is that if it escalates, you loop in the PD. I don’t know what happened in Kansas, but not all of us are douchebags. Can’t say the same for everyone in this room.”
