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“I would have considered your offer, but you pissed me off earlier. Hmm . . . I have a way of doubling my fee. I don’t need your help.”

Travis shook his head. “I’m sorry. Look, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll pay you whatever you want. Please . . . just leave her alone.”

“Sorry, Mr. Blake. Paydirt is right here.” He gave Caitlin an extra squeeze. Marko’s lips lowered to Caitlin’s ear. “Say your goodbyes, chica.”

“Marko, you can’t get away with this,” Crane interjected. “You’ve done this in front of witnesses.”

“Since when do our towns bring in the authorities? You bring attention to our shit, you can kiss your MC goodbye.”

“I won’t let you get away with this,” Travis growled. “I’ll hunt you down. I swear.”

“If these guys let you out of this town alive, be my guest,” Marko leered. “You don’t know the inner workings of our little section of paradise, do you? We pretend to like touristsbecause they bring in money, but we really hate them and wished they’d stay the fuck out of our towns.”

A spectator in the crowd shouted, “Speak for yourself, asshole.” Murmurs started to rise from the gathering, telling Marko to let the girl go.

Caitlin was pissed at herself for feeling so helpless, but Marko had her secured in a way she couldn’t move defensively. She was wearing slippers and he had on motorcycle boots, not ideal for the stomp and head butt move.

Before she could decide what to do, she felt Marko jerk back, the gun on her head disappeared, and she was falling backward.

“Caitlin!” Travis screamed.

She was lying on her back on top of Marko. Someone took him out! Before she could twist around to look at the man who had held her, hands grabbed her and hauled her into a familiar chest. Her nose wrinkled at the strange perfume on Travis’s shirt, but her brain prioritized the imminent threat. And as everyone got over their shock at Marko’s surprise demise, gunfire exploded.

Travis cursedas he pushed Caitlin behind the Suburban. People started screaming as a volley of gunfire erupted. Glass shattering, metal plinking, and a horde of angry bikers cursing, turned the quiet town of Iron Ridge into a war zone.

He stared at Caitlin who was looking at him, wide-eyed. “You okay, sunshine?”

“Yes. But who the hell shot Marko?”

“Don’t know.” But whoever did, thank fuck. He grabbed Caitlin’s face and gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Stay down. Gonna help Crane.”

He already had his two Sigs and several magazines tucked in the back of his shorts, so he handed one of the guns to her.

Travis speared Caitlin with a stern glare. “I mean it, Caitlin. Stay here.”

“All right, jeez. Go make yourself useful.”

Travis nodded grimly. He peeked around the SUV and saw Crane hunkered down near the sheriff’s cruiser. The sheriff had been shot in the shoulder and Crane was wrapping his bandana around his wound.

Ashe and the rest of his men were having a shootout with Marko’s gang who had scattered behind buildings and cars. Those dumb fucks were outnumbered against the entire Iron Skulls MC.

Travis crouch-walked to Crane’s position.

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Bennett,” Crane muttered as he helped the sheriff move to a more comfortable position.

“Later,” Travis said. “Maybe.”

Crane scowled at him.

“Your boys are wasting lead,” Travis murmured.

“Don’t think I fucking know that?” Crane griped as he aimed and took out a gang member. “They go all the fuck guns blazing, tired as fuck teaching them to aim. Luckily, those Fuego boys don’t know any better.”

Travis chuckled.

“Sheeeet, you’re in a gunfight, and you’re happy as fuck because you’ve got your girl all tucked safe. Love sick fool.”

“Shut up,” Travis muttered. He set his gun’s sights at the exposed head of one of the gang members and squeezed the trigger. The man dropped dead. He aimed at another Fuego guy who was partially hidden behind a car. Biding his time and keeping his aim steady, Travis anticipated the man’s movements and squeezed off another shot, hitting the man’s head dead center.