“I take it this wasn’t ran past you,” Shark said glancing back at the woman and her two daughters.
“Nope. I thought we were picking up a single, not a triple.” Diamond ran a hand through her hair. “Can they stay here a little longer while I make travel arrangements?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll leave my crew here to watch over them.”
“Sounds good.”
Diamond stepped away, motioning for Nova to follow. The moment they had a sliver of privacy; she dropped her voice. “This isn’t what we agreed to.”
Nova glanced toward the hotel room. “We can’t walk away.”
Diamond knew that. But it didn’t mean she liked it. A deal was a deal, and surprises like this usually meant someone was playing games—or worse.
“Get Stix over here,” she said, waving the Sergeant-at-Arms over.
Stix spotted the motion and strode toward them. “You need something, Diamond?”
“Yeah. We need a cage to get the package back to Quebec City.” Diamond’s gaze flicked around the parking lot, scanning for anything out of place.
Stix frowned. “One chick can ride on the back of a sled.”
“It’s not a single,” Diamond said, voice sharp with frustration. “It’s a triple.”
Stix’s eyes widened. “What the fuck?”
“Exactly.”
“That means whoever’s driving the cage has to leave their sled behind or find someone to ride it back to the clubhouse,” Nova reminded them.
Diamond exhaled, thinking. The parking lot was packed with bikes, engines rumbling as riders rolled in and out. She had one person she could call—but could she trust them with this?
Didn’t matter. She was out of options.
Pulling her phone from her back pocket, she punched in the number of the last person she ever thought she’d be calling for help. She listened to the dial tone, jaw tight, waiting for Teller to pick up.
“Hello.”
“Teller, it’s Diamond.”
Teller smirked, casting a glance at Sayer before lazily putting the call on speaker. “Diamond, you looking for Sayer? He’s right here.”
Not in the mood.Diamond clenched her jaw, forcing her voice to stay even, “No. I need to speak with you.”
The smirk vanished. Teller’s posture shifted—subtle, but noticeable. He shook his head at Sayer and stepped away, his voice losing its casual edge. “How can I help you?”
The noise around her faded into a dull hum as Diamond focused on the weight of the conversation. Her pulse was steady, but there was a tightness coiling in her chest, a warning that things were already off-balance.
She didn’t waste time. “Can we meet?”
A beat of silence. Teller had picked up on her tone—she knew it by the way his breathing sharpened just slightly.
“Where?”
“Back at the campground.” Neutral ground. The air around her felt too still as she spoke, like the universe was holding its breath, waiting to see if this was the right call. If Teller wasn’twilling to help, she sure as hell didn’t want him anywhere near the package.
“We’re still here,” he said finally. His voice was even, but Diamond caught the undercurrent of curiosity. He wasn’t just agreeing—he was watching, waiting. She could picture him now, that calculating look in his eyes, reading between the lines.
