Zodiac waited to see if I would take the bait and complain. When I only glared at him, he strutted back outside.
My gaze flashed to the ground, where Tallulah’s bloody footprints remained. She never complained about the pain. There was something cold about her. I ought to forget about the woman. Instead, I wanted to be the guy who thawed her icy heart.
I considered talking my way into the treatment area. I didn’t like her back there with her ex-husband. What if he used the situation to get back with her? I couldn’t remember the details I read about him, besides how he rode with the LM Jokers. Since Zodiac wasn’t interested in the other club, I hadn’t done as much research on them.
Before I could bully my way into the treatment area, Tallulah’s people hurried through the lobby doors.
Clint Reed entered first, looking like a mix of his parents. The guy’s large build was hidden under a long-sleeved black shirt and faded blue jeans. He wasn’t wearing his club vest. His brown hair was windblown, and his tanned face relaxed. He hid his stress well. Nothing in his blue eyes would imply he was upset about anything.
Tallulah’s father, Pax Reed, entered next. His shoulder-length hair and unruly beard were gray. His icy blue eyes were hyper-aggressive, as if he were ready to kill the next person who spoke to him. Pax still carried himself like a dangerous biker, even if he was comfortably retired and living the high life in his private community.
Pax Reed switched off his wild-eyed hostility when his wife joined him. Bebe looked so much like Tallulah. I literallyheld my breath when I saw the dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty. She’d clearly been crying recently but offered a smile once Pax wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Clint didn’t waste time talking to the receptionist. He walked to me and gave a head nod.
“Any word on the abductors’ identities?”
“Does it matter? They were hired guns.”
“The Void’s hiring these people from somewhere. They sent two teams to take Lula. The first was a decoy team to test her defenses. We’re getting IDs on them. The second team left a few of their people behind, so we’re tracking down their info, too.”
“Zodiac might have grabbed IDs from the safe house, but I was focused on your cousin.”
Pax’s light blue eyes gave me a quick once-over before he nodded. “You got our girl out of there.”
“Thank you,” Bebe said, making intense eye contact and really selling her gratitude.
I got a little weak-kneed with Bebe focused on me. Her beauty was so similar to Tallulah’s, derailing my brain and killing my ability to censor myself.
“She goes by Lula?”
Pax immediately answered, “I prefer Tallulah.”
“Lula is whatsheprefers,” Bebe corrected.
The two of them shared a scowl before hugging. Clint didn’t react to his uncle and aunt. He only had eyes for me.
“They wanted Lula alive,” he told me. “What do you think they hoped to learn from her?”
“Where your money is hidden and the bodies are buried.”
Clint nodded, but he was a tough man to read. His face tended to seem overly calm, even when I knew he must be bothered.
“Thank you again,” Bebe said as she and Pax were waved back to the treatment area by Devin.
I wanted to follow them. A part of me felt like I had a right to shove my way into Lula’s life and plant my ass squarely in the middle of it.
But I wasn’t a man prone to giving in to his whims. I didn’t know Lula. We weren’t friends. If I hadn’t walked through that door to untie her, one of the other guys would have.I wasn’t her hero. She wasn’t my reward.
Clint studied me. “If Lula is safe to travel, we’re taking her home immediately.”
“I hope you’ll do a better job of protecting her this time around.”
“Cher and Stevie killed seven of those assholes.”
“Are those sisters alive?” I asked, recalling Lula’s concern.
Refusing to reveal himself to me, he only replied, “Yes. Lula is, too, thanks to you and your club.”
