Page 85 of Fallen Flame

“So do I,” Jude said immediately. His jaw was tight. “Those assholes tried taking Lark and Ever.”

Exactly. Every part of me wanted another shot at the bastard I’d punched yesterday.

No... I wanted all three of them. The image of that hand wrapped around Lark’s arm flashed through my mind. If those guys were still anywhere near that motel, I’d happily beat every one of them until they forgot their own names.

Wrecker looked between Jude and me before shaking his head. “No.”

Neither of us said anything.

“You two stay here.” His tone left no room for argument. “We don’t know what we’re walking into.” He looked at me specifically. “For all we know, the van’s there and they’re long fucking gone.”

Didn’t matter. If there was even the smallest chance, I wanted to be there.

“So what the hell are we supposed to do?” Jude asked.

To my surprise, Wrecker laughed. He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Don’t you have an ice cream shop to open?”

Ever looked over at Lark. “We really need to hire some more people.”

Lark sighed dramatically. “That sounds fantastic for my sanity.” She looked toward Ever. “I’m just not sure my wallet will appreciate working fewer hours.”

Ever laughed. “Fair.”

“I like eating.”

“So do I.”

“I also like paying bills,” Lark waxed on.

Wrecker shook his head. “You four worry about the ice cream. We’ll worry about this.”

With that, Wrecker headed for the door. Nickel fell into step beside him. Fox grabbed his cut from the back of a chair. Cole checked the magazine in the handgun at his waist before sliding it back into the holster. Maniac was already halfway out the door. Within seconds, the roar of motorcycles echoed through the clubhouse, and the room felt strangely empty.

Alice clapped her hands together. “Well. I, for one, refuse to let dangerous motorcycle nonsense ruin breakfast.” Several heads turned. “I’m making a French toast tower.”

Penny’s eyes lit up. “A what?”

“The greatest breakfast known to mankind.”

Bell was already following Alice toward the kitchen. “I’m in.”

“So am I,” Calla called.

Alice pointed dramatically toward the pantry.

“I’ll need flour!”

“I’ll grab it,” Star offered.

“Somebody find cinnamon!”

The clubhouse slowly came back to life.

People drifted toward the kitchen.

Coffee started pouring again.

Conversations picked back up.