Page 3 of Preacher

Everyone in Temptation knew the name, though I’d only been in town long enough to hear whispered stories. Now here he was, gorgeous and terrifying, while I stood in the middle of a lie.

Preacher took a long drag from his cigarette, muscles rippling beneath his shirt. “How about you tell me what exactly you’re looking for and I’ll have one of my guys fetch it.”

The casual offer carried the weight of a loaded gun.

Hammer’s attention swiveled to me. “Where’d you put it?”

Jesus Christ. The moron was actually doing this. Hammer was either suicidal or brain damaged. Probably both.

“I—” The words died in my throat as two pairs of eyes bored into me, waiting for an answer I didn’t have.

Hammer’s face darkened, as if he’d just realized I’d lied to him. Time slowed as his fist crashed into my jaw. The impact sent me spinning backward onto the concrete. My head slammed down moments later with brutal force. Everything went gray, and I fought to breathe as tiny white dots blurred my vision.

My skull felt like it was exploding, the pulse echoing in my ears. I spat onto the ground, tasting blood and wondering if he’d knocked some teeth loose. My arms trembled when I tried to push to my feet, but gravity pulled me back down.

Lying there, I stared at Preacher’s boots, expecting one of them to stomp me flat for bringing trouble to his garage.

Instead, he dropped his cigarette, seized Hammer by the front of his shirt, and yanked him close. “What game are you playing at?” he snarled.

Tag, Gap, and Silent Moe backed away. Maybe they weren’t as dumb as they looked, but their tough-guy façade evaporated instantly. Gap looked ready to soil himself. Tag edged closer to the car. Moe just stared quietly as the scene unfolded.

So did I. Despite wanting to stand, staying down felt safer. I rolled over and stared at the cloudless sky, fighting the pain slicing through my skull while ignoring the tiny pebbles digging into my back. My face throbbed, making me wonder if he’d broken my jaw or even my cheekbone.

A few men filed out of the long side door of the L-shaped building, joining the others. Great. A bigger audience. They glanced at me then at Preacher, who still had his fist wrapped in Hammer’s shirtfront.

“I know that douchebag,” the one with a toothpick parked between his lips said, jerking his chin toward Hammer. “Rumored he’s a drug dealer.” Toothpick moved with a lazy confidence I’d never possess, circling like a shark testing the water. “I’m inclined to believe the rumors.”

His leather cut was adorned with a “Sergeant at Arms” patch. Between him and Preacher’s rippling muscles, I felt like a gazelle in a lion den.

This just kept getting worse by the second.

Preacher’s eyes narrowed, his lip curling. “You dealing that shit in my town?”

Part of me wanted to shout, “Hell yeah he does,” but nobody was paying me any attention, and I didn’t want them to. Snitches died.

I was trying to keep my skinny ass alive, all 130 trembling pounds of me.

“What I do is none of your business.” Hammer squared his shoulders, trying to look unshaken, but Preacher’s grip on his shirt shattered the tough-guy act.

He was too stupid to live.

Preacher’s face went tight, and though my ears were still ringing, I could’ve sworn he growled. “What happens in my town is my business.”

“Look.” Hammer pushed at Preacher’s hand, but he might as well have been shoving a steel beam. “T said he left my stuff here. Hand it over and I’m gone.”

Preacher stared at Hammer like he’d lost his mind. His lips curled into a slow smile, making Preacher even more breathtaking.

Stop lusting over a killer, dumbass.

He released Hammer’s shirt and gestured toward the building. “Since you put it so nicely. Follow Crowbar. He’ll take care of you.”

The Sergeant at Arms stepped forward, plucking the toothpick from his mouth to reveal a blinding-white grin. “This way, princess.”

My jaw dropped when Hammer actually followed him. The door hadn’t even clicked shut before four men slipped in behind them.

Turning to the remaining three, Preacher asked, “Anyone else want a trip inside my clubhouse?”

They froze, eyes bouncing between the door and the remaining bikers.