Page 15 of Last Mile

“I was assessing the target, smartass.”

“Bullshit. Your panties were getting wet as you thought about what it would be like if you were that woman.”

What woman wouldn’t? “You’re out of your fucking mind,” I countered.

Leaning in to whisper in my ear, Gavin said, “I may bat for the other team, but I still know when a woman is hot for a man.”

Rolling my eyes, I shoved him away. In a low voice, I growled, “He is the target in our case, not to mention the enemy.”

“Yeah, and hate sex can be hot as hell.”

“You are impossible.”

Gavin grinned wickedly at me. “Even though it’s frowned upon, I see nothing wrong with getting a good fuck or two out of him to gain information.”

“I would slap the hell out of you right now if we weren’t supposed to look like a loving couple.”

After bestowing a kiss on my cheek, Gavin winked at me. “There’s nothing more I love in life than to irritate the hell out of you.”

“Asshole,” I replied, although I smiled in spite of myself.

Nodding at Bishop, Gavin asked, “When he finishes humping that chick, you want me to get the ball rolling and introduce you?”

When I cocked my eyebrows at him, he held up a hand. “I meant the ball rolling for the case, not for you to actually get busy with him. Jeez, Vargas, I can be serious when I have to be.”

“Yeah, and part of you really enjoyed the double meaning in all

that.”

Gavin grinned. “Maybe.” The song started to wind down. “So, do we make a move now?”

My gaze once again returned to Bishop. “No. Not yet.”

“You got something in mind?” Gavin questioned.

I finally tore my gaze from Bishop to look at Gavin. “I need to unsettle him a bit before I make my move.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a plan.” Looking back at Bishop, I smiled. “It’s more like a game. One that I know just how to play to win.”

With a wink, Gavin said, “You know your game, Vargas. Go roll the dice.”

CHAPTER FOUR: BISHOP

For the hundredth fucking time, I felt eyes on me, stalking my every move. The extra scrutiny sent the hair on the backs of my arms tingling. If I had been anywhere else but inside the safety of the clubhouse and among my brothers, the freaky feeling would have had me reaching inside my cut to palm my gun. But in this case, I knew my safety wasn’t in any real danger.

Casually, I glanced over my shoulder to take in the crowd. The clubhouse was at full capacity for a Saturday night. The house band was cranking out tunes, and couples were in the middle of the floor bumping and grinding. With Rev gone on his honeymoon and Deacon off on a Brownies’ camping trip with his daughter, Willow, I was the only Malloy in residence. Though our president and vice president were gone, it didn’t stop the remaining Raiders from having one of our weekend parties.

Even without looking, I could have guessed who was eyeballing me. A month ago, a new mechanic had started at the garage where I was apprenticing. His name was Marley, and he was former army.

That alone made me respect the hell out of him, but then that respect grew one day when we were eating lunch and shooting the shit. I discovered he was a motorcycle enthusiast whose knowledge of bikes could put some of the Raiders to shame. Then a week ago he gained my complete and total respect by saving my ass.

I was doing an oil change on a Dodge Challenger when a man came stalking up. He looked vaguely familiar, as though I might’ve seen him at the garage before. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, you’re the fucker who screwed up my car.”

“Excuse me?”