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He shook his head. “No, probably not, but I’ll take a look.”
The waitress returned with our food, and we ate, pausing the conversation to tuck into our meal. Once I finished, I slid my plate away, noting Carson cleaned his plate and refilled his coffee.
I reached inside my handbag, pulling out the file folders with all the photos and documents I’d gotten from Bree.
Carson reached for the stack, discreetly opening the first folder at an angle to prevent anyone from seeing the contents. He cursed when he saw Sadie and the mayor. “Shit.”
“I thought you already discovered this evidence.”
“Most of it, yes.” He stared longingly down at my sister’s face. “Fuck. I miss her.”
I couldn’t help asking the next question that slipped from my mouth. “Do you think she’s still alive?”
He lifted his head to stare into my eyes. Carson didn’t flinch or hesitate to answer. “Sadie is intelligent, tough, street smart, and can handle herself in perilous situations. I taught her some self-defense moves, but she had her own way of protecting herself.” A brief, wistful smile widened his mouth. “She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met and the most selfless. Sadie would do anything to help the other escorts. Keeping them safe meant everything to her.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I believe she could survive almost anything. It’s not in her nature to fail,” he grunted. “I’ve become fond of Sadie, but I also respect the brave young woman who wouldn’t back down from the bad men who tried to control her. She’s got an iron will. It’s awe-inspiring to learn her story. She’s like a phoenix. Sadie will rise from the ashes, and she’ll make it home.”
What an interesting metaphor. A bit cheesy, but I let him have it.
“You’re right. Whatever life throws at my sister, she always perseveres.”
He opened his mouth to reply when we heard the rumble of motorcycle engines. A half dozen bikes pulled into the parking lot, parking in a row in front of the diner. Men in leather vests cut the engines, silencing the throaty, growling beasts.
I sucked in a breath, wondering what we should do.
Were these men following us? Did they know I was Sadie’s sister and I sat across from an FBI agent?
“Hey, it’s okay. These are Devil’s Murder MC members, not Dirty Death.”
“Does that matter? They’re dangerous.”
“Anyone can be dangerous. At least bikers don’t hide it.”
I never thought about it like that.
“Should we leave?”
Carson shook his head. “No. There’s no need to feel intimidated.”
The group of bearded, heavily inked, wild-looking men pushed through the front door of the establishment, finding a big table in the farthest corner. Not one put his back to the door or aisle. They sat crowded relatively close together, facing the table, backs to the windows. A couple seemed to watch outside for trouble. I bet it followed on their heels with ravenous hunger. Living life as an outlaw had to come with its own warning label.
One guy stood out from the rest. He couldn’t have been more than thirty. I’d never seen so many tattoos on a person’s face before. The number thirteen appeared twice. Roman numerals on the left. A diamond with the number in the middle on the right. He had a spiderweb close to his hairline. Some symbol I didn’t recognize in his ear. Above his left eye, I spotted a word in Greek. Spartan?
The biker kept his brown hair on the shorter side, but a soft wave wove through the strands. Were his eyes blue or green? I couldn’t tell from this distance. Maybe hazel.
A thick beard graced his strong jaw, slightly darker than his hair. A bit scruffy but definitely not unkempt. He didn’t let it grow wild. There were two piercings in his left ear. A silver hoop high in the upper cartilage and a silver cross dangling from the lobe. He rounded out the bad boy look with a thin silver hoop in his right nostril.
Interesting. Actually, sexy as fuck.
His arms and neck were bare, covered in more dark ink. Something about this guy intrigued me. When his head turned, I caught the wolfish grin he flashed.
Shit. He caught me staring. His gaze flittered over me, lingering a few seconds before turning back to his biker friends. Or were those brothers? I really didn’t have a clue.
“Callie?”
Double shit. I felt a flush creeping up my neck when I realized I’d been caught staring at a stranger and ignoring the FBI agent I met for breakfast to go over my sister’s case. What the hell was I thinking?
