Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31414 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
The other girl hung back, her eyes darting around, clearly uneasy in this environment. Considering how demure she appeared, I assumed the sight of all the muscles, leather, and tattoos made her nervous.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Lainie chirped, climbing into the booth to hug Lindsay.
When the other girl’s eyes flitted to the diamond stud in my ear, she looked a little intrigued. I suddenly wondered how she’d react to the piercing in my—
My train of thought broke off when Phoenix held out his hand to the girl, my gaze snapping to him. “Hey. I’m Lainie’s brother, Phoenix.”
Before their hands could touch, I jumped to my feet so fast my chair crashed to the floor as I moved to stand between them.
“That’s Savage,” Phoenix muttered.
“Talon,” I told her, keeping my gaze locked with hers.
“Um, Tamara,” she returned.
Beautiful.
“We need your help,” Lainie said as she climbed back out of the booth.
I didn’t give Phoenix a chance to reply.
“Let’s go to my office,” I suggested, though my tone made it clear that it hadn’t been a request. Without waiting for another word, I grabbed Tamara’s hand and stalked to the swinging door behind the bar that led to a hallway where the bathrooms and offices were located.
When we entered the hallway, I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes. The lights were brighter so patrons could easily find the restrooms. My office was the first door on the right, and I pulled Tamara into the room with a vibe similar to the bar's front. Then I guided her to one of the wooden chairs in front of my desk. Because of my height, our knees were almost touching. I liked that she didn’t shift away.
I heard Lainie rush through the door but didn’t take my gaze off Tamara.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I ordered, careful to keep from sounding too gruff.
She glanced up at Lainie, who’d come to stand beside her, leaning her hip against the desktop. Lainie nodded, then Tamara’s gaze swung back to me and she took a deep breath.
It was the wrong fucking time to notice how the movement made her big tits bounce, but my libido—which had mysteriously appeared after who the hell knew how long—didn’t give a shit what my brain thought.
Tamara had my full attention when she began to explain, and I realized she really was in danger.
Her voice was low at first, but I didn’t miss the tremble in it. “I work at a mobile clinic as a CAN. I started noticing little things at first. A patient’s name that disappeared from the system. A follow-up that was never scheduled. A file I entered myself on Friday that was gone this morning. No trace. Like she’d never even been there.”
Tamara’s hands were clasped in her lap, knuckles white. I couldn’t stop staring at them, then at the faint shimmer of fear in her wide blue eyes. It caused a sharp pain in my chest. I hated seeing her looking scared. I wanted her to know she didn’t have to worry, that I would never let anything happen to her. And I really wanted to take her in my arms. But all that would have to wait unless I wanted to risk her freaking out and hightailing her sweet ass outta here.
Pride also pricked at me when, even with her anxiety bleeding through, she didn’t stop. Her words picked up speed, like she had to get them all out before she lost her nerve.
“I checked a few others. Two more were completely missing. One had the discharge summary dated before the appointment. And then I found a hidden folder. It was labeled ‘Transfers—Internal Use Only.’”
My jaw clenched, and my hands curled into fists, suppressing the desire to reach out and touch her. “What was inside it?”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “Data. Spreadsheets. Patient ID numbers. Medical codes. The names were all scrambled or redacted, but it looked like a list of testing protocols and transfer locations.”
I leaned forward, planting my forearms on my knees. “Transfers to where?”
She shook her head. “It didn’t say. Just numbers and initials.”
Lainie crossed her arms tightly and muttered, “It sounds shady. Like something straight out of a conspiracy documentary.”
Tamara let out a breath and met my eyes again. “I copied everything to a flash drive. It’s clipped to my badge. I didn’t know who to trust. I just...knew I had to get out. And Lainie said we should come see Phoenix. When she explained why in the car, I figured if anyone would know what to do, it’d be your club.”
Your club.
That hit me in a way I didn’t expect. She saw us as a shield, a wall between her and whatever the hell she’d stumbled into.
Damn right.
“You did good, baby,” I muttered, standing in one fluid motion.
A thunderstorm was rolling in my blood as I stalked to the office door and yanked it open, then stomped into the hall. When I reached the swinging door that opened to the front area of the bar, I practically ripped it off its hinges.