Logan: New Crusaders MC (3 page)

“He’s been taken,” she whispered.  “He… he overheard some information.  He gave it to the Devil Kings.”

Logan wondered if she knew just how bad that sounded.

“Isn’t this place supposed to be neutral?” he asked.

She nodded.  “He messed up. 
Bad
.  Now Wiseman has him.  I don’t know where.  He might be…”  She paused to take a deep breath, blinking away tears.  “He might be dead.”

“How do you know Wiseman was the one who came after him?”

“Because I’m not stupid.  The Devil Kings were happy with my dad’s situation.  He owed them money, and because of that he was feeding them information.”

Logan took a moment to process this.  No wonder she was so scared.  Breaking the neutrality agreement on this property, betraying at least one MC.  Chuck had to be in deep shit.

“He’s not dead,” Logan said finally.  “If he has information on the ‘Clasts, he probably has information on my club and the Kings, too.  They’ll want to get everything they can out of him.”

The waitress coughed a little, possibly to cover up a sob.  She took a deep breath and met his gaze, her amber eyes swimming with all kinds of emotions.

“Can you get him back?” she asked.  “Can you save my father?”

Well, shit
, Logan thought. 
This just got way more complicated.

Nicole wasn’t looking for miracles.  She knew her father was in deep with the Iconoclasts, and saving him from them would only prolong the amount of time he had before they meted out whatever punishment they had in store for him.  Still, she couldn’t help trying to save him.  She wanted her dad back.  She wanted to believe that fate had sent her this strong biker, who also happened to want to meet with Wiseman.

Maybe she was wrong to hypothetically wish to never hear motorcycle engines again.  After all this time, she thought she was sick of bikes and bikers.  They seemed to cause nothing but trouble.

Now here she was asking one of them for help.

She’d never seen Logan before, never spoken to him.  But she’d heard of him.  The vice president of the New Crusaders, second in command to Zeke, who was a ruthless leader.  She’d expected someone just as ruthless.  Scarred and old, with rough, pockmarked skin.

Instead she found herself face-to-face with a man her age.  His dark hair was shaggy, but not unappealing.  His beard and moustache were much better cared for.  And his eyes were something else entirely.  There was a darkness to his gaze, and yet there was a sincerity to it, too.  It helped that he looked her in the eye.  She’d seen him size her up when he first entered the diner, but his focus hadn’t wavered after that.  He didn’t pay any attention to her chest when she spoke. 

She should have been frightened of him.  He had more scars than she could count, but they only added to his appeal.  His knuckles had clearly seen their fair share of action.  A tattoo crawled up his arm, starting at his wrist and winding its way up to his shoulder.  A list of names, twisting around on his skin like a Celtic knot.  His other arm bore something that looked like a tribal tattoo, a design like a coyote prowling through the desert.  There was something visible at the base of his neck, too, but it disappeared beneath his shirt.

Nicole tried not to lick her lips.

Growing up surrounded by bikers, she’d thought she’d seen it all.  Her past boyfriends had all been in MCs, or had at least been prospects, and they had all failed to impress in the relationship department.

Nicole found herself wondering what Logan would be like in bed, before remembering the reputation that preceded him.

Cold, calculating, a good fighter.

And a different girl for every day of the week.

She focused back on the situation at hand.

“I wouldn’t ask this, but I’m desperate,” she said.  “My father is being held by Wiseman, and I’m scared.  I want him back.”

“Listen… uh…”

“Nicole.”

“Nicole,” he said, his deep voice resonating through her.  “I wish I could help.  Really.  But Zeke Cash was just murdered, so I kinda have my own problems.”

Nicole felt her pulse pick up.  The president of the Crusaders was dead?  What did this mean?  Was she about to be caught up in an MC war?

“Who else knows?” she asked.

“My club and you,” he replied.

“You trust me with information like that?”

He considered her for a moment.  “You’re the type of person who knows how to keep a secret.  You’re alive and healthy.  That’s proof enough for me.”

She nodded.  He was right.  She wouldn’t spill secrets.  Even before her father had been stolen from the diner and imprisoned, she knew it was a bad idea.  Their diner existed because the Hamiltons were able to keep secrets, because they hadn’t chosen sides.

Even if Logan rescued Chuck, Nicole was fairly sure that things were changing.  Her life as she knew it would never be the same again.

Logan considered the beautiful woman in front of him, feeling somewhat guilty that he couldn’t help.  But if the Iconoclasts wanted her father, there was very little he could do about it.  Interfering on Chuck’s behalf could prove even more dangerous for his club, and they were already in pretty deep shit.  Then again… Zeke dying and Chuck being captured… was it just a coincidence that those two things had happened nearly in the same week?  Something big was happening.  He had to get on top of this.

Plus, he couldn’t ignore the look Nicole was giving him.

It made his chest tight.

“What did your father have on the ‘Clasts?” he asked finally.

“He wouldn’t tell me.”

“If he had, would you tell me?” he asked.

“I… I would at least give you an idea,” she said slowly.  “I wouldn’t want you to go into anything blind if I could help it, but…”

“He didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to get hurt, too,” Logan finished for her.

She nodded.  “He was…
is
an idiot, but he always tries to protect me.”

Logan sighed.  He couldn’t stand that sad, pleading look in her eyes.

“Just tell me where to find Wiseman.  Help me set up a meeting.  I’ll do what I can for your dad.”

The look of gratitude she gave him stuck in his chest, making his heart pound.  She actually reached forward across the table to grasp his hand.  His earlier assessment had been wrong.  She was scared of
someone
, but it wasn’t him.  Logan couldn’t remember the last time someone had been that unafraid around him.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Nicole said.  “But I didn’t know where else to turn.”

“I can’t guarantee anything,” Logan replied, taking his hand back.  He needed to be able to think clearly, and the physical contact was not helping.

“Just try,” she said.  “Let me go get your food.  You can eat while I make some calls, set up a meeting for you.”

Logan watched her go, wondering what he was getting himself into.  If Nicole’s father was already dead, it would break her.  She was getting by on the belief that he was still alive, he could tell.  The strong front she put on was admirable.  He did want to help her, but he had his club to think about, too.  He couldn’t let his brothers down, and that meant getting as much information as possible about Zeke’s death.

If he could rescue Nicole’s father in the process… well, that would be an added perk.

He didn’t bother to avert his eyes as he followed the swish of her rear until it disappeared behind the counter. 

Then something else blocked his vision.  A thin blonde with a smile that didn’t touch her eyes.

“I’ve missed you,” Rachel said, leaning down to whisper in his ear.  “You could come by my place tonight.”

A part of Logan wanted to do exactly that.  He wanted to lose himself in pleasure, forget all his responsibilities and the recent murder of his club’s president.  But Nicole was now watching this interaction from across the room, and, for some reason, he didn’t want her to see this.

“Another night, baby,” he murmured.  “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”

Rachel sniffed at him and sauntered away.  Only then did Nicole approach with the hamburger and French fries she’d promised.

“Stay right here,” she said, and there was an iciness in her voice.  “I’ll be back in a minute once I can pin down Wiseman.”

She slid the plate in front of him, and the smell caught Logan unexpectedly. When was the last time he’d eaten?  Suddenly ravenous, he dug into the burger with gusto, trying to eat past the nervous knot in his stomach.

Nicole took a moment to breathe when she got to the office.  Being in Logan’s presence was overwhelming.  His voice, his eyes… everything about him sent shivers up her spine.  Unbidden, she thought about the last time she’d had sex.  It had been too long.  Her last boyfriend was a distant memory, someone who valued his bike and his hunting knife more than he valued her.  It was expected from bikers, but Nicole still couldn’t bring herself to put up with that kind of behavior for long.

She thought about the blonde – Rachel – she’d seen flirting with Logan earlier.  For some reason, jealousy gripped her.  Logan was nothing to her, other than a means to an end.  He was going to save her father.  Nothing more.

With that, she got to work.

Picking up the office phone, she began dialing.

It took some doing, but she managed to get ahold of Wiseman.  He didn’t seem surprised to hear from her, but when she mentioned that Logan wanted to set up a meeting, he did take a second to respond.  Was he expecting her to call and beg for her father’s life?  She would never stoop so low.  She’d been raised never to show weakness.

Logan’s plate was clean when she returned to him several minutes later.

“Tomorrow night,” she said.  “He’ll be waiting at this address.”  She slid a piece of paper across the table to him.  “He refused to meet with you here, wanted to do it on his turf.  The best I could get you was a location close to Crusader territory.  He wants you to come alone, but he promises that it will be a friendly visit.”

“Did you tell him why I want to talk to him?” Logan asked, taking the paper from her and looking into her eyes, his gaze deadly serious.

“No.  I don’t share other people’s secrets.  He knows that much.”

“Did you ask about your dad?”

Nicole set her jaw.  “I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”

A smile flickered over his face for just a second, and he nodded in approval.  Then he got to his feet, pocketing the address.

“I’ll come back when I know more about your dad,” he said.  “Thanks for the help.”

“Thank
you
,” Nicole replied, hoping he could understand that she meant it.

All he did was offer her another nod, and then he was gone.  Seconds after he left the diner, she could hear his motorcycle roar to life.

She took a deep breath, stood up, and came face-to-face with Clay.  He did not look happy.

“What was that about?” he asked, his voice quiet.

“Nothing,” Nicole said, trying to sidestep him.

He wouldn’t let her.  He got in front of her again.

“You making deals with the New Crusaders, Nicole?  You think that punk kid is going to solve all your problems?”

Punk kid?
Nicole thought. 
He’s maybe two or three years younger than you, Clay.

“I haven’t made a deal with anyone,” Nicole stated, getting annoyed, and a little frightened.  Clay’s eyes were intense, full of anger and jealousy.

“If you need protection, turn to me,” Clay whispered, reaching out to take hold of her arm, squeezing her a little too tight.  “I’d never let anyone hurt you.”

Nicole’s heart was pounding in her chest.  She wished this guy didn’t scare her so much, the way he towered over her.  When he spoke to her, it was like he wanted to own her, make her his prize.

The bell over the door rang, and Nicole jumped away from Clay, relief flooding through her.  Without a backwards glance, she rushed to help the new customer, with Clay’s words ringing in her ears.

If you need protection, turn to me.

Nicole shuddered.  She would never go to Clay for help, that much was sure.  But she had to admit he was right.  No matter what happened, she was absolutely going to need protection.