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She toyed with the food on her plate. “I’m putting you in danger, so I guess you deserve to know the score.

My ex, the one I broke up with just before we had our little fling…

” Her voice trailed off and she lifted her head to gaze into my eyes.

Her lower lip trembled. Not much, but enough that a guy who had to deal with teenagers every day would notice.

“He tracked you to San Diego?”

She nodded. “Worse. He put out a hit on me, and made it known he’d look favorably on whoever pulled it off.”

That got my attention. I sat up straight and stopped dreaming about getting her back in the sack. “Who the hell is your ex?”

“His name is Drake. Drake Rossili.”

I shook my head. “Never heard of him.”

She looked sad. “Probably not. He likes to keep that part of his life under the radar. When I met him he said his last name was Smith. I suppose that should have been my first clue. Smith. Almost as bad as John Doe.”

She laid it all out for me. The whirlwind affair, finding out about the mafia ties, and what she thought was an amicable break up. She shrugged. “Now he wants me dead, and I have no idea why.”

The waitress placed my food on the table. “Anything else for you two?”

Piper and I both shook our heads.

“If you need me, just holler.” She spun on her heel, consulting her order pad as she headed back to the kitchen.

“Even the mafia doesn’t put hits out on people for no reason.” I took a bite out of the burger. “Damn, this is good!”

That earned me a ghost of a smile. “Told you so.”

“Did you overhear something you shouldn’t have? See something you shouldn’t have?” I took another bite of the burger. I hadn’t been kidding about being hungry.

Piper shrugged, a helpless look on her face. “I don’t think so. If I did, I have no idea what it was.”

I didn’t want to make her feel worse by telling her those mafia guys weren’t the type to give up if their first attempt failed.

And the heir to a mafia don? There would be dozens of punks looking to score points with him by offing her.

She’d be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life unless something happened to this Drake asshole.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll get you back to your father safely. ” I chomped down a few of the fries.

She gave me a quizzical look. “What exactly do you do for this security company you work for?”

“It’s really more of a motorcycle club than a security agency. That’s just what we do to earn our keep. Me? I’m the enforcer.”

“You kill people?” Her eyes widened.

I held a finger to my lips. “Shh. Not so loud. We’re trying not to be noticed, remember?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I shrugged. “Only if they deserve it.”

“So, an ex trying to kill me? Would he deserve to die?”

“Not my call. I just follow orders, and so far they don’t include offing your ex. I just need to get you safely back to your father.”

I wasn’t called Beast for nothing. I could arrange for Drake to cease to be a problem. Hell, I’d even enjoy doing it. But first I needed to get Piper safely out of the way. I made short work of the rest of my meal, while Piper pushed the fries around on her plate. “You going to eat those?”

“I’m not really hungry.” She scowled. “Getting shot at seems to have put a damper on my appetite. Plus, my career just got going. My agent got me an offer to sing lead with a group touring the southern states starting next month. I was all ready to accept too. This was supposed to be my big break, and now I don’t know what to do. ”

“Public tour might not be such a good idea, at least until we figure this out.” I needed more info.

“If I don’t accept this, it could end my career before it even gets started. No telling when or if I’ll get another offer.”

“Being dead won’t do much for your career either.”

She stared at me, a reluctant smile curving her mouth. “I suppose. Maybe I can figure this out quick. It’s got to be a mistake.”

I doubted it. The mob wasn’t into those kind of mistakes, and even if it was, chances were they’d carry through just to keep it under control. Maybe her father, or Ace could talk some sense into her once we made it back. My job was to keep her alive long enough to get there.

I turned and picked up the bag I’d brought in with me, tossing it onto the seat beside her.

“I picked you up a leather jacket and some chaps. I got you a helmet too, as per your father’s orders.

It’s out on the bike. By the time you get all that on, you won’t be so easy to recognize.

Plus, you’ll be riding behind me, so you’ll blend right in against my bulk. ”

She looked down at the bag and then back up at me. “It’s summer. This is going to be way too hot.”

“Not once we get moving. And I did promise to keep you safe. Those aren’t just for show.”

She looked doubtful but obediently stood and picked the chaps out of the bag, a frown creasing her forehead. “Exactly how do I put these on? I’m guessing they go over my clothes, right?”

Fuck! A picture of her in chaps with nothing underneath was just about my undoing. “Yeah, they go over your clothes.” I stood up and quickly showed her how to buckle the belt and then zip the legs shut.

This close to her, I could smell the sweet fragrance that was uniquely her. This could be the best road trip of my life. Or my worst. She’d be nestled up tight to my back for days on end, her arms around me as we cruised across the nation.

Riding the Harley wasn’t like being in a vehicle where you can switch drivers and make the journey non-stop. I figured it would take us three, maybe four days to get back home. I didn’t know if the connection I’d felt in Vegas was all in my head or if she’d felt it too.

Didn’t matter. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four. Why?”

“Shit.” I shook my head in disgust at the way my body reacted to her. A one-night stand with a willing younger chick was one thing, but now that I knew more about her, she was off limits. Not to mention the fact that mixing business with pleasure never worked out well. Someone always got hurt.

Piper frowned. “Excuse me?”

“You’re way too young.” Kind of made me feel like a lecher. An old lecher.

She looked confused. “Too young for what?”

“Forget it.” I tossed some bills on the table to cover our check. “Time to get moving.”

Grabbing the empty duffel bag, I motioned her to stay behind me as I headed to the door. Chances were the would-be assassins weren’t anywhere around here anymore. They’d be staking out the airports and bus stations by now.

I picked up the helmet I’d bought for her, a nice generic black, and tossed it to her. “Put that on.” I put mine on, flipping the face shield up to keep an eye on her while she snugged the buckle up tight under her chin.

Slinging one leg over the bike, I took a deep breath. “Climb on behind me and wrap your arms around me to hold on.”

She squirmed around a bit, and then leaned right against me, her arms barely managing to span my waist. I reached down and placed them on my belt, giving her something to hang on to.

Despite my self-lecture on keeping my hands, and every other part of my body to myself, my cock instantly went rock hard.

I had a feeling it was going to stay that way from here to Georgia.