Page 26 of Havoc

“Notatthe strip club.” Luna grabs a water bottle. “But there’s a diner around the corner. He can drop us off while he works.”

“Sounds good to me. Pearl and Margaret were going to watch the kids for a few hours anyway.” Reagan shrugs, looking to Tempe, who also nods in agreement.

Luna turns to me. “Aimee?”

“I think I’ll hang out here a little while longer, but have fun.”

Reagan frowns but doesn’t say anything.

I’m trying to make an effort, but I know better than to let myself form bonds I’ll eventually break. The girls are nice because they pity me and assume the worst after finding me with the Iron Sinners. But they aren’t my friends, and I’m not staying in Vegas after I rescue my father.

Vegas houses too many bad memories, and it’s crawling with Iron Sinners. I want nothing to do with this city once my mission is done.

After the girls and kids leave for breakfast, the gym is quiet. The only breaks in the silence are the occasional hum of motorcycles and the rustling desert.

A breeze whisps through the open barn door, and I’m thankful for this time of year because the temperature is bearable.

I continue circling the bag until my arm aches and my knees wobble. Only then do I move to the mat to stretch.

Maybe I should have joined the girls in the city for breakfast. It would have given me the chance to lure Titaninto a public setting. He can’t make a move in a public setting, but it would allow me some time face-to-face.

I hate that I know how he operates.

I hate that I know him at all.

Boots drag across dirt, and I look up to see Levi walking into the gym.

He looks so good, it’s annoying. His dark jeans and long-sleeve shirt hug his thick muscles. If it weren’t for his leather cut ruining everything sexy about him, I’d be at risk of losing all good sense. But the crowned skull logo on his patch easily puts those thoughts at bay.

“Working out?” He stops at the edge of the mat.

I rest my hands behind me and lean back to look up at him. Sweat makes my T-shirt see-through, but Levi keeps his eyes on mine.

Always a gentleman.

Or maybe I’m just that unimpressive compared to his girlfriend.

“I was, but I’m stretching now.” I pull my arm across my body, making a show of stretching a shoulder like I didn’t just do this. “Let me guess,we need to talk.”

“Yep.”

I really should have joined the girls for breakfast.

I climb to my feet and snatch my water bottle off the bench, taking a long sip. Levi watches me until water drips down my chest, and then he turns his attention to something more interesting out in the desert.

My throat is still burning from the cool water as I follow him to the barn door, where he leans against one side, and I lean against the other.

“This place is different from what I imagined all those years ago.” My gaze slips to the clubhouse in the distance.

“It’s different from what it was back then.” Levi follows my gaze. “Steel’s father was a good man, but the club has been better under Steel’s leadership.”

“How long ago did Steel take over?”

“While I was enlisted.” Levi clears his throat, his gaze dropping to the ground. “Only a couple of years in.”

I hum, watching him kick at the dirt. “Is that why you came back to the club? New leadership? Your friend, at that.”

While I never met any of Levi’s club friends when we were teenagers, he would mention them on occasion, and all the names I recognize from the past now fill the spots at the table with Steel and Levi.