Page 12 of Rattler’s Revelation (Demon Dawgs MC: Las Vegas #6)

Randy’s pronouncement in the diner has my head spinning.

I haven’t had time to process what he’s said, much less my feelings about it.

I thought I would think about it on the way back to the clubhouse, but then Rattler offered me a ride on his bike.

The offer and the ride knocked everything out of my head except for the pure pleasure of riding on the back of Rattler’s bike.

The care he took in fastening my helmet made me feel warm and cared for.

In that perfect moment, I had Rattler’s full attention.

Wrapping my body around him turned my mouth dry.

Holding him was like holding onto a slab of marble.

I knew he was muscular, but oh boy, that man is all muscle.

He’s definitely all man. Then, just when I thought he couldn’t get any sexier, the way he controlled the bike sent me over the edge.

I loved the ride back to the clubhouse and wished we had been able to keep going.

The thrill of the speed, the freedom of being out in the open, and the steady throb of the engine between my legs made me lightheaded.

The ride, although brief, filled me with joy and alleviated all my worries.

I’m still bouncing with excitement when Randy joins us outside the clubhouse. His previous words whisper at the back of my mind, but I’m still too giddy to pull them to the forefront. He said I should take time to think about what he said, so that’s what I’m going to do.

“I loved it! That was so much fun. When can we go again?”

“Soon,” Rattler says. “But first, we have to go inside and see what Puma wants.”

When we enter the clubhouse, I reluctantly search for Jasmine.

I’m not sure if I want to see her. On the one hand, it would give me some vindication for her to see Rattler holding my hand.

Ultimately, I’m relieved when I don’t spot her in the crowded common room.

After Rattler whispers calming words to me, he takes us over to a table occupied by Viper, Hunter, and Chill.

I’m surprised when Chill mentions Jasmine, and her words regarding the Kutte Bunny make me smile. I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the bitch. I give Randy a soft smile when I realize he’s watching me.

Puma’s whistle draws my attention to the mountain of the man. He dwarfs Rafe, who is standing next to him.

“As you know, Brigit identified a possible twenty-seven women who worked at our casino and have gone missing. Rafe is leading the investigation into their disappearances. With so many victims, he’s asking for our help, and I’ve agreed.

Rafe split the list between a handful of cops and our group.

Break into groups, and Rafe will give you your list.”

As the voices grow louder around us, I turn to Rattler and Randy to see their reaction. “Do you know what’s going on?”

“Rafe is heading the task force to investigate the disappearances of the women who worked at 1%,” Randy explains.

“From what I understand, Brigit has reviewed the employee files and determined there are at least twenty-seven women who could be missing. Not all of them may be victims. We need to follow up on every missing woman and gather as much information as possible about when they went missing, where they could have gone, and who they last spoke to. What happened to Bianca yesterday gave us a potential pattern that the guys we’re after may be following.

We need to know how many of the women fit inside that pattern. ”

“Does that mean the cops don’t think we’re involved?” Rattler asks. “The missing women all worked for us. I would think we’d be their first suspects.”

“You’d think, but it was the Demon Dawgs who raised the alarm and reported the missing women. Before that, we didn’t know there was a problem. Why alert us if it was working so well?”

I nod as I consider Randy’s statement. That makes sense.

I worked there and had no idea what happened to my former coworkers.

I believed they quit and found other jobs.

The circumstances surrounding the two we followed up on didn’t lead me to think anything dire had happened to them.

I assumed they moved out of their apartment.

Even if I had thought that odd, I would have concluded that they moved out because one or both moved out of the city or found a different apartment.

I doubt I would have concluded they were victims of kidnapping.

“Rattler, I’ve paired you with Randy,” Rafe says when he reaches our group and hands Rattler a file folder.

“Can I go with them?” I ask quickly. Randy’s words are still rolling around in my head, and I want the opportunity to spend more time with both men before I make a decision.

Rafe shrugs. “That’s up to you.”

“I’d like to spend time talking with you about the documentation you provided regarding the harassment you experienced at work. However, that can wait until later,” Chill says as she takes a folder from Rafe.

“You got my document?” I ask.

“Elina spotted it and brought my attention to it,” Rattler explains. “I gave it to Chill.”

“Good. I know I didn’t say so before, but as I was writing it out, I concluded that Walt had help from security and maybe some others.”

“Yes, that’s the conclusion I came to as well,” Chill says. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. However, like I said, we can do that later. Can you think of any women still working at 1% that Walt harassed? If you can give me their names, I can see if they can add to the information.”

I nod. “I know a few, I’ll make another list.”

Chill gives me a quick smile in appreciation. The smile doesn’t reach her eyes, but I know it’s because she’s not happy about what Walt got away with under her nose. For someone like Chlll, that realization won’t sit well.

“Should we get going?” I ask the boys. “Are we taking your bike?”

Randy grins at me as he yanks a strand of my hair. “I doubt we’ll all three fit on Rattler’s bike. I’ll drive.”

I pout a little at the news, even though I know taking the bike is impractical. I can’t stop thinking about how much fun I had on the way here from the diner.

“I’ll take you for a ride later,” Rattler assures me as he opens the clubhouse door for us to exit.

Without prompting, I climb into the backseat. Sitting back here allows me to study both men and their interactions. Randy starts the car, but doesn’t pull out. “Where to first?”

Rattler turns around to hand me the folder Chill gave him. “That folder contains information about four missing women. Did you know any of them?”

I review each name and nod. “I know all of them. Emily Martin and Darcie Tomkin were the two I tried to contact when they didn’t come into work.

They shared an apartment. I stopped by their place the day after they didn’t show, but no one answered.

I talked to their landlord, but he said he hadn’t seen them in a couple of days. Maybe we should start with them?”

Randy nods as he puts the car in gear.

“Sounds good,” Rattler adds. “Tell us where we should go. You’re in charge.”

I catch Randy’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

His eyes crinkle at the sides, telling me that he’s smiling at me.

He obviously likes Rattler’s instructions about me being in charge.

I squirm in my seat as I consider Randy’s words from earlier.

Randy has me off-balance. His words pulled the rug out from underneath me.

Even though he laid out what he wanted, I still wasn’t sure I fully understood how it would work.

Maybe I should have stayed at the clubhouse and spent some time alone thinking, but I couldn’t do it.

I needed to help. The missing women were my coworkers, and many of them were also my friends.

I was almost a victim. We need to find these men, and then perhaps we’ll be able to locate the women as well.

When we reach Darcie and Emily’s former residence, Rattler assists me out of the car. Randy leads the way to the manager’s office, where he flashes his badge and explains the reason for our visit.

“I wish I could tell you what day they moved out, but I don’t know.

One of them shoved a note under my door telling me they had moved out.

They asked for a refund on the rent money they’d already paid and requested I send it, along with their security deposit, to the account they wrote on the note. ”

“Did you?” Rattler asks.

He smirks. “Not a chance. They signed a lease. I kept the money, as is my right. Besides, they didn’t clean the apartment. They only removed their shit.”

Randy nods his head in agreement. “That is your right. Is the apartment still empty?”

“No, I found a new tenant. We have a waiting list. If they had come and talked to me, we could have worked something out. They were nice girls. I didn’t have any problems with them.”

“But, you didn’t see them leave? You only received a note?” Rattler asks.

The manager studies Rattler’s kutte for several seconds before responding. “I didn’t see them or talk to them. What’s going on here? I know they worked at 1%. That’s your casino. Did they steal from you? Because if you think they did, you’ve got the wrong girls. They weren’t like that.”

“No, we aren’t looking for them for anything like that,” Rattler assures him. “We think they might be in danger.”

“Danger? What kind of danger?” The manager’s attitude shifts at the suggestion.

Randy provides the man with a concise description of what we believe happened to Darcie and Emily.

“You mean you think someone hurt those two little girls? What do you need from me? I’ll give you whatever help I can.”