face, making it difficult to see his blue eyes. Like Maverick, he was attractive, but when he smiled, I could see why the ladies were so crazy about him.
Smokey walked over to me and said, “So you’re the one that Clutch has been going on and on about.”
“Yeah, I guess that’d be me, and you must be Smokey,” I answered.
“The one and only. Nice to finally meet ya.”
“You, too. Thanks for coming to get us like this. I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t mention it, doll. That’s what we’re here for.” He looked over to Maverick and said, “I’m gonna take them inside and get them something to eat.”
Maverick said, “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I tapped on the truck to get the kids’ attention and motioned them to follow me and Smokey into the diner. The place was packed with truckers, but we still managed to find a table in the back. It wasn’t long before Maverick walked in and joined us.
As soon as he sat down, he said, “So, you’re Clutch’s ol’ lady, huh?”
“I guess you could say that.” I smiled.
With a smirk, he replied, “Figured a girl like you would be smarter than that.”
I shrugged and said, “I don’t know about that. I figure he’s the one who’s not so smart, getting tangled up with me. I’ve got baggage for days.”
Smokey looked at me and, with a seriousness in his voice, said, “We’ve all got baggage, doll. It’s what you do with it that counts. From what Clutch has said, you’ve been doing just fine with yours.”
“Yeah … up until about thirty-six hours ago, I was doing alright. But I’ve been told that sometimes you have to go through hell before you can get to the good. I’m hoping the good will hurry up and get here.”
“It will come. Don’t you worry about that,” Maverick told me. “But we need to get you home before Clutch has a complete come-apart. If you’re up for it, we’ll drive a couple more hours, and then find a place to stop for the night.”
I nodded. “I’m good with that.”
Hadley looked up from her menu and asked, “How far is it to Washington?”
“It’s a pretty long haul, but we should be there sometime tomorrow,” he answered.
“Are we really going to stay at your clubhouse?” she asked.
Maverick smiled and answered, “That’s the plan. We’re gonna keep an eye on you until Clutch gets things sorted in Memphis.”
I’d been so worried about leaving Clutch, thinking something might happen to him that I hadn’t taken the time to think about the other side of the coin. I had no idea what he and his brothers planned on doing to the man that Sam found in the alley or what they’d do to the men who had killed my parents. I didn’t know much about the club. In fact, I didn’t know anything about the club, except they all wore the same patch on their leather jackets. I didn’t know their rules or how things really worked in or out of the clubhouse. I sure as hell didn’t know how they handled psycho killers, but honestly, I didn’t care; I knew in my heart that they’d do whatever it took to keep me and the kids safe, and that was the only thing that mattered.
“You got yourself a real stunner, brother,” Smoke taunted.
Ignoring him, I asked, “Where are you?”
“We’re at a hotel just outside of Billings. Just got Olivia and the kids settled in their room.”
“Is she doing okay?”
He paused for a minute and then answered, “It’s a lot, man. She and those kids have been through the ringer, but she’s a tough one. She’ll be alright. Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered. What about you? What’s going on there?”
“Rick made the call. He should be coming into Memphis by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Any idea who this guy is?”
“That’s the kicker. We’ve still got no fucking idea. Crow’s been working on it, but this guy is playing it smart. He’s using a burner phone, and he used an offshore bank account to wire the money into Rick’s account. There’s no way to trace this guy, but by this time tomorrow, it won’t matter who the fuck he is. He’s dead either way.”
“I don’t know, man. You need to be careful. Sounds like this guy knows what he’s doing,” Smoke warned.
“Been thinking the same thing. Hard to believe that Perry’s son would know how to pull all this shit off.”
“Maybe it was Hanson,