ground, and picked up the weapon, holding it behind her back.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Looking for you."
"Why?" She squinted, trying to make him out better in the darkness.
"I had a talk with your sister today."
"Why?"
"There were questions." He moved closer to the fire, staying on the other side.
"Why?"
Seeing his chocolate-colored eyes, she stiffened at the amusement shining back at her. Having him around wasn't a joke.
"Like I said, I had questions." He squatted down and stirred up the coals, producing a flame.
He made making a fire look easy, which irritated her.
Able to read the patch on the front of his vest for the first time, she tried to picture other people calling him Whip. Like, Big was called Big because he was big. He had about forty extra pounds he packed around his middle.
A name like Whip made her think of someone skinny as a grass blade—which he definitely wasn't.
Whip was solid and appeared strong. The sleeves of his t-shirt pulled against his muscles. Tattoos covered both arms from his wrist up until they disappeared under his shirt. He also left his vest open in the front to make room for his chest. A spattering of hair below his neck peeked above the material
He was taller than Big. But he was different, because his solid body fit him. It fit him perfectly.
Her fingers tightened on the handle of the pistol. "Why did you go to my sister?"
He looked into the flame. "I would've asked you, but you weren't there."
She scoffed. While Angie wasn't her favorite person lately, or ever, she didn't want people bugging her sister. She'd seen how Cusclan got their answers. Tarkio probably questioned people the same way, and that wasn't right.
"Stay away from her." She swallowed. "She's happy with Ringtail."
"Are you happy with her being with him?"
She shrugged. "Not my life."
"No, your life doesn't involve Tarkio." His hair fell in front of his shoulder as he looked at her. "You belong to a guy who wears a Cusclan Motorcycle Club patch."
"Who told you that?" She exhaled harshly, realizing that Angie blabbed her mouth. "I don't belong to him. I stayed with him for a month. That's all."
"Is that why you're camping? You have nowhere to go?"
Putting her need to leave and go back to Angie's house out of her mind. She wanted to prove to Whip that she was perfectly fine on her own. If she wanted to sleep in her car again, she would.
She refused to answer him. He had no right to know how she lived her life or judge her for her decisions.
He had no right to ask questions about her or contact her sister. It was a free country.
"Listen, sis." He paused. "Tarkio has no problem with Ringtail seeing your sister after finding out she isn't property of Cusclan. But you are living with her. You're associated with Cusclan. We have a problem with that because we can't trust you're not running to Big with everything you see and hear."
She studied him. It was odd that he would seek her out in his concern for his MC brother. But his trust issues had to do with Ringtail, not her.
Knowing how Cusclan manipulated situations and made sure the ties to the club weren't broken, she suspected he'd come to tell her to stay away from her sister as long as Angie was involved with a Tarkio member.
"Ringtail is a grown man—"
"Who thinks with his dick." Whip straightened and slipped his hands into his vest pockets. "I'm not here because of him."
"Then why are you here?"
"If you'd stop asking me why all the damn time and listen, I'll tell you." He cocked his brow. "Your sister wants you to come back. You're welcome to stay at her house. She's worried about you and doesn't think you'll listen if she asks you to stay."
"So, you volunteered to ask for her?" She snorted, knowing it was Angie's way of using him to get on his good side. Her sister wouldn't want to lose Ringtail and would bargain with the devil to continue seeing him.
"You weren't at the two motels in town when Angie called around, trying to find you. She's worried about where you're staying. I told her I'd look around for you." He glanced over his shoulder before meeting her gaze. "Another Tarkio member spotted your car earlier in the day, and here I am, telling you your sister wants you home."
"Angie never worries about me."
"Take it for what it is." He stepped around