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As I made a stop at the vending machine, a figure at the motel office caught my attention. He perched on a midnight blue motorcycle, with his blond hair neatly combed back. He was bent over his phone, his wide shoulders stretching his brown leather jacket tight.
I didn’t see any patches on him. Not the growling wolf of the Alpha Riders. Or any other patch. Regardless, recognition still nagged at me. I’d seen him before but…where?
With that question lingering in the back of my mind, I turned back to the vending machine. After settling on an array of potato chips and chocolate candy bars, I caught the motorcyclist’s reflection in the vending machine’s glass. This time, he wasn’t bent over his phone. He casually raised his head, glancing in my direction. Maybe it was the angle of his profile or the glimpse of his tattoo when his sleeve rode up to reveal his wrist…but I knew where I’d seen him before.
Abandoning the vending machine, I whirled on my heel and headed straight for him. He kept his posture relaxed but I could tell by the twitch of his jaw that he’d been caught and he knew he was in trouble.
“You’re with Brewer,” I said.
The man shook his head once, lifting his shoulders in a shrug.
“I don’t know what you’re – ”
I shoved him in the shoulder. He didn’t budge and his expression remained neutral. He was just as bulked-up as Brewer was in the muscle department so pushing him around wasn’t in my best interests, since he could probably snap me in half like a twig without breaking a sweat.
“Don’t play stupid,” I said. “I saw you sitting next to him in the bar the other night. You’re an Alpha Rider. Brewer sent you here to keep an eye on me, didn’t he?”
The man sighed.
“I’m Tank. Brewer’s VP.”
“I fucking knew it.”
Tank held up his hands in a placating gesture. “He’s worried. That’s all. It’s just a precaution.”
“I told Brewer this wasn’t his problem.”
Tank scraped his teeth over his lower lip for a moment. Clearly, he wanted to say something, but the repercussions of opening his mouth could get him hot water.
“He doesn’t want to see you get hurt,” he said.
“Brewer and I don’t evenknoweach other. We’re practically strangers.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I don’t need another man swooping in to stake his claim on me. And that’s exactly what this smells like.”
Which was only partly true. Stephen was the one who guilted me into owing him for every little thing. Brewer hadn’t breathed a word of paying him back and I didn’t truly think he ever would. But at one time, I had thought Stephen was a good guy too. And that’s how I got into this mess. I didn’t trust my gut right now.
Tank nodded. “Well, if you really think this will just blow over given enough time, then it won’t hurt to have a few bikers hanging around. We don’t have anything else going on.”
I sighed. “Even if I said no, you would still be right around the corner.”
He spread his hands with a small smile as if to say,sorry, can’t help it.I crossed my arms. Tank let his hands drop and his expression grew serious.
“This guy has connections, cash…” he said. “And that means he won’t just go away if you camp out for a while. It also means that you’re gonna need an army to kick the shit out of his spoiled ass.” Tank tapped his fist against his chest. “I spent ten years as a Marine. I know how important it is to have someone watching your back. There’s safety in numbers, Alexandra. And if this really does turn out to be nothing, then no harm, no foul.”
I knew Tank had a point. Even though it still worried me that I was dragging innocent strangers into my personal life, I couldn’t stop them from helping me. Brewer had assigned Tank to watch over me and God only knew how many more bikers were on lookout duty, staying alert for any sign of Stephen. I wasn’t getting rid of the Alpha Riders any time soon.
I tossed a candy bar at Tank. He caught it with one hand.
“I’m still not entirely happy about this,” I said. “But I appreciate your stubbornness.”
Tank smiled – a full-watt smile that made him look achingly handsome. If I wasn’t already hopelessly attracted to Brewer, I wouldn’t mind setting my sights on Tank.
“Most ladies would be flattered to have an entire motorcycle gang at their beck and call,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him playfully.
“When you boys start handing out foot massages, then I’ll be impressed.”
Tank chuckled. "That's Brewer's territory."
