“She lied.”
“Damn, anything I can do?”
“Not likely. I’m fine with her hating you, and so are Ice and Jackal. When something goes down at the club, we blame it on you.”
“Thanks a lot,” he said, chaffing at the idea that the married men were using him as a scapegoat.
“No problem.” Max, on the other hand, had no problem letting him be the scapegoat if it kept his ass out of trouble.
“Come, Hannibal.” Going to the car that Ice kept for the bitches to go on beer or food runs, he opened the back door, gesturing for the dog to jump inside. “Let’s go to the dog park. Maybe we’ll find a cute poodle to put you in a better mood. Can you watch him a sec while I go get the keys?” he asked Max as the man was getting on his bike, about to go back to work.
“Hurry up. I don’t have all day,” he said, turning his bike back off.
“And they say I’m a fucking asshole,” Stump muttered, going inside the club. It took him a few minutes because he couldn’t find the keys where Ice usually kept them. He was talking to Crush when Max came running through the back door.
“Hannibal took off.”
“Fuck!” Stump rushed out of the club, hoping he would be able to catch him before he disappeared from sight. “Which direction did he go?” he asked as Max followed him outside.
Max pointed in the direction of the city. Stump narrowed his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of his dog, but he was already out of sight.
“Get Crush to find the keys to the car and follow me.” Stump swung his leg over the seat of his bike.
“Crush can follow you. I have to get back to work,” Max grumbled, starting to go inside.
“You let him go, now you’re going to help me find him. How did he get out of the car?”
“He looked hot, and I felt sorry for him. I was just opening the door to give him some air.”
“It’s sixty-three degrees out here—he wasn’t hot. He was playing you. Get the key and start looking. And tell Crush to keep her mouth shut. If Grace finds out, she’ll take my dog.”
Stump took off before Max could say anything else. He kept on the lookout for his dog as he gunned his motor. The club was far enough away from town that he didn’t have to worry about Hannibal becoming roadkill until he hit the city limits.
A lump formed in his throat. The dog had been a thorn in his ass since he’d seen his head poking out of the box, but he was attached to him. From first sight, Stump had known that dog was meant for him, and he didn’t give up anything that was his property.
Speeding up, he watched any movement that could be Hannibal. Max caught up with him before he hit the city’s limits. They both slowed when traffic forced them to.
Calling Max, he told him to start searching the next street so they could cover more ground.
An idea came to him as he disconnected. Hannibal could be heading to Grace’s office like he had the last time he got away.
He kept his eyes on the lookout as he rode to Grace’s office building. Parking out front, he strode toward the building, calling his dog’s name, frustrated that he could be losing time and Hannibal could be getting farther away from him or getting struck and killed by a car. That thought had him wanting to find Max and beat the hell out of him.
Walking around the entire building, he was coming around the corner when he saw Penni and Grace walking together toward the front.
Quickly, he slunk back to the side where they wouldn’t be able to see him. His heart was beating hard in his chest.
Feeling like a pussy for being afraid of them, he dug his nails into the palm of his hands.
“I’m going to shove Max’s patch up his ass when I get back to the clubhouse,” he promised himself, poking his head around the side of the building to make sure Penni and Grace were inside.
When it was clear, he went back to the front of the building and tried calling for Hannibal again.
Raking a hand through his hair, he went back to his bike, hoping to catch sight of his dog if he showed up.
“You find him?” he checked in with Max after calling him.
“I would have called if I had. Where are you?”
“I went to Grace’s office building to look for him there. He isn’t.”
“I can give you ten more minutes, then I have to get back to work.” Max’s voice told him that no threat was going to get more time out of him. “Anywhere else he likes to go?”