Spotting Jewell standing next to Shade and Viper, he made his way in their direction. Then, staying unobtrusive, Rory listened in on their conversation.
“You really think Elizabeth has been pretending to be kidnapped?” Dismay filled Jewell’s voice.
Viper’s visage became grim. “It explains how Hennessy wasn’t able find anyone linked to her kidnapping in the lab. No one else knew her schedule except for Arin. We all know it wasn’t her, so it had to be Elizabeth, which also explains why the person who is threatening Arin knows all her movements. She could be paid to hold up Arin’s patent for the vaccine, and pretending to be kidnapped was the easiest way to do that when Arin assigned her to work on another job. Hennessy and Reaper’s security methods, that they instated in Arin’s company, would have hindered Elizabeth sabotaging any patents or products there.”
“We can’t be sure Elizabeth is responsible until we have proof.” Jewell grabbed Viper’s arm anxiously. “I don’t want anything I might have said to be the deciding factor.”
“It isn’t,” Shade spoke up. “All the houses we managed to link her to, where we believed she was being held, are for sale.”
Jewell slowly dropped her hand from Viper’s arm at Shade’s revelation.
“Elizabeth’s aunt is a realtor. They could have come up with this plan together. We won’t know until we either catch Incog, find Elizabeth, or talk to her sister.”
“Where’s her aunt?” Rory butted in when Shade quit talking.
“She stopped answering Arin’s calls two days ago,” Shade answered, his eyes moving to the motorbike speeding on the racetrack. “Alanna was Elizabeth’s emergency contact. Arin had daily contact with Alanna since Elizabeth’s disappearance.”
Rory’s concern shifted from Elizabeth to her aunt. “Damn. If she’s not involved in this mess, then Alanna could be in real trouble.”
“That’s what we’re thinking,” Viper confirmed.
Rory’s eyes widened in appreciation at the bike that blew past them on the other side of the steel railing. “Damn. That’s a sweet bike.” Leaning his forearms on the railing, Rory watched the rider maneuver the bike through a turn. “Who’s riding?” Rory asked, his interest caught.
“Stud. He’s the president of the Destructors. He’s also who built the bike.” Viper looked at Shade dismally. “What do you think the chance of me talking Winter into another motorcycle is?”
“Zip to nada. The same as me getting another one. Stud said he’s not selling this one. He’s going to race it.”
“Let me guess, he’s just going to take orders to buy one.”
Rory raised a brow at their downcast expressions. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing other than Stud has a waiting list two years long,” Viper answered. “Usually, we can use our connection to Killyama and Lily to get moved farther up on the list, but after last night, I’d have better luck finding King Tut’s treasure.”
“What does last night…?” As the words came out of his mouth, Rory remembered Jewell telling him that the woman named Sex Piston was married to Stud. “Fuck.”
“Fuck is right,” Viper groaned when the bike passed in front of them again.
Rory’s guard dropped to stare at Viper as if he had lost his mind. “And you thought it would be a good day to come and watch Stud race? Are Stud’s wife and her friends here?”
“Over there at the backside of the track.” Viper hit him on the back. “Don’t worry; Stud and I have come to the conclusion to let the women settle their own differences.”
Rory wasn’t buying that shit for a second. “I don’t see Lily or Winter,” he remarked skeptically.
“Lily and Winter are stuck cleaning the club as a punishment for sneaking out last night. Don’t worry; we left them home because, if it does turn into another fight, Lily and Winter would be more hindrance than help.”
Rory couldn’t look the deluded Last Rider in the eye. He had seen Winter holding her own … before Lily had slammed the door in Crazy Bitch’s face.
He became side-tracked when the rider made another turn then started to slow down to bring the bike to a stop in front of them.
Rory shook Stud’s hand after Viper introduced them.
“Sweet ride,” Rory complimented him.
Stud gave him a wide smile. “Want to take a turn?”
“Rory doesn’t ride bikes; he doesn’t have a license,” Jewell broke in before Rory could answer the tempting offer.
“Yeah, I do,” he informed her before turning back to Stud. “I’d love to ride it.”
Stud looked as if he was regretting the offer.
Pursing his lips at getting stymied from riding the bike, Rory took out his wallet to show Stud his license. “I can ride. I won’t damage it.”
“The gate is over there.” Stud nodded at the opening.
Rory saw the angry surprise on Jewell’s face as he went around her. He would have to mend that particular fence later. Right now, all he was focused on was feeling the sweet heat of the seat under his ass.