“I can stay,” I volunteered.
“Not happening,” Viper replied. “You’ve already been at it all night, and Doc needs to have a look at you. The same goes for Country and Widow.”
“I’m fine.”
“It’s not up for discussion, brother. Get over to the clubhouse and let Doc check you out. If he gives you the okay, you can come back later tonight and lend us a hand.”
Even though we didn’t like it, Widow, Country, and I knew better than to argue with Viper. Once our president had spoken, there was no changing his mind. Instead, we all waited for the brothers to get a schedule sorted and then headed out to our bikes. As I got on my Harley, I turned towards Widow. “Your truck over at your place?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Need to borrow it for a bit. You mind?”
“You know you’re welcome to it.” He reached into his pocket, grabbed the keys, and tossed them over to me. “Just bring it back in one piece.”
Relieved that he didn’t ask what I was up to, I gave him a quick nod, started my bike, and whipped out of Stilettos’ parking lot. I had every intention of following Viper’s orders and having Doc check me out, but there was something I wanted to see about first.
As soon as I reached Widow’s place, I got in his truck and headed downtown. I should’ve felt guilty that my mind was on anything other than the club, and I did. It just wasn’t enough to stop me from driving to the detention center to see if Raelyn and Haleigh were still there.
The officer I’d talked to at Stilettos was reluctant to give me any information on either of them, but when I told him my plans to bail the girls out, he gave me their names and told me where I could pick them up. He’d also admitted he would’ve let them off with a stern warning, but his partner wasn’t having it, wanting to make an example out of them instead, so they were pretty much screwed.
I couldn’t do much about the charges they’d incurred but figured bailing them out would suffice. It would also give me a chance to meet the woman who’d consumed my every thought since I first laid eyes on her.
Once I got to the detention center, I gave the woman at the front desk the necessary information on the girls and explained that I was there to bail them out. Thankfully, they’d only been charged with a misdemeanor, so I was able to pay the fees without having to jump through a lot of hoops.
Then, I waited.
And I waited.
And I waited some more.
Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the girls came walking through the security doors. The one who’d caught my eye at the club was even more beautiful than I first though. Her hair was long and straight, with auburn accents framing her delicate face. She wore dark eye makeup that made her blue eyes seem even bluer, and she had on a fitted blue-and-green nylon jumpsuit that reminded me of something a skydiver might wear.
She and her friend stood at the front desk, received their court date, then started down the steps. The second the two noticed me, they both stopped dead in their tracks. The pretty brunette’s eyes grew wide as she brought her hand up to her mouth and whispered not so subtly to the other girl, “It’s him.”
Her friend looked equally surprised when she leaned in a little closer and replied, “Yeah, I see that. What’s he doing here?”
“I have no idea.” They were only a few feet away and seemed confident that I couldn’t make out their conversation, but I heard every word. “It’s kind of odd that he’s here, right?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely strange and a little scary, too, but that’s what you get for waving at the guy like you did.”
“He didn’t come here because I waved at him, Haleigh.” After considering the thought for a moment, the cute brunette leaned closer to her friend and whispered, “You don’t really think that’s why, do you?”
“I don’t know, but I get the feeling we’re about to find out.”
Neither of them moved.
They merely stood there wide-eyed and silent as they watched me get up and make my way to them. Trying my best not to spook them any more than I already had, I smiled and said, “I didn’t mean worry either of you. I just came here to post your bail.”
“Oo-kay.” A confused expression marked the brunette’s face as she placed a hand on her hip and asked, “And why would you do that?”
“I don’t know. Just consider it my good deed of the day.”
Her eyes narrowed as she asked, “Do you make a habit of bailing complete strangers out of jail?”
“No.” Chuckling, I admitted, “You two are a first.”