I crouch in front of him. My forearms rest on my knees.
“You took my Old Lady.”
“Your prospect killed my brother.” He’s trying for defiance, but his eyes keep flicking to Viper. “I want the prospect. That’s all I want. Give me the prospect, and you get her back.”
“I already have her back.” I stand. “Your brother jumped a prospect four-on-one at the cattle barn. Jinx defended himself. Nitro settled the debt in the ring. It’s over.”
“It’s not over for me.”
“Yeah,” I say. “It is.”
I pick up the gun from the dirt.
He opens his mouth to say something.
He doesn’t get to finish.
I open the passenger door. Violet lifts her head from the dashboard.
My hands are clean. Viper made sure of that.
Her eyes search my face.
I help her down from the cab. Her legs are unsteady, and I hold her arm until she’s planted. My thumb traces the split in her lip. Gentle.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her hand comes up and wraps around my wrist. “Duke. Is he?—”
“Don’t ask me that.”
She nods, and her fingers interlace with mine.
Using my other hand, I pull my phone from my pocket and call Saber.
One ring, then Saber answers. “Talk to me. What happened?”
“Crimson Warrior grabbed Violet from the parking lot at Bones and Bucks. It was the brother of the guy Jinx killed at the cattle barn. Acting alone. Wanted to trade Violet for Jinx.”
Saber asks about Violet. I give him the rundown of what happened and let him know she’s okay.
“The Warrior?” he asks.
“Handled.” I look out at the empty desert. “Joker and Viper are with me.”
Saber doesn’t hesitate. “They stay. They handle cleanup. Truck, body, everything. Get Violet back to the clubhouse.”
The line goes dead.
I pocket the phone. Joker and Viper are standing by the truck.
I catch Joker’s eye. “I want to get Violet back to the clubhouse. You got cleanup?”
Joker nods. Viper is already pulling on gloves.
I walk Violet to my bike. She climbs on behind me, her arms lock around my waist, and her face presses between my shoulder blades. Her fingers dig into my shirt.
I kick the engine over.