And if you weren’t careful, you might just miss them.
Luckily, I’d been paying attention.
Continue Reading for an excerpt from the third book in the Sinners MC series, WASTED TIME.
Wasted Time
The Sinners MC, Book Three
by Jennifer Hanks
PROLOGUE
RACE
“The probationary period is up.”
I leaned back in the chair positioned across from my boss, who sat behind his desk. Ben Dimarco. Part owner of Dimarco Construction, along with his brother Jake Dimarco. They were two of seven Dimarco brothers, all respected members of this little town and the only two who’d agreed to take a chance on me.
A felon.
“Appreciate the opportunity,” I replied honestly.
Ben sat back and studied me closely. He and his brother Jake were usually lighthearted and easy to get along with, but this company was their livelihood, and they both had women in their lives to support and protect. If they had any indication that this wasn’t working out, they wouldn’t hesitate to toss me.
“You like the work you’re doing?”
“Yep,” I answered.
Ben tilted his head to the side. “Gotta be honest with you, Race, you’re a hell of a worker. I appreciate all the overtime you’ve been picking up.”
“But…?”
“No buts. Wish I had more on my crew who were as dedicated to doing the job right.”
I raised my eyebrows, surprised by the compliment. “Like the overtime.”
Ben grinned. “Extra pay’s not bad either, right?”
I returned his grin. “Right.”
“There a reason you take all the overtime I’ve been offering?”
“Keeps me outta trouble,” I admitted. “Plus, I got my eye on a piece of property.”
His eyes widened. “You wanna build a place of your own?”
“Someday.”
“Where is it?” he asked.
“Over on Fleming.”
Ben nodded. “Know that spot. It’s about an acre. Charlie and I talked about snatching that up, but then she saw a house just down the street, and that was it.”
“Least you don’t have to build it,” I pointed out.
He snorted. “Would’ve rather built it. The house needs a ton of fucking work. It’ll take me longer to fix it up than just building a new one.”
I smirked. “You buy it?”
“Of course, I fucking bought it.” He shook his head, but he was still grinning. I wasn’t surprised. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for Charlie, especially if it was something she really wanted. “You buy the ground yet?”
“Can’t until I make sure I have a permanent job.”
Ben nodded his head slowly and sat forward. “You should probably call the bank then and grab it before someone else does.”
I leaned forward and put my elbows on my knees. “That mean I’m hired?”
“I’d be an idiot not to keep you on, so yeah, you’re hired.”
I grinned when a rush of relief washed over me. I hadn’t realized how nervous I’d been about keeping my job, but losing it would’ve meant starting over, and not too many places were excited to hire an ex-convict.
“Appreciate you taking a chance on me.”
“Our past doesn’t define us, brother.” His expression became serious. “If it did, I wouldn’t have Charlie.”
“It may not define us, but it does stay with us,” I replied.
“It’s nothing more than something to learn from.” Ben leaned his elbows on the desk.
“Sounds like something your dad would say.”
“It is.” Ben laughed. “He says it all the damn time. Usually, when he’s trying to get my mom to forgive him.”
Glancing at the clock behind his desk, I slapped my dusty ball cap against my knee and stood. “If we’re good here, I gotta get to a meeting.”
“We are.” Ben held out his hand, which I shook. “Let me know what you need when you buy that acre.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You offerin’ to help build it?”
“Just tell me when to be there.”
I nodded. “What’s it gonna cost me?”
“Pizza and beer.”
Chuckling, I turned and started toward the door. “Thanks, boss.”
“You got it,” Ben replied. “Oh, and Race.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Got a lot more overtime coming up if you’re interested. Sign-up will be posted tomorrow.”
“I’ll take all I can get.” I pulled open the door and walked out.
Jogging to my bike, I straddled it and started the engine. Sliding on my helmet, I pulled from the office parking lot onto the road. It wasn’t a long drive back to the clubhouse, but I was already a few minutes behind schedule, and Bear had called us all to meet there. I had no idea why, but we’d been dealing with a lot of shit from a rival club, the Black Widows, and I’d bet my bike they were the reason for the meeting.
Turning onto the long stretch of road to the clubhouse, I left the town behind. Some people liked living in the hustle and bustle of the main street, but I’d lived in those places before and now appreciated the quiet of the country. However, New Hope’s main street was nothing like the places I’d lived in. And those places proved to be nothing but trouble for me.
I slowed when the clubhouse came into sight and grinned. I wasn’t sure this would be the place for me when I stumbled upon it, but it’d been the best choice I’d made in my life. I’d met Tank one night when I was passing through town, fresh out of prison and trying to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do with my life. The one thing I knew was that I was never going back to prison. I’d do whatever the hell I had to do to make damn sure I never forgot the lessons I’d learned.
Parking, I jumped off my bike and dropped my helmet on the seat. I walked between the garage and the clubhouse to go in the side door and head into the club’s main bar area. I was obviously the last one there, considering everyone already had a drink in their hand.
Moving into the small crowd, I leaned against the back wall to wait.
“You know what this is about?”
My head snapped to the left, and I saw Ritz, one of the club’s officers, had moved to stand next to me. “No. Just got the text to be here.”
“Have a bad feeling, brother.” Ritz gestured with his beer bottle toward the bar.
I followed his line of sight and saw Bear at the bar standing beside his sister, and my gut clenched. Becs. I’d avoided that woman for the past few years because she made me want things I didn’t deserve.
Including her.
Fuck, she was beautiful. Long, black hair and dark brown eyes, but it was her smile that got to me the first time we met, and it still had a hold on me. I’d met her the day after joining the Sinners MC as a prospect, and Tank introduced us during a get-together. She’d smiled and chatted, friendly with me like she was with everyone, but I hadn’t said more than a handful of words. I had no fucking idea what to say to the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen and when I found out who her brother was, I retreated. I wasn’t good enough for most women, but especially not Becs.
“Bear, man, what’s going on?”
Someone called out from the crowd, but I didn’t even turn my head. My eyes were locked on her and would stay there until she noticed or someone else did. She became my addiction over the years, and as much as I tried to avoid her, it was almost impossible.
Until I started at Dimarco Construction.
And picked up every fucking overtime shift they’d give me.
It was easier to forget her when I worked myself into exhaustion.
“Everyone got a drink?” Bear called out and was answered by cheers. “We’re celebrating something tonight.”
Gunner wrapped his arm around Maggie and shook his head. I was assuming what everyone was, and we were here to celebrate the two of them finally being together.
I stood straight when Bear’s deep voice called out over the crowd. “We’re celebrating Becs’s news.”
“What news, honey?” Pop called out.
I held my breath and watched closely when Becs looked at Bear, who grinned and held up his beer bottle. “My baby sister is having a baby!”
Cheers broke out instantly, with catcalls and whistles echoing in the room. Becs smiled, but her eyes scanned the crowd, and I sank back against the wall. I needed to stay calm even though the news was a gut punch. I’d been good at pretending she was nothing but an annoyance to me as a way to keep my distance, and now I’d have to do that even more.
She was pregnant.
With another man’s baby.
“We need to keep an eye out,” Pop announced when the cheers died down, and I shifted my attention toward him.
“That’s why I called you all here and why I wanted Becs and Maggie here too since it involves both of them.” Bear set his bottle back on the bar top and put his hands on his hips. “We had a visit today from the Widows.”
“What the fuck?” Ritz said angrily from beside me, and my head snapped his way. I’d actually forgotten he was there.
“Showed up while we were in the garage.” Bear continued to talk while I pushed off the wall and grabbed a bottle from behind the bar. Popping the top, I tilted my head back and drank while the members and prospects asked questions. Questions I should want the answers to because it was a safety concern for the club, but I didn’t fucking care.
“What the fuck did they want?” Bull called out.
“Asked if we knew where Snake and Maggie were.”
I glanced at Gunner, who appeared pissed, but more than that, concerned. And he should be. Maggie’s been a target for the Widows since the day she left the hospital, and we offered her a safe place to hide. That day she finally left behind the piece of shit, Snake, a Widow who thought beating his girlfriend was his right, and began her new life.
As far as the Widows knew, she walked out of the hospital and disappeared.
Or so we thought.
Ritz scoffed. “You think it’s a ploy?”
Bear shook his head. “Could be, but I didn’t get that feeling.” He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath of frustration. “I told them this was the only time they were allowed on the property, but I want all of you on alert.”
“They’re watching us.” My eyes flicked to Gunner again when I heard his voice. He gestured back and forth between Bear and himself. “They think we have Snake.”
“If we had Snake, he’d no longer be breathing. They have to fucking know that,” Bull growled, and he was right. The club hated Snake for many reasons, but the biggest one was the years of abuse Maggie suffered at his hands. She’d turned on him and the Widows and provided us with information to slowly dismantle their club, but it was taking time, and everyone was in danger while we hid her away.
Including Becs.
My eyes flicked back to land on her, but she’d lowered her head and was playing with the bottom of her shirt. I took a step toward her but then stopped myself and took another long swallow from the bottle dangling from my fingertips.
“I don’t know what their game is, but it was obvious they have no fucking clue where he is either,” Gunner admitted.
“We planted the seed that Maggie is with him,” Bear shared.
“They buy it?” Pop asked.
“Doubt it,” Bear answered honestly. “They know more than they’re letting on. I just don’t know how much more.” He gestured to the room at large. “We need to be vigilant. Don’t engage with any of the fuckers unless you have to. I’d like us all to come out on the other side of this shit alive.”
A lot of murmurs of agreement flooded the room. For years, this club had been run by a president who ran it very much like the Widows ran theirs until that president and his VP were killed, and Bear was voted in. The younger guys wanted a better club, an honest club—a place to hang out, be free, and ride whenever the hell they wanted to. Most of the guys didn’t have families and didn’t have roots. A lot were military, but all of them were looking for a place to belong. That was what Bear brought to this club and what we all wanted to maintain, but sometimes even the most peaceful clubs needed to defend, and we all agreed to step up when the Widows started their shit.
“Race!” Bear called.
I jerked out of my thoughts when I heard my name and stepped forward. “Yeah?”
“I’m putting you on Becs.”
Her head snapped toward her brother, and I tried to control my reaction. I couldn’t be assigned to Becs, and from the way she was staring at her brother, she felt the same. But I also couldn’t defy my president.
“Bear,” she hissed, but his eyes were locked on mine.
I knew what he was saying without uttering any more words. This was my duty to the club, but more than that, it was a personal favor to him. I should be proud that he trusted me with the most important person in his life, but I wasn’t.
I finally gave him the only answer he’d accept. “Whatever you need.”
“Good.” He watched me for another minute before jerking up his chin. “The three of us will meet tomorrow and work out the details.” He turned from me back toward the crowd. “If Race or I can’t be with her, I’ll be pulling you guys in. We also need to keep all eyes out for Snake. The faster we find that bastard, the faster this all ends.”
There were grunts of agreement, and a solemnness overtook the group, but it felt like the announcements had been made.
And I needed to get the hell out of this room.
“We done here?”
Bear nodded in my direction, but I didn’t hold his stare. Slamming the bottle on the bartop, I rounded the corner of the bar and headed for the hallway, leading me back outside.
I was on my bike in less than a minute and racing down the road toward the empty farms where I could find nothing but silence.
And grieve the loss of something I never had.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Hanks is the author of The Dimarco Series, The Elite Securities Series, and The Sinners MC Series. Her stories are contemporary romance and romantic suspense, all with the underlying message of the power and strength in love. She’s also a sucker for a Happily-Ever-After. Her love of reading and books in general started at a very young age and has steadily grown into a love of writing as well. She admits to being addicted to all things romance and has no plans of quitting her habit. Jennifer lives in Pennsylvania with her two children. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found with her kids at their various activities. Her house is frequently filled with any combination of her children’s friends, nieces, nephews and a variety of pets.
Connect with Jennifer Online!
Jennifer’s Website/Newsletter Signup
Sign up for the Newsletter and get FREE books!
http://jenniferhanks.com
Goodreads • Instagram • Facebook • Twitter
Be the first to know when Jennifer Hanks’ next book is available! Follow her at http://bit.ly/JHanksBookBub to get an alert whenever she has a new release, preorder, or discount!
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 33
