The man shook his head. “This packaging needs a Malloy signature on it.”
Nathaniel gave a frustrated grunt. “Fine. I’ll be right there.”
When he turned to me, I gave him a slight smile. “Rev?”
He responded with a warm grin. “Just a nickname.”
“For what?”
“Reverend.”
My brows shot up in surprise. “Oh, are you a minister?”
He cocked his head teasingly at me. “Are you a teacher or a reporter?”
I laughed. “Forgive me, but I’m used to answering questions all day. I can’t help but ask some myself.”
“Well, Miss … I’m sorry. what was your last name again?”
“Evans.”
“No, Miss Evans. I’m not a real reverend.”
“Then how did you get the nickname?”
“Yo, Rev!” the man from the truck called impatiently.
With a grimace, Nathaniel/Rev shook his head. “Listen, I have to take care of this. Just go on inside, and I’ll be there in a minute.”
Inwardly, I groaned. I didn’t want to go into the roadhouse alone. I would have much preferred having Rev by my side. But when he started walking away from me, I realized I’d better head inside and out of the oppressive heat, despite feeling out of my element. As I entered the room, I took a deep breath to try to still my out-of-control nerves. Smoke hung heavy in the air, stinging my eyes and causing me to cough. Several men in leather biker cuts lounged on stools at the bar, nursing beers. Across from me, a heated pool game was taking place.
I took a few steps inside and then froze. “Are you lost, darlin’?” a big-busted woman in a halter top asked.
“Uh … I’m looking for David Malloy,” I said.
Two men at the pool table whirled around. The shorter of the two, a tough but cute-looking blond, cocked his head curiously at me. But the moment my gaze locked on the other man, I knew he was Willow’s father. They had the same dark hair, soulful dark eyes, and heart-shaped face. David, however, had dark scruff covering his face. Although he was Rev’s brother, I didn’t see any resemblance between the two. Although he was shorter and slightly less built, David was just as good-looking as Rev. “Mr. Malloy?” I questioned, closing the distance between us.
He tossed the pool stick on the table and took a long drag on his cigarette, then stubbed it out in an ashtray on the table. “What do you want?” he demanded.
I didn’t need to glance around the room to know that every eye in the place was on us. “I really need to speak with you for a moment.”
His dark eyes narrowed as they raked over my body. The next thing I knew, he leaped at me, knocking me back into the wall. One of his hands came to grip my throat while his body pinned me in place. Fear like I had never known overwhelmed me, sending my heartbeat drumming wildly in my ears. It was so loud it felt like a cannon blast going off around me. “Please,” I murmured.
David glared at me as his thumb pressed harder into my throat. “They’re really falling down on their job at the academy.”
“E-excuse m-me?” I stammered.
With a smirk, he replied, “Don’t they train you ATF bitches to hide your fear a little better? I mean, you’re practically pissing your pants right now, not to mention your heart is beating ninety to nothing.”
I shook my head slowly back and forth as I tried processing his words. “ATF? I don’t understand.”
He rolled his eyes. “A white-bread piece of ass comes waltzing into my clubhouse, wanting to talk to me alone. It doesn’t take a fucking genius to realize you’re a Fed.”
A Fed? It took me a moment to process what he meant. Holy shit. He thought I worked for the government as an agent of some sort. Quickly, I replied, “No, I’m not.”
A voice came from behind him. “Deacon, man, you’re gonna get your ass jacked up even further for this.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Deacon said to the young, blond-haired man, “Stay out of this, Bishop.”
Bishop held up his hands. “Fine. It’s your fucking funeral.”
David’s hand slid down my throat to the buttons on my dress. Glancing over his shoulder at the others, he questioned, “What do you bet she’s wired up under her tits?”
When his hands started to rip open my dress, I couldn’t hold back my scream. “No, stop! I’m not who you think I am. I swear!” I protested.
“Then just who the hell are you?” he demanded.
Before I could answer, a tiny voice came from behind us. “Miss Alex?”
The sound of Willow’s voice caused David to release his hold on my dress, but his body still kept me pinned to the wall. At that same moment, Rev entered the clubhouse. When he saw me, his eyes bulged, and he broke into a run to reach us. Grabbing David’s shoulders, he slung him away from me. “For fuck’s sake, Deacon, what the hell are you doing?”
“I’m giving this undercover ATF bitch what she deserves,” Deacon spat, taking a step back toward me.
“Christ, she’s not ATF,” Rev countered.
“Oh, then who the hell is she?”
“She’s my teacher … and my friend,” Willow answered in a small voice.
David, or Deacon, stared open-mouthed from me to Willow. “I think that’s the most I’ve heard you say since you got here.”
Willow didn’t respond to him. Instead, she came bounding over to me and threw her arms around my waist. “I’ve missed you, Miss Alex.”