Sinner's Steel

Evie unlocked the front door and turned the sign to OPEN. During the four years she’d been working with Bill, she’d made a name for herself as one of Montana’s top custom motorcycle painters. But she would never have made it without Bill’s help and support, and she was eternally grateful that he’d taken a chance on a fledgling artist, giving her the opportunity to get away from Stanton and a marriage that should never have happened in the first place.

“If Viper finds out about Bill’s scam, he’ll probably be back with his entire MC,” Co

Evie placed the box on the stack beside the rack of motorcycle jackets. “More like a slaughter. Bikers don’t like witnesses when they do something bad.”

“They can witness me doing something bad.” Co

Gene reddened and turned his attention to the sliding doors that separated Evie’s paint shop and the garage from the store. Bill had a senior mechanic and three juniors working out back. Evie did the detail work, and Co

“You know what I’m talking about, Gene,” Co

Evie gave her a nudge. “Leave him alone. He might sue us for sexual harassment.”

“Sexual harassment is your hot biker friend walking in the door and me not getting an introduction.” She gestured over Evie’s shoulder. “Look who just came to visit.”

“Jagger!” Evie greeted him with an outstretched hand, and was promptly swept up in his arms.

“Can’t tell you how nice it is to see you again. Too bad it wasn’t under better circumstances.” His deep rumble caught her off guard. He was a man now, not a boy, and the evidence wasn’t just in the breadth of his chest or the lines on his face, but also in the shadows in his eyes. Maybe the life of an outlaw biker wasn’t all it was cut out to be.

“Is this a social visit or are you here to kill someone again?”

Jagger raised an admonishing eyebrow, and she swallowed when her eyes fell on the president patch on his cut. He had always been the leader of their threesome, so she wasn’t surprised to see that he now led the Si

“Excellent.” Co

Evie cringed on Co

“Pleasure.”

“All mine.” Co

“Co

“Although he doesn’t look like a boy with his head all shaved and those piercings in his ear, which some of the girls think are hot, but not me because I don’t like the competition. Unless, of course, you have piercings and then I might change my mind.”

Evie raised her voice. “Co

“You’re a beautiful girl, but I got an old lady.” Jagger flashed the grin that had sent no less than half the senior girls in school into a frenzy. Okay. So some things hadn’t changed.

“Old lady?” Co

“He’s twenty-eight and an old lady is the biker equivalent of a wife.” Evie buried a tiny sliver of disappointment. Aside from Zane, Jagger was the only other man she’d ever really cared about. Mark, her ex, had been a port in a storm that had turned out to be a sinkhole. After her mother died, and she’d been left alone with her twelve-month old son, Ty, the void in her life had begged to be filled. Although she didn’t love Mark, and had told him as much, he’d had a crush on her since high school and wanted to give marriage and fatherhood a try. She should have known a Vegas wedding after two weeks of dating was a recipe for disaster. The thrill had lasted only until the first time she caught him with a bottle in one hand and a woman in the other.

“How about we talk about that bike out there that needs a new paint job?” Jagger gestured to the Harley Softail in the parking lot, visible through the store window.

“I thought that was Axle’s bike.”

“It’s now a Si

Co

“One hundred or so.”

“Well, be sure to tell them that Evie is the best custom painter in Conundrum, probably the entire state, and while they’re here getting some new artwork, they just might want to browse the store and see what’s on offer. Like me.”

Oh, God. Co

“You painted all those tins in the shop out back?” Jagger’s eyes sparkled. He had always encouraged her artist talent, whether it was drawing pictures in the mud beside the creek that ran through Stanton, or sketching portraits of her friends.

“Never made it to college so, yeah, my artwork is now splashed on the gas tanks and fenders of Conundrum’s bikers. But I draw the line on stolen bikes.” Especially since the bike in question belonged to a member of Viper’s MC.

Jagger’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and his voice dropped to a low, commanding tone. “I need it covered before I move it.” He folded his arms and glared, a look all the more frightening for the weapon holstered under his leather vest. “The Evie I knew would have jumped at the chance to take a bit of a risk.”

Evie startled at his sudden change of demeanor. So this was the new Jagger. Did he really think he could boss her around, and drag her into his criminal world? Well, she knew the old Jagger and the old Jagger wouldn’t make her do something she didn’t want to do. She just hoped that part of him was still here.

“This Evie isn’t interested in doing anything illegal,” she countered. “Like handling stolen property. I have a child at home and no one to look out for him if his mother lands her ass in jail. And since I have a strong feeling you aren’t going to pull that gun on me and make me do your bidding, you’re welcome to come and catch up in my shop while I work.”

She would have to steer the conversation clear of her relationship with Viper—if that was what it was. Somehow she didn’t think either of the two outlaw biker presidents would be happy she knew the other. And as for risks, she’d taken one big risk in her life and it had led to both her greatest heartbreak and her greatest joy.