‘Loud and clear.’

Mason grunted and headed to the booth. Sam looked back at the other Riders, all of them on the edge of their seats, ready to lunge like a pack of dogs and tear him apart. Taking a deep breath, Sam followed Mason and slid in opposite. Mason gestured for Sam to begin, his body language telling Sam that it was a thankless task. But as soon as he began, Mason began to change. The air of disinterest evaporated, and his knuckles whitened.

Sam relayed everything to him. Who he actually was and why finding Alex was so important. The run-ins with Sinclair and Alan, and how they were transfixed on bringing down the Riders. How Sinclair had kept Alex’s identity a secret and how he’d planted her within the Riders as a source of information.

When Sam questioned why Sykes was so insistent on Alex moving to the Pit, Mason shuffled uncomfortably, the truth beginning to take a stranglehold on his brain.

The assault by Sykes.

The drug deal that Sinclair had attended, seemingly executed by Sykes, but who’s since gone missing.

No money at the scene.

Vasquez’s capture and torture of Sam and the very real likelihood of not just a reaction from Vasquez, but a full-blown assault on the Riders.

The deal that Sam was convinced was happening as they spoke in an abandoned bar out of town.

Sam laid it all on the table, giving Mason time to digest it all. After a few minutes of eerie silence, Mason shook his head.

‘I don’t know. Too many coincidences to be fact.’

‘Well then, get Wyatt,’ Sam demanded. ‘Maybe he’ll listen to me.’

‘We can’t find him,’ Mason admitted, shooting a quick, worried glance to the booth where their leader usually sat. ‘No word since yesterday.’

‘Another coincidence?’ Sam raised his eyebrow. The comment drew a snarl from Mason.

‘What the hell do you want from us?’

‘I’m heading back to the Tiempo de Salsa. I’m getting Alex out of there and I’m going to make them pay for what they’ve put her through. I’ll either get that done, or I’ll die trying. I made that woman a promise and I intend to keep it.’

‘What a hero.’ Mason sneered.

‘Tell me, if Wyatt is dead or worse, in on it, where do you think their next port of call is?’ Mason’s scowl told Sam they were on the same wavelength. ‘You haven’t got long to make up your mind. So do it quickly.’

Sam stepped out of the booth, leaving Mason to juggle a decision he never thought he would have to make. As one of Wyatt’s trusted men, he’d always been a willing soldier. But he’d never had to give the orders.

Especially not one that could start a war.