Bounty: Fury Riders MC by Zoey Parker

sleeping.
     
    I took my time getting back downstairs and found Tyler and Sam in the kitchen. They were cooking up bacon and eggs, pancakes and coffee. “Let me help,” I said.
     
    “No! You go hang out somewhere else. You’re our guest,” Sam said.
     
    “Besides,” Tyler added, “you still have that camera to figure out. I think Brett’s idea about the knife was a pretty good one.”
     
    “I’m starting to agree with you,” I admitted.
     
    “Good thing you didn’t try last night,” Sam smirked. “You were in no condition, young lady!” They both laughed, and I blushed a deep red.
     
    “All right, all right. I got a little drunk.” They kept snickering, so I left them to it and walked back into the lounge. I hoped I hadn’t said or done anything to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I got the impression they would have told me if I had. They weren’t the sort of girls to bite their tongues.
     
    I wondered where the camera had ended up. I remembered having it at the bar, but it wasn’t there. I looked behind the bar, on the shelves. Nothing. I guessed somebody had to put it somewhere for safe keeping.
     
    Just then, I saw Vince coming downstairs. My heart gave a little flutter, and I cursed myself. There was absolutely no future for the two of us. He saw me as a pain in the ass. What good would it do to catch feelings for him now?
     
    Then, I saw Brett coming down behind him. My heart sank. Damn it , I thought. I should have known . The taste of bile came up into my mouth, but it wasn’t nausea that caused it. It was jealousy. I was crazy jealous of that sweet girl, all because she had slept with Vince, not me.
     
    “Good morning!” she chirped. “Looks like you survived the night.”
     
    “I did.” I managed to smile. “I guess I owe my change of clothes to you?”
     
    She grinned. “Well, it’s not my shirt, but I helped you get dressed.”
     
    “Thank you,” I said with a genuine smile this time. “I was hoping it was you and not one of the guys.”
     
    She laughed. “Yeah, like that would work out well.” She smiled at Vince, then went into the kitchen. This left just the two of us, face to face, with the bar between our bodies.
     
    I cut to the chase. “Do you know what happened to the camera? I don’t remember where I left it.”
     
    He smirked. “Probably because you were blackout drunk.” He didn’t sound snide, though. He sounded gentle. Friendly.
     
    I wasn’t feeling so friendly. “Where is it, then?” I had to get those pictures off and get the hell out of this place. I was starting to question my sanity.
     
    He frowned, jerking a thumb toward the office. “I put it in the desk drawer for safe keeping. Calm down.”
     
    “I’m perfectly calm. I just wanted to get back to work on what I came here to do.” Now there were more people walking into the room from upstairs, and I had to keep my voice down to avoid eavesdroppers. My eyes bored holes into Vince’s skull.
     
    “By all means,” he said. “Don’t let me stop you.”
     
    I turned in a huff, marching to the office. I heard his footsteps behind me, and he shut the door.
     
    “What’s your problem today?” he asked, following me to the desk.
     
    “Oh, let’s see. For starters, I was almost killed last night. I’ve been stuck here for over twelve hours with no end in sight. I have no idea how to get this damned camera open. I’m worried about my family. I’m worried about myself. And everyone here is in danger because of what I saw.” I smiled tightly at him, pulling the camera from the desk drawer as I did. “Think I missed anything?”
     
    He softened, his shoulders falling from where they were—up around his ears. He looked calmer now. “Listen. You don’t have to be worried. The lockdown was just a precaution, nothing more. We’ve done it before.”
     
    “Not recently,” I pointed out, feeling stubborn. I wanted to be in a bad mood, by God.
     
    “How would you