Looking back at the house, I released a shaky breath, stepped onto the low deck, which wrapped around the back of the house, and quietly made my way to the patio door. Glancing inside, I saw, nor heard any evidence of a pet and pulled on the door handle. When it slid open, I couldn’t believe it. Either I had the wrong house or my luck was starting to turn around. Hoping for the change of luck, I quietly let myself in.
Chapter 13
Vera called me back when I was about two blocks from my home and gave me the most recent address on file for Raina Davis. I pulled over to the side of the road and wrote it down.
“So, now that I’ve scratched your back, when you going to return the favor?” she asked, a smile in her voice.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“To be honest, I need some help with my mother’s car. It won’t start and I’ve been driving her ass everywhere. Neither of us have the money right now to get it checked out. Could you stop by and take a look at it?”
“Of course,” I replied. “I can look at it in the next couple of days. Let me call you tomorrow and we’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks, Tank,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. You don’t want to get together, later tonight, do you?”
“I have to work early. Otherwise, you know I’d love to see you.”
“I understand. I appreciate you getting the address for me, though.”
“What exactly do you need it for?”
“I’m looking for someone that she knows.”
Vera didn’t say anything.
“It’s really no big deal,” I added. “I’ve been trying to find her friend, and this will make it easier.”
“So, Raina is not in any kind of trouble with you guys?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I just need to speak to her.”
She sighed. “Good. I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“As far as I’m concerned, we never had this conversation.”
“Yeah, same with me.”
“I’ll call you in the morning, around nine?”
“Sure. Sounds good. I’ll call Mom and let her know what’s up.”
“You do that. Bye, Vera. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
We hung up and I turned the car around. Raina’s apartment building wasn’t too far from Raptor’s old place and I was only minutes away. When I arrived at the complex, I recognized the building. I’d been there before, buying coke, just a week ago. The memory made me anxious and suddenly in need of a line.
“Fuck,” I muttered, trying not to give in to the craving. I knew it would be easy to call the dealer and set up a pickup. But, I’d made a promise to Bastard about keeping my shit together, and the thought of cornering Raina was almost a high in itself.
Not as high as it would be with a couple of harmless snorts of coke…
Trying to ignore the devil in my head, I parked the car and jogged up to the complex, which was secure. Fortunately, two women were leaving the building and I caught the door.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling at them.
The two looked at each other and I could tell by their expressions that they weren’t sure if they should have let me in.
“Do you live here?” asked one of them, a skinny redhead with glasses.
Shit.
Not needing a scene, I made up a story. “No. Don’t say anything, but I’m the surprise stripper for a bachelorette party in this building.”
They both smiled.
“Sorry, we don’t know of any bachelorette party,” said the other one, a short brunette. “Otherwise, we’d love to see you strut your stuff. And something tells me that your show,” her eyes went to my zipper, “is very big.”
I smiled. “I can hold my own.”
“I bet you can,” she purred.
“I’ve never seen a male stripper perform before,” said the redhead, staring at my bicep. “Can I just feel your arm for a second?”
I flexed both of them. “Have at it.”
She touched the muscle in my left arm and sighed in pleasure. “You must work out a lot.”
“About an hour a day, give or take,” I replied.
“It certainly shows,” she said, removing her hand. “You’re ripped.”
“Thank you.”
“We’d better let him get to that party, Bonnie,” said the brunette, pulling her away. “Before the bride gets too drunk.”
“Goodbye,” said Bonnie. “Hope you pull in a lot of money tonight.”
“Thanks,” I said, watching them get into a Ford Focus. The redhead blew me a kiss. I waved and then proceeded to find Raina’s apartment, which was on the third floor. Upon reaching it, I pulled my gun out, knocked on the door, and waited. When she didn’t answer, I pulled out the small tool kit from my back pocket, and quickly jimmied the lock.
The first thing I noticed, upon entering the apartment, was a pair of boy’s small tennis shoes sitting by the door and I wondered if Vera’s information had been wrong. I hadn’t heard anything about Raina having children.
Keeping the light off, I began searching the place for clues as to who really did live there. One thing I noticed was that someone liked fairies, scented candles, and books. Not only did I almost knock over several figurines, but there was a stack of romance novels sitting next to the sofa, that almost had me doing a face-plant. Muttering to myself, I continued my search and walked down the hallway to check out the bedrooms. The smallest of the two had blue curtains, a toddler bed, with a Choo-Choo train comforter, and a wall decal which read ‘Billy’. There was also a toy box and a small rocking chair next to a bookshelf.
Dammit, I thought, now thinking that I indeed had the wrong apartment.
Frustrated, I walked into the other bedroom and paused when I saw the mess. There were clothes strewn all over, an old pizza box about ready to fall off of the nightstand, and two empty bottles of wine lying on the floor next to the bed. Frowning, I stepped closer to the nightstand and found a picture of a young boy with dark blonde curls. He also had a cute smile and eyes that reminded me of Raina’s. The child had to be hers.
I left the bedroom and began searching the kitchen and living room for information on Cole, such as an address or even a picture. Fortunately, I lucked out and found an old card envelope with an address in Davenport. Hoping he still lived there, I shoved it into my pocket and made my way to the door. I didn’t feel like confronting her anymore. Not here at her place, especially if there was a kid involved.
As I walked through the living room, something caught my eye on the coffee table.
An urn.
I picked it up and read the inscription etched on the vase. Although I’d never met him, my heart clenched when I realized whose ashes were inside – Billy’s. The child had only been two years old. When I read the date of his death, it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. He’d died the day before my old man had been murdered. I didn’t know if it meant anything, but it sure seemed like a hell of a coincidence.
Rubbing my hand over my face, I decided to wait around for a couple of hours to see if she showed up. I needed to talk to her and find out what happened to Billy. I wasn’t even sure why it was so important to me, but something in my gut told me it was. I sat down on the sofa and stared at the urn. Losing my father had been hard. He’d been everything to me. But even I knew that there was nothing like losing a child, especially one so young. She’d mentioned that her life was a mess and now I understood to what extent. The kind of grief that Raina was going through had to be tough.
My phone buzzed and I noticed it was a text message from Raptor asking how things were going. I explained that Raina wasn’t home and that I’d be keeping watch for a couple of hours. I then told him to go home to Adriana and that I’d get back to him when I learned anything new. Afterward, I put my phone away and sat alone in the darkness, waiting for answers.
Chapter 14
Justin’s
house was spacious and relatively clean. His upstairs furniture had seen better days, but the basement below looked like it had been recently remodeled. Not only did it contain an expansive bar, a television that was obnoxiously huge, and two pinball machines, but there was a leather sectional that looked like it cost more than all of my furniture combined. Not to mention his pool table, the workout area, and another room with a hot tub. It was definitely a bachelor pad.
Muttering to myself about dirty money, I walked back to the main floor of the house and sat down on the sofa, which faced the driveway. It was getting late and I wasn’t sure what time Tank might arrive home, but it didn’t matter. Now that his old man had killed my child, I had nothing better to do with my time than to wait to return the favor.
Chapter 15
After waiting around for a couple of hours, I began to wonder if she might have skipped town and if I was just wasting my time. Eventually, I nodded off until the sound of keys in the front door jolted me awake. Jumping to my feet, I took out the gun, and moved into the hallway just as the door opened.
“Raina?” called a man’s voice.
I stepped around the corner. “She isn’t here,” I said, recognizing the stranger. He was the owner of Sal’s. We’d never formally met, but I’d seen him around town.
Sal, shocked, took a step back. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
“Looking for Raina. What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning.
“Looking for her, too. She’s my niece.”
My eyes widened. “Your niece?” I repeated.
He nodded, his eyes on my gun. “Yes. What do you want with her?”
“It’s club business.”
His lips thinned. “Club business? Now, look… I’m not sure what kind of business you have with her, but she’s a good girl.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” I said. “Her brother, on the other hand, is in deep shit.”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “Dammit, I was afraid you were going to say that. What has he gotten himself into?”
“Something he shouldn’t have. Do you know who I am?”
“Yeah. You’re a member of the Gold Vipers.”
“I’m their newest president.”
“Congratulations,” he said dryly.
My eye twitched. “There’s nothing to celebrate. I’m only the president because someone killed my old man, who held the position before me. Your nephew knows who the shooter is.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry for your loss. I met Slammer a couple of times and he seemed like a good guy.”
“He was, unlike the pieces of shit that Cole is involved with.”
“I won’t argue that. Look, why aren’t you hassling him instead of sneaking into Raina’s house? She’s been through enough and doesn’t need to be involved with this.”
“I tried talking to Raina about this civilly,” I lied, “but she bailed on me, which leads me to believe that your niece knows something useful. All I want to know is where Cole is, so I can find out who murdered my father.”
“Why don’t you let the police figure that out?”
“Because I want to handle this my way,” I said, getting frustrated. I was tired, hungry, and not in the mood for conversation. At least not with this guy. “Enough with the questions. Tell me where Cole is and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“I have no idea, and the truth is, I wouldn’t tell you if I knew,” he said evenly.
Clenching my teeth, I cocked the gun. “Don’t fuck with me, old man. This is some serious shit.”
He leaned forward, a stubborn look on his face. “And I’m serious when I say that you won’t be getting any information from me.”
“You prepared to die because of it?” I asked, trying not to explode. I wasn’t about to kill Sal, but he was seriously pissing me off.
“Son, I’m dying anyway,” he said with a grim smile. “Hell, you may as well just put a bullet through my head and save me from racking up thousands of dollars in medical expenses. I’d rather not put my family through that anyway.”
“You’re dying?” I asked. I had to admit, he wasn’t the picture of good health.
“It’s my liver.” He raised his left hand, which was shaking. “In fact, I could really use a fucking drink right now. Just to take the edge off.”
Seeing the truth in his eyes, I uncocked the gun and put it away. “Looks like the last thing you need is a drink, Sal.”
Relaxing, he slowly headed toward the kitchen. “You’ve never walked in my shoes, so don’t go presuming what I need.”
“No, and you’ve never walked in mine either. If you had you’d understand why I’m so fucking upset.”
Sal reached up into one of the cupboards and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “Look, I understand your anger, but there’s no sense in committing any more violence or murder. It’s only going to promote more of it, and in the long run, nobody wins.”
Spying a box of toothpicks next to the stove, I walked over and grabbed one. I needed a cigarette. Badly. “If I wanted a preacher, I’d go to church. What I need is your nephew’s address.”
He poured himself a small shot-glass of whiskey and stared at it with a frown. “All I know is that he’s out of town.”
“I already know that. Where out of town?”
Sal picked up the whiskey, his hand trembling. “I’m not too sure,” he replied, before slamming it down.
“Better?” I asked dryly.
“You have no idea.”
Licking my lips, I resisted an urge to pour one myself. “Raina know you have liver disease?”
He wiped his mouth and turned back to me. “Pretty much. I told her I was waiting for my test results.”
“You get them yet?”
Sal shook his head. “No. But I know what it’s going to say.”
“Then why are you still drinking?” I asked, nodding toward the bottle.
“Guess you and I aren’t so different when it comes to living dangerously,” he said with a funny smile.
“Maybe not,” I replied, thinking of my own many vices.
We were both silent for a few moments. Then he looked at me again. “Tell you what, I’ll call him and see what he knows.”
I grunted. “I highly doubt he’d give up the information that easily and that’s why I need to talk to him face-to-face.”
“I know why you need to speak to him face-to-face –
you’re planning on roughing him up.”
“Not if he gives me what I need.”
Sal scowled at me. “I’m not going to set that up. Now look, I know he’s made some mistakes, but he’s not a killer.”
“He wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. Rumor has it the shooter was female.”
His eyebrows shot up. “A woman?”
“That’s what I hear.”
Sal poured himself another shot. “So, some woman shot your old man. Did he do her wrong? Break her heart or beat her up?”
“No. He was happily married and wasn’t into beating chicks.”
He smirked. “Right. I’ve heard how you bikers treat women.”
“Don’t be an asshole. A man doesn’t have to be a biker to beat up a woman. Just a pussy. So, quit stereotyping,” I said angrily.
He mumbled something under his breath.
My fist grew itchy, but I ignored it. He was an old, dying man and even I wasn’t that much of a prick. “We already know that the Devil’s Rangers set it up,” I said, changing the subject.
“What for? A payback?”
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“If you want my help, you’d better answer them,” he said, looking a lot more courageous than before the booze.
“The Devil’s Rangers are responsible for a lot of innocent lives, including Slammer’s and my girlfriend’s,” I answered coldly. “Now, I’m through with your questions. I need answers myself.”
“Your girlfriend was murdered by that club?” he asked, looking taken aback.
> “Yes. She was young and innocent, too. They did it just to prove a point.”
He poured himself another shot. “I guess I can see why you’re pissed off. If Cole knew they killed a young woman for spite, he wouldn’t want anything to do with them. One thing I know is that he has ethics, despite his affiliation with that damn club.”
“Ethics, huh? Then let me talk to him so I can get the answers I need.”
He drank the shot and slammed the glass onto the counter. “Tell me something – what are you going to do when you get ahold of this woman who supposedly shot Slammer? Kill her?”
“To be perfectly honest, as much as I’d like to kill the bitch, I’m going to make sure that the person who ordered the hit is the one that pays.”
He put the bottle of whiskey back into the cupboard and then reached into his pocket. Sal pulled out a pen and removed the cap. “You have a phone number where I can reach you?”
I let out a sigh. “Sure.” I gave it to him and watched as he wrote it down on a paper napkin.
“Now, get out of my niece’s apartment, and when I find out who’s responsible for Slammer’s death, I’ll call you.”
“You think you can find out, just like that?” I asked, smirking.
“I own a damn bar. I’ve got plenty of contacts who can find these things out for me. I also have a lot of favors that need to be returned. I’m going to start calling on them.”
I stared at Sal. If I let him leave without getting the information I’d come for, I might not ever see Raina or Cole again. He’d most definitely call and warn them. “Why should I trust you?”
“Because as much as I know my life is over, I want my sister’s kids to live on. I know all about your club and what you’re capable of.”
I smiled coldly. “No, you don’t know what we’re capable of and that’s why you’d better not fuck me over.”
Breaking The Biker (The Biker Series) - An MC Gold Vipers Motorcycle Club Biker Romance Novel Page 6
