The door in the alley wall opened, and Adrian poked his head out. “You all done? How’d it go?”
I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. “Pretty good, I think. Now, we just wait to hear back from them.”
* * *
Adrian left to run errands, leaving me and Gabriel alone in the mess of the tattoo parlor. Needing something to do with my hands, I began trying to clean up. A minute or two later, Gabriel joined me.
I kept getting text messages from Carmen as I cleaned, asking for more information. When my phone beeped for about the tenth time, Gabriel sighed loudly. I spun around to face him.
“You got a problem or something?” I asked.
Gabriel shoved down the torn poster in his hands. “Yeah, I do.” Evidently, he’d been waiting all day to say that to me.
I put my hands on my hips. “Well, I’m listening.”
Gabriel took a few steps closer. He raised his hand and parted his mouth, but nothing came out. He turned away for a second and closed his eyes. Finally, he looked back at me. “Don’t do this, Lisbeth.”
“Don’t do what?”
“This. Calling your FBI hook-up back in Canyon City, getting your gang all riled up. It’s too much, too soon. My brother and my Laughlin brothers are caught up in this, too. We need a way to get them out first before the Feds swoop in.”
“You’re talking about guys like Jameson and Dash here. What favors have they done for you?”
Gabriel shook his head, as if my words were flies buzzing in his ears. “They’re my family! They’re all I got!”
“Some family!” I spat back. “They hurt your ex, they kidnapped Anna, they kidnapped me. They’re nice and cozy with the same guys who held me down and gave me this.” I flashed him my tattoo, making him flinch. “You say you don’t trust Anna because she got me into this mess way back when. Well, what’s your excuse, huh? How do you vouch for Dash and Jameson’s actions?”
Gabriel began pacing slowly, cracking his knuckles. When he spoke, his nostrils flared. “I can’t betray my family.”
“They’re not your family.”
Suddenly, Gabriel spun on his heel and punched the wall, leaving a giant hole in the drywall the size of my head. Plaster crumbled to the ground when he pulled his fist out. There was blood on his knuckles.
“Oh, god,” I murmured. I rushed over to him with a tissue. It was all I could find.
He let me lead him to the bench in the waiting area and sat down. I told him I’d be right back and went into the back room where I remembered seeing a refrigerator. I hoped I’d find some ice in there, but the freezer was empty except for some frozen dinners and a frosty, half-empty bottle of Grey Goose. I grabbed the bottle.
“This was all they had,” I said, showing it to Gabriel.
“Nice. Just what I need.” He reached for it and grabbed it out of my hand. Then, using only his teeth, he unscrewed the cap and took a long swig.
I felt a laugh bubbling up in my stomach, but I choked it back down. I tried to frown disapprovingly. “It’s supposed to be for your hand. It’s already a little swollen.”
“Right, right,” Gabriel said, chuckling. He transferred the bottle to his bad hand and flexed his fingers around it.
I sat down next to him. It was almost like the past few minutes hadn’t even happened. Or maybe, we were just pretending.
Still, there was something I needed to tell him. I took a deep breath.
“They’re on their way,” I said. I put my hand on his knee, almost absent-mindedly. “Logan—that’s the guy who’s our hook-up. His old lady, Carmen. My brother and his old lady. And probably the rest of the club.”
Compared to his previous outburst, Gabriel took this especially well. He breathed out through his nose and sat back in his seat. The muscles in his jaw were working overtime as he gnashed his teeth behind his cheeks.
“Fine,” he finally said. “I’m good with that. But once they get here, I’m out.”
I felt numb with shock. “You promised you’d help me, though.”
“I know, and I’m shit for breaking it. But I gotta go with my gut here, Lisbeth. You need to help Anna, and the only way you can do that is to go to the FBI. I get that, but I can’t be a part of it.”
I nodded.
“Besides, what good am I compared to the big bad government, right?”
I laughed lightly along with him. “Right.” And I knew he was. But a small part of me wished that he wasn’t.
Chapter 12
“Are we close?” Adrian asked.
“Closer,” Gabriel said.
Adrian gripped his steering wheel tight and bared his teeth. “If I knew this place was out in the fuckin’ boonies, I would’ve stayed home.”
I stared out the window as Gabriel and Adrian volleyed back and forth. We’d left Las Vegas behind about twenty minutes ago, driving through stucco-walled suburban neighborhoods until they eventually thinned out, too. Now, it was nothing but highway and scrubby desert, with the occasional billboard or truck stop gas station to make things interesting. My eyes glazed over the flat horizon until I lost track of where midnight sky met black, cold earth. Then, I noticed the blinking neon sign.
“Is that it?” I asked, pointing. But before Gabriel could answer, I saw the Harleys lined up in the dirt parking lot, and I knew we were at the right place.
Pete Daddy’s was our rendezvous point. Gabriel had suggested it as the meeting place, saying it was a biker-friendly, out of the way dive bar. Well, he’d certainly been right about “out of the way,” because the Canyon City Skull Kings had already beaten us here.
My heart thump-thumped away in my chest as I slid out after Gabriel. The bar was playing classic rock, and loudly, but I could almost hear the boisterous laughter of my hometown crew over it all. I refused to acknowledge the cool, slimy feeling in my stomach as homesickness and trudged ahead, leading the way to the entrance.
I blinked when I got inside. I recognized a few members shooting pool on the other side of the bar. Eddie, Noah, and Georgie hovered near the juke box, beers in hand. Liam was perched on a stool, chatting with the bartender until he finally spotted me.
But it was Carmen’s voice I heard first.
“Lizzie!”
I turned around to see her advancing quickly toward me, arms outstretched. I accepted her hug gratefully and inhaled the scent of her hair, mildly spiced of the wild honeysuckle that grew near her house.
“Hey, chica,” she said, pulling away. “You look good.”
“So do you,” I said, which was the truth. Her eyes were bright and her face was full and rosy. I saw her cast her eyes to the side at Logan, who stood up from his seat at a table to greet me. Liam wasn’t too far behind.
“Hey, sis,” Liam said after Logan pulled away.
We shared a brief hug. Liam’s old lady, Aspen, appeared at his elbow. Her dark hair was pulled back tight in a high ponytail, giving her face an almost equine look. She smiled as she pulled me in against her. Then, I saw her look curiously at Gabriel and Adrian.
My blood pressure rose. “This is Anna’s brother, Adrian,” I said, introducing him to everybody. Then, I gulped. “And this is Gabriel.”
The way everybody tried so hard to be nonchalant while shaking Gabriel’s hand made me cringe. “Nice to meet you,” they all said, but their eyes kept flashing between the two of us. Are they together? their faces practically broadcasted. I kept biting the tip of my tongue, trying to keep my expression from betraying anything.
Then, it was Liam’s turn to clasp hands with Gabriel.
The two guys held hands for longer than necessary, it seemed, as if they were testing each other’s grip. As far as I knew, they probably were. Liam was always welcoming to a fellow brother, but he had a tendency to be cold toward guys who were interested in me. I could tell by the strange, stiff look on his face that he was feeling conflicted.
“We ran into each other by chance. I told him all about my troubles, and he wanted to he
lp me out since I’m family,” I blurted out.
“Oh?” Liam softened a bit, but not by much. He finally released Gabriel’s hand. “Well, thanks for looking out for my kid sister.”
“No prob,” Gabriel said. He glanced around the bar. “So, we drinkin’ or what?”
“Actually,” Logan piped up, “an agent from the local bureau is here right now. I found out he’s the one who’s been in contact with Anna.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
I leaned over to look. All I could see were truckers. Then, there was the one skinny, solitary guy nursing a beer at a table. At first glance, he blended right in with his faded jeans and worn flannel. But there were certain details that leapt out at me, like his clean-shaven face and the expensive, sensible watch on his wrist. His hand rested on his glass, but he never drank. He only observed, and that was how I knew that he didn’t belong.
“Then let’s go talk to him,” I said, stepping forward.
“Whoa,” Liam said, throwing out an arm. “We’ll handle this, okay? You go sit with the girls.”
“Are you serious?”
“Hell yeah, I’m serious.”
Outraged, I looked to Adrian and Gabriel for help, but neither seemed willing to step in. Gabriel especially seemed to be avoiding my gaze, which only made me feel worse. Then, I felt a soft, cool hand close over my arm.
“I’ll make Logan fill you in later,” Carmen said into my ear. “No use fighting about it now.”
I sighed. I forced myself to see her point. “You’re right,” I said. After shooting one last glare at Liam, I let Carmen lead me to the bar where Aspen was drinking a vodka cranberry. She handed it off to me once the bartender’s back was turned, and I finished it off in record time.
Carmen put her elbow on the bar and perched her chin in her hand. “So, this Gabriel guy...”
Aspen’s eyes jumped wide open. “Yeah! What’s the deal with him?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. We just got stuck with each other, that’s all. He’ll be on his way. He just promised to see me off here.”
“I see,” Aspen said, quirking an eyebrow. She looked over my shoulder at the Skull Kings with the Nevada agent. The entire group could’ve taken up two tables, but they were crowded around one. “Looks like he’s got your brother on his toes, though.”
I followed her gaze. Liam definitely looked out of it. Many of the guys were talking and nodding animatedly, even Gabriel, but Liam couldn’t seem to concentrate. His eyes were only focused on Gabriel, watching his movements.
“Liam’s just overprotective. There’s nothing going on,” I said. But I didn’t sound very convincing, even to myself.
“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Carmen said knowingly.
When I didn’t answer, Carmen and Aspen squealed. They pushed their heads closer to mine and dropped their voices. “You did! Admit it!”
I waved at their words, face burning. “Fine! I did,” I hissed.
I mean, could they blame me? He was dark-haired, dark-eyed, and years of riding had given him a manly, I’m-a-lumberjack-I-swear body. He was a Skull King. He was safe. And seeing him sitting at the table with his dark, Mediterranean coloring, he could’ve been Liam’s long lost brother. But I knew that he would never belong, and it was all thanks to that “Nomad” patch on the back of his cut.
“You look sad,” Carmen said, breaking into my thoughts. She put her hand on my shoulder.
“I’m not sad,” I shot back. I stared at my hands. “I just feel...lonely.”
Carmen and Aspen were silent for a moment. Then, I watched a slim, pale hand slide into mine. It was Aspen’s.
“We all know how that feels,” Aspen said. “Even with a bunch of people surrounding you, you feel like you’re completely on your own.”
I scrunched up my mouth. She was mostly right, but it didn’t exactly hit the nail on the head.
“I bet,” Carmen interjected, “that Gabriel feels that way, too.”
The three of us looked at the huddle of Skull Kings in unison. Gabriel was the most resigned-looking of all of them. His shoulders were hunched, his eyes were dull, and he listened more than he spoke up. It was like he wasn’t invested at all in what was going on. I reminded myself that he’d promised to “get out” once the Canyon City crew arrived. He’d be gone any time, now.
The thought made me feel even lonelier than ever.
* * *
We stayed at the bar until closing time. Noah, the Canyon City president, slid a few bills toward the owner so we could stay a little longer. The guys continued to murmur with their heads together as the staff began stacking chairs around them. I chatted lazily with Carmen and Aspen until I saw Gabriel break away and drift toward the exit. I made a lame excuse and followed him outside.
“Your brother might see you talking to me,” Gabriel said without turning. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared across the parking lot at the open road.
“He give you a weird vibe?”
Gabriel shrugged.
I crossed my arms and leaned against a wooden post about three feet away from him. “Well, what were they talking about back there?”
Gabriel shrugged again. “Just what you’d expect. Planning some official FBI operation. They were talking about calling in some big-shot negotiator from D.C. Also, that Logan guy doesn’t want anybody who’s not Canyon City involved. Including you.”
I balked. “But I am Canyon City!” I hissed.
“I know.” Gabriel sighed.
“Not only that, but Anna’s my friend, and the boss asked for me.” I choked on my outrage before continuing on. “If he expects little old me and gets Feds instead, he might hurt Anna. He will hurt Anna.”
“We discussed that,” Gabriel said with a sigh. “They called it a necessary casualty or something.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. We couldn’t just leave Anna there. I couldn’t. But there was nothing I could do.
“I’m sorry, Lisbeth. I tried throwing in my two cents a couple of times, but—”
“But it’s not your place. I get it,” I said, waving away his apology. There was a sting in my eyes. I blinked quickly. “Well, I guess you did your part now, right? Are you going to pick up your bike and disappear like you promised?”
Gabriel gave me a hard look, his face shadowed in the light of the half-moon. Ice pierced my heart when I realized how harsh I’d sounded, but I didn’t regret it. In just a few days, we’d been through a lot together. Surely, that had to mean something to him, somewhere in the pit of that black soul of his.
“No.”
I frowned. “What?”
“No,” Gabriel said. He stepped forward, grabbed my arms, and dropped his voice. “Listen. They are thinking about striking tomorrow morning. But we could get to Anna before they do.”
My eyes widened. “What exactly are you saying?”
Gabriel stared into my eyes. “I’m saying you, me, and Adrian. We show up wherever they’re stashing Anna and get her back.”
I was afraid to blink. My heart pounded away, making me dizzy and hypersensitive. Even the wind beating against a rusty truck in the parking lot held the threat of something sinister. I clenched my teeth nervously.
“Do you have a plan?” I finally asked.
For once, Gabriel’s expression faltered. “I do,” he said. “It might be a stupid one, but I do have a rough plan.”
“Okay, we can work on it, then,” I said. “So then, why change your mind? Why do you want to help me all of a sudden?”
Gabriel bit his lip. “Because.”
I saw the guilt in his eyes when he averted his gaze. And then, I realized it. Gabriel had a stake in this, too, but it wasn’t Anna. It was his hometown club, the Laughlin Kings. If the FBI conducted a raid, or whatever they planned on doing tomorrow, there was a chance the Laughlin MC would be swept up along with the dirt of the True North gang. And that included his brother, Jameson.
Chapter 13
Gabriel, Adr
ian, and I sneaked off while the others still had their heads stuck together. My pulse ticked away in my throat as I gripped my hands, almost as if I intended to pray. I still had that burner phone in my bag. If anything, I could’ve called that number to tell them we were on our way. For some reason, though, I just felt like showing up unannounced would’ve given us some sort of advantage. Gabriel and Adrian agreed with me.
“How will we find them?” Adrian asked as he drove us through the Mojave Desert landscape.
“I know where they are,” I said. I’d always known. During my time with True North, I’d been one of the few allowed to see the place for myself.
“So? Where is it?” Gabriel asked.
“The boss—the guy in charge of running things in Vegas—has a private villa in Henderson. It’s on an acre lot with a security gate and everything. It’s perfect for stashing someone, and the driveway has plenty of parking for as many Harleys as he wants.” I gave Gabriel a knowing look.
“Great,” Adrian said. “So what? We just drive up and ring the doorbell?”
“No,” Gabriel said. “We need to think things through first.”
“But you have a plan, right?” I said.
Gabriel was silent for a moment. I recalled the moment from earlier. It might be a stupid one, but I do have a rough plan. Something tightened in my stomach. How stupid was stupid, exactly?
“Let’s stop at that diner so we can talk,” Gabriel suddenly said, pointing at a passing billboard.
* * *
“This is fine. You can drop us off here,” I said.
The cab driver pulled over at a stop sign. Other than a dirt road disappearing over the crest of a hill and the villa estate beyond, it would be the last sign of civilization for miles. Gabriel paid the driver and we got out.
“It’s that way,” I said, beginning our trek up the hill.
Gabriel hesitated before I heard the crush of gravel under his boots. I deliberately shortened my steps so he could catch up, but it took him an unusually long time before he did. I wondered if he was trying to avoid me by any means possible. The thought made me nervous, and any time I got nervous, I laughed.
Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella Page 7
