Dice (Blackwings MC: Croftridge #3)

Chapter 15 – Dice

15

DICE

I was torn between staying with Daphne and going back to the clubhouse. I knew she would be okay with Flint. That was what he was there for after all, but that didn’t make leaving any easier.

Once I’d seen for myself that she was physically okay and didn’t seem to be too rattled from the encounter, I took off for the clubhouse, almost giddy with anticipation. After hitting multiple dead ends, we’d finally gotten our hands on someone who could give us some answers.

I walked into the clubhouse and headed straight for the basement, surprised to find it empty. Carbon and Mason left before I did, so they should have been back before me.

Hurrying upstairs, I checked the next likely place—church—but no one was in there either. A feeling of unease settled in my gut, as there was only one place left to check—the shed out back.

The lack of sound coming from the shed told me it was empty, but I opened the door and looked inside to be sure. I briefly wondered if they had gone to the farm instead, but I was sure Phoenix said to come to the clubhouse.

I pulled out my phone to call Phoenix when it rang in my hand with Ink’s name on the screen.

“Hey, man. Where is?—”

“We’re at the hospital,” Ink interrupted. “You should come up here.”

“The hospital? Why? What happened?”

“Carbon and Mason were in a car accident. They’re okay…ish. I’ll fill you in when you get here,” he said.

“I’m on my way.”

It felt like it took forever to get to the hospital. I hit every red light and repeatedly got stuck behind a slow driver. When I finally arrived, my nerves were shot.

Ink must have been watching for me because he stepped outside as I was walking through the parking lot.

“What in the hell’s going on?” I asked.

He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. “Carbon and Mason were run off the road by another car on the way back to the clubhouse. Mason was knocked out, but Carbon thinks he only lost consciousness for a few moments. He said he heard voices, and when he opened his eyes, their passengers were gone.”

“Did he get a look at the vehicle?” I asked hopefully.

“A light-colored sedan was all he could definitively say.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“I wish I was.”

“How are Carbon and Mason? You said they were okay, right?”

“Carbon’s arm might be broken. Mason has a concussion and a cut that needs stitches. Otherwise, they’re okay. Pissed, but okay.”

“I can’t fucking believe this. I mean, I can, but I can’t.”

“Before you get your knickers in a twist,” Ink said and held up a set of keys, “we’ve got a job to do.”

“What job?”

“We need to go get Lewis’s car and take it back to the clubhouse. We’ve already got a good bit of information on him, but Phoenix wants us to look through it and see if we can find anything useful,” he said and held up a set of keys.

“Where did those come from?”

“Mason searched Lewis while Carbon was getting Leah from the house. He knew we’d have to move the car, so he stuck them in his pocket.”

“That was good thinking. And seriously, knickers? What’s up with your word choices?”

He shrugged, “I’ve been streaming a British series. I like the way they talk.”

We took his truck back to the house Daphne had been showing. Surprisingly, the car was still parked in front of the house. I fully expected it to be gone when we arrived.

“You drive his car. Take the back roads, and don’t make any sudden stops or anything because I’m going to be right on your tail,” Ink said.

“Do you think I should check the trunk first?”

“Why?”

“Because the last time we confiscated a car to search, there was a body in the trunk.”

“Oh, right,” he said. “We’re going to have to move it either way, so it’s really a matter of if you’d rather know or remain oblivious.”

“Fucking hell,” I muttered. What a choice. “I think I’d rather not know.”

“Good. Now let’s get this show on the road.”

“Who put you in charge?”

“You did when you came walking through the parking lot looking dazed and confused.”

“I wasn’t?—”

“You can argue your point later. Let’s get out of here before someone shows up.”

“Fine,” I grumbled and got out of the truck.

Lewis’s car was cleaner than expected, and thankfully, didn’t smell like death. Exhaling in relief, I cranked the car and drove to the clubhouse, sticking to the back roads like Ink suggested.

We arrived at the clubhouse without incident and drove around to the back, parking behind one of the storage sheds. Ink parked his truck and walked over to the passenger side of Lewis’s car while I was still sitting in the driver’s seat. “Come on, man,” he said as he dropped into the seat. “Get your head in the game.”

“My head is in the game.”

“No, it isn’t. You’re distracted. You need to focus.”

I didn’t think I was distracted, but that was the second time he’d mentioned it. So, I made a conscious effort to focus on the task at hand. “I’ll take the console. You check the glove box.”

There was nothing in the center console other than the items one would expect to find.

“Well, what do we have here?” Ink said and held up a small pistol. “A gun with the serial number filed off.”

“I’m glad I didn’t know about that,” I said.

“Let’s see what ole Lewis has in the trunk.”

I popped the trunk and almost laughed when I saw the contents. “Could this be any more cliché?”

“I don’t think so, brother. A shovel, rope, tarp, and a roll of duct tape are about as cliché as it gets.”

Sighing, I closed the trunk, disappointed that we hadn’t found anything helpful. “What now?”

“Now we wait for everyone else to get back from the hospital.”

“We should’ve waited at the house with the car. He’d have to come back and get it.”

“We didn’t need to. We know who he is and where he lives. It may not seem like it right now, but we have the upper hand here.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I admitted. “I’m just … I’m fucking tired of this. I want some damn answers.”

“We’re going to get some. It may not be as fast as you’d like, but we will get answers.”

He was right. It wasn’t as fast as I would have liked. Several hours passed before Carbon and Mason were released from the hospital. Ink and I were sitting in the common room when everyone got back. Carbon entered the clubhouse like a pissed off bear. When his angry eyes landed on me, I furrowed my brows in confusion, wondering why he was upset with me.

“This is personal now for me, too,” he fumed. “They hurt my son, and in turn, upset my wife and my other children. Someone’s getting fucked up.”

“How is Mason?” I asked, more relieved than I cared to admit to not be the one his anger was directed at.

“I’m fine,” Mason said and stepped around his dad, allowing me to see a large gash across the top corner of his forehead. “I’ve got a killer headache, but they said that’s to be expected.”

“How many stitches did it take to close that?” Ink asked.

“Fifteen,” Harper said, sounding horrified. “That perfect face I made from scratch has fifteen stitches in it.”

“Mom,” Mason said. “It’ll be fine. My hair will cover most of it.”

“I wish you two would come home. Both of you need to take it easy for a few days,” Harper said.

“We just need to discuss a few things, and then you can take us home,” Carbon said. “Unless we get our hands on one of the people connected to this mess. Then I’ll be a bit longer.”

“I’m going to call your sister and see if she can talk some sense into you,” Harper huffed.

Carbon reached out and cupped Harper’s face with his good hand. “I’m fine, and I’ll keep a close eye on Mason. If I think he needs to leave, I’ll make sure he does. I know my limits, and I haven’t reached them yet. I promise I’ll let you know if I do. Okay?”

“Okay,” she acquiesced. “I’ll be in your room if you need me.”

“I didn’t think it needed to be said, but clearly it does,” Phoenix grumbled. “Church.”

Finally.

A feeling of guilt washed over me for being impatient. Carbon and his son had been hurt, but at the same time, Daphne was out there with who knew what kind of threat waiting to ambush her yet again. The only thing keeping me remotely in check was knowing that Flint was with her. Flint had proven himself time and time again, including merely a few hours before when he noticed Daphne’s client’s strange behavior and had Byte run his tag number.

Carbon bumped me with his good arm. “You’re champing at the bit. It’s understandable. You don’t have to hide it or feel bad about it.”

“I’m what?”

“Champing at the bit,” he repeated.

“You mean chomping,” I corrected.

“No, I mean champing. It’s a common mistake.”

“I’ve always heard chomping. What’s the difference?”

“More or less, the intent to swallow,” he said with a grin.

“You’re fucking with me.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “Look it up.”

I did, after I took my seat in church. “I’ll be damned,” I mumbled.

“Told you,” Carbon laughed.

“How in the hell did you know that?”

“I saw it on Edge’s word of the day calendar.”

Phoenix banged his gavel on the table and called the meeting to order. “We all know why we’re here, so I’ll get right to the point. We know two of the people connected to the events of this morning. We know where they live, and we have a vehicle that belongs to one of them. I was thinking we could have someone watch the residences. Once they return home, we can pick them up and bring them in for a chat. Anyone have any other suggestions?”

As much as I hated to have yet another wait-and-see scenario, I couldn’t think of any other options. Apparently, neither could anyone else.

“All right. We may have to rotate shifts, depending on how long they stay away from home. Diesel and Falcon are staying at Daphne’s house, Flint’s going to work with Daphne, and Mason’s out for at least a few days. So, any volunteers?”

“Duke and I will watch Lewis’s house,” Dash said.

“Me and Edge can watch the girl’s house,” Ink said.

“Thanks,” Phoenix said. “Let me be clear. Just watch. Call me when you have eyes on them. I don’t want a repeat of today, so we’re not going to give them a chance to notify anyone.”

“Do we know how they pulled that off?” I asked.

“Leah called someone when she was locked in the basement. The number goes to a burner. It’s still in service, but the voicemail isn’t set up, and no one answers when we call. I hate to say it, but it looks like they knew what they were doing to some extent.”

“Even if I have to do it one-handed, I’ll be happy to show them the error of their ways,” Carbon said.

“There was never any doubt,” Phoenix replied dryly, eliciting a few chuckles from the guys. “If no one has anything else, I think we’re finished.” He paused for a few beats to see if anyone spoke up. When no one did, he continued, “Enjoy the rest of your afternoon. Church dismissed.”

“What are you going to do for the rest of the afternoon?” Ink asked.

“I was going to head back to the garage and try to get some work done until Daphne gets off work. What about you?”

“I guess I’ll head over there, too. I should probably try to take a nap, but I’m not the slightest bit sleepy.”

“I appreciate you volunteering for the stakeout.”

“I wanted the guy’s house, but Dash beat me to it. I should’ve expected it with Mason being Duke’s nephew and all.”

“It’s not like you can do anything anyway,” I reminded him.

“That’s a good point. I can definitely keep myself in check with the chick, but I don’t know if I could have minded my manners, so to speak, with Lewis. I consider Daphne a friend, and I don’t like what he tried to do to my friend,” Ink said vehemently.

“I know what you mean. I would be more than happy to sit outside of Lewis’s house and wait for him to show up, but he likely wouldn’t be able to tell us anything when I was finished with him.”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Byte asked as he crossed the room with his laptop in his hand.

“Sure,” I said and looked around the common room. “Here?”

“Here’s fine,” he said and took a seat at the nearest table.

My best friend joined us at the table like he had every right to be there, and he did as far as I was concerned. He was just as invested in Daphne’s situation as I was.

“I haven’t had much time to do a thorough search, but I’ve already come across a few things that have caught my attention,” he said. “When I was looking at Leah’s phone records, I noticed a phone number she exchanges phone calls with a lot. She even called it today, not long after the accident. That phone number belongs to someone named Victoria Bell. According to Victoria’s social media accounts, she is friends with Daphne’s husband and has several mutual friends with Daphne. I don’t think it’s worth interrupting her at work, but will you ask Daphne if she knows Victoria Bell when she gets home from work?”

“Of course,” I said. “Anything else?”

“Not yet, but it’s still early,” he said hopefully.

“Thanks, man,” I said. “I’ll let you know what Daphne says.”

With that, Ink and I headed over to the garage to try and get some work done.

“How was the rest of your day?” I asked Daphne as soon as she walked in the door.

“Much better than the first part,” she said and slipped off her shoes. “We spent the afternoon looking at houses with the Potters. I think they may make an offer on one of the houses we saw today, which kind of sucks, because I really enjoy working with them. What happened with the Finleys, or the people pretending to be the Finleys?”

“That’s a bit of a long story,” I hedged. “Do you want to change and get settled before we get into all that?”

She scrunched her nose. “It sounds like I should. Am I going to need wine for this?”

“That might not be a bad idea. I’ll pour you a glass. Red or white?”

“Surprise me,” she said as she walked to the bedroom.

When she returned a few minutes later, she was dressed in a pair of leggings, an oversized hoodie, and fuzzy socks. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She looked comfortable, and she also looked sexy as hell. It was becoming increasingly harder to keep my feelings to myself. I’d already almost kissed her, and I’d been making a great effort to not let that happen again. Not that I didn’t want to. Because I very much did. But she had a lot going on, and she was still married. Personally, I didn’t have an issue with her situation, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about it, and I hadn’t had an opportunity to ask her about it.

“All right, let me have it,” she said. Picking up the glass of wine, I handed it to her, even though I knew that wasn’t what she was referring to. “Thanks,” she laughed, “but I meant the news, or whatever it is you’re going to tell me.”

I gestured to the couch. “Let’s sit.”

“You’re starting to make me nervous.”

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s been a long day, and we’re both tired. We might as well be comfortable.”

“Agreed,” she said and dropped onto the sofa.

“After Carbon and Mason left with Lewis and Leah, they were hit by another vehicle and pushed off the road. We think whoever was driving the other car was there to get Lewis and Leah, so we didn’t get to question them.”

“Wait. Carbon and Mason were in a car accident? Are they okay?”

“More or less. Carbon’s arm is broken. Mason has a concussion and a cut that needed stitches. But they’re okay otherwise.”

“They live on the farm, right? Can we go check on them or see if they need anything?”

“I’m sure they’re fine, but I’ll give Harper a call and ask.”

“I feel awful. This is all my fault.”

“This is not your fault. I can see why you would think that it is, but it isn’t,” I told her. “The fault lies with whoever is doing this, and that’s not you.”

“I know, but I still feel bad,” she admitted.

“That’s because you’re a good person.”

“Can you call Harper now?” she asked.

“I will in a few minutes. There’s a bit more.”

“I don’t know if I want to know anymore.”

“This part isn’t bad,” I said. She took a sip of her wine and gestured with her hand for me to continue. “Since we know where Lewis Hall and Leah Salt live, we’re going to watch for them to return home and bring them in for a chat when they do. In the meantime, Byte started looking into their backgrounds. He noticed something on Leah’s phone records and wanted me to ask you if the name Victoria Bell means anything to you?”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Daphne yelled. “Victoria Bell?”

“That’s what he said,” I said hesitantly. “I’m assuming you know her.”

Daphne’s face was filled with disgust. “She’s the woman Sean was having an affair with.”

“Was?” I asked. “So they’re not together anymore?”

“I said was because I didn’t think it would still be considered an affair since he and I are no longer together, but I honestly don’t know if they’re still in a relationship. I do know they have a child together. And since he refuses to divorce me, he’s made me a stepmother against my will!” she fumed.

Unable to stop myself, I laughed, causing Daphne’s angry eyes to focus on me. I held my hands up in surrender, still laughing. “I’m sorry, but that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. He made you a stepmother against your will.”

“Well, that’s exactly what he did. I have a stepchild out there, and I don’t even know its name,” she said and tried not to laugh.

“Did you just refer to your stepchild as it?”

“ It is a gender-neutral pronoun, and since I don’t know that either, it was the appropriate choice.”

“Oh, I wish Ink was here for this,” I laughed.

“I am,” Ink said, appearing from the kitchen, also laughing. “And thank fuck, because I was about to die in there.”

“I’m glad y’all think my life is amusing,” Daphne said. She was trying to seem mad and failing miserably.

Ink opened his arms wide. “Come here, stepmommy dearest. I think you need a hug.”

She tried to hide her face as she hugged him, but we could both see that she was laughing.

“Sorry,” Ink said. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s fine. Did you need something?” I asked. We’d had an open-door policy since we moved into our houses, so I didn’t care that he’d walked in unannounced, but I made a mental note to make sure I told Daphne about it.

“Yes. Edge and I are about to start our stakeout, but my nosy ass wanted to know if she knew Victoria Bell,” Ink said without an ounce of shame.

“Clearly, I do,” Daphne said. “I hope you enjoyed the show.”

“It was more than I could’ve hoped for,” Ink grinned.

“She goes by Tori,” Daphne said. “Tori Bell. I always thought it sounded like terrible , which is how I refer to her, when I must.”

“Tori Bell. Terrible,” Ink said. “You’re right. It does sound like terrible. I wonder if her kid has a stupid name, too.”

Daphne genuinely laughed. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“Let’s call the kid Taco.”

“Taco Bell,” Daphne said, bending at the waist and laughing so hard she wheezed. “You better not make me pee!”

Ink held his hands up in surrender. “I don’t think I have those powers.”

Daphne snorted and fell back onto the couch, wiping the tears leaking from her eyes. “I should not be laughing like this.”

“Yes, you should. It’s the best way to get through situations like this,” Ink said. “I guarantee I’ll be laughing when I snatch Terrible’s friend Leah from the comfort of her home.”

Daphne instantly sobered. “Please be careful. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt on my account.”

“I assume you’re referring to Carbon and Mason. Don’t beat yourself up about them. Carbon likes pain, and Mason begged Harper not to call in a plastic surgeon because he wanted the scar.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Can and am. The Walkers are tough motherfuckers.”

“Still, please be careful.”

“I will,” Ink promised.

“Do you think Tori has anything to do with what’s going on with you?” I asked after Ink left.

“I doubt it. I mean, he left me for her. I’m actively trying to divorce him. She won. Why would she want to hurt me?”

“Have you ever had any contact with her?”

“No. I’ve never met her or seen her in person. I know what she looks like because I snooped through her social media profiles after Sean confessed to the affair, but that’s it.”

“Did you find anything interesting on her accounts?”

She grinned. “I found enough evidence to support my claims of adultery. People really should be careful what they post online, or at the very least, make their accounts private.”

“After seeing what Byte can dig up online, I completely agree.”

“Can I ask you something else?”

“You just did,” she laughed. “But yes, go ahead.”

“What’s your relationship like with your mother?” I asked carefully.

She exhaled heavily. “Nonexistent would probably be the best way to describe it. We don’t get a long and never really have, but I stopped talking to her when she couldn’t accept the decisions and choices I made. She criticized my friends, my boyfriends, my career, the way I dressed, the way I did my hair. It got to a point where I couldn’t take it anymore, so I cut off all contact with her. It was hard to do, but I didn’t realize how much she stressed me out until she wasn’t there to do it anymore.”

“Do you think she has anything to do with what’s going on with you?”

Her answer was immediate. “Oh, no. She likes herself too much to do anything that would put her at risk for going to jail.”