Chapter 34 #2
“That poisoning someone is statistically something a woman does.”
Everyone goes quiet as they process that. “Tina gets sick and needs picking up, and then Kiki gets run off the road the one time she’s alone? Either someone was watching her, or someone already knew what was happening.”
“And the poisoning angle makes you think it’s a woman?” Crane frowns.
“I’m not thinking anything in particular, just trying to put the pieces together.”
“Well, Amity and Nevaeh didn’t do shit. And Lil, Legs, and the rest of the club girls seem to be the targets. So who the fuck does that leave?” Kruger grunts.
“Club girls are not popular with anyone but the brothers as a general rule, though Lil and Legs are special. Back in the day, old ladies and bunnies did not mix because they were aware that they might all be sleeping with the same man. I nixed that shit. You wanna cheat on your old lady? The woman you swore to protect, and expect me to trust you? Fuck that,” Havoc snaps.
Blade sighs. He and Inigo rolled in a couple of hours ago for church and to touch base, leaving King to watch over Sunshine and Conan.
“Yes, how very progressive of you. But if men are going to cheat, they’ll cheat. If they’re breaking vows they made, what makes you think breaking the vow they made to Ravens would make any difference?” Blade states, explaining in a roundabout way why he didn’t make a similar rule.
“The difference is I can plow my fist into someone’s face without them crying about it.”
I snort like he ever needs an excuse like that, and a couple of others are doing the same.
“So, getting back on track…let’s say it’s not someone from the clubhouse but someone connected to the clubhouse. Like a disgruntled ex or a hangaround?” G questions.
I shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t even know why I’m focusing on it. It’s just bugged me since Legs mentioned it.”
“If you take the poison away, it feels like a man. I know that’s sexist as fuck, but I would never have fingered a woman for this,” Mac says, making Toot chuckle.
“Sounds like that might be what caused the issue.”
He groans when Mac punches him.
“Women can be aggressive, too. They’re capable of more shit than we give them credit for. Look at Amity,” G points out.
I nod, agreeing with that. She takes no shits and is part ninja. “Yeah, good point. But Amity is an anomaly. I wouldn’t say women in the MC are submissive to us men, but they do have to bend more than we do.”
“I can run a few basic checks, but without anything solid to go on, I’m flying blind here. Exes and hookups are plentiful, and that’s just the ones you can all remember,” G complains like he was a boy scout before Amity.
“See what you can do. Whoever it is has plenty of time on their hands if they are able to actively stalk the women. It’s been early morning now, nighttime, and evenings. It makes me wonder if this asshole even has a job,” Havoc points out.
“Alright, that’s it for now until G can finish digging. But keep your ears to the ground. Club girls might be the target now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t go after the rest of us later.” He bangs the gavel to call an end to the meeting before we all file out.
Blade and Inigo are in front of me, and though I want to blow them off and head back to Legs, I can’t. I follow them to a table in the back, just as G catches up to me.
“I got that info you wanted.” He hands me a sheet of paper.
I scan it over and take in the information.
“The owner of Deli’s Diner is Delly Anders.
She lives above it and bought the place a little under three years ago.
She pays her taxes on time and lives within her means.
By all accounts, she has a relatively boring life, judging by her purchases.
You want me to dig deeper?” he asks as I pull out the seat at the table.
“She seems pretty clean, but I don’t know.
If shit weren’t happening, I’d let it go.
But I’m suspicious of the timing of everything.
She’s a constant in Legs’s life now. From what Legs has said, they’ve grown close.
Now I know Legs is pretty damn social, but she acts like this woman is her long-lost sister or something.
Hell, she was living with her until I made her move back in with me. ”
“Women aren’t as emotionally stunted as the rest of us,” Blade states, clearly listening in.
I look at him in question, Inigo beside him, smirking at my confusion.
“I have zero doubts she could make a friend like that and let her in, because it’s what she’s been craving. I won’t rehash the details again, but when she left Ravens, she didn’t just lose you. She lost everyone.”
“She didn’t lose us, Blade.” G grunts.
“You might have texted or called, but she lived with an MC for years. And now, all of a sudden, she’s alone. Imagine how quiet it must be. I can see why she’d latch on to a new friend and maybe deepen that friendship faster than one might normally develop.”
I think about it and realize he’s right. It guts me to think about her being sad and alone in that place. It wasn’t what I wanted for her—not even close. I just didn’t know how to dig us both out of the hole I’d made.
Thankfully, Inigo changes the subject, and we shoot the shit for an hour or so.
Some of the other brothers join us before I hit my limit.
I get to my feet and grab the papers off the counter before making my excuses to leave.
I walk across the room and stop for a minute when Kiki steps up in front of me.
“You want some company, Midas?”
“No. I’m off the market. And you should be resting.”
“I’m fine. What do you mean you’re off the market?”
But before I can answer, I see it click in her brain.
“Legs.”
I nod to confirm she’s right. She grits her teeth and fists her hand before the fight just leaves her.
“So she’s coming back?”
“Only as my old lady.” I won’t say the rest, but I don’t need to. She can put the rest together.
“Right, well, good luck. I’m going to try my luck with Circus,” she mumbles the last part before walking off.
I walk out, checking out the notes once more. I run my hand over my face as I get to my bike, shove my helmet on my head, and rev up my engine. I climb on and take off, needing to be back with Legs. But before I know it, I’m heading in the wrong direction.
I have to check it out. Otherwise, it will be like having an itch I can’t scratch. I don’t know what my plan is, but something tells me that if I want any answers, I need to do it now.
I don’t bother letting Legs know that church is over, because she’ll only have questions about where I am, and I’m not ready to admit I’m a fucking fool.
If Legs finds out where I’m going, she’ll be pissed.
Hell, I doubt pissed will cover it. I’ll likely undo all the progress we’ve made, but I can’t ignore the niggling of my gut instinct that something is off about this whole damn thing.
By the time I get there, the diner is closed. I circle the area before pulling over a little farther down than I normally would, not wanting my bike to alert her. I text Powers to let him know I’ve got caught up with something and I’ll be back as soon as possible, and not to leave Legs alone.
He texts back a thumbs up, so I put my cell away and climb off my bike.
I use the chain I keep in my saddle bag to attach my helmet to my bike before walking down the street to the back of the diner.
I see a light on in the apartment, so I make my way upstairs toward it.
I’m surprised the diner is closed until I remember Legs mentioning that it shuts early on Thursdays, which works out well for me.
I’m tempted to break in, but I’m sure the cops around here would be more than happy to haul me in for breaking and entering.
Instead, I knock on the door and stand just off to the side in case she has a camera pointed at me.
I wait for what seems like forever, so much so that I’m revisiting the breaking-in option when the door opens and a woman pokes her head out.
I move, pushing her inside before slamming the door closed behind me. She backs up, putting distance between us instinctively before she looks up, and my eyes clash with a set of familiar ones.
“You fucking bitch.”
“Midas? What are you doing here? Oh my god, is Hazel okay?” She hurries forward, freezing when she realizes the expression on my face shows I’m two seconds away from snapping her neck.
“I should have known. Del, short for Delphi, huh?”
She swallows, wrapping her arms around her. “I stayed away like you all told me to. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yeah, and this is all just a happy coincidence, right?”
“I get you’re pissed, but I really don’t know what you’re talking about. And you can’t just come here and—”
Her words are cut off when I stomp over to her and wrap my hand around her throat. “You think we’ll just forget you exist because Snake is dead?”
She looks at me wide-eyed.
“You stay the fuck away from Legs, or I’ll snap your neck myself like we should have done when we kicked you out.”
I let her go with a shove and stand, watching her uncaring when she stumbles backward.
“You want to come in here and accuse me of shit? Fine, whatever. It’s nothing I’m not used to from a Raven. But Hazel is my friend. I won’t abandon her because you fucking ordered me to,” she snaps back.
“Is that right?”
She glares at me. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Then so be it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I walk out, slamming the door behind me before I slip my cell phone out and dial Kruger.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Snake’s widow has resurfaced. She’s somehow become Legs’s boss and friend.”
“Fuck. You think she’s the woman messing with us, don’t you? She’d have more reason than most.”
“My thoughts exactly.” I reel off what I know and where she is.
“What do you want me to do?”
This is one of those moments when I can go to Havoc and ask permission and risk getting shut down or ask for forgiveness later.
Fuck it.
“Burn it down.”