Chapter 7
Priest
A few days after the girl showed up, a knock on my office door joined the pounding drumline in my head, making me curse under my breath. “What?”
Bones walked in, eyebrows raised as if to ask, who pissed in your Cheerios ? I rolled my eyes and gestured to the laptop on my desk, pushing it in his direction. My cell phone was cradled between my cheek and shoulder as I searched the desk drawer for Tylenol. Running on caffeine, rage, and about two hours of sleep was taking its toll, but I had to figure out who the hell this girl was before it drove me mad. I waited on hold with my contact in the Reno Police Department. Los Cuervos made their home near the small town of Sagebrush, situated southeast of Reno and northeast of Carson City. We had an officer on the payroll in Reno, but our hookup with Carson City PD died last year, and we haven’t been able to find a replacement for him yet.
I heard the call click over from the hold I had been placed on.
“Mr. Abbott, are you still there?” I heard the click of a lighter before the soft inhale of Officer Perkins taking a drag on his cigarette. He wasn’t bad as far as cops went, but he was dirty, so I guess maybe he wasn’t that great either.
“Yeah, Perkins, you got anything for me?”
“No one resembling the picture you sent me matches up with a missing persons report. Her DNA sample is being analyzed now, but it may take a while to come back. If we get a hit, I’ll let you know.”I grunted my acknowledgment and ended the call. Rolling my neck, I tried to release the tension there. I knew it would take time to get results back from her hair sample, but I had zero patience where she was concerned. This entire nightmare of a situation needed to be put to rest so we could try to move on. It’d been two years since Ellis had been taken from us, and now that Slyzec was dead, I just wanted to be able to try to find a modicum of peace even though I knew I didn’t deserve it.
Bones looked me over from his seat on the couch. “You look like shit, man.”
“When I need beauty tips and tricks, I’ll fucking ask for them, asshole. Why are you here?” I wasn’t usually such a dick, but Bones was like an honest-to-God brother to me, and I knew he would let it roll off his back.
“Thought you might want to know, plates on the van came back as stolen off a truck from Vegas. We knew Slyzec had been in the area before, so that doesn’t come as a surprise. Considering the piece of shit who drove it, the van is in fine condition. I have Prospect changing the oil and putting new tires on, all that stuff.” Bones told the girl he’d take care of her van, and he always followed through. A man was only as good as his word, and Bones was always true to his.
I checked the time on my phone, surprised to see it was already after eight o’clock in the evening.
“It’s late, man, toma un descanso . There’s a burger at the bar with your name on it.” Bones slapped me on the back as he headed to the door, knowing I’d follow. I couldn’t pass up a burger, and he knew it. Honestly, I couldn’t remember eating anything since dinner the previous day, and I had been working on discovering the identity of our unwanted guest all day. My mom used to tell Ellis and me that fresh eyes shed new light; maybe if I took a break, I’d notice something different. Some connection between her and this whole mess. I didn’t believe in coincidences.
Walking down the hallway from my office, Bones and I entered the clubhouse common room to hear “Raise Hell” by Dorothy playing on the Bluetooth speakers placed throughout the room and connected to our digital jukebox. This song was one of Ellis’s favorites, and the melody brought back fond memories. My mind flashed to the time she and Lennon went to prom, and all the brothers showed up with boutonnieres in their cuts to take pictures with them in this very room. I’d never seen all the guys here so clean; I remember laughing with Bard when Ace, one of the old-timers who came back from Vietnam with a chip on his shoulder the size of Nevada, showed up after having his hair cut and his grizzly mountain man beard shaved. I think it was the first time I had ever seen the man’s whole face. The memory of a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, but then I remembered that I’d never see Ellis all dolled up like that at her wedding…or looking exhausted but proud when she had her first baby…or any of the other landmark occasions that lit up a person’s life like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Not to mention all the little moments…
The smile faded before it even really got a chance to live on my lips. Cut off prematurely, just like Ellis’s life.
I stomped over to the bar and sat. Lennon set a plate with my favorite bacon double cheeseburger in front of me. One look at my face had her pouring two fingers of my favorite scotch whiskey, Glenmorangie. She patted my hand before turning to serve the next brother down the bar. I started eating my burger way too quickly, suddenly feeling famished.
Between bites, I scanned the room. Bear was back from visiting our Arizona chapter and dealing with a hiccup in the books at one of the casinos we had a stake in. He was seated with Bard at the other end of the bar, probably going over whatever he found. Pyro and Tank were busy sticking their tongues down the throats of two club girls over on the couches. Ratched was throwing darts, and Thor, Bones, Erica, and the new club girl…W something…Wendy maybe…were at the pool table on the left. At the table on the right, my eyes came to a screeching halt in their perusal. Prospect, Mindy, Cricket, and her were playing a game of pool. Not only was she laughing and having a fun time in my club, but she was doing it wearing one of Ellis’s goddamn shirts. I saw red.
The Girl
I didn’t know hitting little balls with sticks could be so much fun! I mean, I liked kicking balls, but I’d never been handed a stick specifically for hitting little billiard balls. I had a ball-whacking stick when I shared a dumpster with Creepy Steve, but I wasn’t a choosy Carla. I’d whack anything with it that tickled my fancy. Cricket explained the rules to me in a blah-blah voice, so I ignored what he said in favor of doing whatever I wanted, which was just so typical of me. I snickered to myself as I called par four and swatted the shiny yellow ball into a pocket.
“TOUCHDOWN!” After my victory lap and a very confused-looking high five from Prospect ( I’d be in awe of a noob player like me absolutely dominating the game like this if I were him too ), I set up my next shot but missed the black ball I was aiming for. I handed my ball stick to Mindy, who sneered at me as she took it as snootily as possible.
Mindy was short. Despite her sky-high plastic heels, they could only get her to my height. She wore a black halter top with some kind of bunny on it and a red miniskirt. Walking around the table and snapping her gum, Mindy bent over right in front of Cricket to line up her shot. She squinted one eye to aim and hit the white ball, making it knock the blue stripe ball into the left corner pocket. She gave me a smug smile while she took her sweet time walking back around the table to my side to hit her next ball.
“Why don’t you let me show you how a real woman does it, Girl.” Mindy took her next shot, sinking the ball with the yellow stripe into another pocket. I frowned at Mindy, wondering what her problem was, when an enraged Priest came stomping over to our table and snarled, “ Who the fuck do you think you are?” in his growly voice. I looked at him in shock.
“What the hell, Priest? Don’t act like you don’t know who Mindy is! She’s been a club girl for a very long time, judging by those crow’s feet.”
Mindy gasped, but I don’t know how she could pretend to be surprised. It was dim in here, but it wasn’t dark. You could see those crow’s feet from outer space.
“He’s talking to you, dumb bitch,” she hissed.
Oh, well, now I was really confused.“Priest, I’m Girl. We met the other day. Do you not remember? Oh my Bob, Cricket call 911. I think Priest is having a stroke. Priest! Do you know how old you are? Can you tell me who the president is? Not Duke, the other one. Can you smell purple, Priest?” I looked around to make sure he wasn’t bleeding from his ears or nose or whatever else happened when someone had a stroke or heart attack.
Priest snarled at me and grabbed my arm in a punishing grip. “ What the hell gives you the right to touch her things? Wear her clothes? You’re nothing but fucking trash!” I tried to wrench my arm away from Priest, and I was about two seconds from acquainting his balls with my stick when Bones appeared at Priest’s side.
“ Hombre, let the girl go. It’s not her fault. Lorna said she was getting some clothes together to give to her, and I didn’t think to mention it. I didn’t know she’d give her anything of… hers. Por favor, no hagas algo de lo que te arrepientas. ” Bones put a hand on Priest’s shoulder, but my eyes were locked on Priest’s. He was obviously upset, but his countdown timer to destruction in my mind was t-minus ten seconds from sounding off and triggering the armageddon I’d unleash if he didn’t get his hand off me.
With great effort, Priest peeled his fingers from my forearm like they were magnetic, and my arm was steel. Bones gently nudged him backward, away from me. The entire clubhouse was silent; even the music had been stopped while we had our standoff. I refused to break eye contact with Priest. He didn’t know it, but I was about to be super magnanimous with him. Usually, anyone who grabbed me like that, especially someone radiating rage and resentment, would be lying in a puddle of their own blood and excrement. I’d eviscerate anyone who tried to hurt me ever again. I swore when I ran from the Callahans that my new life wouldn’t resemble my old life in any way, shape, or form. No one was allowed to hurt me or use me anymore.
Breathing out slowly to unclench my murder urges, I spoke to Priest. Bones was still slowly backing him away from me, and Priest’s eyes were locked with mine.
“Growly, I know you’re hurting. Bad. I’ve had hurt like that in me. I’ve had hurt and angry and sad wrap their fingers around my throat and squeeze. I don’t know why you’re so mad at me, but I’ll let it go. This. One. Time. The next time you touch me in anger is the last time you touch anything.” I heard Mindy’s sharp inhale of breath next to me, and Cricket backed away from me. Cowardly Cricket. We’d have to address that. Prospect shifted from foot to foot nervously, and the rest of the club seemed to hold their breath as they waited to see how Priest would react to my statement.
“That will be the one and only time you ever threaten me in my own club, bitch.”
I held his eyes with mine for a moment more before I reached down to the bottom hem of the faded Los Cuervos T-shirt and pulled it over my head. Next, I shimmied the cutoff shorts down over my hips and stepped out of them. If he wanted the clothes I was wearing so badly, he could have them.
Bones hissed and stepped away from Priest and toward me, looking concerned and pissed off all at once. Priest still looked like he was barely hanging on by a thread, but I was out of fucks to give.
Wearing only a bra and panties, I stepped into Priest's personal space on my tippy-toes and whispered, “Yes, it will be. I won’t have to tell you twice.” My lips skimmed his jawline below his ear. “You’ll be dead.”
All eyes were on me as I held my head up high and walked toward the stairs. I knew as soon as I got to my room, my adrenaline would wear off, and the shakes would start, but until then, I had to be a boss chick. I heard muttering and gasps as the club girls and brothers took in my damage, whispering to themselves and wondering out loud how it was possible for someone to be so fucked up. They didn’t know the half of it, and hopefully, they never would.