19. Skyler
19
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“Excuse me,” A low gravely, voice pulls me from my thoughts. The man sitting at the counter beside me, is wearing worn Metallica shirt and a leather jacket. Something about him looks familiar, but I can’t quite place him in my mind and the vibe he puts off says he’s up to no good.
He’s a tall, broad-shouldered man who looks to be maybe a few years older than me. “You’re George Sinclair’s daughter, Skyler, right?” His dark eyes study my features. I watch as his gaze travels over my body. A shiver runs down my spine, only not the kind I get when Ethan’s eyes traverse my body. This guy’s scrutiny gives me an unwanted, creepy feeling.
“Uh, do I know you?”
“I’m sorry. My name’s Arthur. I worked with George. We were all sad to hear about his passing,” Arthur reaches for the countertop with is tattooed hands, settling himself on the stool beside me. “I hope you don’t mind. I saw a picture of you in his truck once. I thought I recognized you sitting here and wanted to offer my condolences.”
He seems sincere, but I can’t help but feel like something’s off with this situation.
“So, George said you were living with family out of state. How long have you been away from Oak Ridge?” Arthur flags down Misty ordering himself black coffee. When he turns his head, I notice what looks like a devil tattoo on the side of his neck. Austin makes eye contact with me from where he sits a few seats away, his brows furrowed as he starts tapping on his phone. I give a subtle shake of my head silently asking him not to make a scene.
Arthur could be someone who Daddy worked with, but I never heard his name mentioned. The other thing sending up red flags is the way he suggested I had been away with family. Anyone who knew us, knew Mama had passed on and Daddy and I only had each other and Ghost. This man is clearly lying.
Not wanting Arthur to know I’m on to his lies, I play along with his assumptions.
“I was staying with my uncle and his wife for a bit up north until I got the call about Daddy passing.” I sip my coffee, making eye contact with Patsy who’s whispering in Austin’s ear while shuffling Misty into the kitchen.
Shit. He’s texting the calvary, I’m sure of it.
Arthur places something on the counter beside my mug and says, “I thought you might want this. It seemed like it might have been special to George.” He pulls his hand back to reveal a red, white, and black beaded keychain with the words “I love you Daddy” spelled out in colored alphabet beads.
I made the keychain for Daddy the Christmas after Mama died. We didn’t have a lot of money at the time, so I made his gifts with things I found around the house. He told me it meant more than a store-bought present because I had taken the time to make it with my own two hands. He hung it from the rearview mirror in the cab of his truck as a reminder to drive careful because he had me waiting on him at home.
I pick up the keychain noticing it’s been cut from its place of honor, not untied the way Daddy would’ve done it.
Shit.
I don’t know if Arthur was there the night Daddy was killed or if he’s just the messenger sent to scare me, but either way, he’s done his job. I’m terrified. I do my best to tamp down my fear and answer with a simple, “thank you,” then pull my gym bag around to my lap and put it in the front pocket.
“Would you like to know how I got that?” I’m pretty sure I know the answer to his question. My stomach wrenches as my breakfast threatens to make a reappearance.
What the hell am I going to do to get out of here?
The chimes sound above the door as Jayde walks into the diner, distracting us from our conversation. She looks nervous as she walks to where Austin is at the end of the counter. A large burly looking man walks in a few steps behind her. It’s when I see his leather cut that I realize why she’s nervous.
He’s not one of the Kings.
The stranger heads toward the far booth. It’s then I notice the patch on his back. Devil’s Order.
Fuck.
Austin notices it too, immediately pulling out his phone. He’s busy typing away, talking quietly to Jayde, while Patsy disappears into the kitchen. I’m assuming to get Gus or call Gabe.
It’s a bold move to come in here wearing those colors.
Bold and suicidal.
They killed Daddy. He told me to come home where Gabe could keep me safe because Daddy knew they would be coming for me.He must not have thought they’d look for me here. The fingers of fear grip me once again. A fist tightening around my throat making it harder and harder to breathe.
Shit. Think Sky. They found me. But what do they know? And who is going to help me?
I start cataloguing everything I notice about him, the restaurant, the cars outside. I scan everything making mental notes as quickly as I can.
His dark hair is a little overdue for a cut. Dark, nearly black eyes that appear to be too big for his face with how sunken in his cheeks are. Scraggily beard, not too long, but not taken care of either. Lean build. Small solid white plugs filling the holes in both earlobes. Black Metallica T-shirt. Dark blue jeans. Black boots. Silver skull ring. Tattoo of a devil on his neck. It’s the same one on the other guy’s cut.
Arthur’s eyes follow mine as his friend calls Misty over to take his order. Jayde stands near Austin. He’s whispering something to her while continuing to type on his phone. Jayde turns away from him and comes to stand behind me wearing a fake smile and a look that says, “we need to get the fuck out of here now.”
“Hey, Sky. You just about ready? They’re waiting for us at the gym.” Arthur’s eyes narrow, dancing between mine and Jayde’s no doubt trying to figure out what’s going on.
Patsy comes strolling through the kitchen door with a coffee pot acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary. She fills cups as she passes them for other customers at the counter, stopping when she gets to me.
“Frank’s finishing up the order for the boys. Did I hear right? You girls are going to take it to them, Jayde?”
“Oh, yeah. I have some other errands to run today and it’s on my way so, I said we’d drop it off. I was just coming to ask Skyler to help me with running my errands. I could use the extra set of hands.”
“Sure. I can help. No problem.”
“You ladies will be ready to go here in about ten minutes,” Patsy says, never taking her eyes off mine. I know what she’s saying. Jayde’s my ride out of here and the Kings will be here in ten minutes. The ‘errands’ we’re running is to get our asses the hell out of here.
“Oh, uh, could you get me a box to take what’s left of mine with me? I’ll eat it later.” Patsy tops off Arthur’s coffee with a smile, then picks up my plate. She’s the epitome of calm.
“I’ll box it up for you, honey. Be right back,” she says as she walks away.
“You went to Oak Ridge High with a kid named Chase Matthews, right?” Arthur tilts his head, rubbing his hand over his scruffy beard.
“We both went to Oak Ridge.” Jayde say gesturing between the two of us. “I don’t know anyone by that name.” Jayde answers nonchalant like we’re having an everyday normal conversation with a friend, but I can see the tremble in her hands and the uncertainty in her eyes. She’s worried we won’t get out of here before something bad happens.
“How about you, Miss Sinclair? Do you remember a boy named Chase Matthews?” My breath catches. Everything stops for a moment while my mind takes me back to the night Emily was killed.
“If you would’ve kept your nose out of other people’s business none of this shit would be happening. I wouldn’t have to punish you. God damnit! You, stupid bitch! What did you think you would accomplish by ratting on my brother? Now I have to figure out a way to explain to Spider why he has two bodies to dispose of. Fuck!”
“She texts me to come get her. I was coming to pick her up when I saw you load her in the back of the car. I thought you were taking her to the hospital, so I followed you.”
“You though I was taking her to the hospital? Jesus you’re na?ve. Emily was right, you are too good and pure to corrupt, but I bet if I got you hooked like I did her, you’d turn one hell of a profit. Maybe I should sample you first to be sure.”
“Miss Sinclair?” Arthur says my name in a low gravelly voice laced with irritation.
I work to get my breathing back under control trying hard not to give away how scared I truly am. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking back to Chemistry class. I believe Chase and I might have been lab partners once.” I take a drink of my coffee, glancing past his shoulder noticing Austin peaking from around the corner of the hallway leading to the restrooms. He has his phone to his ear.
We didn’t have any classes together since Chase dropped out of school.
“So, you two were friends then?”
“Not exactly. We shared a class or two, but that was all. He was a jock. I was a book nerd. Our circles didn’t really mingle much,” I tell him, my voice a little shaky.
Fuck. Focus on the room Sky.
I have to remind myself to keep calm. I need something to ground me. I can’t think about the memories of the sick bastard, or the things he did. I need to stay calm, alert, and figure out how to get out of here without making things any worse.
“Well, Chase went missing six years ago. The night that poor girl was murdered. About the same time, you disappeared, if I’m not mistaken. Chase’s brother went to jail on drug charges and Chase, he disappeared shortly after a graduation party the same night. Strange, no one seems to know where he may have gone or why. I was hoping you could help me out with that.”
“Me?” I pretend to be confused. “I haven’t seen him in years. The last time I can think of was our Chemistry class.” I shrug, taking another sip of water.
“It seems the last time anyone saw him, he was with his girlfriend and her best friend. I’ve recently learned his girlfriend was Emily Anderson, the dead girl, and her best friend was one, Miss Skyler Sinclair.” My heart pounds in my ears. My stomach drops. Shit. He knows.
He leans forward on his elbows taking up most of the space between us. “I thought since you two were the last people anyone remembers seeing him with before he vanished, maybe you might remember something about that night that would help me find him.”
I swallow hard, wrinkling my forehead as if it’s difficult to recall the worst night of my life. The one night in my entire life, I wish never happened. Looking him straight in the eye I reply, “You know what? You’re right. I do remember we went to a graduation party with the rest of the senior class. He and Emily went upstairs to be alone, and I left the party early to pack. I left the next morning before sunrise to visit family on my way to college. I had a scholarship myself for academics.” I smile.
“I see. What college did you go to?”
Stunned, I choke out, “W-what?”
He leans in a little closer, his breath reeks of coffee and stale cigarettes. “What college did you say you went to?”
“Oh, I, uh, that is…I didn’t make it to college. I was taking care of family out of state. I plan to reapply soon.” I lie. Shit.
“Well, let me tell you what I do know.” He leans even closer, placing his hand on my knee. I glance at his hand, then back to his face, raising a brow at him. He smirks, giving my leg a firm squeeze. Jayde looks at him then back to me not sure what she should do.
Over Arthur’s shoulder I see movement near the hallway, a flash of leather disappearing around the corner. I sit back leaning into my seat creating as much space as I can, reaching down slowly to grab my gym bag. My stomach in knots. I feel my chest tightening. I’m not waiting for the guys. I need to get out of here.
“From what I hear, your friend was quite the crank whore. One of Chase’s best customers and his most sought after, whore. She was down for anything if it meant she could get her fix.” His lips curl into a sinister smile as he licks his lips staring at my chest. One hand around the strap of my bag the other in my lap, I clench them both into fists so hard my nails are digging into my palms.
“She got herself hooked. Fucked a few of my friends at the party, then eventually pumped so much shit into her body, she took her own life.” My heart is pounding in my ears, rage filling my veins at his explaining away her death as her own fault. “Our sources say, you knew about her little habit and decided to tell the police that it was Chase that pumped her veins full of drugs then dumped her body. Spider was arrested while Chase was sent to find you and set you straight about what really happened. To ask you to tell the police the truth as it were.”
His hand on my leg creeps up further. His jacket opens to reveal a gun on his hip.
I only need one shot. One strike.
“Now the interesting thing about this whole story is how you have strong ties to the Kings MC. A fact apparently Chase neglected to tell us. So, you can imagine the conclusions the Devils have come to about Chase’s disappearance, can’t you?” He leans forward, glaring. “Of course, you can. You’re a smart girl.”
“I must not be that smart, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Looking around the diner once more, trying to plot our exit, I notice Austin and the other man in the Devil’s cut are both nowhere to be seen. Jayde is standing quietly behind me, her face pale, eyes wide and afraid. Patsy starts walking toward me at a quick pace. As she reaches my seat, she tosses a bag full of to go boxes on the counter in front of me. I see a glint of metal as she slides a small paring knife across the counter hidden by the mountain of food boxes. I reach for the knife, making eye contact with Patsy.
“You two best be getting on with the food. The men will be expecting it to be hot and ready.”
Jayde grabs the bag, making eye contact with me. Her eyes shift to the door. The roar of motorcycles not too far down the road catches our attention. The momentary distraction is all I need. Arthur’s grip on my leg tightens. I slam the knife into the back of his hand. He releases my leg, grabbing for the knife to remove it.
I stand up with my bag in hand turning for the door. Arthur’s attention comes back to me. He moves to grab my arm standing up to stop me.
It’s all I need.
“We aren’t done here, Miss Sinclair,” he growls.
I stomp my foot on the inseam of his. His face drops to where I’m still standing on his foot, and with my other hand, I strike. My fist connecting with his jaw. His hands fly to his face.
“You fucking bitch! Spider’s going to kill you!”
I shove Jayde’s arm to get her moving. She drops the bag of food. Arthur is on our heels. Shoving her to the floor, I move her behind the podium near the diner’s entry. The sounds of chairs scaping, and women screaming fill the diner, as people duck under tables and shots are being fired behind us.
“Go!” Jayde’s frozen for a split second, not sure who’s shooting or which way to go. The motorcycles are getting louder. I grab Jayde’s arm, dragging her to feet, shoving her out the front door.
I hear Patsy shouting for someone to call an ambulance as the door closes behind us.
I don’t look back, keeping ahold of Jayde. The stomping of boots comes from behind us, then Arthur grabs me by my wrist, my bag hits the ground, and I find myself pulled into a loose headlock.
“You bitch!”
I yell for Jayde. “Go! Get to the car!”
I manage to get my hands between my throat and Arthur’s arm. His other hand trying to lock his choke hold. I let my weight drop like a rag doll taking Arthur with me. He loosens his hold with our fall. With my elbow, I punch him in the groin twice. His hold loosens even more allowing me to get free. He’s trying to get to his feet when his face meets my knee. He topples on his ass and before he can right himself, I pick up my bag, and take off for Jayde’s purple mustang.
Never again.
“Start the car! Let’s go!” I crank the door open and fall into the passenger’s seat, slamming the door behind me.
“Go! Go! Go!” Jayde hits the gas, squealing the tires as we go. We pull out of the drive past the front entrance, where a line of bikes is pulling into the lot. One breaks off formation following Jayde’s car.
“Keep driving! Don’t stop until I tell you!” Jayde’s only response is to nod. She’s probably going into shock. She’s driving purely by muscle memory. Her eyes scan the road, but she’s not seeing anything. She’s on autopilot.
I hate leaving Austin behind, not knowing if it was him or the other guy who was hurt. But I trust the Kings can handle their own shit. I need to focus on Jayde and getting us out of here.
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