17. Void
VOID
As I surveyed the aftermath of what happened at the diner in the afternoon light, I couldn’t help but be more impressed with my little demon.
None of us had been prepared for a truck to come crashing through the front doors.
My first instinct had been to protect her, even as she was tossing back the table to keep us all safe, acting on her built-in will to survive.
When she’d shared last night that she didn’t think she’d live this long, I was shocked—that woman didn’t know herself very well.
Not just anyone could do what she’s done in such a short amount of time, having no background in the criminal world.
“How sweet of you to come check on me today, Void. Are the others coming too?” Nelly asked as she sidled up to me.
I glanced down at her with disdain. She was the reason that Dax left us.
“I didn’t come because of you,” I corrected. “This diner is under our protection, and I wanted to get a look at the truck before it was taken away.”
I walked away and toward the smashed-up black truck, ignoring the huff of irritation.
“What’s that pink-haired slut got that I don’t?” she snarled. “And since when do you all share a woman? That’s just fucked up.”
I whipped around and stormed up to her, grabbing her by the throat, lifting her until she was on her tippy toes.
“Don’t you fucking talk like that about my little demon.
She is more woman than you will ever be, you spiteful bitch.
Eagle has never had eyes for you and acting like some damsel in distress isn’t going to do a goddamn thing for you.
Our woman is strong and proud, able to take care of herself, which you saw firsthand.
As a warning, if you ever talk like that in front of her, I’ll let her kill you. ”
Her eyes went wide at my threat, and she scrambled with her hands, trying to loosen my grip on her. “Let me go, Void. You wouldn’t hurt an innocent woman who’s under your protection.”
“Lucky for me, as of this moment, you’re not under our protection.
We won’t be coming back here ever again, and if I see you sniffing around, causing trouble for Dax, I’ll make sure that something worse than a truck through your building happens.
Don’t. Fuck. With. Our. Woman.” Dropping her to the ground, I gave her one last glare, knowing it could make a grown man pee himself, and left to do my job.
As far as I was concerned, anything else could wait until my little demon was back by my side raising hell.
Not knowing where she was or if she was safe was driving me insane and that didn’t bode well for anyone who got in my way.
I’d been dead serious last night when I said I’d leave the crew if it came down to it—that woman was my soulmate.
The others could laugh at me for thinking it, but I knew the moment she tossed me through a sliding glass door, she was perfect.
Never had a person come close to my level of crazy, and she might actually surpass it, now that I was getting to know her.
I’d reached out to all my contacts, trying to figure out where she was.
Eagle and Cognac were off trying to find his bike since it had a tracker on it, but I didn’t think she’d make it that easy.
Ripping open the truck door that was hanging off its hinges at an odd angle, I tossed it in the bed of the truck.
Then I popped open the glove compartment and found it empty, not even a fast-food napkin.
I hopped up in the cab, careful not to get cut by the glass and other shrapnel that was in it, but I couldn’t find a goddamn thing to give us a clue.
I took a picture of the VIN to see if Cognac would be able to get any information off it.
Not that it would help much if it was stolen, but it was always smart to cover our bases.
My phone vibrated in my back pocket. Seeing it was Eagle, I answered it. “You find it?”
“She locked it in a goddamn garage right in front of the window with a sign on it that reads Thanks for the new bike. What the fuck man? That’s my fucking bike,” Eagle ranted and I could hear Cognac next to him, laughing his ass off.
“You didn’t really think this would be easy after we had to walk our bikes back last night, did you?” I asked, climbing out of the truck. “Oh, by the way, we’re not going back to Jerry’s Diner. Nelly just made a whole scene and I had to set her straight.”
“What the fuck. Anything I need to worry about?”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure she got the message.”
Eagle grunted at that. “I have no doubt. You find anything helpful on the truck?”
“Not a damn thing. There’s nothing, and I mean not even a French fry, under the seat,” I answered, kicking a leg over my bike. “You heard from Wes at all?”
“Why would he call us? He’s probably grinning ear to ear now that he has her all to himself, the bastard,” Eagle grumbled. “How the hell am I supposed to get my bike back now? Cognac just talked to one of the workers and they were instructed to tell us to fuck right off.”
“Sounds like a woman who got told she wasn’t as important to us as she was led to believe.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Fixing this isn’t going to be easy, and that’s after we find out where she’s hiding.”
“Picasso called me a bit ago saying her bike is gone, but neither of them is there,” Cognac yelled into the phone. “My guess is that she has another hideaway somewhere in the city.”
That definitely sounded like her. My phone started to beep, letting me know another call was coming in. “Hey, I’m gonna let you go, one of my contacts is calling.”
Before Eagle could answer, I switched the call over. “Speak fast.”
“This is big news, Void. There’s a meeting tonight at the docks and your girl made it a show-up-or-die situation.
No one really knows what it’s about, but speculation is that she’s gonna try and take the Empire from under Tricks since all this shit has been going on.
Man, people are fucking scared. Do you know what kind of war would happen if it went down between Dax and the bloodthirsty tyrant Two Tricks?
I don’t think there would be a city left after that,” Buzz announced.
If Tricks and Dax weren’t the same person I would have to agree with him, but my money will always be on my little demon to win. “Did they say what time?”
“No, apparently there is an established agreed upon time that these things happen that everyone knows about but isn’t saying, although I do know it’s at night,” Buzz shared. “You thinking of crashing the party? Did you guys put Dax up to this?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” I cautioned. “You hear anything else about this, I’m your first phone call, you got me?”
“Yeah, Void, I hear you loud and clear,” Buzz answered, then hung up.
I made another quick phone call to my guy in the local police and then to Ducky to come tow the truck to the scrapyard before I headed back to the compound. Looks like we had a date with the docks tonight.
Buzz ended up not being able to get me much more information about the meeting, other than all members were getting called in.
I don’t think anyone really knows the true hold that Dax has over the West Coast, but tonight, my money was bet on her coming out as Two Tricks.
This drove my need to watch her back, more than I already craved to have her back at my side.
How could my little demon think this was a good idea to do without any backup that she knew would be on her side completely?
Guess that would be because motherfucking Eagle had to have a freak-out and chase her away.
I looked around the kitchen and watched the others as they went through the motions of our day.
No one really wanted to speak, knowing it would just start another fight like it had when Eagle wasn’t keen on the idea of us going to the docks.
“What makes you think we won’t get shot for just being there?” Eagle demanded. “Do we even have an alliance still?”
“Well, this would be the fastest way to find out,” Cognac said.
Eagle chopped furiously at the ingredients he was using for dinner. Whenever Eagle got stressed, he cooked up a storm, and it looked like we were having a five-course meal tonight.
“I want to fix things but is this really the best way to go about it?” Eagle ventured, looking up from his work to see our response.
Sprocket sucked down the last of his beer and took a deep breath. Oh man, shit was about to get real…
“Do you though? The rest of us have been in a fog all day, trying to find some way to convince Dax that we want her to come back, but all you’ve done is bitch and moan.
Dax took my bike, now she won’t give it back.
Why won’t Dax answer my phone calls? I wasn’t in the wrong, she went too far.
Why should I apologize? Whine, whine, moan, grumble, grumble, chop, chop.
” Pausing, he tossed the bottle into the bin, and it clanged against all the others that were in there.
“All that sounds like to me, is you’re still pissed at her for taking a stand and walking away.
This is never going to work if you don’t get your head out of your ass and deal with the fact that woman is not going to be your sidekick.
Dax is a badass in the criminal world just as much as you are in the MC world.
If you both can find a way to share ruling the evil empire, then I see this being one of the most unstoppable duos in history. ”