Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“ H ow much longer are you going to sit here, twiddling your thumbs, rather than ask for Shade’s help?”
Moon didn’t take his eyes off the window that was giving him the view of the building where Larissa’s sister worked to answer Evie’s question. “As long as I have to.”
“You’re being ridiculous, Moon.” Evie sighed, sitting down at her desk.
After talking to Kendra Griffin, he had banked on one of the sisters leading him to where Larissa was living. He had managed to break into Priscilla’s office and the apartment they shared but found diddly squat. Larissa wasn’t working, as far as he could find, so where in the fuck was she?
If they were so close, it stood to reason that Larissa would be within driving distance with her being pregnant, didn’t it? He thought so to the extent that he was keeping tabs on both women.
“I have to do payroll this morning. If you want to go grab a few hours of sleep, I can call if she leaves,” Evie offered.
His lips quirked up into a smile. “You trying to get me out of your hair?”
She stared at him seriously. “Yes, you’ve put yourself in this position.”
“Ahh … you sympathize with Larissa. Why? You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t have to. I know you .”
“I’m cut to the quick.” Moon put a hand over his heart while making a comical face. “I have been nothing but a friend to you.”
Evie nodded. “Which is the only reason I’ve let you in here. Go take a break and give me one.”
“Cool. I need the sleep anyway.” He rubbed his tired eyes as he moved away from the window. “You need anything while I’m out?”
“You could grab me some burgers from across the street. King would kill me if he saw me walking in there.”
Moon grinned. “I’ll bring enough for both of us. That’ll really piss him off.”
Evie rolled her eyes at him. “Get out.”
He gave in and rode to the club, determined to get some sleep. He had been burning the candle for so long that he nearly rear-ended a car at a red light when it stopped instead of going through the yellow light.
He was about to go upstairs when his growling stomach made him change trajectory, and he headed into the kitchen to grab a protein bar to tide him over instead.
Nickel was behind the counter, talking on his cell phone as he placed dishes in the dishwasher.
“I can take care of that for you. No problem. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Choosing a peanut bar, Moon opened it as he watched Nickel. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much,” Nickel answered. “How about you?”
“Going to take a nap. Someone needing help?” he asked, taking a bite of the bar as he moved to the fridge to get a soda.
“Train needs someone to pick up a part for him before the auto store closes. He’s in charge of the factory today and can’t leave. He said Killyama was supposed to pick it up when she came back from Jamestown, but she called and told him she wouldn’t be back before the store closed.”
“What’s she doing in Jamestown? I thought Train told her he didn’t want her making the drive without him?”
Nickel laughed. “When has Killyama ever listened to anything Train said?”
Moon chewed on the bar reflexively. Jamestown was a short distance from Treepoint, but it was a twenty-minute drive before she would be near any emergency aid if she went into labor.
“She went by herself?”
“No, Beth’s with her. They’re both having lunch and spending the day with Sex Piston.”
“You’re going to get the part?”
“Yes.”
“If you can’t, let me know. I can.”
“Will do.”
Moon left the kitchen with Nickel doing the dishes. Rather than going upstairs as he had intended, he went outside to get on his bike. A ride to Jamestown was probably going to be a waste of time, but it was worth a shot. There were only three cities somewhat close to Treepoint—Jamestown, Rockcastle, and Wattford. Mistberg was between Treepoint and Rockcastle, but it was practically non-existent with many of the residents either dying out or moving away from the dreary town.
When he had returned from seeing Larissa’s mother, he had scouted out each of the small towns and found no trace of Larissa being there. In each of the towns, he had put out feelers for a new woman moving there, and he was using his connections to let him know if Larissa was sighted.
When he reached Jamestown, Moon took out his cell phone to call Stud, one of his connections, to ask where Killyama was having lunch but then decided against it. He didn’t want to humiliate himself more than he already had. Jamestown was only slightly larger than Treepoint, so the restaurant options were limited. There was a barbeque spot, a steakhouse, a burger joint, and a family restaurant.
Picking the restaurant he was closest to, he rode toward the family restaurant, finding it busy, but didn’t see any familiar faces. Next, he rode to the burger place, which only had a handful of customers, who gave him curious glances.
“Can I help you?” a pimply-faced teenage boy asked.
“No, I’m good.”
He retreated to his bike and tied a bandana around his head when the wind kicked up, blowing his hair against his face. Fucking hell, just go back to Treepoint and ask for Shade’s help , Moon castigated himself. Stubbornly, he started his bike.
Train himself had said how upset Killyama had been when Larissa moved away, yet he hadn’t heard about Priscilla coming to Train’s house to take her sister’s place. Had she decided to give in to Train’s wishes to have the baby in the hospital?
Moon didn’t think so.
He kicked up his kickstand then rode to the barbeque spot. The parking lot was crowded as fuck with the line coming out the door. Moon parked his bike and ignored the dirty looks he got from the crowd outside who were waiting. Sticking his head between two people in line, he was finally able to see where the customers were sitting.
His eyes traveled down the line of women sitting at a long middle table. He recognized every single one of them, including the one he had been searching for over the last several months.
He started to slip through the gap between customers only to find his T-shirt grabbed from the front and bumped out of line.
“Get your ass to the back of the line.” Angry gray eyes dueled with his.
“I’m not here for the food. I’m just trying to get past.”
“You don’t have ‘excuse me’ in your fucking vocabulary?”
Moon wanted to pound the fucker into Neverland but decided he had more important shit to deal with.
“Excuse me, may I get past?”
The man, who was eye level with him, took a step back, allowing him space to walk through.
Giving the stranger a curt nod, Moon walked toward the table.
Larissa’s eyes widened when she spotted him. Killyama and Sex Piston, who were sitting on opposite sides of Larissa, scooted their chairs closer to her.
He didn’t miss Larissa folding her arms on the table, blocking the swell of her belly from view, but forced a polite smile on his face. “Larissa, I haven’t seen you in town lately.” Moon greeted her as if it was pure happenstance that he was there in the crowded restaurant. “How have you been doing?”
“Well,” she said in a strangled voice. “You?”
“Good.” Moon didn’t let his gaze drop. “You living in Jamestown now?”
“I …”
Moon could read in the fear in her eyes as she decided how to answer.
“I…” she continued to stutter.
“You mind leaving, Moon?” Sex Piston spoke out sharply. “We’re trying to have a girls’ day out, so beat it. No dicks allowed.”
“In that case, I wouldn’t want to disturb your ladies’ meal. Larissa”—Moon gave her a determined smile—“we can catch up after your meal. I’d like a few words outside when you’re finished.”
Sex Piston glared at him. “What in the fuck don’t you get? A girls’ day out means the whole fucking day. Besides, she doesn’t want to talk to you, anyway, do you?”
Larissa’s fear-filled eyes switched from his to Sex Piston, who must have given her the reassurance she needed.
“No, I don’t.”
“Larissa, look at me.”
Slowly, she turned her gaze back to his.
“We need to talk.”
“All right, give me your number, and I’ll call you later.”
“You have my number. I gave it to your mother.” His eyes dared her to lie about her mother giving her his number.
“I meant I don’t have it with me. I can call you when I get home.”
“And exactly where is that?” he asked in a pseudo-sweet tone.
“Jet!”
Moon felt the floor move as heavy footsteps came up behind him. It was the man who gave him beef about cutting the line.
“Yeah?” he asked Sex Piston.
“This motherfucker won’t leave us alone.”
Jet turned to face him. “You going to leave, or are we going to have a problem?”
Moon glanced around the restaurant. Everyone was watching, thanks to Sex Piston’s loud-ass mouth.
“I’ll leave. I’ll wait outside for you, Larissa. Like I said, we need to talk. There’s no reason to make this difficult, is there?” he asked meaningfully.
“Jet …” Sex Piston growled out.
Moon saw Jet’s hand moving toward him. “I let you touch me once and let you get away with it. Touch me again, and I’ll take you out.”
Jet dropped his hand. Then, leaning slightly forward, he muttered under his breath, “You really want to start a fight where two pregnant women could get hurt?”
Moon’s jaw clenched. It went against his grain to back down, but he did.
“I wouldn’t count on me doing this again,” Moon warned him.
Jet gave him a look that told him he had received the message.
“I’ll be outside, Larissa.” Moon left the restaurant. He got on his bike, rode around the door, then positioned himself on the side where he could see into the restaurant where Larissa was sitting.
Lighting a cigarette, he decided to give her until he finished his cigarette before going back inside. He would send Jet flying out the fucking window …
As he smoked, he planned exactly how he was going to do it when the roar of motorcycles could be heard coming down the street.
Moon narrowed his eyes to find Stud, the president of the Destructors, riding lead in front of his men. One by one, they rolled into the parking lot, stopping in front of him.
Looking past Stud, Moon could see Sex Piston’s gloating smile through the window.
The bitch had just raised the ante.