Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
Riptide
The ride from East Texas to West Texas is dry and boring.
The road stretches for miles and miles without anything to look at outside of dirt and empty land.
“I should have been a cowboy,” plays out in my mind and I sing along to the tune in my brain as I see the town we’ll traverse through before hitting the ranch come into view.
Five of the eight hour journey in a barren atmosphere has my eyes crossing.
Finally, there's something worth seeing.
It's not much to look at, but at least I'm not waiting for tumbleweeds to come rolling out from the desert.
We pull into the first service station we see so we can fill up our tanks.
As I swing my leg over my bike and stand upright, I begin to rub my lower back to ease the stiffness in it.
“That's one hell of a ride,” I tell Indiana.
“One I don't care to repeat,” he derides.
“Unfortunately, it's the same route we have to take back home,” I remind him.
“At least we get a few days reprieve between now and then,” he concedes.
I lean on my bike as I gas up. Scanning my surroundings, I notice Rio coming out from a coffee shop.
I go to raise my hand at him and greet him but am stopped short when I notice the woman with the baby attached to her hip come out behind him.
She and Issy are looking at the boy with stars in their eyes.
“Who the fuck is that?” I ask myself, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
It’s not her looks that have captivated me though, it’s the way the men have surrounded her like she’s somebody important.
Rio never mentioned a new person entering the picture.
I wonder if one of the men has found themselves a new old lady.
Indiana must’ve thought I was asking him that question because he answers, “I have no idea. Should we go over and say hi?” I notice he’s having issues with his mobility so I raise my brows at him but he waves me off. “I’m fine.”
I roll my eyes at him because he’ll never admit that he’s struggling.
This is his first long ride since the incident at the clubhouse and his surgery afterward.
But if he wants to play that set of cards, I’ll let him win this hand.
“Nah,” I say, shaking my head. “I’d rather get to the clubhouse and walk out this stiffness.
He seems busy and I don’t want to intrude. ”
Zoey and Elodie step out of the SUV, and Icer moves over to them like a guard dog. “Elodie needs to potty and so does her mama,” Zoey informs us. “Does anyone need anything from inside while we’re in there?”
“We’re good. Give me a kiss before you go,” Indiana tells her.
She complies but as I hear the rev of Rio’s bike, I avert my attention and watch as the woman and Issy drive away.
Knowing Icer and Indiana have Zoey and Elodie, I don’t feel bad about not watching them as they head into the convenience part of the store.
When Rio and BamBam notice us, they turn their wheels and come into the parking lot to greet us.
“Rip, it’s good to see you, man,” Rio says as he sits on his bike, letting it idle.
It only takes a few steps to get to him, and once I do, I pounce.
I wrap my arms around him and pound on his back.
Once I step back, he sighs. “Need to talk to you privately before you go to your room and bunker down.”
“What’s going on, cuz?” I inquire.
“Shit that I don’t want to step in but don’t have any other choice,” he states.
“That’s ironic considering you live on a ranch that’s piled high with it,” I joke.
“What the fuck ever.” Rio releases a short, mirthless laugh. It’s what he does whenever something has him feeling conflicted.
“That won’t be an issue,” I answer. “But if it’s gonna be a long sit down, I’m gonna need a cushion for my ass and a beer to quench my thirst.”
“I’ll give you a pillow for your boney ass, you pussy,” Rio retorts.
“And the beer?” I ask, raising my brows into my hairline.
“That’s a given, brother,” he muses. “Need to get back and handle a few things before you roll in. Come to my office once you drop off your bags.”
“Bossy fucker,” I rag him.
“Tool of the trade, as you well know,” he responds.
“As Icer has been reminding me about a lot recently. I’ll see you there,” I tell him as the nozzle clicks letting me know the tank is fully fed.
We wave at each other as he pulls out and I put the cap back on my tank.
I’m a biker through and through but hopping back on my Harley doesn’t give me the relief it normally does.
I’m getting too old for these long hauls.
I’m ready for the younger ones to level up so I can sit back and direct them as I’m sipping on a beer while lounging in a recliner.
Some would say being in your thirties is the prime of your life, but I have led a life that begs to differ.
My body is breaking down with each year that passes.
I’m not ready to hand over my gavel to somebody else, but I’d like to be able to rest my achy bones more than I’ve been able to these last couple of years.
“You’re shitting me.” I can’t believe what my ears are hearing. “You’re saying Gage had a woman and a son and didn’t tell us about them?”
“That’s what I’m telling you,” Rio responds as he leans back and places his arms behind his head, cupping it as he stares up at the ceiling.
The mystery of the woman that was leaving the coffee house with them when we rolled into town has now been solved. I’m going back and forth between being pissed and excited that there’s a piece of our friend still out there.
“Why is she here, Rio?” I ask, leaning forward in my chair. “What does she want?”
“She wants to know about why Gage was here, and what happened when he died,” Rio announces. “And I’m not sure how much I’m willing to share with her.”
“Obviously there are things that need to be left out,” I muse.
“Without a doubt,” he mumbles. “I don’t want to bring our enemies into it, with what little knowledge I gained about her when we sat down, she’d dig and end up putting herself in their sights.”
“What’s left of them,” I chuckle. “The main players are gone now.”
He smirks remembering that day and how he eliminated the ones that hurt Issy. “Not as many as we believe. You know how roaches are, brother.”
“Yeah, they lurk in the shadows during the daytime and come scuttling out during the night,” I remark. “That’s when most people’s guards are down.”
“We aren’t most people, Rip,” Rio states. “Our guards are never down.”
“Apparently, after my clubhouse went boom, we aren’t as guarded as we once thought we were,” I return.
“Did you ever figure out how they got the device there without your men noticing?” he inquires.
“Nothing substantial, Rio, but I have a few suspicions that I’m looking into.
As of yet, nothing has panned out.” Which pisses me off.
I know that Zoey’s parents are somehow involved, but none of our monitors picked them up sneaking around the property before the timer on the bomb went off.
But I won’t be found with my pants hanging around my ankles again because every acre of our compound is now wired.
I have no blind spots anymore which has helped me relax somewhat.
“But we know the Onyx Dragons were involved in it, right?” Rio asks.
“Yeah. That’s been the only thing I’ve been able to confirm,” I tell him. “That, and the fact that Zoey’s mom was the one who called me to warn me.”
“That wasn’t a warning, Rip. That was her taunting you. They didn’t anticipate you being as quick as you were getting everyone out.”
“Figured that out, too,” I state. “They thought they’d annihilate most of my club, if not all of it, and had to get that last barb in.”
“Thank fuck Zoey’s grandparents were around to be a good influence her. Otherwise, she’d have ended up just as messed up as they are.”
“They were the ones she looked up to and admired more than the rest of the adults in her life,” I confirm. “Both sets of grandparents were damn good people, I’m not sure what happened to their kids because they both grew up and became psychotic.”
“I’m sure that same thing could be said about most serial killers when it comes to their upbringing and parentage,” Rio speculates.
“True,” I say. “Anyway, what are we going to do about Van? That’s her name, right?”
“Checked into her, that’s one of the things I wanted to do before we sat down. Her given name is Savannah but she goes by Van. Everything I’ve found on her says she’s legit. No unpaid parking tickets, she pays her taxes and holds down a full-time job.”
“So she’s on the up and up?” I probe.
“Yeah, Rip. The only decision she’s ever made that has me questioning her intellect is getting involved with Gage.”
“Thought you’d forgiven him, Rio.”
“Forgiven but not forgotten. He put my woman in danger and that’s not something I can easily brush aside, Rip. Even a lifelong friendship doesn’t give him a pass when it comes to Issy.”
“And you let her go off with this Van woman before checking her out? That doesn’t seem like you, Rio.”
He snorts before looking me dead in the eyes, saying, “I would never. I put a man on them the minute I knew they were heading to her rental cabin. Cell phones come in handy when dishing out orders.”
“Greatest invention ever,” I say in agreement. “As long as you aren’t being traced.”
“Which we aren’t,” Rio conveys. “Our phones and other electronic devices are watched like a hawk.”
“As are ours,” I verify. “Do you want me to join you when you talk to this woman?”
“Yeah, brother. I would. I don’t want to get emotionally involved and end up saying shit I wouldn’t say otherwise. Women have a way of sneaking in there and having you admit shit that, if you weren’t trying to walk around the topic, you wouldn’t.”
A burst of laughter escapes me at his deadpanned proclamation.
No truer words have ever been spoken. Fuck knows Zoey and Letti have caught me in a web a time or two and I’ve said shit I shouldn’t have.
“They’re great interrogators. Especially when they’re trying to analyze every word coming out of your mouth. ”
“No kidding. I’ll keep you updated and let you know when I’ve scheduled a meeting with her.
I’m gonna make some calls that I’ve put off this morning and will see you later.
” Rio’s never been subtle when he dismisses you.
I wave at him as I head out and go to the room they’ve set me up in.
I need to unwind from the ride so a shower and a nap are needed, and not necessarily in that order.