Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SPIDER
I could usually rely on the open road to clear my head, but not now. Even when I’m not with her, she is invading my every thought. I shake my head and turn into a motel parking lot. Getting off my bike, I head into reception to check in.
“Room for couple of nights if you got it?” I ask the guy behind the counter.
“That will be 300,” he states. I reach into my pocket and pull out a lump of cash, chucking it on the counter. His eyes practically light up when he sees the money, like he didn’t expect me to have it. “Fill this in,” he says as he slides over a clipboard for me to fill out my details.
I fill it out with false details, just in case anything goes south, there is nothing to tie me to it.
“Hey, you seen this guy?” I ask him. He looks down at the photo on my phone, then back to me, looking a little cautious. I roll my eyes and point to the patch on my cut. “He’s a brother, not an enemy. I’m just trying to find him to make sure he’s okay,” I explain.
“How do I know that? You could be lying,” he says, crossing his arms over his portly belly.
I roll my eyes and pull out a fifty, sliding it across the counter to him. “Does this help reassure you that I’m not looking to hurt him?” I ask.
He takes the money and slides it in his pocket. “It does. I’ve seen him about in the bar across the street,” he says, pointing to the door.
I turn and look in that direction. “Thanks.” I nod and after taking the key, I walk across the lot to my room. I survey the bar, seeing no sign of another MC or gang. Once I’ve dropped my bag in the room along with my cut, I head over there, deciding I will just sit in the corner and wait until Acid shows up.
“Hi, what can I get ya?” a good looking woman asks from behind the bar.
I smile. “Just a soda thanks, and do you do food?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, we do. We’ve got the best burgers in the area,” she beams.
“Great. Just a cheeseburger and fries please, darlin’,” I order, chucking some money on the bar.
She takes the money and hands me my drink. “Go take a seat, and I will bring it on over when it’s done,” she offers.
I walk over to the table at the far side and take a seat, positioning myself so I can see the layout of the entire bar. It’s a nice place. Sports is playing on the TV above the bar, there’s a pool table in the far corner, and a few people are sat having lunch.
The woman behind the bar walks over a few moments later with my food, taking my attention. She smiles before placing it down. “Here you go, honey.”
“Thanks.” I smile and nod.
“Can I get you anything else? Any sauce?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No thanks, darlin’.”
“Okay,” she breathes. She’s about to walk away, but she pauses. “You know, you talk just like a guy that comes in here. He calls me darlin’,” she states.
I take a sip of my soda before commenting. “Maybe we both just know how to be respectful around ladies.” I shrug before taking a bite of my burger.
She smiles with a little blush hitting her cheeks. “That might just be it,” she agrees. “You need anything, just holler,” she adds before walking back to the bar.
After I’ve eaten my food, I order another drink. Getting up, I grab a left over newspaper and sit back down in the same seat, scanning through it.
“Evening darlin’, the usual please,” I hear a familiar voice say from across the bar.
Standing, I make my way over and stop behind him. “I will have the same,” I say.
His back tenses and he spins around, his smile spread wide across his face. “Fuck, brother!” Acid greets, pulling me into a firm hug, slapping my back in greeting.
“Damn, it’s good to see you.” I smile.
Acid rests his hand on my shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing here? Everything alright at the club?” he asks, his smile fading with concern.
I look to the woman behind the bar, watching us. “Yeah, let’s talk at the table,” I say, pointing to where I had been sitting.
Acid nods and we quickly carry our beers over. “So, why haven’t you checked in?” I ask as we sit down.
He drinks some of his beer and sighs. “I ran into some trouble.”
I frown. “I fucking knew it.”
Holding up his hand, he shakes his head. “It’s nothing bad. Just a threat and a fight. I was just helping out a friend is all.”
I look past him to the woman at the bar. “That friend have dark brown hair, olive skin, and an ass that even a blind man would appreciate?” I ask, raising my brow.
Acid smiles, looking behind him. “Yeah, it ain’t anything like that. She’s got a kid. Ex was beating her. I made it so that he would leave her alone.”
“Brother, that don’t answer the question as to why you haven’t been in contact,” I point out.
“My cell got smashed. I don’t have any numbers, apart from what was stored on my cell. I was going to come back, but then I was worried about leaving her alone so soon. So, I thought I would stick around for a few extra weeks. Just to make sure that dickhead wasn’t planning on returning,” he explains.
I nod, deciding to just cut to the chase and tell him. “Your sister turned up at the club,” I announce.
Acid’s blue eyes snap to mine before he shakes his head. “Nah, ain’t my fucking sister and you know it. You were there,” he hisses.
“It’s her,” I say. I take my phone out and load up a picture that I had taken of her laughing with Star and slide it across the table. She had been unaware I was watching her. “Cash did a background check on her. She wasn’t at the house when we set the fire.”
Acid takes my phone, his hands shaking. “What… Fuck. Where was she?” he asks, his voice thick with emotion.
“She was working at a pizza place. She ended up in a girl’s home, and got picked up by a guy called Dean, her ex. Her pimp,” I state. Even saying that word makes my blood boil.
Acid leans forward. “What the fuck do you mean pimp?” he seethes.
I exhale and run my fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry, brother. He manipulated her and some other girls. Got them on drugs, controlled them, and then pimped them out,” I explain.
His leg starts bouncing up and down. “My fucking baby sister,” he seethes. “We left her. We left her to that fucking life,” he grits through his teeth. “We should have gone back there. We should have checked. We could have taken her with us.”
I nod, feeling the guilt rising up in me again. “I know,” I rasp. I cough, clearing my throat. “She got away a few years ago,” I add.
Acid nods. “Good. She good now?” he asks.
I smile, thinking of her now. “Yeah, she’s good. But she didn’t just come to us to find you. He’s hunting her down. When she left, she took money. A lot of his money,” I tell him.
Acid nods. “Fucking good,” he spits.
“Yeah, she got clean, and started her own business; a bakery. It was successful. She was doing great,” I explain.
“What happened?” he asks.
“It got burnt down and trashed a couple of weeks ago. She was fine. She was with us by then. But then he spotted her on my bike and made chase. We managed to get away, but he’s out there. He knows the town she’s in, and he ain’t going to let her live her life until we take care of him ourselves,” I state.
Acid downs his beer and stands. “Well, come on then. Let’s fucking go.”
“Let me get my bike from the motel across the road. I booked in for a couple of nights. I wasn’t expecting to find you so fucking soon.” I laugh.
Acid smiles at me, looking relaxed before his eyes land on the woman behind the bar. “Give me a minute,” he says before he walks over to her. He takes her hand in his and leads her off to the side. I stand, watching their interaction. She nods as he talks to her. He cups her face and places a kiss on the top of her head before walking back over to me. She stands, watching him walk away with her arms wrapped around herself.
“She okay?” I ask as we walk out the door.
“I hope so,” he sighs.