Chapter Twenty-Six
Cleo’s eyelids grew heavy. It was strange she’d even be able to fall asleep considering the night she’d had. But the rocking of the van and the silence had her slowly giving in to her exhaustion. She closed her eyes and began to drift.
Usually, she’d ride with Wraith. That’s where he wanted her, and if she was being completely honest herself, it was where she felt safest. But it wasn’t an option now.
His and her needs and wants didn’t compare to the girl’s.
She still hadn’t said much, and surprisingly the members didn’t push her.
Cleo almost wondered if they knew something she didn’t.
She’d spent the last few hours in the back of the van with her while Joker drove.
For as tired as her body was, she couldn’t quite stop her mind from racing.
When the van jerked to a sharp stop, she opened her eyes.
The girl was sitting so close, her thigh was pressed against Cleo’s.
The back windows were completely blacked out, so she leaned forward to look out the front windshield.
They were parked in the rear of the high-rise.
She’d never gone through this entrance. Joker got out of the van, and seconds later the side door opened.
Cleo got out first with the girl on her heels.
She stumbled slightly, and when Joker reached for her, she jerked away and stood behind Cleo.
It was strange that she was seeking protection from Cleo.
She grasped her hand and gave a squeeze.
“You’re fine. He was just trying to help.” She smiled at Joker, but his eyes were locked on the girl.
Cleo walked up to the back door. She was a few feet away when it swung open, and Wraith stood holding it.
She passed through, noticing the girl took a wide berth around him.
No one said a word as they rode up in the elevator.
When the doors opened, Ace, Cypher, and Cross were at the end of the hallway in front of Inez’s door.
“She wants you and the girl inside.” Ace glanced up at Wraith. “And our asses out here.”
Cleo led the girl into the apartment, and Inez was waiting. She was stationed in her usual spot behind the breakfast bar, smoking a cigarette.
“Hi.” Cleo gave a short wave but Inez ignored her. Her suspicious gaze was trained on the girl.
“This is Inez,” Cleo said, forcing a smile. She looked even more terrified than she had earlier.
Inez pointed to the stools. “Sit down.”
They followed her direct order. Cleo wasn’t expecting any pleasantries from Inez, but she thought the woman would segue into getting information. Putting the girl at ease would’ve been how Cleo would’ve handled it. But Inez had a very different way of dealing with people.
“Outside of what happened tonight, you got anyone looking for you?”
The girl shrugged, and the lines between Inez’s brows deepened.
“I don’t do body gestures. Use your fucking words.”
She cleared her throat. “Maybe.”
“And I don’t do fucking maybes, girl. You either do or you don’t.”
She shifted her eyes to Cleo who mustered up a smile in hopes it would put her at ease.
“I don’t know if he’d come looking for me.”
“Who?”
She cowered slightly. Without thinking, Cleo gently placed her hand on her back. She didn’t shy away. If anything, she moved closer.
“My dad,” she whispered.
Inez shifted her gaze between them and slowly lifted her cigarette to her lips. Just watching.
“You wanna be found?”
She dropped her chin to her chest and slowly shook her head.
“Cleo. Go wait outside.”
She didn’t move until Inez slammed her hand on the counter. “Don’t make me tell you again.”
Cleo slipped off the stool, but kept her hand on the girl’s back. Her body started to tremble and Cleo couldn’t bring herself to walk away.
“Tell her she’ll be fine, Cleo.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Will she?”
Inez scoffed, narrowing her gaze. “I let you live, don’t I?”
True. Cleo was still at odds, glancing over at the girl. It was as if she was looking to her for reassurance. She was putting her faith solely in Cleo. It wasn’t something she could take lightly or carelessly. Cleo drew in a deep breath and slowly turned to Inez.
“Do you promise?”
Inez’s brows shot up to her hairline. In all her time with the MC and around Inez, no one had ever given pushback on her direct orders.
“Is your crazy ass questioning my fucking word?”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. “Yes.”
Inez’s gaze darkened with the temperature in the room dropping ten degrees.
Inez shifted her eyes to the girl, who seemed to shrink slightly.
Cleo was mentally regretting her choice in phrase.
Maybe if she had worded it differently, it wouldn’t have come across as doubtful.
Oh, who am I kidding? This was Inez. She could make anything combative.
Still, she couldn’t regret her need for reassurance of the girl’s safety.
And I won’t backpedal. Cleo swayed on her feet, darting her gaze around the room through the lingering silence. So awkward.
“Hey!” Inez snapped, and Cleo jerked her head.
“She’s. Safe.”
Inez was a lot of things, not many good. But her word was trusted by everyone. But…
“You swear?”
“Girl!” Inez’s eyes went wild, waving her hand as the cigarette ashes fluttered around the room like flurries of snow.
“I gave you my fucking word. That’s all you get.
We’re not locking pinkies and making fucking vows.
Now get your skinny ass out in the hallway and wait before I throw you out of my fucking window. ”
That was fair. At least for Cleo. The girl, however, had a different reaction. She sucked in an audible gasp and gripped tightly to the edge of her seat. Her face had paled, and fear seemed to immobilize her.
Cleo ignored the threat and mustered up a smile. “She’s just teasing.”
“The fuck I am. Five…four…”
“I promise you’ll be okay with Inez. And I know you don’t know me” —she rested her hand on her chest— “But you can trust me. Okay?”
The girl looked at Inez then back to Cleo, whispering. “Okay.”
Cleo was about to give one more parting reassurance. She never got the chance.
“Three!”
Cleo spun around and quickened her steps to the door and walked out into the hallway. Wraith was standing just outside, and she closed it behind her.
“Inez asked me to wait outside.”
Ace snorted. “She asked?”
It broke some of the tension as they waited.
She noticed all the stares coming from the members but she kept her eyes locked on the faded carpet.
Even if they had asked what happened, Cleo wasn’t sure she’d be able to explain.
The conversation seemed simple but hard to follow.
It was clear the girl was afraid of her dad and didn’t want to be found.
Other than that? Cleo didn’t know much more than the club at this point.
After about fifteen minutes, the door opened, and Inez waved her inside.
“Just Cleo.”
She followed Inez back inside and quickened her steps, rounding the breakfast bar. While the girl didn’t seem at ease, she was a little more relaxed. Well, as relaxed as anyone could be in Inez’s presence.
“Your friend here has made a deal with the devil.”
Cleo knitted her brows, darting her eyes between them. “What deal?”
“Protection for a favor.” Inez stared back at the girl. “And when I call it in, you’ll do it. No questions.”
“Yes,” she muttered. “Can I use your bathroom?”
Inez squinted and for a brief second, Cleo thought she might decline.
Inez gestured to the short hallway behind her. When she stood and walked away, Cleo watched her. This wasn’t the most ideal second chance, but it wasn’t the worst. At least she’d be safe in Killcreek.
“That was nice of you to help her out.”
Inez drew a long drag from her cigarette, staring at the closed bathroom door.
“Not helping her. Offered her a deal that will ensure she’s safe. She’s smart, so she took it. I offer deals all the time.”
“You never offered me one.”
Her brows dipped, and she looked over at Cleo. “You owe me more than you’ll ever be able to fucking repay.”
“But you’ve never tried to collect.”
The corner of Inez’s mouth curled. “I have, and I will in the future.”
Cleo cocked her head. Inez obviously read her confusion.
“Three types of people in my world. Those who are loyal to me, those who are against me, and the chess pieces.” She pointed her cigarette at Cleo. “That’s you. In my world, those are the most valuable because I get to play them when it suits me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Wraith won’t turn on me. But I’m smart enough to know he won’t choose me over you. We all have our weaknesses. You’re Wraith’s, and in turn the perfect chess piece to use against him if I ever need to. Any debt you incur will always fall on him.”
It was hard for Cleo to wrap her head around everything Inez was saying. Her and Wraith were together, hopefully building something. But they were still in the beginning stage of a relationship.
“It’s new between us, so…”
Inez snorted, shaking her head. “New for you. Not him. That boy was done the minute he got your first fucking letter. Spoken for, claimed” —She waved her hand looking back at the bathroom door— “whatever the hell you wanna call it. But he’s always been yours.”
It was a revelation. Cleo still didn’t fully understand.
“Well, he was close with Knox, and…”
Inez scowled. “Got nothing to do with Knox.”
Cleo bowed her head. “He wanted me safe and close because something happened to me, and…”
“I know, Cleo,” Inez said. “No one comes into my circle unless I know everything.” She paused. “Everything.”
It could’ve been a general statement. But when she met Inez’s stare, Cleo knew that Inez was being very specific to what she was referencing. Cleo felt the blood drain from her face, and her heart pounded in her chest.
“Hanging your head in shame doesn’t make it go away.”
No, it doesn’t. Her eyes welled.
“Wraith told you?”