Dax, page 12
I hoped.
The trouble was that even if they couldn’t identify Kane from the tapes, they would surely be able to identify that it was one of the Grim Riders. Greenboro wasn’t that big, and part of what made it so easy to hold our territory with the locals was that our enforcers and the rest of our guys tended to be taller, broader, and more built than anyone else in the area. Even if they couldn’t tell it was Kane, they could pick any one of us to go after.
I should have grabbed those tapes. I just had to hope that my lapse hadn’t been costly.
I headed into the pharmacy, glad to see that the owner was the only person in there. I leaned both palms against the countertop, smiling congenially at him. I wanted him to realize the threat that I was, but I also didn’t want him too scared just yet. I wanted him to cooperate, after all.
“Can I help you?” the guy asked nervously.
“I need your surveillance tapes,” I told him.
“I can’t do that,” the guy protested.
I cracked my knuckles, making the threat even more obvious. “You have five minutes,” I told him.
“I can’t do that,” the guy repeated. “The company should have a copy of them; they might be able to help you out.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not going to ask again,” I said in a low, dangerous tone. I was done playing around. I needed those tapes, and I wasn’t leaving here without them.
“I don’t have them,” the pharmacist said, and I could tell he was really afraid now. “Someone else has already come and taken them. I don’t know who he was or anything. He was young, built. Maybe someone else from your gang, I don’t know. But I just don’t have them anymore.”
I groaned inwardly. The Savages already had the tapes. I really should have gotten them sooner. Fuck.
What the hell were we going to do now?
I spun around and headed out of there, not even bothering to say anything else to the pharmacist. I only had one thing in my head, and that was the fact that I needed to tell Dad about all of this. He needed to know what Kane had done, know that the Savages were right when they’d come to Dad with their claims that one of his guys had killed their man. And he definitely needed to know that the Savages had the surveillance tapes.
Shit was going to happen quickly now. We needed to be prepared. The whole club needed to be prepared.
To be honest, I had been hoping to avoid visiting Dad for at least a little longer. I knew that he was going to be frustrated with me in the aftermath of the trip to Boston, even though I had sent him a message the previous afternoon to let him know we were safely back in Greenboro.
It was going to be an uncomfortable meeting for me, between the lecture I was sure I was going to get for that and the lecture I knew I would get for not having told him about the Kane situation sooner. I should have told him the moment it happened.
When I got to the clubhouse, I was surprised to see Kane sitting in Dad’s office with him. I frowned, not sure I should tell Dad about all of this with Kane sitting right there. Who knew what Dad might do to him. And not only that, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted Kane to know that the Savages had the tapes, not just yet. I didn’t know what he would do if he thought the Savages were after him. I didn’t want to think that he would go out and do something stupid, but then again, given his track record, how could I be sure?
Either way, though, it was a surprise to see him here. Since he wasn’t part of the club, Dad usually didn’t want him around. Even if he had something he needed to say to Kane, he usually scheduled to have dinner with him or something like that.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Kane slowly.
“I told Dad everything,” he said. “About that guy, behind the pharmacy. I went to the pharmacy and got the tapes from the surveillance cameras. The Savages will never know who did it now. There’s nothing they can use to pin it on me or the club.”
I stared at him in surprise. It had never even occurred to me that Kane might have been the one who’d gone to the pharmacy to get the tapes. I’d been so sure that the Savages must have the tapes already, that they must be after us all by now. I had to admit, I was pretty impressed that Kane had actually done something like that.
Dad was clearly impressed as well. “I’m not happy with the situation, but I do think that Kane has shown responsibility. He knew that he had done something that could have terrible repercussions, and he covered his tracks well by calling you to dispose of the body and then getting his hands on the surveillance tapes.” He paused. “Maybe it is time to bring him into the club.”
Kane grinned, but I could tell he was trying to act nonchalant about it, like this was no big deal to him or like it was just what he deserved. Or maybe he was afraid that if he pressed to know when, Dad would change his mind. I supposed that was the more likely case.
Instead, Kane turned his attention to me. “What are you doing here anyway?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “Just wanted to check in with Dad about Molly. See if he had any plans for her or if anything had changed in her situation.” It was an easy enough lie to make.
Dad shook his head, but he didn’t start the lecture that I’d been preparing myself for. “As you saw, she can’t go back to Boston. There’s still no way for us to make peace with the Vipers. So no change at the moment.” He turned back to Kane just as my phone started ringing.
“I’d better take this,” I said, seeing Xander’s name flash up on the screen. I stepped out of the office, even though I wanted to hear what Dad had to say to Kane. I knew Xander wouldn’t call me unless it was something important, though, and since I had left Molly with him that morning, I had a bad feeling I already knew what that important situation might be.
“She’s gone,” Xander said immediately. “Sneaky bitch. I just went to take a piss, and when I came back out, she was gone.”
I sighed. “Hey, I get it,” I said. “Remember, she already disappeared on me. I’ll find her, though.”
“I’ll help,” Xander said.
“I have a feeling I already know where she is,” I told him. “But I’ll let you know if I need you. Thanks for watching her anyway.”
I hung up with Xander, glancing back toward Dad’s office. Should I go back in there and let them know I was taking off? I was still curious to know if Dad was serious about bringing Kane into the Grim Riders. But I knew that the longer Molly had, the more likely she was to get away before I had a chance to stop her. I had to find her now before she was halfway to Boston. I headed for my bike.
Chapter 22
Olivia
I STARED OUT THE WINDOW as the Boston skyline came into view ahead of us. Almost back there again, but this time, I knew exactly what I would find when I went back to my dreary little apartment.
I was still surprised I had managed to get on the bus. I had used the same ticket I’d bought before, and apparently because it had never been validated by a bus driver, they believed me when I said that I hadn’t used it and needed to change the date. They had let me change it to the next bus leaving that day, no questions asked.
I had thought about asking them if I could change the destination as well, but that seemed like a little too much to ask. And the more I thought about it, the surer I was that I couldn’t make it on the streets. No, I wanted at least to have walls and a roof, some sort of shelter. Even if I had to worry about the Vipers in Boston, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about the cops, the cold, or the creeps.
I didn’t want to be here, but I couldn’t be with Dax. I couldn’t settle for being just a job to him. I felt too guilty about imposing on him. Xander was right: Dax had plenty of other responsibilities, and he didn’t need to be worrying about me on top of the rest of it. This was my problem, and I needed to figure out a way to deal with it.
First thing to do was to clean up the apartment. I walked slowly back there, unable to keep from looking nervously around, expecting gang members to jump out at me at every alleyway I passed. I lingered for a long time outside my building, looking for signs of anyone suspicious in the area. Eventually, I realized that the only person looking suspicious around there was me. I shook my head but continued to linger out there for a moment, trying to steel myself for what I was going to find when I entered there.
But really, there was nothing that could prepare me for it. I pushed open the door, making a mental note to talk to the landlord about fixing the lock at some point. He would probably charge me for it, money that I didn’t have, but it wasn’t like I could live there without that being fixed. Especially not when my nerves were already on edge from the second I stepped inside, expecting someone to come barreling through the door at any moment.
I grabbed the damaged remains of the armchair and dragged it in front of the door. Someone had slashed through the upholstery, and no one would ever be able to sit in the thing again, so I supposed it didn’t matter if that was my doorstop for now. Not that I really thought it would stop someone from busting through the door anyway, if they really wanted to. I thought about Dax, how tall and strong he was, and knew that if I could move that chair, there was no way that it would hold up against someone like him.
But it gave me a little peace of mind, all the same.
I started trying to clean up the mess of things on the floor, sorting through the things I could keep and the things I was going to have to throw in the dumpster. The latter pile was far larger than the former, and eventually, I ended up just sitting there on the floor, tears streaming down my cheeks. There was no way I was ever going to be able to get back even a fraction of what I’d had here. It would take me the rest of my life. And I didn’t want this anymore.
I had had a glimpse at a different kind of life, and there was no going back now. No more pretending that I was happy with the way that things had always been. The trouble was there was nothing else for me. I couldn’t rely on Dax, not when he didn’t really want me there. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he had probably asked Xander to have that talk with me, to remind me that Dax had plenty of other responsibilities. I was just taking up his time. I was making it so that he couldn’t have a life outside work anymore.
My phone started to ring, and I glanced at the screen. Dax had been trying to call me, no doubt trying to track me down. I hoped he hadn’t got in trouble with Otis because I had disappeared. They had to realize that I was old enough to make my own decisions. To deal with my own problems.
But it was Becca calling me instead, and I wondered if she could tell, through some sixth sense, how badly I needed to talk to her just then. I had never felt so alone before. I felt hopeless, like there was no way that I was ever going to be able to put my life back together again. I picked up the phone.
“Where are you?” Becca asked. “I just got a call from Dax; he said that he can’t find you anywhere in Greenboro. The Vipers didn’t come after you, did they?”
“No,” I told her, wondering if she could hear the tears in my voice. “I’m okay. I’m at the apartment. My apartment.”
“In Boston?” Becca asked, sounding horrified. “Olivia, you’re not supposed to be back here,” she said.
“What the hell else am I supposed to do?” I asked, the tears giving way to a bone-deep exhaustion. “I don’t want to be a burden anymore. Whatever the Vipers have planned for me, it’s my mess. I got myself into this situation, and I need to get myself out of this situation.”
“Olivia,” Becca began, and I could tell she was about to go into lecture mode. No doubt she would remind me of all the things that the Vipers could do to me, chastise me for turning my back on the help that was offered to me, that sort of thing. But I didn’t want to hear it.
“Becca, I know that you just want me to be safe but sending me to live with one gang just so that another gang can’t get to me just doesn’t make sense to me,” I interrupted. “And I know you told me that Dax is one of the good guys, but how can you possibly know that? I don’t even know what kind of work he does for the MC or anything else about him. For all I know, he had a thousand enemies, and the reason why he doesn’t like me to be out in public on my own is that he’s afraid someone will target me to get to him.”
“I’m sure Dax would tell you if he thought that you were in any danger,” Becca protested.
“You hardly even know him,” I said, shaking my head. “Dax said that he hadn’t seen you in years. I don’t even know how you know him in the first place, but I’m telling you, I just don’t think I should be there.”
It wasn’t even really about my safety, but I didn’t know how to explain to her that I just felt guilty. Like I didn’t deserve to have him looking out for me. And I definitely didn’t know how to explain to her that I just wanted more. I wanted him to have feelings for me, and I wanted to be more than a job for him. But that wasn’t going to happen, so I couldn’t stay there. She wouldn’t understand that.
She’d got what she wanted. Things with David were working out. They were talking about getting married. And as for me, well. I looked around my destroyed apartment. This was what I got. What I’d brought upon myself.
“Look, I have a lot of work I have to do around the apartment,” I told Becca.
“Olivia, you shouldn’t be there,” Becca pleaded. “Come over here, at least.”
I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see it. “I can’t do that,” I said. I didn’t want to be a burden on her any more than I wanted to be a burden on Dax. She had her life with David, and I didn’t want to mess up anything there. She and I were growing apart; there was nothing I could do about it. And I definitely couldn’t go over there. “I just have to face up to my problems and hope that things go back to normal,” I continued. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Becca sounded like she wanted to say something else, but I hung up before she had the chance. I looked around at the mess on the floor and then pushed myself to my feet, heading into the bedroom. There was less stuff in there; maybe I could get it sorted out first and then deal with the rest of it.
I tugged at the mattress, trying to decide if it was salvageable or not. It had received the same treatment as the upholstery on the armchair, but at least the slashes were only on one side. I was pretty sure that if I could flip it over, it would be like nothing had ever happened to it.
I hoped.
I struggled with the mattress, trying to get it up on its side. But I froze when I heard a crash, the armchair falling away from the front door.
The Vipers. They were here.
My heart was in my throat, my pulse beating fast and my mouth dry as sandpaper. I looked around for something, anything, that I could use as a weapon, even though I knew it was useless, that they were sure to outnumber me and outweigh me. And they probably had guns or some other sort of real weapons. The best I had was a broom.
I grabbed it, though. It might at least buy me a little time. Time to do what, though, I wasn’t sure. I already knew that there was no reasoning with them, that they weren’t going to be happy to just have those stupid shoes back. And I didn’t have any money to offer them. I had nowhere else to go, either.
But I wasn’t thinking about any of that. I tightened my grip on the broom, listening as they moved around in the other room, kicking at the piles of stuff I had made. Probably making it so that I had to sort through all of it all over again. I tried to cling to anger at that thought, rather than letting fear overwhelm me. But it wasn’t easy.
I was pretty sure I could only hear one set of footsteps, and no one was talking out there either. That was a good sign, at least. Didn’t mean that there weren’t other guys outside, waiting for this guy to come back. But it did make my situation feel a little less hopeless.
The footsteps came closer to the bedroom. Slowly, the man pushed the door open. I swung the broom with all my might, just hoping that I could catch the guy by surprise.
Chapter 23
Dax
I COULDN’T BELIEVE that Molly had gotten all the way to Boston. Somehow, she must have known what time the buses were leaving and managed to time her escape just right. I still didn’t know how she had gotten money for a new ticket, but I supposed that was the least of my worries. I just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her.
At first, I hadn’t even known for sure if she had come back to Boston. It felt like a relatively safe assumption to make, once I realized she wasn’t in Greenboro anymore, but I didn’t really know where she might have gone. I figured it was safe to assume that Boston was where she would head, though. She didn’t really have the money to start over anywhere else, after all.
It was a relief to hear from Becca that my hunch had been correct and that Molly was here at the apartment. But immediately, I felt worried.
I hadn’t given Molly her mother’s necklace back yet. We’d had the long drive back from Boston, and then Kane had been there, and we had gone out to lunch with him. And then Molly and I had had our fight. That morning, I’d been so intent on getting the surveillance tapes and helping out Kane that I hadn’t thought about the necklace at all.
The trouble was if Molly was back in Boston now, at her apartment, she didn’t know that I had beaten up the two Vipers who had been there the previous morning. She didn’t know that she had an even bigger target on her back now. She might have thought that they had given up, or that she could make some sort of a deal with them over the price of the shoes. But I knew it wouldn’t be that easy for her.
I felt terrible for putting her in that situation, even though I’d only been trying to help her out by getting the necklace back. I knew that I couldn’t leave her there on her own in Boston. If she refused to stay in Greenboro, then I needed to be here with her, to protect her. Because it would kill me if anything happened to her.
