Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC #4) - Savannah Rylan Page 0,12
with their children if they knew the man in my picture. And yet again, no one knew who the fuck Skeleton was.
And yet again, none of them were lying.
What the fuck gives?
Something was wrong with the picture we had painted.
Still, I didn’t stop until I knew I’d been inside every restaurant, shopping mall, boutique store, and coffee shop in the outlying town. I asked just about every person I came across if they recognized the scrawny little shit in the picture on my phone, and by the time dinner rolled around I’d gotten used to people telling me no. It was almost pathetic, how long I kept going even though my gut told me Skeleton had never set foot into this town before.
Still, I knew Link would want me to be thorough.
After slipping into another coffee shop to snatch up some caffeine, I checked my phone and saw I had a text from a number I didn’t recognize. And when I opened the message, I felt both relieved and disgusted at the same time.
Simone: Hey, it’s me. S. Listen, I ate up the rest of my food this morning and I don’t have any money on me. You coming back anytime soon?
She sent me that text a fucking hour ago. So, I quickly typed back.
Me: Done with my day. You want seafood, fast food, or pasta?
Her response was almost immediate.
Simone: Pasta, with all the vegetables. And chicken. Dessert, too? Oh, and something else to drink. The largest Dr. Pepper they can send with you.
I slid my phone into my pocket and crossed the street. There was this place that caught my eye called “Pasta Fizzoli,” and the smells coming from the restaurant every time those doors opened made my mouth water. I eased my bike across the street and parked. I made my way into the restaurant and placed a massive to-go order. And as I gazed out the window to my left while I waited for the total, I saw a refrigerated case of sodas.
Stacked to the brim with Dr. Pepper.
I pointed at the case. “How much for a soda?”
The man rang up my total. “Three bucks a pop. Your total right now is $34.57.”
I nodded slowly. “I’ll take every can of Dr. Pepper you’ve got in that thing.”
“Wait, what?”
I looked back at the man behind the register. “All of the canned Dr. Peppers. In bags, if you’ve got them. And if not, I’ll use one of your trash bags, thanks.”
The man blinked. “Okay, whatever you say.”
I dug my phone out. “By the way, have you seen this man at all? I’m looking for him, it’s urgent. I’m worried he might be hurt.”
And when I showed the guy the picture on my phone, his eye twitched.
Finally, a fucking lead.
“He doesn’t look familiar, no.”
I paused. “You sure about that?”
His eyes met mine and I saw fear behind them. “I don’t know what the hell your relationship is with that man, but you better be careful.”
I put my phone away. “Why do you say that?”
His fingers typed across the register. “Your final total is $34.57.”
“What about the—”
“You can just have them if you stop talking right now.”
I furrowed my brow. “What if I pay you double for them, you can pocket the excess, and you tell me what you know.”
He chuckled bitterly. “I wouldn’t take three times that and piss off that man by talking.”
“So, he’s been here.”
“I never said that.”
“So, you’ve seen him around here.”
“Never said that either.”
I paused. “Four times.”
He blinked. “Come again?”
“I’ll pay you four times the regular amount for those sodas, you pocket the rest, and the only thing you have to tell me is that man’s relationship to this restaurant.”
He looked over his shoulders. “That’s all.”
I held up my hand. “Scout’s Honor.”
His eyes met mine. “You don’t know where you got this information, all right?”
I grinned. “What information?”
The man nodded. “Exactly. The man’s an investor. He’s in here a lot talking with the two owners of the restaurant. The last time he was in here? About three weeks ago. And rumor has it that he was wanting to cash out his percentage of ownership in the business.”
Got him. “How much do I owe you?”
After the man rang me up and I paid him under the table, he handed me a massive grocery bag. I packed up all of the canned Dr. Peppers I could find in that case, then snatched up our food. Thank fuck I had extra-large saddle bags on either side of my bike.