Road Tripped (Satan's Devils MC Utah #1) - Manda Mellett Page 0,74

too.”

“We ride to support the other chapters,” Snatcher reminds me. “Losing Thumper in Colorado was fuckin’ hard, but that’s the commitment we made. We keep our ears to the ground for anything which affects our brothers in other states. We knew Alder was alive and likely to give our brother’s brother-in-law, Connor, a hard time were he to find he was alive. So we were watching out for signs he knew where he’d gone. Of course, as it turned out, the target was wrong, but if Stormy hadn’t been watching out for them, Beth’s mother could well be dead, and Connor put in a grave where it was sure he’d stay this time.”

“We’ve given pointers to Mouse a couple of times, untraceable of course,” Pip interjects.

Snatcher acknowledges the observation with a raise of his chin. “Mouse is clever, so’s Cad and Token. So in their cases, it’s leaving a trail for them to join the dots themselves rather than dropping outright clues in their laps.”

“That’s the other thing I don’t understand,” I tell them. “Your chapter is a joke in that no one here knows how to turn a computer on.”

“I don’t.” Snatcher laughs at himself. “Well, barely. But can’t you see that keeps us safe? Our operation is watertight when everyone thinks we live in the stone age.”

Pip grinds his teeth and nods at my phone again. “Which is all now going to change. Go on, Road.” He pushes it closer to me.

Is this some sort of reverse psychology? I place my hand over the device which isn’t normally far from me, and which I’ve been lost without over the past couple of days. But I don’t pick it up immediately. There’s no doubt they do good work here. I, myself, have seen that. But should that be kept hidden from Drummer? Drummer isn’t just my prez, he’s the prez of the mother chapter. What if I keep quiet, and something else blows their deception wide open? What if I transfer and someone else from Tucson comes visiting?

Christ. Why has this been put on me? I’m just a grunt, what do I know about anything? A flash from yesterday goes through my mind—the girl, those bastards who had her and what they intended to do with her. I was part of rescuing her from the fate they had planned.

I used to think winning a race was the pinnacle of my achievement, but Pip had given me something to top that. The exhilaration of the rescue topping any trophy I could bring home, even though it wouldn’t lead to fame and fortune or even recognition.

But I respect Drummer. How can I lie to a man who’s given me so much?

Under the watchful eyes of Pip and Snatcher, I pick up the phone and call up the first number on speed dial.

It’s anti-climactic. The ring tone sounds and sounds, then it cuts out and voicemail answers. I end the call without leaving a message and put the phone back down. I cock an eyebrow toward Pip and start pushing the phone his way again. I doubt he’ll want me to make the call in private, he’ll want to be forewarned of what I’ve told Drum.

But before he can take it, the phone vibrates. The action so unexpected, I think all three of us jump, then look sheepishly toward each other.

The phone clearly shows it’s a call from Prez. Looking again resigned, Pip nods. I answer.

“Road.”

“Got a missed call from you. I was riding, just pulled over to call you back. What d’ya need, Brother? Kind of getting a bit worried about you being out of touch.”

“I texted you.” I apparently had.

He snorts, but I can’t quite work out why until he adds, “Man of few words, aren’t you? ‘I’m here.’ ‘All OK.’ What the hell was I going to make of that?”

Pip must have read my other texts. With my large fingers I don’t write much. “Well, I’m talking to you now, aren’t I?”

“So what have you found, Road?”

I take a deep breath. “It’s a completely different chapter.” And ain’t that the truth? “I’m still getting my head around it. Feeling my way with the brothers here.”

“Anything I should worry about?”

“Worry?” I think I can honestly answer that. “Not that I’ve seen. Tell you the truth, Prez, the change of scenery is doing me some good. Getting me out of my head for a while.” That’s no lie. I haven’t felt the need to strike out or even snap at anyone