Devil's Ride (Royal Bastards MC Tonopah, NV #3) - Nikki Landis Page 0,30
stay upright as he swayed on his feet. “Need another beer, honey.”
“Sorry. I have to cut you off.”
He narrowed his eyes. Voice slurring, he tried to sound like a man and failed. “Listen, bitch I need another drink for my pres. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Whatever. I poured a fresh beer and handed it over. Moby sloshed half the damn contents as he walked back unsteadily, and I shook my head. Why would anyone think that moron was worth a patch?
I was stocking the bar when I heard Acid’s voice a few minutes later. “Moby give you any trouble?”
Startled, I glanced up and caught his dark blue eyes roaming my body with an unwanted and creepy stare. The same kind of perusal I usually got from Moby, but Acid was far more calculating. “Uh, no more than usual.”
“An honest answer. That’s good, honey. Men don’t like to be lied to.”
Yeah. Alright. “Neither do women,” I pointed out. “But yes, he’s a handful.”
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Uh, thanks? “Okay.” I didn’t want to answer but he wasn’t leaving. In fact, he was smiling like he had a secret and really wanted to share but held back.
“Don’t worry. I’m not cashing in on all the favors I do for you.”
Huh? What in the actual fuck?
I must have looked confused because he didn’t pause but rambled on.
“Been taking care of your dad and his medical bills. Quite a few of them now that he’s older. Moby ain’t doing shit to help him out so I stepped in. Trailer needs a new roof. I’ll take care of it. Maid comes in once a week and cleans for him too.”
Surprised, I didn’t know why he was doing those things or telling me. “I don’t know what to say except thank you.”
“That’s all I want. For now.”
For now? What did that mean?
Acid winked and pushed away from the bar, joining the rest of the Scorpions. As soon as the last customer was gone, I locked up and double checked to make sure. Sasha folded her arms across her chest and blocked my way as I tried to move around her.
“Something happened tonight. Tell me.”
“Acid,” I spat. “He’s been taking care of my dad and Moby hasn’t done shit.”
“Uh oh,” she breathed out.
“Yeah.”
“What does he want from you?”
“Nothing,” I admitted. “Yet. You can be sure he’ll say something once he’s ready.”
“Bet he wants you to pay him by spreading your legs.” She sneered at the door. “Nasty fucker. He’s a psycho.”
“I think the whole club is like that.”
“Not Zook.” She shook her head. “He’s good to me.”
I didn’t want to argue with her, so I nodded, and she moved out of the way, both of us lost in our thoughts.
A few days later I was sleeping in after closing alone. Sasha had gone on a date with Zook and it had been a long hard night. I never remembered my head landing on the pillow. I’d been dead to the world. The sound of buzzing slowly brought me back into awareness.
Groggy, I reached for my cell and dropped it. Wouldn’t you know it? Shit like that always happened when it was inconvenient. Groaning, I was forced to crawl from bed and locate my phone. Someone was persistent as hell as it vibrated again in my hand. I yawned and answered without looking at the display.
“Yeah?”
“Trish?”
“That you, Sasha?” Suraya never called. She usually texted.
Sasha’s voice was so low that I wasn’t sure if it was her on the line or not until she continued. “Yeah. I’m in trouble, babe. I need you.”
Shit. “What’s the matter? Where are you?”
“A payphone. Listen, I don’t have long. I’ll have to hide soon. Write down this address. I might be a little off on the location but I’m pretty sure it’s accurate enough that you can find it.”
I did as she asked, snatching a pen and paper off my dresser. “I’ll be there as quick as I can.”
“Don’t honk. I’ll watch for you.”
“Okay.”
“And Trish?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Don’t panic when you see all the blood.”
Fuck. “Alright. You stay safe.”
“Will do.”
It took about an hour to locate Sasha on the outskirts of Hawthorne. She was splattered in bloodstains and her clothes were torn. There was a wild look in her eyes, and I was afraid my friend had been sexually assaulted. Dried tears left a salty path down both of her cheeks while her dark makeup had smeared underneath both eyes. She was a total wreck. I’d never seen her look like