Chapter 20

Savior

I headed back to the clubhouse to find a quiet corner to get my head straight. Mandy was hiding something from me, but I didn’t know what. Not yet, anyway. But I’d figure it out. It was normal for her to feel scared and paranoid after what had happened to her but this was more than that. She didn’t want to see me, but not in an angry vengeful way. It was more that she was pulling away from me, withdrawing.

“Earth to Savior. What’s going on with you, man?”

I looked up at Cross who wore a worried look that pissed me off. I wasn’t some head case he needed to be concerned about. “Shit’s going on with me but maybe if you braid my hair and ask again, I’ll tell you.”

“Asshole. I know this is about what happened to Mandy and I hope you’re not planning to do anything stupid.”

Even if I wanted to, it would be pointless. She wouldn’t listen to me anyway. “I’m not fuckin’ planning anything.”

He stared at me, waiting for me to crack. But he’d have to wait a long fucking time. “You don’t want to talk? Fine. Just listen. Something is clearly going on with you two but you’re here at the clubhouse drinking in the middle of the goddamn day instead of being over there with her. She’s fucked up man, broken, bruised and battered. And alone. Again.”

“Yeah well, she doesn’t want me or my help. Thinks I’m her babysitter.”

“Have you told her any different?”

“Nah, it’s better this way anyway.”

“Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.” Cross began to laugh and then he laughed harder, clapping me on the back as tears damn near streamed down his face. “How fucking stupid are you, man? You like her.”

I shook my head and reached for the bottle, pouring another shot.

“No, you’re right. You don’t like her, you love her.”

I barked out a laugh. “I’m not capable of that particular emotion, brother.”

“Tell that shit to someone who doesn’t know you. You might be hard as hell on the outside but you know how to love and you love hard. Guys like us, that’s how we do it. That’s how we can take up arms and fight for this country, fight for the Reckless Bastards. Our love runs deep.”

I took another sip of my drink, savoring the amber liquid as I tried to shake off his assessment of me. Not buying it. “Then maybe you ought to get out there and get some of that deep love so you stop trying to play the fucking matchmaker.”

He snorted, “If it was that fucking easy, I would. But what you want is right in front of you. If you stop being such a pussy and go after it.”

“Yeah, thanks Prez. Always a pleasure talkin’ to you.”

He laughed. “Asshole.”

“That’s what they call me.”

His bootsteps clattered loud on the hard floor as he walked away, probably back to his office where he spent all of his time. Hiding from life. Avoiding everything to do with living but the club.

But he was right about one thing, Mandy was injured and alone. No matter how much she didn’t want me around, she needed me. And I needed to be there for her.

No, I wanted to.

When I pulled into Mandy’s parking lot there was one of those big ass yellow charity trucks parked in my spot. Well, in her visitor’s spot, but I was so used to parking there it felt like mine. I parked in Mandy’s spot and went in search of the guys in blue coveralls, shocked to find them inside Mandy’s apartment. “What the hell is going on in here?” A prickle of unease slid down my back, making my skin pucker in awareness. I should have realized something was up when I took her parking space. She had no job and she was still injured, where in the hell was she?

A guy with curly blond hair who couldn’t have been more than twenty-one looked at me with a frown. “We got a call from the tenant and instructions to clear out some stuff. Is anything in here yours?”

I shook my head but still took the clipboard just to make sure this was Mandy’s doing and not someone else’s. It was her block writing, straight and efficient, with curt instructions.

“Nah, nothing here is mine. This was my friend’s place, you know?”

He flashed an understanding smile. “No worries, man. She left as soon as we got here.”

And it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she’d made good on her threat to leave Las Vegas. I’d thought it was an idle threat, something she blurted out when she was frustrated with her job, her life. Why didn’t she tell me she was serious? She left behind everything that was too big to carry, including her television, sofa and bed. She was traveling light, probably to put as much distance between her and Vegas and the Roadkill MC as possible.

The question was, where the hell would she go? Mandy could be any fucking where, headed anywhere and I had no clue where to start looking. “How long ago did she leave?”

The blond looked at his watch and frowned. “About thirty, maybe forty minutes ago. She left instructions and booked it out of here. Only let me carry her bag because I insisted.”

“And called her ma’am,” one of the other movers, a chubby guy with a red buzz cut said with a wide grin.

“Yeah, she didn’t appreciate it,” he confirmed with a sheepish grin that told me she’d probably used a few colorful words to express her displeasure.

“Thanks guys.” My boots pounded loudly on the concrete steps and I had my phone out, dialing the one person who might have an idea of where she might go, or even better, where she was headed. “Teddy, do you have any idea where Mandy would go if she was leaving town?”

“What?” Her voice screeched so loud I had to pull the damn phone back.

“Teddy, focus. I’m at her place now and the Salvation Army people are here taking all the shit she left behind. Do you know where she went?”

“Shit, I didn’t think she was serious. I haven’t talked to her in a few days. She hasn’t been answering my texts.” She went silent as if coming her memory. “You know, last time we did talk, she said maybe it was time she left Vegas. I thought it was the painkillers. She never said she was leaving though.” Teddy sounded just as frantic as I felt and that wasn’t helping. At all, dammit.

“And you didn’t tell me? What the fuck is going on?”

Teddy sighed and I could practically see her rolling her eyes even through the phone. “I don’t know, Savior. Maybe she wants to get away from, well, everything.”

Ouch. “Yeah, well that’s just too damn bad.” She would get my help and my protection, along with the rest of the Reckless Bastards. “If you think of anywhere she might go, let me know,” I told her and ended the call before she said another word. I hopped on my bike and headed to the clubhouse.

Right now, the only thing I needed was a drink and my brothers.