17
Krissi didn't know what was up, not exactly, but she knew it couldn't be good. She couldn't think of any reason that she would be called into the club's inner sanctum simply so the president could ask her what the guy who had kidnapped her had said.
They had to know more, or think she did.
Her heart felt like it was about to burst through her chest but she did her best to keep how nervous she was off her face. Krissi didn't wait for Ruger as she opened the door and headed downstairs. The hot water of the shower had done wonder for the soreness in her leg, but she was still very careful how she went down the stairs. She did stop at the bottom of the steps, not sure where she was supposed to be. Spotting Sadist through an open set of double doors, she headed in his direction. She heard Ruger behind her but didn't wait. As much as she wanted him there, she wasn't going to rely on him. She could do this on her own. Krissi stopped in the open doorway, not stepping foot inside the room yet.
“Is this where you want me?” Krissi looked at Sadist because he was the only person she recognized but there were others in the room. Sadist sat near one end of the long table, the bald man with a beard and mustache at the head of the table. She thought it might be the man she'd seen earlier as Ruger helped her out of the building but the light had been bad and she couldn't be sure. She assumed he must be Tuck but she wasn't going to ask. Not yet.
“I take it you're Krissi?” the bald man asked.
“I am.”
“Where's Ruger?”
“I'm not sure.” She didn't turn around and look for him, that would make her look too desperate. “He was right behind me.”
“I'm right here.” Ruger came up behind her and moved past her to the table where he sat a bottle of Patron and a double glass. “You said you wanted a drink. I was getting it for you.” He moved a couple seats down and sat, not next to her, but not next to the other club members either. She guessed he was trying to show them he wasn't taking sides. She wondered why he might need to do that? Krissi pushed the thought out of her mind. No use borrowing trouble. She'd deal with trouble as it arrived.
“Have a seat.” The bald man waived one hand, motioning to the table and chairs around it. Krissi stepped in the room and sat down beside the chair that the tequila sat in front of. She wanted a drink, but didn't want to look too eager. Besides, right now probably wasn't the best time for it. “Lurch, get the door.”
#
An average size man, maybe 5'11” dark hair pulled back into a ponytail got up and closed the door. Krissi heard the door click shut, but something inside her calmed slightly when the lock didn't click over. They weren't locking her in, at least not yet. The man called Lurch sat back down near Sadist and the man who had to be their president. The bald man wasn't wearing a kutte so there was no patch on his chest with his position and she couldn't be sure.
“Thank you for coming down to speak with us.” The man at the head of the table spoke again. “As you may have already figured out, I'm Tuck. I’m the president around here. I understand you already know my V.P., Sadist.” Tuck motioned toward the man, then the one on the other side of the VP, “and this is Lurch.”
Krissi nodded at each of them as the president named them, this had to be about more than just questioning her about what happened today. She had already decided that hiding anything would be a bad idea, so she was just waiting for them to get down to what this was about. She leaned back in the padded, desk style chair. The movement made her ribs ache. She smiled, trying to look at ease, and her face throbbed. She leaned forward again and pointed to the tequila Ruger had brought in.
“It's been one hell of a day and your medical guy did a lot of poking at my injuries, but didn't give me anything for the pain. A hot shower helped but a drink would help even more. Do you mind?” Krissi looked up at Tuck.
Tuck watched her for a moment then waved one hand in her direction. “Help yourself.”
Krissi picked up the bottle, uncorked it and half-filled the glass. Not bothering to put the stopper back yet, she set the bottle down while she threw back the drink. After re-filling the glass, she put the stopper in the bottle and leaned back in her chair.
“You want something to go with that?” Sadist asked, one side of his mouth tilted.
“No, I'm good.”
“If she drank anything with it I would have brought it.” Ruger said. Krissi turned to look at him and found him scowling across the table at his friend. Not sure what to say, she turned back to Tuck. He was the one in charge here after all.
“Can you tell us what happened today? Where they took you and when?” the club president asked.
Krissi took a deep breath, scanned the faces watching her, and began. “It was about two o’clock. I was headed out to the car after me last class when someone grabbed me then everything went black.” She turned to Ruger. “The car you loaned me. It’s probably still be at the school, but I don't know what happened to the keys. Or my backpack for that matter. It had my wallet and all my books in it.”
“We found a backpack at the warehouse when we were cleaning up. Dark blue? Felt like it was filled with bricks?” Tuck said.
“That sounds like hers,” Ruger glanced at his president then looked back to Krissi. “Want me to double check?”
“Please. I don't want to lose my classwork and notes if I can help it. My phone was in my pocket but they took it. They might have dropped it in there, will you check for it?”
Ruger nodded but kept silent as he turned his attention back to Tuck.
“Crash had the bag last I saw, we'll figure it out later.” Tuck paused. “What do you remember about when you woke up? Do you remember how you were injured? Did they say anything?”
“I woke up with my hands and ankles tied. Once they realized I was awake, they put me in a chair.” Krissi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to remember as much detail as she could. “I don't remember exactly what they said, but it was something about the Demented Souls stealing from them. Something along the lines of they knew just how to make the Souls regret taking what was theirs.”
“Is that all?” Sadist tilted his head to one side.
“It's all they said about the club. They did some taunting about how much they were going to hurt me and made a few threats against my virtue while they beat on me.”
“And how are you now?” Tuck asked.
“I'm sure your man already gave you a full run down of my injuries. I'm sore and I'm going to be hurting for a while, but I'll live.”
He watched her a moment, his eyes intense as if he was trying to tell if she was being honest. “All right then, I have a few more questions for you, not related to today, if you don't mind.”
Her heart raced. They'd found out. Were they going to try to use her to get on her father's good side? She had some bad news for them if that was what they were after. “Okay.”
“Can you tell me what brought you to Tucson?”
“Family drama. My life growing up was always hectic, always in an upheaval. While I’m fully aware my mother wasn't blameless in it all, the person I mainly hold responsible is my father. He's a little,” she paused, “controlling. I knew that as long as I stayed in Albuquerque he'd be a shadow looming over me. Interfering in my life whether I wanted him there or not. So I left. Tucson isn't all that far away but it's too far for him to have much day-to-day impact. At the same time, it's close enough I can get back relatively quickly, should I need to.” It was true, as far as it went.
“Oh?” Tuck lifted one brow and leaned forward in his chair. “I understand you have no vehicle, that's why you're driving one of the loaners from the shop. How did you plan to get home if you needed to without a car?”
“Greyhound leaves here five times a day with a route that can get me home in around twelve hours. Tickets run under a hundred dollars if purchased a couple weeks out, or around a hundred and fifty same or next day. It's not impossible.” Krissi didn't flinch or look away from his gaze. She knew he was trying to intimidate her, and she was just tired and sore enough she wasn't going to play any games. She picked up the glass of Patron and deliberately moved slowly enough he would see she wasn't shaking, as she took a sip, then set it back on the table. “Let's cut the crap here. I assume you've figured out who my father is?” Krissi looked at each man in turn, they all stared back, giving nothing away, until her gaze fell on Ruger. He met her gaze and gave her a barely imperceptible nod. “I'm not sure what your angle is but,” she lifted one shoulder, “it's not going to do you much good. I haven't voluntarily spoken to him in years.”