CHAPTER FOUR
RIGGS
So you don’t know where the hell he is?”
Diesel shook his head. “If I knew, I’d tell you, but the guy is good at hiding. Passed by about a month ago, stayed a few weeks and then he was gone.”
“Shit.”
I’d travelled with Diesel before, and after hitting all his favorite spots, I found him with a gorgeous brunette on his lap at a black jack table in the Bellaggio. As soon as he saw me, a big cheesy grin had shown on his hard features and he dropped everything to meet with me. I could tell the brunette was upset, but he promised to find her later. Leading me to a far-off corner of the bar, he bought us some drinks and now here we were.
“What’s going on over there, anyway?”
“Shit’s going down, man. We’ve got Los Perdidos on our asses, place got shot up, and now we’re working with the Death Row Shooters in order to strengthen the club.”
“Shit! Why the hell hasn’t Wolf called for me?”
“Beats me.” I take a swig of my drink, grateful for the soft burn that warmed my insides. “I need to find fucking Gunner, man. If he could just keep still for a couple days so I could get to him.”
“Last I heard, he was driving up to Washington. Had some job he needed to do.”
“Did he say if he was coming back to the Hell’s Lovers?”
“He asked about the club, but didn’t mention coming back.”
“It’s not like he’s gonna go back to being a prospect. I mean, shit, Wolf wants him back as his tail gunner.”
Diesel chuckled. “And how long is that gonna last? I’m telling you man, he’s a lost cause. He ain’t like me. That man’s running from somethin’, and it’s gonna take somethin’ pretty big to make him settle anywhere.”
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I was tired, and I wanted to head back home.
“Heard Scarlett’s pregnant. Can’t wait to meet the rascal.”
“It’s a girl.”
“Oh shit! Wolf is gonna flip his lid if anyone comes near her.” He banged his hand on the wooden table, cracking up. “This is gonna be a trip!”
I role my eyes and lean back in my chair checking out the exotic dancers only feet away from us.
“So what’s up with you? Any new tail coming your way?”
I shrug and take a swig of the amber liquid, allowing it to coat my throat, easing my anxiety of wanting to know if Luna was safe.
“You know I get plenty of tail all the time,” he chuckles. “You’ve got something going on. What’s up Riggs?”
I grimace and down the drink, not leaving a drop. Diesel raises his hand and signals for a refill.
“That bad, huh?”
“Fuck man, she’s eighteen.”
“Damn.” He nods. “I can see why you’re so uptight, but I’ve seen worse, man.”
“What?”
“Come on, brother. We’re in Vegas! Try eighteen year olds hanging on the arms of sixty and seventy year olds. Now that’s crazy. But hey, who am I to judge.”
I smirked. I liked talking to Diesel, he was blunt, but he always knew what to say to make my worries seem foolish. He was right though, at least I wasn’t sixty or seventy. The waitress came with another drink and winked at me. She was cute, also young, and I shook my head lifting my glass to her.
“Look, man. Is she into you?”
I paused for a second and then nodded slowly.
“Then what the fuck? Go for it.”
“I don’t want to fuck with her head. She’s already been through enough.”
“One thing I’ve learned is that a woman knows what she wants. And if she wants you, you can’t stop her.”
“Dude she’s so innocent. I’m sick from even having the dirty thoughts that have crossed my mind.”
“What you have is shame for what you want, you’re ashamed of yourself and you shouldn’t be. Look, I know your dad did a number on you, but fuck that! Fuck him! This is your chance to prove you’re not like your dad. Take that girl, make her yours, and then put a pretty ring on her finger.”
He took a swig of his own drink and looked at the waitress. “Besides, if I haven’t found my own young pussy, I might as well live vicariously through you fools.
I shook my head and let out a chuckle. “Anyway, if you see Gunner make sure to send him my way. I’ve got to go sleep this off and head out.”
“Are you serious? You’re in Vegas man, learn to have a little fun.”
“The only fun I’ll be having is with my pillow.” I put down a twenty on the table and signaled for the waitress to take care of Diesel. I stared down at him and patted his back. “If you can get back home, we’d be happy to have you around.”
Diesel nodded. “As soon as I finish this job I’ll head back. Besides, I think you all need me more than I’m needed here. I’ll figure it out.”
“Good.” I smacked his shoulder and left him to fend for himself.
Diesel was always a loner, a nomad driving around finding jobs here and there. All I knew was that he worked in security and that’s all I needed to know. He was a good guy and he had my back. I learned a long time ago that you didn’t need to know a person’s past to be their friend. What mattered is how they treated you, and Diesel was a good friend to all of us.
A FEW HOURS later I was lying in the hotel room, my mind kept going through the events of the last few months. I was getting anxious to get back to Luna. I didn’t like leaving her for too long. After what Wolf had done to El Tuco, it was only a matter of days until that mother fucker sicced whoever his goons were on the Hell’s Lovers.
They’d already destroyed the club once, one of those assholes had the balls to ruin my bike. I was grateful that Knox was able to fix it. Not that I couldn’t afford to buy another, I just didn’t want to, that was my damn baby. Then with what El Rubio had done to Rahyne and Luna, if Grayson didn’t get to him first, I would. And when I got my hands on him I’d rip his throat out for what he did to my Luna.
My poor, beautiful girl had nightmares for days afterwards. I would stay in the apartment those nights. I could hear her cries from the living room. I’d run in and as soon as my hand touched her forehead, she’d quiet down. I wound up cradling her to me, making sure she’d sleep through the night. Before dawn I’d get up and leave. This went on for weeks until she was finally able to sleep through the night without incident. Now, I suffered on a nightly basis. I was getting used to having her in my arms as I slept, and not having her by my side had me suffering several restless nights, much like this one.
She may not have noticed I’d done it, but I could tell she felt safer when I was near. Loud noises still made her jump, and she always wanted shifts where I stayed the night. It didn’t matter though, I would be there every night if she’d asked me to. Rahyne was tough as nails, but my Luna was fragile. She’d seen and been through so much shit already, the last thing I wanted was for her suffer anymore.