Chapter Five
“Alright,” Mad-dog said as soon as they were back. The whole crew was assembled, even the brothers who’d showed up within minutes of Val’s frantic text. She’d taken one look at Mad-dog and started tapping away at her smartphone, her fingers a blur. Hoodoo wondered sometimes how her fingers could move so fast, and yet she’d still somehow manage to drop the most breakable thing in the room just by virtue of standing next to it.
Mad-dog drained a bottle of water and crumpled it in his hand. “I saw a couple of Bandits walking off and figured if I could catch them, I could ask about the girl, who she was with and all. But I got close and gave up that idea fast. I heard them talking, y’see. And what they was saying was more interesting than anything I could ask them. They were arguing, and one of them was saying that someone named ‘Pete’ had found a buyer.” Mad-dog shook his head. “That coulda meant anything, but then the guy next to him says, ‘it would have to be someone that just wanted to look at it and not ride it.”
Val’s eyebrows raised. Hoodoo met her gaze and shook his head, warning her to not interrupt.
“First guy asked what he means, and he says, it’s too distinctive, anyone would know it was stolen, hell, there’s nothing else like it on the road. But then the other guy says, ‘if you can pay out that much for a bike, you can afford fake papers.’”
“Wait,” said Danny, “they planning on taking your girlfriend’s bike?”
“I thought she was one of them?” Andy added, eyes wide. Gangs didn’t work that way. Not with their own members. Gang was family.
“There’s not much else it could be,” Loki said with a shrug. Hoodoo could see the wheels turning, working out the angles. “Rare distinctive bike, really expensive, ‘nothing like it on the road’. What else could it be? That Crocker has been the showpiece of the rally, most think it’s a fake, a mockup of current parts because no one would be stupid enough to risk it here.” He turned to Hoodoo. “Sorry, boss, but that’s the current theory.”
“They’re talking about it?” This was new, and Hoodoo wondered how in the hell Loki was getting his information. They’d only left the booth an hour ago.
“Where is it now?” Val asked.
“She put it on loan to the Motorcycle Museum for the duration of the rally. It’s their top display and they’re drooling all over themselves trying to figure out how to make it permanent.”
“Well, that’s something, right? The museum has to have pretty good security, they’ve got a lot invested in the displays.” Val turned from one to the other, apparently looking for validation. “I mean it’s gotta be safe there, right?”
Mad-dog shrugged, but it was Loki that answered her. “Maybe, but that’s not a given. She still has to go home after, though. I highly doubt she’s going to want to walk back to Chicago from here.”
“And what if she gets hurt?” Hoodoo said, with a grim certainty that she wouldn’t give up that bike easy. Not Tracy. She’d go down fighting.
None of this made sense. How in the hell was she hanging with Bandits? “She can’t be riding with them, despite what you saw, Loki. She has to be…” he shook his head. “Momma Leonna would say she was under a spell,” he paused, struggling to find the words. “Not a voodoo spell, more like a pretty face spell.”
“Guy I saw wouldn’t exactly fit that.” Loki laughed. “He was an ugly bastard. But maybe he charmed her? Like a con man?”
Hoodoo considered this. He’d have to be a hell of a charmer. The Tracy he knew was suspicious by nature. There was no way she’d fall for any cock and bull story thrown at her. It would have to be mighty convincing.
What could someone say to get a girl like Tracy to ride with them?
He shook his head. “Whatever the case, I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I at least need to warn her.”
“Maybe.” Danny mused.
“But you can’t find her,” Andy added.
“Drives me nuts when they do that,” Loki mumbled to no one in particular.
“Well, I can’t just stay here!” Hoodoo sprang to his feet. “Who’s watching the booth?”
“I got it.” Val offered, then shrugged when the others stared at her. “Well it’s not like I have anything better to do. Unlike some people, I don’t have all this drinking and fighting to do. Puts a lot more time on my hands.”
“You watched it all morning,” Hoodoo waved her off, “You’re going to miss the rally.”
“No,” Val insisted. “I want to. Really.”
All the men watched her closely. “Talk to me, Val,” Hoodoo’s deep basso brought her up sharply.
“it’s no big deal,” she said, but her eyes wouldn’t quite meet his. Something was up. Hoodoo wasn’t going to let her get away with that. Not even now when he wanted nothing more than to go find Tracy, to try and protect her somehow.
Val was family. You didn’t treat family that way.
He stared at her until she threw her arm up and said, “FINE! I just want to sit this day out, ok? Just take it easy one day and then back at it tomorrow.”
The men shuffled in some confusion but nodded, albeit reluctantly, and began to disperse.
“You need any company?” Loki asked on his way out.
“No! I’m fine, really. Just go help the big guy find his girl, ok?”
“Only Mad-dog and I actually saw her,” Loki said after a minute. “And only for a moment. I don’t know if we’ll know it’s her, anyway.”
“Good hunting, then.” Val’s face curled around a half-smile and she rolled over the table to the back of the booth. “Come on down, we’re open!” she called to passersby, with all the enthusiasm of the most die-hard busker.
Hoodoo watched her for a moment and turned to the rest of his crowd. They exchanged raised eyebrows and surreptitious shrugs. He decided to let it go, for now. Val could handle herself, he’d seen her fight before, but if someone was giving her grief every member of the Gilas would come down on him like an avalanche of bikers. She wanted to be one of the guys, and Hoodoo thought they did that as best they could, she’d proven she wasn’t a delicate princess type, but it was still like having your kid sister with you. Any of the Gilas would have her back at a moment’s notice.
“Alright,” he relented. “Thank you. Try to not give away the store, alright?”
“Don’t worry.” She smiled the same predatory grin she got whenever she faced a new challenge. She unzipped her vest and revealed a mid-rift-baring shirt that said “I” and a big heart symbol. What it was she hearted was forever lost in the discarded fabric below that.
Mad-dog whistled appreciatively.
“Yeah,” Loki nodded, gesturing at the many appreciative male glances aimed in her direction. “She’s got this.” He turned to Hoodoo. “I’ll head to the museum, make sure the bike is there, maybe she’s there with it?”
Hoodoo nodded and clasped his man’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I’ll start where Loki saw her. If she ate breakfast there, maybe she’ll come back for lunch,” Mad-dog offered. Hoodoo pretended not to notice the way the big guy rubbed at his belly. Yeah. Lunch. Right.
“We haven’t seen her,” Danny said.
“But we can sniff around The Bandits, see what we can find out.”
“Carefully.” Hoodoo warned, not entirely happy with this plan. “No fights.”
“Us?” They said together. They tried damn hard to look innocent, he had to give them that. Hoodoo stole one more look at Val as the others filtered out.
“Someone givin’ you troubles?” he rumbled.
Val laughed and shook her head slowly. “Yeah,” she admitted. “An auntie of mine.”
Hoodoo looked at her with his brow knitted. “Auntie?”
Val caught her lower lip between her teeth, “Auntie Flo,” she whispered and waited. She balled a fist and knocked on Hoodoo’s chest. “First day of my period?”
Hoodoo stood back, holding up his hands in surrender. “Ok, got it, sorry, didn’t mean to…”
Val’s grin grew wider. “Sometimes it’s hard to ride, and too much activity…”
“No!” Hoodoo backed up a step, catching his foot on the table and dragging it a couple of inches before catching himself. “I get it, sure…”
“I’ll pick these up…” Val offered.
“Yeah, ok,” Hoodoo smiled and waved, “Ok, back soon… uh… looking good.” He ducked out and kept walking. It might have been the wandering buskers entertaining the crowd or one of the cute dogs in leathers, but he could have sworn he’d heard laughter as he set off in search of Tracy.