Page 13 of Retribution
“That wasn’t our fuckin’ plan, but the SOB’s brother-in-law was the motherfuckin’ sheriff, and we decided we didn’t need to start up shit with the damn badges.”
Cobra took a deep breath then let it out. “You’ve got it under control in Missoula, though?”
“Yeah. In Frenchtown too. Brute’s been workin’ a lotta hours with Iron and some of the other brothers, managing the dealers we got out on the streets. One of the fuckers double-crossed us last week, so we had to make an example of him. We’re pretty much on solid ground except for this fuckin’ snag.”
Grinder swore again and he heard a loud noise over the line, as if the guy had thrown something heavy at the wall.
Cobra didn’t say a word.
“I’m so fuckin’ pissed! You think those pussies you roughed up will get back on the circuit?”
“Don’t know. I drove ’em into the ground, but stupid is as stupid does.” Cobra rubbed the back of his neck and sighed as he gave the parking lot another quick scan. “Big Pat sounds like he doesn’t much care who he’s recruiting … not a lot of sense in that one. Sounds like he’s just a greedy fucker with shit for brains.”
Grinder grunted in agreement and he heard another loud inhale from across the phone line.
“I’ll call church and do some recon in the area. See if we can track back any final sources and set up some bait to nab the fucker.”
This time it was Cobra’s turn to grunt and he hoped the phone call was winding down to an end point. Talking for too long made him antsy—it’s why he preferred taking to the open road with nothing but the wind as his companion. Solitary time wasn’t taken seriously anymore. Too often people wanted to party and shove themselves into social situations because they couldn’t deal with being alone. Hell … they didn’t fucking like their own company.
But Cobra lived through enough shit to know what he wanted out of life and how to get it without wasting his time chasing after other people. His expectations were pretty damn simple: a place to lay his head at night, a warm woman to share his bed sometimes, a few shots of booze, and the open road at his fingertips. Everything else? Fucking damn it all.
“We done?” Cobra asked.
“We’re solid. Just keep me in the loop if you hear anything. The club will come up with a game plan to get rid of this fucker once and for all. It’s good to hear from you, bro.”
“Likewise.”
Cobra broke the connection with a click of a button then headed back to the motel room.
He hadn’t planned on keeping the cutie around, but Dakota needed help and he wasn’t one to turn a blind eye when someone was in trouble. Fuck only knew what the bastards would’ve done to her if their plan had gone off without a hitch. Too many possibilities flashed across the front of his brain until he winced and paused outside the closed door to their room.
Regardless of how it could have played out, she was here with him now, and he was actually glad that she’d agreed to stay with him. He’d have to be careful not to fuck it up and make her feel unsafe with him. Dakota would run for the hills for sure, leaving him with a mark on his conscience that wouldn’t heal too easily. He had to be on his best behavior, and based on the way she’d given him so much sass just a while before, he knew the situation would be challenging. She didn’t even know him, and she was in his face—all indignant and fucking cute.Easy, dude. Damn.He had to admit that the sweet young woman had spunk, but he also suspected that a lot of her bravado was put on to hide her vulnerability. He appreciated the way Dakota held her own, and he figured it was what kept her alive in a world that was insistent on killing the human spirit.
Still, it meant she was absolutely going to push Cobra’s fucking buttons, rip apart his boundaries, and throw his life into a tailspin for the next week or so until she could afford a place and get back on her feet. To go from constant silence to girlie chatter every second of the day? Yeah, that was going to be new and different. All he had to do was keep her at an emotional distance. That shouldn’t be too hard since he’d been doing it with people for most of his life, but there was something fragile and damn sexy about the hitchhiker that stoked the fires deep inside him.
Forget that shit. She’s off-limits.Better to find a whore to relieve the itch if it got too bad.Shit.
The knock on the door was louder than Cobra had intended. He felt like a jackass knocking for permission to enter his own room, but he didn’t want to walk in on her changing. Yeah … that would throw his “best behavior” plan right down the crapper.
“Come in.” Her voice was soft, like fingers caressing his skin.
Fuck!
He opened the door and saw Dakota perched on the bed going through her backpack.
“We good?” she asked, not lifting her head up.
“Yeah.” He peeled off his cut and turned it inside out before gently folding it.
“Do you have a time you like to go to bed that I should know about since I’m kind of invading on your space here?”
A smile tilted up from his lips. Cobra would hardly consider this dump worthy of being declared his fucking space. But whatever, the sweetheart was being considerate.
“You’re probably still tired.” He walked over to the mini fridge and took out one of the beers he’d brought back after roughing up the two shitheads, and popped the top before bringing the can to his lips.
Dakota shrugged one shoulder and kept digging, becoming more frantic.
“You’ll need more sleep tonight. Your body’s still recovering.”
