Page 75 of Shadow's Surrender
“When she called me, she was running scared.” Shadow slammed his fist on the table then kicked over another chair. “I was so fuckin’ close to finding out who killed my mom. Dammit!”
“Give me the ledger—I’ll see what I can find out,” Hawk said.
“We’ll do what we can, bro,” Animal said as he approached them.
“Count me in too,” Helm added.
“And me.” Bones walked up to Shadow and bumped fists with him.
“I got your back, bro—you know that.” Smokey pulled him into a bear hug. “You’ve been denied justice far too long, and now we got something to go on.”
Banger walked over and locked eyes with Shadow. “Rock told me what’s going on. You know we’ll fight and stand by you, no matter what, brother.”
Shadow nodded, then bumped fists with his president and his other brothers. Pride swelled inside him and a deep sense of comfort spread through him. For years people had pitied him because he’d lost both his parents. They’d tell him what a shame it was to have lost his family. McCue had been telling him that for years, but what citizens didn’t understand was that he had the best family in the world—the Insurgents. And those people who said that a person couldn’t choose his family didn’t have a fucking clue what the meaning of brotherhood meant.
“You need a good blowjob, dude, and a shot of Jack,” Bones said. “Rusty, Skinless, get the drinks flowing, and Brandi … get your ass over here—my brother needs some attention.”
Shadow accepted the shots gladly, but the only lips he wanted wrapped around his cock were those of his sweet Scarlett, so he steered Brandi in Blade’s direction while he and several of the other members talked about motorcycles.
The phone vibrated in his back pocket and he snatched it out and looked at the screen. His face broke into a grin when he saw the number.
“Hey, babe,” he said.
“How are you?” Her voice lilted through the phone.
“Good. How was work?” Music and loud voices filled the room, and Shadow squeezed the cell hard against his ear.
“Great—I really love my job!”
He smiled at her exuberance. “That’s good, babe.”
“Are you busy tonight?”
“With you.”
A small giggle. “I was hoping you were coming over. What time?”
He threw back the rest of his whiskey. “What works for you?”
“Now?”
Her answer made his dick twitch. “I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she whispered.
Shadow pushed away from the bar, telling his buddies that he had something to do, then he raced outside and hopped on his bike.
On his way to Scarlett’s building, he turned onto Larkspur Lane and slowed down when he passed the Lanai Towers and the Belvedere. A thread of sadness and regret wove through him as he thought of Flo. His mother had really liked that boisterous, gaudy woman, and Shadow had to admit that he’d loved seeing the two of them together, laughing and talking into the late hours of the night. When Flo had called, a part of him wanted to see her because she was a direct link to his mother, but he was angry that she betrayed his mother by keeping the identity of the killer a secret just so she could profit from it. In any case, he hadn’t wanted Flo to die, and her murder angered and saddened him.
A horn honked behind him and Shadow rolled on the throttle, raising the speed of the bike. Two streets over, and he was pulling up to the curb in front of Scarlett’s building. Sensing someone looking at him, Shadow glanced across the street and saw Warren glaring at him as the jerk opened the door to a red sports car then slid in. There was another guy in the passenger’s seat, but Shadow couldn’t make out his features.
“What the fuck’s he doing here?” he muttered.
Then he heard the squealing of tires as the sports car pulled out of the parking space and sped away. Shadow hurried into the building, stopping only to sign the register book with the front assistant after scanning the sheet to see if the asshole’s name was on it. It wasn’t. By the time he got off on the top floor, his nerves were so tight, they felt like they’d snap at any second. He turned the doorknob and it opened, and the aroma of banana-nut bread wafted out into the hall.
“Hey, babe, I’m here,” he said, closing the door behind him. “It’s not safe to leave your door unlocked, no matter where you live.” He walked into the living room and slipped off his cut, carefully placing it on the back of a chair.
“The front desk called me when you got into the elevator.”
