Page 120 of Diesel's Perseverance
“Me too.” He pushed himself upright. Anger skittered across his face as he looked at her. “I hate that this sorry-ass brother hurt you. He’s gonna pay.”
A shiver slid down her spine at his words. “I’m good now… you’re here.”
“I have to go downstairs and talk with the others.”
“I’m coming too. I don’t want to be up here alone. I’ll sit in the corner and not ask any questions.”
He smiled. “I was gonna have you come down with me. Maybe the jerk will be in the main room, but I doubt it. We’ll be talking club business, but I’ll keep my eye on you.”
When they entered the main room, everyone looked over at her. The bikers quickly averted their eyes, but the club women kept staring at her, some shaking their heads in disbelief and others with concern.
Diesel walked her over to one of the tables near the bar, then joined a group of men leaning against the bar counter. She overheard one of them say, “We got the bastard. Welder told us what was going on before he went to get your woman. When Crutch came back, all sweaty and pissed, we figured he was the one giving your woman trouble.”
“Crutch?” Diesel said. “I’ll be damned. I wondered about him, but didn’treallythink he’d be the turncoat. He as good as put the hit on my brother. Crutch was in real deep with Cano.”
“That’s why the Grim Henchmen kept swooping up our deals from under us,” Demon said.
“And Cano was working with the Henchmen,” Diesel said. “Where’s the fucker?”
“In the dungeon,” Demon said.
“Give me fifteen minutes, and then he’s all yours.” She saw the muscles in his jaw clenched as he pounded a fist into the palm of his other hand.
“You got it, brother.”
Banger clasped Diesel’s shoulder. “You finish your business with the fucker. I told Panther his club can deal with this motherfucking rat how they see fit. We’ll head back to Pinewood Springs tomorrow.”
Then Rags looked at her and whispered something to Banger. The president glanced over, and she pretended to be interested in the scratch patterns on the table. After that, the group of men moved to the other side of the room, and the club girls scurried outside. From then on, she only heard the occasional, “Fuck, that snitch!” or “The fucker’s backpack’s gonna burn along with him!” She shuddered at those words and wouldn’t let her mind imagine what a group of angry outlaw bikers would do to one of their own who betrayed the club.
After a half hour of hushed conversation, several shots of whiskey, and a wave of grim faces, the men trudged out of the room and disappeared down one of the hallways. Welder sauntered over and perched on a bar stool. She knew Diesel had designated him to be her sentry while he was occupied doing something she never wanted to know about. At that moment, she understood and appreciated whyclub businesswasn’t discussed outside the membership.
“Could I please have a glass of water?” she said to Welder.
He pushed off the stool and went behind the bar. He put a water bottle in front of her and then resumed sitting on the stool.
Myla took a sip and stared out the large picture window. The club girls lounged on the couches and chairs that decorated the veranda. A small, tight knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach.What am I going to do now? I can’t live in the clubhouse. What’s going to happen between Diesel and me?She couldn’t help but wonder whether what they had was just a fling, two people coming together out of grief to comfort one another.If I stay in Pinewood Springs, I’ll find a job and get an apartment. Maybe take some art classes at the junior college.Once again, she found herself having to pull up stakes and reinvent her life. She’d done it numerous times and would do so again, but it was beginning to get old. A stable life with a home of her own, a job she loved, and a solid man she could lean on who loved and respected her from his core was what she yearned for and… always had; it seemed like it wasn’t in the cards for her.
Half an hour later, several Pinewood Springs Insurgents entered the room and went to the bar. Welder didn’t move from the stool, but the prospects from the San Diego club handed out drinks to the men. Myla didn’t notice any of the men from the chapter club nor did she see Diesel. A few minutes later, he walked into the room. That brought a smidgen of relief against the worry curling around her nerves. She noticed he’d changed his jeans and shirt, and his knuckles appeared bruised and slightly swollen.
“You ready to go for a ride?”
Smiling, she nodded.
“You need anything upstairs?”
“My purse.”
“I’ll get it; then we’ll go.”
“I can go,” she said, but her words were lost against his retreating back.
Soon, Myla was walking toward his motorcycle, her hand in his, and enjoying the feel of the soft breeze through her hair.
“Are you going to be okay riding?” she said, pointing at his knuckles.
“This isn’t shit,” he replied. “We’ll go for a long ride up the coast. We’ll take it easy, have some chow, watch the sunset over the ocean because I know you love that, then come back and fuck like crazy.”
Excitement mixed with love tingled through her. “Sounds like a perfect day.”
