Page 42 of Diesel's Perseverance
“’Cause you said hewasyour boyfriend.”
“I didn’t mean that exactly. I had decided to leave Freddy, then he disappeared.”
“I gotcha. And now you want him back.”
“I want him safe.” Myla picked up her plate. “I’m going to get some fresh air. It was good talking with you, Kristy.”
“Same here. Tank’s giving me that look. He’s a good guy. Ex-military like Hawk, Gopher, and Buffalo. If you need anything, reach out to me.”
“Thanks.”
Myla watched Kristy sashay over to a nice-looking, muscular, solid guy. She guessed that was how he got his nickname. When Kristy reached Tank, he yanked her to him, kissed her deeply, threw her over his shoulder, and patted her rounded behind. Squeals of laughter pealed from her, and a few men cheered as Tank strode out of the room.
“I’ll take that,” one of the prospects said to Myla as he pointed at the empty dish.
“I can do it.”
The tattooed man seized the dish from her and marched away.
I can’t seem to get a hang of the rules and protocols around here.She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen—nothing from Diesel. The last thing she received from him was a text simply stating he’d be home soon. That was it. There was no information about Freddy, what Diesel found at her house, or what the hell was going on.
She shoved her phone into the front pocket of her jeans and stomped out of the club. At times, Diesel infuriated her to no end. Half the time, she didn’t know what he was thinking, and all the secretive bullshit between the bikers was getting on her nerves in the worst way.
Myla had been in Pinewood Springs for three weeks and knew nothing more now than when she’d first arrived. At this point, she had no idea if Freddy was alive or dead or if she was in danger. It felt as if she was in limbo. Her old life had imploded like a dying star, and she wasn’t clear on what would happen next.
She walked down by the river. The birds flitting between the trees, the rush of the river over the rocks, and the sweet scent of pine relaxed her. She sat on the grass, watched the current move swiftly, and let her mind drift. Memories of the last days with Freddy made her cringe. His cruel possessiveness was juxtaposed with Diesel’s heartfelt and unassuming kindness.Diesel.Just thinking about him made her stomach do flip flops. He came off as being gruff and badass, but she knew he was a sweetheart deep down. Myla had gotten a sense of that from the letters they had exchanged until Freddy made such a fuss about it she’d stopped writing. How she’d missed getting them with her printed name on a white envelope and the prison’s return address in the upper left-hand corner.
She picked up a stone and threw it into the river. If Freddy hadn’t taken off, she doubted she would’ve met Diesel. She’d made up her mind she was done with their relationship after that vicious beating. For over a year, Myla had noticed Freddy spiraling further and further out of control, but the abuse was the last straw. He’d slapped her a couple of times over the past year, but she excused those indiscretions to his being stressed over the businesses. Looking back, she should’ve left after he first laid his hand on her. She always had great hindsight.
In the distance, the faint roar of motorcycles made Myla’s heart skip a beat, and she pushed up from the ground.Don’t get excited. Bikes come and go here all the time.The night before, she heard a bike revving and thought Diesel had returned. She’d peered out the window and tried to ignore her disappointment when she saw it was one of the club members straddling his Harley.
Nevertheless, the loud rumble of approaching bikes had her pulse racing and butterflies flitting in her stomach. She walked toward the clubhouse and stopped in her tracks when she saw the three bikes pull into the front lot. Diesel jumped off his bike. Myla’s gaze scanned the length of him, all six feet two inches of pure, unadulterated masculinity. Even with sweat glistening on his face and grime streaking down his neck, he still looked sexy as ever.
When he caught her eyeing him, his lips curved slightly, and he winked. “Hey,” he mouthed.
“Hey,” she whispered, waving.
He said something to his two riding companions, then strode over to her.
“You’re back,” she said, the excitement of seeing him making her breathless.
“Yeah. How’ve you been?”
“Jumpy. I didn’t know what was going on or how you were.” She punched his arm lightly. “You weren’t very good at sending me updates.”
“Sorry. There was a lot to do in a short amount of time.”
“Did you find out where Freddy is?”
“He’s not in Denver. I’d say he’s in San Diego.”
“So he was telling me the truth,” she said.
“Seems that way.”
“And Peter Cano?”
“He’s bad news, but you already know that. His base is in LA or maybe San Diego. I met up with that doctor who wrote the phony prescriptions at the clinic.”
